A/N
Hello everyone! Mary here, with my first real story. Oh, I need encouragement, too. Lots and lots. This is going to be a very long story and is going to take a very long time to write, so if you're not up to the challenge, leave now (wimps!).
For those of you hanging with me, welcome! This story is by no means original. I stole the plot line from the Alanna series by Tamora Pierce. It's good. Go read.
I have no beta reader, so forgive me if things aren't spelled properly or seem amiss. I'm taking applications, so if you're willing, drop me a line.
Enough rambling…on with the show…
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To Begin With
Kagome was a girl. She was born one and that meant she would die one, and she has no choice in the matter.
It wasn't that she didn't fancy being a girl. Sometimes is was nice to wear silken dresses and sleep in soft, down blankets surrounded by stuffed animals with names like "Coco" and "Mr. Bunnikins."
However, as the inevitable day approached where she would be forced to leave home and into a shrine where she would train to be a powerful Miko, more often then not she wished that she could trade places with her twin brother, Miroku.
As a Miko-in-training, she would sit around all day meditating and learning to "focus", and she strongly suspected that eventually the muscles in her legs would atrophied from lack of use and she would leave the shine a cripple. Miroku, on the other hand, would get to go off to a great castle and train to be a knight, someday wielding a sword that would save people. Save actual lives. Something that Kagome had always longed to do with her own life.
Of course, it wasn't a choice for a woman. A female knight? Absolutely unheard of. It was either Miko, or kitchen wench in days like these. A man could choose either knighthood or priesthood, both considered noble professions. Poor Miroku, of course, wasn't given a choice either. The decision had been left up to they're powerful father. And what more could he ask? One child a knight, and one a Miko. One of everything. Have his cake and eat it too.
Kagome was a little bitter.
"It's unfair! I don't WANT to be a Miko, and you don't WANT to be a knight!" Kagome shrieked at her brother. They both sat in Miroku's plush and relatively expensive state room, the door locked and the tiny trinkets on the dresser reverberating Kagome's rage back at them. "I don't want to spend my life on the floor humming while people out there need my help!"
Miroku took a good look at his sister as he sat down next to her. Her black hair was a mess, sticking in all directions, and her grey eyes were ablaze and she glared at the carpet. It was a composite of her entire personality ever since she'd been born. Kagome was a fire, in and out. She's never sat still in her life, and he couldn't help but acknowledge what a shame it was that she couldn't be a knight. At times in their childhood, she appeared as justice in carnet, always protecting her mild-mannered brother from the town thieves, or the kids of the palace servants from the older bullies that knew to keep their distance after seeing her in action. He sighed, shifting his own gaze to the purple fiber.
"I guess this is just the way it is. We can't change what we were born, Kagome. I don't know what father was thinking, but we must go through with his wishes," he gulped audibly, "I will try my hardest to achieve knighthood and you must work hard at the shrine." He draped his lanky arm around her shoulders and squeezed slightly. "It will all work out."
"You know that we're giving away all our future happiness on this. I will never be satisfied working as a shrine maid." She spat the phrase out like poison. "And you will never be contented as a knight." She leaned against her brother's shoulder and bit her lip, hard. "I hate this."
"I know you do. So do I." There was a long pause in which neither of them moved. Finally, "I guess you'd better get back to your room and finish helping Lea pack your things. We leave early."
The next day was cold and threatened rain as early as the sunrise. Kagome and Miroku had said farewell to everyone in the palace, including their father. Kagome had made one last plea for her impending fate but, as it always had, it fell upon deaf ears as he gave her a kiss and sent them on their way. Their things had been sent ahead of them and Miroku and Kagome were to walk to the crossroads together and then in their own separate directions. When they reached the fork in the road they turned to face each other.
"Well, this is it, I guess." said Kagome. Her eyes slid from him to the road beyond, filling with longing, and then back to him. She smiled wryly. "Have fun."
He laughed. "You too. Remember what I said. You have to at least try. You actually have a lot of magical talent."
"Yeah, great, that'll do the world so much good." She shook her head. "You sure we can't switch bodies?"
"No, 'fraid not. Stuck as Kagome and Miroku Higurashi forever." Just then, a strange thought struck Miroku. A thought that seemed so obvious from the beginning but had chosen now to revel itself to him, and to Kagome if the way her eyes had widened was any indication.
"We couldn't pull it off. Could we? I mean, honestly, someone is bound to notice. The registration letters…" Kagome pulled out a royal-looking letter from her robes, with a wax seal. Miroku pulled out an identical note and they both started.
"I guess I could try…" Miroku gently pried the seal from one side of the paper, slowly separating it from the junction. When he finished, after what had seemed like hours, the seal was left completely unbroken, and unattached to the parchment. He looked Kagome in the eye and smiled shakily at her. "Are we really…? I mean, this is absolute craziness."
Kagome nodded her head in agreement, but couldn't help laughing. "This is perfect!" She pulled her own seal in the same way until both letters lay open for inspection by the twins.
Miroku pulled out a pen and started to work, mumbling to himself all the while. "Two sons…acceptance into the priesthood…respectfully request knightship…by the name of…" He stopped writing. "What should we call you? You can't run around with the name Kagome the whole time."
"Just write Kag. No one will ever know the difference." She giggled again, and did a little hop.
Miroku shook his head and looked back down at the letter. "By the name of Kag Higurashi," he finished. Looking back up, he shook his head. "You'll never pass for a guy if you keep acting like that, you know."
A thought struck Kagome like a fright train, and she sagged. "I will never pass for a guy. I only know the female court manners! I don't know how to bow, or when," her voice rose in hysteria, "I can't walk like a man or talk like one. What if I have to dance with a woman?! This was a stupid idea."
Miroku grabbed her arms to stop her flailing. "Stop it! Calm down. I'll give you a crash course in manners, and you can fake your way through the rest. Just copy what all the others do and you'll do fine. You're a fast learner." She took a deep breath and he let go, patting her on the head and looking at her critically.
