Thousandfurs
Chapter 6: A King's Birthday
Kagome wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, smearing the ashes, but she could hardly care. The fires were at full strength at the far side of the kitchen and the heat was oppressive. For two days there had been nothing but backbreaking work and the sweltering fires keeping them warm until they went out into the frigid outdoors. Kagome had been sent to the palace several times with hot water, only to be sent back by a minor lord or duke because it had gone tepid in her time between the kitchen and their rooms. The first time, Naraku had landed a welt-raising blow on her back with a birch switch, but after that, even the tyrannical cook had been too busy and too hot to punish her anymore.
It was chaos every moment and Kagome felt her body resisting every movement she made. She had become much stronger in her time in the Taisho kingdom's royal kitchen, but this work would have broken down any human. Even the demons appeared fatigued. The extra help the king had hired from his city were a godsend and the only reason any of them managed to sleep a few hours each night.
"Take it easy for a few minutes," Sango said, coming to her side. She pushed Kagome down onto a wobbly stool. "Naraku stepped out for a few minutes. You look like you're about to collapse."
"I am," the princess replied. She looked at the other girl who was glistening with sweat. "How can you even stand?"
Kagura turned her head to them from where she was standing a few paces away. "She's changing. I told you that, Kagome. Sango has demon blood, or she will soon. Her scent is changing too, although you can't tell with your human nose." She poured some thick liquid into an earthen cup and handed it to the princess. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better."
Kagome accepted the cup with a word of gratitude and tipped back the liquid into her mouth. It was sweet and pulpy. It was pomegranate juice, something rare in the winter. "Kagura, you didn't have to give me such a valuable drink," she said, humbled by the demoness's care.
The wind witch scoffed. "Don't worry about it. Naraku will pay for it, the bastard. You guys need more than water and weak tea to drink."
"Still, thank you," she said, handing what was left to Sango. "Drink the rest."
"No, it's yours," Sango replied. "You need it. But don't worry too much! This is as bad as it gets, with the big feast starting in an hour or so. Everything will die down tomorrow, once the nobles begin to leave."
Kagome nodded and set down the now empty cup. She didn't want to be seen by too many of the other servants. As busy as they were, they would find the time to gossip about how she got special treatment from Kagura. "Alright, back to work then." She picked up a rag, preparing to wipe down the tables for the last round of vegetables to be chopped.
"Don't worry about that," said Kagura, who was shooing away a young servant from the palace. "Seems that Princess Kikyo needs a drink after her time in the hot springs." Her voice was stoic but she was rolling her eyes, wordlessly telling them what she thought of hapless royalty. "Take her some of the pomegranate juice and water."
The princess frowned slightly but went to gather the necessary items. She had been sent into the palace several times over the past couple of days, but after the incident with Koga, she had only been sent to the more minor nobles. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of any of the truly interesting royalty currently residing in the palace. Kagome suspected that Queen Izayoi had something to do with this – Naraku certainly wouldn't have taken it easy on her out of the kindness of his own heart – but she had missed seeing the truly beautiful creatures she had watched that morning when they arrived. And this would be a chance to see Kikyo up close, to see if she was truly so identical to her.
"Have you ever met Kikyo?" asked Kagome. She had adopted the rather rude way of the servants of addressing disliked royalty without any title or honorific. Even Sango did it.
The former demon slayer shook her head. "Never had the pleasure. I've heard things though. They say she's really cold. Not really a glowing description, but not harmful either. Just don't draw attention to yourself and you should be fine."
Kagome nodded and, taking the tray in hand, went out the door into the cold air. It hadn't snowed since the morning the lords and ladies had arrived, but it was cold enough to prevent a thaw and she could see her breath in front of her face. Her sweat turned icy and slipped down her back, giving her a chill. By the time she had grown accustomed to the cold though, she was at the palace door.
The hallways were crowded, as they had been since the celebrations had begun. Kagome threaded her way through a number of frantic castle servants and personal assistants to the royal guests. She even passed a young lady in finery who appeared slightly put out at the number of people in the corridor.
