PART TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Mikage

I sat in my room, contemplating how I would do this. There was no possible way that I was marrying against my will. I still had so much to do in life.

Walking to the window, I thought of all the past years' training. Yuuhi and Gakupo had known this day would come. The day when I would be pushed over the edge.

Mother had tried marrying me off thirty four times before, but this time, Father wasn't here to stop her. He had gone off to take care of business, and had left Gakupo and I here with her.

Crickets chirped in the lantern-lit evening, each lantern casting an orange glow over the castle. The stars were out, a light breeze sifting through the tree tops. It would be a perfect night for a getaway.

"I heard," a voice whispered, coming into the room. Yuuhi's crisp, citrusy scent entered my nose as she came beside me.

"Yeah... You told me it would." I leaned over the windowsill, looking over the land. Lost in thought, I had begun staring at nothing in particular.

"Are you gonna run?" she asked, hopping onto the ledge. Her two tails swished back and forth as she gazed at me. I could see my face reflecting in her large eyes. My overly-done, geisha hairstyle. My over-the-top make-up and horribly itchy kimono. I looked disgusting.

"Of course I am," I murmured. Removing the pins from my hair, and all of the ridiculous flowers, I groaned. "Seriously, Yuuhi! This is ridiculous. Look at all of this junk they made me wear. If this is their definition of 'pretty', they've got another thing coming." Finally, my hair came loose, though my scalp still hurt from it all. I looked at all the embellishments littering the ground and sighed.

"You know that it's not the clothes that's bugging you," she sighed, helping me undo the waistband with her teeth.

"Yes, I know."

"I just can't believe they want you to marry prince Akatsuki or whatever his name is. That guy is a total snob!" she cried.

"Yuuhi, that's not very nice."

The silk of the fabric brushed against my skin as I let it fall. Finally. I was rid of that wretched thing.

"Are we off to the spring?"

"You know it."

I smiled, pulling a thin robe over myself. The makeup was still caked on, but that would soon change.

I pulled the sliding door open, letting Yuuhi out first. After I stepped out, I closed it behind us and headed for the hot spring.

I stepped into the hot spring, tensing a bit as the hot water seeped up to my waist. I stood for a moment, before finally settling. Cupping my hands, I brought some of the steaming water to my face. Yuuhi sat on a rock next to me as I scrubbed, attempting to take every last trace of the days happenings off. I didn't want to look at myself in a mirror, even. Judging though, by how the water was turning color from all of it, I knew it was bad. I sighed.

"Your mom and dad are sleeping now, Mikage. You can run."

I nodded as I remembered.

"Princess Mikage. Your parents have requested that you visit with them."

Kujiro rested his arm on his bent knee, head bowed.

"Hm? Oh, all right..." I said.

Kujiro nodded, and took me to be escorted.

Upon arrival, I was greeted with a disturbing sight. An unfamiliar man, Mother simply standing behind.

"This is the man you shall be marrying, Mikage. His name is Akatsuki. Go and better yourself for him. I have ordered our servants to do that for you." Mother said simply, leaving me at a loss for words.

The man named Akatsuki came and took both of my hands, this smug look on his face.

"Be prepared to be my woman, Lady Mikage."

I didn't even know what to say. Here I didn't even know this man, and he was claiming to be engaged to me without even proposing.

"U-uh..." I looked for Father for guidance, but was unable to locate him.

"Don't you dare argue, Mikage," Mother seethed, glaring at me."His family is very wealthy."

I growled as I remembered the event. Even if I'd never say it out loud, Yuuhi was right. His woman? Never.

"Besides. You've still got that boy that you liked," Yuuhi reminded, purring in my ear.

"Boy? What boy?" She wasn't talking about him. She couldn't be.

"Sesshomaru!" I knew it.

It had been centuries since he and I were even talking. Literally. Thinking about our last encounter, though, I felt my cheeks warm up. I remembered calming him down, using every ounce of strength I had left. Then he hugged me. I could still feel his arms around me, the rain beating on my bloody skin.

"Yuuhi..." I began, looking down at my scarred body. I remembered where every single scar was, and how I had received them. Some of them were even from that day.

"Don't you Yuuhi me! I know you like him. Now all we gotta do is find him."

I wish I could. But it was over now. He was probably already married himself, or didn't want anything to do with anyone. The second theory was more likely. Besides. It had been such a long time since we had seen each other. It wasn't a good day. The image of Mama tearing me away from him and teleporting away was still vivid in my mind.

