Disclaimer: I'm not crazy about Inuyasha...I'm serious. (gets wide-eyed stares because I am petting the beautiful picture of Inuyasha on my shirt)

Now that was a stupid disclaimer, but hey, I couldn't help myself. If you guys like this story, read my other fanfiction. I've been working hard on that one, and I sorely need more readers...quick. Anyhoo-I just put up the seventh chapter of my other story just so you know. I think that's all for news...

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The Captured Princess

By: Sanci J

Chapter 4: The Finishing Touch

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Princess Kagome had just gotten back from visiting her younger brother Prince Souta around three thirty. He was getting better and she was happy to see that his high fever was decreasing rapidly. He could actually speak, which he hadn't been able to do in ...almost a year already. The first thing he said when he saw her and her mother was, "Where is father?"

That disgusted the Princess, but she did understand her brother's feelings. After all, she was the same way until that fateful night one day ago. Now she despised her own father, the King. Well...she shouldn't go as far as to say that. It was too judgmental, since she had only had these strong feelings for a short period of time. Whatever the word was she was searching for, she couldn't find it. Pig. Yes, that was it. Her father was a disgusting pig...no, a cockroach for what he did to her. Yes...that sounded much better.

"A cockroach." She said and grinned on her way up to her room.

"What-a cockroach? Where?" A servant squealed unconsciously and hopped up on the wooden chair she was dusting. She searched the room. "Where is it, m'lady?"

Princess Kagome giggled. "It's on your leg." She lied.

The woman screamed bloody murder and started smacking her legs in an effort to swipe the bug off. Then she jumped up and off the chair running for dear life down the hall, screeching.

'Sango would have died of laughter if she saw that.' She could barely contain her laughter as she skipped her way to her room.

She told herself she would tell Sango later on about the cockroach while they were sneaking out. Forever. This time she wouldn't be trying to sneak out just for the fun of it. This time was serious. By the time eleven thirty rolls around, she won't be able to look back. Actually, right now would be the perfect time for her to say no and miss the chance of a lifetime.

But she couldn't.

She didn't want to.

She had to pack what she was going to bring first...she hoped it wouldn't take too long to decide on what to bring.

Shutting the door behind her, she went to her closet and pulled out two suitcases. She frowned. How big of a suitcase was she aloud to bring? All Sango had said was to have her things packed and ready to go. Hmm...maybe the smaller one would be better.

After choosing the smaller tan colored suitcase and setting it on her bed, she opened it and returned to her closet to figure out what she was going to bring. The first dress she saw was her older dark brown dress she used to play around in. It wasn't in the least bit fancy anymore. It looked like a commoner's dress now and she smiled. It was the perfect dress for her to bring, but she would bring some really nice ones for special occasions. Since she was sure Sango didn't have any real nice outfits, she decided that she would share, since their sizes were almost identical.

She folded it neatly and placed it in the suitcase...wait- she should leave it out so she could wear it tonight when they planned on sneaking out. Sighing, she took it back out and placed it under her pillow just in case someone were to walk in so they wouldn't see it and think something suspicious was going on.

What else? Ahh...her favorite dresses and ball gowns. She had many of those. They were also all in a row in her closet. Even her green one was in there. She squealed to herself and grabbed it, immediately folding it and placing it in the case.

Back at the closet, she sorted through the dresses and gowns.

The light yellow gown...a white one...the black dress...her red gown...light purple...light green tea dress...a powder blue gown...light pink one...there were just too many!

"Hmm...I'll take the white one, and the red one along with my green one and the light purple..." She said quickly and began folding them and placing them in the suitcase.

For a minute she thought about putting a hoop inside the suitcase, but decided against it. "This is a lot harder than I thought it would be..." she ran to her dresser and took out two nightgowns and her red kimono and put them into the case. Then she remembered her archery uniform and stuffed it in too. She grimaced when she saw the puny suitcase wouldn't fit much more. 'I'll have to resort to stuffing then...' She pushed the clothes down, and grinned triumphantly when she saw she could fit two more dresses inside, along with her undergarments and soap. Wait. A hairbrush too.

