A/N: Hi all! Well, I have successfully domineered the computer long enough to write out another chapter, and make a story update. Again, if you see words jammed together, please remember that it is the fault of this editor. My stuff is always spaced correctly when I write it, so it's irritating, seeing it all messed up like that. Just ignore it, please! Anyway, I don't have much else to say, except that I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Inu Yasha characters or the storyline made and copyrighted by Takahashi Rumiko. But I own this story! And, hahaha, I can reuse my material any time I want!

Previously:

"So- what did you do today, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked, breaking the stiff silence. He looked up at her from his plate.

"Land surveillance," he replied simply. "What activities did you perform?" Kagome looked at him, surprised that he returned the question.

"Different things. Archery, reading…" she trailed off, realizing that she really didn't do much at all that day. Sesshoumaru just looked at her. She was getting embarrassed. 'He probably thinks I just wasted my time…' After a moment of silence, Sesshoumaru took a bite of his food.

"If it interests you, you are welcome to join me tomorrow," he offered, once he had swallowed. Kagome almost dropped her chopsticks, and Jaken fell over in surprise.

"I would like to join you," she replied slowly, wondering if that really was the best idea.

chapter 17: a servant's place

Kagome awoke to a nudge on her shoulder. "Wh-- huh?" she asked groggily. Turning on her side, she faced her intruder.

"Kagome, it's time for you to get ready to go with Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken told her, restraining himself from smacking her on the head with his staff. He poked at her again. "Kagome, wake up!"

"Okay, okay," she mumbled as she rolled out of bed. "It's still dark," she complained. Jaken ignored her.

"Sesshoumaru-sama instructed me to give you these clothes. You have about an hour before it is time to leave." The minion placed the clothes on the chair by her door, and left.

"Ugh.." she groaned, making her way to the chair. "It's too early…" She fingered the kimono, and found that there was a small circlet resting in the folds. Opening the outer robe, she spotted the family crest of Sesshoumaru and Inu Yasha along the collar and sleeves. The material was not as comfortable as some of the clothes in her closet, but they were reasonable. If she had been presented with a burlap kimono, she would have been upset. Kagome was just spoiled- she was used to the soft fabrics of the 21st century, and to the cotton in Sesshoumaru's castle. She quickly donned the clothes, and fastened her hair into a low ponytail behind her head. The circlet graced her head, a small golden pendant in the shape of a crescent moon hung daintily between her eyebrows. In fact, the circlet was more like a crown, encircling her entire head, resting over her hair. Long tassels of pearls and crystals hung from the circlet at various points, adding some detail and sparkle in contrast to her dark tresses. The kimono itself was different from those she had become accustomed to wearing. This one was considerably shorter, the bottom hem barely touching the ground. The sleeves were also shorter, but not by much. Kagome twirled in front of the mirror, taking in her new clothes. As soon as she was finished giving herself a second look, Jaken came once more to her door.

"Sesshoumaru-sama instructed me to give you breakfast inside. If you'll come with me," Jaken turned and began to walk down the hallway, not waiting for Kagome to exit her room.

The breakfast prepared for Kagome seemed much more meager than usual. It was a bowl of something like gruel (although much more tasty), along with a glass of water and orange juice. Not only that, but the room in which she ate her meal was small as well, and there was no sign of Sesshoumaru. Soon after she finished, she went outside to meet with the youkai lord.

"My apologies that breakfast wasn't as it has normally been," he told her when she stepped outside.

"It's okay," she told him. She figured that he must have had his reasons. Maybe it was because his vassals were all youkai. If they could smell delicacies on her breath, it might have the same effect as if she spoke to them or looked them directly in the eyes.

"Then, let's go." Without asking, Sesshoumaru grabbed her around the waist, and began to fly toward their first rendezvous point.

Kagome was dead set on not calling Sesshoumaru by name- she had absolutely no desire whatsoever to call him 'Sesshoumaru-sama.' Upon arriving at the first vassal's residence, it became more clear as to what her position actually was. She was to be something like the "uneme" girls- the ones who would serve water at the Emperor's dinner table during the upcoming Edo period. She sat quietly at the side of the table, while Sesshoumaru discussed matters with the youkai vassal.

