InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Once Upon a Time ❯ Betrayal ( Chapter 4 )

Kagome continued to pound on the door in front of her. She shouted for the hundredth time, "Kikyo? Kikyo! It's me, Kagome, open up!"

 

Silence.

 

A sob escaped her lips as she repeatedly hit the door with her fists. She was starting to think that Kikyo had been held up at Koga's ball by Koga trying to flirt with her and that she was stuck out here for the night, when there was a click behind the door and it opened slightly. It was enough to reveal Kikyo's annoyed face.

 

"Kikyo! Thank goodness! I was starting to think that Koga was holding you up! Quick, let's go inside before anyone sees!"

 

Kikyo just stared coldly at her. "Who said I'm gonna let you in?"

 

Kagome looked at her, not really understanding the underlying tone in Kikyo's voice. "I'm sorry, what? Kikyo, there's no time for this. We have to switch back before anyone notices."

 

Kikyo snickered and whispered menacingly into Kagome's innocent face, "Listen here, princess. I have been dreaming of a life like yours, and you've been dreaming of a life like mine. Now all we have to do is keep it that way, right?"

 

It was starting to sink into Kagome's mind. "K-Kikyo, we HAVE to switch. I-I don't belong in this world; I won't be able to survive out here. I AM the princess, you know, you just look a lot like me, is all..."

 

"Huh, says who?" Kikyo sneered, "As long as I'm the one with the power, I can say that YOU'RE a street beggar named Kikyo and I'M the princess named Kagome and no one will be able to contradict me!"

 

Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. Kikyo wouldn't do that to her. No, it was just....inhumanly cruel. Even for her.

 

Acidly, Kikyo said, "Now get out of my sight before I set the guards on you, KIKYO."

 

The last thing Kagome saw before the door was slammed in her face was Kikyo's triumphant leer.

 

She stood there for what seemed like an eternity, contemplating on what had just happened to her.

 

She was stuck out in the streets.

 

everyone thought Kikyo was Kagome.

 

Overall, her life was taking a horrible downward turn.

 

She sobbed, not bothering to stem the tears that flowed freely down her face. She had been betrayed, her simple plan had gone wrong, and now there was no turning back. She didn't know what to do, where she would go, how she would live. She had no money, and didn't really want to ask Kikyo's father for help. Not that he would give her any. She sat there crying, weeping until she thought she could weep no more.

 

At length, Inuyasha stepped out from behind a corner and walked up to her. Kagome looked up, her wide eyes still pouring tears by the buckets.

 

"I-Inu...*sob*...yasha?"

 

"who does it look like?" he said with his arms crossed and a slightly put out expression on his face.

 

"How...how long have you been there? D-did you hear...?"

 

"I heard enough," was the gruff reply.

 

Kagome looked down. She felt drained. Too much was happening at once. The floor was starting to pitch this way and that. In the distance, Inuyasha's voice echoed around, "Hey, are you all right?"

 

She slipped into merciful unconsciousness.

 

 

 

In what was obviously a dream, Kagome was back in the castle, sitting on her bed talking to her mother and father. They were telling her the best news she'd heard in years: Koga wasn't her fiancé anymore. In fact, she was now engaged to....

 

"Hey. Hey, wake up."

 

Kagome groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Inuyasha was gently nudging her arm with his hand. She whispered, "Inuyasha?"

 

Seeing that she was awake, Inuyasha straightened up and sighed, visibly annoyed. "You know, you really didn't have to faint out on the streets. For making me carry you on all the way here, I should make you repay me by working as my slave for 3 years."

 

Ignoring the jibe, Kagome looked around. She was lying down on a small bed in the corner of a small room. There was what looked like a kitchen on the other side and a table in the middle of the kitchen. "where am I?"

 

"My apartment, of course," Inuyasha said, "and I CARRIED you all the way here. Did you not hear me the first time?"

 

"wh-what time is it?" She noticed that Inuyasha was back to his normal silver-haired, dog-eared self again.

 

"Sometime between morning and noon, why?"

