InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Prisoner, My Prisoner ❯ Eight Cell Prison ( Chapter 8 )

Prisoner, My Prisoner

Part 8: Eight-Cell Prison < The Cold Slap of Reality

Author: profiler120

Email: profiler120@hotmail.com

Rating: PG/PG-13

Genre: Romance/General [AU]

Author's Notes: I've moved the question/response section to the bottom.

Kagome was familiar with the rigors of training. She had spent many years under the tutelage of a respected miko. This training however was vastly different. It was almost all physical. She had just reached the end of her first week and everything seemed to hurt. Miroku, she quickly learned had a penchant for groping women. That had led her to hands-on demonstrations with Inuyasha who was not as gentle, but didn't attempt to grope her. She shook her head slightly. Rin was off doing things she couldn't begin to fathom and she had an hour before dinner.

Myouga had proved to be an interesting character. The short, plump old man would sit on a grand tree stump near the center of the garden and regale them with war stories.

There was nothing fantastically graphic given that Rin was only a child, but it did not save her from the realities of war. Her father apparently wanted her to know just how cruel life outside these walls could be. It was possible, in some far possibility that she would be without the protection of the Citadel one day.

Today marked her first week anniversary. Well, since she had come back. Odd that she was thinking of it that way. She was confused however as to what exactly Myouga was providing other than a break from their physical training.

He seemed to have stories about everything, even the stump on which he so regularly sat had it's own tale to be told. If it wasn't for Inuyasha, Kagome would have worried they'd never leave what she had since dubbed 'story-time'. It wasn't especially beneficial since it tended to make Rin sleepy and that upset Sango.

One afternoon, about mid-week Inuyasha had commented that the only reason Myouga even knew half of what he did was because he hid on the sidelines of battles and watched. It was a harsh rebuff to Myouga's earlier claim of being a 'war hero'. Everyone had laughed and poor Myouga's face had turned bright red, but it passed.

She smiled quietly to herself as she left the garden. Rin had already gone off, looking a tad bit lackluster. She found herself worrying if perhaps Sango were working her a bit too hard but in the end decided not to interfere since Rin seemed okay by the time they met at lunch.

Since then however Kagome had faced her discomfort and gone to Inutaisho, requesting Rin's classes be switched from morning to afternoon. After training the girl tended to be sleepy and was not paying attention in her lessons. Inutaisho had agreed and since then, the last two days they had been training in the afternoon.

She was still trying to get Rin in the habit of bathing after each session but the girl was semi-resistant. Apparently bathing wasn't her favorite activity and on occasion she was quite moody about it.

Somewhere along the line she'd become more comfortable here. A week seemed hardly enough time for it, but Sango, Rin, and the others were so nice to her. They had developed some sort of camaraderie together that she would miss if she ever lost it.

There was one aspect of her life here that kept her from being entirely comfortable. Other than the fact the amount of people she knew in this place could be counted on one hand. At least those she knew outside of her little 'training group'.

What that little something was, was the lack of use of her surname. She had not heard "Higurashi" once from anyone since the week had begun. Everyone called her Kagome. She wasn't complaining, but it left her feeling uneasy, as though her parentage were being concealed.

If that was so she wasn't necessarily upset about it. With all the carnage and death her father had caused she feared some would immediately turn against her. Some may even try to kill her, and it was these thoughts that wouldn't fade. Right now no one seemed to know, but what about later? The truth couldn't be concealed forever. Perhaps Sesshoumaru had been right by restricting her to a certain set of rooms. Maybe it was the safest place for her.

She sighed heavily. She didn't know what to do. She hated the feeling even more because she was feeling it so often, this heavy, oppressive helplessness.

She climbed the stairs to her room, legs aching. Everything seemed to ache. It didn't help she had large, nasty red splotches on her arms where she'd been struck, trying to defend herself. Inuyasha had picked up a hardwood bokken and called out to her to 'defend yourself'. Miroku had tried to stop him, and he hadn't really come after her with the intent to harm her or anything but it still had hurt. She'd ended up running distracting Rin and the next thing she knew everyone was chasing her. She smiled weakly at the memory finally reaching her room and stepping inside. She sighed and began gathering a few items.

