This story is on the Favorites list of 14 members and the Alert list of 44 members, as of December 18, 2006. Chapter four alone has 466 hits! It's in 2 C2 groups, it has 5 chapters and only 31 reviews. Either you people are really lazy or . . . you people are really lazy! lol. Please review!!

Chapter Five

Rin had gone to her wing for bed after Jaken came looking for her. Kagome entered her own wing . . . It was so strange to think of this place as hers. She was staying in the castle of a feared and powerful Taiyoukai. And yet she felt perfectly safe.

She entered her room for the first time. Her eyes widened, she was sure they were the size of saucer plates. THe room was extravagent and lavishly decorated. It was huge. Plush, intricately designed rugs adorned parts of the wooden floor. On the left side of the room, pressed against the far wall, was a four poster bed that ten grown men could have slept on comfortably. It was made of mahogany wood and had beautiful carvings on the posters. A silky curtain hung around the bed, parted so that she could get in. The curtain was of transparent enough fabric that anything it hid looked like a silhouette. The blankets on the bed were a soft shade of blue. The color had returned. There were many blue colored pillowes of many different hues from the lightest of soft blues to the nearly midnight black shade of blue. They were arranged in such a way as to be pleasing to behold.

She noticed next the fire tha blazed in the marble fireplace on the wall opposite the bed. The fire seemed cheerful amd filled the room with a soft warmth. Between the bed and the far left wall was maybe five paces. Pressed against the cream colored wall was a fairly large bookcase filled with old volumes that seemed to have been recently cleaned. Nect to the bookcase was a sette. THe baby blue color had returned, again, in this couch. Kagome was catching a theme here. . . She didn't mind. Blue was her favorite color.

The rest of the room was filled with womanly things. Against the wall on the right was a very large wooden closet. One of the many doors this closet had was slightly open and she caught sight of beautiful silk kimonos.

Close to the bed against the far wall was a large mahogany chest. Its carvings matched those from the bed. The was a lock on it, so she doubted she could get into it. Placed between the chest and the right wall, directly in front of a stain glass window, was a beautiful mahogany piano. Another theme, where the wood was concerned. She noticed that the piano had not been cleaned, had been left untouched. It seemed almost lonely . . . She was drawn to it, like the instrument was calling out, trying to be heard.

She walked to it and drew out tha mahogany bench, sitting gingerly upon it. She delicately placed her fingers upon the keys of the piano. The wooden cover was already propped up. She felt as though she were in the Victorian Era.

Closeing her eyes, she pushed on the keys. She had bever before played the piano, but a beautiful melody was emitted from the instrument. Her fingers moved on their own, finding the keys with ease. She did not think of what she was doing, just did it.

The dong was very sad, it seemed. As she played, a few words entered her head. She sang these words and they flowed with the music as though the two were dancing together.

But for the Firefly Starlight
All was dark and empty
None had the will to fight
Until he played his symphany

Dance to the tunes of a moon long gone
Sing for the death of light
Dancing in the Firefly Starlight

The words died on her lips and her fingeres released the melody. Everything was still and silent. She opened her eyes and stood. The piano seemed happy now. The aura of lonliness and unuse that had surrounded it seemed to evaporate. But the words of the song . . . What did they mean? She knew there was more but she couldn't think of what it was.

She turned and gasped. The wall that the doors were set in had a large portrait filling the space between the two doors. In the portrait a beautiful young girl in a black kimono with a red dragon design played the mahogany piano that sat in her bedroom. The girl's eyes were filled with warmth. they were a jade green color. Silky golden strands tubled to the floor in a cascade of hair. She smiled gently as her fingers hovered over and pushed down keys as she played a melody. Everything about her spoke of loving beauty and gentleness. It was apparent that the girl was a youkai of high station.

"Aya." The name came without warning. Kagome did not know this girl but the name Aya held meaning. She knew that it was the name of this girl.

Her musings were interrupted as one of the doors to her room opened. Several imps walked in, dressed in silk white dresses. One held a cream silk nightgown in her arms.

"It is time to prepare for bed, Kagome-sama," she said.

"Eh? Uhm, I'm wearing that to bed??" she indicated the gown. The imps surrounded her. "I have a bad feeling," Kagome muttered. They descended upon her, stripping her of her shoes, socks, and school uniform. "Ah! Wait! I can dress myself!" Her plea was lost as the imps tugged the night gown onto her, and diretyed her a vanity nect tot he door on the right of the protrait. They sat her on the cushioned seat, facing her towards the mirror, and proceeded to brush her hair and braid it into many little braids. It should have taken hourse, but the imps finished in twenty minutes with nimble fingers. Kagome blinked and looked in the mirror at herself. She looked like she had walked right out of the American ghetto (A/N: No one take offense to that, it's not meant to be mean or anything. If you live in the ghetto, I'm not making fun of you! Besides, that's how my cousin wears her hair and she does live in the ghetto of Philadelphia, so yeah...kay?)

"Erm . . ."

"Goodnight, Lady," the bowed and exited the room, taking her school uniform with them.

"Ah!" They were gone. Sighing, she stood and padded across the wooden floor. It was very smooth and she had the urge to slide across it. But for fear of splinters as she had no socks on, she walked to her bed. Pulling the covers back she climbed in. The bed was very warm, and she nestled into the sheets, pillows and blankets. As if on cue the fire died down enought that it kept the room warm but the so that the room was dim enough for sleeping. As she lay awake, Kagome pondered how exactly she had come to be here, nestled into a soft and warm bed in a bedroom that was 'hers' in a wing that was 'hers' in a castle that was his . . .

Rays of sunlight filtered through the silken curtains to cast a warm glow upon the sleeping miko. On the verge of awakening, she stretched out and yawned, her eyes opening slightly.

