A/N: Enter Sango and Miroku ;)


Breaking In

She felt as if she were about to do something wrong, and after all she only wanted to know whether little Kay was there.


Kagome, Shippo, and Myoga arrived at Princess Sango's gates by nightfall. The walls of the castle were high, intimidating, and Kagome couldn't even see the sentinels' silhouettes in the darkness (though she knew they must've been there). The girl shivered; whether from the damp night air or fear, she didn't know.

"You wait here now, behind the trees," Myoga instructed quietly. "I'll call Shoga and see if she can help any."

As the flea jumped away, Kagome and Shippo crouched down, holding each other to share some warmth.

"Don't be scared, Kagome," Shippo said. "I'll protect you."

The girl could barely see her little friend's face, but she smiled in his direction, squeezing him tighter. She couldn't forget Myoga's cruel words that morning, calling Shippo a stray. Life must have dealt him some hard blows, but still he showed her affection without reservations.

He reminded her of Inuyasha—which was a strange, selfish comfort.

"And I'll protect you, too," Kagome reassured the kit.

She thought she could see his fanged grin.


Kagome didn't know how long they were huddled together in the shadows, but it felt like centuries had passed before Myoga showed up again.

"Shoga sends you her compliments," the flea said quickly. "The guards wouldn't allow you to go inside, but don't cry; you shall get in! She tells me there's a covered pathway that leads to the sleeping apartments, and she can sneak you in."

Much to the old demon's distress, Kagome's eyes seemed moist anyway.

"I just told you not to cry, my lady!" Myoga admonished. "If it is indeed your friend, all will be well soon enough."

"These are happy tears!" Kagome waved his concern away. "I'm just…" she sighed, "I really hope it's him."

Shippo did his best to glare at the elder demon in the darkness.

"M-Me too." Myoga gulped.

The flea jumped on the girl's free shoulder and whispered the directions in her ear. They advanced toward the left wall of the castle through the bushes, being careful to stay quiet. Kagome noticed Shippo would flinch at her steps sometimes, and she nervously supposed she was making too much noise.

"Stop," Myoga warned suddenly. "Now's the hard part. There's a gateway somewhere on that wall, but there must be a sentinel moving on the pathway above."

Kagome narrowed her eyes and tried to see anything at all, but there was little she could distinguish with just the light of the stars to help her.

"I see him fine," Shippo said. "He keeps walking back and forth. We must run for the wall when his back is turned, or else…"

"Exactly," Myoga nodded. "Let's count and see how long it takes for him to turn around. If this goes wrong, I lose my job!" The flea gulped.

"I can't believe this parasite," Shippo hissed. "Who cares about your job, stupid? We all lose our necks!"

"I d-don't think Princess Sango would—"

"If she's anything like what I heard, than you bet she would!"

"Stop it, you two," Kagome demanded harshly. "This is no time to bicker! You're demons, I need your eyes right now!"

"I might be a demon, but I'm still old." Myoga sighed. "Besides, what good are a flea's eyes? We're both counting on Shippo here."

My life's in the hands of a kid—literally, Kagome thought. I trust him, though. Even if I had another choice at the moment, which I don't, I think I would trust Shippo anyway. We got out of Kaou's garden thanks to him, she remembered.

"Start counting, please, Shippo," she asked of him.

After a short silence, Kagome felt the kit's small hand tighten on her shoulder. "He takes eight seconds to walk the path, Kagome, then turns around again."

"But we don't really have eight seconds," Myoga remarked. "He could see us from his peripheral vision most of the time."

"We have to wait until we're sure he won't see anything, then... " Kagome nodded. "There must be a moment when it wouldn't be possible to see us!"

"I think we could run for it when he's halfway to the end," Shippo mused. "Based on our position, that's my guess."

"So that gives me four seconds." Kagome swallowed. "And I have to be silent."

"That would be preferable, yes." Myoga huffed.

"I think I see the gateway on the wall," Kagome mumbled.

