Chapter 1: Where am I?
Kagome awoke to see that she was in an unfamiliar place. She was lying in a huge bed draped with silky burgundy sheets and a thick comforter that had a flower print scattered over it. She was on a canopy bed and the posts were made of a dark brown wood that twisted all the way up. The fabric above her that made the canopy was also burgundy and at all four corners had long silky drapes flowing down and dragging on the floor.
She looked around. She was obviously in a bedroom because of the bed and the furniture she saw by the walls. There was a dark-colored, wooden dresser and vanity to the left and a bench upholstered with the same expensive looking elaborate fabric that was lined with golden tassels to the right. The walls had wallpaper on them, a deep blue with tiny flowers all over. There was also a long vintage rug by the bed. The only light in the room was a small lamp on top of the dresser.
(Basically, a very expensive looking room; very elegant and cozy; Victorian)
"Where am I? It doesn't seem like I'm in the Feudal Era but I am…I guess,"
Kagome thought to herself still looking around at her new surroundings, "How did I get here? Wait! I remember! That man kidnapped me!"*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*FLASHBACK*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Picture:
Kagome asleep in a hut beside Inuyasha. Inuyasha is sitting in Indian style leaning against the wall with his arm wrapped around Kagome. Her head is laying on his chest. Shippo is sleeping on Kirara (Kirara in her bigger form) and Sango is sleeping by them with Miroku a few feet away also asleep.
Across from Kagome and Inuyasha is the door to the hut and a small window. A dim light comes through the window and casts shadows.
A mysterious breeze came floating through the door, making the woven flap sway, nuzzling Kagome's face. She shivers and pulls her blanket that is wrapped around her closer to her neck. The flap to the door moves in the breeze and a figure appears inside the hut. It's too dark to make out faces. You can make out though, that it is a man and he is dressed in a long black cloak and hat.
The man steps closer to Kagome and Inuyasha, and stares down at them then at the others. Everyone is still sound asleep unaware of the stranger that is in the hut with them. The man slowly lifts his arm, pointing his hand directly at Kagome. As if by magic, Inuyasha's arm slowly but surely rises off of her shoulder and in his lap (remember everyone is still asleep). The man turns his wrist so the palm of his hand is facing the ceiling. As he gingerly raises his arm up, Kagome's limp body rises from it's spot. The blanket that was once comfortably around her is now lying on the ground. Very slowly, her body is magically lifted into the air and slightly off the ground, her toes not touching the floor. Her head is hanging down and her hands are lifelessly drooping by her side. No one has woken yet, not even Kagome.
The man flexes his hand open and Kagome opens her eyes.
"Wha…What?" she asks softly and quietly.
She sees that she is suspended in the air and a mysterious man is standing in front of her, obviously the person responsible, and she opens her mouth to scream. But before she can get even a whimper out, the man closes his hand into a tight fist and her voice is cut off. Her screams are not heard at all, her mouth is open but no sound is coming out. Kagome stops and realizes that her voice is gone, she clutches her throat in shock.
Inuyasha stirs and cracks open his eyes. Expecting to feel Kagome against his shoulder he turns to where she once was leaning and sees she's gone. Then he sees her suspended from the air and notices the mysterious stranger in front of him.
"Kagome!" he shouts quickly getting to his feet. The others awake and see what's happening.
"Oh no, Kagome!" cries Sango and Shippo looking on in horror.
"Who the hell are you?! Put her down!" yells Inuyasha gripping his tetsusaiga.
The man just stands there not seeming to care that the others have awaken. Miroku and Kirara get to their feet, Kirara growls and Miroku holds his staff. The man lifts his head enough to so that the shadows move from his mouth and he grins devilishly. He opens his hand again the closes it quickly and Kagome is suddenly unconscious.
"What did you do to her?! I said put her down!!" shouts Inuyasha again stepping forward and unsheathing his sword.
"Don't come any closer," says the man with his arm still raised, "I don't think you'd want her hurt now would you….Inuyasha?"
"*Growl* How do you know my name?!" asks Inuyasha grinting his teeth.
"I know a lot more than that Inuyasha, you'd be surprised," said the man in a sly tone.
"*Gasp* What's going on?! Why can't I move?!" thought Kagome, "I can't open my eyes! Inuyasha help!"
"What do you want with Kagome?!" Kagome hears Miroku ask.
The man doesn't answer. Instead he pulls his arm to his chest and as he does Kagome floats to him.
"Such a beautiful girl is she not Inuyasha?" he asks wrapping his arm around her shoulder an holding her to himself.
"Get away from her!!" shouts Inuyasha stepping forward balling his fists.
"You're a lucky man Inuyasha, to have such a beautiful girl for yourself, or do you? You know she loves you, with all her heart and soul. But tell me, do you love her back?" Inuyasha tenses up and sweat drops. He looks at the man then at the helpless Kagome.
"No? *Sigh* Poor girl, what a broken heart she will have when she finds out. I can't let such a young and tender heart such as hers be crumbled."
"That's none of your damn business! Who the hell do you think you are comin in here and takin Kagome from me?! I've got a good mind to slice off your head right now!"
