"You were a prostitute dancer when your were younger?" Sesshomaru asked Kuda on their way to the Castle.

"Yes, but I was desperate for food. Didn't do anymore than a couple of dances with Pumpkin to realize it was something wrong." Kuda replied, dodging a kid who almost bumped her side.

"The geisha was no more older than 40, Kudaranai. Don't tell me what I am thinking." Sesshomaru asked a bit angry.

Kuda nodded her shamefully. "She had captured me to prostitute me because I was young and very pretty. But as soon as I finished those couple of dances, gave her a good beating fro trying to cage me, I left. Not soon though did a clever Slave Trader catch me." She said, laughing at the last part.

"How did they catch you?"

"It was probably about four days that I had not eaten. Now, Imagine being that hungry and stumbling upon a dark giant box filled with food? They practically trapped me like a rabbit!" Kuda explained, demonstrating with her hands as they clamped shut like a cage rat.

They dodged more kids who got in their way, and with that last part of conversation, they quietly walked towards that castle that was not very far anymore. The event was about to begin in the afternoon, like Sesshomaru told Kuda. It would end probably about at midnight, Lord Takemisho giving his guests bedrooms for the night, and the next day everyone leaves at dawn. It was midday already, and only couple of hours away fro the event to start when they arrived at the castle's front gates. At the very top of the gates were two guards positioned on each side in a tower; one of those guards being well trained archers. They took one look at Sesshomaru with respect, and opened the gates for him. As Kuda trailed a little behind him, she noticed the guards giving her wary glances. What are they thinking, she thought, that I'm going to go up there an rape them? Just to confuse them, Kuda turned her head while still walking forward, and gave them a stupid face while crossing her eyes and pulling on the sides of her mouth with her fingers and sticking out her tongue. The guards tensed, especially the archers, preparing their bows with arrows. Kuda stopped her funny face and laughed quietly as she walked quickly to catch up with Sesshomaru. The castle was small, very small compared to Sesshomaru's and utterly boring. It had no fun and no colors like Sesshomaru's castle who held lanterns hung on strings above the castle and everywhere. The maids and guards defiantly had no small villages either like at Sesshomaru's castle, and were crowded into small rooms at the basement of the castle. This castle if horrifying, Kuda thought, I feel bad for the princess who lives here! It was still too early for the event to start, and looking at it, Kuda noticed they were the very first guests at the event. So the very moment they entered the castle, two servants were waiting for them to take them to their rooms for the night. The servant who would escort Sesshomaru was an old women with a scar on her running down her cheek, leaving only her right eye to see. On the other hand, the servant who would Kuda was a young girl, almost about fourteen, with a scar that was visible on her neck, running than between her breasts. These servants are badly mistreated, damn bastard has no respect from what I can see, Kuda thought angrily. Again, sub-consciously, Kuda brushed her long bangs in front of her eyes, locking every living thing away from seeing into her eyes. The servants froze for a moment when they looked at Kuda, but then melted away. Kuda raised a wondering eyebrow at them. Then, just as the two servants were half way into the castle, Lord Takemisho came out himself from one of the halls ways in front of them. He pushed the old servant to ground as he strode up to Lord Sesshomaru, bowing. Kuda balled her fists, wanting to go help the young girl pick the old, quiet weeping lady from the ground.

"Ah, Lord Sesshomaru! Always a early bird you are!" Takemisho said, bowing. He looked at Kuda, also froze for a moment, but he didn't melt as quickly as the two servants had. "And who's this?" He asked curiously.

Kuda bowed respectfully, "Lord Takemisho, I am Kudaranai, Lord Sesshomaru's servant." She spoke respectfully. Sesshomaru was stunned at her formality.

"Are you, now? Tell me, how did you earn such a name?" He asked her.

"Lord Takemisho, please respect my rudeness, but I cannot answer any of your questions. It is not on my will, rather than on My Lord Sesshomaru. I am simply a servant of his and do not wish to step out of my boundaries." Kuda replied, looking down.

Lord Takemisho furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Have I seen you before?" He asked.

"No, My Lord." Kuda answered.

"Lord Sesshomaru, do you wish to explain how she got her name?" Takemisho asked.

"She's an absolute nightmare, and seemed worthless to me. But just this morning, she turned that name against me; her name is worthless, for she is worth nothing because she is so valuable." Sesshomaru answered with a small smile. A grin spread on Kuda's face, and Takemisho hollered out laughter. He laid a hand on Kuda's shoulder, still laughing.

"Such a smart girl, are you now?" He said.

"Yes, My Lord." Kuda replied.

"Well, Lord Sesshomaru. There are some things I wish to discuss with you in private. Please, come with me to my study room, and bring along your 'valuable' servant."

"No, I want her to go to her rooms until I come back and she is beside me."

"Lord Sesshomaru, I assure you that I, nor will anyone else touch her! Let her roam the castle if she likes as well!" Takemisho said.

