InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Soul Exchange ❯ Red Handed ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: RozeFire 
"Strip me?" Kagome quickly held her hands over her chest. "Please don't tell them who I am... I don't want to get kicked out so soon..."
"I won't tell them you're a peasant." Inuyasha smirked before snapping his fingers and holding his hand out, palm up. "And I won't tell them you're a thief. But you still have to give back what you just stole."
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy / Angst / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 03.31.2003 | Updated On: 07.24.2003 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.5K | Visits: 1.8K | Status: Completed
"Strip me?" Kagome quickly held her hands over her chest. "Please don't tell them who I am... I don't want to get kicked out so soon..."
"I won't tell them you're a peasant." Inuyasha smirked before snapping his fingers and holding his hand out, palm up. "And I won't tell them you're a thief. But you still have to give back what you just stole."
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy / Angst / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 03.31.2003 | Updated On: 07.24.2003 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.5K | Visits: 1.8K | Status: Completed
AN: Cool - 2 chapters in one update ^_^. Wow... I'm speechless (for once I don't know what to write for Author's Notes and I literally can't speak!) BAD BAD Pun!
Well that awful joke filled a little space...
Soul Exchange
Red Handed
"I can't believe you live in a place like this." Kagome gushed to the Queen as the older woman led her down a corridor. "This is beautiful!"
"I thought you said you were a Princess?" Lady Inu gave her a quizzical look. "I thought you were used to accommodation such as this?"
"Oh yes!" Kagome quickly jerked her head up. "But I travel around a lot - I'm not often back home in my... palace."
"How interesting!" Lady Inu looked delighted. "I do wish I'd gotten to travel around when I was a young girl too. But, being the daughter of a King... I suppose I was hard pressed to stay demure. Tell me - who is your father, Lady Kagome?"
"Um..." Kagome struggled for a name. The warlord of her own country had many daughters... she could give him one extra. "I come from Tama... the Warlord of that country is my father."
"Tama... never been there."
Thank god, Kagome thought to herself. She was struggling to keep up with this woman. Being a noble was much harder than she had expected. But she couldn't act normal like the commoner she was... she'd probably be sent away... would probably be seen as too unrefined to be in the presence of the Prince.
"So... tell me more about your son?" Kagome asked pleasantly, trying to hide the hesitant tone in her voice.
Lady Inu secretly smiled at her keen interest in her son. "Oh... he's a lovely young man really. He may seem a bit rough on the outside, but inside he's quite soft. You'll see."
"I hear he used to know my cousin... Lady Kikyo." Kagome said carefully.
"The Miko?" Lady Inu's voice fell a little flat, like she'd just faltered, but since she was walking ahead of Kagome, the younger woman couldn't see her expression. "Who doesn't know Lady Kikyo?"
A good point. "I mean... they were close."
Lady Inu didn't answer for a while. Kagome realised that she didn't want to talk about it. Eventually the Queen spoke again. "Sango will take good care of you, she'll make sure that you're taken care of. She'll give you sleeping quarters and take measurements so you can have tailored dresses from the seamstress."
"Jeez... don't go to any trouble or anything..." Kagome said with a worried look. "I feel like I'm intruding."
Every now and then she seemed to slip into peasant slang. Lady Inu dismissed it as nothing. As she'd said, Kagome had spent a lot of time travelling, she probably talked to commoners a lot. After all, who was she to judge? Her own son spoke like he'd been born in the gutter... no matter how hard she tried to make him speak like his father, he just wouldn't co- operate.
"Here's Sango's room?" Lady Inu stopped outside a sliding door and smiled. "She'll take good care of you. I must be going - but I'll meet you at the banquet tonight."
"Thank you." Kagome smiled as she departed and turned, about to knock softly on the door when she heard a crash from inside.
"Why do you even bother coming around anymore you're useless!" a young woman yelled as something else smashed. This was punctuated by the sound a baby starting to cry.
A man's voice sounded as well. "Maybe if you weren't such a whore I wouldn't have to come around and check on you!!"
Kagome took a few steps back from the door.
"You're supposed to stay here and look after Fushi while I serve the Queen!" the woman screamed. "You left him here for three hours in his crib without anyone to watch him!"
"Stop whining!"
There was a loud smack like a hand had connected with flesh. Kagome froze, wondering if she should go inside.
"What was that for you filthy little bitch?!"
"Don't call me that you bastard!" the woman yelled again. "Where are you going?! You are staying right here mister and you are going to look after the baby!"
"Screw you bitch!"
The door streaked open and Kagome quickly dodged out of the way as a man stormed past, a man with a big hand print on his face. A young woman, roughly the same age as Kagome stumbled out after him holding a tiny infant in her arms. "You come back here! I am not finished with you yet!"
"Go screw someone else Sango-chan - I ain't doing you any more favours!" the man made a rude gesture with his arm and Sango went livid. She passed the baby to Kagome without even looking at her. "Hang on a minute - RIGHT YOU!"
Kagome held the crying baby with stunned surprise as the girl ran after the man and disappeared around the corner. What followed could only be the sounds of arguing and fighting. Kagome turned back to the baby and instinctively bounced him... a little worried since she'd never held a baby before. "Don't worry... mummy's just gone to kill daddy..."
Kagome looked around, still at a loss of what to do. She smiled at the baby and let him suck on her finger as he began to stop crying. Kagome glanced up finally when the fight died around the corner. The young woman named Sango came back around the corner and pushed stray wisps of hair out of her face to smile at Kagome. "Thank you, miss, I just had to go..."
