A/N: Thanks to my two loyal reviewers. =) Your comments really helped me to persevere when this chapter got tough. Tough, as in three rewrites.
Please enjoy and remember I don't own any of the characters.
The Heir V2 – Chapter 2
Kagome gnawed on her finger as she and Ileana waited in the palace's plush parlor. If she hadn't been dreading facing the man she knew would be flying down the stairs any minute, she might have taken in the ornate, blue wallpaper with its intricate floral motifs, or even the intricately crafted tile fireplace, whose roaring fire heated the room. But Kagome's mind was elsewhere, her earlier bravado wavering as she stood in the center of the beautiful room in wet, mud-soaked clothes.
She was terrified of what was to come for them here in this gilded prison. She knew that, by coming here, she would be subjecting Ileana and herself to a life where their feelings would always fall last in comparison to what the Crown wanted. It was part of why she hadn't brought Ileana here sooner. A shiver passed through Kagome at the thought and she wrapped her arms around herself, suppressing the urge to scream. I have to get ahold of myself, she chastised.
Ileana, who had been shielded from the brunt of the storm, was lying asleep, in much drier clothes, on the antique settee with half a back in front of the fire, her tiny body curled onto its side. Carefully, Kagome leaned over and made sure her daughter's hood shielded her beautiful, silver hair from view. Biting her lower lip, she gently stroked Ileana's cheek, as she felt her chest tighten.
Stay strong, keep moving, weakness will get us killed, she internally chanted again as she felt her body shake, not from the chill of her wet clothes, but from the thought of the man she was about to come face to face with.
He probably doesn't even remember me, she reminded herself, before internally admonishing her thoughts. We're only here for protection, nothing more. We're only here to keep her safe. Nothing else matters.
As she looked back at her daughter's sleeping form, she squared her shoulders, knowing she had to be strong in order to bear whatever was to come, for Ileana's sake. After all, she was the one running to him. Taking a deep breath to still her trembling hands, she took one last look at Ileana. It's now or never Kagome.
As she turned and stepped away from the settee to stand in the center of the room, the door opened. For the briefest of moments, she couldn't find the words she had planned to say to him. Instead, she found herself looking at the prince who haunted the thoughts at the recesses of her mind. Tucked in to dark trousers, his red, silk shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, his tie's Windsor knot hanging loose, a reminder to Kagome of the late hour she had arrived at. Behind him, his waist-length, silver hair – his crowning glory - flowed as he strode purposefully towards her. His honey gold eyes pierced into her from a finely chiseled face.
Kagome hardly noticed as the butler left, closing the door behind him. She couldn't fathom how she had believed he was just another university student when she'd met him on the banks of the Kamo River. Looking at him now, there was no doubt he came from a background of wealth and privilege, moving in circles that wouldn't take any notice of her existence.
Prince Inuyasha stopped within arm's reach of her, thrusting his hands into his pockets. At such close proximity, he towered over her, forcing her to look up in order to see his face. "Are you aware you have broken two laws tonight that could see you imprisoned, Ms. Higurashi?"
Kagome blinked. "I'm sorry?" Of all the things she had planned for him to say, this wasn't even within the realm of possibility.
"Currently, I am well within my rights to have you imprisoned for trespassing and attempted blackmail of a royal." His eyes were cold as he stared intensely down at her, his jaw set.
Sitting on the plane, she had anticipated the moment she stood in the palace and faced him for the first time in four years, claiming to have his child. Kagome planned for him to shout at her and accuse her of being a liar, however, she hadn't anticipated how they were to get to the front door. Or for him to threaten her imprisonment just for asking to speak with him.
She fidgeted with the ring on her middle finger, twisting it round and round as she tried to gather her thoughts. Shaking her head, she glanced down, unable to hold his piercing gaze. There was no trace of the warmth in his eyes that had first captivated her.
Unbidden, memories of their night together flashed through her mind. His warm, golden eyes staring down at her as she felt him move inside her. His warm, deep voice whispering sweet reassurances that made her feel loved, cherished.
Only for those warm feelings to be obliterated the next morning when he vanished from her life. Leaving her confused and alone in her dorm room with a note and a disconnected number.
An unforgiving hand grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his eyes again. "What do you have to say for yourself, Kagome?"