"First things first. We have to get rid of that hair…"
When Kagome reached town, she was awestruck at the amount of people drifting through the streets. She had spent her entire life in a fairly small town in which she was hardly ever allowed into anyway, and the sight of a large city laid before her was overwhelming. Human and youkai alike were rumbling past one another, shopping and eating. A group of children to her right threw a wooden block back and fourth in some kind of game, laughing and running. For her part, Kagome had no idea where to start.
She wandered the streets in a sort of daze, taking in everything around her. Wind blew through her newly cut hair. Strange and enjoyable smells filled the air, as did the shouts of market peddlers trying to sell "fish! finest silks! dried meat! flour! china bowls!" and anything else one could ever need. A man lightly grabbed her arm and asked if she knew where the apprentice training for blacksmiths was to start. She shrugged, and action that reminded her of the uncomfortable breast-band tied around her chest, and he ran off without another word. Kicking up a puff of dust, Kagome ran too. She had no idea where she was going, but she wanted to feel the earth under her feet.
She dodged the groups of people and youki, jogging aimlessly until something caught her eye and she turned a sharp left. It was the castle that she was looking for before she got distracted. Kagome could do nothing but stand in wonder. It was huge! She thought that the palace that she'd spent most of her life in was a fairly good size, but it was a doll-house compared to the Goliath that stood before her. At least 120 ft from the ground to the top of the lowest tower, the castle seemed to almost touch the sun. A great gateway seemed to gnash at her, guards with swords posted at either side, separating the castle from the rest of the people on the street.
Her marveling was brought to an abrupt halt as someone slammed into her from the side and she went tumbling. She didn't reach the ground before two hands caught her and hauled her back to her feet, leaving her with no time to catch her breath before she felt the lightest pressure on her side. Something almost anyone would dismiss if they didn't know what to look for. Unfortunately for who ever this was, Kagome wasn't almost anyone and she didn't think twice before she swung her fist and it connected with a very hard jaw.
"I'll thank you not to go around picking my pocket." She huffed, cradling her hand to her chest and glaring defiantly at the figure now on his knees. When he jerked his head up, Kogome's breath caught.
It was a man, roughly her age, but obviously not human. His amber eyes glared back at her just as fiercely, but the effect was somewhat lost on her as she caught sight of his ears. They were shaped like dog ears and where buried in the amazing white hair at the top of his head. The hair itself was long, about half way down his back, smudged with dirt toward the ends, but no less beautiful.
"Bastard! Do you know how many men strike me and live?" His voice was gruff and as he got to his feet, Kagome started to wish that she had thought this through a little more. He was a very tall man, and he had very sharp-looking claws attached to his hands. When she looked down, Kagome could see a rusty sword fastened to his side. Not nearly as threatening as the rest of him, but still more then she had at her disposal.
"What kind of a man are you?" He snorted. And then paused, moved closer, and sniffed her. Kagome backpedaled so fast that she tripped over her own feet and landed on her butt in the dust. He leaned over her and took one more sniff. "No kind of man, I see." Kagome saw two fangs poking through his lips as he spoke, narrowing his eyes into cat-like slits at her. "What are you up to, wench?"
Panicked, Kagome scrambled to her feet and attempted to run (after all, she wasn't a knight yet), but the man grabbed her collar and yanked her back. "I asked you a question, you little-"
"Halt! Release that young man!" The guards from the castle gate had obviously heard the commotion and come over to rescue her. The man dropped her back in the dirt and made a run for it, quickly disappearing into the crowd of people.
One of the guards, a huge black man with a salt and pepper beard, offered his frying-pan sized hand. Kagome took it and pulled herself on to her feet.
"If there something we can help you with, son? You're looking a little lost, and it's not a good idea to go punching the Head of Thieves." The other guard, a younger man with shaggy hair, nodding seriously in agreement.
"I'm sorry, I didn't… I mean, yes, I'm hear for the knight training. The what of Thieves?"
The older guard laughed at her and threw an arm around her shoulder companionably; a move that thoroughly shocked Kagome, considering the only person to have ever done such a thing was her twin brother. Kagome doubted that Miroku's whole body weighed as much as that one arm, and her knees nearly buckled under the weight.
"We'll get you to where you need to be. You've had quite a first day already!"
Miroku, on the other hand, was having, what he considered, a perfect first day. When he had reached the shrine, his tongue had nearly dropped out of his skull. Beautiful women were everywhere, sashaying their lovely backsides here and their, almost daring him to reach out and touch one.
He was very, very lost, he realized at one point when he'd passed the same fountain for the fourth time. However, it made no difference to Miroku. Or, it wouldn't have, if he hadn't been two hours late for the enrollment that he had promised Kagome he would attend on time. It was a good excuse to stop on of the exquisite women and ask directions. He tapped one on the shoulder.
"Pardon me, but might you be able to show me to where the priesthood enrollment was to be held?"
The woman stopped and gave him a skeptical look. She was wearing a long skirt and loose top, and her sandals flopped lightly on the ground as she turned to face him. Long, dark hair swung over her shoulder. Hair that had been concealing a rather large and dangerous looking weapon tied to her back. Miroku swallowed. Just figured he would pick the one girl that could kick his ass… She eyed him up and down, something Miroku thoroughly enjoyed, and nodded for him to follow. He did, staring downward the entire time.
She led him to a small room with rice-paper walls and bamboo mats laid in rows on the floor and gestured with her hand. "Here you go. I'll fetch someone to help you. Just stay here. You're awfully late." She disappeared a moment later and he was left alone.
The shrine was relatively small to what he was use to calling home, but he could feel the calming and positive energy that only a holy place could ever seem to provide for him. Sunlight seemed to fill every space in the room, and he could faintly hear a combination of ritual humming and chanting in the distance. Excitement built in him at the thought that he would soon join people like himself. People dedicated to a life of servitude to a greater power. This was where his lifelong spiritual journey would begin.
The door swung open the reveal the woman from before and a tiny, wrinkled man following after her. She bowed a few inches to the man as he passed her and stood to the side politely. The man stopped about a foot from Miroku, straightening his back expectantly. It took Miroku a few moments of confused silence before he realized what the old man was waiting for a made a hurried bow.
