InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kizu ❯ Never Lose Your Beginner's Spirit ( Chapter 2 )

Never Lose Your Beginner's Spirit (Shoshin O Wasurubekarazaru Koto)

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

 

 

 

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A slight hush covered over the palace, people around her began to whisper, ladies of the palace hid their lips behind their fan, tilting their heads together in deep low tone of conversation, the whispering absorbed itself in the wall, in the tatami they walked upon, in the texture of the parchment that rested on the low table, gossiping, what was to become of the hime? They watched stealthily as she was slowly falling down.

 

::OoOoOoO::

 

Kagome didn't know how she found herself in this strange forest, she was never been here before, an escort had brought her there and suddenly she found herself alone in an area that she couldn't locate, she didn't know if it was far or near her father's fortress, and the feeling of panic downed on her, but she could still feel the heaviness in her head, so she searched for a place to hide and found herself a cave, she dropped her body to the ground and started shivering like crazy.

 

::OoOoOoO::

 

Inuyasha was back from his hunting when he smelled a sweet scent of cherry blossom and spring rain; he followed the scent closely and found that the strongest came from his cage. He growled; someone had invaded his ground as this was his forest to begin with. He wanted to kick the offender out of his cage at first, but then as he looked closely, he found that the girl was shivering, her beautiful face was pale, and she seemed to have a fever too.

 

He could smell something else in her blood, something sweet and addictive, but he realized that this substance must've been the one that was poisoning her slowly. He pondered hard to decide on what he should do, when he sucked her blood to remove the poison out of her system she would die because of the lack of blood, how could he make her exuding the substance out of her body? Warmth that produced sweat out of her pores! He almost congratulated himself for being so perceptive, keh! He was not so stupid after all.

 

He guided the girl to sit up straight and started the process of giving his youki to her by lightly touching the tip of his fingers to her back. It was longer than he thought, it seemed that the girl was stronger than he thought she was, and he realized that she had been fed on the poison for a long time, probably already a month, that was why she was healing slowly, but she was indeed especially strong for a human to survive this, her power seemed to equal a common demon power.

 

She slowly came to her senses and when she did, she realized that she was not alone anymore in the cage; Inuyasha started a fire and threw her an annoying glance, why hadn't the girl thanked him yet? He had given half of his youki to save her. `Ungrateful brat' he thought, but then he caught how she twitched and shook quite strongly, her mouth was opening and closing and then opened again, she tried to squeak something out but failed, she was still shaking hard, the addiction hadn't gone yet.

 

Kagome knew her way in ki to realize that she had been given some energy from the stranger, but when she tried to form her gratitude, her voice seemed to be trapped under the great shook of her body, she wanted something really bad, but she didn't know what.

 

Inuyasha was feeling a bit guilty as he watched the girl, and then he caught her twitch again. He rushed to her side and held her close. Kagome managed to whisper a shaky thank you, but Inuyasha shook his head and continued to hold her. She was not cold, he knew, but she needed something firm to hang on to, and as he tightened his grip over her he wondered who would do such a thing to a sweet girl like her?

 

When her shook lessened a bit he released his hold of her and proceeded to prepare the food.

 

He gave her a part of the roasted flesh to eat, she shook her head, but he insisted and put the greasy flesh into her hands. She looked at it and took a small bite, a wave of nausea hit her, and she ran out of the cage to empty the bitter content of her stomach. When she turned her back she discovered that Inuyasha had waited for her, holding a bowl of fresh water. She took it gratefully.

 

They went back inside the cage; she sat beside him as she watched him eat.

 

“Are you an inu hanyou?” She asked out of the blue.

 

Inuyasha was taken aback, he started to look defensive, he heard this question too many times before and it never resulted as only a question and an answer. “Yeah, so I am, you got a problem with that?”

 

Kagome smiled sweetly and answered him in a soft tone, though still a bit shaky, “no, I don't have any problem with you being an inu hanyou, in fact I'm rather jealous of you, you have the most wonderful hair color and the cutest ears ever, you looked really, really pretty.”

 

Inuyasha smiled nervously, “thanks, I guess, but you know that I'm a male inu hanyou, don't you?”

 

Kagome nodded vigorously and clapped her hands, excited that she got the chance to meet a dog-demon, even though only a half demon, and they were not so vicious like other said.

 

“So you're a hime?” Inuyasha blurted out his question. Kagome was slightly stunned, she gave him a questioning look, and he smiled a warm small smile, reassuring her that he never had an ulterior motive to act upon her. “It was your kimono,” he explained.

 

“Well, I'm officially a hime, I guess.” He lifted his brow, questioning her meaning.

