Come, as thou cam'st a thousand times,

A messanger from radiant climes,

And smile on thy new world, and be

As kind to others as to me!

The next morning back at Sango's kingdom, Queen Kuromiya was waking Sango herself at dawn. "Get up my dear" her false sweet sincerity was hard to tell, "You look a bit pipqued, I know a bit of excersise before breakfast is just the thing. Why don't you go down to the Henwife's cottage and get some fresh eggs for our breakfast, that should make you feel better" the queen helped Sango get out of bed and into a simple yukata and obi.

Sango yawned and followed her stepmother's dirrections, but on the way through the kitchen she snagged a small crust of bread and finished if off before she arrived at Tsubaki's small hut. She knocked softly and was called out to come in. Tsubaki was adding firewood under a cauldren as Sango entered.

"So my dear how can I help you today?" Tsubaki asked

"My Lady the queen asked me to come and get some fresh eggs for breakfast." Sango replied.

"Ah," Tsubaki replied "Well if you will come over and watch my pot for me I will go and get your eggs." The old henwife walked out the side door toward her chicken coop. She returned a short while later with a basket having some eggs in them, as she was opening the door she called out to the princess, "Dear princess, could you please lift the lid on my cauldren and check to see if it is boiling yet?"

Sango bent over and lifted the lid on the cauldren and looked close as there was not much light in the little house. "I am sorry, but I can't tell" she replied to the henwife.

As nothing happened, Tsubaki knew that the princess had eaten before she had came. "Please give these to the queen" she handed the basket to Sango, "and tell her majesty that if the lauder is not locked, the mice I have seen will ruin the food"

Sango thought that it was a strange message, but thanked the henwife and walked back to the palace giving the basket to the cook and seeing the queen in the doorway to the kitchen passed the message that she was given.

Kuromiya was furious wondering where Sango could have gotten something to eat. Hiding her anger she thanked Sango for the message and went back to her rooms.

The day continued as normal for the most part, Kuromiya spent most of her time thinking about how she could get Sango out of the house without her eating anything, rightly suspecting that she had found something in the kitchen on her way out of the castle.

Sango was awakened the same way the next morning with the queen at her door and insisting that she needed to go out and fetch a fresh egg for breakfast, this time though the queen escorted her to the door of the kitchen. She made sure that Sango had no oppourtunity to sneak any bread like she had the morning before. Sango's path to the henwifes house pasted through the kitchen gardens where there were fresh strawberries ripe enough to tempt her and she plucked one and finished it before she reached the henwife's hut.

Again Tsubaki asked Sango to stir her pot while she got the eggs. Again nothing happened. Sango was once again sent home with a message "The mice seem to be getting into the larder, and the cat has no cream" Tsubaki told her.

The queen heard this message and fumed inside. Once again had Sango found a way to foil her plans. The next morning she awoke Sango in the same way, only this time telling her, "My dear girl, I must be getting a touch of what you have, I will accompany you to the henwife's hut" and that is just what she did, not allowing Sango any chance to have a bite of anything before they reached the old witch.

The queen stayed back as Tsubaki once again asked Sango to stir her pot, and as soon as the lid was lifted a head of a white cat appeared in the broth and attached itself over Sango's head.

The queen smiled and handed Tsubaki a pouch of gold and walked out back to the castle. Sango when she realized what had happened and that the only sounds that she could make were those of a cat, ran out of the hut and to her friend's Shrine.

When Kagome saw what had happened to her dear friend she hid her in her room and vowed that together they would find a way to remove the cat's head. Kagome left the Shrine and went to the castle to collect a cloak for Sango and Kirara, also to collect some food for Kagome knew that they would find no help in nearby if anywhere in their own kingdom.

After the the moon set in the darkest hours of the night, before the dawn, two cloaked figures could be seen leaving the gates of the city, never to return.