InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Changing Heart ❯ Feathers and Down ( Chapter 5 )

Changing Heart

Chapter 5: Feathers and down

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The moon hung low in the sky that night, sending silvery beams of light to scatter along the wall, the wardrobe, and the door of his mother's (and now Kagome's) chamber. He'd done this for a few nights, now, ever since Miroku had spoken to him, watching the girl sleep peacefully at night and watching her from afar, never letting her see him, during the day. Every night the same thing: he'd wait until very late, when he knew her breaths would be even and deep, then he would pull up a chair to the bedside and sit. He wasn't perverted. He drew no obsene pleasure from watching over the sleeping girl. If anything, it was awe that drew him there, awe of such purity. Ivory skin glowed in the moonlight, soft, long eyelashes were pressed softly against full cheeks dusted pink.

Putting his head in his hands, he continue to wonder why such a girl would stay in his cursed castle. Miroku had explained to him, of course, that she had a pure and generous heart, but... After what he'd done, wouldn't anyone have run away? And yet she still stayed...

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

He didn't have the courage to apologize to her face - his shame did not allow it - so he told her in her sleep every night, hoping that she would forgive him, even subconsciously. But then, what did he care if she forgave him or not? She was only a human girl, a miko, but still pathetically human, and he was a prince. Cursed, but still a prince in all his half-youkai glory. He didn't need her at all. Right?

"Keh."

The moon was getting dangerously close to the horizon. He knew she woke at first light, a habit from living in the country, so he got up and moved to put the chair back in its place by the wardrobe. A ruffle of sheets and silk made him freeze, however. He had his back to her and winced. Then his fear came true.

"Who are you?" It was the question that she'd asked the dark-haired man the first night she had been at the castle, but this time she asked it with less urgency and more softnes in her voice. She recognized him and remembered the hot temper he'd displayed.

The figure turned around. His face was in a moonbeam, so Kagome was able to see his features very clearly. Though his hair and eyes were very dark, the curves of his features were very familiar...

"You're supposed to be asleep." The man's face attempted to look angry, but his voice betrayed him.

"I woke up. You banged the chair against the wall again, when you were putting it back."

Again? Does that mean that she... Inuyasha's thoughts raced. The moon was now half-dipped below the faraway mountains, and dawn was to break any moment. He had to get out of there.

"Keh. Go back to bed."

"No really, who are you? And why do you watch me sleep like this? It's kinda creepy."

"None of your business. Go back to sleep!" His voice was getting sharp, now, with irritation and anxiety.

Slowly the sky was getting lighter. He had to get out.

"Of course it's my business! A stranger is in my room, watching me sleep! Do you have any idea how wierd that is?" Kagome had gotten out of bed and was taking a few steps toward the man. Her actions surprised Inuyasha. What did she think she was doing? Attack him? Someone who was not only older and taller, but much more powerful (even as a human)?

"I'm your night guard. I make sure no one bothers you in your sleep. Go back to bed, wench. Don't make me put you back there. You need your rest, you work hard during the day." It was true. She'd been given permission to help in the kitchens, and she'd been asked to help keep the children of the castle occupied. Children cooped up in a castle, nomatter how big, were quickly infected with serious cabin fever. On top of that, Sango had offered (by Inuyasha's suggestion) to teach Kagome a few weaponry skills. Kagome's weapon of choice had quickly become the bow and arrow, and she practiced as often as she could every day.

Kagome did not heed his threat and moved closer to him. He looked very, very familiar, but she couldn't place a name in her mind.

"If you're my night guard, why are you saying things like 'I'm sorry?'"

"That's it, wench! Bed!" In two steps, he had scooped her up and placed her back in the four-poster bed and covered her with the thick duvet. Not without inhaling a deep breath of her scent, however. Even though he was human (although not for long, now...) her scent made him dizzy for a moment. Despite her protests, he turned his back on her and began to move toward the door only to find that something held him back. She'd grabbed onto his red haori and the look on her face did not seem to mean that she was going to let go anytime soon.

He was about to grab her hand and make her release her hold on his clothes when the the first rays of sunlight peaked out of the horizon. He felt his muscles stretch and change, and his nails grow into their claws again. Out of the corner of his eye, the darkness that was his human hair became silvery-white. Immediately, his senses sharpened, and he smelled Kagome's fear before he saw it in her eyes.

