Summary: Kagome Higurashi is a normal school girl, with normal teenage girl problems. That is, until the annoying, spoiled, immature Prince Inuyasha makes an entrance in her life. What's worse: He's her fiancé. Now she has to learn to keep balance between her old life, and the unpredictable world of demons she has been thrust into.
Demon Prince
My name is Kagome Higurashi. I am fifteen going on sixteen. I have never had a boyfriend. Honestly, I don't believe in love at first sight. How can you love someone and not know anything about them? To really love someone takes a lot of time, understanding and… food fights. It doesn't just happen over night. Sometimes I wonder if all the hard work, stress, and pain is worth one moment of pure love, before things start going down hill. The answer I believe to be correct is- it depends. For some, love is not important enough to put in the determination required to hold on to something for so little time. Long-term happiness is better than momentary. But for others, just to feel that one moment of heaven, they have lived ten times over. It is a memory that will keep them going strong for the rest of eternity, no matter how bad things may be. As for myself, I'd have to choose option one. I couldn't imagine living my whole life for just one minute. Although, there is a place in my heart that secretly hopes that one day that moment will be mine.
It happened just after New Years. January 2nd 2010 to be exact. The year was fresh and new, and I had a feeling that this year would be a good one. I was visiting my Dad for the first time this year. He owned a house out in the country along with my stepmom and two half-brothers. I visited them every month, or as often as I could. My half-brothers had just gotten Rock Band for Christmas. Neither one of them could play the guitar, so I was forced to do all the strumming. After playing for two hours straight, my fingers had gone numb. I'd mentally prepared myself this time for that oh so wonderful feeling of not being able to lift my chopsticks. I could do this. New year. New start. New hope for the future (that my half-brothers would lose interest in Rock Band).
"Happy New Year!" I called as I walked through the front door. There was a chorus of "Happy New Year's" as a seven and six year old boy charged at me. They both hugged me ferociously, almost knocking me over. I managed to regain my balance then hugged them back with as much enthusiasm.
"Happy New Year," said my stepmom, Kina, smiling, "Now come on boys, let's give your sister some room."
Instead of giving me room, they both looked at me with big puppy dog eyes and said, "Did you bring Harry Potter three?"
"Huh?" I gave them a curious look.
"We just sent you a text messege telling you to bring it!" said the older of the two, Haru. The other brother, Daisuke, looked about ready to cry.
"Oh, I'm sorry guys. My phone's charging. I'll bring it next time, I promise." My half-brothers just pouted, then walked away, probably to go watch some T.V.
Another one of my half-brother's current obsessions was the popular western hit, Harry Potter. They'd already chewed their way through the first two books and movies, so it made sense that they'd want number three (the book and movie, both of which I have). I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before.
"So, what did you do for new years?" asked Kina.
"Oh, nothing much," I replied, "Just sat at home and watched TV. You?"
"We did the same thing. Haru and Daisuke stayed up till midnight. Daisuke wiped us out in a game of Yahtzee. He's pretty good, if he actually takes the time to look at the dice before putting them back in the cup."
I chuckled, as did Kina. Suddenly, there was a crash in the living room, followed by the pitter-patter of scurrying feet. Kina turned beet red "HARU! DAISUKE! GET IN HERE NOW! WE'RE GOING!"
"You're going? Where?" I asked. Where could they be going? I thought they were staying at home today.
She turned to me and the livid red across her skin faded slightly. "Haru and Daisuke are going over to Atae and Yuri's today. Atae called this morning. I should be back in half-an-hour, forty minutes at most. HARU! DAISUKE! NOW!"
I stood to the side as my half-brothers struggled into their snowpants and coats. Five minutes later, they were out the door without so much as a goodbye.
I sighed, and decided to look for my Dad. I almost had a heart attack when I stepped into the kitchen. I'd expected him to be downstairs on the computer, not sitting at the kitchen table staring into a cup of coffee. Wait. Back up. Since when did Dad drink coffee?