"Yuuhi, don't be so foolish. You know how long it's been. I don't like him anymore, okay? It's been like two hundred and forty something years. It's over, and done." I would have said that I never liked him, but that would have been a lie.

Cupping my hands again, more water spilled into them. I rubbed my face, getting the remainder of the cosmetics off. At last I had been scrubbed clean.

"Oh pu-lease. You think about him every day. Don't think that I haven't ready your little tapestries about 'The Cold-Hearted Boy'. That reads him in so many ways," Yuuhi jeered, waving her paw around. I felt my face go red as I looked down at the water.

"T-that wasn't about him," I rumbled, closing my eyes.

"Uh huh. Riiight."

"Okay, sure. He may have influenced the character, but-"

"But nothing," Yuuhi interrupted, clambering onto my head. "I can see it now! A huge, royal wedding! Little puppy babies,"

I let out a cry.

"Absolutely not!"

"Absolutely YES!"

"Yuuhi shut up!" I cried, throwing her into the water. I sunk deeper into the spring, so that only my eyes were visible. Bubbles appeared just ahead of me as a soaking wet Yuuhi surfaced.

"Okay. Now that was uncalled for."

She paddled with her front paws over to her rock, lifting herself up. Having enough steam, I climbed out, grabbing my robe off of the ground as I did. I couldn't believe this. But oh well. I had to get away.

"Yuuhi, go get your saddle and bridle on please," I told her, pulling it on. She smiled, trotting beside me.

"Are we gonna leave?" she asked, excited. I nodded.

"Be prepared to leave the castle at moon high." I commanded. "We're going on a little trip."

The moon was rising in the sky as I tied my hair up tightly. Gripping the ribbon, I knotted it once more. I balled the ponytail up into a bun as I brought the helmet down over it. I was wearing one of Father's kimonos and his hakama, along with his old war armor. It was just torso armor, but it would provide some protection.

The boots I wore were ankle-high, and were about the only thing that I was wearing that weren't loose against my body. Father always did have small feet. Before the incident with Hajime, he had told me that he would eventually pass all of this on to me. I had wrapped my chest so that I would pass off as a man. I wasn't going to be a prisoner any longer.

"You look good, sis," Gakupo complimented, coming to look me over.

"Thank you." I turned to smile at him, giving him a hug and a kiss. "I trust that you'll be leaving at the same time as me?" I asked, looking him over. He had taken Grandfather's clothes and armor, along with his dagger. He had grown up so much. He was only several centimeters taller than me, but he had gotten well-muscled and handsome as we had grown. Now, he wore a pine green kimono with the white armor that luckily had shoulder guards.

"Nope. I'm leaving a few hours later so that we have a better chance of escape."

I nodded.

"Good plan," I claimed, shifting to look at the wall. There was only one thing left to take. And that was Arashi-Kiba. The Storm Fang. Father had once told me that whoever could overcome the barrier of Arashi-Kiba would be its owner. Hesitantly, I reached for it. Nervously, I let my fingers brush against the handle. When nothing happened, I wrapped my fingers around it. I let out a sigh of relief as it came free of the rack.

"It accepted you, Mikage!" he whispered. I placed the weapon in my belt, deciding not to draw it.

"Good," I muttered, looking out the window. There were only a few guards about, and I could take care of them. "Gakupo, just be sure to get out before the hour is completed. It won't hold them for that long."

"Well, at least you learned how." he reminded. That was true.

"Please promise, Gakupo."

"All right. I promise. Calm down, sis."

He laughed, pulling me into a tight hug. Of course, we had both taken precautions and disguised our scents in one way or another. He held me against his chest with a hand on my now bare neck. It was silent for a while, until he finally whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too."

Finally, I pulled back.

"I better go."

He saluted me.

"Go get 'em, soldier."

I laughed as I slid open the door. Sure enough, sitting in the grass by the castle was Yuuhi. Her purple fur shone blue in the night, shining stirrups of the saddle glistening in the moonlight. She turned to me, white teeth bright.

"There you are," she exclaimed, galloping over to me. Sticking one foot in the stirrup, I swung my other leg over.

"You ready?" I asked.

I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins as I gripped the reins.

"You bet!"

Like that, the cat sped off into the main grounds, me bouncing in the saddle. Eventually, I composed myself more, ready to raise my hands.

Guards' startled cries died down to nothing as the aroma filled the air. The sickeningly sweet fragrance wafted through the kingdom. Luckily, Yuuhi's muzzle prevented her from getting affected.

