Inurella

Chapter 8: To catch a thief

Inuyasha and Miroku returned to the castle with the flowers in hand, luckily they had a stash of red roses behind the counter where Kikyo's deathly aura couldn't get to them. The Queen was ecstatic and thanked the boys. She then ran off into the crowd of people shouting demands as she hurriedly prepared for the ball.

The boys finally sat down and took a breather at a table outside in the garden as maids and servants rushed past with stressed expressions on their faces.

Miroku stretched "Well that was an interesting trip to the market."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes "That was the worst day of my life! I couldn't have been more embarrassed." Inuyasha complained as he smacked his head down on the table.

"Oh it wasn't that bad" Miroku said patting Inuyasha's back. "She was pretty though wasn't she? …You think she'd go out with me?"

Miroku heard a low growling noise that made his insides vibrate. Inuyasha lifted his head and bared his teeth at Miroku.

Miroku gulped and held up his hands "It was a joke. I've never seen you like this before, you sure you're ok?"

Inuyasha groaned "She probably thinks I'm a freak." Inuyasha face planted the table once more.

"You don't usually care about what other people think, this girl has done something to you!" Miroku motioned to Inuyasha to give him a high five, but Inuyasha just sat there and glared at him.

Miroku lowered his hand and sighed. "I am just happy for you; you've finally found a girl that makes you tick."

Inuyasha rubbed his temples "So this is what it feels like to desire someone? What an annoying feeling, I should just try to forget about her."

Miroku gave Inuyasha a strange look. "You do remember that there is a ball being held in your honour to find you a wife?"

Inuyasha stood up and face palmed himself. "I forgot about that nonsense, what a pain in the ass."

"Yeah poor you" Miroku said laughing. "So what are you going to do?"

Inuyasha started to walk off "I am going to find her."

Miroku caught up to Inuyasha trying to keep up with him. "What if you can't find her? Higurashi isn't a popular name! We don't even know if that's her first or last name! We don't even know where to start!" Miroku said out of breath.

"I'll find her." Inuyasha said with determination.

Miroku had no doubt that he would, Inuyasha picked up the pace towards the barn where he and Miroku would gallop off in the search for Kagome.

***Naraku's Mansion***

Naraku collapsed on the chair in the living room along with the dozens of shopping bags lay on the floor beside him. Kagura and Kikyo ran up to their rooms to try on their new dresses. While Kagome took a stroll in the backyard with not a single bag in hand.

Kagome eventually came to a white bench that sat right across a statue of a baboon straddling a banana tree and spewed water out from the baboons' mouth.

She sat there for a few minutes pondering over what had happened at the market.

Her heart was continually beating ever since she saw that man with the silver hair and the doggy ears. He was so different then the men she usually saw. Sure she was popular with the other male peasants but most of them were too old for her and were missing hair and teeth.

Kagome giggled at the thought of rubbing his ears again. They were so cute and fuzzy. Kagome caught herself blushing and put a hand to her cheek. It felt warm and flushed.

She wondered if she would ever see him again and decided that would be her next goal after the ball to find him and maybe get to know him. But wait…the prince at the ball! What if she was chosen to be his bride? Then she could never see him again.

Kagome sighed. It was for the best, she needed to get away from this place and getting married to the prince was the only way out. The silver haired man probably didn't like her anyways; she was after all dressed in an old summer dress her mother used to wear.

There was no sense pondering after some guy she just met, even if he did make her heart beat and her face flush and a warm tingly feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Kagome shook her head in determination. "I will keep my eyes on the prize and not think of that man! I need to concentrate on the ball and winning the prince's affections. I cannot waste time thinking of anything else!" She said over and over again like a mantra.

Kagome's feelings got the best of her and she couldn't take her mind off of him. However that didn't stop her from being determined to make it to the ball and marry a handsome prince and live happily ever after!

That evening Kagome cleaned the entire house top to bottom even with Kikyo purposely treading mud into the house. Kagome kept a positive attitude and kept on cleaning. After she was done she went up to the attic and looked for anything to make a dress with.

After an hour of looking, Kagome found some string and some orange/brown curtains with moth holes. She laid there clutching the curtains to her chest trying to hold back tears and whispered to herself "Where are my mother's fabrics?"

"Kikyo took them"

Kagome turned around abruptly and saw Shippou standing on top of an old brown chest.

"Oh Shippou you scared me!" Kagome said gasping.

Shippou jumped down from the chest and walked over to Kagome "Sorry I've been working on my ninja skills" Shippou said proudly making various karate moves with his little paws.

Kagome raised an eyebrow but didn't ask.

"So you say Kikyo took them? How do you know? And why would she do that?" Kagome asked Shippou who was doing Tai Chi on a heap of books.

Shippou continued to rock the tai chi as he explained to her that he was up here practising his skills when Kikyo came up here and started rummaging through all the fabrics taking only the best fabrics and headed back downstairs as she muttered something like "hahahaha now she won't be able to go to the ball".

Kagome put a hand to her mouth "How awful! I didn't think she was that evil".

Shippou stopped what he was doing "Are you kidding me Kagome? She is purely jealous of you."

