Author's Note: Please review! I haven't gotten many reviews so I'm feeling disheartened :'( but please enjoy chapter 3 regardless!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or affiliated with Inuyasha, however this particular story is M-I-N-E! :)
I Will Come For You
Dearest Beloved,
I didn't know until that day who you truly were. Never had I met someone with so abundant a pride and so vast a dignity. My life was but a mere shadow compared to you, and still you reached out your hand to one whose worth was nothing. In that moment, our fate was sealed and our destiny revealed.
xxx
"My lady, that man is here again."
The princess cotinued to brush her hair as her eyelashes gently fluttered against her cheeks. "Leave him be. We have no reason to fear him."
"But Sakura-hime, he shows the markings of a-"
"Ayame..." The princess said softly but sternly.
Ayame mumbled a quick apology before bowing and leaving the room. Light but strong footsteps made their way across the floor until they stopped directly behind her. The princess knew who they belonged to without turning for she had heard them quite often within the past few weeks.
"When will you stop coming through my window and use the front door like a normal person?" She asked still brushing her hair.
"Hmm, but I am not a normal person, my frozen flower."
The princess felt him kneel behind her before gentle fingers caressed her long hair. She shivered slightly from the contact which only encouraged the bold man.
"If my master learns of you, we will both perish."
"I haven't done anything to incur his wrath have I?"
"Your very presence is a bother."
"How cold of you. Should I give you my warmth Ice Princess?"
Warm breathe wafted over the nape of her neck, and the princess whirled around to slap him playfully on the arm.
"Haha! See, you can show a crack in that mask of yours from time to time," he smiled brightly.
The princess narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing. It was true that her cold demeanor had slightly lessened since her meeting with the strange man, but only he was aware of it. He had watched her silently out of sight at first, but when she had found him dosing under a tree right outside her garden, he had become more bold, even sneaking into her room during the day to enjoy her company. Ayame had found out quickly enough, but with enough pleas, the princess was able to gain the old maid's trust.
"You are insufferable. Master will be returning shortly, so I suggest you go home."
"Hmm? You can't even tolerate my presence to this extent?" The big man wrapped his arms around her from behind as his lips pressed lightly against one ear. "I will abide by your wishes today, however expect my return tomorrow my frozen flower."
By the time his last word was spoken, the man vanished in a flurry or fur. The princess turned to the open window with a look of longing, but her fluttering heart soon beat with fear as heavy footsteps sounded down the corridor.
"My lovely Sakura, I have returned." Her master stood in the doorway decorated in fine robes of silk. The princess had always found him unpleasant to look at. He was a short middle-aged man with quite a round belly, a big nose, a bald head, and a long greasy black beard. Her master had bought her at an auction for rare artifacts a few months ago, and since then she had been confined to his castle as part of his collection.
"I have wonderful news my dear girl! I have recently acquired an alliance with the Mei family in exchange for you to be married to their eldest son!"
The princess looked at her master with shock as horror began to well up within her.
"I...I would be honored master," she spoke softly.
"Excellent! The wedding shall be held tomorrow, then!" And as quickly as he came, the master hurried out.
"Tomorrow...?" The princess whispered to herself as silent tears began to make glistening trails down her cheeks.
xxx
The moment his feet touched the ground that morning, the man knew something was wrong. His sharp nose picked up the faint trace of tears, and he instantly knew to whom they belonged. He took long quick strides till he reached the large window that led to the princesses room. She stood with her back to him as he approached her, and he noticed how elegant she was dressed. When she slowly turned, the sight took his breathe away for he had never seen such beauty in all his years, but beneath the beauty was a sad longing, so he waited for her to speak first.
"...I am to be married today."
The man's eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing.
"This will be the last meeting, my lord." She cast her eyes down and whispered, "You have yet to tell me your name. Might I know it so that I will remember you?"
The man stayed silent for a bit before answering, "My name is not important as of now. Tell me...do you wish to be married?"
"...It is an honor to be married to the Mei house."
"That is not what I asked."
"...Yes," she spoke with the softest of whispers.
"Then I shall bid you a happy marriage...however, if you should change your mind, then all you need do is call and I will come for you."
"...I appreciate your concern, but now I must bid you farewell." As she started to turn a firm hand caught her arm, and the barest of caresses was traced across her lips, but when she blinked he had vanished, leaving only a memory and a sweet dream behind.
xxx
Everything felt wrong. She shouldn't be wearing such elegant clothing, she shouldn't be kneeling next to a stranger, and she certainly shouldn't be marrying that very stranger. The princess took a cautious look at her new husband, who was called Mei Shinichi. He was quite normal; not really ugly but not very attracttive either. However, she had heard rumors of his many "adventures" in the red light district of Yoshiwara, and none of them spoke of passion or pleasantry. A feeling of dread formed in the pit of her stomach, but pride and honor dictated she stand her ground.
The man named Shinichi must have noticed the princess watching him, for when their eyes met, she saw the lust that clouded his eyes and her body gave an involuntary shiver in response. He began to reach for her hand, but the princess quickly snatched it away. Shinichi scowled and whispered low in her ear.
"I'll teach you not to reject me, wench!" He hissed.
Dread filled her whole being, but she refused to cower and held her head high till the wedding ended and only the two were left to face each other. She bowed low and said, "Please take care of me from now on."
Something hard hit her cheek, causing her to tumble to the ground. She barely lifted herself on her elbows and gently rubbed the reddening mark just as a hand caught in her hair and pulled fiercely. She cried out as she was hauled up to the man's eye level. A frightening spark shone in his eye and his hot breathe wafted over her face as he spoke.
"You dare to mock me with such a curt tone?! I'll teach you the proper respect you will show to your husband you whore!" He threw her to the ground, pining her legs with his and holding both her hands in one.
"Where should I punish you first?" His tongue roughly traced the base of her neck as she let out a scream that was closely followed by his dark chuckles.
The princess had never felt such fear before, and with her life hanging in the balance, she did the only thing she could do.
"HELP ME!" she cried as loud as her lungs would allow. Then she whispered a faint, "Please..."
A loud BOOM suddenly came from behind, and the both of them looked up to see a gaping hole in the wall to their right, and in the very center of the hole stood the mysterious white-haired man.
Shinichi quickly jumped off the princess and began fumbling backwards on the floor; his body shaking in terror.
"Y-y-you-k-k-kai!"
The beautiful male stood tall and proud as he advanced toward the man cowering on the ground. A quick look at the princess told him she was relatively unharmed, save for a red mark on her cheek. A low growl arose in his throat as he picked up the smaller man by the front of his shirt; his feet inches from the ground.
"You dare touch this one's woman you lowly cur?! Your insolence shall be paid in full!"
Shinichi was violently thrown against the far wall of the elaborately decorated room, but as he slid to the ground a boot pounded into his chest, keeping him still. The big man above him raised his hand and visibly flexed his claws in a show of power as his eyes slowly began to bleed red.
In a moment of bravery, the princess flung herself at the powerful male and clung to his arm as tightly as she could. "Stop...just stop," she whispered as tears began to well up in her eyes. She felt the man's muscles relax under her as he placed a reassuring hand against her cheek. Soft golden eyes gazed at her before hardening once more and turning back to the man on the floor.
"Count yourself lucky human that I am a generous man. But remember this, if you should ever cross me or mine again your life will be forfeit!"
"W-who a-are y-you?" He stammered as terrified tears fell from his eyes.
The man scooped the princess in his arms and turned slightly as the moonlight cast them in an other-worldly glow.
"I am the Inu no Taisho, second son of the West."
And as the wind blew fiercely in Shinichi's face, the dog and the ice princess fled into the night.
