A:N: No more putting up o' the summary. Also, I want to say something about the actual myth of Helen of Troy. When Helen was twelve, she was kidnapped by Theseus, the king of Athens, because of her divine beauty. Also, she really did have twin older brothers (Castor and Polydeuces) and a twin sister (Clytemnestra). All of this stuff will fall into place soon enough, and you will understand it as the story progresses. I honestly recommend, if you don't know the entire myth or if you are confused about who is who, Inside the Walls of Troy, by Clemence McLaren. It's a really good point of view on the women of the myth. You can also watch that made-for-TV-movie that came up not too long ago, Helen of Troy, which romanticized the story more (which is kinda what I'm doing). Check out Hollywood Video or your local Blockbuster for it =)
Disclaimer: Will you really ask?? I own nandemo. =P Duh. However, soon I will become the proud owner of a Sesshoumaru plushie and a Miroku plushie and an Inuyasha plushie (and if I can find it, a Kouga plushie ^__^). So be happy for me. Um, well, I guess I own this version of the story, where Paris isn't such a flipping coward and the characters are a little mixed up. But just a little!!
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Kagome of Tokyo
Chapter 2
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Tachikawa Inuyasha stood up abruptly. "Sesshoumaru, shut your mouth," he growled, gritting his teeth.
His oldest brother, Sesshoumaru, frowned at him from his seat. "Inuyasha, it is true," he insisted, keeping his calm, non-expressive look. "Sango is missing. Since I cannot leave the gang, just in case of an attack, I'm asking you to go look for her."
"Why? You've never cared for Sango before," Inuyasha shot at him.
He suddenly realized that that was the wrong thing to say when Sesshoumaru stood up to face him. "Inuyasha, you may not realize this, but before you achieved the ranks of reality, Sango was—and is—my only sister. I will take care of her. However, the Higurashi gang is sending some people over today to ask for our help regarding the recent capture of one of their sisters. I need to be here."
Cursing, Inuyasha muttered, "Fine," and stormed out the door. Sesshoumaru really got under his skin sometimes. Acting as though he was the ruler of the universe, and his word was law.
Well, in the gangs, he supposed that Sesshoumaru was just looking out for everyone. Not to mention that, as the oldest brother of the Tachikawa family, Sess was rightfully the leader of the gang. He grumbled aimlessly as he wandered down a few alleyways that he knew Sango, his younger sister by one year, would never have ventured into.
"Oi, Sango!" he yelled. "You here?" He was greeted by the noise of traffic. "Chikuso, Sango," he muttered, "where the hell are you?"
"It's mine!"
"Iya, it's not!"
"It says, For the fairest', so it's obviously meant for me!"
Inuyasha heard faint female voices ahead screaming and arguing. "Kuso," he swore, "don't onna have anything better to do than argue?" He jogged ahead. "Mite," he said abruptly, "have any of you seen a—"
He stopped.
Before him stood three incredibly lovely teenaged girls who looked slightly older than he. In the midst of their arguing was a purple jewel on a silver chain. A tag was attached. One girl was fair-skinned, with crystal blue eyes and long raven hair. Another was richly tanned and had black eyes and shoulder-length hair. The third had olive skin, emerald eyes, and her hair was styled in a pixie cut. The one with dark eyes was shouting, " Mite' yourself, temee! That necklace is mine!"
"I didn't say anything, baka!" the girl with short hair muttered through gritted teeth.
"It was him!" the longhaired one declared, pointing to a shocked Inuyasha. The other two ceased arguing to stare at him.
Inuyasha was starting to feel uncomfortable. "Uh, mite," he muttered, staring at the floor, "I'm just looking for my imouto-chan, so—"
Abruptly, he felt a hand on his chin. The one with green eyes had lifted his chin to stare into his eyes. "Here, otoko no ko," she said gently, "why don't you decide who gets the Shikon no Tama?" She lifted the necklace and placed it in his hand. Inuyasha looked at the tag on the chain. It read, simply, "For the fairest of them all."
"You must decide who deserves this lovely jewel," the girl continued. "We will all promise him something, hai?"
"Hai," the other two agreed. The dark-eyed one stepped forward.
"You are in a gang, hai?" she asked. As Inuyasha nodded silently, she went on, "If you give the Shikon no Tama to me, I will give you the gift of invincibility in a fight. No one shall defeat you, and you and yours shall conquer all."
