Author's Note: Well, I've started to re-write Pride and Prejudice, and this time it has an actual aim! Yay! Anyways, There'll be a lot of changes (hopefully everyone agrees these changes are an improvement from the original.. which I think is almost complete crap.. almost.) Currently there are a planned 19 chapters, but seeing that this is only chapter one, this is an estimate. An outline is a guideline, and nothing is written in stone (obviously; I am typing this on Microsoft Word 2007… backspace is definitely my friend).
Well, Enjoy the story. I'll update when I can. I found out a college student can be rather busy during the semester, so I won't make any promises I am unsure I'll be able to keep.
Disclaimer: I do not own either Pride and Prejudice (where I draw a majority of my plot), nor the characters from Inuyasha.
Chapter One
The horse-drawn carriage gently swayed from side to side, every once in a while jolting the two passengers within as it went over a rut in the dirt road. Soon the sound of hooves on cobblestone echoed through the air, and the carriage was pulling up in front of a large estate.
The curtain of the window was pulled aside, and a woman's smiling faced peered out at the brightly lit estate. "Isn't it a gorgeous estate Sango!"
"Yes, though this is only one of Sesshomaru Darcy's lesser estates." Sango replied, glancing out of the window. "I'm sure his main estate, I believe it's called Pemberley, is exponentially grander."
Kagome continued to watch out the window for a few minutes before letting the curtain drop back into place. "I wonder what it will be like, mind you I have my thoughts about these kind of events already, but I do hope they are wrong."
"Most stereotypes are correct, especially for a Ball hosted by Lord Sesshomaru. We are lucky to have a connection with Mrs. Lucas, or we would never have secured an invitation." Sango replied, the carriage coming to a halt.
The carriage door swung open, and the driver offered a hand for assistance out of the carriage to both Sango and Kagome.
"Here goes nothing." Kagome said as the two walked up the stone steps and entered through the large doors, which were currently open. Scanning the crowd, Sango spotted Ayumi Lucas and her mother, and hooking her arm through Kagome's, walked over to them.
"Good Evening Mrs. Lucas, a fine night for dancing, is it not?" Sango asked.
Mrs. Lucas nodded, "One could not have hoped for a more fine night. Lord Sesshomaru has planned such a fine gathering, has he not? And the weather could not be more perfect."
"Oh, I quite agree. He really has outdone himself." Sango told her.
"Isn't there supposed to be a bit more dancing?" Kagome asked, glancing around at all of the mingling groups.
"I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru will be starting the dancing…" Mrs. Lucas said.
"Oh. Well, where is he?"
Sango laughed, "I believe the term is 'fashionably late.'"
Just then, music could be heard from the next room, and Mrs. Lucas walked with the rest of the crowd towards the sound, dragging Ayumi with her.
"We didn't even get to say hello or talk to Ayumi." Kagome grumbled, walking with Sango into the next room.
Sango looked into the room and said, "There'll be time for that later, when Mrs. Lucas isn't trying to find a gentleman for Ayumi to dance with. And there is Sesshomaru Darcy dancing in the middle, I'm not sure who the girl is though…"
Kagome stood on her toes and looked over the throngs of people, and saw him. He was definitely a hard man, no, demon, to miss. He had two magenta stripes slashed across each cheek, as well as a dark blue crescent moon adorning his forehead. Long, white hair was neatly braided, with his hair pulled back his pointy ears were also easily noticed. He wore a black suit, which made him seem pale… almost sickly looking. Golden eyes stared down into the face of his dance partner, and Kagome thought to herself that she had never seen anyone look so detached while dancing.
"Is he in good health? He looks… pale, sickly pale almost. And I've never seen anyone look so bored while doing a supposedly fun activity." Kagome said as she dropped back onto her feet and the crowd shifted, blocking their view of Sesshomaru.
"I believe the paleness can be attributed to his demon heritage, and I'm sure there is a reason for his… demeanor." Sango replied. "The night is young, let's go dance!"
