Chapter 13

Ayumi was gathering herbs when she smelled her younger sister running towards the Ancient Caves. She took a second whiff and smelled something was wrong with her scent. Teeth suddenly grabbed her by her arm and pulled her into the air. "Hey! Put me down!"

"Relax Ayumi, it's just us," she heard Shippo.

Looking up she saw it was them, "Hey, what's going on with my sister?"

"Katsumi is under Naraku's control," Kagome told her.

"And he's using her to get to the Ancient Caves of the Youkos," Inu-yasha finished.

"The Ancient Caves?! Why would he want to get into there?" Ayumi asked.

"I don't know! What's in the caves anyways?"

"It's just the burial ground of our Kings. There's nothing else down there."

"I wonder else is in there that Naraku would want?" Miroku murmured.

"There's nothing else down there, only tombs and skeletons of the kings and honorable relatives."

* * *

Byakuya watched as Sesshomaru followed Katsumi's trial; it was odd he seemed determined to catch her. He also noticed four other Youkos coming from different directions but they were all heading to one point. They seemed to know something was wrong.

* * *

Katsumi stared at the cave entrance and knew she shouldn't be there. She tried to turn around but someone else had control of her body and made her move forward. She walked down many fleets of stairs and as she did her eyes adjusted to the darkness. When she got to the bottom of the stairs it was as black as the moonless night and then her body sat in front of the wall door of the entrance and waited for the others to come.

* * *

Sesshomaru made it to the cave just as Kazuo came to the cave. He suddenly turned and pulled out his blade facing him with a deadly glare. The older demon wasn't impressed by his glare until a threat passed the Yoko's lips.

"You put my sister in danger..." Kazuo told him. "You should've known that she still needed us before she could go with you. I'll make sure you won't hurt her again."

"What do plan on doing?" Sesshomaru asked acting unconcerned.

"Nothing for now, but after I'll make sure she stays with us." Kazuo then turned and went down the stairs until he heard another voice.

"Kazuo! Katsumi's being controlled," Ayumi called as she was released by Kirara.

"By who?"

"A hanyou named Naraku."

At hearing the name Sesshomaru sped down the stairs as the others followed. He barely heard Ayumi yelling, "Lord Sesshomaru! You're not allowed in there! Only Youko's of the royal family are allowed in!"

"Come on!" Inu-yasha yelled as he and the others went down.

"Didn't you guys hear me?!" she held in a scream before she ran down the stairs after them. "Why is it that when you tell someone they're not allowed in they just go in a ways?!"

* * *

Katsumi stared blankly at the wall as she remembered her childhood and took safety in it. She slowly heard the orchestra playing the "Russian Dance" by a human named Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (a/n: from Fantasia! Love the first part of that movie) as she remembered her part in the dance. It was her first time on stage and she was scared because this time she was performing alone without her siblings. Katsumi was four and she was shaking in her skin as the orchestra warmed up. She had a big part in the performance and she had to jump half-way through the dance.

Taking a deep breath she jumped out on stage in her Russian outfit and was caught by an older performer. He then threw her up into the air and caught her again before quickly putting her down and dancing out of the way. Katsumi stood on one leg and began to spin rapidly. Right at the last note stomped her foot down, stopping her whole body, still dizzy from the spin she put her arm above her head as kept her face towards the audience and smiled.

'That was the best day of my life...I always ruined the ending because I was always dizzy but I nailed it,' Katsumi thought. 'Why can't Lord Sesshomaru see what I'm more than just a princess?'

This is going to be longer than my last story. LOL!