Chapter Three: A Minor Mistake
The next couple of days within the Western Castle were not pleasant. It was made clear that the only one who cared for Kagome was the child, Rin. She stuck by Kagome's side whenever she could. They played games, talked, and explored the castle grounds. When Rin wasn't around, it meant she was off learning to read and write with Miss Jukudo, a high-status servant of Lord Sesshomaru that did not like Kagome at all. Whenever Kagome got near Miss Jukudo, the demon servant glared at her and insulted her in whatever passive-aggressive way that she could. It only calmed down when Rin told Lord Sesshomaru what was happening and he apparently scolded her for "insulting his guest." Any sort of protection from Sesshomaru was a surprise, but to be referred to as a "guest" was more than that.
The time Kagome spent alone was boring and painful. Whenever she was left alone with her thoughts, her mind seemed to dive deep into a dark abyss that broke her own heart. The lack of memories left her with nothing good or happy to look back on. Sure, the few memories she had with Rin were pleasant, but they were clouded by the hatred that Sesshomaru exuded whenever he was near her.
On this particular day, merely a week since she had first woken in her new room, Kagome was contemplating the idea of running away. She had gotten to know the castle grounds fairly well and the castle guard had a few blind spots that she could slip through. Well, more like the changing of the guard left them vulnerable for about two minutes and that would be her only window. Lord Sesshomaru's men were very well trained and they knew to keep an eye on her whenever she was in sight.
Kagome thought about running off last night. The fear of Sesshomaru's anger and hatred toward her made her feel like running was the only other possibility. The fact that she had run into him, literally, when she and Rin were playing tag in the courtyard caused her to have nightmares and it was only making things worse. He was too unpredictable to her. There was only one problem with her plan of running away from this place and that was the fact that she didn't have the heart to leave Rin.
"What do I do?" she asked herself while curled up in her bed. She couldn't come to a decision before she heard her door slide open.
"Kagome!" shouted an excited Rin, who came running in with a scroll in hand. She quickly spread it over the bed as Kagome sat up to greet her.
"Hello, Rin. What have you got there?"
"I did it! I wrote a whole letter all by myself." Rin explained and sat down beside Kagome. She went on to read the letter to Kagome. It was addressed to Sesshomaru and thanking him for everything he did for her. Kagome was surprised to hear some of the stories Rin had, but the most impressive story was about being saved from being eaten by a pack of wolves. It was surprising to Kagome that Sesshomaru had the ability to show any care toward anyone, especially a human.
"That was beautiful, Rin." Kagome smiled at Rin and pat the girl's head. She was so proud of finally being able to write so much on her own, but she didn't seem to realize how well she was reading. Kagome pulled the girl into a tight hug and swung her back and forth a bit, giggling. "You're reading so much quicker now and you aren't having trouble pronouncing any of the words. I'm so proud of you!"
"I am doing better, huh? Do you think I should give it to Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked and Kagome's words immediately got caught in her throat. Would Sesshomaru even appreciate such a gift? She tried to think about it, but couldn't come up with a reason to give Rin the answer she deserved.
"You know him better than I do, Rin. What do you think?" Kagome replied.
"Well, I…" Rin looked sadly down at her paper. She was so proud that she finally got the words right. She finally spelled Sesshomaru's name right too, but she wasn't sure whether he'd care. "I don't think so. I don't want to bother him with it. He might get mad at me since it isn't important." As Rin talked, her tone became sadder and sadder. Soon, tears welled in her eyes and she was crying. Kagome had never seen Rin cry and she hated it. Rin was always so happy and cheerful. It was like nothing in the world could bother the sweet girl, but Sesshomaru had the ability to tear out her heart without even standing in the room. Kagome thought them like Father and daughter. Apparently, that wasn't it.
"It's okay, Rin." Kagome pulled Rin into her arms and held on tight. Rin curled into Kagome's arms and tried to stop crying, but it took some time.
Meanwhile, standing right outside Kagome's door, Lord Sesshomaru was listening to the entire conversation. It had been a long time since Rin seemed upset. He wasn't sure he had seen her cry up to this point. At this time, it was him who made her cry as well. She had completed something that she was extremely proud of and happy that she had done, but she didn't have the courage to approach him with it. Teaching her to read and write was something he decided to do, so he would want to see whether she was progressing. Rin thinking her progress wasn't important to him surprisingly bothered him. He'd have to think of a way to explain that progress is always significant.