"Gahh!"

Two screams in unison. Kagome scurried backwards on the bed while the young girl scurried off and under the bed. Kagome was breathing heavily from the shock of waking up to a . . . what was she?

Calming down, Kagome slipped off the bed, got on her knees, and looked under it. The young . . . creature shook and stared at her with wide whiskey colored eyes. Her nose twitched.

"Come out here," Kagome said gently. "I won't harm you, I promise."

The quivering girl slowly came out from under the bed, her whiskey eyes never leaving Kagome, watching for any sudden movement. The light coming from the window at the head of her bed illuminated the strange creature. She had long white hair that fell like sheets of silk. Two floppy bunny ears fell to her shoulders and her nose twitched constantly on a bunny's face. She wore a very loose cotton gown that hung off her shoulders. She had a collar of fluffy white fur that overlapped her short and smooth white fur. Two white kitty feet and long white tail poked out of the bottom of the gown. Sher two hands were paws, and she walked on all fours.

"Uhm . . . what exactly are you?" Kagome asked tentatively. She reached a hand out to her and touched her floppy ear, brushing her fingers over the smooth fur. The creature's shivering ceased and she slid forward to sniff and then nuzzle Kagome's hand. Kagome smiled and picked her up. "What's your name?" she inquired, coddling the girl in her arms.

"Yue," she said in a soft voice.

"Yue?"

Yue tugged on her gown with her paw, exposing black fur below the fluffy collar in the shape of a sickle moon.

"Yue is Chinese for moon," Kagome said, understanding now. "You're Chinese, then?"

Yue nodded. "And Japanese," she added. "Mama and Papa . . ." her words died. She started to quiver again as her whiskey eyes looked over Kagome's shoulder. Kagome turned to look and rose to her feet as Sessoumaru strode towards her.

"Who are you speaking to?" he demanded.

Kagome looked down at the girl. "Her name is Yue," she answered, looking back up at Sessoumaru. For a second she thought she saw his eyes widen. Now, however, they were narrow with anger.

"Who told you that name?" he growled

"She did," Kagome indicated Yue.

"Miko, do not test me," he snarled. "There is no one but you and I in this room."

"What are you talking about? She's right here," Kagome insisted.

Extreme anger flashed through Sessoumaru's eyes and he advanced, raiding his hand to strike. Kagome flinched and closed her eyes, awaiting the impending blow. It didn't come. She heard the click of the door closing and when she opened her eyes Sessoumaru was gone.

"Kagome . . ." Yue spoke. "He can't see me," she continued sadly. As Kagome watched Yue's form faded until she was no longer there.

"Ah!" Kagome moved her ams. There was nothing there. "Did I imagine her?" Kagome wondered.

An imp rushed in, looking a bit frantic. "What did you do to Sessoumaru-sama, child?!" The imp was an elderly female.

"What do you mean?"

She placed her hands on her hips. "Sessoumaru-sama has decreed that you are not to leave the estate, and he and Rin have gone out on patrol," she said, exhasperated. "And he originally came in here to take you with them!"

"Ah," Kagome looked down. "I am sorry. I believe I made him angry." Just a tad,she thought sarcastically, remembering the taiyoukai's thunderous eyes.

The imp clucked her tongue. "Well, it can't be helped now. What's done is done. Come, come, we must prepare you for the day."

"Eh?"

The imp walked to the closet and opened wide a drawer on the right half. As she rummaged through the clothing she talked.

"Sessoumaru-sama had all thses fabulous clothes brought from the nearest village with a respectable seamstress. Beautiful clothing, really. But you must remember to never take anything from the left side."

"What? Why?"

The imp did not answer, only pulled out a kimono with a triumphant "huzzah!" and picked matching slippers. "Come here, girl, and put this on."

Kagome did as she was told and the imp made several adjustments. "Perfect. Now go sit, so that we may perfect your hair." the imp undid all the little braids with nimble fingers and gently brushed out her hair. Black curls cascaded to Kagome's shoulders, the curls making her hair appear a tad shorter. Pulling back some from both sides of her face, the imp clipped them together with a jeweled barrette. "They're diamonds, you know," she said proudly, as if she herself owned them. "They go splendidly with the kimono, do they not?"

It was true. The kimono itself was a white based color with golden designs of Snapdragons.

"It's a beautiful kimono," Kagome agreed.

"Ah, but the clothing only resembles the beauty of its wearer. For even the most beautiful gown will appear ugly on someone unfit to wear it."

Kagome blushed from the compliment. It was a long way of giving a compliment, but it was a compliment, none the less.

"Now you are ready," she said, satisfied with her work.

"What exactly am I ready for?" Kagome asked cautiously.

"Ah, for your lessons!"

"My . . . lessons?"

"Of course! There's etiquette and reading and writing and proper speech and posture classes you will be taking while in residence here. Rin-sama takes them as well."

"Shouldn't have asked," Kagome muttered, crestfallen.

Chapter 5 End
Yay for Eragon! I ended up not going with my friends on Friday, but with my big brother on Sunday. My big brother is a jock and I, well, my clothing mostly comes from Hot Topic, so you can just imagine the looks we got going to the movies together and then going to the cafe Cocoa Perk together. lol. me and my brothers are really close (they raised me).

Anyways, about Eragon. The movie was great from the perspective of someone who hasn't read the book (I can take perspectives like that, lol). But those of us who have read the book, the movie was lacking to say the least. Good graphics, loved the casting for Murtagh (zomg, I have found my new love!!!! Black hair and light eyes!! Pure love, man. That's all there is to it!!! lol), but they cut so much out of it that was in the book. Like Solembum!!! Poor, poor Solembum didn't get to be in the movie! We should have a moment of silence for him, now hush . . . . . . . . . . . Okay, silence is done.