InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Princess and the Pauper ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )

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

Inuyasha's ears twitched. It was morning and the changing of the guards was occuring. He woke Kagome with a kiss,

"I'm outta here, Kagome." he said softly.

She murmered in her sleep, "I don't want you to go."

"I know." he replied, kissing her cheek, "But, the lord didn't give me permission to share your bed. Your vassals will be up here soon. I want to be able to continue seeing you."

She murmured again, softer, "Like you need permission to do anything, my love."

"True. But, I don't want you or your father to suffer because of me. I'll see you at the forest later today." he whispered in her ear.

"I'll be there when the sun is at its peak." she smiled her radiant smile.

"I'll be waiting." he said.

He got up and got dressed, eyeing her lustily after realizing she was oogling him as he dressed. With a wave of his hand, he was off, his robe whooshing in the morning breeze.

Not long after Inuyasha departed, Kagome heard her vassal at the door,

"My lady?" called the vassal.

"Come in, Eri." Kagome answered her.

The young woman entered and placed the food tray down by Kagome's bed,

"Is there anything else I can get for you, my lady?" asked the maiden.

"Yes. I want brushes, ink and scrolls. As much as you can find please." she asked sweetly.

"Is my lady planning on writing some letters?" inquired the maiden.

"Not me, no. It's for the village I'm going to today. I want to teach the village children how to write." Kagome told her.

The maiden bowed, "My lady is most generous. Few people would be willing to teach poor village children a skill usually reserved for the nobles."

"I feel it is something everyone should know. Now run along and get me what I desire, Eri. Thank you." Kagome nodded to her young vassal.

As the girl scampered off, Kagome took some time to enjoy her breakfast. After finishing off most of the food, she stripped off her nightgown and dressed herself for the day, choosing a light, airy pink colored frock with little blue flowers on it. Finishing up her ensemble, she turned as she heard the door opening,

"My lady, these were all the writing instruments, ink and scrolls I could find." said a breathless Eri, dumping her trove onto the floor.

"That's plenty, Eri. I appreciate it, truly I do." said Kagome, as she picked up one of her small travel bags and stuffed it with her supplies.

"Lady Kagome, may I ask you a question?" Eri stood in front of her nervously.

"What is it Eri?" asked Kagome.

"Might you find it in your heart to teach me sometime?" she asked, staring at the floor.

"I would love to Eri. I will set some time aside for you, will that be ok?" Kagome said.

Eri clapped her hands together like a little girl, "Oh, yes, Lady Kagome. Thank you." the girl bowed and hurried out, her smile wider than anything.

Kagome smiled at her as she left, then finished packing up the supplies. She hurried downstairs and prepared to leave,

"My lady." she heard the lord call.

She turned and bowed, "Yes, my lord?" she asked.

"Out on another one of your journeys?" he asked, to which she nodded, "Will Inuyasha be with you today?"

"Yes, he is meeting me at the forest's edge. I am going to the village again." she told him.

"I see. I have considered your request, my lady, and I will lower the taxes that I charge to that village. They are such a small village that the loss of their taxes will not affect me in the least."

Kagome smiled a huge smile, "Oh, my lord, thank you so very much!" she gave the older man a hug and he hugged her back,

"You are such a vibrant young girl. So different from my other wives and even my concubines." he said to her and she blushed, "I feel I will not be able to give you what you will need from a husband. I have decided something, my lady. I will have you on our wedding night. But, after that, I will allow you to have a lover. A man of your choosing to satisfy a young girl's needs. Will that be acceptable to you, my lady?" the lord asked her.

Kagome stood back. She was shocked at the lord's question, "M ... my lord?" she stammered out.

"You don't have to answer me right now, my lady. But think about it. I'm sure our thoughts about sex here in the east are far more relaxed than in Ireland. I didn't mean to shock you. But, consider it, won't you? I'm not sure my old body can handle a young lady's desires."

With that said, he turned to go, leaving Kagome with her thoughts.

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Kikyou returned from the cave where she kept her secret from Inuyasha. As she approached the village, she saw Inuyasha waiting for her,

"Inuyasha. I'm glad to see you." she said to him, with a small smile.

"Kikyou. Is it alright if Kagome comes by the village today?"

"Kagome? You've seen her this morning already? The sun hasn't been up for very long." Kikyou said, warily.

"That's not important. Can she come or can't she?" he asked impatiently.

"Sure ... she's always welcomed ... you don't have to ask me for permission." Kikyou said but her smile weirded him out.

'Does she know about Kagome and me?' he thought.

He wasn't too concerned about Kikyou knowing his feelings for Kagome but he wasn't sure how she would react to him being intimate with the girl when they weren't married. After all, when he had tried to touch Kikyou, she said it wasn't proper because they weren't married. His confusion rose inside him. His heart was being swayed by two girls and he didn't know what to do.

"O .. ok. I'll bring her by this afternoon." he stammered and then jumped into a tree and disappeared.

Kikyou watched him depart and then returned to the village. When she told the villagers about Kagome's impending visit, they grew excited. Village women prepared food for her arrival, village men hurried to finish their work, while the teenage boys dressed in their best clothes, hoping to attract the pretty foreigner. Teenage girls started to gossip about Kagome while the village children went about picking flowers for her,

"Isn't this beautiful, Lady Kikyou? Do you think Lady Kagome will like it?" asked on of the village girls.

"Why, Sayo, it's beautiful." Kikyou gushed at the small bouquet of white calla lillies, "I know she'll love them."

Kikyou watched as the village hurriedly prepared for Kagome's arrival. She felt a twinge in her heart and she laid a hand across her chest,

'What is this I'm feeling?' she thought to herself, anxiously 'Why do I dread that girl's appearance?'

