InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Anastasia: The Lost Princess ❯ Chapter Two: Unexpected Meetings ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Two: Unexpected Meetings

~*~

"Watch where the hell you're goin', girl!" Someone spat at Ome as she fought her way through the streets of Tokyo with Shippo perched on her shoulder. The kitsune gripped her coat and held tightly, feeling somewhat cornered from all the new scents, sounds and people that he was surrounded by. Ome looked over to him briefly, smiled as reassuringly as she could because she was also feeling afraid, and patted him on the head in a gesture of comfort.

"It'll be ok," she whispered. "I'll just find a jeweler or someone who can tell me where this Shikon Jewel came from and why it was acting so strange yesterday," she finished, her dark eyes darting all around, taking in everything she could. Tokyo was so huge and busy! She never would have guessed there would be this many people in one city! Shippo nodded and moved closer to Ome's head, his little paws encircling around her neck.

As they continued onward, the day began to grow shorter as the sun started to set. Ome sighed, feeling tired from walking around all day with no success. None of the jewelers that she had gone to had very much to tell her about her broken shard of the Shikon no Tama. She sighed and plopped down on a bench, the chill in the air biting at her nose.

"Are you cold, Ome-chan?" Shippo asked her, balling himself up in her arms in attempt to keep her warm.

"Yes. We need a place to stay for the night but sadly, I don't have any money," She groaned, her hand going under her hat to scratch at her messy bun of hair. This was irritating! What exactly had she been hoping for? She had gotten her hopes and imagination way out of hand this time. Shippo was silent a moment but his little head probed around the area. His green eyes fixated on a building not far down the road. It looked vacant… and it looked comfortable.

"Look! That place is like an old castle! Let's go over there and stay. I don't think anyone lives there anymore," he told her, bouncing with slight excitement that he had accomplished something. Ome giggled and mussed his hair, thanking him. She stood up and fought against the raging wind that had picked up and made her way through the snow to the abandoned castle.

**

Darkness that was far too strong for youkai vision to see through had enveloped the Inuyoukai for years… and he was tired of it… For ten years he had been waiting… waiting for the sickening half-breed to be brought from the curse he had laid upon the Higurashi line. The damn hanyou had managed to include him in his curse because they had been in alliance at the time, both wanting to destroy the Higurashi family for Shun had turned his back on his too. He wanted nothing more than to MURDER him for doing this to him. He nearly cracked from insanity from all of the years of darkness and solitude. Normally, it would have been fine… but spending all of his time in this vacant, dark place was enough to drive even the most composed of youkai MAD. He almost yelped, something he had not done since he was a pup, when the orb that he had been trapped in sparked to life with a pink glow. He wanted to shield his eyes but was too proud to do so and watched, as Naraku's body became flesh instead of soul incarnate like it had been for years.

Raven locks sprouted out from the head of a leanly built form as he let out a cry of pain as his soul forged into him self once again. He looked up, his crimson eyes malicious and hungry for blood. Higurashi blood…

"So I see one Higurashi may still yet be alive," Sesshomaru said down to the hanyou who had the brunt of the curse he had laid. Naraku had died that day ten years ago. He had been set on fire by many of the kitchen aids while he was off his guard and they had fueled the raging flame with gallons of gasoline and oil… but his soul did not find any rest.

"After ten years… Ten years of being restless in hell… in that awful place… my redemption comes…" His deep voice rocked, sounding hoarse and tortured. "Have you any idea what I have been through, Lord Sesshomaru?" He sneered, his face angered and showing fear as he spoke and thought of hell. Sesshomaru threw the hanyou the top layer of his robes so he wouldn't be in nakedness any longer.

"No, and I am very glad. You've done this to yourself, Naraku," The Inuyoukai shot back, his ire great towards the hanyou as he managed to keep it in control. "You even managed to trap me here until your soul is put to rest. I have not been able to leave this God-forsaken place and my vassal was left up there. So here I have been in the dark for all of these years, all because of your damned curse!" His voice rose as his golden eyes flared red momentarily.

"Well then. Very soon you will be out of this place for I am going to slaughter her," Naraku growled, pulling out a golem with a strand of his hair on it. Sesshomaru looked at it skeptically for a moment, if not in confusion.

