InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Anastasia: The Lost Princess ❯ Prologue II: Seperation ( Chapter 2 )

Prologue: Part Two

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The other occupants of the dance began to murmur rumors and other thoughts that they were having about the unexpected and apparently uninvited visitor. I pulled Kagome close, protectively, as the demon Naraku stepped forward. I remembered him now. My son-in-law had banished him for betraying him while he was advisor. He was dangerous and now, he looked malicious and somewhat crafty.

I heard a slight rattle of glasses and I turned to look cautiously behind me to see who or what caused the noise. Both my granddaughter and myself let out a relaxed breath when we saw that it was only a hanyou servant boy who had been an aid in the castle for many years. "Go boy! Get out of here!" I hissed to him. "It is dangerous in here."

"I ain't scared of no demon like him," the young half-breed replied cheekily, confidence shining his eyes. I shook my head and pointed to the kitchen.

"Well, this demon slaughtered over 200 people in one swing of his hand. Tell me, son. Can you do that?" I questioned him, impatience steady in my tone of voice. This boy was going to get himself killed if he did not leave soon. To my luck, he bowed his head and uttered a `no'. "Go," I ordered, watching as Kagome gave him a goofy look and then shoved him along.

"I see you remember me, Lord Shin," Naraku chuckled, stepping deeper into the room, acknowledging the crowds as they split like the red sea and divided down the middle to be further away from him.

"I do, you traitor. I banished you from these lands. Leave now," My son-in-law ordered. I felt Kagome shaking in my embrace as she watched her father stand up to the dangerous demon.

"I cannot leave until I have come for what I want," The demon replied acidly, coming to stand in front of my daughter. I gasped and nearly stood, ready to run forward and cast a sealing scroll upon his forehead. I nearly did when he grabbed her arm and brought her back into his body and his nose went into her hair. She cried out and struggled, reaching with her free arm for Shin, who was watching in anger and in horror.

"Let her go!" Shin exclaimed, his eyes pleading as he watched his wife struggled against the demon's probing nose and hands. Naraku's hand rose to her throat and encircled it, a chuckle passing his lips when she gasped and closed her eyes, moaning for Shin in fear. He brought his mouth close to her ear and whispered something into it. "NARAKU!" My son-in-law roared, coming forward, his dark eyes hard.

"Did I say I had come for her yet, Shin?" The demon spat, hurling my daughter to the ground where a crowd of women came to her aid. "I have come for the Jewel. I can sense its aura in the castle. It is here."

Kagome's breath quickened as she snuggled deeper against me in fright. One of her small hands went to feel the jewel in her pocket. "Grandpa…" she whispered in a shaky voice.

"Shhhh!" I hissed in her ear, my hand going to cover her mouth.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Demon Scum," Shin spat, his eyes hard. "I have nothing you need so be gone and never come back again!" He shouted, his hair loosening from its tie and falling down his back. Naraku reached forward in the blink of an eye and grasped Shin around the neck and held him in the air, his eyes laughing as the Lord struggled and wheezed, his face starting to turn blue.

Before I could stop her, Kagome had leapt up out of my hold, tears streaming down her cheeks. "PAPA!" She screamed in fright as she started to run closer. Luckily, her sister grabbed her and held her. Naraku froze and his eyes narrowed down at her. He promptly dropped Shin who started to clutch the ground for air around himself, staring in disbelief as the demon started to approach Kagome who was hiding behind Aya.

"Kagome… Aya…" he gasped but was powerless to do anything. Many youkai servants went to go and attend to his aid but he waved them off. "Save my daughters!"

"You have the jewel, don't you little one?" Naraku asked, his deep voice mocking that of gentle curiosity. Kagome hid further into Aya's dress, shaking.

"GUARDS!" Shin roared and Naraku whirled around and glared as over 400 servant men and well-trained youkai entered the room to defend.

"Shin, this is not over. You will never be rid of me!" The demon roared and leapt into the air, sending his tentacles in all directions. This was the opportunity for everyone to flee and they did. I rushed to grab my Kagome and get her other siblings to safety as the chaos was enveloping. We needed to get out of the castle but there was no way out! Everyone was flooding the halls to the exits and I lost my other grandchildren in the crowd. I was extremely worried and in my worried, I clutched Kagome to myself so tightly that she started to cry from all the pressure. I was about to cry myself from fear and anxiety, wondering if my daughter and son-in-law along with my grandchildren were all right when I felt a tug on my robes. I whirled around and saw the hanyou boy from earlier.

"I know another way to get you out! Follow me!" he shouted over the loud noise and grasped my hand, dragging me down the hallway to the study where he ripped open the door and started to search the wall. Like magic, a portal appeared and he looked at me, fear somewhat evident in his eyes. "In there! Go now! Enemies are coming!" he told me and gave me a little push. I would have been offended if I didn't know that Kagome's life and my own were in danger. Kagome cried out when the Shikon no Tama slipped from her grasp and shattered into two halves on the floor. Our lives were in jeopardy at the moment so I bade Kagome to move on, but being the stubborn child she was, tried to grab for the two halves of the jewel, only succeeding in grabbing one. I felt frantic as a beast entered through the door.

"Come on, boy!" I shouted to the servant boy.

"No! Go!" he yelled back and clamped the door to the secret exit shut so tight that I could not break out. Kagome was shivering as we crawled along in the passage.

"Grandpa? What's going to happen to us?" she asked, her voice quiet and worried.

"I don't know, my dear. I don't know," I answered her as a light to the outside became more evident. We found ourselves in the cold streets of Japan as a light snow started to fall. "We need to keep moving! We must catch the train and leave this place!" I told her and took her hand, dragging her along.

I don't know what happened to the servant boy back in the castle but I hoped he was all right. If I was to ever see him again, I was going to thank him from the bottom of my heart for saving our lives.

Kagome and I ran along the roads, seeing the train as it departed. "Oh no!" she cried from beside me. With my old body and hers in a fancy long dress, it seemed that we weren't going to make it as we trailed the train on it's tracks. I leapt forward and grabbed the banister and was pulled onto the train by the other occupants on the outside of the caboose. Like a fool, I thought that Kagome had done the same but when I heard her calling for me desperately, I realized I had been terribly wrong.

"Kagome!" I cried and leaned over the banister, reaching for her hand. "Grab a hold!"

"I'm trying, Grandpa!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. She nearly had my hand when someone pulled me back, thinking that I was going to fall. I wish I would have. When the person grabbed me, my darling Kagome lost her balance and collapsed on the train tracks, slamming her head fairly ####### the railing. I thought she had died as fear engulfed my heart. She needed me! Naraku was still out there! He was going to kill her.

"Stay back, you old coot!" The person who grabbed me roared, holding me fast. I struggled but could not move.

"Unhand me! My granddaughter is gone! She was just left behind! Let me go!" I screamed and screamed until my little granddaughter was out of sight. I never saw her again and it was all my fault. My entire fault…