I do not own Inuyasha. Updated- 9/16/07 character changes.
Here's a fun twist on one of my child hood favorites, hope you liked the summary My own little poetic gift to you.
I'm having a little writers block with my last story so i thought this would be a fun new story, to get away from that other one for a teensy bit.
please review so i can write another chapter!
The Princess and The Pauper
Long ago in a far off town, lived one girl in rags and one in a gown. Though they were different, their faces you see, were smiliar..no, identical to a T! Despite their different lives theyd meet one warm spring day, for fate would have it no other way.
0P0
"Ouch!" Sango brought her finger to her lips and cringed. This was the third time today she'd stabbed herself with her sewing needle. Looking for a piece of cloth to wrap around
her finger, she found nothing. Her shirt was too covered in soot to cause anything but infection, and her hair kerchief wasn't much better. She sighed and began wrapping it with a
snip of fabric and some masking tape. Currently she was finishing the embroidery on a satin wedding gown. The woman had specifically asked for a lace netting trim, an extremely
difficult task due to its inability to properly hold a stitch. She'd found that if she manually double stitched the netting to the milky fabric, it tended to hold better. Difficult work, but
Madam Chapeau threatened to cut her food rations in half if she didn't approach the dress as an artist would a masterpiece. Apparently the bride was an extremely wealthy woman
from high ranking parents, and word around the shop was that she even resided in the palace with her family. Her mother had requested this dress as a suprise early wedding gift,
insisting its completion be the top priority in the shop.
Sango rested the silky fabric on her work table, and lowered her forehead against the cool metal of her sewing machine. She let her arms dangle at her sides, feeling the tension in
her hands slowly dribble away. She had only been allowed 3 hours of sleep for the past 2 nights and her head was pounding. Her arms felt like they were full of sand, and all of her
joints and muscles were crying out in boredom. She was sure if she were to stand up her butt would have gone flat by now, sitting on her work bench for 9 hours straight.
Her stomach growled and she reached her hand to it. She had been allowed a half a loaf of bread and 2 slices of cheese that morning, and small plate of carrot sticks that afternoon.
But it had been hours since then, and she was allowed only 1 "meal" every 5 hours until this damn dress was finished. She felt her body sink deeper into an exhausted lull, she felt
sick and dirty, wishing she could go enjoy a hot bath instead of the ice cold showers provided to the workers. She scoffed at the unrealistic ideas her brain came up with sometimes,
she was indebted to Madam Chapeau and that was all there was to it.
She had been born into an extremely poor family, her mother and father were elated to have a child to love and raise, but in the recesses of their minds they knew they could never
give her all that she deserved. So one day her mother, who was known in the village to be a wonderful seamstress, approached Madam Chapeau.
"My lady, this is terribly difficult for me to ask, however…I'm in need of money and all though it hurts my pride to grovel, I do beg of you…for a job at your shop'
Madam Chapeau was a wicked woman, but a wonderfully brilliant business owner. She realized the profit she could make from hiring this woman. Although the advancement the
woman was asking seemed awfully steep, she looked rather young and could therefore work for years to come to pay off her debt; Supplying Madam Chapeau with gorgeous
tailored suits and gowns that in the long run would attract many wealthy costumers. Madam Chapeau could then double the price of the gown, while still allowing this woman to
believe it was being sold at the same price as the other less fabulous dresses, and gain double the amount she lost! She cackled wickedly, looked down her crooked nose at the
petite brunette's pleading eyes, and nodded.
Sango's young mother ran home to her waiting husband with the good news, they would be able to properly feed and clothe their new baby girl. Perhaps even send her to school
when she was the right age.
All went wonderfully for the loving little family, up until Sango reached age 12. A day that seemed like any other, it wasn't an ominous day at all, no lightning storms or bleak grey
skies. Kids played in the streets, birds chirped, the sun shone down cheerfully. Perhaps that's what made the day so tragic, how unexpected the deaths of Sango's parents were.
How could the sun shine so happily, how could the children play so joyously, as a young girl was left alone forever in such a lonely world.