This vassal was named Haramaki Ryosuke, and reminded Kagome of Totousai. He was definitely a youkai, but he looked old in years, and resembled a human. As she watched them discuss matters of farming, foreign visitors, and other affairs of estate, the miko realized that there was a whole entire economic world of youkai that she never knew existed. While she was aware that there were different levels of youkai, she never really thought that they had their own society apart from clans. In fact, her main concept of youkai came from the millions of low level beasts that she and the others had vanquished in the past. 'Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kirara… Inu Yasha. How are they all doing?' While she knew that it was her choice to stay with Sesshoumaru while Inu Yasha healed, Kagome also wished that she could see her friends again. Suddenly, she was ripped out of her thoughts by an oppressive silence. She realized then, that she had made a grave mistake- the whole time she had been lost in thought, she was staring at vassal Haramaki Ryosuke!

"You would do well to teach your servant some lessons in manners," he said to Sesshoumaru, not taking his eyes off of Kagome. "She is beautiful, I will grant that- but- what disrespect!" Kagome had no idea what to say, or how to respond. She continued to stare at Haramaki, but now it was more out of shock than anything else. Sesshoumaru saw the look on Kagome's face, and looked back at his vassal. He was less than impressed.

"Haramaki Ryosuke," he said in a detached tone of voice, "You would do well to remember that you have no business in dictating the way this Sesshoumaru handles those in my service." Kagome watched Sesshoumaru stand up to the vassal on her account.

'If I wasn't here, this wouldn't be a problem,' she thought to herself. Still, she couldn't help but appreciate that he was, in a way, protecting her.

"Tch, the great Sesshoumaru-sama is going soft now, is he?" Haramaki said under his breath, just before taking a sip of his tea. In less than half a second, his tea was splattered across the tatami mat. Sesshoumaru had leaned forward on one knee and thrust his arm toward Haramaki. His first two fingers- the tips of which were green with shouki- were pointed at Haramaki's neck.

"Let me remind you that you are also in my service," he said softly, in a dangerous yet controlled voice. Haramaki's eyes were wide with terror. While in his previous breath he had accused Sesshoumaru of going soft, he obviously believed that his lord would not hesitate to sink those poisoned claws into his neck.

"Right. My apologies, milord." After another second, Sesshoumaru withdrew his hand, and resumed his place across the table from Haramaki.

"I'll expect another report in the next quarter," Sesshoumaru told his vassal. Haramaki merely nodded- still in fear- as Sesshoumaru rose from his seat.

"Right. I'm on it," Haramaki replied nervously. Kagome rose as well, and followed Sesshoumaru out of the room.

"Kagome," Sesshoumaru began, once they were in the air, "it is imperative that you remember to avoid eye contact unless you are first addressed. And even then, you should speak only to me."

"Mm. Sorry," was all she could say. Sesshoumaru stared forward at the path he was taking toward their next appointment.

'What was I thinking, bringing her with me?' he thought angrily to himself. His anger soon faded, however, when he remembered the difficulty he had faced only yesterday. While he didn't like to admit susceptibility to emotions, he had thought of Rin as his future mate. It was only natural that her loss delivered such a strong blow to his person. Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome through the corner of his eye. Suddenly, all the doubts he had about bringing her along were strangely quelled. She had a worried look in her eyes, and seemed to be truly sorry for causing the problem between himself and Haramaki.

"Just- be more careful next time," he said more softly than before. Kagome looked up at him, and focused on his eye. He held her gaze for a moment, before looking forward once more. Yes- if he had to make the choice over again, he would still choose to take her with him.

The next vassal that they traveled to see was in the southern region of Sesshoumaru's lands. His name was Nara Takeshi. On first glance, Nara appeared to be a cheery, jovial fellow with a large girth. Sesshoumaru sat opposite of Nara, while Kagome sat close to the door.

'Why did I decide to do this, again?' she asked herself. She had thought that it might be more entertaining than being alone at the castle, but was now having her doubts. There was nothing interesting about sitting for a few hours without moving. Suddenly, she felt an itch on her eyelid. Quietly, she moved to scratch it with a finger. No sooner had she moved, however, than Nara Takeshi's eyes narrowed and focused on her form. His eyes, which had originally appeared wide and honest, were now narrow and shrewd. 'What? That couldn't have been wrong to do!' she panicked inwardly. She saw Nara's head turn in her direction, and accidentally looked up to see his eyes focusing on her. Never before had she felt like such a- piece of meat. Quickly, she cast her eyes downward and stared at her lap.

