InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Within You ❯ You Starve And Near Exhaust Me ( Chapter 1 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: lil6ter 
He had loved her for forever. Now, he is faced with death for that love unless she can save him with a simple task. Just one task and he will be able to marry his best friend. It is a shame that life never works the way we want it to.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Fantasy / Hentai / Adventure / Shoujo | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.12.2010 | Updated On: 12.26.2010 | Pages: 10 | Words: 12.2K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Completed
He had loved her for forever. Now, he is faced with death for that love unless she can save him with a simple task. Just one task and he will be able to marry his best friend. It is a shame that life never works the way we want it to.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Fantasy / Hentai / Adventure / Shoujo | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.12.2010 | Updated On: 12.26.2010 | Pages: 10 | Words: 12.2K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I love the only Inuyasha related thing I own. My cute little chibi inu key-chain which lives out its happy life on my iPod making fashion statements everywhere (Ha! Take that Parris Hilton! You want something hot? Then look at my iPod cuz it's so cute and knows how to accessorize.)
She could not stop the tears. She had tried…oh how she had tried…but they just would not stop. Every time she thought that she was close, they would flare back up again. She would feel her throat constrict and air would become harder to take in…and she would think of him. The man that was willing to risk his life just to be with her.
“My Lady,” a female voice whispered from behind her, causing her to stiffen. “It is time.”
She nodded, her breath catching in her throat once again. She turned away from the window she had been looking out of all night, and allowed her once dearest friend and maid to hand her a handkerchief so that she could dab away the tears…not that it would matter.
She was meant to use this night as a night to find a way…anyway...to save his life.
She was not sure that she could do it.
“What am I going to do?” she whispered more to herself then to her friend, yet she still heard a small, hopeful voice respond.
“You are going to save him.”
“How? How can I save him? What he did last night…it was stupid and foolish and now he is going to die! If not by my father, then by my fiancé. If not by my fiancé, then by the hand of others trying to teach him his place. If not by them, then by his own hand…there is no hope for him! I am his only hope…and I do not even know how to save him! If he cannot…he will not be able to. He stands no chance against anyone of noble birth in any competition!”
She could feel the tears welling up once again, only to pool over and spill down her cheeks. He was a dead man no matter what happened. Why did he have to do this? Maybe…just maybe after she had been wed they could find a way…or if they had found a way to stick to the plan…but now? To do this? There was no way he could win.
“My Lady forgets that he is of noble birth too. That he was once on the path to becoming to be a knight. That he has already won something that no other noble man ever could: he won you. Do not doubt him, My Lady,” her friend and confidant crisply reprimanded. “He is more capable then you give him credit for.”
Her former friend’s words stung, but they were true. She needed to have more faith in him. She nodded her head and dabbed at her cheeks once more, worrying her lip between her teeth.
“I have no plan for him.”
“Nor do I.”
“Is there no hope, then?”
Her maid shook her head. “I cannot say,” she whispered, her eyes roaming over the room before stopping on something and a smile covered her lips. “Perhaps…perhaps there is!”
Suddenly, things became a little better.
“You are a fool, you know.”
Inuyasha glared at the man sent to bring him to the court.
“How can you think that someone such as the Princess will choose you over a Duke?”
He bit his tongue, not wanting to say anything that could, and would, be used against him in the moments to come.
“If you think that she will lower herself to your level, then you are dumber then you look. It is no wonder you could never complete your training. Look at you!”
It was taking all he had in him not to punch the man, so instead he took a deep breath, held it for a few beats, clenched and unclenched his hands, and then relaxed. They were almost there, and then he would not have to deal with this bastard.
He was led into a building and down a hallway, into the courtroom. When the doors opened, he could feel every eye on him, and he could hear the whispers swirling around him. He could hear the rumors of the past resurfacing to the present.
“I heard that he is the one that they found in her bed.”
“I heard the same thing! Only she was in his bed. Apparently he was good enough for the Princess to consider keeping around. I cannot believe that she would consider throwing away her entire future just because of one night.”
“Come now…we do not know if it was one night or more! I just do not know what she sees in him. He is a failure. The only thing he is good at is keeping horses!”
He let their words roll off his back and walked with pride to the front to wait for Kagome, and for her to announce her decision. He was used to such words about himself, but he had to clench his fist to prevent lashing out at them for slandering Kagome's name. They knew nothing about that night. They knew nothing about their relationship.
He could feel another man bump into his shoulder and walk by him, rage and hatred radiating off of him.
Her fiancé.
Soon, with any luck, he would be removed out of the picture all together. Soon…soon he would no longer be the one engaged to the Princess.
Inuyasha took a deep breath.
Soon.
He just had to wait.
As the minutes began to tick by, slowly, he lost himself to his mind, and was brought back to when he came to this place for the first time, and the circumstances surrounding his arrival.
Now…now he had nothing.
There was no one for him to turn to. His mother was laying in the darkness with his father, slumbering ever since he was but a mere few years old. His memories of her were vague and misty. Never clear and crisp like most children's. He had no aunts or uncles. No distant cousins. Both of his parents were the last of their families, all of whom had been killed off by old age or diesis or war.
He was alone.
He was scared.
He was nothing.
He heard a knock on the door. It carried an essence that demanded that it be acknowledged and respected, something that he could not bring himself to do just then.
“I know you are in there…” the voice called out. It belonged to woman. One that he did not know, or at least he believed that he did not know her. “Please,” the woman continued, “come out of there. It is not good for you to be by yourself.”
Come out? This woman spoke of the unthinkable. This place…the room…it was all he had left. It was all that he could still cling to in the hopes of maintaining something of the past. On the desk, he had papers, quills and inks. He remembered how he would sit at that desk, day in and day out, learning how to read and write. He still found it rather hard to form a Q or a G, but in the bottom drawer of his desk, one could find pages upon pages filled with his cursive.
On his chair he had a violin. It was old and well worn, but his father had given it to him. He used to spend the evenings with him teaching him how to hold it just so and how to position his fingers to make all the different notes.
Those days were gone now.
Everything was gone now.
“Inuyasha,” the woman called out softly, opening the door and walking into his room. The boy looked hollow—his eyes glassy. “Inuyasha, we need to get you packed up.”
Packed up? For what reason? He did not have family. He was the last of his line. There were no aunts, no uncles, no distant relatives. He was an orphan, left now to wander the streets. He wanted to live just a bit longer here though. Why could this woman not see this?
“We need to take you to your new home. There is someone that really wants to meet you.”
Who would want to meet him? Who was this woman even?
“Come on now Inuyasha. Do you not want to go to your new home?”
“Who are you,” the boy whispered hollowly. “Where are you going to take me?”
The woman, perhaps four or five years older than he himself, walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “My name is Kaede, and we are going to go to the castle.”
His eyes widened ever so slightly.
He had never been to the castle before. He had always wanted to go, but his father had never allowed it. He always said that it was no place for a little boy such as himself, but when he got older, and when he had received the proper training, he could go.
“Why are we going to the castle?”
Kaede smiled down at the nine year old, trying to help instill a sense of peace and hope. He looked so young, but she knew him to be only a few years younger than herself. She was thirteen. Young, but old enough to be sent on a trip to gather up this poor boy and give him a future. Inuyasha's father was well thought of by the King, and if it had not been for this and this alone, she knew that otherwise he would be on the streets.
“You are going to have a new life there. You will like it there…I promise. The King wants you to start your training early…what do you think of that?”
He wanted to go…he did…but he just was not ready. “May I have more time here? Must I go now?”
“You must. It will be important for you to learn that you do not disobey the King and his wants, Inuyasha. I promise you…you will be happy there. Now then…let us get you packed up and ready to go.”
That was the last time he ever saw his home.
It was one days travel to go from his old home to his new home, but once he had left it he wished that he never had. The streets would have been kinder to him then the people he met during his training.
A round, pudgy, red faced boy pushed him down to the dirt before straddling his waist and bringing his fist down upon his face, hitting him on his cheek bone. The skin there turned a bright red and started to puff ever so slightly, as did the skin on his jaw, collar bone, and shoulder. Inuyasha tried to raise up his hands to defend himself, but the red faced teen's cronies had already taken their place holding his arms down.
“You think I can't do arithmetic? You think that, do you?”
“Get off!” he cried, tears starting to wheal up in his eyes.
“Not until you learn your lesson!”
He could hear the two boys next to him snickering as their grip on his arms tightened. “Get `em good Koga! Show `em who's boss!”
“Let me go!” he cried again, trying to escape the punches raining down on him and wiggling as much as he could. He felt his lip split after one particularly hard punch and the taste of blood entered his mouth.
“That's enough of that for now…let's take him to the privy!”
His eyes widened as he felt himself being lifted up by the two cronies and dragged over to the outhouse not too far from the school that he was now going to. He heard lots of giggling and outright laughter as he was shoved into the privy and the door was locked. He tried knocking the door open, but he knew exactly what the three boys were doing. Koga was leaning on the door, and the other two were stacking up things on the outside so that he could not get out without them letting him out, and that would only happen once he had missed class and he would only be further punished.
He choked back a sob.
The whole thing had started when he had made a comment after the teacher reprimanded Koga about his lack of effort with his arithmetic. The next thing he knew was that after they had been let out for break, the three of them had pounced on him, and now he was stuck in this present situation.
“Let me out! Please! Let me out!”
“I don't think so. You need to learn your place…which is in the privy!”
He heard laughter from all around and he heard it fade away. They were leaving him there.
“Please! Let me out! Don't leave me here!”
It was no use...no matter how much he would call out, no one would come to save him. He closed his eyes and leaned his head on the door. His body throbbed all over and he could still taste the blood from his lip. He cursed Koga, and he cursed the fact that he had to be here. It had been a year since he had first come to this place, and he hated it. He especially hated the months when Koga would come. Koga was not normally here. He was only here when his father was visiting the castle for some reason or another. It was too much hassle, apparently, to bring along Koga's tutor, so instead he attended the same school he was currently going to. This was his last year going to a school for the basics. Next year, if he passed all his courses, he would move on to training to be a knight.
Inuyasha sighed when the sound of children his age had completely disappeared. He was stuck now…stuck in the latrine. When he would be let out, he was sure that he would smell horrible, and he was not going to have a bath until next week! Perhaps he could skip the rest of the day since he was already going to be punished severely, and go to a pond he had found not too long ago.
The thought of the pond brought a smile to his face. It was clean and cool and crisp and beautiful and perfect. It was just the thing he needed to get away from it all for now…but first, he had to wait, and wait he did.
He stood in the privy for at least another hour before someone finally let him out, and when they did, he took off running into the woods that surrounded the school. He ran and ran and ran and never stopped. Not until he came to that beautiful clearing with the pond. He paused for a moment to take the site in, but he quickly stripped down and jumped into the water.
It felt good against his bruised skin. He had seen his reflection briefly before he had jumped in, and he knew that it would take a good month before everything had healed, and that was only if Koga did not decide to further decorate him.
He shivered at the thought.
He had had enough Koga to last him a life time.
Inuyasha shook his head to dispel those thought from in his mind. This was his time…and he was going to enjoy it. He quickly rubbed himself and his clothing down as best he could before he began to enjoy himself in the water and swam around in it. Eventually, he got tired and took a nap on the shore next to his shirt and pants, and when he awoke an hour later, he went back into the pond. He was not sure how long he was there for, but he wanted to stay there for an eternity.
This was his special place. His escape from the world, and no one knew of its existence…or so he thought until he saw a little black haired head pop out of the trees and come toward the pond. The girl must have not seen him, for she made no attempt to hide her presence. She must have been no older than seven, and she looked every bit the daughter of someone of importance.
