Chapter 10: The Escape from the Shadows
Kagome woke up surrounded by fog and darkness. It was so cold her breath came in puffs of smoke that quickly disappeared as her body shivered uncontrollably. She looked around, trying to grasp her surroundings but only saw fog and darkness that seemed infinite until she heard a voice in the distance, piercing through the haze. It was so beautiful, its wordless song full of emotion that rang of sorrow and tragedy, beckoning Kagome to follow it into the unknown.
She turned in the direction of the voice and saw a faint light blue through the mists, more of a dim glow than anything else. She ran toward it, running blindly through the fog with her eyes trained on that single blue glow that was slowly becoming larger as she neared it. When she was closer, she stopped as she saw a figure of a man silhouetted by the light, the wordless song louder in volume and passion. She paused cautiously, not daring to approach as she felt the figure's stare. It was so intense that it was as if it was burning her flesh and she shifted uncomfortably on her feet, resisting the urge to flee, feeling that she had to be here for some reason.
"Help me…"
Her breath caught in her throat yet she gasped in surprise. His voice was barely a whisper, like someone in pain and her soul called out to him, wanting to heal him of all his woes. She walked toward him till she was but a foot from him, eyes trained on his face but the mist blurred it beyond recognition. For some reason, she wanted to touch him; to reach out and caress his face with her fingers, just to make sure he was truly there. She raised a hand to touch his cheek…
Suddenly the ground seemed to magically open beneath him, sucking him into the black depths. She gaped in horror as she saw the floor become a thick sheet of ice like a frozen river. It was like glass, so clear that she could his form struggle for life as he slowly started to drown, pounding vigorously against the barrier. She knelt down, putting her hand over his clawed one that rested on the ice between them, trying to grasp his hand. She felt as if it were her drowning, the icy waters swallowing her and pulling her into the darkness of death as she tried to claw her way to the surface; to life. She was now the one drowning as she looked up at her rescuer…
Inuyasha reached out for her, a sad look on his handsome features… a face that she had known, loved and depended on for many years… before turning away… before turning his back on her, leaving her to drown in the darkness.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the cry seemed to rip itself from her throat as water entered her lungs, now begging for air.
The voice that was singing died and the ice shattered.
Kagome shot up in the bed, covered in a cold sweat, gasping as she fought for air. She pressed her hand to her head to cover her eyes in weariness before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and letting her feet hit the cold tiles, sending shivers up racing and down her spine. She brought her hand down from her forehead to eye level; though it was completely dark, as soon as her eyes adjusted she could see her hand clearly, thanks to her new demonic abilities. She felt it tingle a little, as if the sensations of her dream were still having an effect on her body.
It had felt so real…
She shook her head to clear it of her thoughts as she climbed out of bed, feet slapping on the smooth tiles as she made her way over to her bag. She looked at the digital watch which read 1:29 as she stretched, still shaking off the lasting effects of her dream. She opened her bag to dig out some warm clothes, a long sleeve dark shirt and jeans, and stripped herself of her t-shirt (the night clothes were still wet from earlier events), embracing the warmth of the new ones along with her jacket. She shouldered her back pack and grabbed her bow before sliding the door open a crack to see if there was anyone coming down the hallway.
She was met by shadows and silence.
She opened the door just enough to squeeze the rest of her through before closing it again, the tapping of the wooden door frame against the wall sounding like a gun shot to Kagome as it echoed throughout the empty castle. She held her breath, watching to see if she had woken anyone before starting to tip toe down the hall way.
She had her shoes in her bag so her footsteps wouldn't make any sound as she creep through the castle, finally stopping at a door not far from where her own was; one that she couldn't help visiting.
She opened the door softly and watched as a tiny beam of light from the torch behind her slithered its way across the wooden floor to rest on the little girl's face, a relaxed smile always present on her features. Kagome felt her heart tug at the sight of the girl sleepy peacefully, knowing that when that girl awoke the next day that she would be totally devastated that her new playmate will be gone. Kagome had only spent a day with her but she still felt a tear form at the corner of her right eye. It was worse than leaving her friends without saying good bye because with them she knew she would see them again but the same couldn't be said for Rin.
She sighed. Even if Kagome wanted to stay, she felt that she couldn't: at any one moment, she could lose control and then… she shuttered. It was too horrible to think about. There was no way. If she couldn't leave for herself, then she would leave for the tiny child that lay slumbering peacefully in bed. It was just too dangerous for her to be around… well anyone until she has a hold of her powers. That day's earlier events taught her that.
The only person who could possibly understand and be willing to help was outside this castle that held her prisoner: Inuyasha.
