AN: I don't own Inuyasha all rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I'd like to thank my sister Olivia Tara Parker Roth Logan for helping me with this chapter.
Chapter 2: Competition Notice
(Eight Years Later)
A thump could be heard in the large room at the top of the tower, as someone fell out of a bed.
"Ow," a young woman stood up rubbing her lower back, she glanced around the room and sighed. "Oh right, I'm locked in a tower, in a castle, because I'm cursed."
"You know, talking to yourself isn't a good sign," a voice from across the room said.
"Sango, what would you know," the raven haired girl said, rolling her eyes.
"A lot actually, Kagome," Sango said, smirking at her friend. "And your breakfast is here."
"About time," Kagome said, walking over to the table where Sango sat, petting a small kitten, who was drinking out of a bowl. Kagome looked at her best friend, and sighed. "Sango I am so jealous of you,"
"Why?" Sango asked, looking confused. "You're the princess,"
"But you've got such a good body," Kagome whined, as she poured some milk in her oatmeal. Over the eight years the two had been stuck here, Sango had gotten taller than Kagome, and filled out more than Kagome, who was shorter.
"But you're so much prettier," Sango countered, eating a piece of toast.
"Yeah right," Kagome said, rolling her brown eyes.
"Then why would so many young men come trying to rescue you, claiming to be your true love?" Sango asked, catching Kagome off guard.
"Well….." Kagome stopped to think for a moment. "Because I'm a princess and they want rewards from my family."
"No, it's because you're beautiful," Sango replied, rolling her eyes at Kagome, who didn't notice.
A young man hopped down from the rocks near the river, his silver hair slightly dripping from the water, he'd just dunked in the water to wash his hair. He shook it out like a dog, and walked back in the direction of his house when he ran into a man who was being chased by what looked like guards of some sort.
"Come back here!" One of them shouted. "You fake houshi!"
"I'm not fake," the man being chased shouted.
"And how dare you grope the women!" another guard shouted. "It's my hand it's got a mind of its own," and suddenly the man being chased ran into the silver haired youth. He looked up at the other man, and gulped noticing the golden colored eyes. The guards stopped short, noticing the silver haired man's appearance. "it's a youkai!"
"That's the wrong thing to assume," the silver haired man said. "I'm a hanyou and this is my territory, what is your business here?"
"This houshi ripped off our lord, and we were sent after him." The first guard said, his voice slightly shaking.
"Y-You're Inuyasha," the second one gasped, backing away leaving the other man closer. "I'm getting out of here," and he ran off, shortly followed by the first guard.
"Wow, thanks for that," the houshi said, as Inuyasha turned to walk away. "I think if you hadn't come along when you did, I'd be dead meat,"
"Ok," Inuyasha said, continuing on his walk away, but the houshi followed.
"My name's Miroku," the houshi said, and Inuyasha stopped, and glanced at him.
"I didn't protect you, I just didn't want them on my land, got that?" Inuyasha asked, and Miroku shrugged. "And why are you following me?"
"I still didn't get killed and that's what matters," Miroku said smiling widely. "Cause, I have nothing better to do, and no where to be,"
"You know I could go crazy at any moment, and kill you, right?" Inuyasha asked, becoming annoyed with the houshi.
"Eh, I've been through worse," Miroku said shrugging, causing Inuyasha to sigh."What's wrong with you?"
"I'm trying to get home, but I've got an annoying monk on my tail," Inuyasha said with a slight growl. He turned away from the monk and suddenly tripped over something small on the ground.
"Ouch," the something said, causing both men to look at what the hanyou had tripped over. It was a small fox demon kit, with auburn hair. "Watch where you're going clumsy,"
"Why don't you watch where you're lying," Inuyasha scoffed.
"Now, Inuyasha, don't be rude," Miroku said, squatting down next to the kit. "Hey there, what's your name?"
"Shippo," the kit said, glaring at Inuyasha, who was looking in the opposite direction, his arms crossed over his chest.
"I thought you were leaving," Miroku said, grinning when Inuyasha 'feh'd at them. "You can't can you?"
"It just so happens, that I do have a heart you know," Inuyasha scoffed. "And also a place for you guys to sleep, but only for tonight,"
"Oh good," Miroku said, offering Shippo a hand up, but the kit jumped onto his shoulder instead. The two followed the hanyou farther into the forest, until they stopped at a huge tree.
"Well here we are," Inuyasha said, looking back at his two guests.
"Where is here?" Miroku asked looking around. "Are we supposed to sleep on the ground, doesn't seem like much of a home to me,"
"This isn't exactly where I live," Inuyasha grumbled. "I live up in the tree,"
"You live in the tree," Shippo asked, with a laugh. "That must be uncomfortable."
"Look up you fools," Inuyasha said, pointing up. They did so and saw the hut that was in the tree.
"Oh," they said in unison, as Inuyasha leapt into the tree.
Lord Koga was roaming the streets of his village avoiding his two advisors, Ginta and Hakkaku. He didn't want to deal with his lord duties at the moment.
"Did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
Koga spotted two villagers speaking. He stopped to listen to their gossip.
"About the Princess guarded by a ferocious demon," the first person said.
"What is she waiting for someone to rescue her or something?" the second person asked.
"Lord Koga!" Koga pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed. He turned around to see his two advisors running towards him.
"What do you two want?" he asked annoyed.
"The war council is waiting for you," Ginta said.
"Also the tribal elders are here," Hakkaku said, "I think they're here for something about marriage," he added.
