Sesshoumaru allowed himself a mental smirk. He had finally found a way to get the girl to act normal. So what if it meant freeing her before his brother stopped wanting her? It wasn't like he couldn't convince Kagome to stay away from Inuyasha and remain near him. Besides, he still had the spell problem to take care of.
"Very well, Kagome," the inu youkai said, feeling rather pleased with himself. "On Monday I will take you to the court house and pay to have your status changed."
She was so happy she nearly leapt for joy. Her heart felt like it was going to burst, and she almost smiled at her master. 'Free... I'm going to be free, and once that happens, the other word that Naraku has won't matter. Even if he does activate it, the spell won't work because I won't be required to obey my training.'
Suddenly, her mind did a double-take. 'Wait a minute... what if he's lying?' Kagome thought, making sure to hide her emotions from her master as her mind scolded her. 'I have been tricked before, so what's to say that it won't happen again? All I have is his word on it. Though, he has been nice to me. He claims that he's honorable, which he has proven over and over, but he could still be trying to trick me. For all I know, he could be worse than all my other masters. He could still be toying with me.'
Sesshoumaru knew something was wrong when her eyes went from the childish look of joy to the dull orbs that she had when she was deep in slave mode. She had been so happy before, but now she was hiding her emotions from him, and he knew it. Also, he had a pretty good idea what the problem was, but there was nothing he could do about it. More likely than not, she didn't trust him and nothing he could say or do at that moment would change that. He would just have to wait for Monday to prove her doubts wrong.
~*~
Monday came around quickly enough, and Kagome was on edge. She was nervous, although she hid it perfectly. Doubts plagued her, despite the fact that she knew that her master was honorable. Everything just seemed to good to be true.
The strangest part was that her master was taking her to work with him. He had promised that, as soon as they left the office, he would take her to the courthouse to get her status changed. Also, he had said that she would be bored at his work, but he had sworn to keep an eye on her while she was there. He had even accepted her offer of help with his paperwork.
On the way to Sesshoumaru's work place, Kagome kept looking around at everything, just barely hiding her nervousness. She was going to be free... something she hadn't even dared dream of in years; and it was an inu youkai who was going to make it happen. A youkai was setting her free, all because he wanted her to act normal.
When they finally arrived at the building, Kagome followed Sesshoumaru very closely. She didn't trust all the other people who were scurrying around, trying to get work done. Some of the people had lab coats on, while others dressed normally. All showed great respect to her master. It didn't take her very long to figure out that her master was the head and owner of the company, which used the building they were in.
"There is my office, Kagome," Sesshoumaru informed her, pointing to a door. "I have a few things to take care of elsewhere, so you can wait in there for me to return."
"As you wish, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome replied, leaving his side and going into the room he had gestured to.
She found the office to be spacious and well organized, a reflection of his home. A large oak desk sat on one end of the room, a computer and lamp on it, a large chair behind it. Another chair sat in front of the desk. Steel file cabinets lined one wall, each drawer meticulously labeled. On the other side of the room was a flat screen TV, which was turned off at the moment. The walls were white with a few painting decorating it, and the carpet was a plush, rich, burgundy color.
Allowing herself a small sigh, she went over to the desk and sat down in the chair that was in front of it. The chair was comfy, thankfully, because she had a feeling that she would be spending most of her day in that piece of furniture.
After half an hour or so, the sound of the door opening made Kagome perk up a little. Her master was back, and hopefully he would let her do something. She turned around to look at him, but the person who had entered the room was not her master.
She blinked once, standing up out of respect for the newcomer. She had no idea who the person was, but if he was a customer or worker of her master, then she didn't want to insult the individual. Her master would not be happy if she angered someone important.
The person who had just walked into the room gave Kagome a pleased look. "Good morning," he greeted her, flashing her a smile, showing off even white teeth that contrasted nicely against his tanned skin. Long black hair was pulled back into a high pony tail. Blue eyes studied the slave girl from under black eyebrows. He was tall, lean, and muscular; and he was dressed in a blue silk shirt and nice blank pants. His ears were pointed, and a dark brown tail swayed back and forth behind him.
"Good morning," Kagome responded, knowing that it was the polite thing to do. Truthfully, she wanted to go run to her master, but she knew that was impossible. She had no idea where her master was, and she greatly doubted her ability to find him in the huge building.
"Do you know where Sesshoumaru is?" he asked curiously, his tone friendly. His smile didn't fade for even one moment.
She shook her head. "Forgive me, sir, but I don't know where Sesshoumaru-sama is," she answered, keeping her tone and expression neutral.
"Would you mind if I waited here for him? I need to talk to him for a while about something," he said, moving away from the door. "The subject, curiously enough, is you."
