Once the sun was up, Princess Kagome gets up from her campsite. She always wondered what it was like to sleep outside, and she came to love the beauty of the night sky. She took a walk and exited the forest. She found herself in a village and wanted to take a look around.
Meanwhile Inuyasha and Shippo were looking for something to eat. They found some apples that looked really ripe and wanted to take a few.
"Ready Shippo?" Inuyasha asked. The little fox kit smiled and started running towards the apple stand. Inuyasha hopped from one roof to the next to land on the roof of the apple stand.
"Get your fresh and ripe apples here! They are the best apples in town!" The seller announced. Shippo decided to do a little bit of his fox magic to give the village man a little scare.
"How dare you pick the apples of the great demon tree!" Shippo boomed out. The village man was startled.
"Wh-who are y-you?" The village man stuttered with a hint of fear. Inuyasha was chuckling at Shippo's performance as he watched the guy cower in fear. 'Keep distracting him Shippo.' He thought with a smile.
"I am the spirit of the great demon tree! You have picked my fruit from atop of my branches, and now you will pay the price!" Shippo threatened. The village man crouched low on the ground to hide.
"P-P-Please don't hurt me oh great spirit. Your apples just looked so g-g-good that I picked them for our village. I-I didn't know." The man stuttered. Inuyasha snickered as he grabbed four apples, two for him and two for Shippo. Inuyasha signaled for Shippo to finish up, that he got what he wanted. Shippo nodded.
"I will let you off with a warning you pesky human. But know this, the next time you pick apples from my branches, I will put a curse on you." Shippo told the man as he disappeared to sit with Inuyasha. The last thing they heard was,
"Y-Yes oh great spirit."
Inuyasha and Shippo were on top of a different roof and were laughing about the village man's reaction.
"That was great Shippo! Man you sure had him groveling." Inuyasha praised Shippo. The little fox kit smirked.
"Hey, I learned from the best." Shippo said. Inuyasha ruffled the fox kit's hair and gave the two apples to Shippo.
"Let's eat!" They both said as they took a bite out of their first apple.
Meanwhile, Princess Kagome was in the village and looking around. There was so much beauty to the village. 'Oh my such beautiful kimonos.' She thought as she came to a stand that was selling kimonos. 'Maybe I should buy one. It wouldn't hurt right?' She thought more with a smile.
"Hello miss, would you like to buy one of our fine kimonos?" The village woman asked. Kagome smiled and looked at a beautiful green kimono with golden flowers and a sky blue obi.
"I would like to buy this one please." Kagome said with a smile as she held the kimono in her hands.
"Ah, that is a beautiful kimono. This kimono actually has a story behind it." The woman said. Kagome widen her eyes in astonishment.
"Wow, really?" She asked.
"It's a long story." The village woman said. Kagome listened.
"Some people believe that this kimono was worn by a brave young warrior princess." The woman said. Kagome gasped softly. 'Then maybe I shouldn't get it.' She thought to herself.
"Oh but don't worry, this was made out of inspiration of that story. This warrior princess protected the Western Lands from evil demons and from human raiders. One day she fell in love with a demon that protected her from a dragon demon." The woman said. Kagome widened her eyes.
"But isn't that forbidden? I mean to fall for a demon?" Kagome asked. The village woman smiled.
"The warrior princess knew that, but she didn't care. This particular demon happened to be an Inu, Dog Demon. Long ago humans and demons did get along with each other, but then a moth demon had fooled the demons that humans had raided their territory. Thus forcing the humans to be at war with the demons. All but two fought with either side, there names were Inutaishou and Izayoi. Inutaishou was the Great Dog Demon that ruled the Western Lands long ago. Izayoi was a princess from the Northern Lands." The woman explained.
At this time, Inuyasha and Shippo were on top of that hut without being noticed. Shippo looked at Inuyasha.
"Is she..?" Shippo started to ask. Inuyasha interrupted.
"Yes. She's talking about my parents, but to who though?" He asked in wonder. He slowly got to the edge of the roof and saw a beautiful raven haired woman standing in front of the kimonos.
"Wow." He whispered. Shippo crawled up to Inuyasha and looked up at him.
"What's wrong with you Inuyasha?" He whispered. Then he looked down and saw the raven haired girl.