She continued onward to the pond, but froze when she finally took note of his being there.
“Who are you,” she demanded, her back straight and a look of both surprise and authority in her eyes. “What are you doing in my pond?”
“Your pond? I do not see anyone's name written on it anywhere!”
The girl's eyes slanted and drifted over to his now dry clothes. He felt himself freeze and panic settle in under his skin.
Faster than he could prevent it, the girl ran over to his clothes and picked them up, holding them over the water.
“Tell me who you are and what you are doing here,” she repeated.
“My name is Inuyasha, and I am here because I wanted to get away from someone.”
This caught her interest.
“Did you run away from home?”
“No…I ran away from school and from someone in it. Can you please put my clothing back?”
The girl nodded her head and set everything back down where she had found it. He was at a loss of what to say. He had never been around a little girl before. Everyone at school were boys, and when his father was alive he rarely traveled out and around with him. When he did, he would only see more boys his age.
“You're the first girl I've ever met,” he said after a moment.
Her eyebrows arched in surprise. “Really? But what about at your school? Are there not a few girls there?”
He shook his head. “I go to an all boys school. I wanna be a general like my father when I get older.”
“Is that how you got those bruises?”
He blushed and averted his gaze when he shook his head no. “I got those from the person I ran away from. I hate him. He doesn't take anything seriously and thinks that he can only have his way by asserting brute force. He’s a pig and an ugly black haired cow.”
“I know someone like that. I hate him,” she agreed, wrinkling her nose in distaste. “How much longer can you be gone for?”
“As long as I want. I'm not going back there until I'm good and ready.”
“So then you would come back with me to my home? I have something for your bruises.”
He tilted his head in thought. The girl seemed nice…other then when she threatened his clothing's safety.
“Where do you live?”
“At the castle,” she smiled. “You will be safe there, I promise.”
He pursed his lips I though before grimacing from the pain of his spilt lip. She said that she had something that would help with his wounds though…and he would defiantly need that with Koga in for the next month.
“Alright…but turn around so I can get dressed.”
The girl smiled and nodded her head before doing as he asked. He studied her as he redressed. She must have come from a family of power. That was the only explanation for the expensive clothing. He felt sticky as he put on his own clothing because of how everything clung to him. He supposed that this was the only down side to his plan, but that was alright. The swim had been marvelous.
“I'm ready.”
The girl smiled and started leading the way to the castle. He learned along the way that she was actually eight, and that she had run away from her teachers too. She had grown tired of learning proper etiquette in court.
“There are only so many different ways to learn how to curtsy. I wish that I could go to your school!”
“You wouldn't say that if you knew what it was really like. It is horrible! Everyone there has a stick up their butt!”
The girl gasped and coved her mouth with both hands. He thought that he had something wrong until he heard a snort, then a giggle, then full out laughter. They had to pause a second to let her work it out of her system, but she eventually was able to regain her composure.
“I like you,” she finally declared once she had managed to sneak him into her room.
“Thanks…I guess you aren't too bad for a girl.”
“Ha! You don't even know what other girls are like!”
“I guess…but you are the nicest one I have ever met.”
She stuck out her tongue at his half compliment before she disappeared to get a container of something gunky and gooey.
“What is that?” he asked with disgust.
“It's something that I have to put on whenever I get bruises. It wouldn't be seemly for the Princess to have bruises,” she mocked, going still when she realized what she had said when his posture suddenly stiffened dramatically.
“Inuyasha…I…”
̶ 0;Am I gonna get in trouble for being here, Princess?”
“No,” she smiled wanly. “I will not let anything happen.”
He nodded and allowed her to apply the salve to his face and skin. His skin started to cool instantly, though he did not know if it was because the salve was cold, or because this was the salves purpose. When she was done, she handed him the gold container.
“Keep it.”
It was a simple request, and one that startled him. He could tell just from looking at it that it had to have been worth a small fortune, encrusted in jewels and pearls.
“Are you sure?” He had to be sure…he didn't want to take anything that she may want back later.
“Yes.”
“Thank you,” he smiled.
She genuinely returned his smile. “Of course.”
That had been the day that they became friends, and he had been so glad that he had a friend.
Nothing changed for Inuyasha over the next few months in school. That damn red faced pudgy boy named Koga still thought that he was God's gift to the world, and he still thought that it was fun to sit on him and punch his face in. He was still trying his best in school. He wanted to make his father proud of him, and by God, he was.
He was best friends with Kagome though…and that was all that mattered to him. Sure it was strange at times that she was the princess and that her maid, Kaede, had to constantly interrupt whatever they were doing whenever they were able to sneak off and meet to check on her, but it was well worth it if he could spend time with her. She was quickly becoming the place he fit in.
Unfortunately someone did not like that one bit.
“Oh come now Inuyasha…you must admit…he is a handsome horse.”
Inuyasha turned up his nose in disgust. When he had met up with Kagome in their special spot by the pond, she had told him that she had something that she wanted to show him. Naturally, he agreed to let her drag him to the barn where he was greeted with the sight of a young, strong, midnight black horse. While he had internally been admiring the beast, externally he cringed.
It had been a gift to her from one of her “friends”. While he may have been her best friend (which she had started reminding him of quite frequently), he was also her poorest friend by far. Her other friends could shower her with gifts of expensive jewelry or dolls or apparently horses. He could only offer her himself, kind words, and maybe flowers that he thought were really pretty. Nothing that was tangible and expensive or would last though. This horse only twisted a knife further into his heart and helped to fan the dark question lingering in the deepest part of his mind.
Why was she friends with him?
Was she friends with him because she took pity on him?
It wasn't something that he often thought of, and he tried to not think about it, but it was in times like these that he found himself slowly drifting down that path.
“Sure...I guess. I'm not really a horse expert, so I couldn't tell you a darn thing about it.”
“Him,” Kagome corrected. “I can't decide on what to name him. Nothing seems to fit.”
“I'm sure you will think of something.” He carefully held out his hand, nervous to how the horse would respond to him, and smiled when he bent his head down to sniff it.
“I think he likes you!”
“Really?”
“Mhm!” She nodded. “Look at how nice he is being with you! He was very frisky with me. He snapped at my fingers.”
“He was probably just scared is all silly. You did say that you got him today didn't you?”
“Still though…I can just tell that he likes you.”
Inuyasha just grinned as he reached up to rub the horse's nose. He felt like warm, moving velvet. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. He had never really touched a horse until now. His father wouldn't let him near them because he was afraid that they would get out of control and trample him, but he had always felt that it was a slim to none chance of him getting hurt from a horse. Crazier things had and could happen.
Almost as if the universe was not only out to get him, but had also read his mind, seemingly out of nowhere they heard a voice from behind.
“Do you like my gift, Princess?”
There was only one person in the entire world who could squeeze that much arrogance into a sentence.
“Good afternoon, Koga. Yes…I love him. Thank you for your kind gift…I do not know how to thank you.”
Inuyasha couldn't help but smile. She may have only been eight, but she knew how to talk like a diplomat if he had ever heard one!
“I'm sure that we can do something later to…who is that?” he demanded, finally noticing the presence of another. “Kaede had said that you were in the stables with my gift to you, but she never said that you were here with some…boy.”
The way he said that made Inuyasha want to turn around and punch him in the jaw. How dare he imply that he was any better? How dare he imply that he was a man, and insinuate that he was nothing but a mere child?
“Oh!” Kagome blinked, pretending…or at least he hoped that she was pretending…that she had forgotten all about him. “This is Inuyasha. He's a friend of mine. I wanted to show him how beautiful your gift was. You don't mind…do you?”
Inuyasha turned around to face the pudgy boy and saw his eyes first widen when seeing just which Inuyasha he was, before narrowing in hatred.
“I see…Kagome…why don't we go out for a picnic.”
Kagome paused for a moment, only to walk over to Inuyasha and take his hand. “That sounds like a great idea…Inuyasha and I will go tell Kaede that she should prepare a basket for the four of us. We will be back in a moment, so stay here.”
They were gone before he could argue.
Inuyasha was unnaturally silent as they walked through the castle, and it started to bother Kagome. He could tell with the way that she would start fidgeting and try to make small talk: something that they never did. If they had something on their mind, they just spit it out. They didn't dance around anything…and that was part of what made their friendship so great.
“What's wrong, Inuyasha?” She finally asked once they had found and asked Kaede for their basket.
“You didn't tell me that you got the horse from Koga…or that you were friends with him. Why? You know that I hate him!”
“No…I didn't,” she countered. “You never told me that you hate him, and…” she paused biting her lip. What she wanted to say couldn't be over heard by others. It would do no one any good if they heard what she thought of the red faced boy, and could actually cause much trouble for her father. She took his hand and pulled him to her. Standing up on her tip toes, she found his ear and whispered, “I don't like him much either…but I have to for my father. I can't let something happen to father's relationship with Koga's family die because Koga is unhappy with me. That is why I am friends with him.”
Inuyasha nodded. As much as he hated it, he could understand why she was doing it. He wouldn't question her on this seeing as she knew more about the delicate inner workings of politics then he did.
He wrinkled his nose. “I still don't like that we are having a picnic with him.”
“Don't worry…he didn't seem all that happy that you will be there too.”
“Feh…I don't care what he thinks,” Inuyasha huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and sticking his nose into the air. It was true too. He didn't care what that egotistical bastard thought.
“Hey…Kagome?”
“Yes?̶ 1;
“Can I—”
“My Lady!” Kaede interrupted, entering the room holding up a large basket. “I have everything. I am so glad that you wanted to eat outside today! The weather is marvelous! It would be a shame to waste a day as fabulous as today,” she grinned.
Kagome raised an eyebrow at her but didn't say anything, nor did she push Inuyasha into finishing his sentence.
“You should thank Koga…it was his idea.”
Kaede's smile faltered a little at the thought of the boy, but it perked back up when she started thinking about the beautiful picnic. “Perhaps I will…shall we gather him?”
“If we must,” Inuyasha grumbled loud enough for only Kagome to hear. She laughed at his tone, but never said anything to Kaede as to what was so funny, no matter how much she poked and prodded, trying to get it out of her.
When they reached the stables, they found Koga looking even more red faced then normal and sitting in a corner as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
“There you are!” he shouted. “I have been sitting out here for God only knows how long, bored to death, while you took Inuyasha with you to go get the food! You took forever!”
“Sorry Koga…but it took a while to make up the basket.”
“You still could have taken me with you!”
“Don't take that tone with her,” Inuyasha stepped in, hiding Kagome behind him as if he were trying to protect her from the world…or at least Koga.
“Learn your place! You have no right to speak on her behalf or talk back to me!”
“I have every right as her friend to tell you to not talk to her like that!”
“Why you little…”
“Would you two stop it?” Both arguing males turned to look at the eight year old. “Really! The two of you! Can we just pick a spot for our picnic, or would you two like to step outside and hash this out on your own?”
Inuyasha immediately snapped his mouth shut and looked off to the side, a blush staining his cheeks. She was right…now was not the time and he didn't want to make things worse for her.
“Where do you wanna go,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his head.
“I think that we should let Koga choose.” Kagome shot Inuyasha a grateful glance for silently agreeing to stop arguing with Koga for now.
“Fine…then follow me.” The boy huffed, turning on his heal and leading them out of the stables and to a spot in the garden under a tree.
It was rather strange eating with the two of them, in Kagome's opinion. Inuyasha and Koga kept glaring at each other and it was all she and Kaede could do to keep the conversation light and civil. They never once said a thing to each other the entire time.