She took a turn and breathed a sigh of relief at the lower amount of traffic. Kagome knew her way to the suites for the most important of the royalty, although she hadn't been there since the disaster with Koga. The more minor nobles were on the floor below them but here, only a few servants were scuttling about to serve the needs of these important dignitaries.
Kagome balanced the tray and tapped on the doorframe of Kikyo's room. "Come in," said a soft, tired voice.
The princess slid open the door and bowed deeply before stepping in. She placed the tray on the carved table in the center of the room and backed away, keeping her eyes to the floor, waiting to be dismissed. She would try to catch a glimpse of the princess on the way out.
"Well now, you're certainly a filthy little thing," said the voice.
Unable to avoid it, Kagome looked up to see Princess Kikyo lounging in a plush chair by her fireplace. Her hair was wet from the hot springs and she was wrapped in a loose kimono made of pink silk. Kagome could see that the shape of her face and her coloring were very similar to Kikyo's, but the resemblance was not as striking as she had originally thought. Princess Kikyo had a hardness about her, an angularity underneath the surface that came through her expression. Kagome hoped that she didn't look so unpleasant.
"Is the king taking charity cases?" asked the princess as she lifted herself from her place, wrinkling her nose. Despite the hardness Kagome saw in her, she had to admit that Kikyo was as graceful as anyone she had ever seen. She had the body of a dancer and moved fluidly through her room. She picked up her hairbrush and swept it through her dark locks, looking at the dirty Kagome.
'I had a brush like that once,' Kagome remembered silently, watching the golden handle move through Kikyo's hair. In response to the princess's question, she only curtsied. "Charity case, Your Highness?"
"Well, why would the king let you into his home otherwise?" laughed Kikyo. It was a laugh that sent a shiver of revulsion down Kagome's spine. "You're absolutely disgusting." She stepped towards her and then backpedaled delicately. "Oh, and you reek! How can the demons bear to be around you with their sensitive noses?"
Kagome wasn't sure what to say to the insult and so she remained silent. How could she be blamed for not smelling as good as she once did? Certainly some of the other servants smelled worse than her!
Kikyo was laughing again. "I heard that Inuyasha had brought in a new servant that dressed in furs. I suppose that would be you, because who else would have such horrendous taste in clothing?" She went back to the fire and combed her fingers through her hair. "Of course, he's such a pathetic little puppy himself. Such a darling, but so base. It would figure that he'd find someone like you. Maybe you can go have little furry animals with him!" She giggled at her own joke and then waved her hand. "Why are you still here? I'm sure you have work to do, creature."
The former princess's cheeks burned as she bowed again and turned to leave. Behind her, Kikyo was demanding to be clothed for the feast. Kagome wondered if she even remembered the juice that she had brought for her or if Kikyo had just decided to make a few servants run around at her request.
Kagome stalked through the halls, silently fuming. How dare that woman? Even at the height of teenaged insolence, Kagome had never treated a servant so dreadfully. They might look a bit alike, but she knew that the similarities ended there. How cruel! If she was still in power, still the eldest child of the Nakao kingdom, she would have taught Kikyo a lesson in etiquette. Obviously, no one else had done so.
She slowed her pace and began to amuse herself with thoughts of little revenges on the haughty princess. Putting horse urine into the next drink she demanded from the kitchen would be a classic, one that Sota had tried to pull on an irritating guest when he was six. Their mother had caught him and given him a good scolding for that one. Kagome knew that if she were caught doing anything against a princess that Queen Izayoi would have much less sympathy. She had stuck up for Kagome against Koga after all. Playing tricks on the royal guests would only dishonor the Taisho family.
She sighed as she trekked back to the kitchen along the shoveled path. It was childish of her to think of such things anyway, she reasoned, kicking a clump of snow and watching it break apart and skitter across the ground. A few months ago, before she had fled to demon kingdom, Kagome would have just risen above Kikyo's petty behavior – not that a princess would act that way towards another royal. Now, as the downtrodden servant in an alien world, Kagome realized that a slow bitterness was settling into her heart. She could manage this life in order to survive, but that's all she was really doing – surviving. This was not her destiny, she was certain of that.
