InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Done to Death ❯ Chapter One: Plan... A? ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: In high school... in America... 100% English... get my drift? I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters, only the idea for this story and all the plot twists that I shall throw the Inuyasha cast into. Enjoy!

~~~ Done to Death ~~~

Chapter One: Plan... A?

"Ok... bag, check. Money, check. Dagger, check. Plan... uh, well, how important is a plan anyway?" the girl asked herself. Her hair was a dark ebony pulled into a tight braid only worn when wealthy ladies were supposed to be abed and slumbering. But Kagome Koharu Kyoko Hikaru Higurashi, or just Kagome, was not your normal, average, run-o-the-mill lady.

Oh no.

She was much worse.

She was the princess.

And, she was running from the only real duty, or purpose in life, that princesses have. And she wasn't about to waste time on a plan. She had worked so far as to steal a servant's cloak and knee-high leather boots, and to secure some sturdy work clothes, but after that, she was lost. Her daypack was filled with meats and bread and cheeses, and she had a bottle of water and a flask of wine stuffed in there somewhere. Sizing up her image in her floor-length mirror, she shrugged and took off her nightclothes, careful to place them in her pack.

Pulling out a large roll of bandages, she sized up her breasts and quickly bound them flat... or, somewhat flat. Hoping that she could pass off as a very buff boy, she pulled on her leggings and tunic and placed the boots on her feet. Looking at her image again, she sighed and grabbed the sewing scissors out of her scrap basket and made quick work of the mid-back length hair. Shaking her hair that now reached to the very bottom of her earlobes, she stuffed the braid in the pack and shouldered the yellow bag. Stepping out onto her balcony, she closed her window and mumbled a soft apology to the house, people, and kingdom (but not to her parents) for running away, then climbed down, landing softly. Sneaking past the dogs who knew her well, she smiled one last time at her home of sixteen years, then trotted into the woods.

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"Oi, boss, ya heard?" a large, beefy man asked a much smaller person. Said person had long, flowing black hair that fell to his waist, even when pulled into a low ponytail, as it was now. The man's purple eyes were cold and uncaring, the amber glints only aiding in setting him apart from the rest of the world even more. He wore a blood red tunic that had a faded gold trim, and his leggings were the same blood red color. His black leather, knee-high boots rolled at the top and, unknown to most, he held three throwing knives in each. Looking at the large man, he said, "No, Yoshiko, I haven't. What is it?"

"The princess has disappeared!"

Interest perking, the red-clad man said, "Really? When?"

"About a day ago. Jurota told me himself." the man who could be a sumo wrestler said. Jurota was the spy that the boss had planted inside the royal house, and the dark haired man knew that he never lied or exaggerated in his information.

"Do they know the direction she took?" he asked, hoping to catch the girl. Oh, the reward that he could collect for finding her! He and his men would never have to work again!

"Sorry boss, but no one knows, not even the guards. Jurota says that the dogs never barked or nothin'. We got no clues."

"Keh. Then we just have to find her before anyone else! Get Miroku and bring him here! That priest needs to earn his keep once and a while." the boss said while pulling out his trusty sword. Its handle was frizzing out in all directions and it had definitely seen better days, but it was his favorite weapon... other than his fists.

"Ah, Inuyasha, you called?" a calm voice asked. Sheathing the sword, Inuyasha turned to face the only person brave (or stupid) enough to call him by his name. There stood his right hand "Priest". His hair was a shimmering black that was pulled into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. He wore a dark purple tunic with black leggings and black leather boots, much like Inuyasha's. He carried an oaken staff with him at all times, as it was his preferred weapon... other than running away. Smiling, he bowed mockingly, saying, "Oh, boss, oh fearless leader, what can this -lowly- slave do for your mightiness? Perhaps style your hair? Or, perchance, give you a manicure?" Growling at the other's antics, Inuyasha explained the money earning opportunity and added, "So, you and I are going to try and find her. Got that?" Saluting, much like a sailor would to a captain, Miroku said, "Aye aye, Capt'n!" Muttering words under his breath that would make a sailor blush, Inuyasha headed towards his camp to tell his band what he was going to do. But since Miroku was a bandit priest, and not a sailor, he didn't blush in the least, and just followed the boss, planning on where to search first.

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After explaining to the camp the plan, Inuyasha and Miroku set out walking, searching the back roads for the lost royalty. Looking under bushes and piles of leaves, Miroku sighed as he came up with leaves, angry squirrels, and no royalty.

"What?" Inuyasha snorted. "Did you expect the girl to be on the ground, just waiting to be found? You ba-oof!"

"'Ey! Get offa me, ya jerk!" a muffled voice protested as Miroku helped Inuyasha to his feet. There lay a young boy on the forest floor, leaves in his short, black hair and dirt on his knees. Helping the boy up, Miroku noticed that there was dirt underneath his nails that shouldn't be there from just the fall. And the hands were small and soft, like the boy had never worked a day in his life. Pulling his hands away, the boy glared at Inuyasha as he said, "Watch where you're goin' next time."

"Why do I have to listen to a whelp like you?" Inuyasha asked, returning the glare.

"Because I'm-" Miroku cut off the boy as he said, "Allow me to apologize for him. He isn't very good with words." Nodding, the boy reached down and grasped the strap of a small, yellow bag, lifting it to his back. Bowing to Miroku, he wished them good travels, then continued in the direction that they had just come, walking swiftly through the bracken. Looking down at the leaves and rocks on the ground, Miroku said to himself, "I wonder why he was on the ground?"

"He was digging." Inuyasha said suddenly. Looking at where his friend was on the ground, Miroku saw that, indeed, some dirt had been dug up haphazardly, then stomped back on something. Working together, the two men quickly uncovered... a white silk nightgown and a thick braid of dark, ebony hair. Taking in the newfound articles and the boy's slender and uncalloused hands, Miroku's eyes widened and he said, "Maybe royalty really -does- just lie on the ground, waiting to be found."

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Miroku as a bandit priest... is there even such a thing?! Isn't that an oxymoron?!