She sighed. She was sure that Sesshomaru could probably help her… if he wanted to. That was the thing with Sesshomaru: he only did what he wanted when he wanted… and she seriously doubted that he wanted to help her in any way, shape, or form unless it was in his best interest. And there was no point in honoring a deal between the two brothers at the stake of her discomfort and the lives of innocents… well innocent.
No longer able to resist the urge, Kagome snuck into the room and began to walk over to the little girl's bed, careful to avoid the girl's clothes and toys piled on the floor. When she reached Rin's side, she was just content with looking at the girl's sleeping face for a while, trying to engrave it into her memory, before leaning close to whisper in her ear.
"Rin, I'm sorry I'm leaving. I just don't belong here… I have other friends and a little boy that I have to take care of. They really miss me and I miss them. I hope one day you'll understand. I really enjoyed spending time with you and I really hope I will see you again one day." She smiled sweetly while letting the tears that threatened to fall do so as she gently grasped the girl's hand and extended a little pinky. Kagome clasped it with her own before continuing.
"I pinky swear that I will see you again someday soon, even if I have to sneak back in the castle." She released the little hand and stood, bending down to plant a kiss on the girl's plump cheek. "I'll miss you." She breathed, her warm breath stirring the hair that caressed Rin's face. The girl sighed and rolled over, as if she had been tickled and forced to resume a new position under the bed furs. With that, Kagome snuck back across the room, only pausing at the door for a moment before closing it and plunging back into the labyrinth of the castle.
When she was sure Kagome had left, Rin sat up in bed and held a hand to her cheek where the other girl had kissed it, her own tears welling up before spilling on her cheeks and between her fingers.
"I'll miss you too."
Kagome continued her trek down the hallway, wiping tears from her eyes as she tried to recall the way to Sesshomaru's study. Was she supposed to turn to the left or the right? Is it this passage or that one? They all looked the same in the torch light…
Duh da… Duh da… Duh da duh da duh da duh da duh daaaaaaaaaa duh da duh da…
What? Kagome felt there should be theme music as she snuck around the dark corridors, and what better song then the "Pink Panther" one to invade her mind to help keep her mind off the fact that she was trying to escape a castle full of demons, lead by Inuyasha's half brother no less, and was currently lost.
Finally just when she thought she had just about lost hope of getting out of the infernal maze of the Western Castle, she saw the picture of the silver haired lady on the wall between two oak doors. Kagome nearly clapped her hands with success and triumph but refrained.
She found it!
She clasped her hands on the door to her right and slid it open, poking a head inside to examine its contents. This one was Sesshomaru's study: she could tell because it was a good sized room with tomes and scrolls on the shelf that leaned against the side wall by a low table that was covered in papers and surrounded by pillows. She wrinkled her nose, shocked and annoyed by his organization skills (and he gave her crap!) when a flash of moon light that shone through the window on the back wall to dance across what looked to be a sheet of old cloth hanging on the back wall. When she got closer she realized that it was what she had been looking for: a map of feudal Japan.
The pulled out the pen and paper from her jacket pocket and began to draw all the important features of the map onto the paper in a rough sketch. It didn't take her long, for she only wanted from the Western Lands to the Eastern Lands and when she was finished she shoved the paper back into her pocket so that she could have easy access to it when she needed it.
Ruri watched from the shadows of a nearby corridor that was torch-less as the hanyou woman snuck through the main hallway to the bathing house, well aware that the other youkai servants were avoiding her, not even making an attempt to recapture the obvious escaping prisoner and with good reason.
She was half miko.
Ruri wasn't sure how this was possible but she refrained from probing the woman's mind to find out. She had a feeling that if she tried, her own mind would probably not escape unscathed. She had never encountered a hanyou that was also a miko but she knew better than to invade a miko's mind for fear of being purified.
This woman's presence made the others uncomfortable. She was an abomination, like herself. They keep whispering about how they had wanted her gone; maybe it wasn't her place to report it. It would make everyone happier; the woman would be back where she belongs and the youkai would be able to relax again… that is until Lord Sesshomaru's wrath rained down on them. She winced, knowing that those tidings were never good.
Making her decision, she sank into the darkness until she was one with the shadows, phasing through the wall to her right and passing through random rooms until she arrived at a wall… and beyond that Master Jaken's quarters.
Kagome allowed her self to breathe again when she was across the meadow and in the cover of trees, far out of the hearing of any demons while she looked back at the way she had come, still able to spot the castle through the trees and was slightly surprised at how easy it was to get out. Rin had been right about the guards not really guarding the East Wall. Sesshomaru really should fix that if he wants to stop Rin from following him everywhere.
