DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, so please don't sue me.
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After that, it had all been surprisingly easy. Izayoi left the cliff, and somewhat nervously made her way through the dark night alone. It wasn't until she had made some distance that she began to relax. There was no one searching for her nearby, and as long as she was quiet, she would see and hear any more guards coming. She struck out on the road by herself, though she always walked along the tall grasses instead of actually in the lane.
Occasionally someone rode by, but no matter what it seemed that they were out for, she stayed still for long after they passed. But soon all travelers ceased as well. Izayoi liked the idea at first, until she realized that the reason there hadn't been anyone on the road for hours was because they thought it too dangerous. There were more things about at night than mere bandits. She had already met one of them, and others might not be as friendly. Well, 'friendly' wasn't exactly the right word. He was more...just disinterested in being hostile.
At any rate, she knew that if she were caught out here alone by something, she would be dead. Funny how that idea sounded so horrible to her now. But all she could do was hope that the night would pass safely.
She couldn't tell what the time was, as both sides of the sky looked equally pitch. And her going became slower as she went along, since the land by the roadside became more jagged and filled with holes and rocks. Finally she gave up and used the road itself.
By dawn she was at the next village. She would much rather not be, as with the coming of light others would be sent out to look for her. And messengers would more than likely be dispatched to the neighboring villages. However, Izayoi also realized that if she had any chance at all of getting farther, she needed different clothes. She found the merchant's house quietly enough, and regrettably ended up waking him up. But she needed to get away before the whole village was stirring. He had been quite displeased to be woken by her. Until he had heard her offer.
"Still, I haven't the money on hand to pay for such a piece," he protested, even as he walked around her examining her kimono.
"It doesn't matter. I don't care. Just give me whatever you can, and a new set of clothes."
He looked at the embroidery on one of her sleeves and eyed her somewhat suspiciously. "Why are you so desperate to sell me this?"
"Please, I can't explain. But will you take it?"
He said nothing, but continued looking at her.
"It's not a trick," she said. "Just give me some money and some new clothes, and then it's yours to sell for your profit--though you must wait a bit and travel somewhere else before you so," she added.
"It's not stolen, is it?"
"No! I just..."
"All right," he said after a moment.
"Thank you." She wondered if he had guessed.
She sold her fine kimono to him, in exchange for coin pieces not half the worth, a simple peasant dress, and his promise to forget that she was ever there.
Then she quickly and quietly left, going along the road that left the village. During the day, she walked along the road, as it looked far less suspicious. Several horsemen of her father passed her, but none stopped her. And no other people paid her any attention at all. By that night, she was having dinner at an inn in the next village. As she ate her food, Izayoi confronted a problem that had been growing in her mind. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she was sure that she couldn't get there by herself. The road was dangerous, and only got more so. She sat in the main room of the inn very late, more to distract herself than anything else. She could still get a full night's sleep and be off early in the morning.
When she finally decided to go to her room, all of the other visitors to the inn seemed to have retired already. But as she was walking across the room, she caught the end of a conversation between two people. She stood behind the screen for a moment, listening as an idea formed in her head. One of the people suddenly exited and went away, and Izayoi stuck her head around the screen.
A man sat in the corner by himself. "Something I can do for you, girl?"
"Samurai-sama," she greeted him with a bow, "was I correct in hearing that you are without a lord?"
"Yes, my master died with no relations."
"Then I have an offer for you."
"I'm not interested."
Izayoi dumped out her bag of coins on to the table anyway. "I need an escort. You need a job."
"That's a fair sum," he said.
"It would be more than enough for you," she continued, "until you find someone else to serve."
"And how did a peasant girl like you come by such an amount? Did you steal it? Not even a whore could get such a sum."
Izayoi ignored his last comment. "I'm not a peasant," she whispered, putting all her hopes on this venture. "And I need to get away."
He looked at her for several more moments. "How far?"
"I don't know."
"Where are you going?"
"I don't know." Izayoi felt her entire plan slipping away right then. "To a family called the Kikuchi," she continued quickly. "They live somewhere in the west. I don't know how far."
"Very well," he finally said.
"Truly you will?"
"Yes."
"Thank you," she said, putting the money back in the bag except for a few coins, which she left on the table. "The rest when we arrive?"
He nodded.
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The next morning they left. Izayoi was in high spirits, but it soon turned into a boring, uncomfortable trip. Within a few days, the road turned into ruts, then into a winding path, and then soon to nothing. Many times they slept outside on the ground, many times there wasn't enough game to be caught, and many times the food that they bought in villages wore thin. Though they really had no serious problems along the way. And her fear of being discovered was gone. No one would ever think of her going so far on her own, and she was sure that she no longer looked like a noble lady.
Her companion was truly nothing but an escort, and hardly spoke to her at all, unless it was to tell her something. Though she was grateful in some ways--he hadn't asked any questions about why she was leaving or who she was. And he did offer the useful piece of advice that as they made their way farther west, the name of Kikuchi would surely be more known, and she would have no problem finding them. But his silence left Izayoi to her own thoughts, which were becoming increasingly more complicated each day.
