Kagome continued to struggle through every hallway and staircase they dragged her down, shooting daggers into the back of Hakudoshi's head. She'd never encountered him during her first visit to Meikyuu but was secretly grateful, considering how well he handled his weapon.

Nothing turned his head back toward her, and she wanted to shove his pompous ass to the floor and demand answers—answers she was sure he wouldn't give her unless pain was involved. She'd never been the sadistic type, but each step she took furthered her doubt that this was the same place she'd come to as a teen.

Something was off.

Wrong.

And it wasn't just the king. There had been an overall lack of warmth and mischief—where was the music? The magic? The castle felt drab, drained, and there was a distinct lack of sparkle or vitality that had been present even in the midst of them storming the stronghold.

There had probably always been dungeons in the castle—though she'd managed to avoid them last time—but everything felt old. The walls were dingy, some of the stones missing as they passed by other empty cells. As they came to the end of the hallway, she was thrown to the ground, Hakudoshi sliding a key into a large iron lock—since when did fae need keys?

The door creaked as it opened, his pale, cruel eyes landing on her before his spear was once again shoved in her face. "Now, are you going to go in there willingly or in pieces?" A smirk tugged at his lips, and Kagome wished she had something to throw at him. He wanted her to fight, probably relished the thought of bloodying her up, but she refused to give him the satisfaction.

Shippou had done enough to convince them she wasn't a threat, and she planned to keep it that way. Making a point of brushing herself off, she raised her nose at him before stepping into the cell, managing to keep from wincing when the door slammed behind her.

"Enjoy your new home," Hakudoshi called through the door. "And don't get your hopes up about having any visitors. No one comes down here." Meaning the king wouldn't be paying her an audience any time soon.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Considering the current company, I'm happy to hear it." She grinned as a huff sounded from beyond the door, then there was a scraping of metal before Hakudoshi and his cronies left her in peace.

Glancing around her cell, Kagome frowned. There were a couple of small windows, though they were more like holes considering their size. Vines crawled down the walls, having slipped through looking for water, and a small, torn futon lay in one corner. She moved toward it, but the floor bowed under her feet, making her jump back with a gasp.

Nothing happened.

Frown deepening, she knelt on the ground, touching the floor in various spots. Perhaps she'd imagined it; the castle seemed to be crumbling, but the king would never allow that to happen.

His vanity rivalled no other, but it wasn't just his appearance that caught people's attention. He indulged in everything, and even in her dreams, Kagome had stared in wonder at the way rooms sparkled and shone with colour.

It wasn't magic but pride that kept the castle in one piece.

The dankness of her cell made her skin crawl, the musty scent making her nose itch. Was it because the dungeon was mostly unused that it seemed so dark? She sighed, attempting to get to her feet, then gasping when her hand went through the floor. Catching herself at the last moment, she pressed down again, her fingers disappearing through the flattened stones.

An illusion.

Glancing over her shoulder, she sent out a small tendril of reiki, making sure she was alone, then concentrated on the floor, pink sparks skipping along the gravel before a large part of it shimmered. Gritting her teeth and hoping no one was strong enough to feel her power so far away, she pushed harder, and half the floor fell away to reveal jagged rocks several metres below.

The vines were real, but the futon certainly wasn't. If she'd run to the windows to try and call for help, she would've ended up seriously injured—or worse. The floor flickered as she finally got to her feet, the illusion reappearing once she reigned in her power, the bottom of her cell looking as pristine as when she first entered.

What the hell was going on?

Darkness came and went several times, but Kagome knew better than to trust anything based on sight alone. Meikyuu was like any other fae place, playing with the senses as a means of gaining control, of trampling the spirit, but her will was too great for that.

She'd beaten the fae king as his own game, after all.

Having spent less than a day here last time, she wasn't sure if seasons changed in Meikyuu, but she was thankful the temperature seemed to linger somewhere between spring and summer. She didn't even need a blanket at night, though having something to soften the floor while she slept would've been nice.

She glanced at the futon again with a sigh, chucking a pebble toward it. It ricocheted off the wall, then disappeared through the seemingly comfortable sleeping area, the bed not even rippling as it hit the rocks below.

She'd settled down in one of the opposite corners, wishing she'd been able to sit closer to the windows; at least that way, she could've gotten a better view. But she wasn't going anywhere near that hole. When she forced the illusion away, she could see how precarious the ground was—one unlucky step could have the rest of the floor crumbling under her feet.

A creak of the door had her looking up, half expecting to see Shippou, but it was Hakudoshi who opened her cell, her shoulders squaring at the thought of being tortured. He sneered at her, then backed out of the way, Kagome's eyes widening in surprise when the king entered behind him.

