InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Anastasia: The Lost Princess ❯ Chapter One: Of An Orphan Girl ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter One: Of An Orphan Girl

~*~

"Wonderful! This is so great…" Ome whined as she stood at the crossroads separated by a picketed sign between two cities. She smacked one gloved hand to her forehead as she plopped down in knee-deep snow. "I don't remember which way I'm supposed to go," she added, flopping backwards, a loud sound of frustration escaping her lips as she closed her eyes. She didn't even notice the chill that the snow was giving her as she laid there with her arms sprawled out. Then, she searched her memory, imaging old Mistress Kaede.

"Ye need to go to Kyoto, child for your job…"

"Ah yes. Kyoto," Ome stated in remembrance and disgust. She sat up and looked to the sign that pointed the opposite way. It read, `Tokyo.' She sighed. She knew she would be employed if she went to Kyoto… but she would also remain the little skinny orphan Ome without a last name all her life. Tokyo… she thought, reaching down inside her heavy coat pocket to finger the half of a pink jewel that she had possessed ever since she had been found on the door to the orphanage ten years before. She massaged her temples in frustration and irritation. Why could she not remember anything before she was ten years old? Maybe the answer was in Tokyo! Maybe someone would know what the half of the jewel meant!

Ome was broken out of her thoughts when a big pink balloon-like figure floated overhead. Her eyes widened as she started to crawl backwards. "You have half of the Shikon no Tama! Give it to me…" It was a DEMON! Ome wanted to scream but then noticed a tail on the back of the youkai. It was rather small. In curiosity, she stood and jumped up with an attempt to grab that foxtail the balloon shaped demon had, gasping when it transformed into a small kitsune child and fell down into her arms.

The kitsune wailed for a little while, rubbing his small stomach and Ome felt guilty instantly. The young demon jumped from her arms and stared at her, his emerald eyes full of tears. They then narrowed in anger. "What was the big idea?" He shouted at her, his high-pitched male voice sounding adorable.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Ome said, bowing to him and then dropped in the snow. "I thought you were a horrible demon and were going to hurt me," she finished, her dark eyes begging forgiveness. The kitsune child only sniffed and dried his eyes, his gaze now fixed on her. "My name is Ome. Are you all right? I didn't mean to hurt you. I saw your tail and thought it was very cute and well… curiosity got the better of me I guess…"

"The name's Shippo," the little kitsune replied, his expression now looking just as curious as hers. "You're the prettiest human girl I've seen in a long time," he told her, his cheeks mildly red.

"Who me? No, I'm just a skinny orphan," she said in embarrassment, waving him off as he insisted that she was very pretty. "Hey. What are you doing out here by yourself, Shippo? Where are your parents?" She asked him, watching as his cheerful expression grew solemn and gloomy.

"Okaa-san and Otou-san died… I'm an orphan too," the kitsune boy replied. Ome reached out and patted him on the head in a gesture of comfort and stood up. "I have no place to go so I go around from place to place, stealing food and valuables. Then, I sensed the Shikon no Tama jewel you had and since you are human, I thought it would be easy to get…" Shippo trailed off, his hands going behind his back in shame and in loneliness. He didn't want to have to go somewhere else by himself.

Ome stood up, picking the kitsune child up as she did so and smiled at him, her dark eyes shining in friendliness. "Why don't you come with me? I'm supposed to be going to Kyoto to get a job but Tokyo sounds much more appealing to me."

Shippo's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "Really? I can come with you?" he asked. "Even after I tried to steal the jewel from you?"

"You just wanted it so you could have a possession. I understand, Shippo-chan," she told him, giggling when he crawled up onto her shoulder and took the hat off of her head, placing it on his own.

"Let's go!" Shippo cried as they started the journey to Tokyo so Ome could find out what the Shikon no Tama was and possibly remember who had given it to her.

**

"This is not going to work, Miroku," Inuyasha growled under his breath to his friend who was standing at his side, entranced by all of the women who had lined up for the auditions they had been advertising.

"Oh ye of little faith, Inuyasha," the young man replied to his half-youkai friend, patting him on the shoulder as he turned, singing lightly, to go and let in the ladies to try out for the part of the missing princess.

This is ludicris, Inuyasha thought, eying the article that had been published in the paper about the one remaining granddaughter of Higurashi the noble and how there would be a handsome reward if someone managed to find her. There was a very handsome reward offered for the one who brought her to Higurashi's new home in the America's and it appealed very much to the hanyou but that in itself would cost the money that neither he or Miroku possessed. He sighed. If the opportunity did turn up and they did find someone who could play the role of Kagome, then he would gladly go along with the act for the money it would pay… and also… he would get the other portion of the Shikon no Tama to make himself a full fledged demon. He felt excitement well up in his chest but squashed it back down, realizing that this was far beyond him and only a dream.

"Inuyasha," Miroku called to him. "Are you going to come and help me judge these beautiful women? And I mean… judge?"

Inuyasha growled. Stupid hentai. He already had a woman in the America's! I guess continental relationships would never work out. He headed out to the theater part of the old building to help Miroku pick what woman they would use to train and become the missing Higurashi Kagome.

**

Ome woke up; her body feeling like it was on fire. Shippo started also, seeing that Ome's body was glowing a vibrant pink. "Ome! Ome!" he shouted, not knowing what to do.

"It's the jewel!" Ome cried, her hand reaching into her pocket. Out of nowhere, her body stopped glowing as she felt energy surge through her hands. She stared at the jewel now, seeing that it had calmed and it seemed like it was calling her name. Then, as quickly as it had reacted, the jewel returned to normal and Ome put it back into her pocket, feeling shaken up.

"Are you ok, Ome-chan?" Shippo asked, his voice rumbling with fear and worry. Then his eyes widened. "I can't detect the presence of the jewel anymore! Do you still have it?" He shouted in surprise, his eyes as huge as watermelons.

Kagome couldn't sense the jewel's presence either. What was going on? She reached into her pocket, relieved to find that it was still there and let out a sigh. "I really don't know what's going on, Shippo-chan. Let's just get some more sleep tonight and then try to find some answers tomorrow morning, how does that sound?"

"It sounds good to me. Good night, Ome-chan," he whispered, snuggling into the young woman yet again, hoping to comfort her shaking frame.

**

Inuyasha felt a pulsing in his pocket where the half of the Shikon no Tama was and then felt nothing at all… No energy or aura. Nothing. He grabbed into the pocket of his pants, relieved to know that he still had the jewel half with him but was startled because now he could no longer detect it's presence. He was a youkai. Youkai were supposed to be able to sense it… He shook his head. No matter! As long as he still had the jewel fragment that was all that mattered. He returned his focus to the young woman in front of him who was not very fluent in the Japanese language and rolled his eyes. This was going to take forever!