Two
"Mirror mirror, here I stand. Who is the fairest in the land?"
"Lips like a rose, hair like ebony, skin like snow."
"Snow White!"
The funeral progressed quickly, and few tears were shed. Kikyo was outright sobbing beside her mother's grave while Kagome stood beside her, pretending to silently mourn. Her mother's pale, cold face was the last thing Kagome saw before she was gone forever. Internally, she was silently rejoicing.
Kikyo was now the Sheriff of Nottingham. Immediately, she began creating new laws such as creating skyrocketing taxes, harsher punishment sentences, and many other cruel thing that negatively impacted the commoners.
Kagome was noticing a dark aura that began to wrap around her elder sister's body each time they came near each other. It was so sinister, it caused her to nearly regurgitate each time. She also noticed that her sister now carried a little gold mirror wherever she went. It was small enough to fit into the palm of her hand.
Kikyo was also forcing Kagome to dress in rags, and it was now her everyday chore to wash the pavement of the gardens. It was on one of these days that Kagome was happily whistling while wringing a towel dry.
"Greetings, Lady Kagome," said a voice. Kagome looked up into the face of Koga who was sporting a rather wolffish grin.
"Why, Koga! Hello!" she said, stuttering slightly. Koga was the head huntsman, and he was quite an attractive one too. His wolf tail wagged slightly behind him. Koga was also a full-blooded wolf demon as well as one of Kagome's best friends.
He crouched beside her. "Whatcha doing?" Kagome reeled up the bucket of water. She tied the rope to one of the well's poles before setting the bucket on the ground.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" she said with just a hint of exhaustion. Koga frowned, balling his fists.
"Damn that Kikyo! She's working you much too hard. We have plenty of servants that can do the cleaning!" He stood up, ready to leave the gardens. "I'm gonna go talk to the sheriff and –" Kagome held up a hand.
"Koga, it's fine. I appreciate you standing up for me, but you know how my sister is. She won't care, and she'll most likely kill you for trying to defy her decisions. I'm stuck."
Koga huffed and sat back down. "All the same, you are pretty much her equal! Look at you, dressed in rags while she's in the finest silks. It isn't fair. I know your mother wasn't much better, but she still kinda loved you in her own twisted ways."
Kagome turned away from him with a disgusted sound. "Loved me?" she snapped, her exhaustion fueling her anger. "She abhorred me! Look!" Kagome pulled down the collar of her shirt, exposing her bare shoulder. Being a gentleman, Koga was about to look away when she said, "Koga, it's fine. Look."
Koga stared at her shoulder in horror. Where there should have been creamy and smooth skin was a mass of criss-crossing scars. He reached out and gently touched them. "Oh, Kagome," he whispered. "Are there more?"
Kagome hesitated for a split second before shaking her head. "No," she said softly before turning away. "Koga, I…I have to go." She picked up the bucket, splashed the remaining water onto the pavement stones and lowered it back into the well. Then she picked up her soap and cleaning brush and returned into the castle.
Kagome had lied. She didn't want to tell Koga that there were more scars on her back, arms, and legs. It was a secret she told no one. Kagome couldn't bear the pity people might give her. She had to be strong. As she passed by Kikyo's open door, Kagome heard her call out, "come here, Kagome. I need your help."
Reluctantly, the miko-in-training backed up and entered Kikyo's study. The elder miko looked up from the pile of papers on her desk. "There you are," she said, gesturing for Kagome to come sit down. "I've had a few problems on my hands, and I'd like you to take a look at them. You know, to see if you can help me with them."
It was the last thing Kagome wanted to do, but she couldn't disobey. Slowly, she sat down in the plush chair across from Kikyo. On the corner of the desk was the little gold mirror. It glinted in the fireplace's light. Kikyo slid a few files in front of Kagome, and she opened them, scanning the many documents.
First was an article with the headlines "Cresca Village Near Nottingham Castle Attacked"! Another article on the same topic read "They Have Struck Again"! On and on it went, each talking about outlaws ransacking villages under the Higurashi's rule. Although their true names were unknown, the outlaws' names were displayed under a few rough sketches.
Beneath the sketch of a girl with long hair and a strange bone-like weapon was the name Demon Slayer. A young man with a hold in his right hand was called the Cursed Monk. A young boy with a bushy tail was named Foxfire. Kagome was bored, and she was about to just skip over the last drawing when she froze. This sketch was extremely rough. It was almost as if the artist's hand was shaking so much he couldn't draw a straight line. She could barely make out a figure with long hair and tiny nubs on his head. Horns, perhaps?
His mouth was opened wide, and Kagome could see fangs. The figure's eyes were wild and bloodthirsty. He was savage. Beneath him was the name Demon Dog. Her mouth went dry. She'd heard of him, the beast that killed nearly entire villages that obeyed Kikyo's laws.
Kagome's hand shaking ever so slightly, she put down the files and gave them back to Kikyo. Her sister took them and looked them over again.
"They are such a nuisance," the sheriff spat.
"The Merry Men."
WOW I'M ON FIRE WITH THIS STORY! If you liked it, please give it a review!