Rin may protest bathing after a session, but Kagome was hardly about to miss a bath. She finally collected the few things she needed and stepped out again, heading down to the stairs. This new room of hers was quite a distance from the bath.

He barely stifled his yawn, hauling a bag of items in his hands. He would ordinarily have left the item for a servant to grab but the contents within were far too important to leave in the hands of hired help. The documents within the bag were to be given directly to his father. Most of it was correspondence he'd collected from the burned out outpost formerly commanded by Kagemaru.

He stopped by his father's office first. The man was sitting quietly, reading what appeared to be a book.

"Here. You may find some of these things enlightening."

Inutaisho took the package quietly before looking up just before Sesshoumaru was out the door.

"Given the position you've placed her in I've decided to conceal Higurashi's heritage. Be certain only to address her as Senaka Kagome. Make sure she also knows it. What did you find out?"

"Kagemaru has a twin brother with a similar compound thirty miles to the east."

"Who is this brother?"

"He called him 'Juuroumaru.'"

Inutaisho nodded. "Recall Kaijinbou and send him out to scout the site."

Sesshoumaru merely nodded and left. He headed back down the hall, not quite sure where he was headed, one of two places currently held his interest. Kagome's room and his own. His thoughts drifted back to her. Although perhaps an inconvenience it was for the best. Who knew what dangers might befall her here, she was, after all his "enemy" and they were still very much engaged in a war.

As he reached the junction that would determine his path - straight to his room or right up the stairs to hers, he found himself turning. He ascended the stairs, tiring himself further with the effort. He knocked lightly upon the frame, but there was no call from within. Figuring she would not be undressing at this time of day he slid the door open, but the room was empty.

He was both pleased and disappointed with the sight. At least she was leaving her room. He quickly proceeded back down the stairs, summoning a servant to bring a few things to the bath chamber. He had just reached for the door when it slid open and there stood the object of his former quest.

She stood there staring up at him, eyes slightly widened as though he'd just caught her doing something illicit. He took a cursory glance around but saw nothing amiss.

"Surprised to see me?" He asked.

"A-a little bit."

"Step aside."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she blushed prettily and attempted to flee when he stepped past her. "We have things to discuss, stay where you are."

"But... aren't you... going to bathe?"

"So?"

She blushed again more fiercely this time. It was almost a comical display. He ignored her for the moment and she hastily closed the door. He imagined her eyes were on him until he heard her make a sound something akin to an 'eep' and then turn away.

She folded down onto her knees facing the doorway, directly in the way of the servant who would be bringing his things in a moment or two. He thought briefly of mentioning it to her, but decided not to. He shrugged off the rest of his garments leaving them in a disheveled pile. He normally folded them rather neatly, despising messes, but today he was too tired to care for decorum.

"There are certain individuals in the Citadel that may take offense to your presence. Directly because it may lead to your being attacked or possibly killed you are not to mention your name, 'Higurashi'. From this point forward you are 'Senaka Kagome' if you are asked. If you are not, do not mention it."

He glanced back at her silence to see her nodding. She was stiffly facing the door, sitting so close it looked like some odd form of punishment.

"How is Rin?" He asked.

"Rin is doing well. I think she enjoys the exercise, but it tires her out quite a lot. I... I asked your father to switch her classes from the morning to the afternoon because she was getting so sleepy in class."

"What of you? The teacher I assigned to you... Miroku something or other." He could not repress the yawn this time, sinking lower into the bathwater letting the heat soothe his tired muscles.

"He's ... all right, a bit touchy. Actually I've been spending more time with Inuyasha-sama."

He shifted in his bathwater to view her. "What?"

"Inuyasha-sama said that because Miroku-sama was such a pervert he would stay and watch over me."