After that first morning at leaving the inn, she had been elated. She was on her way to having a new life. She had left everything behind, and she was going to be free.
At which point she realized that she had done everything on her own. She had left, she had sold her clothes, she had found someone to take her on the long and dangerous journey. She had done all of this by herself--she who had before hardly even lifted a finger to comb her hair.
Except that she didn't really do it herself. She had something to aim for. She could have never done all of this and just struck out on her own. Or maybe she could have. She could have sold her kimono and tried to start a life somewhere with the money on that. Maybe. But it didn't really matter, since she had somewhere to go.
Or did she? Everyday that they neared, she began to have doubts. On day that she and her samurai escort were able to confirm the definite existence of the Kikuchi, Izayoi's doubt actually got worse. What she was actually going to do when she got there, she hadn't exactly worked out. Just walk in and tell them? Would he be there? What if they didn't believe her? Why would they?
She also began to worry that she had come all this way on the word of a youkai. She could think of no particular reason that he would lie to her, and she could see no advantage that he would have gained by doing so. But she could also think of no reason for him to even bother with her in the first place. Something just seemed off about it.
She hadn't figured out things anymore by the time that they arrived at the city that had been connected with the Kikuchi name. Upon inquiring, they learned that the family's house and grounds lay outside the borders of the town. Halfway along the walk of the well-trodden, winding path that led there, she and her companion parted ways. She could find the rest of the way by herself. She gave him the rest of the money, thanked him, and they parted. Just like that. He had made no inquiry about her further business, and she none about his.
Izayoi found the rest of the way easily, and soon a large house surrounded by courtyards came into view. She suddenly realized how completely inappropriate she looked. But it couldn't be helped. At least there were others dressed like herself about, doing their business and trade. The best that she could do was wash her face in hands in a small stream.
Still completely unsure of herself, she made her way through the people, until she spotted two girls close to her own age dressed in fine clothes and sitting a little to themselves in a small corner of the courtyard. She approached them.
"Excuse me," she said, bowing, "I have need to speak with the Kikuchi."
"I'm sorry," said one, "but we have enough handmaids right now. You might try asking the cook."
"Oh, now you are too mean, Suki," chided the elder one. "Look at her. She couldn't do kitchen work. And Mother was complaining of one of her maids only the other day."
"Mother is very choosy. You know that." She eyed Izayoi. "And she's filthier than most. I wonder if she would even clean up."
"You wonder! Why, I believe she possesses nicer hair than you do!"
"Excuse me," Izayoi interrupted. "But I'm not here looking for work. I...I need to speak to someone, perhaps the lord or lady of the house?"
"Mother is extremely busy, Father even more so," the eldest one said. "And whatever about?"
"The white dog?"
Izayoi couldn't remember exactly how it had happened after that. But she found herself whisked away in a flurry of excitement by the two girls. Now she found herself in a room with the lord and lady of the house, the two daughters standing off to one side and talking eagerly to themselves.
"He said that?" the lord asked, after Izayoi related what had been told to her by the youkai. She didn't tell them where she was from or how exactly she and the youkai had met, but only his parting words to her. "Inutaisho-sama told you this himself?"
Inutaisho? Was that his name? "Yes," she ventured, hoping that she was correct.
The lord didn't seem to believe her. "You've seen him? What did he look like?"
Izayoi tried desperately to remember. She hadn't really been paying attention at the time--and that night all seemed like a distant dream. "It was dark," she stammered, "he had fair hair..."
"And you say that you are of noble birth?"
"Yes."
The lord continued to consider her suspiciously. But then his wife, who had remained silent, moved forward. She hadn't taken her eyes off Izayoi since she had entered the room. She walked around her once in silent inspection, and then reached up to untie the material that Izayoi had bound her hair up with. A river of black silk poured down, finally coming to rest as it reached Izayoi's knees.
"I told you so!" she heard one of the daughters exclaim to the other one.
"Now give me your hands," the lady said. Izayoi held out her hands, and the lady turned them over in her own. "Dirty now, but this girl has never done a day's work in her life," she announced.
"Do you believe her then?"
"At least part of her story is true, husband."
The lord seemed to think things over for a long moment. "We cannot risk offending Inutaisho-sama," he finally said. "She will stay for now." Then he looked at Izayoi. "But if I find that you're lying, you will regret it."
Izayoi bowed. "If anything I have said is untrue, I will gratefully accept whatever punishment you deem fit."
He only gave a slight nod before leaving the room.
Then the lady moved toward Izayoi, smiling warmly. "Azami, Suki," she said to her daughters, "let's find a room for our guest. Get someone to help her clean up, and find one of your kimono that you think will fit her. Come with me," she said to Izayoi, "it seems as if you had a hard journey."
Izayoi followed the woman out of the room and through the rich hallway. She was here. She had managed by a miraculously unusual chance of events to start a new life. But she couldn't help but thinking...what now?