"Your village has many children?" Ship asked Kagome excitedly as he thought of more questions than she could answer. His curiosity made her question if the young demon boy has ever seen the outside of the castle walls. She took note that both Lord Sesshomaru and Ship had the same shape pointed ears. The possibility that Ship was just born in the castle and this being all that he knows was there, assuming that he was Sesshomaru's last born child that is.

"Yes, there's plenty. There's probably ten youngsters that are about your age." Kagome answered softly. Her fears for both Gramps and Kirara were at an all time high, yet answering Ship's juvenile questions helped ease her breathing. His eyes glimmered with desire to know more about her village; his ears perked so he wouldn't miss a single.

In a way Ship reminded Kagome of Kohaku when he was a small boy. She remembered when he was about four years old and they would play outside of the shrine together. Kohaku would ask Kagome many questions about his father; mostly about his occupation anyway.

"Where does Father go?"

Kagome raised an eyebrow at the question from the boy. She was barely nine and she was unsure if she should as much as she does.

"He... fights bad guys so we can stay safe." She tried to put as lightly as she could think of. Little Kohaku, who was swinging a stick around stopped to process what she just said. A few moments passed and he started to swing his stick around again.

"So how do you know who the bad guys are?" Kohaku asked both of his eyebrows scrunched together.

"There's the good guys and the bad guys. Your dad fights on the good guys because he protects us and our village." Kagome explained she felt confident in her answer well... because there was no other answer. If Kohaku father and his comrades are fighting in the protection of the village then they are undoubtedly the good guys. Just like how anyone who tries to disrupt the peace of the village are the good guys. It was all common sense in Kagome's mind.

"So how do you know who the good guys and bad guys are?" Kohaku repeated his question, this time he seemed more frustrated about the subject.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked her own eyebrows creased together.

"What if the bad guys are protecting their families? Wouldn't that make Father the bad guy?" He looked up to look at the girl sat on the steps of the Higurashi shrine who mirrored his own look of confusion.

Kagome didn't have an answer for his question.

"Miroku! Can we visit Kagome's home sometime?" The orange haired boy pleaded, both of his hands cupped together. Miroku, who's eyes were shut, inhaled deeply at the young boy's request. This was his least favourite part about having Ship on his service he always asked his elder such unrealistic things that it always made Miroku look like the bad guy. Miroku could only pray for the day that Ship would ask him something simple like 'Can we go play ball in the back court?' anything that Miroku knew he could bring joy into the lad's life other than constant denial.

"Ship... I... I would gladly take you if you have Sesshomaru's acceptance to go." Miroku said half honestly. The only truth being that he would take Ship to go, but he wouldn't be exactly glad. He didn't know what Kagome's village was really like or how they would react to a demon boy running around their town. If her village was like most than the outcome would not be in his favour. He did not want to be the one to tell Lord Sesshomaru something had happened to one of his children.

"I will have to ask him sometime!" Ship said quickly hope shining in his eyes. Such innocence and hope intrigued Kagome. She has read about rare occasions of peaceful demons but to see a demon so joyful really caught her off guard. It also made her question to just what happens to some demons that creates them to such blood thirsty creatures. Was it maybe just the type of demon which they are? Kagome shook away her questions as Ship stocked more wood splits into the fireplace as Miroku stood tall in his place and tapped his foot as if it was a metronome.

A high creak echoed through the room as a small demon man with huge snake-like eyes and thick sage green skin entered. His appearance was nothing that Kagome was used to and he was quite creepy to look at to say the least.

"Lord Sesshomaru says it's time for the girl to see the old man." The demon's voice strained as he was almost screeching at the small group. Which Kagome did not understand because it was a small room after all.

Finally she thought to herself. It had felt like days since the last time she had seen Gramps. Maybe this Lord Sesshomaru wasn't as bad as she had worked him up to be? Maybe deep down he had a heart that would allow her, Gramps and Kirara to leave his property peacefully if promised to leave peacefully. That should be a simple enough request.

"Thank you for the update, Master Jaken." Miroku spoke with respect with a bow to match. Kagome folded her green cloak over her crossed arms as she followed the green elder down the deep red hallway. Kagome glanced around as she was memorised by all the art work framed and hung on the walls. Some pieces she had recognised while others were just plain beautiful. Her favourite was a painting of a beautiful woman with long dark hair, the detail in her pink kimono made the girl gasp. In the painting the woman held a small infant with two little pointed ears, not like Sesshomaru's pointed ears, more similar to a pup.

