InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Young Ones ❯ Chapter 10 - The Journey Begins ( Chapter 10 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Inumimi 
The quest starts and Kagome & InuYasha dine with the King.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.08.2009 | Updated On: 07.08.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.6K | Visits: 424 | Status: Work In Progress
The quest starts and Kagome & InuYasha dine with the King.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.08.2009 | Updated On: 07.08.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.6K | Visits: 424 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: InuYasha belongs to Rumiko Takahasi and her publishers. No profit is made from this story. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 10 – The journey begins
They were finally on their way.
Kagome was riding a sweet natured mare as was the princess. InuYasha was walking next to Kagome’s horse and Yasha walked next to his princess’s. Both hanyous had refused mounts claiming they could run much faster than any horse.
Kagome smiled to herself as she thought back on the last 24 hours.
True to his word the King had arranged for a modest caravan to be swiftly prepared. Food, clothing and other provisions were being efficiently packed.
The scholars on the other hand were slowing the preparations down. With the exception of Mikio all of the scholars viewed their impending departure as a great inconvenience. How could they continue working without the resources of the King’s great library? As a consequence InuYasha and Yasha soon found themselves loading heavy boxes filled with books and scrolls onto a sturdy cart. InuYasha knew that the heavily laden cart would become a hindrance once they passed from the more civilized parts of the realm, but if bringing all these books got the quest started, that was all that counted. He knew that as soon as things got dangerous the books and the scholars would be sent back to the safety of the castle.
The foursome’s own packing had for the most part been completed days earlier. The princess had packed sensible travel clothes for herself and Kagome and InuYasha really only needed some extra undergarments. Yasha turned out to be their biggest problem. Yes he understood that it would get much colder as they traveled north, no he would not wear more cloths. Having found out that the princess had already ordered a few black haori in the style of InuYasha’s firerat the hanyou suggested that she just pack them and a few nagajuban; InuYasha reasoned that once they reached the colder and damper climate of the northern forest, convincing Yasha to dress in warmer clothes wouldn’t be as much of a battle.
That night they all retired early, though Kagome and InuYasha did not get all that much sleep. Kagome blushed when she thought back on their night of wild lovemaking.
Kagome was jarred out of her recollections when the caravan came to sudden a halt. Sighing she realized once again the local population had come out to pay their respects to their King who was riding behind his personal guards near the front of the procession. After accepting the adoration of the small crowd for a few moments the King signaled that they were ready to move on, but not before the locals had a chance to stare and whisper about the princess, her older look-alike and the two hanyou who flanked them.
Kagome could see by their continually moving ears that neither InuYasha nor Yasha were happy under the scrutiny of strangers, while they were in the castle they had been insulated from rude comments – no one wanted to anger the little princess, but here on the road comments regarding the “half-breed demon spawn” were bound to upset the hanyous. Kagome was actually more worried about Yasha than her own mate. InuYasha had had two centuries to learn to deal with the insults that came with being a hanyou. Little Yasha on the other hand had a much more sheltered upbringing. Despite the loss of his mother and subsequent sale as a slave by his own half brother, as the adopted son of the slave master and then the body guard and companion of the princess Yasha has been protected from many of the harsh truths of the world.
Kagome was also worried about how the princess and Yasha would adapt to the hardships of the road, so it was with some relief that she discovered that the first leg of their journey would be fairly comfortable and safe. Most of the towns within a two week’s ride of the capital tended to be large and prosperous. The roads between these towns were well maintained and well guarded. Therefore, the King had decided to travel north heading from one large town to the next. Taking this slightly less direct route they would still be able to make good time, conserve their supplies, and even sleep in the comfort of a bed nearly every night.
Glancing up at his mate InuYasha commented “I doubt we’ll make very much progress these first few days, between the King stopping all the time to greet his subjects and those complaining scholars wanting to stop all the time to stretch their legs.”
As InuYasha finished speaking Kagome nodded and glanced back at the carriage which carried Kaede and three of the scholars. Mikio had refused to ride with the other scholars maintaining that he could not stomach all of their whining, though in reality the only one whining was Toshio. Hisoka was far to shy to complain while Tetsuya seemed more distracted than put out; still Mikio had elected to sit next to the driver of the book laden cart.
Kagome retuned her gaze to her mate she replied “I know it’s nice to be riding on these safe well maintained roads, but I have a feeling we’ll make better time once we get out of this densely populated area. I like sleeping in a nice bed as much as the next person, but I think you’re right, were stopping all the time and I’m worried we won’t get started very early tomorrow.”
