InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Robotic Beauty ❯ Getting Acquainted ( Chapter 2 )

Robotic Beauty

Disclaimer: I am not the great and wonderful Rumiko Takahashi and therefore, I do not own Inuyasha and co.

Ch. 2

Getting Acquainted

~Five months later…~

It was dark, and empty. Completely empty. There was nothing. She could feel nothing, see nothing, and hear nothing. And she was so lonely.

Where am I?… Who am I?

The darkness encompassed her totally, completely. She was utterly devoid of sight. But most of all, she just didn't know… anything at all! Where was she from? What happened to her? What was she? What… how… where… why… So many questions clogged her brain that she couldn't even begin to sort them out and fathom their answers.

She was absolutely, and wholly lost.

Is this how life was supposed to be? But wait, what is life?… What is my purpose?

And after a seeming eternity of wait…

There was light.

She saw a sudden burst of light at the end of the whatever she was in, contrasting sharply to the pitch black she had been enveloped in. Confused and disoriented, she ran toward it, the blinding, brilliant light, so intense that she had to squint her eyes against its glare. But as she ran, the glow continued to duck and dodge out of her grasp. It flittered like a butterfly up and away and back again, teasing her, taunting her. And she ran as fast as she could, reaching out to the light, feeling the need to achieve something… anything at all! She stumbled and tripped numerous times in the darkened void brightened by a single light. She fell so many times she lost count. But she didn't care. She needed to catch that light!

It became an obsession, a necessity. She ran and ran and ran to fulfill her goal, but the light continued to dance out of her reach. But now, she could run no more. No matter how hard she urged her quivering limbs, she could not get them to move. She panted heavily as she kneeled on the ground.

Suddenly, she gasped as she felt the rays of the mocking light upon her. She looked up, wide-eyed.

It had come to her.

The light had come to her, only after she had stopped chasing it. The glow grew bigger and bigger, its golden beams striking her body and filling her soul with warmth. But the light didn't stop growing. It grew to embrace her entire being, surrounding her, swallowing her up until it became too blinding for her to see at all.

She closed her eyes, white light still sprouting behind her closed lids, and when she felt it safe to open them again, she was shocked to find her surroundings had changed all together.

But what caught her attention the most was the sight of a man's head above her, his piercing violet eyes bearing into hers.

"You're awake," he sighed. The young man closed his eyes and sighed in relief. She sat up and observed him. He had a handsome face and his ebony hair was tied in a small ponytail at the base of his neck. He wore purple and black robes, which accented his eyes.

"Where… is this?" She said slowly, noting the monotony in her own voice.

"My house," the man said simply.

"Who are you?" She asked. She saw him wince and wondered if she had said something wrong.

"Your older brother," he said softly, "I'm not a blood brother or a legal one for that matter, but I'm your older brother. You can call me Miroku."

"Miroku…" She whispered softly.

She had one last question. "And… who am I?"

Miroku's eyes locked with hers, "You are Kagome." He couldn't help but add, "Kagome Kazaana."

^_~

"You WHAT?!?!" Someone roared to the skies.

King Inutaisho didn't even bat an eyelid at his son's bellow. It was something he had to deal with daily, unfortunately.

"I dare you to say that again," Inuyasha seethed through clenched teeth, breathing heavily.

"If that is what you wish," the king sniffed almost haughtily, "You are as of this very moment, engaged to the princess of Higurashi Kingdom."

"And you did this without even asking me?!" He clamored in his tantrum.

"In an arranged marriage, whether or not you consent does not make a difference. A strong union between this kingdom and the lands of Higurashi will finally end our quarreling. In order for that to happen, some sacrifices have to be made."

Flecks of red appeared in Inuyasha's ordinarily tawny eyes, "So why to I have to be the one to make the sacrifice?! Why can't it be Sesshomaru?! He's your son too! And he is the older one!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Inuyasha," Inutaisho miffed, "You know perfectly well that Sesshomaru is already engaged to Princess Kagura."

