Hi !
I RE-EDIT this chapter with, I hope, less errors, while still looking for a beta.
ENJOY!
Hope you are all fine and well. Here the new chapter of the story…Any comment will be welcome !
If you have question(s), and even if you want to propose idea(s) too ! I will take everything…
Disclaimer : I will not say it. What ? Why are you looking at me that way ? I said I will not say it and that's final! ….Hey, why your eyes just turn red ? 0.0
Ok ok I don't own InuYasha, please don't hurt mmeeeeeeee !
That's it, I say it…(sigh) Now I can go jump from a bridge. You broke all my dreams… (cry like a baby)
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Chapter 3 :
Run … and found.
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Kagome ran. She ran like she had never before. Like if the Devil himself was behind her, trying to catch her.
The young princess ran in the secret passage, underground, during at least half an hour. She even fell a couple of times. It was dark and she didn't take a torch with her. She was directing herself only by keeping one hand against one of the moist and dirty walls of the passage. She was in complete darkness and couldn't see even the tip of her nose but the fear of being caught overpowered the one to be all alone, in the dark.
Maybe it was only half an hour but for the young woman-child it seemed like an eternity that she had first enter the underground when she finally saw the moon's light of the outside appearing. She finally was out. She looked around and like Kairo told her, the passage had leaded her directly in the middle of the woods.
She walked a little but the curiosity was too much for her, she had to turn around to look at where she came from. She was frightened with what she saw. She could see the glow from the fire coming from the palace of the Lord of the South,…from her home. Her heart clenched painfully when she thought at everyone she was leaving behind.
A single tear ran down her cheek, showing her turmoil feelings. Then she rapidly brushed it away, as a spark of courage and determination, it was difficult to determine, appear in her eyes. But one thought flashed in her mind : I will not disappoint them.
The night was still young, few hours before the sunrise. The air of the woods was cold, as Saya had predicted, but even with her coat the young woman shivered uncontrollably. She closed her coat closer to her, trying to fight the cold but most importantly, to hide her clothes. Her nightgown was of a pure white and could be too easily spotted in the dark woods.
Her hands tighted their hold on the straps of her backpack and started moving to take a determinate walk but froze in mid-movement. Her eyes open wide and she groaned pitifully at her own stupidity.
" Oh great ! And where is the West in the first place !?! "
She tried to calm down and forgot that she was alone, in the middle of the woods, and in the middle of the night and of course without forgot that people must be trying to find her and kill her at that very moment! Ok, it was a lot to forget, but she managed, with some difficulties though, to put her fear aside after taking several deep breathes. People were counting on her so she had to force herself to not think of her fear of dark.
She thought for a moment, trying to remember her lessons. Arg, why had she had to be half-sleep during the, albeit boring, useful lessons of how to direct herself if she was lost?! She was so stupid sometimes that it even baffle herself! Ok, now wasn't the moment to grovel in self-reprimand. Breathe Kagome, you can do it. She thought to herself. Boosted with new determination, she mentally tried to go through everything she could remember. She then looked around her, taking notes of the sky and the position of her castle. She took another deep breath and started to walk in one direction.
" That must be that way. I have to walk away from here anyways. " She whispered, nodding to herself.
She then walked like that during hours before taking a break when she thought she couldn't make any more step without taking a break first or she would collapse. At this moment, the sun was rising behind the hills. She sat down at the feet of a big tree, exhaustion finally taking its toll on the poor princess. She thought that, maybe, she should just stay where she was, back against the old tree and rest for a couple of hours. After some reflections, she used her last forces to climb in the said tree to profit of the cover the leaves. She would be at least a little hidden by the dense foliage.
When she settled as comfortable as possible on the higher branch she could climb on, sleep didn't come to her right away. With her bag on her lap, she started to think back at the event of the night.
In a few hours, her life changed dramatically. She passed from a princess living in a castle to…A nobody sleeping in a tree.
Depressing.
This could have been funny if it wasn't so sad.
Just before closing her eyes, her mind drifted over the possible people responsible of this debacle.