"What is this 'pervert' business?"

"Miroku-sama has... well he would call it ' fine appreciation for the female form', but... he's a lecher."

'A lecher?'

"Clarify, be specific."

"He likes to grope girls, what do you think 'a lecher' is?" Her tone was slightly exasperated and she quite quickly shut up. He glanced back once more to see she'd raised a hand to her face. Perhaps it was covering her mouth, he couldn't tell.

"He has groped you, then?"

She scoffed. "Two, three times a day."

'Two, three times a day' - and she'd said it so casually he thought, beginning to wonder about the moral core of the woman behind him.

"Is that so?" It was almost a growl.

"I tried to get him to stop, but he is rather persistent and he's so nice it's hard not to like him despite being such a pervert. Although he does it much more to Sango than to me."

'As though that will redeem him,' Sesshoumaru thought darkly.

Behind him the door opened, he heard two distinctly female 'eeps' and then heard the collision as they presumably fell over one another. He turned back again and sure enough Aya was fallen over Kagome, the both of them on the floor, his clothes strewn about.

Who knew the girl could be so much entertainment?

They quickly scampered up, Aya coming to bring his clothes to the edge of the spring as she typically did, bowing and left. He heard no interaction other than a few mumbled apologies that were exchanged before the door closed again.

He sighed heavily before hauling himself from the water, pulling on a simple white robe. She was once again seated uncomfortably in front of the door, her nose almost touching the fusuma screen.

"You may go."

She stood, almost falling forward into the door before righting herself on her feet. She paused momentarily.

"Yes?" he asked, wondering at the cause of her delay.

"Rin-chan doesn't seem to like taking a bath."

His mouth drew up into a smirk. "Discover that, did you?"

"You knew already. Oh," her head dropped. "I suppose it doesn't matter much, she'll grow out of it eventually."

She slid the door open and left him.

Kagome went on her way, relieved to be out of his presence. He had been on and off her mind since he'd left a week ago. Now that he was back however the strange, uncomfortable feeling she thought she'd gotten over had returned.

The reprieve was short as she found him again at the dinner table. Instead of silence however talk of battle between father and sons dominated the little conversation there was to be had.

Kagome paid little heed to this, more concerned about the morose little girl across from her. She was uncharacteristically despondent and picking idly at her food.

"Are you feeling unwell, Rin-chan?"

The girl picked up slightly. "Rin is itchy."

"Itchy?"

"Rin was playing in the garden after training yesterday and fell asleep in a patch of flowers. Rin has been itchy since then."

"Maybe you need a bath?"

"Rin doesn't like baths."

"You feel okay other than being itchy? You're face is a bit red."

Disregarding the looks she got from the rest of Rin's family she stood up and walked around to her. She reached out touching her palms gently to Rin's cheeks and then her forehead.

"What is wrong?" Rin asked, a tone of alarm in her little voice.

She reached for Rin's hand drawing up the sleeves of her little kimono. Her arms were dotted with red splotches and bumps.

"What flowers were you sleeping in?"

"Little white ones," she yawned, pulling away to begin madly itching once more. "With pretty green leaves."

Kagome took her hand again. "Yesterday, hmmm?" She unexpectedly giggled. "Looks like poison ivy."

"Poison?"

Kagome laughed again. "You're so cute. "

She couldn't remember how she ended up pressed back against this tree, nor did it matter at the moment. Only he mattered, her captor, looming in front of her. His beautiful silver hair was hanging over one shoulder draping down the front of his white, armored attire. She stared up at him uneasily. Wow... this guy really was something. How was she to stop her heart from fluttering so wildly in his presence? Especially when he was so close?

His hand was raised, pressed against the scab on her cheek again. The other hand was by her head pressed against the bark of the tree. He'd hardly said a word, or if he had she could not remember what they had been or what they were about.

