Many years ago . . .
"Sesshikichi," a voice called in a loud whisper. "Sesshikichi."
Sesshomaru was a young dog demon with golden eyes and long, white hair. He had purple markings on his face and a crescent moon on his forehead. He looked out of his window and saw a little cat demon beckoning him to come down. The cat had green eyes and pale blue hair done up in two unraveling buns. There was a small star on her forehead.
"Shh!" Sesshomaru hissed and pressed a finger to his lips. "Father will hear us and then he'll yell at you again."
"Oops!" The cat demon's hands flew to her mouth. "Sorry."
Sesshomaru leapt onto a nearby tree and climbed down. He grabbed the girl's hand.
"Let's go to the forest, Misakichi!"
Sesshomaru and Misaki were friends. No one wanted them to be friends because they were of different races. Both of their families often said, "Cats and dogs don't mingle." However, they were too young to understand why their families hated each other. They just enjoyed each other's company and had fun playing.
"Let's play tag!" Misaki suggested.
"Okay."
That innocent game would change their fate forever.
Misaki looked around and spotted Sesshomaru near an open well.
"I've got you!" she said and ran towards him.
"No you don't!" Sesshomaru said and ran away from her.
Misaki chased him around the well. She almost had him, but he jumped onto the well's edge.
"You can't get me now!" Sesshomaru taunted and stuck out his tongue at Misaki.
Misaki balled her hands into fists and frowned. "You're such a jerk!" she cried and reached out to grab him.
Laughing, Sesshomaru took a step back. He realized a little too late that he had been standing on the edge of a well.
Misaki gasped. "Sesshikichi!" she cried and reached down to grab his hand.
Sesshomaru hung onto Misaki's hand. "Don't let go!" he cried with fear.
The well looked very deep and neither one could see the bottom of it. Misaki struggled to pull Sesshomaru up. She grabbed his arm with both hands and pulled
"I'm not letting you go! Don't worry, I won't let go!"
Sesshomaru felt something tugging at his kimono sleeve. He looked down and gasped with horror. Several black hands were grabbing him.
"Misakichi, help me!"
Misaki gasped. Her eyes grew wide and she let out a scream. Without meaning to, she let go of Sesshomaru's arm and took several steps back.
"Misakichi!"
That was the last thing Misaki heard. She ran back to the well and saw nothing but pitch darkness.
"Sesshikichi?" she asked fearfully.
No one responded.
"Sesshikichi!"
Sesshomaru had disappeared into the dark, mysterious well. Misaki took several steps back and fell on her bottom. Trembling, she stood up and ran away from the sight.
Present time . . .
Ekaterina walked slid open the door of her room and walked outside. It was cold. Everything seemed white with the snow that had fallen last night. A pure, unsullied color.
"It snowed an awful lot," the woman mussed to herself.
Ekaterina was a slight woman with long, snow-white hair and dark eyes that stood out from her pale face. Hugging her shawl and shivering, she walked down the hallway to the room of her permanent guest.
"Misaki-chan?"
Inside the room, Misaki rolled over and pulled the covers over her head. "Not now, Ekaterina-san," she mumbled. "Too sleepy."
Ekaterina knew Misaki didn't like the cold, but she didn't want her to stay in bed all day. She slid open the door of the cat demon's room and the cold came in. Misaki shivered and curled up into a ball beneath the covers. The woman walked into the room and knelt in front of Misaki and shook her shoulder.
"Get up, Misaki-chan. We have things to do."
Misaki rolled to the other side to face Ekaterina and opened her eyes a little. "Sleepy," she mumbled, yawned, and closed her eyes.
Ekaterina sighed. She stood up, grabbed the covers, and yanked them off Misaki. Misaki gasped at the sudden coldness that swept over her warm body.
"Get up," Ekaterina said as she folded the blankets.
Misaki sat up and rubbed her tired eyes with the white sleeve of her yukata. "Who's the idiot that's coming today?"
"Not idiot. Idiots. They're the ones seeking the Shikon Jewel."
Misaki ran a hand through her long hair. "What does that have to do with me?" she mumbled with a sulky mouth.
"They might know the whereabouts of your friend."
Misaki's eyes widened for a moment. "Do you really think so?"
Ekaterina shrugged. She hadn't meant to say that because she didn't know it was true, but was willing to do anything to get Misaki out of her room. Still, she felt guilty. It wasn't a good idea to toy with Misaki's feelings like that.
"Yes, I do think so. Now get dressed. The travelers are coming."
Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Misaki and Ekaterina are the only characters I own, this fanfic has nothing to do with the series, this fanfic is an alternate universe, and blah, blah, blah. Please remember that some adjustments have been made and this is purely for entertainment and . . . yeah, I have no life. The only thing that's accepted is constructive criticism. So if you're going to say this fanfic sucks, give me a reason and an example. After that, vent all you want. Obviously you have no life if you do nothing but rant. This is part three in a four-part series.