She trailed off as she got closer and saw Kagome properly. Almost at once she took the baby back quickly. "Miss Kikyo?"
"No!" Kagome jumped quickly. "I'm Kagome - Lady Kagome... Kikyo's just my cousin."
Sango seemed no less edgy. "A cousin of Lady Kikyo?" In her mind they were the same blood... bad blood. "What brings you here?"
"Pure coincidence. Stumbled across the sand bridge and ended up here." Kagome tried to give her the most reassuring smile she could manage. "I'm afraid I didn't know Kikyo knew you all so well."
Sango watched her uneasily for a moment before smiling hesitantly and bowing slightly. "Sorry, milady. It's just been one of those mornings... I didn't mean to be so rude."
"That's ok." Kagome smiled. "Lady Inu said that you could help me out... I'll be staying here."
"Staying here?" Sango looked worried. "How long?"
"A month at least." Kagome frowned slightly. "Is something wrong? I don't want to intrude or anything..."
Sango suddenly smiled. This girl was nothing like Kikyo... there wasn't any need to worry. "It's just... I'd steer clear of Lord Inuyasha if I were you."
Something Kagome was planning to do the exact opposite of. Kagome nodded however, not really understanding Sango's immediate aversion to her. Kikyo had done something here that Kagome wasn't aware of yet... but she'd find out soon. She could be patient.
"Come inside, I'll sort out some material for your new kimonos." Sango went back inside her room and placed Fushi back in his crib. "I don't know where you should stay... you couldn't have come at a worse time."
"How come?" Kagome asked.
"The palace has never been so busy. All the new servants, maids and butlers have all taken up the spare quarters. The only rooms left for guest use would be in the royal suit... along with her majesty and Lord Inuyasha."
Kagome was both terrified and delighted at the same time. "But that's ok... I mean... I AM a Princess."
"You are?" she gave Kagome a shocked look. "But... your accent... your hair..."
"I... I hang around the... peasants... a lot." She had trouble saying the word 'peasants', because in all effect she WAS a peasant. Kagome found it quite insulting.
"Oh..." Sango looked pleasantly surprised. Hanging around peasants was something Kikyo didn't do... she could actually grow to like this girl. "Well, since you're a guest and you're royalty, you can stay in the royal rooms. But still... keep out of Inuyasha's way."
"Ok..."
"Come on - let's get you washed and dry ready for the banquet." Sango smiled.
^_^
"Lady Kagome." Inuyasha echoed his mother.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Yes... isn't it so coincidental?" His mother moved around his room, picking up his worn clothes and putting them in a pile on his bed. "You know you should really get a maid to do this... Anyway - as I was saying - she just stumbled across the sand bridge last night with her horse and arrived here. She must have had a bit of an accident because there was blood on the back of her kimono... I don't think she noticed... must have fallen... perhaps that's why her tongue slips."
"Somehow I doubt that would be it..." Inuyasha clenched his fists as he glared out the window.
"She's rather beautiful, I must say. Related to Kikyo." Lady Inu waited for Inuyasha to blow up.
Surprisingly it didn't come. Perhaps it was because Inuyasha already knew this.
"Inuyasha - are you still with me?" His mother stopped fluffing his pillow and frowned at him. "I said she was related to Kikyo."
"I heard you the first time." Inuyasha said tightly.
Ah... he was covering his anger, she could tell. It was good to see him making an effort.
"You should really get to know her, she's a lovely girl. A lot warmer than her cousin. You'd like her..." Unless Inuyasha's type still was Kikyo's type. But maybe he'd learnt his lesson by now.
"I'll get to know her..." Yeah... and hopefully wrap her around a bloody tree.
She'd somehow followed him... he knew it... this was no coincidence. She'd stolen his money, bought her way into nobility and followed him... she probably knew his secret by now. If she told anyone else that he turned human on the new moon...
"By the way, son, the banquet is tonight, you can meet her there." Lady Inu smiled as she left with his washing.
^_^
What had Naraku told her about seduction? Oh yes... be polite... demure... obedient... charming... be refined, poised and make sure she washed her face at least once a day.
Yeah... like Naraku was some master of seduction himself.
If those methods were to fail (which was highly likely) she was to try and act like Kikyo. In other words; a stoic woman with a heart of stone. Well, whatever floated Inuyasha's boat...
Kagome sighed as she ventured down another corridor. She was very lost by now, but it was a great chance to explore. She had a feeling that if Inuyasha was the one who had received the Shikon off the warlord then it would be somewhere within the palace. She just had to find it and steal it... but not before she found out when the Prince turned human so she could get the cure off Sesshomaru...
Kagome passed a room and looked briefly in through the open doorway. She stopped and quickly back-stepped to take a better look. It looked like some kind of bedroom maybe, with lots of personal items here and there... but there was no bed.
That was something Kagome didn't understand. She didn't recognise the use of some of these rooms. In her old home there had been two bedrooms (for a family of eight to share) and a kitchen/family area. Three rooms. That was all they needed. But here people seemed to have whole rooms to themselves... and some of those rooms were practically the same size as Kagome's house.
Kagome's room, being one of the royal ones, was even bigger. It was bigger than her old house... and so naturally she felt uncomfortable and had gone for walkies.
But this room... she didn't recognise. Maybe it was a lounge... but either way, it was dark, unattended and there were lots of shiny expensive looking things inside. So Kagome silently looked up and down the corridor before tiptoeing her way in and began looking around. She doubted the Shikon was in here... but there was no harm in looking. And some of this stuff could bring in a fortune if she sold it...