“Well, lunch was pleasant, would you not agree Kagome?”
“Mhm! It was wonderful! I have to say…the apples were my favorite part this time. What did you like Inuyasha?”
“Sure,” he replied, clearly not paying attention and keeping his eyes solely on Koga.
Kagome sighed and silently wished that this would be over with soon. It was no fun with how the two were acting, and she only had oh so much time that she could spend with Inuyasha before she had to see him off.
“Princess, I want to speak with you.”
“Alright Koga…what is it?”
“I want to talk to you alone.”
This surprised Kagome, but she did not deny him his request. She stood up from her place next to Inuyasha and followed him away from the group to where they could apparently talk in peace. When they had gone far enough, Koga immediately turned to her and demanded, “Why is he here?”
“Who…Inuyasha?”
“Yes …Inuyasha,” he sneered. “Why is he here? We were supposed to be the only ones on the picnic. Why did you drag him along?”
“I didn't drag him along! He is my friend and I wanted to spend time with him too! Besides…you didn't say that you wanted to spend time with just me!”
“But why?He's beneath you!”
“You are beneath me too! What you really mean is that he is beneath you. Why do you care who my best friend is?”
His eyes widened at this. Yes…he had known that she was friends with him…but he had never even considered the possibility that he was one of her best friends. He didn't want that…not at all. You see, the thing about Koga was that he saw an opportunity in Kagome. She was a Princess…and there were no male heirs to the throne. If he were to marry her, not only would he have a beautiful wife—something that he was sure she would become since she was already a cute little girl—but he would also be King. If she were best friends with this boy, then that could ruin his plans for his future. The King loved his family, and if he were to set his sights on the King’s daughter, then it was likely that he would get the King’s daughter. He was well aware of the fact that there were others his age and older, such as Hojo, that had the same plan in their minds for when she struck the age of thirteen, but this could ruin everything. He was sure that her father would consider her feelings in the matter, and if she were best friends with the boy…and if their relationship grew to be platonic…no…he would not let that happen. He would start to woo the girl before the two of them even realized what was happening to their hearts.
“I am just looking out for your best interests, Princess. After all…he is not like the rest of your friends. One would think that you are taking pity on the poor orphan.”
“O-orphan?”
“He never told you? His mother died when he was very young…and his father was killed in the war. I heard it was an arrow through his heart that did it. He has been living at the school house I go to…the poor thing.”
“I didn't know that,” she whispered. Kagome had never been friends with Inuyasha because she pitied him…but she could see how people would think that. Maybe that was why he never let her go further than the pond when he left.
“Strange…he is your best friend, isn't he? I wonder why he would have kept something so important from you.”
Kagome didn't answer, nor did she notice when Koga left her alone to think of what he had just said.
Inuyasha had been talking to Kaede since Koga left with Kagome. Kaede…she was the same woman that had taken him from his home and brought him to the school house under the pretenses of living at the castle. At first he had hated her…but as time went on she had started to grow on him, mostly out of respect for Kagome.
When they saw Koga return without Kagome, he felt a bubble of worry make itself at home in the pit of his stomach.
“Where is Kagome?”
“She wanted a few moments alone to think about some things,” he lied.
“I should go and check on her,” Kaede said, quickly getting up from her spot and running off in the direction Koga had taken Kagome in. She didn't think twice about the fact that she had just left two enemies alone to their own devices.
“So what did you want to talk to Kagome about?” Inuyasha asked, glaring at the boy in front of him while Koga carried a mask of seeming aloofness.
“Nothing important. I would not worry your pretty little head over it, Inuyasha,” he replied as he examined his fingernails. This only made Inuyasha worry more. What did he do to Kagome?
“You better not have hurt her,” he growled, clenching and unclenching his fists.
“Hurt her? Why would I want to do that? She is my friend.”
“Yeah…and I know what your other friends are like, and I know that she is nothing like them. She won't do what you want, and you can't bully her into it. That makes her a bit more unique, wouldn't you say?”
“And just what are you trying to say,” he asked through narrowed eyes.
“Just watch your step. I won't let you hold me down and punch my face in where she is involved.”
“Let me? I hate to tell you this, but you wouldn't stand a chance against me in a fight.”
“You wanna try me?”
“Anytime, anywhere.”
“Boys! What do you think you are doing? And in the presence of our Princess! You should be ashamed of yourselves!”
Inuyasha looked up from Koga to see both Kaede and Kagome staring at them with wide eyes. How could they even think about fighting?
“Inuyasha…maybe I should see you off.”
“What? But I—”
“Now, Inuyasha.”
He had never heard Kagome take that tone with him before.
“If…you're sure, then fine.”
“I am.”
“When you get back, Princess…why don't we go for a ride on that horse I gave you?”
She smiled and nodded her head. Inuyasha felt like she had shot an arrow through his heart, much like how his father had died. He understood that she had an obligation to be friends with Koga…he did. That didn't mean that he liked her asking him to leave so that she could spend one on one time with the bastard, and agree to their activities with a smile on her face.
He turned away from the three and started off in the direction of the woods to go home. He didn't stop when he heard Kagome running after him, and he didn't stop when she had caught up and grabbed a hold of his arm, trying to talk to him. He just kept walking. He never stopped. Not until they were at the pond. Then he had to make sure that Kagome wouldn't follow him. He wasn't one of her wealthier friends…he had nothing in his name. He didn't want her to see where he lived too. He didn't want any of her pity.
“Inuyasha, please…won't you stop?”
“You need to go back, Kagome. Koga will be wondering where you are soon.”
“I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what has gotten into you!”
“Nothing. I'm fine.”
“That is bull! I know you better than that…what was going on with you and Koga back there? Why are you acting like this?”
“Me? What is going on with you? I thought that you wanted to spend time with me today. I could have been doing other things if I knew that all you wanted to do was show me something that Koga got for you, and then have a picnic with Koga, and then go off and talk with Koga, then I wouldn't have come!”
“Inuyasha…I—”
“ ;I get it, Kagome. I get it that you need to play nice with him…but I'm your friend too.”
She was silent for a moment, and he watched her bite her lip and mentally toss something around in her head. What was going on with her? They had never held anything back from each other in all the time he had known her in.
“Do you want to know what Koga asked me when he pulled me away?”
“Yes,” he replied, not even pausing for a moment.
“He wanted to know why we are friends. He says that you are beneath me, an orphan, and that you are living in your school with your teacher.”
She watched the shock on his face as her words registered in his mind, but he didn't deny any of it.
“I don't care that you are `beneath me', Inuyasha. You are my friend…my best friend…and I will always think that…but Koga has too big an ego. I need to make sure that his ego is not bruised because of me because his father means so much to my father. You will always come first to me…but sometimes I have to do what is best for father. Please try and understand…if Koga had never come along, I would have spent all of my time with you today.”
What she had said both made sense and was something that he already knew…yet he supposed that it was helpful to hear her say it. He was being stupid…what he wanted was for her to spend all of her time with him, and that just simply wouldn't happen.
“I understand, Kagome. I just don't like it.”
“Neither do I,” she giggled.
“I shall see you this time tomorrow?”
“Yes…I want to ride my new horse with you…not Koga.”
“Then I shall meet you here tomorrow.”
She nodded and watched him start to leave the pond. Before he was completely gone, and idea struck her.
“Inuyasha,” she called out.
“Yeah?”
“I think I will name him Ash. My horse…I want to name him after you…but not in an obvious way. Ash is part of your name, and he looks like ashes. Koga may have given him to me…but I want to name him after the better friend.”
He carried that memory for years to come, especially when Koga became too much to handle. He seemed to always pop up whenever he was least wanted, and the gifts he showered upon Kagome never seemed to stop or lessen. It always made Inuyasha feel so worthless…but whenever he felt that feeling well up in his chest, he would just think back to that one day at the pond.
He did want a way to make money, however, so Kagome…sweet, kind, loving, wonderful Kagome found him a job at the castle: taking care of Ash. It was decent pay, and he could spend even more time with Kagome, so it was worth overlooking some of the less desirable aspects of the job. One of the times that he was tending to Ash, he had to stay later than normal. By the time he had finished, it was nearing dusk and Kagome refused to let him go home, just as he had started to refuse to let her walk him to the pond. He had begun to tell her “safety first”, and she was quickly not becoming a fan of it. It was true though…they had been careless before when she had walked him to the pond, and he made sure now that she would always be safe as her unofficial protector.
It was on this night, however, when Kagome insisted that he stay. She did not want her father finding out that he was staying, so she and Kaede set up sleeping arrangements in the barn. He had to have been about thirteen at the time, and Kagome must have been eleven…but that was the first night that they slept together. Not in a sexual manner, of course. He would never let that happen and they were still so young…but when she snuck down to the barn and crawled under the blanket to be with him, she said that she could not stand the thought of him being out here alone and by himself.
It had been relatively…strange…that first time. Not knowing where to put limbs and what was proper or not proper or if they should make contact with the other…but it was…nice. That feeling of having a place to belong was once again there, beating from within his chest telling him that he belonged with Kagome.
At the time he had taken this feeling to mean that they were very good friends, but come her thirteenth birthday, he learned otherwise.
“You will come tonight…won't you? For me?”
Inuyasha looked over the horse from where he was brushing Ash to where Kagome was sitting, smelling a bouquet of flowers that he had picked on his way from the training grounds to the stable. He had been training hard over the last five or so years to become something that he was sure his father would be proud of.
“Hm…allow me the opportunity to ponder this for a moment, my Dear Princess. Spend the night studying tactics used by some of the greatest generals there ever were, or come to my best friend's first birthday as a woman. I do believe that I shall be spending my time where it is needed most: with the generals of the past.”
“You will most certainly not be! I command you to come to my party!”
She pursed her lips and glared at the man before her as he started to laugh. “And just what do you think is so funny?”
“You…and the way that you think you can boss me around.”
“I can!” she pouted, which only made him laugh more. “I can! As your Princess, I can tell you to do whatever I want!”
“I know,” he agreed, his smile spread from ear to ear. “You just never will, nor will I listen.”
She stuck her tongue out at his reply, which only earned her a “Princess…start acting your age! A proper woman does not stick her tongue out at others!”
“Please do not say that,” she groaned “you sound like Kaede!”
“And she is right,” he replied, sobering their mood from lighthearted joking to a conversation that she had a feeling that she was not going to like.
Inuyasha bit his lip before setting the brush down and walking around Ash to sit next to her.
“Kagome…as…as much as it pains me to say this to you, you are now thirteen. You are an…adult. We…our…relationship…needs to change. Your father will start to receive many different offers for your hand, and your husband will not like it if we are…the way we are. Do you understand what I mean? He will not like it if you sneak out here in the middle of the day to see me in the stables, or if you want to crawl into my bed to spend the night with me. Our…our childhood is dying, Kagome. We cannot do the things we once did.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I do. I just…I want to hold onto our friendship for as long as possible, Yash. I do not want to get married and have lots of little monsters. I want to…to go out and explore! To see the world! To fight in battles and be the one to save the Prince. I want to keep my best friend. I do not want my future, Yash. I dread it.”
He took her hand in his and gave it a tight squeeze after hearing her heartfelt confession.
“I just…I wish I could hold onto this for a bit longer. I do not want to see what we have die just yet.”
“Nor do I,” he whispered. “It just will have to soon. Especially when your father starts to think about whom to marry you off to.”
“Please do not remind me of my impending doom! I will probably marry someone who is in their thirties, fat, ugly, and an utter slob!”
