Dedications:
Moonlit Meadow: Woohoo! Yes! Death to evil Kagome abusing Inuyasha *cackles*
Keolla (times 3! YAY!): It's LilFoxgirl! *tackles* You just…disappeared there for a while (or maybe I disappeared…whatever). You are so right about parts being rushed *blushes* I'm bad about rushing. Thank you for noticing, saying something, and for the three wonderful reviews! ^_^
Alright! FOUR reviews this time! Yesssss!
Disclaimer: *lies on the floor, twitching*
The Princess and the Pauperess
Chapter 4
Call me by name
Sweat pouring down her face, Kikyou continued to drag the makeshift broom across the floor. No matter what she did, the dirt, dust, and other forms of grime would not go away. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and was preparing for another go when a large, burly man suddenly tumbled in through the front door. They stared at each other for a few seconds.
"K'gome," he slurred, resting his arm against the wall for support. Kikyou stood up straighter.
"Yes?" she answered.
"Wha've you go' fer me?" he asked, suppressing a belch. The princess fought the urge to grimace. This was Kagome's father?
"Here," she said placidly as she pulled two gold pieces and some shillings from her pocket. She handed them to him, and he barely managed to snatch them from her grasp without falling over. He stared in what appeared to be shock.
"Gold?" he asked. "How da hell'd you ge' gold?" Kikyou shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant.
"Some rich guy." The man nodded as if he understood before slumping to the ground. Kikyou almost bent to help him stand, but realized that he was asleep. She breathed out a long sigh of relief. How could such a foul creature produce such a wonderful daughter? Kikyou hurried to the bed and pulled the blanket away from its hard surface. She then carefully wrapped it about the dozing man's frame. There. Now, to meet Miroku and Sango in the square. She tidied up a bit, pulled Kagome's 'shoes' over her feet, and bustled out the door.
"How can Kagome live with her father?" Kikyou asked the two teens as they walked down a path away from town.
"Dunno. It's just something you do," Miroku offered. Sango nodded, looking to the ground.
"And Kagome's a pickpocket…" The two nodded. "You're a pickpocket, too." She pointed to Miroku, thoroughly enjoying being able to jab her index finger in someone's direction without being scolded. "And, what do you do again?" she asked Sango, who visibly stiffened.
"I—I'd rather not say," the girl finally conceded.
"She didn't hit you! You're lucky. She practically beat me to a bloody pulp when I asked," Miroku told Kikyou.
"I wouldn't hit a princess!" Sango defended herself as she whapped the boy over the head. Kikyou giggled to herself. It was obvious that the two were very close, but there was something akin to a wall erected firmly in place that prevented any further closeness. It seemed to be Sango's doing, which was odd. Such a smart girl should be able to tell when a nice boy was interested…
"So, tell me more about Kagome," Kikyou finally said. Miroku grinned and slung his arm over her shoulder.
"Certainly, Princess," he agreed. Sango shot him a glare, and he removed his arm.
"Don't get touchy-feely with her, Miroku. Sheesh…"
"Would you rather me get touchy-feely with you, my dear Sango?" Miroku asked, waggling his eyebrows. Sango scooted away from him and somehow managed to put Kikyou between her and the boy.
"I'd rather die," Sango informed him vehemently. He chuckled, but made no comeback.
"You need to know that Kagome's mother died giving birth to her little brother when she was eight. The baby died a few months later. Let's see…" Miroku trailed off, looking to the sky as he worked his memory. How could he be so casual about all of this?
"Did her father start beating her after her mother died?"
"Yeah. He started drinking, and everything went downhill from there. Souta—the baby—died of neglect, but we don't talk about this in front of Kagome. It's a pretty tender subject, since she tried to take care of him."
"She was just too young, it wasn't her fault," Sango chimed in. Kikyou was aghast.
"How can you live like that?" The two exchanged looks and Sango shrugged.
"We all have our demons," she said simply, and Miroku nodded his agreement. Conversation was more on the light-hearted side for the duration of the trip.
. . . . .
Kagome swooped down the hallway in her slip and an overdress. There was no need to wear all those layers, right? She grinned and greeted a servant that bowed to her several times in quick succession. She wanted to tell them not to, that there wasn't any need, but alas. She was Princess Kikyou. She giggled merrily under her breath. Yes, her stomach was full, her spirits were high, and there was that bastard Inuyasha. They passed each other, both moving as far from the other as possible. Kagome smiled and greeted him on her way, but he only scowled and called her 'Bitch' again. She hated that! He acted so much like a sober version of her father it was scary. She seriously wondered what Kikyou could possibly see in a guy like that. In her opinion, the messenger boy was the opposite of the kind of guy she would actually consider. She sighed. There were always girls who seemed to like abusive, egotistical males—her mother, for example.