The wind turned a slightly pinkish color as petals drifted through. I heard their bodies collapsing as I passed, sound asleep. I smiled to myself. It had gone just as planned.

As we approached the gate, I checked to make sure those guards had also fallen victim to my powers. They had.

Leaning forward, I matched Yuuhi's movements as she leapt.

Clearing the fence by around three feet, we continued into the night. We had done it. We had gotten free.

I cheered mentally. I couldn't stop grinning. Rubbing Yuuhi's back, we began to head towards the forest. We would have to continue until we found a village to rest, and I would need to pass myself off as a boy. The challenges weren't over, but both Yuuhi and I knew that we couldn't take flight. We would be noticed.

Upon entry into the forest, I noticed that it wasn't as deep as I had predicted. Within about a mile, we would be traveling over long hills. Well, at least we wouldn't be running into trees. That was a good thing.

Even now, I didn't dare utter a word. If I did, I could alert someone of our location. Swallowing, I held the reins tighter. I was risking everything in this one moment.

The night was quiet. All that could be heard was the constant beat of Yuuhi's paws against the ground, and the gentle noise of the wind brushing against us.

After a while, I found out that my prediction was correct. In front of us stretched tall hills. Something was odd, though. It didn't take long for me to pick up on a scent. It was ever so faint, but I thought I smelt cinnamon? Cinnamon... Something about that was familiar.

"I think we're safe, Mikage."

Yuuhi's voice was soft, and sounded out of breath.

"Yuuhi, call me Mikuo for a while please. It would be best." I paused for a moment, looking at the area surrounding us. It was serene, and seemed to offer no suggestion of danger. "We should rest," I added.

Without objecting, Yuuhi pulled to a stop. Despite what I told her, I knew that it could be dangerous for us to come to a complete stop.

As if reading my mind, Yuuhi spoke.

"We should walk at least," she suggested. Taking her muzzle and reins off, I smiled.

"Yeah. We did it, Yuuhi. Thank you."

As if from running away itself, a huge pain seemed to come off of my shoulders.

Mother couldn't beat me anymore, or hurt me. I was out of her reach now. Gakupo would be too, soon. We had won.

Rubbing her neck, I began to walk forward, my steps matching hers.

It was a beautiful night. Peaceful and calming, the breeze cool against my skin. The sky held no clouds, allowing the stars and the crescent moon to be the brightest it could be.

…

The crescent moon. A clean, mint reminded me of my first friend outside the kingdom.

"Mikuo. Do you smell that?" Yuuhi hissed, slowing down.

I too slowed my footsteps to take a whiff. The cinnamon was coming closer. Wait. There was another scent mixed in with it.

Faint voices came from the other side of the hill. A little girl, and a somewhat raspy, high-pitched one as well. It was so familiar... Yet so distant.

As if from instinct, one hand moved to the sword I had brought with me. Not because of the two voices I heard, but because of the great power I sensed looming over them.

"Mikuo, get on my back. We've gotta run, honey."

Gripping her scruff, I couldn't agree more. Who knows who it could be? Getting into a tangle now could mean going back to the kingdom. Being so close to the border, someone could recognize me. Even if I looked like a man.

Just as I had gotten myself aboard, the raspy voice called out.

"Hey! Who are you?"

Yuuhi's fur bristled as she hissed, back hunching. It was too late to escape. Our only option was to fly.

"Master Jaken look! A cat demon!" the girl said, pointing to Yuuhi.

"Yes Rin, I see. Well- WAIT! A cat demon you say?"

Did she just say Jaken?

"Do you not like cat demons, Master Jaken?" the girl asked, turning to him.

"Oh I hate them! Nasty creatures! I still have scars from one!"

Yuuhi backed away, teeth bared. Her muscles were tensed beneath my hands. What was I to do?

"Did you hear me, mister? I said, who are you?" the voice squawked. I now realized that this creature speaking to me was an imp. I felt my eyes stretch open as I removed my hand from my sword.

"U-um... I..." I didn't know what to say. Due to my surprise, I had completely forgotten to deepen my voice. To my relief, Jaken didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Milord! Do you see this man here? Something seems rather peculiar about him, don't you think?"

To my horror and happiness, up over the hill stepped a demon. His flowing white hair, his broad shoulders, and long legs. He said nothing as he came up to stand beside them.

"He sure is a pretty man, though."

The girl stared at me in awe, while I did the same. I wasn't looking at her, though. I was looking at the grown-up face of Lord Sesshomaru.