A Perpetual Tale
Oh my gosh... I was flabbergasted at the amount of reviews I got for the first chapter! =D – thank you ALL!! Oh, and of course, I'm very sorry for the delayed chapter, I got carried away with other 'stuff' and I barely had any time for writing!
Chapter Two
Curiosity Catastrophe
"Kagome... Kagome – wake up, I need you to deliver..." her mother's voice trailed on and on as she drooled onto her pillow on her bed. It was far too early in the morning, barely dusk – so couldn't she at least wait until sunrise to make her deliver some parcel or whatever it was?! "Kagome – are you even listening to me? Oh dear... Sango...?"
Both girls didn't move an inch from their beds and continued to sleep blissfully, completely immune to the frustrated mother's call.
"Oh get up you two!" her mother protested again, and hearing no reply, she growled and walked around the bed to the window directly in front of it. Pulling back the small curtain, and then unlocking the bolt, she swung open the window and smiled as gusts of cold morning wind poured into the room.
Kagome groaned and fluttered her eyes open as her blanket was swept off of her by the sharp wind. Getting up, she rubbed her eyes and looked confusedly at her mom and then at the open window where wind was still gushing in. Holding down her hair as it fluttered around, she kicked Sango awake who grumbled at her early awakening and then both glared at the smiling lady.
"Aunty – why the heck are you waking us up before sunrise?" Sango asked as she noticed the light blue shade of the room which told them clearly the sun was still taking its time to rise.
Mrs. Higurashi gave them a sorry smile, "Well, I'm sorry for the early awakening, but you see... the prince is leaving for a trip across the sea which would take a couple of weeks, and I just got short notice to bake some pies for the journey... and well, I've done so – but, I don't have anyone to deliver them..." she trailed off and then nudged her head towards the two baskets on the floor, telling the girls distinctively what she wanted them to do.
Kagome groaned and flopped back down on her bed, enjoying the feel of the wind glide across her body. "But mother... how come we have to deliver them?" she asked and glanced at Sango who was stretching her arms.
"Because your fathers tired, and Souta and Kohaku are too young to go out by themselves yet," she said and then headed towards the door. "And anyway, it won't take long, just drop the baskets off at the docks, near the ship that's waiting... and then come back!"
And with that, she left, leaving two very disgruntled teens on their beds. "Did that prince have to leave this early?" Kagome said out loud, shifting all the blame on the prince for their early chore.
"It's not his fault that his ship's arriving so soon!" Sango pointed out and got out of bed, walking over to the window first and closing it, stopping the rampage of wind.
"But he was the one who ordered the pies in the first place!" Kagome grunted out and stretched her arms, straightening her back in the procedure.
It took a matter of minutes, grumbling, yawns and colorful words but they managed to get all their bathroom work done and had gotten changed out from their nightgowns.
Walking down the staircase of their home, Kagome being the one who wore a sleeveless corseted pink dress which flowed out from the waist and stopped at the knees and Sango being the one who wore a simple green one piece dress which stopped below the knees but had long sleeves to show the difference, they stopped at the doors to find their shoes.
Still grumbling with displeasure as Kagome pulled on some fashionable boots at the doorstep to match her outfit, she sighed as she leaned back up and then stepped out the door with Sango following behind.
Seeing two horses waiting for them at the gates, they walked up to each horse and buckled on the reins. "We better get paid for this!" Kagome pouted as she hoisted herself onto her white horse and balanced the basket full of pies in front of her. "By the way, any idea how long it takes to get to the docks?"
Sango shrugged and got on the other black horse. "Not too long; but we'll get there before sunrise for sure though."
Kagome nodded, and with that, both girls took off.
It went as Sango had predicted, it hadn't taken long for them to reach the docks, and the sun was just rising as they pulled the reins of the horses to stop at the entrance of the many docks. As they jumped off, Kagome grumbled as she pulled down the basket of pies and turned to Sango. "Right, so let's get this over with..."
Sango nodded and picked up her basket and followed Kagome down the dock. It was quite a peaceful morning, the sea water was rushing underneath the wooden dock trail way beneath them and the seagulls were giving their call from above them.
As Kagome turned a sharp turn, she gasped as she saw the ship in front of her. "Oh my..."
"Gosh!" Sango finished off and dropped the basket beside a few crates so stare at the magnificent ship standing in front of them.
"It's huge!" Kagome exclaimed and dropped her basket beside Sango's and continued to stare at the ship. "Look at the sails, they're humungous! And there must be at least four freaking floors!" Kagome let out a deep breath of amazement and walked up to the edge of the docks to stare at it.
Sango came behind her. "... look, it say's 'Demon's Claw'!" She pointed to the large sails which said it exactly that in big red, sharp letters. "The deck's pretty big!" she pointed out and Kagome nodded fervently.
"That prince is one... lucky... bastard!" Kagome yelled out and then squealed as an idea popped in her head. "I know! Let's go check out the ship!" She finished off with another squeal and clasped her hands together.
"Kagome – No! Are you crazy?! That would be trespassing!" Sango shook her head, her voice showing evidence of complete negativity. "Forget about it!"
