Disclaimer: nothing…I own nothing.

Authoress' Note: YAY! I love positive reviews! And that's all I have to say.

I lied…this might be a short one, cause I'm trying to get a new chapter of each story up and I don't have time to write a 7 page chapter. So you'll prolly get 4, 5 tops. I hope that doesn't bother anyone!

Set Me Free
Chapter Six

"What kind of problem do you mean Miss Kagome?" Miroku asked, not knowing what she could possibly be talking about.

"Okay. Well I went and saw the queen today." she began, even though she knew that Sango had already told him that much.

"Yes, I know that Miss Kagome, Sango told me."

"Okay, well when I went to see the queen she told me that she wants me to get married to a prince from the eastern kingdom soon because it will be a good move for the kingdom politically."

"Miss Kagome? Is that a bad thing?" Miroku asked, not knowing what made Kagome happy and what would make her upset.

"Yes, it is. I don't want to get married at all, but I talked to Sango and she helped me realize that I need to accept it. So I'm trying to accept it. But the marriage isn't the main part of my big problem."

"Well, what is the main part of your big problem Miss Kagome?"

"Inuyasha" she said simply.

Miroku didn't understand what Kagome meant by that but he assumed that he had done something to offend her, "Whatever he did Miss Kagome I apologize for him. just please don't send him back" he said, bowing his head.

"Oh no Miroku, it's nothing like that. Nothing at all" she said, "Inuyasha actually did a good thing."

"Well then why is it a problem Miss Kagome? I don't quite understand what you're trying to tell me."

"I think that I am beginning to like Inuyasha. Do you understand?" Kagome asked, praying he would understand what she meant.

"Well I would hope that you would like him Miss Kagome, just as I hope you like Sango and myself." Miroku said, completely missing what Kagome had said.

"No Miroku, not that kind of like; I like you all very much, but I LIKE Inuyasha…at least I think so." She said, trying to get Miroku to understand what she meant by like.

"You like him…romantically? Is that what you're saying?" Miroku said, finally realizing what Kagome had been trying to tell him.

"Yes, exactly. That's what I mean." Kagome said, glad that Miroku had figured it out without her having to spell it out for him. The whole ordeal seemed less real if she didn't say it aloud, by keeping it inside it somehow kept it imaginary to Kagome.

"That is a problem Miss Kagome, although I don't see how I can help you with it. It seems to be a problem of the heart, certainly nothing I can change."

"I just want your advice Miroku. What do you think I should do?"

Miroku shrugged, he usually had an answer for everyone but for the first time he was truly speechless. He had no idea how to advise his mistress who had just admitted to having romantic feelings for one of her slaves. It was an unheard of thing and Miroku didn't even know where to begin. "Miss Kagome, unfortunately I do not know what to advise you to do. I don't what you should value more; your duty to your kingdom or your duty to your heart. My advice to you is to find what you want to fulfill your duty to and follow it with all of your power. I wish I could help more." He said, feeling sorry that he could not help her like she thought he would be able to.

"Thank you Miroku, you have actually helped me more than you know. I appreciate it." She said with a smile as Inuyasha returned from the kitchen with food and water for Kagome.

"I brought you some soup and bread, it's all they had ready in the kitchen" he said, setting the tray across her lap.

"That's perfect Inuyasha, thank you. You and Miroku can both go now. I don't have any more work for you to do so feel free to do what you want, just don't do anything to get yourselves, or me, in trouble."

Miroku and Inuyasha nodded and left the room, closing the door behind them.

Kagome took a deep breath and stared into her own reflection in the soup. "What a mess you've gotten yourself into" she whispered to herself as she picked up the spoon and began to eat the soup. She heard a knock at the door and sat silently, not wanting anyone to know she was in there.

"Kagome! Let me in!" her mother's voice boomed from outside the door.

"Come in mother" she said softly and the door opened, revealing a very angry looking Lady Higurashi. She stormed into the room and stood in front of Kagome's bed.

Kagome pretended not to acknowledge her and continued to slowly sip her soup.

"Kagome look at me!" Her mother snapped and Kagome lifted her head slowly to meet her mother's eyes.

"Yes?" she asked nonchalantly.

"I would like to know where you got the idea that you could speak to me like you did! You have no right to attack me like that! The queen and I set up a good match for you Kagome! you should THANK me, not attack me!" her mother yelled but it just went in one ear and out the other with Kagome.

"I'm sorry mother. I wasn't thinking" Kagome said, her voice devoid of any emotion, she reached for her water and took a long sip. She put the glass down and looked at her mother, "Is that all you came for, because I do have things to do mother" she said in a snarky voice.

Lady Higurashi had had enough of Kagome's attitude regarding the marriage situation. "Actually I do have something for you to be doing Kagome" she said.

Kagome set the tray on her nightstand and sat up in bed, "Yes mother? What do I need to do?" she asked.

Lady Higurashi took a deep breath, not wanting to resort to this but finding no other way, "You need to begin to pack your things. You leave for the Eastern Kingdom in two days time…alone." She said and turned on her heel and exited the room.

Kagome sat in bed for a moment, not fully realizing what had just happened. As soon as she realized what her mother had meant she leapt off of her bed and raced out of her room. She ran through the living room where Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha were all sitting and threw open the chamber doors and ran down the hall.

She got to her mother's door as soon as she had closed it behind her. Kagome knocked on the door violently and her mother didn't answer her. She fell to her knees in front of the door and began to cry, "I'm sorry mother, don't send me away! Please! Please!" she pleaded through tears but to no avail. "Please, please, please" she said between sobs until she gave up trying to bargain with her mother and just fell into a heap in the hallway in front of the doors.

She heard the door of her chambers open and she opened her eyes a slit to see Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha walking down the hall to where she was laying.

Sango knelt down next to Kagome, "Miss Kagome, we're going t bring you back to your room now." She said softly and Kagome nodded and tried to stand, only to collapse under her own weight.

Inuyasha bent down and scooped Kagome into his arms and carried her down the hall and put her on the sofa in the living room.

Inuyasha walked into her bedroom and got the pitcher of water, Miroku took a pillow from his bed and put it underneath Kagome's head while Sango wiped Kagome's face with a washcloth.

"Kagome, what is wrong?" Sango asked as Inuyasha handed her a glass of water. Kagome was shaking violently from the state of hysteria she was in and she dropped the glass on the carpeting, causing her to cry more.

"Calm down Miss Kagome, it is just water" Miroku said, in a futile effort to try and soothe her.

Inuyasha handed refilled the glass and handed it back to her, this time she kept it in her hands long enough to take a sip from it. She began to breathe heavily as she tried to keep herself from crying.

"So you want to tell us what's wrong?" Inuyasha asked in a manner totally opposite from how he had addressed her mere hours before.

"I'm…I'm…" Kagome stuttered. She looked from Sango, to Miroku and then to Inuyasha. In only a few days she already felt as though she had known these people for her whole lifetime, the last thing she wanted to do was deliever bad news to them. But despite what she wanted to do, she knew that they needed to know what was going on.

"I'm going away." She said softly, "To the Eastern Kingdom."

"Oh, Miss Kagome. I'm so sorry!" Sango said, squeezing her hand, "When are we leaving?"

Kagome began to cry harder now, knowing what she had to tell them, "I am leaving in two days."

Authoress' Note: I'm making myself sad writing this, I can't wait until everything gets happy again. Well I hope you enjoyed so pretty please review!