"What are you using this for?" He asked, his voice emotionless as he picked up the wooden doll and turned it over in his hands a few times. Naraku snatched it back and firmly rooted it in the ground, a faint image appearing above it. The Inuyoukai's eyes widened briefly before he returned to his bored visage.

"I will use this to spy on the young woman… and make attempts on her life with my puppets. The golem is used to watch and to make. I watch the girl while I make enemies for her," Naraku snapped at him in impatience, his arms crossing as he watched a young, skinny woman who was wearing clothes that were too big for her walk towards the huge, abandoned castle in Tokyo. "I have you now…" he whispered, smiling vengefully.

**

Ome and Shippo pushed the large metal door shut behind them to block off the wind and the snow from coming inside. The young woman sighed with relief and took off her hat, her hand going to straighten a few untamed strands that escaped her already mussed hairdo as she walked around slowly, observing the room around them. It looked to be like an old style ballroom. There were numerous paintings of landscape and at the end of the room… there was a large painting of a family.

Family… Ome thought as she slowly strode towards the painting. Shippo noticed her fascination and followed her, his gaze going from her to the artwork. He crossed his small arms and gave the painting a calculating look. "This is a very pretty family," he said quietly as it went under further scrutinizing by his emerald eyes.

Ome nodded in agreement as she slowly raised her hand to brush across some of the people in the painting. Her eyes narrowed as she began to think about something she had never known…

"Kagome-chan! Don't take my toys away from me!"

"Jii-chan! I'm so happy to see you!"

The girl… the smallest girl in the painting… She has my face…

Ome ran her hand over her face as her heart quickened its pace. What was going on? These were fragments from a dream. She wasn't Kagome. She had always been Ome… and she had NEVER had a grandfather… had she? Shippo could smell distress leaking from his companion and he poked her lightly, bringing her out of her reverie.

"Ome? Are you ok?" He asked in worry, his large eyes wider than normal. Ome nodded swiftly, her heart clamoring with unknown in her chest as she scooped the kitsune up and cuddled him for comfort. The little boy's eyes resumed to the painting and he gazed down at the smallest girl in a pink dress… and then looked to Ome swiftly. "Ome… she has your eyes…" He told her in confusion and realization.

"I… I know Shippo-chan…" She said in a shaky, unsure voice. Shippo immediately sensed her discomfort, but also sensed something else because he gasped and whirled around to see two men now occupying the room.

"Hey!" One of them shouted at Ome, his voice somewhat harsh and unpleasant. "What're you doin' in here?"

Ome gasped and took off in a run, dropping Shippo, telling him to go off on his own. "Split up, Shippo!" She shouted at him when a man, with a cloak of silvery-white hair hanging down his back started to approach. Shippo broke off in a run and Ome was hoping that he had gotten away… but the young man with the unpleasant voice had gotten him first. She ran up the stairs and tripped, sliding down a few of them. When she had regained her footing, she nearly ran smack into the young man with silvery-white hair.

"Boo," he whispered, sending a chill down her spine. He picked her up roughly cradle style and Ome, being stubborn refused to give up without a fight. She struggled, bit and screamed like a small child but his grip was unforgiving and harsh. "Stop moving!" He yelled at her, watching her as she scowled at him and crossed her arm, refusing to look at him.

"Hello, what's this?" The second young man said as he approached them, holding Shippo in a tight grip. His eyes probed over Ome and she felt dirty under them. Her captor let her down and she stood, angry and reached for Shippo. "My name is Miroku," the man with wandering eyes said as he handed back the kitsune. He grinned and winked at her. Ome blushed but was slightly disgusted with his performance. He seemed professional so he probably did that to EVERY girl he ever saw.

"I'm Ome and this is Shippo," she said quietly, her eyes narrowed as if she was getting accused of something. Miroku took her free hand and stroked it, his expression lecherous.

"Come now, calm yourself. We won't hurt you," He told her reassuringly but the way that his hands were going, Ome felt no reassurance whatsoever.

"Um… Thank you but I would feel safer if you weren't stroking my hands…" she replied, her gaze going to the taller more built young man next to the pervert. Her eyes traveled up his form and she felt slightly intimidated. Was he a youkai? His amber eyes were slightly harsh at the moment as he was scanning her over at the same time. Their eyes met and they both looked away in embarrassment.

