InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Through The Eyes Of An Innocent ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Through The Eyes Of An Innocent: Chapter Two

It was to be said that she had little experience with men. When she was younger, she had one male friend, but it seemed as though that union ended as soon had started. Now she was forced to be friends with the sons of nobles, however they made no move whatsoever to become more than just friends. People did say that if she truly wished to be desirable then she would have to act like a lady. However the thought of acting like a bitter woman held no appeal to her whatsoever. It also did not help the fact that she was a naturally carefree and happy person.

If her hilarity did appeal to men however, they did not let it show. She did find that she enjoyed her life much more if men only remained her friends, that way she would not have to deal with the hardships of marriage, but it still did hurt her to know that no man actually found her appealing to say the least. But now, it seemed as though she were walking on water.

She had realized that one thing had become clear ever since the announcement had been made, and it was completely unyielding. Life was toying with her. Somewhere in the deepest contours of her heart, she doubted the allegation of her father finding her a husband, and wished to pass it off as a joke. However, she knew that her Father would never call her to his chambers unless it was absolutely necessary, so it would be with precision that she made her way to his chambers. Or she would have if she were not frozen in place with shock.

Her mouth was hanging open, closing periodically, as though trying to find the proper words to say in order to respond to what the servant had told her. Her chest felt as though it had constricted, disabling the ability to breath, and her heart almost stopped beating. She found it extremely hard to form one single coherent thought on the matter, her blue-gray eyes wide in shock. The servant, Rin, had turned around to face the young woman, a large smile playing across her young features.

She knew about Lady Higurashi's certain eccentrics, and how she always had men problem. Although she was the youngest female servant to ever walk the intricate halls of the castle, she had been around men and women enough to know when one had problems. She could tell that the Higurashi child had problems. However, she knew that it would only be a matter of time before she was betrothed and married. Now she knew that she was to be married and all the Higurashi child had been able to do was go into shock, her blue eyes wide in surprise.

Rin knew that if she had been in the same situation as the older woman she probably would have reacted the same way, but the look on the young nobles face warranted a laugh from it, failing miserably as she tried to stifle it. Kagome's eyes merely returned to their normal size, darting to Rin as that childish giggling snapped her out of her reverie. As though being able to feel Kagome's blue-gray eyes staring at her intensely, Rin quieted and straightened, the corners of her mouth turning up in a smile.

"Rin has heard that you were not betrothed. Does this proclamation startle you that much?" She asked, her voice sounding professional and childish at the same time. Kagome merely looked at her incredulously before sticking her chin up in the air defiantly. Apparently the Higurashi child did not take well to scrutiny. Rin simply bowed her head, before turning away from the older woman, continuing to walk down the long corridors, in hope that Lady Higurashi followed her.

They wove in and out of many corridors, passing shining silver plated suits of armor, large tapestries with convoluted designs woven together, creating masterpieces only worthy of that of an Emperor. The stone ground was covered in burgundy carpeting, quieting the footfalls of the two young women as they made their way to the Lord Higurashi's chambers.

The rest of the trip was in fact made in silence, Kagome walking the entire way with a scowl on her face. As they reached the two large oak doors, Rin knocked quietly, waiting for her master to answer her, and left, allowing Kagome to deal with her own problems. Kagome frowned deeply, knocking once more, and almost at once the two large doors flew open, revealing a rather disgruntled looking young woman, with long dark hair, and dark chocolate colored eyes. Kagome studied her for a moment, her blue eyes taking in her rather dirty blue satin dress before bowing her head in respect and entering her father's chambers.

He looked up from his place behind his desk, stacks of parchment resting in front of him. He had placed his quill down rather abruptly, smiling brightly at his only child. Kagome regarded her father for a brief moment before closing the door behind her and taking a seat in a nice comfortable chair. She waited, smiling slightly as her father removed his spectacles from his face, and folded his hands neatly in front of him.

"You wished to see me?" Kagome asked, already aware of what he needed to say. Her father simply nodded, his russet colored eyes locked on the blue-gray hues across the room from him. Kagome felt almost nervous as he studied her, knowing and waiting for him to ridicule her on her appearance today. She was in fact not dressed as fairly as she could be, having just come from her tutoring sessions, with Lady Toshikasa. Her hair was askew (another trait of her that was considered improper) and her dressed was very much wrinkled, although she had tried on numerous times to straighten it, but it seemed as though her outer physique seemed to like to stay rugged and filthy.

"As a matter of fact I did wish to see you Kagome. I am positive the servant already told you the wonderful news about you finally being affianced?" He asked, sliding a slender hand wrinkled from age through his black and gray streaked hair. Kagome merely stared at him blankly, before nodding, not wanting to face the cold shock of reality. Someplace within her really wished that this situation could have been a simple dream, but she knew it was real. Kagome closed her eyes and let out a long ragged sigh before smiling happily, hoping that her father would buy into the empty façade, only growing angry when she realized that he had not. Kagome allowed one more growl to escape her before straightening up her demeanor, an even bigger smile twitching on her lips.

