Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.
Prologue
(Three years previous)
"So it's agreed, then?" King Inu no Taisho confirmed, leaning back satisfactorily in his lavish seat. He had his large hand splayed on the long and incredibly detailed contract in front of him, the document bearing both his and his current wife, Queen Izayoi's signature.
King Higurashi looked to his own wife, Queen Emi for verification. He was a natural worrier, and was constantly looking for comfort and substantiation from his Queen and ruling partner. It was common knowledge that many of the laws and doctrines of Miko's Realm were courtesy of Emi rather than her husband. Both the people and her husband loved and respected her dearly.
Queen Emi smiled and nodded her head, kindly urging her husband to sign. King Inu no Taisho slid the document over to him, intertwining his fingers and resting them under his nose in concentration and slight impatience as he watched King Higurashi re-read the contract for the umpteenth time.
"My daughter will still be a monarch in this land as well, then?" King Higurashi asked, poising his inked quill to the contract, awaiting the answer.
"Yes, yes," King Inu no Taisho nodded exasperatedly, waving the other king to sign irritably. "As will my son remain a monarch in his."
"Both will be involved in the politics of both lands and peoples," Queen Izayoi clarified in her soft yet elegant voice.
Queen Emi nodded in agreement enthusiastically, holding her husband's elbow in a supportive embrace. "To ensure both their safeties and the protection of their kingdoms, dear," she said, nudging him sweetly to sign. "This contract is iron-clad and infallible. I couldn't hope for a better future for our daughter."
King Higurashi harrumphed and re-dipped his quill into the ink canister. "Well then, it seems like I can't refuse." After much deliberation and purposeful stalling, the king signed his name, then passed quill and contract to his wife to do the same.
"Alright, then!" King Inu no Taisho declared ardently, snatching the contract away from Queen Emi in his intrinsically brusque demeanor. He stood, offering a friendly hand to King Higurashi, who accepted it with much less fervor. Both kings led their wives over to the drawing table, where a word-for-word copy of the contract and the seals of the kingdoms sat waiting. The copy of the contract was signed by all four monarchs and each king dipped their respective seals into the wax, closing both documents until the day they were to be opened and signed anew by their children.
"It's settled," King Inu no Taisho continued, clapping a strong hand to King Higurashi's shoulder. "From this day hence forth, it shall be known that we are allies, my old friend." He called over to the door guards gruffly, ordering for his Advising Monk's appearance in the signing room at once. A guard bowed his head and slipped through the door.
A few short minutes later, there was a polite rapping at the door before it opened slightly, and a young monk looking not to have yet seen his thirties poked his head in expectantly.
"Miroku!" King Inu no Taisho boomed joyously, ushering the monk to approach the kings and queens. Miroku came to the king's side obediently, bowing his head to King Higurashi and Queen Emi in turn. Inu no Taisho patted Miroku's shoulder fatherly. "This here is Miroku, my son's right-hand man. He's also my personal advisor and assistant to the Head Monk in the King's personal monastery."
King Higurashi eyed Miroku up and down indifferently. The monk wore the profligate robes of a practitioner of a monastery from the Land of Yōkai indeed, though they were darker in color than Yōkaites' typical shades of white, consisting of varying hues of blue, purple, and gray. He was also not typical in other aspects of appearance; he wore his hair long instead of shaving his scalp bald and kept the shoulder-length black locks tied back in a low-set ponytail. Both his ears were pierced, his left baring two golden rings while his right bore one. The sacred rosary of nenju beads dangled lazily from his belt rather than being worn around his neck and there was a suspicious looking bandage and arm guard wrapped around his right hand, extending a little passed his wrist. The best the skeptical king could offer was that at least, for all his idiosyncrasies, his appearance could be considered clean and well-kempt.
"You speak fondly of him, my friend," King Higurashi addressed King Inu no Taisho, though his eyes still analyzed Miroku unimpressed. "Though to me he seems too young and . . . impressionable."
