Flamez-Happy belated Thanksgiving! Whoa, did I say there were five, I'm sorry I must have made a mistake. There are only four people Courting Kagome. The red fang was a mistake too, when I wrote that chapter I was on cold medicine so I made some errors. Sesshomaru's mother and father were not mated in my story. They just wanted a child so they had one. Aries-I read it and loved it. As for a new character I think I could do that in a later chapter. *Winks* Only for you. Well.that and it was a good idea. That's gonna change the whole ending around, but it adds more to the storyline... I put a little pronunciation helpers next to some new names. I don't know if I'm the only one but the little pronunciation key in the dictionary doesn't help me so my way of doing it is different.

Chapter 9- Roses are red, violets are blue

Kagome waited until the wave of nausea went away. She would never get used to his earth shifting. Youko frowned and peered around his palace. She gazed up at his annoyed face. "What's wrong?"

"Someone has broken into my home. They disabled a portion of the spells."

She looked around with puzzlement. "How can you tell?"

"I can see the spells."

"See? You can see spells."

"Here, let me show you." He touched his cool fingers to her forehead. Suddenly she could see an intricate weaving of black light, layers on top of layers. In the middle was a little man shaped opening. When he withdrew his fingers all the black disappeared. "See, some one had entered through there."

"Do you know who it was?"

He sniffed. "Sesshomaru."

"Why would he want to get into your home?"

"I do have many valuable artifacts, but I think stealing is beneath him." Youko said with a wry smile. He carried her to an iron gate and set her down. "Stay in my gardens while I get some rooms prepared for you."

Kagome pushed the gate open and was immediately confronted with a wonderful smell. It was humid, and time seemed to slow. She walked around a grand water fountain full of gold fish and plated with gold. Quickly, she turned away from it. It reminded her of Sesshomaru's fountain. Wanting to get a good view of the rest of the gardens, she climbed a tree. She gasped, it went on for acres and acres. It had many strategically placed founds, cherry blossoms, and flowers, mostly roses.

"Your rooms are ready." Youko said from the base of the tree.

She jumped down. "Your garden is amazing. The roses are lovely!"

"You like roses?"

Kagome nodded affirmatively. "Yes, especially the white ones and the red ones."

He smiled and took her hand. "Your rooms look over the garden and a lake on the other side of the palace. You're in the west facing wing. I hope you don't mind but I need the sun in the morning. I'm in the east wing and Kyre (kai-re) insisted we were on the opposite sides for your reputations sake." He rolled his eyes. "Kyre is a servant but she acts like she's my mother. Kyre's cousins will work for you, Atto (at-two), Qunei (Q-nye), and Elzim (Ls-m), there about 13 of your years I think. Here we are." He stopped in front of two ornately carved doors. "Ciwv (Quive)!"

A teenage boy came out of almost nowhere. He bowed. "Yes sire?" Youko leaned and whispered something in his ear. "Right away sire." He disappeared around a corner.

In his wake a teenage girl came down the hall. She had straight emerald hair and slanted emerald eyes, chestnut skin, white stripes running down her arms and legs, and pointed ears. She was wearing furry white cuffs on her wrists and ankles, a short white fur skirt and vest. Gold bells hung around her waist and neck. She smiled at Kagome. "So this is the mystery woman?"

Youko smiled at girl warmly. "Yes, so what do you think?"

Her bells jingled as she sauntered over to her. The girl circled her, sniffed at her and looked at her with a scrutinizing eye. Kagome looked at her warily. She was gorgeous and Youko was so friendly with her. She stopped in front of her and grinned, showing small pointy teeth. "Hello, I'm Kyre."

Kagome relaxed a little, feeling less threatened by her presence. He had said she was like a mother, he didn't like her like that. "Hello, I'm Higurashi Kagome."

Youko coughed. "I'm have to go on an errand, I'm be back soon. Kyre will show you around."

Kyre smiled and shooed him away. "Go, go, I have everything under control here." He nodded and left. She pulled a key from a pocket on her vest. "Here this is yours. Go ahead take a look."

Kagome took the key. "Thanks."

"No need to thank me. Just doing my job."