As if to prove her very point, the King dropped back to let his daughter know that they were already approaching the town where they would spend the night.
Glancing at the sun which was still fairly high, Kagome sighed; there were still over two good hours of daylight that could have been spent riding.
Correctly interpreting Kagome’s sigh, the King turned his attention to the miko and added “Don’t worry; I will insist that everyone turn in early tonight, we will breakfast at dawn and immediately resume our journey. I hope that this meets with your approval.”
Blushing Kagome could only nod and stammer “I’m sorry; we’ve never traveled with royalty before. I know that you can’t just ignore you’re people. Also when InuYasha and I travel, we tend to avoid towns, they’re generally not very welcoming to hanyou.”
The King seemed to ponder Kagome’s words and replied “It is the same here, higher youkai essentially live in their own world and humans in another; hanyou don’t have a place in either. Do not be surprised if people assume InuYasha is your slave or servant, hanyou are rare, and since my daughter has one as her slave others will assume that similarly you own InuYasha.”
Kagome glanced down at InuYasha surprised that he did not seem upset at the King’s words.
Sensing his mate’s eyes on him InuYasha glanced up and said “Kagome the King’s right, and to be honest it’s probably safer for you if people assume I’m your servant or slave.”
Kagome nodded and held back her tears, why were people so cruel, why couldn’t they see that most youkai were motivated by the same things as humans. They had families and wanted to provide for their children. If youkai were so much like humans, it went double for hanyou. Hanyou had human hearts, they just wanted to live their lives and have a chance for love and family.
Pretending to be interested in the city they were approaching the little princess thought about her father’s words. She did not want stupid people upsetting Yasha. Leaning over she spoke to her slave “Yasha, I’m a little nervous about going into the city, would you ride up here with me? I’d feel a lot safer.”
Leaping nimbly up onto the horse Yasha could smell that something was bothering his princess. Indeed it was, the princess was not as naive as everyone thought she was about the “outside world” she knew hanyou were hunted and killed by both humans and youkai. She had heard enough whispered comments in the castle about her pet “dog boy” and those were from people who feared her. She would do anything in her power to protect Yasha from the cruel reality of the world.
InuYasha and Yasha both tensed up as they entered the walled town, but much to their amazement the only comments they could overhear were those regarding the honor of a visit by the king.
Soon InuYasha was relieved to see that they were nearing a large, prosperous looking inn. He was happy to be getting away from the large crowds of the city. It was almost impossible to guard Kagome and the princess properly while surrounded by scurrying throngs of people.
As soon as their little caravan entered the inn’s courtyard, stable boys came running to lead the horses to the stable. Bowing deeply as he ushered the King into the inn’s main sitting room Kagome was struck by the fact that the innkeeper was tall and cadaverously thin, dressed all in black, she thought he looked more like an undertaker than an innkeeper.
Despite his appearance the innkeeper knew his business and efficiently led the King, the princess, Kagome, InuYasha, and Yasha to a beautifully decorated private dining room to dine and sit at ease. Kaede and the scholars were led to a somewhat less opulent room, while the guards and cart drivers were expected to eat in the public dining room.
Kagome was slightly startled when they entered the private dinning room. The princess favored a western style dinning table in the castle, with real chairs. Here was a more traditional Japanese set up. A low table surrounded by mats to kneel on. The large round table was set up with four place settings on the furthest side of the table so no one sat with their back to the door.
InuYasha was curious to see where the King would sit. If he were arraigning the seating he would seat the princess in the furthest spot to the left. It was the second safest spot. Next to her he would place the King. It was the furthest from the door, the hardest to attack and the easiest to defend. He would place Kagome next to the king and he would sit in the place furthest to the right. His spot would be the closest to the door and the most vulnerable to attack, but he was the strongest and fastest. It was his duty to protect the others.
The King immediately motioned for his daughter to take the furthest spot to the left while he took the place next to her. InuYasha smiled to himself. The King was no fool; he had immediately placed himself and his daughter in the two safest spots in the room.
As the princess knelt in her spot Yasha quietly knelt behind her, hand on his sword his eyes never left the door. Seeing Yasha kneeling stoically behind his mistress shocked Kagome, when they ate in the princess’s rooms Yasha sat and ate at the table with everyone else. Here in the presence of the king she realized Yasha would never presume to take such a liberty. Worried as to when and how the little hanyou would get his dinner Kagome just stood frozen. The King, thinking the young miko did not know where to sit, smiled and indicated that she should take the place next to him. InuYasha then took his place by his mate’s side.
