Walk Away
Chapter 2
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The work the next day was piled on for Kagome. She started off her lovely day by cooking a five course breakfast for her stepfamily. What did she make it out of when she had yet to go to the market? You don't want to know.
That was followed up by the long awaited trip to the market. The trip took much longer than it needed to because so many people were blocking the streets with their preparation for the gathering.
Kagome spent the rest of the day either cooking, scrubbing, or sewing and the day seemed to go on forever.
She was doing the same work as any other day. Its just that the anticipation and worry for that night was constantly gnawing away at her. She still had no idea what she was going to wear. She was in possession of only three dresses and only one of them was considered modest enough to where out; it hit just below her knees.
"Oh, Kagome," called Kagura. "I need you to help my daughters and me prepare for tonight. As you know we are much too weak to help ourselves."
'yeah,' thought Kagome, 'I'll show you weak.' However, what she said was, "Yes, ma'm." Always eager to please, that Kagome.
"Right, well, I need you to first draw my bath and then you may go help the girls until I ring you." Ring you. How Kagome hated that little bell. It was two inches tall, opaque glass, and pure evil.
Kagome headed into the bath chambers. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months, all though she had just cleaned it the day before. She waded through the miscellaneous soaps and perfumes to get to the tub. It took her four trips with the gallon buckets to fill the tub and each time she went the copper pails burnt her arms. Just some more scars to add to her growing collection.
When she was certain Kagura was satisfied, she went to help Kikyo and Kanna.
Kanna was Kagome's least favorite step-sister. She wasn't particularly mean or anything. She just… didn't talk; simple as that. Kagome could never know what Kanna wanted unless Kikyo interpreted for her. Seeing as Kikyo was getting ready herself, Kagome was going to have a fun time.
"Um, Miss Kanna," she said, "Would you like me to help you with your dress.
"…."
"All right then." Kagome headed over to the bureau. She reached in and picked out a bright green dress. It was about time Kanna wore some colors. "Is this good?"
"….."
Kagome went over to Kanna to help her put it on. SLAP! Kagome went sprawling on her back. Ok. So Kanna didn't want that dress. Kagome went back to the bureau and picked out a plain white dress. This time Kanna let Kagome dress her.
After brushing Kanna's hair, Kagome left and went to go check on Kikyo.
"Miss Kikyo," Kagome said knocking.
"There you are! I have been waiting. I can't decide between the blue dress and the checkered dress." Kikyo looked distressed as she glanced back and forth between the two choices.
"Kikyo… the checkered 'dress' is an apron." It wasn't that Kikyo wasn't smart it was that… she was interesting. Her mother had never enrolled the girls in school and so they had never learned the essentials such as reading, writing, and telling dresses from aprons. They had Kagome for that kind of thing anyhow.
"So I should where the blue one?"
"Yes, Kikyo. Where the blue one."
Tinkle tinkle
It was that little bell. 'One day,' Kagome swore, 'I will rid myself and the rest of humanity from that bell for good.' Thinking of how she could "accidentally" smash the bell into millions of pieces, Kagome headed over to the bathroom.
The first thing she did when she entered the bath chambers was wince. Standing there in all her birth day glory was Kagura.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Kagura asked. "I need to be dried off and dressed."
Kagome should have been used to this by now. She helped bathe Kagura once a week. But Kagura was something you just couldn't get used to.
When everybody was dressed and ready, Kagome showed them to the door.
"Now, Kagome. I want the floors spotless by the time I come home. Do you understand me?" Kagura asked the last part slowly, as if Kagome were dumb.
"Yes, Ma'm."
"Good. Come along girls." And with that the three of them headed out the door.
"Do you understand?" Kagome mimicked Kagura's voice.
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At Sango's Tree
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Kagome arrived about ten minutes later than she said she would because of some extra wash that needed to be done.
"Pst! Kagome!" A voice called from a nearby bush.
Going over to it, Kagome found a scrunched up Sango inside. "Sango? Is this another one of your customs?"
"No, you idiot! Do you know how long I have been waiting for you in this bush? And what are you wearing?!"
"Hey! I wore my best rags!"
Sango sighed. This was no time for her friends so-called sense of humor. "Let's just go."
The kingdom gathering was a huge event. Everybody gathered in the middle of the kingdom for music, dancing, and entertainment. The people especially loved it because the royal family was always present.
Kagome and Sango showed up an hour after it had all started; what they like to call being fashionably late.
"Do you see them anywhere?" Kagome asked, looking around.
"Nope, the step-evils are nowhere to be scene. The coast is clear."
"Roger that."