 

“My mother was a commoner, because of my father I came to this title, but I'm really unworthy of my title. I have no rights over lands or dowry to offer to a powerful ally who wishes to wed me. Because of my heritage you see, even though I'm a hime, no daimyo would want to marry me. They wouldn't let a farmer's, and a concubine at that, daughter in the family.” This she said with buoyancy, as if she had recited this many times before.

 

Inuyasha knew exactly how she felt, hearing her story was like hearing his own account, but the difference was that despite his background he was taken care of by his family, his life was never in danger, he frowned as he contemplated why someone would poison this girl.

 

Still shaking and jerking, Kagome felt suddenly drowsy, and she let sleep claim her after she turned her head to Inuyasha and smiled her thanks.

 

Inuyasha laid her down on her back gently and covered her with his fire rat fur kimono, providing her his warmth.

 

::OoOoOoO::

 

When Kagome woke up in the next morning the first thing she noticed was an old sword, she unsheathed the sword out of its scabbard, but when she saw the blade's condition, she was disappointed. The blade was chipped and badly cracked; there were some fatal blisters too on its surface. The blade was worthless.

 

Inuyasha entered the cave carrying some fruits and fresh water; he saw her looking at his blade and could see her disappointment. He smiled and walked to her.

 

“This blade was left for me by my father, it doesn't look promising now, but I was told that a great power is hidden in this sword.”

 

“What kind of power?” Kagome looked at him with her big blue eyes; she was intrigued by the contemplation to hold something magical.

 

Inuyasha ruffled her hair and smiled kindly at her, “I don't know, I haven't gotten the chance to encounter it yet, but I think it has something to do with protection, maybe when I'm in danger someday the sword would unsheathe itself and protect me.”

 

Kagome studied the sword intently; she tilted her head cutely to the left and right to find something that might unbolt the sword's power. Unexpectedly she felt her body was being lifted, she looked down to find Inuyasha was carrying her.

 

“Where are you taking me?”

 

“To take a bath, you need one in order to wash the mingled sweat and poison from your skin.”

 

She simply nodded her head, Inuyasha looked at her quizzically, “you didn't seem to be surprised over this. Did you know that you were drugged?”

 

She nodded again.

 

“But still you had let yourself drugged by those persons who meant to harm you?”

 

She nodded again, Inuyasha was feeling slightly exasperated, “enlighten me on this one, why?”

 

“I wanted to break him.”

 

“Who?”

 

“My father, I wanted to make him pay for letting my mother die, I wanted to put a curse on him and his family before I die, it doesn't matter if I should die, I'm worthless after all.” Kagome stated her intent tranquilly with remote eyes, and suddenly she was surprised to find herself dumped on the ground.

 

“Then why should I save you?” Inuyasha asked her coldly.

 

“Thank you,” Kagome whispered softly, “for not letting me die…” her voice weakened as she tried to hold her tears back.

 

“Ah… fuck… come here, brat…” She made her way into his embrace, and all along, for the longest time she was waiting for someone to save her…

 

::OoOoOoO::

 

“My Lord, the princess was nowhere to be found.”

 

“That couldn't be possible, she would never go beyond the border, and if she did I would've expected that someone had escorted her.” The daimyo observed his retainer cold-bloodedly, ever since he came back from the province Kai to sign a treaty, they had informed him of the sudden retirement of his most faithful Samurai, Higurashi Norihide, the absence of Kagome's old nanny, Kaede, and now the disappearance of his beloved daughter.

 

Lady Sorano had volunteered to join the search, and after four hours she came back with a piece of Kagome's kimono drenched in dry blood, but the daimyo refused to break the search. They would find her, alive.

 

Lady Sorano was about to oppose her husband when she heard a loud sound of voice calling them, she turned her head abruptly towards the direction of the voice, her hand trembled slightly, and her face paled under the thickly applied rice-face powder.

 

Lord Shinosuke dashed forward to embrace his daughter, he almost choked a sob when he got to her, and then to his surprise her daughter had returned his embrace, she was whispering words of comfort soothingly against his chest. For the first time after a long time he could feel again the joy of fatherhood that only Kagome could've awakened in him. Out of joy he smothered her face with paternal kisses.

 

Kagome stepped out of his embrace to glance at the piece of blood drenched material that Lady Sorano was holding in her hand, she stretched out her hand to examine the piece closely, and all the while she was grinning mischievously visible only to her stepmother's gaze.

 

“Kagome hime, where were you in these past two days? Your father and I were worried sick about you, not to mention when I found this piece of your clothing in the forest, I was almost insane with worries. When you decided to take a long walk in the forest, you could've at least told us before.” Lady Sorano was scolding her softly, using a gentle motherly tone.

 

Kagome tilted her head to the side as she answered her, “but Sorano-no-kata, I was sick before, my sickness was actually an addiction.”

 

Lady Sorano fidgeted under Kagome's gaze.