Who could be the monster whom could have done that to Father? Father is, or was, she thought, trying to squash her depressing thoughts and her almost uncontrollable need to sob at bay, liked by everyone! She sighed.
She closed her eyes and tried to make herself more comfortable in the tree. But the moment her eyes closed, a sinister voice came back from her memories.
"You will be mine, and no one will be able to change that. "
She shivered and her eyes shoot opened. She then whispered in the night.
" Can it be…him ? "
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That's it. End of…the…chapter
0.0 (shiver like a leaf during Fall as readers turn toward the author looking through red eyes and fur sprouting out of their back)
Ok ok please do not turn youkai on me !!!
I'm not stopping the chapter there, so, please don't hurt me !
(run away like a coward, tail between legs)
LOL
Moments later…
Here, another part for this chapter (breathing rapidly). Hope you will like it so you can calm down and release my neck, please ? It's starting to really hurt now…
Ok, ok, do what you want. Who need a neck anyway …. (gulps)
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Kagome woke up a few hours later by the sun. Between the leaves, the sun had succeeded to touch her face and her eyes making it impossible to her to ignore it. She moved around a little so she could take a more comfortable sitting position. She froze a moment, listening attentively around her to see if someone was there. When she didn't hear anything or feel anything, she yawned and stretched before deciding to get back down from her tree.
She wasn't in the better conditions. There was any part of her body that wasn't hurting. Who is the baka who said that it is comfortable to sleep in a tree?! She though sorely.
She groaned softly her displeasure and tried to ease her tired and knotted muscles.
She put her back-pack straps on her shoulders, readying herself for her new journey. However, as she moved to put her bag on her back, she felt something really cold entry directly in contact with her warm skin, making her jump. She then remarked that, by moving, her necklace had turned around and the face which had stayed in the cold all the night was now in direct contact with the sensible skin of her breast. She shivered a little, and removed it.
She looked at it and then cursed mentally at her own stupidity. She hadn't activated it when she had left the palace. How could she have been so stupid?
In fact, this necklace was not just the symbol of the South but it also possessed some magical powers which, when activated, permit to hide one of the most important secrets of the royal family of the South: The young heiress possessed spirituals powers.
How could she be so stupid? If the ones who'd attacked the castle have youkais in their ranks, then they must be laughing at her now and following her like the Little Poucet who left pieces of bread!
She sighed. She could hit herself sometimes. Stupid stupid, stupid.
Well, at least, there was still the little possibility that they don't know about her powers. They are, after all, following the Princess and since almost nobody, besides some Mikos and people of trustworthly, know of this fact, maybe she is safe still. With confidence flowing anew through her veins, Kagome intoned a little spell. The necklace then, and herself in the process, started to emanate a little gentle pink during a few seconds before disappearing back.
Now at least, they can't follow my aura. She thought, content with herself.
She sighed again.
She tried easing her tired muscles again. She was really sore all over. Stupid tree ! Was all that passed her mind as she stretched again. She shivered. It is really chilly, today. She thought distractedly. Her stomach chose this moment to make itself heard too. Great, now I'm cold AND hungry. Grumbled to herself the young hime.
She took a look around her and resumed her walk toward the West, or what she hoped was the West.
With luck, during the day, she came across of bushes with consumable berries. She ate some and put the rest in a cloth, in her pocket for later, not knowing when she would find food again.
She tried to stay in the forest, not wanting to have to follow the road in the open or have to pass a village. No one must see her. It obligated her to make some detours, but it was worth the trip. Staying hided and security were her top priority of the moment. Others had risked their life to make sure that she would be able to escape so she had to stay alive.
However, bad luck caught up with her by the end of the evening: the rain started to fall.
Since there is nothing more than a lot of rain, no flash of lightening, she sat under a tree to wait the end of the Strom without risking to be stroked by a lightning.
When it finally stopped, she resumed her walk. She was soaked wet, but she still continued to walk, trying to warm herself up and to forget about the cold that was gripping her to the bones. She couldn't stop before reaching the border of her lands.
She thought back about the people of her castle. How were they ? Did the guard and the servants who helped her were well ? she couldn't stop worry from crawling up in her.
