~Kagome: Belle doesn't own Inuyasha or YYH.
~The Freak Show: Chapter 1, The Carnival
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kagome was walking the paths of the Carnival alone. It was pretty dark and most of the crowd was gathered in the tent with the magician. Kagome didn't care much for women being sawed in half and rabbits jumping out of hats so she decided to explore the rest of the Carnival.
"I can not believe that Hojo!" She once again muttered aloud. He had asked her to the Carnival earlier and she had agreed. He worked at the concession stands here temporarily while the show was in town. Today was Saturday, their big date, they get here and then the guy working the concession stand practically begged Hojo to cover for him.
Sure that lazy bum's mom was in the hospital. But was that really any reason for her date to abandon her? He had apologized and offered to take her home but she had declined. So now here she was walking alone in the dark and the Carnival would be closing soon.
A red and blue striped tent caught her attention with a sign that read "Freak Show." When one hears those two words together their interest level already receives a spike in activity. She began to read the signs for the attractions.
There was the Bearded Lady, Mr. Crab-legs, Lizard man, Tall guy, Santa's Elf, Merwoman, and Fox-boy. She decided to take a look at these oddities. She knew that they were hoaxes but figured she would get a good laugh.
"Hello young lady, would you like to enter the Freak Show? I must warn you, some of the things you'll see will haunt you for the rest of you life." The old man with the beer belly bellowed down from his podium outside the tent.
"Yeah, I want it. How much?"
"For a lovely girl such as yourself, I'll give you the pretty girl discount. Go on in, just don't upset the freaks."
Kagome walked through the opening of the tent and was greeted by the Bearded Lady and the Mermaid. They were obviously fake as were all the freaks. At least that's what she thought. When she began to approach the last station she noticed that she had yet to see the Fox-boy.
"Hello Fox-boy where are you?" She softly called out. She was met with a low growling noise coming from behind a dark curtain. She pulled back the curtain to peer inside.
What she saw was a barred cage. Inside that cage was something she had never seen before in her life. No way was this 'boy' fake! Those ears and those eyes where his own. He looked at her with his golden irises.
"What do you want? Come to look at the freak have you?" He demanded in a quiet voice that seemed to indicate the calm before the storm.
Now that she looked more closely at him she noticed that there was a metal chain around his throat. None of the other 'freaks' had been locked within a cage.
"Why are you chained?" Kagome asked curiously forgetting the any fear she might have felt at the odd boy's presence.
He stopped trying to pry the lock apart to stare at her. "Is it not obvious? They don't want me to escape."
"You mean, you're a prisoner?"
He just looked at her like she was an idiot. "Yes! Now if you don't mind I need to plan my escape."
"Wait. Why are you a prisoner? Who did this to you?" Kagome asked grabbing onto the bars and pulling her face up close to his. She could feel his breath warming her skin as his golden orbs met her dark ones.
"Why am I a prisoner? Are you serious? Are you blind? Do you not see the fox ears and fangs? They hate me because I'm youkai. They fear me because of what I am." He then ignored the smell of vanilla and peaches that assaulted his nose from this human.
"What will they do to you?"
He looked up at her. He had picked the lock of his chain and stood up clutching the bars of the cage from the inside. "They will kill me soon enough."
It was getting late. The Carnival was closing. She heard someone approaching the tent.
"Alright Fox-boy, it's time for our daily beating. I've been saving up and tonight should be a real good one." An unknown figure announced as the flap of the tent was lifted open.
"Listen, help me escape and I will be in your debt." The odd boy grabbed hold of Kagome's shoulders and pleaded with her with those golden eyes.
"What can I do?"
"I need something to pick this lock. Do you have something like a pocket knife?"
Kagome shook her head no. The boy blew some hair out of his eyes in concentration.
"I have a metal fingernail file." Kagome fished around in her pocket to produce said nail file. She offered it to the incarcerated boy and he took it; lightly brushing against her hand in the process.
She ignored the sensation that passed through her from that innocent touch. Seconds later the cage door was unlocked. And the boy offered her his hand. She still couldn't see his features too clearly because of the poor lighting but she took his hand anyway.
