Disclaimer; I do not own Inuyasha, nor the story of Esther.

Summary; There once was a peasant named Inuyasha, who was pulled into the competition for a new King unwillingly. As the competition continues, something happens that neither Inuyasha nor Her Majesty, Kagome expected. How will the two fair, as the rush and search for a new king becomes the only life they know?

The Story of a Peasant

Chapter Seventeen;

I rubbed my eyes for the umpteenth time of the day, yawning as I did so.

"Man, what kept you up all night?"

I shook my head at Miroku's question, not so much from withholding an answer, but because I was just too tired to do so.

Since the night of the dance, the aura of evil had been flickering all through the night. Whomever it belonged to was crafty, keeping it well bound throughout the day, and allowing only a sliver of it to escape, making it hard for me to pinpoint who's aura it was.

It also made it hard for me to get any sleep. Each time I felt the evil presence fluctuate, my hair instinctively stood on end, as the demon in me took over the sounds and smells that surrounded me.

I stretched from the position I had been sitting in for the past hour, feeling my joints pop as I did so.

'Maybe I'll finally get some sleep tonight.' I thought almost happily, as I peered back down at the lunar charts on the table. Tonight would be the night that I transformed into a human, though usually I considered it more of a curse. But without hyped up senses, it would almost be too easy to pretend for a night that everything was fine, and how easy it would to drift off...

"Inuyasha!"

My head snapped back up from where it had begun to drop back into a dazed sleep. The teacher for the day stood in front of me, glaring. Her eyes almost resembled the sun itself, the unnatural orange of her demonic eyes glowing brightly.

"Ma'am?" I replied thickly. Her eyes narrowed.

"Stay awake, or else you might find yourself kicked out with another mark on your record." She stated threateningly. I just blinked, unfazed. The threats to get me thrown out of the competition had stopped affecting me long before now. The woman walked away, continuing to speak about astrology and astronomy, and a lot of other 'a' words I didn't really care to think about, unless of course you meant 'ass' in which I would've gladly used at the moment to describe her attitude.

"See? Even that crazy bat noticed." He said, leaning over to whisper. The teacher turned back around, glaring at Miroku, before tromping off to the front of the room. Miroku looked at me questioningly and I tugged on my ear to note her demon hearing. He replied in sticking in his tongue out in defeat before propping his head on his hand and day dreaming till it was time to leave.

"I'm heading to the dojo for a bit." I said as I stood up from the lunch table, grabbing hold of Tetsusaiga as I did so. Miroku just waved me off, already used to my constant anti-ability to not sit still for long periods of time.

Walking through the castle was still weird for me, as I was struck by the comparison between it and my own childhood home. Not many things were too different in the physical aspects- they were both large, furnished with the most luxurious of ornaments, and opened up by large windows and columns.

'But they're still different.' I thought. Here, the castle bustled with life, and felt more... personal. Joyful. In my own home, it had been organized, and nothing more. Servants didn't mill about and laugh with each other; they only did the duty they were assigned to do.

'So different, and yet both are successful.' I thought in passing, as I made my way outside and followed a little stone path to the dojo doors. Once inside, it was all business...

...that is till I was rudely shoved to one side with enough force to send me stumbling forward.

"What the hell?" I growled, whirling around to see none other than- Naraku?

I blinked once, confused, before recovering. "What's your deal?" I asked gruffly.

"Spar with me." He demanded, the corner of his lips twitching upwards. I stared warily at him, all senses suddenly heightened ten fold. Instinct was telling me to fight, to kill.

"Your on." I replied calmly, sizing him up. I had sparred once before with him, already knew his style of rushed offense. I began to walk over to a sword rack to pick up my weapon when Naraku called out to me.

"Fight with your sword, the one you always carry."

My brow furrowed as I felt a strangely familiar feeling come over me.

"You won't use the one around your own waist?" I dully remembered Naraku commenting in our previous fight.

"What's with your curiosity in my sword?" My hand immediately went to the hilt of Tetsusaiga, clutching it tightly. Naraku just gave something akin to a cats grin, briefly taking a stance before launching himself at me, giving me no time to reach for a new weapon. With nothing else, I reached and pulled out Tetsusaiga, the dulled and scratched blade making a raspy sound as I pulled it from it's sheath.

"Have you not heard the stories about your own father, boy? About the power he held?" Naraku hissed, creeping in a large circle, trying to sneak against my left flank. I could've nearly rolled my eyes.

"Of course I have." I swung Tetsusaiga as Naraku made a full run, his own weapon just barely missing my arm. I peered at my elbow for a minute, realizing all too well this wasn't just a normal spar. "But as you can see, his power didn't come from this thing. It's a piece of junk." Naraku jumped forward, landing a blow against Tetsusaiga, pressing down on it fiercely, only to be pushed back by a swift kick, compliments of me.

