InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Corrupted the Blind ❯ Ancient Feelings 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Ancient Feelings

 

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

 

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The instant that man, Inuyasha, left Kagome's mansion, she called for Sango, her favourite maid.

 

“Did you want to see me, Lady Kagome?” Sango said, emerging from around the corner. Kagome had been wondering for a while how come Sango wasn't a Lady. Her manners were exquisite and she was very beautiful and tall. She could also play the piano and sew beautifully. All servants respected her greatly, even though she was very young, and yet she didn't want to aim higher. Kagome figured she was just very humble.

 

“Yes. But I have told you numerous times not to call me Lady. Just call me Kagome.”

 

“Of course,” Sango said with a bow.

 

“And stop bowing,” Kagome threatened, frowning deeply. “Now… Do we have any books about illnesses and cures?” she asked desperately.

 

“Illnesses, ma'm?” Sango asked, obviously confused.

 

“Yes, you know… about different kinds of diseases and how you can treat them… herbs… anything!”

 

“I shall have to ask my husband, La- I mean, Kagome.”

 

“Your husband?” Sango had a husband? So that was why she didn't want to consider marrying a Lord! Maybe she really loved the man she married…

 

“Miroku. The butler,” Sango explained with a longing smile on her face, which made Kagome smile, too.

 

“I did not know that. You should have told me. I am glad you both work under the same roof. You love him, I presume,” Kagome deducted and waited for the servant's response. When it didn't come, Kagome smiled warmly.

 

“Anything else, Kagome?”

 

“Yes, actually. Sango, do I know Inuyasha Taisho from somewhere?”

 

“I do not think so,” Sango said truthfully. “I have never seen him around. Anything else?”

 

“Yes. Can you tell me who my husband is?” Kagome's voice left no room for evading.

 

“I am afraid I cannot do that, Kagome,” Sango replied and watch Kagome's anger show on her flawless face.

 

“Everyone says that! Can't you let me decide whether I want to know about him or not?!”

 

Sango sighed profusely before answering, “That is not the reason. We do not know, Kagome. We really… do not remember. Just like you. I don't know why. We should be able to remember him, but none of us do. It is like the Earth has swallowed him.”

 

“I do not believe you!” Kagome accused, crossing her arms stubbornly.

 

“You should. I am telling the truth. It has been the most discussed subject in the kitchen, too. No one remembers who your husband is, Kagome. Have you tried looking for a picture of his? In your room, I mean. Because we have tried in all the others, including the basement, but there is no trace of him. We have also thought that perhaps you were unmarried, but then we came across a marriage document. It was yours, but his name was cut off. With scissors, most likely. There is something strange going on, Kagome,” Sango said, sitting on the bed next to Kagome without realising it.

 

Kagome's eyes widened and she gasped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Who would do such a thing... and more importantly, how did they manage to erase everyone's memory?”

 

“Are you sure you're not lying to me, Sango?” Kagome asked with squinted eyes and didn't leave Sango the chance to answer. “Because if you are, I will personally see to it that you are killed with stones,” Kagome threatened eerily.

 

“I am not lying. I swear.”

 

“Very well,” Kagome concluded with a reluctant sigh. “Go ask Miroku about the books.”

 

“Of course.” Sango nodded before getting up and leaving.

 

~*~@~*~f~*~

 

Dungeons were very cold at night. The four women had learnt that much. They had been hoping that someone would rescue them. Now they were trembling in the pitch darkness.

 

The man who had kidnapped and thrown them in this disgusting place was sick. This basement-turned-dungeon had to be everyone's worst nightmare. He even had a torture room they'd all visited five times in the last few months. Moreover, they had already lost trace of time, since there was no window and they couldn't know when it was night or day. Years could have passed for all they knew.

 

They were all immobilised, fettered like common criminals. And they were Ladies, for God's sake! Well, except Kaede, but it didn't matter. They had incarceration chains used to secure their heads and hands and they even had dungeon balls and leg chain shackles to prevent them from escaping in case they somehow - even though it was impossible - broke out of their confinements.

 

“My old bones shall not bear much longer,” Kaede complained, sweat beads dripping on her temple.

 

“Please, Kaede. Don't leave us,” Jane pleaded in a whiny voice. Tears had welled in her eyes for the thousandth time, but she willed them away. She had to be strong, or else she wouldn't get alive out of this mess they'd got into. Something furry and small tickled her feet all of a sudden and she shuddered in revulsion. She would never get used to rats roaming around in this unbearable darkness.