"Yes, but HE got to choose his wife! If you're gonna marry me off, at least let me choose who I want to marry!"

The king sighed, "Inuyasha, we are the Inu Youkai clan. We live far longer than mere humans do. You have been of age for over one hundred years. You have had your share of time for looking for a suitable wife. If you won't chose one, then I will have to. I choose Princess Kikyou. She's not all that bad. She's beautiful, smart, polite, well brought up-"

"- icy, snobby, spoiled-"

"Inuyasha!" The king's eyes flashed. "You will marry that princess and I will make sure of it! If you don't, you might just find yourself out of a home to live in!"

Inuyasha growled softly, his canine ears flattening against his skull. "Alright, alright already," he said sulkily.

"Very good then, you will be meeting her tomorrow night. I wish to all the caring gods out there that you act civilly."

"Can I leave now?"

Inutaisho sighed again, "Yes, Inuyasha, you may leave now."

Once, Inuyasha had stormed away, the king's wife, Queen Myeko, tentatively stood by his side.

"Myeko, what am I to do? Our son is too hot headed, he'll never get married!" The king massaged his temples.

Myeko sighed, "It will all work, dear, just you watch. I'm sure Inuyasha will love Princess Kikyou, just you watch." Though her voice seemed uncertain…

^_~

"I refuse." The Princess said coldly.

"Please understand, Daughter, this is for your own good! If our idea with the Android fails, at least we will have a backup! If you were married to a strong husband, he could possibly protect you from the curse! This is your life on the line." Queen Hatsuyo Higurashi pleaded.

Princess Kikyou's mouth was set in a thin line. The queen noted that she was wearing that 'lipstick' junk again. The local herbalist had discovered a concoction that would make girls' lips look prettier. The stuff stunk to high heaven and whenever the girl came close to her father, he would collapse in a fit of sneezes. Not to mention, whenever she rubbed her lips on some cloth or other, it took weeks for the maids to wash it out. But hey, it made the her lips look nice.

"I absolutely refuse," she repeated. "I don't care what you say, if I get a husband, I will no longer catch as much attention as I do now. If I become the wife of some twit, do you know what kind of reputation that will give me? It will make me seem much too… maternal." She spat out the word as if it were some vile substance.

The king entered the room, he was discreetly covering his nose from the smell… however discreet that would look anyway, "Kikyou, you will do as you are told! I am King here and if I order you to get married then you will get married!" He shouted.

Kikyou glared right back but couldn't refuse her father, the king. She turned away sharply and walked away with her nose in the air.

"There's going to be a meeting with your future husband in a week!" The king called after her.

After she was sure her daughter was out of earshot, Hatsuyo Higurashi sighed, "I don't get it. She was such a darling when she was a baby. Do you think we did something wrong?"

^_~

"Look, put your foot here and then put the other foot here! Like me see? Come on, I know you can do it. Just put that one there and the other here. That's right! You're doing it- whoa, watch it!" Miroku blew his sweaty bangs out of his face in frustration.

Mushin walked past the two, "So how are you two doing?" He asked pleasantly.

Miroku glared at his father, "I can't believe you! You didn't program WALKING into her system?" He fumed.

Mushin waved it away merrily, "Oh, don't worry about that, she was once human. She'll regain all her abilities after a day or so."

Miroku looked at his father curiously, "What are you so happy about anyway?"

He turned away, "Oh… nothing…" He said… even as he reached into his pockets to dig through all the gold coins he had gained for giving an Android to the royal family. And that was only half of it! He thought with glee.

His son sighed and turned back to his charge. "That's right, just take it nice and slow."

Kagome turned her face to his, "Thank you." He heard her gratitude in her voice, but it still refused to reach her eyes. It was as if there was a gate of some sort blocking her emotion from her eyes. He sighed and helped her walk some more. At least she seemed to be learning fast…

~At the 'meeting' a week later…~

Kagome leaned toward Miroku uncertainly, "Why are we here again?" She whispered.

