He ran as fast as he possibly could, over stones, between trees, the wind whipping at his face and branches clawing at his clothes. The forest was silent save for the rushing in his ears and his quick breathing as he half ran and half flew through the forest, balancing the unconscious girl on his back with his arms. He let a wild grin spread across his face. He missed this. Running like this, he could almost pretend he was free.
Thwack!
His sharp ears could hear the sound of an arrow hitting a tree, but it was already far behind him and in no danger of hitting him. He smirked. If only the puny mortal knew exactly who she was aiming for.
His race against no one came to an abrupt halt when he reached his destination. He stood perfectly still, his ears perked as he searched for any surrounding villagers or yokai, and then gave the area a sniff or two before deeming it clean. It was only then that he let the female down and rested her against a nearby tree before crouching to take a look at her.
This is the girl he's so afraid of? He scoffed internally as he scrutinized her appearance. She was just a simple village miko, after all. Barely a woman. Barely a miko, for that matter. Pale, skinny, and small. Well, at least she wouldn't cause much trouble.
He let out a satisfied sigh as he stood, cracking his back as he did so. No going back, not now. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
When Kaede finally arrived with some village men in tow, the clearing was silent save for the rustling of trees, and empty save for the lonesome well, giving no sign that Inuyasha, Lord of the Underworld, had been there only minutes before.
"…well, this is unexpected."
"I can't believe this. He never takes interest in the overworld. Who is this girl? What did he do to her? She's passed out cold…"
"It's quite unlike him...she's just a mortal. So young…so beautiful, too…"
"Don't even think about it."
"Five more minutes, Yuka…"
The man and woman quietly talking in the doorway whipped their heads towards the bed as the girl occupying it shifted, burying her face in the pillow and waving a hand lazily at them. They exchanged a look.
"What should we do?!" She whispered heatedly to her companion.
He calmly shook his head and folded his arms within his sleeves. "We'll simply awaken the young maiden and explain to her as much of the situation as we know. Surely she'll understand."
"Fine," she retorted, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "You wake her up."
He smiled. "Gladly."
"Without touching her."
"Ah, my dear Sango, you, as a fellow woman, are surely far better equipped than I to handle this delicate situation…"
"Miroku…"
"Just imagine, if you will, if you were roused from your slumber in a strange place, by a strange- if ever so attractive- man…whatever would you think?"
Sango sighed and shot the man a glare before walking over to the side of the slumbering girl. She hesitated only for a moment before placing her hand upon the girl's back. "Um…it's time to get up…"
The girl groggily turned over to meet her gaze- and froze upon seeing two unfamiliar faces.
And did what any normal girl would do.
"AHHHHHHH!"
"Please calm down!" Sango said anxiously, shaking her arms, as if to show the girl she meant no harm. "You're not in any danger!"
"Where am I? Who are you?!" The girl demanded, drawing the blankets up to her chin. "I-I was just gathering herbs with Kaede-sama, and then I just blacked out…"
"I'm Miroku, this is Sango. You're in the Underworld," Miroku interjected, but hastily continued as he saw the girl's eyes widen. "You're not dead! You're in the palace of Inuyasha. He was the one who brought you here."
The girl's eyes widened in fear. "Inuyasha-sama? The...the g-god?"
"We're sure he's not going to hurt you or anything," Sango reassured her. "He's not like that."
"Well, sometimes he is." Miroku said thoughtfully.
"Not now," Sango shot him a meaningful glare. "And not to innocent mortal girls like you. So I'm sure you're safe...what was your name again?"
The girl eyed her suspiciously for a moment. "I'm Kagome."
"Kagome-san," Sango smiled, relieved. "Inuyasha-sama should be in here soon to explain himself, I'm sure. In fact, Miroku was just about to go find him, weren't you, Miroku?"
"What?" Miroku blinked innocently, then winced at the expression Sango gave him. He bowed to Kagome. "Yes...I'll go find him. Nice to meet you, Kagome-san."
Kagome only nodded once, not sure how to respond. As the door shut behind Miroku, she turned to Sango. "Um...so why're you here? Did In- did he capture you, too?"
"Oh, no," Sango chuckled, clasping her hands in front of her. "Miroku and I are his servants, you might say. We help him with his duties around the palace and in the overworld."
"Oh..." Kagome looked down at her blanket and drew her knees to her chest. "So then...you're not human?"