Kagome gave the man her best blank look, but her mind was going at a million miles an hour. 'He wants to talk to Sesshoumaru-sama about me... that can't be good. I don't like the way he's looking at me either. His eyes are saying that he owns me. The guy obviously wants to buy me, and as he came here the same day I did...' She mentally gasped and nearly smacked herself for her stupidity. 'My master's going to sell me! He lied! He said he was going to free me, but he lied! Why else would this guy be here now and look at me the way he's doing?'
"I will not mind if you wait here, sir," Kagome said in response to his question, bowing to him. If he was possibly going to be her new master, then she needed to be polite. "Is there anything I can do for you while you wait?"
Nodding his head, he took the chair that she had vacated and sat in it. "Yes, you can tell me your name," he stated, smirking up at her. He was enjoying being in her presence. The slave girl was just so beautiful, and she looked even better than the last time he had seen her. There was a healthier glow to her skin, and her form had filled out quite nicely.
"Sesshoumaru-sama calls me Kagome, sir." She carefully watched the demon male, curious as to why he even cared what her name was. What was with all the people she had met lately? Did none of them know how to treat a slave? Was there something in the water or air to cause such a strange attitude in so many people?
"Kagome... that's a very pretty name. It suits you nicely," he commented sweetly, savoring the tast of her name on his tongue. "I'm Kouga, by the way."
She was about to reply with some kind of polite phrase when someone else opened the door and entered the office.
"Kagome, wha-" Sesshoumaru looked up from the folder he had been studying rather intensely and stopped speaking in mid-sentence. He noticed Kouga and immediately began to growl, his golden eyes flashing dangerously.
Kouga turned away from Kagome to look at the dog demon. His smile fell for a brief moment, but he quickly forced it back. "Good morning, Sesshoumaru," he greeted the inu youkai cheerfully, no fear in his voice.
"What are you doing here, wolf demon?" He didn't quite care for the wolf youkai, who was known for his absurdly stubborn nature. Kouga always got what he wanted, and since he obviously wanted Kagome...
His growling became even louder. It would be a cold night in hell when he actually let Kouga have Kagome.
"I wanted to talk to you about my woman," he replied, making it perfectly clear that he thought that Kagome was already his. "You've had two weeks with Kagome, and I can smell that you haven't done anything with her recently, so I can assume that you're bored with her. I'll be more than happy to take her off your hands." He gave Kagome a charming smile. "I promise that I'll take good care of her, Sesshoumaru. She'll want for nothing."
"She's not for sale," the dog demon snapped irritably. 'How dare he assume that I don't want to keep her! I should have him thrown out of here right now.' He was so annoyed that he even began to contemplate tossing the demon out the doors himself... that, or killing the annoying kisama.
What was worse was that Kagome had fully withdrawn into slave mode. 'She probably thought that I was actually going to sell her. even after I said that I was going to free her! Kouga is going to pay for doing that to her.'
"Not for sale?" Kouga repeated, raising an eyebrow. Although sometimes the price could be a bit high, everything, including slaves, was for sale. Kagome was a slave. Slaves were possessions. Possessions were for sale. Thus, Kagome was supposed to be for sale.
"Exactly. I will not sell her... ever!" Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed red for a moment, warning the other demon of just how angry he was.
Kagome stared at her master, amazed by what he had said and his tone of voice. 'He isn't going to sell me? Kouga isn't going to become my new master? Sesshoumaru-sama didn't lie to me?' Her eyes went wide and full of hope for a moment before her training rose back up and squashed the feeling.
"Now, Kouga, I suggest that you get out of here right now," the dog demon said, glaring at the other youkai. He wanted the wolf demon gone. "And if I ever hear you call Kagome your woman again..." He let the threat hang in the air.
The wolf demon took the hint, understanding that he was far from welcome in the taiyoukai's office at that moment. With one last look at Kagome, he left the place, leaving a trail of dust as he went.
"He's fast," Kagome whispered very softly under her breath. She had never seen anyone run that fast, and she had seen some pretty fast demons.
"Kagome," Sesshoumaru began, his tone normal again. "What did he say to make you doubt me?"
She took a deep breath and bowed her head. "Milord, he said that he wanted to talk to you about me, and he looked at me so possessively... like I was already his. I couldn't help but think that there was no coincidence about the both of us coming to your work on the same day. He... he acted like you had already agreed to sell me," she explained, somehow managing to keep her voice devoid of any emotion. It was hard to do that, especially since all she wanted to do was curl up in a little ball and hide from the confusing world. Crying did not sound too bad either.
'That's what she thought? She thought that I had lied to her?' Sesshoumaru mentally shook his head. "I did not bring you here to sell you to that annoying kisama. I brought you here so I could free you after I finish my work," he told her, his voice firm. "I do not go back on my word. Perhaps you understand this now?"
Kagome dully nodded her head, actually feeling ashamed of herself. 'When was the last time I felt like this?' she silently mused. 'I've never felt bad for doubting any of my masters before.' "I understand perfectly, milord. Please forgive me for my lack of trust in you." She bowed deeply to him, knowing that she deserved punishment for displeasing him so much.
