AN: Sorry minna-san! I don't mean to not update, its just that I haven't
been able to post. My stupid computer got a virus and deleted all my story
chapters, so I'm retyping them at my cousin's until we get a new one. But
the good news is that I will be able to update more frequently, and I swear
before this week is up you will have at least 5 chapters for both stories.
Thanks for reviewing, and fyi, mono is the "kissing disease." It makes you
so tired you can barely go anywhere and you have a really hard time staying
awake. The symptoms go away after a while but the disease stays for many
years, because there is no cure. And it makes you get tired easily
sometimes.....
Chapter 2 Meet Prince Kouga
"Nee-san?" An echo was ringing in her ears, but Kagome could not understand what was being said. 'It sounds like Souta,' she grumbled, upset at his constant yelling. Did he not realize her head was pounding from the blood-
"SOUTA!" Surprised, a boy tumbled from his position on her lap, falling to the floor and grunting in pain. Bewildered, Kagome looked over the edge of the bed and stared down at him, before reaching down to grab him. Enveloping him in her arms, she began to cry softly.
"Nee-san, daijobu ka?"
"Hai, if you're safe Souta, then everything's fine." Memories of last night flooded her vision...the village burning, people's moaning and wailing as they died or called for help, the arrow that pierced her, and the red image she faintly saw before collapsing. 'Who was that?' she wondered, beginning to run her hands through Souta's hair. He fidgeted but allowed it. He knew she would do that when she was upset or thinking really hard. Souta definitely didn't want to see her upset anymore, so he could deal with her for a while.
"Souta, do you remember anything about last night?" A sigh escaped his lips as he lazily wrapped his arms around her neck.
"Hai."
"Do you remember what happened after I fell down?"
"H-hai." 'He's trembling, what on earth happened!' Suddenly she heard sniffling and realized he had begun to cry. "It was soo awful nee-chan!! I thought you were dead. You weren't moving a-and I co-couldn't make you get up a-and I was so sc-scared!!" Kagome's eyes glistened with tears as he blabbered on, obviously horrified at what had happened.
"That lady had hurt you and she was gonna be more mean and onii-san left and I couldn't save you and then a guy in red came and saved us and then he picked me up and then he brought me to camp with you and gave me to this guy who was really mean and said he was gonna hurt me and keep you cause he didn't think you needed to keep little brothers cause I told him you were my nee-san. Then-"
"Shh, it doesn't matter anymore. Let's just forget about it ok? I promise no one's going to hurt you. He was breathing deeply from speaking so quickly and sobbing, so she gently rocked him while he rested in her lap. Snuggling his head into the crook of her shoulder, he gave a sigh and fell asleep. However, she chose to continue her minstrations while she thought about what he had said.
'Someone in red saved me. But when they brought us back to camp, they decided I was the only one who could live. If they don't like that Souta's my brother, I'm going to have to figure something out so that they will keep him. I don't know what I could do though. They obviously are youkai, no way a human could beat a neko. I wonder why they wanted me alive anyway?' Her eyes widened. Surely they weren't going to rape her!
And what about Hojou? He had left, albeit reluctantly, and she had no way of knowing if her brother was alive and well. 'Please let him be okay,' she begged to whomever God was listening. Looking around in the dim tent, she took in her surroundings. The tent flap was partially open, and very small rays of light shone through, indicating dawn was fast approaching. Beside her was a small mantle with a melted candle burning, while a pitcher of water and glass sat next to it.
The other end of the room, though bare, had two dressers and a table. Unable to see clearly, she got off the bed and detached her brother's arms from her neck. Placing him lightly onto the bed, she walked over to the dressers first. The one closest to the tent flap was nothing more than a place for storing clothes and hair brushes. She combs and brushes of every shape and size, outfits practically filled the rim of the drawers.
Uninterested, she walked towards the back of the tent, where the second dresser sat. Opening the drawers, she was disappointed to find them bare. Sighing in boredom at having her curiosity peaked for nothing she huffed and made back for the bed, before tripping and falling. Getting up, she steadied herself on the table.
'Now this is interesting!' On the table were maps, hundreds of maps, letters, and notes. All of them had emblems, probably admonishing their kingdom. The emblem was a wolf, pure black, with ears back and teeth bared. His posture was predatory, ready to pounce at any given moment, and when you shifted your view, it almost looked as though his eyes would gleam and follow. Almost.
Behind the wolf was a jagged bolt of lightning, punctuated by its gold design. She was in awe at the terror and captivation it evoked, and grabbed a letter to se it closer. As she did, another fell out from behind it and lightly fluttered to the ground. Picking it up, she was surprised to see it was adorned with a different crest than the wolf emblem. And, upon closer inspection, she noticed that the language appeared different too.