"Oh how rude of me, I should have knocked first. * Chuckle*"
"I'm gonna wipe that smirk right off your face! Are you gonna answer my question or aren't ya? Answer me! Who the hell are you?" shouts Inuyasha.
"Am I making you uncomfortable Inuyasha? *Ha* I suppose I can tell you. My name is Rihojie."
"Rihojie?" asks Sango.
"Never heard of me? Well now you have. I've come for the girl and that's all you need to know, so if you don't mind I'll be leaving now."
"Oh no! what do I do?!" thought Kagome trying desperately to make some kind of movement with out any luck. She was totally paralyzed, unable to open her eyes or mouth.
The man turns to leave with Kagome in his clutches but Inuyasha refuses to let that happen.
"You bastard!" he yells preparing his tetsusiaga to slice him in half. The man wraps his thick, black cloak around himself and over Kagome and disappears. Inuyasha's sword lodges into the ground, splitting the floor boards.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*END OF FLASHBACK*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I remember now! But who was that man and what does he want with me?" Kagome flung the cover off her bare legs and sat on the edge of the bed.
She sees her shoes sitting on the floor and puts them back on. She stands up and tiptoes to the door and slowly turns the door knob so she won't make a sound. Opening the door, she peeks out and looks around the hall way. It was dark, the only light in the hall way was a candle on a short stand. She sneaks out and tiptoes down the hall with stealth. The floorboards creek with each step she takes making her stop continuously to avoid it.
Kagome came to a large wooden door. She quietly opens it and peers around, the coast is clear. She steps into another hallway that is much different from the one she was once in. It is much brighter and has all white walls and tile floors? This is definitely weird.
"How can I be in Inuyasha's time when this looks so much like mine? Am I even in the Feudal Era any more? Yes, I have to be, there's no way I couldn't be."
Kagome walked on gazing around at her strange yet familiar surroundings. It was an awful long hallway. Finally, she came to a split in the hall where to her left was yet another hallway and a set of stairs with a large window and the right was an additional hall. Directly in front of her the hall she was presently on kept going (like an intersection).
"I better head for the stairs so I can get out of here," she thought. As she walked to the steps she looked down out the window and saw that she wasn't just two or three stories up, but about ten or eleven stories up.
"Where am I?" she asked herself out loud when she suddenly heard voices coming from down the hallway. Before she could hustle down the stairs and hide, three women came turning out of the hall and towards the stairs. They were chattering away to one another when the noticed Kagome standing by the window.
"Oh! Look girls, it's her!" said the middle one.
"Oh yes, her! She's the girl Mr. Rihojie brought in," said the short haired one.
"Nice to meet you dear," said the third smiling sweetly at her.
Kagome just stood by the window holding the molding around it, frightened. Obviously the three ladies were maids because of their wardrobes. They each wore black dresses with white aprons and maid hats. The middle one held a bucket with dirty rags and water in it and the other two held brooms and mops.
"Oh, now don't be scared child, we're not here to harm you," said the middle one.
"No of course not! Poor thing must be frightened to death, waking up in a strange place not knowing where she is," said the short haired one to Kagome then to the maid beside her.
"Wh..where am I?" Kagome asked her arm to her chest easing up a bit.
"Why your at Mr. Rihojie's mansion my dear," replied the third maid.
"Yes, Mr. Rihojie is a very rich and powerful man. He rescued you last night, don't you remember?"
"Rescued?" asked Kagome, puzzled. From what she remembered, she was kidnapped. Could he have saved her?
"He brought you in and we laid you to rest in one of his bedrooms. I don't exactly remember what he said he saved you from but I do remember he said you were in grave danger," said the short haired one setting down her bucket and wiping her forehead.
"Now, why don't we see to getting you some food yes?" The middle woman stepped over to Kagome and grabbed her arm, ushering her down the other hall. The two other cleaning ladies put down their mops and brooms and followed along side them.
They came to a door and went through it, entering another hallway that was a bright red and was lined with humongous windows that stretched from ceiling to floor and from one end of the hall to the other. The entire two walls to the hall were nothing but glass and you could see everything from there. The hall seemed was suspended from the air, nearly ten stories up with nothing below it but ground. This hall seemed to connect the building she was previously in to another building she was being lead to.
"Don't be frightened by the view deary, you'll get used to it."
"I don't plan on getting used to it, I just want to get back to Inu…home," said Kagome, about to say Inuyasha but thought better of it incase revealing him would endanger him.
They came to the end of the hall where there were two double doors. The two maids on either side of Kagome opened the doors. They stepped in letting the doors swing closed. They seemed to be in a café? Kagome blinked a couple of times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Was she where she thought she was? The café was rather large equipped with booths and tile floors. The walls were a deep red and so were the booths. In front of her was a row of booths and tables and in front of that was a counter that was filled with sweet foods and beverages. A man in an apron and hat stood behind the counter ready to serve.
"Here, you sit here and we'll get you some food and drink, okay?" the three maids rushed over to the counter. Kagome sat at a booth alone by the doors. She still could not believe where she was and what she saw before her. She kept questioning what era she was in and who this Mr. Rihojie was. Where was Inuyasha?
Just then the two doors flung open and a man stood before her.
"Oh! Mr. Rihojie!" exclaimed the three maids quickly turning around and dropping some of their food.