"Father, who is it that you wish for me to marry?" Kagome asked quietly, staring down at her hands, which she had folded neatly in front of her. She still could not get over the initial shock that she was to be married. She was desirable, and she was wanted. She wondered, was the man she was to marry handsome? Was he kind, brave, and nice? Would there be a chance that they could fall in love? Those questions would be the ones that plagued her. What would she do if he were cruel and violent? What would she do if he did not love her in any demure way? A sigh made it's way passed her lips and she looked up at her father who was watching her with an almost mischievous smile on his face. Kagome merely raised an eyebrow.

"The man you are to marry will be one of high stature. The only way I would be able to describe him as is kind, helpful, trustworthy, and not to mention brave. He is the only one worthy enough to marry my daughter."

"Well that's peachy and all, but who am I marrying?" Kagome asked, the sarcasm apparent in her voice. She merely received a deadpan look from her father before he decided to continue.

"As I said a kind brave and trustworthy man." He slowly realized it was becoming harder and harder not to laugh at his daughters rising temper. Her fists clenched in her silken gown before averting her gaze elsewhere. Kagome knew that she would not be able to look at him for risk of burning a hole through his head.

"Well," Kagome started through clenched teeth," it's nice to know that I am marrying a man with all of those attributes, but how come you are marrying me to a man and you can't even tell me his name?" Her father merely watched her, a wicked smile on his face as her knuckles turned white from clutching her dress so tightly. There was a chance that she would end up tearing through the fine silk, but that was the least of her father's worries.

"I know his name Kagome." A loud ragged huff of exasperation escaped Kagome's lips as she turned to glare at him. He was making this difficult on her. She knew with almost absolute certainty that he was trying to bait her, to see how much she would be able to take before she completely exploded. Sometimes she could not help but wonder how much her father truly loved her.

"Well will you tell me his name then?" Kagome asked immediately calming down.

"Of course." A terse moment of silence passed between father and daughter as Kagome waited for her father to tell her the name of her potential suitor. As the seconds waned on Kagome started to fidget, coming to a conclusion that her father absolutely loved making her squirm. He knew that she had always been sensitive about the marriage subject, and for him to draw out the entire process was unfair and unjust. At least in Kagome's mind it was. She watched her father, blue-gray hues locked with russet hues before averting her gaze to her hands once more.

"Well?" Kagome asked, aggravation clear in her voice.

"Well what?" Her father responded his eyes dancing with mirth. Kagome's gaze immediately locked with his, an impatient scowl forming on her face.

"Are you going to tell me his name or not?"

"Of course."

"Well what's his name?!" Kagome suddenly barked, her hands itching to wrap around his throat.

"Ah of course. Well you are to be married to General Kaigaishii's son Miroku." Kagome visibly paled. She just could not believe that her father decided to get her married to Miroku of all people. She got along with Miroku fine, but the thought of actually having to marry him was completely and utterly appalling. She knew that if she were to marry him then -

Her face paled even more. If she were to marry Miroku then they would have to produce an heir for both of their fortunes. Which would mean that they would have to - Kagome's face lost any and all color as that single solitary thought ran through her head. It was now that she definitely knew. Life was toying with her. And it seemed that life loved to torture her as well. Why else would she have been chosen to marry Miroku of all people?

For a brief moment Kagome forgot to breathe, and she urged herself to close her eyes. How could this be happening to her of all people? Once she allowed her lungs to start pumping air into her body Kagome opened her eyes and looked at her father whom was watching her with the utmost amusement. To her it seemed as though he were waiting for her to get her wits about her once more, to make sure that he had her full attention so that he could finish his little speech.

"The wedding itself is going to be in two weeks. Within those two weeks it is important for you to be fully prepared to consummate the union on your wedding night, understood?" Kagome's face drained of all color once more.

"I'm getting married to Miroku father! He'd probably consummate the union right there at the alter! I can't believe you are making me marry-" Kagome immediately quieted down at the sight of her father's shaking shoulders. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits as she watched him doing his best to suppress his laughter. Her arms found their way across her chest, neatly folding them.

"I do not find this situation humorous." Kagome said in a cold unnatural voice. Her father's soft chuckling ceased immediately and he glanced at her with his a stoic face, although his eyes portrayed his mood. It was then in that slow unfaltering moment that Kagome knew. She was going to be in so much trouble for taking that tone of voice with him. She didn't want to shrink back under that unyielding fiery stare; she wanted to act as though she did not care. But it was too late. A small squeak made it's way through her lips and she sunk down in her chair, visibly afraid of her father.

