Disclaimer: still own nothing.

Authoress' note: thank you guys so much for the reviews! I love the feedback I've been getting! Just a reminder…if you like this story you should check out my other stories "Easier than Love" and "Make you Smile" okay, now I'm done plugging myself. Enjoy!

Set Me Free
Chapter Five

Kagome sat in the hall of the castle for several minutes before the footman of her carriage came looking for her.

"My Lady, the appropriate place for this would be in your own home. Come on, we are waiting for you so we can bring you home" he said softly.

Kagome looked at him and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, a very unladylike action but she couldn't care less, "All right" she said with a nod, holding up her hands so the footman could help her stand.

He pulled her to her feet and led her outside to the carriage. He helped her into the carriage and she then heard him talk to the carriage driver, "She is unhappy, make this trip a very short one."

Kagome smiled, even though she knew the man couldn't see, I'm glad that someone takes my feelings into account. I don't know how mother could have hidden this from me…this is not what I wanted. She thought as the carriage hastened back to the Higurashi Estate.

The carriage stopped and Kagome was helped out of the carriage and she walked into the manor in a complete daze. She didn't know what she was going to say to her mother, and she didn't know what she was going to tell Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha.

She walked into her chambers in silence and walked into her room and then over to her armoire. She pulled the doors of it opened and pulled out the plainest dress she could find. I'm not feeling too extravagant right now she thought to herself as she laid the plain blue cotton dress on her bed. It resembled the same dresses that the manor's servants wore and her mother had been completely against Kagome owning one, but Kagome wanted a comfortable dress and went against her mother's wishes. She managed to unlace her own corset and slipped out of the dress, throwing it to the ground in distaste. She picked up the dress she had laid out and slipped it over her head, it was a perfect fit and by far the most comfortable dress she owned.

She walked over to the mirror and began to pull her hair out of its gorgeous arrangement. After her hair hung loose she fastened it into a low messy bun. She then walked from her room and sat on the sofa, laying on her back and staring at the ceiling. She looked at the ceiling for a good hour, thinking about everything and anything that was passing through her mind. She took deep breaths to keep herself from crying, she had never felt this lost before. For the first time in her life Kagome Higurashi had no idea what to do.

Sango found her on the sofa an hour later, still staring at the ceiling. She walked over to Kagome slowly, not wanting to frighten her.

"Miss Kagome?" she whispered and Kagome turned her head and looked at her.

"Yes?" she asked softly.

"If I may ask, what are you doing?"

Kagome moved her head back to its original position, staring at the ceiling once again. "I'm thinking" she responded after a few minutes.

"Do you want to be left alone?"

"I don't care Sango. I don't care about anything right now. You can do whatever you want." Kagome said stoically.

Sango sat down on a chair opposite the sofa, looking at Kagome. "Miss Kagome, if I may be so bold, I think that if something is wrong then you should talk about it. It might help."

Kagome sat up and looked at Sango. She knew by looking at Sango's face that she legitimately cared about what was bothering her. Kagome had never seen someone really care about someone else, which had been a problem for the majority of her life; because when you live around the court, everyone lies.

"You care?" Kagome asked, moving to a sitting position on the sofa.

Sango nodded, "Of course Miss Kagome. I haven't seen you like this, you are always happy and full of life but now you are not. I'm worried."

Kagome cracked a small smile, she was happy that Sango cared, not as Kagome's slave, but as Kagome's friend.

"I had to go see the queen today" Kagome began, leaning back on the couch.

"Yes Miss Kagome, I do know that much."

"Sango, I'm going to ask you not as your owner, but as your friend to not tell Miroku and Inuyasha about this. Please promise me you won't tell." Kagome asked.

"Of course Miss Kagome, I won't tell anyone what you tell me."

"Thank you Sango. So as I said I went to see the queen today and she told me something that I did not want to hear, at least not for a couple years."

"And what was that Miss Kagome?"

"The queen introduced me to Prince Hojo of the Eastern kingdom today when I went to see her. After he left the queen told me that she has every intention of marrying me to Prince Hojo."

"Miss Kagome, I'm sorry. But how terrible could being married be? Is he not a kind man?"

"He does seem very kind. But Sango, I'm not ready to be married. I wasn't even ready to own slaves. And now in less than a week I'm told I'm expected to do both. I'm not ready for any of this Sango. I'm not ready to move away from my mother and brother, this is my home and I don't want to leave it" Kagome explained.

"Miss Kagome, may I speak bluntly?" Sango asked.

"Yes, of course Sango"

"Miss Kagome, I know what it feels like to have to leave your home and lose your family before you are ready. The only way that you will begin to feel better about your situation is by trying to accept it. It will be hard and you'll hate it, but once you realize that there isn't much you can do to change things, it's then that you begin to find happiness in unusual places. I have found happiness being here with you Miss Kagome, I didn't think that I would like you, but you have proven me wrong. Give people the chance to prove you wrong."

"Sango?" Kagome asked.

"Yes Miss Kagome?"

"Thank you, so much. You are truly wiser than I had originally given you credit for. I now know that I can come to you for advice and help. Thank you, I'm going to go see my mother now." Kagome said, standing up and straightening her skirt.

Sango bowed her head, "You are very welcome Miss Kagome. I'll return to my work now."

Kagome nodded as she exited her chambers and walked down the hall towards her mother's room. She stood at the door and took a deep breath before knocking. She knocked three times and waited for a second until she heard her mother's voice tell her to come in.