"I need to go take a bath. Will you eat dinner with me after, Kagome?" Rin asked as she hopped down off of Kagome's bed. Hearing the child's feet hit the ground gave Sesshomaru enough time to walk off. It wouldn't be good for the Lord of the Western Lands to get caught eavesdropping on two mortals.
"I don't know, Rin. Lord Sesshomaru doesn't want me leaving my room for the next two days." Kagome explained with a weak smile, "The leader of the Panther Tribe is here and my presence may cause problems. At least, that's what he said…"
"Aw, okay. Maybe I'll bring dinner in here to eat with you!" Rin said excitedly, "I can't let you be alone for that long! It will make you go crazy being in here all that time without me around."
"You're right about that." Kagome nodded, "I'll look forward to dinner then."
"Yay! I'll see you in a little while!" Rin hurried out of the room, forgetting the scroll she left in Kagome's lap. Kagome looked down to it and rolled it up nicely. Rin's tears entered her mind once more and Kagome's heart sank. Sesshomaru should read the letter. He must care something for Rin if he keeps the child around. Sesshomaru has also said that he's keeping Kagome around for Rin's sake too. Kagome pulled the covers off of her and stood up from bed with the scroll in hand.
"I'll take it to him." she thought and walked out of the room. Kagome walked the halls trying to find Sesshomaru. She couldn't find him and none of the servants she asked had seen him in a while. Kagome turned a corner to head down toward his study when she was met by a strange looking woman with blue hair, fangs, and wearing a white kimono. Stepping near the woman left her feeling cold as well, so she backed away, unsure whether she was about to be struck or not.
"Don't I know you?" a mellow feminine voice asked her. The woman stared curiously at Kagome, watching as the amnesia-stricken woman retreated from her. Kagome looked around to see if Sesshomaru was near, but he currently wasn't in sight, which allowed her to calm down.
"If you do, then I don't know. I don't remember." she replied quietly enough that no one beyond the hall they were standing in could hear her. "I… lost my memories."
"I see. My name is Tōran. I am the leader of the Panther Demon Tribe of the South."
"Oh, my name is Kago-…"
"Lady Tōran," a familiar voice turned the corner behind Tōran. Both Kagome and Tōran turned to see Sesshomaru walk toward them with two armored demons following. He glanced to Kagome, instantly causing Kagome to stiffen, but brought his attention to Tōran a moment after. "I will see to it that you are escorted to the border. This is Alwin and Goras, two of my strongest guards. They will be the ones to escort you to the Southern border to ensure your safe travels."
"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru. Since you've helped us settle in the South, things have gotten much better for my tribe. Any aid you offer will be repaid in full." Tōran bowed and nodded to the guards. She turned to leave, but stopped and turned to Kagome once more. "I hope your memories return soon."
"O-Oh. Thank you, Lady Tōran." Kagome bowed politely and refused to rise until Tōran left with the two guards assigned to guard her. Once they left, Kagome stood up to speak, but was surprised when she found herself on the ground. She froze in shock. It took a moment for the pain to set in, but once it did, Kagome found herself in the fetal position, holding the side of her face. "But… why?"
"You were told to stay in your room. Could you not follow this simple order?"
"I-I'm sorry." she said as tears quickly welled in her eyes, "I just… I wanted."
"Spit it out, wench." Sesshomaru raised his voice for the first time. Kagome found herself squeezing the scroll in her hand and opened it up to see if she had ripped it in anyway. When she saw that it was crumpled, but not hard to read, she pushed herself to her feet and held it out to him. The paper was shaking because Kagome couldn't find the strength to clam herself down. Sesshomaru didn't look to the paper immediately. He watched Kagome's reaction to being struck and then took the scroll. When he realized what it was, he looked up to Kagome with an eyebrow raised. "Why did you bring me this?"
"Rin… She's working so hard. She didn't think you'd care, but I thought… that…" Kagome couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She turned away and ran back to her room without another word. Sesshomaru didn't care to follow or call after her. Instead, he took the scroll and went the opposite direction.
Kagome hurried into her room and shut the door behind her. She fell into her bed and held her pillow to her face, crying as quietly as she could. She couldn't stay here anymore and being struck by him helped her make her decision. She couldn't believe how much that hurt and she knew he was holding back. He obviously wouldn't kill her because of Rin, but the entire side of her face felt numb. Without another thought on the matter, Kagome pulled out the clothes she had tucked away. Up until now, Kagome had been wearing clothing that Sesshomaru provided for her. They were casual kimonos, but he was not wanting to deal with the revealing garments she normally wore. If she were leaving, she'd wear her own clothing, not anything that Sesshomaru provided for her, no matter how nice they were.