Sitting at the well laden table, the King realized that he had never even bothered to take a meal with the miko and her mate. Feeling somewhat guilty he began “I have just been thinking about the fact that we never took a meal together. I let my personal concern over my daughter’s safety overrule my better manners. Please tell me about yourselves. You mentioned that you have been on quests before. Was it similar to this one?”
Glancing at her mate Kagome replied “It was quite different from this quest, excepting the fact that InuYasha and I were destined to play our parts. It’s a long story, we’ve told the princess and Yasha parts of what we did, but if you’d like I can tell you the whole story. I’ve been thinking it might make a good tale, much of it was quite fantastic.”
As they began to dine, the King nodded his interest and Kagome launched into the tale of the Shikon No Tama, her reincarnation, travels through the bone eater’s well and the epic battle with Naraku..
Kagome’s tale was fascinating, but the little princess realized the miko was somewhat distracted. She kept glancing at Yasha a worried look on her face. It then occurred to the young princess that this was the first time Yasha was not eating at the table with everyone else. Determined to relieve Kagome of her anxiety the princess quietly loaded a bowl with rice, vegetables and meat and handed it back to Yasha, the hanyou quickly devoured his meal and without a word resumed his alert posture. Seeing that the boy had been given his meal Kagome was once again able to concentrate on her story
By the time Kagome had finished her tale they had finished their meal and were sitting with tea and sweets. Kagome smiled to herself when she noticed that the princess had casually slipped Yasha a small plate of sweets without ever breaking her concentration on the fantastic story being told.
When Kagome had finally stopped talking the King sat in stunned silence; the little miko had only been a few years older than his daughter when she and her hanyou had taken on an evil of unimaginable power and had prevailed.
Gathering himself together the King thanked Kagome and reminded his companions that they would be rising at dawn and suggested that they all retire for the night.
As if on cue the cadaverous innkeeper reappeared to personally escort first the King to his room and then the princess and her companions to theirs, where Kaede was already waiting.
As they did on their first night in the castle, Kaede slept on a small cot, Kagome and the princess shared the bed while Yasha and InuYasha slept sitting on the floor, Yasha his back against the side of the bed and InuYasha against the wall opposite the door to the room.
****
Have houseguests coming for a few weeks so no new chapters till I have time to sit at my computer again, will post as soon as I can!!
Chapter 10 – The journey begins
They were finally on their way.
Kagome was riding a sweet natured mare as was the princess. InuYasha was walking next to Kagome’s horse and Yasha walked next to his princess’s. Both hanyous had refused mounts claiming they could run much faster than any horse.
Kagome smiled to herself as she thought back on the last 24 hours.
True to his word the King had arranged for a modest caravan to be swiftly prepared. Food, clothing and other provisions were being efficiently packed.
The scholars on the other hand were slowing the preparations down. With the exception of Mikio all of the scholars viewed their impending departure as a great inconvenience. How could they continue working without the resources of the King’s great library? As a consequence InuYasha and Yasha soon found themselves loading heavy boxes filled with books and scrolls onto a sturdy cart. InuYasha knew that the heavily laden cart would become a hindrance once they passed from the more civilized parts of the realm, but if bringing all these books got the quest started, that was all that counted. He knew that as soon as things got dangerous the books and the scholars would be sent back to the safety of the castle.
The foursome’s own packing had for the most part been completed days earlier. The princess had packed sensible travel clothes for herself and Kagome and InuYasha really only needed some extra undergarments. Yasha turned out to be their biggest problem. Yes he understood that it would get much colder as they traveled north, no he would not wear more cloths. Having found out that the princess had already ordered a few black haori in the style of InuYasha’s firerat the hanyou suggested that she just pack them and a few nagajuban; InuYasha reasoned that once they reached the colder and damper climate of the northern forest, convincing Yasha to dress in warmer clothes wouldn’t be as much of a battle.
That night they all retired early, though Kagome and InuYasha did not get all that much sleep. Kagome blushed when she thought back on their night of wild lovemaking.
Kagome was jarred out of her recollections when the caravan came to sudden a halt. Sighing she realized once again the local population had come out to pay their respects to their King who was riding behind his personal guards near the front of the procession. After accepting the adoration of the small crowd for a few moments the King signaled that they were ready to move on, but not before the locals had a chance to stare and whisper about the princess, her older look-alike and the two hanyou who flanked them.