But how could she change her fate? Despite his rotten heart, her father was the picture of health. He had many years to live and she could feel her nobility slipping away day by day. If Sota came for her in a decade (which was a hopeful estimate of her father's death), would he recognize his elder sister? Would she speak with the rough accent of her coworkers? Would she only know how to tote water and cook vegetables instead of remembering her favorite poetry or how to dance as her mother had taught her?
Sliding open the door, she stepped back into the kitchen, her dark look at Sango immediately alerting her friend as to how the brief meeting went. "That bad?" asked the demon slayer.
Kagome nodded. "I have another story for the grapevine," she murmured, looking around the dark kitchen. "Where is Naraku-san?"
"In the palace, talking to the head servants about how tonight will go," she replied. "Then he's going to the kiln to make sure the bakers are doing the breads properly. He won't be around until right after everything goes onto the table."
The princess nodded again, thankful that the raging chef would be out of the way for awhile. The kilns were behind the kitchen because the fires had to be stoked even hotter for making bread. It was a building that Kagome had never gone into and nor did she want an invitation. If the kitchen was sweltering, the kilns were Hell itself. "Naraku-san will have to bathe after going there," she commented, wiping down the tables so that a slab of beef could be cut into translucent strips. A demon assistant chef sliced the meat rapidly, the knife shining in the firelight. Another youkai arranged the paper-thin slices on a large platter and added an expensive garnish.
"Well, I hope he does, then we'll be free of him for the majority of the evening. The food is almost done, actually," said Sango looking around at the preparations, which were slowing down. "This is earlier than we've ever had it finished. I wish that meant we got a break! I wish that I could go see them dance before they all stuff their faces with food."
Kagome's eyebrow lifted. "Dance?"
Sango nodded absently, not noticing the glimmer of mischief in her friend's eyes. "Of course. They must all be so beautiful, don't you think? The finest cloth and the finest jewels. They're all finding mates and spouses as they talk and dance. It must be very romantic."
The germ of an idea began to wiggle through her mind. The princess recalled the feasts she had attended as a young girl, before her mother had become ill. She remembered a lot of well-mannered leering in her direction from men twice her age and hoping for just half of her wealth. She was retiring at those events, hiding from the courtiers and sitting in corners with Myoga or Sota. Her mother had always encouraged her to be a better hostess, but Kagome could never get comfortable when every eye was on her in desire or jealousy.
But here, in the Taisho kingdom, she would have anonymity. She didn't know any of the nobles and she certainly needed to be around finery again. She was forgetting the feel of silk on her skin, the taste of fine food and the sounds of a court orchestra. Kagome had to get out of the kitchen. She had to get to her kimonos and over to the dance without discovery. She would be a princess again, if only for a few moments. The thought sent a delicious shiver through her body.
"Kagome? Are you alright?" Sango was frowning at her.
"I… I feel a bit faint," murmured the princess weakly, feeling bad for lying to her friend. She was certain Sango would see right through the ruse.
But the demon slayer was nodding her agreement. "This is really hard work, especially so soon after arriving here. When I came, Naraku didn't cut me any slack. I don't think you should suffer the same fate, especially when things are beginning to die down around here. Go and rest in your room for a couple hours. I'll cover you. Kagura will understand, just make sure you're back before Naraku."
Kagome felt a stab of pain in her heart. "No, Sango, I can't ask you to work harder just for me."
Sango laughed and gestured around her. "They can always help," she said, pointing out the several demons that were leaning against the counters and sitting down. They scowled in return. "Really, we're doing fine. Go."
The princess couldn't hesitate again or she knew she would stay out of guilt. She thanked her friend, nodded at Kagura and escaped out the door. Once safely inside the deserted servants' quarters, she pulled a large bowl from the closet and filled it with water before setting it over the fire to warm. "Myoga?" she called as she shed her fur coat.
"Yes?" He appeared in the gap of her doorway to her room, frowning at her. "Aren't you supposed to be working? Are you sick?"