Sango's parents had been returning home after a secret shopping trip to the market. It was Sango's twelfth birthday and they'd saved up some extra money to buy her a beautiful
pendant she'd been absolutely fawning over. On the way home, a group of bandits had attacked them and demanded they hand over their gold and purchases. When the bandits
realized they had went to the trouble for a lousy locket and some bronze coins, they became enraged and murdered her parents.
For a month or so, people in the village would come by Sango's house offering her gifts and baked goods, smiling in pity. She couldn't stand it, she couldn't stand the guilt she felt.
Blaming her own materialism for her parents death, she made a promise to herself never to get caught up in money or the value of items again. She cried a lot that week, then, she
didn't cry at all. She sold her house for a small amount of money and marched to the dress shop where her mother owed money. She handed Madam Chapeau her miniscule fortune
and sold herself over as a replacement. Madam Chapeau provided food rations, a mat to sleep on, and 2 sets of working clothes. Sango learned to take care of herself and
continued her mothers job as the local seamstress, determined to pay off her parents debt and begin a new life once she was allowed freedom.
7 years later, freedom seemed more of a fable than a reality.
Sango was abruptly brought out of her light doze by a rap on her head. She jumped up clamping her hands to her skull as it pulsed in pain. Looking up she saw her employer staring
at her with a look of contempt.
"Sleeping on the job again my little worker ant?" She laughed mercilessly at her creative pet name.
"Eating pastries in your room and adding to your already alarmingly massive bulk again M'lady? " She mumbled into her hand as she stifled a yawn.
"What was that?" Her boss demanded.
"Nothing, I'm sorry. It wont happen again."
"See to it that it doesn't…" Madam Chapeau stared at her, lightly tapping her fan to the palm of her hand.
"You know Sango, you should learn to control that bite of yours, learn to act like the poor worker girl you are. It's laughable the pride you've retained, pride in what I don't know.
You would think you were batty, acting like a princess. Princess of the rats, that's all you are." the Madam laughed meanly and turned to leave.
Sango stuck out her tongue at the woman's massive backside and turned to continue her work. Sighing heavily, she picked up the measuring tape and began cutting small strips of
light pink ribbon, her persistent stomaching growling angrily for the millionth time that day.
$P$
"And one and two and three and four and one and two and three and four. ONCE MORE and one and two…"
Kagome rolled her eyes as she crossed the hardwood flooring in the great hall once more, she'd done this so many times over the past 19 years it was second nature. She came to
the wall on the opposite side, turned, curtseyed, and lifted the thick book from the top of her head.
"Miroku, I honestly do have the flattest head in the whole kingdom, not to mention the straightest posture. There's no need to worry!" Kagome insisted to her etiquette teacher,
"Really, I'm ready for the banquette, I'm ready to meet the Earl, and I'm ready to dance at the ball! I know every last thing I can possibly cram into my brain! Now can't I have a
break from all of this? I've been at it for hours!"
The raven haired man sighed, he'd grown up in the castle, his father had taught etiquette to the queen when she was merely a princess, and now he had taken over teaching his
childhood friend Kagome the same. Miroku spent most of his time teaching Kagome and other important female figures in the castle the mannerisms of a proper royal lady.
However, in his free time he enjoyed sitting in one of the large leather chairs by the fireplace in the castle library. Today was a particularly monotonous one, he'd spent the past 2
hours reteaching Kagome things she was allready well aware of, but the queen had insisted extra lessons were in order. Apparently this ball was much more important than previous
ones. He knew he should finish the last half hour of their lesson, but he himself was merely 22 years old and would have rather been in the library reading his favorite books. He
sighed, smiling he bent at the waist
"I suppose just this once we can end our lesson early, it is rather nice out. Today is your lucky day, Oh Princess Flathead"
Kagome rolled her eyes but smiled, giving her childhood friend a small hug she rushed out of the hall in a blur.