 

“I think I forgot how to see,” Lady Caroline declared in a completely grave tone. She was well-known for being a charming and always cheerful Lady, but desperate situations called for desperate manners. She tried to instil optimism, because she somehow felt responsible for their being here, but it was difficult. She had been the one who had suggested they went out that faithful day, a long time ago - when several men came and kidnapped them, threatening to kill them. So she had to be strong for the others.

 

“Well then. You shall have to wait for the next torture session, when you shall have the candle right in front of you to find out if this is true,” Jane joked morbidly without laughing. She wasn't surprised when the others didn't laugh, either.

 

“If we ever get out of this alive,” Kaede began but Lady Caroline corrected her with a punctured `when'. “Very well. When we get out of this, we shall certainly be scarred for life. But worry not, young ladies. I have already thought of some calming herbs to soothe our frail nerves,” the eldest said.

 

The sudden silence engulfed them all and an unnerving feeling settled upon Lady Caroline.

 

“Audrey?” she called, but there was no answer, so she did it again. And again, there was no answer. “Jane, are you closest to Audrey?” she asked impatiently. Panic was obviously lacing her words.

 

“I think so,” the young girl answered meekly. “I cannot remember.”

 

“I believe so, too,” Kagome chimed in, but Caroline ignored her.

 

“Can you poke her with your foot?” she asked Jane, who burst out crying.

 

“I cannot drag my feet, Lady Caroline. They are sooo sore from this bloody ball… I have tried countless times to move my legs, and now I cannot move them at all. I am so sorry,” she whined.

 

Lady Caroline sighed, but decided she had to soothe the young woman. “There, there,” she said. “Don't cry. I know this is all very overwhelming, but we will get out of here. I promise.”

 

“We trust you,” Kaede said, “but you have said it over and over again and there is still no improvement. Let us face the facts, Lady Caroline. We might rot in here.”

 

“Never say such horrible things again, Kaede,” Lady Caroline chided indignantly. “We shall not die in such a miserable place! Now help me to wake up Audrey. She cannot be dead!”

 

“Audrey!” Jane shouted and feared for an instant that their filthy kidnapper would come to see what the commotion was about. He would be very pleased if either one of them died, wouldn't he? “What if Ku-” Jane started, but Caroline interrupted her abruptly.

 

“Never say his name! Have you forgotten what happened the last time you did? We were taken to the torture room! He has a way to know when we speak of him. Call him how we agreed!”

 

“Sorry,” Jane apologised humbly. “What if Caveman gave her poison?”

 

“Unlikely. Why would he only poison Audrey and not us, too? It doesn't make any sense. She knows as much as we do. I do not think he is starting to kill us,” Lady Caroline stated grimly.

 

“Or rather, you hope he is not starting to kill us. We cannot be sure, Lady Caroline,” Kaede added. “I have an idea that might work. The next time we receive food, you shall let me check for undesirable odours, since I am rather familiar with the scent of poison and poisonous herbs. I do not guarantee that I shall recognise poison when I smell it, but it is the best thing we can come up with for now.”

 

The two conscious women sighed in unison and agreed to this crazy idea. To have Kaede as their sniffing dog? Yeah, sure. Why not?

 

“How is your hand, Jane?” Caroline asked compassionately.

 

“The blood has long ago dried, Lady Caroline. I should be fine. It doesn't hurt that much, either.”

 

“I am glad…”

 

“I would kill for a warm bath; I am freezing,” Kaede grumbled with a sigh.

 

~*~@~*~f~*~

 

Kagome looked outside the window trying to grasp the most recent information she'd been given. How was it that nobody remembered her husband? Was there some sort of witchcraft involved? She didn't believe in such a ridiculous concept, but it was the most plausible explanation at the moment. It had to be it. Otherwise how could they all lose memories about the same man? Was he a wizard? Perhaps he was… perhaps she had found out and tried to spite him in some way and had several affairs.

 

It was all very difficult to accept and Kagome found herself wishing she was dead instead of amnesic.

 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. She instantly knew who it was at such a late hour.

 

“Come in, Sango.”

 

“Miroku has found several books on cures, Kagome,” Sango announced humbly, even though her eyes were sparkling with pride for her husband.

 

“Oh, thank you!” Kagome explained and jumped on the bed childishly, making room for the books to be thrown on it in front of her. When Sango laid all of them on the bed, Kagome's eyes were the size of an onion. There had to be at least ten books!

 

After counting them, Kagome realised there were only seven, but still… that was an unearthly number.

 

“You used to know a lot about diseases and herbs and cures. That is why I was surprised you wanted to learn about them all over again. But I guess it has to do with the memory loss, has it not?” Sango asked.