She remained seated on purpose.

The kind looked around, wrinkling his nose in disgust before golden eyes landed on her, still passive and unseeing. "I expected far more complaints from you after our introduction," he mused.

She raised an eyebrow. "Would that have earned me a suite?" Hakudoshi stepped closer, spear lowering, but the king merely clicked his tongue.

"You are quite feisty for someone so young."

Kagome shrugged. "Looks can be deceiving." She motioned toward him in general. "For all I know, you could be a toddler in disguise, coming here to reclaim your favourite toy." Youki pulsed, and she bit back a smile—finally, a reaction.

"Are you claiming I would be interested in anything you have to offer?" he asked, moving further into the room. Kagome's eyes stayed glued to his feet. He hadn't forgotten about his own illusion, had he?

"I don't know," she hedged. "I haven't even been told why I'm here."

Boots swivelled as he ran a hand over his pelt. "You stated you were a trespasser."

"You gave me that title," she shot back. "Trespassing usually requires intent to harm or steal, and I haven't done either."

He stared at her for a moment, Kagome eventually dragging her gaze away from his feet, raising her chin in the process. "A proactive attempt to keep our citizens safe, then."

She rolled her eyes, earning another sneer from Hakudoshi. "If I were a threat, you'd have barriers around the cell." She waved toward the windows. "And I doubt I would've been given the chance to see daylight."

"Such an intelligent shrew," he said, making another round of her cell. "And yet you insist on refusing my generous gifts."

She would've hit him between the eyes if she'd had another pebble. "How have you been generous?"

"I have given you a bed, have I not?" He pointed toward the futon, and apprehension sizzled down her back. He wanted her to try and use it?

"It didn't look comfortable enough," she hedged.

There was another pulse of youki, and golden eyes narrowed. "It would be unwise to lie so early on in your visit."

Kagome's jaw clenched—stupid fae rules. "I'm not lying. The floor over here is much better than that." It was true, considering what lay underneath the illusion, and the king pursed his lips. "You should take better care of your dungeon. It's falling apart."

"Every part of the castle is pristine," Hakudoshi argued, leaning back against the wall. "But what would a parasite like you know about it?"

She looked between them, trying to figure out if they were pulling her leg—or were even on the same side. The king had never shown interest in anything or anyone. The concept of friendship and allies had been foreign to him even back then, underestimating her bond with her new companions and, in turn, allowing her a little leeway.

How much time had passed since their last encounter? Had he truly learned nothing from his defeat? Kagome's head tilted to the side as she took in his appearance, trying to see the man that lay underneath all the glitter and bluster and pride.

Was there anyone by his side willing to put their life on the line for any reason other than obligation and fear?

"You will learn nothing no matter how long you stare," he said, interrupting her musings.

Sighing, she leaned back against the wall. "I could say the same thing about you," she retorted. "Why did you really come down here? We both know you couldn't care less about me sleeping in a bed."

"Perhaps I was curious."

"And here I thought it was against the rules to lie."

"You assume much."

Her lips curved up into a smirk. "Here? I assume nothing. Other than the fact that you're a pompous ass hellbent on annoying me until I'm dead."

"That'll be sooner rather than later if you don't shut your—" Hakudoshi's threat was interrupted by a soft chuckle, golden eyes gleaming.

"Come now, Hakudoshi. We cannot fault her logic. Especially when it is so entertaining." Kagome saw a flash of his old self, but it was quickly smothered under the weight of his intense gaze, eyes once against going blank as he stepped closer to the windows.

"Don't—" She scrambled to her feet, and Hakudoshi was immediately on alert, but she stayed in her corner. She'd used one of the spare pebbles to draw a makeshift line around the hole, and the toe of the king's boots shifted along it like a tightrope walker.

"Are you that determined to refuse the gift? Fine then, I will take it back." He turned again, and dread pooled in her stomach as she leapt forward, deftly avoiding the tip of Hakudoshi's spear as she grabbed onto the king's pelt.

He tumbled backwards, youki swirling dangerously as he whirled on her. "You would dare to—" The rest of his words were lost, Kagome's ears buzzing as the momentum from pulling him back sent her careening into the illusion, hands raised even though she knew, she knew, what lay beneath. She closed her eyes, hoping the fall would knock her out quickly.

Would the king understand the sacrifice? She barely understood it herself. Why had she bothered saving him? He probably would've ended up with less than a scratch on him, and instead, she'd doomed herself to a meagre existence—of being forgotten and, presumably, left to rot.

Yet, even as freefall tightened her muscles, she knew that if she lived through that moment a million times, she'd still reach for him.

Life was cruel that way.