But something was heavier on her heart. Her Father. There was a big chance, if not the only probability, that her Father was now dead. She may have lost her only relative in the attack. A sob raked through her body, unable to stop it. She felt miserable.
Plus, the fact that she had to run away and leave at their destinies everyone behind, was making her ill and was eating at her guts. If she hadn't give her word to go in hiding and for the probable death that was awaiting back there, she would have run back to her home. She would have fought along with her subjects. The uncertainty of what could have happened to her father and everyone at home was killing her slowly. But, she won't abandon at any cost.
Hardening her heart because she knew that it was for the better of her Lands, she continued without turning back. One day, she will be back in the South and she will make the instigator of this attack pay, direly. Whoever they are, they will all pay, and she swore it. She won't die before avenging her father probable demise. Still, stubborn tears had found a way to run down her cheeks.
The day after passed more or less in the same way.
When she couldn't walk anymore, completely tired, she sat down under a tree and cried until falling asleep.
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The sun had raised only a couple of hours ago, someone was walking soundlessly in the woods like if he was floating, not even the noise of leaves when he stepped on it, like a ghost patrolling the woods.
He then stopped and smelled the air around him. He looked around, trying to pinpoint the source and the direction of this unusual scent. There was no mistake possible: someone of unknown origin was out there. Narrowing his eyes in distaste at the idea of anything that could come to create troubles during his calm usual morning patrol, he resumed his walk in the direction of this new scent. After a few minutes, he finally came directly towards the tree where the sleepy princess was resting.
He looked her over, then around to make sure that she was alone. The girl was a mess. She looked like she dragged herself through the front line in time of war to finally beach against that tree in his forest. He listened attentively and detected the slow beating of her heart: she wasn't dead, just asleep. The man let escape an also inaudible sigh and kneeled in front of the young woman. He raised a crawled hand to shake lightly her shoulder.
For a moment, there was no reaction from the sleeping beauty…but he insisted and shook more forcefully.
The exhaustion had pushed Kagome in a heavier sleep. She finally woke up in a start. As her eyes opened and she left behind the dreams' kingdom, she came face to face with a 'man' who was looking at her directly in the eyes.
She ' eeped ' and jumped on her feet to prepare to run away but her legs were too tired and didn't support her weigh, making her fell on the forest ground.
She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact with the soil…But it never came. Nothing happened.
Her eyes slowly slid back opened and faced this man who was looking at her impassibly, one of his arm supporting her around the waist.
At this moment, she really looked at him. His face albeit beautiful was cold, like graved in marble, even his eyes, but there in these beautiful golden eyes, she saw a glow of concern.
She was lost, in trance with these so uncommon eyes. Never had she saw before such a rich color: deep golden eyes. Vaguely, she saw that he had marking on his face and white or silver hair. The charm disappeared when she heard his deep voice.
" Are you alright, woman ? "
She gulped before answering, her cheek lightly pink.
" H-hai… demo can you let go of me?"
He released her immediately. She tried to recompose herself. What was wrong with her? Looking at him as she had never saw any other being in her whole life! Baka! Is it how a princess acts out of her palace in front of a stranger? Get a grip Kagome! She thought. After a deep and controlled breath, she finally had the courage to look back at him unwaveringly.
That's when she saw that he was a demon, which could explain the unusual eyes color and the markings. How could she not have felt that right away? She was really a pathetic excuse of a Miko. Sometimes, she could hit herself for her own stupidity.
She took some backwards steps, distancing herself from the youkai who was looking at her curiously, studying her. She didn't know him at all, or anyone looking like him so she must be close or already on the other side of the borders of the Southern Lands. She knew every youkais clan, and they were very few, of the Southern Lands and this man or male was definitely not from any of them. The hic was that she wasn't really sure where she was and more importantly which lands. Plus, she knew of the rather important dislike of most youkais for humans. Fear spread thought her exhausted body like fire. She didn't have any weapon and was alone in front of an unknown demon. A powerful youkai if his aura she could feel emanating from him, now that she was paying attention, was any indication. If he decided to attack, what could she do when she have even difficulties to stay up?
" You don't have to fear me, girl, I will not hurt you. "
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