Forbidden Unions

Circa 2008

Summary: They were at war and there was said to be a traitor among their ranks, but that didn't concern the princess. Her mind is in two different places, but mostly she wonders about her origins. [Yu Yu Hakusho/Inuyasha: Hiei/Kagome]

Genre: General ?

Rating: T

Chapter One

"What is it ye do not understand, child?"

"You have been within the household for a very long time, Keade." She frowned a little. "I know that your knowledge of the world is large, and I wished to know why there are forbidden children?"

Keade looked up, blinking a few times. Her eyes hid knowledge of the ages, years upon years of knowledge. "I understand, child. Tell me, why is it ye wish to know of this?"

Her head lowered, "I'll tell you once you've explained, Keade." She watched as Keade broke eye contact with her, turning her eyes back to the herbs she had been working with. Knowing that it was simply a distraction from having to stare her in the face, she sighed. "Please, Keade. You've often told me the origins of this household, and you've even told me a little of my mother's travels, but you've never told me a lot. If you wish, you may start there, and I will ask my question later."

"I do not believe what I could say is for the ears of anyone except ye, child. Your guard, as loyal as he has been proven to be, should not be here to listen to it," she cast a glance at the young man standing at the doorway, gazing at the princess before her. She knew the princess had grown quite fond of him, but there was something about him that was unnerving, and she was sure that she simply could not pinpoint it because of her age and slightly dampened senses.

Rolling her eyes, she turned to the young man, giving him a jerk of the head toward the door, silently telling him to leave. She'd grown accustomed to having him near since he'd come into her family's ranks, but if Keade insisted. Her mother herself had smiled at him and told him he had proven himself, and then, only a few weeks later, her mother walked into the wilderness to somehow fall at the hands of a demon. Or said the guards who returned and told them of the demon they'd seen fleeing the scene, thus starting the war they were now within.

"I do not think that is wise, princess."

"Leave," she commanded, watching as he gave her a slight glare. However, he sighed, his left hand resting on the hilt of his katana as he turned toward the door. It slid open without resistance and he stepped outside. Hearing his retreating footsteps, she turned her attention back to Keade.

Keade doubted the guard would be gone for long, he'd proven that he would protect the princess. "Your mother, as you know, was the guardian of a powerful artifact," she began.

"The Shikon no Tama. Yes, I know that, Keade," she sighed.

Glaring at the girl in front of her, watching as she flinched, gave Keade a small sense of pride. She, after all, had been the one to teach the girl once her mother died, and even now she knew that the girl would shut up and listen once she was glared at. Keade might have only had one good eye, but the girl was clearly not used to having such a look directed at her. "Aye, the Shikon no Tama. She traveled with an unusual bunch once the Shikon finally released its power and made itself known once more to this world. An inu-hanyou who she fell in love with, but loved the memory of ye mother's incarnation, brought back to this world by a witch. A kitsune pup who loved her like she was his own mother; a taijiya, the last of her kind; and a monk, as lecherous as he could be. Together, after she managed to have the Shikon not only ripped from her body, but shattered by her own hand, they sought to make it whole once more."

The princess nodded, her eyes gleaming as she took in the information. She'd heard this story time and again, but she loved to hear it. She never did quite understand why such a bitter soul like Kikyo's ever reincarnated itself so quickly, but it was truly a wonderful tale. She listened to Keade as she retold how the resurrected Mistress Centipede attacked her mother, though it was still unsure how the demon managed to come back to life after being cast into the Bone Eaters Well. How before that her mother had been nothing but a simple village girl who'd been strange to others, never finding a reason to be prejudice against anything, whether it was demon, human, or hanyou.

"They also sought to defeat the evil hanyou, Naraku. As they did, they met many demons and humans, each one of them that seemed to be attracted to ye mother, sometimes for the Shikon and sometimes simply because she had a strange ability to make others flock to her." Keade's eye glazed over a bit in memory, "But some of the most remembered were the Lord of the West, Sesshoumaru-sama, and the Prince of the Eastern Wolf Tribe, Kouga. Both were demons, but they became some of ye mother's greatest friends and allies.

"It took many years for ye mother and her group to manage to gain most of the Shikon from Naraku's clutches," she continued, "and it almost seemed pointless in the end. However, ye mother was never one to give up, for she was raised without a mother, and was as stubborn as an ox. With each passing year Naraku grew in strength, though ye mother never learned how, and though they grew in strength as well, it took the combined forces of them all to destroy him. Even then, they were not without their losses, for Naraku made many detachments."