As midday arrived, the villagers awaited the arrival of their foreign visitor. One of the teenage boys kept a lookout for them on the hillside,

"They're here!" he shouted, running back to the village, "Inuyasha's coming with Lady Kagome."

Sure enough, Inuyasha appeared walking beside Kagome. The villages "ooohed" and "aaahed" at her pretty dress. The village children ran up to Kagome and presented her with the flowers,

"Lady Kagome!" they chorused, "For you!"

Kagome took the flowers and graciously thanked the children, hugging them as she did so. She greeted the villagers in kind, greeting them with hugs and pecks on the cheeks. She was overwhelmed as the women brought out plenty of food for lunch and she sat down and enjoyed a hearty meal with the villagers.

After lunch, she told a few stories of her journeys, mainly talking about Egypt, mummies, pyramids, and pharoahs. The villagers listened, enthralled with the stories of foreign lands that they never dreamed existed.

As she talked, she pulled out some scrolls and showed the villagers some of the heiroglyphics that ancient Egyptians used to write, explaining that the explorers had yet to decipher their meanings. She then started showing the villagers Kanji, explaining it was the Japanese writing system. She would ask for people's names and then write it down in the kanji, explaining what the symbols meant.

The afternoon flew by, as Kagome kept the villagers interest with everything she knew. As Kagome was getting ready to leave, a young boy came running up to the group,

"HELP! HELP!" he screamed out.

"Taro, what's the matter?" asked one of the village men.

"It's Hisoka. He's fallen in the river!" the boy yelled.

The villagers ran to the river's edge. Not seeing anything, a couple of men dove into the water. After what felt like an eternity, one of them found the boy and dragged him to shore. Kikyou examined him,

"He's gone, I'm afraid." she said, sadly, "There's nothing I can do. There is no heartbeat."

"Wait!" said Kagome, "Maybe hope isn't lost."

She got down on her knees and felt for a pulse. Feeling a weak one, she began pumping his chest with her hands and then she tilted his head back and cleared his throat. Taking a breath, she breathed into his mouth a couple times. She repeated these procedures for a while, praying all the time. Suddenlt, the boy started coughing and he vomited as she lifted him up to breathe. The villagers stared in amazement,

"There. He'll be fine now." she said.

All the villagers dropped to their knees,

"She's a goddess!" she heard murmured through the crowd.

"She brought life back to Hisoka!" she heard another murmer.

"It was nothing, really. Just something I learned from my mother. She was a medicine woman." Kagome tried to explain.

"Even Lady Kikyou could do nothing." came another murmer.

'Just who is this girl?' thought Kikyou 'And how was she able to bring the boy back? Her aura ... I didn't notice it before ... her aura is huge and bright ... extremely pure-hearted.'

Kagome got up, anxious to leave the village. She wasn't used to having a fuss made over her. Inuyasha, who had quietly watched the whole scene, walked up to her and stood beside her, watching her intently. He had never witnessed anything like this before and he, too, was curious. But, he could sense that she was now anxious over the villagers' sudden praise for her and that she wished to depart. He turned to the villagers,

"Stop treating her like a god. You heard her, it wasn't magic, just something her mother taught her." he said to them, trying to break up the throng, "Things are different in her land."

With that, he took her arm and led her away from the village. As soon as they were far enough away, Kagome released a sigh of relief and thanked Inuyasha,

"I thought they were going to canonize me back there." she sighed.

"Can - a - what?" Inuyasha looked at her, curiously.

"Canonize me, make me a saint ...which I definately am not!" she smiled.

"Well, you did bring that boy back to life. That's pretty amazing." Inuyasha admitted.

"He wasn't dead. I just cleared his lungs of water. That's all. Besides, why aren't you looking at me like I'm a miracle worker?" she joked with him.

"Uhhh, well, let's just say my mother knew quite a bit about healing, too. Nothing like that, but she had a way with potions and herbs." he explained.

"Oh. Did she teach you anything?" she asked, sweetly.

Inuyasha blushed, "Yea. Some things. But, she died a long time ago. I was very young."

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I don't mean to bring up painful memories for you." Kagome said, touching his arm gently.

Inuyasha looked at her, gazing into her eyes, 'All my memories are painful, Kagome.' he thought.

As if reading his mind, she said softly, "I can't imagine how hard your life has been. Not being accepted. I wish I could change that for you."

He pulled her close, thinking, 'You're starting too, Kagome.'

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Back at the village, the villagers set about their evening duties, but the talk of the village was Kagome. The wonder of her actions swelled through the village, sending the young foreigner into a goddess status.

Kikyou fixed dinner for her and Kaede and as she worked she pondered what had occured,

'I sensed no life in the boy. He had no heartbeat. Yet, he woke up after what Kagome did to him. What magic does this girl possess?' she thought, and then her mind drifted to Inuyasha, 'His eyes, when he looks at her, are different, softer. This girl, is she taming his wild heart? I want to be the one to heal his soul and tame his heart. Why do I feel so unhappy when she's near him?'

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< br> Inuyasha and Kagome neared the edge of the forest. Before they reached the clearing and the castle came into view, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Kagome,

"I'll see you tonight?" he whispered softly in her ear.

"Yes. I'll be waiting."

He kissed her, gently at first and then deepened the kiss. His ears twitched and he picked up a familiar scent. Pulling away from Kagome, he growled, baring his fangs. Kagome turned to see the object of Inuyasha's anger. What she saw was a regal being dressed in a fancy kimono, with a huge white fluff over his shoulder and long, silver hair,

"Inuyasha." said the man.

"Sesshoumaru!" snarled Inuyasha, "What do you want?"