Placing the first letter down, she studied the new emblem. Something inside her fell in love with the drawing, seeing nothing intimidating about it. The picture was a dog, silver and smooth fur covering every inch of his body, as he stared haughtily at her. His mouth almost looked to be somewhat of a smirk, and his amber eyes bored into her own. 'So beautiful,' she realized.
Behind the dog was a crescent moon, pale white and traced in gold. The whole emblem itself seemed peaceful, like someplace you'd like to be. Especially since the dog looked to be smooth and perfect for cuddling.
"Like what you see?" Gasping she turned around to find an amused man standing a few steps away. He was royalty, she could assume that because he wore a blood-red tunic and battle armor made of gold. The shoulder plates were adorned with bones, probably from those he had killed previously. His chocolate hair was pulled in a high ponytail, and his eyes, equally as dark, were watching in amusement as she trembled in fear.
"Don't be afraid. I have no reason to hurt you. Quite the contrary, I wish to get to know you." He stepped closer and Kagome shivered in fear. His eyes studied her, familiarizing him with every detail of her body, as his demon nose inhaled her scent. He was memorizing her, she noted, in case she tried to run away.
"What were you doing, looking at my battle plans? Surely a common human, much less a female, has no comprehension of what I was planning with all my notes. Why were you studying something you couldn't even understand?"
"I was just curious is all. Please forgive me your highness. It won't happen again." He smirked, and pulled away slightly.
"You're smarter than I figured you to be. What kind of human is stupid enough to fight a neko, especially one who can't even fight and's already injured? I thought you'd be a worthless cause, but you may just be smarter than I'm giving you credit for. I wasn't expecting you to notice I was royalty. I guess we might have a reason to keep you alive for just a while longer."
Trembling, she could only nod in response. Her voice would fail her anyway. he seemed to accept the action and turned his gaze towards the bed.
"However, I don't see a use for him-"
"Don't!" His eyes averted to her and they blazed in anger. She had interrupted him, something no lower class should ever do out of respect. Still, since she had already started, no point in quitting. now.
"I can't let you kill him, he's just a child! He can help out enough, he'll earn his keep, I promise. What he doesn't earn I can. Just don't kill him, please, he's my-my-son."
He was shocked momentarily before he regained his composure. "The brat claimed you were his sister."
"He's too young to understand. He thinks of me as a sister, and as a mother. I guess I just never taught him the difference between the two, but I assure you he's my son. Please, don't kill him, I'll do whatever it takes."
Casting her eyes downward, she missed the grin that spread across his face.
"Then he shall live. On the accordance that you will and always shall do EXACTLY as I say." Fearful and happy, she raised her gaze to his.
"I promise."
Chapter 2 Meet Prince Kouga
"Nee-san?" An echo was ringing in her ears, but Kagome could not understand what was being said. 'It sounds like Souta,' she grumbled, upset at his constant yelling. Did he not realize her head was pounding from the blood-
"SOUTA!" Surprised, a boy tumbled from his position on her lap, falling to the floor and grunting in pain. Bewildered, Kagome looked over the edge of the bed and stared down at him, before reaching down to grab him. Enveloping him in her arms, she began to cry softly.
"Nee-san, daijobu ka?"
"Hai, if you're safe Souta, then everything's fine." Memories of last night flooded her vision...the village burning, people's moaning and wailing as they died or called for help, the arrow that pierced her, and the red image she faintly saw before collapsing. 'Who was that?' she wondered, beginning to run her hands through Souta's hair. He fidgeted but allowed it. He knew she would do that when she was upset or thinking really hard. Souta definitely didn't want to see her upset anymore, so he could deal with her for a while.
"Souta, do you remember anything about last night?" A sigh escaped his lips as he lazily wrapped his arms around her neck.
"Hai."
"Do you remember what happened after I fell down?"
"H-hai." 'He's trembling, what on earth happened!' Suddenly she heard sniffling and realized he had begun to cry. "It was soo awful nee-chan!! I thought you were dead. You weren't moving a-and I co-couldn't make you get up a-and I was so sc-scared!!" Kagome's eyes glistened with tears as he blabbered on, obviously horrified at what had happened.
"That lady had hurt you and she was gonna be more mean and onii-san left and I couldn't save you and then a guy in red came and saved us and then he picked me up and then he brought me to camp with you and gave me to this guy who was really mean and said he was gonna hurt me and keep you cause he didn't think you needed to keep little brothers cause I told him you were my nee-san. Then-"
"Shh, it doesn't matter anymore. Let's just forget about it ok? I promise no one's going to hurt you. He was breathing deeply from speaking so quickly and sobbing, so she gently rocked him while he rested in her lap. Snuggling his head into the crook of her shoulder, he gave a sigh and fell asleep. However, she chose to continue her minstrations while she thought about what he had said.