"I have a taste for your human slave girl- is she for sale, I wonder?" After Nara's eyes checked over Kagome, whose face showed an expression of horror and mortification at his question, he turned them back to Sesshoumaru. The taiyoukai developed something in his eyes like haughtiness, and looking straight at Nara, he gave him his answer.

"Do not presume that you can handle this human woman," were his words. Nara looked at him questioningly before he turned his attention to the girl once more. On second glance at Kagome, his eyes widened. There was an enormous amount of spiritual powers stored up in her little body. It took all Nara had to keep himself from shivering in awe. He looked back at Sesshoumaru.

"I am surprised that someone like you, Sesshoumaru-sama, needs such a woman. Is she also your personal guard?" he asked sarcastically. Sesshoumaru sat very still, seeming to ignore this comment. Nara looked slowly back at Kagome. "Woman, why do you stay with your master, when you are obviously powerful enough to destroy him? Why serve someone when you have enough reiki to obliterate them in battle?" Nara Takeshi had barely gotten out this last sentence before Sesshoumaru began to speak.

"The woman is not the reason for this visit." His eyes flashed at his vassal, who immediately cowered under the power of his lord.

"My apologies, milord. It was not my place," he said, lowering his head. At the same time, however, he shot a sidelong glance at Kagome that sent chills up her spine.

While they continued to discuss the affairs of the land, Kagome stared angrily at her lap. 'Did Sesshoumaru just say that he could handle me!' She was astonished and offended at his words. But after some thought, Kagome realized that it was probably true. While she had enough reiki to send him into the otherworld, he was much too fast for her to have a chance to do it. If she was in a battle with him, without Inu Yasha to protect her, Sesshoumaru would kill her before she was able to realize it. Not that she believed Sesshoumaru would attack her anymore, of course. 'Inu Yasha… that's right…' with the new experiences outside of the castle as well as the business with burying Rin, Kagome found herself thinking of the transformed youkai less and less. She sadly admitted that the first thing she thought of in the morning was not whether or not she would see Inu Yasha today- but how she could help Sesshoumaru, instead. Suddenly Kagome felt her heart wrench inside of her chest, and she wanted to cry. 'What is going on? My feelings-- are they… changing?' she asked herself apprehensively. She had been in love with Inu Yasha for so long, that she hated the thought of that changing. Before she could think about it any further, however, it was time for them to leave.

Sesshoumaru had been angered when Nara Takeshi, his vassal no less, had asked if Kagome was for sale. He didn't want to admit it, but he didn't like the thought of Kagome being sold. Or- maybe it was that he didn't like the thought of anyone else having her in their possession. He had felt this same way with Rin. A few years back, word had gotten out among his vassals that he was traveling with a human girl. At that time, one of his vassals had asked him whether or not he was training her for servanthood. Sesshoumaru had been likewise angered at that question. As long as Rin was under his care, she was never going to become a servant. While he had nothing against owning servants, Sesshoumaru disliked the idea of Rin, the girl who saved his life, becoming a servant to him. It was not in his taste to crush a free spirit like hers. And it was the same way with Kagome. Somehow, his feelings about and for Rin had begun to transfer themselves over to the woman now traveling with him.

On the way back to the castle, Sesshoumaru and Kagome stopped by a river for a break. Her stomach had growled more than once during his meeting with Nara. As they sat on the ground barbecuing fish, Sesshoumaru caught Kagome looking at him.

"What?" he asked.

"My presence at these meetings- it seems to be creating a lot of problems," she said, moving her gaze from Sesshoumaru to the fish in front of her. She turned it over in the fire. "Was it really a wise move, letting me come along?" She looked back at the youkai lord, who was now looking into the fire. After a few moments of silence, he responded.

"It was a decision that I do not regret," he told her. Hearing those words, Kagome flashed back to the previous night, when he had asked her to come along.

…flashback…

"It would be of value to have you with me," he told her cautiously.

…end flashback…

'He seemed as though he had other things on his mind that night,' Kagome thought. 'There must have been some reason why he thought I'd be of value if I came along…' Kagome fought the urge to ask him what he meant by 'value.' Why did he need her there? She could only guess that it had something to do with the loss of Rin. But- he never took Rin along on his errands, so why would he take her? The two of them sat in silence until they began to eat.

"Ne, Sesshoumaru- Nara Takeshi made me think about something," she began. Her following sentence was delayed, however, by a growl from Sesshoumaru.