"Sensei. I am honored to meet you. Please forgive my lateness." Miroku straightened and looked down at the old man. "I'm afraid I got lost in your beautiful temple."
"My name is Myoga" He gestured toward the woman. "This is Sango. I am the master of this shrine and she is my protector. You have missed the enlistment." He held out a shriveled hand, "Let me see your registration letter."
Miroku reached a shaky hand into his robes and pulled out the now perfectly sealed letter from his father. Myoga studied the seal for a moment, and then pulled it in half to examine the contents. He read through the letter quickly and then looked back up at Miroku with a dubious eye.
"I thought the Lord Higurashi was sending us a daughter."
"A common misconception," Miroku blurted out. His heart was thumping in his chest and he could only hope that lie detection was not one of the skills mastered at the Sunset Shrine. "We have no idea who started this rumor, but I assure you, my father has no daughter. Twin boys. My brother has been sent to become a knight, and I a priest."
For what seemed like a full five minutes, the old man studied Miroku. He walked in a circle around him, taking in his purple robes, eyes lingering when they reached the floor. Miroku had been forced to switch half of his clothes with Kagome and take her ceremonial, and thankfully unisex, robes. Robes that only reached the top of his ankles, while they hung to the floor on his sister. Finally, Myoga stood flush before him and looked him in the eye.
"I will make sure you receive your supplies for the year." He inclined his head and turned toward the door. "As it stands, you are new here, and the son of a powerful lord. Therefore, I will forgive your tardiness. Do not let it happen again, or I will be forced to send you back to your father. Sango, please show Miroku to his room."
Sango bowed again and hurried out of the room, with Miroku on her heels. She walked quickly down the hall and turned a sharp right, Miroku ramming against the corner of the wall as he tried to follow. She had almost cat-like speed and grace, and Miroku was memorized, even as he followed clumsily after. After much weaving in and out, she stopped in front of a plane, wooden door.
"This is your room. You'll have everything you need for tonight, and the rest of your provisions should be sent by tomorrow." She started to turn away.
"Wait! Where's your room?" She gazed at him with a level eye, turned suddenly very cold, and he rushed to elaborate. "I mean, should I need help finding my way again. It's a big shrine and I am but one man."
"I live in the room nearest the main entrance." She turned away again, and Miroku, try as he might, couldn't resist…
"Kyaaa!"
Something very hard and heavy hit the center of his head and his hand dropped away from her end, the rest of him falling dizzily to the floor. He gawked dumbly at her as she strapped the boomerang back to her shoulder and gave him a disapproving stare.
"Hentai."
And with that, she was gone down the long hallway, her dark hair swinging around the corner as he lifted his head to look. Dropping it back down to the floor, he closed his eyes and sighed.
Miroku was in love.
The guards led Kagome through the foremost gate and into the main hall. As she walked, she could hear nothing but the sound of her own breathing and the footfalls of the men beside her. She again asked herself silently what she thought she was doing, putting herself in such a situation. As they reached the meeting room, she answered herself the same way she had since that morning. I'm becoming a knight.
It was really nothing more then a stone room, but it was massive! Torches where lit along the wall, illuminating an arched ceiling that reached upward into a dark oblivion. Grey columns stood majestically to the sides, and a large wooden table was in the center of the room, filled with people. Young men, all her age, sat and talked with each other, laughing and whispering. Some turned to watch her walk in, but quickly lost interest and went back to their conversations. The large, black guard, who had introduced himself as Jiro, gave her a light shove toward an empty chair.
"Just sit yourself down and wait with the others. The prince will be in with everyone shortly and then everything'll begin." He gave her a friendly smile. "Welcome to your new home!"
Kagome moved slowly sat down on the corner of the table, next to a young man with dark hair and wide eyes. There were a few youki scattered through out the group, and Kagome tried to make sure she didn't come close enough for one to catch her scent. She had no idea how she could avoid being sniffed out for the entire three years, but she was going to make damn sure she at least made it through the orientation.
The young man she had sat next to smiled at her and offered his hand. "Hi! My name is Hojo."
Kagome took the hand, leaning away from him. He looked human enough, but she didn't want to take any chances. "Kag Higurashi."
"So, are you excited about becoming a knight?" He asked. "I wasn't too happy about it, but my father insisted and really, what can you do when a father says no? He's a farmer not to far from here and he says it was a great honor to be invited to train for knighthood. I don't know how much of an honor it is. I mean, knights are just at the whim of everyone around them. Like servants if you think about it-"
Hojo was interrupted by the sound of trumpets blasting through the room. Two very royal-looking players had stepped in and stood on either side of the door, performing what she assumed to be an announcement of arrival. One of the players stepped away from the wall.
"Prince Kouga!" The name rang off of the stone and echoed impressively into the corners of the room. Kagome saw several of the young men sit up straighter, and several more slouch farther down into their chairs.
Suddenly, a streak of brown blurred through the doorway, around the men, and landed in the chair at the head of the table. From her vantage point, Kagome could just make out the prince. He was obviously a youkai, dressed in furs with long, brown hair, and ears similar to the ears of the man on the street. A tail stuck out from behind him.
"Good afternoon." His voice was rich and it was obvious from his body language that he was royalty. "I'm Prince Kouga, and this is training for knighthood. Anyone with doubts about becoming a knight had better leave now. I warn you that these three years of your life are going to be hard. You will sweat and you will bleed and you'll do it all for your kingdom. If you are unable or unwilling, please go home."
No one moved.
"Good! In that case, welcome to the castle. For those of you who don't know, knightship is a three-year process. In the first year, you are a paige. This is where you get basic training with hand-to-hand combat as well as weapons training. Swords will be the most commonly used weapon in your education, so you'd better make friends with it now. In the second year, you will be a squire. You will be apprenticed to a third year student, helping them with their everyday responsibilities. They will train you for four hours a day, and then they will use you as an adversary in their own training for how ever long they need. You will also be required to attend intermediate classes. In the third year, you will take on a squire, training them and using them for your training. You will attend refinement classes, you will spend all day, every day training. You will learn to fight on horseback. You will push yourself to the limit. And at the end of your third year, you will take a written exam and go through The Ordeal. The Ordeal is not something that can be explained or prepared for. You will face it and you will either survive, or not. Knights who have survived The Ordeal have been sword to secrecy, so don't bother asking them about it."
