Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story. All rights are reserved for the respective creator of Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi.


Royal Treatment
By Rikayu

Chapter Two: Photograph

Kagome sighed as she stared out of her window. She leaned her head on her hand as she propped up her elbow. Stray locks of hair fell from her shoulder as she switched her gaze from the window to the little book she held in her other hand. Her eyes moved over the words in the book, completely oblivious as her mother leaned against the doorway and watched her.

Her mother silently made her way to Kagome's bed. She sat next to her daughter and curiously peeked at what her daughter was looking at. Kagome looked up at her and smiled and somewhat straightened her slouched posture.

"How was school today, dear?" her mother smiled as Kagome marked her page and placed the book aside.

Kagome leaned back against the wall and stretched her hands forward. She yawned and then looked up at her mother. "Ok… I guess," she shrugged.

Her mother just smiled at her again and motioned for her to turn around. Kagome nodded and turned around, her back to her mother. After a brief moment, she could feel as her mother went through her hair with a brush. Her mother often did this when she was younger and until now, Kagome still let her mother continue on with the habit. Her mother watched as her hand swept through Kagome's hair fluidly. Kagome's hair glistened in the soft orange light of the sunset coming through the window. Guilt seemed to choke her from the inside out, but she kept her composure and continued to brush through Kagome's hair.

"Kagome…" her mother somewhat choked out.

"Mmm…? What?" Kagome mumbled as she stared out the window, somewhat oblivious to her mother's tense touch and unusual tone. At the moment, she was just in a world of her own, trying to relieve the stress she had compiled during her day at school.


Sesshoumaru closed his eyes as he tried to calm his frustrated nerves. He had, to say the least, left angrily from trying to convince his father for the second time to change his mind. The young prince had locked himself in his room and had just thrown himself on his bed to try and rid his mind of all of his problems, but the new information that was presented by his father stubbornly blinked with neon lights in that dark corner of his mind, annoying the heck out of him. Royalty definitely had its advantages, but sometimes, it just sucked.

He turned his head and glanced at the envelope next to him. His hand slowly slid under it and he lifted it in front of him. His pulled out the small picture inside and carelessly threw the envelope on the side of his bed. The envelope slid off the edge and fell to the floor, but apparently, Sesshoumaru didn't care about it at the moment.

'So… It's you…' The girl, in honesty, wasn't unpleasant to the eyes, and from her picture, she had an air of kindness that played about her eyes, most likely the trait that would attract others to her. But, he did not love this girl and there wasn't any reason for him to. He didn't know her, maybe seen her around school a few times, but he knew nothing of her other that what she looked like.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes again, letting the picture slip out of his hand and fall to the floor next to the envelope. A sigh escaped his lips and he turned to rest on his side before he opened his eyes slightly, looking at nothing in particular. The girl would be move to the imperial home tomorrow and his father expected him to spend the entire day with her before she started her training of etiquette and the royal ways.

He let out another sigh before pushing himself up from his bed. He walked to his door and grabbed the real sword rested against the wall. He exited his room and headed towards the dojo located behind the main house, an almost nonexistent smirk flashing across his face. He was sure his brother was there, a perfect target to blow off some steam at.


Sayuri sat alone on her bed, her bedroom door slighty opened to the hall. The morning light shined through the window, but she paid no attention to the beauty of the new day at all. Dread ran up and down her being and she just felt horrible. She hadn't told her daughter of the girl's fiancée. It would have probably made the girl feel worse that she already did.

"Okaa-san…"

Sayuri turned her head and saw Kagome standing in her doorway, dressed in an elaborate juni-hitoe. Kagome's hair was arranged in a traditional hairstyle, a modern flair added in with the way it was organized with small strategically placed curls to frame the girl's face. Sayuri tried to smile as her daughter, dressed just like a princess, approached her. Her eyes cast downwards to her hands, unable to look her daughter in the face any longer.

The bed shifted as Kagome sat down next to her mother. She didn't want to go. But the situation, she figured, was too complex and she just couldn't stop what was to happen.

"Okaa-san… I'm going to go now…" Kagome said quietly, her eyes brimming with tears.

Sayuri placed a hand over her lip as she choked out sobs and turned to her daughter. Tears ran down her cheeks, forcing the tears under Kagome's eyes to fall. "Kagome… I'm so sorry," Sayuri choked out.

Kagome threw her arms around her mother. "Okaa-san, I don't want to go! I don't want to go…"

"I so sorry, Kagome… I feel so helpless. I wish I could help you…" Sayuri pulled back and wiped away her daughter's tears with her thumbs. "You're still too young for this much responsibility…"

"Sayuri-sama…"

Kagome and her mother turned their heads to see one of the maids that had come to collect Kagome standing in the doorway, bent in a bow. She was quite young, probably just a bit older than Kagome, but she was extremely proper in the way she acted and moved. The mother and daughter watched the young woman straighten and step slightly to the side.

"We must take Kagome-sama now. The lord is waiting with his son as we speak," the girl said politely.

Kagome turned to her mother. Her mother nodded with a small smile that seemed to falter slightly. Kagome stood from the bed and slowly walked towards the door. With one last glance back at her mother, she walked out the door. The young woman bowed to her mother on final time and followed Kagome.

Kagome sighed as she stared down at her hands. The sound of the car engine rang through her ears and just closed her eyes in hopes that she wouldn't cry again. She felt the car start to move forward, her eyes still closed. Her mother didn't tell her anything about whom she was to marry and it just tugged at her. It felt so unfair, but she knew it was her duty or whatever her grandfather said to her earlier in the morning. Still whatever it was her grandfather rambled about, it didn't help one bit for her mood.

Kagome's eyes shot open and she turned to see her mother running next to the accelerating car, desperately trying to get one last look at her daughter before she was taken away. Tears started to flow down from Kagome's blue eyes as she placed her hands up against the glass of the limo, calling out frantically to her mother. But, the car moved faster and soon her mother could no longer keep up. Kagome turned and knelt on the seat, looking out through the back window. The slowly dissipating image of her mother stood at the end of the sidewalk, waving to her, tears falling from her eyes. Finally, Kagome collapsed onto the seat, forcing herself to stop crying.

"Kagome-sama…?"

Kagome looked up and saw the young woman from earlier looking at her from the front passenger seat, the privacy window pulled down. She had a reassuring smile that tried to comfort Kagome, and it seemed to remind her of how her mother had soothed her when she was a child.

"Don't worry, Kagome-sama. Sesshoumaru-sama is not a bad person. He is very kind if you get to know him. And I'm sure you'll be able to see your family very soon."

Kagome sighed and looked up again at the young woman, smiling a small thank you before situating herself properly. The woman smiled back and raised the privacy window to leave Kagome to her thoughts. Kagome placed a hand on the window on her right, watching the things they passed by.

'Sesshoumaru…'

TBC…

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