I thought about Kurama quite a lot. I didn't want to think that I would never see him again. But how would he and the others find me? Otome had probably taken us far out of the reach of Hiei's Jagan eye. I hated being a damsel in distress, but there was really nothing I could do. I tried to formulate escape plans, but every time I thought I had a good one, Otome would somehow figure it out and stop me. It was incredible, in a bad way. I had half a mind to think he was telepathic. Either way, I was stuck here.

I was getting used to being 'human' again, although I didn't like it. I needed to eat more often, sleep more often, pee (demon bodies used every bit of the food they ingested, so therefore, demons never excreted waste), and my dulled senses made it feel like I had an awful head cold. I hated not being able to smell anything. My back ached horrifically from the weight of my belly. I was terrified to think about the effect these changes would have on the baby.

Staying here wasn't totally terrible, though. There was a little kitchen girl that brought me my food. She was adorable, and sweet, as if she had never known any evil in the world. Sometimes she would stay with me for a while, talking. Her name was Wakana, an apparently, her mother had been one of the pregnant girls that had gone missing. I felt sorry for her, but she didn't seem to mind. I felt even more sorry when I asked her to send a letter for me.

"A letter…?" Wakana asked in confusion.

"Yes," I said earnestly. "It's very important. Do you think you can do it?"

Wakana nodded. "Does Master Otome know?"

"No," I replied forcefully. "And you must not tell him, or anyone else. Do you understand? Don't tell anyone." I felt awful for asking this of her. If she was found out, then I was scared to think of what Otome would do to her. I vowed to rescue her from this place as well.

Wakana managed to bring me a sheet of paper, and envelope, and a pen. As hurriedly as I could, I scrawled a desperate letter to Kurama, telling him everything I knew about where I was, and what was going on. I begged him to hurry, because I could feel the birth of our child getting closer and closer. Finally, I kissed the bottom of the letter as a signature, and folded it inside the envelope. I wrote my home address on the outside of the envelope, before handing it to Wakana with specific instructions not to let anyone else even know she had the letter. She was a sweet girl.

Now, all I could do was wait. I fiddled with the metal band on my wrist, wondering what Kurama was doing right now. Was he worried about me? Selfishly, I hoped so. But that was highly inconsiderate of me, considering his family had also been in the crossfire of the attack.

I kept myself preoccupied during the days of my captivity by teaching myself how to sing. I had never really tried before, but the music soothed me and made me forget where I was temporarily. Then came the day that Wakana returned with a letter for me.

At first, I just thought she was brining me my usual meal. But then I noticed the sheet of paper she was holding. With shaking fingers, I broke the seal and opened it.

It was…Blank. My heart fell in disappointment, and I sighed. The envelope didn't have any return address, and I didn't recognize the writing that spelled out my name on the front. I even tried to hold it up to a light to see if it was written in lemon juice (or some other form of invisible ink), but I got nothing. With a sad sigh, I folded the paper back into the envelope and hid it in my pillowcase. Suddenly weary, I collapsed on the bed and fell immediately asleep.

**************

I had a very strange dream. I dreamt I was standing still in a great expanse of darkness. I felt like I was being chased, yet I made no attempt to move. I could feel the presence getting closer and closer, and I was worried. Or, maybe worried wasn't the best word for it. Anticipation, maybe? Excitement? I wondered if whoever it was chasing me was friend or foe. Either way, it was something that could get me out of this place. Add a little spice to my life. I held my arms out to try and reach the presence, but before I could, a sharp pain stabbed into my body. I screamed…

…And woke up screaming. My voice faltered as I realized this, and I began to pant. The bed was wet beneath me, and I assumed it was from my sweat. The pain from my dream was still lingering, strangely. With a jolt of shock, I understood that the pain hadn't been in my dream, but it was in real life and had only been invading my dream. A contraction!

All kinds of emotions flowed through me at once. Shock, delight, fear and dread, just to name a few. I had to get out of here. There was no way I was going to let the baby be born without Kurama present…

I heaved myself out of the bed, and hobbled to the door. I pulled it open, and walked right into Otome. I gasped, stumbling back. He caught my arm just in time to save me from falling to the floor.

"Ah, right on time," he said, grinning in a way that made me want to slap him. "How ripe you smell."

Ah. So that was it. He had kidnapped all of these other pregnant demonesses, and kept them here until they had gone into labor, and had their child. Then he had proceeded to devour them whole.

Or at least, I thought he ate them whole. I hoped so. I really didn't want to be chopped into little pieces and basted with sweet and sour sauce before I got eaten.

I backed away from him. "Leave me alone."

"Ah," Otome sighed, "not a possibility, I'm afraid. Unless I eat you, I'll die. I haven't eaten in a while."

"Serves you right, sir." I snarled as viciously as possible. Otome laughed.

"We still have some time until you'll be prime to eat," he said, before leaving me, "try and make yourself as comfortable as possible until then."

I'm sorry my chapters are so short! I have such a short attention span that I can't keep focused for longer chapters...My apologies...