Kagome could see by their continually moving ears that neither InuYasha nor Yasha were happy under the scrutiny of strangers, while they were in the castle they had been insulated from rude comments – no one wanted to anger the little princess, but here on the road comments regarding the “half-breed demon spawn” were bound to upset the hanyous. Kagome was actually more worried about Yasha than her own mate. InuYasha had had two centuries to learn to deal with the insults that came with being a hanyou. Little Yasha on the other hand had a much more sheltered upbringing. Despite the loss of his mother and subsequent sale as a slave by his own half brother, as the adopted son of the slave master and then the body guard and companion of the princess Yasha has been protected from many of the harsh truths of the world.
Kagome was also worried about how the princess and Yasha would adapt to the hardships of the road, so it was with some relief that she discovered that the first leg of their journey would be fairly comfortable and safe. Most of the towns within a two week’s ride of the capital tended to be large and prosperous. The roads between these towns were well maintained and well guarded. Therefore, the King had decided to travel north heading from one large town to the next. Taking this slightly less direct route they would still be able to make good time, conserve their supplies, and even sleep in the comfort of a bed nearly every night.
Glancing up at his mate InuYasha commented “I doubt we’ll make very much progress these first few days, between the King stopping all the time to greet his subjects and those complaining scholars wanting to stop all the time to stretch their legs.”
As InuYasha finished speaking Kagome nodded and glanced back at the carriage which carried Kaede and three of the scholars. Mikio had refused to ride with the other scholars maintaining that he could not stomach all of their whining, though in reality the only one whining was Toshio. Hisoka was far to shy to complain while Tetsuya seemed more distracted than put out; still Mikio had elected to sit next to the driver of the book laden cart.
Kagome retuned her gaze to her mate she replied “I know it’s nice to be riding on these safe well maintained roads, but I have a feeling we’ll make better time once we get out of this densely populated area. I like sleeping in a nice bed as much as the next person, but I think you’re right, were stopping all the time and I’m worried we won’t get started very early tomorrow.”
As if to prove her very point, the King dropped back to let his daughter know that they were already approaching the town where they would spend the night.
Glancing at the sun which was still fairly high, Kagome sighed; there were still over two good hours of daylight that could have been spent riding.
Correctly interpreting Kagome’s sigh, the King turned his attention to the miko and added “Don’t worry; I will insist that everyone turn in early tonight, we will breakfast at dawn and immediately resume our journey. I hope that this meets with your approval.”
Blushing Kagome could only nod and stammer “I’m sorry; we’ve never traveled with royalty before. I know that you can’t just ignore you’re people. Also when InuYasha and I travel, we tend to avoid towns, they’re generally not very welcoming to hanyou.”
The King seemed to ponder Kagome’s words and replied “It is the same here, higher youkai essentially live in their own world and humans in another; hanyou don’t have a place in either. Do not be surprised if people assume InuYasha is your slave or servant, hanyou are rare, and since my daughter has one as her slave others will assume that similarly you own InuYasha.”
Kagome glanced down at InuYasha surprised that he did not seem upset at the King’s words.
Sensing his mate’s eyes on him InuYasha glanced up and said “Kagome the King’s right, and to be honest it’s probably safer for you if people assume I’m your servant or slave.”
Kagome nodded and held back her tears, why were people so cruel, why couldn’t they see that most youkai were motivated by the same things as humans. They had families and wanted to provide for their children. If youkai were so much like humans, it went double for hanyou. Hanyou had human hearts, they just wanted to live their lives and have a chance for love and family.
Pretending to be interested in the city they were approaching the little princess thought about her father’s words. She did not want stupid people upsetting Yasha. Leaning over she spoke to her slave “Yasha, I’m a little nervous about going into the city, would you ride up here with me? I’d feel a lot safer.”
Leaping nimbly up onto the horse Yasha could smell that something was bothering his princess. Indeed it was, the princess was not as naive as everyone thought she was about the “outside world” she knew hanyou were hunted and killed by both humans and youkai. She had heard enough whispered comments in the castle about her pet “dog boy” and those were from people who feared her. She would do anything in her power to protect Yasha from the cruel reality of the world.
InuYasha and Yasha both tensed up as they entered the walled town, but much to their amazement the only comments they could overhear were those regarding the honor of a visit by the king.
