A/N: Okay, I'm not sorry for updating all this time because life is catching up to me. Rather, to say, I'm getting ready to go back to school That means a few things...

First off, I'm only going to be able to update once a week, twice at the most. Why? Because during school, with all the stuffs I have to do, I only get an hour on the computer daily. At least, during the weekday. And since I have friends over the internet, and am joined on a couple other sites, I have to split my time accordingly.

So, I'll only be able to get on fanfiction Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. But that's not all. I also have a complete other story that I'm writing that I need to give my attention to. And I also want to be able to read and enjoy the stories of others, so there you go. I'm going to devote one day to each, and that means only one (or two) updates a week until vacation.

Second, you can't complain if I don't update. I'll be sure to have a very good reason if I don't, like studying all night or something along that line.

Thirdly...there is nothing else.

Okay, for those who read my teaser, some of this will look familiar. It's okay, I made it that way. So now that I've got the entire chapter written...enjoy.

Kagome held back a laugh as Kuwabara and Yuusuke began to bicker over the identity of the sculptor that created the various statues around the castle. This was the third such time that they had stopped to argue. Kuwabara insisted it was someone from far away England by the name of De Jode, and Yuusuke swore it was a French artist by the name of Teniers. Both were exclaiming that they knew the artwork of so-and-so like the back of their hands.

Personally, Kagome thought that Yuusuke was right. It made sense to her, for some reason. She couldn't help but giggle when she pictured Kuwabara looking at his hand and saying something along the lines of 'Well that's new'. Even if she had only just met him, Kuwabara seemed like that sort of person to her.

Kagome decided to intervene before the two boys degraded to a fistfight. "Okay, can't you just say it was by some artist?" They looked at her at the same time, surprised. Kagome shook her head, thinking that they probably forgot her as soon as they had started to fight. "I'd really like to see some more, if you don't mind.

Kuwabara blushed and puffed out his chest. "You know I was right, didn't you? That's why you're stopping. You just don't want Urameshi to get hurt." Kagome and Yuusuke shared a look before breaking down in silent laughter while Kuwabara kept rambling. "It's nice to know that you care, Lady Kagome."

Yuusuke pulled himself together and leaned casually against one of the statues. "Idiot, she was worried that your ass would get beaten if you picked a fight with me, not the other way around." He smirked. "After all, I am the more powerful of us two, and we both know it."

Kagome sighed and shook her head pathetically. They both started to argue, and she was beginning to think that she'd never get past this spot with them conducting the tour. Kagome sighed, and then caught herself. Why did she have to be given a tour? After all, she learned better when she explored things for herself. This was taking too long anyway. She should just sneak away and start looking around. As far as she knew, there weren't any places she was forbidden to go.

The fact that she was supposed to be locked in her cell of a room didn't cross her mind. If it did, she would've just told that thought to take a hike. Her mind began to whirr, thinking of ways that she could get away without alerting her two 'tour guides'.

Her problem was solved in short time. She didn't do anything, really. Yuusuke and Kuwabara just seemed to get annoyed with a verbal fight and moved to a physical one. Fists flew as Kagome watched, stunned. How idiotic could you get? Here she was, supposed to be in her room and under watch under the lord -Youko, Kagome told herself- Youko's orders.

Kagome looked around the corridor to make sure nobody came to investigate the fight. Really, there should've been a crowd gathering. Apparently this was a common sight, then, as there were no spectators. Kagome shrugged, praising her luck, and silently strode down the hall. She slowed her hurried footsteps as the noises from the fight began to die down. She was now in a part of the castle she hadn't had a chance to see yet, so she figured that this was as good a place as any to start poking around.

A shadowed hall to her left seemed to call to her. She looked around to make sure nobody was watching, and then chided herself. This corridor had dust and cobwebs everywhere, it wasn't one that was used on a regular basis. Which meant that it was up for exploring in Kagome's eyes.

Kagome looked for a torch, finally spotting one across the hall. It took her a little effort to reach up and pull it from its holder, but it was essential for wandering dark walkways. Taking a moment to prepare her self, Kagome spun in a swirl of leather and cotton as she strode confidently down the dark and dusty corridor.

If she had been a member of the castle, she would've been suspicious from the extra passage. If she had been a demon, she would've noticed the darkness blackening as a stone doorway slid into place over the entrance. If she had been a little more aware, she would've felt the lingering touch of magic coating the tunnel like a second skin. However, she was none of these, and so she continued down the 'hallway' obliviously.

