Aoi's junihitoe fluttered in the breeze irritatingly smacking against Rin's shins. Quietly fuming, the girl still wanted to yell at the princess for hiding information from them. That, in addition to the fact that they had no idea where the princess was leading them. New sensations of frustration tore through Rin as they walked. Growing up under the tutelage of Kagome made her a bit of a spitfire in her teenage years. Her newfound courage was helpful in confrontational situations, but not in ones of diplomacy. If only she had adopted her father's way of external coolness. Regardless of her shortcomings, Kohaku's steadfast and patient presence soothed her burgeoning ire.

They soon came upon a small shed nestled between the protective wall and horse stable. Aoi jerked her head back and forth before motioning them inside the quaint structure.

"In here, be quiet," Aoi instructed as she entered. The group shuffled into the space which was cramped with stable equipment. Setting down their light source, the princess closed the door behind them with a soft click. She turned to face them then, the lantern illuminated the princess's serious face in a haunting glow.

"What is the meaning of this, princess?" Rin asked in a rough whisper. She didn't bother to hide her disdain for the noble as she pinned her with a sharp glare. Aoi's lips dipped into a taut frown.

"You must understand my position, I was not able to be fully candid with either of you."

"Then speak."

"First, I ask that you forgive me and my foolish cad of a husband. We never intended to put the Shikon Miko into harm's way." Aoi whispered, her cold façade melting with brimming tears. "She was so kind and warm."

"Enough with the theatrics, just tell us what happened!" Rin snapped. The princess's eyes sharply addressed Rin, the two locked in an intense staring contest. Before she could launch into a tirade, Kohaku interrupted her.

"Please, Aoi-hime. Tell us everything, we bear no ill will towards you or this place," the demon slayer said. His civility put Aoi at ease enough for her to speak.

"When we spoke earlier, my husband was not wrong about the state of our village. It is believed to have begun after the firstborn of my husband and his first wife died tragically. Since then, we have been poor even as nobility. Our crops didn't grow and our infants died early. For the longest time, we believed we were cursed by the gods. About two years ago, a cave was discovered not far from here. I know not the intimate details, but I was told that there was a wounded creature living within.

Takashi-sama sent his men in to investigate with little to no avail. Every time he sent a legion, they failed to return. Only the shells of their armor remain at the mouth of the cave. After many failed attempts, my husband consulted a traveling shaman who claimed to be knowledgeable on creatures like that. The shaman sent in my husband's first wife to look into the cave and to their surprise, she came back unscathed. Once she returned, he determined it was a Zashiki-Warashi living in the cave."

Rin's puzzled expression made the princess pause her tale. Kohaku, in turn, noticed the confusion on her face and explained what the creature was. A child spirit that brought protection and luck to its household. They were known to be kind and gentle beings with a love for mischief. Before either could question her, the princess continued.

"The shaman instructed Takashi-sama's first wife to go to the cave with medicines and goods every other day to be with the spirit. He claimed that it would bring our land to prosperity. These claims came to fruition in an instant. Each time the first wife returned from the cave, the farms would have crops to sow and our children were born flush and healthy. It wasn't meant to last, however, when she died trying to give birth to her second child. After that, our village was plunged into famine and war. They tried sending in more women, even some children, but they never returned."

"The wife's death must have deeply upset the spirit, which would explain why no other came back." Rin theorized. The princess nodded mutely.

"Not long after these events, my husband and I were wed. To gain some semblance of peace, we sent a letter to as many temples as we could. We figured that a holy person could purify the spirit and put it to rest. It was a blessing that the Shikon Miko came, we knew with her power that she could save us from the spirit's wrath."

"I don't understand why you couldn't have told us this from the beginning," Kohaku remarked, leveling the princess with a glare. Aoi shuffled uncomfortably for a moment, her eyes not meeting theirs.

"When she heard of the spirit of a child being in the cave, it took very little convincing for her Miko-sama to help us. The day after she arrived, she was escorted to the cave to put the spirit to rest. She has remained there ever since."

The princess glanced between the traveling nervously, small fingers fidgeting underneath layers of her kimono. Without her fan to act as a barrier, she was vulnerable to their scrutiny. Rin stared at her incredulously as the realization hit her like an arrow through the chest.

"You left her there because it benefitted your village," Rin whispered in disbelief. Aoi blanched a sickly shade of white. "You left her there even though countless others disappeared. For all you know, she could be dead!"

"If it weren't for her, I would be dead, girl! Forgive me, I did not want to die because my foolish husband refused to take any adequate action. Who do you think called upon the holy ones? Who is standing before you telling you the truth? I could be hanged for this transgression against my husband. Yet here I am. I speak out for the sake of Miko-sama because she doesn't deserve any of this." Aoi's rage cut deep, her shoulders trembled as she spit out her last words. Rin was rendered speechless by the princess's diatribe and instantly felt the swell of guilt sink into her gut.

"Where is she now?" Kohaku asked sharply, directing the attention to him. Aoi turned to him, tears streaming full force down her cheeks.

"She was so kind, I never wanted her to disappear like the others. We had to do what was best for our village." Aoi croaked out, a sob wracking through her violently. Neither Rin nor Kohaku looked upon the woman with pity.

"Aoi-hime, where is she?" Kohaku pressed once more, grasping the hands of the weeping woman. Her crying stopped for a moment as she shoved him away from her with a disgruntled noise.

"I don't know," Aoi screamed at them, pressing her face into her palms. Her petite shoulders shook tremulously as another round of sobs wracked her body. "I don't know exactly, but it's our fault."

Rin wanted nothing more than to scream. Swirling, slimy sensations of guilt and anger mixed in a nauseating combination in her stomach. She wanted to be angry with the princess for summoning Kagome to the village in the first place, but in the same vein, she couldn't fault her for her actions. Aoi genuinely respected the miko and sought her out because she could do something. It made Rin sick to think that the lord wanted to send his second wife into peril like that. This was worse than what she could have imagined

He didn't simply forget about Kagome, no, the lord was using her. Rin itched for her ocarina, to send her father upon them in a rampage to fix the injustice imparted on Kagome. Taking a settling breath, Rin's fingers released their tight hold on the ocarina. They have a more pressing issue to take care of first. Mustering as much of Kagome's spirit as she could, the girl inched towards the princess and gathered her trembling hands into her own. Aoi's eyes shot up in surprise to meet Rin's warm, sympathetic honey gaze.

"I'm sorry for my harsh words towards you. I am afraid," Rin started, looking deep into Aoi's eyes. "I am afraid she is gone and want her back. You did what you thought necessary for your people. But we need your help, Kagome-sama needs your help. With your guidance, we can rescue her."

"B-But the village–!"

"We have a very powerful ally on our side. Your village is in good hands, we just need someone to escort us to the cave. Tomorrow." Rin's words were warm, but firm. Aoi bobbed her head up and down affirmatively.

"Tomorrow."

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A/N: I've been in a writing kick lately, so I wanted to spoil y'all with an extra chapter. ;)