"This will be said once and only once. If I ever hear you use that tone of voice again you will be punished. Whether you have the attributes of a holy person I care not, you will show me the proper respect or else. Do I make myself clear young lady?" His voice was cold and harsh, and his gaze seemed to be piercing through her entire being. Kagome nodded silently, her eyes on the hands that had worked their way into the folds of her silken gown. She hated it when her father spoke to her like that, as though she were inferior. Although in her society she was technically inferior, it still hurt her to know that the laws biased her father.

"Good. Now to calm your raging conscious it is to be said that you in fact are not going to be marrying Miroku. I was merely having fun with you." Kagome lifted her somber eyes to him acting as though trying to understand come cryptic message. If she were not going to be marrying Miroku then whom was she supposed to marry?

"You will find out at the ceremonial dinner tonight." Her father simply stated as though reading her thoughts. Kagome nodded slowly, taking his silence afterwards as a sign that she was dismissed. She slowly stood up, turning her blue eyes to him momentarily and then bowed. Her father merely nodded and she exited his chambers, her mood considerably somber.

She walked through the corridors, listening to her quiet footfalls and the flickering of the candles that rested perched on their metallic holders. Her mind was simply reeling. She was to be married to someone who she did not know the name of. Although she thought that she was to be married to Miroku for a brief moment, she had learned that it was not true. Another fact she had learned was that her marriage was to be announced at the ceremonial banquet that evening. It was also the same evening where the Emperor's son was to appear before the royal court.

Kagome sighed aloud, not paying attention to where she was headed. Her marriage was to be announced in front of the entire royal court and the Emperor and his son. Somehow she did not like that idea. What would happen if the Emperor were to disapprove of the union and force her father to find someone else to marry? Would she be unwedded until she reached adulthood? It did not help matters that the Emperor always had a certain liking for her. There would be times when she was completely minding her own business and the Emperor would simply show up wherever she was and request an audience with her.

They would spend hours talking with one another, or hours sitting in an uncomfortable silence. Either way it made Kagome uncomfortable. There was always a certain glint in his eyes, as though he were sizing her up for something; it was almost as if he were making sure she was worthy enough to be alive. There would be times when he would show up in her presence unexpectedly and reprimand her for having the bottom of her dress dirtied up from the outside dirt, and then turn around and compliment her for having such a free spirit. But she knew that he disliked it almost as much as the nobles did.

She knew that if anything he would despise having dirt trailing all over the castle floors. Kagome turned another corner not truly caring where she was to arrive. She had an entire afternoon to herself, with absolutely nothing to do. Kagome normally spent her afternoon with her friends or out in the gardens, but at the moment she found that she did not wish to talk to her friends.

All she really wished to do was think to her self most preferably about her marriage arrangement. Her father had in fact stated that she were to be married in two weeks, which meant that the seamstress of the castle possibly already started making her and her future husbands wedding garments. The bride normally got to tell the seamstress how she wished her dress to be fitted and what she wanted it to look like, but Kagome strangely found herself not wanting to care. In fact she found herself suddenly not wanting to be married.

After all those long years of tormenting herself about not getting married, why was it now that she wished she had not been betrothed? It was one of her dreams to be married, but she was still unhappy. Perhaps it was simply the mood that she had left her father's chambers with that suddenly changed her mind.

'I'll get over this feeling.' Kagome thought to herself as she wandered down the halls aimlessly. Giving herself a reassuring nod Kagome looked up and took in her surroundings. She had neared the sleeping chambers. Smiling to herself she made her way to her room, deciding that it would be best to finish the Literature assignment that Governess Toshikasa had given her earlier that week.

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She did not wish to go to the dinner. Every coherent thought that crossed her mind consisted of her ditching the ceremonial banquet. At first she was against the thought, but then the more she thought about it, the more it appealed to her. Although she knew that she would be in so much trouble if she missed the dinner, it couldn't be helped. All she really wanted was to just sit up in her room and gaze at the stars through her window.

But instead, she got stuck with the misfortune of being dressed up in an all too tight satin dress, with her hair pulled up too tightly, and her face painted beyond recognition. After her servants had finished applying the make up to her face, she took it upon herself to remove most of it, but she kept her lips painted, and her face barely powdered. She really despised this part of being the daughter of a noble.

The door to her chambers creaked open, and Kagome went on alert at once. She turned, her eyes half-lidded as she watched the servant whom was standing before her. Or at least that was what she expected to see. Instead she was staring at her Father, who stood tall, his eyes glistening regally.

'Obviously he must be really happy about this.'

"I take it that I should make my appearance?" She asked quietly, still irked by the events that had been held earlier in the day. Her father nodded kindly, giving his daughter a very tight smile. Obviously he was still upset about what had transferred between them earlier that day as well. Kagome nodded slowly, sliding off of her bed, and straightening up her black silken sheets.