Alright...now she tried to remember what Sango's two favorite colors were. She knew Sango liked pink, so she put that gown in. But she didn't know what else she liked, so she grabbed the blue one, and stuffed it inside. She smiled, her white teeth showing. 'Yes! Now all I need is some soap and my hairbrush, and I'll be finished.'

She saw her lucky ribbon on the table and stopped, her mind instantly traveling back in time to that first escape again...

Flashback!

Sango saw Princess Kagome's worried expression and touched her arm. "What's wrong?"

Princess Kagome looked at them sadly. "I think someone recognized me."

Mykoku laughed outright. "Princess Kagome-um, I mean, uh-"she struggled.

Princess Kagome looked at Sango in distress.

"Her name is-um-Fuwa." Mykoku said and Princess Kagome lifted an eyebrow.

"Fuma? I am not trouble!" Princess Kagome stated, her hands on her hips.

"Shh! Prin- I mean, please use the name? It'll be just for now, until we get back." Sango said impatiently, and then looked around the building to see if anyone was watching. "When we go out, make sure you both are wearing your handkerchiefs. We don't want someone to spot us."

The girls put their handkerchiefs on, so that all you could see was their eyes and the top of their heads.

"Lets go." Sango whispered. They walked forward trying to look as normal as possible onto the dirt road. It was quiet now that the other servants had gone on ahead.

"What should we do first?" Princess Kagome asked as she looked at all the small huts. Some were so small they could take up just her bedroom! Her eyes widened when she saw a little child probably around five or six asking for a coin to help support his poor family.

Her heart comforted the thought of helping the boy. "Little boy. I shall donate to your cause." She couldn't help but say as she stepped forward.

The little boy with sandy blonde hair grinned a toothy grin when he saw her. His clothes were ripped and torn. She wished she could give him some clothes, but all she had on her was her moneybag. She felt for it in her clothing and grabbed two gold coins.

Mykoku saw what she was doing and grabbed her arm. "Fuwa, don't do it. Hasn't anyone told you that when children go around asking for money like that, they just give it to their parents and they buy liquor for themselves?"

Princess Kagome did not like when anyone grabbed her. She tried to wrench her hand away, but her friend held fast. "Unhand me." She said in a low voice.

Mykoku narrowed her eyes, but let go. "I'm telling you the truth."

She softened. "May it be or not, I do believe you." She then asked the child if he was hungry.

His eyes lit up. "Yes, m'lady."

Princess Kagome smiled. "Lead me to the stand you want to get some food at. Is that alright with you?"

Before she knew it, she was being pulled to the stand where the sake and rice balls were. "What do you want?" she asked as she pulled out a couple coins.

He clapped his hands. "A rice ball!" he shouted gleefully.

Laughing, she ordered four rice balls. Once they reached her friends, she handed them their treats.

"Thank you Fuwa." Mykoku whispered softly and she began to eat her rice ball.

Sango took a bite of the rice. "Yes, thank you Fuwa. This is good."Sango said brightly, grinning.

"It was my pleasure." She looked at the little boy standing next to her. He must have been really hungry because he was already done with his rice ball. She held hers out to him and smiled warmly. "You can have this one too." He took it without hesitation.

"What is your name, little one?" Princess Kagome asked, watching the boy stuff the food in his mouth.

He finished chewing his rice ball and stared at her. "Ikasu."

"Do you have a last name?" she probed gently.

The boy slowly shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know my father."

-Little did she know, two eyes were staring at her from a faraway distance, watching her every move.-

When she looked back at her friends, she noticed they both stared at her. "What?"

"It's almost scary...you're being so thoughtful and giving." Mykoku said and ate the last bite of her rice ball.