 

Kagome bolted upright. She tried to get off the bed, but Inuyasha placed his hands firmly on her shoulders, preventing escape.

 

"What do you think you're doing?" he gritted out, grunting as she kicked his leg.

 

"I-I have to go back! I'm really late. I need to go back to the castle, I need to go before......"

 

Inuyasha looked at her, exasperated. "don't you get anything? Kikyo is NOT going to let you back into the castle. SHE HAS LOCKED YOU OUT, AND YOU CANNOT GET BACK IN THERE."

 

He let the memories of last night slowly flood back into her mind. She sat back down. Inuyasha was right. The castle door had been slammed in her face; she couldn't go back even if she wanted to.

 

She had thought that she had used up all her tears. Apparently not, she thought as fresh tears made their way down her face. She sobbed, burying her head into Inuyasha's shirt, not seeing, not caring. She was helpless and alone.

 

Alone.

 

Her body racked with uncontrollable tears.

 

Inuyasha stood stiffly as she cried into his shirt, not really knowing what to do. She continued to sob, and Inuyasha softened. Slowly, he sat down on the bed beside her and put his arm around her shoulder, shushing her as gently as he could.

 

I'm too weak against a female's tears, he thought somewhat bitterly as he let his clothes get soaked in tears. But then again, he would never comfort Kikyo this way even if she were weeping.

 

He patted her hair comfortingly. He wasn't used to this sort of behavior, he wondered what had gotten into him to compel him to comfort this woman's sorrow.

 

After a while, Kagome's tears dried out, and she pulled back from Inuyasha's embrace, not really sure what to say or do. "Um....can I use the bathroom?"

 

Inuyasha indicated a door with a nod.

 

Gratefully, Kagome got up and went inside, closing the door behind her. She washed her hands and face at the sink, then thought, what the heck, and washed her hair, too. After all, even a commoner was allowed to look decent once in a while.

 

She tidied herself up as best as she could, running her fingers through her hair until it felt smooth. She didn't know what had gotten into her when she had cried into Inuyasha. He was a rude, selfish, arrogant jerk. She shouldn't be leaning on him for support. But still, somehow, it hadn't felt wrong. So she figured it would be okay.

 

Back in the room, Inuyasha didn't know what to think. So, she wasn't Kikyo after all. He should've known better than to believe that the woman who had the nerve to slap him would be the same person as Kikyo. And her scent had been better than Kikyo's; sweeter, somehow.

 

What am I thinking, Inuyasha thought irratably, she has her own smell, just like every other girl in town. Nothing special.

 

Maybe it was the fact that he was comparing her to Kikyo that made her stand out. Yes, that had to be it.

 

Just then, Kagome came out of the bathroom.

 

Inuyasha looked at her with mild curiosity. She looked very different with her hair smooth like that, instead of being cropped up in ragged knots.

 

She noticed his eyes on her and demanded, "What are you looking at?"

 

She refused to give him the satisfaction of teasing her about how she had thrown herself into her arms.

 

Inuyasha leaned back, nonchalantly replying, "Oh, nothing. I was just pondering the chances of a princess crying into my arms this early in the morning."

 

Ignoring the jibe, Kagome asked cautiously, "So, you know about....me...?"

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Not every peasant is as stupid as you think they are. By the looks of it, you're the one who suggested that Kikyo and you switch places, right?"

 

Kagome nodded.

 

"Feh, stupid is as stupid goes. What gave you the idea that Kikyo would willingly give up her newfound power back to you after a single day? Seriously, you're the one that needs to be educated better, not us low-class commoners."

 

"I don't know what I was thinking," Kagome admitted, "I guess I just thought that she would be happy to be able to live luxuriously for even a single day. I didn't think that she would be able to...." she trailed off, not wanting to be reminded of her predicament.

 

"So," Inuyasha ventured casually, "What do you plan on doing now?"

 

Kagome looked at him. "You know that I'm not Kikyo, right?"

 

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied with a serious expression, "It took me ages to figure THAT one out."