She shook her head as she sat down next to the fire and began to wash her arms clean of ashes. "No. Sango took pity on me because she thought I looked tired. I just have to be back before Naraku gets to the kitchens."
The flea hopped over. "I don't think that's a very good idea. You don't want any special attention from the head cook or the other servants." His frown deepened as he watched her pale skin begin to shine through the grime. "And why are you washing? Someone will see!"
"They're all too busy in the kitchens," she said. "Besides, no one noticed me leaving. They don't care." She scrubbed her face with the warm water, making her cheeks glow a rosy pink.
"And the washing?"
She shrugged. "I like being clean," she said, avoiding the direct question. Before Myoga could protest, she turned to him. "Look, could you do me a favor? Could you watch out over the kilns and make sure Naraku doesn't come back early?"
"By all rights, you shouldn't have to know if he was," the flea said. "I don't like this."
"I am very tired, Myoga," she pled. "Please. Just watch for me. I'll get you some ox blood from the kitchens if you do." She smiled as she offered his favorite food. Myoga preferred human and demon blood above all else except for ox blood. He said it had a rustic flavor, but Kagome really didn't care to know the details.
She knew that she was successful when Myoga jerked his head up to look at her. "Really? Hmm, alright then, I guess I can spend a couple hours watching over the kilns." He began to turn away but then glared at her. "You get some rest though! I don't want to hear about you being tired when so many other people are working so that you can have a few moments' peace. And for Kami-sama's sake, make sure you don't get seen like that!"
Kagome smiled at him and went back to washing as the flea sighed and disappeared out the door. As soon as he was gone, the princess lost all sense of decorum and stripped to wash herself more thoroughly. She carried her furs to her room and found the yellow bag that held her precious kimonos. Even in her darkened room under the stairs, they glittered. She slipped into the one made of gold like the sun and tied her obi with practiced hands. Her hair could not be helped much without the assistance of servants and complicated hairpins, but she managed to tie it up on her head and out of the way.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," she said to the empty building. She could see in the reflection of the leftover water that she was glowing. Her kimono hugged her curves, despite the weight she had lost since coming to the castle. It had the long furisode sleeves of an unmarried woman, she realized. Her father had never meant for her to wear them. Why had she not noticed before?
But tonight, it served her purpose. She would be the unmarried noble woman of a far off, tiny human kingdom. She would have no name, no history and no father. Armed with these rules, she practically ran along the path from the servants' quarters to the palace. Her kimono was not meant for the winter air. The hem was damp when she finally arrived inside, although she had been holding it up in a very undignified way.
She arrived, out of breath and red in the face, amidst a mass of people preparing for the feast. A few servants looked at her strangely, but they didn't dare question a noble. How many times had Kagome heard those words in the kitchens? 'Those nobles! They get to do whatever they want!' She had said it herself in the past two days.
Following the general flow of the servants, Kagome made her way to the throne room where she had met the king and queen in her first few days in the Taisho household. It was packed with glittering, silky nobility now. Music was coming from her left, from a royal orchestra of no less than twenty accomplished demons. To her right, double doors were opened to reveal a sumptuous feast being laid out in a room even larger than the massive throne room she was standing in at the moment. Although she couldn't see them, she was certain that the king and queen were at the opposite end of the room, sitting in their chairs and whispering together like new lovers as usual. Most of the guests were milling around the edges, sitting in the simple chairs that lined the walls, but several demons were dancing, their arms around their partners much more intimately than her own Nakao kingdom allowed.
A few youkai stared at her as Kagome moved to find a seat. She didn't want to attract too much attention to herself but she saw that just being human was enough reason to have eyes upon her. She spotted Kikyo dancing like a swan in the center of the room with a human male who appeared to hardly believe his own luck. She didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the attention paid to her. Her partner kept missing steps and rushing to catch up with her. Kagome had to lower her eyes before she began to glower at the other princess.
"Will you do me the honor of dancing with me, Princess?" asked a familiar voice.
Kagome looked up into the face of Koga, the wolf demon prince. Her first instinct was to bolt – surely he would recognize her scent? But she remembered that she had bathed and was not wearing her furs or her ashes, and so she relaxed. "Of course," she replied, holding out her hand. It would be very rude to deny a prince after all.
