Disclaimer: I sadly don't own any of these beautiful characters :(
**ML**
Kagome's senses prickled. She sensed a strong and dark presence coming from one of the Hobbits. Immediately, she became extremely wary.
Instinctually, she made for her bow again, but she forced herself to stop. She took the time to assess the Hobbit's soul.
Not that surprised, Kagome found that his soul was clean, so it had to be something he's carrying. She glanced at an amused Gandalf. The hobbit was also traveling with Gandalf, and therefore was not an enemy.
Looking around at the mix-matched group of people then back at the Frodo and the dark presence, she came to one conclusion: this must be some sort of quest.
Instead of moving in with another attack, the woman glared at the wizard in response to his jolly greeting and bent down to pick up the dead animal.
"Now now, Kagome, don't be so mad at me," said the wizard.
"'Nice to see you too, Kagome,' you say. 'Don't be so mad at me,' you say," the female mocked, deadpanning at the wizard. "You must be kidding, Gandalf. You're invading my privacy and touching my things. This is trespassing, you know. I think I have the right to be upset," she paused as she dropped deer in front of the fire, making the little ones jump. Suddenly her eyes lit up, and a pleasant but wicked smile graced her lips.
"Actually," she began, crossing her arms over her chest. "I also have the right to kick all of you out."
"Wait! You can't just do that! That's-" Boromir started again, but, same as the last time, he was cut off.
"Then tell me, what's stopping me?" Kagome's not-so-friendly smile dropped when she asked.
"Pardon my friend, Miss. He does not know how to control his mouth." Aragorn said to her. Turning to the other man, the king began to chastise him, "Boromir, now is not the time," Aragon started. The two humans began an argument on their own. Ignoring them, the dark-haired woman rolled her eyes.
"A woman cannot possibly beat us. The thought is ludicrous!" Boromir was saying. He was getting frustrated by the woman making such high claims. All the while, Kagome's glare grew more and more intense.
All she wanted to do was come back to the cave, cook a meal, and relax. She ran into some trolls the night before, and the fight left her body aching. On top of that, her uterus was raging inside of her, tormenting her for not getting pregnant. When she wished for company, she didn't get any; when she wanted peace and quiet, chaos was tossed right her way. The fates just loved her.
Seeing that this was going nowhere but angering the one called Kagome, Legolas stepped in.
"My lady," he said, "We needed to get away from the storm, and this cave was the only place we could find. Please let us stay with you until the storm passes, for we are tired and have an injured member." Kagome studied Legolas with a raised eyebrow and soon they were staring each other down.
It had been awhile since she ran into an elf. It had been about fifty years since she last visited Elrond and his people and more than two hundred years since she went to Lothlorien or Mirkwood.
I should go visit soon. I do miss the company of a fellow female, she thought to herself tiredly.
Kagome gave him a once over. He looked familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint who he was. Judging by his clothes, she guessed that he was from the Woodland Realm and the way he carried himself proved him to have come from a family of high status. She racked her brain to remember Mirkwood's court, but to no avail.
A small voice broke her train of thought, "Please let us stay, Miss Kah-go-may," Frodo pleaded, stepping closer to Kagome. He said her name slowly, testing the foreign name. Sam whispered furiously to Frodo telling him to come back and away from the 'strange female that they don't know anything about.'
Kagome blinked as the reality of her situation hit her. These people - Gandalf's company, she reminded herself - were in need of more than just shelter. They needed food, rest, and…
Her eyes drifted to the injured Hobbit leaning against the wall. Kagome pressed her lips together. She knew that she could never actually turn them away, but she admitted to herself that she didn't have to be so rude. She instantly regretted her hostile approach.
Eventually, she sighed and took a deep breath to calm her down. Taking a knee, she asked the hobbit quietly, "What's your name?"
"Frodo. Frodo Baggins," was the response.
Giving a small but warm smile, Kagome assured him that she had no intention of actually kicking them out of her cave. Standing up, she dropped her smile as she took in the rest of the company.
Legolas was watching her every move. This woman had powers that he didn't know of. She was calculating and hid her emotions well. He found that he couldn't read her thoughts as easily as he could with other humans. That did not sit well with him.
Similarly, Legolas couldn't help but feel slightly irked that azure eyes were no longer on him. Not too long ago, she was acutely aware of his presence almost as if she didn't know who he was, which was the most likely. However, once Frodo spoke up, the woman's attention was no longer about him. He reasoned that his reaction was simply because the prince was not used to being dismissed so easily, especially by a female.