That was Kagome's problem. After so many years of living by the skin of her teeth... she'd learned to take whatever opportunities were open to her. Causing her to be a bit of a kleptomaniac.
Kagome idly picked up a small silver spoon that rested on a table in the centre of the room. She picked it up and examined it carefully despite the gloom of the room she was in. It had small rubies encrusted up the side of the handle... and judging by the weight she could safely guess that it was pure silver.
"Wow..." she breathed, before abruptly slipping it into her Kimono and looking around for something else small enough to take with her.
She knew stealing was wrong... but it wasn't like these people were going to really miss one spoon and a... a silver ball? Well... it didn't look like it did much other than be small and round, so she pocketed that as well.
"Nice to see you took what I said to heart."
Kagome gasped and spun around, afraid that she'd been caught. She HAD been caught... and it didn't look like she'd been caught by the average servant. A young man stood silhouetted in the doorway, wearing the clothes that looked suited to personal servants... or even higher. Kagome visibly gulped.
"Um... do I know you?" she didn't understand what he'd just said.
"You had to push it, didn't you?" he pushed off the doorframe and walked towards her. A little moonlight from out the window flashed across his face as he got closer. "You couldn't have just walked away with two Mon. You just HAD to follow me after you stole ALL my money and to do what? Blackmail me? You got some nerve bitch."
Kagome's mouth fell open slightly as she saw his face. She recognised him at once - but only because of what he'd said. His face resembled the 'merchant' who had saved her from the men in the forest. His tone was the same... maybe a little rougher and his hair was white instead of black. But his face was the same...
"You..." Kagome pointed at him. "Oh my god... you're him!"
But that was impossible...
"Of course I'm him! You followed me - you knew that!" Inuyasha snapped, not really sure of himself now. She was doing the 'I'm an innocent Princess' thing a little too well. Had he just given himself away?
"No I didn't! I just stumbled onto the sand bridge... I didn't know you lived here!" she suddenly looked delighted. "Isn't such a coincidence! I thought I'd never see you again!"
"I WISHED I'd never see you again!" Inuyasha ground out. "What the hell ate you doing here if you didn't follow me?!"
"I told you - it was by accident!" Kagome suddenly moved forward and touched his hair. "This is amazing... is this all your natural hair?"
He pushed her away sharply. "No - it's a wig! - Hey - I was only joking - you don't have to tug it that hard!"
"Sorry." Kagome was finding it hard to contain her excitement. Even though this guy had been rude and rough with her... she knew he was at least a little human and had been good enough to save her and spare her life AND take her as far as Inaki. He must have been some kind of servant for the Prince - he'd probably been on an errand for him. Maybe he was a... what had Sesshomaru called it...? A hanyou? A hanyou like the Prince? "This is crazy - you're an Inu-Youkai too? Blimey..."
"HALF an Inu-Youkai actually." Inuyasha batted her wandering hands away again. "And YOU are a peasant NOT a Princess!"
Kagome sobered at once. "Yeah... sorry about that... it was just... your mother mistook me for one because of my clothes and well... I just played along with it. I'll be going soon though - I won't be here long. Just until the sand bridge rises again."
For once Inuyasha couldn't wait until the next new moon. Months just didn't pass quick enough...
"You should be executed for treason. You tricked the Queen."
Kagome gasped. "I didn't mean to! I swear! And it's not like I'm doing any harm..." Well... not yet at least. "Besides - you can't execute me - you're not the Prince or the Queen."
Inuyasha stilled and stared at her with disbelief. She really hadn't followed him after all. She didn't even know who he was. So instead he just rolled his eyes and tutted her. "Jeez... I think I'll keep my mouth shut then. You scrub up well at least... it'd be a shame to strip it all off you and send you back to the gutter. A bit of a waste at least."
"Strip me?" Kagome quickly held her hands over her chest. "Please don't tell them who I am... I don't want to get kicked out so soon..."
"I won't tell them you're a peasant." He smirked before snapping his fingers and holding his hand out, palm up. "And I won't tell them you're a thief. But you still have to give back what you just stole."
Kagome looked put out for a moment before realising she didn't have a choice. "Fine..." she mumbled grudgingly and reached into her Kimono to slap the silver back into his hand. "Happy now?"
"Not yet." He put the items back on the table before looking her in the eyes. "I won't tell anyone you're a peasant thief... on one condition..."
Not another condition... she'd already got conditions with Naraku and Sesshomaru... she didn't need one from Krampus. "What condition?"
"That you don't tell anyone that I turn human on the full moon." He said seriously without blinking. The sheet intensity of his look made her realise he was deadly serious.
"Ok..." she raised her hand without breaking eye contact. "Let's shake on it."
He looked down at her hand with a slight sneer. Shake the hand of a peasant. She may have looked like royalty just then, but she was still a commoner. "Shake hands?" he scowled. "I'd rather kiss a pig."
"Ok. Go kiss the pig and then come shake my hand." Kagome didn't drop her arm. "Either shake or I might let something slip."
"What if I don't shake?"
"Then how will I know that you'll keep quiet about me?" Kagome frowned.
Inuyasha debated this. "Fine... if you need to shake then shake." He grabbed her hand, shook it once, and made a big deal about letting go.
Kagome smiled anyway. He was just a grump. She liked him. "Well, I'll see you around, Krampus, I have an important dinner date. Maybe I'll see you afterwards."