"Who's Roger?" Sango looked confused. Kagome had a tendency to use odd phrases that nobody understood.
"Never mind. Come on." The two girls headed over to watch the fire-eater. The crowd for that was large ever since that unfortunate incident three years ago. Kagome, being the short little thing she was, had a hard time seeing so she decided to back up some. She continued to walk backwards until she hit what she assumed to be a brick wall.
"oww!"
Magically, the brick wall answered back, "Well then, watch where you're going!"
"Ah! Magical brick wall! Please, no more magic!!" she screamed earning her the condescending glances from some of the people around her.
"I'm not a brick wall," the wall said. Turning around, Kagome came face-to-face with Prince Inuyasha.
"Oops. Eh heh heh heh…" Kagome laughed nervously. "Sorry."
"And who is this fair lady?" Now that she was more aware of her surroundings, Kagome noticed a man standing next to Inuyasha. "Excuse me miss. I am Miroku, Inuyasha's personal advisor. Would you accept the honor to bare my child?"
Thump! Miroku ended up flat on his back with an irate Inuyasha standing over him. "Miroku! Stop hitting on every girl you meet!"
"Kagome!" Sango wandered over to the group. Looking at the man on the ground and the hanyou standing over him, she asked, "Um, who are these people and why are they so weird?"
"Sango, this is Prince Inuyasha and his personal advisor Miroku."
"Pleased to meet you," Sango said, sticking out her hand. Miroku and Inuyasha just stared at it. "Oh! I am so sorry. It is a custom where I am from to shake the hand of someone you meet. I have lived here for years and I still can't break the habit."
"My Lady, I am very fond of foreign customs. Perhaps if you agreed to bare my child, we could teach it in your ways."
Slap! Miroku down for the count.
"Lech!"
Kagome was getting irritated that they were missing all of the fire-eater's antics. "Come on! I still need to find somewhere I can see what the heck he's doing!"
"Climb on my shoulders," Inuyasha said bending over. Kagome squinted at him for a moment. "Ok!" Kagome was never one to argue a free view.
The view from on top of Inuyasha's shoulders was amazing! Not only could she see all that the fire-eater was doing, but she could see the pastry vender… the children playing… her stepfamily headed that way… the puppet guy. Whoa!
"Sango! We have to go now!"
"Why?"
"Step-evils at ten o' clock."
Kagome jumped off of Inuyasha's shoulders and took off running. Unfortunately, she was so busy running from evil that she didn't notice she had left her bag behind. It wouldn't matter except that her bag contained everything from the money for the market next week to some extra food.
"Stop!" Inuyasha yelled.
Unfortunately Kagome was too far away for him to find. Apparently she wasn't too far away for the curse to not be effective, though. She happened to stop right in the middle of the road while a carriage was fast approaching.
"Kagome, Run!" yelled Sango. And did she ever run. Now Sango had to yell at Kagome to slow down. "Why did you stop like that? You could have been killed?"
"I don't know. It might have been the curse, but nobody else is around here."
"Yeah… Let's just get home."
"I'm sorry I ruined your gathering, Sango."
"It's fine. Besides, it wasn't you. It was that lech!"
-
Later That Night
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Kagome had gotten all of the floors cleaned and was making dinner when her peoples walked through the door.
"Kagome, be a dear and bring us our food. We are starving." Kagura said. The three women sat down at the table.
"It will be right out, m'am," Kagome said, her body already walking involuntarily to the kitchen.
It was a long evening between serving them food, helping them dress for bed, and cleaning up. She should have been dead tired, but, the truth was, she was more wide awake than ever. She couldn't visit Sango again.
She had been stupid enough to forget her purse at the gathering and she had no idea how she was going to pay for next weeks food. It was times like these that she pulled out the silver necklace her mother had given her before she died. She loved the feel of the little silver balls and the milky white pearls.
She was so preoccupied in her thoughts that she didn't notice Kagura enter her room.
"So, wench. You were hiding something from me, were you?" Kagura's voice startled Kagome.
"N-no, ma'm," she managed to spit out.
"Then what do you call that little thing you are holding?" Kagome looked at her necklace and promptly put her hands behind her back.
"Hand it over, wench." Kagura watched as Kagome turned red in an effort to disobey and then took the necklace when she handed it over.
Now, Kagura's daughters may not have been the brightest candles in the bunch, but Kagura was quite conniving. She had to be to get where she was today. Slowly the wheels began to turn in her head.
"Kagome, stand up." Kagome obeyed.
"Now, clap your hands three times." She watched as Kagome held her hands to her side until she finely clapped.
"Lovely," Kagura said as she headed out the door. "Good night, Kagome."