She released his haori and backed away, her mouth open and speechless. His heart sank. Damn.

Then something happened that he did not expect. At all.

She hit him with a pillow. Hard.

"What the -? What do you thing you're doing, wench?" Inuyasha coughed as he accidentally inhaled a few stray feathers that floated in the air.

His answer was another swipe of silk-encased feathers and down. Not exactly painful, but… She had a hell of a swing.

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" Kagome screamed. "All I did was get lost. I didn't MEAN to discover your little secret. All I wanted to do was HELP. The least you could have done was apologize!"

So she wasn't really afraid of him. Inuyasha's heart lifted.

"I did! I do! Every night!"

That earned him another hit.

"How was I supposed to know? I only caught you saying it tonight! How am I supposed to help you if I don't ever see you, and if I don't even know who you are?"

This time, he caught the pillow with one hand before it contacted with his face. She released it. A cloud of white floated around them, feathers and down. Inuyasha looked away.

"Well now you know. Happy?"

Kagome knelt back down on the bed. Now she understood how remorseful he felt, spending every night watching her, apologizing, not able to face her in person.

"I'm alright."

Inuyasha still didn't look at her. Instead, he moved quickly out of her reach and toward the door.

"Keh. Might as well get dressed, now, wench. And take a bath while you're at it. You stink."

With that he was gone.

`What a rude guy,' thought Kagome as she tentatively smelled the inside of her elbow. `I do NOT stink!'

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Sango bumped into the prince accidentally as she rushed to Kagome's room. She'd heard yelling coming from there and panicked.

"Pardon me, Lord Inuyasha. Did you hear anything unusual coming from Kagome's room? Like screaming? Do you think she's alright?"

"Keh. She's alright." His face was held in a smirk, a little half-smile Sango hadn't seen in a long, long time.

Sango turned to go check on the country girl, but stopped mid-turn.

"Wait. How would you know? Were you IN there again?"

Inuyasha's eyes darkened, and his smirk fell.

"Keh." He started to walk away, hoping Miroku wasn't in earshot. He'd never be able to live this down if the damn monk heard about it…

Luck, however, was not on the hanyou's side yet again that morning. Neither the prince nor the general of his army had taken a step before a young man in black-and-purple robes veered around the corner and sauntered toward them with a grin.

"Good morning my lord, Sango-sama… So I hear Kagome had finally caught you in her room, Lord Inuyasha. May I offer you a bit of advice on how to enter and exit a lady's room without being -"

"Hentai!"

Miroku's words were cut short by a strong but soft hand that contacted loudly with his cheek and jaw. A red handprint immediately ensued. When he opened his eyes, he was gaping into a pair of maroon orbs, one twitching in anger.

"Why you scum! No wonder all the maids lock their rooms at night! You're the worst pervert I have ever seen! You should be thrown in the dungeons, you lust-driven, hypocritical lecher!"

"Now, now Sango-sama… The only room I ever enter is yours…"

Slap! A matching red mark appeared on Miroku's other cheek, proving that Sango was indeed trained to fight as well with her left hand as with her right.

Too angry for words, Sango stormed off to go find Kagome and help her dress, leaving the two men alone.

Inuyasha's face was red.

"If you say a WORD of this, bozo, you'll find yourself in my deepest, darkest dungeon without any hope of seeing a woman EVER again!"

Miroku blanched.

"Y-yes, milord."

When Inuyasha had gone, however, Miroku couldn't help but notice that Inuyasha's face had not held the expression it usually had when he was angry. Could it have been… No… Could it really have been embarrassment? Prince Inuyasha? The one-emotion lord?

The dark-robed lord ran a finger down the beads in his right hand, chuckling, and continued on his way.

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The young captain of the army knocked softly on Kagome's door.

"Kagome-san? It's me, Sango. Can I come in?"

"Come in."

Kagome was still kneeling on her bed, in a daze.

"Sango-san, do I really smell bad?"

Sango stepped over and sat next to Kagome on the bed.

"No, not at all. Why?"

Kagome looked at her, a confused look on her face.

"Inuyasha told me I smelled bad. Twice. Once on the first night I was here, and just now. If I don't smell, then why does he say that?"

Sango's eyes widened a little. Inuyasha didn't ever mention anything about a person's smell unless he was particularly fond of them or hated them. In fact, the last person he had mentioned scent to had been… Sango shook her head.