"Is that a bad thing?" Princess Kagome asked as they moved away from the crowds.

"Well...no. But I've never seen you being generous before. It's different."

"Well, it's not like I've really had the chance to until now." she retorted and turned to see the boy, but he wasn't there. She looked back at her friends. "Where did he go?"

They both shrugged.

"He probably went home." Sango said sighing.

Princess Kagome sighed also. She had wanted to give him a coin. At least one. No matter what Mykoku said, she still felt bad for the boy and his living conditions. But he ran away too fast.

They continued walking through the crowd when Princess Kagome felt someone brush up against her. She cried out, feeling a sharp pain in her side. She fell forward, only to land in soft gentle arms.

Her hand immediately went to her sore, and she noticed that was where her small purse of money had been. She looked up to see a young man around her age staring at her. "What is it?" he asked, and she was sure he knew what had happened.

"My p-p-purse was stolen." She replied shakily. She stared up at him, gazing into his dark eyes. He had dark black hair almost the same as hers. She remembered she was in his arms and she slowly moved away, trying to hide a blush. She was real thankful that the handkerchief was still on.

"Do you want me to go get it?" he asked worriedly and he saw her holding her side.

"No...no! It was just a few coins. I'll be fine without them anyway." she reassured him and winced in pain when she walked backwards.

"M'lady, are you alright?" he stepped closer and his eyes widened when he saw blood. "Let me help you. You're bleeding."

"Oh my-What happened? Fuwa!" Sango asked walking back to Princess Kagome. She saw the blood and her eyes widened with fright.

Princess Kagome bent over slightly, holding her side. "I'm fine...Just shut up already!" she said irritated with all of the fuss. She was the Princess. She could take a little pain once in a while.

Both Sango and the boy looked shocked. The boy more.

"I can bandage it when we get home, sister." Princess Kagome winked at Sango.

"Oh! Yes, when we get home." Sango repeated and slung her arm around her friend's shoulder for support.

They turned towards the still stunned boy. "Thank you for your help." Princess Kagome said weakly.

"What did you say m'lady? I missed what you just said." he called over the noisy crowd.

Sango lead them both to a secluded corner and stopped, so Princess Kagome could sit on a carton.

Princess Kagome found that she could not keep her eyes off this certain boy. She knew she was taking a risk, but she lifted her left hand and pulled down her handkerchief. "I said, thank you for your help." She smiled as sincere as she could get with the throbbing pain in her side.

Sango gasped when she saw her friend take the handkerchief off, but she didn't say anything.

"I didn't even help you. What are you saying?" the boy looked alarmed. He found it hard to look away from this woman's beautiful face.

"You caught me when I would have fallen. And you offered to retrieve my purse and help with my wound. That's a lot."

A bell chimed.

Sango looked at her urgently. "We need to go home now."

"Wait! Stay here for a minute. I'll be right back." The boy grinned and Princess Kagome gulped, watching him scamper away.

Sango stood when he was out of sight. "Come on. Lets make our escape before he gets back." She said.

The young Princess stared at her friend. "What? I'm waiting for him to come back."

"Fuwa! He went to go get the guards. When you took your handkerchief off, he noticed you."

"No! I refuse to believe that nonsense." Out of nowhere a sharp pain hit her and she cringed, groaning at the pain. "By the way, where is Mykoku?"

"I don't know. Somewhere in the crowd, I guess." Sango said and sighed. "I sure hope this isn't a hoax."

"It's not." She said gritting her teeth, but inwardly she was hoping she was right. "He'll come back."

Two minutes later the dark haired boy came running back with something in his hand. He stopped in front of her and bent down. After ripping off a piece of his sleeve, he wrapped it around her waist and tied it in a knot to stop the blood from flowing. "This will hold it until you get home."

She winced when he tightened it, and she tried to hide the pain.

When he stood up, he watched her face try to shield the pain. "Are you sure you don't need any help getting to your home, Miss Fuwa?"