"Make sure you go toward it! Shoga will be there to let us in."

"Don't worry, Kagome. You got this!" Shippo reassured her.

Closing her eyes briefly, Kagome nodded. When Shippo gave her the signal, she sprinted, asking anyone that could be hearing to please don't let her stumble.

When they made it to the wall, the girl clasped her back to it and looked up at the star-filled sky, irrevocably squeezing Shippo behind her. Since she couldn't see the sentinel, Kagome hoped he couldn't see her, either.

"Start moving to the left, Kagome," Myoga instructed quietly. "We're right beside the gateway!"

The girl slid along the wall until she stood with her back to a wooden door. Following the flea's order, she turned the doorknob. They entered hurriedly, closing it with a soft thud.

"Finally!" A small black dot was jumping up and down in front of her face. Kagome turned and looked around at the castle's garden—at what she could see from it under the starlight, that is.

The female flea jumped right on the girl's nose. Kagome crossed her eyes to try and see her face, but there wasn't much she could distinguish. She had the impression that the demoness wasn't much different from Myoga, though; maybe a little bigger.

"My betrothed has spoken highly of you, girl. Your journey is very touching!" Shoga said excitedly. "If we keep quiet, we can search for your friend and get both of you out before morning. Now, keep one hand on the castle wall over there as I give you the directions!"

What if Inuyasha isn't here? And if he is, what if he doesn't want to escape with me? She shook her head to banish the inopportune thoughts.

"Um, t-thank you," Kagome said, immediately doing as she was told. They had no time to lose.

After a few minutes of stumbling in the dark, she found the short stairs that led into the covered pathway.

"Go there!" Shoga urged.

It was easy, all things considered…

"WHO'S THERE?" Someone shouted from her left. Kagome could hear footsteps approaching.

After the victory, tighten your helmet strap, she recalled Old Kaede saying. I should have known something would happen!

"Run!" Shippo whispered.

She didn't really have another choice. Kagome climbed the steps and crossed the covered pathway into the corridors, one hand always touching the wall as she ran. She could see faint candlelight coming from behind some of the shoji doors, but it wasn't enough to help her find her way around.

"STOP!" Someone shouted again, and something zoomed past her ear.

"That was an arrow, Kagome! Go faster!" Shippo urged.

"I'm a known servant of the princess," Shoga said. "Maybe I can provide a distraction!"

"Woman, they'll just step on you, and you know it!" Myoga told the flea.

Kagome kept running, stumbling a few times along the way. She felt an excruciating pain on her right calf, and she had to clasp both hands on the wall to keep from falling over.

"They shot her!" Shippo panicked, getting down from her shoulder. "I'll use foxfire on them!"

"Stupid kit, you'll burn the castle down!" Myoga squeaked.

"A-Are we far from the sleeping quarters?" Kagome groaned between ragged breaths. She couldn't bring herself to look at the wound.

"THERE!" A guard yelled from across the hallway. "IT'S THE ROBBER GIRL!"

Another arrow found it's way to her left shoulder. Kagome clenched her teeth and started moving again, Shippo hot on her heels.

"Turn right!" Shoga instructed.

She did so with great effort, coming face to face with a large shoji door. Footsteps were coming her way, so Kagome slid it open and entered the room without really thinking about what she was doing.

Letting her eyes adjust to the soft candlelight, Kagome saw a rich futon in which someone was sleeping. White hair came from under the red covers.

Her heart seemed to have stopped beating for a second.

Warm blood was oozing from her wounds, streaming down her back and calf, but she couldn't bring herself to look at the arrows. Her vision was getting a little dizzy.

"This isn't good, isn't good," Shoga mumbled.

Kagome automatically stepped closer to the sleeping person.

"It must be him!" Myoga exclaimed. "How fortunate! What are the chances, really?"

"No, this is—"

"I-INUYASHA!" Kagome sobbed before Shoga could finish, kneeling down beside the futon.

