Chapter 2: Desperation, Hope, and Conditions

Inuyasha growls. He'd been in his chambers when he smelled something that made his lip curl in disgust and rage. The smell of a human. In his house. That added up to only one thing in his mind, a trespasser. To say that he did not like trespassers would be an understatement. He follows his heightened sense of smell to the study, only to see his servants serving the trespasser, and, to add insult to injury, the ingrate was sitting in his favorite chair! Inuyasha stalks forward like the feral animal he is meant to resemble, growling low all the way in the shadows, smirking as he sees the old man's back stiffen and hears the geezer's heartbeat speed up exponentially. The man slowly turns around, cup shaking on the small platter he held as well, and goes white as the fur that covered every inch of Inuyasha's being, outside of eyes blood-red eyes and razor-sharp two inch claws. Inuyasha snarls as the man stares, horrified, at him. Slowly he grounds out "What are you doing in my house, peasant?"

The man jumps slightly in his seat before stuttering out "I...I'm sorry my lord." he says, being sure to add an honorary title to keep from incurring further wrath, "bu...but it w...was late, th...the st...storm scared me h...horse and it threw...threw me. Th...then, I g...got chased here b...by wolves. I kn...knocked but n...no one answered. S...So I thought th...that the c...castle was a...abandoned. F...Forgive me f...for trespassing...I was planning on l...leaving as soon as the w...weather cleared, I s...swear on my honer." With that the old man bows as low as possible.

Inuyasha inwardly huffs a bit, thinking 'Pathetic,' as he looks down at the quivering man. 'He's not worth killing, but trespassing is trespassing. And I do not allow trespassers.'

With that thought he growls out, "You are a very unlucky man, commoner. It just so happens that this castle has a tale that no one who enters ever leaves, and I cannot, WILL not make exceptions, no matter how pathetic the excuse." he cracks his knuckles while smirking with a hint of blood-lust, making the man quake in terror all the more.

At this point the head servant, Miroku, a paper lantern that once was a traveling monk, steps out of his hiding place behind a table cloth to address his master "Please my lord, don't..."

Inuyasha cuts him off, snarling, "What's this servant? Are you committing treason against me?"

The cowering servant blanches before firmly shaking his head "N...No my lord, I would never even dream of doing such a thing!"

"Then why do you speak for a man that I am against?"

Miroku winces slightly before replying "Your humble servant merely thought that your lordship would be interested to know that this old man has...well he has..." Miroku seems to have trouble with his conscious so Inuyasha helps out the babbling light-giver by roaring,

"What?! What could this man have that I could possibly be interested in?"

It does the trick as Miroku timidly calls out "...a granddaughter! Your humble servants were treating this man with kindness only in the hopes that he would bring back the girl!"

After it's out, Miroku's eyes rivet to the old man, who is still shaking, his eyes begging for forgiveness for the betrayal of trust. Inuyasha smirks, a single white fang gleaming off the fire cheerily cracking in the fireplace, "Oh really? And you think that this 'granddaughter' of his would please me?"

The old man, if it was physically possible, grows whiter then ever and for the first time he speaks without stammering "Please my lord, leave Kagome out of this! My life is almost done, do what you want with me, but please! Don't hurt my granddaughter!"

At this Inuyasha grabs the back of the old man's cloak and wretches him up from his position on the ground so his face is inches from the old man's, "So, you would give your life to save her from harm?"

Without hesitation the old man nods and Inuyasha seems to think for a moment before saying with a sickening smirk, "We shall see if she cares for you as much as you care for her."

With that he turns and, followed at a safe distance by his servants, stomps off to the dungeon. He throws the old man in a cell before slamming the door behind him and turning to Miroku, pointing a wickedly curved claw at him. "Write a letter telling this 'Kagome' girl what has happened and be sure it is delivered to her quickly."

Miroku bows in quick agreement before Inuyasha passes him. As he leaves the dungeon, a thought passes through his mind the likes of which had never been seen by him before 'Kagome...that's not a bad name.' He closes the door before realizing what he had just thought and forcefully shakes it from his head. 'She's probably a spoiled airhead that will either not come at all or send a servant to fetch him. Feh, women.' He thinks before returning to his room to await one of the two outcomes.

Miroku sighs before turning to the man now cowering in the musty cell, bowing slightly before saying "My apologies for betraying your trust good sir. I did not mean to place your granddaughter in any danger, but I could not stand by and watch my lord take the life of an innocent man. If he had then he may have been truly doomed."

The old man, seemingly resigning to his caged existence at least for the time being, raises an eyebrow as he leans against the bars "You mean you don't call that...that thing you call your lord doomed?"

Miroku sighs, "I know that it may seem that way, that he is eternally doomed to a life of wretched existence, but he is not. He still has a chance at happiness, though the light of that hope dwindles every day. But I and the others cling to it, for only after our master is happy shall we ever know joy again. You see..."