“Sounds promising.”
“Says the man in this kind of situation. You have it so much easier than I do!”
“That, my Dear, is debatable.”
“Oh?”
“It is! We have to pick who we want, then we have to ask their fathers', while presenting evidence that we are worthy of them. It is not as easy as it sounds.”
“It is still better than having your father come to you and say `I have decided who you will spend the rest of your life with!'”
“So…then…who would you pick if your father left it up to you?” The fifteen year old was not sure why he wanted to know. It was not really any of his concern. Sure he was best friends with her now…but like he had said before: things would change once her father chose someone for her. He had no influence over anyone.
“Hm…I am not sure, if you must know. He would have to be someone I get along with…and that I am good friends with, or could be good friends with. I do not want some man to see me as a child rearing prize. I want him to value you me. I want him to be close to my age…and he must be very, very, very handsome. All three verys are a must. I do not want to marry some strange forty year old virgin.”
The more she sat and thought about the list of qualities she had given him, the more a certain idea seemed to take hold of her mind.
“We should get married,” she decided, her voice carrying such certainty and seriousness that he did not know what to think.
“What?”
“We should get married. We are friends…I have known you for forever and I know that you respect me. You would never treat me like my sole purpose in life is to give you children and we get along so well…we would be perfect for each other!”
“Kagome…I…”
“ Think about it, Yash. I do not want an answer now…but I do want you to just think about it.”
“I will,” he promised, not sure of what to make of her idea at the time. “You do realize, Kagome, that you just purposed to me, right?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Only you would purpose to a man.”
She stuck her tongue out at him before getting up from her spot next to him and making her way over to the door of the stable. “I do not care what others think, Yash. You should know this by now. You will come tonight though, won't you?”
“I will,” he smiled, and he kept his promise. It was not easy, but he managed to not only find something to wear, but he also managed to finish all of his work for training and in the barn. The room was beautiful when he arrived. Not a thing was out of place, and was expertly decorated with soft fabrics, colors, and flowers. Everything was…simply magical, just as it should be. Kagome was the King’s only child, and as such, this was the only time that he could celebrate his child’s coming of age.
“Inuyasha!”
The man turned to see Kagome hurtling towards him and grabbing a hold of his arm, squeezing it close to her body as she rest her head on his shoulder. He could hear the whispers around them when she did such, and he was sure that she could hear them too. She did not seem to care though. He was here and that was all that seemed to matter to her. “I am so glad that you could come here tonight,” she beamed.
Inuyasha looked down at her and simply grinned. She looked like a sweet, innocent, little angel. He felt something in him ache, but he dismissed the feeling, calling it sentimentality at the time. Kagome was all grown up and it was hard to believe.
“Of course. I told you that I would…I am a man of my word, silly.”
“I know, I know, but still. You did sound rather convincing when you said that you wanted to spend the night studying war tactics.”
“I was still thinking about doing that,” he teased, “but I decided that you would be devastated if I did not show my face at least for a little while.”
“You know me all too well. Come with me! I want to dance!”
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but allowed himself to be dragged by Kagome out to the middle of the dance floor to join in the current line dance. She loved her dance with him, but unfortunately, there were other older men who wanted to dance with her. Some of them were in their twenties, others in their thirties and forties. None of them were as much fun to be with as Inuyasha though, and all the while she found herself wishing that he was the one with her.
Her mind started to wander then.
What would it be like if they married? Things between them…they would not change. They could stay together as they were: as best friends. And marrying him would be so much better then wedding a man like the one that was currently holding her in their arms. He was nothing more than a fat slob, and she was sure that the only reasons he wanted to marry her was because of power, and her body. Things with Inuyasha would be so much better.
She closed her eyes and for a moment, the fat slob became Inuyasha. She started to feel her heart jump into her throat. The way this man was holding her was so much more risqué then the way Inuyasha would ever dare hold her, but with his image replacing this man's she found her heart beginning to race. She was losing herself in Inuyasha's image as they twirled across the floor, and by the time the song had come to an end, she found herself not wanting to open her eyes.
She knew now that what she wanted more than anything else was to marry that man…her best friend. She wanted some sort of happy ending, and she could only see that happening with Inuyasha. Would…would her father allow this though? And would Inuyasha even agree to becoming her husband? He did not want power. He just wanted to be the best fighter and general that he could be to serve their country, and to make his late father proud of him. He had told her so countless times before. Would he even want to be wed to someone that would bring such power and responsibilities upon his shoulders?
Her eyes began to frantically search the crowd, looking for him. She just wanted to be close to him now. She heard someone ask her to dance, but she politely declined, claiming that she needed a moment to breath from all of the excitement when she saw Inuyasha walk out onto the balcony. She quickly followed after him, but slowed her pace when she saw her father slip out in pursuit of her friend.
What would her father want of Inuyasha? Perhaps there was another out there that he wanted to speak with?
She carefully approached the balcony and silently slipped out and behind a marble column, pressing herself against it so that she could hear what he had to say to Inuyasha.
“It is a beautiful night, would you not agree?”
Inuyasha stiffened and whirled around to find himself face to face with the leader of his country. In all of his time knowing Kagome, he had not once ever met the King. He felt complete and utter terror settle into his heart. What did he want from him?
“I…yes. It is a beautiful night, Your Majesty.”
The King was silent for a moment as he studied the quivering man before him. He looked just like his late general, Taisho. Same hair, same build, same face. If he could have turned a clock back in time, he was sure that this boy would have been an exact duplicate of his father…except for those eyes. His eyes were his mother's. She was a beautiful woman…it was a shame that she died so young, but there was nothing that could be done for her.
“You look like your father.”
Inuyasha furrowed his brow at the King's simple statement. “My father?”
“Mmm…Taisho. You are his son, are you not?”
“I am,” he nodded. “How…can you tell? If you do not mind my asking, that is, Your Majesty.”
“No no…not at all. It is in your face. And the way you carry yourself. Both in general, and on the dance floor.”
Inuyasha felt his heart jump up into his throat.
“I…what…I do not…”
“Boy, what is your name?”
“In—Inuyasha, Your Majesty.”
“Ah…so you are the boy my daughter speaks so highly of,” he calmly took in the way the boy's breath caught in his throat, but he did not waver over the way he sized him up in his mind's eye.
“Perhaps…I do not know all of the Princess's friends. Just Kaede, Koga, and myself.”
“Inuyasha is not a very common name.”
Inuyasha felt his cheeks heat up, but he did not divert his gaze. “I suppose not.”
“I know how close you two are. She thinks that I do not…but I am very interested in my daughter's life. You two have been sloppy in covering your tracks.”
“I do not understand…”
“I like you, Inuyasha. You make my daughter happy, and your line has been very dedicated to the crown. From what I have heard from your teachers, you are on the path to becoming quite the knight. I want to continue to like you, boy…but to do that I need you to stop doing something.”
“And what is that?” Inuyasha questioned with absolutely no fear in his voice and meeting the King's gaze head on.
“I want you to stop spending nights with Kagome. I will not have you ruin her reputation. She is of the age where such a thing would tarnish her…so as both a King and a father, I am demanding that you stay away from her bed.”
It took everything Inuyasha had to not laugh at what the King had said. He was well aware of this, and had even spoken to Kagome about it earlier that day. The King had nothing to worry about.
“I shall, your majesty.”
“Good. I expect to see great things from you, boy. Do not disappoint me.”
With that he was gone, leaving Inuyasha to think about this most interesting turn of events. The King knew about his relationship with his daughter. He knew how close they were, and about how they had started sleeping together…and yet they were still alive. He was still alive. He could not help but wonder how this had happened. Perhaps his love and appreciation for his father really was that deep.
Inuyasha leaned against the rail, looking down at the garden below. The flowers were beautiful. Full and colorful and exotic in a way. That garden held a spectacular life within its hands…something gorgeous and stunning. Something that needed to be stopped and recognized. That is the kind of attention it drew. It was a simple beauty, yet one that beckoned one to look at it again. It entranced you…demanded that you pay homage to it. Even in the blue light from the night and the moon it was stunning…yet when he looked at this garden, he did not see a garden. He saw a face.
Kagome.
She had started to plague his thoughts more and more. Of course she always had…but now…now she was finding a way to continuously haunt him, ghosting the corners of every thought and manifesting in the strangest of situations. He did not understand what was going on with him.
“There you are,” he heard the woman of his thoughts call out to him. “I have been looking for you all night. Where have you been?”
“Here and there…you looked relatively busy dancing with all of those thirty year olds.”
“Please…do not remind me. It was one of the most horrific moments of my life.”
“Come now, it could not have been that bad!”
“It was. Believe me when I say so, for it truly was,” she huffed, walking over to the rail next to him and taking his arm to rest her head on him, snuggling into the appendage she captured. “I would have rather spent my time with you…you are much better than those fat slobs, even on your worst days.”
“Was there a complement in there?”
“Just hush and look at the garden with me. I am so tired…I just want to spend a few moments with you.”
“Mm.”
It was a beautiful night. Stunning, really. He had to agree with the King on this, too. He felt Kagome sigh and he shifted his gaze to the girl—woman, now—resting on his arm. She looked beautiful tonight. Her black hair shining in the moonlight, her beautiful sky blue eyes hidden beneath her eye lids. Her pale skin. Her rosy cheeks and lips…he found himself wondering what it would be like to lean in and kiss those lips…
His eyes widened in shock and he felt his heart jump up into his throat.
What was he thinking? This was Kagome! His best friend! He should not be thinking about such things…and yet…
His gaze drifted back down as she snuggled closer to him.
He could not help but feel as if…this was…right.
But she was Kagome!
But…still…
He felt his cheeks warm. There had to be something wrong with him. That was the only explanation. Kagome's talk of marriage earlier that day had to be the only reason he was thinking of this. Yet…marrying Kagome sounded…nice.
Even though he spoke this in his mind, he could not ignore the feelings he felt in his heart and in his gut, and deep in the back of his mind, he knew that he was accumulating feelings for his best friend.
A/N:(Original posting: 2/13/10)
*Lyric to David Bowie's song Within You (http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=y1-l0UNCKJM)I don't own it.
Hi all!!!! Soooo…I know that I said that I only had around 10 pages done…but…surprise? Please enjoy my LONGEST chapter EVER! 26 pages according to MY word doc. I am amazed that I got this done when I did in between speeches, papers, joining an honors society (Alpha Lambda Delta…geek not greek :-P) and Student Orientation Leader applications (which I am still doing.) Needless to say, feel loved that you are getting this as soon as you are!!!
Anyways…I wanna give a thankful shout out to SplendentGoddess and Kokoronagomu for reading and reviewing!! This is a new story…and one that I am kinda iffy on, so your support means a lot.
Thanks to everyone who read…now let's see if we can up the review amounts ;-).
Now for the ARs!!
To: SplendentGoddess
I LOVE that movie…that song in particular!!! My brother is much older than I am, so I grew up knowing a lot of good movies like that, and I really wanted to use that song for something. I'm so glad to hear that you like it !!! It means a LOT to hear that from you :). Bear with me for a bit more…I want to continue to explain their past before moving into that present moment. I hope that you will continue you reading, and thank SO much for the review!!!!!!!!
To: Kokoronagomu
You would think that…but her fiancé cares about power, loves her in a certain respect, and hates Inuyasha more than anything else. I normally don't try and make a character really despicable, but I am this time around. I really want people to hate him, and for him to be the “bad guy”. Let's see if it works ;-). Anyways…I hope that you will keep reading! Thanks so much for the review!!!! It means a LOT!!!!!
