Chapter 12
Kagome, Sango, and Miroku were stumped. They knew they had to get Shippo, Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru out of that witch's palace, but they didn't know how. Jaken wasn't being much help. Whenever he was asked to help out with plans, he asserted his belief that Lord Sesshomaru was already taking care of getting out of that awful place and there was no need for them to interfere.
"Listen, you little toad," Kagome said at last. "Shippo said that she turned Sesshomaru into a human! How much do you think he'd be able to do?"
"The little furball was lying, that's all," Jaken said, shrugging. "He was just trying to make us worry."
"Shippo doesn't lie!" Sango snapped, and Kirara growled at Jaken.
"Sango's right," Miroku said. "Shippo isn't the type to lie, and this bickering isn't getting us anywhere. Kagome, what if we used the crystal to check up on the three of them?"
"All right, but I don't know what good it's going to do," she said, handing it to Miroku.
Miroku stared at it, willing it to show Sesshomaru. They heard the sound of weeping, and Jaken's jaw dropped. The image the crystal showed them was one of Sesshomaru, stretched out on the ground crying, being comforted unsuccessfully in turns by a little Inuyasha and Shippo.
"I see what you mean," Jaken said once the image had faded. "Oh, we have to get my lord out of there!"
Miroku handed the crystal back to Kagome with a little wink and she took it, hiding her smile. Miroku was really clever sometimes.
"I've been thinking," Sango said a moment later. "Those collars make them unable to leave. How can we get them off?"
Miroku looked thoughtful. "Collars that make you obedient even if you don't want to be. That's one strong spell, we have to give the witch that."
"If only there was some way to make them listen to us instead of her," Kagome fretted, fiddling with her school uniform tie.
Miroku's eyes widened. "Oh! Kagome, you may just have found the way!"
"Huh?" she said, perplexed.
"What do you mean, Miroku?" Sango asked.
Jaken looked at him.
"Sit," he said significantly. "Inuyasha hasn't been able to ignore that command yet!"
"I don't see how that helps, to tell you the truth," Sango said.
"Yeah, my making him sit just keeps him in one place, and we have to get him out of there."
"Hear me out," Miroku said, spreading his hands in illustration. "Spells of obedience are tricky, it's either all or nothing. If something occurs that interferes with one, then that one will break."
"Oh!" Kagome said, excitedly. "I see now! All we have to do is make him sit, and the collar spell will break!"
"Exactly!" Miroku said. "Now all we have to do is get you inside the palace, Kagome."
Kagome gulped.
Space
Inuyasha and Shippo were actually managing to help Sesshomaru to live with his human emotions. After a couple days of alternately weeping and being angry, he seemed too worn out for further emoting. Walking around outside seemed to help him, and that's what they were doing when someone knocked on the gates.
Tala appeared and opened the smaller door, revealing a simply-dressed girl who looked rather tearful.
"Please, sir," she said, bowing several times. "Is there work to be done here in exchange for a place to sleep and meals? I can work very hard."
Tala looked surprised. "You'll have to see Lady Kimi if you wish to work," he said. "Follow me, please."
Inuyasha almost fell over in shock. The girl was Kagome! He almost didn't recognize her since she was wearing Sango's clothes and a kerchief over her hair, but it was her, all right. What did she think she was doing?
Space
Over the next few days, Inuyasha rarely saw Kagome. She was always fetching water, carrying things, or sweeping and scrubbing floors. He could tell Kimi had given her the place out of pity since the little furballs could already do all of that stuff. One thing they couldn't do, however, was give Kimi someone new to brag to. She often had Kagome come and clean her sitting room, and she would talk to her about her exploits. Inuyasha was having a "little chat" one day with Kimi until Kagome arrived for her afternoon duties, and he had the hardest time to keep from laughing aloud. Kimi was plainly boasting, but it seemed Kagome was hanging on her every word, even forgetting to complete her work. When Kagome began calling her "m'lady sorceress" and "powerful lady," he had to find somewhere to be alone and quick. Once by himself, he laughed until he was breathless, and went to tell Sesshomaru. It was rare that he laughed, but when he did, he laughed with a deep "ha ha ha!" with his head thrown back and a grin that threatened to crack his face. It was one way to cheer him up.
One afternoon, he, Sesshomaru, and Shippo went to "their" bower to have a private talk without anyone spying on them, but when they got there, they found it already occupied by Kagome. She was working on some mending but leapt to her feet when they arrived.
"At last!" she said thankfully. "Took ya long enough to get down here!"
Shippo ran to her and hugged her. "I'm glad to see you, Kagome!" he said, not quite wanting to let her go.
"I'm glad to see you, too," she said, returning his hug.
"What did you think you were doing, coming here?" Inuyasha demanded. "If she found out…"
"She won't," Kagome said, smiling. "She thinks I'm a silly little servant girl, and she won't think I'm anything else, especially since I'm so impressed with her magic. We've worked something out."
All three were immediately all attention.
"What?" Sesshomaru breathed, hardly daring to hope.
She explained about the obedience spells, and then said that she had to contact Miroku and Sango. Shippo handed her the walkie-talkie, and she told them to be ready.
"We'll be able to take Inuyasha with us, but I don't know about the two of you," she said regretfully.
"You could probably take me, but you couldn't take Sesshomaru because of his collar," Shippo said. "I'll stay and keep him company."
Kagome gave the little kitsune a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"But what will you do once you're away?" Sesshomaru asked, sitting on his disappointment.
"Miroku's heard of a spell-breaker a few days' journey from here," she told them. "We'll go see her, and then we'll see if she can help us."
"Sounds like a plan," Inuyasha said as the walkie-talkie squawked three times.
"That's their signal," Kagome said, scooping up Inuyasha. "We have to get out in the open."
Sesshomaru and Shippo watched as Kagome and Inuyasha reached the middle of the garden and stopped. She put him down, looked up at the sky, set her jaw, took a deep breath and…
"SIT, BOY!"
WHAM!
Crrrrrraccckkk!
The fabric of the spell surrounding Inuyasha tore, and the collar snapped and fell from his neck. At the same time, Kirara, carrying Sango and Miroku and a protesting Jaken, swooped down and caught Kagome and Inuyasha up. They flew off, and Sesshomaru and Shippo heard Kimi scream in rage as one of her prisoners escaped her.
