Chapter 12
Sango is dragging Kagome down the hallway, "Come on, Kagome." She speaks in gladness as they stop in front of the door. "This is my mother's room. We're forbidden to go in." Kagome speaks in a state-of-fact tone. Sango giggles, "We know. But this time, she's allowing us to go in." She assures the princess. She knocks on the door. "Who is it?" The queen asks from the other side of the door. "I, Sango, have brought Princess Kagome on your requested appointment." Sango presents herself. "I see. Step right in." The queen immediately opens the door. Inside the assigned room is full of streamers hanging around from the ceiling, along with balloons that are blue and pink since neither of any of them know the exact gender of the baby.
"Oh my. What is all this?" Kagome awes in excitement. She smiles big time as she walks to take it all in. There was a table with a cake and a few gifts for Kagome. "Kagome, over here!" Shippo calls to get her attention. Kagome turns her sight to see a beautiful throne like the one that her parents sit in on special occasions. The more fascinating sights Kagome sees, the more she's speechless, not a single word to say. "Come on, Kagome. Take your seat." Soten takes her hand and guides her to her seat. Once seated, Ayame come up to her and place a woven crown on her head. "You look good with that on." Ayame compliments the girl. Kagome blushes with a smile as she turns to see Shippo and Soten heading over to the queen. "So Kagome, how's it been since you found out that you're pregnant?" Her mother asks. Kagome looks down to her still non bump belly. "Hm, well for starters, I've been having mood swings, and my hunger is out of control sometimes." She rubs the back of her neck in embarrassment.
"Ok, let's give you your first gift." Sango smiles as she picks up the first one from the pack. Kagome opens up to reveal baby clothes. "Aw so cute." Kagome could get rid of her smile of happiness. From baby clothes, to cribs, to diapers, as well as toys. "I'd be nice if Inuyasha was here. He would've enjoyed this." She closes her eyes, trying to stop her tears of happiness from pouring out. Shippo and Soten hop onto the arms of the chair. "He'll know for sure that you're happy as we speak. When he gets back with your brother, you two can finally have your family in peace." Soten said confidently.
All of sudden a bomb makes way into the castle's grounds. "We're under attack." A soldier shouts to the room. "We have to get you ladies to a safe place." He is about to do it until the front door is being banged on roughly. "It's the wolves. They're upon us!" Another soldier alerts this time. "Close the door now!" The other soldier orders around. The first one quickly closes the one of the room the party's in. The continuing bang has gotten the kids worried scared as well as the baby is crying. Sango is doing everything she can shush her down. "What are we going to do?" Soten asks the princess. That's when the queen ducks under the rug and pulls out a hidden door. "We're escaping this way, now let's get going." The queen gives her orders as they all get into the path underground, and closed it from the inside. "Make sure they don't find us." The queen orders the soldier as he covers the trap door with the rug.
As soon as the soldier covered the trap door, the door bursts open to reveal Koga with a few of his few wolves. "Where are the ladies?" He immediately asks the soldier. 'I can't let them know where they just escaped to.' The soldier thoughts nervously. Koga snaps his fingers as his wolves sniff the room to find their scents. "Say, this is something. Did I interrupted a party of
Somebody's?" He walks around to find the gifts and the balloons. "Judging by the stuff here, looks like someone's pregnant. How intriguing." He smirks as he picks up the scent of the seat. "So it's the princess who is pregnant. Figures. She was supposed to be my mate but that damned Inuyasha had gotten to her before me, and I cannot forgive that." He clutches his fists.
A wolf barks at Koga. "What is it?" He walks up to it. The wolf tries to move the rug but it won't budge. "What's with the rug?" Koga tries his best to move it too but it's not budging either. Koga looks around to make none of the items are on top of it. So far none of them are. Odd. "It'd be as if this rug has been re-enforced with a spell." Koga comments the rug. "Even though they were here, they must've gone into hiding. I want all of you to guard every entry and exit of this castle. As such I bet Ayame is with them as well." He grins as he walks out of the room, forgetting the soldier. 'Ayame? The red-head is one of them as well. This isn't good. I can't go after the ladies, and I'm not sure on what to do at this point.' The soldier thinks so nervously. He's a sitting duck.