Till next time all!!!
Converting /tmp/phpFu4ZRT to /dev/stdout
Within You
By: lil6ter
You starve and near exhaust me*
Chapter OneBy: lil6ter
You starve and near exhaust me*
She could not stop the tears. She had tried…oh how she had tried…but they just would not stop. Every time she thought that she was close, they would flare back up again. She would feel her throat constrict and air would become harder to take in…and she would think of him. The man that was willing to risk his life just to be with her.
“My Lady,” a female voice whispered from behind her, causing her to stiffen. “It is time.”
She nodded, her breath catching in her throat once again. She turned away from the window she had been looking out of all night, and allowed her once dearest friend and maid to hand her a handkerchief so that she could dab away the tears…not that it would matter.
She was meant to use this night as a night to find a way…anyway...to save his life.
She was not sure that she could do it.
“What am I going to do?” she whispered more to herself then to her friend, yet she still heard a small, hopeful voice respond.
“You are going to save him.”
“How? How can I save him? What he did last night…it was stupid and foolish and now he is going to die! If not by my father, then by my fiancé. If not by my fiancé, then by the hand of others trying to teach him his place. If not by them, then by his own hand…there is no hope for him! I am his only hope…and I do not even know how to save him! If he cannot…he will not be able to. He stands no chance against anyone of noble birth in any competition!”
She could feel the tears welling up once again, only to pool over and spill down her cheeks. He was a dead man no matter what happened. Why did he have to do this? Maybe…just maybe after she had been wed they could find a way…or if they had found a way to stick to the plan…but now? To do this? There was no way he could win.
“My Lady forgets that he is of noble birth too. That he was once on the path to becoming to be a knight. That he has already won something that no other noble man ever could: he won you. Do not doubt him, My Lady,” her friend and confidant crisply reprimanded. “He is more capable then you give him credit for.”
Her former friend’s words stung, but they were true. She needed to have more faith in him. She nodded her head and dabbed at her cheeks once more, worrying her lip between her teeth.
“I have no plan for him.”
“Nor do I.”
“Is there no hope, then?”
Her maid shook her head. “I cannot say,” she whispered, her eyes roaming over the room before stopping on something and a smile covered her lips. “Perhaps…perhaps there is!”
Suddenly, things became a little better.
***
He walked with his head held high. No one could say that when he entered the King's Court to await his fate that he was a coward. After what he had done last night, blatantly kissing Princess Kagome in front of the entire court, no one could dare utter that he, Inuyasha, was a coward.“You are a fool, you know.”
Inuyasha glared at the man sent to bring him to the court.
“How can you think that someone such as the Princess will choose you over a Duke?”
He bit his tongue, not wanting to say anything that could, and would, be used against him in the moments to come.
“If you think that she will lower herself to your level, then you are dumber then you look. It is no wonder you could never complete your training. Look at you!”
It was taking all he had in him not to punch the man, so instead he took a deep breath, held it for a few beats, clenched and unclenched his hands, and then relaxed. They were almost there, and then he would not have to deal with this bastard.
He was led into a building and down a hallway, into the courtroom. When the doors opened, he could feel every eye on him, and he could hear the whispers swirling around him. He could hear the rumors of the past resurfacing to the present.
“I heard that he is the one that they found in her bed.”
“I heard the same thing! Only she was in his bed. Apparently he was good enough for the Princess to consider keeping around. I cannot believe that she would consider throwing away her entire future just because of one night.”
“Come now…we do not know if it was one night or more! I just do not know what she sees in him. He is a failure. The only thing he is good at is keeping horses!”
He let their words roll off his back and walked with pride to the front to wait for Kagome, and for her to announce her decision. He was used to such words about himself, but he had to clench his fist to prevent lashing out at them for slandering Kagome's name. They knew nothing about that night. They knew nothing about their relationship.
He could feel another man bump into his shoulder and walk by him, rage and hatred radiating off of him.
Her fiancé.
Soon, with any luck, he would be removed out of the picture all together. Soon…soon he would no longer be the one engaged to the Princess.
Inuyasha took a deep breath.
Soon.
He just had to wait.
As the minutes began to tick by, slowly, he lost himself to his mind, and was brought back to when he came to this place for the first time, and the circumstances surrounding his arrival.
Thirteen Years Earlier
It was a good day for a funeral. Cold, dark, and damp. The storm had been a rather sudden one, inundating patches of dirt until they were puddles of sloshing mud on the ground. They had carried the body from the den of his house to the site on the back of a wooden wagon. Then, they lowered him in, slowly and carefully. Now, he was covered in a veil of darkness, never to remerge into the world of the light. This was the fate of his father. The fate of a general. It was an arrow through the heart that killed him. It made it past the armor to the tender flesh that was decaying bit by bit, ever so slowly. It was the arrow that took everything away from him.Now…now he had nothing.
There was no one for him to turn to. His mother was laying in the darkness with his father, slumbering ever since he was but a mere few years old. His memories of her were vague and misty. Never clear and crisp like most children's. He had no aunts or uncles. No distant cousins. Both of his parents were the last of their families, all of whom had been killed off by old age or diesis or war.
He was alone.
He was scared.
He was nothing.
He heard a knock on the door. It carried an essence that demanded that it be acknowledged and respected, something that he could not bring himself to do just then.
“I know you are in there…” the voice called out. It belonged to woman. One that he did not know, or at least he believed that he did not know her. “Please,” the woman continued, “come out of there. It is not good for you to be by yourself.”
Come out? This woman spoke of the unthinkable. This place…the room…it was all he had left. It was all that he could still cling to in the hopes of maintaining something of the past. On the desk, he had papers, quills and inks. He remembered how he would sit at that desk, day in and day out, learning how to read and write. He still found it rather hard to form a Q or a G, but in the bottom drawer of his desk, one could find pages upon pages filled with his cursive.
On his chair he had a violin. It was old and well worn, but his father had given it to him. He used to spend the evenings with him teaching him how to hold it just so and how to position his fingers to make all the different notes.
Those days were gone now.
Everything was gone now.
“Inuyasha,” the woman called out softly, opening the door and walking into his room. The boy looked hollow—his eyes glassy. “Inuyasha, we need to get you packed up.”
Packed up? For what reason? He did not have family. He was the last of his line. There were no aunts, no uncles, no distant relatives. He was an orphan, left now to wander the streets. He wanted to live just a bit longer here though. Why could this woman not see this?
“We need to take you to your new home. There is someone that really wants to meet you.”
Who would want to meet him? Who was this woman even?
“Come on now Inuyasha. Do you not want to go to your new home?”
“Who are you,” the boy whispered hollowly. “Where are you going to take me?”
The woman, perhaps four or five years older than he himself, walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “My name is Kaede, and we are going to go to the castle.”
His eyes widened ever so slightly.
He had never been to the castle before. He had always wanted to go, but his father had never allowed it. He always said that it was no place for a little boy such as himself, but when he got older, and when he had received the proper training, he could go.
“Why are we going to the castle?”
Kaede smiled down at the nine year old, trying to help instill a sense of peace and hope. He looked so young, but she knew him to be only a few years younger than herself. She was thirteen. Young, but old enough to be sent on a trip to gather up this poor boy and give him a future. Inuyasha's father was well thought of by the King, and if it had not been for this and this alone, she knew that otherwise he would be on the streets.
“You are going to have a new life there. You will like it there…I promise. The King wants you to start your training early…what do you think of that?”
He wanted to go…he did…but he just was not ready. “May I have more time here? Must I go now?”
“You must. It will be important for you to learn that you do not disobey the King and his wants, Inuyasha. I promise you…you will be happy there. Now then…let us get you packed up and ready to go.”
That was the last time he ever saw his home.
It was one days travel to go from his old home to his new home, but once he had left it he wished that he never had. The streets would have been kinder to him then the people he met during his training.
A round, pudgy, red faced boy pushed him down to the dirt before straddling his waist and bringing his fist down upon his face, hitting him on his cheek bone. The skin there turned a bright red and started to puff ever so slightly, as did the skin on his jaw, collar bone, and shoulder. Inuyasha tried to raise up his hands to defend himself, but the red faced teen's cronies had already taken their place holding his arms down.
“You think I can't do arithmetic? You think that, do you?”
“Get off!” he cried, tears starting to wheal up in his eyes.
“Not until you learn your lesson!”
He could hear the two boys next to him snickering as their grip on his arms tightened. “Get `em good Koga! Show `em who's boss!”
“Let me go!” he cried again, trying to escape the punches raining down on him and wiggling as much as he could. He felt his lip split after one particularly hard punch and the taste of blood entered his mouth.
“That's enough of that for now…let's take him to the privy!”
His eyes widened as he felt himself being lifted up by the two cronies and dragged over to the outhouse not too far from the school that he was now going to. He heard lots of giggling and outright laughter as he was shoved into the privy and the door was locked. He tried knocking the door open, but he knew exactly what the three boys were doing. Koga was leaning on the door, and the other two were stacking up things on the outside so that he could not get out without them letting him out, and that would only happen once he had missed class and he would only be further punished.
He choked back a sob.
The whole thing had started when he had made a comment after the teacher reprimanded Koga about his lack of effort with his arithmetic. The next thing he knew was that after they had been let out for break, the three of them had pounced on him, and now he was stuck in this present situation.
“Let me out! Please! Let me out!”
“I don't think so. You need to learn your place…which is in the privy!”
He heard laughter from all around and he heard it fade away. They were leaving him there.
“Please! Let me out! Don't leave me here!”
It was no use...no matter how much he would call out, no one would come to save him. He closed his eyes and leaned his head on the door. His body throbbed all over and he could still taste the blood from his lip. He cursed Koga, and he cursed the fact that he had to be here. It had been a year since he had first come to this place, and he hated it. He especially hated the months when Koga would come. Koga was not normally here. He was only here when his father was visiting the castle for some reason or another. It was too much hassle, apparently, to bring along Koga's tutor, so instead he attended the same school he was currently going to. This was his last year going to a school for the basics. Next year, if he passed all his courses, he would move on to training to be a knight.
Inuyasha sighed when the sound of children his age had completely disappeared. He was stuck now…stuck in the latrine. When he would be let out, he was sure that he would smell horrible, and he was not going to have a bath until next week! Perhaps he could skip the rest of the day since he was already going to be punished severely, and go to a pond he had found not too long ago.
The thought of the pond brought a smile to his face. It was clean and cool and crisp and beautiful and perfect. It was just the thing he needed to get away from it all for now…but first, he had to wait, and wait he did.
He stood in the privy for at least another hour before someone finally let him out, and when they did, he took off running into the woods that surrounded the school. He ran and ran and ran and never stopped. Not until he came to that beautiful clearing with the pond. He paused for a moment to take the site in, but he quickly stripped down and jumped into the water.
It felt good against his bruised skin. He had seen his reflection briefly before he had jumped in, and he knew that it would take a good month before everything had healed, and that was only if Koga did not decide to further decorate him.
He shivered at the thought.
He had had enough Koga to last him a life time.
Inuyasha shook his head to dispel those thought from in his mind. This was his time…and he was going to enjoy it. He quickly rubbed himself and his clothing down as best he could before he began to enjoy himself in the water and swam around in it. Eventually, he got tired and took a nap on the shore next to his shirt and pants, and when he awoke an hour later, he went back into the pond. He was not sure how long he was there for, but he wanted to stay there for an eternity.
This was his special place. His escape from the world, and no one knew of its existence…or so he thought until he saw a little black haired head pop out of the trees and come toward the pond. The girl must have not seen him, for she made no attempt to hide her presence. She must have been no older than seven, and she looked every bit the daughter of someone of importance.