"God I hope not." He grumbled, watching her leave.
Kagome was just about to walk off down the corridor when she appeared back by the door. "By the way - which way is the hall?"
Inuyasha smirked. This was like directing the new servants... those were fun times. "Take a left, then another left, and then another, and then a right then a left, ok?"
She nodded and was about to set off again.
"Haven't finished yet." He caught her attention again. "Then you go up the stairs, follow the corridor down to the fork way, turn left and then right and then go down the stairs, two flights this time. Then you go down the corridor until you reach the door leading outside. Go around the outside of the palace before going back inside through the third door from the left at the back. You'll then gave to go through the kitchens - so watch out for flying knives - and then go down the second corridor out of the kitchens and at the very end should be another flight of stairs - the servants stairs - there's a difference. You go up those three flights and you should come out in the hall."
A long silence followed as Kagome processed all this information before grinning. "Gotcha! See ya later then!"
"Bye, bye." Inuyasha waved with a smirk as he heard her pootle off with his directions in mind. But she struck him as an air head... so no doubt she'd forget half of them in no time at all.
^_^
"Kagome! "
Kagome turned at the sound of her name and smiled as she saw the Queen hurrying towards her. "Where are you going, child? The hall is this way! Don't want to be late to meet the Prince do you?"
"Of course not." Kagome said quickly, her heart speeding up a little with butterflies in her stomach.
She kept having her own versions of what the Prince would look like. If Sesshomaru ruled the South... then surely Inuyasha would be similar to him. Big, stoic, ruthless, violent, tricky... Kagome was beginning to scare herself.
"This way." Lady Inu took her arm and began guiding her back the way Kagome had come.
Eventually Kagome was very annoyed to find the hall had only been down one flight of stairs at the end of the corridor where she's bumped into the Hanyou guy. Lady Inu ushered her forward. "Sit anywhere you like - but not there!" she guided Kagome to a particular place. "You can sit here... next to me and beside the Prince."
Was Lady Inu up to something?"
Kagome didn't have much chance to wonder about that as she caught sight of everyone else along the table. They were all Inu-Youkai... not a single human other than herself and the queen were among them. And they were all dressed like fairly important people. Kagome spent a little while examining their faces while the food was set down.
"Lord Inuyasha always comes in last." Lady Inu told Kagome as the young girl gazed hungrily at all the food. "But you should remember a few rules before you meet him."
"Like what?" Kagome dragged her eyes away from the roast pheasant to look up at the Queen.
"You're new here and you're below his station - so when he comes in keep your head bowed and don't look him in the eye, or anywhere above the neck area."
"Ok..." That was a shame, she wanted to see what he looked like.
"Don't speak to him unless you're spoken to." Lady Inu ticked off. "Remember to use the utmost respect when conversing, and when he stops eating you must stop eating as well. And only start when he starts."
"Alright..."
"I think that's all you need to know." Lady Inu smiled.
Kagome wanted to ask something else, but at that moment a voice called out. "Lord Inuyasha."
Everyone rose to their feet including Lady Inu, so Kagome followed suit, careful to keep her eyes fixed on the table. She had to resist the temptation to look up at the Prince. She had to rely on what she saw in the corner of her eyes, but that didn't tell her much other than he was wearing black and red and his hair was long and white. He came to stand beside her and she found herself almost trembling with nerves.
He made a gesture with his hands and they all sat down as servants came forward to pour the drinks. Kagome was feeling a little weak and tingly, and reached out at once for her drink when it was finished pouring and took a sip.
Just then Lady Inu chose that moment to stand and raise her glass. "A toast!"
Kagome hurriedly spat back the water she'd almost swallowed and put the drink down quickly. She felt herself turning red as she just FELT the Prince looking at her. She told herself not to look back at him... not to be ant ruder than she'd already appeared.
"A toast to the security of the South..." Lady Inu went on. "May it remain safe from our enemies... and may it soon bear a new leader."
Even Kagome didn't miss how she emphasised the word 'leader'. Obviously something was going on there... but Kagome intended to find that out later as well. She was just busy waiting for the Prince to start eating so she could as well.
She watched his plate out of the corner of her eye, and also discreetly tipped her head and let her eyes stray to the other end of the table so she might catch a better look at his face. Unfortunately he'd chosen that moment to turn and speak to someone on his other side... letting her only get an eyeful of his hair.
Nice hair at least...
Finally, he picked up his chopsticks and began eating. Kagome sighed happily and began to tuck in as well, deciding to put the Prince out of her mind for a while. Until...
Suddenly he put his sticks down and crossed his arms across his chest. "Sorry, I'm not too hungry anymore. I must be full up on all those WORMS..."
Kagome's elbow slipped off the table and her hand crashed against her plate, making it jump loudly. The rules that Lady Inu had just laid out to her went fleeing out the other ear and she snapped her head up to see the Prince smirking at her.
"You... Lord Inuyasha... you're the Prince..." she whispered.
"Didn't I tell you?" he smirked, obviously enjoying her shock. "Must have slipped my mind."
So many fleeting thoughts shot through her head just then. She'd kicked him... punched him... made him eat worms... then stolen in front of him... and discovered a secret she could blackmail him with.
She'd just ruined all her chances before she'd even known who he was.
Inuyasha smirked again as Kagome went red and looked like she wanted to bang her head against a brick wall. He stood up and bore the glares of the other people at the table who had also had to stop eating their food. "I'll be in my rooms,"
When he was gone a murmur of conversation rose up and Lady Inu looked at Kagome. "So you already met? That's wonderful!"