Somewhere deep under the castle the ladies are walking through a damp hallway. "Ugh, this is disgusting." Ayame covers her nose. Not just her, Even Kagome, Shippo and Soten are covering theirs as well. "Well, no one has ever been down here so that's why it's filthy. "The queen retorted back to the red. Sango has to use a handkerchief to cover her baby's noise. "Do you know how long this tunnel is, your highness?" She asks, ever so worried about her baby's health. The queen takes second to think for that question. 'it's been years. I know that much.' She tells herself. "I'm not sure, Sango. But I assure you that we'll make it out to make sure Kimiko is okay. I know it's wrong of me to pick this way to escape the intruders." The queen apologizes for not thinking right. Sango takes hold of her shoulder boldly, "It's not your fault you picked this. We just had to go through the best way." She smiles to the queen. Kagome sniffs a little. "Do you smell something, Kagome?" Shippo hops onto her shoulder. She takes sniff again. "Yeah, smells like a wolf." She confirms it. That's when she turns around to find Ayame is missing. "Hey where did Ayame go?" Soten asks her. Shippo lights a green flame and let it fly around the darkness of the tunnel since there's no candles to light their way. "I don't see her anywhere." Shippo tells the group. "She might've gotten lost along the way. I'll go look for her." Soten volunteers as she goes on ahead. "I'll go too." Shippo hops off Kagome's shoulder and goes with Soten.
Ayame is just sitting in the dark, nowhere near the group that escaped through the trap door in the queen. "I can't be with them when they find us." She groans as she tries to figure out her next move without involving the group. "Ayame!" Soten calls from within the darkness. "Ayame, where are you?" Shippo shouts this time as they use their fire and lightning magic to light up the tunnel. The fire shines further to spot Ayame. "There you are." Soten smiles as they get to here. "Why did you not stick around?" Shippo asks as he keeps the fire lit up. That is until the fire got too close to her. Ayame whips her head away which reveals something that Soten and Shippo were worried about. "You're a wolf." Soten points at the pointed ear that was hidden in her red hair. That is until Ayame punches the ground to make leaves appear. "Don't move." She warns them as they try to get to her. The leaves surround the kids and trap them. "What are you doing?" Soten tries to break free with her lightning bolts to burn the leaves.
The ground rumbling alerts the group, "What just happened?" Kagome asks as she keeps her balance. Kirara transforms to let them get onto her back. Even her paws lit up the area around them. All of sudden Soten's scream is heard. "That's Soten. Let's go." Kagome runs back to find the little girl.
Soten screamed because her own lightning zaps her back. "What did you do to me?" Soten asks as she keeps struggling. "Whenever you try to use any of your powers to break free, it's reflect back at you." Ayame speaks to her. She turns to see Shippo doing the same thing. But then he pops into smoke is replaces with a leaf of his own. "Quite creative." Ayame comments the kid's trick. "And since he's running off in fear. You're coming as my hostage." Ayame reveals as her real form is white. After a few seconds, her hair is up in pigtail, with a thin bang with an iris in it. Her armor is skimpy but has a white furry pelt, and white fur cap down his back.
"Kagome!" Shippo cries as he sees them riding towards him. "Shippo!" Kagome grabs him in her arms. "Where's Soten?" She asks him. "She's been kidnapped by Ayame." Shippo answers frantically. The group gasps at that. "By Ayame. I thought that she was wounded." Sango tries to think back. "No I mean Ayame was playing us the entire time. She's a wolf." Shippo tells them. Kagome widens her eyes, "A wolf. I wasn't aware that she was one." She frowns for how she was deceived. "We need to get out of here." Sango tells them. Kirara sniffs the air and quickly turn her head in one direction. "Well it looks like that Kirara found a way out of here." She smiles. Kagome and Shippo get onto Kirara's back. It doesn't take long for them to see sunlight seeping through the wall. "There." The queen points towards it. Kagome smiles as she uses her claws to destroy the wall. "Stay here, there's no telling that Ayame is a spy of the group that attacked the castle." Kagome turns her head and takes a peek outside. She sneaks outside to look around the courtyard. For what she sees in front of her is a horde of wolves. One of them sniffs and turns towards to her. "Uh oh." Kagome gasps as she tries to run from it. "Well, well, well. What do we have here." A male's voice speaks from behind. Kagome turns around slowly to see it's Koga. All she knows it being knocked out from just seeing his straight in the eye.