"They killed the monk and the kit, right, Keade?"

"Aye that they did. From what ye mother told me, the detachment by the name of Hakudoushi killed the monk after he'd used the void in his hand to suck in most of the demons, including the poisonous ones. Hakudoushi was slain by Sesshoumaru-sama shortly afterward. The kit was killed by Kagura, though she turned out to be a traitor to Naraku, turning against him in the last instance," Keade nodded, trying to remember the full details. "There were other detachments, of course, but ye not need to worry about them, they were slain soon after Naraku.

"Ye mother did not speak much of their travels, that is the reason I do not tell ye much, but I do remember after Naraku's death," Keade went on. "Stricken with grief, the taijiya, nearly a sister to ye mother, sought out comfort in the arms of a man named Kuranosuke-sama, who'd loved her and tried to gain her hand during their travels. As I have told ye, this village was built over the former taijiya village, Kuranosuke-sama's gift to the taijiya once they married in the end. However, the taijiya knew, that though she wanted to stay here, eventually her husband would need to return to his lands and she would be forced to return with him, so she gave the village to ye mother. That was how we came to be here, for ye mother insisted that we relocate to here, deeming it safer than other places, being hidden from almost all who have never been here."

Keade's eyes lowered, "There were… certain events that lead to ye mother becoming the head of the village, though she tried desperately to remain not. The Shikon, once complete, gave her a gift, making her miko abilities much stronger than the average miko, insuring that she could protect it. The inu-hanyou, who she still loved like a brother, decided it was time to leave once this occurred, and did not return for some years later. However, his half-brother, the Lord of the West, did visit to make sure the village had not fallen to the ground, but not often. Ye mother grew accustomed to being the head after a year or so, and she protected us from demon attacks, and human raids, until the inu-hanyou returned.

"Ye mother was supposed to marry a human man of high standings, though the man had not had the approval of the Lord of the West." Keade smiled at the memory, "Sesshoumaru-sama even confronted me once, telling me that he did not trust ye mother's to-be-husband and wanted me to poison his food or drink. I did not, however, no matter how many times that demon pushed me to do so. It was when the inu-hanyou returned that things became complicated, though, for ye mother still loved him. She had tried to tell herself that it was merely a sisterly love, but that spark continued to burn until she asked for guidance, and not a week later, the wedding was called off."

"Her to-be-husband didn't like that, did he?" the princess asked.

"No, he did not. He swore that one day he would seek revenge on ye mother, and he tried to, only to have her saved by the Lord of the West. It was then that ye mother learned what it was like to love more than one being," Keade muttered to herself. "She was confused and did not know what to do, so she sought out a man who had been trying to capture her attention for years, and asked him to help her. He was your father, A—"

"Do not play me for a fool, Keade," the princess hissed, her eyes suddenly sharp.

"I beg your…" Keade trailed off. She glared once more, "Ye are lucky ye mother is no longer here, Kagome. Amaya-Kagome would have never allowed such rude behavior to have taken place." Keade frowned, staring the princess in the eye, wondering what she was speaking of. She'd told this story many times, and she made sure that each time it was the same, yet this one time, the princess snapped at her, telling her she was lying.

"My mother would have also told me the truth if I'd asked for it, Keade," Kagome growled. "You did not honestly think you could hide it forever, did you? Your spell would falter sooner or later, and then I would find out."

Keade's eye widened, her hands clenching as she stared in shock. Her spell had…? Amaya-Kagome had asked her specifically to place the spell, knowing what could happen should one of the men she loved found out whom the child truly belonged to. The consequences had already been delivered, though the guards who found Amaya's body had most likely mistaken a passing demon for the culprit, thus starting this ridiculous war. "What is it ye know, child?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit.

Keade's caught it for an instant, and saw the symbol that managed to break through her concealment spell on the girl. The symbol that seemed to burn itself into the girl's skin, before it was gone and the princess she had grown accustomed to was sitting before her once more.

Kagome's eyes narrowed, the spell nearly breaking under the power she forced against it. Her eyes changed for an instant, seeming blue at first sight, yet containing a dark hue of gold within them. "I know that the Lord of the West is my father."