She opened the door and was greeted by the similar smell from the garden. The room was full of white roses, the were on the table, bookshelf, shelves. But not took many where it would be annoying. She had a living room, bed room, bathroom, mini library, and a terrace that led to the garden. The walls were cream with oak and burgundy furniture.

Kagome walked around the bedroom. The bed was craved from an oak and the sheets were soft cotton. 'At least I don't have to jump to get in it.' She fell onto it and sighed. Sleep would be good right now. She crawled to the pillows and picked up a single red rose, her life rose. The petals were silky and red. She ran her fingers over it before setting it to the side and going to sleep.

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"I think she's a witch."

"Hush, Elzim. That's nonsense."

"Please, Qunei, you know Youko is not usually this.nice. He hasn't killed anyone today."

"What's so wrong with that?"

"Well, he has such a short temper. When the man that's always skirting his taxes came in, he let him off only charging him all of his sheep."

"Only? His living is selling sheep, without them he won't be able to feed his family. They'll probably be homeless by the end of the month."

"Yeah whatever, you're not getting the point though. He *didn't* kill him. Remember when that man who was impersonating a priest started charging to marry people. He killed him without a thought."

"So? That man deserved it. Those poor people thought they were married only to be told they weren't. That's despicable!"

"That girl is witching him to be nice. Why would he want her anyway? Everyone knows he only like intelligent, strong, beautiful women. She's scrawny, no muscle mass or figure. And she doesn't look all that smart to me."

"Give her a break she's sleeping, use your common sense."

"We should be quiet, we could wake her."

"Aw shut up Atto, I'm trying to make a point here."

"Don't tell her to shut up. You shut up Elzim."

Kagome groaned and rolled over, trying to block out the voices. Slowly she opened up her eyes to look at the three girls in the middle of her room. All three of them looked like miniature versions of Kyre. "Um, excuse me."

They all turned around to face her. One of them wailed "See I told you we would wake her! I'm so sorry my lady, I'll start your fire right way." She had her long emerald hair out and down her waist. The bells around her waist and neck were silver, not gold like Kyre's.

"No, no, that's okay. I'm not mad." Kagome said, trying to reassure the girl who was close to tears.

One of the other two girls leaned and whispered in the other girl's ear. She had her hair up in a high ponytail, a white furry head band tied in the back, and several silver hoops in both of her pointed ears. "See, she's even made Atto cry."

The girl rolled her eyes. She had her hair in a long braid that stopped just below the small of her back. She tugged at the silver bells around her neck. "Atto's *always* crying. Please grant my sister Elzim pardon, she has a quick mouth and a slow brain."

Kagome shook her head. "Look you don't have to do anything. I can handle the chores myself."

All three of them look scandalized. "My lady, surely you are too delicate to do this servants work." Atto tried to reason.

Elzim smirked and crossed her arms. "Let her do it herself then. She'll learn how foolish she was quickly."

Atto clamped her hand over Elzim's mouth in horror. "My lady, she's only hot and knows not of what she speaks."

She pulled her hand off, annoyed. "Of course I do. She may have Youko fooled but not me."

Qunei cuffed her. "Keep your mouth shut! You have no right to be rude."

Kagome shrugged. "I don't care, let her talk. Not that it matters what she says or thinks about me. I could careless."

The corners of Elzim's mouth curved down in contempt. "Just like a lady, she's thinks she's better than us."

She sighed. "First of all I'm not a lady, I'm a normal 17 girl okay. Second of all I don't think I'm better than you, I just don't like you."

Atto giggled behind her hand as Qunei broke out in a grin. "Now, I know why Kyre likes you so much."

She was taken aback. "What?"

"Oh yeah sure. She told us about you." She went and put some logs in the fireplace, ignoring the girl's pervious request. "She says you're different."

"I don't know if that's a compliment." Kagome muttered.

Atto gasped. "Oh, my lady, we almost forgot. We are to dress you for breakfast with my lord."