He must have heard my approach because he looked up and smiled warily. He looked nervous for some reason. I've never seen him nervous. Uh-oh. Coffee and nervous? This couldn't be good.
"Hey, Kiddo. Happy new year." He stood up and gave me a light one-armed hug. The hug felt weak, as if it were a poorly disguised attempt at cheering me up. I was pretty sure that's exactly what it was.
"Hey, dad. What's up?" Judging by his look this was not the right question. He stuttered nervously, then just gave up and sighed in resignation.
"You might want to sit down, Kags," he said, staring into my eyes without blinking. I was so confused that I obeyed without thinking.
"Look, Kags, there's no easy way for me to say this, but there's some people I'd like you to meet." I nodded, encouraging him to go on. He smiled weakly and then turned around.
"You can come out now," he said. I waited patiently for who he was talking to. Who I saw coming around the corner was not what I was expecting.
There was a man and a woman, roughly in their mid-forties. The man had short silver hair and molten gold eyes. He was a large height with a slim but solid figure. The woman was tall and elegant, with beautiful black hair and pale skin. She had deep brown eyes. They looked majestic, and both of them were wearing… fur?
Yes, it was fur. Real fur. The were covered in it. Especially the man. I didn't want to imagine how many animals had been skinned to make their clothes.
"Kagome, I would like you to meet Inutaisho and Izayoi Deguchi. Inutaisho, Izayoi, this is my daughter, Kagome."
"It is a pleasure," said Inutaisho in a low but soft voice as he kissed my hand. I blushed furiously. No one had ever kissed my hand before. I was pretty sure that was a custom that had long died out.
"Oh, Inutaisho, isn't she beautiful? Look at her, all grown up. Why I remember when she was a little baby! It seems like yesterday! I can't believe how big she is!" The ecstatic woman hugged me tightly. I didn't know who she was, but she obviously knew me.
When Izayoi let me go, I stared at them. I didn't understand what this was about. I looked to Dad for answers. He appeared nervous all over again. I gave him a look that clearly stated Tell me what's going on.
"Um, Kags, Mr. and Mrs. Deguchi are… well… they're… um…ah…sort of… going to be your parents." The last part was barely a whisper. But I heard it all right. And it was absolutely ridiculous.
"Dad, they can't be my parents," I stated the obvious, " You and Mom are my parents. That can't ever change."
Dad looked pained. Inutaisho offered to help, but Dad shook his head. He wanted to do this on his own.
"Of course your mom and I are always going to be your parents. But your going to have a new mom and dad as well." He looked me in the eyes, and everything became clear.
"No. NO! You can't do this!"
Dad hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry Kags. It has to be this way."
I was on the verge of tears. A few had escaped my eyes. Dad couldn't do this to me. And didn't Mom get a say? I'm sure that as my legal guardian her opinion counted.
"No! Dad! I'm almost sixteen! I've almost finished school! I'll only be here for a few more years! You can't put me up for adoption!"
Silence. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Since none of them seemed able to speak, I decided to say something in a more calm tone.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm sure Inutaisho and Izayoi are great people, but I don't want to become 'Miss Deguchi'."
"Mrs." Inutaisho corrected.
I rounded on him. "What?"
He seemed unfazed. "I said you will become 'Mrs.' Deguchi not 'Miss'. I believe there has been a misunderstanding."
We all turned to Dad. The Deguchi's were patient. My knees had just about failed me. They couldn't mean that. To become a Mrs. I had to- had to-
"You're getting married." My world shattered. My head spun. My body remained frozen in shock, while my mind screamed for sanity. Something to hold on to. Anything.
"Honey. Honey. Are you okay?" Dad's voice snapped me back to reality. I hadn't realized that I was swaying dangerously. I quickly straightened myself up, trying to hide my embarrassment.
"As I was saying," said Inutaisho, "You will marry our eldest son, Inuyasha, on your eighteenth birthday. As you will soon be sixteen, it is time for you to know the truth, and give you time to get to know Inuyasha. I'm sure you two will get along great. He has been wanting to meet you," said Inutaisho, with an added wink at the end. Instantly, I grew furious.
