Chapter 1

There She Goes

It was another beautiful day in the village, and so Kagome decided not to pass up the chance to take a trip into town while the weather was still mild.

Kagome Higurashi and her grandfather lived on the edge of a quaint little town, where they were caretakers of the village shrine. Over the hills just on the horizon loomed a dark, forbidding forest, where it was rumored demons lie in wait to pick off any weary travelers. Kagome's somewhat eccentric grandfather took advantage of his family's role as keepers of the shrine, and sold various charms and spells to the villagers designed to ward off demons.

Kagome lead a simple but happy life, helping her grandfather tend the shrine and feed the goats and chickens. She spent her spare time reading books that she borrowed from the town bookstore and dreaming of the day when she would finally find her grand purpose in life, perhaps by meeting her one true love.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning!"

As she walked into town, politely greeting everyone she encountered, Kagome was irresistibly reminded of what a simple place the village was; nothing ever changed.

"Fresh bread, madam!" called the baker.

"I'll take two!" said a woman.

This place…each day is just like the one before, Kagome thought wistfully. There must be more to life than this!

"There goes that Kagome," remarked the barber, watching Kagome pass below his shop window.

"She's a beautiful girl…but odd! She's nothing like the rest of us!" a passing lady muttered to her companion.

"Good morning, Kagome!" the baker called, spotting Kagome.

"Good morning, sir!" she said.

"Where are you off to?"

"The bookshop!" she replied enthusiastically. "I just finished a great story, about a peach tree and an evil sage, and a—"

"That's nice," the baker said, clearly not listening. "Mari!" he called through the window. "The baguettes! Hurry up!"

Sigh…oh well! Kagome walked on, oblivious to the two women watching her.

"Just look at that Kagome—distracted, as usual!" said one.

"What a puzzlement she is!" said the other.

Kagome reached the bookshop. A little bell tinkled as she passed through the door.

"Ah, Kagome!" said the store owner, an old man with fluffy white hair and small, round glasses.

"Good morning!" Kagome said happily. "I've come to return the book I borrowed!"

"Finished with it already?" he asked in surprise as he took the book from her.

"Oh, I couldn't put it down!" she replied, climbing up the ladder to browse the shelves. "Have you got anything new?"

The shop owner laughed and placed The Human-Head Tree on the shelf beside him.

"Not since yesterday!" he chuckled.

"That's all right! I'll borrow—" her hand drifted back and forth, searching for an intriguing title. "—this one!" She snatched up a red book and handed it down to the shop owner.

"This one?" he remarked, gazing at the cover. "But you've already read this one—twice!"

"Oh, but it's my favorite!" Kagome cried. "Far off places, epic battles, magic spells, a half-demon sealed to a sacred tree—"

The shop owner chuckled to himself as Kagome got down off the ladder.

"Well, if you like it that much, it's yours!"

"Oh, no!" she protested. "I couldn't—"

"I insist!"

"Well, thank you! Thank you very much!"

And with that, Kagome left the shop, opened the book and started reading as she walked. She was too absorbed to notice the villagers staring after her, muttering to each other.

"Such a strange girl, that Kagome…"

"With her nose stuck in a book!"

"And her head in the clouds!"

Kagome's feet carried her on, as if they had a mind of their own. If Kagome had a supernatural talent, it was her ability to read and walk at the same time without ever running into anything.

I just love this part…when she finds Inuyasha bound to the tree of ages! But she won't learn who he is until later!

Oblivious as she was, Kagome didn't notice that her presence had caught someone's attention: Naraku, the charismatic young lord who had taken residence in the town a few weeks ago. His servant girl, Kagura, was accompanying him.

"I don't know how you can enjoy taking walks in this place," Kagura complained, opening and closing her fan in the way she did when she was annoyed or bored. "Nothing ever happens!"

"It's true, Kagura," Naraku acknowledged in his velvety voice. "This village is filled with simpletons…but I have my sights set on that one."