He pulled her along with him and together they ran into the woods. After twenty minutes of solid running he came to a halt when he realized the girl could run no further. She collapsed on the ground trying to catch her breath.
"Thank you."
"What is your name?"
"I am Youko Kurama. You can call me Kurama. What may I call you?" He asked as he bent over her crouching on his hocks with his silvery white hair cascading around them both.
"Kagome."
"It's nice to meet you Kagome. Now, how may I repay your kindness?" Kurama let his senses enjoy her scent of vanilla and peaches. She was quite lovely for a human. An irresistible smile crossed his features.
"Are you a Kitsune?"
"How do you know what a Kitsune is?" Kurama asked shocked that this girl had made such an observation. Not only had she figured out he was a youkai, but she knew the specific type and everything!
"I have some good friends that are youkai. One of which is an orphaned Kitsune pup."
Youko Kurama shook his head in disbelief at his luck at finding a human to aid him in escaping and then not fearing his identity. "So what can I do to repay this debt?"
"There really isn't anything I need. I have responsibility that I must take care of but other than that there is nothing."
"What is this responsibility? You can trust me." He pulled a rose from his hair and handed it to her. She smelled it and her nerves were immediately calmed. "I want to help you in this responsibility. It's not like I have any pressing business to attend to." He joked to her.
"Alright. You'll get along great with my friends. Well all but one of them. We may have problems with Inuyasha." Kagome explained talking more to herself than to him.
Kagome began her trek home with Kurama at her side. She completely forgot about poor Hojo. Now she had a Kitsune to deal with. He was a rather tall, well built Kitsune with golden eyes and silvery white hair. Inuyasha was not going to like this one bit.
She held the rose up to her nose once more. 'Who cares what Inuyasha thinks. Kurama can pull a rose out of his hair. Inuyasha could however probably pull a thorn out of his butt.' Kagome laughed softly at this idea and glanced over at Kurama who was watching her intently.
"Who's Inuyasha?"
"You'll meet him soon enough."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TBC
~The Freak Show: Chapter 1, The Carnival
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kagome was walking the paths of the Carnival alone. It was pretty dark and most of the crowd was gathered in the tent with the magician. Kagome didn't care much for women being sawed in half and rabbits jumping out of hats so she decided to explore the rest of the Carnival.
"I can not believe that Hojo!" She once again muttered aloud. He had asked her to the Carnival earlier and she had agreed. He worked at the concession stands here temporarily while the show was in town. Today was Saturday, their big date, they get here and then the guy working the concession stand practically begged Hojo to cover for him.
Sure that lazy bum's mom was in the hospital. But was that really any reason for her date to abandon her? He had apologized and offered to take her home but she had declined. So now here she was walking alone in the dark and the Carnival would be closing soon.
A red and blue striped tent caught her attention with a sign that read "Freak Show." When one hears those two words together their interest level already receives a spike in activity. She began to read the signs for the attractions.
There was the Bearded Lady, Mr. Crab-legs, Lizard man, Tall guy, Santa's Elf, Merwoman, and Fox-boy. She decided to take a look at these oddities. She knew that they were hoaxes but figured she would get a good laugh.
"Hello young lady, would you like to enter the Freak Show? I must warn you, some of the things you'll see will haunt you for the rest of you life." The old man with the beer belly bellowed down from his podium outside the tent.
"Yeah, I want it. How much?"
"For a lovely girl such as yourself, I'll give you the pretty girl discount. Go on in, just don't upset the freaks."
Kagome walked through the opening of the tent and was greeted by the Bearded Lady and the Mermaid. They were obviously fake as were all the freaks. At least that's what she thought. When she began to approach the last station she noticed that she had yet to see the Fox-boy.
"Hello Fox-boy where are you?" She softly called out. She was met with a low growling noise coming from behind a dark curtain. She pulled back the curtain to peer inside.
What she saw was a barred cage. Inside that cage was something she had never seen before in her life. No way was this 'boy' fake! Those ears and those eyes where his own. He looked at her with his golden irises.