"No... it's not..." Kagome groaned. She'd screwed up majorly already. That guy hated her guts... there was no way she was going to befriend him or seduce him now... really the only thing she could be sure on was getting Sesshomaru what he wanted...
But even then she didn't know how she was supposed to contact him.
Dammit... she liked Krampus... um - Inuyasha... why did he have to be the Prince?
AN: Stay tuned ^_^ Next Chapter - 'Past Vision' I've got this thing for two word titles... can't change my trend now otherwise something will go wrong. I'm superstitious like that...
Well that awful joke filled a little space...
Soul Exchange
Red Handed
"I can't believe you live in a place like this." Kagome gushed to the Queen as the older woman led her down a corridor. "This is beautiful!"
"I thought you said you were a Princess?" Lady Inu gave her a quizzical look. "I thought you were used to accommodation such as this?"
"Oh yes!" Kagome quickly jerked her head up. "But I travel around a lot - I'm not often back home in my... palace."
"How interesting!" Lady Inu looked delighted. "I do wish I'd gotten to travel around when I was a young girl too. But, being the daughter of a King... I suppose I was hard pressed to stay demure. Tell me - who is your father, Lady Kagome?"
"Um..." Kagome struggled for a name. The warlord of her own country had many daughters... she could give him one extra. "I come from Tama... the Warlord of that country is my father."
"Tama... never been there."
Thank god, Kagome thought to herself. She was struggling to keep up with this woman. Being a noble was much harder than she had expected. But she couldn't act normal like the commoner she was... she'd probably be sent away... would probably be seen as too unrefined to be in the presence of the Prince.
"So... tell me more about your son?" Kagome asked pleasantly, trying to hide the hesitant tone in her voice.
Lady Inu secretly smiled at her keen interest in her son. "Oh... he's a lovely young man really. He may seem a bit rough on the outside, but inside he's quite soft. You'll see."
"I hear he used to know my cousin... Lady Kikyo." Kagome said carefully.
"The Miko?" Lady Inu's voice fell a little flat, like she'd just faltered, but since she was walking ahead of Kagome, the younger woman couldn't see her expression. "Who doesn't know Lady Kikyo?"
A good point. "I mean... they were close."
Lady Inu didn't answer for a while. Kagome realised that she didn't want to talk about it. Eventually the Queen spoke again. "Sango will take good care of you, she'll make sure that you're taken care of. She'll give you sleeping quarters and take measurements so you can have tailored dresses from the seamstress."
"Jeez... don't go to any trouble or anything..." Kagome said with a worried look. "I feel like I'm intruding."
Every now and then she seemed to slip into peasant slang. Lady Inu dismissed it as nothing. As she'd said, Kagome had spent a lot of time travelling, she probably talked to commoners a lot. After all, who was she to judge? Her own son spoke like he'd been born in the gutter... no matter how hard she tried to make him speak like his father, he just wouldn't co- operate.
"Here's Sango's room?" Lady Inu stopped outside a sliding door and smiled. "She'll take good care of you. I must be going - but I'll meet you at the banquet tonight."
"Thank you." Kagome smiled as she departed and turned, about to knock softly on the door when she heard a crash from inside.
"Why do you even bother coming around anymore you're useless!" a young woman yelled as something else smashed. This was punctuated by the sound a baby starting to cry.
A man's voice sounded as well. "Maybe if you weren't such a whore I wouldn't have to come around and check on you!!"
Kagome took a few steps back from the door.
"You're supposed to stay here and look after Fushi while I serve the Queen!" the woman screamed. "You left him here for three hours in his crib without anyone to watch him!"
"Stop whining!"
There was a loud smack like a hand had connected with flesh. Kagome froze, wondering if she should go inside.
"What was that for you filthy little bitch?!"
"Don't call me that you bastard!" the woman yelled again. "Where are you going?! You are staying right here mister and you are going to look after the baby!"
"Screw you bitch!"
The door streaked open and Kagome quickly dodged out of the way as a man stormed past, a man with a big hand print on his face. A young woman, roughly the same age as Kagome stumbled out after him holding a tiny infant in her arms. "You come back here! I am not finished with you yet!"
"Go screw someone else Sango-chan - I ain't doing you any more favours!" the man made a rude gesture with his arm and Sango went livid. She passed the baby to Kagome without even looking at her. "Hang on a minute - RIGHT YOU!"
Kagome held the crying baby with stunned surprise as the girl ran after the man and disappeared around the corner. What followed could only be the sounds of arguing and fighting. Kagome turned back to the baby and instinctively bounced him... a little worried since she'd never held a baby before. "Don't worry... mummy's just gone to kill daddy..."
Kagome looked around, still at a loss of what to do. She smiled at the baby and let him suck on her finger as he began to stop crying. Kagome glanced up finally when the fight died around the corner. The young woman named Sango came back around the corner and pushed stray wisps of hair out of her face to smile at Kagome. "Thank you, miss, I just had to go..."
She trailed off as she got closer and saw Kagome properly. Almost at once she took the baby back quickly. "Miss Kikyo?"
"No!" Kagome jumped quickly. "I'm Kagome - Lady Kagome... Kikyo's just my cousin."
Sango seemed no less edgy. "A cousin of Lady Kikyo?" In her mind they were the same blood... bad blood. "What brings you here?"
"Pure coincidence. Stumbled across the sand bridge and ended up here." Kagome tried to give her the most reassuring smile she could manage. "I'm afraid I didn't know Kikyo knew you all so well."