This close and without threats or crying, she could see that the prince was a very handsome male indeed. Koga had an aristocratic face, but not wholly unkind. She smiled at him and was rewarded by one of his own. Kagome wondered if it really had been her furs that had set him off two days before, or if it was an entirely private reason. She didn't forgive him for being so cruel to her of course, but the queen had said that he was a bit tense. Kagome decided to give him a clean slate as a princess. When she returned to her life as Thousandfurs, she would cautious and afraid of him once again. He was only a danger now if he discovered that other life.
"Why did you give me such a lofty title?" she asked, eager to break the wolf's steady gaze. They stepped in time with the music without effort and others folded in around them.
He shrugged and looked away over her shoulder. "You look like a princess. Was I wrong?"
She smiled and returned his noncommittal shrug. "Perhaps. Perhaps not."
"That is a difficult answer," he said, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm a difficult person to understand," she replied.
He grinned at her. "A sense of humor!" Koga looked around at all the other dancers, several of whom were staring at them. "They think you must be related to Kikyo in some way, but that sense of humor disproves that. She has none. What's worse is that she thinks she does have one and weighs us down with her ill-timed comments."
"I am not related to Kikyo," Kagome confirmed, shaking her head. "It is a coincidence."
The wolf nodded. "So, have you ever been to the Taisho kingdom before?"
"Never," replied the princess, "and not to your realm either, my prince. I have never had the opportunity to travel so far from my home before."
"A shame," he said, still smiling at her. "Then again, I knew you hadn't been to my realm because I certainly would have noticed someone as lovely as you."
Kagome blushed. "You flatter me too much, Your Highness."
"You've never been to my lands so you don't know how poor a compliment that is. You deserve far greater praise. After all, my subjects live in caves. The females are filthy from their foraging all the time. The males are dirty too, of course, we just have more occasion to wash properly." He laughed at her expression. "Don't misunderstand. We're a nation of warriors, not scholars, but we have our moments. There's nothing finer than the sun setting over our mountains. Except perhaps you."
The princess lowered her eyes and smiled. Just a bit forward of him, she mused. Declaring her more beautiful than a sunset! Rather bland, poetically speaking, but he did say he was a warrior, so was he expected to know these things? "Thank you, my prince," she said, settling on the safest answer.
The music slowed to a stop and they separated. Kagome hadn't even realized how close their bodies had been. "Another dance?" he asked, bowing a bit from his waist.
Kagome turned her head slightly to see Inuyasha standing near them and looking at her with a peculiar gaze. He was clothed in apple red as usual, but it was thick silk instead of the normally coarse material he wore, and the royal seal was emblazoned onto his shoulder. "Forgive me, Prince Koga," she said, taking a step towards Inuyasha, "but I promised our host a dance and it appears he has come to collect on my debt."
The wolf and dog demons bristled at one another, their chests swelling up as they took deep, even breaths. Koga broke away his gaze first. "Have at it, mutt-face," he muttered, turning away.
Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a look. He didn't appear too happy, but then, Kagome had just obligated him to dance. "I hope you do dance, my prince?" Kagome asked, stepping even closer to him and holding up her hands.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and took her hand. "Of course. I'm not a simpleton," he replied with a scowl, moving her into the faster beat of the new song. "So the wolf was bothering you?"
Kagome shook her head. "Not really. I just preferred to dance with you."
The prince's eyes widened and then he turned his head away with a frown. "Just because I'm the prince."
The princess mentally rolled her eyes. She had never met anyone with less self-confidence! Nor had she met anyone with so many unpleasant facial expressions. "No, not because you're the prince. I wanted to dance with you because," she paused and searched for the right words, "you seemed like the only male in this room who would not really care who I was."
"You just met me. How do you know what I care about?" he asked.
Kagome thought about all the brief moments she had spent with him as Thousandfurs. He was just as bitter now as he had been then, but she had to admit that even when he was condescending towards her, his honesty in his words was refreshing, even if it did often offend. "I have heard enough about you to know that you don't care what others think and the others here want to know who I am."