For some reason, she liked her fake name a lot better when this stranger spoke it than before when Mykoku gave it to her.

Sango nodded quickly. "Were sure. Thank you good sir."

She helped Princess Kagome stand.

"I saw what you did earlier." He said, not moving. "When you bought food for the little boy. It was very kind of you, miss."

Princess Kagome smiled. He saw all that? "It-it was nothing." She couldn't help the catch in her voice.

It was her stupid side! It was just ever so painful! Pain she had never experienced before now.

"Here. I want you to have this." He held out a green ribbon to her.

She looked at the beautiful ribbon and back at him. "Me?" she asked incredulously.

He blushed and nodded, avoiding her gaze. "Yes. You deserve it. You seem like a visitor to this village and you could have walked right past that kid...but you didn't. You were kind to him. You bought him food, and when he was still hungry, you gave him your share. So...here." He grabbed her hand and dumped the ribbon in it just as the bell chimed again. "If you are servants in the palace, you better get going."

Princess Kagome felt her eyes water up. "Thank you, kind stranger." His mouth moved as they walked away, but she didn't hear what he said. Sango was pulling her away too quickly and she lost him in the crowd of other servants of the palace.

Flashback Ended

She sighed, and forced the boy's smiling face out of her head as she finished brushing through her long raven colored locks. Then she put her hairbrush inside her almost full suitcase.

"Now all I need for the trip is soap and dress shoes, along with sandals..." She decided she could get a couple bars of soap after her bath tonight. She did have a little time to waste, so she figured she might as well be smelling clean and looking her best when they left. Perfect! She could order for dinner to be brought to her room also for privacy...her shoes could wait.

She looked at her balcony and stared at it longingly. This would be the last night she could look out there. Step on the stone floor. Stare at the lighted village at night. She couldn't deny the view was the best one in the palace. It looked right over the whole town and she loved being so close to it. She sighed sadly. This was the only thing she would really miss. Well, that and having the best clothing and accessories...but that was selfish thinking. Others like that one little boy Ikasu probably didn't even have enough clothing and accessories to fuss over. She wondered how he was doing, and was determined to visit him and his family once she and Sango escaped.

She was about to walk out to the balcony for the last time when an abrupt knock sounded at her door. Her head whipped back in surprise. "I'll be there in a minute!" she called and raced to her suitcase and stuffed it under her grand bed for now. She'd get it back out as soon as she was alone again. Glancing at her pink pillow, she made sure the peasants dress wasn't showing and she walked as quick as she could in her large dress to the door.

She opened it to find her mother's personal servant standing there.

"Yes?" she asked in confusion. Why was her mother's servant here?

The elder woman looked at her sternly. "The Queen has sent me to get you dressed up promptly for dinner at eight."

What? She wasn't planning on eating with her family. She despised them for what they did to her. How could she survive a meal with them, let alone the stressful conversing? "I wasn't planning on attending tonight. I would like to dine alone. Please give them my apologies."

The woman shook her head. "The King says that you are required to attend dinner, Princess."

"Could you hold on for just a moment?" The Princess smiled sweetly before closing the door. She ran to her bed and buried her head in her pink pillow, letting out a blood curdling scream before placing it back neatly over the old dress and walking back to the door. 'I cannot believe him!'

When Princess Kagome opened the door, the woman pushed right past her and walked into the room, leaving the Princess at the door.

"What? My father wants me at the dinner table?" she asked calmly, but her face shook with anger. How could this happen?

The maid looked at her suspiciously. "Yes, Princess. Now please have a seat, so we can get you all pampered up for dinner."

Princess Kagome stood there staring at her wooden chair like a statue. How could this happen to her? On the day she actually wants to be alone, her father orders that she can't. Her eyes widened. Could her father suspect something? No...her and Sango had been discreet. He couldn't know. 'Which means he has an announcement to make. That's the only reason he ever wants to eat dinner together.' She silently obeyed the old woman and sat in the chair.