"No way, I don't want to dance with someone I don't know." Kagome immediately replied, backing up a few steps.
Sango looked at Kagome, "You do understand the whole point of these functions is to dance and get to know other people, correct?"
"I understand the concept perfectly clear, Sango. I guess I'm not comfortable with actually following through though…" She trailed off. "Look, I'll just go sit down and have a drink or something… Don't worry about me, go have fun."
Wondering if it was a good idea to leave Kagome to her own devices, Sango sighed and conceded, "All right, just stay of out of trouble. And if someone does happen to ask you for a dance, please accept. It will not hurt, and you may find you enjoy it."
Kagome nodded and walked towards the other side of the room, leaning against the wall and observing the room. There were a mix of humans and demons, and the occasional mix of the two. The ball, overall, looked exotic with the many different kinds of people. Though they are all basically the same; rich with many connections. Sighing in boredom, Kagome listened in to the nearby conversations, wondering if these pompous and arrogant people actually discussed relevant topics or merely repeated the latest gossip.
"Lord Sesshomaru is very wealthy, and definitely a fine catch for any young woman."
Rolling her eyes, Kagome moved onto the next conversation.
"Did you know that Miroku is not only Lord Sesshomaru's most trusted advisor, but has his own, smaller fortune and a large house?"
"No kidding! So, great connections, wealth, and property, sounds like a well-rounded sort of man."
Shaking her head, Kagome noticed that Lord Sesshomaru was talking with another man nearby. The man had dark brown hair pulled into a small pony tail and dark brown eyes, as they talked the man smiled quite a lot, completely opposite of the stoic Lord Sesshomaru. He was dressed similar to Sesshomaru, except he had ruffles on his white shirt.
"Go ask someone to dance Sesshomaru! You're not young forever." The other man said, laughing as he patted Lord Sesshomaru on the back.
Growling lowly, Sesshomaru hit the other man's hand away, "Three reasons… First, do not touch me. Second, shouldn't you be taking your own advice?" Sesshomaru glanced over at Kagome, looking her straight in the eye and smirking slightly before he said his third reason. "Third, there are no acceptable females here tonight."
Staring open-mouthed at Sesshomaru, Kagome knew not only did Sesshomaru know she had been eavesdropping on their conversation, but he had directed his last comment at her. Turning on heel, she walked across the room and found Sango, opening her mouth to tell her about what just happened. "Sango, you will never believe—"
"What just happened to me! I can't believe it either! I was dancing with a young man, he had a nice smile and seemed to be a perfect gentleman, but at the end of the dance his hand dropped below the waist! I was so embarrassed, but don't worry. I reacted quick enough, and I'm sure he is now proudly sporting a handprint-shaped bruise on his face."
Kagome blinked, "Your story definitely beats mine. I was only going to inform you of how utterly rude Sesshomaru is."
"Oh, what happened?"
"Well, I suppose I was eavesdropping, but either way, what he said was uncalled for!" Kagome fumed, "He looked directly at me and said all of the 'females' her were beneath him, and he would under no circumstance dance with a single one."
"Are you sure he just wasn't looking around the room and you think he directed the comment at you?" Sango asked.
Kagome scoffed, "Of course not, he turned from the man with the small pony tail to look directly into my eyes and say that."
"He was talking with such a man? I think that was the perverted dance partner I had! The one that dropped his hands lower than they ought to be." Sango said.
A small cough sounded from behind Kagome, but neither paid any mind until a second cough, as well as a small "Ahem!" was heard. Turning around, Kagome looked at the short man in front of her, "Um, can I help you sir?"
"Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your radiating beauty from across the room, and I sincerely request your hand in the upcoming Waltz." The man grabbed Kagome's hand, confident in her agreement, and continued, "I most assuredly hope a true beauty such as yourself shall join such a humble and insignificant man when compared to one such as yourself. I will most definitely be aggrieved if one such as yourself denies me the chance of one dance."
Blinking, Kagome eloquently replied with a, "Huh?"