Then suddenly he was moving toward her. She wanted to flinch away, but could not. There was nowhere to go. His lips pressed gently against the mark. She felt his tongue fleck weakly along the wound and then he began pressing light kisses along the length of the injury on her cheek. Her breath caught sharply, causing her to gasp for air when he seemed to tense momentarily, body straightening just slightly.

"Inuyasha," he growled against her skin. "Come out or leave us."

To her surprise Sesshoumaru didn't move the slightest away from her. Rather he seemed, if anything, to pick up where he'd left off, kissing her cheek again. She could just barely see Inuyasha step out from behind a tree. His cheeks seemed to be delicately flushed as though embarrassed. She felt a slight upward twitch of Sesshoumaru's lips.

"You have a problem with my treatment of her, brother?"

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Kagome's not that kind of girl."

Kagome blushed at the implication and Sesshoumaru drew away from her turning to face his younger sibling.

"What she is... is mine."

'As though that will determine what kind of girl I am,' she thought somewhat miffed. His possessiveness was... somewhat flattering but it also annoyed her. She was tired of being someone's possession. She was tired of being wanted simply to be someone's possession.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, glaring at his elder brother. Kagome shifted intending to escape from Sesshoumaru's grasp, but he caught her by the wrist.

"We are not finished." He scolded without ever casting her a glance.

She swallowed hard. So much for getting away...

He continued, words now directed at his brother. "Unless there is something else, go away."

He was still turned toward Inuyasha so she could not see his face.

Now she remembered, she thought suddenly. She'd come out here hunting for some jewelweed for Rin's poison ivy. She wasn't sure it would be at all effective since Rin had been exposed to the plant yesterday but she'd thought to come search for some anyway in the off chance she might find it. Then he'd shown up and she'd somehow been manipulated back against the tree, he hadn't shoved her there or anything.

She caught sight of Inuyasha moving away leaving her alone with the strangely aggressive male in front of her. Inuyasha faded into the growing shadows of the garden; night was practically upon them. Dinner was just barely over.

"Ah, hello Kagome-sama."

Kagome glanced around searching for where she'd heard Miroku's voice from and finally spotted him.

"Monk..." Sesshoumaru growled.

Kagome blinked staring past Sesshoumaru at Miroku. "Y-you're a monk?!"

"Well..." He actually had the decency to look shamefaced. "I... uh... did not mean to interrupt, Masaharu-sama, Kagome-sama. Please excuse this humble servant."

"Leave then." Sesshoumaru replied curtly.

"He... that lecher is a monk?!" Kagome repeated even though Miroku had walked off. "That was rude." She added as an afterthought.

"He is in my debt, he will take my orders."

"Oh? Is that how you operate? Rescue people from battlegrounds and then make them work for you?"

He grinned. "Quite effective, rescuing people for free would soon find one broke."

Kagome frowned. "Are you saying I couldn't manage a household?" She challenged taking the words as an insult aimed at her.

"Without running it into the ground?" He shot back.

She stared, surprised at this new bantering between them. A whole new level of communication seemed to have just opened up. "'Running it into the ground'?" she repeated slowly.

He was silent, moving in again toward her. Both hands rose, one on either side of her head. He leaned in toward her, eyes on her mark. He brushed his lips against it once more.

"I am coming to your lesson in two days, be prepared to face me."

"W-what? Why? It's only been a week, I can't fight you!"

He stepped back, dropping his arms, eyes rising finally to meet hers. "Be ready."

She sank down to the base of the tree, thoughts in a whirl. Thoughts of Sesshoumaru faded abruptly however as a spine tingling sensation passed over her. Someone... someone was in the garden with her... She peered around fearfully. Where were they?

. . .

There, at the base of the tree he thought, a grim smile playing upon his lips. His ruby colored eyes traced her figure analytically. This had to be her. He could not sense any thoughts from her, and even from this distance he was adept at picking up the thoughts of all those in the area. Aside from that she was almost an identical picture of Kikyo.