The room was deathly silent. The shuffling and conversation had long stopped, but it seemed as though everyone had quit breathing. The prince scanned the room and grinned, canine teeth showing through. He stood up and nodded his head once.
"Now that that's been cleared up, I'd like to add a personal note. I myself am a squire. If we happen to train together or share a class, please drop the formalities. When learning, I am not a prince, but a pupil. And a peer. Please treat me as such. I'll collect your registration letters."
He strode around the room, taking the rolled paper from shaking hands. When he got to Hojo, the young man laughed nervously.
"I didn't think The Ordeal was such a big…well…ordeal. Heh. I mean, it sounds like something that-"
The prince ignored him and moved to Kagome. When she reached up to hand him her letter, he paused and made a narrowed eye contact with her. She gazed steadily back at him, even though she was sure he could hear her heartbeat pick up. His eyes wandered down to her clothes, and his eyebrow rose. He studied her for a full minute before speaking.
"What is your name?"
She swallowed. "Kag Higurashi."
"Stand up for me, won't you?"
Kagome felt her knees threaten to give out as she obeyed. She'd been caught. She would be kicked out, back to a life she didn't want. Her brother would be forced out of the shrine. She'd let him, and herself, down, and there was no way out. Kouga positioned her feet so that she stood flush before the entire table. He moved to stand beside her, and she closed her eyes as he opened his mouth
"Take a good look, men." He clapped a hand to her shoulder. "This man is prepared to go all the way."
She jerked her head up. What was he doing?
"Just look at the fire in his eyes. The readiness in his stance. Higurashi here is going to make a fine knight. We should all be as zealous as he." He pushed down on her lightly. "Keep that enthusiasm Higurashi. You're going to need it. You're all going to need it. Take your seat."
Kagome sat down with wide eyes. Why hadn't he given her away? What was he playing at? The prince was a youkai and had obviously smelled her. Hojo, and many of the others, where gawking at her with a mixture of admiration and jealousy, and she tried to sink lower into her chair. The prince made his way back to the front of the hall.
"So! Are there any questions?"
The meeting went on for another hour, almost everyone asking questions of Kouga. He nodded and answered with perfect ease, but Kagome could feel his eyes linger on her. When everything was done, he dismissed them all to their rooms.
"Higurashi! A word?"
Everyone filtered out until she was left alone with the youkai. He sat back down at the head of the table and gestured at the chair to his right. She took the seat.
"So, what's your real name?"
The tone of his voice permitted no argument. There was no point in denying it.
"Kagome."
"That's a lovely name." He sighed and turned to her. "Women are not knights. It's against the law. If you were caught, you could be fined, jailed, or even killed." She nodded. A look of surprise passed over his face, before it settled into something like respect. "You knew this, did you? You must be brave. What are you doing here?"
Kagome told him the entire story.
When she was finished, he leaned back into his chair and shook his head.
"That's quite a chronicle. So the only ones who know your secret are your brother, this 'Head of Thieves,' and now me." She nodded, and he was quiet for a moment.
"Kagome, I'm going to help you." He gave a loud whistle and a guard walked into the room. Kouga whispered something into his ear and he bowed and rushed off.
"I'm not a fan of the law that says that women can't be knights. My father fully supports it, of course, but I feel that it's a waste of manpower. Women are just as capable as men in such fields, and talking to you, I am confident that you are as committed to such an endeavor as any man coming in this year. Will you accept my help?"
She was stunned. Never could she have hoped for such a good amount of luck. "Yes! I mean, I will absolutely be willing to accept your help. Please. Thank you."
The guard hurried back into the room and handed Kouga a green bottle. He bowed again and walked out. Kouga put the bottle on the table and nudged it toward her. Kagome opened it and poured a little of it onto her finger. It was clear oil.
"Rub this on your skin after every bath. It will hide your scent from any other youki that you may bump into. When you run out, come and find me and I'll get you some more." He leaned forward and grabbed her hand. "Kagome, please listen to me. You must keep your secret from as many people as you can. This would be a hard journey on you under normal circumstances. You're going to have to lie to people that you will come to care about. Just remember, I know your secret and I'm on your side."
With that, he stood and offered her his hand. She took it and stood as well. "Go find your room now. Tomorrow you will attend your first classes, and you must be well rested." He started to walk out of the room, but turned back. "Oh, and don't worry about the 'Head of Thieves.' I'll take care of it personally." He left.
Kagome wandered out of the meeting hall in a daze. So many things had happened in so little time, that it all took a while to digest. The prince himself had found her out and was helping keep her secret. She wondered how Miroku was liking the shrine. Hopefully he had met at least one friend, and hopefully he wouldn't let their situation slip. She wondered if he would be disappointed in her for being found out by not only one, but two people in the first day. Granted, they where extenuating circumstances beyond her control…
By the time she reached her room, all the other men had fallen asleep, leaving her to dress for bed alone. So many thoughts swirled through her head as she slipped under the sheets. Who was the man that everyone called the Head of Thieves? He had been intimidating, but Kagome had got the feeling that he wouldn't have actually hurt her. She could only hope that the prince wouldn't do something overly nasty while 'taking care of it personally.'
The prince. He was a good-looking man. Slightly arrogant, but that was to be expected of royalty, and he was going to help her. Out of all the people she could have on her side, the prince was nearly the best she could think of, second only behind the King and Queen.
It seemed that, in general, things had fallen to her favor. It was a very decent way to end her first day as a knight in training.
A/N
Told you it would be long. This is just the first part. Got something to say? R/R! Just to let everyone know, I'm moving into college on Thursday, so the next part may take some time. It's my first story, so I'm vulnerable. Boost my confidence, won't you?