"Because the king and queen want to meet you, make sure you can pass for a duplicate," Miroku whispered back. He saw her blanch and he immediately regretted saying it.

<Flashback>

"What am I?" She had asked softly, her voice slightly hoarse.

"You are an Android my father created," he had responded.

"I'm… just a creation?" She whispered.

Miroku kept silent.

"I see…" He could have sworn he saw her eyes cloud with grief. But it was gone in an instant, and he once again saw the blank look in her eyes. "Then… why was I created?"

"You… were made to take the place of a princess under a curse. The king wanted an Android to take his daughter's place when the time of the curse comes, you will be her replacement." He broke it down to her gently, trying to look anywhere but her face.

"I see…" She said again. Now he couldn't mistake the pain in her eyes. He knew it must have been depressing to wake up and find one's only purpose in life was to replace another.

<End Flashback>

"Well, are you ready?" Miroku asked hesitantly.

Kagome nodded her head once and took his outstretched elbow. Miroku flashed her an encouraging smile and followed after his father, whom he noticed, with narrowed eyes, was whistling quite cheerfully.

The moment they entered the ballroom of the large palace, Kagome had to throw her arm up to shield her eyes from the bright lights. Candles of all sorts and sizes adorned the chandeliers and walls. Offhandedly, she wondered what would happen if someone knocked over a candle or two… But she took little notice of that when she was able to focus her eyesight. The entire room was filled with men and women clothed in fancy dresses and suits. Frilly laces lined the edges of the women's gowns and the men's outfits were completely immaculate. All in all, they made her feel extremely underdressed.

Her gaze swept the room to land on the king and the queen sitting on a raised platform to the side. The queen, a beautiful woman in her mid-thirties sat primly on her throne, a serene expression on her face as she observed the room before her. The king, a broad-shouldered man, sat in his throne with a straight back and an aloof expression on his face. His eyes locked onto hers after a moment and he beckoned her to him with one of his large hands.

She, with Miroku in tow, approached him meekly.

Kagome bowed respectfully and kept her gaze on the floor. The queen smiled gently at her bowed head. She seemed like a nice girl. Too bad she wasn't real.

King Higurashi inspected the Android critically. She seemed to be of the right height and figure of his daughter, but with her head lowered like that, he couldn't fully examine her. "Look up," he commanded sharply.

She obeyed.

The king frowned. Her face had the correct contours, but her eyes was definitely unlike any he had ever seen, much less similar to his daughters. They were blank and empty, but since she was an Android, it looked like even the power of the great Mushin had its limits. The girl's skin and hair were a little too perfect, but hopefully Naraku wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

"Well, a little bit off, but it will have to do." The king remarked casually. Miroku scrunched up his eyebrows but tried not to let the dislike show on his face.

Suddenly, the princess appeared in front of the king. She lifted a hand daintily to her mouth and gave the impression that she was yawning, "Father, this party is a big bore. I'm sure even you can do better than this," she stated in a haughty tone of voice.

"Kikyou…" Her mother warned.

"Yes?" She replied sweetly.

The queen sighed and turned her attention back to her husband and the Android. Kikyou followed her gaze.

She frowned.

"And who is this?" She pointed to Kagome.

"She will be your replacement in the time of the Curse," the king said, holding his breath. His daughter was wearing that 'lipstick' again, of which one of the ingredients made him sneeze like there was no tomorrow.

"Hmm…" Kikyou leaned close to the girl, but Kagome budged not one inch away from the princess. She didn't even flinch from the stench of the lipstick, whereas Miroku was promptly gagging nearby. After her examination, Kikyou moved away, "Definitely not as beautiful as I, but then again, nobody is." Without another word, she left and picked some unfortunate random man to dance with.

Miroku almost let out a snarl, but held it back at the last moment.

