Chapter 1: Princess and the Fool

Well hello. I thought of this fic while watching some really bad pirate movie. But hey, maybe I can make this good. I hope you like it guys! Oooo I'm excited to write this!

And just a little side note, the first couple of chapters are like an introduction-ish thing. It does get better after like chapter 2-3, I promise you! It's a really big adventure! The summary doesn't do much justice.

"Ooo Princess, you look gorgeous." Ayame smiled brightly as I exited the room in my long, poofy red gown with it's bateau neckline and jeweled torso, "Red is definitely your color, your highness."

"Why thank you, Ayame." I twirled, "You look nice in your gown as well." Her dress was no where near as extravagant as mine, but she still looked amazing. Her dress was blue with a florentine neckline and a natural waistline. Hers had no jewels, but nicely complimented her body shape and brought out her eyes.

She blushed tremendously, "Thank you so much for the compliment, your highness."

Lady Ayame was born into a rich family, one of whom descended from the sister or brother of a King some time ago, making us distant cousins. She was very beautiful, but also very proper to the point where it stopped us from becoming close. I, being the soon-to-be queen, was apparently too high of a person for her to act in any way that could be deemed "inappropriate".

"The party should be starting soon. One year closer to becoming Queen." She awed, "And what a great queen I'm sure you'll be."

She was right. Today was my 17th birthday. And what a terrible thing to be because now, I had only one more year before my parents duties befall upon me. Well, my mother's duties. My father died quite some time ago, so my mother had to take over everything, making it quite hard on her.

Not only that, but I had to find me a prince. Well, I wasn't that upset about it. I've heard great things about these guys. I overheard the maids gossiping and these princes were apparently funny, nice and attractive. And what girl wouldn't want that? But! That also means children. Men want children. Healthy ones, too. And I kinda want to not have children until I learn to actually take care of myself. And that's not for a while. I mean, do I eventually want children? Heck yeah. Mommy Kagome would be nice. But not now. Or in the next few years. Maybe 25. That sounds good.

But what if I fall in love and this guy wants kids right away? I want to explore things while I'm queen. If I'm in power, that means that finally, no one can tell me where to go and all of that. A kid would complicate all that stuff. I'd have to stay home and babysit. But, chances are, I'm gonna get married with this great guy and BAM, he's gonna wanna have a kid. And my mom is gonna want grand kids. And the palace is gonna be buzzing about new royal babies. Ugh... Being a woman kinda sucks right now.

"You know, Ayame..." I said, "Maybe you'll find a nice man tonight." Maybe she wants kids.

She gasped, "Oh, but I am not here for myself. It's your birthday. I wouldn't dream of leaving you to flirt with any man." Then she gave me another bright smile.

I sighed, bringing all my social energy back within me where it usually stays. A lot of people want the world to revolve around them and sometimes, I wish Ayame was one of those people. She's loyal, but she needs to lower my pedestal every now and again.

"Are you excited, Princess Kagome?" She asked, showing slight curiosity.

"Of course." I giggled, "I'm gonna get flirted with by attractive men tonight. Maybe, I'll even find a great one." I smiled, "Ya know, we could even find twins or something. Then they could court us to parties together and we could dance every night in beautiful gowns."

Ayame was at awe, "Your imagination and optimism is quite refreshing!" She ended up letting out a small giggle, probably flattered that I included her in some of my future plans. (Which shouldn't really be odd considering I spend so much time with her that she's one of the closest friends I have.)

Right then, my mother walked in, smiling, "Hello, Ayame."

Ayame immediately bowed, "Your majesty."

"We must be off to the ballroom, now. Cannot keep the guests waiting." My mother stood up straight and looked stunning. I straightened up myself, and, with Ayame right behind me, gracefully walked down to the ballroom.

"Ladies and gentlemen: May I present to you, on her birthday, Princess Kagome of Midoriko." My grandfather stood in front of the throne, and I glided to his side, where the crowd clapped and cheered.

A line formed in front of me, where many wealthy and royal people came to wish me a happy birthday, often complimenting me. I blushed at each one and shook their hands.

"My, you look amazing." One man said. He was very attractive, with brown hair and deep brown eyes, "I am Prince Hojo of Ueda. And I was hoping that I could have this dance."

HECK YEAH YOU CAN! I extended my hand, "Why, of course."

He took it and held it gently and led me onto the dance floor, where he spun me and proceeded to place a hand on my hip and we danced. He was great. Charming. He even successfully cracked a few jokes while we waltzed. And they were actually funny.