He approached, slinking around quietly. He would have to maneuver her a bit. He needed to approach her from behind, so she wouldn't be able to see his face. With as 'friendly' as the little vixen was with Sesshoumaru she would most certainly betray him.

It almost made him uneasy - being unable to read her thoughts. He was used to having the advantage. If she were like other miko's he might be able to pick up her thoughts from skin to skin touch. If she was anything like Kikyo, he may not be able to read her at all. Kikyo was able to block his attempts and he got nothing from her, despite repeated attempts.

She did have keen senses, if nothing else. He watched as she stood, casting her eyes about like a frightened rodent. She seemed to have taken up the 'flee' instinct as she began to run. He grinned maliciously and pounced. He held her fast in his grip, wrists behind her back in his hands. He pulled her around the trunk of a large oak and pressed her against it, forehead to the bark.

"I've found you, miko..." he murmured.

Her mind was a whirl, but mostly he was picking up nothing interesting. Random thoughts... words... her emotions were clear though. He could read them easily. Fear pervaded everything. He could not pick up coherent streams of thought however. She could not block him from trying to read her, but at the same time she successfully was keeping him from doing just that. As though her body was doing it entirely on it's own.

He chuckled at the frightened girl. She was rather amusing. She was nothing like Kikyo really. Nothing at all. He'd never seen Kikyo cower before. Most amusing indeed.

"Naraku-sama will be very interested to know his young heiress is fooling around with the enemy..." he goaded trying to drag up some kind of reaction.

:: Rin ... Sesshoumaru ... help ... ::

This seemed to be getting him nowhere. He drew a small dagger from his side, thrusting it through her back just enough to pierce her skin, dragging it through her flesh, cutting through the cloth of her kimono. She whimpered weakly and he repeated the motion, deeper cutting another horizontal line through her flesh.

"Weakling," he murmured lowly in her ear and she tensed briefly.

"Bastard..." she spat.

"Is that man your lover?" he scoffed. "To think that Naraku-sama's youngest-" he trailed off abruptly as her swirling emotions suddenly all seemed to meld together into something he couldn't identify before a sudden chill swept over him. This... This was the same feeling he got from Kikyo. He abruptly pulled her back.

"I will be watching you, miko."

With that he shoved her forward, causing her to stumble so he could make his escape without her seeing his face.

. . .

She stumbled back to her room, half in a daze. Who was that? What was the strange cloudy aura that had enclosed her, with the floating sparkling blue lights? What did it mean? Better yet, why did it remind her of Urusae? She stepped inside her room, heart still racing. What... what was going on? Her back ached; she could feel the sickly warmth of liquid and knew it had to be her blood.

She folded down into her bed, pulling the blanket over her head in a feeble attempt to make herself feel safe. Her blood continued to run. Night descended. Dinner came and went without her. Come daybreak she had not risen from her bed and remained there steadfastly throughout the day abandoning Rin and skipping her own training.

Her mind was scattered. She was lost, uncertain; fearful of the power she'd felt when the mysterious man's hands had touched her skin. Something dangerous and familiar... and she didn't know what to do. He was waiting. He was... It felt like he was ... hunting her.

Worse than that, words she hadn't heard with her ears taunted her. Playing with her, batting her around like a cat and a bloodied, half-dead mouse.

"You will know pain."

She heard it. A strange, echoing voice. He hadn't said it, but she'd heard it all the same.

Her back hurt. It stung when she moved in certain ways, but it didn't hurt as much as it had yesterday. How would she explain the tears in the material? How would she explain her absence? And the blood on her clothes and blankets?

'I felt sick.' A good enough excuse, but what about the scratches?

'I feel down and cut myself' - Nah, no one would buy that. She determined to hide it in the hopes she could dispose of it before anyone found it. She quickly changed clothes. She hadn't even had time to think about Sesshoumaru and his strange, overly possessive behavior. Just what was with all the attention on this stupid mark on her cheek anyway? He seemed to be drawn to it, always touching it when he came around, and now he was being affectionate toward it. Not to mention the fact her bracelet was still hanging around his wrist. She sighed heavily.