Kagome wailed. "Oh come on! Don't be such a baby! We won't be 'trespassing', more like checking the ship out!" she did a little jump, ignoring the creak of the wooden trail way beneath her. "I'm going!"
Widening her eyes, Sango grabbed out and grasped Kagome's arm. "No, Kagome – wait, what're you doing!?" She screamed as Kagome pulled the rope, letting down the ladder to the deck of the ship. Taking back a few steps as the foot of the ladder crashed in front of them, Sango panicked as Kagome quickly took a few steps up the ladder. "KAGOME!"
Kagome laughed, ignoring Sango's wails and simply jumped aboard the ship. She took a gasp of amazement as she looked around. "Oh my! Sango – it feels like I'm aboard a pirate ship!!" She laughed and ran up to the steering wheel of the ship. "Sango, you have to come up, it's amazing!"
Sango shook her head and growled in frustration. "Kagome, come back down this instant! They'll catch you and throw you in the dungeons!"
"Psh! Nonsense, oh my god... the masts are huge, and look at the sails and riggings!" Kagome asked, completely ignorant to Sango's wailing.
"Who cares!? Let's go before the prince arrives!" Sango did an impatient stomp of her foot. "Kagome, please, you'll get in trouble!"
Kagome scoffed. "Try living your life on the edge for a change Sango," she gasped, followed by a squeal afterwards. "This is so awesome, a telescope Sango... A TELESCOPE!"
Sango rolled her eyes despite the worry she was feeling inside of herself. "It's just a telescope; you can buy one in the general store!" she stomped her feet again as she noticed Kagome was still scurrying around the deck, looking at everything possible.
"Sango!" Kagome yelled out and stood in front of the open trap door, "You have to come up! I'm going to go inside now!"
Gasping in panic, Sango scurried up the ladder. "Are you crazy Kagome!? People may be down in there!" she smacked her forehead as Kagome paid no heed to her words and instead, climbed down the ladder to the second floor of the ship. Groaning, she followed her down.
Kagome stared in amazement at the furnished, beautifully lit and carpeted corridor in front of her. Not noticing the thud on the floor as Sango jumped down behind her, she once again, clasped her hands together and walked down the corridor.
"Kagome... let's go back!" Sango whispered behind her, her stomach queasy with nervousness.
Kagome rolled her eyes and turned around to face Sango. "Don't worry, we won't get caught... come on... I just want to see what's on this floor..."
Biting her bottom lip, Sango followed Kagome as she walked down the corridor, somehow knowing that something horrible was going to happen.
Kagome on the other hand was marveled at the beauty of the ship, and as she saw a turn coming up in front of her, she ran up to it and smiled brightly as she saw that on this corridor, there were doors on each side, meaning rooms... meaning more to explore!
Tip toeing across the corridor, knowing that some occupants may be in the rooms, she made her way up to the big glass doors at the end of the corridor and opened them, sneaking in a peek to see if it was empty first. Feeling a triumphant punch in the guts as she saw no one was there, she walked in and gasped as she looked around.
It was a humungous library, books and books all around her all in a big circle. Hanging her mouth wide open, she took in a sharp breath as looked up to see how many books were on each shelf... at least a hundred! Doing a little swirl on the furnished tiles beneath her, she giggled as she saw Sango's flabbergasted face.
"I've never seen this many books all together in one room in my life!" Kagome breathed out and Sango nodded slowly, almost forgotten about the whole ordeal of getting caught.
"This is one big ship..." Sango breathed out and followed Kagome as she walked across the library to the glass doors in front of them on the other side of the library.
Opening the doors, Kagome and Sango, once again were shocked at the beauty of the occupants of the room. It was a dining room, not so big, but very royal. The table was made out of oak wood, with golden markings across the rims, the chairs looked liked they were made of gold, with royal red cushions. There was a large fountain-like stand on the middle of the table, but instead of water... it was filled with fruit.
Kagome raised her eyebrows and looked back at Sango who was trying not to hyperventilate. "I knew that the prince was rich... but not this rich..." Kagome said and Sango nodded along, at a loss for words.
Both of them were about to head back into the library to check out the third floor when they felt the ship lurch forward. Letting out a small scream as Kagome took a few steps back by force, they both fell on the floor with a heavy thud.
"What on earth just happened?!" Sango asked as she got up, rubbing her 'derriere' as the shock wore off.
Kagome rose an eyebrow as she felt the floor start to rock gently, barely noticeable but it definitely was moving. Looking around, she widened her eyes as she heard some voices coming from the corridor. Listening intently, she pulled Sango down underneath the table in the middle of the library so if anyone came in, they wouldn't see them.
"Why the hell did I have to come on the ship so damn early!?" A male voice was heard, which sounded very... very angry. "I didn't want to go on this damned voyage anyway!"
"Inu-Yasha, stuff a pie in your mouth, it's not like we had anything better to do in the palace..." Another voice, which sounded much calmer though rather tired, carried into the two anxious girls ears.
"Miroku, why don't you stuff a pie in your mouth?!" The first voice, who was supposedly named Inu-Yasha, yelled back.
