InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ History Lessons ❯ The Castle of the West ( Chapter 1 )

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

Kagome finds something very interesting at a school trip to an old castle. Why is her portrait hanging on the bedchamber wall?

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Fantasy / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.04.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 508 | Status: Work In Progress

Disclaimer- I do not own Inu Yasha. Just the storyline and other made up characters

"Lord Fluffy" signifies talking
'Lord Fluffy' signifies thinking
Lord Fluffy signifies flashbacks, memories, etc.

History Lessons

Chapter 1- Castle of the West
A/N I made some little changes!

Kagome sighed and looked out the bus's window. They were speeding by the highway. She leaned her head on the cool glass and sat staring at the sky till the sceneries changed to that of fields and lightly scattered trees. She sighed again and checked the time. It wasn't noon yet.

“Oh come on, Kagome. You should be happy we get to go on a field trip in stead of sitting in school all day.” It was her friend Shiori, who was sitting next to her.

Kagome smiled and said, “I'm fine Shiori” `Inu Yasha's gonna kill me, I'm supposed to be back by now.' Kagome had returned to her time 3 days ago to catch up on school work. She had to “sit” Inu Yasha 50 times before he gave in. She didn't know there was a field trip, and since there was a major report she had to turn in afterwards, could not miss it. Fortunately, their destination was only an hour away. Hopefully she's be able to go back to feudal era before sunset. `Well, at least Inu Yasha can't follow me and drag me off this time.'

The fight against Naraku had not been going well. They had been searching for months, with the help of Sesshoumaru, and although they had gathered several more shards Naraku hadn't left so much as a scent behind him. Kagome was worried. It had been a bit too quiet in Sengoku Jidai for her comfort. She was sure Naraku was planning something.

“What do you think, Kagome?”
“Huh?”
“What do you think? It's not everyday we get to go to a real palace. Won't it be great to be a princess?” They all laughed.
Yumi, who was sitting in front of them, turned around to talk to them. “Not this time! They say a demon king used to live there”
“No way. Demons don't exist” Shiori said
`Don't exist my butt' Kagome thought to herself
“Yeah, but my dad told me there's some weird legend that comes from there. He said that, hundreds of years ago, a great demon lord lived at the palace. He was very powerful, but cold and ruthless. He didn't have a heart. Sometimes he'd just kill for no reason at all.”
`Sounds a lot like someone I know' thought Kagome, who was still grumbling to herself about Inu Yasha
Yumi continued, “Especially humans. He hated humans. But then, he met a certain human girl. He tried to kill her too, but ended up falling in love with her, so he saved her, they got married, and lived happily ever after. And wile he and his lovely wife ruled, they rid the nation of evil, bringing peace to the entire world”

Shiori laughed. “Sounds like a fairytale to me.” Yumi stuck her tongue out at her.
“Yeah, most demons would never marry a human. They're all arrogant, stuck up, stupid selfish jerks who-” Kagome stopped mid-sentence. Her friends were giving her a weird look.
“You sound like you personally know one, Kagome”
“Of-Of course not! You said yourself, they don't exist… Haha…” she laughed nervously. Fortunately for her, the bus stopped at that moment, and there was a great deal of movement and noise as everyone got up and stepped off the bus, chatting loudly.

Relieved, Kagome threw her dark hair over her shoulder, picked up her school bag and joined the others and led her friends to the fate, where a guard was waiting. Many of Kagome's classmates were looking slightly surprised or amused, and Kagome saw why as she moved nearer to the fate. There was a set of heavy doors, currently thrown open, that was against a long wall that ran across for miles. But what the others were so happy about stood beside the doors.

The security man, or an exhibition, Kagome couldn't tell which, was wearing a full armor that seemed to have originated from ancient Japan; a samurai-like body armor, metal helmet, leather boots… yup. `he wouldn't look out of place in Inu Yasha's time' Kagome mused to herself. “Welcome to the Palace of the West” he shouted “if you'll walk inside, the admittance office is on your left” they followed their teacher inside. As Kagome stepped through the giant gateway, her jaw dropped. It was the most beautiful castle she'd ever seen! (A/N- in japan, the castle would have those buildings with red tiles and different courts etc. but I'm not familiar with it so it's going to be European style. Sorry) The entire thing was HUGE. The highest towers reached up and formed a part of the sky; hundreds of gleaming windows shone like studded diamonds; the front doorway was arched and also white, and seemed to be made of marble, with intricate carvings.on its edge inscriptions in writing she couldn't understand were carved in. In the middle of it, Kagome could distinctly make out a figure of a dog, howling at the crescent moon on the top…

The front courtyard was covered by a sea of grass and beautiful flowers popped in their mist toward the castle walls, some flowered vines crawling and sticking to it.

“Wow” she said
“I wish I could be a princess here” Shiori repeated.

Since they had 30 minutes to spare before their scheduled tour, they went to the gift shop. Kagome bought a white fan for her mother, a set of charms for her grand pa, and a bracelet made of beades with inscriptions for Sota. She also got a book of history and facts on the castle and its people to help her with her homework. When she emerged stuffing her stuff into her bag, a tour guide was waiting for them. Kagome noticed that all the staff were wearing traditional Japanese clothing, such as armors and yukatas. Their guide was wearing a red kimono with white flower petals dancing across the end of her sleeves and the bottom of her kimono and her obi, which was also red. She even had her hair tied up in an elegant bun. She smiled and bowed.

