InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Almost Perfect ❯ The Man With Golden Eyes ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A.N. A thanks goes out to everyone that reviewed, and to my Beta, Yun, who is a part of the reason why I am still continuing this fic. All the encouragements really helped make me write faster. So here's the second Chapter, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Kagome woke up the next morning with a smile on her face. With the knowledge that so many people had already pledged their loyalty to her, she yawned, managing to pull herself up into a sitting position. Kagome felt as if nothing could ruin her good mood today, and her birthday was coming up soon also.

Pushing back the covers, she reluctantly got out of her warm bed, shivering slightly as her bare feet made contact with the cold wooden floor. Pulling on a loose-fitting blue garment that was pale blue in color, she took a moment to marvel at the butterfly designs that were embroidered over the cloth. Slipping on matching pants and a black colored belt, she looked at her reflection in a nearby mirror. It was simple yet flattering, just enough to get her out of the palace without raising much suspicion.

The morning air was cool and crisp with a slight fog hanging over the palace grounds, but the birds chirped and sang their sweet melodies nevertheless. A few rays of sunlight managed to shine through from behind the surrounding mountains, casting everything with a reddish glow. Kagome walked in a brisk pace and soon reached a more secluded part of the royal garden.

Walking over to an unusually large bush, she drew out a plain wooden box, well hidden within the maze of small branches and twigs. Slowly lifting the lid, Kagome grinned as she pulled out a pair of worn-looking leather gloves. Pulling them on, she then proceeded to push her way through the foliage that effectively blocked the small clearing from view. Taking a moment to breath in the fresh air, she looked around the small clearing.

To the normal person, it appeared as nothing more than a small patch of grass. But to her, this was her sanctuary, the place where she always went to when she was sad or lonely. A small smile lifted her lips as she suddenly turned to her left, one hand shooting out to snap the trunk of a small tree. Splinters flew in every direction as she began to take down the foliage that surrounded the clearing. True, this was her haven, but it also happened to double as her training ground.

…

The Queen wasin a pensive moodthis morning. Gingerly rubbing her temples with the tips of her fingers, she sighed in defeat. Looking at her reflection, the Queen had to admit that she was no longer as young as she used to be. Her hands traced over the fine wrinkles that now lined her once-smooth face, and sighed at the touches of gray now mingled in with her jet black hair.

The Queen knew that her daughter was almost an exact replica of what she used to look like, save for the fact their personalities were not even remotely similar. Kagome also had her mother's jet black hair, but it shined with almost a bluish glow. Her daughter's skin was also more tanned, sun-kissed from many hours of staying outside doing who knows what. Although unusual as it seemed, Kagome had inherited both her mother's light gray eyes and her father's sky-blue ones. If one were to look carefully, they would have noticed that the princess's eyes changed from steely gray to sparkling sapphire depending on her mood.

Dressing in a magnificent handmade kimono, the queen prepared herself to greet her husband who had once again had stayed up all night tending to matters of his country.

Brewing a pot of tea to her husband's preference, the Queen exited the room and headed for the King's study, a small train of ladies in waiting trailing behind her. Reaching the entrance to a large room, one of her ladies in waiting gently slid aside the shoji screen, and bowed her head in respect as the Queen stepped through the threshold.

Entering the dark study, the queen saw the silhouette of her husband bent over a large desk covered with last night's work. Clearing her throat, the Queen approached her husband. “Good morning, dear. How are you feeling today?” the Queen questioned softly.

“I'm fine as long as you and my kingdom are happy.” answered the King with a reassuring smile.

“I was just thinking of telling you last night that the preparations for Kagome's party are almost ready. We should be able to have everything taken care of by tomorrow.” The Queen replied, setting down the cup of tea beside several rolls of parchment.

The king nodded his acknowledgement. It was hard to see his daughter grow up so fast. “Soon she would have to be married off to some other kingdom, since she has somehow managed to scare off all her prospective husbands in this area, you know.” The King complained, clearly annoyed by the idea.

The queen placed her hand comfortingly on her husband's shoulders. “I've been thinking about that problem too. I agree that Kagome deserves some outstanding young man, but with the way this is going, she's probably going to die a virgin,” she muttered. “This could also potentially ruin our chances of ever having grandchildren.” The Queen continued, sniffing at the thought.

“What do you suppose we do, then?” the King asked hurriedly, the part about the grandchildren catching his attention.

The Queen mulled over the question, before replying slowly. “We should invite every single eligible suitor to Kagome's birthday party.” The Queen began glumly, pursing her lips.

Patting his wife's hand, the King went back to work, giving his wife his wordless permission.

…

Kagome walked hurriedly back to her sleeping-quarters, her wet hair clinging to the fabric of her yukata, making the morning colder then it already was.

