InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Princess Recalls Her One Adventure ❯ Southward Bound ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: --> chapter 1.

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I looked up and straight into his eyes in direct defiance of all laws from every class. His penetrating glare made my blood run cold as I stood there and gaped -

 

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He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen and I just stood there and gawked! He had long black hair swaying around him from a tie on the back of his neck. It framed his face, his oh so pretty face!

 

Then I noticed on his right cheek two small slashes near his ear. Oh no! how could one put a mark on perfection. Gasp! There was another on his forehead!! My hands went up to my mouth in horror, I was so upset, how could someone do this??!!! The mark on his forehead was almost like a “C” I noticed, but not quite.

 

A shine caught my gaze, (I was a magpie in a past life,) and I noticed just what a big sword he had… I bet he had a nice body to match!! I stomped down on my creeping thoughts. They were for dreams. Night time. I looked back up into his eyes and flinched at his icy glare. Being the idiot I am, I didn't look down or even step out of the way. In fact, I took a few steps forward!

 

It was his eyes.

 

They were so different, over-powering, completely mesmerising. I had never seen such a shade of deep violet in a persons eyes before. They were surrounded by long black lashes that would have any girl screaming! And his skin was clear, in a tone almost porcelain, his hair, as dark as the darkest night of the new moon… ACK!!!!! He was beginning to look angry. The men I only just now noticed surrounding him, were taking steps back.....

 

This can not be good....

 

“Girl”, he said.

 

His voice was rich and oh so pleasing.... KAGOME!!!! your about to be killed, or even worse, dragged home!!! FOCUS!!!!!!

 

“.....girl, what are you doing?” I could feel his impatience rolling off in waves....

 

“Err....n-nu- nothing Sir...” I was stuttering. Bad. Very bad.

 

“Yes girl you are doing something, would you like to know what?” his malicious smirk and patronising voice, were enough to make me pee right there, but my fear was forgotten as I started to stare at his lips, very kissable..... FOCUS!!!

 

I snapped back to reality and nodded, way too vigorously.

 

“You are in my way wench!!! Move it!!!!” he roared. Hmmmm, his voice went gravely under strain...

 

I squealed and ran through the line of men on horses behind him. They had swords! They were big and pointy and probably very sharp! I kept running. I heard hoof steps behind me and I stopped, no use running if my head was about to roll... The steps muted and against my better judgement I turned around. It was him. Thankfully my eyes had the sense to not roam all over his stunning features. Again.

 

He was looking at me like I was a horse in a mart, sizing me up. Should I flirt?

 

Bad Kagome!!! You want to live remember?!!

 

Anyway a man like him probably had a new girl warming his bed every night, not that I wouldn't mind being one of them... or better yet, a wife. And she'd be the most perfect woman in the realm. Wait. Kikyo was already married... I sighed. It wasn't her husband in front of me at least, I had seen him briefly once, but he wasn't this gorgeous. I mentally slapped myself; I can never seem to stay on track.

 

“Umm ... may I help you Sire?” I curtseyed hoping I wasn't shaking enough to fall over...

 

“From whom did you steal the dress girl?”

 

“Uh.....” I though about this a bit, I'm not very good at quick, believable lies...

 

“....I, I, I didn't steal it, I go, got it from, err, the Lady Princess Kagome....?” Such a stupid answer! He had to believe that! Not too shabby for me at least.

 

Would he buy it though? Why does he want to know anyway?

 

“Why would the Princess give you a dress like that girl?”

 

“....umm....... it has…. really bad stitch?” I'm getting better at this. The dress actually had quite a nice one… stay on course Kag, you don't want to die!

 

He raised an eyebrow.

 

“Well, umm, she got it from a new dress making shop in, uh, town, and I kinda gushed on how nice the fabric was, I was ,uh, the maid that brought it to her, yeah..... But as I said the stitch is awful, and, and....”

 

He was just staring at me. Eyebrow quirked. He's actually more scary than I had first imagined. He rolled his eyes to the heavens.

 

“I highly doubt that girl. But in future, stay out of the way of my horse, or I might just suddenly remember you and the dress you stole.”

 

I was about to protest my honesty, but as the meaning of his words dawned on me, I realised I was going to live. I was about to thank him, for what, who knows.... but as I looked up to him, all I saw was a cloud of dust and heard the galloping of hooves.