Chapter Two

He still did not know why he allowed the girl to dismiss him so easily, when it was clear he should have argued to stay. He should have, but there really was no point, since he could easily hear from the position he was now within. He knew that he needed to stay close to the princess, though, for it was his mission. It was ridiculous, he'd told the others when they'd come up with the plan, but their lord had liked it. So, knowing that they were going to most likely start a war with the village anyway, they'd sent him in, hoping to get him close enough to the head's daughter that she either fell in love, or trusted him completely with her life.

He felt that something was wrong, though. Something was just not right. The feeling had increased when the princess had asked the old miko about forbidden children, causing him to tense. Her mother might have known, maybe, but he concealed it well from others, hiding his crimson eyes and other features that would instantly peg him as a demon by humans. Hiding his scent and aura from demons with a powerful spell, making sure that they did not know what he was. So that he could complete his mission, though he was starting to doubt that was the only reason now.

Frowning, he came to a complete stop at the end of the corridor, turning so that he could easily see the door. He knew that no one was getting in that way, whether they were a servant-wench, or another guard. Keade's words had been clear to him, and she meant it when she said she did not want others to hear what she had to say. Which, in his opinion, was all the more reason to hear it.

He blocked out most of what was said within the room, not caring for Amaya-Kagome's history. He had not been aware that was her true name, having merely heard everyone call her Amaya-sama before her death. Not that he cared much, he was just curious as to why she'd smiled at him when he'd said he'd wanted to become a guard for them, and she tested him. He knew that he'd never get an answer; the woman was dead, which made his job a lot easier. No longer was there a great, powerful, legendary miko to purify him with one touch when he went in for the killing blow that would take the life of her daughter.

Sighing, he half listened to the conversation inside the room, wondering how long it would take for them to finally end their current session. Normally the princess did not spend more than an hour with the old miko, but sometimes it could take several. It would not have bothered him so much, he told himself, if he was in the room, since then he could watch her. Make sure that his prey was not going to get away, no matter how much she tried. True, he wasn't a sick bastard like he knew many of those who served underneath his lord were, but he still couldn't help but take notice that the human princess was quite pleasant to look at. He was slightly glad his prey was not an ugly bitch that was constantly trying to engage him in conversation, or she might have met an earlier demise and he might have found himself purified soon afterward.

The change in tone from the princess caught his attention, though, and he narrowed his, what looked to be, onyx eyes. He tuned more into the conversation, listening as the princess hissed for Keade not to take her for a fool, before the old miko gave a startled response. Wondering what they were speaking of, he took a step toward the room, knowing that the old miko might be able to sense him from this far away. He'd tested it once, and knew how close he could get, but he was not sure if it would change when she was angry or startled.

"…me the truth if I'd asked for it, Keade," he was already confused. "You did not honestly think you could hide it forever, did you? Your spell would falter sooner or later, and then I would find out."

It took the old miko a moment to respond, but he listened completely, wishing to get closer. It was not needed, but he it was a reflex to him, getting closer whenever the princess seemed to be distressed or anger, hoping to calm her before her miko ki went out of control and possibly purified him. True, it was not odd for there to be demons within the ranks, but he was supposed to be human, currently. The princess would instantly see that he had been a liar and possibly a traitor and never trust anyone again. That would mean his fellows would have a hard time trying to get close to her should he die.

"What is it ye know, child?"

The princess's voice came to him almost a second later, a bit deeper than he remembered it being. "I know that the Lord of the West is my father."

He stopped, shutting everything else off as the sentence echoed in his head. Her mother a powerful miko, her father the most powerful of the four demon rulers… she was… she was a…

The princess was forbidden.

Created from a union frowned upon in both worlds, even more so that her opposing forces did not kill her from the inside out. Her miko ki did not purify her demonic ki, as it should have, but mixed together to create a person. It formed together to create a living, breathing being that would not be accepted into either society once the secret was found out.

Worst, though he told himself not to care, she was like him.

Hiei, for once in his life, felt like he had been cornered.

"Did you think I would not notice the way he showed up more frequently after my mother's death, wishing to know of my wellbeing each time, gazing at me as if he wanted to tell me something but did not have the words to say it?" Kagome growled. "Keade, do you think I am an idiot?"

"No, child," Keade sighed. "When did ye learn?"