She sighed and shrugged before pulling the makeshift map out of her pocket and taking a good look at it in the moonlight. According to this, there is going to be a clearing in front of her in a few minutes with a river running through it, mostly frozen this time of year. She would have to avoid that because she was almost sure that if someone looked out the second story window, they would be able to see her form crossing it and possibly alert Sesshomaru. Last thing she wanted was to be chased by an angry dog demon before she had a chance to get to Inuyasha. She guessed he was probably in Kaede's village still because they couldn't search for the jewel shards without her.
She changed her direction and slowly made her way toward Kaede's village… and Inuyasha.
"Master Jaken."
Jaken sleepy swatted away at the air with his hands as if to ward off the intruder, assuming it was Rin. He had just gotten to sleep for crying out loud! Or at least it had felt that way. He was so tired from assuming his regular duties for Lord Sesshomaru now that the human girl had that wench to take care of her and his Lord seemed more than content to unload most of that damnable paperwork off on him! How doing his Lord's paperwork was part of his job description, he didn't know but he was forced to do it nonetheless. He had been working ceaselessly all day and into the wee hours of the night and he still didn't get even half the pile finished! In fact, he was trying to get a few hours of slumber just he would be able to function tomorrow and he had a feeling what his work agenda would be: more paperwork!
"Master Jaken, this is of up most importance."
Ok. It wasn't Rin. For one thing, this voice was that of an older female and much more polite; the child would have dove on him by now to get his attention. She really was rather spoiled.
He sat up in his bed of pelts, squinting into the darkness but not seeing anyone. "Who's there?" he asked while lighting a candle, trying his best not to fall back into the pelts and go back to sleep.
A shadow seemed to separate from the darkness as a youkai stepped into the orange glow of the little flame. "Ruri, Master Jaken. I'm so sorry to bother you so late in the night." The figure bowed deeply.
Jaken nodded. He now recognized "Ruri". She was one of the servants: a tribe of shadow youkai that Sesshomaru's father had employed to be the castle staff for their quiet and secretive nature. They were like the shadows themselves; they had the ability to talk mind to mind and could phase through walls which made them ideal for tending the castle without disturbing the residents but they were also skilled warriors, making them perfect for inner castle defense and assassinations. They were all black from their eyes to their toes, like a cloudy sky on a moonless night; they possessed no other color in their appearance… usually. The one standing in front of him was a fine specimen of the female version of their species: young (only about 250 years in youkai terms, late teen's-early 20's in human) tall, beautiful with long straight ebony hair and half full lips only there was one thing that made her different from the others; made her painfully stand out and even be shunned by her own kind.
This one was a descendant of a hanyou. Though most the human blood had been bred out of her family throughout the years it still left a scar of its presence on her person.
She had emerald colored eyes.
She had no whites around her irises like the rest of her kind but while they have eyes the color of utter darkness, hers shone with a green tint, casting an eerie and ghostly look about her. Her real name is not known for she had been called "Ruri" or "emerald" for so long, and though it was meant to be a mockery, she even calls herself that now, accepting her eyes as an unwanted part of her shattered identity. Because of them she was made an outsider within the castle and among the other youkai. What could be so important that she would be seeking Jaken's council so late in the night?
For the benefit of his comfort, she spoke using her real voice, which was quiet and weak for it was rarely used. She wouldn't speak in an ally's mind unless she had permission to do so. "Master Jaken, I have disturbing news."
Jaken could only imagine. She was… different from the rest of her kind. She could do all the things they could but he knew about her other abilities, probably present due to her human blood. She was feared for them, which is yet another reason she was an outsider. While the others could speak mind to mind, she could enter a mind, merging her mind and theirs to learn a person's secrets, past, present and even their future without them even feeling it… unless she wanted them to. She could even destroy a mind if she wasn't careful. This ability was probably the only reason Sesshomaru kept her around after his father died. Sesshomaru liked to pry information from people, to play mind games with them and to toy with their emotions but if he no longer finds the situation amusing, he calls her. She could tear information from any mind and relay it back to her master in mental pictures so he could truly grasp the extent of what she was revealing to him. She was incredibly useful.
"Well what is it? I don't have all night!" Jaken snapped as she waited till he beckoned her to relay her message.
"The hanyou woman has escaped."
Jaken paled. Whatever he had imagined the problem was, he had never expected that! Sesshomaru was going to kill him! "Why didn't you stop her!" he screamed at her motionless form in desperation. Now would be a good time to panic and rewrite his will!
Ruri shook her head, almost in shame. "None of us want to get near her… she has a very strong miko aura. We do not wish to be purified when she defended herself."