They passed many doors, at least seven when they got to a bigger space. The room had a huge window which opened to a garden filled with cherry blossom trees, to the left was a door to what looked like a library, to the right was a door which lead out to the garden and straight was another hallway. They continued down the second hallway until they got to the door in the very end of it. The lighting from candles hung against the wall and the only light sourced put Kagome on a certain edge and the girl did not know what she had gotten herself into.

"Not scared are we, little girl?"

Kagome bit her inner cheek at his sly comment and she felt her eyes go cold against his widen eyes which were easily five times larger than her own.

"Of course not." Spoke quietly as she waited for Master Jaken to open the door. She followed in pursuit, the pair walked down cement steps which spiralled down into a dungeon-like basement.

Kagome wondered how Master Jaken came about to being Sesshomaru's own personal lacky. It was clear to the girl that he was not held against his will but she was just curious to how he came into the picture. She fought the urge to ask him afraid that he'll use the staff with two heads against her. Kagome was unsure of what the staff was capable of but she could sense it's impure spiritual energy a mile away, and she wasn't even a fully trained priestess yet. She shivered at the possibilities of its true power.

Not one of them spoke a word as they walked, the only thing Kagome could hear other than their footsteps was the loud clack each time Master Jaken would hit his long two head, wooden staff against the stone ground. Kagome felt a shiver rush through her as the damp setting got to her, how dare they keep a sick old man in these conditions? In Kagome's eye's he didn't even do anything wrong. All the poor man wanted was a couple of answers and instead he got this.

Kagome swallowed hard as they stopped in front of what looked like a cage. Metal bars were pulled across and in the deep of the shadows Kagome could see the stiletto of her grandfather on the ground his back towards them. She could also see how his body shook furiously.

His fever must be acting back up.

"Gramps! Can you hear me?" Kagome whispered yelled as she pushed the little man out of the way and she clenched her fist onto the metal bars. Pain from the cold metal jolted though her palms and she let go almost as fast as she held on.

The old man turned his head against the cool ground. His eyes widen as he saw his beloved granddaughter on the opposite side of his imprisonment.

"Kagome?" Gramps asked, his voice dazed.

"Yes Gramps it's me. Kirara took me to come see you! I am so glad that you're okay!" Kagome paraphrased her last couple of hours and instead of delight which she excepted was something sinister. Gramps' eyes were filled with fury as he stared at Kagome.

"How dare you come to this place after I told you to stay in the village." His voice strained and followed with a hoarse cough.

"Gramps, your cold has progressed quickly." Kagome noted, worry tainted in her words. Through her training with Lady Kikyo Kagome knew just how quickly his sickness could turn lethal in these conditions. She watched hopelessly as Gramps shivered in his same position, lid on the ground.

"Go home, Kagome."

"We have to get you back to the village so you can see Lady Kikyo." Kagome rambled as she ignored her grandfather all together. Lady Kikyo was the only one who Kagome knew had the knowledge as well as spiritual power to heal him to a stable condition.

"Leave at once."

"Gramps you're sick and you'll die if this illness progresses!" Kagome snapped for the first time in her life to Gramps, or any elder for that matter. Though that the fact that she had spoken in such a disrespectful manner to him stung at her heart. She knew that it was the only way she would be able to get her words across to him. Kagome for one was not ready to say goodbye to Gramps for the rest of her life, and she knew that Kohaku would not be able to handle the news too well either.

She refused to let her grandfather suffer in this... place due to his own stubbornness. Throughout all the years which he spent teaching her, caring for her and accepting her there was no way in Hell that she was going to leave him be. It was her turn to protect him and she didn't care at what cost. Already what Gramps has done for her; leaving him in this dungeon to die alone was no way to repay him.

Kagome pivoted from her spot to face Master Jaken.

"May I speak to Lord Sesshomaru." Kagome asked her voice sounded confident yet inside she was very timid. She half expected for the little green man to say no before forcing her away from Gramps. Instead a wicked smirk came across his face as he tapped his staff of two faces, one of the faces unleashed an evil laugh.

"Follow me then, little girl"