"A few nights ago. I pieced the information together when your spell fell while I was staring into my mirror," her eyes darkened. "Keade, why did you not tell me this after my mother died? I thought I had no one else in the world, except perhaps Hiei, but he is my guard, he has nothing to offer me but protection."

Keade's eye clouded over in memory, remembering the reason she'd promised never to tell a soul, not even the princess herself. True, with her mother's death she should be the head of the house, but her mother had also made her promise to take that role until her daughter was old enough to truly lead them. She sighed, "It was ye mother's wish that ye did not know."

"Surely she would have realized that I would live far longer than any human. After all, I saw not a hanyou in my mirror, but a demon," Kagome frowned. "Tell me, Keade, why that is?"

"I do not know, child," Keade whispered. "Ye mother and father suspected it had to do with the Shikon, or perhaps the power it gave ye mother. We thought that ye mother's new powers might have destroyed the hanyou blood, allowing ye to take on the appearance and strengths of a full-blooded demon, like ye father. I thought that perhaps it could have been the Shikon's wish to make sure ye mother's child could protect herself, and destroyed the human blood within ye. However, ye showed signs of purification abilities a year after birth, which made us, believe that perhaps ye were more. Perhaps…"

"The Shikon had given the powers of both, but the lifespan and appearance of my demon father." Kagome's eyes flashed, "It made me forbidden."

"Aye," Keade muttered. "Aye, child. Ye mother decided, a year before the inu-hanyou's return from his second time of leaving, that we would cast the concealment spell on ye and ye origins would not be spoken of, ever. Ye mother feared that the inu-hanyou would think that she'd went against her feelings for him when she slept with ye father, thus giving ye life. She also feared that others would come to take ye, whether to kill ye or to use ye, and she wanted neither for ye. Neither did ye father, and so they decided that it was for the best."

Keade's eye brightened, "Is that why ye asked for me to explain why there are forbidden children in the world? Why neither world will accept them, and why they are considered worse than hanyou?"

"I do not believe I put it into so many words, but yes, that was my reason," Kagome replied. "I thought that if I brought it up, you might have accidentally let something out and I could have confronted you on it."

"Even with ye guard in the room, child?" Keade asked, lifting her eyebrow in curiosity. True, the princess could be naïve at times, but she knew not to reveal such things to those lower in status than her. If one guard knew, the others would know, and then they might have the entire village turning against the main house. Amaya-Kagome's dream for her daughter would be turned to ash, and her soul would most likely mourn for her passing. Then there was Sesshoumaru-sama to consider, for though others would not know it, he was her father, and he would most likely avenge her. They would see what fools they were by facing death, and not even Amaya-Kagome would have wished that upon them for taking her own child's life.

Kagome blinked, not having really thought about it. Her lips thinned into a straight line, and she stared Keade straight in the eye when she spoke. "Hiei might be a guard, Keade, but he is not like the others. He does not try to engage with the others in silly banter, nor does he allow them to bring him into it whenever they wish to know about me. As you know, he was assigned to me by Yasuo-san when my last guard decided he couldn't handle me anymore. He is not the most social, but I believe that in time he might actually come to trust me enough to at least tell me why he decided to become apart of this households service."

"Perhaps he saw a beautiful young woman and instantly fell in love," Keade smiled a bit, watching a dark blush spread over the cheeks of the younger female. The 'pup', as she'd often heard Sesshoumaru-sama refer to her as, obviously did not take notice to the way her guard seemed to act. At first he had been about duty only, but she'd seen the way he'd slowly relaxed and now wished, or she suspected, to do his job for more reasons than simply showing others that he could.

"K-Keade, you're… you… um…" Kagome growled, huffing a bit as she settled a glare on the old woman. "He is simply my guard, I do not even think he will come to have any sort of feelings for me ever. Besides," her posture straightened, "I have other things to think about then emotions at this point. Like trying to completely ignore the fact that my father is one of the four demon rulers, or the fact that he comes to see me often. Forgive me if I accidentally give it away that I know once I see him again."

"That I will, child. Make sure, however, that ye are alone should ye decide to."

"Of course, Keade." Kagome bowed her head. "I would still like to know about my question, and possibly the reason why my parents decided to not stay together. A few others things, I'm sure, will come up along the way once we get into the conversation, though. Could we, please, Keade?" She tilted her head to one side, staring at the elder miko as she once more turned her eyes down to her work.

