Disclaimer: I write so much about Inu-Yasha, I think that I should be able to own him for a bit. Like frequent flyer miles, ya know?
Author's Note: Not really much to say right now that's of much importance, but I figured I'd get a few things out in the open right now.
One- the plot is not at all what you guys seem to be thinking right now. (But that's okay, because it's not like I've given proof to anything else. :-) )
Two- this, unfortunately, is probably going to be the least romantic of all my fics. They'll be plenty of fluff and all that good stuff, but. . . well, you'll see.
Three- Invader Zim ROCKS! I just saw it for the first time over last weekend (the worst weekend I've had in years T-T), and I LOVE IT! ::dies laughing while huggling Gir and Zim plushies:: )
Anyway, that's about it! Thank you everyone for reviewing, and heeeeeere we go!
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STARDUST
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"Great minds have great purposes, others have wishes. Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them." Washington Irving (1783-1859)
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CHAPTER SIX: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FALLEN AND FALLEN
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The moon shone brightly upon the sprays of white sand that flew up from underneath the horse's hooves and Inu-Yasha's bare feet. Desert winds blew through in sudden gusts, slamming into the friends and berating their stupidity. Not that they needed much help in doing that. . .
"Damn it!" the hanyou cursed under his breath while the velvet purple sky twinkled above, the large rosy moon hovering near the horizon line. A small cluster of stringy black clouds cast parts of the heavens into darkness- silhouetting the frantic Inu as he leapt wildly over the dunes, closely followed by the whinnying animals. "Damn it damn it damn it damn it!"
How could he be so STUPID? He'd known the guards were going to search the house! Why hadn't he grabbed the fucking lamp?! Who knew where Kagome was now? Was she in danger? Was she being mistreated? Where could she be?
"Hurry up!" he snapped at his worried companions from over his shoulder, pushing on through the night and towards the tiny glowing city in the distance. "We don't have time to dawdle!"
"Do we look like we're dawdling to you?!" Sango barked in reply, gritting her teeth as she urged her horse to run faster. "Hyah!"
"Keh!" Inu-Yasha grunted, narrowed eyes turning back to his front. The gigantic palace of golden, curling turrets and smooth alabaster seemed to be growing. They'd be back home soon. . . to whatever was left of it. What would they find when they arrived? A knot tightened in Inu-Yasha's gut as his forehead furrowed.
'She had better be okay. . .'
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". . ."
Inu-Yasha blinked once, twice- three times in total, but remained utterly nonplused to the sight before him. Sango and Miroku, too, seemed unsure as to what to feel. And as they all exchanged glances, the hanyou couldn't help but wonder-
Was she okay? It was hard to tell. After all, though they hadn't first thought so-
She was the one IN the lamp, not the one holding it.
"Uh. . ." Sango cleared her throat, keeping a few yards away from the woman in the doorway of their virtually destroyed hut-turned-palace. Yes, as expected, the whole thing was a mess. From what they could see through the blasted door, all of the decorations were ruined, curtains were torn, windows were shattered- even the stonework itself seemed to have frayed. But all of that was unnaturally negligible. . .
What with the princess on their front steps.
Inu felt his whole face flame as his best friend's wife continued to search for the proper words to say. Words that he should have been able to say- were he able to find his tongue. As it was, he couldn't have found his nose if someone had asked him to point it out.
He must have died out there, somewhere, in that freezing desert night, because the goddess that stood before him couldn't possibly be human. Not with that thick, silky sheet of onyx hair; the deep, misty star-gray eyes; the luscious ruby lips; the soft rose-pink cheeks; the smooth porcelain skin. Countless lengths of shimmering, semi-transparent, blood red veils- even darker than Kagome's- wrapped and re-wrapped lazily around her chest, displaying planes of skin from the base of her breasts to the lower half of her hips. Bags of access material seemed to float near her slender feet, giving the impression of walking on a cloud. A silver body chain decorated her stomach perfectly as gold, jewels, and riches beyond measure looped her wrists, ankles, and head; gems platted into her rear-long braid. Yes, she was definitely some sort of angel. . .
Princess Kikyo. . .
The hanyou was jolted from his musings of her majesty by Sango, who finally seemed to have found the tail end of her sentence. "What are you doing here?" Kikyo arched a surprised eyebrow at the bluntness, but before Miroku or Inu-Yasha could tell off the elder girl for her rude tone- - -
The princess giggled, ducking her head to hide her blush as she fingered the smooth sides of Kag's lamp. "Um. . . so sorry to be a bother," she began in embarrassment, playing with a loose hoop of her hair. "But I wanted to personally apologize for my guards' unforgivable behavior." Glancing up sheepishly, she turned to Inu-Yasha, holding out the mystical item in her delicate hands, which were tipped by maroon colored nails. The boy was almost afraid to touch her, lest she brake (or his head be chopped off), but her warm, honey-sweet smile made him melt into a puddle of goo and loose all sense. He took the lamp carefully from her, and even allowed their hands to stay connected for a few moments.