Qunei took her wrist and led her to a part of the room that was shielded by a screen. "How silly of me to let my duties waver!" She pushed the screen back and pursed her lips. There were racks and racks of kimonos, some cream, pale yellow, red, burgundy, or pink. She shook her head and pushed through each one. "Nope, no, not right, wrong color-"

Elzim rolled her eyes. "Who cares? Just pick one."

She glared at her over her shoulder. "Number one, she has to look just right. Number two, last time I checked dressing was *my* job. Number three, shut your mouth because you don't know anything." Qunei pulled a kimono off the rack and held it up against Kagome. She shook her head and clicked her tongue and put it back on the rack. Finally after much deliberation, she decided on a cream cotton inner kimono and a silk pale pink outer kimono with tiny gold leaves stitched on the hem. With some arguments from Kagome, Qunei dressed her. She wrapped the gold obi around her waist and stepped back. "Ah perfection."

Elzim snorted and tucked the polished Aisaiga into her obi. Kagome looked down at it, puzzled. "Where did you get this?"

"My job is to polish it not know its past whereabouts."

Qunei slapped her head lightly. "Youko had it brought along with the roses."

Elzim crossed her arms and turned away from them. "Hmph, it's not like a scrawny girl human like her could lift it let alone wield it."

"Oh, Elzim." Kagome said sweetly. The girl turned to face a blade a hair from her nose. She looked from the point to her face, noticing that her chocolate eyes had a hint of gold flecks. "I'm not exactly human, so next time watch what you say because my sword might be closer." She slipped Aisaiga back into her obi and smiled at her. "Nice work polishing, it looks better than new."

Atto cleared her throat timidly. "Um, my lady, breakfast is starting in a few moments and you need to be there."

The three girls pushed her out into the hall and to the banquet room. It had a high ceiling with a painted of sliver foxes taking jewels from a lion. The windows were large stained glass with pictures of leaves and branches. The walls were a warm gold. There was a small low table on a raised dais by an ornate fireplace with two pillows. In the center of the room was a large gold plate about 4 feet in diameter, next to it was an even larger silver plate 8 feet in diameter.

Atto gave her another nudge. "You sit there." She pointed the small table by the fire.

Kagome walked over to it slowly and sat on one of the pillows. As soon as her butt made contact the doors opened and a horde of servants strode it. They all had emerald hair and eyes. The girls looked similar to Kyre and the others but not by much. They wore the same clothes but some wore silver or gold coins, links, beads, or other things around their waist and neck. The boys wore furry white vests and loose pants. The each wore one gold or silver bell, coin, link, bead, or other things dangling from their left pointy ear. All the servants wearing silver stood around the silver plate and all the servants wearing gold stood around the gold plate. She noticed that the servants around her age wore gold and the servants around Qunei's age wore silver.

Youko strode in through a back door by the hearth that Kagome hadn't noticed. He sat on a pillow next to Kagome. The servants in gold sat the servants in silver. Men came in with the food. They put a bowl of fruit, salad and a beautiful arrangement of other vegetables on their table. They put one huge roasted black bear in the gold plate and three roasted black bears on the silver. The servants waited until both Kagome and Youko stared to eat before ripping savagely into their meals. Kagome stared at them with unbelieving horror as they tore through the meat with their teeth, fighting for the best spots.

Youko grinned slightly. "It is their way, who are we to change it?"

She smiled weakly at him and tried to eat but she felt nauseous. She could hear the flesh ripping from below. Kagome didn't know how she made it through breakfast but she did. A servant boy came over to them and whispered quietly in Youko's ear. He nodded and stood. "Please excuse me, I have matters to attend to." He kissed her on her forehead and disappeared through the door he came in.

Atto took her gently by her elbow and led her out of the banquet hall. "What does my lady wish to do?" Elzim and Qunei joined them quietly.

"I don't know."

"You could embroider, write poetry, we could show you the libraries."

Kagome frowned. "Isn't there anything else to do around here?" Elzim and Qunei smiled at each other before looking mischievously back at her.

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Kagome had the sleeves of her kimono pushed up and the outer kimono hiked above her knees. She was on one knee with one arm resting across it while her other hand shook. She let go of the dice and held her breath as they rolled down the hall. The servants behind her leaned over in anticipation. The diced stopped rolling and settled. There was a pause when everyone read the numbers. 3 and 4. Kagome's team cheered and whooped. They high-fived each other, something they picked up from Kagome.