 

Swiping at the dust around me, while trying to cough up a lung. I headed down the winding road towards the town. Small fancies of the handsome rider made their way to my minds eye, only he was a lot nicer in my head... My daydreaming took my vision off the road below me, and low and behold, I stepped in a nice muddy puddle. My slippers were soaked right through.

 

…ah!

 

Now I understand the concept of leather boots.....

 

Sigh.

 

Sometime after mid-day I arrived at the town and my poor feet were wrecked. It was our capital but not the largest city. The cities down south where much larger as they were ports and the main trade areas in our Kingdom. I had never been down there, and I would so love to see the sea! Would it be as nice as my lake?

 

The town was crowded with markets and people were everywhere, doing everything, traders selling foreign items, musicians playing, magicians performing tricks to small crowds of children, I smiled, I never got to experience these things since I was always stuck in the carriage.

 

I passed a small dress shop, stopped, back tracked and entered. It looked fairly reasonable. Nothing compared to the designs of the royal dressmaker though, but it would do.

 

It was a medium sized store I supposed, I had never been in other stores in order to compare it, but it was nice, wood furnished, small desks with assorted accessories arranged upon them, and manikins placed everywhere, at random it seemed, and bolts of fabric lining down two side walls. There were some small paintings, oil and water based on free areas of the other wall, telling me that the shop was doing well for business.

 

The Lady behind the counter looked up as the bell rang with the opening door, and her wide smile faltered as she took in my dust stained state. I'd say she was near her 40's and she was chubby with curly tendrils of dark hair falling from a high styled bun of sorts, her face was round, not unpleasant, plain really, and her eyes had wrinkles in the corners that suggested she was used to genuinely smiling and laughing a lot. Her dress was in a shade of darkish blue, a clean, simple round, high necked cut, her corset was weird looking and it made her waist a ridiculous shape, especially with her massive, err, bosom, and her sleeves where a pleated lace like material that billowed out and collected at her wrist. Oh the price of high fashion….

 

Still I suppose I passed inspection, even with my free flowing, unstylised hair, because she scurried towards me, her smile back in full beam.

 

“My Lady! How may I help you! Oh those dreadful carriages, are a complete terror for dust, I bet you want a new dress! Come, come, let's have some tea and have you cleaned up!”

 

I couldn't get a word in edge ways. She chattered at me the entire way to the wash stand in a back room and the whole time I washed my face and hands too! I had no idea what she was talking about, I had blocked out her incessant blabber from the third word after she began to lead me here to get clean. I just smiled and nodded where I felt it was appropriate. I must have done something right because she stopped talking after she had poured some tea.

 

Indicating I was to help myself to honey or lemon she started up conversation again.

 

“And so My Lady what kind of dress are you looking for, hmm?” she sipped from the delicately painted porcelain teacup.

 

“Uh, well I'm looking for a rather plain dress you see I'm...” I told her my story, editing out the part of my being the Princess, (I doubt she would have believed me anyway), and the part about our King and the King I was being sold to. She looked interested.

 

Good.

 

When I had finished, her tea was untouched and most likely cold like mine was and there was a light sheen of tears in her dark eyes. Honestly, I never knew I was that good at telling stories, there was usually a tonne of uh's, ah's, er's, em's and ...'s in between, but the content was alright I guessed.

 

She clapped her hands twice and her maid or assistant, I'm not sure which, came in and took the tray away. She was small, skinny, almost nervous looking creature, only about 13 I would imagine, her light brown hair in a tight low bun, she never looked up so I didn't see her face

 

“Yes, Doriko, the poor thing, an orphan, no matter how much she eats, she never gains an ounce…” she said shaking her head.

 

Getting back to matters at hand, she announced, “I will help you Lady...” she made some weird hand gestures at me, obviously wanting my name.

 

“Uh, Kag...no…um....Kagamiko?” Yeah, that works.

 

“Yes! This Misayo will help you reunite with your secret love...” Her eyes were all watery and sparkly...

 

“Oh thank you!.... wait... Secret lover?” I faltered and scrunched my face in confusion, since when did I have a secret lover? Was he so secret, that even I didn't know about him?

 

“Yes, your tale of running away to be with a boy of a lower class, Oh what a tragedy love is!! Being forced to marry an ugly old man, and then running off to be with a burly young stable boy...” Her cheeks were growing flushed. She's even dreamier than I am...

