Chapter 5
Deception
Kagome sank into the tub, all her tension melting away. She had wanted to hurry, but the water was very comforting, so she decided she could use a little extra time to think about things anyway. She made mental notes on everything she knew about herself.Then decided it was useless, because she didn't know but one thing, her name. She sighed in frustration, splashed the water in a mini fit, even pouted for a few minutes. She knew this would get her nowhere, but she felt she was entitled to some frustration. She soaked for a little longer then got out, drying herself. She stopped in front of a mirror and saw a small scar on the side of her stomach. She studied it, touched it to feel the slight swell of it, and wondered where it came from. She closed her eyes, trying to think, where did it come from, when did she get it. She sighed again, and gave up.
Shaking her head she walked over to the clothes the servant, who was old and looked weary, had set out for her. The woman had said she would come back after she was finished, but not knowing how much time she actually had she dressed quickly. The kimono given to her was stunning, the colors bringing out her best features.
She looked in the mirror once more and smiled to herself. It'll be ok. I'm sure I'll get my memory back, and everything will be as it should be. She thought this, but somehow, deep inside she knew it wouldn't. She sat down to wait for the older woman, unconsciously putting her hand to her side, above the scar. She leaned back and closed her eyes, and was assaulted with images.
She was running from someone or something. Then she was pinned against a young man with dog ears. He had killed the thing that was after her. He then turned to her, threatening her, and took chase. She ran and fell, claws swiping over her head, narrowly missing her. The vision ended there.
She sat up quickly, breathing hard as though she had experienced more then the memory. She jumped up from her chair and rushed towards the door, knocking into the servant in her rush to open the door.
"My Lady, are you ok? What's the matter, is there something wrong?" The old lady had a soothing calm in her voice, her eyes searching the room for any dangers, then the girl for any wounds.
"Oh my, I am so sorry for running into you. It's just that I have to see Naraku, it's urgent. I have to see him right now, can you take me to him?" She rushed her words, excitement coursing through her because of the memory, fear because of what it contained.
The old woman shook her head, "I'm sorry, but he gave explicit orders for you to bathe and eat. I cannot take you to him looking as weak as you do. First you will eat, then I will take you to him." She said this while bowing low, backing out of the room.
"Now come my Lady, the faster you eat, the faster you can see him." She turned, expecting Kagome to follow.
From the trip to the baths, Kagome knew she would get lost, she didn't even know where her room was from here. She knew it would be fruitless to try to convince the woman to ignore her orders, so she followed.
"Why did you call me your lady?" Kagome asked, trying to keep up with the servant. She had forgotten about trying to memorize her way, taking more interest in the paintings on the wall. They were beautifully done, telling of myths and legends.
"My Lord instructed me too. You are a honored guest here, it would be unwise to treat you with any less respect then that of a Lady." She said without looking back at Kagome.
"Would it be to much to ask to call me by my name? I can assure you I'm no lady, and I would prefer to be called by Kagome." Still paying attention to the paintings, and not where she was walking, she ran into the woman again. "Oh no, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to..."
The old woman cut her off. "Do not worry about it, we are here. Go eat, I will be back to get you in a little while. With that she bowed and turned to leave.
"Wait!" The woman turned back, eyebrows raised in question. "I, um, wanted to thank you, and ask what your name is, after all I need to know what to call you in the future, right?" Kagome asked, blushing at her rudeness.
The old woman smiled sadly. "My name here is servant. That is what you can call me." And with that, she was gone.
Kagome sat at the end of the low table, not sure what to do. There wasn't anyone around, in fact the only people she had seen the whole day was Naraku and the old servant. She didn't think much on it though, as three servants came out weighed down in food. She had never seen so much, and wondered if she was the only one to be eating.
"Excuse me, could you tell me who else will be eating?" Kagome asked a servant, while eyeing the food. She could hear her stomach rumbling, and she suddenly felt as if she was starving.
"It's just you my Lady." The servant replied, placing a bowl in front of Kagome.
Kagome felt her mouth drop. I'm supposed to eat all of this? The servant noticed her distress, she put her hand on her shoulder.
"My Lady, my Lords orders were for you to eat your fill, but you are not expected to eat all of it." She smiled slightly at Kagome, then left.
Kagome sat still for a few more moments. She felt weird not knowing who's home this was or who's food she was eating. She didn't feel comfortable at all. But, she was hungry and she couldn't just look at it, so she started eating. She didn't want to be disrespectful to whomever it was, and she felt it would be rude not to eat what was made for her.
After she had ate all she could, which wasn't much, she sat back trying to relax. That was the best meal ever. I wonder when the servant will come get me. She hadn't forgotten about her partial memory, and was still excited about it. She wondered who the man was that tried to kill her, and what she had done to make it so.
"My Lady, I assume you are finished?" The old woman approached her from behind, startling her from her thoughts.