The male servants hissed their displeasure. Ciwv grabbed the dice and rolled. They're hearts pounded in their chests as they watched. 6 and 5. The boys roared and high-fived. Everyone put another something in to the loot pile. It had gotten high since they began their game of dice, similar to craps. To start you had to get a seven or an 11, from then on you had to get an odd number less than the number rolled previously. It was the boy servants against the girl servants. The players were so good that they started placing bets. Every round they put something valuable like a bangle or a coin into the pile. If no one wins they put more in the pile. The girls and the boys had an on going winning streak and the pile was growing larger and larger. The stakes were mounting higher and higher for no team could bet the other.

Elzim rubbed her hands for luck and took the dice. She rolled the dice and turned with a smirk on her face, not bothering to look at the numbers. 2 and 3. The girls cheered and the boys were beginning to sweat. Phys (Sci) took the dice and grinned. He was the epitome of a bad boy. He had his emerald hair slicked back into a low ponytail and instead of the standard one piercing the boys had, he had three. He winked at the girls before letting it roll. 1 and 4. The boys let out a sigh of relief and put more stuff into the pile as the girls did. Qunei gave Elzim a knowing grin and simply tossed the dice. 2 and 1. The boys were really beginning to sweat now, it poured off they're faces. They groaned when they saw whose turn it was. He took the die with a nervous smile. He shook and dice and let it rolled. Time seemed to slow as the dice turned over and over, farther and father down the hall. 1 and 1. The girls screamed and twirled in joy.

Elzim took her share of the pile. "Sorry boys, maybe you'll win next time."

Phys growled. "I demand a rematch!"

"Some other time perhaps."

"No, now."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"I tell you whatever the hell I feel like."

She snarled. "Oh yeah." She pushed up her sleeves. "Feel like proving it?" Before anyone else knew what was happening she was on floor scrapping with Phys. Ciwv waded in and pulled Phys back while Kyre held Elzim. Elzim's hair was wild, her clothes were askew, there was a bruise beginning to form on her cheek and bruises up and down her arms. "I hope you learned your lesson!"

Phys looked down his nose at her. His clothes was in the same state as her, his hair had be taken out of its tie during the scuffle, his bottom lip was busted and there were claw marks all over his body. "Only thing I learned is that you fight like a girl."

She snarled and lunged for him but Kyre still held her back. Elzim snapped her fangs at him threateningly. "You should know eh?"

Ciwv tightened his grip on the struggling boy. "I think this a good time to get back to work."

Kyre nodded. "See you at lunch." He smiled and towed the boy down the hall.

Elzim crossed her arms and scowled. "You can let go now." Once she was released, she brushed herself off indignantly.

Atto shook her head. "Must you fight?"

She thrust her chin up in the air and crossed her arms. "Yeah, what of it."

Qunei cuffed her. "Youko will notice the scars and you *know* what he did the last time you two fought." The color drained from Elzim's face and she dashed down the hall.

Kagome frowned. "What did make her do?"

"He assigned briar duty for a week with Elzim's right and Phys' left ankles tied together." She cringed at the thought.

"Briar duty?"

"Plants around here grow rapidly, we keep having to prune this or hack that. The biggest problem are the briars, the grow up the walls of the castle and have to be pulled off. Briar duty is a never ending task because they're constantly growing."

Kagome winced. "Oh." She looked around the slowly clearing hallway. "I think I'll just go to my room now." She waved and walked to her door. She sighed and flopped onto her bed. She didn't know what she was doing here.

Of course, she had come for Youko but she barely saw him now. It irritated her. She had left her friends for this? She had left everything she'd known *for this*? It was also uncomfortable to be around things that were totally unfamiliar. Not to mention that everything seemed to remind her of Sesshomaru's castle. Although Sesshomaru's castle was dark and bright at seemingly the same time and Youko's castle was full of intrigue and illusions. For example, whenever she was in the hall there were no sounds or people walking around but she had seen the multitude of servants at breakfast. And they seemed to appear from places you didn't know they were. Like when Kagome and the three servant girls started that game of dice, the hall was empty but then the servants came out of the woodwork. The bookshelves that seem to line every room looked so incongruous that she wanted to pull back a book to see if that would magically reveal a hidden passageway.