The covers were kicked away and a little girl looked up at her with terrified purple eyes. She screamed—and that was their undoing.

"Shiori!" Shoga completed with a groan.

The door slid open with violence. A group of five guards entered the room, but Kagome couldn't seem to lift her eyes to their faces. She kept staring at their feet, her head heavy from blood loss and disappointment.

"HALT!"

"WAIT!" Shoga screamed.

Kagome collapsed beside the white-haired child.


Inuyasha had been staring at the tapestry on the hallway for at least half an hour.

The white-haired man striking at the flying girl was, it seemed, his father. The Inu no Taisho, the Dog General, the Ruler of the Skies, the Destroyer of the Shikon no Tama, and many other titles—he was sure of it—that served for nothing.

Did your damn titles give you a nice spot in paradise, old man?

Inuyasha felt the sudden urge to shred the tapestry with his claws, but saw no point in it. Something kept blocking his violent desires. He felt inside himself for the familiar gap where his responses should have been.

That wasn't what worried him anymore—oh, no.

What worried Inuyasha was what would happen once the proverbial dam broke.

Setsumi had been standing in the hallway with him half an hour ago, also looking at the tapestry. The boy went over every word she'd said.

It hadn't been his father's intention to shatter the jewel; he'd simply wanted to protect the location of the floating castle, protect the home of the last white dogs alive, protect his wife and child. He hadn't wanted to get involved in the conflict, but he couldn't have allowed it to reach their doorstep.

"Ours is a race that suffered throughout history with the jealousy and greed of lesser demons," Setsumi had said. "The thing about parasites, boy, is that their strength lies in numbers. You'd do well to remember that."

I should've reminded her that all the guards and servants in this godforsaken place are a bunch of low-lifes.

According to the Snow Queen, there had been a time when the white dogs flew free through the land. They were too powerful, too talented, too beautiful to keep existing, so they became targets (in her words).

Inuyasha had heard what she wouldn't say, though: the white dogs became too greedy, too. They must've made many enemies on their way to greatness.

"And how do I fit in this clan of yours?" He'd asked disinterestedly.

The Snow Queen was looking at her husband's embroidered face with an impassive expression.

"There ain't much I know about the old man, but I do know he died protecting me and my mom. You can't like me very much," the boy reasoned sarcastically. "Or my dirty blood."

She looked back at him with a lifted eyebrow.

"You don't have to reaffirm your half-demon status all the time. It's annoying and unappealing," she admonished. "You shouldn't fit in here, true enough… but I won't let your father's legacy, our line, die with me."

Inuyasha smirked remembering her words. It was clear that the woman would do anything to keep her empire alive—as alive as it could be.

Even put a half-breed as the master of the house one day.

"Are you dying, then?"

"No." She huffed dismissively.

"So why bring me here now?"

Her golden eyes shone eerily. "You seemed… dissatisfied… with that human village. I saw an opportunity and took it."

As if on cue, he felt a pang in his chest.

She knew I'd come with her.

"And what were you even doing there, Snow Queen?"

If she has something to do with how weird I've been…

"Don't flatter yourself; I roam everywhere during winter," she said calmly, ignoring his aggressive tone. "I've been to that forest several times, but I'd never payed you—nor your village—any mind."

He tried to process that.

"I thought I had a brother. He tired of you or something?" He'd asked her with a touch of malice that, now that he thought back on it, didn't suit him at all.

"He's been disappeared for some years," Setsumi informed him breezily. "For all I know, he might as well be dead."

"And what happens if he's not?"

"Then you fight to the death, of course. Oh, I shall be devastated!" She exclaimed theatrically, bringing a hand to her forehead.

"Keh."

She opened one eye and smirked at him.

The demoness had been talkative and a little playful, which was a nice change—sort of. At least he'd finally gotten some information out of her.

So, tainting the line of the 'great white dogs' with me is better than having no white dogs at all.

