From the diary of Princess Higurashi Kagome of Musashi
Date: fourth day of the first month of summer. Year XXXX

.

Oh, such a dreadful day! Such an atrocious misadventure! I shiver even now, as I commit the retelling of that day to the paper, but I know that if I write it down, I shall find no rest tonight.

The day started pleasant, with small, fluffy clouds hurrying across the blue skies and obstructing the climbing sun. Rin and I bid farewell to our family, prayed for the last time in the family shrine before our long absence, then climbed into the awaiting carriage and let it carry us away down the winding road that descended down the hill atop which the estate stands.

Rin was even more cheerful than usual. She arrived to bring to my attention everything that awakened her interest. At first, those things were familiar trees under which we had had a picnic, and a brook in which we used to wade when we were kids. All those places that were dear to us, bringing back memories of a thousand joyful days. I won't lie; more than once, I felt a pang of pain and melancholy. I soothed my heart by reminding myself that we weren't leaving forever, just for a couple of months.

After some time, Rin's excited calls for my attention started to be elicited by new sights: a cluster of splendid trees covered in blossoms and lush green leaves; a lovely cottage tucked in between gardens and fields; a herd of horses grazing on a paddock, brown, black and gray. It excited me to see the new lands that unfolded before our eager eyes. We entertained ourselves by speculating about the villages we passed, trying to imagine what life in them was like. We admired the tall mountains that loomed in the background, some bearing snow caps.

After some time, the carriage entered a barren woodland. The road was less smooth now: thinner as it went in a straight line between the trees. The carriage driver and his assistants stopped for a half an hour at a village that huddled to a riverbank near the edge of the forest. While they changed the horses at an inn for pilgrims and other travelers, we came into the establishment to have a light midday meal. It was a miso soup, thick and spicy, with rice. It was not as tasty as what we ate at home, but it was warm and filling. The driver and his assistant had a chance to eat and then we were back on the road, following the path that led steadily up, along with the terrain. From what I understood, the road had to go through a pass in between the
mountains to reach the valley where the princess lived. Rin dozed off on her bench in the carriage, holding to herself her bag containing her most prized and delicate possessions. I composed a draft of a letter to dear Lady Sango and then dozed off myself, lulled by the rocking of the carriage on the uneven path.

When I awoke, it was already dark outside. I am not sure what had awakened me: a sudden noise or a lack of the soothing motion of the carriage, probably. I blinked a few times, looking confused towards the window. The trees crowded close to the carriage, obstructing the starry sky. I was about to lean out of the window and call out to the driver to ask what was the matter. Shouldn't we be already at the old temple, where we had planned to spend the night? Was the journey taking too long and the temple was still ahead of us?

Something made me pause with my hands, reaching for the edge of the window to help myself up. There was a voice, a soft call.

"Ladies…" I recognized the youngest assistant of the driver, a lanky boy who sat on the roof of the carriage and now quietly made his way down to the ground, peering inside the carriage. "The road is blocked."

"Oh," I blinked, and nodded. "Do we have to make camp here? Is there a way to get around the obstacle?"

The boy's pale face and hushed voice made me whisper and lean in towards him, so I could hear him better. He shook his head at what I said. He appeared tense and scared.

"No, Princess Kagome. Please, wake up Miss Rin. We have to be ready to…" He sounded urgent as he glanced towards where the horses neighed.

A shiver of cold ran through me when I heard a chorus of voices from the road ahead of us. The driver and the two other men that were with him responded. I couldn't focus on the words spoken, only on the tone of their voices. They were angry, brash voices, threatening and making my heart freeze. I quickly reached out a hand and grabbed Rin's shoulder.

"Rin!" I called her in a whisper. "Rin, wake up!"

"Are we at the temple?" she asked drowsily.

"Ladies, come!" urged the boy. I dragged Rin to her feet and pulled her out of the carriage as quietly as I could, making her quiet for long enough for her to realize what was happening. As soon as we stood on the ground, the boy pointed between the trees and we started to run.

Just as we reached the forest line, I looked back and what I saw almost made me freeze in fright. A tree was across the road and ten men stood on it and around it, facing the carriage. The driver and his two companions had bows in hand, trained on the men. Some of them had bows of their own, arrows ready, but most had thick sticks.

"Hurry!" The boy urged us and I pulled Rin with me into the forest. I heard cries behind us and the hiss of an arrow as it passed harmlessly near me.

"Roku!" Rin cried out and I gasped when I saw the boy fall on his face in front of us, a shaft of an arrow sticking out from his back. My cousin was friends with the boy and kneeled next to him to see if she could aid him in any way, but I held her hand with all my might and tugged at her to follow me deeper into the dark forest, spots of moonlight not dispersing the darkness, but instead accenting trunks and twisted limbs. Behind us we could hear noises of a fight and shouts; a few arrows were sent after us, but they got tangled into brambles.