Her back ached, and she worried it might end up bleeding before the arduous training session with Inuyasha and Miroku ended. Miroku stood by watching, analyzing her defensive techniques to see if she was performing them correctly. At this point the only thing she could manage at all was defense and even that needed work, but it had only been a little while.

The overcast sky let loose a mighty rumble, as though to promise rain, Kagome thought as she blocked another slash by Inuyasha's bokken. Around them gentle rain drops began to fall creating a light, pleasant scent almost distracting her. Within the span of a few short minutes however the rain increased exponentially, pouring large droplets down upon their heads, soaking into their clothes, and down their faces. It dripped, and slithered down her wrists into her hands, the grip on her own bokken slipping.

The ground beneath her feet began to become slick, the grass sliding under her feet. He charged, swinging wildly at her as he typically did. Kagome blinked, trying to clear the water that had dripped into her eyes and was blurring her vision. She raised her arms defensively, too late to block, feet sliding as she moved to counter. A sickening 'THWACK' resulted.

Kagome's bokken fell, her hands rising to clutch the top of her head where Inuyasha had struck her brutally. She whimpered.

"Kagome-sama? Are you all right?" Miroku took a few steps before her when the girl shot up, again clutching her bokken and lashing out at Inuyasha. She swung blindly, vision blurred between tears and rainwater. Inuyasha leaped back avoiding the wild swings of the angry girl.

"Inuyasha!" She snarled. "That hurt!"

She swung again, startled when the bokken was snatched and yanked, pulling it out of her hands. Her head whirled to see who had so impudently interfered. It had not been Inuyasha, for he was off to her right side, dodging her blows. Oh no, Sesshoumaru was coming today! In the heat of her anger, she'd forgotten.

"Idiot, why are you here?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes were on her, but his words directed at Inuyasha.

"Keh! Like that pervert could teach her anything without feeling her up. Besides, I'm a better fighter anyway." Inuyasha turned his nose up at his older brother, looking as though he were still miffed over catching Sesshoumaru and her in the garden a day or so before.

"Rin is inside, why are you still out in the rain?"

Kagome remained silent, unsure if he were truly speaking to her. No one said anything. Sesshoumaru held out his hand toward Inuyasha and he handed over the bokken.

"Leave us," he ordered and both males reluctantly drew away, leaving only Sesshoumaru and Kagome in the rain.

"You don't actually want me to-"

"I told you I was coming." He held out one of the training weapons toward her, sliding his body down into a fighting stance.

Oh no, she thought. Realizing she had no choice she reluctantly formed her body into a stance similar to his, taught to her by Inuyasha. She focused herself completely on watching him, the entrancing male that had trounced her sister. Twice. He charged without warning, and without the erratic movement she'd experienced with Inuyasha. He was fluid, and smooth. He seemed to know exactly how she would move, sliding past her defenses with the slightest of effort.

She gasped, waiting for the impact, surprised when it didn't come. She looked up, but he had already withdrawn and was standing several feet away. She stared at him and understood his unspoken message, 'try again'. She determined to do so, staring at him resolutely. Despite the rain, despite her hurting back, despite the lump on her head courtesy of Inuyasha - she would learn something from this. He wasn't here to waste his time and hers, he was there to teach her something, and she was going to learn it. She smiled suddenly gripping her bokken. Very well then.

Yet after several more failed attempts at holding him off her patience was wearing thin. She barely restrained the glare. He moved suddenly and she gripped the bokken tightly and threw it as hard as she could right at him, and running full speed directly at him. Maybe she could- they collided and he hit the ground.

Kagome fell over him, her elbow slamming hard into the soggy ground. She wasn't sure whether to be triumphant or not, she hadn't intended to tackle him. Of course, she wasn't entirely sure what she was trying to do now that she thought about it.

"What was that?"