That had surprised him. He would've thought a noblewoman like Setsumi would've preferred to let her line die out of some misguided sense of honor, but no… Setsumi was too machiavelic for that, it seemed.

Blood won't stop her from getting what she wants.

Inuyasha sighed. His father had been responsible for breaking—and scattering—the cursed Shikon no Tama, his stepmother was stuck in a white elephant of a castle, his half-brother was dead, his mother was dead, and Kagome was miles away. He felt a little cheated; the Snow Queen had told him that he belonged here, but there was nobody left to belong to—aside from her, that is.

If she thinks I'll be her lapdog, she's got another thing coming.


When Kagome came to, there was a beautiful girl looking down at her.

The stranger's hair was unbound, a straight curtain of brown silk—brown like her eyes, which were kind yet cautious. She wore a magenta kimono embroidered with silver leaves, and the tissue's pinkish hue matched her eyeshadow.

"Hello," the noblewoman said. Her voice was deeper than Kagome's, wiser. "I'm Princess Sango. You broke into my property."

That's not a very good start.

Kagome was still a little disoriented, so she just gaped up at the princess—like a fish, ugh—for a few seconds. She was lying on a rich, soft futon, in a room much like the one she'd entered to escape the guards.

"I-I can explain everything." She winced from both shame and pain.

Sango lifted a dainty hand to interrupt her. "That's not necessary, really. My servants, Myoga and Shoga, have already told me everything about you—and your quest."

Kagome swallowed. "W-Where's Shippo?"

"The fox?" Sango asked with a lifted eyebrow. "He's playing with Shiori... now that he's calmed down."

Oh, Shippo…

"The white-haired child," Kagome remembered Shoga saying her name. "I-I'm sorry if I scared her… I thought she was the friend I'm looking for."

"My guards could've killed you, you know?" Princess Sango said exasperatedly. "You look a lot like the Robber Girl... "

"R-Robber Girl?"

"A thief who's been terrorizing these lands for awhile now. I'll catch her soon enough." She sighed. "My point is: your face is a magnet for trouble, Kagome, and you should be careful where you show it."

Kagome gulped, feeling her eyes start to burn.

Like I don't have enough problems already…

"Listen," Sango started in a soft voice, "I want to help you."

It was a sharp contrast to the way their conversation had went so far.

Kagome licked her dry lips and blinked away the tears. "H-How? I have no clue where he is, nothing useful I can tell you."

"I have my ways of discovering things." The princess shrugged. "A woman who wants to rule has to be prepared. First things first, though: you'll have to stay here for a few days."

Kagome's throat constricted at that. "I'm sorry, Princess, but I don't have a few days. I lost enough time as it is."

"I know you have," Sango said sympathetically. "All the more reason why you should accept my help, really. Do you plan on roaming aimlessly until you stumble upon this Inuyasha person? No! What you need is a strategy, Kagome… and besides, you're in no condition to travel, anyway."

Kagome sighed, nodding briefly.

"You've been passed out for the whole night. They'll bring you breakfast soon," the Princess informed her as she started to stand up. "My healer will come check up on you after you eat."

"Why are you helping me?" Kagome asked quietly.

When this all began, the innocent village girl wouldn't have questioned a person's motives for helping another. After Kaou's castle and Myoga's lie (which she still didn't understand), Kagome had grown suspicious of free assistance.

Sango's eyes softened as if she could read her thoughts.

"I can recognize a strong and good person when I see one, Kagome. You don't deserve to rot in a dungeon or be hanged just because you broke in. I... understand."

Slowly, hesitantly, Kagome smiled up at her.

"Besides," Sango resumed as she walked to the sliding door, "you were so ill prepared, it was a laughable attempt. Did you honestly think you would get far?"

The Princess' mouth quirked as she winked at her before stepping out of the room.

Well, we still got in, didn't we? Kagome thought with satisfaction.


The healer was a young brown-haired man called Hojo. He was dressed in a cotton blue kimono, simple yet dignified. Kagome had been a little tense in his presence at first, unaccustomed to male company as she was, but soon his easy smiles had her relaxing.