Rin stifled her sobs and I did my best to move away as fast as possible. Panic fogged my mind, made me gasp and shake, my heart beating fast in my ears. Tree limbs tried to catch us, bushes and roots tried to trip us, but I pushed onward like a hunted doe. Rin supported me when I stumbled and I held onto her when we made our way around thick trees, heedless of our kimono sleeves getting torn, twigs scratching our faces.

Oh, how foolish my assurance from the morning was to me now! Mother had voiced her concerns, but I had soothed her, telling her that the escort we had was enough. Now I knew that even if the province of my birth was safer, the wild passes between the mountains still harbored foul men. I could hear their voices, echoing through the forest, following us. Rin looked back and staggered, breathless just like I was. I was not used to running, especially through a night forest.

Still, what fate awaited us if we stopped to rest and got caught? I dreaded ever thinking about it. I pulled Rin on, despite our fatigue, not willing to give up, and not willing to let her, either, if she tried to. But my cousin was a Higurashi through and through; she complained not about me urging her forward into the wilderness. Once we were safe from the pursuers, we could think of what to do next. Now it was all we could do to run and try to find a way to evade the following men.

The meadow opened before us so suddenly that we took a couple steps into the open, moonlit area before we realized what we were doing.

"Oh, no!" Rin cried out, her hand shaking in my grip. I was frozen in place, staring ahead and taking in the sight.

There were people in the meadow. Dogs were gathered around half a dozen horses, each carrying a rider.

I felt the same terror Rin had voiced a moment ago, but then I realized that those were not road bandits. They were dressed in fine clothing; their horses were of a splendid breed. They looked like the party of a noble man enjoying a hunt. When we entered the glen, the men looked at who intruded on their gathering. The dogs were well-trained, for they uttered no sound nor tried to attack us, awaiting the command of their master before acting, resorting only to looking at us with glowing eyes, alert and curious.

"Please, save us!" I outstretched my hand in supplication, looking to where the apparent leader of the group was, sitting atop a pale horse.

Even sitting in a saddle he was taller than the other riders. His kimono was of purest white, adorned with embroidery on the front and on the sleeves. A golden and blue obi wrapped around his waist and a pelt of luxurious fur wrapped around his right shoulder. His hair was long, as it often was among the nobility, but he wore it down and not shaved into the samurai style. His face was obscured from me, since the moon shone behind him, but I saw fascinating eyes of the most exquisite yellow color.

He turned those peculiar eyes upon us and regarded us silently, his regal posture and the emotionless gaze pinning me to the spot where I stood, sweaty and panting, my hair in tangles, my face streaked with scratches, my clothing torn and dirty. Rin tried to straighten beside me, peering behind us, where we could hear distant calls of our pursuers.

"Oi!" called another rider and made his horse step to stand next to the pale steed of the lord distant like the moon. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"Our carriage was attacked by bandits," Rin ventured to respond, turning her gaze to the lord and the man who had spoken in such a brash voice.

I felt as if a spell was lifted from me and I was able to look away from those cold, calculating eyes. The second man rode a horse of equal beauty to the horse of the lord, but this one was the color of rust under the moonlight. His clothing was of the deepest crimson red; his sleeves fluttered around him as he reined in the hot-blooded beast he rode. His hair was silver and wild while the lord's was sleek and neatly brushed, but there was no doubt in my mind that people who shared such a distinct and rare color had to be kind. The eyes of the brash man were golden as well, seconding this presumption of mine. But they bore no coldness nor no remoteness of demeanor. They practically overflew with emotions, unbridling and genuine. In a fleeting moment, I could read the curiosity and excitement in them.

And, while the lord's gaze had pinned me to the ground, aware of how pitiful I appeared to be to him, how insignificant I was to him, this man's gaze was like a wash of warmth from a hearth after the frost of a winter night. I was yet again reminded of how utterly unpresentable I looked, how scared and tired I was, but instead of shame at my current predicament, I felt a surge of courage.

"Bandits." That was the first word the lord spoke, his voice smooth and even. "In this land?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "They blocked our road and killed our escort, and hunted us through the forest! Please, honorable lord, have mercy on us and grant us your protection."

"Protection," the faintest smile touched his thin lips and he inclined his head towards the man in red. "This is a request you should make to this one's little brother. This one ventures not to protect anyone."

"It's your land," Rin pointed out. "You should do your utmost to reduce the number of bandits tormenting those who travel through your domain."

"That issue shall be remedied shortly," he acquiesced with a regal incline of his head. I was looking at the man the lord described as his little brother.