The man tugged her hand, leading her towards the dance floor. Where they were going and who she was with finally made a connection, and she looked around for Sango for help. Spotting Sango, she gave Sango a 'Help Me!' look, but Sango just waved her on while laughing.
The Waltz began, and they started dancing. "Thanks for the lovely… dance, Mr.--?"
"Ah, please, address me as nothing more than Hojo."
"Sir, I do not believe I know you well enough to address you with such familiarity." Kagome protested.
"Oh, I suppose so, but you may call me Hojo if you wish it my fair lady. I'm Hojo Collins." He told her, awkwardly staring at her face. "This is your first dance of the night, is it not?"
"I'm Kagome Bennet, and yes, first and most definitely last dance of the night."
Gasping in mock-horror, Hojo exclaimed, "But Kagome! Your dancing skills are exquisite and your temperament is most suitable for any dancing partner. A woman such as yourself simply must dance, and dance all night for that is what is every woman of a character such as yourself must do!"
"I doubt you know my character very well at all, Mr. Collins, and I would ask you not to make assumptions about my person." Kagome replied, wondering how much longer she would need to suffer through this dance with Mr. Collins, the babbling, pompous idiot. The music slowed and the dance drew to a close, "Thank you for a lovely dance, Mr. Collins, but I must go find my sister, Sango Bennet."
"Ah, the pleasure of such a lovely dance belongs all to me, Kagome! You are the sole reason for such an enjoyable experience such as this! I do hope in the future we shall dance many more times with each other, that I do!" Hojo said, and then bowed before sauntering off to find a new dance partner.
Kagome nodded absent-mindedly, walking through the thinning crowd to find Sango. Spotting her among a group of other women, Kagome waited until they departed before approaching Sango. "I can't believe you just let him dance with me! It was absolutely horrible!"
Laughing, Sango said, "You needed to at least dance once this night, and I think that was going to be your only opportunity to do so. Plus, I'm sure you're exaggerating and he wasn't that bad."
"There are no words to do him justice."
Laughing, Sango led Kagome away from the dancing while saying, "Tonight has been rather fun, but we must be heading back home now."
"The most exciting part of the whole night!"
"I do recall someone anxiously awaiting the carriage to pull in front of the estate… who was that again?" Sango asked, while Kagome turned away and crossed her arms.
"I am still upset over having to dance with Mr. Hojo Collins." Kagome said, wrinkling her nose to express her extreme distaste.
"Kagome, I'm sure he wasn't that bad."
"You're right Sango; he was absolutely, positively the worst." Kagome told her. "If you ever force me into dancing again, I'm requiring you to find a man that won't lower my intelligence quite so much. I know it is hard to find a man that'll measure up to my standards, but so long as you find someone agreeable to my tastes I will accept the dance."
"Kagome, you know as well as such a task is impossible! You have such high standards, no man will ever be agreeable for you."
"I'm sure there is at least one man in this country I will be able to find agreeable."
Sighing, Sango flicked Kagome on the forehead and told her, "Kagome, have you ever thought that maybe the reason you haven't met such a man is not because you have yet to meet him, but because your prejudices are clouding your eyes from finding your one true love?"
"I'm not prejudice." Kagome said, "If you could buy a perfect apple for the same price as a slightly bruised apple, which one would you choose?"
Laughing, "Every apple will have its bumps and bruises though."
"Not the point, I just used it as an example." Kagome waved it off as she climbed into their carriage, "Either way, when I meet my dream man I'll tell you right away."
Sango shook her head as she followed after Kagome, May you someday let go of all prejudices and expectations so you will be able to truly find happiness.
The carriage door closed.
Author's End Note: Well, there it is. The end of my first chapter from my second attempt of writing a fan fiction (and hopefully finishing it this time). Quick Question for those that actually read Author's Notes: Do you prefer these notes to be at the beginning or the end of a chapter? I'm going to start trying to make one note only in an update, and would like some feedback on which would be preferred. I, personally, like them to be at the end of a chapter.
Thanks for reading and feedback (a review) is always appreciated.