 

"Then aren't you going to ask me what my real name is?"

 

Inuyasha seemed a bit taken aback. "Well, I wasn't really planning to. It isn't my business what your name is. Come to think of it, if you're the princess, how come I don't hear your name more often?”

 

"Well, my name is Kagome," Kagome stated. "You probably didn't know because I've never been the center of public affairs before."

 

"Like I said before, it's none of my business. So what are you gonna do now? You gonna try to go back to the castle, or are you going to just stay out here?"

 

"I......I don't know," Kagome whispered. "I guess I have no choice but to stay out here. I mean....Kikyo looks almost exactly like me, and everyone would believe her, not me, even if I tried to expose the truth."

 

She took a deep breath. She couldn't even begin to imagine herself living out in the streets, but she might as well try her best. She decided that number one on her `things to do' list was to find a way of making money, and second, she would need a place to stay. There was absolutely NO WAY that she was going to live with Kikyo's father, Naraku.

 

With her priorities set straight, Kagome straightened up with a new fire in her eyes. She looked directly at Inuyasha and asked, "Where's a place that I can get a job?"

 

Inuyasha sputtered. "B-but aren't you mad at Kikyo for stealing your life from you? Don't you even want revenge? Aren't you even going to TRY and make her life miserable?"

 

Secretly, Inuyasha had been hoping that Kagome would want to take revenge on Kikyo. He hated that wench, and in his mind it seemed like the only sensible thing to do.

 

Kagome shook her head slowly. "No. She's probably happy in that world, and I'm the one that suggested the whole thing in the first place. I can't force her out of a position that she gained just because of me."

 

Once more, she asked him, "I need a job so that I can live out here. Do you know anywhere that needs hiring?"

 

Inuyasha still couldn't believe her. Who WOULDN'T want revenge? But he saw that Kagome wasn't going to listen, so he decided to lay off for now. Just for now.

 

"Huh? A job? You're not gonna be able to get a job this close to winter."

 

(Right now it would be about the end of fall and the beginning of winter)

 

Kagome looked surprised. "Why not?"

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. This princess was going to have a LOT to learn. "Because," he said with deliberate slowness, "it is WINTER. Everyone is going nuts about getting a job to support them through the cold. There's not gonna be a single opening, trust me. I've been in the streets long enough to know."

 

Kagome looked at him skeptically. "Well, than can't you just introduce me to where YOU work?"

 

Inuyasha looked blank. "Huh?"

 

"I mean, like, you have to be able to afford rent to this place, and you obviously need a job to have the money to live. Where DO you work, anyway?"

 

Suddenly, Inuyasha seemed very interested in his sharpened claws.

 

Kagome glowered at him. "Well??"

 

"If you really want to know," Inuyasha growled, "I have a job of making profits wherever there's people who have them."

 

Kagome looked confused for a moment. Inuyasha watched skeptically as realization dawned on her face.

 

"You...you're a pickpocket!!"

 

"Now, that's really exaggerating the facts a bit here," Inuyasha said indignantly," I'm not a pickpocket. Call me an effective moneymaker, or a profiteer. There, that sounds much better, don't you think?"

 

"A pickpocket's a pickpocket, no matter how much you sugarcoat it! I can't believe I'm in the house of a street beggar! I'm leaving!"

 

Kagome turned on her heels with full intent of marching out the door and slamming the door behind her. However, she only went about three steps before Inuyasha landed in front of her, his face inches from her own.

 

"Now, now," Inuyasha said in a soft, dangerously calm voice, "We don't want to make any rash decisions here. After all, you know something about me, and I know something about you. Why don't we have a sensible talk about how we can make this work. After all, we want what's best for ourselves, don't we?" He flashed her an evil grin.

 

Kagome blinked, realizing what he meant. He knew that she was the princess of the kingdom. If word got around, it would be even harder for her to live the normal life than it already was. And of course, the rumor would be classified as just that: a rumor. Enough to rouse unwanted interests, but not enough to reach the ears of the palace guards.

 

But what did she know about him that she could use to blackmail him?