Kagome continued to wander, the torch flickering dimly as her only source of light. She couldn't remember how long she had been wandering this dank maze of passageways. She wasn't worried yet, though. She kept kicking up dust, sneezing constantly as the lint rose to tickle her nose. She was now positive that this was a tunnel that hadn't been used in ages, and the prospect of finding some hidden room or a secret exit excited her. As long as the torch kept burning happily, she would be fine.

Cursed words spoken in a dark tunnel. Kagome swallowed loudly as the torchlight flickered once, then died. Fear began to well up in her chest. Night swallowed her whole, leaving her lost in a blind maze. The torch clattered on the stone as she let go of it, her fingers having gone numb with fright.

Kagome huddled into herself as she tried to keep the terror from consuming her. This was reminding her of memories of the past, ones better kept in the back of her mind. She was lost down here she knew it. She wasn't going to make it out, she was going to die down here, and that damn feeling that she would never see her village came up again!

Kagome took a shuddering breath to try and calm her self. This was no time to panic, not when she needed her wits about her. Kagome reached out a hand and felt cool granite. She was all turned around now she just knew it. What was that saying, for when you got stuck in mazes? Kagome wracked her brain for the answer, pressing her forehead against the smooth stone. It was something about keeping your left hand to the wall at all times? That was it. Now all she needed to do was find which wall was the left one.

Easier said than done. Kagome still couldn't remember which way she had been heading, and that put a damper on her already low spirits. She needed to pick a direction fast; otherwise her courage would run out on her. So, without any other way of finding a direction, she backed up a step or two before spinning. She counted to three and stopped, thrusting a hand out in front of her to catch herself from falling. Her hand hit the wall and jarred her arm.

But she didn't stop falling. Stone grinding against stone echoed in the passage as Kagome continued to fall forward. Light blinded her as she finally hit the ground, halfway in the entrance and half in the tunnel. Her arm began to throb, as she lay sprawled on the floor. She didn't want to get up. Her eyes hurt from the sudden flare of light, and she wasn't quite ready to face whatever was beyond the tunnel in this bright sanctuary of light.

She didn't know how long she lay there, just soaking up the warmth of the room beyond. When she finally opened her eyes and sat up, arm still aching considerably, she was confused at where she had ended up.

Out beyond the hallway was a square stone room. There were no windows, and the only lighting came from a handful of torches scattered about the area. Crawling forward slowly, Kagome entered the room. She stood, looking about her curiously. The stone flooring was cold, even to her boot-clad feet. There were various papers on a desk at one end, yellow and disintegrating with age. A few inkwells were open and dry, one with a quill-pen sticking out of it. The wood was beautifully preserved, still as magnificent as the day it was created.

Turning about, Kagome noticed the wall. It was split and cracked, little pieces of gravel dotting the floor. Old blood stains riddled the area, suggesting that the person had a temper. Kagome wryly thought about the 'lord', Youko, and scoffed.

What had crossed his mind, she wondered, to make him think that she was some prize? A mere possession, meant to be coddled and wooed in the safety of a large and enchanted castle? It was cruel, inhumane! To think that people were mere pawns, parasites to be toyed with. Kagome's hands clenched into fists, there was no way that he had the right to dictate her life!

And yet...Kagome's hands became lax and hung limply at her side. When she had seen him the first time, he had looked so sad. His eyes told a story of loneliness, hopeless to the fact that he may never, in the rest of his life, be able to live amongst normal people. None of them could until the spell was broken. And they had just been reacting to the fact that they finally had a girl here who could possibly cure them, and they didn't want her to leave. Kagome thought he looked like a caged tiger, wanting freedom, yet unable to obtain it. Youko Kurama reminded Kagome greatly of a villager she had met once, called Sango.

She had been nice and sweet, but her eyes were haunted. From all Kagome knew she had had her family slaughtered by her little brother before he committed suicide. All that had saved her was the fact that she had been out of town visiting a friend. When Kagome and her had met, they both disagreed with each other over almost everything and fought viciously. Deep down, though, Kagome had known that Sango was trying to put on a face, to protect herself from being hurt again. It seemed that Youko acted the same way.

Kagome glared at the wall. "That still gives him no right to boss me around," she snarled. Turning furiously, she looked at the rest of the room.

She had crawled out from under the large fireplace that graced the room. It was exquisitely created from many types of stone pieced together, with designs of deer and boar fleeing from the hunters. Even though Kagome didn't like hunting, she still thought the mosaic looked amazingly beautiful. On the marble mantle-piece, Kagome noticed two things.