"Have you heard of the princess locked in a tower?" Koga asked ignoring the two's comments. The two looked over at him, sweat drops falling down, and they sighed knowing they'd just been ignored.
"Lord Koga did you hear a single thing we just said?" Ginta asked, shaking his head.
"Well did you hear what I said?" Koga asked demandingly. "I want you to answer me,"
"Yeah the princess of the next kingdom over, I think her name is Kagome or something, she's human and guarded by a huge ferocious cat demon," Hakkaku explained, feeling tired. "Why?"
"Cause I think I may have found my bride," Koga said, with a cocky grin.
"Tell that to the elders," Ginta said.
"They won't let you marry a human," Hakkaku said.
"We'll see," Koga said.
"Just how am I supposed to get up there," Miroku said pointing up at the tree hut.
"Can't you climb?" Shippo asked. Miroku looked at the kit as if he were crazy.
"Do I look like I spend a lot of time up in trees?" Inuyasha looked at the monk, grabbed him by the back of his robes, and jumped causing Miroku to let out a weird high pitched shriek.
"Er…..what the hell was that?" Inuyasha asked, his ears pinned to his head in anguish.
"You um….surprised me is all." Miroku stated dusting off his robes. "A little warning would have been nice,"
"You're pathetic monk," Shippo said sniggering at Miroku who rubbed the back of his neck.
"So Inuyasha where are we staying," Miroku asked, trying to switch the subject.
"Ginta the war council can wait, I have to meet with the elders, to convince them to let me marry a human bride." Koga said, walking away from the two stunned advisors who looked at each other before hurrying after him.
"Um ok, but how do you plan to do that?" Ginta asked, they both tried keeping pace with their lord.
"Besides I think they already have your bride picked out for you," Hakkaku said, ending up running into Koga's back when the young lord suddenly stopped. The two wolf demons gulped when they felt Koga's anger radiating off of him.
"What did you just say?" Koga asked, turning to his frightened advisors.
"They have a bride picked out for you," Hakkaku said frightened.
"Kagome, what exactly are you doing?" Kagome looked over at Sango a flower in her hand, she smiled slightly embarrassed.
"Um….arranging flowers….why?"
"Why would you be doing that?" Sango asked confused as she sat down on the bed.
"Well when someone does get past you, I want the place to look nice is all," Kagome said blushing, thinking of someone coming to save her. Her handsome prince.
"Ah I see," Sango said smirking, causing Kagome's blush to turn a deeper red.
"What's this?" Koga asked, coming into the meeting room that held the elders of the wolf demon tribe. At the head table sat a grey wolf, and next to him a girl with red hair. "Why haven't I been told I've got a bride already? Especially when I already have one figured out,"
"Koga stop you're yapping and sit down," the head elder said. "We have my granddaughter Ayame, she is to become your bride."
"No," Koga said bluntly, causing Ayame's face to turn bright red.
"What do you mean no?" Ayame asked, standing up her eyebrow twitching. "It's already been decided,"
"Well I need a princess to become a king," Koga said and Ayame face faulted. "And I know just the right princess too,"
"What is her name, and where does she come from,"
"Her name is Kagome, she's locked in a tower, she's from the kingdom to the east," Koga said, and the elders all gasped.
"But she's human, how could you possibly marry a human?" Elder Haku, the head elder said.
"Well it's simple….the same way I would marry Ayame," Koga replied sarcastically.
"Enough of that," Elder Rin said. "There is one way Haku,"
"What is that?" Haku asked, turning his attention to the female elder.
"If he is able to rescue her from the tower I say we let him marry the human girl." Rin said, closing her eyes.
"But….what about me?" Ayame asked, in a small voice. "Am I only to become his fall back should he fail?" That's not very romantic.
"Yes," Haku said his voice solemn.
(The next day)
Tap, tap, tap.
Inuyasha woke to this annoying sound, and walked over to his doorway. He glanced down at the ground and saw a man nailing something to his tree. "What's goin….ACK!" Miroku fell backwards after being clothes-lined by Inuyasha's arm. "What was that for?"
"We're in a tree idiot, did you wanna fall?" Inuyasha asked, looking down at the fallen monk. "Keh, who does he think he is nailing something to my tree?" Inuyasha then jumped down, Miroku following by the scruff of his neck. Inuyasha pulled the nail out, and the paper attached fell to the ground. Miroku picked it up.
"Hm, what's this?" Miroku said, reading the page. "Looks like some kind of competition…" the paper was gone the next second. "Did you have to rip it away from me that fast?"
"A competition?" Inuyasha said, his voice sounded a little excited. "And its this afternoon." Inuyasha dropped the paper again, looking triumphantly at the sky. "I can win this,"
"And how do you, a hanyou, think you'll be able to enter?" Miroku asked picking up the paper once more. "Hm, interesting,"
"What is?" Miroku jumped hearing Shippo's voice so close to his ear. "Where were you?"
"Up in the tree," Shippo replied innocently. "What's up with Inuyasha?"
"Oh he's gonna enter a competition," Miroku said, stuffing the flyer into his robe. "Are you gonna answer me?"
"Answer what?" Inuyasha asked impatiently.
"How do you plan on entering," Miroku asked, reaching over and tweaking one of Inuyasha's ears.
"Hey," Inuyasha snapped swatting at the monk's hand. "I'll wear a helmet or something,"
"Ok, then I guess you're really gonna do this then?" Miroku asked, shaking his head as Inuyasha started heading toward their next destination. The wolf demon village.