 

“Yes, actually…”

 

The books looked very old and perused.

 

“So many,” Kagome mumbled, inspecting each one of them.

 

“Sorry?”

 

“Oh, nothing, Sango. Thank you, really. You can go now,” Kagome said warmly and smiled in kind.

 

“Have a good night, Kagome.”

 

“Good night,” Kagome replied, never taking her eyes off the books.

 

When Sango closed the door behind her, Kagome picked up a book that stood out among the others. Its name was “Magical book about diseases” She figured it was just a metaphor, but still; it would be interesting to read, she decided and began devouring it page by page.

 

She didn't know why she'd agreed to this foolishness. Truthfully, she didn't know a thing about cures, and yet she promised Inuyasha Taisho she would help only to get to see him at least once more.

 

After several days, Kagome realised she knew most of those diseases and cures instinctively. Sometimes the name of the disease would come up before actually reading it; just by reading about the symptoms. She supposed it was a good sign, the fact that she was remembering such small things.

 

And Kikyou… Why did she remember her, anyway?

 

Yes, they were friends, but… according to what Tsubaki and Naraku had told her, they were her best friends, not Kikyou.

 

Deciding to ignore that for the moment, Kagome went on with her `lessons'.

 

~*~@~*~f~*~

 

It was getting even colder in the dungeon. The way it seemed, the night had already arrived. It was always very cold, but during the night it was almost freezing, they had realised. The four women's clothes were now mere rags and they had not showered in what felt like years, but their smell wasn't as pungent as they would have expected. They figured it was the cold that kept the air rather fresh.

 

“Audrey,” Lady Caroline called for the umpteenth time. “Please, Audrey. Say something. Let us know you are fine,” she begged.

 

“It's no use-sss,” Jane said resignedly, her teeth chattering from the cold.

 

“We have to tell Kagome somehow,” Kaede said despairingly.

 

“Any suggestions how?” Lady Caroline asked mockingly. “If it has skipped your notice, Kaede, we are trapped in here. We cannot let Kagome know about his plans. As far as we know, he could have already pulled the scheme.”

 

“You are right, indeed,” Kaede agreed gloomily. “We are the only ones who know this now, as he has said. All the others probably do not remember by now. How sad…”

 

“Yes. It is both a fortune and a trouble that we resisted,” Lady Caroline concluded.

 

“I ag-gree f-for once-ssss,” Jane said, her teeth still making a lot of noise.

 

“Cut that out,” Caroline told her. “You are annoying!”

 

“I cannot h-help it-ttt,” Jane complained and Caroline shut up for a change.

 

Everything was normal in Dungeon Paradise.

 

~*~@~*~f~*~

 

Kagome rushed down the stairs. She had spent more than normal in front of the mirror when Sango told her Inuyasha was waiting for her down in the hall and now she had to hurry. She would have hurried anyway, just to see him. But she wanted to look perfect. Kagome vaguely felt she was behaving rather rakish, but she knew she had to cut the pretences. She had already had many affairs, after all. She couldn't act like a pristine Lady anymore. Even though she felt like one…

 

“How do you d,,” she greeted brightly, looking up at him with admiration evident in her big eyes. Inuyasha remained frozen to the spot for a second, almost forgetting his purpose for coming, before snapping out of it and returning her dazzling smile.

 

“Fine, Lady Kagome. And you?” he asked, taking the hand she'd offered and kissing it lightly. She felt his subtle kiss elicit a tasty feeling in the pit of her stomach.

 

“Just divine.” Her smile was breathtaking.

 

“Please, do call me Inuyasha,” he offered and enjoyed watching her blush blossom.

 

“Tell me, have you come so I could help you with that mysterious malady?” she inquired.

 

“Actually, no.” His statement brought a frown on Kagome's beautiful features. “I was passing by and I wondered if you would have me for dinner,” he said, smirking devilishly and she lost her breath for a second.

 

Trying to be as casual as possible, she cocked an eyebrow. Was it normal and proper for a man to invite himself for dinner at a woman's house? Especially if he knew her husband was not here? On a second thought… did he know that?”

 

As if on cue…

 

“Is your husband at home?' Inuyasha asked nonchalantly.

 

“Yes,” she articulated swiftly and saw him frown.

 

“He is?” he asked, confused and she wanted to hit herself for lying like this. She supposed this was her own way of trying to save herself from his possibly lewd intentions.

 

“N-Yes, he is. But he won't be coming down to dinner,” she added quickly. “He is… ill. Yes, he is ill.”

 

Inuyasha wore an amused smile and nodded. “Very well then,” he said. “Shall we?”

 

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. What do you think?