Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha

A/N: I was really excited to get the next chapter out because I'm really excited to introduce the castle characters so I've been abusing my muse in hopes to get this out asap. I want to thank all those who have taken their time to review. Reviews are food to my muse and makes the chapters come faster! Anyways, on with the show!

Kagome sat in her new room and sighed. She'd been dragged to the seamstress by Jaken and then taken right to her room and left there. The seamstress, Hana, had been a kind old demoness who'd apparently worked in the castle since Sesshomaru's father was a teenager.

She had very dark brown eyes, dark reddish brown hair and a long face. Kagome wasn't sure what sort of demon she was but when she tried to let her senses give her some sort of hint the picture of a horse kept coming to mind.

Hana had taken Kagome's measurements and promised to have her some new kimonos in a few days. In the meantime she bustled around her work room, grabbing bundles from a closet and throwing them in a wooden chest. When she was satisfied she bid them farewell and sent Kagome, Jaken, Rin, and the chest away.

"Put on something proper for dinner and remember that you are in the presence of royalty so choose something nice," Jaken said with disgust as he led her to her room.

Kagome looked around and tried to memorize the corridors they passed and went through but at the pace they were going it proved pointless because looking back on things now she realized she had no idea where she was. She wished she could look around but Jaken had told her to stay put until dinner or until someone came to her with different instructions from no one other than Lord Sesshomaru. Rin had left with Jaken and now she was all alone with her thoughts, which was probably almost as dangerous as being left with Naraku at this point.

Kagome put on a lilac kimono with a light pink sash and laid down in her new bed, deciding that it would probably help her migraine. Her bed was surprisingly comfortable but she still regretted not having brought her bag with her medicine in it with her.

Kagome woke up to someone gently shaking her. She shot up in bed suddenly, frightening the other person.

"I'm sorry, Milady!" a young girl cried with a deep bow.

"Stand up," Kagome said, not used to people bowing down to her.

The girl stood up and averted her eyes nervously. "Who are you?" Kagome questioned.

"My name is Noriko, Highness. I am to be your handmaid," came the reply.

"Please, just call me Kagome. There's no need for such formalities," Kagome said.

"Yes, ma'am," Noriko agreed. She had large chocolate brown eyes and reddish black shoulder length hair. She was a cute girl, but sort of nervous. She seemed as if she had a lot of energy that she had to keep in check but she longed to just run wild and free.

"How old are you, Noriko? If you don't mind me asking," Kagome asked kindly.

The other girl smiled. "Well Lord Sesshomaru told me that you used to be human so if you want to go by human age I'd probably be 16. I'm much older than that in demon years though."

"Why are you here?" Kagome then asked.

"I'm to get you ready for bed, ma'am," Noriko replied.

"Bed?"

"I've brought you a tray of food to eat because we aren't having a formal dinner tonight. Lord Sesshomaru said that there is too much that still has to be done before you are presentable," piped up the other girl as she went to a closet and retrieved a night gown for Kagome.

"Before I'm presentable? What am I? Arm candy? I'm not some doll he can fix up and parade around. I'm a person! Who does he think he is?!" A growl escaped Kagome's throat and she felt her demonic powers rising up.

Noriko whimpered as Kagome's aura expanded and clashed with her own. "Calm down, please, ma'am! I do not want Lord Sesshomaru to think someone is wrong. I will get in trouble!"

It was too late however, because Sesshomaru swung the door to Kagome's room open and took in what was going on.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked harshly, clearly not pleased at Kagome's display.

"What's this about me not being presentable? I'm not some trophy for you to show off to people, Sesshomaru. I am a person," Kagome yelled.

"You will watch your tone with me, woman! How can you think yourself prepared for a formal dinner when you can't even keep your temper? With the rumors, questions, accusations, and challenges that you will be faced with it would be nothing for you to lose control and destroy half most of the castle. I will not put myself and the others that are under my protection in danger because you feel insulted that I still find you unable to be around the company of other demons in your current vulnerable situation," Sesshomaru explained. Kagome calmed down and stared at the male demon in awe. She wasn't sure if it was because she realized he was right or if it was because that was the most she'd ever heard the Western Lord talk.