Her name on his lips was like a subtle caress against her skin, making her question the earlier indifference in his eyes. Maybe he did recognize her. Don't be stupid. You gave your name to the butler. She felt like a fool for thinking otherwise.
"Imprison me is you wish, but I'm not here to blackmail you." Her strong, clear voice directly opposed her trembling body.
"Then inform me what you found so damned important you felt the need to sneak onto the grounds, in the middle of the night, during a raging tropical storm." Prince Inuyasha spoke in a low tone as his face moved closer to hers, his bruising grip on her jaw not easing.
Meeting her emerald eyes with his she softly confessed, "Our daughter's life."
She watched his eyes widen and a flicker of recognition light up in them. Before the shutters were pulled back down, a blazing fury melting his earlier ice. With a low growl, he released her chin. "I don't know what you think you are playing at, but I will not fall for it."
Kagome turned her face away from him and took a shaky breath. Pulling her shoulders back, she moved to the settee and gently lifted her sleeping daughter into her arms, careful not to rouse her.
Looking over her shoulder, she saw him watching her, his shoulders squared, jaw clenched. "If you won't believe my words, maybe you'll believe your own eyes." She slowly pivoted on her heel, bringing the tiny, brown cloaked bundle in her arms into his view for the first time.
He stilled, lips tightening into a thin line. With trembling fingers, she pulled the hood down. Ileana's hair spilled from her shoulders and down to her waist in a fluid, silvery waterfall that stood in stark contrast to her brown cloak.
Inuyasha sharply inhaled, his eyes fixated on the evidence of his paternity.
For several, long moments they stood in silence. She watched as his chest rose heavily, a raw, vulnerability in his eyes.
Seconds later, his eyes shadowed and turned to hers, a now murderous expression scorching her to the bone. Without a word, he stalked out of the room, slamming the door with brute force in his wake.
00000
When Prince Inuyasha stormed into his apartments a few minutes later, his chest was heaving, anger, disbelief and pride warring inside him. The image of his daughter seared into his brain. Running his fingers through his hair he tried to fathom how this had happened.
He wanted to deny the child's telling birthmark, but he couldn't.
Although he had been enraptured by Kagome, a memory he recalled as clearly as if it were yesterday, he had not been so captivated that he'd forgotten to take precautions when they made love. Taking precautions was as necessary to his existence as breathing. Having grown up a bastard, he refused to cause a child to suffer the way he had. He had vowed that when he had children, they would be legitimate, wanted. Loved.
But had his precautions somehow failed? The evidence in front of him told him it was not just possible, but a reality.
The better question for him was if he was this child's father, how had Kagome kept her from him all these years?
His fingers trembled as he ran them through his hair again.
As he thought of the sleeping girl clinging to her mother, he felt the jolt of awareness and possessiveness again – one he had never felt with the children two of his former lovers claimed were his. He had to hand it to Kagome though, he'd never been presented a paternity claim in quite this way.
Kagome hadn't asked for money or a ring, as he'd expected – only their child's life. But what danger could there possibly be towards her? He mused, as he sat at his desk, pressing his face against steepled fingers. As the wind outside howled louder, the thought of the two of them battling the storm's merciless power chilled him to the bone. What could possibly frighten her enough to brave the treacherous weather to come to him?
A sharp knock pulled him out of his thoughts. "Come in." He called, glancing up to see Myoga hesitantly push the door open.
"Your Majesty," He bowed, a trickle of sweat running down his neck.
"Yes, Myoga?"
"Would you like me to send Ms. Higurashi and the girl away?"
Inuyasha's head snapped up. "You will do no such thing." He barked, surprising himself with the intensity of his response. The very thought of them turned outside in the storm infuriated him. "Have rooms prepared for them in my apartments." He finished in a much softer voice.
Although the older man tried to hide his raised brows before he turned away, he had seen it. "I would also like my assistant sent in, Myoga." A small nod the last thing Inuyasha saw before the door shut behind his butler.
A few minutes later his assistant arrived and Inuyasha ordered him to find all the information there was on Kagome Higurashi and her daughter. When the man left, he rose and looked out the window that stood behind his desk. His eyes overlooking the terrace beyond it and focusing on the tumultuous ocean waves battering the shore.
Tomorrow he was to formalize his engagement to Princess Kikyo, but tonight the only thing on his mind was a tiny child with silver hair.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please remember to review!