Jaken gaped at her in incredibility. The wench still had her miko powers? He had just assumed that the bite would have driven those away but it looks like he was wrong. The shadow youkai would have sensed it because they are more sensitive to auras and such but to have him and Lord Sesshomaru both over look it was indeed a disastrous mistake!
"Then why are you here! Why didn't you go straight to the lord!" Jaken demanded. Sesshomaru would only be more upset at the delay!
Ruri continued to look down, staring at the tiles as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. "I thought that you would want to relay the message if you felt it was out of your control to handle…"
Jaken scoffed. Yeah right. She just didn't want to be the one who was beaten for the delivery of such a message. With his luck, even if she was the one to tell Sesshomaru, he would spare her and beat Jaken anyway. Such is the curse of being Sesshomaru's favorite chew toy. He only hoped that he would live to be beaten another day…
Sesshomaru bounded from tree to tree in the frozen forest surrounding his castle, dressed in his usual uniform as he sniffed the air, searching for the wench's scent. Now that there was no one around, he let his usual icy facade of indifference fade away until all that was left was a mask of pure emotion, consisting mostly of anger and annoyance. Why had no one notified him sooner that the girl still had miko powers? He had thrown Jaken against the wall when told that bit of information. Had he had known that, he would have… well he wasn't sure what he would have done but he would have done something! Holding a hanyou was easy but throw miko powers into the mix and he had a problem.
Which he was experiencing at this very moment. Despite his continuous ranting on how he was surrounded by incompetent morons, he couldn't help but feel as if he himself had joined the crowd. How could he have over looked that! He knew the other shadow youkai wouldn't tell him something like that because they wanted the wench gone; he should have sought out Ruri before something like this had happened. Even if the shadow youkai hadn't been able to detect it during the wench's week-long "transformation" period, she certainly would have sensed it when the hanyou had awoken. Hell, Sesshomaru could have had her scan the girl's mind while she was unconscious!
He knew better than to be mad that Ruri hadn't done so on her own and relayed the now obvious critical information to him; she had told him when he had become lord that she would refuse to enter a person's mind unless he instructed her to do so, which was a relief at the time for he was thinking of how uncomfortable the other visiting youkai would be if she invaded their minds as soon as they had entered the castle grounds. Even if she was suspicious of a traitor, she respected other's privacy. She didn't even mind speak like the rest of her kind did unless she had permission.
So, in short, it was he who was the idiot in this case and all he could do was promise himself that this would never happen… no matter what.
Just as he was coming around the side of the East Wall, he halted to a stop as he inhaled the unmistakable scent of roses, knowing full well that it was hers for regular roses didn't bloom this time of year.
Also it had the faint reek of wolf.
He glanced to his right where the scent was oldest, curious as to how she had escaped his castle so easily to spot a door, half buried in the snow across the meadow in the side of the wall, almost invisible if you didn't know where to look.
He groaned. He had forgotten that was even there! Plus he didn't see many guards there, making it perfect for undetectable escape. Now if he wasn't so intent on keeping out of sight so that none of his guards found out about his current retrieval of the escaped prisoner for fear they would begin to doubt his competence like he was, he would take some trees and throw them at the idiots that were supposed to guard the castle on the East Wall during the night shift.
He turned to his left and began down the trail of the scent that was freshest, following the footprints in the snow for it was only partly snowing and the prints were fairly new.
Holy hell this just wasn't his night! How many mistakes has he made in one night now? Three? And all were proving to be his downfall; if he didn't get the wench back, he would lose the Tetsusaiga and the faith of his minions. The shadow youkai already knew of the escape but they were a secretive tribe, only keeping to themselves and their master however one way or another, word would get out to the soldiers in the barracks and that would prove to be catastrophic. They would think that he wasn't fit to rule the Western Lands and would either abandon him or overthrow him and as strong as he was, he couldn't take down so many trained youkai at once, especially since he was the one who trained them.
Or even worse: they would think he had released her out of empathy. That would result in both an overthrow and humiliation. He winced. Better they think he was stupid.
Finally he could hear the sounds of someone plowing their way through the wild brush, his ears catching snapping of twigs and the mumbled cursing of a woman. The chit was damn noisy for someone who had been tailing behind his half brother for four years in the wild. If she was half this loud the day she was kidnapped, no wonder she was taken. He'll be lucky if he got to her before some of the nocturnal youkai did…
Suddenly he heard her scream. Cursing his luck, he sped up, thinking that maybe he should let the demon harass her a bit before he came charging to the rescue.