"Wow Inuyasha, she's pretty. Are you going to ask her to become your mate?" Shippo whispered. Inuyasha bonked Shippo on the head to shut him up.
"Ow, what was that for?" Shippo asked with an angered look, rubbing his head.
"Hush Shippo." Inuyasha growled. Shippo sat down and watched the girl with Inuyasha.
"What happened to them?" Kagome asked. The woman frowned.
"With an act of bravery, Inutaishou and Izayoi went off to battle together. They wanted to show that humans and demons can still work together. They wanted to show that there are ones that can be trusted. The King of the Northern Lands stepped forward to face his daughter." The woman said. Kagome's heart was beating against her chest.
"Then what?" Kagome asked.
"The King grabbed his daughter and pulled her away from Inutaishou. What the King didn't know was that she was already pregnant with Inutaishou's pup." The woman said. Kagome gasped.
"She still went off into battle knowing that?" Kagome asked. The woman looked at her.
"She wanted to save the Western Lands from being destroyed by the evil demons. Inutaishou knew and protected her. What he hated was letting her father take her away from him. One day, when she was to be married to a noble Prince, Inutaishou came by in the night. He was worried about her, and couldn't stand another day without her. The King knew that she was pregnant, but he decided to let her have the pup. The King thought it was the Prince's, that's why. That is what was keeping her alive." The woman said. Kagome frowned.
"What did Inutaishou do?" Kagome asked.
"Inutaishou went to bring Izayoi back. Once he found her, she was in labor. He was able to tell with that nose of his." The woman giggled.
"Anyway, a bunch of guards were blocking the castle and Inutaishou came to her rescue just after his own battle with the demons. He was injured and weakened. He knew it was a risk but he went to the castle anyway and followed Izayoi's scent." The woman frowned.
"The Prince found out that she was pregnant with a demon's child and decided to use his sword to stab her." The woman said. Kagome gasped.
On top of the roof, Inuyasha was growling. Shippo was beginning to worry about Inuyasha, but he kept in control of himself.
"Poor Lady Izayoi." Kagome whispered. The woman smiled.
"Do not worry young miss, Lady Izayoi turned out just fine." The woman said.
"How?" Kagome asked.
"Inutaishou had three swords with him. One was called the Tetsusaiga, which can kill 100 demons in a single stroke. The Tensaiga is a sword that can save 100 lives in a single stroke. The third sword was called So'unga, which was a far more dangerous sword than the Tetsusaiga. Inutaishou brought Izayoi back to life with his Tensaiga. She had thought that her baby was gone forever but, her son was alive. He protected her and took her and their son away from the castle before any of the guards could catch up to them. Inutaishou took Izayoi and their son to a far away village and told Izayoi to go on and live for him and their son. He didn't want to leave her, but he did what he had to do in order to protect her and their son. Inutaishou was never heard from again after that. Izayoi assumed that he died out of bravery and respected him, but she never married or found any suitors because she still had the love for the Great Dog Demon Inutaishou." The woman finished off.
"Wow, such a beautiful story. It's sad but... I respect that kind of love. He was willing to do anything to protect Lady Izayoi and their pup, even if it meant losing his own life." Kagome said.
Hearing this made Inuyasha's heart pound. 'She.. respects that kind of love?' He asked himself.
"Here you go young miss. You can have this kimono." The woman said. Kagome smiled and nodded.
"Thank you. I'll take great care of it." She told the woman.
"Why don't you put it on in our changing room." The woman suggested. Kagome smiled and went to put on her new kimono. Once she was dressed and her hair was up into a hair ponytail, Kagome stepped out of the hut and smiled.
"Thank you so much ma'am." Kagome bowed. The woman smiled.
"You're quite welcome my dear." The woman said. Kagome began to walk at other stands while our little hanyou friend watched over her. A little boy was trying to grab a peach fruit.
"Here you go dear." Kagome said as she grabbed one and handed it to the boy. He smiled and nodded at the woman as a gesture of thanks. Kagome smiled as she watched the boy leave.
"What a beautiful young woman." A man with brown hair and brown eyes had stepped out from behind his stand.
"A woman with those kind of clothes should be able to pay for what she took." The man told her. Kagome frowned.
"Just let him go, he's just a kid. Do you really think children are going to be able to pay for themselves? Especially if they don't have anywhere else to go?" Kagome crossed her arms with annoyance. Inuyasha was amazed by this girl. 'She has spunk, I'll give her that.' He thought to himself.