Kagura followed her master's gaze with her own and raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh? That old shrine keeper's daughter?"

"That's the one," he said, not taking his cool, red eyes off Kagome.

Kagura sniffed and snapped her fan.

"I didn't think you were interested in women at all," she remarked boldly.

"Not women," he said, following Kagome as she miraculously moved around the various obstacles without glancing up from her book. "But perhaps I'm interested in that woman."

"Humph," Kagura snorted. "Well, other than her possibly having a sixth sense for spatial awareness, I don't see what makes her so special." She reopened her fan with a flick of her wrist. "But, hey, don't let me stop you," she added offhandedly.

Naraku wasn't even listening to her. He was making his move, carefully maneuvering himself to end up in Kagome's path of travel.

Just as she started to pass him, Naraku leaned towards her just slightly and greeted her in a carrying murmur.

"Hello, Kagome."

"Good morning, Naraku," she replied easily, without missing a beat in her step.

Smirking slightly in amusement at Kagome's immunity to distraction, he reached out and neatly snatched the book out of her hands.

Kagome was instantly brought back to earth. Now wearing a displeased frown, she spun around and reached for where her book had disappeared to.

"Naraku, may I have my book back, please?" she said, trying not to sound as annoyed as she felt.

"I've been watching you, Kagome, and if you keep trying to read and walk at the same time, you might sustain an injury."

"It's nothing to worry about," she said, frowning. "I'm used to it; it's just multi-tasking!"

"Well, it's about time you took your head out of these books, and started paying attention to more important things," Naraku said, holding up her book demonstratively in front of him. "It's not good for a young woman like you to read too much." He leaned in towards her just slightly to make sure he captured her gaze before she took back her prize. "You'll start forming unrealistic ideas about life and not notice everything that's happening around you."

"I'm perfectly aware of everything that's happening around me," Kagome protested, taking back her book. "If anything interesting happened in this place, there's no way I wouldn't notice! Well, I guess you coming here counts as something interesting," she added, and then immediately regretted it.

Naraku chuckled softly. A short distance away, Kagura wrinkled her nose in disgust at the direction their exchange was going.

"Why, thank you, Kagome," he said, sounding pleased. "Perhaps you would be willing to pay me a visit at my place of residence? I've seen many strange places on my travels, and…" Here he hesitated, earning a raised eyebrow from Kagura, who was reluctantly impressed. "…I wonder if we might enjoy sitting down for a while over tea and sweets and just…talk about the things I've seen and all of the things you've wanted to see."

"Uh…"

Kagome really hoped she could keep herself from blushing. Naraku was quite handsome; with his thick, long, black hair and smooth, pale skin. Also, he probably did have a very fascinating past. Yet, there was something about his piercing gaze and dark voice that made Kagome uncomfortable around him.

"Maybe some other time!" she said, turning away. "I have to get home and help my grandfather! Excuse me!"

Naraku smiled after Kagome as she left, clearly trying to hurry off without looking hurried. Seeing that their conversation was over, Kagura came back to Naraku's side.

"Hmm…tough cookie, huh?" she mused uninterestedly. "Well, that senile old loon does need all the help he can get. His charms are all useless. But still…" she eyed Naraku suspiciously. "Why try so hard to get close to her?"

"Why not?" countered Naraku offhandedly. "Don't I deserve the best?"

Kagura scowled and flicked her fan open again. Naraku was infuriating the way he never explained himself properly.

"All will be clear to you in good time, Kagura," he said mysteriously, as if to rub his genius in her face. He was still gazing in the direction Kagome had run off to with, with a devious smile just barely visible on his lips.

"I'm back!" Kagome called.

There was no answer. With a feeling she knew where her grandfather was, Kagome headed for the large shed behind the shrine where he kept all of the charms and other "sacred" objects that he either sold to villagers or kept for their sentimental value as Higurashi family heirlooms.