"Will you?" I asked in a demure voice, trying to slow my frantic heartbeat and summon the manners that my mother had instilled in me. "Good lord, would you grant me and my cousin a safe asylum in your house until a means of transportation for the rest of our journey can be arranged?"

His face was shadowed, but I could imagine a scowl that no doubt darkened his features when he spoke.

"It ain't like I'd let two girls get lost in the woods."

A heavy weight seemed to slide off from my poor heart at those words, even if he voiced his agreement in the most callous manner. His voice was strong and foretold a decisive, temperamental attitude.

"Thank you," I managed a bow; Rin at my elbow performed one of her own, both of us truly grateful for the reprieve from the horrors of the terrible misadventure.

"Very well, so it is decided," intoned the lord, ignoring our gesture. "Inuyasha, take the women to the keep. This one shall hunt."

"Oi!" The man in red looked sharply to his older brother, the horse under him stepping uneasily a few paces in the same spot. "It's my turn to hunt!"

"This one believes that you are bound to provide secure shelter for the guests, who requested asylum within our lands." The lord's face was impassive, but the tone of his voice betrayed a hint of amusement at the younger man. The one called Inuyasha made a frustrated noise not unlike a growl and pushed his horse onwards to stand next to me.

I gasped when he suddenly leaned to the side in the saddle, his foot braced against the stirrup. A pair of arms wrapped around me and before I could react in any manner, I was seated in front of the brother of the lord, secure in the circle of his arms. I turned my head to look at him, but his head was turned away from me.

"Jaken, take the other one," he commanded. One of the other riders, a short, plump man on a dark mare, cried out in outrage.

"No! I will accompany Lord Sesshomaru!" His voice was high-pitched and its shrillness did little to endear him to me, as did his refusal to aid my poor cousin.

"Jaken, you shall follow Inuyasha's orders," the lord declared, and the short man immediately mumbled his apologies and helped Rin up to sit on his horse behind him.

The lord watched as she put her foot in the offered stirrup and hauled herself with his aid onto the calm mare. He then shared a glance with his brother, and without any word, rode into the forest, leaving behind both his escort and his dogs.

"Back to the keep!" commanded the man who sat behind me before he pulled me closer to his warm body and turned the rust-colored horse in the direction of the west. The others filed in behind him, leaving the meadow and engaging into hushed discussions.

They spoke too softly for me to pick up any distinct words and I was too overcome by exhaustion and the sudden turn of our ill luck to focus on wondering what they were talking about. At some point, as we rode down a meandering path, I chanced a glance at the younger lord's face, half-lit by the moonlight.

His features were extremely handsome, regular, and speaking of aristocratic pedigree. In the set of his lips one could read a most fierce character. His eyes, albeit of unusual color, were most striking and alluring, even as his dark thick brows knitted over them in a mild frown of annoyance.

Quickly, I dropped my inquisitive gaze, else he would notice me staring and the renewed redness of my cheeks. I resorted myself to relaxing in the steady hold of his warm arms around me and the swift pace of the horse moving like a ghost through the forest.

I was jolted out of a tired daze when a distant howl flowed through the still air of the night.

"What was that?" I gasped and heard Rin's similar, startled words.

"Feh, just a stray dog hunting," he said with a shrug.

"A stray dog?!" shrieked the short man from somewhere behind us.

"Dangerous beasts dwell in these forests." An old man with a balding head and thin whiskers falling around his lips moved his horse to walk beside the one that carried me and my companion. "Boars, bears, and much more. Some people even say that youkai stalk these woods. You are lucky you came up on Lord Sesshomaru and Master Inuyasha."

I smiled up at the man, who so carefully held me in front of himself, steering his horse away from any branch that could disturb me and choosing a smooth path between the trees. He glanced down at me and looked away almost instantly.

"Keh, plenty lucky to deprive me of my hunt," the young lord grumbled, but I sensed there was no bite to his words.

"We're very thankful," Rin assured him. "It was so scary in the forest when we ran, but now it is like we're in a different one altogether."

I looked around and realized that I seconded her feelings in that regard. While the forest during our panicked escape had been dark and frightening, clutching at us with branches and striking us with painful twigs, now it was as if it was opening before us, trees leaned away to make way, roots flattened so as not to hinder any of the horses. Beams of moonlight pierced the darkness, giving the surrounding wilderness a sense of unequal serenity and mystery. Night birds could be heard a distance away, and crickets sang on their hidden perches. The air was no longer still and thick, but fresh and crisp, laden with the magnificent fragrance of the flowers and ferns.

"Oh, yes," I breathed in, mesmerized by the sight of a flock of fireflies dancing over a cluster of bushes in a miniscule glen made by a collapse of an old tree, now obscured by new vegetation. "If youkai inhabit this forest, I cannot believe that they are of the foul sort."