Kagome buried her face in her pillow. She also felt a little neglected. She had left Inuyasha because he had shattered her heart, although he probably didn't know he did. And now she was starting to think that she had went with Youko to forget about Inuyasha. Tears started to stream down her face and soaked the pillow. Her sobs racked her body as she finally allowed herself to cry.

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Shippou shoved another cookie into his mouth. He decided to spread them out over a period of time so they would last longer. Who knows when Inuyasha would let Kagome go back to her own time.

Rin leaned forward. "What's that?"

"What's what?"

"That stuff you're eating."

"Food."

"What kind of food?"

"The kind you can eat."

She let out an exasperated breath. "I *know* that! I want to know the name of it."

"It's a cookie."

"Oh." She was quiet for a while. "What does it taste like?"

"It's good. It has little pieces of chocolate in it."

"What's chocolate?"

He rolled his eyes and handed a cookie over. "Here, take this and stop asking questions."

She took it and sniffed at it skeptically. She stuck her tongue out and carefully licked the top. She smiled and shoved the whole thing into her mouth. "It's good!"

Shippou nodded and ate another cookie. "That's what I said." There was a rumbling noise in the distance.

Rin looked frightened. "What's going on?"

"I don't know."

Miroku burst out of the hut along with Sango, Kaede, and Kouga. The monk looked around. "Something's wrong."

Kouga rolled his eyes. "Obviously."

Animals burst out of the forest, running frantically through the village. The birds flew over them screeching. Miroku gripped his staff. "I don't know about you but I think we should go that way." He pointed in the direction the animals were coming from.

"Don't even bother, it's coming to us." Kouga said.

There was another thunderous boom then another. Shippou trembled. "It's the trees, they're falling." The trees fell backwards crashing into the ground.

Kouga's nostrils twitched. "Inuyasha."

Inuyasha sprang forward from one tree to the next. The tree he was on fell backward from the force of it. He leaped from the last tree of the forest and onto the roofs of the huts.

Kouga ran next to him on the ground. He looked up at him. "What's going on?"

"Youko took Kagome south. That little pansy's gonna pay"

"South is where is castle is. It's gonna take a while to get there."

"Not if I keep going at this speed." Inuyasha leaped off the last hut and started jumping from rock to rock.

"I'm coming with you."

"I can handle it."

"If you can handle this, how come Youko was able to take Kagome in the first place?"

"Shut up you wimpy wolf."

"I'm coming. Besides I know exactly where Youko's castle is." Kouga ran ahead of him. Inuyasha grunted and followed after him.

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There was an embarrassed cough. "Um, miss?"

Kagome tiled her head slightly from the comfort of the pillow. She looked at the three servants with a red eye. "What do you want?" She snapped weakly.

Atto stepped backwards, Elzim looked as if she knew Kagome's "real self" finally came out, and Qunei frowned. "What's wrong?"

She buried her face in her pillow once more. "Nothing."

"Don't lie."

She rolled onto her back, face still in the pillow. "Why does Youko keep leaving?"

They all looked around as if everything but Kagome was interesting. "Nowhere."

Qunei dragged Kagome out of bed. "Hurry, it almost time for midday and I've got to get you dressed."

"But I'm already dressed!"

"No, that was for breakfast, you need to change for midday." She explained slowly.

"I don't want to change."

Qunei pulled her over to the racks of clothes. "I know you don't. So do you feel red? Or pale yellow?"

Kagome wretched her arm from her hold in exasperation. "I feel like keeping *this* kimono on!"

She fingered through the clothes. "Here's another pale pink outer kimono similar to that. Try it on."

"NO!" She backed up quickly, tripping as her feet toppled over a bunch in the rug that she created. "I just want to be alone."

Elzim stood over her, sneering. "I knew you were just a snobby silly girl. You tricked Youko but you never tricked me."