'Someone in red saved me. But when they brought us back to camp, they decided I was the only one who could live. If they don't like that Souta's my brother, I'm going to have to figure something out so that they will keep him. I don't know what I could do though. They obviously are youkai, no way a human could beat a neko. I wonder why they wanted me alive anyway?' Her eyes widened. Surely they weren't going to rape her!
And what about Hojou? He had left, albeit reluctantly, and she had no way of knowing if her brother was alive and well. 'Please let him be okay,' she begged to whomever God was listening. Looking around in the dim tent, she took in her surroundings. The tent flap was partially open, and very small rays of light shone through, indicating dawn was fast approaching. Beside her was a small mantle with a melted candle burning, while a pitcher of water and glass sat next to it.
The other end of the room, though bare, had two dressers and a table. Unable to see clearly, she got off the bed and detached her brother's arms from her neck. Placing him lightly onto the bed, she walked over to the dressers first. The one closest to the tent flap was nothing more than a place for storing clothes and hair brushes. She combs and brushes of every shape and size, outfits practically filled the rim of the drawers.
Uninterested, she walked towards the back of the tent, where the second dresser sat. Opening the drawers, she was disappointed to find them bare. Sighing in boredom at having her curiosity peaked for nothing she huffed and made back for the bed, before tripping and falling. Getting up, she steadied herself on the table.
'Now this is interesting!' On the table were maps, hundreds of maps, letters, and notes. All of them had emblems, probably admonishing their kingdom. The emblem was a wolf, pure black, with ears back and teeth bared. His posture was predatory, ready to pounce at any given moment, and when you shifted your view, it almost looked as though his eyes would gleam and follow. Almost.
Behind the wolf was a jagged bolt of lightning, punctuated by its gold design. She was in awe at the terror and captivation it evoked, and grabbed a letter to se it closer. As she did, another fell out from behind it and lightly fluttered to the ground. Picking it up, she was surprised to see it was adorned with a different crest than the wolf emblem. And, upon closer inspection, she noticed that the language appeared different too.
Placing the first letter down, she studied the new emblem. Something inside her fell in love with the drawing, seeing nothing intimidating about it. The picture was a dog, silver and smooth fur covering every inch of his body, as he stared haughtily at her. His mouth almost looked to be somewhat of a smirk, and his amber eyes bored into her own. 'So beautiful,' she realized.
Behind the dog was a crescent moon, pale white and traced in gold. The whole emblem itself seemed peaceful, like someplace you'd like to be. Especially since the dog looked to be smooth and perfect for cuddling.
"Like what you see?" Gasping she turned around to find an amused man standing a few steps away. He was royalty, she could assume that because he wore a blood-red tunic and battle armor made of gold. The shoulder plates were adorned with bones, probably from those he had killed previously. His chocolate hair was pulled in a high ponytail, and his eyes, equally as dark, were watching in amusement as she trembled in fear.
"Don't be afraid. I have no reason to hurt you. Quite the contrary, I wish to get to know you." He stepped closer and Kagome shivered in fear. His eyes studied her, familiarizing him with every detail of her body, as his demon nose inhaled her scent. He was memorizing her, she noted, in case she tried to run away.
"What were you doing, looking at my battle plans? Surely a common human, much less a female, has no comprehension of what I was planning with all my notes. Why were you studying something you couldn't even understand?"
"I was just curious is all. Please forgive me your highness. It won't happen again." He smirked, and pulled away slightly.
"You're smarter than I figured you to be. What kind of human is stupid enough to fight a neko, especially one who can't even fight and's already injured? I thought you'd be a worthless cause, but you may just be smarter than I'm giving you credit for. I wasn't expecting you to notice I was royalty. I guess we might have a reason to keep you alive for just a while longer."
Trembling, she could only nod in response. Her voice would fail her anyway. he seemed to accept the action and turned his gaze towards the bed.
"However, I don't see a use for him-"
"Don't!" His eyes averted to her and they blazed in anger. She had interrupted him, something no lower class should ever do out of respect. Still, since she had already started, no point in quitting. now.
"I can't let you kill him, he's just a child! He can help out enough, he'll earn his keep, I promise. What he doesn't earn I can. Just don't kill him, please, he's my-my-son."
He was shocked momentarily before he regained his composure. "The brat claimed you were his sister."
"He's too young to understand. He thinks of me as a sister, and as a mother. I guess I just never taught him the difference between the two, but I assure you he's my son. Please, don't kill him, I'll do whatever it takes."
Casting her eyes downward, she missed the grin that spread across his face.
"Then he shall live. On the accordance that you will and always shall do EXACTLY as I say." Fearful and happy, she raised her gaze to his.
"I promise."