Hello everyone! Mary here, with my first real story. Oh, I need encouragement, too. Lots and lots. This is going to be a very long story and is going to take a very long time to write, so if you're not up to the challenge, leave now (wimps!).
For those of you hanging with me, welcome! This story is by no means original. I stole the plot line from the Alanna series by Tamora Pierce. It's good. Go read.
I have no beta reader, so forgive me if things aren't spelled properly or seem amiss. I'm taking applications, so if you're willing, drop me a line.
Enough rambling…on with the show…
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To Begin With
Kagome was a girl. She was born one and that meant she would die one, and she has no choice in the matter.
It wasn't that she didn't fancy being a girl. Sometimes is was nice to wear silken dresses and sleep in soft, down blankets surrounded by stuffed animals with names like "Coco" and "Mr. Bunnikins."
However, as the inevitable day approached where she would be forced to leave home and into a shrine where she would train to be a powerful Miko, more often then not she wished that she could trade places with her twin brother, Miroku.
As a Miko-in-training, she would sit around all day meditating and learning to "focus", and she strongly suspected that eventually the muscles in her legs would atrophied from lack of use and she would leave the shine a cripple. Miroku, on the other hand, would get to go off to a great castle and train to be a knight, someday wielding a sword that would save people. Save actual lives. Something that Kagome had always longed to do with her own life.
Of course, it wasn't a choice for a woman. A female knight? Absolutely unheard of. It was either Miko, or kitchen wench in days like these. A man could choose either knighthood or priesthood, both considered noble professions. Poor Miroku, of course, wasn't given a choice either. The decision had been left up to they're powerful father. And what more could he ask? One child a knight, and one a Miko. One of everything. Have his cake and eat it too.
Kagome was a little bitter.
"It's unfair! I don't WANT to be a Miko, and you don't WANT to be a knight!" Kagome shrieked at her brother. They both sat in Miroku's plush and relatively expensive state room, the door locked and the tiny trinkets on the dresser reverberating Kagome's rage back at them. "I don't want to spend my life on the floor humming while people out there need my help!"
Miroku took a good look at his sister as he sat down next to her. Her black hair was a mess, sticking in all directions, and her grey eyes were ablaze and she glared at the carpet. It was a composite of her entire personality ever since she'd been born. Kagome was a fire, in and out. She's never sat still in her life, and he couldn't help but acknowledge what a shame it was that she couldn't be a knight. At times in their childhood, she appeared as justice in carnet, always protecting her mild-mannered brother from the town thieves, or the kids of the palace servants from the older bullies that knew to keep their distance after seeing her in action. He sighed, shifting his own gaze to the purple fiber.
"I guess this is just the way it is. We can't change what we were born, Kagome. I don't know what father was thinking, but we must go through with his wishes," he gulped audibly, "I will try my hardest to achieve knighthood and you must work hard at the shrine." He draped his lanky arm around her shoulders and squeezed slightly. "It will all work out."
"You know that we're giving away all our future happiness on this. I will never be satisfied working as a shrine maid." She spat the phrase out like poison. "And you will never be contented as a knight." She leaned against her brother's shoulder and bit her lip, hard. "I hate this."
"I know you do. So do I." There was a long pause in which neither of them moved. Finally, "I guess you'd better get back to your room and finish helping Lea pack your things. We leave early."
The next day was cold and threatened rain as early as the sunrise. Kagome and Miroku had said farewell to everyone in the palace, including their father. Kagome had made one last plea for her impending fate but, as it always had, it fell upon deaf ears as he gave her a kiss and sent them on their way. Their things had been sent ahead of them and Miroku and Kagome were to walk to the crossroads together and then in their own separate directions. When they reached the fork in the road they turned to face each other.
"Well, this is it, I guess." said Kagome. Her eyes slid from him to the road beyond, filling with longing, and then back to him. She smiled wryly. "Have fun."
He laughed. "You too. Remember what I said. You have to at least try. You actually have a lot of magical talent."
"Yeah, great, that'll do the world so much good." She shook her head. "You sure we can't switch bodies?"
"No, 'fraid not. Stuck as Kagome and Miroku Higurashi forever." Just then, a strange thought struck Miroku. A thought that seemed so obvious from the beginning but had chosen now to revel itself to him, and to Kagome if the way her eyes had widened was any indication.
"We couldn't pull it off. Could we? I mean, honestly, someone is bound to notice. The registration letters…" Kagome pulled out a royal-looking letter from her robes, with a wax seal. Miroku pulled out an identical note and they both started.
"I guess I could try…" Miroku gently pried the seal from one side of the paper, slowly separating it from the junction. When he finished, after what had seemed like hours, the seal was left completely unbroken, and unattached to the parchment. He looked Kagome in the eye and smiled shakily at her. "Are we really…? I mean, this is absolute craziness."
Kagome nodded her head in agreement, but couldn't help laughing. "This is perfect!" She pulled her own seal in the same way until both letters lay open for inspection by the twins.
Miroku pulled out a pen and started to work, mumbling to himself all the while. "Two sons…acceptance into the priesthood…respectfully request knightship…by the name of…" He stopped writing. "What should we call you? You can't run around with the name Kagome the whole time."
"Just write Kag. No one will ever know the difference." She giggled again, and did a little hop.
Miroku shook his head and looked back down at the letter. "By the name of Kag Higurashi," he finished. Looking back up, he shook his head. "You'll never pass for a guy if you keep acting like that, you know."
A thought struck Kagome like a fright train, and she sagged. "I will never pass for a guy. I only know the female court manners! I don't know how to bow, or when," her voice rose in hysteria, "I can't walk like a man or talk like one. What if I have to dance with a woman?! This was a stupid idea."
Miroku grabbed her arms to stop her flailing. "Stop it! Calm down. I'll give you a crash course in manners, and you can fake your way through the rest. Just copy what all the others do and you'll do fine. You're a fast learner." She took a deep breath and he let go, patting her on the head and looking at her critically.