Sango watched her uneasily for a moment before smiling hesitantly and bowing slightly. "Sorry, milady. It's just been one of those mornings... I didn't mean to be so rude."
"That's ok." Kagome smiled. "Lady Inu said that you could help me out... I'll be staying here."
"Staying here?" Sango looked worried. "How long?"
"A month at least." Kagome frowned slightly. "Is something wrong? I don't want to intrude or anything..."
Sango suddenly smiled. This girl was nothing like Kikyo... there wasn't any need to worry. "It's just... I'd steer clear of Lord Inuyasha if I were you."
Something Kagome was planning to do the exact opposite of. Kagome nodded however, not really understanding Sango's immediate aversion to her. Kikyo had done something here that Kagome wasn't aware of yet... but she'd find out soon. She could be patient.
"Come inside, I'll sort out some material for your new kimonos." Sango went back inside her room and placed Fushi back in his crib. "I don't know where you should stay... you couldn't have come at a worse time."
"How come?" Kagome asked.
"The palace has never been so busy. All the new servants, maids and butlers have all taken up the spare quarters. The only rooms left for guest use would be in the royal suit... along with her majesty and Lord Inuyasha."
Kagome was both terrified and delighted at the same time. "But that's ok... I mean... I AM a Princess."
"You are?" she gave Kagome a shocked look. "But... your accent... your hair..."
"I... I hang around the... peasants... a lot." She had trouble saying the word 'peasants', because in all effect she WAS a peasant. Kagome found it quite insulting.
"Oh..." Sango looked pleasantly surprised. Hanging around peasants was something Kikyo didn't do... she could actually grow to like this girl. "Well, since you're a guest and you're royalty, you can stay in the royal rooms. But still... keep out of Inuyasha's way."
"Ok..."
"Come on - let's get you washed and dry ready for the banquet." Sango smiled.
^_^
"Lady Kagome." Inuyasha echoed his mother.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Yes... isn't it so coincidental?" His mother moved around his room, picking up his worn clothes and putting them in a pile on his bed. "You know you should really get a maid to do this... Anyway - as I was saying - she just stumbled across the sand bridge last night with her horse and arrived here. She must have had a bit of an accident because there was blood on the back of her kimono... I don't think she noticed... must have fallen... perhaps that's why her tongue slips."
"Somehow I doubt that would be it..." Inuyasha clenched his fists as he glared out the window.
"She's rather beautiful, I must say. Related to Kikyo." Lady Inu waited for Inuyasha to blow up.
Surprisingly it didn't come. Perhaps it was because Inuyasha already knew this.
"Inuyasha - are you still with me?" His mother stopped fluffing his pillow and frowned at him. "I said she was related to Kikyo."
"I heard you the first time." Inuyasha said tightly.
Ah... he was covering his anger, she could tell. It was good to see him making an effort.
"You should really get to know her, she's a lovely girl. A lot warmer than her cousin. You'd like her..." Unless Inuyasha's type still was Kikyo's type. But maybe he'd learnt his lesson by now.
"I'll get to know her..." Yeah... and hopefully wrap her around a bloody tree.
She'd somehow followed him... he knew it... this was no coincidence. She'd stolen his money, bought her way into nobility and followed him... she probably knew his secret by now. If she told anyone else that he turned human on the new moon...
"By the way, son, the banquet is tonight, you can meet her there." Lady Inu smiled as she left with his washing.
^_^
What had Naraku told her about seduction? Oh yes... be polite... demure... obedient... charming... be refined, poised and make sure she washed her face at least once a day.
Yeah... like Naraku was some master of seduction himself.
If those methods were to fail (which was highly likely) she was to try and act like Kikyo. In other words; a stoic woman with a heart of stone. Well, whatever floated Inuyasha's boat...
Kagome sighed as she ventured down another corridor. She was very lost by now, but it was a great chance to explore. She had a feeling that if Inuyasha was the one who had received the Shikon off the warlord then it would be somewhere within the palace. She just had to find it and steal it... but not before she found out when the Prince turned human so she could get the cure off Sesshomaru...
Kagome passed a room and looked briefly in through the open doorway. She stopped and quickly back-stepped to take a better look. It looked like some kind of bedroom maybe, with lots of personal items here and there... but there was no bed.
That was something Kagome didn't understand. She didn't recognise the use of some of these rooms. In her old home there had been two bedrooms (for a family of eight to share) and a kitchen/family area. Three rooms. That was all they needed. But here people seemed to have whole rooms to themselves... and some of those rooms were practically the same size as Kagome's house.
Kagome's room, being one of the royal ones, was even bigger. It was bigger than her old house... and so naturally she felt uncomfortable and had gone for walkies.
But this room... she didn't recognise. Maybe it was a lounge... but either way, it was dark, unattended and there were lots of shiny expensive looking things inside. So Kagome silently looked up and down the corridor before tiptoeing her way in and began looking around. She doubted the Shikon was in here... but there was no harm in looking. And some of this stuff could bring in a fortune if she sold it...
That was Kagome's problem. After so many years of living by the skin of her teeth... she'd learned to take whatever opportunities were open to her. Causing her to be a bit of a kleptomaniac.
Kagome idly picked up a small silver spoon that rested on a table in the centre of the room. She picked it up and examined it carefully despite the gloom of the room she was in. It had small rubies encrusted up the side of the handle... and judging by the weight she could safely guess that it was pure silver.
"Wow..." she breathed, before abruptly slipping it into her Kimono and looking around for something else small enough to take with her.
