The Shikon Princess

18

Our princess woke a little after dawn, the early sun streaming through the small gap of an old animal skin and the weathered window and hurting her eyes. With a soft groan, she rolled over and buried her face in the warmth she had felt on her back. The smooth, warm skin of a chest filled her body with warmth, and she could almost feel her body trying to drift off again as the owner's heart thudded gently in her ear.

She was, however, roused a little more when the warmth groaned and moved her away from her. Her eyes opened and a gaze landed upon the hanyo as he moved towards where she had spread out his robes to dry by the fire. She lifted her head, making her own noise of discontent in waking and he turned to her, his expression much more neutral than she had expected due to some of the way emotions were tossed and turned in the storm the night before.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice seemingly trembled as she addressed him, and he glanced at the corner where she had laid down the kitsune orphan the night before.

"Get the runt up and get dressed," He said in a low, grumbling voice that gave away no emotion, "I'm gonna go look for some breakfast we can cook and eat fast. I don't want to linger here." Kagome sat up and felt the warm blanket trying to slide off her, making her grab it and hold it to her.

"Inuyasha," She sighed, trying to find something to say besides his name, knowing, but not even knowing where to begin. He just walked to the hanging door mat, grabbing onto the edge of it.

"Use whatever you need from the trunk," He grumbles, making the genuine offer seem less so, "I'll be back."

Before Kagome could try to object, the hanyo was already gone and she was left alone in this lonely place he had made for himself over the years. When he wandered after his mother died, this had been the place he had stayed, likely seeking such shelter on his most vulnerable times, such as the new moon.

After all, who would ever think to look for anyone, let alone a cast aside prince, in a burned-out palace?

Shaking her head, knowing there was no use in pondering what just had occurred, Kagome crawled out from under the plush blanket and stood on the cool wood floor. Her shoulders ached a little, but nowhere near as bad as the day before as she stretched her sleep stiff body and moved towards the corner where she had left the fox child to sleep in the comfort of a makeshift den.

Shippo let out a groan of protest as she approached, rolling over and turning his back to her, making Kagome chuckle. She crouches down and gently shakes his shoulder as he let out an overly dramatic yawn.

"Come on Shippo, I'm sure you heard me walk over here," She says, "Time to get up." A pair of weary green eyes blinked at her, and he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry Lady Kagome," he grumbled, his voice thick with sleep, "I was just having a really good dream and didn't want to wake up." She nodded gently, stroking her fingers through his soft, fur-like hair.

"About your family?" She asks and he nodded slowly, a tear running down his cheek.

"It was nice, before Papa or even Mama died," He says, more tears welling up and Kagome carefully picks him up, resting him against her chest. Her slender arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace, and she felt his little clawed hands gripping the shoulders of her kimono.

"It sounds like a very nice dream, Shippo," She replies, relieved that the child hadn't been plagued by nightmares instead, but only just.

She knew that dreams that recalled those you could no longer reach hurt terribly when you had to re-enter reality in the waking world. The temporary fear that came with the nightmare of a horrible memory was hardly a cat's scratch in comparison to such a deep wound to a heart.