"Who are these people you have brought with you, Gandalf?" Kagome said, her voice demanding everyone's attention.
"This is the Fellowship of the Ring. It is our duty to protect Frodo in his quest to destroy the Ring of Power." The old man paused before slyly asking, "Would you like to accompany us for the remainder of this journey?"
Eyebrows shot up, but Kagome's reasons differed from the company's reasons. Kagome was surprised that a hobbit, no, multiple hobbits, would go on such a dangerous quest to destroy the lost ring and now she knew what that evil aura was. The men's brows shot up because they were shocked that Gandalf invited her to join them.
"I'll….. think about it," was her answer. There was an awkward silence. Nobody really knew what to say; all that resonated in the cave was the sound of the hard rain and occasional thunder.
She mentally sighed and began chastising herself for being a bad hostess.
"Listen, I'm sorry for my rude entrance. You did not mean any harm, so I should have welcomed you with open arms. Please forgive me and allow me to start over. My name is Kagome Higurashi and I wish to become friends with you," she finished with a low bow and a genuine smile.
Merry and Pippin gladly jumped into the conversation introducing themselves and dragged Sam into their little chat. She soon learned of the names of the men, Aragorn and Boromir; the elf, Legolas; and the dwarf, Gimli.
"Now that introductions have been made, let us cook this deer that Kagome has caught us and rest tonight!" Gandalf exclaimed.
"Alright, alright, I'll start making dinner," Kagome laughed. Noting the pots and pans Sam brought, she asked him a question. "Sam, you look like someone who knows how to cook. Do you want to help me?"
Blushing, the hobbit eagerly agreed. Kagome instructed Sam to prepare the cooking materials while she prepared the meat.
Aragon insisted on helping the priestess gut and clean the animal even though she adamantly refused, much to Gandalf's amusement. "Please, Miss Kagome," Aragorn said, "Let me assist you. I trust you are fully capable of doing this on your own, but I still can not let you do all the work."
Kagome sighed. She wanted to make up for the way she treated them, not make them work. However, if that is what makes him happy, who was she to refuse free help? "Fine, you may help me. But on one condition," Kagome said.
Aragorn blinked, "Yes, what would that be?"
"Simply call me Kagome. If I am to stay with you, then no 'Miss' or whatnot. I am not one for formalities."
"As you wish, Kagome. In that case, please call me Aragorn," he responded.
The woman beamed with joy as they moved near the entrance of the cave to prepare the meat.
"Tell me, Aragorn," she began almost bashfully, "Is your Legolas friend the Prince Legolas of the Wood Elves?"
Legolas finished checking up on Merry's injury and calming Boromir down. He had intended to talk with Aragorn about the female who claimed this cave, but he had found that the man had already struck up a conversation with the said woman.
While they were busy, the elf decided that this was a good time to find out more about the strange black-haired enigma. His sharp eyes locked on another being who held the knowledge he wished to acquire. He took a few steps over to Gandalf, who was currently smoking a pipe with his back against a wall and sat down.
"Gandalf," he called to capture his attention. The wizard lazily opened an eye to look at him. "Tell me more about your friend."
"Which one? I have many," replied the wizard, closing his eyes again.
"Gandalf..."
The old man sighed, releasing a puff of smoke. "She is who she says she is. She is Kagome Higurashi, a human who holds no bias towards any race. Her kindness knows no bounds. But do not take her as a fool, for she is also a respected, powerful being who is not to be trifled with."
Legolas' sharp eyes drifted to the female in question as he listened.
How interesting… He thought to himself. But the last time man tried to obtain such ability… He thought of the outcome of the Ring, and his eyes narrowed.
Gandalf glanced at him again and watched the prince stare intently at Kagome. Mentally chuckling, Gandalf said to him, "If you are so curious, then why don't you go talk to her instead of asking me to talk behind her back?"
The elf did not move as he pondered his next move before nodding. Gracefully getting up, he went to the duo at the mouth of the cave.
When he was only a few steps away from the two humans, he heard her voice call out to him.
"Ah, how nice of you to join us," she began, smirking when she felt a perplexed elven aura approach her, "Prince Legolas, Son of Thranduil, King of Mirkwood."
The woman stood up from her bloody work. "I never thought I'd get to meet his highness like…" Kagome blushed, "Well, like this."
**ML**: R&R! Au revoir~!