"Oh would you just shut up?!" Kagome's hair flicked to sliver before going back to its original color. "I am so tired of the shit that comes out of your mouth every time it opens!"

"Do you want to know some other shit, *lady*? Youko has been blowing you off to go thieving? Yeah that right, he rather fetch some trinket than be around filth like you."

Atto gasped, her hand flew to her face. "Elzim!"

"Oh do shut up Atto!"

Qunei snarled. "Don't tell Atto to shut up!"

"Butt out!" Kagome's head was bowed, her bangs covering her eyes. Elzim glared down at her. "Finally realizing the truth now? Your little charms won't work on him, so why don't you just leave?"

Atto stepped forward. "Elzim."

"Shut up!"

She clinched her fists and whispered. "No you shut up."

"What did you just say?"

Atto looked in her the eye but lost her nerve. "Nothing."

Kagome turned her face up to look at Elzim with golden eyes. "Stop pushing Atto around."

"Don't tell me what to do! J-"

She leaped at her. Kagome sat her stomach and pinned her wrists about her head. She grinned wryly. "You're lucky I didn't pull out my sword on you."

Elzim filled her over so she was on top. "Go head, pull it out. I dare you." ( AN: *winces* wow that's cliché) There was a sound of rushing water from outside.

"Don't!" Qunei warned. The rumbling sound started to die down when she turned to look at her

Kagome took advantage of her hesitation to flip up, throwing the girl into a wall. She grabbed her hair and pulled her fist back. "I'm so mad I could really kill you." She dropped her as if she were garbage and stalked out of the room. She got herself hopelessly lost in the winding hallways and fisted her hands in frustration. Her anger got the better of her and she punched the only wall not covered by a bookshelf. The books fell from the many shelves onto the floor. All but one, it was tilted slightly back and slowly the bookshelf it rested on swung back into the wall. Hidden stairway behind in a bookshelf was cliché but who was she to judge?

Kagome poked her head into the wall only to see another hall with bookshelves up and down them. She shouted curses and ripped every book from the shelves but nothing happened. That was when she noticed a hearth, it was weak but she decided to give it a try. She pulled back one of the sconces and waited. The floor opened up underneath her feet and she fell through. She gripped the sides with her right hand before she could completely fall all the way through. She clenched her teeth and looked down, at the bottom of about a fifty foot drop there were sharp steel spikes. She swung herself up and back onto the tiled floors. She panted and rolled over to look at the ceiling.

Kagome studied the painting. It was a family of foxes sleeping, surrounded by jewels and gold. Typical. She looked at it for a while before noticing one of the cubs was smiling in his sleep. After a long inspection she saw something red winking from under his paw. She climbed up a bookcase to get a closer look. It was a large, perfect ruby. She reached out to touch it, it immediately sunk in. The bookcase she was on started to sink into the floor, she scrambled to sit on the top. It brought her to yet another hallway lined with bookshelves she was starting to wonder whether it was taking her to the same place over and over.

It had the same painting of the family of foxes on the ceiling. Extremely irritated, she climbed the bookcase and pressed in the ruby. But this time the book case split in half, lengthwise, and she toppled forward into it. It was lined with rusty iron spikes, she jerked backwards, sprawling on her butt before it snapped shut. She winced, that could have been her in there. Kagome frowned up at the ceiling. Okay, this was definitely not the same hallway. She sat in the spot for a while before getting up. She paced up and down the hall with her hands behind her back and her head down. After a while she started to actually look at the detail in the floor. Rose, vine, thorns, vine, rose, thorns, rose, thorns, vine, vine...wait a minute. The vine was there twice. She kneeled and inspected it, running her fingers along the vine. Slowly the floor parted and she fell, hard, on her butt on the floor of yet another hall.

It went on like this for some time. Kagome grew wary and paranoid of every step or thing out of place. She almost died countless times. Finally after finding a word misspelled on a book cover and finding the same word misspelled on the some sort of picture, she came across a descending spiral staircase. She hesitated before stepping on the stair. No, this was too easy. She instead pushed her legs and arms on the opposite walls and shuffled down this way. Her face turned red from the exertion but she made it to bottom before her limbs gave out. Once she landed she bent over, trying to catch her breath. After she was back to normal she looked around and gasped.