There was a pregnant pause, and Kagome looked up to see Sango gazing off to the right, her eyebrows knitted and her eyes filled with a deep sadness. Immediately, she regretted asking what was obviously a personal question. She opened her mouth to apologize when she heard shouting from outside the door.
"You brought her here; you have the responsibility to explain why she's here! If not to her, at least to Sango or myself!"
"I don't have a responsibility to any of you! I'm the ruler of this domain, I can do whatever I want!"
"You know that pigheaded excuse won't work with me! Now get in there and- oof!"
The door slammed open and Miroku came stumbling in, dragging behind him a rather disheveled, irate-looking man.
Wait a minute...
He growled and shook his long, ragged, silver hair out of his eyes, folding his arms within the sleeves of his bright red robes.
This can't be...
He scowled in her direction, golden eyes flashing with annoyance. "Whaddaya lookin' at, wench?"
From atop his head, two dog ears twitched.
"You're INUYASHA!" She all but shrieked.
The man in question jumped at her sudden outburst, his ears flattening against his head at the noise. "Not so loud!"
"How?!" Kagome demanded furiously, scrambling out of bed and pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You're a god, aren't you?!"
"Hell yes, I'm a god!" He retorted. "So watch your tone, bitch!"
From their places against the wall, Sango and Miroku exchanged a wide-eyed look.
"You're supposed to be scary!"
"What?! I am scary!"
"No, you're not! You're just a...a dog!"
A snort from the wall. Inuyasha whirled to face his servants, who wore identical innocent expressions. Then he turned his glare on Kagome. "Got a problem with that?" He snarled.
At his change in tone, Kagome hesitated. "N-no..."
His narrowed eyes searched hers for a moment, a long terrifying moment where Kagome was sure that she was about to be sliced to pieces or cursed or both, before he let out a soft "Keh!" and turned away.
"Don't worry, wench," he called over his shoulder as he strode out of the room. "I ain't gonna eat you or anything."
"But Inuyasha-" Miroku started, but he was silenced by a look from Inuyasha.
"I'll explain when I damn please, Miroku," he growled. "Dinnertime. Later. I'm busy. Speaking of dinner, Sango, whip somethin' up, will ya?"
"Oh, yes," Sango said quickly, bowing to Kagome. "It was nice to meet you, Kagome-san."
"Wait, Sango," Kagome said, halting the other girl. She bit her lip. She didn't want to remain alone in her room. "Um...can I help with dinner?"
"Well..." Sango hesitated. She'd really appreciate some help, but there was the matter of... "Inuyasha?"
All three turned questioning gazes to the door, but the god had already disappeared.
"Figures," Sango sighed. "I'm so sorry about him. If you insist, then, Kagome-san, then just follow me this way-"
"Oh, call me Kagome-chan," Kagome told her, smiling lightly. "It feels too strange to be called Kagome by someone around my own age."
"Oh!" Sango looked surprised, but gave her a bright smile in return. "Okay, then. Kagome-chan. This way. What would you like for dinner?"
"Hm...something light, maybe, I'm not really hungry for some reason..."
Miroku smiled openly at the women's retreating figures. The girl was a miko, which meant she was of course used to higher honourifics, even coming from people her own age or older. Perhaps Kagome had taken a liking to Sango. How wonderful for Sango, he thought. It would do her some good to have a female friend around. Surely it's been lonely for her.
And, of course, now that there were two attractive females living here...Miroku closed his eyes and let out a sigh of bliss.
Only to suddenly find himself on the floor, having had a book thrown at his head.
"Quit ogling us, pervert!"
Ah, my dear Sango...
Kagome wasn't sure what she was expecting when she heard "palace," but for some reason it hadn't registered with her that "palace," especially to the gods, meant "ridiculously huge and glamorous." She dimly recalled this as she gaped at the enormous, gorgeous dining hall.
Sango smiled at her new friend as she placed their dinners on the table. "Isn't it lovely?"
Kagome managed a weak nod in response. Lovely was not the word. The hall could fit every house in her village in it, maybe even twice over. Ornate light fixtures hung from the high ceiling in perfect curves and waves that only a god's hand could create. The hall was lit magnificently from the warm lights. A hundred chairs lined each side of the table, each five feet high and nearly glowing with a faint bronze colour, and padded with deep crimson cushions. At the far end of the table was the largest chair of all, obviously reserved for the god himself, decorated with jewels of purple and red. The walls were elaborately carved into sculptures in of themselves, strange markings and circles that bewitched the eye into following a path they themselves dictated with swirls and coils here and there.