"First things first. We have to get rid of that hair…"
When Kagome reached town, she was awestruck at the amount of people drifting through the streets. She had spent her entire life in a fairly small town in which she was hardly ever allowed into anyway, and the sight of a large city laid before her was overwhelming. Human and youkai alike were rumbling past one another, shopping and eating. A group of children to her right threw a wooden block back and fourth in some kind of game, laughing and running. For her part, Kagome had no idea where to start.
She wandered the streets in a sort of daze, taking in everything around her. Wind blew through her newly cut hair. Strange and enjoyable smells filled the air, as did the shouts of market peddlers trying to sell "fish! finest silks! dried meat! flour! china bowls!" and anything else one could ever need. A man lightly grabbed her arm and asked if she knew where the apprentice training for blacksmiths was to start. She shrugged, and action that reminded her of the uncomfortable breast-band tied around her chest, and he ran off without another word. Kicking up a puff of dust, Kagome ran too. She had no idea where she was going, but she wanted to feel the earth under her feet.
She dodged the groups of people and youki, jogging aimlessly until something caught her eye and she turned a sharp left. It was the castle that she was looking for before she got distracted. Kagome could do nothing but stand in wonder. It was huge! She thought that the palace that she'd spent most of her life in was a fairly good size, but it was a doll-house compared to the Goliath that stood before her. At least 120 ft from the ground to the top of the lowest tower, the castle seemed to almost touch the sun. A great gateway seemed to gnash at her, guards with swords posted at either side, separating the castle from the rest of the people on the street.
Her marveling was brought to an abrupt halt as someone slammed into her from the side and she went tumbling. She didn't reach the ground before two hands caught her and hauled her back to her feet, leaving her with no time to catch her breath before she felt the lightest pressure on her side. Something almost anyone would dismiss if they didn't know what to look for. Unfortunately for who ever this was, Kagome wasn't almost anyone and she didn't think twice before she swung her fist and it connected with a very hard jaw.
"I'll thank you not to go around picking my pocket." She huffed, cradling her hand to her chest and glaring defiantly at the figure now on his knees. When he jerked his head up, Kogome's breath caught.
It was a man, roughly her age, but obviously not human. His amber eyes glared back at her just as fiercely, but the effect was somewhat lost on her as she caught sight of his ears. They were shaped like dog ears and where buried in the amazing white hair at the top of his head. The hair itself was long, about half way down his back, smudged with dirt toward the ends, but no less beautiful.
"Bastard! Do you know how many men strike me and live?" His voice was gruff and as he got to his feet, Kagome started to wish that she had thought this through a little more. He was a very tall man, and he had very sharp-looking claws attached to his hands. When she looked down, Kagome could see a rusty sword fastened to his side. Not nearly as threatening as the rest of him, but still more then she had at her disposal.
"What kind of a man are you?" He snorted. And then paused, moved closer, and sniffed her. Kagome backpedaled so fast that she tripped over her own feet and landed on her butt in the dust. He leaned over her and took one more sniff. "No kind of man, I see." Kagome saw two fangs poking through his lips as he spoke, narrowing his eyes into cat-like slits at her. "What are you up to, wench?"
Panicked, Kagome scrambled to her feet and attempted to run (after all, she wasn't a knight yet), but the man grabbed her collar and yanked her back. "I asked you a question, you little-"
"Halt! Release that young man!" The guards from the castle gate had obviously heard the commotion and come over to rescue her. The man dropped her back in the dirt and made a run for it, quickly disappearing into the crowd of people.
One of the guards, a huge black man with a salt and pepper beard, offered his frying-pan sized hand. Kagome took it and pulled herself on to her feet.
"If there something we can help you with, son? You're looking a little lost, and it's not a good idea to go punching the Head of Thieves." The other guard, a younger man with shaggy hair, nodding seriously in agreement.
"I'm sorry, I didn't… I mean, yes, I'm hear for the knight training. The what of Thieves?"
The older guard laughed at her and threw an arm around her shoulder companionably; a move that thoroughly shocked Kagome, considering the only person to have ever done such a thing was her twin brother. Kagome doubted that Miroku's whole body weighed as much as that one arm, and her knees nearly buckled under the weight.
"We'll get you to where you need to be. You've had quite a first day already!"
Miroku, on the other hand, was having, what he considered, a perfect first day. When he had reached the shrine, his tongue had nearly dropped out of his skull. Beautiful women were everywhere, sashaying their lovely backsides here and their, almost daring him to reach out and touch one.
He was very, very lost, he realized at one point when he'd passed the same fountain for the fourth time. However, it made no difference to Miroku. Or, it wouldn't have, if he hadn't been two hours late for the enrollment that he had promised Kagome he would attend on time. It was a good excuse to stop on of the exquisite women and ask directions. He tapped one on the shoulder.
"Pardon me, but might you be able to show me to where the priesthood enrollment was to be held?"
The woman stopped and gave him a skeptical look. She was wearing a long skirt and loose top, and her sandals flopped lightly on the ground as she turned to face him. Long, dark hair swung over her shoulder. Hair that had been concealing a rather large and dangerous looking weapon tied to her back. Miroku swallowed. Just figured he would pick the one girl that could kick his ass… She eyed him up and down, something Miroku thoroughly enjoyed, and nodded for him to follow. He did, staring downward the entire time.
She led him to a small room with rice-paper walls and bamboo mats laid in rows on the floor and gestured with her hand. "Here you go. I'll fetch someone to help you. Just stay here. You're awfully late." She disappeared a moment later and he was left alone.
The shrine was relatively small to what he was use to calling home, but he could feel the calming and positive energy that only a holy place could ever seem to provide for him. Sunlight seemed to fill every space in the room, and he could faintly hear a combination of ritual humming and chanting in the distance. Excitement built in him at the thought that he would soon join people like himself. People dedicated to a life of servitude to a greater power. This was where his lifelong spiritual journey would begin.
The door swung open the reveal the woman from before and a tiny, wrinkled man following after her. She bowed a few inches to the man as he passed her and stood to the side politely. The man stopped about a foot from Miroku, straightening his back expectantly. It took Miroku a few moments of confused silence before he realized what the old man was waiting for a made a hurried bow.