"I'm sorry," she sheepishly apologized.

"Do not apologize. It is a sign of weakness. Tomorrow Noriko will bring you breakfast and get you dressed for the day then you will be lessons with Kureno. After lunch you will have lessons with Freya on proper etiquette. You will have a few hours to do as you please before dinner and the evening is yours to do as you please. I suggest you get some sleep, you will need it," and with that Sesshomaru left the room.

"Kureno and Freya?" Kagome asked Noriko once Sesshomaru had closed the door.

Noriko hasn't seemed to recovered with the confrontation between the two demons yet.

"Noriko! Who are Freya and Kureno?" Kagome asked as she snapped her clawed fingers in front of Noriko's face.

"They are trusted advisors of Lord Sesshomaru. You should consider yourself lucky to be trained by them for they are the best there is. If I'm not mistaken, Kureno-sama was the one who taught Sesshomaru-sama when he was young," Noriko said, back to her chipper self.

"Taught Sesshomaru what?" Kagome asked.

"Reading, writing, math, science, history, geography, and I think languages," Noriko nodded, proud that she could list the different subjects.

Kagome didn't bother telling her that she was already accomplished in all those subjects. She realized that it would be best to use that knowledge to her own advantage.

"Is there a place to bathe?" Kagome asked.

"Bathe?" Noriko asked.

"Yeah, I know that most humans don't bathe much but I require bathing every day, sometimes more than once," Kagome explained.

"I understand. There are others in the castle who require bathing as much as you do. The Lord and Lady are two of those. As is Rin, simply because she gets so messy throughout the day. Lady Freya and Sanosuke enjoy bathing as well but those are really the only people that I associate with,"

Kagome figured that she would figure out who all these other people were in due time. She grabbed her clothes and allowed herself to be shown down the hall to a set of double doors.

"I will be waiting for you to get exit and then I will return you to your room," Noriko said.

"How will you know when I'm done?" Kagome questioned.

"You are forgetting that you are among demons now," the servant laughed. Her sweet voice echoed through the hall. Kagome nodded and opened the doors, revealing a large hot springs.

The steam hit Kagome head on as she walked in. She sighed contently and slowly stripped before she walked to the table in the far corner of the room. She chose a shampoo that smelt of flowers and apples and flowers and walked to the water's edge to bathe.

The water seemed to soak away her troubles and loosen the knots that chorded her back and limbs. She let her mind wander but realized that it wasn't the time for that. She had to stay strong and allowing herself to think wasn't going to insure that.

"Sesshomaru had better be right. Me leaving my friends had better save them from danger!" Kagome said to herself. She washed her hair and dunked herself under the water before quickly exiting to water and wrapping herself in a towel and a white robe.

As she walked out the doors Noriko cut the corner and smiled at her. "Ready for bed ma'am? You have a long day ahead of you,"

"I guess,"" Kagome said and she followed the small girl back to her room, not exactly pleased that she hadn't had the chance to explore yet.

"I'll get to it tomorrow," Kagome thought with a yawn. Even with her nap, Kagome hadn't realized just how tired she was and she knew that the bath didn't help any.

"Good night, ma'am. I will see you in the morning. I hope you sleep well. If you are in need of anything just call for me and I will come to you," Noriko said with a small bow and she left Kagome. The girl blew out a candle that was sitting on her bedside table and she changed into her night gown.

"Tomorrow will be a long day," she confirmed out loud and before her head hit the pillow she was asleep.

A/N: I'm sorry I didn't get to all the characters in this chapter but tomorrow we will run into more of them. I don't want to rush things. I want to take them slow and easy and make them as believable as I possibly can. I hope you all enjoyed and please remember to review. They are what feed my muse and what gets the chapters out faster!