"And where do you get the authority to assume that you can choose when and who, and if I marry?" I asked coldly. The Deguchi's looked taken aback. A dark look fleeted across Inutaisho's features. It was dangerous, but I didn't care. I wasn't about to sit back and let these people decide my life for me.
"You would be wise to watch your tongue. Most would not be as forgiving as us."
"Inutaisho," Izayoi chided.
"What?" he asked her.
"You can't expect her to respect us. This must be hard for her to take in, and she doesn't know the whole story."
Inutaisho's face dropped. He looked… ashamed?
"You're right," he said quietly.
"Look, as wonderful as this conversation is, I want to know what the hell is going on here, and don't leave anything out." I was still furious, partly at Dad. How could my own father do this to me?
"Honey," said Dad, "You do have to watch your language. You can't talk to them like that."
"Why not?" I yelled at my father. I gave him the darkest glare filled with hatred and malice. I put all my strength behind it. I wanted to make him squirm. "Tell me! What is this whole story? Why can't I shoot my bloody mouth off?"
"You really have no respect for your elders, do you?" said a cool voice.
I froze. This voice was foreign, alien. Whoever was behind me was young, male, and wasn't there two seconds ago.
I turned around slowly. Leaning against the counter was a young man. He appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties, and was dressed up like a typical jock. However, unlike your typical jock, he had long, messy silver hair and penetrating gold eyes. Not that they were penetrating anything at the moment. He looked incredibly bored.
"Who are you?" I asked.
He stood up straighter and grinned. "Inuyasha Janus Deguchi. First born son of Inutaisho and Izayoi Deguchi, and currently your betrothed."
"Y-You're Inuyasha?" I stuttered.
"Yep. The one and only. Unless I've got a secret twin I never knew about."
I didn't know what to say. The man I had been arranged to marry was standing right in front of me. I mean, what was a girl supposed to say? Nice to meet you. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. Ah, that didn't exactly work.
"Inuyasha, I'm glad you came," said Izayoi.
He shrugged. "Not like I had anything better to do. And I know you would've chewed me out for not coming."
Izayoi frowned. She was not satisfied with her son's behavior. I wasn't either. I saw an annoying spoiled brat who pretended he didn't care about anything. I'd never judged anyone so quickly, but his personality had been laid out on a silver platter with just a few words.
"Why?" I asked out of the blue. It suddenly popped into my head.
"What?" asked Inutaisho.
"Why do I have to marry this self-centered jerk?" I clarified.
"Hey!" protested Inuyasha. He didn't sound truly offended. Probably because it was true.
Inutaisho ignored both our jibes. "I believe it is time to cease this small chatter and get to the matter at hand. Miss Higurashi, if you would sit down, I can explain fully and in detail." OK, I didn't want to sit down. I wanted to fight with Inuyasha. I barely knew the guy, and I was supposed to be focused on the current situation, but there was something gratifying about the arguing. It came naturally. Nevertheless, I sat down, my curiosity and patience having reached its peak.
"Good. Now where to begin?" Inutaisho mused. He breathed in deeply and began his explanation. "You and my son have been destined for each other since before you were born. Before I was born even. Long before. Nearly a thousand years. Almost a millennia ago, one of your ancestors made a choice that drastically altered yours and your family's fate. Had she not made the choice she did, you would be sitting in a palace right now." Correction, now my curiosity had peaked.
"Though her decision was greatly frowned upon, something good did come out of it. She had a son, a son that would carry her blood down through the line. A bloodline that has continued all the way down to you."
"So… what? You're saying my great-something-grandmother was a princess?"
Inutaisho lit up. "That's exactly it."
I scrunched up my face. I probably looked like I had a bad case of constipation. The others were worried about me. Dad reached out to touch my shoulder. Even Inuyasha was vaguely interested. Then, suddenly, I couldn't hold it in. I laughed.