"Well, I'll forgive you if you are willing to do something for me." The man said with a smirk as he grabbed both her arms.
"Hey! Hands off pal!" She yelled as she was trying to get free. The man snickered.
"Oh come on, a pretty lady like yourself should enjoy herself." The man told her as he pulled her with him.
"I said let go!" She yelled again. A flash of red came past her and she felt herself being pulled away. Kagome was stunned and looked up to who saved her from the guy. Her eyes widened with surprise. The man had a red kimono, his hair was a beautiful silver color, his eyes were a beautiful amber gold, and he had two cute triangular dog ears on his head.
"Keep your filthy hands off of her." Inuyasha growled with a warning. The man looked at the half-demon in front of him.
"Do you know this woman?" He asked with a glare. Inuyasha stepped in front of the woman and growled.
"I don't have to answer anything from you. Touch her again and I'll kill you." He whispered with a growl for only the man to hear. Inuyasha turned around and walked towards the woman and smiled.
"Come on, let's get you out of here shall we." He said as he took her hand and had her hop up onto his back.
"A-Are you sure?" She asked him. Inuyasha smiled.
"Of course. Nothing like this is any problem to me." He said as he took off with Kagome.
In Naraku's lair, Naraku had the pendant laying in the middle of a incantation circle. His sister Kaguya helped by whispering an incantation.
"When will we find out the one that can enter the cave?" Naraku asked his sister with crossed arms.
"Patience my brother. You know my spells take some time, especially tracking spells." Kaguya said. Then she closed her eyes again and started to chant. Naraku watched as a black cloud appeared and formed an image of a half-demon.
"This young half-demon is the one Naraku." Kaguya said as she opened her eyes. Naraku smiled an evil smile.
"Excellent work sister. Just you wait my little demon friend, soon the Shikon No Tama will be mine." Naraku said with an evil laugh.
The sun was setting and Inuyasha was hoping from one roof to the next, carrying Kagome on his back.
"Thank you for saving me from that man." Kagome said with a smile. Inuyasha chuckled.
"No problem. Be careful around guys like him. They catch a beautiful woman in sight and think they can do whatever they want." Inuyasha explained. Kagome clutched his shoulders tightly.
"Don't worry, I'll be there to help you." He told her as he stopped in front of the forest. He turned his head and saw her smiling, she fit so perfectly as she rested on his back.
"Was it your first time in the village?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome chuckled.
"That obvious huh?" She looked into his golden amber eyes. Shippo caught up to Inuyasha and walked next to him with a smile.
"Of course. We never smelled a scent like yours before, so we figured that you're a first timer." Shippo explained. Kagome looked down to the little fox kit.
"Well aren't you a cute little fox kit." She said with a smile. Shippo blushed and turned away with an embarrassed look. Inuyasha chuckled.
"Judging by your actions, I would say that you're not afraid of demons." Inuyasha said. Kagome smiled and nodded.
"I have a two tailed demon cat named Kirara where I'm from." She explained.
Inuyasha lead Kagome to a hut inside the forest with a smile.
"Come inside, it's warmer compared to the night air." Inuyasha gestured. Kagome was in awe as she looked around.
"So, this is where you live?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha smiled as he sat by the window.
"Yup. Just me and Shippo." He told her. The little fox kit came running up to the pile of furs to lay down.
"Shippo lost his mom and dad in a battle. I took him in and he's been living here with me ever since." Inuyasha explained as he covered up the little fox kit.
"That's very sweet of you. He looks very happy." Kagome said. Inuyasha nodded as he sat by the window.
"He can be a little brat sometimes but he's still a good kid." Inuyasha chuckled. Kagome smiled as she looked at him staring out the window.
"Come here, I want to show you something." Inuyasha said. Kagome walked up to Inuyasha and saw her castle in the distance.
"It's a very beautiful view. I wonder what it's like in the castle, it's amazing really." Inuyasha said. Kagome frowned and sat next to him.
"It's amazing I guess." She said sadly. Inuyasha looked at her and smiled. He looked back at the castle with hope.
"I wonder what it would be like to live there. I bet they have servants and valets." He said with interest. He turned to look at her.
"Oh I bet. Filled with a bunch of people who tell you where to go and how to dress." Kagome said with an annoyed expression.