"Oh, nonsense, my husband," Queen Emi insisted, taking a good look at Miroku for herself. "He seems highly capable. Look at the shakujō he carries, no monk would carry one with such power unless they passed their credentials." She reached up to pat her husband's cheek with a mock reproach. "No matter how he looks. Besides, I think he's quite handsome."
Miroku bowed his head humbly, though King Higurashi did not miss the arrogant gleam flickering in his eyes. His poorly hidden smugness did nothing to warm the king up to this audacious so-called Advising Monk.
"My Lady flatters me so," Miroku said, keeping his head bowed, though King Higurashi could hear the cocky smirk in his voice. "I am but a humble monk."
King Inu no Taisho let out a thunderous laugh. "Come now, man!" he jested his fellow king, placing both his hands on Miroku's shoulders in praise. "Lady Emi is right; Miroku has seen twenty-one winters yet and has indeed passed his credentials with amazing competence. I wouldn't trust a better friend to my son and I wouldn't trust a better page with my own errands."
"Again, my Lordship indulges me too highly," Miroku said placidly, smiling at the king like a son to a father.
"Of course I do," King Inu no Taisho agreed teasingly, giving Miroku's head a playful shove. He turned back to King Higurashi and Queen Emi. "He gives me some trouble sure, but never intentionally. He's got a great heart." He smiled down at his wife, his fangs and long, white hair glistening in the lamplight. "He's only human, naturally."
King Higurashi's poor opinion of Miroku had little to no chance of improving, though he swallowed his judgments and nodded his approval to King Inu no Taisho. "Very well, Inu no Taisho. What are to be his duties?"
"Miroku is the only one my son trusts to represent him diplomatically," Queen Izayoi explained. "As both our children are young and unlearned, it is only proper they are to be represented by proxy until they reach the proper age. We will trust Miroku to do as such for our son."
"Quite right, quite right, Lady Izayoi," King Higurashi nodded, turning to the door guards again. "You, there, fetch Sango for me please."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The guard bowed from the room once more.
"Sango is our daughter's chief Lady-in-Waiting. Similar to your son and the Monk Miroku, she is the only one trusted by the young Princess in matters of diplomacy," Queen Emi filled in while they waited. "She's also young, but as proven herself splendidly time and again."
The door guard returned, barely leaving the doorway open for the brisk and decisive entrance of a young girl behind him. She was young, younger than Miroku it appeared, and dressed much plainer than a Princess's personal handmaiden should be. Her skirt was shorter than normally proper, ending mid-calf and showing the leggings and boots typical of outdoor wear, her shirt and vest also casual. The sleeves of the shirt came down off her shoulders and ended at her forearm, and both the shirt and vest were anchored by a thick leather belt cinched around her small waist.
The young Lady-in-Waiting wasted no time dillydallying and marched straight to the monarchs purposefully, sending a short, but respecting nod in the direction of King Inu no Taisho and Queen Izayoi. She addressed King Higurashi directly, "You called, my Lord?"
"Yes, my dear," King Higurashi said fondly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and turning her to face King Inu no Taisho, Queen Izayoi and Miroku once more. His relationship with his own child's servant was very parental, similar to Inu no Taisho and Miroku. He spoke to the Yōkai king, "This is Sango. She'll represent my daughter in this matter until the princess reaches the proper age."
King Inu no Taisho observed Sango with an eyebrow cocked humorously. "Why, Higurashi, here you complain about my Advising Monk's young age while you present us with a handmaiden who barely looks old enough to marry! That hardly seems fair." He gestured for Sango to step forward. "How old are you, girl?"
"Sixteen this month, Your Highness," Sango answered promptly. She spared a fleeting glance towards Miroku, who hadn't taken his eyes off her since she entered the room. "Though you needn't worry about me. I can hold my own."
"Can you now?" King Inu no Taisho raised both eyebrows in mock astonishment. "Would you like to have a duel?"
"Dear," Queen Izayoi put a hand on her husband's elbow, reproaching him gently. To Sango she said, "Forgive him, my child, he likes to tease."
In a brash move, Sango swept her eyes up and down King Inu no Taisho's intimidating build, as if sizing him up. "I'm proficiently skilled in the art of archery and of the sword," she informed the foreign monarchs bluntly, "And more than masterful in hand-to-hand combat. There's not a man or yōkai that has bested me in battle yet."