She continued onward to the pond, but froze when she finally took note of his being there.
“Who are you,” she demanded, her back straight and a look of both surprise and authority in her eyes. “What are you doing in my pond?”
“Your pond? I do not see anyone's name written on it anywhere!”
The girl's eyes slanted and drifted over to his now dry clothes. He felt himself freeze and panic settle in under his skin.
Faster than he could prevent it, the girl ran over to his clothes and picked them up, holding them over the water.
“Tell me who you are and what you are doing here,” she repeated.
“My name is Inuyasha, and I am here because I wanted to get away from someone.”
This caught her interest.
“Did you run away from home?”
“No…I ran away from school and from someone in it. Can you please put my clothing back?”
The girl nodded her head and set everything back down where she had found it. He was at a loss of what to say. He had never been around a little girl before. Everyone at school were boys, and when his father was alive he rarely traveled out and around with him. When he did, he would only see more boys his age.
“You're the first girl I've ever met,” he said after a moment.
Her eyebrows arched in surprise. “Really? But what about at your school? Are there not a few girls there?”
He shook his head. “I go to an all boys school. I wanna be a general like my father when I get older.”
“Is that how you got those bruises?”
He blushed and averted his gaze when he shook his head no. “I got those from the person I ran away from. I hate him. He doesn't take anything seriously and thinks that he can only have his way by asserting brute force. He’s a pig and an ugly black haired cow.”
“I know someone like that. I hate him,” she agreed, wrinkling her nose in distaste. “How much longer can you be gone for?”
“As long as I want. I'm not going back there until I'm good and ready.”
“So then you would come back with me to my home? I have something for your bruises.”
He tilted his head in thought. The girl seemed nice…other then when she threatened his clothing's safety.
“Where do you live?”
“At the castle,” she smiled. “You will be safe there, I promise.”
He pursed his lips I though before grimacing from the pain of his spilt lip. She said that she had something that would help with his wounds though…and he would defiantly need that with Koga in for the next month.
“Alright…but turn around so I can get dressed.”
The girl smiled and nodded her head before doing as he asked. He studied her as he redressed. She must have come from a family of power. That was the only explanation for the expensive clothing. He felt sticky as he put on his own clothing because of how everything clung to him. He supposed that this was the only down side to his plan, but that was alright. The swim had been marvelous.
“I'm ready.”
The girl smiled and started leading the way to the castle. He learned along the way that she was actually eight, and that she had run away from her teachers too. She had grown tired of learning proper etiquette in court.
“There are only so many different ways to learn how to curtsy. I wish that I could go to your school!”
“You wouldn't say that if you knew what it was really like. It is horrible! Everyone there has a stick up their butt!”
The girl gasped and coved her mouth with both hands. He thought that he had something wrong until he heard a snort, then a giggle, then full out laughter. They had to pause a second to let her work it out of her system, but she eventually was able to regain her composure.
“I like you,” she finally declared once she had managed to sneak him into her room.
“Thanks…I guess you aren't too bad for a girl.”
“Ha! You don't even know what other girls are like!”
“I guess…but you are the nicest one I have ever met.”
She stuck out her tongue at his half compliment before she disappeared to get a container of something gunky and gooey.
“What is that?” he asked with disgust.
“It's something that I have to put on whenever I get bruises. It wouldn't be seemly for the Princess to have bruises,” she mocked, going still when she realized what she had said when his posture suddenly stiffened dramatically.
“Inuyasha…I…”
̶ 0;Am I gonna get in trouble for being here, Princess?”
“No,” she smiled wanly. “I will not let anything happen.”
He nodded and allowed her to apply the salve to his face and skin. His skin started to cool instantly, though he did not know if it was because the salve was cold, or because this was the salves purpose. When she was done, she handed him the gold container.
“Keep it.”
It was a simple request, and one that startled him. He could tell just from looking at it that it had to have been worth a small fortune, encrusted in jewels and pearls.
“Are you sure?” He had to be sure…he didn't want to take anything that she may want back later.
“Yes.”
“Thank you,” he smiled.
She genuinely returned his smile. “Of course.”
That had been the day that they became friends, and he had been so glad that he had a friend.
Nothing changed for Inuyasha over the next few months in school. That damn red faced pudgy boy named Koga still thought that he was God's gift to the world, and he still thought that it was fun to sit on him and punch his face in. He was still trying his best in school. He wanted to make his father proud of him, and by God, he was.
He was best friends with Kagome though…and that was all that mattered to him. Sure it was strange at times that she was the princess and that her maid, Kaede, had to constantly interrupt whatever they were doing whenever they were able to sneak off and meet to check on her, but it was well worth it if he could spend time with her. She was quickly becoming the place he fit in.
Unfortunately someone did not like that one bit.
“Oh come now Inuyasha…you must admit…he is a handsome horse.”
Inuyasha turned up his nose in disgust. When he had met up with Kagome in their special spot by the pond, she had told him that she had something that she wanted to show him. Naturally, he agreed to let her drag him to the barn where he was greeted with the sight of a young, strong, midnight black horse. While he had internally been admiring the beast, externally he cringed.
It had been a gift to her from one of her “friends”. While he may have been her best friend (which she had started reminding him of quite frequently), he was also her poorest friend by far. Her other friends could shower her with gifts of expensive jewelry or dolls or apparently horses. He could only offer her himself, kind words, and maybe flowers that he thought were really pretty. Nothing that was tangible and expensive or would last though. This horse only twisted a knife further into his heart and helped to fan the dark question lingering in the deepest part of his mind.
Why was she friends with him?
Was she friends with him because she took pity on him?
It wasn't something that he often thought of, and he tried to not think about it, but it was in times like these that he found himself slowly drifting down that path.
“Sure...I guess. I'm not really a horse expert, so I couldn't tell you a darn thing about it.”
“Him,” Kagome corrected. “I can't decide on what to name him. Nothing seems to fit.”
“I'm sure you will think of something.” He carefully held out his hand, nervous to how the horse would respond to him, and smiled when he bent his head down to sniff it.
“I think he likes you!”
“Really?”
“Mhm!” She nodded. “Look at how nice he is being with you! He was very frisky with me. He snapped at my fingers.”
“He was probably just scared is all silly. You did say that you got him today didn't you?”
“Still though…I can just tell that he likes you.”
Inuyasha just grinned as he reached up to rub the horse's nose. He felt like warm, moving velvet. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. He had never really touched a horse until now. His father wouldn't let him near them because he was afraid that they would get out of control and trample him, but he had always felt that it was a slim to none chance of him getting hurt from a horse. Crazier things had and could happen.
Almost as if the universe was not only out to get him, but had also read his mind, seemingly out of nowhere they heard a voice from behind.
“Do you like my gift, Princess?”
There was only one person in the entire world who could squeeze that much arrogance into a sentence.
“Good afternoon, Koga. Yes…I love him. Thank you for your kind gift…I do not know how to thank you.”
Inuyasha couldn't help but smile. She may have only been eight, but she knew how to talk like a diplomat if he had ever heard one!
“I'm sure that we can do something later to…who is that?” he demanded, finally noticing the presence of another. “Kaede had said that you were in the stables with my gift to you, but she never said that you were here with some…boy.”
The way he said that made Inuyasha want to turn around and punch him in the jaw. How dare he imply that he was any better? How dare he imply that he was a man, and insinuate that he was nothing but a mere child?
“Oh!” Kagome blinked, pretending…or at least he hoped that she was pretending…that she had forgotten all about him. “This is Inuyasha. He's a friend of mine. I wanted to show him how beautiful your gift was. You don't mind…do you?”
Inuyasha turned around to face the pudgy boy and saw his eyes first widen when seeing just which Inuyasha he was, before narrowing in hatred.
“I see…Kagome…why don't we go out for a picnic.”
Kagome paused for a moment, only to walk over to Inuyasha and take his hand. “That sounds like a great idea…Inuyasha and I will go tell Kaede that she should prepare a basket for the four of us. We will be back in a moment, so stay here.”
They were gone before he could argue.
Inuyasha was unnaturally silent as they walked through the castle, and it started to bother Kagome. He could tell with the way that she would start fidgeting and try to make small talk: something that they never did. If they had something on their mind, they just spit it out. They didn't dance around anything…and that was part of what made their friendship so great.
“What's wrong, Inuyasha?” She finally asked once they had found and asked Kaede for their basket.
“You didn't tell me that you got the horse from Koga…or that you were friends with him. Why? You know that I hate him!”
“No…I didn't,” she countered. “You never told me that you hate him, and…” she paused biting her lip. What she wanted to say couldn't be over heard by others. It would do no one any good if they heard what she thought of the red faced boy, and could actually cause much trouble for her father. She took his hand and pulled him to her. Standing up on her tip toes, she found his ear and whispered, “I don't like him much either…but I have to for my father. I can't let something happen to father's relationship with Koga's family die because Koga is unhappy with me. That is why I am friends with him.”
Inuyasha nodded. As much as he hated it, he could understand why she was doing it. He wouldn't question her on this seeing as she knew more about the delicate inner workings of politics then he did.
He wrinkled his nose. “I still don't like that we are having a picnic with him.”
“Don't worry…he didn't seem all that happy that you will be there too.”
“Feh…I don't care what he thinks,” Inuyasha huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and sticking his nose into the air. It was true too. He didn't care what that egotistical bastard thought.
“Hey…Kagome?”
“Yes?̶ 1;
“Can I—”
“My Lady!” Kaede interrupted, entering the room holding up a large basket. “I have everything. I am so glad that you wanted to eat outside today! The weather is marvelous! It would be a shame to waste a day as fabulous as today,” she grinned.
Kagome raised an eyebrow at her but didn't say anything, nor did she push Inuyasha into finishing his sentence.
“You should thank Koga…it was his idea.”
Kaede's smile faltered a little at the thought of the boy, but it perked back up when she started thinking about the beautiful picnic. “Perhaps I will…shall we gather him?”
“If we must,” Inuyasha grumbled loud enough for only Kagome to hear. She laughed at his tone, but never said anything to Kaede as to what was so funny, no matter how much she poked and prodded, trying to get it out of her.
When they reached the stables, they found Koga looking even more red faced then normal and sitting in a corner as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
“There you are!” he shouted. “I have been sitting out here for God only knows how long, bored to death, while you took Inuyasha with you to go get the food! You took forever!”
“Sorry Koga…but it took a while to make up the basket.”
“You still could have taken me with you!”
“Don't take that tone with her,” Inuyasha stepped in, hiding Kagome behind him as if he were trying to protect her from the world…or at least Koga.
“Learn your place! You have no right to speak on her behalf or talk back to me!”
“I have every right as her friend to tell you to not talk to her like that!”
“Why you little…”
“Would you two stop it?” Both arguing males turned to look at the eight year old. “Really! The two of you! Can we just pick a spot for our picnic, or would you two like to step outside and hash this out on your own?”
Inuyasha immediately snapped his mouth shut and looked off to the side, a blush staining his cheeks. She was right…now was not the time and he didn't want to make things worse for her.
“Where do you wanna go,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his head.
“I think that we should let Koga choose.” Kagome shot Inuyasha a grateful glance for silently agreeing to stop arguing with Koga for now.
“Fine…then follow me.” The boy huffed, turning on his heal and leading them out of the stables and to a spot in the garden under a tree.
It was rather strange eating with the two of them, in Kagome's opinion. Inuyasha and Koga kept glaring at each other and it was all she and Kaede could do to keep the conversation light and civil. They never once said a thing to each other the entire time.