"What do you want? Come to look at the freak have you?" He demanded in a quiet voice that seemed to indicate the calm before the storm.
Now that she looked more closely at him she noticed that there was a metal chain around his throat. None of the other 'freaks' had been locked within a cage.
"Why are you chained?" Kagome asked curiously forgetting the any fear she might have felt at the odd boy's presence.
He stopped trying to pry the lock apart to stare at her. "Is it not obvious? They don't want me to escape."
"You mean, you're a prisoner?"
He just looked at her like she was an idiot. "Yes! Now if you don't mind I need to plan my escape."
"Wait. Why are you a prisoner? Who did this to you?" Kagome asked grabbing onto the bars and pulling her face up close to his. She could feel his breath warming her skin as his golden orbs met her dark ones.
"Why am I a prisoner? Are you serious? Are you blind? Do you not see the fox ears and fangs? They hate me because I'm youkai. They fear me because of what I am." He then ignored the smell of vanilla and peaches that assaulted his nose from this human.
"What will they do to you?"
He looked up at her. He had picked the lock of his chain and stood up clutching the bars of the cage from the inside. "They will kill me soon enough."
It was getting late. The Carnival was closing. She heard someone approaching the tent.
"Alright Fox-boy, it's time for our daily beating. I've been saving up and tonight should be a real good one." An unknown figure announced as the flap of the tent was lifted open.
"Listen, help me escape and I will be in your debt." The odd boy grabbed hold of Kagome's shoulders and pleaded with her with those golden eyes.
"What can I do?"
"I need something to pick this lock. Do you have something like a pocket knife?"
Kagome shook her head no. The boy blew some hair out of his eyes in concentration.
"I have a metal fingernail file." Kagome fished around in her pocket to produce said nail file. She offered it to the incarcerated boy and he took it; lightly brushing against her hand in the process.
She ignored the sensation that passed through her from that innocent touch. Seconds later the cage door was unlocked. And the boy offered her his hand. She still couldn't see his features too clearly because of the poor lighting but she took his hand anyway.
He pulled her along with him and together they ran into the woods. After twenty minutes of solid running he came to a halt when he realized the girl could run no further. She collapsed on the ground trying to catch her breath.
"Thank you."
"What is your name?"
"I am Youko Kurama. You can call me Kurama. What may I call you?" He asked as he bent over her crouching on his hocks with his silvery white hair cascading around them both.
"Kagome."
"It's nice to meet you Kagome. Now, how may I repay your kindness?" Kurama let his senses enjoy her scent of vanilla and peaches. She was quite lovely for a human. An irresistible smile crossed his features.
"Are you a Kitsune?"
"How do you know what a Kitsune is?" Kurama asked shocked that this girl had made such an observation. Not only had she figured out he was a youkai, but she knew the specific type and everything!
"I have some good friends that are youkai. One of which is an orphaned Kitsune pup."
Youko Kurama shook his head in disbelief at his luck at finding a human to aid him in escaping and then not fearing his identity. "So what can I do to repay this debt?"
"There really isn't anything I need. I have responsibility that I must take care of but other than that there is nothing."
"What is this responsibility? You can trust me." He pulled a rose from his hair and handed it to her. She smelled it and her nerves were immediately calmed. "I want to help you in this responsibility. It's not like I have any pressing business to attend to." He joked to her.
"Alright. You'll get along great with my friends. Well all but one of them. We may have problems with Inuyasha." Kagome explained talking more to herself than to him.
Kagome began her trek home with Kurama at her side. She completely forgot about poor Hojo. Now she had a Kitsune to deal with. He was a rather tall, well built Kitsune with golden eyes and silvery white hair. Inuyasha was not going to like this one bit.
She held the rose up to her nose once more. 'Who cares what Inuyasha thinks. Kurama can pull a rose out of his hair. Inuyasha could however probably pull a thorn out of his butt.' Kagome laughed softly at this idea and glanced over at Kurama who was watching her intently.
"Who's Inuyasha?"
"You'll meet him soon enough."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TBC