She opened the door and walked into the room. Her brother was talking to their mother in the living room and they both looked at her as she walked in.

"Souta? Could I talk to mother alone for a minute please?" Kagome asked her brother.

"Sure" Souta said, standing up and walking out of the room.

Kagome walked over and sat in the chair that Souta had vacated.

"Kagome, you know that I wish you wouldn't wear that dress. You're better than that."

"I like this dress mother" Kagome said with all the defiance she could muster. "And I believe I'm at the age in my life where I can make my own decisions."

"All right Kagome, you can wear that dress. But I know that you did not come and see me so you could argue with me about your dress."

"You're right. I came to talk to you about something that the queen told me."

Kagome's mother sighed, "The marriage plan?" she asked.

Kagome shook her head, "No mother. I am willing to accept that I will marry Prince Hojo for the good of the kingdom and to make my queen happy." Kagome said, even though she didn't believe her own words, she hoped that her mother would. "I came to tell you that I am unhappy with you."

Kagome's mother was taken aback, "You are unhappy with me? Kagome, what did I do to make you unhappy?"

"The queen told me that she had spoken to you about this arrangement some time ago and you already had agreed to it by the time I first heard of it. How could you have not told me this mother? How?" Kagome asked, getting more and more distraught.

"Kagome, you need to understand."

"No! I don't want to understand! I don't want to understand how you could just agree to hand me over to a man I had never even met! I don't want to understand mother! I want you to understand what I'm going through! I don't want to leave here! But I have to because I gave my word to the queen so I'm leaving and I'm going to help the kingdom! Are you happy mother? Are you happy?" Kagome shouted, losing control of her emotions.

Kagome stood up from her chair and stormed out of her mother's chambers and ran down the hall to her chambers. She burst through the door and ran through the living room where Inuyasha had been and into her room. She collapsed on her bed and began to cry hysterically, not being able to hold everything in any longer. She heard someone walk into the room but she didn't care, she didn't care about anything.

"Miss Kagome?" she heard Inuyasha's voice asked softly as he walked into her room.

She lifted her head and looked at her slave. He was standing a couple of feet away from her looking concerned. In his hand he had what Kagome figured out to be a wet facecloth. He held it out to her but she shook her head.

"No thanks. It won't help any." She said, lying on her back on her bed, still sobbing.

Inuyasha walked closer and sat down on the edge of her bed. He took the facecloth and wiped the tears off of her eyes.

"Inuy-"

"Stop it, this will help" Inuyasha said, cutting her off. He wiped her face and then placed the facecloth on her forehead.

Kagome took a deep breath, the damp coldness of the facecloth made her feel better. She took some deep breaths and began to calm herself down.

"Thank you" she said, looking up at Inuyasha, who was still sitting on the edge of her bed.

Inuyasha nodded, "This is what my mother used to do for me when I wasn't feeling well. I know that it helps, even if it's just a little bit."

Maybe this means he actually cares Kagome thought with a smile. She looked up at Inuyasha again, he was looking at her; his amber eyes that usually looked angry and solemn were filled with concern and compassion. She was truly grateful to him for his help. She knew then that she had made the right choice when she brought Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha home with her. In the short time they had been with her each of them had taught her so much. She prayed that when she moved to the east that she was allowed to bring them with her. I'll have to talk to Prince Hojo. I'm sure he'll understand how much I need them.

"Miss Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yes Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, sitting up, still holding the cloth to her forehead.

"Are you going to be all right? Do you want me to stay here?"

Kagome thought for a second, she wanted him to stay with her, but she knew that she didn't want him to stay for the appropriate reasons. She wanted him to stay as a man, someone who cares for her, not as a slave who was obligated to if commanded to do so.

"Do you have anything else to do?" Kagome asked, not remembering what she had told him to do earlier.

Inuyasha shook his head, "Not unless you need me to do something."

"Well, I could really use something to eat. Could you go to the kitchen and get me some water and something to eat?"

Inuyasha stood up, "Of course Miss Kagome. What would you like to eat?" he asked.

"I don't care, you pick something." She said.

Inuyasha bowed his head; "I'll be right back Miss Kagome" he said and then left the room.

Kagome lay back in her bed and sighed loudly. "I'm supposed to get married to a prince but I think I have feelings for a slave" she said aloud to no one but still knowing what a dilemma she was in.

Why did he have to care? Why did he have to stop being a jerk? Why do I have to get married? So many questions ran through Kagome's head, she didn't know what to do.

All she knew at that moment is that she needed someone to talk to. But she knew that she couldn't just talk to anyone. Her mother and brother were out of the question, as was most of the household staff. The only people she could trust in the manor were her slaves. They were the only people brave enough to tell her the truth, and that is why she needed them. She heard the chamber doors close behind someone and knowing it wasn't Inuyasha back already she knew who it was.

"Miroku!" she called from the bed.

Miroku walked into her room and seeing her laying in bed with a facecloth on her forehead with puffy eyes he was immediately concerned.

"Miss Kagome what's wrong?" he asked.

"Miroku, come sit down please" she said, patting the edge of her bed next to her.

Miroku walked over to her and sat down in the spot where Inuyasha had just been.

"Miroku I need to talk to you. I need to talk to someone I can trust to be truthful no matter what, can I trust you to do that for me Miroku?" she asked.

Miroku nodded, "If that is what you want I am more than willing to talk to you. What's wrong?" he asked.

"I have a problem." Kagome said simply, "I big problem."

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Authoress' Note: so what do you think? Review please!