It was the first time she had been completely alone with a man other than Inuyasha. Princess Sango must really trust him if she didn't send a maid here…

"Wounds like yours normally heal in ten days, give or take," Hojo said as he inspected her shoulder. Kagome couldn't see his expression as she was lying on her belly, but his voice was serious. "I don't know how long it will take for you to recover, though. You haven't been eating much, I can tell… your condition won't help, you know."

Kagome sighed. "I spent two weeks under a spell, and one more on the road sharing my food with a small fox demon. I couldn't just—"

"I know." The healer patted her back reassuringly. "I didn't mean to scold you; sorry if it came out like that. I just wanted you to understand your situation—famished and wounded, that is."

The thought that she could be forced to stay here more than ten days made Kagome want to cry. It seemed to her that something tried to stop her at each turn on the way. "Well, at least Princess Sango said I can stay here…"

After her wounds had been cleaned and bandaged, two maids helped Kagome into a yellow silken kimono. Never having wore silk before, the village girl couldn't help but marvel at the soft touch of the tissue against her skin. Her green cotton kimono, plain yet cherished, was taken away to be washed.

It would be nice to take a bath, she thought longingly. But I guess that'll have to wait a little…

At least the women had perfumed her and combed her hair.

As they slid the door to leave, Kagome saw a young dark-haired monk standing outside her room. He wore purple garbs and carried a golden staff with jingling rings.

"Hello, Kagome," he said, his genuine smile lighting up his violet eyes. "I am Miroku. Princess Sango sent me to help you to the main room, seeing as your calf is injured."

"Oh!" Kagome smiled. "Thank you, Master Miroku."

The monk walked toward her and passed an arm around her waist. They started talking as they made their way to where the Princess was.

"Your little fox friend is eager to be reunited with you," Miroku said humorously.

"I hope he didn't make much of a fuss." Kagome sighed even as her heart warmed at the thought of his worrying.

"He tried to burn the guards with his foxfire," the monk told her. "Shoga and Myoga intervened, though—well, Shoga did. Myoga is too much of a coward; he hid in Shiori's hair."

Shiori's white hair.

"That girl, Shiori... " Kagome started cautiously, eyeing the beautiful corridor she'd suffered through the night before, "She isn't human, is she? I-I'm sorry if it's rude to ask, but I have a friend who—"

Miroku chuckled, briefly squeezing the hand at her waist to reassure her. "It's fine; I've been told of your noble quest already—the entire castle has, really." Kagome gulped. "And you are right about Shiori; she's a half-demon, just like your friend."

Kagome looked at him with widened eyes. She'd thought the girl was a demon, but it never occurred to her she could be half.

"I've never met anyone like Inuyasha before!" She said excitedly. "I don't think he has, either! Oh, he'll be so happy when I tell him… He won't say he is, but I know it!"

"You sound very fond of your friend" Miroku remarked knowingly.

Kagome felt herself blushing. "W-Well, o-of course!" She stuttered. "I wouldn't h-have traveled so far if I wasn't, don't you think?"

Miroku just laughed at her defensiveness.

When she got to the ample main room, the first thing she noticed were the three people sitting on mats on the polished wooden floor: Princess Sango, Shippo, and Shiori. Then, Kagome let her eyes wander to the tapestry-filled walls, it's colors shining under the afternoon sun that came in through the opened shoji doors.

"KAGOME!" Shippo called, getting up immediately and running to her. In spite of his eagerness, the child was careful when he hugged her legs.

Sango smiled and patted the spot beside her, indicating where Kagome should sit. As Miroku helped her, she saw two familiar fleas standing on Sango's bent knee.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" Shoga asked.

She does look like Myoga, Kagome mused. Minus the whiskers, and with longer hair...

"I feel fine, thank you."

"I'm glad to hear it," Sango said warmly. "Shall we get to it, then? I believe Myoga has some explaining to do."