Kagome looked confused "Me? But why? I am just a peasant!"

Shippou sighed. "Look, you've got the beauty and the brains, not to mention you do not smell of rotten feces that have been in the sun too long, her father adores you and despises her, and mother's do not cover their children's eyes when you walk by."

Kagome looked shocked but then blushed "You really think I'm beautiful Shippou?"

Shippou rolled his eyes "Come on Kagome, don't be so modest. You've had to have noticed the people that stare at you when you walk by, you're like a ray of sunshine. Everyone loves you."

Kagome looked at Shippou lovingly and grabbed him and squished him till he squeaked. "Thank you Shippou that was just the kind of encouragement I needed!"

"No problem" Shippou said turning red from lack of oxygen, barely able to move his jaw.

Kagome came down from the attic to have a little word with Kikyo.

"Oh Kikyo?" Kagome said maniacally as she knocked on Kikyo's bedroom doors.

"What do you want Kagome, I am busy!" Kikyo snarled.

Kagome kicked the doors open with a thud. The wind from the doors made Kikyo's hair fly menacingly in the wind.

Their eyes met and there was silence throughout the house.

Nothing could be heard except for the tumbleweed that rolled by Kagome's feet.

They were both puzzled by it, but quickly turned back their attention to each other and continued to glare at one another suspiciously.

Kagome broke the silence "I think you know why I'm here"

Kikyo stood up off her bed putting aside the fabrics she was going through.

"I take it you are here for your mother's fabrics?" Kikyo asked calmly.

Kagome walked closer to Kikyo standing on her tippy toes to seem more menacing. "Yes I am, and I want them back" she said as she crossed her arms.

"Is that so?" Kikyo said closing in on the gap between herself and Kagome.

Kagome gulped she had never been in a fight before and wasn't sure what to do. All she knew was the stench was getting worse.

Kikyo shoved Kagome "Well you're not getting them back!"

Kagome shoved Kikyo "We'll see about that!"

They grabbed each other's hair and started pulling and screaming. There was biting and scratching involved as well. They were rolling on the ground like typical girls do while flailing their hands in front of their faces.

All of a sudden a bucket of water was dumped on both Kagome and Kikyo. They let go of each other. Kagome stood up wiping her wet hair out of her eyes and Kikyo crawled up into the fetal position and yelled "I'm melting, I'm melting!"

Naraku rolled his eyes "You're not melting Kikyo...get up".

Kikyo looked at herself confused "I'm not melting?!"

"No you're not melting" Kagura said as she walked in behind her father.

"Unfortunately" Naraku muttered.

"What was that father?" Kikyo asked suspiciously.

"Oh nothing dear, I just have a little headache is all" Naraku gave her a fake smile then turned around and rolled his eyes rubbing his temples.

Kagura handed Kagome and Kikyo a towel. "You ok Kagome?" Kagura asked.

"Yes Kagura thank you! I don't want to catch a cold before the ball!" Kagome said smiling as she patted her hair dry.

"Wouldn't that be a shame" Kikyo said sarcastically laying on the floor.

Kagura stepped on Kikyo's hair "You listen here you! Give the fabric back to Kagome! They were her mother's. You have no right to take them!" Kagura said angrily.

Kikyo sat up in shock which pulled out some of her hair as Kagura was still stepping on it. However Kikyo was used to her hair falling out.

"Since when are you on her side?" Kikyo demanded abruptly surprised at her sister's outburst.

Kagura stepped back and peeled the dead hair from her shoe. "That's none of your business, do as I say."

Kikyo pouted "Fine, I don't need those fabrics anyways. No matter what you make out of them it will never be enough to catch the prince's eye. My dress on the other hand, was hand made from the finest tailors in the land. The dress is worth more than this entire house! Father said he wanted me to have the best chance of getting married off because he loves me so much that he…." Kikyo had then just noticed everyone had left the room.

After dinner Kagura helped Kagome fashion a nice simple dress out of the fabrics they recovered from Kikyo's room.

Kagura was highly skilled in sowing and was a big help to Kagome. They stayed up all night chit chatting, making girl talk and told Kagura all about the silver haired dog eared man while making the dress. Which Kagura thought was very romantic and told Kagome she shouldn't give up on him so easily. They also talked about how brave Kagura was to stand up to her sister and how she felt so good after it and would never let Kikyo step all over her again. They celebrated with a cup of wine each that Kagome found in the cellar.

By the time the dress was done it was stunning. It wasn't as simple as they thought it was. It was a deep scarlet red and was beautifully embroidered with lovely patterns on the corset and all the way down the dress; it had lace and a bow on the back. It was beautiful and exotic.

"I can't believe we made this!" Kagome exclaimed sleepily.

Kagura yawned "I know it's beautiful, the prince will not be able to resist you Kagome."

Thanks Kagura but you have just as much of a chance at getting picked as me." Kagome said as she lazily put an arm around Kagura's shoulder.

Kagura shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me, I am happy here living with my father and then maybe one day, I will marry a simple farmer and have a few children" Kagura said as she drifted off to sleep.

Kagome sighed "You'll find your prince one day Kagura" Then she fell asleep on the fabric next to Kagura.