That is, if you can call it laughing. It was half way between an insane hyena and gut-wrenching sobs. Don't ask me why I was crying. Kami knows if I knew myself. Maybe I have ESP or something, cause I could tell this was going in a downward direction.
"Uh, is she mentally stable?" asked Inuyasha. Izayoi and Dad shot him a dirty look. So did I. Sort of. It was kind of hard to make a successful glare through the tears.
"Of course she is," replied Inutaisho, "she just needs a moment to take it in."
He was right. After a moment I was able to get a grip on myself. After the initial shock of learning you're descended from royalty wears off, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. If what he was saying was true, then it's been a long time since my family's been considered royalty. There was probably a bunch of other people out there just like me, living normal, everyday lives.
"How do you know all this?"
Inutaisho smiled. "Because I am descended of your ancestor's sister."
"Wait, so we're related? Then why am I marrying my distant cousin?... Um, that wouldn't make you a king, would it?" I added as an afterthought. It probably wouldn't surprise me if he was. He had an air that commanded obedience.
He sighed. "Yes, I am a king. We are the royal family of the Western Lands," he said, as if he was used to telling people he was top dog (no pun intended) "and the distance is so vast that you can hardly be considered related. Now do you want to hear what else I have to say, or do you have any more questions?"
I blushed and quickly shut my mouth from saying anything else.
"The reason you're getting married is because of an old peace agreement. It was decided that the first girl born out of the first borns in your family would marry the eldest son of my line. You're father was the first born, as was his father and his father before him. In over a thousand years, you are the first girl to be born before her siblings. It's hard to explain, but to try and put it simply, you're the oldest of the oldest, as is Inuyasha."
"Unfortunately," Inuyasha muttered under his breath.
"Which means," Inutaisho raised his voice, "that you have a duty to not only your family, but your entire race."
"Uh, what does any of this have to do with my race? And what kind of peace agreement? If I'm being forced into this, I want to know everything about it."
Inuyasha snorted. Really loudly. It pissed me off. "What's your problem?" I asked none too kindly.
He glowered at me. Then he resigned to chuckling. His mood swings were worse than Mom's during 'that time'. And believe me, that's saying something.
"I just find it ironic how you want to know everything, when you'll just regret it later. Trust me, being ignorant has its advantages."
"And why should I believe you? You're probably just trying to scare me."
"Really? Good. Cause you should be scared. I would be if I were you."
"Inuyasha, that's enough," Izayoi scolded.
"No. She wants to know. I think we should let her. It's her future after all."
"Inuyasha, be silent!" Inutaisho commanded.
His eyes adopted a wicked gleam. I didn't like the not-to-innocent smile that spread across his face. I smelled trouble. Whatever he was thinking, it wasn't anything good.
"Why dear father," he said, "I never planned on saying anything."
Suddenly, he was there. Right in front of me. Our noses were practically touching. I yelped and jumped back in surprise. If Dad hadn't been behind me, I would have fallen straight into the table. Inuyasha followed my movements, so he was looming over me. I hadn't notice the great height difference before. He had to have a foot on me, at the very least. I'd never felt so small.
"Inuyasha!" the three adults all called at once. He ignored them. His eyes bored into mine, now with a look of utter loathing. His cool face, though not angry, was one of the scariest things I'd ever seen. The predatory light in his eyes was deadly. I found myself unable to look away.
"Do you believe me now?" I was about to say no but the next thing that happened cut off my speech completely.
As I watched, horrorstruck, his very human ears disappeared from the side of his head, only to be replaced with two very dog-like ones on top. His eyes narrowed until the predatory aspect was no longer just a light. I'd seen eyes like that in my dreams, when evil monsters were chasing me down the halls of some abandoned building.
Slowly, his lip curled up, exposing small but sharp fangs. From his throat came a deep growl, the kind an angry animal makes when it's about to attack. He smiled sweetly, but with the changes to his face, the smile was no less then menacing.
