Sesshoumaru continued to stare at the floor where the woman had fallen through. How had she managed to escape? Had she hidden her magic so well that even he couldn't sense it? And if so, what was the purpose of allowing herself to be captured only to disappear without having done anything?
He edged closer to the other side of the cell, youki flaring, his frown only deepening when a selection of stones shimmered in and out of focus. The image shifted between the floor being intact and a gaping hole with the woman lying atop a large cropping of rock.
Was this another part of her ploy?
"Hakudoshi." The underling stiffened, then stepped forward. "It is your duty to inspect all trespassers upon their arrival, is it not?"
"Of course."
"So then, why has our newest guest managed to evade detection?" Another step forward had the image of a well-maintained cell shifting again, and after dipping one foot below the illusion, he decided to investigate himself.
"She was brought in by one of the younglings, your highness. Hardly worth your time—" The rest of his explanation fell away as Sesshoumaru jumped through the hole, landing next to the woman without a sound, though she didn't move either way.
Blood pooled around her head, matting dark locks to her skin, her breathing shallow and laboured. Why had she bothered to keep him away from her trap? Had he arrived too early, and she'd been forced to improvise? What had been her endgame?
A soft whimper escaped her lips, and he sighed, lifting her into his arms, blood seeping into his clothing. Unperturbed, he flew back up through the hole.
"Sire, I don't think—"
"You are not paid to think," the king said curtly, brushing past him without another word. He would interrogate this creature himself, decipher her origins, and determine whether or not she was a threat to his kingdom.
There was a distinct lack of darkness when consciousness found her again, pain shooting between her temples when she tried to sit up.
"I would advise against any sudden movement," a low voice rumbled, startling her into doing the opposite. Lights burst behind her eyes as she turned onto her side, hoping it would be an easier option.
"Where am I?" Her voice was garbled, and she cleared her throat, feeling like she was swallowing daggers.
"My chambers. Though you will not remain here long if you continue to evade the truth."
"Truth?" Everything was fuzzy—both her vision and her memories. She'd been in the dungeon, Hakudoushi's smug face swimming in and out of focus. Had he tortured her? She still hadn't figured out why she was here. Shippou had said something about grabbing her before someone else did. And the king—
The king.
He'd come to her cell. They'd talked about…something. She couldn't remember the conversation; what she could remember was the feel of soft fur between her fingers as she yanked him away from the hole in the floor. She tried to open her eyes again, squinting against the brightness of whichever room she was in.
Was she dead?
She didn't think it was supposed to hurt after dying.
"I had forgotten how much humans bleed," the voice mused before there was a slight pressure on the side of her head. Kagome whimpered as pain shot through her again. "If that is truly what you are."
"Of course I'm human," she said automatically, trying again to open her eyes. This time, there were shapes and a few colours, but they were still fuzzy, even as she tried to blink them away.
"And the illusion in your cell? I suppose you had nothing to do with that?"
Sucking in a deep breath and forcing the rest of her body not to move, she brought part of her surroundings into focus—the most jarring being a pair of amber eyes. The pressure she'd felt on her head had been his hand, holding a damp cloth to clean up the blood from her fall, and Kagome suddenly realized she'd survived.
And not only survived but was being nursed back to health by the fae king. The same fae king she'd been thrown in the dungeon for insulting.
Maybe she had died. Or was at least suffering a concussion because the way he'd looked at her before, with superior air and complete indifference, had given her the indication that he'd wanted absolutely nothing to do with her—or remembered her at all.
"Are you alright?" she blurted, blinking again to keep him in focus. Her self-preservation had clearly been left at the bottom of the hole in her cell.
An elegant eyebrow raised, and he leaned back. "Should you not be worrying about yourself?"
Probably. Definitely. Yet she'd risked everything to keep him from falling, so what was one more question? "Guess I've got you for that, now."
His eyes narrowed, and Kagome got a flash of the fae she remembered. "I will not continue such services if you have a death wish."
She snorted. "I'm not about to make a habit of jumping into holes. But you should get that floor fixed." And just like that, the light in his eyes dulled, and he got to his feet. Kagome tried to sit up, but the slight movement caused the little balance she had to disappear, and she slumped back against the bed.
"The castle is in immaculate condition," he stated, claws running through his hair. "Though I would not expect a human to understand fae aesthetic."
She would've shaken him if he'd been close enough to grab. "Immaculate? There's a gigantic hole in my cell! And the walls were—" His power blanketed the room, dark and oppressive, and while her first instinct was to fight, she knew she wasn't in any condition to do so.
"I have been generous until now," he growled, eyes unchanging. "But if you continue your loathsome comments about my home, you will be returned to where I found you." Muscles clenched along her jaw as she bit her tongue but gave him a curt nod.
She knew what the castle was supposed to look like, what it used to look like, anyway, but she still wasn't sure how much time had passed since she'd last been to Meikyuu, so his style may have changed. But even as that thought crossed her mind, and his power receded, she couldn't stop the feeling that something was wrong.
She broke their gazes, looking around the room. Things were still fuzzy around the edges, but even the splotches were less vibrant than before, as if the world was shifting from kaleidoscopic to monochrome. "Have you—"
"You are welcome to stay here while you recover," he cut in, turning away and striding toward the door. "I have business to attend to. A little bird has been caught in my net and is proving most cumbersome." A smirk lit up his features, and Kagome shuddered at the thought of another person losing a loved one to his spells and ever-changing rules.
"What did they do?" she asked, trying to stall for time. "Manage to get passed the first layer of the labyrinth? Or did they fail to cower before you?"
"Everyone cowers eventually," he replied, glancing over his shoulder. "But this one seems intent on recruiting my subjects in order to reach the stronghold." He hesitated as he reached for the door. "She also lacks any prior knowledge of my kin, offering up her name without it even being requested."
She rolled her eyes, instantly regretting it as pain shot between them. "Not everyone spends their time researching fae lore. We have lives."
"Yet you are taught not to trust strangers at a young age, are you not?" he countered. "And this one is obstinately stubborn that she will rescue her brother in time. Even though he has caused her nothing but strife. I am doing her a favour."
"You always see it that way." She sighed, managing to turn her head back to him. "But stealing people away because of a single lack of judgement, especially in those too young to understand the ramifications, isn't fair."
He scoffed. "Life is not fair, woman. And this Kagome will learn her lesson. Whether she likes it or not."
She felt the blood drain from her face. "Kagome? She told you her name was Kagome?"
"I said as much, did I not?" He lifted his chin as only a king could. "Even went as far as to spell it out for me."
"And the brother she wished away? Was his name Souta?" It had to be a coincidence.
"It is the name given to him by their parents, though she does not refer to him as such." He finally turned back to her, intrigue raising his brow.
Ice-cold dread left her trembling, breath coming out in short pants. "What is she wearing?"
"You are in no position to make demands—"
"What is she wearing?" she asked again, voice raising as she tried to stop the panic from taking hold.
The king sighed. "Something green. Her school uniform, I suppose. Though I am not up on current human fashion."
She reached for him even though he was across the room. "Something's wrong. Whoever—whatever—you're chasing isn't real. It's not the real Kagome!"
Intrigue turned to disbelief, and he turned away again. "You have a strange sense of humour."
"I'm not joking! She can't be Kagome. I'm right here!" Her protests were ignored, the door already closing behind him. "I'm right here," she echoed faintly, darkness creeping into her vision and stealing what little energy she had left.