King Inu no Taisho looked genuinely interested now. "Indeed?" He put his hand to his chin thoughtfully and sized up Sango's small frame for himself. "You better keep an eye on this one, Higurashi," he informed the other king. "I may steal her for my kingdom. She would be an army general, not some Lady-in-Waiting."
"Yes, well," King Higurashi huffed worriedly, "Now is that anyway to talk to an ally, my good man? Come now, we have much to discuss regarding this treaty." He stretched his arm out to King Inu no Taisho and Queen Izayoi inviting them to leave the room with him. The kings and queens took their leave of the signing room, and King Higurashi turned back once more before he disappeared, calling to Miroku and Sango. "You two make arrangements for each other, sort things out amongst yourselves." The door to the signing room closed, echoing across the otherwise empty room.
Sango kept her eyes fixated on the door for a while, as if this was the last thing she wanted to do. Miroku took the time to look at her fully without being improper in front of kings and queens. She was absolutely beautiful, and for him that was saying something. Miroku had been known to fraternize with the various women of Court back in the Land of Yōkai (the "trouble" King Inu no Taisho had mentioned earlier), though this one's splendor could swear him off all other lady-folk for life. She had long chocolate-colored hair held high on her head in a ponytail that flowed down passed her shoulders like silk. Her eyes were a bright golden-brown accented by smoky pink shades swept across her lids, matched perfectly by pink lips that reminded him of rose petals. Her body offered more wonders, perfectly curved and proportional: her hips perfect for child-bearing, her waist small and feminine, her bottom (though he'd only had fleeting glances at it) seemed flawlessly round, her breasts—oh, Lord, her breasts—they were more than ample and full, accentuated by the vest, the clasps underneath them emphasized them fantastically. She looked remarkably soft and delicate—though, Miroku remembered those looks were deceptive; she had proclaimed herself an extraordinary fighter. In short, he mused, he seemed to have found himself in the presence of a goddess.
Sango cleared her throat and Miroku was brought out of his revere, and he looked back to her face to see her staring at him expectantly, not seeming to be impressed with him at all even though she didn't know him. Her demeanor looked a little more callous than before and he wondered momentarily if he'd been caught in his admiration.
"Sango, am I right?" Miroku verified her name coolly, trying to hide his interest in her. If she knew how immediate his attraction was, it might put her out forever.
"Monk," she responded shortly, linking her hands behind her back.
Miroku took in her indifference and raised an eyebrow. "My name is Miroku," he said, straightening his posture proudly.
Sango blinked her eyes slowly, silently showing him how little she cared. Miroku cleared his throat awkwardly.
"How old is the princess?" he asked, taking her example and focusing on the matter at hand.
"Twelve years," Sango replied, as precise as ever. At least she seemed to treat him better the less he tried to engage her in a conversation involving anything else than what they were brought to discuss.
"Twelve," Miroku repeated thoughtfully, "Still three years till she becomes of age."
"And the prince?"
"Hmm?"
"The prince, how old is he?" Sango reiterated and for the first time she looked genuinely interested. She appeared to have the princess's best interests at heart, something that Miroku could respect and relate to given his relationship with both the Yōkai princes.
"He's fourteen years, though as you know, age is not really of concern in the Land of Yōkai." He was daring to joke, but it seemed to go over well enough.
Sango nodded contemplatively, looking back over to the door as if she expected someone to come through it. "Three years. . ." she mused, then gave one last determined nod. She finally offered her hand to Miroku in greeting and he took it, offering her a small grin in return.
"Well, Lord Monk, it looks as though we will come to see quite a lot of each other for the next three years," Sango said, shaking his hand firmly.
Miroku's grin widened.
AN: So this is obviously the prologue to my first fanfiction. You know the drill; read and review and all that jazz. Anyway, I'm not much into writing these little tidbits at the end of each chapter (I'd prefer just to leave it at the story) so remember the aforementioned drill, please! I'll see you at the epilogue!
Enjoy :)