Kagome ran as fast as she could to her closet, pulling open the doors she revealed her large collection of clothes. Pink gowns, blue gowns, skirts, blouses, silk scarves, cotton
gloves, stockings, heels, boots, sandals, even 10 extraordinary hats propped on top of mannequin heads. She shuffled through all of her belongings, pulling out a knee length white
cotton skirt with pink petals adorning the bottom trim, and a button up pink blouse. She pulled off her heels and yellow "relax-time" dress, and pulled on her new outfit. She slipped
into her kitten heeled sandals and pulled her curly raven hair back with a pink ribbon.
She went to the mirror and looked at her reflection. Sighing she proceeded to change her outfit 3 times, settling on instead a yellow and blue skirt with a white cardigan twin set. She
spritzed a bit of rose water onto her neck and ran out the door giddily.
Halfway to the stables she stopped running so she could properly breath, and regain her demure mannerisms. She breathed deeply in and out once or twice before entering the large
stable doors. She was in love with this smell, yes it smelled of must and hay, but it also smelled of Inuyasha. She stood under the skylight in the center and began petting the snout of
one of the many horses in the stables. This one was a dapple grey and lazily closed its eyes against her touch.
"You're awfully handsome aren't you, Philippe…for a horse that is" Kagome mused
"Why thank you princess, you're awfully pretty yourself, for a horse that is" Answered the animal in a mocking tone.
Kagome jumped back, she had definitely heard the horse speak to her…and not just speak to her…mock her! She looked around the barn instinctively, for someone else to share
in her confusion. No one was there, not even Inuyasha the stable hand.
"You…you can speak?" Kagome whispered cautiously at the animal.
"Of course I can speak, now open up this gate so I can go out into the field, my legs are bored." The horse answered.
Kagome looked at it in awe, and slowly raised her hand over the wooden fencing, reaching for the lock. She was nervous and confused but her love of adventure got the best of her
and her hand shakily reached for the metal lock. Suddenly she felt something grip her ankle and she screeched in terror. Jumping back 4 feet she fell into a big pile of hay.
Laughing Inuyasha rose up from behind the wooden door.
"You are such a dunce! you can talk?" he mimicked, "Priceless!"
Kagome realized what had happened and jumped up in a rage, her face flaming.
"Inuyasha! You jerk! This is the last time I ever come visit you. I swear, what are you five!?"
Inuyasha laughed with mirth and clutched his stomach. Kagome lifted herself up and shook the hay from her hair, she then turned and began marching out of the barn. Four seconds
later she felt a strong hand encompass the upper part of her arm and pull her back against a firm chest. Arms encircled her tiny waist and she felt the tickling of Inuyasha's voice on
the crook of her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, but you look awfully cute when you're embarrassed, Princess"
Kagome shivered at his words and melted into his warm embrace,
"It's….well it's ok…then…I suppose…" She fumbled out her words.
Inuyasha breathed in against her neck and sighed,
"God, your smell drives me crazy…" Kagome felt her temperature rise with her sudden reaction to his voice.
"In fact…It's like a drug…I can't get enough…I…." and he began to breath deeply against her neck and pull her closer to him, Kagome began giggling uncontrollably and squirmed against his arms.
"Where are you going Princess? I'm not done with you" And he began to tickle her sides while still sniffing all over her hair like a dog, Kagome laughed like a little kid and toppled
to the ground, Inuyasha was close behind, making puppy noises all the way and sniffing her face. Eventually, out of breath, they laid down next to each other staring up at the sky.
They picked out shapes in the clouds and laughed at all the silly things they could find.
"That one there looks like a crown, like something the queen would wear" Inuyasha said lazily, pointing up at a spikey looking cloud.
Kagome squinted at it, and looked away with dismay. She didn't like thinking about her royal duties, they caged her in and she felt she had no escape. She also knew that her future
didn't hold any spots for Inuyasha to fill. It just wasn't in the big plan that had been mapped out for her since birth. It made her sad and lonely all at once. She gripped Inuyasha's
hand and buried her face in his shoulder as he looked on confused.