Before Inuyasha could open his mouth, the emerald-eyed one interrupted, "If you give the Shikon no Tama to me, I will give you infinite knowledge. You will know your opponents' weaknesses, and you shall also contribute to the gang's rise in power."
There was a silence as the two girls who had spoken looked towards the remaining girl. She was staring deeply into Inuyasha's eyes. He felt as if she was delving deep into his mind, discovering his deepest desires. Of course, there was one that no one would ever know. Not even he would admit it to himself. But as those crystal blue eyes widened, Inuyasha thought, stricken, No she couldn't know not that.
Finally, she spoke.
"Tachikawa Inuyasha, if you give the Shikon no Tama to me, I will give to you the thing you wish most in the world: the true love of a woman."
The other girls opened their mouths in anger and shock, but she went on, in her sweet, delicate voice that sounded of the songs of a nightingale, "Since my sisters have given you something in their power to do, so shall I give to you: you shall love and have the love of the most beautiful woman in all Nihon."
She closed her mouth, and stepped back.
Inuyasha's ears were ringing with the girl's last words. Could she really do that? Was she lying? Would she lie to me?
"That wasn't fair, Sora," the dark-eyed one said disapprovingly. "We could have done that."
"Ah," said the one named Sora, "but Hikari, would you have had the power to grant it? That is the true question."
Hikari shook her head disdainfully. "Well?" she snapped at Inuyasha. "Make your choice."
"I choose—" Inuyasha swallowed. "I choose her." He walked to Sora and dropped the large, purple jewel into her hand. "You are the one who deserves this."
There was a silence, where Hikari and the girl with short hair were staring at Inuyasha. He felt turned inside out for a few seconds. Could this Sora really give him the one thing he had longed for his entire life? Or was she making an empty promise? Were they all?
After a long pause, the short-haired one said gently, "I see. You have chosen her, not only for the promise, but because you truly find her the most beautiful." Numbed, Inuyasha could only nod mutely. "Well, Hikari, it looks like we must take our leave."
"Feh," Hikari muttered. "Whatever you say, Sayuri onee-sama," she added mockingly. Sayuri merely nodded seriously, and Inuyasha blinked. When his eyes opened again, Hikari and Sayuri were gone. Sora stepped towards him.
"I know why you came here," she said softly. "Your imouto-chan is down the street, looking for you. I told her you would be there. And iie," she added, correctly interpreting Inuyasha's silence, "I was not lying. Didn't you realize why Hikari called Sayuri, onee-sama'?"
Inuyasha stammered, "Demo demo" and she placed a finger to his lips.
"Ursai, Inuyasha-san," she said laughingly. "In exactly two years, in this very spot, you will meet her the girl I have promised you. Be aware of that. And tell no one." She stepped backwards and vanished.
Inuyasha stared at what he had just seen. Did that did that really happen? he wondered, when he heard a female voice:
"Inuyasha! Nii-chan!"
"Sango?" he shouted, jolting back to reality with a snap. "Sango, are you there? Daijoubu?"
"Hai," came the voice of his younger sister. "Daijoubu, demo koko wa? Where is this place?"
He could nearly laugh, something Inuyasha didn't do very often. "Don't worry, onee-chan," he called. "We'll be home soon." He paused, and looked around him, taking in every detail of the dank, dark alleyway. I'll never forget this day, he vowed to himself. In exactly two years, I'll be waiting here.
I won't forget.
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A:N: Ooooh, cliffie, huh? Not really, I could write much better ones that would get you on the end of your seats—and daijoubu, I will later on. Now we know that they're gonna meet! Yay! Sorry, all you Sess/Kag fans. This is a strictly Inu/Kag story (with hints of Mir/San—but that won't be til much later). I never could see Sesshoumaru and Kagome getting together. Actually, that's pretty scary. The only human Sesshoumaru has any room for in his heart is Rin—whether that be romantically or paternally or brotherly or whatever. At least, that's the vibe I get from the series. And there will be a cute moment between Rin and Sesshoumaru later on (not romantically! She's—well, you'll find out later), but enough spoilers! I hope you guys liked it, and if you did, click that button and tell me! If you didn't, click that button and tell me what questions you have, or what could be fixed about it! =) Ja ne!
Sayonara,
Akai-Sakura