"You're new," he replied. "It's usually the same people over and over again at these damned things."
"Yes, I know."
"So why shouldn't they know who you are?" he asked. "You must have realized that they would be interested by a new face."
She smiled at him. She hadn't realized that, mostly due to the rashness of her decision to come to tonight, but she wouldn't let on to that fact. "I don't want them to know."
He tilted his head at her and his shoulders tensed beneath her hands. "But, dammit, now I want to know. Why did you have to mention it, wench?"
Kagome laughed. The prince's acerbic attitude was so much more bearable when he didn't also treat her as a servant. She studied his face, his golden eyes and strong jaw and the puppy ears on top of his head, and found that she liked it very much. It was a face that she could see everyday. She was even comforted by it, despite his current frustrated gaze. She leaned closer to him. "Well, I said I didn't want them to know. I do want you to know who I am," she said and his dog ears twitched. She suppressed the urge to giggle and then sobered quickly. "Unfortunately, I cannot tell you who I am. Not now."
"Why not?" he asked petulantly. "Are you some lowly lady-in-waiting who has stolen her mistress's kimono?"
She shook her head. "I can't tell you. I will tell you that I have more royal blood than a lady-in-waiting though. I am worthy of even you," she said, not being able to stop saying the last bit.
Inuyasha looked at the sylph-like creature in his arms and came to jarring realization. "Are you a relation to Princess Kikyo?" He saw her expression darken as she turned her face away. "I didn't mean it like that! I mean, are you?"
"Perhaps we shared an ancestor long, long ago," she said, still upset. "But I would prefer not to think about it. I have never met her before tonight. She is an unreasonably rude woman."
The hanyou prince smirked. "Of course she is. She's a princess and can pretty much do whatever she wants."
"That is not a good excuse for her bad behavior," said Kagome, softening a bit. Inuyasha's eyes were sparkling in amusement at her. Suddenly she felt that she would talk about anything under the sun to keep him that way, even Kikyo.
But Inuyasha changed the subject anyway. "What kingdom are you from?"
She laughed and shook her head. "That's practically the same as asking who I am. I can't narrow you down to a single kingdom if I hope to keep my identity a secret. I see that you would be willing to hunt through every scrap of document to find out who I was if you knew my homeland's name."
The prince begrudgingly admitted to this truth. "Alright, what should I call you?"
Kagome shrugged. "Why call me anything? It's one dance, not a vow of marriage."
Inuyasha remembered his promise to his father, made earlier that night. The king had come to his rooms and told his son that the prince needed a mate, that the king needed grandchildren. "Just keep an eye out for a suitable girl," the king had said. Inuyasha had agreed, because what possibility was there of finding anyone that would even be civil to him at one of these infernal dances? "One dance," he repeated, "for now."
The princess looked up sharply and then smiled. "Are you saying you would like to see me again, Your Highness?"
"Yeah, sure," he replied, trying to fight his embarrassment. "Not like it means anything! I mean, you're just nice and not stuck-up and stuff…" He winced at his words.
Kagome laughed and squeezed his hand. "It would be very nice to see you again, Your Highness. I'm certain we will meet sometime soon."
"Will you be staying around here for long?" he asked.
"No," she answered automatically. "I… have to go back to my kingdom immediately. But I will try to return as soon as possible!" She smiled at his slightly injured expression. "I just told you that I would meet you again."
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"Who is that dancing with Inuyasha?"
The king looked up briefly. "Kikyo."
Izayoi gently pulled her hand from her mate's grasp and tapped him on the nose. "No, it isn't. Kikyo is over there, scowling at them. So who is the girl?"
He looked up again, more intrigued. His demon eyes found the pair and studied them carefully. "I have no idea, my love."
"He's staring at her," commented the queen.
"So is everyone else."
She smoothed her purple kimono, her fingers rubbing over the intricate embroidery. "Indeed they are. I feel like I'm wearing a rag next to her. What a kimono!"
"You're lovely tonight, my dear," replied the king. He rubbed his chin. "Although, she is too, I must say. Perhaps our son is finally noticing another female besides Princess Kikyo. Perhaps he has found a mate."