"I am sure ye will have many questions, child. However, 'tis getting late and I believe it is time for this old woman to retire. Ye should as well, child," casting the princess a small look at her sigh, Keade set her work down. "Ye must be patient, for I shall be here tomorrow to answer ye questions as well. I am no longer as young as I used to be, and though ye are a demon, ye still need so much sleep at this young age. Ye father told me that once ye have hit one-hundred or so, ye will not need as much sleep as a human, but until then ye must continue as ye always have." She frowned, "And remember we are at war, child. Do not go roaming the grounds at night, unless ye plan to roam them with that young guard for other reasons."

"KEADE!" She could swear her face was going to be permanently red by the time she left the presence of this crazy woman. She would never understand what the old woman's obsession was, since she could remember numerous times like this, all of them since Hiei had been posted as her personal guard.

"Hush, child! There is no need to yell in my ear!"

"Well, excuse me, Keade! It's not my mind that is always gallivanting in perverted thoughts!"

"Leave, child! Leave before I decide to give ye a lesson on manners that ye will not soon forget," Keade snapped, greatly amused. As the princess rose, the blush still staining her cheeks, she smirked a bit. "Just do not darken in color once ye have set eyes on him, he might suspect something in wrong with ye, and I do not wish for another sword in my face this month."

She did darken a bit from the words, and turned to glare slightly at Keade. "If he does come to demand if you've cast a spell on me or something, like last time, it will be your own fault. You're the perverted old hag that's put these thoughts in my head, Keade!"

"Aye, that I am, child," Keade grinned. "Now go."

Nodding, she took a deep breath. "I will return tomorrow evening, Keade." Seeing the old woman nod, she slid open the door, and stepped out into the corridor. She hoped that tomorrow she would be able to come to fully understand the reason her mother did not wish for her to know of her father, or what she really was. Didn't her mother realize that she would have grown suspicious when she did not age for thirty to forty years? Or perhaps she would have grown suspicious before then, now that she'd began truly understanding the fondness that Sesshoumaru-sama had given to her mother. Sooner or later the secret would have slipped, and she almost wished her mother were alive so she could ask her for answers, instead of simply Keade.

Perhaps, though, she could get answers elsewhere.

Perhaps she could get them from her father on his next visit. Surprise him with the fact that she knew and she'd figured it out herself. She was positive he'd get a shock out of that, since he usually didn't show her any emotion after asking her how she had been during his absence.

"Princess?"

Startled, she turned to find that Hiei was standing next to her, his onyx eyes staring at her emotionlessly. She always wondered how he managed to get that mask mastered, but sighed in relief that it was merely him. She shouldn't have let her guard down so much.

"You should pay more attention to your surrounding," he grunted.

She smiled; knowing that she'd just thought that and it was true. "Yes, yes, I should." He seemed confused as to why she was smiling about it, but she ignored him. "I'm ready to retire now, Hiei."

"Hn." He walked forward, knowing from the footsteps behind him that the princess was following. He knew now there was more to the reason that Keade took over the role of the head for the time being, then the princess simply not being married. Obviously the Lord of the West would have to approve of his daughter's suitor. A smirk tugged on his lips, knowing that that meant he had nearly all the time in the world to complete his mission.

Why a foreign feeling followed after the thought, he did not know, but he shook it away. He had a mission, and he would complete it, before going back to his former life. The princess was nothing in the end.

Chapter Three

"Goodnight, Hiei," she smiled.

"Hn."

She shook her head at him, and entered her chambers, leaving him in the corridor alone. Glaring at the door for a moment, Hiei backed himself so that he was standing next to the door, listening to the sounds coming from the inside. This was what he was good at, though this was not his best element, and he would be damned if the new information he'd gotten got the best of him. He did not care if the princess was similar to him in any way; she was a protected child that didn't have a care in the world, except maybe talking about her favorite flowers and whatnot. He stopped, knowing that the princess had never actually spoken of such things, but she was still a spoiled child that would soon meet her end.

Her mother was foolish to have allowed him to come into her ranks. He had seen that as soon as she had smiled so kindly at him, even though he had been positive she had sensed what he was. She had most likely seen the confliction in his soul and thought that if he found out the similarity he held toward her daughter he would not harm her—the bitch was wrong. He cared not if the damn princess was forbidden, she would die by his sword once the time was right.