"Her rooms." Sesshomaru demanded, and he won. Takemisho sighed, and yelled at the two waiting servants beside them, the old servant rubbing her shoulder from being thrown on the floor. So, the two servants led Kuda to her room, while Lord Takemisho took Sesshomaru with him to his study room. The room was not far, for they simply climbed two stair cases, and the room at the very end of the hall way where it ended with a right turn, was her room. The old servant opened the door, and bowed as Kuda stepped in. It was a big room, with a large mat for a bed on the floor. It was covered with silk sheets and pillows, and a door to the right of the room led into a bathing room. The two servants then walked into the room as well, shutting the door behind them. Grumbling, the old servant walked behind Kuda and began to remove her hair from her face. Kuda slapped the hands away lightly and jumped back away from the servants, smoothing her hair over eyes again.

"Please, don't touch my hair." Kuda said, still traumatized for what Sesshomaru did to her hair last time.

"Child, you aren't thinking of going to the event with all of that hair in your face?" The old woman asked her, her hands still frozen in mid-air from being slapped away.

Kuda made sure she gave one final smooth touch to her hair. "I am, and I will." She replied.

"Then what about a hot shower?" Suggested the old woman.

I guess that's fine, Kuda thought. Without waiting for an answer, the old woman pushed Kuda into the bathing room. But just as she did, Kuda had an argument with the old lady that she could bath herself, and ended kicking the old lady out with the young girl servants carrying Kuda's clothes for a wash. "Even the princess isn't this bad..." The young girl mumbled to the old lady as they walked out of the room. "Your heard Lord Sesshomaru, she is a nightmare." The old lady hissed back. Both nodded in agreement, and walking quickly to the washing rooms.

Kuda had gotten out of the shower just in time as the two same servants came back with her dry and clean clothes. She dressed in them, brushed her hair, dried her hair, and brushed it again, pulling it straight down with her fingers as she brushed to get it pin straight. When she was down, she shook her air, and swept her hand over her bangs and swept them across her eyes again. But just as she did, something shocked her when she looked at her face in the looking mirror; her eyes, her eyes. They were blue, a true deep blue just like Takemisho's, just like his. No, thought Kuda, his hair is a dark brown, and mine is midnight black. She quickly let it go, and swept her hair in front of her eyes. She walked out, only to find the two servants waiting for her.

"The event has started, Lady Kudaranai." The old woman said.

"So fast? But don't we have a couple of hours more?" Kuda asked, confused.

"You took those hours bathing and fixing your hair." The young girl replied.

"Time flies by fast..." Kuda mumbled as she was led out by the servants.

The room that they had led her to, which was just to the right from where she had entered with Sesshomaru, was huge and pact with guests already. How am I suppose to find Sesshomaru in this crowd, Luda thought desperately. As she got to the bottom of the stairs, the two servants bowed to her and left. In front of the room, where two throne chairs sat, was Takemisho occupying one of the thrones to the left. Kuda noticed that he watched her, watched her to closely in fact. She shrugged him off, and skimmed the crowd for Sesshomaru, but didn't see him at all. She sighed, and decided to get to work quickly.

Sesshomaru entered the room where the event was being held, angry and frustrated. He searched the crowd for Kudaranai, but didn't see her or even smell her with so many beings around. As he walked among the crowd, demonesses got in his way, annoying him greatly, as if he wasn't already. To make things worse, minor lords who held land in his land, decided to complain about things to him, and he had no choice but to listen and converse with them. Kudaranai, pray you stay away from trouble, he thought angrily, and let himself be absorbed into the conversation. The sun was setting now, and still he had seen a sign of Kudaranai, and he had no doubt in his mind that Takemisho did something. To get his mind off of Kuda, he took the offered Sake from a servant who offered him it and walked away quickly. But just as he raised the cup to his lips, a hand grabbed his arm and pulled it down, snatching the cup of Sake out of his and tossing it into a plant nearby. It was Kuda, and he never felt more relived than to see her.

"Do me a favor, Sesshomaru, and don't eat anything that is being offered to you right here." She said quietly to him.

"The food is poisoned?" He asked.

"Worse, contains high amounts of tasteless alcohol. The goal for Takemisho tonight is to get you very drunk and to get to sleep with the princess so you may impregnate her, or kill you; either way brings Lord Takemisho joy." She said, and smiled to a couple as they passed by.

"That bastard." Sesshomaru growled.

"He is also building an army against you, but that can wait until we get home." She said more quietly.

Then it struck him. "How did you get this information?" He asked.

"I used my best assets." She said proudly. Sesshomaru looked at her disgusted and angry. She frowned at him. "Not those assets you idiot, torture and black mailing!" She hissed angrily, how could he think of me so low, she thought.

"Be specific next time." He said. "Takemisho spoke to me of mating his daughter, but that beast is the last thing I want to touch on earth." He said to Kuda as they began to walk around.

"He clearly wants you dead and your land one way or another. Did you personally see her?" She replied.

"No." He replied.

"Ladies and Lords, may I have your attention!" Takemisho stood up from his chair, and spoke to the crowd. Everyone became silent, and turned their heads and bodies towards Takemisho. Sesshomaru and Kuda were caught to stand right in front of the crowd. Takemisho gave one last hard and final stare at Kuda, and returned his attention back to the crowd.

"For so long I hid her, My Precious Daughter. She has grown to be a beautiful grown woman, and I think it's time I let her fly on her own. Please, let me introduce my lovely Daughter, Asuyana Takemisho!"

Kuda's mouth fell open, and her eyes bulged out behind her curtain of hair. Sesshomaru leaned towards Kuda, "So, Kudaranai, when will you kill yourself?"