Kagome put on her old school uniform, quickly feeling awkward in the short skirt and unsure of how or what to tie the sash around. She just tied it around her wrist and left her room. She left two garments (her bra and panties) that she didn't understand how to use in the sack that held her clothing as well. Dinner was close, so most people in the castle weren't in the halls. She was easily able to sneak out to the front courtyard, but was forced to use a tree to climb over the castle walls since the guards were still present. Once she made it outside the walls, Kagome darted off through the valley and into the forest less than a quarter of a mile away. She looked back as she hit the tree line and was thankful that no one was following her.
It wasn't long after Kagome's escape that Rin came to her room with Miss Jukudo and two trays for their dinner. When they found the room empty, the two went to the baths and then the courtyard only to find that Kagome was gone. There was no other place in the castle that she was allowed to go to alone.
"We should let Lord Sesshomaru know." Miss Jukudo told Rin, but that only worried the young girl.
"If Kagome is lost, then I can find her." Rin claimed, not wanting to get Kagome in trouble.
"Little Miss, Kagome is not in the castle. Her scent is fading and the strongest point of it is leading out over the wall." Miss Jukudo explained to Rin, the child's expression saddening more, "Come we must tell Lord Sesshomaru what has happened."
"Okay…" Rin gave in and followed Miss Jukudo through the castle until they came to Lord Sesshomaru's study. Rin may be young, but she wasn't stupid. Miss Jukudo wanted to report Kagome as soon as possible in order to get Kagome in trouble, but Rin couldn't think of a way to argue. If Kagome had run away, the only person that could find her was Lord Sesshomaru.
The two knocked on the study door and a moment later could hear Sesshomaru call for them to come in. Rin shot through the door quickly, arms outward toward Sesshomaru.
"Kagome's missing!" Rin shouted worriedly and hurried to Sesshomaru's side. She clung to Sesshomaru's leg and looked scared up to him. "Something must have made Kagome sad! Miss Jukudo said she ran away, but we were supposed to eat dinner together! Kagome wouldn't leave without saying goodbye! I know she wouldn't! Can you go find her?"
Sesshomaru's gaze was stuck on his young ward for some time. His stoic expression left Rin wondering whether he'd be willing to help Kagome or not. She did break the rules by running away, so Rin just hoped that she wasn't in too much trouble. Sesshomaru finally sighed in irritation and looked up to Miss Jukudo, motioning to Rin.
"Miss Rin. Let Lord Sesshomaru make his decision. You still need to eat." Miss Jukudo went over and pried Rin off of Sesshomaru, guiding her toward the door. Rin didn't take her eyes off of Sesshomaru as they left, but he didn't move for as long as she could see him.
"Stupid girl." Sesshomaru muttered angrily. For a brief moment, his eyes flashed red and he vanished from his study. The demon lord moved through his castle with ease and darted out of the castle, landing on the wall to figure out where Kagome's scent was leading. The moment he realized that she climbed the wall to slip passed his guards, Sesshomaru could feel his blood boil. He did not approve of someone disobeying him, especially a weak human woman. He contemplated whether going after her was worth it. "Maybe I should tell Rin she's dead."
Kagome was having trouble finding her way through the forest. The area was thick with trees, rocks, and hills. She also did not know where she was going, so for all she knew this random direction was going to get her killed. She was moving quickly and didn't see the edge of a small drop-off coming until it was too late. She tried to stop, but tripped over a rock and went tumbling over the cliff. She let out a shriek as she fell through the air. She was expecting a hard impact, but instead she fell into a pile of straw. When she realized she wasn't badly hurt, she sat up and looked around at what seemed to be a makeshift bed.
"What is this?" she asked, not noticing the demon sitting about ten feet away from her. She stood up from her landing spot and dusted herself off, readjusting the short skirt she had on.
"What do we have here?" an ominous voice caught Kagome's attention. She snapped around to look toward the voice. Sitting on a fallen log was a tall slender man with eyes and long hair as green as the healthiest of grass. Kagome was instantly put off by the look in his eyes. He seemed hungry and watching him lick his elongated teeth sent a strong shiver down her spine.