Kikyo's magenta cheeks darkened before she quickly pulled her fingers back, glancing away with shy, hooded eyes. "I- um- was only able to save that from those bullies. . . I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding. I'll be sure to pay back every cent of what was so thoughtlessly broken. Please don't hold it against me or my family. . . it would just break my heart."What broke the half-demon's heart was her pained whispers. Reaching out before he'd even thought his actions over, Inu-Yasha placed a comforting hand on her arm. Kikyo started in shock at the gesture, dark pools welling with tears.
"Don't worry," Inu soothed in an unnaturally gentle tone- one that stunned even himself. "We understand why we looked suspicious. We don't blame you." The woman managed a thankful smile as Sango and Miroku exchanged knowing glances, trying to hide their growing smirks. Once again clearing her throat, the brown haired female startled the pair of love struck teens into glancing away from each other long enough to notice the married pair.
"We're going to head inside and assess the damage," Sango announced, sending a subtle wink Inu's way. The hanyou growled softly, but couldn't stay mad at his friends. He knew what they were trying to do- and he was strangely thankful. Grabbing her mildly protesting husband's hand, the pregnant woman began to pull him with her into the depths of the mansion. "Be good!"
. . . As if he'd be bad with the princess around. . .
Inu-Yasha and Kikyo watched the others leave for a long moment, and then fell silent- unsure of how to act now that they were virtually alone. The half demon, suddenly full of unfamiliar, self-conscious nerves, began examining Kagome's lamp in the sunrise glow, able to see Kikyo's reflection in the side. She seemed just as frazzled as he.
"So. . ." she eventually managed, fiddling with her hair again. "Here we are. . . finally meeting face to face."
Inu-Yasha chuckled, putting the lamp under his arm. "It's like I already know you."
Kikyo beamed, cocking her head cutely. "I feel the same." Blushing again, the princess cast him a glance through her long black lashes. "You know," she whispered, as if sharing a secret with him, "I look forward to seeing you every day. In the bazaar, from my balcony. When you make a fool of yourself, just to catch my eye. But I'm sure you've realized by now. . ." she continued softly, a note of some other emotion in her voice as she took a careful step nearer, brushing his chest. "You already have it."
Already- - - have- - - ?
His whole face lit up in an unimaginable fire. Kikyo giggled again, airy and whimsical. "You needn't look so embarrassed. I think you're charming. I love watching you in the afternoons- and when you escape with your friends at night." Here she suddenly sighed, eyes dropping. "Sometimes I wish I could just run away with you. But the world is a frightening place, Father tells me, full of liars and pretenders with intricate guises. I'm sure I'd not last more than two minutes on my own."
. . .He should say something here. Anything! 'Just stop staring at her like some sort of fool and speak words!'
"Y-you wouldn't have to be alone. . . You could always stay with us, if you left," he blurted, not really stopping to mull over his response before replying. Her strange expression made his ears droop- '. . . Maybe I should have kept quiet.'- but they soon perked as she graced him with another kind grin. "I appreciate your saying that, Inu-Yasha. . ." she returned thankfully, turning to walk away. The hanyou blushed deep scarlet at the response- but then paused when she was already a few meters gone- realizing something."Wait!" he called after her, confused. She halted and glanced at him over her shoulder, a halo of sunlight ringing her head. She really was an angel of some sort. . ."How did you know my- - - ?"
Kikyo laughed, her voice a tinkering melody. A sound that made his knees grow weak. ". . . I know the name of every man I fall for, Inu-Yasha," she teased, winking one charcoaled eye before leaping off, her own face tinted with embarrassment. He watched her, stunned stupid, as she shrank into the distance, eventually joined by a fleet of six guards who steered her in the direction of the palace.
Inu-Yasha swallowed, still pink and choked. 'Princess. . .'
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"And- and- and then she smiled at me! She actually smiled at me!"
"Mmmm," Kagome drawled in response, only half paying attention to her rambling master as she noted the damage to her masterpiece of a house, picking a piece of lint off of her top and flicking it away. It could easily be redressed, sure; but it was still utterly annoying. Almost as annoying as having to pay attention to this. . .