“Well, lunch was pleasant, would you not agree Kagome?”
“Mhm! It was wonderful! I have to say…the apples were my favorite part this time. What did you like Inuyasha?”
“Sure,” he replied, clearly not paying attention and keeping his eyes solely on Koga.
Kagome sighed and silently wished that this would be over with soon. It was no fun with how the two were acting, and she only had oh so much time that she could spend with Inuyasha before she had to see him off.
“Princess, I want to speak with you.”
“Alright Koga…what is it?”
“I want to talk to you alone.”
This surprised Kagome, but she did not deny him his request. She stood up from her place next to Inuyasha and followed him away from the group to where they could apparently talk in peace. When they had gone far enough, Koga immediately turned to her and demanded, “Why is he here?”
“Who…Inuyasha?”
“Yes …Inuyasha,” he sneered. “Why is he here? We were supposed to be the only ones on the picnic. Why did you drag him along?”
“I didn't drag him along! He is my friend and I wanted to spend time with him too! Besides…you didn't say that you wanted to spend time with just me!”
“But why?He's beneath you!”
“You are beneath me too! What you really mean is that he is beneath you. Why do you care who my best friend is?”
His eyes widened at this. Yes…he had known that she was friends with him…but he had never even considered the possibility that he was one of her best friends. He didn't want that…not at all. You see, the thing about Koga was that he saw an opportunity in Kagome. She was a Princess…and there were no male heirs to the throne. If he were to marry her, not only would he have a beautiful wife—something that he was sure she would become since she was already a cute little girl—but he would also be King. If she were best friends with this boy, then that could ruin his plans for his future. The King loved his family, and if he were to set his sights on the King’s daughter, then it was likely that he would get the King’s daughter. He was well aware of the fact that there were others his age and older, such as Hojo, that had the same plan in their minds for when she struck the age of thirteen, but this could ruin everything. He was sure that her father would consider her feelings in the matter, and if she were best friends with the boy…and if their relationship grew to be platonic…no…he would not let that happen. He would start to woo the girl before the two of them even realized what was happening to their hearts.
“I am just looking out for your best interests, Princess. After all…he is not like the rest of your friends. One would think that you are taking pity on the poor orphan.”
“O-orphan?”
“He never told you? His mother died when he was very young…and his father was killed in the war. I heard it was an arrow through his heart that did it. He has been living at the school house I go to…the poor thing.”
“I didn't know that,” she whispered. Kagome had never been friends with Inuyasha because she pitied him…but she could see how people would think that. Maybe that was why he never let her go further than the pond when he left.
“Strange…he is your best friend, isn't he? I wonder why he would have kept something so important from you.”
Kagome didn't answer, nor did she notice when Koga left her alone to think of what he had just said.
Inuyasha had been talking to Kaede since Koga left with Kagome. Kaede…she was the same woman that had taken him from his home and brought him to the school house under the pretenses of living at the castle. At first he had hated her…but as time went on she had started to grow on him, mostly out of respect for Kagome.
When they saw Koga return without Kagome, he felt a bubble of worry make itself at home in the pit of his stomach.
“Where is Kagome?”
“She wanted a few moments alone to think about some things,” he lied.
“I should go and check on her,” Kaede said, quickly getting up from her spot and running off in the direction Koga had taken Kagome in. She didn't think twice about the fact that she had just left two enemies alone to their own devices.
“So what did you want to talk to Kagome about?” Inuyasha asked, glaring at the boy in front of him while Koga carried a mask of seeming aloofness.
“Nothing important. I would not worry your pretty little head over it, Inuyasha,” he replied as he examined his fingernails. This only made Inuyasha worry more. What did he do to Kagome?
“You better not have hurt her,” he growled, clenching and unclenching his fists.
“Hurt her? Why would I want to do that? She is my friend.”
“Yeah…and I know what your other friends are like, and I know that she is nothing like them. She won't do what you want, and you can't bully her into it. That makes her a bit more unique, wouldn't you say?”
“And just what are you trying to say,” he asked through narrowed eyes.
“Just watch your step. I won't let you hold me down and punch my face in where she is involved.”
“Let me? I hate to tell you this, but you wouldn't stand a chance against me in a fight.”
“You wanna try me?”
“Anytime, anywhere.”
“Boys! What do you think you are doing? And in the presence of our Princess! You should be ashamed of yourselves!”
Inuyasha looked up from Koga to see both Kaede and Kagome staring at them with wide eyes. How could they even think about fighting?
“Inuyasha…maybe I should see you off.”
“What? But I—”
“Now, Inuyasha.”
He had never heard Kagome take that tone with him before.
“If…you're sure, then fine.”
“I am.”
“When you get back, Princess…why don't we go for a ride on that horse I gave you?”
She smiled and nodded her head. Inuyasha felt like she had shot an arrow through his heart, much like how his father had died. He understood that she had an obligation to be friends with Koga…he did. That didn't mean that he liked her asking him to leave so that she could spend one on one time with the bastard, and agree to their activities with a smile on her face.
He turned away from the three and started off in the direction of the woods to go home. He didn't stop when he heard Kagome running after him, and he didn't stop when she had caught up and grabbed a hold of his arm, trying to talk to him. He just kept walking. He never stopped. Not until they were at the pond. Then he had to make sure that Kagome wouldn't follow him. He wasn't one of her wealthier friends…he had nothing in his name. He didn't want her to see where he lived too. He didn't want any of her pity.
“Inuyasha, please…won't you stop?”
“You need to go back, Kagome. Koga will be wondering where you are soon.”
“I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what has gotten into you!”
“Nothing. I'm fine.”
“That is bull! I know you better than that…what was going on with you and Koga back there? Why are you acting like this?”
“Me? What is going on with you? I thought that you wanted to spend time with me today. I could have been doing other things if I knew that all you wanted to do was show me something that Koga got for you, and then have a picnic with Koga, and then go off and talk with Koga, then I wouldn't have come!”
“Inuyasha…I—”
“ ;I get it, Kagome. I get it that you need to play nice with him…but I'm your friend too.”
She was silent for a moment, and he watched her bite her lip and mentally toss something around in her head. What was going on with her? They had never held anything back from each other in all the time he had known her in.
“Do you want to know what Koga asked me when he pulled me away?”
“Yes,” he replied, not even pausing for a moment.
“He wanted to know why we are friends. He says that you are beneath me, an orphan, and that you are living in your school with your teacher.”
She watched the shock on his face as her words registered in his mind, but he didn't deny any of it.
“I don't care that you are `beneath me', Inuyasha. You are my friend…my best friend…and I will always think that…but Koga has too big an ego. I need to make sure that his ego is not bruised because of me because his father means so much to my father. You will always come first to me…but sometimes I have to do what is best for father. Please try and understand…if Koga had never come along, I would have spent all of my time with you today.”
What she had said both made sense and was something that he already knew…yet he supposed that it was helpful to hear her say it. He was being stupid…what he wanted was for her to spend all of her time with him, and that just simply wouldn't happen.
“I understand, Kagome. I just don't like it.”
“Neither do I,” she giggled.
“I shall see you this time tomorrow?”
“Yes…I want to ride my new horse with you…not Koga.”
“Then I shall meet you here tomorrow.”
She nodded and watched him start to leave the pond. Before he was completely gone, and idea struck her.
“Inuyasha,” she called out.
“Yeah?”
“I think I will name him Ash. My horse…I want to name him after you…but not in an obvious way. Ash is part of your name, and he looks like ashes. Koga may have given him to me…but I want to name him after the better friend.”
He carried that memory for years to come, especially when Koga became too much to handle. He seemed to always pop up whenever he was least wanted, and the gifts he showered upon Kagome never seemed to stop or lessen. It always made Inuyasha feel so worthless…but whenever he felt that feeling well up in his chest, he would just think back to that one day at the pond.
He did want a way to make money, however, so Kagome…sweet, kind, loving, wonderful Kagome found him a job at the castle: taking care of Ash. It was decent pay, and he could spend even more time with Kagome, so it was worth overlooking some of the less desirable aspects of the job. One of the times that he was tending to Ash, he had to stay later than normal. By the time he had finished, it was nearing dusk and Kagome refused to let him go home, just as he had started to refuse to let her walk him to the pond. He had begun to tell her “safety first”, and she was quickly not becoming a fan of it. It was true though…they had been careless before when she had walked him to the pond, and he made sure now that she would always be safe as her unofficial protector.
It was on this night, however, when Kagome insisted that he stay. She did not want her father finding out that he was staying, so she and Kaede set up sleeping arrangements in the barn. He had to have been about thirteen at the time, and Kagome must have been eleven…but that was the first night that they slept together. Not in a sexual manner, of course. He would never let that happen and they were still so young…but when she snuck down to the barn and crawled under the blanket to be with him, she said that she could not stand the thought of him being out here alone and by himself.
It had been relatively…strange…that first time. Not knowing where to put limbs and what was proper or not proper or if they should make contact with the other…but it was…nice. That feeling of having a place to belong was once again there, beating from within his chest telling him that he belonged with Kagome.
At the time he had taken this feeling to mean that they were very good friends, but come her thirteenth birthday, he learned otherwise.
“You will come tonight…won't you? For me?”
Inuyasha looked over the horse from where he was brushing Ash to where Kagome was sitting, smelling a bouquet of flowers that he had picked on his way from the training grounds to the stable. He had been training hard over the last five or so years to become something that he was sure his father would be proud of.
“Hm…allow me the opportunity to ponder this for a moment, my Dear Princess. Spend the night studying tactics used by some of the greatest generals there ever were, or come to my best friend's first birthday as a woman. I do believe that I shall be spending my time where it is needed most: with the generals of the past.”
“You will most certainly not be! I command you to come to my party!”
She pursed her lips and glared at the man before her as he started to laugh. “And just what do you think is so funny?”
“You…and the way that you think you can boss me around.”
“I can!” she pouted, which only made him laugh more. “I can! As your Princess, I can tell you to do whatever I want!”
“I know,” he agreed, his smile spread from ear to ear. “You just never will, nor will I listen.”
She stuck her tongue out at his reply, which only earned her a “Princess…start acting your age! A proper woman does not stick her tongue out at others!”
“Please do not say that,” she groaned “you sound like Kaede!”
“And she is right,” he replied, sobering their mood from lighthearted joking to a conversation that she had a feeling that she was not going to like.
Inuyasha bit his lip before setting the brush down and walking around Ash to sit next to her.
“Kagome…as…as much as it pains me to say this to you, you are now thirteen. You are an…adult. We…our…relationship…needs to change. Your father will start to receive many different offers for your hand, and your husband will not like it if we are…the way we are. Do you understand what I mean? He will not like it if you sneak out here in the middle of the day to see me in the stables, or if you want to crawl into my bed to spend the night with me. Our…our childhood is dying, Kagome. We cannot do the things we once did.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I do. I just…I want to hold onto our friendship for as long as possible, Yash. I do not want to get married and have lots of little monsters. I want to…to go out and explore! To see the world! To fight in battles and be the one to save the Prince. I want to keep my best friend. I do not want my future, Yash. I dread it.”
He took her hand in his and gave it a tight squeeze after hearing her heartfelt confession.
“I just…I wish I could hold onto this for a bit longer. I do not want to see what we have die just yet.”
“Nor do I,” he whispered. “It just will have to soon. Especially when your father starts to think about whom to marry you off to.”
“Please do not remind me of my impending doom! I will probably marry someone who is in their thirties, fat, ugly, and an utter slob!”
“Sounds promising.”