"Hey, wench!" someone (undoubtedly Inuyasha) called from behind. Kagome whirled around and placed a glare on her face. They were alone in the hallway.
"What do you want?" she snapped back. "You wanna insult me some more? Well, I won't stand for it!" She stomped her foot to illustrate her point.
"Kikyou's father has requested to see you. He says it's fairly urgent."
"What? Does he know?" she placed a hand over her mouth. If he knew…She could be sentenced to death!
"No, you moron. If he knew, Kikyou would get into trouble," Inuyasha replied.
"And I would probably be hanged, but that's beside the point, isn't it?" Kagome retorted.
"You got it, wench." He turned away from her. "You do know the way to the throne room, right?"
"Um…" she fidgeted with her dress and scuffed her foot on the smooth, clean floor.
"I'll take that as a 'no.'" He made a beckoning motion. "Come on, then. We can't keep the King waiting."
"R-right…" He strode off and turned a corner. Kagome ran to catch up to him, but not fast enough. She glanced down the corridor to her right, then down the corridor to her left. He had turned right, but…Suddenly, he grabbed her upper arm and began dragging her down the corridor to her right.
"You are so damn slow, wench. I don't know how you survived all these years as a stinking pauper."
"There's nothing wrong with being poor, okay? All my friends are better people than you can ever hope to be." Inuyasha scoffed.
"Yeah, right. And you won't be a bar wench or something in a couple of years." Kagome's face immediately flushed in anger.
"I won't! I've been saving up money. I'll get out, I know I will!" She wrenched out of his grasp, and they stopped in front of a couple of doors.
"So you're trying to work your way up the classes, huh?" Inuyasha mused. "It won't work unless you marry a rich man in a higher class…" Kagome gave him an odd look. Where was he going with this? "So that's why you're here! To marry Kikyou's future husband!" He grinned triumphantly and Kagome rolled her eyes.
"You are so smart. You know, you're so quick, I hadn't even thought of it yet," she told him dryly. He glared at her.
"It's a month, right wench?" he asked. Kagome nodded.
"Good. I can't wait till you're gone."
"Well, until I'm gone, could you please call me by my name?" she asked of him hopefully. Being called 'wench' was beginning to really grate on her nerves. The boy just snorted, not saying one way or another. "Remember, it's Kagome," she informed him. "This is the throne room, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, thank you for leading me here." He snorted and walked away. She pulled the doors open, and stepped into the room. A servant closed the door behind her. Wait…what was she supposed to do? Kikyou's father was sitting upon the throne, looking down at her with a neutral expression. Was she supposed to bow, or was that taboo? "F-father," she stuttered, pulling a slight curtsey. He eyed her for a moment.
"Your voice has changed," he noted calmly.
"It's the sickness…" Kagome trailed off.
"Yes, of course. I called on you because I received word that your fiancé wished to meet you here. Since you were too ill to travel, I agreed. I am glad to see that you're looking better."
"Yes, father…" Oh god, what was she going to do?! "How long will it take him to reach here?" she asked, at once realizing that it probably sounded less formal to them than it did to her.
"He should arrive by mid-afternoon tomorrow."
"Okay…and…what is his name again?" Kagome mentally kicked herself. Surely he would figure it out. She kept digging herself in deeper. To her surprise, the King laughed.
"You've never been able to remember his name," he said with mirth. Kagome let out a rush of breath she hadn't known she was holding. She waited for him to tell her, but he seemed to have spaced out.
"So…what's his name?" she prodded quietly.
"What? Oh, yes…his name is Naraku."
"Naraku…" Kagome repeated to herself. "Is that all?" she asked. The King didn't seem to hear her, however, and she repeated herself.
"What? Yes, yes. That's all. Thank you Kikyou. Get some rest, won't you?" He smiled at her, and she smiled back as she spared a small curtsey before exiting the throne room.
Where was her room again?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AAR: Alright! Sorry that chapter took so long to get out! It took me forever to get started, but once started, it wasn't too bad. It's like mowing the lawn. You dread it until the grass is up to your knees, then you have a grand time cutting it all down…Anyway. Thank you to all who have reviewed thus far, I'm sorry about the long wait, I'm sorry again for Inuyasha's OOCness. And no, Naraku will not be evil in this fic. Actually, he will be quite nice—just a little weird. Well, you'll see what I mean. And what is Sango's elusive occupation? If anyone has any ideas, I would like to hear them. I bet someone has it all figured out (I am a pretty straightforward writer). So…thanks again for reading, and reviews are appreciated, especially if they come in the rare form of helpful criticism (pointing out errors or giving suggestions). Hint, hint ^_^