To Love an Enemy - Chapter 1

note: I do NOT own these characters they belong to they belong to the author of Inuyasha

Princess Sango sat straight up in bed with a wild sound. She was panting and her heart was beating so fast she thought it might burst. It was the same nightmare that she had been having for the past week. Unfortunately though, no amount of time seemed to diminish the fear she felt upon waking. Sango put her hand to her chest and forced herself to take deep breaths to calm herself. When her terror finally subside she tried to fall back to sleep but to no avail. After an hour of attempting to return to peaceful slumber she climbed out of her bed. Sango quietly put her slippers and robe on making sure not to disturb her governess who would surely reprimand her for being up so late at night. Sango smiled to herself imagining lady Kaede's reaction she would gasp and then she would shake her finger at Sango saying, "young lady, whatever are you doing up at such an ungodly hour! The sun has not even arisen! Not to mention it is not very lady like. What people would say if they knew their princess roamed around the palace like a thief. You need your beauty rest young lady, no you get right back to bed or I shall inform your father of this- this behavior!" As Sango tiptoed across her bedroom she had to put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling.

As she quietly shut the large wooden door, which led to her bedroom Sango gave a deep sigh. Slowly she walked down the stairs and to the palace garden. Princess Sango stopped and stared as she reached the door way to the garden, she smiled at the beautiful picture it made with the moonlight steaming down upon the garden and bathing the flowers in it's pale light. Everything looked so peaceful at night, nothing like it was during the day, where it seemed that the sun's rays were stained with the blood.

As much as Sango disliked the bloodshed and slaughter she was not to keen on the peacekeeping ideas either. It would be too easy for Etonet to betray their trust. As the princess of the country of Larovel and the only daughter her father had, her freedom would be the cost of peace. Sango would be forced to marry the prince of Etonet, so far that seemed the only way that peace between the two countries might be reached. Her father had stamped that idea faster than you could say 'evil Etonet'. The king's excuse was that there was no way the king was prepared to sacrifice his daughter to the monster as the prince was known; but Sango knew the real reason her father was not prepared to marry her off was because she was....unacceptable. Princesses were supposed to be beautiful with long flowing blonde hair and wide innocent blue eyes. Princesses were supposed to be polite and docile, obeying every order with a smile and a sweet response. A tear dropped from Sango's eyes as she was forced to lean against the archway into the garden. This was an old pain one she had been forced to live with ever since that day. Ever since that fateful day Sango had scrutinized herself with the hardest eye. Princesses were not supposed to have long black hair with hard brown eyes. Princesses were not supposed to complain when their governess told them it was time for embroidery, or make sarcastic remarks. 'Princesses' Sango thought, 'aren't supposed to be like me.'

Sango's father had even gone as far as finding a 'substitute' princess as he called it for when princess Sango was supposed to appear before the people. Her father claimed it was a decoy in case the enemy ever attempted to capture her, but Sango was not that easily fooled. Her father had searched long and hard for her 'decoy' and Sango was not surprised when her father brought home a beautiful girl her age with beautiful blue eyes and long flowing pale blonde hair. The only ones in her family who had actually accepted her as she was and loved her were her mother and her younger brother Kohaku. But her mother had died giving birth to Kohaku when Sango was 4 and then not even a month ago Kohaku had been killed in a battle with Etonet.

The memory of her dear sweet brother brought a new wave of tears to Sango's eyes. Poor Kohaku, Sango knew that he hadn't wanted to command part of their father's army. He was more of a dreamer a pacifist, like Sango had used to be until the death of her beloved brother had awoken her from that stupid trance. The enemy had killed her brother. And where Sango had once wanted there to be peace no she wanted Etonet's destruction.

Their armies had managed to wound Etonet's king a while back and at the moment his son, the monster, was in control. If somebody could kill him then Sango was sure everything would end, for prince Miroku was Etonet's only heir without him there hopefully the country of Etonet would fall into civil war over who would rule in his stead giving Larovel the opportunity to squash them.

Many a man had tried but all had failed in their mission and had been killed by the enemy. Suddenly Sango had an idea, if no man could beat Etonet then maybe a woman could! Sango knew that the prince Miroku had a weakness for women, for it was this that had given him his horrible reputation, as a womanizer. So where a man had failed a women might just be the ticket to peace. Taking a look around at the garden and then at the bech where she and Kohaku had sat many a time talking made up Sango's mind. She would do it, and in doing so maybe end this wretched war.

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When Sango reached her room her cheeks were flushed and she was panting. As quietly as she could she packed in a small bag what she needed. Then she put on a pretty but not overly extravagant dress, tied her hair her favorite style a low ponytail leaving her bangs free. Next she hurried to the kitchens to pack simple food for her journey, some bread, cheese, a few apples and a container of water. Soon Sango found herself once again in the palace garden, slowly she opened the secret doorway hidden in the garden wall by a mass of vines and stepped out of the boundaries she had once called home. Sango was forced to run in a very 'unlady-like' way as she ran to reach the near-by forest, stooped low to the ground and running flat foot all the way.

Once Sango reached the cover of the forest she turned and looked back at the palace, just like the garden it was lit by moonlight. Everything looked so pure when the two countries were asleep, and maybe if she succeeded it might even one day look light this in the daylight. And with that last thought Sango turned her back on the only place she had known as home and traveled further into the forest.

well...what did you think, this is my first fanfic, so i would greatly appreciate any reviews, if you would like to review (PLEASE DO) Thank you