She pulled herself up uncomfortably, tensing when she felt the point of a blade through her kimono, pressing dangerously close to her wounds on her back. She'd failed again. Battlefield combatants would not be caught off guard so easily. If this had been a battle, she would have been dead. "That was ... foolish?... "

"Woman," he growled, pressing her back away from him and onto the wet ground with a small thud.

He pulled himself to his feet, yanking her up roughly by her sleeve and walked off. She trailed along behind him, shivering in the chilly air. What a great way to end the day...

Kagome stared.

*Pat*

*Pat*

*Wind*

*Twist*

*Pat*

*Pat*

The spider, smaller than her index fingernail had caught a tiny bug. It twitched, antennae feeling around as though tentatively searching for a way out of the web and away from the spider that was planning on eating it. She felt like that. She felt like that little bug caught in the web being pat down by the spider.

She'd been alone in the dining room a while. She hadn't thought much of everyone's absence until now. Where was everyone else? She waited a bit longer, but no one showed up. Baffled, she stood and left the room. Strangely enough, everyone seemed to be missing. She wound around, listening close. Coming to what she recognized to be the front of the building she peered out one of the windows and stared in wonderment at the huge gathering of people in the front courtyard.

A rally.

A war rally, she corrected turning away. She had no place in a gathering like that.

She turned and made her way back, getting lost once or twice, but finally ending up back in her room. Her inner peace felt disturbed though, and there was often only one solution for fixing that. A bath!

She grabbed a few things, and headed down. The quiet atmosphere of the palace was disturbing. Still, she was determined not to let it get her down. Yet as she turned into the corridor that held the bath chambers she felt the unique tingle she'd come to recognize before. The feeling in the garden.

She stopped, swinging around to face her stalker, almost expecting no one to be there. A gasp escaped her lips when she found a man. Tall and broad in the shoulders. His skin was an unusual off color that made him look fiendish, especially with the white hair rolling over his shoulders. It was his ruby colored eyes that caused her blood to turn cold. Eyes like her father.

"I know you... don't I?"

He grinned revealing sets of white teeth that in another time might have been dangerously pointed. Maybe it was her imagination working overtime.

"By name, you should."

"Father..." she whispered. "You're here for him... aren't you?"

He laughed weakly. "They are holding a rally outside. To lift the spirits of the residents... Interesting that our father could do so much damage to morale..."

"What are you doing here?"

"Cute little game you have here... but it cannot last forever. You can't hide from your heritage, you are a Higurashi. Sooner or later they who do not know will find out, and then what will you do?" He laughed scornfully. "You cannot escape the battlefield, sister, it is in your blood."

She bit her lip apprehensively.

"Tell anyone I am here, miko, and I will slaughter them all. Especially the little girl..."

She swallowed hard watching him retreat before fleeing into the bathroom. Oh no! What was she going to do now? Who was that? She knew him by name? The only person she could directly think of was... Goshinki?

She pulled off her kimono, dropping it by the waterside and lowered herself down into the steaming water. This wasn't good. What was she going to do? Should she warn him and then have Rin's death on her conscience if things didn't go well? Should she keep her mouth shut to save Rin?

She didn't know. She wasn't sure what to do.

The festivities of the rally were still ongoing an hour later. She made her way to the enclosed garden space, hoping to find some peaceful solitude there. She was not prepared for the sight. Blood spattered the garden clearing.

"There the man from the hall was on one side, on the other was Sango. Her boomerang, Hiraikotsu in her hands. Behind her however lay Miroku, fallen, not moving. Probably bleeding.

He laughed. "She knows."

Kagome turned her eyes to him, almost too scared to move.

"That one. She knows. She knows you are the daughter of the man who is responsible for killing her father and brother. Slicing them open and leaving them to spoil on an open battleground. She knows you are a Higurashi... she overheard us in the hall."

Kagome glanced over at Sango, but the woman was glaring steadily at Goshinki.

Kagome sighed.

"She's thinking now how she hates you. Wondering how she could have been fooled by you. She actually thinks that Masaharu doesn't know who you really are." He grinned turning his eyes back to the armed woman.