She knew stealing was wrong... but it wasn't like these people were going to really miss one spoon and a... a silver ball? Well... it didn't look like it did much other than be small and round, so she pocketed that as well.
"Nice to see you took what I said to heart."
Kagome gasped and spun around, afraid that she'd been caught. She HAD been caught... and it didn't look like she'd been caught by the average servant. A young man stood silhouetted in the doorway, wearing the clothes that looked suited to personal servants... or even higher. Kagome visibly gulped.
"Um... do I know you?" she didn't understand what he'd just said.
"You had to push it, didn't you?" he pushed off the doorframe and walked towards her. A little moonlight from out the window flashed across his face as he got closer. "You couldn't have just walked away with two Mon. You just HAD to follow me after you stole ALL my money and to do what? Blackmail me? You got some nerve bitch."
Kagome's mouth fell open slightly as she saw his face. She recognised him at once - but only because of what he'd said. His face resembled the 'merchant' who had saved her from the men in the forest. His tone was the same... maybe a little rougher and his hair was white instead of black. But his face was the same...
"You..." Kagome pointed at him. "Oh my god... you're him!"
But that was impossible...
"Of course I'm him! You followed me - you knew that!" Inuyasha snapped, not really sure of himself now. She was doing the 'I'm an innocent Princess' thing a little too well. Had he just given himself away?
"No I didn't! I just stumbled onto the sand bridge... I didn't know you lived here!" she suddenly looked delighted. "Isn't such a coincidence! I thought I'd never see you again!"
"I WISHED I'd never see you again!" Inuyasha ground out. "What the hell ate you doing here if you didn't follow me?!"
"I told you - it was by accident!" Kagome suddenly moved forward and touched his hair. "This is amazing... is this all your natural hair?"
He pushed her away sharply. "No - it's a wig! - Hey - I was only joking - you don't have to tug it that hard!"
"Sorry." Kagome was finding it hard to contain her excitement. Even though this guy had been rude and rough with her... she knew he was at least a little human and had been good enough to save her and spare her life AND take her as far as Inaki. He must have been some kind of servant for the Prince - he'd probably been on an errand for him. Maybe he was a... what had Sesshomaru called it...? A hanyou? A hanyou like the Prince? "This is crazy - you're an Inu-Youkai too? Blimey..."
"HALF an Inu-Youkai actually." Inuyasha batted her wandering hands away again. "And YOU are a peasant NOT a Princess!"
Kagome sobered at once. "Yeah... sorry about that... it was just... your mother mistook me for one because of my clothes and well... I just played along with it. I'll be going soon though - I won't be here long. Just until the sand bridge rises again."
For once Inuyasha couldn't wait until the next new moon. Months just didn't pass quick enough...
"You should be executed for treason. You tricked the Queen."
Kagome gasped. "I didn't mean to! I swear! And it's not like I'm doing any harm..." Well... not yet at least. "Besides - you can't execute me - you're not the Prince or the Queen."
Inuyasha stilled and stared at her with disbelief. She really hadn't followed him after all. She didn't even know who he was. So instead he just rolled his eyes and tutted her. "Jeez... I think I'll keep my mouth shut then. You scrub up well at least... it'd be a shame to strip it all off you and send you back to the gutter. A bit of a waste at least."
"Strip me?" Kagome quickly held her hands over her chest. "Please don't tell them who I am... I don't want to get kicked out so soon..."
"I won't tell them you're a peasant." He smirked before snapping his fingers and holding his hand out, palm up. "And I won't tell them you're a thief. But you still have to give back what you just stole."
Kagome looked put out for a moment before realising she didn't have a choice. "Fine..." she mumbled grudgingly and reached into her Kimono to slap the silver back into his hand. "Happy now?"
"Not yet." He put the items back on the table before looking her in the eyes. "I won't tell anyone you're a peasant thief... on one condition..."
Not another condition... she'd already got conditions with Naraku and Sesshomaru... she didn't need one from Krampus. "What condition?"
"That you don't tell anyone that I turn human on the full moon." He said seriously without blinking. The sheet intensity of his look made her realise he was deadly serious.
"Ok..." she raised her hand without breaking eye contact. "Let's shake on it."
He looked down at her hand with a slight sneer. Shake the hand of a peasant. She may have looked like royalty just then, but she was still a commoner. "Shake hands?" he scowled. "I'd rather kiss a pig."
"Ok. Go kiss the pig and then come shake my hand." Kagome didn't drop her arm. "Either shake or I might let something slip."
"What if I don't shake?"
"Then how will I know that you'll keep quiet about me?" Kagome frowned.
Inuyasha debated this. "Fine... if you need to shake then shake." He grabbed her hand, shook it once, and made a big deal about letting go.
Kagome smiled anyway. He was just a grump. She liked him. "Well, I'll see you around, Krampus, I have an important dinner date. Maybe I'll see you afterwards."
"God I hope not." He grumbled, watching her leave.
Kagome was just about to walk off down the corridor when she appeared back by the door. "By the way - which way is the hall?"
Inuyasha smirked. This was like directing the new servants... those were fun times. "Take a left, then another left, and then another, and then a right then a left, ok?"
She nodded and was about to set off again.
"Haven't finished yet." He caught her attention again. "Then you go up the stairs, follow the corridor down to the fork way, turn left and then right and then go down the stairs, two flights this time. Then you go down the corridor until you reach the door leading outside. Go around the outside of the palace before going back inside through the third door from the left at the back. You'll then gave to go through the kitchens - so watch out for flying knives - and then go down the second corridor out of the kitchens and at the very end should be another flight of stairs - the servants stairs - there's a difference. You go up those three flights and you should come out in the hall."
