A/N: Hi guys! I hope you like the first chapter! On to the technical bit:
My inspiration for this story came from Wolf Blossom's 'I Dare You'. While the stories are completely different, I felt she deserved credit for my inspiration. So, thank you again Wolf Blossom!
Anyhow, I don't own any of the characters. And I hope that you enjoy the story! I've got 10,000 words to post in the next couple of days so I hope this is going to be a long story because we aren't even halfway there!
3
Pulling up to the house, a gasp escaped her throat. Surrounding her front yard were reporters. Hundreds of reporters to be more specific. She was terrified, and the firs thought that crossed her mind was what if they had seen Ileana? Frantically she scanned the area for her Mum's car, and her heart sunk as she saw it parked in the driveway. Her tiny two-story refuge had suddenly become a prison for her family.
Determined, she drove around the block to the back entrance to her house. The secluded gravel drive ran between the two rows of houses allowing a back entrance and a garage to all of the townhouses on the block. While on a normal day it was a nuisance to drive her clunky car down the skinny drive, today she was thankful for it.
Throwing her car door open she ran into the house. "Mum! Ileana!" Kagome called in a panic. The blinds on all of the windows were pulled down, silently she thanked God for her mother's forethought.
"Upstairs!" Kitori called. Taking the stairs two at a time, Kagome rushed to her mother and daughter, wrapping them both in her arms.
"Are you two okay?" She ran her hands down the sides of Ileana's face and hugged her to her chest. "I saw all of the reporters and I was afraid they had seen Lea."
"We're okay." Kitori said, rubbing her daughters shoulder. "As soon as I saw the first one I bundled her up and brought her up here to play. I was always afraid something like this might happen, but I didn't expect it so soon." Her mother looked out of the window and down at the reports with a far away look on her face.
"Mummy, why are there people with picture things outside of our house?" Her eyes were wide with confusion. "Nana said they just wanted to get pictures of me. Why don't we just give them one so that they'll go away?"
A lump in her throat rose at her daughter's innocent request. "Because they don't want just one sweetheart, they want thousands." Her daughter's face fell at the fact her solution wouldn't work. Cradling her in her arms, Kagome softly kissed her forehead. Ileana was so tiny against her, reminding her of how fragile she was.
"Mum, we have to get out of here. We have to go to the palace. They're waiting on us." Ileana had slowly started to drift to sleep against her mother, the toll of the day having worn her little body out. "Follow the game plan for running, just run to the person we always planned to run from."
Kitori's eyes became steel as she nodded her head, going into game mode. In a fury all of Kagome and Ileana's important belongings were packed into a single duffle bag.
"Mum, I want you to take my car and drive straight to the palace with Ileana." Kitori opened her mouth to protest, but Kagome held up her hand and kept on talking. "I'm going to take your car and lead them away, they still don't know she exists as far as we're aware so the plan is to keep it that way." Nodding, they rushed out to the car and loaded everyone in. Ileana was sound asleep in her booster seat, and a blanket was thrown over her to cover her from the cameras.
Kagome kissed the two women she loved more than anything in the world on the foreheads and headed back inside. With a deep breath, she prepared herself to walk out the front door and into the horde of reporters.
"Ms. Higurashi! Ms. Higurashi! Is it true you're seeing Prince Takahashi? Ms. Higurashi! Why was Prince Takahashi at your school?" They all talked in a nonstop ramble of incoherent words. Shoving through all of them without responding she pulled open the door to her mother's car and hopped in as quickly as possible, locking the doors behind her. Hands pounded all over the car, on the hood, on the windows, on the roof, it was as if she was in a nonstop chorus of drums. Without putting on her seatbelt, she put the car in reverse and floored it. Reporters moved out of the way afraid of getting hit by her car. As soon as she was out of the driveway, she drove as fast as she could down the street, breathing a sigh of relief that she had gotten away from the reporters.
But three minutes down the main road, her relief disappeared. Out of nowhere, a SUV pulled straight in front of her and a man with a camera with in the passenger side taking photos of her. With no time to react, she plowed into the side of it.
Glass flew everywhere as airbags went off. But Kagome was already past the space where the airbag should have hit her. Lying across the crumpled hood of the car, Kagome laid sprawled, blood beginning to pool around her.
In a rush of servants and security, Kitori carried Ileana up the stairs at the front of the palace. Having had some forethought, she had continued to keep her covered with her blanket, shielding her recognizable silver hair from the servants.
"Ma'am, you can't just enter the palace. Ma'am, I can't allow you to do that." A security personal stated as he put his hand on her free shoulder.
"I am Kitori Higurashi, you damn well better get out of my way." Her brilliant green eyes glared at the guard, who took a step back and allowed her to proceed up the stairs.
Empress Izayoi stood at the top of the stairs framed by the massive palace doors. "Mrs. Higurashi! Are you alright?" All sense of regality had left Izayoi as she rushed down to Kitori and Ileana. "Where is Kagome? We just received news of the reporters. Inuyasha has just gone off to make sure the three of you weren't troubled by them anymore."
"She should have been right behind me, I don't know where she could have gone. The reporters were everywhere; I just hope that they haven't harmed her. We both left the house at the same time, but I went out the back way to make sure they didn't see Ileana."
In the distance sirens began to wail, and the flash of ambulance and police lights could be seen rushing down the road. A lump of worry rose in Kitori's chest as she watched the lights head for the same district she had just come from.
"I am Izayoi," The Empress stated as she lead the two into the house. "Please don't bother with the formalities in this situation. Why don't I take you upstairs and let you lay Ileana down so she isn't disturbed?"
Hesitantly, Kitori nodded her head, knowing that it was the best solution, although she was regretful to let her granddaughter out of the safety of her arms.
The scene was carnal when he arrived. Metal was twisted in ways that should have been impossible and glass was everywhere. There was so much noise around him he could hardly hear the sound of his own thoughts. He knew it was the car she would have been in, it was on the road to the palace and there was a reporter sitting in the back of an ambulance with his head in his hands trying to stop the bleeding from a small cut on his forehead.
"Is that the Prince?" Some by standers mumbled. "Why would he be here?"
In a quick stride he had grabbed the reporter by the collar of his shirt. "Why were you chasing her? What story could be more important than someone's life?" He roared.
"Y-Y-You-r-r H-High-h-ness." He stuttered, putting his hands up in a plea of surrender. "I was just following bosses orders. He said to follow the girl to see where she goes and get a photo of the child."
He tightened his grip. "Who is your boss, little man?" He growled.
"I don't know! I just get a call and go take photos and put them into a Dropbox folder. I ain't never met with anyone, swear!"
With one last glaring look he dropped the reporter and walked away. He knew she had already been taken away by ambulance, and the call he had received from Izayoi let him know that Ileana was all right, safe at the palace. Looking around at the carnage of the wreck one last time, he got back into his car and sped to the hospital, unaware if Kagome was alive or dead.
Stay tuned for another chapter!