"The man who is currently checking you out is my companion, Inuyasha," Miroku informed with a sly grin, his eyebrows waggling. Inuyasha growled and almost slammed his over the head when he dodged and made an excuse and a girlish shriek. Shippo was silent through the whole thing, his gaze only fixated on Inuyasha.

Out of nowhere the kitsune blurted, "You're a half-breed aren't you?"

All eyes were now on him and he trembled slightly. Inuyasha growled and nodded stiffly as if he was ashamed, his eyes now ever harder as his posture became even more rigid. Miroku, trying to lighten the mood, intervened and changed the subject. "So what brings you doing in here anyways, Ome-san?"

"You can just call me Ome. Ome-san is just too… formal," she told him politely and watched him nod in understanding. "We've been out all day looking for someone who can tell us about this," she explained, pulling her shard of the Shikon no Tama out of her pocket. Inuyasha's eyes ignited and he tried to make a grab for it. Ome did not see it coming but Miroku did, however. He slapped the hanyou's arm away and sent him a look.

"She's got the rest of the shard, damn it! It belongs to me!" Inuyasha shouted, sounding childish. Ome's eyes narrowed as her temper flared to life.

"I don't know what you're talking about but I've had this since before I can remember! It's MINE," she snapped back.

The argument lasted a bit longer than expected but finally, Shippo broke it up by starting to cry. This caused Ome to become distracted and she comforted the little boy while Inuyasha just scoffed and said it wasn't worthy of a demon to cry. "You leave him alone!" Ome growled. "He's just an orphan, like me! I know how he feels so just be quiet!"

Miroku smiled and sighed. "My, what a lovely meeting this has been. Inuyasha, may I speak with you alone for a moment?" He asked, dragging his friend over out of hearing range of the other two occupants in the room.

"She's got a shard of the jewel," Inuyasha growled, bringing out his own. It was a slightly brighter pink now that the two pieces were closer together but he put it back.

"You are too much of simpleton. If she has a shard of the jewel…" Miroku started, hoping Inuyasha would be bright enough to finish his end of the saying. What he was thinking was that if someone had the shard of the jewel, it was probably someone coming from the Higurashi castle, a servant or someone of that nature. Then, their plan to bring in a `princess' would work!

"… Then she has a shard of the jewel?" Inuyasha finished quizzically. Miroku slapped his hand on his forehead and slowly ran it down the planes of his face. He cleared his throat and composed himself before finishing what he had to say.

"Then our con to bring in a princess would work. She might have been a servant because the real princess is probably somewhere else in Japan at this time. What do you say? Would you help me to teach her?" Miroku questioned, his voice very determined. He almost had Inuyasha all the way bought into this. He would agree. He had to if he wanted to complete the Shikon no Tama and get the reward money that was being offered. "What do you say, Inuyasha?"

"I say, sure, why the hell not. If this doesn't work though, I'm going to kill her and take what I want, you got that?" Inuyasha spat to the other young man who cringed momentarily.

"Please, calm down. Would you really want to kill such a pure, innocent and lovely creature?" He asked softly, pointing over to where Ome and Shippo were conversing themselves. Inuyasha looked for a moment before he scoffed and looked away.

"As If I would want to look at that scrawny little thing. She looks like a kid and she's a mess," The hanyou argued, a blush shyly rising to his cheeks. Miroku knew better but nodded as if he was agreeing.

"You are too right. Let's get her a bath and new clothes and start training her," Miroku said, walking slowly over to Ome to use his persuasive skills. As they talked, Inuyasha observed her. Even though she was deadly skinny, she wasn't at all ugly. Annoying and feisty yes but ugly… not quite. He sighed. Why did he give in? Was he really that soft? He growled from frustration but saw that Ome was holding Shippo and she was walking over towards him, accompanied by Miroku.

"I'll do it. I don't have anywhere to go and I would like to know if my family is still out there," Ome stated with a quirky smile. Her expression changed when she saw Inuyasha glaring at her. She sniffed daintily and turned to go up the stairs with her nose in the air. Miroku chuckled when Inuyasha cursed at her under his breath.

"You see? She is royalty already," The young man whispered to his hanyou friend as they slowly walked up the stairs after her.