Casting a flat glance at Inu-Yasha, who was pacing excitedly before the broken window in his torn-apart room, she muted a sigh, confused as to what had happened. After all- One minute she was in the desert with Master Inu-Yasha, the next she was back home, listening to him talk about this 'princess' of his. What had happened between those two points? Had everyone gotten back okay? How much time had passed? And who was this princess? "Exciting, Master Inu-Yasha. Very exciting indeed."
The boy blew out his cheeks in a happy rush; suddenly flopping back upon his sliced up mattress. Ignoring the flurry of feathers that blasted into the sky at his sudden impact, Inu grinned widely at the ceiling, floating upon cloud nine. He was so thrilled, he didn't even notice Kagome's less than perky expression, hidden as she was in the shadows of the corner. But then again, he probably wouldn't have anyway. "Yes. . . it was very exciting. And she even told me that she's 'fallen' for me, Kagome! Do you know what this means?"
She cocked her head and blinked once, gliding on air a foot or two foreword, her fallow-colored eye shadow darker than usual in the twilight; giving her a haunted look. "A thousand and one apologize, my Master, but I do not. I have always known falling to be a bad thing. I have found it hurts my nose."
'Hurts her nose. . . ?'
Inu-Yasha blinked once, lifting his head off of his pillow and resting his chin upon his chest, studying her serious expression in the starlight. Then he began snickering, rolling his amber-gold eyes. "No, stupid. Not literal falling! Falling can also mean finding yourself in love."
"Ho. . . .?" she gaped, genuinely shocked. "In love, my Master? Can it really?"
"Uh huh," he hummed, frighteningly cheerful. "It can."
Kagome considered this thoughtfully, musing over his words for the greater portion of a minute before allowing herself to sit carefully next to him on the bed. Crossing her legs and pulling her master's head into her lap, she began working the knots out of his hair. The hanyou seemed a little surprised by her actions, but didn't question them. After all. . . it felt rather good. "I see," she murmured through her slightly pursed lips, nibbling once on the very tip of her tongue. "But Master Inu-Yasha, who would come up with such a strange connection? Falling was first a bad thing before it was, in this case, good. Or is falling in love a bad thing in this time? How does one know that the other is 'falling' in love, and no falling into hate or any other emotion? It seems to me that this phrase is merely a structure of guesswork."His expression slipped slightly. He'd never thought of it that way. . .
Falling into hate. . . ? Could it be possible. . . ?
Inu-Yasha stiffened in Kagome's embrace, a seeping sort of fear that he hadn't felt since that morning taking control of his veins. Perhaps he had misunderstood the princess? Or worse yet- she could have meant as Kagome had suggested? Maybe she was just being polite!
Along with his stomach, his heart, his soul. . . He had to do something! He didn't want to loose Kikyo. . .
"Kagome," he breathed, trying to keep his voice from cracking, "Kagome- I need to make a wish."
"- - -!" The genie was the one to tense now, her hands freezing in his tresses of silver. "A desire. . .?" she repeated in an almost craven fashion. "M-master Inu-Yasha, I believe I know what you are to say and- - -and please, just forget which I so wrongly asked! I'm sure that this princess is very much fallen!"
"Yes, I'm sure she is too" the half demon scowled, smacking his forehead with his fist. "And has probably just broken her nose! How stupid can I be? She couldn't possibly have meant it like I thought she did. . .! Could she- - - ? Ooo- nonetheless! This must be done, - just to make sure!"
"But, Master, wait- - -!"
"No!" he snapped, cutting her off. "Kagome, I wish for the love of the princess. All of the princess's love!"
Kag was becoming frantic now, scooting quickly away from Inu-Yasha as he rolled upon his stomach, squirming towards her and grabbing her forearms as her back hit the corner, wooden pole of his canopy. "But, Master- please!"
He growled, eyes narrowing. "Do it, Kagome!" Giving her a sharp shake as she trembled, their intense gazes locked in the black room. She swallowed painfully, brow quivering as her chest heaved. After a full moment of attempts to collect herself, Kagome seemed to manage some sort of composure- able to bring her thumb and ring fingers together. She had no choice- it was not her fault.
"Anything my master desires. . . I shall grant to its fullest extent. Done."
Snap
And as the rest of the light seemed to flee that room- the room full of shattered glass, torn finery, and silent tears- a single soul peered around the corner, violet eyes narrowed in suspicion.
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Yea! Another chapter done! Finally! XD I hope you all enjoyed- and thank you for being so patient when it comes to updates. I know I'm terrible when it comes to that. ::sweatdrop::
I love you all! Please R&R!
Ja ne!