Izayoi smiled at him. "Perhaps, but don't you think it's a bit hasty of him? I've never seen this girl before, which means he certainly hasn't either. Rather quick work for our son."
"Even if it's passing interest, I am relieved to see it," he said. "Kikyo has made a mess of things."
The queen nodded solemnly, for a mother always remembers the injuries a child suffers. "Do you know who she is, Miroku?"
The diplomat came to her side from where he had been flirting with one of the ladies in waiting. "Who? Oh, the girl Inuyasha is dancing with. I was more shocked by the fact that he's dancing really. I didn't even know he could." He frowned and looked at the girl. "Hmm, I'm afraid I don't know who she is, Your Majesty."
"Make some inquiries," said the king. "Inuyasha does need a mate. Perhaps she will agree to an arranged mating, if all else fails."
Miroku's nose wrinkled. "He's not very fond of that idea, my king."
"Well then he should get fond of the idea," replied the monarch in a sterner voice. "One day, he needs to grow up and take on his responsibilities."
"It's been hard for him, dear," said the queen. "You know that so many people abhor him just for being a half-demon." Her voice became thick with unshed tears, as it always did when they talked about this subject.
The king took her hand. "He's strong. Someday he'll prove it to the public and they will realize their error." He looked back at the girl in his son's arms. "Besides, this one seems to enjoy Inuyasha's company. If I was to go by her expression alone, I would have people set up a bridal suite tonight."
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"What do you do besides tease foreign royalty? Do you ride?"
"Of course. I was an accomplished rider," she replied, flinching at her use of past tense. "Um… I haven't gone out in awhile though, due to my increasing responsibilities as I get older. Do you ride often?"
"Yeah, mostly to get out of the castle. That, or I train in the dojo. The Taisho family is known for its swordsmanship." He puffed out his chest in pride.
"I have never fought anyone," said Kagome. "Not with swords anyway."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "I thought all ladies of noble standing would be taught enough to defend themselves, especially in the human kingdoms. Humans are weak without claws or tough skins like demons."
The princess shrugged and sighed. "I'm finding that much of my education was neglected in my youth. I try to repair the damage, but I fear I'll never catch up." She looked over to her left to see Kikyo giving her a scathing glare from the side of the room. "Princess Kikyo, for example, has grace that I will never possess."
He followed her line of vision. When his eyes found Kikyo, the princess smiled prettily and turned away, disappearing into the crowds. He sighed too. "She has her faults though."
"Many, but most males would be quite willing to overlook them in favor of her beauty."
"And her wealth," added the prince.
"I apologize," she said. "I have brought us back to depressing subjects. Forgive me, my prince."
He shook his head, his white locks swaying from side to side. "No, if anyone is to blame, it would be Kikyo herself. She poisons everything just by her presence."
He spoke with such venom that Kagome remembered her promise to speak to Miroku about the prince and the foreign princess. She feared his answers. But before she could change the subject away from the mutually disliked Kikyo, she appeared at Kagome's elbow. "My prince!" she crowed. "How long it has been since I have seen you!"
She placed a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder, forcing Kagome away and seemingly oblivious. Inuyasha shifted his body uneasily under her touch, but did not step back. "What do you want, Kikyo?" he said, dropping all formalities.
"Inuyasha, you looked so bored, I decided to save you. Was that wrong?" she asked, putting on a sweet pout.
"I was dancing with her," said the prince, nodding towards Kagome. "I wasn't bored and I didn't need saving, thanks."
Kikyo turned around and looked at Kagome, who got the distinct feeling of being looked down upon, although they were about the same height. "Oh! I didn't see you there."
"Did you think Inuyasha-sama was dancing alone in the middle of the floor?" asked Kagome waspishly. She remembered her manners and curtsied with a dangerous smile on her face.
The other princess lifted her chin. "Well! Considering we've never met, you're rather rude, aren't you?"
Inuyasha was giving her a strange look and Kagome remembered that she had foolishly said that she and Kikyo had met before. "Actually, we have been introduced," she said. "Briefly."