Knocking over various pieces of furniture, Kagome finally picked out an elaborate Kimono that she knew would please her parents. Her birthday was coming up very soon, and she wanted to make the best impression possible that could guarantee her the most amount of presents.

Noting that her fingers were slightly shriveled from the unnecessarily long bath that she took at the hot springs, Kagome tried to rush into her complicatedly designed kimono. Losing her balance while trying to slip into her shoes, Kagome managed to bang her knee against a decorative night stand. Letting out a string of colorful words that would have sent her maids running away blushing, Kagome limped out of her room, wincing in pain.

After eating breakfast, Kagome ran off to her lessons. She had seen the approving glances her mother had thrown her way during the meal. Kagome knew that it had pleased her mother, which meant that wearing the torturous kimono had paid off. All she had to do now was to wait and see if it would result in a few extra gifts.

Kagome was determined to get out of her double dance lesson that day, so she had lightly poisoned her dreaded sensei's afternoon tea, resulting in the teacher not being able to leave the side of a toilet for a few days to come.

Fingering some supposedly very expensive tea and small treats, Kagome wove her way through the forest, noting disapprovingly that she was leaving easily detectable footprints behind.

Mentally taking note that she would somehow need take care of that problem later, she walked deeper into the forest.

Closing in on her sensei's hut, Kagome saw the old woman bent over some dried herbs, sorting them into different piles.

“Kaede-sensei?” Kagome shouted, breaking into a jog in order to reach the hut faster.

“Here ye are Kagome. I thought that ye had forgotten this old woman.” greeted her sensei, her single eye twinkling.

“Don't be silly, Kaede-sensei. I could never forget about you. I was simply busy for the past while.” Kagome assured the old woman.

So I have heard. Ye seem to have made quite a name for yourself in the last few days, young one. Ye should be more secretive as to your identity, no?” chuckled the old woman. “I'm sure that your parents would disapprove of ye risking your life on a weekly basis.”

Blushing slightly from her sensei's words, Kagome quickly handed over the small gifts that she had taken from the palace. “T-these are for you.” Kagome muttered, hoping to change the subject.

Accepting the gifts, Kaede suddenly frowned.

“Do you not like the gifts, Kaede-sensei?” a worried Kagome asked.

Kaede shook her head. “No, child. It is not that. Tell me, your birthday is coming soon, is it not?” questioned the old miko.

“Uh, hai.” Kagome answered, fidgeting uncomfortably under the old woman's glance.

“Ye wait here for a moment, child. I will be right back.” Kaede answered before bustling inside the hut.

A moment later, her sensei came back with a large bundle, wrapped in white cloth. Handing it to Kagome, Kaede motioned for her to unwrap it.

Opening the curious little bundle, Kagome's lips parted slightly to let out a small gasp. Inside it, lay the most beautiful bow Kagome had ever seen.

It was absolutely stunning. The wood was polished to absolute perfection, detailed carvings of dragons gracing both tips of the weapon. Even the string was set to perfect tension. Kagome had never seen such adeadly yet delicately-made weapon. Not even the many bows in the royal armory could rival this one.

Kagome allowed her index finger to trace over the delicate gripping area, where sakura blossoms were carved into the beautiful wood. The light reflected off it perfectly, showing that it did not bore any nicks or scratches.

“Kaede-sensei, I cannot take this. It is too precious for you just to give away.” Kagome murmured quietly, still in awe of the item that she held in her hands.

Kaede waved it off casually. “Nonsense, child. I am but an old woman. What would I ever do with such a thing? Go ahead and take it, Kagome.” the old woman said encouragingly.

“A-arigato, Kaede-sensei. Truly. But may I ask where you got such a thing?” asked Kagome questioned curiously.

Kaede sighed, her aged face suddenly appearing much older. “It used to belong to someone dear to me, child. Someone who shouldn't have died. It's a pity, really. It wasn't anywhere near her time.” the miko finally answered sadly.

“Who was this person, Kaede?” Kagome prodded gently.

Kaede gazed off into the distance, a far-away look in her single eye. “She was my sister, child. Her name was Kikyo….”

…

Kagome entered the bustling town on her way back, and was surprised when she was greeted by a few people. Realizing that she had forgotten her disguise back at her sleeping quarters, Kagome decided that this was going to be one of the few times she would ever enter a town without a disguise, if not for political reasons.

Smiling good-naturedly, she waved back at the small group of people. It truly warmed her heart when they had greeted her with a simple “Good day to you, miss,” Instead of the honorary `Princess' or `Your Highness' titles that she was so tired of. She took comfort in the fact that they actually considered her as one of them, and not just as an arrogant monarch that ruled over the kingdom.

Deciding to take a slightly different route to avoid too much attention, Kagome hurriedly turned a corner to a less occupied part of the town. Intent on getting back to the palace on time, she collided into someone while hurriedly turning another corner.