"Sensei. I am honored to meet you. Please forgive my lateness." Miroku straightened and looked down at the old man. "I'm afraid I got lost in your beautiful temple."
"My name is Myoga" He gestured toward the woman. "This is Sango. I am the master of this shrine and she is my protector. You have missed the enlistment." He held out a shriveled hand, "Let me see your registration letter."
Miroku reached a shaky hand into his robes and pulled out the now perfectly sealed letter from his father. Myoga studied the seal for a moment, and then pulled it in half to examine the contents. He read through the letter quickly and then looked back up at Miroku with a dubious eye.
"I thought the Lord Higurashi was sending us a daughter."
"A common misconception," Miroku blurted out. His heart was thumping in his chest and he could only hope that lie detection was not one of the skills mastered at the Sunset Shrine. "We have no idea who started this rumor, but I assure you, my father has no daughter. Twin boys. My brother has been sent to become a knight, and I a priest."
For what seemed like a full five minutes, the old man studied Miroku. He walked in a circle around him, taking in his purple robes, eyes lingering when they reached the floor. Miroku had been forced to switch half of his clothes with Kagome and take her ceremonial, and thankfully unisex, robes. Robes that only reached the top of his ankles, while they hung to the floor on his sister. Finally, Myoga stood flush before him and looked him in the eye.
"I will make sure you receive your supplies for the year." He inclined his head and turned toward the door. "As it stands, you are new here, and the son of a powerful lord. Therefore, I will forgive your tardiness. Do not let it happen again, or I will be forced to send you back to your father. Sango, please show Miroku to his room."
Sango bowed again and hurried out of the room, with Miroku on her heels. She walked quickly down the hall and turned a sharp right, Miroku ramming against the corner of the wall as he tried to follow. She had almost cat-like speed and grace, and Miroku was memorized, even as he followed clumsily after. After much weaving in and out, she stopped in front of a plane, wooden door.
"This is your room. You'll have everything you need for tonight, and the rest of your provisions should be sent by tomorrow." She started to turn away.
"Wait! Where's your room?" She gazed at him with a level eye, turned suddenly very cold, and he rushed to elaborate. "I mean, should I need help finding my way again. It's a big shrine and I am but one man."
"I live in the room nearest the main entrance." She turned away again, and Miroku, try as he might, couldn't resist…
"Kyaaa!"
Something very hard and heavy hit the center of his head and his hand dropped away from her end, the rest of him falling dizzily to the floor. He gawked dumbly at her as she strapped the boomerang back to her shoulder and gave him a disapproving stare.
"Hentai."
And with that, she was gone down the long hallway, her dark hair swinging around the corner as he lifted his head to look. Dropping it back down to the floor, he closed his eyes and sighed.
Miroku was in love.
The guards led Kagome through the foremost gate and into the main hall. As she walked, she could hear nothing but the sound of her own breathing and the footfalls of the men beside her. She again asked herself silently what she thought she was doing, putting herself in such a situation. As they reached the meeting room, she answered herself the same way she had since that morning. I'm becoming a knight.
It was really nothing more then a stone room, but it was massive! Torches where lit along the wall, illuminating an arched ceiling that reached upward into a dark oblivion. Grey columns stood majestically to the sides, and a large wooden table was in the center of the room, filled with people. Young men, all her age, sat and talked with each other, laughing and whispering. Some turned to watch her walk in, but quickly lost interest and went back to their conversations. The large, black guard, who had introduced himself as Jiro, gave her a light shove toward an empty chair.
"Just sit yourself down and wait with the others. The prince will be in with everyone shortly and then everything'll begin." He gave her a friendly smile. "Welcome to your new home!"
Kagome moved slowly sat down on the corner of the table, next to a young man with dark hair and wide eyes. There were a few youki scattered through out the group, and Kagome tried to make sure she didn't come close enough for one to catch her scent. She had no idea how she could avoid being sniffed out for the entire three years, but she was going to make damn sure she at least made it through the orientation.
The young man she had sat next to smiled at her and offered his hand. "Hi! My name is Hojo."
Kagome took the hand, leaning away from him. He looked human enough, but she didn't want to take any chances. "Kag Higurashi."
"So, are you excited about becoming a knight?" He asked. "I wasn't too happy about it, but my father insisted and really, what can you do when a father says no? He's a farmer not to far from here and he says it was a great honor to be invited to train for knighthood. I don't know how much of an honor it is. I mean, knights are just at the whim of everyone around them. Like servants if you think about it-"
Hojo was interrupted by the sound of trumpets blasting through the room. Two very royal-looking players had stepped in and stood on either side of the door, performing what she assumed to be an announcement of arrival. One of the players stepped away from the wall.
"Prince Kouga!" The name rang off of the stone and echoed impressively into the corners of the room. Kagome saw several of the young men sit up straighter, and several more slouch farther down into their chairs.
Suddenly, a streak of brown blurred through the doorway, around the men, and landed in the chair at the head of the table. From her vantage point, Kagome could just make out the prince. He was obviously a youkai, dressed in furs with long, brown hair, and ears similar to the ears of the man on the street. A tail stuck out from behind him.
"Good afternoon." His voice was rich and it was obvious from his body language that he was royalty. "I'm Prince Kouga, and this is training for knighthood. Anyone with doubts about becoming a knight had better leave now. I warn you that these three years of your life are going to be hard. You will sweat and you will bleed and you'll do it all for your kingdom. If you are unable or unwilling, please go home."
No one moved.
"Good! In that case, welcome to the castle. For those of you who don't know, knightship is a three-year process. In the first year, you are a paige. This is where you get basic training with hand-to-hand combat as well as weapons training. Swords will be the most commonly used weapon in your education, so you'd better make friends with it now. In the second year, you will be a squire. You will be apprenticed to a third year student, helping them with their everyday responsibilities. They will train you for four hours a day, and then they will use you as an adversary in their own training for how ever long they need. You will also be required to attend intermediate classes. In the third year, you will take on a squire, training them and using them for your training. You will attend refinement classes, you will spend all day, every day training. You will learn to fight on horseback. You will push yourself to the limit. And at the end of your third year, you will take a written exam and go through The Ordeal. The Ordeal is not something that can be explained or prepared for. You will face it and you will either survive, or not. Knights who have survived The Ordeal have been sword to secrecy, so don't bother asking them about it."