The woman surveyed her hair. "Hmm...do you still own that pretty powder blue gown?" she asked.

Princess Kagome froze. That was one of the gowns she put in her suitcase not too long ago. "Um...It didn't fit right so I sent it to the village with my servant." She said quickly and stood up. "In the closet are some..."

"Your mother said to make sure it was highly fashionable and a lighter color."

Princess Kagome looked at the remaining dresses and gowns in her closet shakily. She saw her light yellow gown and grinned, picking it up. Good. She was in luck because this gown was still in season. "I've found one!" she said in a singsong voice as she closed the closet.

The woman smiled in relief, or what seemed like a smile. It was more like a smirk to Princess Kagome but she ignored it.

She had the maid help her with the gown, but when the woman was pulling the strings too tight around her, she felt her breath leave her and she gripped the chair. "Stop." She protested.

"Princess, it will make you look much thinner." The maid eyed her flat stomach and shook her head. "You should be watching what you eat, otherwise you won't have any suitors." She pulled harder and Princess Kagome felt like her stomach was dying.

She pulled away. "Stop it!" She yelled holding her sore stomach. It hurt, really bad. She was still sore from this morning, and this pain just made it worse.

The maid stared at her in shock. Then she regained her cold composure. "Fine, Princess. Do what you please, but pay heed, for the suitors sake." She said softly.

Princess Kagome laughed. "For the suitors sake? Who cares about the stupid suitors. I obviously don't seeing as how I'm being forced into marriage." She said angrily.

The maid remained silent and tied her strings loosely. "There Princess."

She sighed with relief. The pain was over.

"Have you brushed your hair?"

Princess Kagome turned around to the maid. "Yes."

Twenty minutes to eight, Sango had just finished her cold bath when she saw Princess Kagome walking towards her all dressed up in the latest fashion. She wore a light yellow colored dress that ended at her ankles. The ends had yellow frills. It was definitely one of her fanciest ball gowns of all and her friend reminded her of a fairy tale she had heard about before: Beauty and the Beast. Even her hair was perfectly curled, sitting on the top of her head. "Princess, where are you going so dressed up?" Sango asked, stopping her friend in slight confusion. "I hope that isn't what your planning on-"

"No, no of course not Sango." The Princess said loudly because the Queen's maid had caught up with them. She turned to the maid. "You can go. I can make it there on my own from here."

The maid nodded, but her eyes narrowed at Sango considerably before she went on ahead.

"What's going on?" Sango worried when she saw Princess Kagome's face of despair.

"I was ordered to attend dinner just over two hours ago with my family." She grimaced. "The cockroach ordered it." She said and paced back and forth, her silky smooth dress swishing along with her.

"The cockroach?"

"My father." She spit out bitterly.

Sango laughed. "How did you come up with that?" Princess Kagome was dead right. Her father did seem right being compared to a cockroach. He was an ugly, nasty bug that creeped people out. All people wanted to do was either stay away from them, or squish them. She smirked, wishing someone could really squish the evil King.

Princess Kagome smirked. "I'll tell you all about it later. I have to get to dinner before I get scolded for being late."

"Remember, eleven thirty." Sango whispered and Princess Kagome smiled and nodded as she backed away.

"Good bye." She called as she walked quickly to the dining hall, lifting her dress up some so she wouldn't trip on it in the process.

Princess Kagome stopped for a breather before opening the door and stepping in.

Her mother and father were talking to the King's messenger, and her little brother grinned when he saw her.

"Finally, sis. You take too long to get ready." Her brother said as he greeted her. "It's so boring in here."

"It usually is Souta." Princess Kagome sighed and accepted a glass of water from a servant. "Thank you."

"How are you feeling brother?"

"Better...I'm out of that dreadful sick house, aren't I?" he asked and grinned.

"I suppose so." she replied, taking a sip of the cool refreshing water.