 

Ewwwww..........

 

Anyway, I didn't correct her and I eventually got around to selling my dress. I earned two rather boring, non-silk, extremely drab dresses, but I guessed they would have to do, and even a small purse of coins. I reckon Ms. Misayo was so moved by my love story that she gave me a few extra coins to keep me going. I wasn't going to complain, though I will try to repay her kindness, someday.

 

I spent a while trying to get away from her, she just wouldn't stop talking at me, nice as she was.

 

I was absolutely starving.

 

I spied a few Inns on my way through that maze of a town but they all looked less than decent. Nearer the outskirts, there where more suitable taverns with more respectable looking clientele. I went in, sat down on the edge of a table near to a fire, my bundle beside me, and ordered a nice spicy lamb stew and a cup of wine.

 

Glancing around the room, I surveyed its occupants and decoration, the place was mostly filled with soldiers, judging by their simple uniform black trousers and red jacket clothing. They were playing dice in the corners, cards, or flirting with the waitresses.

 

One in particular was trying everything in a skirt.

 

I chuckled at the red hand imprint on his face.

 

There was a fair enough decor, stone walls, three giant long tables running the length of the main common, huge hearths with deliciously warm fires, heating the room in three of the walls, the walls had game heads of deer and some other strange creatures, no doubt from a foreign merchant, and there was also some paintings of unusual landscapes sparsely decorating the remaining stone.

 

Finally my stew arrived.

 

In all my years eating the finest foods available, I had not tasted a dish so delightful as the simple stew in front of me. It was sheer heaven. I got seconds, come on, who knew when my next meal was?

 

Half way through my third bowl the man with the hand print on his face sat down across from me.

 

He just sat there and grinned.

 

I stopped the spoon halfway to my mouth and glared across at him. As hard as I possibly could. How dare he interrupt me!! I was like a possessive dog with a meaty bone....

 

“Oh no, my Lady, do keep eating, I can wait”, his hands were up in a soothing gesture.

 

I kept eating.

 

He kept grinning.

 

It was becoming quite irritating.

 

I did my best to ignore the idiot, and quickly finished my meal, drank the rest of my wine, patted my mouth with the cloth before levelling him with a nice icy glare.

 

“What?” I snapped. My grey eyes locking on his lilac ones. I was trying to see if I could melt or shatter him.

 

“Forgive me my Lady, but you have the most beautiful face I have ever seen...”

 

Both my eyebrows shot up as he took both my hands in his.

 

“Please allow me to read your fortune...”

 

I sighed, looking down at the table. What harm could it be?

 

He took out a deck of Tarot cards and began to shuffle like a veteran gambler....

 

“Forgive me, for I shall only do a short reading on you, as a longer one would keep my eyes from your beauty longer than I could bare...”

 

He laid three cards out before me and labelled them, Past, Present and Future. He waggled his eyebrows. Probably thinking he was gonna get a kiss or something.

 

Not a snowballs chance in Hell. Who knew where he had been?

 

He lifted the first card, “The Past", (it was the Five of Swords, Defeat, Failure, and loss. I had failed in my duty, and lost my life. I was defeated.)

 

He cleared his throat.

 

“Ahem. Well the five of anything is lucky and has magic properties, and a sword is violence, yet it is also honour. Perhaps you are a good swordsman My Lady? Or have you won something lately?”

 

I nodded, humouring him, well, I didn't quite win...

 

He turned the second over. It was “Death”. He gasped.

 

“Oh no my Lady, I fear your drink has been poisoned, we might not have much time, quickly now, to my room...”

 

I sighed, too lost in my thoughts to even hear what he had said properly, I did however hear that he thought I was going to die.

 

“Death doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to die, idiot, it means more, the death of something old, and the start of something new, like an old way of life and beginning anew. Don't worry, its pretty accurate about my present circumstances, go on...”

 

He looked at me warily. I rolled my eyes and looked back at the cards.

 

“I have a pack of Tarot in my bundle, I can read Tarot.” I placed my chin in my left hand, waiting for him to finish and leave.

 

“Oh!!” he seemed to brighten somewhat.

 

“My Lady, my I please ask your name?”

 

“Kagamiko”, I replied boredly, the alias was permanent now.