"Grandpa?" she called again, opening the door to the shed.

"Ah, Kagome!" he cried, looking up. Her grandfather was a short, wide man with a bony face and wrinkled forehead. He had been even more restless than usual for the past few days due to an upcoming festival that was to take place in a nearby town today. Various priests, monks, and sages were to attend, and her grandfather couldn't pass up the chance to try selling his religious paraphernalia to all those attending.

"Have you finished packing the wagon for your trip?" Kagome asked, stepping carefully over a box of who-knew-what.

"Just about!" he said, turning back to the shelves before him. "I just can't for the life of me find that box of demon parts! The one with the mermaid scales and the kappa fins?"

"Sorry, I haven't seen it," Kagome replied. In truth, she had some doubt as to the authenticity of many of her grandfather's relics, but she was never one to discourage him. If she convinced him those demon body parts were fake, he might go out and try to buy real ones, and would probably end up cheated by unscrupulous tradesmen. "Why don't you sell fresh cucumbers instead? Just tell customers about how carving the name and birthdate of a loved one on it and throwing it into any suspicious lake or river will keep any kappa away?"

"A splendid idea!" cried her grandfather, his eyes gleaming. "Would you go into the house and see if we have any?"

"They're right here, grandpa," she said, taking down a basket from a high shelf. "You always keep a big supply as long as they're in season."

Her grandfather took the basket from her and set it aside.

"Hey, grandpa?" Kagome suddenly asked. "Do you think I'm…odd?"

"What? My granddaughter, odd?" he echoed incredulously. "Where do you get an idea like that?"

"Oh…I don't know," she sighed, sitting down on a large crate. "It's just that…I feel like I don't fit in here. I want adventure—excitement—and someone to share it with! But there's no one I can really talk to."

"What about Naraku?" he asked, digging through a box of odds and ends. "He's a handsome young fella!"

"Oh, grandpa, he's not for me!" she sighed.

"Well, don't you worry!" he said, straightening up with a ceremonial staff in his arms. "This festival could easily mark the start of a whole new life for us, if I can make a good profit and attract more visitors to our shrine! Now, why don't you help me pack the wagon?"

Kagome helped her grandfather pack their wagon and tie everything down. Then, she saddled their cat horse, Buyō and hitched him to the wagon. Her grandfather dressed put a traveling cloak over his Shinto priest's clothing and set out for the road.

"Good luck, Grandpa!"

"Take care while I'm gone, Kagome!"

From the Author: In contrast to the prologue, writing this chapter was a much more straight-forward process. Most of you probably saw a lot of the original Disney movie in it, changed slightly to allow Kagome, her Grandpa, Naraku, and Kagura to take on the roles of Belle, her grandpa, Gaston, and Lefou while staying true to their own characters and their origins. In addition to referencing the Disney movie itself, I also referenced the Disney's Cartoon Tales graphic novel adaption of the movie: Disney's Beauty and the Beast: A Tale of Enchantment. It's probably ninety percent line-for-line and eighty percent scene-by-scene true to the movie, but without the songs, so it makes for a very handy quick reference to the movie, but there is just enough variation that it helps me freshen up the dialogue and keep from being work-for-word identical to the movie (Also, watching and re-watching clips of the movie alone would be a lot more time consuming!).

I think I was able to successfully create a balance between staying true to the Beauty and the Beast movie and true to the characters of Inuyasha; I hope you all will agree! If not, I welcome all of your constructive criticism on how I can make it better!

I am so happy and excited every time this story or I gains a follower or a favorite, and it especially thrills me whenever I get to read a review. To have seven (at the time of publishing this chapter) people tell me how much they enjoyed reading the prologue and how much they look forward to the next chapter just made me feel so happy and grateful, especially when I see that my readers like how I am adapting the story. To all of my readers and followers: Thank you so much for all of your views, favorites, and reviews!