King Higurashi sighed and looked to Miroku, "It's alright, boy, I realize my daughter can be quite a snob at times." He told Miroku, "But she is the princess and she must carry on the throne when I pass away. You two may leave now," he dismissed them.

Kagome and Miroku bowed once more and walked away.

Kagome smiled at her friend, "Come on, let's dance!" She took his hand in her own and placed her other on his shoulder.

Miroku returned the smile, "Why, I'd like nothing more, dear girl!"

^_~

"Why are we here, again?" Prince Inuyasha growled angrily. He did not like crowds and the room was nearly packed to the doors with people.

His head maid, Sango, sighed, "Because you have to meet your fiancée and her parents. How many times do you have to ask? You've asked twenty times every day for the last week and that's one hundred forty times too many! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving you to sulk on your own!" She was about to turn away, but Inuyasha grabbed her arm.

"Wait, tell me which one's Kikyou first! You've met her before. I'd rather just get this shit over with." He grumbled in annoyance.

Sango sighed again and looked around the room, "Um…" she caught sight of a girl resembling the princess who was dancing with a handsome young man, "That one." She pointed and immediately took off.

"What did I ever do to deserve this horrible fate?" Inuyasha growled. He strode forward purposefully to the dancing couple. "Can I cut in?" He asked the man gruffly.

The man rose to his full height in comical indignation, "Why you may not-"

The girl giggled musically and slapped the man's arm lightly, "Miroku, stop being so rude." Inuyasha arched an eyebrow in surprise, he had heard the princess Kikyou was a major pain in the ass and colder than the most frigid icicle on the face of the planet. However this girl…

The girl looked up at him and he found himself looking into the most beautiful stormy-blue eyes he had ever seen (a/n: no, this is not a mistake. I'll go away now…). "Why you may, sir," she answered his previously asked question.

She seemed pleasant enough and for a second, the prince believed he could actually stand having this 'cold bitch' as a wife. The girl delicately placed her hand in his and he put his free hand on her waist.

"What is your name?" She asked politely.

"Inuyasha."

"Well, it suits you I suppose," she smiled, "Your ears do remind me of a dog's. They're so adorable!"

Inuyasha grinned, "Well, I AM a dog demon."

"You are?" she asked naively, an innocent look on her face. She paused for a moment before asking rather shyly, "Do you mind if I touch your ears?" She seemed quite embarrassed, and a pink tint flushed across the bridge of her nose and her cheeks.

He smirked cockily, "If you must."

She hesitantly reached up a hand brushed a finger against the downy fur. He looked at her face while she was enraptured with his ears. Her face was beautifully smooth and flawless. Her blue eyes sparkled with delight. When she had her fill of his ears, she looked into his own eyes and smiled again. Those gray-blue orbs were so enrapturing and he felt as if he was being pulled to her like a magnet.

He didn't understand what was happening, but a strange feeling that strangely reminded him of butterflies was tingling in his stomach. Yes, he could definitely live with this girl, if need be. Hell, he would live with this girl even if he didn't have to.

Inuyasha stared into her eyes and found himself completely trapped. He couldn't look away. And most of all, he didn't want to look away. His brain seemed to have drifted off in a different world where all he could see were those alluring eyes. Was this what it was like to fall in love?

When his brain finally returned to his mind, he shook his head to clear it of the strange but pleasant fuzziness that clouded his thoughts. The girl also seemed to be a bit distant, staring into his own tawny eyes. He flashed another arrogant smirk and wrapped his arm possessively around her waist. "So, when's the wedding?" He asked lazily.

Her eyes focused when he spoke, but then clouded again in confusion, "What?"

"You know, when's your old man, going to let us get married, Kikyou?"

He looked down in her eyes and immediately felt concerned. There was nothing but pure grief emblazoned on her perfectly flawless face.

Then, she whispered something that would probably haunt him for years to come…

"I'm not Kikyou."

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Heh, am I evil or what? Make sure you people REVIEW! Or I just might not get out the next chapter… So REVIEW!! Yeah, I said that already……