The room was deathly silent. The shuffling and conversation had long stopped, but it seemed as though everyone had quit breathing. The prince scanned the room and grinned, canine teeth showing through. He stood up and nodded his head once.
"Now that that's been cleared up, I'd like to add a personal note. I myself am a squire. If we happen to train together or share a class, please drop the formalities. When learning, I am not a prince, but a pupil. And a peer. Please treat me as such. I'll collect your registration letters."
He strode around the room, taking the rolled paper from shaking hands. When he got to Hojo, the young man laughed nervously.
"I didn't think The Ordeal was such a big…well…ordeal. Heh. I mean, it sounds like something that-"
The prince ignored him and moved to Kagome. When she reached up to hand him her letter, he paused and made a narrowed eye contact with her. She gazed steadily back at him, even though she was sure he could hear her heartbeat pick up. His eyes wandered down to her clothes, and his eyebrow rose. He studied her for a full minute before speaking.
"What is your name?"
She swallowed. "Kag Higurashi."
"Stand up for me, won't you?"
Kagome felt her knees threaten to give out as she obeyed. She'd been caught. She would be kicked out, back to a life she didn't want. Her brother would be forced out of the shrine. She'd let him, and herself, down, and there was no way out. Kouga positioned her feet so that she stood flush before the entire table. He moved to stand beside her, and she closed her eyes as he opened his mouth
"Take a good look, men." He clapped a hand to her shoulder. "This man is prepared to go all the way."
She jerked her head up. What was he doing?
"Just look at the fire in his eyes. The readiness in his stance. Higurashi here is going to make a fine knight. We should all be as zealous as he." He pushed down on her lightly. "Keep that enthusiasm Higurashi. You're going to need it. You're all going to need it. Take your seat."
Kagome sat down with wide eyes. Why hadn't he given her away? What was he playing at? The prince was a youkai and had obviously smelled her. Hojo, and many of the others, where gawking at her with a mixture of admiration and jealousy, and she tried to sink lower into her chair. The prince made his way back to the front of the hall.
"So! Are there any questions?"
The meeting went on for another hour, almost everyone asking questions of Kouga. He nodded and answered with perfect ease, but Kagome could feel his eyes linger on her. When everything was done, he dismissed them all to their rooms.
"Higurashi! A word?"
Everyone filtered out until she was left alone with the youkai. He sat back down at the head of the table and gestured at the chair to his right. She took the seat.
"So, what's your real name?"
The tone of his voice permitted no argument. There was no point in denying it.
"Kagome."
"That's a lovely name." He sighed and turned to her. "Women are not knights. It's against the law. If you were caught, you could be fined, jailed, or even killed." She nodded. A look of surprise passed over his face, before it settled into something like respect. "You knew this, did you? You must be brave. What are you doing here?"
Kagome told him the entire story.
When she was finished, he leaned back into his chair and shook his head.
"That's quite a chronicle. So the only ones who know your secret are your brother, this 'Head of Thieves,' and now me." She nodded, and he was quiet for a moment.
"Kagome, I'm going to help you." He gave a loud whistle and a guard walked into the room. Kouga whispered something into his ear and he bowed and rushed off.
"I'm not a fan of the law that says that women can't be knights. My father fully supports it, of course, but I feel that it's a waste of manpower. Women are just as capable as men in such fields, and talking to you, I am confident that you are as committed to such an endeavor as any man coming in this year. Will you accept my help?"
She was stunned. Never could she have hoped for such a good amount of luck. "Yes! I mean, I will absolutely be willing to accept your help. Please. Thank you."
The guard hurried back into the room and handed Kouga a green bottle. He bowed again and walked out. Kouga put the bottle on the table and nudged it toward her. Kagome opened it and poured a little of it onto her finger. It was clear oil.
"Rub this on your skin after every bath. It will hide your scent from any other youki that you may bump into. When you run out, come and find me and I'll get you some more." He leaned forward and grabbed her hand. "Kagome, please listen to me. You must keep your secret from as many people as you can. This would be a hard journey on you under normal circumstances. You're going to have to lie to people that you will come to care about. Just remember, I know your secret and I'm on your side."
With that, he stood and offered her his hand. She took it and stood as well. "Go find your room now. Tomorrow you will attend your first classes, and you must be well rested." He started to walk out of the room, but turned back. "Oh, and don't worry about the 'Head of Thieves.' I'll take care of it personally." He left.
Kagome wandered out of the meeting hall in a daze. So many things had happened in so little time, that it all took a while to digest. The prince himself had found her out and was helping keep her secret. She wondered how Miroku was liking the shrine. Hopefully he had met at least one friend, and hopefully he wouldn't let their situation slip. She wondered if he would be disappointed in her for being found out by not only one, but two people in the first day. Granted, they where extenuating circumstances beyond her control…
By the time she reached her room, all the other men had fallen asleep, leaving her to dress for bed alone. So many thoughts swirled through her head as she slipped under the sheets. Who was the man that everyone called the Head of Thieves? He had been intimidating, but Kagome had got the feeling that he wouldn't have actually hurt her. She could only hope that the prince wouldn't do something overly nasty while 'taking care of it personally.'
The prince. He was a good-looking man. Slightly arrogant, but that was to be expected of royalty, and he was going to help her. Out of all the people she could have on her side, the prince was nearly the best she could think of, second only behind the King and Queen.
It seemed that, in general, things had fallen to her favor. It was a very decent way to end her first day as a knight in training.
A/N
Told you it would be long. This is just the first part. Got something to say? R/R! Just to let everyone know, I'm moving into college on Thursday, so the next part may take some time. It's my first story, so I'm vulnerable. Boost my confidence, won't you?