"But that's-" Kagome began to protest.

"Shut up!" Sango shouted, turning her glare full of anger and hatred toward Kagome. "Don't say anything!"

Goshinki laughed as she hauled Hiraikotsu up, intending to throw it.

"Don't!" Kagome shouted thinking she was going to throw it at Goshinki.

"Don't interfere!" Sango snapped, and in a surprise move tossed the gigantic, heavy weapon straight at Kagome.

Kagome watched it barrel at her, murmuring. "Death is everyone's solution..."

With an ease that stunned her onlookers she raised a hand casting a fuchsia colored barrier around herself. It shimmered as Hiraikotsu struck, absorbing the impact, and then falling to the ground just outside the barrier's reach.

Kagome sighed despairingly. "You were right Goshinki. I guess I can't escape the battle. There's always someone willing to bring it to me... Let's go."

She was still for a moment before performing the same trick she had before with the arrow, only this time the arrow crushed through the stone, barreling a hole through to the other side. She stepped through, Goshinki following with an impish grin.

. . .

From above on a secondary landing Inutaisho stood behind Sesshoumaru watching the scene play out below them.

"You're going to let her go?"

Sesshoumaru watched until her figure faded from his sight. "For now."

He turned his gaze down to the girl who was leaning over the fallen monk.

"What of her?" Inutaisho inquired.

"All things will remain as they were with the exception of Higurashi's presence."

It all sounded very cold, but inside he was boiling over. Sesshoumaru stared down watching as the girl, Sango, made a fuss over the monk only to see him fondle her and him get slapped. He was not that seriously injured. He would survive, of that, Sesshoumaru was certain.

He had worried about that one. The girl, and it seemed his worry was not unfounded. She was emotionally unstable after all. He'd suspected it.

He'd walked out on this balcony hoping to see Kagome below and observe her. He had taken a liking to watching her when she was alone, and sometimes when she trained with his brother and the monk. He would miss her, but at the same time he was somewhat proud. She had very much stood on her own in battle with someone who wanted to do her real physical harm and come out of it all right. Even if she hadn't used any of his techniques to do it. He was glad also she hadn't hurt the girl, Sango. Kagome seemed to be a gentle creature by nature, but one destined for battle. He was glad to see she was clinging to her desire not to kill anyone unless absolutely necessary even as he knew it might one day lead her to her own death.

[End Chapter 8]

Author's Notes: I was sitting here writing chapter 10 earlier when I thought, 'Hmmm, I should update'. But it's not a Monday, ultimately I decided I didn't care it wasn't a Monday and updated anyway. ^_^

My apologies, I'm terribly inconsistent.

I would like to reccomend the following fanfics (I typically don't do this but I thought they were good stories in need of more reviewers):

Reflection by Snarfburgalar

The Legend of the Four Souls by Shanahia

Morlana: Ah, that's a big mistake if I said Rin's mother was killed before the war stated. If that happened, Rin wouldn't exist, would she? Oops. Thanks for pointing that out.

Arella: Will Kagome be able to allow Naraku to be killed? - I'm really still thinking about this one. There's so many options. ^_^

Massao na mizu: I'm not quite sure what the question was or how to answer it but I think I addressed it in this chapter with the Goshinki/Kagome thing. Now I just need a reason for why he cut her because that doesn't fit at all.

Strawberry shortcake: - But are you going to do some S/M romance? - I don't have an answer for this one. Sango has… issues to deal with in this story. Maybe I'll include some along the way.

Queen of the Storms: What job does Goshinki have? - To spy on Kagome and bring her back. He's probably gone for a while now though.

Icing Flower: What role does that Kenji guy he's pretending to be actually have? Is he just pretending to be some guest in the castle? - Just another menial servant, it wasn't really addressed in the story what Goshinki was doing or when he was doing it. Since they've now left the Citadel, it doesn't really matter anymore; he won't be able to come back. ^_^