InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Princess of Two Empires ❯ CHAPTER 1: Instructions in Anonymity ( Chapter 2 )

Instructions in Anonymity

Chapter 1

 

 

Kagome lightly touched her hand to the silk of her dress that covered the scar on her collarbone. She winced. It still stung after all these months. Kagome breathed in a deep breath of the cool night air. She smelled the damp ground, the moss, and the Japanese roses. The earth and its fruits seemed to be her only friends.

 

She turned to go, when she felt a tug on her silk kimono. She looked down to see a rose thorn hooked into her intricately patterned garment. Kagome chuckled and attempted to detach herself.

 

“There you are, Kagome-hime! I have been looking for you all over. There are still several people that wish to meet you.” The demon Emperor stood, watching her. His long silky, almost silver, hair reflected the waxing moon. A pair of equally silky dog ears perched on his head, twitched.

 

“Oh, hai. Sumimasen, Eminence-heika. A friend does not seem to want to let me leave.” She rotated so that the emperor might see the thorn caught in her Asian garb. He smiled, and gently took the kimono's train from Kagome.

 

“You certainly seem to have a special affinity for plants. Your Japanese has greatly improved, by the way.” Kagome blushed as she whispered,

 

“Domo arigato.” Although she didn't often see his majesty, he always showered her with compliments on the rare occasion she did.

 

“Please, just call me InuYasha. We are engaged. Formalities have no place here, and I personally have never been attached to fancy honorifics. Too much of a hassle.”

 

After moments of tugging, the thorn released the fabric. Emperor InuYasha handed the hem back to Kagome. When his long claws brushed her knuckles, she felt her heart race. Kagome had been engaged to the emperor of Japan since the day of her birth. Yet she had only seen him for the first time only two months past. This celebration was in honor of their marriage, yet Kagome hardly even knew her husband-to-be.

 

Now her face was only inches away from his. He slowly leaned in towards Kagome, breathing in deeply. She quickly turned her head away, at the last moment. The emperor's face fell slightly. He looked down.

 

“Oh, Kagome-hime! You're bleeding!” Kagome looked at her finger. A small laceration on her index finger dribbled little crimson drops of blood into the soil.

 

“So I am.” She murmured. Kagome had been so caught up in her thoughts she hadn't even noticed the slight sting. InuYasha tenderly took Kagome's bleeding finger. He inspected it for a moment, and then put it in his mouth. Kagome let out a small gasped. She was speechless. Something so passionate in this little gesture completely overwhelmed her.

 

Seeing the Emperor of Japan, and a half demon no less, on his knees before her, with her bleeding finger lovingly, protectively, in his mouth was a sight to behold.

 

A rustling sound behind Kagome startled her, and caused her to jerk her hand away. She clutched it to her chest and breathed heavily. Her face slowly turned pink.

 

“F-forgive me, my lord. I was…taken by surprise.” Kagome looked down in shame.

InuYasha heaved a sigh. He spit a red liquid onto the ground where it was instantly absorbed.

 

“That should prevent infection,” the emperor said, seemingly to no one. He reached his hand under Kagome's chin, careful not to cut her on his claws, and forced her to look him in the eye. InuYasha reached his other hand up to her face, and caressed her cheek. He leaned in so close to her face, that she could feel his warm breath glide over her cheek and eyelid. Just as he was about to kiss her, Kagome slammed her eyelids shut. InuYasha saw this and sighed again. He leaned in and merely kissed the contour of her lower eye.

 

“Koi. Will you ever learn to love me as I love you?” He stared into her eyes, as she blushed yet again when he called her `love,' and then released Kagome. “I'll be back at the celebration. Come when you're ready, but try not to take to long.” After a few moments of awkward silence, InuYasha walked towards the sound of the party without looking back.

 

Kagome felt her heart beating widely behind her rib cage, and her face burning up. She took a shuddering breath and raised her eyes to the stars. They sparkled like jewels scattered from the hand of a noble lady. Tears came to Kagome's eyes. She couldn't protect her sisters. She was about to be married to a man she hardly knew. Tears flowed from her eyes, and clung to her long lashes. Was she being punished?

 

InuYasha watched his princess from behind a large curling rose bush. The night was perfect, and he was to be married to the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on. Yet she had so much sadness in her heart. He felt helpless and useless. The look on her face, bathing in the moonlight, with tears he could smell sliding off her face made him want to take her into his arms and kiss the droplets away. InuYasha simply shook his head. He knew Kagome would just push him away again.

 

He clenched his fist until his nails dug into the skin stretched over his palm. He would do everything in his power, as the new Emperor of Japan, to heal Kagome's wounds and make her love him as much as he did her.

 

 

 

 

Kagome arrived back at the party shortly after her fiancé. InuYasha seemed to be the only person who noticed her slightly red eyes.

 

Within only weeks of arriving at the imperial palace, Kagome had perfected her mask of deception. Like all the courtiers and their ladies, anyone caught up in the court life had a mask they showed to the world. For some it was to hide their humble background, others to hide their secret agendas. For Kagome, it was her heart that was hidden from the world, he sadly noted. She smiled and laughed as she was expected to, holding in all her true emotions.