My words caused the young lord behind me to chuckle: a deep, pleasant sound that warmed my heart and cheeks. I turned to look up at him and saw that those mesmerizing eyes were looking down at me, as if to challenge my statement. Mirth made those eyes sparkle.

"Good or bad youkai, you and your kin will do well not to venture into the forest alone at night," he hummed. "If you desire to walk in the moonlight, I won't mind going with you."

"Um, of course," I managed and looked away to see if there was something interesting off to the side.

"Royakan!" called the young lord, and a new man rode closer to him. I looked at him curiously and saw a burly man with his broad shoulders covered by a furry mantle. His round face was dark from spending time in the sunlight and it betrayed a kind, loyal character.

"Young master?" he bowed his head a bit, his voice deep and eager.

"Go ahead and warn the housekeeper," the lord ordered. "Tell her to prepare the rooms in the main keep."

"Consider it done!" The man nudged the sides of his steed and it sprang forward, big hooves carrying it among the shadows with no effort despite how heavily the rider was built.

We rode for a while through this magical forest, following a path I couldn't even see as the moon got obscured by clouds coming from the north. Weariness and the sense of security I felt now, as I rode through the dark forest with a stranger, who spoke no more, made me fall into a state of half-sleep. The horse's pace was steady, the wind rustled in the trees and the hold the young lord had on me was firm, but not constricting.

I was roused out of my daze only when I heard the sound of hooves hitting wooden planks. As I lifted my head from where it had been resting against the man's chest, I quickly looked around to hide the blush of embarrassment that colored my cheeks.

We were on a drawbridge hanging over a deep gorge cut into the land by a river I could hear below us. On the other side of the bridge, a tall wall obstructed the view, and a gate yawned open before us, letting one see within a courtyard beyond. I blinked and strained my eyes, but in the darkness I could barely make out the shape of the entrance to the dwelling of our saviors.

That was until Lord Inuyasha's horse trotted into the courtyard, because then a single lantern was unveiled and I was suddenly blinded by the dim light it provided. In its limited radiance, I saw that the ground was covered with grass and that a small distance from the gate was a big, three-story building, its walls ghostly white. When I blinked away the tears brought to my eyes by the lamplight, I could see the one holding the lamp - a girl in a plain, but pretty kimono, obviously a maid. She stood next to a more impressively dressed woman with her hair pulled into a severe bun.

"Young master, welcome back," she intoned in a pleasant voice, her eyes looking straight at me. I lowered my eyes, perfectly aware that I didn't look like a lady of the Higurashi family visiting a mansion of another noble.

"Keh." The man behind me stopped his horse next to the two women and jumped off of the saddle before turning to help me down. I graciously accepted his aid, because after the events of the night, I wasn't sure I could trust my tired body not to fail me. "We have guests. Sesshomaru will be back before long."

"Master, Jaken needs your assistance," called the old man named Myouga, amusement in his voice. I looked behind us, to where the rest of the riders were dismounting and leading their horses to the left, towards where a stable had to be located. The short man with whom Rin had ridden was sitting stiffly and cringing, my poor cousin asleep with her head on his shoulder. He dared not to rouse her and only held her hands clasped in his where she had been holding onto him.

"Sure," the young lord chuckled and walked over to ease Rin down from the saddle. He arranged my sleeping cousin in his arms and carried her back to where I stood. "Tomorrow we can do introductions and other stuff. Now, our guests are tired and need rest."

"Thank you," I breathed out, reaching a hand to tuck a strand of hair that fell on Rin's face behind her ear. She sighed in her sleep.

"Should I show the lady to her room?" the housekeeper asked, and I felt an unreasonable need to ask for him to go with me.

"No," I sighed in relief inwardly at that one word. "I will see them both settled. Make sure all of the household know that they are under my and Sesshomaru's care."

The maid, until now demurely looking down, glanced up, as if shocked by that statement. She had a lovely face and expressive eyes, dark and shadowed by long lashes.

"Come." I turned to the young lord and ` him towards the looming white building, his silvery hair an easy thing to follow. He led me up a few wide steps to the door and inside, down dark corridors and staircases. I am sure I couldn't have found my way out without help.

Finally, the young lord stopped in the middle of a corridor and pointed to a doorway with his chin.

"This will be your room. Sleep and rest; we will talk tomorrow," he said, his golden eyes looking at me for a moment. "Your cousin will be in the room opposite yours," he added as he saw my worried glance towards sleeping Rin.

"Good night." I bowed to him and went inside the room appointed to me, a room I will describe here tomorrow, because my exhaustion is catching up to me and the futon is laid out, so comfy and welcoming.