"Doubtful." His eyes narrowed greedily as he stared at the sword. "There are stories, stories of Tetsusaiga's power. Its ability to kill 1,000 demons with one swing." Naraku's voice was almost lustful. "I would kill for that kind of power."

I felt my ear twitch at his words, my blood pulsing with adrenaline. Naraku crouched and crawled backwards, before leaping forward again, unleashing multiple barrages of demonic energy at me. Quickly I jumped and just barely dodged the attacks.

"Perhaps it's not the sword. Maybe it's just you." Naraku commented, seeming to look at Inuyasha and not the sword for the first time since the spar began. "You and your nasty human blood."

I gritted my teeth, and felt my hands tighten around the hilt of Tetsusaiga as I brought it up to protect my front. My mouth opened to say something of a retort when I was stopped in my tracks.

'Ba-bump'

I quickly focused on the blade in front of me.

'Did it just... pulse?' I thought, stunned.

"Yes, that must be the problem." Naraku continued, unaware of my absentmindedness. "That human filth that runs through your veins. The downfall of your father to fall for a human."

'Ba-bump'

'That is Tetsusaiga!' I re-focused on Naraku, glaring from his previous comment. "My mother," I calmly stated, my voice like ice. "Was my father's reason to live."

I let Tetsusaiga swing out, and I ran out at Naraku, bringing the sword above my head to give me the winning blow.

Naraku, in a speed that blurred even for my vision, pulled up his own sword, deflecting Tetsusaiga easily. The sudden force of the halt caused me to stumble, and Naraku took the moment of weakness to have me suddenly pinned, his sword hovering over my heart.

"Perhaps your right. Maybe that sword is just worthless." Naraku was leaned over me, his long back hair falling over his shoulder, the reds of his eyes peering deep into mine, seemingly looking for an answer that he wouldn't find. When he was satisfied with my bewildered expression, he got up and left, turning towards me at the last minute.

"And Inuyasha? It probably wouldn't be prudent for you explain this meeting to anyone else. Wouldn't want an accident to occur, or anything." Naraku dropped his weapon, letting it stick straight up from the wood of the floor.

I was gasping from many things, most of all reeling from my realization that Tetsusaiga had amounted to nothing when I needed it most. But something else was also leaving me short of breath, and it was the knowledge of the one who possessed the aura that I had been feeling.

'Naraku.'

I had quickly gathered up my sword, deciding that I had to do something besides pant on the dojo floor. I almost sprinted down the pathway back towards the castle, rounding a corner quickly only to smash into another person that happened to be unlucky enough to pick today to take this hallway. Quickly I grabbed the persons arms to keep them from falling, only to notice it was Sango I had in my hands, her hand rubbing her head, and a scowl forming on her face.

"Oi, Sango!" I quickly let go of her. "I'm, uh, I'm sorry- I was just in a hurry." Sango's face was sour as she continued rubbing her head, waving off my apology. I looked down somewhat ashamed and noticed papers that she had dropped in the collision. I bent down and hurriedly grabbed them up when one caught my eye, the slightly lopsided writing oddly familiar to me.

"My dear Sango," I read, "How I long to--"

"GIMME THAT." Sango said, getting over her pains and snatching the papers from my hand. I just laughed, now knowing why Miroku had been working to diligently in writing classes as of late.

Sango continued shuffling the papers in her hands, her cheeks slightly flushed from my discovery. "If you don't need anything, I'd like to be on my way, thank you." She said testily. I snatched her wrist before she had taken two stpes, suddenly remembering my former mission.

"Sango I-" I tried to think about how to phrase it. "I want to offer a warning. To watch your back, and stay safe."

Sango just looked at me in silence a minute before simply stating, "Huh?"

I sighed, frustrated, and started again. "I need you to believe me Sango. Someon evil is in the castle, right under your nose. I can't tell you because-"

"Because they're someone that could cause you damage if they knew you had told?" She was all business now.

I nodded, thinking of my human transformation, knowing I couldn't keep myself as protected in that state of unvulnerability.

She nodded.

"I understand."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Keep everyone safe." I repeated. "Especially Kagome."

Sango raised a brow, and I realized I had accidentally said that outloud.

But instead of calling me out on my impolite manners, Sango nodded again.

"Of course."

She touched my forearm briefly before flitting around me back in the direction from which she had come, before popping her head around the corner yet again.

"You should probably think about a bath. You smell like dog." The joke was enough to crack a smile on my face.

"Can do."

Dun Dun Duuuuun.

Sorry this isn't too long, but I couldn't really add more to this chapter. So till next time....

Review review review!

-Souzousei