 

Kagome was standing by the emperor's side while he talked to some ministers. She felt unbelievably lonely with no one to talk to. All the court ladies wanted to talk about was what it was like to almost be married, and shallow things. She longed for someone to talk to. Someone to have a real and intellectual conversation with.

 

Perhaps I shouldn't even be here, she thought miserably. Inwardly, Kagome let out a small `eep' of shock. While her mind had been wandering, InuYasha had gently wrapped his arm around her waist, and had her body firmly pressed against his. She looked up at his face. He continued to talk to his ministers without looking at her, albeit his mouth was slightly upturned at the corners. She could see his elongated canines flash dangerously.

 

Kagome could feel his body heat warming up her own. She blushed slightly when he gave her waist a small encouraging squeeze. He has never been this bold before, she thought flustered. Although a part of her was uncomfortable, another part of Kagome liked his touch. She found her muscles relaxing and her body leaning slightly into his embrace. All kinds of thoughts raced through Kagome's head, but she pushed them all away. After so much hurt, perhaps it was time to finally let someone in and care for her.

 

Just as Kagome was about to return InuYasha's embrace, a tall figure strode toward her. He bowed and gave her a flashing grin, as he took her palm in his clawed one and kissed it. A mask covered in silky black feathers hid the upper half of his face, but not his lethally dancing eyes. Sadiya was so shocked she didn't know whether to slap the stranger or yell at him. She merely stood there rooted to the ground, as a bright red blush spread over her cheeks.

 

“Douzo yoroshiku, Hime. You are as beautiful as I have heard. Might I win your arm for a dance?” The man looked up at InuYasha's surprised face. “If it is alright with you, majesty-heika.” With a deep bow that Kagome could have sworn had a substantial amount of well hidden mockery in it, he firmly grasped her hand and dragged her out to the dancing couples without waiting for a reply from the emperor.

 

Kagome cast one last look back at the InuYasha's face. She noted the extreme shock and…perhaps jealousy? Before she had a chance to do a double take, the strange man unceremoniously grasped Kagome's waist and almost intimately pulled it to his own. A blush spread across Kagome's face once more, as she felt her body flare with heat. This man was so brazen! He spun her around, and she noticed he was a skilled dancer. He never faltered once and always met Kagome on his cue. She enjoyed watching his long hair swing out when he turned.

 

Kagome noticed he was slightly taller and leaner than InuYasha, and much more so than herself. His eyes were slightly upturned up at the corners like most Japanese's. They were a dark and mysterious, yet almost deadly amber. Those eyes…Kagome had seen them before. But where? She also noticed his hair was pearl-colored, much like InuYasha's, and pulled back in his long ponytail. He can't possibly be human, Kagome thought as she took to account the man's odd hair color and clawed fingers. Yet he looked perfectly natural among the other humans in his formal yukata.

 

She felt the man's dragon embroidered silk brush by her wrist. Her eyes widened in shock. Although Kagome had only been at the imperial palace for a few months, she was quick to learn the style of dress. The silk that had brushed by her hand…it was the finest she had ever felt! Even InuYasha's silk wasn't as smooth as this. It felt like cool water had been poured of her hand.

 

“Is something the matter, Hime?” Kagome looked up at the man. “Your mouth is open like a fish out of water.” His face was blank, but he chuckled and twirled Kagome around. She on the other hand was taken by surprise, and found herself tripping over her kimono. She gave a sharp inhalation as she toppled over. I'm going to hit the ground, Kagome thought in fear. Her eyelids instinctively closed themselves as she anticipated the hard impact.

 

 

 

 

Instead of the hard ground, Kagome felt large strong hands wrap themselves around her small waist. Her eyes shot open only to find herself staring into the bright gold eyes of the stranger. He had Kagome in a compromising position. He had caught her halfway from the floor, so Kagome was bent backwards over his arm, as if he was dipping her. Her feet and legs were in between the man's. He smirked at her.

 

“You should be careful, Hime.” The man whispered this near her ear, so Kagome felt the heat from his breath on her neck and ear. It sent a wave of fire down her spine.

 

“Nani—?” She was cut off when the man standing above her suddenly leaned down and captured her lips with his.

 

Kagome had only kissed her mother, sisters, and her caretaker. She had never even thought about kissing a man, let alone on the lips! She hadn't even kissed InuYasha yet! Kagome didn't know what to do as the man held her tenderly behind the head, and brushed lips with her. Kagome found herself slowly closing her eyes and relaxing. Something about what was happening was comforting. It was strange. Kagome knew it was wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to part herself from him.

 

 

 

Suddenly, Kagome violently pushed the masked man away when she felt his tongue on her lips. She stared at him in horror as she covered her mouth with one hand, and her heart with another. She moved her hand to say something, when she felt herself dragged backwards into someone's embrace.

 

Kagome looked up to find InuYasha snarling at the man, who was laughing.

 

“First time, hm, Hime?” He said, his eyes dancing and flashing his smile.

 

“Ainoko!” InuYasha roared, “What are you doing here?”

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with InuYasha. He belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. (whoops, forgot this in the previous chapter. Guess I'll have to fix that.)

 

Yeah! This one is longer, as the rest of my chapters will be. I am aiming to make each chapter be at least four pages long. So far, I've mangaed that. So enough talk, and on with the story!!! (P.S if I have misued or spelled any japanese words wrong, PEASE tell me. I want to do the Japanese language justice!)