 

“Kagome, what kind of sickness did you have? Why didn't someone inform me about this?” The daimyo could barely contain his anger; the messenger never mentioned such news when he was in the province Kai. How dared they keep him in darkness?

 

“My Lord, let me explain-.” But Lady Sorano was cut off by Kagome.

 

“It was an addiction of nature, father. Please allow me to go out of the fortress more.” Kagome stated her plea while her gaze was still on Lady Sorano, pinning her with a silent threat.

 

The daimyo's eyes were softened when he heard his daughter's request, how could he ever deny her anything? “Very well, but only if you take an escort with you.”

 

“Father,” for the first time in her life Kagome pouted, acting like a spoiled child towards her father, furtively she was trying to display her power over the daimyo in front of her stepmother, but the act came naturally out of her as if this was how it was supposed to be, he to love her and she to have every right for his love.

 

The daimyo relented, and Lady Sorano had to gulp down her defeat, she had underestimated the little whore, she was stronger than she thought she was.

 

When Kagome looked at her stepmother's eyes, she was slightly taken aback to find a hint of respect underneath her gaze, but the naked hatred that shone out of Lady Sorano's eyes was enough to terminate any sentiment of sympathy from Kagome.

 

::OoOoOoO::

 

“Inuyasha!” Kagome jumped from her horse towards him as he caught her. Losing his balance because of her sudden pounce, he fell back, and she sat herself on his stomach, straddling him.

 

“Ow… Kagome… a less enthusiasm in your greeting would extend my life's preservation,” Inuyasha whined as he rubbed his chest.

 

“You're a weakling,” Kagome laughed at his antics as she continued to torture him. She jabbed her finger against his chest none too gently, making Inuyasha squirm under her.

 

“You've grown over these past two years, okay?!” He almost yelled his irritation and mumbled softly, but made sure that she heard it, “and you're not exactly lighter too.”

 

Knowing that his last comment would make her sputtering with fury, he rolled her body to her back, pinning her under him. Kagome's eyes widened in rage as she tried to buck him off, “are you saying that I'm fat?!”

 

He chuckled and nuzzled his nose against hers, “no, but you have built some muscles along these years and your body is no longer soft.”

 

Kagome bucked him off her and started sulking. Inuyasha went to her, he was confused, “Kagome, had I said something wrong?”

 

“Then I guess I'm not beautiful,” she answered dejectedly.

 

“No, you're not; you're terribly, horribly, undeniably captivating.”

 

Her face lit itself and she turned her head to look at him, but she couldn't find him anywhere, suddenly she felt a whisper against her ear, “Kagome, train on your zanshin.”

 

She closed her eyes and began to distinguish the atmosphere in the air. She could hear the rustle of wind on her left, she unsheathed her shoto to ward off the attack of the sheathed Tetsusaiga, but the strike she was expecting didn't come, she sharpened her senses once again to feel the coming attack, the next was from above her head, and then again her left, behind until… “Oow!”

 

Kagome rubbed the sting of the struck on her head, “you don't have to hit so hard!” She pouted cutely, Inuyasha chuckled softly and ruffled her hair, “come on brat, practice's not over yet.”

 

::OoOoOoO::

 

A sudden aura of danger was challenging Kagome's acute sense of ki; it was coming from the east wing of the palace.

 

A swarm of dark powered miko was putting up a barrier on a massive door, they were chanting sutra to hold a strong demon in captive, and one of them carried with her a subduing chain of beads, covered in blood. Even though one of the miko had added a sound dampening barrier on the door Kagome could still hear an enraged roar behind the door, the sound of it sent a tremor of terror down her spine.

 

Lady Sorano approached the miko, one of them handed her the beads. Her stepmother smiled in satisfaction as she fingered the subduing beads. Kagome could only hear some broken fragments of the conversation as she caught the name of a certain `Uesugi'.

 

Kagome blinked in surprise as it sunk on her that they could only refer to `Uesugi Sesshoumaru'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

::end of chapter::

 

 

 

`Never lose you beginner's spirit' or `Shoshin o wasurubekarazaru koto' is one of the precepts of a samurai (samurai no kokoroe)

 

Daimyo: feudal lord, landowner, position of power second only to the shogun

Sorano-no-kata: Lady Sorano

Zanshin: ability of the samurai to sense danger, trained into him from his youth by teachers that would sneak up on him until his senses were acutely developed

 

 

 

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AN: Please, please review, and I will try to write better.

 

 

 

White Tiger Princess: I had changed the summary and decided on the pairing; hopefully you'd like it, big thanks for your review.

Lianya: I will continue this fic and big thanks for your review.

LadySessho: I don't only like you, I love you, God! Your review was so tremendous, a great job on the talk, and the new appearance of Kik and Nar was superb, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you….