"That's enough Miroku! What right do you have to trod our secrets out in front of this trespasser like a show horse?"

Miroku turns to see a slender pendulum clock, made of purest ivory, come from the shadows, glaring at him, "Ah, Lady Sango, I was wondering when you'd make an appearance. The man isn't going anywhere, why not confide in him?"

The man looks confusedly down at him, "What do you mean 'I'm not going anywhere'? Didn't your lord tell you to write to Kagome?"

Miroku turns to face the man again, shrugging, "Why sir? I thought that you didn't want her harmed."

The man pales against the thought, "Would he really harm her? I have no doubt in my mind that he would have killed me, but...Kagome is a mere girl."

Miroku shrugs, "I honestly don't know sir. You're the first person to set foot in this castle in nine long years. Though I must warn you that my lord is not very fond of females."

The man deliberates for a moment before nodding, replying with "Please sir, write the letter. Kagome will come for me, proving her loyalty and goodness, then, if your lord will not let us both go, I will beg for him to let Kagome go. He has granted your request to keep me alive, hopefully he will grant mine so that she may live as well."

Miroku bows slightly again before leaving, Sango close behind. "So, are you going to write it?" Sango asks quietly once they're out of ear-shot.

Miroku nods, "Of course, the master commanded it, so I will do it. I merely wished the old man's perspective on the matter."

Sango rolls her eyes "You and people's feelings, honestly. So, do you really think she could be the one?"

Miroku sighs, "I hope so Sango. If not, I do not see any hope of rekindling the flame of hope that has sustained us."

--

Kagome starts at the rapping sound on her window. It was well past midnight but something was keeping her up. It wasn't the storm, as bad as it was, she'd been through much worse. Something was wrong, she could feel it in her bones. Quickly, she gets up and goes over to the window to see what was hitting it, only to be surprised when she finds that it's a pigeon sitting on a scroll, held in a roll by a delicate red ribbon. The pigeon had it's head cocked back, getting ready to tap again when she opens the curtains. It sees her, seems to bow a little before turning and taking off into the storm again. As Kagome watches it, opening the window to grab the scroll before it rolls off the ledge, she can't help but think she hears the sound of stone scraping stone. She shakes her head, deciding it simply had to be a distant thunderclap and looks at the scroll it had distributed on her windowsill. She picks it up and closes the window behind her, shutting out the storm, sitting down on her bed while unrolling it. She gets through about half of it before gasping and reading it over to make sure she hadn't misread. The letter went thusly:

Dear Lady Kagome,

I regret to inform you that your grandfather was found trespassing on my master's grounds. He is being held captive at this moment as my lord does not approve of unwelcome guests. He may not live much longer if someone of your household does not retrieve him...

Kagome stops reading at this point and is up and out the door, yelling at Souta that she's going out and not to follow. She saddles Hojo, who'd found his way back somehow among the lightning and thunder, and flew off, not even completely aware that she had no idea where she was going. If only she had read the rest of the letter, she would have seen...

...but I would advise you against my lord's temper. There is a possibility that even if you send someone to retrieve him, neither will ever come back. I would also suggest sending a male, as my master is averse to most women.

Head Servant of

Lord King Inuyasha

Kagome cuts through the rain, forcing Hojo to gallop despite treacherous roads, bending low to the horse's neck to assist in his speed further. "Please find grandpa Hojo. Quickly, his life depends on it."

The horse seems to understand and powers on, following muddy tracks, first his own, then that of the old man and the wolves. Finally the castle comes looming into view and Kagome gulps as Hojo slows down a bit, feeling his rider's agitation. "Oh no we don't," Kagome says quietly, urging him quickly forward, "we've come this far, no turning back now. We have to get Grandpa back..."

Hojo whinnies in protest but goes dutifully forward, only stopping when they reach at the front steps. Kagome slides off slowly and pats his side in reassurance before moving in front of the animal and grabbing the harness to keep her face level with his eyes "Stay here, okay Hojo? I'll be back with Grandpa soon."

The horse nods a bit and, satisfied the horse understood, Kagome turns and starts up the steps, trying not to cringe away from the gargoyle statues who seem to glare mockingly at her, laughing at her fear. She attains the top and gazes at the set of huge wooden double doors. She sums up her courage and knocks before calling out over the thunder and rain, huddling the sorry excuse she had for a night cloak around her shoulders, "Excuse me, I hate to disturb you so late at night, but you sent me a letter by pigeon about my grandfather?"

A few moments silence follow before the door slowly creaks open. Kagome steps inside and the door slams shut behind her, causing her to jump, yelping softly as she does. She whirls to see who opened shut the door, but finds herself alone. She hugs herself and rubs her arms in an attempt to shake off the shivers she felt creeping down her spine because of this place and to try and warm herself a bit, but succeeds in neither. She looks around the dimly lit hallways that split off into every direction possible. "H...Hello? Is anyone here?" she timidly speaks, only to have her echo answer her.