"Don't move too much Kagome, you will mess up your hair, and you need to look presentable for your future husband." Her father snapped none too nicely. Kagome turned around slowly, a frown apparent on her face. She had at least expected her father to be happy about the fact that she was too be married, but instead he was fussing over her mussing her hair.

'How typical.'

"Right." Kagome stated, her voice unusually stoic. After she had straightened out her dress once more, she linked her arm through her father's and they both walked through the dark oak doors and out of her chambers.

They passed many young females down the hall, which all bowed respectfully, although Kagome noticed that most of them were eying her somewhat nastily. Whatever the reason she didn't know, but she could not help but feel nonplussed about the entire deal. She had never known any female in the castle to look at her that way in her life, and the fact that they were starting now - it was simply irregular and Kagome was not in the least bit used to it.

"Bow Kagome." She heard her father say as they approached the dining hall. She spotted Miroku and his father - the General - at once, smiling calmly at him, before curtsying as they both walked by her, entering the dining hall. Then more nobles entered the hall, all in a specific order. First the male head of the families would enter the dining hall, then their male children, the wives, and then their daughters.

Each time Kagome would try to enter (she was allowed to enter the dining hall before her father due to the fact that she had holy attributes) he would place a hand on her shoulder, and continue to make her curtsy while he simply gave each family a bow of his head. By the time all the nobles and soldiers actually entered the dining hall. Kagome's father wisped passed her, leaving her to stand outside the dining hall by herself.

And as much as Kagome really wished she could simply enter the large banquet hall and grace everyone with her presence, she found herself suddenly unable to move. She stood next to the door, her heart caught in her throat, and once again forgetting to breathe. And it was then that she realized that she had always wanted to get married, but the thought of marriage frightened her. And she wasn't just frightened either.

She was utterly, embarrassingly, and undeniably nervous.

Her eyes had glazed over slightly, her blue hues sparkling brightly. If she were to walk into that room, then it would be announced that she had to get married, and she would have to face the man - whom she most likely did not know - and marry him in two weeks. And she did not even know him.

Suddenly, the thought of marrying Miroku appealed to her. It actually appealed to her. Could she truly and honestly be that nervous? As her thoughts, raced around her head, a strong firm hand placed itself on her shoulder, causing her skin to fluctuate under its warm touch

Kagome whirled around quickly, her eyes widening as she collapsed to her knees in an almost embarrassing sort of kneel.

"Emperor Yokoshima." She murmured, bowing her head considerably low. A deep amused chuckle rose from his throat as he watched her, his black hair cropped short, and his red robes cascading loosely around his body like a waterfall. Behind him stood his son, his wavy black hair considerably longer than his fathers, he blue robes situated nicely around his frame, and his face contorted into absolute disgust.

"You may rise Lady Higurashi." The Emperor said slowly. Kagome nodded slowly, rising to her feet and dusting off her dress. She knew that with absolute certainty that whichever man she would have to be married to would be absolutely repulsed by the display that she had shown. Of course the only reason why she had bowed so low was that she had tripped while she was turning around - which resulted in her falling to her knees, dirtying her beautiful blue satin dress.

Kagome's eyes then landed on the Emperor's son, who had averted his eyes elsewhere. A small hint of sadness seemed to appear in her eyes at seeing this. However, she quickly buried that feeling under all of her nervousness and smiled warmly at them.

"Prince Yokoshima, it certainly-"

"You know Lady Higurashi, you do not have to be so formal with him. Call him by his first name." The Emperor said lightheartedly. Kagome merely gaped at him, her blue eyes wide with wonder. Whether he was ordering her to be so informal with him she did not know, but she knew with absolute undoubted certainty that she would rather die than actually risk being punished by someone for improperly addressing the Emperor's son.

"You do remember my sons name don't you? After all when you were children you made very good playmates for four years."

"My Lord, are you absolutely sure that I should call him by his first name?" Kagome asked suddenly feeling the need to twist the belt of her dress in her hands.

"Of course after all you two are going to be-" That was all Kagome heard before everything started making perfect sense to her. The night that her wedding announcement was to be made was the same night that the Prince was having his ceremonial banquet, which led to the announcement that he had found a wife and was to be married and crowned as Emperor.

Then the Emperor had actually told Kagome to address his son by his first name. No woman was ever allowed to address a man by his first name without using the proper title, the only exception being that the woman was either betrothed to a man and or married to him.

Which could only mean that she was to be marrying Prince Yokoshima. He was her child hood friend 7 whole years ago, he was the one that played in the gardens with her, helped her with her studies, and became her best friend. He was also the one that was torn away from her so abruptly because he had to become well versed in politics, war strategies and what was best for their Lands. And he was the extremely handsome man standing in front of her, looking at her with the utmost disgust.

He was the man that Kagome suddenly felt no desire to marry. So she did what any respectable woman would do in a situation such as this.

She fainted.