CH 2
"Now get off my doorstep!"
Kagome backed away from the door as it slammed shut and ran away, clutching her treasure tightly. They had thrown a rice ball studded with seeds at her before shutting the door in her face. It had fallen on the ground before she managed to catch it, but food was food. She tucked the rice ball deep into her tunic in an effort to keep it as clean as possible.
She navigated the streets easily until she found a dry gully at the edge of town. Perched at the edge was her home; a shack made of mud, straw, and stones that she had found abandoned. Every time it rained the mud walls had tumbled down, so she had reinforced it with straw. It was a little better, but leaning on the walls would make them fall, so she had added stones. Now it was sturdy enough to last through a strong rainstorm, but its structure still sagged sadly.
The woven grass mat that hung in the doorway Kagome shoved aside in her excitement. She would have a feast tonight! Another house had given her a small sweet cake, and another a handful of vegetables. When she couldn't find anything in the forest to sell at market, she depended on the kindness of the townspeople, which fluctuated unpredictably.
She set down the food carefully next to them and left her shack, a length of twine in her hand. She ran through the alleyways until she reached the village outskirts. There were only two men on the watch today as this was a festival night, so she managed to slip through the reeds toward a small river relatively unnoticed. Kagome waded through the current till she reached the middle. She waited patiently for a fish to get used to her legs and drift closer.
Score!
She darted her hand downwards and when she raised it back up, a wriggling fish was clamped between her fingers. She threaded the twine through its gills and tossed it on the bank. Licking her dry, chapped lips, she settled down for an hour of fishing.
When the sun was on its tiptoes on the horizon, Kagome picked up the twine, which was now threaded with four fish, and clambered out of the water, shivering at the slight chill. At least she would have a decent dinner. She had been surprised. Usually the villagemen would come down and give her a beating for daring to fish in and steal from their streams with her muddy hands and feet. They weren't that much cleaner than her, as she had pointed out on one occasion. She had gotten a black eye for that.
Her sad little hut in the gutter was waiting for her. She wanted to hurry, and ran through the back alleys, taking the quickest shortcut. She cast a glance around as she ran, and her eyes focused on a strange something that made her almost lose her footing.
There was a tall figure walking down the main road.
Kagome darted forward, crouching behind a house. She peeked around the corner. Who was this man? She had never seen him before, she was sure. If she had, she would have remembered him for sure. Was he a traveler come to take part in the festival? Maybe he'd give her a little something, if he was in the festive mood.
Mind made up, Kagome straightened her yukata as neatly as possible, which wasn't much, and walked into the light. "Hello?" she called.
The figure turned to look at her, long dark hair swinging, and she saw that he was but a few years older than she. A young man, twenty if she had to guess. "What do you want?" His voice was cold and haughty.
Huh. Aristocrat?
"Just wanted to talk," she said, trying to stifle her common drawl. "I haven't seen you before. What's your name? Mine's Kagome."
"Your peasant ears are unfit to hear my name," he sniffed, dark amber eyes narrowing.
Kagome frowned. He was acting like he was a nobleman, yet he wore simple, day-to-day garb. To be truthful, it did look a little on the expensive side, but it was hardly the silk garment of an aristocrat. "You're a peasant too, so you can take your stuck-up nose and shove it in a cow chip!"
His eyes narrowed further, and he opened his mouth, as if to say something else. And then he grimaced.
"I am of higher standing than you, peasant," was all he got out. Kagome got the feeling he wanted to say more, but restrained himself from doing so.
"Fine, if you want to be like that." Kagome held the fish limply at her side. "Why are you coming through here? Do you have any relatives?"
He made a sound of disgust. "As if my person would have any kin in this pigsty."
Kagome could feel her face heating up. This place was actually one of the biggest towns in the region. He had no right to call this a pigsty, unless he came straight from the capital city himself.
"I'm not going to talk to you any longer if you're going to insult my home like that," she hissed. She hated this place too, but she would defend it from haughty, aristocratic strangers.
"Do as you wish," sneered the tall stranger. She had to admit, he was handsome, but she didn't care much about looks any longer. The prettiest things could be the nastiest of all, as she had learned over the hard years.
"Fine." Kagome turned on her heel and ran away without another word, scowling. Stupid strangers! She hated him already.