We stopped dancing for a bit and Hojo led me out to the balcony. Is this what it's like to flirt? "So, your highness, if I may ask, there is a ball coming up at my palace, and I would be honored if-"

Screams suddenly shattered the pleasant aura of the party. Not one, but many echoed into the balcony, hitting my ears hard. I turned my head to see what had made the ruckus, and saw nothing but people running about.

"What's going on?" I asked, lifting up my dress and hurrying to see the problem.

"Princess, wait!" Hojo called, "You could get hurt."

"I just wanna see!" I answered, not slowing down at all.

But I was stopped by a guard, "Princess, you must come with me. The palace has been infiltrated."

"By who?" I asked.

"Pirates." He answered, turning me around and leading me out.

What could pirates be doing here?! What could they want on my birthday?

My eyes frantically searched for something. And that's when I saw him. Long silver hair. Amber eyes. Sword fighting against one of the royal guards. But he stopped a moment and turned my way. And then stared right at me, grinning. It seemed like we locked gazed for hours, but it was only a few seconds before he returned to his fight and I was led upstairs where three more guards were waiting.

"They will stay outside this room, and we shall go inside until it is safe. I will protect you if anyone gets in." The guard who had escorted me up continued to walk me inside the room, where only one window let in light.

"What do they want?" I sat down and leaned against the wall.

The guard stood tall, "Damned pirates are probably just looking for gold and blood."

"That's terrible." I shivered. How could they be so cruel as to harm innocent people?

"You need worry not." He reassured, "You are safe."

Or so everyone thought. It was not before long that I heard shouting from outside the room. How did they even make it up this far?

"Stay behind me, Princess." He whispered, "I will protect you."

I backed up against the wall and waited, wincing as I heard several painful screams. That's when the door opened and he appeared.

Silver hair. Amber eyes. Staring at me. And, once again, our gaze was disrupted by a royal guard, and, right before my very eyes, they were fighting. Each time their swords made contact, my heart skipped a beat. I held my breath and closed my eyes.

"Aargh, you dirty sons of bitches." My eyes shot open, only to see a sword had cut right through the guard's chest. The pirate pulled it out, and he fell to the ground, dead.

"Keh, you didn't have a chance against me." The pirate grinned, putting the sword back into its sheath.

"Who are you!?" I shouted. He looked over at me, and began walking toward me. I stayed pressed against the wall.

"Stupid wench." He snickered, "I'm Inuyasha. Captain Inuyasha."

"Well you're a damned fool for coming here!" My fists clenched as he neared me and let his face come to close to mine.

"Am I?" His breath blew against my skin, "Keh, and why is that?"

My heart was racing, but I looked him in the eye, "Because you will die!"

Inuyasha only laughed, "And who's gonna kill me? You? You're just a little girl."

"What are you gonna do to me?" I questioned, "Torture me? Make me walk your plank?"

He shook his head. His hand rose up against my chest and I shivered, but he only pulled off my gold necklace. "I came for gold, wench. Not the life of some princess." With that, he ran and leaped out the window. I slid down the wall until I was on the ground. And I cried.

-Next Day-

"What do you mean they took her!?" I screamed, "Where did they go!? We have to find her!" All the yelling had taken the air from my lungs.

"We don't know dear." My mother patted my back, "One of our guests say they saw Lady Ayame get carried off by one of the pirates. But we are searching for them. Apparently they had docked their ship on the rocky shoreline, near the caves. It's a hard way walking, so it's unusual for people to be out there. That's why no one knew of their arrival."

"They're gone?" I asked, hoping that the ship was still there.

"Yes. We saw their ship sailing away. But one of ours should be leaving soon." Her hand continued to caress my shoulder, as if it would ease my pained heart. Why would they take Ayame? That silver-haired boy could have taken me, the princess! But instead, they took Ayame. Why?

I shook my head, "Who is this man...this Captain Inuyasha?"

My mother looked solemnly at me, as if she had known of him for quite a while, "He's the son of the Great Dog Demon, Inutaisho, who ruled the western lands. After his father's death, he was banished by his older half-brother, Lord Sesshomaru, for Inuyasha is only a half-demon, henceforth he was considered trash by his pure blood brother. Now, he's a deadly and well known pirate."

