Chapter 3

"Kagome!"
"My Lady?"
"You ok?"
Kagome couldn't concentrate with all these voices going on around her. For one, there was Sango, who hadn't stopped rambling on ever since Kagome had been carried back to her house and put in bed. The two men, who had introduced themselves as Inuyasha and Miroku, hadn't left yet, and seemed a little worried, since it was THEIR carriage that almost ran her over.
"I'm fine." She said, sitting up.
"You sure Kagome?"
"Y-yes, Sango. I am. Just a little shaken up, that's all."
"I'm sorry! It would seem that our driver needs to be...replaced." Miroku said kindly.
"Oh no! It was my fault."
"Well...it sure as hell wasn't him who carried you about a mile to get here!" the man, Inuyasha, replied coldly.
"Thank you..."
"You should be! Making my carriage stop!"
"Your carriage?" Sango asked, suspiciously.
"Yes! MY carriage!"
Sango and Kagome pulled back, frightened by Inuyasha's outburst.
"You shouldn't fear him. He may look tough on the outside, but he's a very kind prince on the inside!" Miroku replied, smiling brightly.
"Prince?"
"I am Prince Inuyasha of Shikon."
Sango and Kagome's mouths literally dropped two feet. Miroku laughed at this, and Inuyasha just grunted.
"Well, it seems he not the arrogant prince that you thought he was..."
"No. He's even worse..."
"What was that?"
Kagome jumped, and Inuyasha came right to her side, pushing Sango out of the way, and then putting his face in front of hers, making their noses touch.
"You thought I was arrogant?" he said, his eyes growing angry.
"N-no! Uh...um...it was a rumor I heard! Yeah...that was it...a r- rumor!"
Inuyasha stared intently into her eyes, as if looking for any sensation of doubt. But he was interrupted by a loud scream in the room. He stood up straight, and both he and Kagome looked over to see an unconscious Miroku lying on the ground, and rather large, purple and blue welt making its way across his puffy eye.
"Sango? What is it?"
"Probably tried to grope her..."
"GROPE?!"
"Yeah."
"Not this time! He sure as hell didn't do that!"
"Then what did he do?"
"Got a feeling of her...beautiful breasts!" Miroku sighed from the floor, causing another kick to come in contact with his face, and causing a nosebleed.
"C'mon Miroku. We'd best get going...." Inuyasha sighed, picking up his yet again, unconscious friend, "...don't want to be left here with Ms. Wench."
"Wench?!"
"Well, you are."
"How am I...Kagome...a WENCH?!"
"You work in a stable, don't you? Well, that a form of a wench."
Kagome stopped arguing, finding that she had no more strength. She fell backwards and passed out again.
"Ha. I always knew how to get an annoying person to pass out."
He turned around, and swung Miroku over his shoulder. He turned back, seeing Sango looking at him.
"See ya."
"Wait!"
"What now?"
"Do you...want a place to stay for the evening?"
Inuyasha looked surprised.
"Huh?"
"Well...my family runs an inn, and I was wondering if you wanted a place to stay. You can't travel back to the castle now. It's too far and too dark. You'll either get lost or you'll get attacked."
Inuyasha looked surprised, but smiled.
"Sure, but what's in it for you?"
"A good pay and you keep him.away from.me." She said, pointing to Miroku's half-dead body.
"Alright..."
"Let's go then!"
Inuyasha walked out the door, and Sango walked out behind him, and closed the door behind her.

~*~

When Kagome woke up next, it was the middle of the night, and it was pitch-black in her room. The candles had burnt out long ago, and the long, navy blue curtains that hung at her window were closed, letting no cold air in.
"Hmph. Sango.......the least you could've done was left the curtains open..."
Kagome stood up and walked over to the curtains, and was about to open them, but heard a rough coughing fit in the next room, then a gurgle, then silence.
"Kaede!"
Kagome ran into the next room, her guardian Kaede's bedroom, and wanted to cry at the sight she saw. Kaede lay on her bed, her sheets wrapped around her body, eyes wide open, and blood dripping from her mouth. The normally cream colored sheets were now a crimson red, stained with blood, and the wooden floor, Kagome realized was sticky and was black in color.
"Kaede! Kaede...no!"
Kagome was now at Kaede's side, crying.
"K...Kagome..."
Kagome stopped crying and raised her head at the sound of Kaede speaking her name.
"Yes...Granny Kaede?"
"I should've told you before...I...I saw it...in a premonition..."
"A premonition?"
"Yes..."
She started to cough again, this time, much worse. Not only would she just cough, but blood and the same black liquid that was on the floor came out of her mouth. Kagome, having the fear that she might lose the most important person, stood up.
"I have to get the head healer! He'll..."
"No..."
"You're dying!"
"It was my time, Kagome..."
"No...no...it's not..." Kagome began to sob again, and collapsed by the bed. Kaede put a comforting hand on her head, and began to hush her.
"It's alright...shh..."
"You're the only one..."
"That's looked out for you? I...know..."
"Please...you can't die..." Kagome managed to choke out through her tears.
"Kagome...listen to me..."
"What?" Kagome asked, raising her head in interest.
"Listen to this..."
Kagome nodded her head as Kaede began.
"The truest of powers will be fleshed on the bone... And the searchers tempt nature to prey on its own... With blood at the altar, the vision shall come, When the eye of the moon will block out the sun... In the castle raised by the great kings of before, The chosen girl shall wait, both the power and the law... Then the past and future will finally show... To the marked one, the secret only she must know... And all shall be witness to that which will be, In the mind of him, then none shall be free..."
Kagome didn't understand what Kaede meant until she started to speak again.
"Kagome...my dear Kagome..." Kaede smiled, putting her hand to Kagome's face. Kagome smiled, and cupped her hands around Kaede's, "...the girl...that they speak of...she's you..."
"What?"
"You are the chosen one..."
"What...are you talking about?" Kagome asked with caution, thinking that Kaede's illness might've caused her to have hallucinations.
"You have a birthmark...my mistress found...you...in a road...16 years ago...you are a princess...you...were...taken...as...a...child..."
"Kaede!"
"...you...must destroy...him..."
"Him? Who is him?! I don't care! I need to save you!"
"...destroy...Naraku...find...your true power...here..."
Kaede lifted Kagome's hand and put it over her heart.
"...and be...happy...with someone you...and only you...alone can.love."
Then, Kaede's breathing stopped. Kagome's cries began again, and she cried into the crimson red stained sheets.
"Kaede...Kaede...KAEDE!!"
Outside, the birds that were resting on the window sills flew away, afraid of the anguished cry.

I hope you all understand that I killed Kaede to get the story rolling. There had to be some way that Kagome was going to leave! And this was the only thing that I thought of! I'm not that mean! Really!...hope you all like it so far! r/r! (FYI...Kaede died of yellow fever...)