InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Princess and the Pauper ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

The boy stopped at the edge of the forest,

"Hey Kikyou!" he called out, "Hand over the sacred jewel."

The priestess turned around and faced him,

'That voice! I know that voice!' she thought to herself.

"You heard me Kikyou. Hand over the sacred jewel." he repeated.

Kikyou notched her bow, ready to fire it at the boy. She made him answer questions, including his name, which he reluctantly told her was,

"Inuyasha." he said.

She fired her arrows, pinning him to the tree. This would happen again and again, each time Kikyou telling Inuyasha to stay away from her,

"I have no desire to waste more arrows." she would tell him.

But, Inuyasha didn't stay away. His want of the jewel and something about the priestess kept drawing him back, time and time again. The two outsiders began to find an uneasy trust in each other and Inuyasha found himself unable to get the priestess out of his mind.

Until that day ....

He was racing through the woods, trying to burn off excess energy. He was restless and he needed to run ... for the freedom it gave him. He enjoyed the feel of the wind through his hair as he raced from treetop to treetop. As he landed softly on the moist ground, he took a deep breath of the moist, humid air. It was the wet season and another storm had recently passed through. The air after a rain was invigorating ... nothing smelled or tasted better. As he stretched out his arms, he felt himself trapped in a net.

He fought to get free, but was unable to break through the net,

"WHAT THE HELL?" he screamed.

His cry was answered by a laugh,

"Try all you want half-demon. This net is strong enough to hold the mightiest demons around. A half-breed like you can't do anything!"

Inuyasha faced the owner of the voice,

"Oh yea? We'll just see about that." he snarled, as he tried his best to claw through the net. All he succeeded in doing was sapping his energy.

"Keep struggling, half-breed. This net has powers that will drain your demonic energy."

Inuyasha struggled to get a breath. It seemed that the man who had captured him was telling the truth. His body went limp as he felt his powers drain.

"Good boy. You don't have far to travel." the man said, as he lifted Inuyasha up into the wagon and drove off.

The wagon stopped and the man brutally hauled Inuyasha off the back of the wagon and onto the ground. Inuyasha could see he was at a castle,

"I have a present for the lord." the man bragged to the other men present.

The other men gathered around the net,

"What does the lord want with a half-breed?" asked one of the guards.

"I figure he can use him as a whipping post!" the man laughed at this.

The other man began poking at Inuyasha with sticks and Inuyasha responded by snarling and growling,

"HMPH! He's a wild animal! He should be shot!" said one of the guards.

As the men continued torturing their captive, a young woman walked out of the house to see what the commotion was all about. As her eyes landed on Inuyasha, she gasped, her green eyes becoming fiery with anger,

"HOW DARE YOU TORTURE THAT POOR MAN!" she screamed.

"My lady." said one of the guards, "my apologies. I didn't see you there."

"My lady, this is not a man worthy of your pity. He is a half-breed ... a half-demon. He deserves nothing." said another guard.

'A half-demon?' she thought to herself, as she looked in the net, 'What is he?' she wondered.

The young man looked up at the woman and she saw his amber colored eyes. As she furthered examined him, she took in his silver hair and dog ears. His eyes defied her ... telling her he wanted no pity. She looked at his captors,

"Free him. Immediately." she demanded.

"But, my lady ..." a guard protested.

"I will soon be a lady of the house ... you must listen to me!" she demanded.

The men looked at each other and shrugged. They lifted the net. Inuyasha stood up, trying to get feeling back into his body. He stared at the young woman in front of him. She walked up to him and lightly touched his face with her gloved hand. He backed away,

"Go. Get away from here, please." she urged him gently.

He turned an headed back into the forest whence he came. As he reached the forest's edge, he felt his demon energy return. He turned his head to look at the girl who had just come to his rescue. Something about her held him there, rooted on the spot. He watched her red hair blow in the summer breeze and sniffed at her scent on that breeze. The scent that reached him was soft and alluring. Her face became etched in his mind. He quickly turned back towards the forest and disappeared.

The young woman watched him go and saw him turn back to look. She smiled at him. Something about him spoke to her. She didn't know what to think. In her land, demons were evil, vile creatures, ugly to the core. They had called him a half-demon. If he was half-demon, what was his other half? His silver hair and pools of amber eyes intrigued to young girl. She lifted her hand to her bosom. Her heart was racing and she found herself breathing quickly. The young man had definately had an effect on her. She turned around and walked back inside the castle. She made up her mind, she would have to see him again.

The boy ran to the other edge of the forest, back to the village and Kikyou. But, as he ran, his thoughts wavered back to the young girl in the strange clothes with the strange accent. Her face stayed etched in his mind, her voice played over and over again in his mind. He shook his head as he tried to clear his mind of the images and voices. He looked up and saw her village up ahead of him. He sighed gratefully. The sooner he got next to Kikyou, the better.
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A/N: My chapters on this story are going to be a little shorter than my previous stories. But I hope you enjoy! Inuyashapuppydog