"Hmm, I don't remember." She looked back at the prince. "So, my dear prince, shall we dance?"
"I was dancing with her," he repeated.
Kikyo turned back to Kagome with a tired sort of frustration. "Her? What is her name?"
Inuyasha looked at a loss, but as Kikyo's mouth was turning up in a triumphant smile, Kagome said, "It's been a game, you see! He wanted to know my name and I told him to guess." She looked at the prince with a flirtatious smile. "You have two more guesses, Your Highness, out of your original ten. What do you think my name is?"
"Toki," he said immediately.
Kagome shook her head and laughed. "You'll never get it with such guesses! Come, my prince, think of who I am."
"Gin," he said. Silver. He had picked a name that she could in no way claim as her own.
The princess shook her head. "That's all the guesses you have, Inuyasha-sama. We must meet again, clearly, in order that you may have more chances."
The prince smirked as Kikyo looked on with a scowl. The music came to stop and a servant appeared in the doorway to the larger room to announce that dinner was ready. Kagome looked at her new friend and her new enemy. "So, we will meet again?"
Kikyo scoffed and looked at Inuyasha. "All of the true royalty is sitting towards the head of the table. Come, we'll sit together." She pulled on the hanyou's arm, but when he didn't move, she let go and scowled again. "I'll… save you a seat, Highness."
People were flowing towards the doors, moving around the stationary pair with ease. "Come on, I don't want to sit next to her. I want to sit next to you," he said. "I've never seen anyone stand up to her before!"
"What makes you think that I am worthy to sit with the princes and kings of these kingdoms?" asked Kagome.
Inuyasha frowned. "You are if I let you."
She smiled, pushing down the feelings of hatred she felt towards Kikyo and her bitterness that she had to leave this opulent world again. "Thank you, my prince, but I should sit with my own people. Don't forget your promise though. Next time we meet, you may have ten guesses at my name."
He came close to her, his breath mingling with hers. "I knew that Gin wasn't your name. I don't want her to know it."
Kagome put a hand on his chest. "When you figure out my name, it will be our secret from everyone, if you want."
He began to smile but then stepped back suddenly. "I'll… see you at dinner then."
The princess sighed, but nodded. As soon as he disappeared into the crowd, she ran through the crowd and down the palace halls. If dinner was being served, Naraku would soon be back in the kitchens to watch over the clean-up and post dinner whims of the nobility. She flew into the servants' quarters and stripped off the kimono, putting on her winter yukata just in time for Myoga to come bouncing in. "Kagome! He's coming back! He went to oversee the servants putting out dinner first, but now he's coming back to the kitchens."
"Thanks, Myoga," she replied, hastily pulling on the fur cloak and going out to the dying fire in the middle of the room. She spread the ashes up and down her arms and over her face. "Did I miss a spot?"
"No, looks good. Come on, you don't want to be punished," he said, going towards the door.
"One moment," she replied, going back to her room. She dug through her yellow bag and found the object she was looking for and tucked it into her robes. "Alright, let's go."
With the flea on her shoulder beneath her hair, Kagome walked back through the snow to the kitchen. Naraku was there. Kagome caught her breath and tried to be inconspicuous but the draft from opening the door immediately alerted him to her presence. "Thousandfurs!" he snarled. "Where the hell have you been?"
She shared a wide-eyed stare with Sango. "I was tending to one of Koga-sama's wolves," she said. "The animal is still ill and I was sent to the room to bring it some herbs."
The red-eyed demon glared at her for a moment before turning away. "You're still late," he snapped. "You shall be punished."
Kagome began to cry silently, the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Yes, Naraku-san," she said softly.
"No, not by me," he said in a quieter, more dangerous tone. "I'll let the prince deal with you. He always wants bread soup after these dances and I always make it, but tonight, you will. If you let one hair fall in that soup from that shaggy cloak of yours, I'll beat you beyond recognition." A twisted smile spread across his lips. "I look forward to it."
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A/N: There you go. Sorry it's been so long – I had to move back to Austin and my job… ugh, my job is another story. Anyway, review please!