 

“Lady Kagamiko, what a beautiful name, I'm sorry, but I am new to Tarot and beg your forgiveness.”

 

He was about to turn over the last card, and reveal my “Future”, something I was very interested in, since I can't read my own cards, but he took his hand back.

 

“Hey, what about my future?” I glanced shortly up at him

 

“Oh, I already know your future...” He again grasped my hands and tried to pull me closer to him over the table. The guy was obviously nuts, so I stayed rooted to my spot.

 

“Your future, Kagamiko, is bearing me a child.”

 

I was about to bring the fading handprint back in full flare, when, suddenly beside the table stood a man equally as pissed.

 

“Oi, Miroku!!!” He practically barked.

 

“Yes my Lord?” he asked smoothly, never looking up and still holding onto my hands.

 

“Leave that bitch alone and go get ready, or I'll leave without you!!”

 

Miroku sighed, squeezed my hands slightly and said; “Please excuse me, I must leave in order to go meet the King. I heard the Princess is quite lovely, but I doubt she could compare to your ravishing beauty.”

 

I blanched at the mention of my family, and then blushed at the compliment, strange as it seemed, comparing myself to myself.

 

He kissed my hand. I needed soap, I didn't want to think about were he had touched with his mouth.

 

“...but I shall be back shortly after sunset, I'm in the last room on the left on the third floor...”

 

I was left wondering however, about why he was telling me were his room was....

 

“Uh, Lord Miroku, you flatter me greatly, but the Princess is far more beautiful than I could ever dream of being...” I was fishing.

 

A loud snort brought my attention to the “thing” that had so rudely interrupted, not that it wasn't welcome...

 

“Funny, I heard that the Princess wench was a right cow.”

 

I fumed.

 

“Do not call our Princess a cow!!!” I stood up, throwing Miroku his hands back. My vision blurred red in outrage.

 

"She and her mother and sister are the fairest creatures in our land!” since when had I a huge ego?

 

“Whatever, I heard she was so ugly that her mother had to stick a bone in her mouth, just so the dog would play with her when she was small, and, that she tortured children. I'm just going over there to save the innocent children and end her family's misery.” With that he turned and walked away, leaving me spluttering to think of a comeback and outraged to my core.

 

“Aaarrrggghhhh!!” I stomped my feet, aswell as yelling for good measure. I looked around only to see Miroku coming down the stairs and heading towards the door, I never noticed him slip away.

 

“Hey, Lord Miroku, you forgot your Tarot cards!” He turned around and winked at me.

 

“Do not worry yourself, Petal; they were not mine to begin with.” He continued on out the door.

 

Out of curiosity I went to the un-turned card and picked it up, It was stolen, the owners Aura, was already ruined.

 

My Future. The Devil. It meant unbreakable bonds. It meant Naraku. Those two things combined, where not good.

 

Not good at all.

 

I gathered my pack of things, paid for my meal and left.

 

When I arrived at the main road heading south, I stopped an elderly peasant woman. She smiled at me through her leathery and very wrinkled face.

 

“Yes that road goes south my girl....

 

There be just about three hours of sunlight left.....

 

........your welcome child.”

 

I smiled and waved back at her.

 

I dreaded this walk, I wasn't over weight, but I was very unfit, I was used to carriages, not walking long distances. And my new boots, courtesy of Misayo were very, very heavy.

 

I just hoped my feet wouldn't fall off.

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I modified chapter 1 slightly because I wanted Sango to have a bigger and better part, It's just the idea of her being a rich court Lady really bugged me, it wouldn't be Sango.

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Yes Kagome is supposed to be ditzy, just like she is in the start of the manga/anime, she'll eventually learn to gather her wits, after all, all she did in that castle was sit around all day, she's not going to be super observant or have any survivor skills, and she's also a fan-girl / gold-digger, a natural princess trait, well that's the vibe I got off her in the beginning of the series anyway.

 

I'd like to thank inu-angel1247, {ff.net}, vashta and Jen, {aff} for reviewing, and anyone else that read this far!

 

vashta, did you assume the rider to be correct, if you did, I'm sorry, am I being to predictable?

 

Revised 1/1/05, why hasn't anyone told me about the horrible mistakes? I hope there's enough description now anyway -Gyousei

 

Review if you can, all feedback is welcomed!!!!