Kagome fell to the ground, throwing off her bag of her back before sitting up in the snow to examine her injured ankle. She hadn't even seen the root she had ensnared it in, which was sad because she could practically see in the dark now. She rubbed it, massaging it in slow circles and hoping that at least some of the sharp pain would subside before she tried to put her weight on it again.
Dammit! She was hoping to get as far away from Lord Sesshomaru as possible before taking a break. She just had an uneasy feeling, being so close to a castle full of powerful demonic auras and knowing that they were all under his control. Who knows? He could have been informed by someone of her escape and be wondering the forest looking for the "loathsome half demon" at this very moment…
Suddenly the trees behind her shook with someone's movements and Kagome glanced up just in time the see Sesshomaru himself fly off a tree branch onto the forest floor 4 feet or so in front of her, his fangs barred and claws raised as he glared at the surrounding foliage until his eyes rested on Kagome, shocked and immobile in the snow.
Right on cue. Kagome made a mental note that next time she tried to run away, not to think of the Taiyoukai. Maybe she'll have better luck getting away from him if she didn't jinx herself.
Sesshomaru, realizing that she wasn't being attacked by a youkai but merely her own clumsiness, began to relax, standing up out of his previous attack position while fiercely glaring at the girl. At least she wasn't about to be eaten; he would hate to have to reduce himself to being a bodyguard for the Tetsusaiga.
Then again, he could always let the attacking youkai in question bash her against a tree a couple times before coming to her rescue. Maybe he could wait until she begged at his feet for his help…
Kagome was glowering at him but her heart began to beat faster. This may be the only chance she could get away and here he was… making it a hell of a lot harder to get back to Inuyasha and the well, assuming they are in the same place. She grabbed her bag and stood up; still indecisive on what she should do but thankful that her ankle seemed to feel as good as new. Thank you regeneration!
They stared at each other, neither saying a word as they predicted the moves of the other, like a mind game of chess. Kagome could see that he had her king in check: if she tried to fight, she would lose for Sesshomaru was better than her and if she tried to run, she would only get caught again because he was faster than she was but she didn't want to go back with him either. Decisions, decisions…
Sesshomaru knew she wouldn't fight him and he half expected her to run but even with her demonic speed, he knew she couldn't get very far without him catching her. Though he could drag out the chase a little bit; let her get a little far and toy with her fear a bit before he nabbed her. That was always fun… to him anyway.
Kagome sighed and approached him, her head bowed low as if she couldn't look him in the eyes as she resigned herself. Sesshomaru was disappointed: she hadn't seemed like the type of person to give up without a fight yet he could be wrong: he had made that assumption after only day of tolerating her and during different skirmishes with his half brother.
Didn't mean he couldn't bait her though. "Surrendering so easily? I over estimated you. I thought you would at least run." He said coldly when she was within arm's length of him, smirking as he felt her aura spike with anger. The smell of rage did seem to suit her and she was very temperamental.
Ok. Kagome said to herself, her anger overcoming all reason. That is the last straw! "Over estimate this you pompous ass!" She cried as she balled her right hand into a fist and slugged Sesshomaru as hard as she could, striking him square in the jaw and sending him flying into a tree with the force of the blow.
She stood there for a moment in shock, not grasping what had just happened. She guessed Sesshomaru didn't either for he merely stood there; hand on jaw wearing an expression of incredibility, as if he had never been struck before in his entire life. Minutes ticked by like hours before Kagome next moved: she spun around and bolted from the scene like a hit and run driver, no longer caring as fear overcame pride.
Oh man! She shouldn't have done that! Sesshomaru was going to kill her! She ignored the branches that whipped her face and the roots she stumbled on, not even knowing where the hell she was going as long as she put as much distance between her and the youkai as she could.
Sesshomaru rubbed his jaw, wincing as he rotated it back into place with a series of cracking sounds. Damn that had actually hurt! There was the familiar metallic taste of blood in his mouth and when he spit, he saw that a tooth came out, glistening in the middle of the crimson spot on the white ice. He gawked as he used his tongue to confirm that she had taken out a top molar, leaving a gaping hole in its place. The thought that it will have grown back by morning didn't consol Sesshomaru one bit.
His blood began to boil as he charged after her, once again hot on her trail as he raced after her scent. The woman had actually struck him! No one, human or youkai, male or female, had ever struck him, short of his parents, and lived to tell about it. She wouldn't escaped unscathed… he would see to that!
He smiled, more of an evil grin than anything else. Well he had gotten the chase he wanted and now he had more than enough reason to beat the wench, if not kill her. He could always bring her back Tenseiga…
As he was relishing the thought of her punishment, a single thought crept into his mind, like a knife in his consciousness that left him a little disturbed:
What a woman…