Rating : T
Update Time : Uh. About that..
Proper Summary : Kagome is a Princess who has been sentenced to a life of solitude in her room, with only one window to look out of and see how her life could have been. The only thing she has is a hanyou that gives her hope and shatters it repeatedly.
Bankotsu is a cold, charming and dangerous womanizer who refuses to settle down. When he goes to grudgingly visit his father's friend with his father to protect a "girl", he's not suspecting such an interesting subject who can't seem to let go of his attention…
A/n: I'm making chapters shorter than usual so I can have a faster updating time. Bear with me:
Disclaimer : Well… I don't own a penny. -casually- Or Inuyasha, really.
ThE lAsT rOsE
Arc 1 : Blindness, Part 1 : Betrayal
"One should rather die than be betrayed. There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope."
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There once laid one singe white rose in a field of tulips. No one would've detected it, really. All abandoned in the shade, it was gradually wilting and dieing, losing its grace. No one detected it at all - because if you got past the darkness of the shadows, all you could see where thorns… thorns upon thorns upon thorns…
In the stillness of the room, there was a lone figure. Eyes closed, even breathing persisted throughout the room, as it was the only thing heard in the room. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Muscles and joints moved in unison, and if one listened very closely one could hear a small female chuckle. It wasn't full of joy at all – oh no, quite the opposite. Full of irony and of some emotion that hinted of the very opposite of cheerfulness.
This being was clinging to emotions. Clinging to the things that meant most to her. … Clinging to saneness.
When was the last time she had had a friend? A companion? Someone that acted remotely like a parent?
Gracefully, she got on her feet, getting up from her sedentary position. Silently she swept to the window with precision.
Observing, she watched with skilled, unfathomable eyes as the people went about their normal life. Now, why couldn't she be like that? Why couldn't she be normal, with normal feelings, with a normal life? Why couldn't that girl holding that boy's hand and smiling be her? What about that little girl pulling her dad along the street up ahead – why couldn't that be her?
Slowly, she brought her finger to the glass and traced the happy features on the child.
When was the last time she was happy…? It could not have been before… well, before… the betrayal…
No, she would not even mention it. If she would even slightly think of it, she would surely dwell on it. For thinking was the only thing to do when you were kept inside a godforsaken room with one window in it for days at a time. Thinking and watching. Thinking and waiting.
She slid to the floor, eyes unseeingly still looking out the window towards the subjects far below her.
Was it still a sore subject to think about? She had not thought about it in so long – she might as well try.
Just when she was getting an image to her mind, filled with the colors silver and red, she heard a sob, and looked around to see whom it came from. Surprised to see no one, as usual, she looked downward to see her blouse front damp with the few tears she didn't know she shed.
With a shaking hand, she moved to wipe the tears off her face. Had that sob came from her?
…Maybe it was still a raw subject after all.
Swiftly wiping her tears away when she heard a knock, she straightened up with hope – only to realize it was most likely one of the servants bringing breakfast. She sighed, slumping in a much-undignified manner.
"Princess? Princess Kagome?" a high voice called from the other side of the black door.
Crossing her arms, she glowered. Just in time. Someone to remind her how abnormal her life was. Most likely, sulking was not the answer… but it would have to do for now.
"What… do you want?"
"Ah, ah… ne, Princess, I've come with your breakfast."
"I'm not very hungry."
"But Princess-"
"Kagome."
"But Princess Kagome-"
"Just Kagome! Ka-go-me!"
"But Princess…"
Kagome sighed, giving up.
"Princess…" the servant said hastily after a second of hesitation, continuing when there were no further outbursts. "The King demanded to keep you healthy, meaning… n-ne, Princess. These were his words… '…At all costs, even if you have to force-feed her!' Direct orders, ma'am."
Kagome, resisting the urge to let out her frustration, rolled her eyes and clenched her fists.
…Being stuck in the damn room was getting on her damned last nerves.
"Well?" Kagome retorted, a bit more cantankerously than she intended, "What's stopping you? The door's locked from the outside, isn't it?"
She heard a moment of silence, and a full two moments of stumbling before a striking demon with platinum, pale hair and shimmering dark blue eyes that were lowered in reverence. Her eyes swept the floor, meeting Kagome's eyes once before she got to her knees on the doormat and bowed.
"Good morning, Princess – er, Kagome. I mean, Princess Kagome."
Kagome sighed before striding over to the bowed servant and gently pulling her up. Kneeling before her, she looked at her beauty in jealousy. Hm, the perfect girl. The perfect girl that someone's boyfriend might leave her for – not once, but a million times over.
Putting her head in her hands, she tried to suppress the feelings that the statement brought on. When she came over, she had meant only to tell the girl that she need not worry about everything the King expected of her. She hadn't imagined it would lead to all these horrible feelings holed up inside her.
"Princess, a-are you alright? You look a bit… pale."
Dispelling the images, she tried her best to smile. The last thing she needed was the King to order more people to watch over her. She clenched her fists to prevent the majority of her shaking.
"I'm fine… yes, I'm perfectly fine."
Kagome did not realize until later that she was trying to convince herself as much as the servant did until later.