She starts walking, looking down hallways, calling every once and a while, peeking in rooms, anything to find someone. Then she hears whispers, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once, "Look Miroku...it's the girl!"

"I know Lady Sango, she didn't even wait for the storm to clear!"

"Well, there's always the possibility that she's not this 'Kagome' that the old man was going on about. She could've just gotten lost like him."

Kagome turns a full circle, trying to pinpoint where the voices were coming from, "Hello? Who's there?" Silence greets her again along with the unsettling feeling that she's being watched by many eyes, "Please, answer me! I just want to get my grandpa! Let me have him and we'll never bother you again. I promise!"

Silence for a few moments, then a whisper like the breath of the wind; "Get the master. I'll keep an eye on her."

--

Miroku looks at Sango with eyes that clearly object to leaving the young lady, even if the lady did not know he was there, but Sango's leave no room for protest. Miroku sighs defeatedly before leaving for the lord's room. He timidly knocks on the door and slightly flinches from the growled reply of "What?!" comes from the other side.

He quivers slightly before stuttering, "I...If you would excuse my intrusion sir, the Lady Kagome has arrived."

A second of silence before a surprised and slightly confused reply, "What? You're joking right?"

Miroku is surprised as well, though more at the softness of his master's voice rather than the news itself but quickly recovers, "No sir, not at all. Lady Kagome, the granddaughter of the man that you have imprisoned in the dungeon, is here...For her grandfather." He adds at the end, just to be completely clear.

On the other side, Inuyasha can't help but be surprised. The letter had been sent out less then two hours ago, why was she here already? He lifts the curtain with a clawed, furred hand and sees the storm is still raging outside, as well as noticing the horse waiting patiently at his front steps, soaking wet and heaving for breath as if it had just run to whole stretch of the kingdom, "Stupid wench. She could have been killed, and if what my incompetent servant says is true, she came. She didn't send a servant but came herself. Why?"

He shakes his head, coming out of his own world when that sorry excuse for a head servant voices an uncertain "Sir...?"

Inuyasha sighs frustratedly, telling himself quickly that it didn't matter why. "Lead her to her beloved old man." He growls out, almost spitting out the words, "then, we'll see how loyal she really is."

He hears his head servant bow and move off with his sensitive hearing, his ears twitching slightly at the sound of paper and wood clacking against the stone of the castle floor. After a few minutes he goes to the dungeon, hearing the murmurs of speech when he opens the door. His ears twitch again for a moment, was the girl singing? He listens for a moment, unconsciously stopping his breathing in an attempt to hear better. No...no, she isn't singing, just talking to the old man, but it was one of the most musical things he had ever heard. He has to have her, just hearing her makes his bestial blood calm, even if just a little. He wants her, he smirks, and he always gets what he wants. He leaps down the steps silently, smirking maliciously at the 'test' he'd come up with in the few minutes between when his servant had come and this moment. Either way she would be staying, even against her will.

He lands on the bottom landing and looks about. Even with his heightened senses, the one good thing about this wretched form, it was quite dark. He can only make out a human shaped lump, sunk in front of the man's cell, dimly lit by the moon shining through the barred window that lit the center of the dank room. He purposely avoids the light, slinking in the shadows, barely visible if not for his silvery-white fur. He skulks as close as he dares before saying chidingly, "So, you've come for your dear old gramps, huh?"

He smirks when the girl gasps and her back tenses against his voice, fear almost rolling off of her in waves. He frowns slightly when he notices that she seems to be in her nightgown, with a thin overcoat to keep out the rain, both of which were effectively soaked through and through. He shakes his head, keeping the task at hand in mind, just something to remember when she was his. He can't have his little muse getting sick, now can he?

"Please..." Ah, she would plead to the captor, alebiet weakly, "Please good sir, let my grandfather go. I have come as your servant requested. Give me my grandfather and we will never bother you again. Please."

Inuyasha pretends to consider a moment before saying "I will let you go..." he pauses to see her face turn to his and, even in the dark, he can see her flash a hopeful smile, and suddenly he almost wants to end his sentence, let them go, just because of that joyful, thankful smile. ...Almost. He smirks wickedly and continues, "but..." he says, watching her face fall quickly "...under one condition."

He hears the girl...what was her name again? Kagome...that's right...gulp and take a deep, shaky breath, "And what, good sir, would this condition be?"

Inuyasha smirks, here comes the part where he exposed her for as self-serving a being as...well...he, "The condition is, only one of you may leave. The other will remain here forever. You will be forced to do anything I may ask of you. You must stay forever by my side. And finally, you, wench, must choose who goes...and who stays."