 

As she pondered, she realized that their noses were almost touching, his face centimeters from his own. Blushing slightly, she jerked her head down and backed away, regaining her personal space before sitting back on the bed.

 

Inuyasha had front flipped in front of her and pressed his face close to hers, his only intention being to intimidate her enough so that she would reconsider marching out into the world with more information then she had the right to know.

 

But then, her scent had gotten to him again. Unaware of what he was doing. He had leaned closer to her, trying to get more of her sweet scent to surround him and fill his lungs.

 

She seemed to snap out of her thoughts as he leaned in. She backed away, and Inuyasha stopped himself from grabbing her just in time.

 

What the heck was wrong with him? He didn't have any desire to be involved to deeply with this girl. He was sure that it would only cause more trouble for him later. But...her scent was so addicting. He just couldn't get enough of it. It was totally different from Kikyo's, now that he thought about it. Kikyo had smelled of flowers, too, yes, but she had also stunk of greed and deceit.

 

Kagome's flowery scent was mixed with pure emotions, some of which he could only guess at, seeing as how he wasn't the purest soul in the bucket.

 

Kagome interrupted his daydreams. "So, what exactly do I know about you that you don't want exposed?"

 

Inuyasha looked at her, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "You seriously don't know? Last night..." he started, but that snapped his mouth shut.

 

Kagome could tell he wasn't going to tell her anything, so she tried to probe into her memories of last night.

 

As far as she could remember, she had been attacked by a group of men, and Inuyasha had saved her for unknown reasons. Wait....he had been different last night....

 

Sango's unfinished sentence came back to her: "...Inuyasha is a...."

 

Half-demon.

 

What had she learned about half-demons during her lessons back at the castle? Kagome was sure that Inuyasha's strange appearance had something to do with him being a hanyou. Then it clicked.

 

"You mean...about you becoming human on the night of the-"

 

Inuyasha closed the gap between them in a flash, clamping his hand on her mouth in an iron grip, the other hand on the back of her head so that she couldn't retreat. He hissed between clenched teeth, "If you know about it, then don't play dumb! If you tell anybody at ALL, I will personally rip you apart with my bare hands!"

 

His hand snaked back to flex in front of her wide eyes for more effect. "Got it?"

 

Kagome nodded.

 

"Now that we understand each other," Inuyasha continued in a calmer tone, "the deal is this. You keep quiet about my little secret and I keep quiet about yours. Seems fair to me, doesn't it?"

 

It was a rhetorical question. Kagome nodded again, then mumbled something incoherently.

 

"I'm sorry, what?"

 

She glared mumbled louder. "Mhhhmmm, mm, hhhmmm!!"

 

Inuyasha removed his hand, and at once she gasped, gulping in huge quantities of air.

 

"Couldn't....breath....." she gasped.

 

Inuyasha backed away slightly, to give her more room. "If you couldn't breath, then why didn't you tell me?!"

 

Kagome just glared at him.

 

"So, where're you gonna live?" Inuyasha asked, veering off subject.

 

Kagome had to pause and think again. If what Inuyasha had said earlier was true, than she wouldn't be able to earn enough money to even buy food for herself, let alone rent a house. And she would never dream of resorting to stealing other people's money like Inuyasha.

 

"Come to think of it," Kagome said slowly, "You can't possibly earn enough money to afford an apartment like this one. Not with the occupation you have." She ever-so-slightly stressed the word 'occupation.'

 

Ignoring the intended insult, Inuyasha replied, "Oh, that. My older brother Sesshomaru and I each got a share of money when our parents died."

 

"You have a brother?" Kagome asked, before saying, "Oh, um...sorry about your parents."

 

Inuyasha shrugged. "whatever. It's not like I can remember them or anything. They died when I was little. The money they left is enough to support me, but I got the odd job for extra money."

 

"Well, good for you," Kagome said sarcastically, "the more pressing concern for me right now is where I am going to sleep tonight."

 

Without thinking, Inuyasha blurted out, "Why don't you just stay at my place?"