The room was filled with gold.

Lots of gold.

I'm talking 'bout a whole fucking shit load.

Her eyes bugged out as she took all the valuables in. There had to be at least 75 tons of gold in this one room alone, not counting the ones off to the side. Then she noticed something shift to her left. She saw Youko put something on one of the piles. "So you have been going off thieving." She said loudly.

He glanced at her over his shoulder coolly. "You got through the halls, very intelligent of you." He praised. He seemed to like that. "Though you could've died." He added as an off handed after statement.

"Oh really, I didn't notice." She said sarcastically.

Youko turned and walked over to her. "Oh, I know you wouldn't die, I have faith in your abilities. I'm sorry about leaving you so much but I haven't been taking things for a while and the items I had my eye on were ready for the taking."

Kagome looked at the ground. "Why did you bring me here?"

"I want you around."

"No, not that. Why were you so persistent about me leaving with you?"

He looked at her for a while, contemplating on whether he should tell her. "I had a dream. You were in a field with a man and he was trying to take you away. You fought pretty bravely-" He said with an approving grin. "-but he wouldn't let you go. I watched as he took you away, I couldn't move. I didn't want that to happen."

It was silent for a moment, Kagome said without looking out him. "Is this how it's going to be? You leaving to go take something every five minutes?"

He lifted her chin so she was looking in his now guarded eyes. "What do you want me do? Give up stealing?"

"No, never, I just want to see more of you. Which is why I came to a conclusion."

He raised an eyebrow. "Which is...?"

"I want to go with you."

"No I can't take you with me, it's too dangerous."

"I don't care. Didn't I prove I can handle myself by coming out of those halls in one piece? I'm not stupid enough to fall for a trap and I'm strong enough to take care of myself."

Youko grinned, pleased. "That's just the answer I wanted to hear. I'll take you."

She blinked. "What, just like that?"

"Yeah, why not? What you said makes perfect sense. Usually I prefer to go alone but for you I'll make an exception." He winked.

Kagome grinned. "I'm glad."

"Good." He released her chin and picked her up. "Because there is something else I've had my eye on. The Lover's Tear."

"What's that?"

"It's a ten carat flawless sapphire set in a pure gold disk surrounded by diamonds. It's priceless, I want it. It's heavily guarded with spells and men. It will be a challenge, think you're up to it?"

She scoffed. "I think I would've known it would be challenging *before* I asked you to take me."

He chuckled lightly and carried her to a secret door. "Just what I wanted to hear."

"Why is it called the Lover's Tear?" She asked while he walked.

"It is said that it was owned by a jewelry maker's mistress. He wanted to marry her but he was already married to another."

"Why did he just divorce her?"

He frowned down at her. "Dee-vor-se? What is that?"

"When two married people decide that they don't want to be married any more. They go get a divorce and they're no longer married."

"Hm, interesting. Where do they practice this divorce?" He pronounced the word perfectly this time.

"Where I come from."

"And where is that?"

"Tokyo."

"To-kee-o. I never heard or read about that place. Where is that?"

"Japan." She hoped that after a few more vague answers he would stop asking her. She knew he would sense that she lied but she didn't want to tell him the whole truth yet.

"There's something you're not telling me. I know every place in Japan and I've never heard of Tokyo."

"You probably wouldn't have.."

"Don't tell me if you want to."

"No it's okay-"

"I have no right to push you, you know nothing of me."

She was silent for a while. "Tell me something about you."

"Well, I'm a fox demon and I steal."

She rolled her eyes and smacked his arm lightly. "Okay, I get the message. But tell me at least what exactly are those servants of yours."

"They're water demons."

"I've never heard of a water demon."

"They're numbers had been dwindling, there were more dying than born. Then a toad demon took over and made them slaves. I saw the castle when I was passing through and decided I wanted it. So I killed the toad and took the castle. The water demons stayed around so I hired them. I needed someone to take care of the grounds while I take my leave."

"They don't seem like servants, they're more like.."

"Family?" She nodded. "I have come to respect them and their ways. They do as they please as long as the work gets done."