Caught by surprise, she lost her balance before falling rather ungraciously onto her backside. The gift that Kaede had given her fell out of her grasp, clattering onto the ground.

Scrambling to pick up the bundle, Kagome frantically unwrapped it to check for any sort of damage. A gasp escaped her pink lips when she saw that a small patch of paint had been scratched off. Growling, Kagome raised her head sharply and turned to glare at the cause of her misfortune, only to stare into mesmerizing gold eyes.

“Oi, watch where you're going, wench!” the man shouted, effectively snapping Kagome out of her reverie. She blinked, feeling a hint of annoyance at his arrogant tone. Did he have any idea who he was talking to?

Scowling in displeasure, Kagome glared up at the man. He was clad entirely in red, except for the white undershirt that showed through the slits of his hoari. Besides that, he also wore a traveler's hat much like the one that she had worn the day before, only minus the veil.

A battered-looking katana hung by his side, looking as though it couldn't even cut through paper. Glancing upwards, Kagome's breath hitched as she took in the man's appearance, from his long silver hair, to his chiseled features. Once again drawn to his fascinating eyes, Kagome only then realized that the man was not a human. Forcing her gaze away from his face, she suddenly realized what he had called her. Both anger and indignation rose within her chest, as her eyes turned a cold steel gray.

“What did you call me? If I am not mistaken, you were the one who bumped into me, you baka! And look what you did to my bow!" Kagome shot back, desperately trying to brush the dirt off her clothes.

“Keh. Blame your clumsiness on other people, bitch.” the man said carelessly over his shoulder as he began to walk away.

Kagome could've sworn that she saw red. Dropping to the ground, she delivered a swift kick, intent on sweeping the man's legs out from under him. However, in an extraordinary show of reflexes, the man did a one-handed flip and easily avoided her mindless attack.

“Come on. Fight me.” Kagome challenged, quickly shifting into a fighting stance. At the back of her mind, she cursed her foolishness at not having brought any weapon of sorts.

The man stared at her intensely for a moment as she glared back at him. Suddenly, the man looked away.

“Keh. I don't have time to play teacher right now. Go find someone else to pick a fight with, will ya?” With that, he turned on his heel and quickly disappeared from view.

“Why that,” Kagome seethed. Hearing footsteps behind her, she whipped around.

“Now that's a nice looking bow you got there, miss.” said a greasy-looking man.

“So I hope ya don't mind us taking it from ya.” said another man who suddenly appeared out of the shadows, looking even more dim-witted than the first man.

“Don't even think about it, you scums.” Kagome snarled, her anger coming back full-force.

“Hey Kon, the girl's a pretty little thing, ain't she?” A nearby man said with a slight accent, giving away the fact that he wasn't a native.

“We already have enough bitches for sale on our boat. Why can't we just let this one go?” the one named Kon complained, catching Kagome's attention.

Hearing of what they were selling, Kagome's lips curled in disgust.

“Stop your whining. This one's a lot more better looking then all the other ones. We just need to polish her up a little, don't we, Kon?” grinned the first man.

“Alright,” Kon agreed miserably as he moved to grab Kagome from behind.

Easily dodging his attack, Kagome kicked him in the stomach before elbowing him under the chin. But as pain erupted behind her head, Kagome only then realized that the first man had somehow managed to sneak up behind her during the fight. Feeling something wet trickle down her neck, Kagome collapsed into an undignified heap. The last thing she saw before blacking out, was that of the two men grinning down at her.

Inuyasha had began to walk away, when his superior hearing skills had picked up the sounds of a scuffle where he had left the girl.

`So she did pick a fight with someone else, then?' Inuyasha thought with a grin, as he continued along his way.

He wasn't exactly worried about anything happening to her. Besides, her stance and attack told him that the girl was already quite experienced. If he hadn't been a hanyou, he probably wouldn't have been able to dodge it. Darkly, Inuyasha silently thought that the girl seriously deserved whatever she got coming.

A short while later, the sounds of the scuffle ended, and Inuyasha turned around in surprise when he heard only the voices of two men instead of the girl.

He swallowed, allowing the fact that the girl had actually lost to sink in. Clenching and unclenching his fists, he gritted histeeth before continuing on his way.

`She deserves it' Inuyasha reminded himself, as he strode down the dirt path.

A few minutes later, Inuyasha found himself in the town marketplace. Everyone looked friendly and welcomed him warmly, a few passing people even nodding at him. Cursing himself for having a conscience, Inuyasha turned on his heel and dashed back towards the spot where he had first met the strange girl with cold gray eyes.

`Then again,' Inuyasha thought darkly, as he pushed past a few surprised villagers, `she wouldn't have gotten herself into this mess if I wasn't so fucking lost.'

A.N. Inu and Kag finally meets! Hopefully everyone enjoyed it. Please leave a little review at the end, it would mean a lot to me.