Soon InuYasha was relieved to see that they were nearing a large, prosperous looking inn. He was happy to be getting away from the large crowds of the city. It was almost impossible to guard Kagome and the princess properly while surrounded by scurrying throngs of people.
As soon as their little caravan entered the inn’s courtyard, stable boys came running to lead the horses to the stable. Bowing deeply as he ushered the King into the inn’s main sitting room Kagome was struck by the fact that the innkeeper was tall and cadaverously thin, dressed all in black, she thought he looked more like an undertaker than an innkeeper.
Despite his appearance the innkeeper knew his business and efficiently led the King, the princess, Kagome, InuYasha, and Yasha to a beautifully decorated private dining room to dine and sit at ease. Kaede and the scholars were led to a somewhat less opulent room, while the guards and cart drivers were expected to eat in the public dining room.
Kagome was slightly startled when they entered the private dinning room. The princess favored a western style dinning table in the castle, with real chairs. Here was a more traditional Japanese set up. A low table surrounded by mats to kneel on. The large round table was set up with four place settings on the furthest side of the table so no one sat with their back to the door.
InuYasha was curious to see where the King would sit. If he were arraigning the seating he would seat the princess in the furthest spot to the left. It was the second safest spot. Next to her he would place the King. It was the furthest from the door, the hardest to attack and the easiest to defend. He would place Kagome next to the king and he would sit in the place furthest to the right. His spot would be the closest to the door and the most vulnerable to attack, but he was the strongest and fastest. It was his duty to protect the others.
The King immediately motioned for his daughter to take the furthest spot to the left while he took the place next to her. InuYasha smiled to himself. The King was no fool; he had immediately placed himself and his daughter in the two safest spots in the room.
As the princess knelt in her spot Yasha quietly knelt behind her, hand on his sword his eyes never left the door. Seeing Yasha kneeling stoically behind his mistress shocked Kagome, when they ate in the princess’s rooms Yasha sat and ate at the table with everyone else. Here in the presence of the king she realized Yasha would never presume to take such a liberty. Worried as to when and how the little hanyou would get his dinner Kagome just stood frozen. The King, thinking the young miko did not know where to sit, smiled and indicated that she should take the place next to him. InuYasha then took his place by his mate’s side.
Sitting at the well laden table, the King realized that he had never even bothered to take a meal with the miko and her mate. Feeling somewhat guilty he began “I have just been thinking about the fact that we never took a meal together. I let my personal concern over my daughter’s safety overrule my better manners. Please tell me about yourselves. You mentioned that you have been on quests before. Was it similar to this one?”
Glancing at her mate Kagome replied “It was quite different from this quest, excepting the fact that InuYasha and I were destined to play our parts. It’s a long story, we’ve told the princess and Yasha parts of what we did, but if you’d like I can tell you the whole story. I’ve been thinking it might make a good tale, much of it was quite fantastic.”
As they began to dine, the King nodded his interest and Kagome launched into the tale of the Shikon No Tama, her reincarnation, travels through the bone eater’s well and the epic battle with Naraku..
Kagome’s tale was fascinating, but the little princess realized the miko was somewhat distracted. She kept glancing at Yasha a worried look on her face. It then occurred to the young princess that this was the first time Yasha was not eating at the table with everyone else. Determined to relieve Kagome of her anxiety the princess quietly loaded a bowl with rice, vegetables and meat and handed it back to Yasha, the hanyou quickly devoured his meal and without a word resumed his alert posture. Seeing that the boy had been given his meal Kagome was once again able to concentrate on her story
By the time Kagome had finished her tale they had finished their meal and were sitting with tea and sweets. Kagome smiled to herself when she noticed that the princess had casually slipped Yasha a small plate of sweets without ever breaking her concentration on the fantastic story being told.
When Kagome had finally stopped talking the King sat in stunned silence; the little miko had only been a few years older than his daughter when she and her hanyou had taken on an evil of unimaginable power and had prevailed.
Gathering himself together the King thanked Kagome and reminded his companions that they would be rising at dawn and suggested that they all retire for the night.
As if on cue the cadaverous innkeeper reappeared to personally escort first the King to his room and then the princess and her companions to theirs, where Kaede was already waiting.
As they did on their first night in the castle, Kaede slept on a small cot, Kagome and the princess shared the bed while Yasha and InuYasha slept sitting on the floor, Yasha his back against the side of the bed and InuYasha against the wall opposite the door to the room.
****
Have houseguests coming for a few weeks so no new chapters till I have time to sit at my computer again, will post as soon as I can!!