The first was a mirror. The glass was top-notch, gleaming in the torchlight. The metal around it was simply wrought. It was breathtakingly simple, and yet elegant enough that any beauty would want one for her collection. No doubt this had once belonged to such a belle, most likely some kind of royalty or other such noble. A commoner would never be able to afford such accessories.

The second thing she noticed sat atop the glass of the mirror. In a small, stone vase sat a single flower. Kagome stared at it with wide eyes. It was a rose, most definitely. It possessed lethal-looking thorns about its viridian stem, which complimented the green of the jade-colored container. The petals of the flower were blood red, reminding Kagome of the stains on the wall. They looked soft and delicate, as if they would fall off at any given moment.

Indeed, there were a few such petals already. They had probably fallen off recently, for they still held some warmth and moisture when Kagome lifted a hand to touch them. They had lost all appearances of velvet, but that didn't mean they still felt like that when they had been alive. Kagome, ever curious, reached up a hand to touch the delicate flower.

A pale hand grabbed her wrist before she could touch the plant. Kagome gasped as it tightened with deadly precision, the claws scratching her skin and drawing blood. Kagome was wrenched around and slammed up against the wall, all breath getting knocked out from her lungs.

Crimson eyes flashed at her as Kagome was brought face-to-face with Youko. Fear welled up in her, more so than any moment in her life. More than when she had met up with Bui, even more than first meeting him. Bui had been acting under a spell, protecting the forest surrounding the castle. The first time she met the lord, it had been the look a satisfied predator would give potential prey.

The look she received now was that of a murderer. One who takes pleasure in the torture and torment of another, weaker being. A look that told Kagome she had overstepped every single line that had been set down before her, and she was about to pay for it.

Her body became numb as he growled feral. She couldn't take her eyes away from those deadly, red orbs. They were almost hypnotizing to her, keeping her locked in a spell she didn't know had been caste. She forgot to breathe, forgot to blink, and forgot everything but her fear and those burning eyes.

"What were you doing?" Youko screamed at her. His hand lifted to her throat on its own, lifting the girl up to his eye level. He ignored it when she began to gasp for air. He didn't bat an eye when she lifted her hands to grab his wrist. "Do you know what you were about to do?" He shook her and didn't bother to soften the blows when her head was repeatedly knocked into the wall. "What were you doing?"

Kagome gasped as she felt his hand tighten. She was going to die, damn her curiosity, she was going to die! What a time to remember everything Yukina told her about, everything that she had learned about the enchanted rose that was half of the cure for the freedom of Youko and his servants. Kagome watched herself perish in those stone eyes. She knew that she was never going to see the light of day again. This was beyond her control. She was now at the mercy of the lord.

She gasped again as she was thrown to the ground in a fit of fury. Rubbing her neck and sitting up slightly, she stared, wide-eyed, at the advancing prince. She scrambled to her feet, backing up with every step he took forward. He towered over her, a pillar of fury in the stone room without a window.

His fangs gleamed in the light as he opened his mouth to speak. "Get out," he said to her in a dangerous whisper. His eyes widened as she just stood there. "Get out!" He roared. "GET OUT!"

Kagome turned tail and fled. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't stop. The look of his eyes...at the last moment, it looked almost as if the thread of sanity had snapped. Those gleaming eyes were not those of a sane man, and Kagome knew she needed to get as far away as possible.

She passed by a bewildered Yuusuke and Kuwabara, who barely had time to ask what was going on before she sped past them. She made her way past Yukina and Botan, who looked at her with curiosity, past Jin and Shizuru, who stopped their bickering to stare after her. She continued speeding past every manner of server, and soon found herself at the entry doors.

She didn't let them stop her. She threw herself at them and wrenched them open, her fear giving her strength she had never thought she possessed. She felt as if she could feel all manner of eyes watching her, waiting for her to stop so that the shadows of her fears could pounce on her and rend her to pieces. She didn't bother to close the door behind her as she raced down the front steps. Someone else could do it; she would just be wasting precious time.

She approached the gate. The same gate that had started all of this, the same gate that had prevented her from leaving beforehand. This time, though, she was able to force them open with an indignant squeak. This time, she was able to flee through the enchanted barrier that kept everyone else inside. And as she scrambled up the switchback trail that she had walked not two days ago, and fled into the forest with but one backward glance at the castle, she swore that she saw those burning red eyes making sure she left and never came back.

End Chapter
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