"Yes I am. Will you be taking me to Naraku now?" She asked.
The old woman nodded her head slightly. "Follow me please."
Kagome got up from the table, and followed the woman back through winding halls. She would never be able to learn her way around, but it didn't matter much seeing as this was only temporary. Kagome wondered how she would go about telling Naraku about the memory. The old woman stopped in front of a door, and bowed. "You may go in, he's expecting you." She opened the door for Kagome and closed it when she walked through.
"Hello Kagome, I assume you enjoyed your bath and meal." It wasn't a question, merely a statement meant to be polite. He gestured for her to sit down.
"Yes I did, thank you." She replied sitting down on the pillow she was offered. She looked around the room, and noticed it was similar to hers.
"The servant told me you had something urgent to tell me?" He questioned.
"Yes, I have remembered something. Well not really remembered, but saw images. The memory was like it was broken, only showing me pieces. I was hoping you could fill in the blanks." She looked down, nervous because she hoped he would know about that time.
"Of course I will help you as much as I can, but you must know, we've only been together for four months or so." He said. He knew it couldn't be a memory of their fights, otherwise she would have tried to escape.
It struck as odd that they had only been together for a short amount of time, when just yesterday he was saying how deeply in love they were. She could imagine falling in love with sometime in a short amount of time, but to proclaim it the way he did, she had got the impression they had been together for a long time. She just couldn't see herself meeting someone, fighting beside them through battles, falling in love, and proclaiming her love so strongly in a span of only four months. If she had felt that strong about their love, shouldn't she have felt something still? She shook her head, she couldn't really say who she was, or what she might have felt for this man, but she did know that she was safe, fed, and bathed, and it was because of him.
Naraku watched the many expressions flitter across her face. Confusion reigned supreme. He wondered momentarily if this would work, but pushed it aside. Everything would work out, even if she did start remembering things. He could fill them in, change things around a bit, and she would believe him. She trusted him.
"Like I said it was like it was broken, but there were many images. I was running from something, then I was pinned against a young man with dog ears. He killed the monster, but then he turned on me and tried to kill me. I'm not sure how I got away, or even why he tried to kill me, but that's where it ended." She looked at him, something akin to hope in her eyes.
"A young man with dog ears? Did he have white hair?" This was even better then he thought. Inuyasha had tried to kill her at some point, and that's what her memory chose to reveal.
"Yes he did. And he had red clothes on, do you know who he is?" She was again excited, thinking he knew of the time.
"Yes, we know him. His name is Inuyasha, he is a half-demon. He is the one that tried to kill you this time as well, and I wasn't fast enough to get to you. He is the one who caused this." He looked as though he was disgusted with his-self.
"Why? How?" It was all that she could think of to ask.
"You are the protector of the Shikon No Tama, a very powerful jewel. It holds the power to grant anyones wish, be it for good or evil. It was broken though, and the pieces scattered throughout Japan. One piece though can still grant strength ten fold. You and I are trying to find the pieces, so that we may make it whole and keep it safe." He told her this while pacing the floor.
"For a while you traveled with the half-demon looking for shards, thinking he was your friend. You met up with a demon slayer and a monk whom joined in the hunt. I believe the day you spoke of is the day we met. You never told me much about that day, and I never pushed. I felt that losing someone you thought to be a friend, was something you wouldn't want to talk about. I was traveling with my group and heard the fight. We heard you scream so we went to see what was going on. My companion, Kagura, got you out of there while I fought with him. The monk and slayer came and fought alongside of him. I escaped shortly after. Now I must tell you something, because it's only fair for you to know the truth. I, too, am a half-demon. I do not covet the jewel as others do, I only wish to see it safe." He sat down and looked at her, waiting for her reaction to his story.
"I think I would like to go for a walk." All that he had told her was still sinking in, and she wanted to walk. It would help clear her mind, and let her think. She looked up at him, and noticed a small frown.
"Did I say or do something wrong, dear?" He questioned.
"No, its just that its a lot to think about. I just want to clear my head, and stretch my legs for a bit, you know get some fresh air. If you think the Lord would object, I can just go back to my room though."
She said, worried she had upset him. He looked as though he was suspicious of her, though she couldn't figure out why. The look disappeared quickly though, almost as if it hadn't been there at all.
"No, I'm sure he wont mind. You can have the servant take you to the garden if you would like." He sat back down and looked over some papers on his table. It was clearly a sign of dismissal, so she left. The servant was waiting outside the door for her and Kagome told her of their destination. She couldn't help but wonder that day why he had been suspicious of her.
A.N.Sorry it took so long...but its bound to be slow around the holidays. Hope you enjoy. Also as for the indents in the beginning of a paragraph, I don't know whats wrong. It just wont keep them. If anyone knows what I'm doing wrong, please let me know. Happy Holidays everyone.