That boy was a demon? I had never seen one before since our kingdom was protected by a spell that repels all demonic energies. "H-How did he enter this kingdom if-"

"Because of his half demon blood, when the spell repelled his demonic side, he was left with his same physical being, but no demonic powers, making him basically human." She explained, "I would suspect that he commanded a much larger crew than what we saw last night. We only saw humans, but I suspect that back on the ship, more demons lurked."

"How many men were there now?" I asked, shivering at the thought of what Ayame must be going through right now.

"I'm not sure, but many were killed. I saw only seven running out in the end." She whispered, "But they were skilled swordsmen. I can only imagine what Inuyasha has back on the ship. And what he can do with demonic powers."

I got up and wandered back to my room. I wanted to know more about what might possibly happen to Ayame, but I also knew that there was nothing else to find out right now. I just couldn't understand that man. Why would he take her, but not me? I'm surely worth more. It has to be personal.

In my room, I noticed Ayame had left one of her plain dresses lying on the floor. "Maybe I can go and investigate myself..." I thought. This dress, although still nice, was much more closer to the middle to upper class than my obviously royal attire. If I can disguise my face and put on that dress, maybe I could check out the rocky shoreline without harassment.

So, I let my hair loose, leaving it down, but keeping it tamed. I also wiped off the makeup I had. I looked much different without everything caked on my face. Although I don't think I was ugly, I sure wouldn't attract any second looks because of beauty. Especially when the women in this town make it their mission to look gorgeous. Then, I put on the dress. Yellow with a square neckline and a normal waistline. Very plain.

"Now, I just have to get out." I mumbled, "If I can make it downstairs, I can blend in with all the scared women who attended the ball last night and are waiting for clearance that the seas are safe..."

Slowly, I opened my bedroom door. Many of the royal guards, although are on high alert, were running around to secure windows up around the roof, rather than standing in front of my room like usual. There weren't enough of them to be everywhere, but the most important places to guard were possible exits and entrances.

With my back against the wall, I creeped down the stairs, not making a sound and not being seen. I passed a few who were stationed to patrol the halls, but (since I already have much experience doing so) I was able to slip by without being noticed.

Finally, I was downstairs, where I could blend in with the worried people bustling about. And I could make my exit.

As suspected, no one noticed me walking. They were all too busy trying to figure out what they were going to do if the pirates come back. Most of them would hide around various places, while some valiant men would fight to protect. Which of course, it was nice to see we still had warriors.

My feet carried me past the crowds and onto the streets, where I was able to quickly make it to the beach.

"Those bastards are long gone, I think. Probably don't wanna deal with us." I overheard a conversation by some guards patrolling the beach.

"Yeah. Without their demon buddies, they ain't nothing but a bunch of sorry crooks." The other replied, slyly.

I only wished it was true, but the pirates were skilled at swords fighting, even without any demons to help. I continued to tiptoe across the sand, so they wouldn't see me, and felt relief when my foot touched the rocks.

"Better not fall." I warned myself, using my arms to balance, "Maybe I'll see a ship in the distance."

I saw no ship. I walked all along the craggy coast, but saw nothing but the sky meeting the sea in the far distance. It was beautiful, but it was not what I wanted. So I just stood, and furiously tried to think of other ways to ease my worried mind.

"Is that someone over there?" I could hear the guards now coming closer. I couldn't get caught now or else my mother would keep me locked away in my room without a single clue on where Ayame is.

"I don't know. I didn't see much. Could've been a bird or something. Don't see anything now." Another replied.

"Well, we gotta check it out." The first one declared, and I knew they were coming. I couldn't see them yet, because I had ventured too far into the rocky area, but I couldn't wait for them to get closer.

That's when I noticed a small cave. I could hide there until the guards leave. I lifted my dress and ran inside, careful not to trip.

"Phew." That was way too close. I just need to get back and think of something else.

I continued backing into the cave, leaving my eyes on the entrance in case they should check inside. Still backing up, until the entrance was small and distant, I turned to see how much further the cave went. That's when I noticed the light. A fire burning only a dozen feet behind me had been burning. And two shadowy figures were watching.

"Uh-oh, looks like our location has been compromised." One joked.

"Keh, hello princess."

I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED IT! I like it so far. I like all that adventure stuff. It's fun to write. Of course we'll be seeing more of Inuyasha in the next chapter! ^.^

Anyways, I wonder what's gonna happen to Kagome? Where's Ayame? And all that good stuff.

Don't forget to review guys! Tell me what you think!