"I only notice children around, why aren't there any adults working?"

"The usually get mated to another servant and leave to start their own family."

"Why do some wear gold while others wear silver? Why do they where bells or coins, or other things?"

"The older servants wear gold as a sign of seniority and responsibility. The bells and such are a sign for which clan they belong to. The bells that Kyre wears are the sign for the Wave Breaker clan."

"They don't look like they would be water demons."

He raised an eyebrow. "Ever see a silver haired fox with yellow eyes?"

"Okay, you've got a point." He set her down and pushed open a door. "What's this?"

"Look and see."

Kagome walked in. The room was small but it was full of swords, bows, arrows, throwing knives, and black clothes. "Wow."

Youko leaned against the door frame. "I don't normally use those types of weapons but I keep them around. Pick some clothes and weapons. I suggest a bow and some arrows, yours are over there. I had them brought here. Take some daggers just in case." Kagome pulled on a tight fitting but comfortable black suit similar to Sango's. She hefted the quiver full of arrows and the bow over her shoulder. He pulled out a map. "We want to go through here where there will be fewer guards. The spells there are difficult to dismantle but nothing I can't handle. There's a secret vault through a false backing in an amour in one of the bedrooms. There's yet another spell on that and the contents inside. Still think you want to go?"

"Yes!" She said exasperatedly.

He smiled slightly. "Just making sure." He lifted her up again and jumped out the window, landing safely on the ground. After a quick glance at her, he sifted the ground under his feet. Kagome clamped a hand over her mouth and willed away the urge to vomit. Slowly she took her hand away and looked around.

Youko looked down at her. "I know that you're getting annoyed with me asking if you wanted to come. I don't want you thinking that you have to prove yourself. I admire all the bravery you've shown, turn back now while you have a chance. I will think nothing less of you, one can only be so brave without bordering idiocy."

Her eyes flashed gold for a moment. "WHAT?! Excuse me mister but I would think if I had wanted to back down I would have done it already! I am NOT an idiot!"

He chuckled lightly but his eyes were darkened with worry. "I love your courage, I just don't want anything to happen to you okay."

"I can take care of myself, but if I can't I trust you'll be there for me." She raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for him to confirm it.

"I promise, thought I don't know if a thief's word means anything."

"It's good enough for me, now let's go. We've been standing her long enough."

"Right." He started to walk forward.

She grabbed his arm and swung him around to hug him tightly. Youko put his arms around her and allowed her to cling to him. She needed to be close to him right now. She had a bad feeling about this but she had already assured him she'd do it. Kagome let go quickly. "Alright let's go."

He nodded and walked forward silently. They were met with some guards but they were so pitiful that Youko killed them all with a slash of one vine. They climbed into a window and landed on the floor quietly. He led Kagome into a lavishly furnished room and stopped. "I need you keep watch at the door."

"What do I do when I see someone coming?"

"Kill them." He stated simply before going inside and going to work. Kagome sighed, but stood alert. At least she was getting to spend time with him. And this was exciting, though very wrong. Youko had actually made her life even more interesting that before. But in a different way that was refreshing. She smiled slightly, Youko was a bad influence.

Her smile soon vanished when someone covered her mouth and started pulling her down the hall. "Be quiet." He ordered but that only made her thrash more. He lifted her up, still covering her mouth, and jumped out a low window. Once outside, he turned her to face him, taking his hand from her mouth. "Happy to see me?"

"Bastard!" She spat in his face.

His face went red with rage as he wiped his face. He took some calming breaths before speaking. "You're coming with me whether you like it or not. And I'm gonna break you of your disrespect."

"Try to take me anywhere and Youko will kill you."

"Funny I don't see him anywhere." It was that precise moment that large thorny vines wrapped around his neck and pulled him off the ground.

Youko wrapped an arm around Kagome and stared up at him coolly. "Mind telling me what you were doing with her, Hiten?"

Flamez- Dun, dun, dun. So was it unexpected? Or did you know who it was from the beginning? I know some of you did, ya'll are pretty sharp. Review if you don't want me to hold the next chapter hostage.