Kagome's hand went limp and she shook her head as her hand slid of the doorknob fluidly. Without her hand to keep the door partly close it swung open and faces snapped in her direction. Hirome's face registered surprise and then faint annoyance. Togai took a step towards her sympathetically but she didn't pay either of Sesshomaru's any attention. It was Sesshomaru's face she focused on as he watched her silently. She shook her head and fought the sob then slid her eyes away.

"I'm very sorry. Please excuse me." She shut the door then turned and fled the hall quickly nearly running over Arisu who was in the doorway.

"Lady Kagome? What's wrong?"

Kagome couldn't fight the tears and she didn't mind them now, as long as Sesshomaru couldn't see them. She pointed back towards the hall. "He is a horrible, horrible man!" Before skirting past Arisu and towards the gardens on the opposite side of the castle then the stables.

How could he? Just to spite Inuyasha? That's why. But what did you expect? She asked herself quietly. You know Sesshomaru has no use for the jewel shards and why would he marry her just because she saved Rin. He hated humans! She was probably just another little pet he took out of spite!

Kagome collapsed against one of the marble benches that doted parts of the garden, sinking to her knees as her hands curled into a fist. She wouldn't cry over him! She couldn't! But she did anyway. Because she loved him...even when he couldn't care less for her...she loved him. And that hurt more then anything.

If it hadn't been for the song Kagome would never have noticed the girl who beneath an arch of roses. As it was Kagome spun in surprise and her eyes widened. "You! You're the demon girl from the forest!"

The child smiled gently and nodded. Kagome backed away. Should she scream? There was no one around so they wouldn't hear her. She wouldn't have screamed if there were because that would bring Sesshomaru and she didn't want to face him now. So Kagome took another tentive step backwards then stopped herself.

"What do you want?"

The girl stood and walked over to her quietly and held up a crystal framed mirror but while the other had be deep foggy crystal this one was clear crystal, so polished that it almost looked as if it weren't there at all. Kagome couldn't remember exactly what had happened last time but she remembered the mirror that was part of it. But despite that knowledge Kagome couldn't tear her gaze away from the mirror in time and before she knew it she was intoxicated. She sank to her knees slowly, limply as Sesshomaru's image started to swim in the depths of the mirror's reflective surface.

And as she watched, the mirror's surface cracked in half just once and then shattered completely. Kagome felt her form ripple and a soft glitter, the shimmering substance floating towards the strawberry-eyed demon child to settle in the mirror and smooth into a new surface. Kagome sat immobile her limbs to heavy to move as the girl lowered the mirror then walked over to brush away a lock of Kagome's hair fondly, smile warmly, then pat her shoulder in a rather reassuring way before stepping into the shadows and disappearing.

She'd spied on him. That disobedience itself gave him the right not to go after her not to mention the right not to give her any response. And yet he watched the way her eyes stared at him as if her soul had shattered. If anyone else had put that look in her eyes he would have strangled the person on the spot. As it was all he could do was watch quietly as tears clouded her eyes and she stumbled over a hasty apology and fled.

"Well. At least she has the manners to know when she's not wanted." Hirome said tactlessly and Sesshomaru resisted the urge to hit her. "However Sesshomaru I hope you'll release the girl now." Sesshomaru said nothing and Hirome's eyes widened. "You don't mean to keep her when she knows. Even I am not cruel enough to expect you to do that!"

"Cousin." Sesshomaru glanced towards Togai as the man spoke. Togai met his eyes then grinned and clapped him on the back. "Go get her before she starts getting funny ideas in her head. Females tend to get a more and more dangerous when they're given time to mull over something."

"Excuse me!?" Hirome shrilled.

Sesshomaru looked at Togai for a long moment then nodded before bowing to both of them. "If you'll excuse me." Then turned to go after his wife.

Her found her in the garden, her arms wrapped around a marble bench as if she were lost at sea clinging to a piece of wreckage. He stood and watched her for a long moment; her head was bowed forward so that her hair fell over her face hiding her expression from him. He walked towards her till she was covered by his shadow and murmured her name quietly.

And the face she lifted to him nearly broke the demon lord's heart.

He was there. He'd come after her. And yet that tiny triumph brought her no comfort as she studied her face. He looked different somehow. More imposing, more dangerous, and still cold as ever, face set as if it had been chiseled from stone as always. She turned again.

"Go away."

"You will not give me commands wife."

"I'm not your wife!" She screamed suddenly. "I'm your chattel. I'm you weapon. I'm the stolen toy for you to dangle infront of Inuyasha's face!"

He was silent for a moment before speaking again. "My reasons are my own. I am sorry if they hurt you. But you are still my wife, the reason why non withstanding."

"Do you care that you even hurt me!?"

"Why?"

Kagome couldn't answer that. She wouldn't give him even more power to lord over her and so she shook her head. "You took everything from me. Everything I had and I have nothing left now. And now...it's all for such a pointless, meaningless reason."

"It's reason enough."

"It was for revenge!"

"Yes. It was."

She turned away from him. "Do you hate him that much? That much that you'd make innocent suffer for it." That you'd break my heart over it? She thought but she wouldn't say that. She couldn't, especially not now.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because. He killed my family."