"Lame comeback buddy," A third voice, which sounded like the only one who didn't seem to be upset about something, shot out to the gruff Inu-Yasha. "Anyway, you're going back to sleep right now – so what's the big deal eh?"
"Because – uh... because... Argh, just shut up Kouga!" The supposedly named Inu-Yasha yelled out and with frustration, opened his bedroom door and slammed the door shut behind him.
"Great, now I'm stuck with the biggest ass and the most perverted lecher in the world... if only we had some fine young ladies with us, it would lighten the atmosphere ..." the third voice, probably named Kouga yawned and made his way into another room, this time closing the door gently.
"I guess I'll go to sleep too..." The second voice, which seemed exhausted by the way, opened yet another bedroom door and walked in, this time, not even bothering to shut it close.
Kagome took a deep breath as no more voices were heard, though her worry was brought back to her as she regained consciousness of the rocking ship. Looking at Sango who looked slightly pale, she nudged her arm. "I think we should get off the ship now..." she whispered and Sango nodded shakily.
Both tip toeing their way out of the shadow of the table, Kagome pulled Sango straight up and nudged her head towards the glass doors which led to the corridor. "Let's be really quiet okay?" Kagome whispered to Sango who looked paler by the second.
"I feel like something's gone horribly wrong..." she whispered to Kagome and bit her lip as Kagome pushed the glass doors open quietly and got on all fours to creep along the carpeted corridor.
Looking back at Sango, Kagome mouthed to her to come alone by her as she made her way down the corridor. Holding in a breath as she came along two doors, she quickly calculated that 'Inu-Yasha' and 'Kouga' were supposedly taking occupancy in them and silently prayed to god that they wouldn't catch them.
Making their ways past their doors, Kagome let out a breath as neither of them opened the doors, but just as she was regaining her breath, she froze as she noticed, yet, the opened door.
She mentally smacked herself... no... this wasn't fair... the last man... named 'Miroku' hadn't shut his door! Biting her lip she crawled to the edge of the door and gave a quick peek inside. She quickly brought her head back as she spotted him sleeping soundly on the phoenix feathered bed.
Nodding to Sango, they quickly crawled past his door and then stood up and ran gently up to the ladder which led up to the deck.
Before Kagome could climb up, Sango tugged on Kagome's arm. "Kagome... is it just me or is the ship rocking side to side gently... as if a ship on sail would?"
Kagome couldn't help but notice how pale her skin tone had gotten. "Just because it seems that the ship has... um... set sail doesn't mean that it actually has!" she mumbled out feebly and then climbed up the ladder with Sango following her from behind.
As she reached up, Kagome felt her guts twist into knots as she felt a cool breeze hit her gently... this was NOT a good sign! Getting up, she quickly hid behind stacked up crates as she saw some people on deck and pulled Sango beside her, not noticing as the trap door slammed shut.
Taking a gulp, she crawled behind the crates until they reached the wooden railings of the deck. Letting in a deep breath, she looked over the railing and let out a squeak of terror as she saw that the ship... had taken sail. The water was moving swiftly underneath them, some of the waves crashing gently on the bottom of the ship. Looking back behind her, she widened her eyes in terror as she saw that the sails had been blown out perfectly by the wind.
And as she peeked up from behind the crates, she felt her heart clench as she saw that her home village was getting distant by the second.
"Oh my god... Sango... no... this can't be happening!" She said and flopped down beside Sango who had become completely pale and was now even starting to get a tinge of green on her nose.
"Kagome, we're stuck on this ship... for at least a few many weeks, with the royal prince and his friends... and if they find us... we're most likely to be sent to walk the plank and jump into the sea to drown!" she squeaked out and held her hands to her chest. "What are we going to do!?"
Kagome shook her head. "We have to find a way to get off... maybe we can swim back to shore?"
"WE DON'T KNOW -." Sango's mouth was clamped shut as Kagome's hand came flying towards it.
"Don't scream you idiot!" She snapped out and cringed as she heard a man ask another man if he had heard something.
Pulling off Kagome's hand, she glared at Kagome. "We don't know how to swim!" She whispered and Kagome frowned.
"I know... then... what are we going to do? We can't hide behind these crates for the next few weeks, and my mother will be so worried... and oh god, it's Souta and Kohaku's birthday today!"
Sango let out a groan and shook her head. This was not good... they were stuck either way, neither could swim and nor could they go ask the occupants of the ship for help or else they'll be accused for trespassing.
As both of them went through a phase of brainstorming, they both froze as they heard the trap door open; just realizing they had slammed it shut as they had gotten out. Taking in a horrid gasp, awaiting for the worst, Kagome grabbed Sango's hand as they saw a pair of eyes land on them.
"Who the hell are you two!?"
(Cringes as persistent remarks come flying my way) – Oh darn, I know it's short... hell... I know it's REALLY short... but... if I continued on, it just wouldn't be the same you know?
So here's a promise... the next chapter... will be MUCH longer, okay?!
Alright then, so review and tell me what you thought about it... so until next time, cya!