DISCLAIMER: InuYasha does not belong to me. Anything you recognize belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
Thank you guys for reviewing. Azil, all your questions will be answered in this chapter. Thanks again!
The Miko Princess
Chapter Two
It was unusual time for a lord to be up. Even he knew that. But on a sudden impulse he had left his castle for a walk, and that walk had evolved into an unaccompanied patrol of his lands.
It is not wise to wander alone at this hour, he reminded himself almost automatically. But he did not listen to himself and instead kept on walking. It was almost dawn, and dim shafts of rosy sunlight were peeking through the branches of the dense forest the taiyoukai was walking through. He had been walking for a few hours now, with no clue at to where his impulse was pulling him.
Suddenly he heard rustle in the bushes behind him. He turned to face the sound and found himself looking at a spider youkai a couple meters away. He growled. The spider youkai clan had been banished from his lands long ago when they had almost provoked a rebellion. He had not seen one since, but apparently times were changing.
"You stand before Sessho-Maru, Lord of the Western Lands. Submit and I will escort you safely to the edge of my lands. If not, I will have to harm you. Either way, you will leave my lands. Now, identify yourself and your business in my lands," the taiyoukai ordered in a tone fit for the regal man he was.
The spider youkai hissed but did not kneel on it eight massive legs. Instead, it spoke in a rough, dry voice.
"I will not talk to such dog-slime that banished us from our ancestral home," it hissed, then launched itself at him. Sessho-Maru quickly and calmly unsheathed his sword, Tokijin, and jumped to meet the demon spider in midair. Before the spider had time to react, Sessho-Maru had forced him down on the ground with the sharp edge of Tokijin at his neck.
"I will give you a choice yet again: state your identity and business, or refuse and I will be forced to kill you. Choose wisely, for it is not often that I feel to spare my opponent's life," Sessho-Maru warned and increased the sword's pressure on the spider's neck.
"Must I repeat myself, or are those dog ears of yours losing their touch? I will not talk to you, dog filth," The spider croaked as Tokijin drew a line of blood. Sessho-Maru let out a cry of rage and quickly separated the spider's head from his shoulders. He growled as the head rolled off the neck.
What was a spider demon doing in my domain? The taiyoukai pondered as he sheathed his sword. Was he alone, or just a wanderer of an army? With that thought, Sessho-Maru quickly sprinted off in the direction the spider had come from.
The air rushed past her, roaring in her ears. Her stomach danced within her and her eyelids were peeled back and the wind was drying her eyes.
Oh God, I'm going to die, I'm going to die. I'm going to die with fifty guards watching on top of the cliff I fell from. Oh God, I am so dead! These thoughts rushed through Kagome's panicked mind as she flipped in the air and the ground got closer by the second.
Sessho-Maru stopped. He was near Inunoke's Cliff, where his great-grandfather had his prisoners thrown down. This had never made any sense to Sessho-Maru. Why not just kill them on the spot? But he had no time to think about such things now. On top of the cliff were about fifty soldiers dressed in Lakeita clan armor. And according to his rather acute hearing, one of them had fallen off the cliff and was only a few seconds from the ground. He debated whether to waste his time rescuing the foolish human. On another sudden impulse (I seem to be getting these a lot lately, he thought, annoyed) he dashed with youkai speed to the cliff and snatched the human form out of the air. He landed down in the forest and looked at the sky. The sun was up now, and he could see the human's face clearly. He was surprised to see that it was actually a girl around eighteen dressed in miko's garbs. It was rather hard to carry her with only one arm, so he set her down on the forest floor. And that was when the girl opened her eyes.
Kagome was confused. She had not crashed to the ground and broken her neck, but instead was lying here and the soft forest ground. Don't open your eyes; you're dead and in heaven or somewhere like that. Don't open your eyes! Her conscience warned. But as usual she couldn't resist and opened her eyes.
She looked up and found herself staring into a pair of sparkling golden orbs. She started, sat up, and quickly moved back. The man (No, youkai, she corrected herself as saw his pointed ears) standing in front of her was obviously of noble rank, for he was dressed in intricate kimonos with an odd long piece of pelt draped over his right shoulder. His left arm was absent (Cut off in a duel? Kagome wondered) and his handsome face was surrounded by knee-length silver hair. Suddenly the youkai spoke.
"You look upon Sessho-Maru, Lord of the Western Lands. Identify yourself," the taiyoukai demanded in a firm, almost harsh tone.
"I am Kagome, daughter of Lord Tannoku, and Princess of the Lakeita clan," She answered in a shaky voice.
"Are you hurt?" he asked in a softer voice.
"No," she replied. "Did you…rescue me?" she added as an afterthought.
He cocked his head and looked at her. After a short pause, he spoke.
"More like saved you from your own foolishness," he said. He sounded almost annoyed. Kagome fumed behind her mask of calm composure.
"I am grateful," she said and bowed her head.
"No matter, you are going back to your friends anyhow," he said and turned around. "You said you were of the Lakeita clan, correct?"
"Oh no, please don't make me go back!" she suddenly cried. Surprised, the taiyoukai turned around and gave her a questioning look.
"Uh…ah… I have some, ah, problems with some arrangements made there. But please don't take me back!" she begged, hands pushed together in an imploring motion. "Can't I go to your court?"
He cocked his head again, considering her. He looked like he was going to say no, but she sent him a pleading look and he sighed.
"What can you do?" he asked.
"Oh, lots! I can weave, use a bow and arrow," she said. "And I'm a miko!"
The last one seemed to strike his interest. He looked her over and spoke.
"A miko, are you? Good. I am in need of one since the last one ran off. You will come with me," he said, than turned around and walked into the forest. Kagome quickly stood up and followed the taiyoukai who was taking her to her new life.
I hoped you liked this second chapter! I know it's a bit shorter than the last one, but it's all I could manage in the one hour my mom gave me. Please review and know that any comments/questions/advice is accepted. I will try to update soon! Nessime