No, lovely didn't even begin to cover it.
Sango smiled at her again. "To be honest, we don't often use it. But since we have a guest, I'm not about to pass up the opportunity."
"I'm honoured," Kagome replied, still a bit in shock. She ran her hand hesitantly against one of the walls.
"Anyway," Sango continued, walking over to a bell that Kagome hadn't noticed previously. "I'll call the others so that we can eat. I'm looking forward to trying that soup of yours."
Kagome blushed lightly at the compliment. "I'm afraid you're setting your expectations too high," she laughed nervously, a hand coming up to rub at her hair. "It's just plain vegetable soup."
After much discussion, Kagome had suggested a soup Kaede had taught her how to make, and Sango had happily agreed, eager to try a new food. The ingredients she had been given were surprisingly fresh and the cooking utensils fine, and considering she had a friend to cook with, an hour had quickly sped past as she and Sango talked, laughed, and made food together. Her stomach rumbled, and Sango laughed.
"I won't keep your stomach waiting. I hate to ask, but can you set up while I get the boys?"
Kagome nodded, and after a smile from Sango she found herself alone in the grand hall. She sighed lightly and began to set out bowls for the four of them. As she did so, the full ridiculousness of her situation began to dawn on her. Here she was, in the dining hall of The Lord of the Underworld (who, apparently, had dog ears and a rather nasty temper) because she had been kidnapped for an unknown reason. And, to top it all off, she was about to have dinner with him. Fear began to creep its way through her body. Surely Inuyasha hadn't brought her here for no reason, so why? What could she possibly offer? Sango and Miroku had said he wouldn't harm her, but could she really trust them...?
"Kagome-sama?" A voice inquired from behind her, and Kagome jumped. Turning, she saw it was just Miroku.
"Oh, sorry, I was just..." she began, but Miroku held up a hand.
"Don't fret, Kagome-sama," He said, giving her a warm smile. "I promise you will not be harmed while you're here, under our protection."
"Yeah, unless she hits you too hard when your hands stray too far," another voice growled, and Kagome jumped again as Inuyasha appeared. What was with the people in this castle and their weird ability to sneak up on her?
"My intentions were pure, I assure you," Miroku said to Inuyasha. "Since you've offered no explanation nor assurance to Kagome-sama, I thought I might offer some of my own."
"Keh," Inuyasha grumbled, taking a seat and folding his arms within his sleeves. "Keep your hands off her."
As Inuyasha turned his attention to the soup, sniffing at it with interest, Kagome sat down across from him and leaned on her cheek, studying him. He had kidnapped her, after all. Wasn't it strange to be protective of someone you kidnapped?
After a few moments, Inuyasha lifted his head to meet her inquisitive stare and narrowed his eyes defensively. "What?"
"Why're you keeping me here?" Kagome asked simply, her voice a lot calmer than she felt.
Inuyasha cast a look to Miroku, who coughed. "I'll be outside."
The door banged shut, and Kagome frowned after it, her unease growing. "Was that really necessary...?"
"It might be," he said, and it was he who studied her now. "It's about your father."
"...my...father?"
"Yep," he said, and stared at her expectantly. She swallowed.
"Do you...know who he is?"
He blinked at her for a moment, then laughed harshly and suddenly. "Don't play dumb. Everyone knows who he is."
"I don't," she defended hotly.
He went silent for a moment, his eyes wide as they stared at her. "What?"
"I don't know who my father is," she admitted, playing with the fabric of her robes. "My mother died when I was very young and told no one who my father wa-"
She was cut short by a loud banging sound, which she realized a moment later when she looked up was the sound of Inuyasha hitting his head on the table. "What's the matter?"
"You don't know who your father is," he groaned, the resignation in his voice muffled. She frowned.
"No. Is that a problem?"
"Bigger than you realize, girl," Inuyasha shot up out of his chair and struck the wall. "Damn it!"
"Who...?" she asked timidly.
Inuyasha whirled to face her in a flurry of red robes. "We're in deep trouble now, girl. I've just kidnapped the daughter of Naraku himself- and she didn't even know it."