InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Short Tails ❯ Flights of Fancy ( Chapter 18 )

Disclaimed: These characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and any entities she may have sold the rights to. I just enjoy making their lives a little interesting.

Once again, a short story written for the LJ community iyfic_contest, this one was for the theme "fantasy." I had a lot of fun with it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Originally posted to that community on August 28, 2007.

 

Flights of Fancy

 

"What's that, Kagome?" Shippo asked, staring at the illustration in Kagome's book. An odd looking man in a metal suit brandished an overly long sword and appeared to be fighting an equally odd looking demon. In the background, a beautiful young woman watched the battle from the window of a tall tower. "Why are those demons fighting?"

Kagome just smiled. "Those aren't demons, Shippo. That's a knight in shining armor doing battle with the dreaded dragon. He's trying to rescue the princess so that he can marry her and they can live happily ever after."

Shippo turned around in the girl's lap. "But, why does he need shiny armor to fight? Is it magic? Will it help him fight? Why's he trying to kill the dragon? Did it destroy his village? Is that the headman's daughter? That doesn't look like any dragon demon I've ever seen!"

Kagome tried, unsuccessfully, not to laugh at the kit's rapid-fire questions. "Oh, Shippo," she said between giggles. "He's a knight. Knights have to have shining armor. That's just how it's done. I don't think there's any magic in it. That," she tapped the picture of the woman," is the king's daughter. She was kidnapped by the dragon, and now the knight has to rescue her."

"But, why?" Shippo asked, confused. "Why doesn't her father do it himself?"

"Well," Kagome answered slowly. "That's just what knights do. They go out on quests to find hidden treasure; they right the wrongs of the common man; they rescue damsels in distress -- those kinds of things. It's his duty to be the champion of people who are weaker than him."

"Ooooh," Shippo said. He sat and thought about that for a bit. "Kagome?" he asked.

"Hmmm?" she answered. When he didn't respond, she looked down to see his brow scrunched up in an expression of deep thought. "Shippo?"

"If -- if knights are always rescuing people and searching for lost stuff," he said slowly, " does that make Inuyasha one?"

Kagome blinked in surprise and stared off into the distance, her thoughts a whirl. Inuyasha did do a lot of rescuing, usually of her. He was on a quest to find something that had been lost, and he was trying to rid the world of a terrible evil -- a knightly quality if she'd ever heard one. A slow smile crossed her face as she told Shippo, "You know, I think you're right. That would definitely make Inuyasha a knight."

Shippo stared thoughtfully at the picture. "I wonder where he can get some shiny armor."

~*~*~*~*~

Later that evening, Kagome was jolted out of her studies by the shout of an enraged hanyou and the wails of a frightened kitsune.

"Shippo?" Inuyasha roared. "Why am I on fire?!"

"But -- but, Inuyasha! Kagome said all knights need shiny armor! I was just trying to make you look right!"

"What?! Kagome!"

With a resolute sigh, the young damsel closed her book and went to rescue her gallant knight.