Sesshoumaru sighed. "Enough with the 'milord', and you don't need to bow," he informed her. "I am not angry at you."
"As you wish, Sesshoumaru-sama." The slave girl shifted her weight from one foot to the other, still feeling a little guilty. When she realized what she was doing, she halted her actions immediately. She knew better than to show her feelings so openly, particularly around her master.
"Now, I have some papers to go through." He went over to his desk and set the folder down on the flat surface. "Would you like to help me?"
She responded instantly by nodded her head. "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama." She wanted to do something constructive as well as make up for not trusting him. 'Strange. I've never wanted to actually make up for something I've done... well, at least I haven't in nine years.'
Giving her a very small smile, Sesshoumaru began to explain what he wanted her to do.
~*~
Kagome stared up at the enormous, brick building, her body going slightly numb in awe. A long flight of concrete steps led up to steel doors. She was finally there at the courthouse. Soon, just like Sesshoumaru had promised, she would be free.
"Follow me, Kagome," the inu youkai ordered the slave girl, looking back over his shoulder just long enough to see that she was obeying, which she was.
She was half-tempted to skip down the hallway as she followed her master, happier than she had been in nine years. 'I'm gonna be free. I'm gonna be free!' Her happiness level came crashing down when a depressing thought hit her. 'What am I going to do once I'm free? Where am I going to stay?'
With a sinking heart, she walked into an office with her master. She sat in a chair the inu youkai gestured to, her expression neutral. A feeling that her greatest desire was going to be her greatest curse haunted her thoughts.
"Jaken, I have a legal matter for you to take care of," Sesshoumaru announced to the toad demon in the office as he took a seat near Kagome. The toad demon was an old servant of his. Jaken had faithfully worked for Sesshoumaru's father Inutaisho for many, many years.
"Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama. What do you need me to do?" Jaken asked, giving the dog demon his full attention. He respected the inu youkai completely, and he always did his best to help him in any way possible.
"I want to pay to have Kagome's status changed to a free citizen," the inu youkai replied, bestowing the other demon with a look that killed all possible arguments before Jaken could even voice them. No one argued with Sesshoumaru when he looked at them like THAT.
Stifling what he wanted to say, the toad demon entered some information into the computer. A moment later, he printed off some papers and gave them to Sesshoumaru. "Here's the fee for freeing her, and these are the forms you need to sign."
Slightly scowling in annoyance, he signed the papers and filled out a check for five hundred dollars. He hadn't planned on spending so much money to free her, but it was worth it in his eyes. Any price was worth spiting his half-brother and getting the girl to act normal.
As he finished signing the last paper, a thought struck him. 'Kagome can leave now any time she wants. She is no longer bound to me. If he wants to go with Inuyasha or Kouga, she can. I can't stop her from doing anything.' The thought of her leaving thoroughly depressed him, but he didn't quite know why. It just didn't make any sense.
"That's it, Sesshoumaru-sama. She's now free," Jaken said, taking the papers and putting them away in some metal file cabinets.
"We'll be leaving then," the dog demon stated as he stood up. Kagome followed his example, much to his delight. He had half-expected her to leave him right then and there.
Once outside the building, Sesshoumaru stopped at the bottom of the steps. He had to ask her what she wanted to do before his curiosity ate him up from the inside.
"Kagome, you don't have to return to my house with me if you don't want to," he told her, tone serious. "If you do wish to do that, I'll get you a job somewhere in my company until you can get your feet off the ground." He paused." Of course, you can return with me if you want."
The girl nervously shifted her weight from foot to foot, her eyes on the ground. "Please, Sesshoumaru- sama, may I continue to stay with you for a while? I can do work around the house to earn my keep." She gave him a shy, pleading look that tugged on his heart strings.
He nodded his head, a smile threatening to break his mask of indifference that he almost always wore. "Yes, you may stay, but you don't have to work. You will be my guest."
"But, Sesshoum-" she began to protest, but she automatically cut herself off without any incentive from the dog demon. Old habits were really hard to break.
The inu youkai raised an eyebrow at her. "Aren't you going to finish your argument?"
She shook her head. "No, I-" She shut up quickly once again, unsure of what she should say. Just because she was free didn't mean she could go and tell off her host. On the other hand, she had promised him that she would act normal once she was freed. The big question was, what was normal for her? It had been nine years since she had acted how she had wanted to.
Sesshoumaru almost chuckled at her obvious confusion. 'Poor girl. She doesn't quite know what to do.'
"Kagome, you may argue with me now. You are a free person, after all."
She thought on that for a brief moment, and then she gave him a small, cautious smile. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama, for freeing me. I will try to keep my promise to you."
He nodded in acknowledgment. "You're welcome." Then, he gestured towards his car. "Shall we go home now?"
"Yes," Kagome answered instantly. 'Home... I have a home...' With a true, honest smile, she got into the car with Sesshoumaru, completely happy for the first time in nine years.