"Inuyasha is a half demon, meaning that his senses are quite a bit more refined than ours. To him, everyone has a different scent. That's one of his main ways to tell who is who, without even seeing or hearing them. When Inuyasha says things like that, do not be concerned, Kagome-san. He doesn't mean it that way. It just means that he has identified your scent with you, that's all."

Kagome smiled in relief, one which Sango returned warmly.

"Now. Let's get you dressed. Come with me."

Kagome was surprised when the young woman led her not toward the wardrobe but toward the door. Confused, she stopped.

"Where are we going? Aren't there clothes in there?" She pointed to the tall, wooden cabinet that held the beautiful and mysterious kimono she'd worn sofar during her stay.

Sango shook her head and explained that the kimono she'd been wearing (of subdued colors and short sleeves) had been the late queen's clothing, fit for an older, married lady, not for a young and unmarried woman. In the meantime, they'd asked the castle tailor to sew new, more vibrant kimono better suited a young woman of Kagome's age.

"While we are speaking of it, what, exactly, is your age, Kagome-san? If you do not mind me asking."

"Nineteen."

"And not married?"

Kagome chuckled. "My grandfather TRIED to marry me to a few different men, sons of other shrine owners… I refused. My mother needed me too much, and I just didn't like any of the sons… The more recognized the shrine was, the uglier the sons got, neh?" Kagome laughed.

"So. No other interests, Kagome-san?"

Here, the young miko blushed.

"Well… I was friends with this one boy… Hojo…" She stopped, but Sango's eyes urged her to continue. "He was just a farmer's son from down the road. His family provided us with food, and I provided them with an extra hand around the farm when they needed it. He would bring me flowers and sweets and medicine whenever I was sick, and we'd go on walks together in the woods by my house."

"Does he love you?"

"He said so. He wants me to marry him, but I can't. Not right now… And besides, my grandfather won't let me. Hojo is a farmer's son. A peasant. And my family is a few steps higher, as shrine keepers."

"But do you love him?"

"With him comes security. I wouldn't have to worry about my family starving to death, but…" Kagome looked around. "Sango-san, isn't the tailor's sewing room a few doors back?"

"Oh right, sorry, Kagome-sama. Here we are."

Kagome spent over an hour relishing over the dozens of kimono in the tailor's sewing room. There were some in every color and pattern imaginable, each with a matching, contrasting obi and obi cord. She fingered different fabrics, ranging from the softest, lightest cottons and silks to stiff, rough silk brocade.

In the end, she chose seven for everyday wear, a few in different shades of blue,green, and purple. She was also given two or three thin, white under-kimono and a very light kimono to wear at night. Then, at the insistence of the tailor (a small and twitchy raccoon youkai) she was presented with a luxurious cream-colored kimono, stitched in silver.

"Isn't this some type of wedding kimono?" Kagome asked as she ran a finger down the collar of the magnificent garment.

"Yes, milady, but it can also be worn for special occasions. Please take it, just in case."

Awed, Kagome carefully placed the folded kimono on top of the pile of other clothes and thanked the tailor thoroughly.

On their way back to Kagome's room, they discussed clothing and why Sango always wore her tight armour beneath her pink-and-green haori and overskirt. The warrior protested that it was not only practical, but very comfortable. It also made her feel more protected, especially when perverts like Miroku were allowed to roam the castle and cop a feel at women's bottoms.

`Strange,' thought Kagome. `I've never seen him pull anything on any other woman but Sango…'

Sango ranted about Miroku during breakfast and for the most part of the morning, until she had to leave for an urgent meeting with Inuyasha and the rest of the royal council. In the meantime, Kagome set off to find the castle children in the courtyard and challenged them to a game of hide-and-seek. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a dark-haired boy with large, maroon eyes watch them from a window on the third floor. She motioned for him to join them, but he only looked away and backed off from the window. Confused for a moment, the miko shrugged and told the children to scatter.

"One, two, three…"

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A/N: I felt really bad about not updating in three weeks last time that I updated twice this week. That's aslso in part because I have finals coming up, and I don't think I'll have time to update again before… oh… the 19th of December. I apologize in advance. I hope you guys liked this chapter, though!

Remember to email me if you have ANY questions. 100% reply rate, I promise.

Also remember to review, please!

P.S. Thanks to all my reviewers so far!

And Lyn: I appreciate your comments. I AM writing more, but can you give me some other kind of comment??