A long silence followed as Kagome processed all this information before grinning. "Gotcha! See ya later then!"
"Bye, bye." Inuyasha waved with a smirk as he heard her pootle off with his directions in mind. But she struck him as an air head... so no doubt she'd forget half of them in no time at all.
^_^
"Kagome! "
Kagome turned at the sound of her name and smiled as she saw the Queen hurrying towards her. "Where are you going, child? The hall is this way! Don't want to be late to meet the Prince do you?"
"Of course not." Kagome said quickly, her heart speeding up a little with butterflies in her stomach.
She kept having her own versions of what the Prince would look like. If Sesshomaru ruled the South... then surely Inuyasha would be similar to him. Big, stoic, ruthless, violent, tricky... Kagome was beginning to scare herself.
"This way." Lady Inu took her arm and began guiding her back the way Kagome had come.
Eventually Kagome was very annoyed to find the hall had only been down one flight of stairs at the end of the corridor where she's bumped into the Hanyou guy. Lady Inu ushered her forward. "Sit anywhere you like - but not there!" she guided Kagome to a particular place. "You can sit here... next to me and beside the Prince."
Was Lady Inu up to something?"
Kagome didn't have much chance to wonder about that as she caught sight of everyone else along the table. They were all Inu-Youkai... not a single human other than herself and the queen were among them. And they were all dressed like fairly important people. Kagome spent a little while examining their faces while the food was set down.
"Lord Inuyasha always comes in last." Lady Inu told Kagome as the young girl gazed hungrily at all the food. "But you should remember a few rules before you meet him."
"Like what?" Kagome dragged her eyes away from the roast pheasant to look up at the Queen.
"You're new here and you're below his station - so when he comes in keep your head bowed and don't look him in the eye, or anywhere above the neck area."
"Ok..." That was a shame, she wanted to see what he looked like.
"Don't speak to him unless you're spoken to." Lady Inu ticked off. "Remember to use the utmost respect when conversing, and when he stops eating you must stop eating as well. And only start when he starts."
"Alright..."
"I think that's all you need to know." Lady Inu smiled.
Kagome wanted to ask something else, but at that moment a voice called out. "Lord Inuyasha."
Everyone rose to their feet including Lady Inu, so Kagome followed suit, careful to keep her eyes fixed on the table. She had to resist the temptation to look up at the Prince. She had to rely on what she saw in the corner of her eyes, but that didn't tell her much other than he was wearing black and red and his hair was long and white. He came to stand beside her and she found herself almost trembling with nerves.
He made a gesture with his hands and they all sat down as servants came forward to pour the drinks. Kagome was feeling a little weak and tingly, and reached out at once for her drink when it was finished pouring and took a sip.
Just then Lady Inu chose that moment to stand and raise her glass. "A toast!"
Kagome hurriedly spat back the water she'd almost swallowed and put the drink down quickly. She felt herself turning red as she just FELT the Prince looking at her. She told herself not to look back at him... not to be ant ruder than she'd already appeared.
"A toast to the security of the South..." Lady Inu went on. "May it remain safe from our enemies... and may it soon bear a new leader."
Even Kagome didn't miss how she emphasised the word 'leader'. Obviously something was going on there... but Kagome intended to find that out later as well. She was just busy waiting for the Prince to start eating so she could as well.
She watched his plate out of the corner of her eye, and also discreetly tipped her head and let her eyes stray to the other end of the table so she might catch a better look at his face. Unfortunately he'd chosen that moment to turn and speak to someone on his other side... letting her only get an eyeful of his hair.
Nice hair at least...
Finally, he picked up his chopsticks and began eating. Kagome sighed happily and began to tuck in as well, deciding to put the Prince out of her mind for a while. Until...
Suddenly he put his sticks down and crossed his arms across his chest. "Sorry, I'm not too hungry anymore. I must be full up on all those WORMS..."
Kagome's elbow slipped off the table and her hand crashed against her plate, making it jump loudly. The rules that Lady Inu had just laid out to her went fleeing out the other ear and she snapped her head up to see the Prince smirking at her.
"You... Lord Inuyasha... you're the Prince..." she whispered.
"Didn't I tell you?" he smirked, obviously enjoying her shock. "Must have slipped my mind."
So many fleeting thoughts shot through her head just then. She'd kicked him... punched him... made him eat worms... then stolen in front of him... and discovered a secret she could blackmail him with.
She'd just ruined all her chances before she'd even known who he was.
Inuyasha smirked again as Kagome went red and looked like she wanted to bang her head against a brick wall. He stood up and bore the glares of the other people at the table who had also had to stop eating their food. "I'll be in my rooms,"
When he was gone a murmur of conversation rose up and Lady Inu looked at Kagome. "So you already met? That's wonderful!"
"No... it's not..." Kagome groaned. She'd screwed up majorly already. That guy hated her guts... there was no way she was going to befriend him or seduce him now... really the only thing she could be sure on was getting Sesshomaru what he wanted...
But even then she didn't know how she was supposed to contact him.
Dammit... she liked Krampus... um - Inuyasha... why did he have to be the Prince?
AN: Stay tuned ^_^ Next Chapter - 'Past Vision' I've got this thing for two word titles... can't change my trend now otherwise something will go wrong. I'm superstitious like that...