"I-I'd like to apologize to Shiori first," Kagome said, looking from the Princess to the shying girl. "They must've told you that I thought you were someone else. I'm sorry if I scared you."

"I-It's alright." Shiori nodded, giving her a small smile. As the child moved her head, her unusual hair caught the light, and Kagome saw that it wasn't really white as she'd thought. It was pearlescent, reflecting hues of pink and lavender.

Well, it was an honest mistake, she told herself. It was rather dark, after all.

"Myoga," Sango called, glaring slightly at her servant.

He gulped. "W-Well, you see… I am an old flea," the demon started. "I told you my eyes weren't very good, remember? I said I'd seen a man with white hair arriving at the castle, but what I really saw, apparently, mas Master Miroku carrying Shiori on his back."

Kagome blinked. She could hardly believe it.

"Is he stupid or what?" Shippo huffed, crossing his little arms and glaring at the flea.

"Um… How didn't you see he was carrying a child?" She asked.

"Shiori was hidden under my traveling cloak to shield herself from the cold," Miroku supplied, sitting down a few feet away from her. "Her head rested on my shoulder, so a few strands of her hair were coming out of my hood."

"And it was nighttime when he arrived!" Myoga quickly added. "I was outside in the gardens when Master Miroku came up the stairs. I saw the purple cloak, the white hair, and—"

"But didn't you see his figure?" Kagome insisted with a frown. "Wasn't it a little weird?"

"Why, Shiori is a tiny girl! Besides, he could've been a hunchback—they exist, you know!"

"Myoga…" Shoga warned.

"W-What I mean is, I'm sorry," he backpedaled. "Back when I told you I thought I'd seen your friend, I realized I could've been making a mistake, but you seemed so eager—"

"And I seemed so threatening," Shippo added under his breath.

"—that I thought you should come anyway. It's not like you had anywhere to go, so…"

Kagome sighed and rubbed her temples, recognizing the truth of his words.

"Myoga never described your friend to me when he told me your story," Shoga said. "If he had, I could've told him there was no one like that staying or working in the castle."

"It seems it was all a miscommunication problem," the monk summed up.

"Master Miroku came here looking for my advice on what to do with the girl," Sango explained, gesturing to Shiori with her head. "He rescued her from a violent mob in her former village. She has nowhere to go, and a monk can't raise a child."

Forgetting her own problems for a moment, Kagome looked at the half-demoness with sympathy. "And what will become of her?"

"She'll stay here, of course," Sango said with authority. Then, softly, "...and the monk, too, for as long as he wishes."

She isn't a nasty princess at all, Kagome decided. Maybe a little bossy and scary, but with a very generous heart.

"My life is a traveling one," Miroku interjected, "but as I told Princess Sango, I will stay until Shiori is more comfortable here—and until your case progresses, Kagome."

She looked at him in wonder.

"I am most interested in your story," the monk elaborated. "I'd like to help in any way I can."

"Modesty aside, I'm a clever woman," Sango affirmed. "I will put you on Inuyasha's track."

"There's no better person to help you," Miroku reinforced, regarding Sango with amused—and soft—eyes. "I can guarantee that."

The Princess blushed, but she still held her head high.

What about her suitors? Kagome thought, looking from Sango to the monk with a small smile playing on her lips. Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough…

In spite of her hurry to find Inuyasha, the girl had the feeling she would enjoy making new friends.

God knew she needed all the help she could get.


A/N: Miroku won't grope anyone in this fic. He's not cursed, so he's not desperate to produce an heir, and he isn't trying to keep Sango away, either. I saw no reason for his wandering hand, really.

I didn't forget about Kirara and Kohaku. They'll be there on the next chapter! :)

I've been feeling a little discouraged at how hard this is getting, but I don't intend to stop writing it. I have most of the story planned, too, so...

Anyways, THANK YOU for reading, guys! Leave me a review *winks*