Chapter 3: Conditions

Kagome starts at the rapping sound on her window. It was well past midnight but something was keeping her up. It wasn't the storm, as bad as it was she'd been thought worse. Something was wrong, she could feel it. She gets up and goes to the window to see what was hitting it and is surprised to find a pigeon sitting on a scroll of some kind. It was getting ready to tap again when she opens the window. When it sees her it seems to bow a little before taking off into the storm again. As Kagome watches it she can't help but think she hears the sound of stone scraping stone. She shakes her head and looks at the scroll it had distributed on her windowsill. She pinks it up and closes the window behind her, sitting down on her bed while unrolling it. She gets through about half of it before gasping and reading it over to make sure she didn't misread. The letter went thusly:

Dear Lady Kagome,

I regret to inform you that your grandfather was found trespassing on my master's grounds. He is being held captive at this moment as my lord does not approve of unwelcome guests. He may not live much longer if someone of your household does not retrieve him...

Kagome stops reading at this point and is up and out the door, yelling at Souta that she is going out and not to follow. She saddles Hojo, who'd found his way back, and flew off, not even aware that she had no idea where he was being held. If only she had read the rest of the letter, she would have seen...

...but I would advise you against my lord's temper. There is a possibility that even if you send someone to retrieve him, neither will ever come back. I would also suggest sending a male, as my master is averse to most women.

Head Servant of

Lord Inuyasha

Kagome cuts through the rain, forcing Hojo to gallop despite treacherous roads, bending low to the horse's neck to assist in his speed. "Please find grandpa Hojo. Quickly, his life depends on it."

The horse seems to understand and powers on, following muddy tracks. Finally the castle comes into view and Kagome gulps as Hojo slows down a bit. "Oh no we don't," Kagome says, urging him quickly forward, "we've come this far, no turning back now."

Hojo whinnies in protest but goes dutifully forward, until they are at the front steps. Kagome slides off and pats his side in reassurance before moving in front of the animal and grabs the harness to keep her face level with his eyes "Stay here, ok Hojo? I'll be back with Grandpa soon."

The horse nods a bit and Kagome turns and starts up the steps, trying not to cringe away from the gargoyle statues who seem to glare mockingly at her. She attains the top and gazes at the set of huge wooden double doors. She sums up her courage and knocks before calling "Excuse me, I hate to disturb your sleep but I think you sent me a letter by pigeon?"

A few moments silence follow before the door slowly creaks open. Kagome steps inside and the door slams shut behind her, causing her to jump. She whirls to see who shut the door, but she is alone. She hugs herself and rubs her arms in an attempt to help with a feeling of security and to try and warm herself a bit, but succeeds in neither. She looks around the dimly lit hallways that skew into every direction possible. "H...Hello? Is anyone here?" she timidly speaks, only to have her echo answer her.

She starts in, looking down hallways, calling every once and a while, peeking in rooms, anything to find someone. Then she hears it, whispers, "Look Miroku...it's the girl!"

"I know Lady Sango, she didn't even wait for the storm to clear!"

"Well, there's always the possibility that she's not this 'Kagome' that the old man was going on about. She could've gotten lost."

Kagome turns a full 360 "Hello? Who's there?" Silence greets her again along with the unsettling feeling that she's being watched, "Please, answer me! I just want to get my grandpa! Let me have him and we'll never bother you again. I promise!"

Silence for a few moments, then a whisper like the breath of the wind; "Get the master. I'll keep an eye on her."

Miroku looks at Sango with eyes that clearly object to leaving the young lady, but Sango's leave no room for protest. Miroku sighs before leaving for the lord's room. He timidly knocks on the door and slightly flinches from the growled reply of "What?!" from the other side.

He quivers slightly before saying, "If you would excuse my intrusion sir, Lady Kagome has arrived."

A second of silence before a surprised and slightly confused reply "What? You're joking right?"

Miroku is surprised as well, though at the softness of his master's voice rather than the news but quickly recovers, "No sir, not at all. Lady Kagome, the granddaughter of the man that you have imprisoned in the dungeon, she's here. For her grandfather."

On the other side, Inuyasha can't help but be surprised. The letter had been sent less then an hour ago, why was she here already? He lifts the curtain with a clawed hand and sees the storm is still raging outside, as well as noticing the horse waiting patiently at his front steps, "Stupid wench. She could have been killed. And if what my incompetent servant says is true, she came. She didn't send a servant but came herself. Why?"

He shakes his head when that sorry excuse for a head servant voices a "Sir."

Inuyasha sighs frustratedly, telling himself it didn't matter why. "Lead her to her beloved old man." He growls out, "then, we'll see how loyal she really is."

He hears his head servant bow and move off with his sensitive hearing, his ears twitching slightly at the sound. After a few minutes he goes to the dungeon, hearing the murmurs of speech when he opens the door. His ears twitch for a second, was the girl singing? He listens for a moment, unconsciously he stops breathing in an attempt to hear better. No...no, she isn't singing, just talking to the old man, but it was one of the most musical thing he had ever heard. He has to have her, just hearing her makes his bestial blood calm, even if just a little. He wants her, he smirks, and he always gets what he wants. He leaps down the steps silently, smirking maliciously at the 'test' he'd come up with. Either way she would be staying, even against her will.

He lands at the bottom and looks about. Even with his heightened senses, the one good thing about this wretched form, it was dark. He can only make out a human shaped lump in front of the man's cell, dimly lit by the moon shining through the window that lit the center of the dank room. He purposely avoids the lights, slinking in the shadows, barely visible if not for his silvery-white fur. He skulks as close as he dares before saying chidingly, "So, you've come for your dear old gramps, huh?"

He smirks when the girl gasps and her back tenses. He frowns slightly when he notices that she seems to be in her nightgown, that was effectively soaked through and through. He shakes his head, just something to remember when she was his. He can't have his muse getting sick, now can he?

"Please..." Ah, she would speak to the captor, "Please good sir, let my grandfather go. I have come as your servant requested. Give me my grandfather and we will never bother you again. Please."

Inuyasha pretends to consider a moment before saying "I will let you go..." he pauses to see her face turn to his and smile, which she does, and suddenly he almost wants to end his sentence, let them go, just because of that joyful, thankful smile. Almost. He smirks and continues, "but..." he says, watching her face fall quickly "...under one condition."

He hears the girl...what was her name? Kagome...that's right...gulp and take a deep breath, "And what, good sir, would this condition be?"

Inuyasha smirks, here comes the part where he exposed her for as self-serving a being as...well...he, "The condition is, only one of you may leave. The other will remain here forever. You will be forced to do anything I may ask of you. You must stay forever by my side. And finally, you, wench, must choose who goes...and who stays."