InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Last Princess ❯ Prologue: Destruction ( Prologue )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: edenx

Disclaimer: All characters in this chapter belong to the lovely Rumiko Takahashi.

¸.·´¯`·»¸.· ´¯`·» The Last Princess «·´¯`·.¸«·´¯ ;`·.¸

A Fic by Eden

¸.·´¯`·»¸.· ´¯`·» Prologue «·´¯`·.¸«·´¯ ;`·.¸

¸.·´¯`·» Destruction «·´¯`·.¸

The Kingdom of the Guardians was home to an exceedingly powerful clan of dog youkai. It wasn't just the blood that coursed through their veins that made them so powerful; it was the fact that the royal family descended from a long line of ninjas. The Guardians also protected a jewel, and if it were used at the holders command, it would reflect the deepest desire in the holder's heart. This jewel was the Shikon no Tama. It was for these reasons that Naraku, a hanyou with a wicked heart and in search of power, ordered his minions to destroy the Guardians.

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Deep in the palace, light footsteps bounded throughout the halls, stopping every so often, as if in search of something. The footsteps belonged to the young princess.

"Mama! Mama!" the little girl called out as she slowed to a stop in front of her mother. Then in a quiet, almost shy voice, she asked, "Will you tell me a bedtime story?"

Lady Yuki smiled at her young pup. "Of course, darling. Hurry off to bed and I shall be there shortly."

If a human were to see this show of affection that was just exchanged, they would have raised their brows in skepticism. It was common knowledge that the vast majority of youkai mothers didn't express love so openly toward their child. But Lady Yuki was a Guardian, and all Guardians had a pure soul and were able to show love, compassion, and patience. After all, that is why they were Guardians.

The young princess was settled in her bed talking to a servant when her mother entered the room. Upon the sight of her mother, the child's face lit up. Lady Yuki nodded to the servant, signaling her leave.

"What story are you going to tell me tonight, Mama?" the little girl inquired. "Have I heard it before?"

Lady Yuki chuckled as she pulled her daughter into her lap and began stroking her hair. "No, I'm going to tell you a new one tonight. It's called 'Momotaro,' and it goes something like this:

'A long, long time ago an old man and his wife lived in a remote corner of Japan. They had no children and were a little lonely. Every day the man gathered firewood in the mountains and his wife washed clothes in a nearby stream.

One day, as the old woman was doing her washing, an enormous peach came bobbing downstream. She picked it up with difficulty-it was so big and heavy-and took it home.

The old woman waited for her husband to come home before eating the peach. When he had arrived, she took out a knife and plunged into the juicy peach, exclaiming, "What a tasty treat!"

At that very moment, the peach split in two and with a loud wail out sprang a sweet boy.'"

At this part, Lady Yuki was interrupted by a giggle. She looked at her pup who was trying, albeit rather unsuccessfully, to hide her laughter. Lady Yuki couldn't help but smile.

"What's so funny, sweetheart?" she asked.

"He jumped out of the peach! I bet he scared that old woman and old man!"

At this, Lady Yuki had to chuckle. "I think you are right."

She was about to continue the story when her daughter interrupted her.

"Mama, did I come from a peach?" she asked curiously.

At this, Lady Yuki began to laugh, while the princess looked on with confusion clearly written on her face.

"No, pup, you didn't come from a peach," she finally answered when she regained her composure.

"Then where did I come from?"

"That, my child, is a discussion we shall save for another night," Lady Yuki answered kindly. "Now it is time for you to rest. I'll finish the story of Momotaro tomorrow night."

With that, Lady Yuki got up and exited her daughter's room, intent on resting herself. Had she, or anyone else in the palace for that matter, been paying attention, their extremely keen senses would have picked up the presence of evil lurking throughout the palace grounds. Unbeknownst to them, that mistake would shortly be the cause of their downfall.

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The young princess woke with a start. Something obviously wasn't right within the palace. A shiver racked her body and she immediately wrapped her tail around herself in hopes of calming. Her eyes darted around her room, searching for anything out of place. Though she found nothing visibly wrong, she was still uneasy. Then her sensitive nose picked up the slight scent of burning, and an unknown presence. Her eyes widened in fear, as she threw off her blankets and ran out her door in search of her parents.

"Mommy! Daddy! Where are-mmph!" a hand snaked out and grabbed the girl covering her mouth to silence her.

"Shut up, girl!" the cold voice hissed in her ear.

Tears began to fall from the child's eyes as she sank her fangs into her captor's hand, drawing blood and effectively causing him to release her. Reaching up, she dug her claws down his face, and ran towards her parent's bedroom. She could hear her assailant cussing angrily at her escape from his hold.

Oh please, oh please, oh please! Let them be okay! Let me get there so I can be okay! she thought frantically as she ran. All around her was complete pandemonium. Like her home had turned into hell in just a few short hours. Servants were running about trying to fight off the demons that had invaded her home.

Running around the corner, her eyes widened as she abruptly skidded to a halt. The hallway leading to the room of her parents was completely engulfed in flames. Fear washed over her as she spun on her heel and ran. Unaware of where she was going, she ran into a soft wall of fur only to realize it was her father's tail, with her mother by his side, fighting off the youkai swarming their home.

"Daddy! Mommy" she sobbed tearfully.

Her father immediately picked her up and handed her to her mother and said, "Yuki, take her and leave. I'll follow you after I clear this hall."

He then looked his daughter in the eye and said, "Princess, we'll be okay. I love you."

With a nod, Lady Yuki took off, her pup shielded safely in her arms. They were almost at the entrance to the palace when an ugly, scorpion youkai cut them off. With a feral grin, he leapt at Lady Yuki. Jumping back just in time to avoid his stinger, she set her pup down.

"Run," she whispered. "Run, my child, and don't look back."

Something in her mother's voice caused the young girl to tremble, but she wasted no time fleeing. When she looked back, her father was at her mother's side, getting ready to fight the many youkai that had surrounded them. The Princess dashed around the corner into an empty hallway. Since no one was there, she decided against her instincts to continue running, and opted to watch her parents. Gingerly peeking her head around the corner, she was horrified by the sight she witnessed. Her parents were killed right before her very eyes.

Darkness overcame her.

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When the princess finally came to, she was in a cavern, safely out of harm's way.

"Mommy? Daddy? Where are you?" the timid words came out.

Suddenly, the previous night's horrendous events flooded back to her. She was in shock. Too shocked to move, too shocked to cry. Her parents were gone. But then how did I get here…?

Then a realization hit her like a ton of bricks and the tears finally began to fall. Not only was she the last remaining ninja from her royal lineage, Princess Kagome was the last remaining Guardian.

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A/N: Okay, that's the end. What'd you guys think?

Kagome is going to be essentially like Sesshoumaru for a while, but that'll change in later chapters. The reason is because she saw her parents murdered right in front of her, and that changed her life. Because of that, she hides her emotions behind a façade of cold indifference. She doesn't ever want to experience the pain of losing the people she loves, so she reasons that if she doesn't get close to anyone, she won't have to go through it again.

In this part of the story, she's about six in human years. From chapter one on, she's 17 in human years.

"Momotaro" means "Peach Boy." If you want to read the rest of the story, here's the link: www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/folk.html

Okay, that's enough of my babbling. REVIEW!! Please? ^_^