“Says the man in this kind of situation. You have it so much easier than I do!”
“That, my Dear, is debatable.”
“Oh?”
“It is! We have to pick who we want, then we have to ask their fathers', while presenting evidence that we are worthy of them. It is not as easy as it sounds.”
“It is still better than having your father come to you and say `I have decided who you will spend the rest of your life with!'”
“So…then…who would you pick if your father left it up to you?” The fifteen year old was not sure why he wanted to know. It was not really any of his concern. Sure he was best friends with her now…but like he had said before: things would change once her father chose someone for her. He had no influence over anyone.
“Hm…I am not sure, if you must know. He would have to be someone I get along with…and that I am good friends with, or could be good friends with. I do not want some man to see me as a child rearing prize. I want him to value you me. I want him to be close to my age…and he must be very, very, very handsome. All three verys are a must. I do not want to marry some strange forty year old virgin.”
The more she sat and thought about the list of qualities she had given him, the more a certain idea seemed to take hold of her mind.
“We should get married,” she decided, her voice carrying such certainty and seriousness that he did not know what to think.
“What?”
“We should get married. We are friends…I have known you for forever and I know that you respect me. You would never treat me like my sole purpose in life is to give you children and we get along so well…we would be perfect for each other!”
“Kagome…I…”
“ Think about it, Yash. I do not want an answer now…but I do want you to just think about it.”
“I will,” he promised, not sure of what to make of her idea at the time. “You do realize, Kagome, that you just purposed to me, right?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Only you would purpose to a man.”
She stuck her tongue out at him before getting up from her spot next to him and making her way over to the door of the stable. “I do not care what others think, Yash. You should know this by now. You will come tonight though, won't you?”
“I will,” he smiled, and he kept his promise. It was not easy, but he managed to not only find something to wear, but he also managed to finish all of his work for training and in the barn. The room was beautiful when he arrived. Not a thing was out of place, and was expertly decorated with soft fabrics, colors, and flowers. Everything was…simply magical, just as it should be. Kagome was the King’s only child, and as such, this was the only time that he could celebrate his child’s coming of age.
“Inuyasha!”
The man turned to see Kagome hurtling towards him and grabbing a hold of his arm, squeezing it close to her body as she rest her head on his shoulder. He could hear the whispers around them when she did such, and he was sure that she could hear them too. She did not seem to care though. He was here and that was all that seemed to matter to her. “I am so glad that you could come here tonight,” she beamed.
Inuyasha looked down at her and simply grinned. She looked like a sweet, innocent, little angel. He felt something in him ache, but he dismissed the feeling, calling it sentimentality at the time. Kagome was all grown up and it was hard to believe.
“Of course. I told you that I would…I am a man of my word, silly.”
“I know, I know, but still. You did sound rather convincing when you said that you wanted to spend the night studying war tactics.”
“I was still thinking about doing that,” he teased, “but I decided that you would be devastated if I did not show my face at least for a little while.”
“You know me all too well. Come with me! I want to dance!”
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but allowed himself to be dragged by Kagome out to the middle of the dance floor to join in the current line dance. She loved her dance with him, but unfortunately, there were other older men who wanted to dance with her. Some of them were in their twenties, others in their thirties and forties. None of them were as much fun to be with as Inuyasha though, and all the while she found herself wishing that he was the one with her.
Her mind started to wander then.
What would it be like if they married? Things between them…they would not change. They could stay together as they were: as best friends. And marrying him would be so much better then wedding a man like the one that was currently holding her in their arms. He was nothing more than a fat slob, and she was sure that the only reasons he wanted to marry her was because of power, and her body. Things with Inuyasha would be so much better.
She closed her eyes and for a moment, the fat slob became Inuyasha. She started to feel her heart jump into her throat. The way this man was holding her was so much more risqué then the way Inuyasha would ever dare hold her, but with his image replacing this man's she found her heart beginning to race. She was losing herself in Inuyasha's image as they twirled across the floor, and by the time the song had come to an end, she found herself not wanting to open her eyes.
She knew now that what she wanted more than anything else was to marry that man…her best friend. She wanted some sort of happy ending, and she could only see that happening with Inuyasha. Would…would her father allow this though? And would Inuyasha even agree to becoming her husband? He did not want power. He just wanted to be the best fighter and general that he could be to serve their country, and to make his late father proud of him. He had told her so countless times before. Would he even want to be wed to someone that would bring such power and responsibilities upon his shoulders?
Her eyes began to frantically search the crowd, looking for him. She just wanted to be close to him now. She heard someone ask her to dance, but she politely declined, claiming that she needed a moment to breath from all of the excitement when she saw Inuyasha walk out onto the balcony. She quickly followed after him, but slowed her pace when she saw her father slip out in pursuit of her friend.
What would her father want of Inuyasha? Perhaps there was another out there that he wanted to speak with?
She carefully approached the balcony and silently slipped out and behind a marble column, pressing herself against it so that she could hear what he had to say to Inuyasha.
“It is a beautiful night, would you not agree?”
Inuyasha stiffened and whirled around to find himself face to face with the leader of his country. In all of his time knowing Kagome, he had not once ever met the King. He felt complete and utter terror settle into his heart. What did he want from him?
“I…yes. It is a beautiful night, Your Majesty.”
The King was silent for a moment as he studied the quivering man before him. He looked just like his late general, Taisho. Same hair, same build, same face. If he could have turned a clock back in time, he was sure that this boy would have been an exact duplicate of his father…except for those eyes. His eyes were his mother's. She was a beautiful woman…it was a shame that she died so young, but there was nothing that could be done for her.
“You look like your father.”
Inuyasha furrowed his brow at the King's simple statement. “My father?”
“Mmm…Taisho. You are his son, are you not?”
“I am,” he nodded. “How…can you tell? If you do not mind my asking, that is, Your Majesty.”
“No no…not at all. It is in your face. And the way you carry yourself. Both in general, and on the dance floor.”
Inuyasha felt his heart jump up into his throat.
“I…what…I do not…”
“Boy, what is your name?”
“In—Inuyasha, Your Majesty.”
“Ah…so you are the boy my daughter speaks so highly of,” he calmly took in the way the boy's breath caught in his throat, but he did not waver over the way he sized him up in his mind's eye.
“Perhaps…I do not know all of the Princess's friends. Just Kaede, Koga, and myself.”
“Inuyasha is not a very common name.”
Inuyasha felt his cheeks heat up, but he did not divert his gaze. “I suppose not.”
“I know how close you two are. She thinks that I do not…but I am very interested in my daughter's life. You two have been sloppy in covering your tracks.”
“I do not understand…”
“I like you, Inuyasha. You make my daughter happy, and your line has been very dedicated to the crown. From what I have heard from your teachers, you are on the path to becoming quite the knight. I want to continue to like you, boy…but to do that I need you to stop doing something.”
“And what is that?” Inuyasha questioned with absolutely no fear in his voice and meeting the King's gaze head on.
“I want you to stop spending nights with Kagome. I will not have you ruin her reputation. She is of the age where such a thing would tarnish her…so as both a King and a father, I am demanding that you stay away from her bed.”
It took everything Inuyasha had to not laugh at what the King had said. He was well aware of this, and had even spoken to Kagome about it earlier that day. The King had nothing to worry about.
“I shall, your majesty.”
“Good. I expect to see great things from you, boy. Do not disappoint me.”
With that he was gone, leaving Inuyasha to think about this most interesting turn of events. The King knew about his relationship with his daughter. He knew how close they were, and about how they had started sleeping together…and yet they were still alive. He was still alive. He could not help but wonder how this had happened. Perhaps his love and appreciation for his father really was that deep.
Inuyasha leaned against the rail, looking down at the garden below. The flowers were beautiful. Full and colorful and exotic in a way. That garden held a spectacular life within its hands…something gorgeous and stunning. Something that needed to be stopped and recognized. That is the kind of attention it drew. It was a simple beauty, yet one that beckoned one to look at it again. It entranced you…demanded that you pay homage to it. Even in the blue light from the night and the moon it was stunning…yet when he looked at this garden, he did not see a garden. He saw a face.
Kagome.
She had started to plague his thoughts more and more. Of course she always had…but now…now she was finding a way to continuously haunt him, ghosting the corners of every thought and manifesting in the strangest of situations. He did not understand what was going on with him.
“There you are,” he heard the woman of his thoughts call out to him. “I have been looking for you all night. Where have you been?”
“Here and there…you looked relatively busy dancing with all of those thirty year olds.”
“Please…do not remind me. It was one of the most horrific moments of my life.”
“Come now, it could not have been that bad!”
“It was. Believe me when I say so, for it truly was,” she huffed, walking over to the rail next to him and taking his arm to rest her head on him, snuggling into the appendage she captured. “I would have rather spent my time with you…you are much better than those fat slobs, even on your worst days.”
“Was there a complement in there?”
“Just hush and look at the garden with me. I am so tired…I just want to spend a few moments with you.”
“Mm.”
It was a beautiful night. Stunning, really. He had to agree with the King on this, too. He felt Kagome sigh and he shifted his gaze to the girl—woman, now—resting on his arm. She looked beautiful tonight. Her black hair shining in the moonlight, her beautiful sky blue eyes hidden beneath her eye lids. Her pale skin. Her rosy cheeks and lips…he found himself wondering what it would be like to lean in and kiss those lips…
His eyes widened in shock and he felt his heart jump up into his throat.
What was he thinking? This was Kagome! His best friend! He should not be thinking about such things…and yet…
His gaze drifted back down as she snuggled closer to him.
He could not help but feel as if…this was…right.
But she was Kagome!
But…still…
He felt his cheeks warm. There had to be something wrong with him. That was the only explanation. Kagome's talk of marriage earlier that day had to be the only reason he was thinking of this. Yet…marrying Kagome sounded…nice.
Even though he spoke this in his mind, he could not ignore the feelings he felt in his heart and in his gut, and deep in the back of his mind, he knew that he was accumulating feelings for his best friend.
A/N:(Original posting: 2/13/10)
*Lyric to David Bowie's song Within You (http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=y1-l0UNCKJM)I don't own it.
Hi all!!!! Soooo…I know that I said that I only had around 10 pages done…but…surprise? Please enjoy my LONGEST chapter EVER! 26 pages according to MY word doc. I am amazed that I got this done when I did in between speeches, papers, joining an honors society (Alpha Lambda Delta…geek not greek :-P) and Student Orientation Leader applications (which I am still doing.) Needless to say, feel loved that you are getting this as soon as you are!!!
Anyways…I wanna give a thankful shout out to SplendentGoddess and Kokoronagomu for reading and reviewing!! This is a new story…and one that I am kinda iffy on, so your support means a lot.
Thanks to everyone who read…now let's see if we can up the review amounts ;-).
Now for the ARs!!
To: SplendentGoddess
I LOVE that movie…that song in particular!!! My brother is much older than I am, so I grew up knowing a lot of good movies like that, and I really wanted to use that song for something. I'm so glad to hear that you like it !!! It means a LOT to hear that from you :). Bear with me for a bit more…I want to continue to explain their past before moving into that present moment. I hope that you will continue you reading, and thank SO much for the review!!!!!!!!
To: Kokoronagomu
You would think that…but her fiancé cares about power, loves her in a certain respect, and hates Inuyasha more than anything else. I normally don't try and make a character really despicable, but I am this time around. I really want people to hate him, and for him to be the “bad guy”. Let's see if it works ;-). Anyways…I hope that you will keep reading! Thanks so much for the review!!!! It means a LOT!!!!!
Till next time all!!!
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