"Trust me, I believe that would be better than here. Survival of the Fittest is how we live. Taking what we can get and try not to get caught by the guards." Inuyasha winked.
"But you wouldn't be free to make your own choices." Kagome said. Then she thought more.
"Here, sometimes you feel so..." Inuyasha bagan to say.
"You're just..." Kagome began to say.
"Trapped." They both said in unison. Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other and smiled. They both had that in common. 'I wonder what her story is.' Inuyasha thought.
"Did you come from very far?" Inuyasha asked as he handed her a bowl of cooked stew. Kagome smiled as she began to eat. 'Mmm, this stew is really good.' Kagome thought to herself. 'Wish they had stuff like this at the castle.' She thought some more. Then Kagome looked up at Inuyasha and blushed. She held down the bowl with a frown.
"Sorry, you're waiting on an answer." Kagome said. Inuyasha shook his head with a smile.
"Take your time." He told her as he sat next to her.
"I ran away from home and I'm not going back." Kagome said with an angered expression. Inuyasha tilted his head.
"Why not?" He asked.
"My father is forcing me to get married. I mean some of the guys were okay but I don't love them. If I do marry, I want it to be for love. I want to be the one to decide who is right for me." Kagome explained. Inuyasha's ears pinned against his head as he frowned. Then he smiled as he had an idea. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and looked into her chocolate brown eyes.
"If there's anyway that I can help, you can always come to me and let me know." He told her. Kagome smiled.
"Thank you. That's very sweet." She told him. 'I think I found the one.' Kagome thought to herself as she leaned forward for a kiss. Inuyasha smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. Before their lips ever met a mans voice called out.
"Found you, you little trouble maker!" The man said. Inuyasha and Kagome jumped up and gasped.
"They're after me!" They both said in unison.
"They're after you?" The both asked each other. The castle guards were coming into the door and surrounded Inuyasha. Kagome was behind Inuyasha. 'Father must have sent them to..' She began to think to herself.
"Come on!" Inuyasha said as he took Kagome and got her onto his back. He jumped up through the hole of the roof and began to run off deeper into the forest. Shippo ran off after them to keep away from the guards.
"Do you think we lost them?" Kagome asked with a worried expression.
"I think so..oof!" Inuyasha bumped into the leader of the castle guards dropping Kagome in the process.
"Well, well, well looks like I found my catch of the day." He laughed. 'Well shoot.' Inuyasha thought as he smirked. Shippo then dropped his spinning top on the guy making him fall to the ground. Inuyasha took that as a way to escape.
"Come on, let's get you out of here." He told her as he ran to exit the forest, but a bunch of guards were blocking the path. The leader of the guard grabbed Inuyasha's arm and pulled him back.
"This time there's no escaping me." He told him. Inuyasha growled. 'We'll see about that.' He thought.
"Iron Reaver Soul Steeler!" Inuyasha swiped at the guard but missed as the guard dodged.
"Not this time you half-breed!" The guard tossed a talisman towards him and it stuck the ground.
"Bad aim." Inuyasha smirked. The guard grinned evilly.
"Oh? Was it?" The guard said. That's when the talisman began to shock Inuyasha turning him into a human. 'I should've known.' He growled to himself. The guard tosses him to the others, restraining him from running off.
"Inuyasha!" Shippo cried out.
"Stay away Shippo!" He called out. He looked up at Shippo and smirked. Shippo nodded as he got what he needed to do.
"Let him go!" Kagome said as she held up her bow and arrow to her own castle guards. The guards laughed in amusement.
"You don't have the moxie to shoot that arrow." The guard told her. Kagome glared at them at shot the arrow where it went past them and hit the tree behind them.
"By order of the Princess, I demand that you let him go!" Kagome said as she let down her hair. The guards gasped.
"Princess Kagome?" The lead guard asked in surprise.
"The Princess?" Inuyasha and Shippo said in unison.
"What are you doing outside of the castle? And with this half-breed?" The lead guard asked. Inuyasha looked away with a shocked expression.
"What does it matter to you? It's none of your business as to whom I'm with! No do as I say and let him free!" Kagome demanded. The guard had a worried expression and explained himself.
"I would if I could your highness, but my orders came from Naraku. You'll have to take it up with him." The guard explained. Kagome glared and crossed her arms.
"Believe me, I will." She threatened.