"Disregard that fool," he told her. She looked at him, but he was still staring into the fire, no emotions permeating his facial features.

"If I am ever assaulted…"

"Purify him on the spot." He looked at Kagome, not a trace of hesitation in his eyes. Kagome fixed her gaze on the almost fully-eaten fish.

"Mm."

It was about mid-afternoon when Inu Yasha woke up. "Inu Yasha, you're awake!" Shippou said enthusiastically. "Hey, everyone! Inu Yasha woke up!" he called to the rest of the gang.

"Shippou- hand me the mirror from Kagome's bag, would you?" Shippou nodded and fished through the yellow backpack. Once he found it, he handed the mirror to Inu Yasha. "Thanks," Inu Yasha whispered. He sat up and held the mirror to his face, looking at the wound on his neck. It was definitely better than it had been. The skin around the wound looked healthy, and the inside of the gash was beginning to heal. He ran his fingers just under the closing gape, remembering what had happened the other night. 'Why did Kagome hesitate, when I asked her about her feelings?' It was painful remembering her indecision between himself and his older brother. He moved to stand up.

"Relax, Inu Yasha," Miroku said upon entering the room. Kohaku entered a few moments later. "Don't strain yourself."

"Tch, I'm fine." He held in a wince as he stood up. He was still a little sore, but he could move.

"Are you going to get Kagome?" Kohaku asked. Inu Yasha stared at the young taijiya. After a few moments, he shook his head slowly. The pain was still great.

"Not yet. I'm not ready to fight Sesshoumaru as it is. I have to go… train…" he said as he staggered toward the door.

"Not right now, you don't," Miroku told his friend, catching him as he fell from the pain.

"Let.. me.. go," Inu Yasha told him through gritted teeth.

"You need to rest," Miroku said, laying him back down on the futon.

"But… Kagome…" Inu Yasha passed out after his head hit the pillow. Shippou, Kohaku, and Miroku looked at each other, concern in their eyes.

"He's nowhere near ready to fight Sesshoumaru again," Miroku said to the boys. They nodded in agreement.

"But- what about Kagome? We haven't seen her for awhile. I miss her," Shippou looked at the ground.

"Maybe some of us can pay her a visit," Sango said from the doorway. She was far enough along in her pregnancy that it took her the longest to answer Shippou's call. "I, for one, want to hear what she has to say about this mess…" The boys looked at the pregnant taijiya, and then at each other.

"Shippou, why don't you take Sango and Kirara to find her?" Miroku suggested. Shippou nodded, and Sango smiled gratefully at her husband.

"Let's get ready," Sango said, turning and stepping outside the room. "We're leaving Inu Yasha to you, Miroku and Kohaku."

"Right!" they replied in unison. Sango let out a giggle, and turned down the hallway. She loved the boys in her life. Shippou followed Sango out of the room, and they began to prepare for their departure.

'Now's my chance to get to the bottom of this,' Sango thought to herself as she made her way outside.

A/N: So please, review this one! The reviews just trickled in for the last chapter, so I hope that I get a flood this time! Hoorah! I'm your review cheerleader! Push the button! There were reviews last time, though, so I thank all of you who did review, and… here's some responses!

Review Responses:

Jessica L: Hehe, I have to say, I actually am probably one of the few who don't have a crush on Sesshoumaru-dono! I guess for me it's like, a three-way tie between S-dono, Inu-chan, and Miroku-kun, so I can't really pick sides. Oh well. But… there are a whole lot of cute anime bishounen around…

Beulah Page: hehe! Glad I can still pull a fast one on you! Your insight into the story is great. Keep it up!

hermonine: yep- if Kagome acted any more like herself, they would've had some serious problems! ((phew)) what a close call, ne?

SubaruWings: Thanks very much for your review- your comments were really meaningful to me. Please keep it up! I'm counting on you!

The Squabbit: Well, I think Kagome's probably gonna have to live with a lot of well… well, you'll see. And you'll see about Inu Yasha, too. That's the beauty of reading serialized stories, right? I agree, the other ending was much happier. A few people have already mentioned that they liked the first ending better. So I stick to my story- this is only a "what-if" ending, thank goodness.

I also want to thank hanyouxmiko990, zookie78, InuyashaGal, toxiclollipop, and sheenachi. Your reviews are very supportive, and I'm so thankful that you take the time to appreciate my story! Arigato gozaimashita! See you in the next chapter!