Her brother's grin turned to a sad one.

"What is it?" she asked worriedly.

"It's been so long, that's what. Kagome, you've been so lucky. You've been with mother and father all this time. It must have been great."

Princess Kagome stared at him. So...her brother didn't know that their father had only visited once since he got sick a year ago. Even when her father was here, it wasn't great at all. But she wouldn't say that. It would probably just put her brother in a stupor and she didn't want that. "Of course." She replied neutrally.

"I just recently heard about the treaty father is making with the Northern lands. It is a smart move. Don't you think so, sis?" Souta asked earnestly.

"Yes, a smart move indeed." The Princess complied. Was it her, or was it getting too warm in here? She lifted her water and drank most of it.

"Father is the greatest King ever. I want to be just like him..." Souta said going on.

Princess Kagome felt a horrible twist in her stomach at those words. No...she wouldn't stand for that. Her brother already held too much of a resemblance to their father and the thought of Souta-sweet Souta growing up to be just like him made her want to throw up. His hair was the same color as his father as was his eyes, and that gave her the willies.

Things just couldn't get any worse.

"Don't you think so?" her brother asked.

She blinked. "Of course." She lied. Oh, she just had to get out of here! It was cruel, cruel torture to lie to her beloved innocent brother like this!

"Ah, Kagome you have arrived." Her father asked, his icy blue eyes staring her down. "Were you late?"

"No, father. She wasn't." Souta cut in, thank goodness.

Her father's facial expression totally changed when it landed on Souta. "Good, my son."

"Darling, you look beautiful in that gown." Her mother said walking up beside her husband and brightly smiled at both of her children.

"Thank you mother, as do you." Princess Kagome replied, delighted at the compliment. Her mother barely ever approved what gowns she chose to wear.

They were seated at the enormously long table with her father sitting on the chair at the end of the table. Her mother, wearing a violet gown and her long dark hair in a braid, sat to the right of her husband. Souta was seated to the left, and Princess Kagome was seated next to her mother.

Their food was not brought to them and Princess Kagome stared ahead in confusion. She wanted to speak badly, but she had to remember she couldn't unless she was spoken to.

"Father, why aren't we receiving our food yet?" Souta asked, reflecting the same confusion as his sister.

"We are waiting for our guest to arrive. He was held up by bandits on the way." He shook his head in anger. "There are always people who don't appreciate how lucky they are that their kingdom is so wealthy. They are useless, and a waste of time."

Princess Kagome seethed with anger and squirmed in her seat. How come she never knew how mean and cruel her father was until a couple days ago? It stood out so much. For one, the bandits didn't really seem in the wrong to her because they were all poor while her family was sucking up all the wealth. She had been in the village. She knew how rough the people were living.

They slept in small cramped up huts with a large family barely making ends meet to even have a place to live. Their children were starving and she couldn't do anything about it. She used to think her family was poor when she wanted something and her mother told her no.

It almost made her sick.

Kami, she was so selfish.

She was determined more than ever now to escape. Nothing she wanted could be accomplished here trapped from the world and it's adventures and beauty that awaited her and her friend. Now escaping was a necessity. She had to...she refused to think 'What if we get caught?'. They would leave this dungeon she used to call home straight into freedom...finally. She just had to make it through this dinner.

"Kagome, aren't you listening?" Her father's face was slowly turning red and he glared at her.

Uh oh...what were they talking about again? "Yes, of course father." She replied quickly, and took a small sip of her water. She noticed her family was standing up beside their seats.

Her fathers' gaze remained on her. "Our guest has arrived."

She immediately stood, turning her gaze to the door.

What she saw made her feel like she was going to die then and there.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Ouch...sorry to leave you guys on such a cliffy, but I had to end the chapter somewhere... (smiles innocently)

Wow...look at the reviews ! I'm astonished and filled with gratitude!

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inu girl: I hurried, I hurried!

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