[Hey guys! I've decided to stop procrastinating, so hopefully the updates will be closer together. :) Anyway, I probably would have had this done hours ago, but YouTube. Five hours of YouTube. God my head hurts. But enough about me! Please review, enjoy, and check out the poll on my profile. Thanks!]

When she exited the palace, she saw three more guards, palanquin bearers.

Ugh. I hate traveling by palanquin. Always so bumpy.

She murmured a thank you to one of the guards, who opened the door for her, and she got in and sat down. Sota followed, closing the door behind him.

"So, Sota, why are they doing this?"

He sighed, "I knew you'd ask. They received threats from a certain Lord Ungai. He didn't like the idea of a human being engaged to a demon. Especially not since the engagement was nonconsensual. He claims that forcing a young girl to marry a demon, even if he is royalty, is 'an insult to the greatness of humankind'."

"But I was happy there!" she protested.

Both siblings paused as they felt the palanquin being lifted.

"He didn't know that," Sota reminded her, "and even if he did, that old geezer is nothing but trouble. He'd have found a way to end the engagement either way. He holds a strong grudge against the House of Moon."

"But isn't there any way I can convince them to let me go home?"

They quieted, the gravity of her comment sinking in.

"You think of that place as home?" Sota finally asked.

"Yes. I have for a long time. I was there for five years. I have amazing friends; and Sesshomaru... I can't even describe how much I care for him."

"You love him." It wasn't a question.

"N-no!" she denied, too quickly, a blush painting her already pale face.

Sota didn't look convinced, but he quieted.

"I'm going to sleep," Kagome said after a while, and he merely nodded, lost in his own thoughts.

She was jostled awake when the palanquin was set down. She was sure it wasn't the first time, and she knew that she was back at her old home, just like she knew she was breathing.

"Sota."

She shook her brother awake, then moved to open the door.

"I'll get it," he offered.

"I'm not helpless Sota."

He frowned, but let her open it herself. She stepped out without any assistance, ignoring the hand offered her, walking away without a backward glance. Her brother and the four guards looked after her strangely. She was like a different person, no longer the demure child their mother had trained her to be. She had grown more confident, acting exactly the opposite of how a woman should.

Sota shook his head. He didn't like it a bit. True, he loved his sister, but she would cause a lot of scandal if this continued. And scandal was something the Higurashi family did not need.

She walked through the halls, finding her mother's room from memory.

"Permission to enter, mother?"

"Granted."

She opened the door, sinking into her mother's open arms.

"Mama, why?"

"I know my dear. I knew you were happy there, but Lord Ungai, he..."

"I just.."

There were certain things Kagome knew she couldn't say a word about, but in her mother's presence, it was as if a tap was turned on. Her tears began to flow, as did her words. Every insult Naraku had dealt her, every single time she'd felt alone, and how Sesshomaru had made everything better. She told her mother about the fits as well, and confessed her little hope that Sesshomaru could somehow save her. When she finished, her mother simply held her, stroking her hair carefully.

"I'm sorry, my daughter. I did everything in my power to avoid this, but Lord Ungai's armies are simply too powerful to defend against."

"Mama, what about Sesshomaru?"

"What do you mean?"

"He has an army, or at least his father does. If they were to attack the family, he could step in and..."

Her face began to light up, as did her mother's.

"I will speak to your father. If all goes well we can send a messenger within the hour!"

Kagome grinned, "Thank you, mama!"

"Now go to your room. If this doesn't work, then you will need to settle in again."

Kagome nodded, sure all would go well.

Upon receiving her father's agreement, Kagome wrote the message in her own hand.

It read:

Sesshomaru,

My mother and I have an idea! If some of your father's men were to protect my family, then I could return to your side. It turns out we only received threats from one man: Lord Ungai. He has powerful armies, true, but his are a group of school boys in comparison to those of the West. If Ungai saw attacking my family as an impossibility, then I could return to you and live in peace at your side. Please respond quickly! But don't do anything rash either, this could take some planning. My apologies, as well, for I know you wanted to come up with the plan to get us out of this.

Forever yours,

Kagome

She wondered if she'd been too obvious with the final statement, but it hardly mattered when one looked at the big picture. She could see Sesshomaru again. She skipped through the halls, in a manner most unbecoming, singing as she went.

When Sesshomaru read the letter, he nearly smiled. How very clever. He had not doubted her, of course, but he wondered to himself how he could have not figured it out himself. And he felt a faint stirring of joy.

But joy could turn to sorrow in an instant, and neither he nor Kagome could have predicted what happened next.

[Cliffy! I'm sorry, but I had to. Please review and check out the poll on my profile.]