"Welcome to demon land, Princess," he whispered. This time, I really did faint.
I awoke about ten minutes later, thanks to Inuyasha's oh so brilliant plan of 'let's just drench her in water'. He was more than happy to do the drenching himself, purely for my own good I'm sure. Though, he could have used a bit less water. "Making sure it had the full effect" he said in response to my cursing. Oh yeah, it had the full effect all right.
"Jerk," I muttered for the hundredth time as I tried to towel as much of the water dry as I could.
"I'm sorry for my son's behavior," Izayoi said to Dad.
"It's alright. No harm done," he said.
"Speak for yourself," I muttered.
"Thank you for your forgiveness," said Inutaisho, "But it is most certainly not alright. Inuyasha is a young prince, and he should behave as such."
"Whatever," he said. Inuyasha (as well as Inutaisho) had long abandoned their disguises. It was now obvious that the father and son were demons; they couldn't pass as humans in these forms. Though they were very human looking demons, there were a few traits that easily gave them away. Mainly Inuyasha's ears and Inutaisho's stripes.
"Well, we'll be off. Sorry to cut our visit short, but there is an important war meeting today. Can't miss it, I'm afraid," said Inutaisho.
"That's fine. I understand how busy you must be."
"Good-bye, old friend," said Inutaisho. They gave each other a 'guy-hug' then Dad hugged Izayoi. Then she came over to me and wrapped me in bone-crushing hug.
"I'm going to miss you darling! You really should come over some time. We can bake cookies and do each other's hair and have pillow fights and everything!" I smiled. Izayoi was such as little girl at heart.
"Farewell, Miss Higurashi," said Inutaisho with a smile, "I look forward to seeing you again."
"You too, Lord Inutaisho." I bowed respectfully.
"Inuyasha, aren't you going to say good-bye to your fiancée?" We both visibly flinched at that word. Fiancée. Good to know I wasn't the only one suffering.
Inuyasha didn't say anything but instead approached me. He looked down at me with a serene look in his eye. A complete one-eighty from only a few short minutes ago.
I got the shock of my life when he picked up my hand and pressed it to his lips, like his father had done previously.
"Good-bye, Princess," he muttered softly against my cool skin. My heart started to beat frantically. I hated it. I hated how that guy could do this to me!
His teeth grazed my skin as he kissed it. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my hand. It didn't take a genius to figure out he had bitten me.
My heart beat fast with anger now. The nerve of him! What was worse, our parents didn't notice. He had carefully set it up to make it seem like we were sharing an intimate moment.
I took his bite as a challenge. If he thought he was going to win, he had another thing coming. Nobody treats Kagome Higurashi like filth and gets away with it. Nobody! Not even a spoiled, immature demon prince!
We smiled at each other, careful to hide our true emotions. All the while, my eyes bored into his, silently communicating that this was far from over, and if he wanted to play games, then I'd just have to kick his butt.
He let go and walked away. Dad said good-bye to the Deguchis again. Just as Inuyasha was about to shut the door, I muttered something too low for Dad to hear.
"It's on."
I could have sworn I saw Inuyasha smirk before disappearing behind the wooden door. This wasn't the last time we would see each other, and next time, I would make sure to teach him a lesson.
Woohoo! Chapter one is finally done! Yeah, it was fun to write. Not great, but every story has to start somewhere. Hope you liked it. I have big plans. Heehee…
There is some stuff about this story I would like to clarify:
-In this fic, Inuyasha is a full demon, but he retains his half-demon appearance.
-Izayoi is also a demon, but she usually appears human.
-The manga and anime never mentioned what happened to Kagome's Dad, so I just put him living with Kagome's step-family. Much nicer (and better for the plot) to have him happy, healthy, and alive.
-And finally, I realize that Sesshomaru is indeed Inutaisho's oldest son, not Inuyasha. But don't worry, he will make an appearance later on. There's a reason for him not being the prince. It's not just a mistake, I swear.