“Welcome. My name is Yuki. I will be your guide for today's tour. Please feel free to ask me any questions. We wil be visiting most of the grounds and important rooms in the castle. Please keep in mind that pictures can only be taken without flash, as all objects are authentic and very old and valuable. Only specified items can be touched. Now, if you'll follow me…” she led them across the grassy yard to the entrance, while giving them a brief history.

“This castle was built over 2000 years ago by an ancient family of Japan. The dog, as you can see on the doors, is a symbol of the family and the land they ruled over, as is the crescent moon. Evidence suggest that a vast majority of western Japan was once under their power, thus giving the palace its name. It is based on the legend that Japan was once divided to four kingdoms, of the West, East, North, and South.” (A/N i made this part up, and some other 'historical' facts as well. hehe)

The little group walked inside. The hall way was, like verything else, gigantic and gorgeous. Their footsteps and voices almost echoed through the high ceiling. It had many doors leading to adjoining rooms, and mainly built from gold and marbles that reflected the sunlight pouring through the open doors and windows near the ceiling, so that no lights were lit, the hall was dazzling.

Kagome felt a strange feeling inside her, a mixture of awe, wonder, and something else she couldn't explain, and a sense of some sort of deity present. She was sure she'd been here before.

Yuki led them towards a grand stairway, also of marble, and round. They walked up and through another set of magnificent doorway. It looked exactle like the other side, except bigger, and much more beautiful. Windows were placed all around the square room near the ceiling, and at the far end, 5 thrones were set up on a raised platform.
They were like a pyramid, the biggest and most intricate on the top, two on either side but slightly lower, and so on. They were golden and adorned with jewels.

“This is the throne room, where most court business and affairs took place. The lord sits on the highest throne, the lady on his right, and their children on the rest, from oldest to youngest.” After a quick look around, they headed back outside, as the room didn't lead anywhere else, but Kagome stood as if transfixed, and ran to join her groupat the last minute.

The longer she was in the castle, the stronger her feelings became. She was sure she was here before. Next they explored the dining room and the assembly room. They were, like everything else, magnificent. However, what Kagome found interesting were the p aintings in the circular assembly room.

That's when she first began to notice.

Each painting appeared to be a moment in history, and several caught Kagome's eye… before she could take a closer look, however, they were ushered out to the maze of gardens.

The fountains, hundreds of plants, and statues, even after centuries, stood in all their glory.

`Strange' Kagome thought, looking at a statue of a man with long hair. She couldn't quite make out the face because it was slightly worn, but he looked so familiar, wearing an armor with two swords….

“Excuse me, Miss Yuki?”
“Hai?”
“What can you tell me about this statue?”
“These statues are of people who once lived here. Royalty, to be exact. He is the last, and known to be the greatest, lord of the west from several hundred years ago. Sources tell us he brought peace, unity, and prosperity among his people…”

But Kagome wasn't listening. She looked around but didn't see anyone else she recognized, though many more appeared familiar, including that of a young girl sitting close by holding a flower (A/N hint hint). Kagome knew exactly where she was. She was at `Sesshoumaru's home!'How can it be?' She was shocked. How could the cold, emotionless demon she knew, who tried to kill her, her friends, and his own brother on more than one occasion, over a sword nonetheless, go down in history as such a great dude? It had to be a mistake.
Or was she wrong about Sesshoumaru? After all, she knew he had a human girl under his care. `May be Rin is the one who changes him. She could be the girl Yumi mentioned'

She was so occupied by the thought of Sesshoumaru becoming a good guy she didn't even break a sweat as they climbed hundreds of stairs to the top floors. `Rin and Ice Prince. She could somehow melt his cold exterior and reach in and… that is so fairy tale! Typical. Well, there's still a small chance that this is not true at all. Just a story… a fairy tale…'

How very wrong she was.

“Here we are!” they were on what Yuki told them to be the 7th floor. “This area is more personal and private, and more interesting” They looked in the guest rooms and the bed chambers of royalty.

And Kagome wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry when she left…

The large room of Lord and Lady had wall length windows with green curtains facing the west with a large balcony. The bed was covered in rich, golden sheets and white drapes around it, and rich furnishing matched the shiny oak floor. Kagome noticed that the room was big enough to hold Sesshoumaru in his true form.

Next the went to an adjoining chamber. “This room is for the lord's fiance, when courting is still in process. Only after marriage ceremony does the woman move in with the lord. The woman in this picture,” she pointed to a life size portrait hanging over the fireplace “is the last Lady of the Weest. By tradition, a portrait of the previous Lady is hung in this room, possibly to …”

Rest of her words did not reach Kagome's ears, for when she looked upon the painting, all her breath escaped her and she froze, unaware of her surroundings except for her thumping heartbeat.

The woman was sitting on a rock next to a hot spring, her with her back to the front turned slightly to the left, her feet dangling in the water. Her blue kimono was loose and hanging off her shoulders, as if she was getting ready to bathe. Her face was turned and looking at the front, bright blue slightly closed and a gentle smile on her lips. Her wavy ebony hair, reaching to her hips, was loose and dancing in a slight breeze. It revealed the back of her kimono, on which a white dog stood howling at the crescent moon. The miniscule stars embroidered on it seemed to match her sparkling eyes. There was a blue crescent moon on her forehead, maroon stripes on her hands, like that of Sesshoumaru, and another moon on her neck.

Kagome blinked. “Na-Nani! That's… me!”

Author's Notes: Please Review! Tell me what you think. This chapter needs a little changes but I will get to that. Later.