Prologue

The city lights were dim; stretched out by the dense miasma that suffocated the tall, steel buildings. Dark alley ways were filled with the sounds of homeless demons, crying out for food, water, and blood. Kagome held her mother's hand a little tighter as they walked, keeping an eye out for the monsters she was warned about . The kind of monsters that had killed her grandpa and younger brother. Kagome's mother, Emi, kept her sight straight ahead, with a look of steel on her face. Her mother had miko powers, which had been passed down onto Kagome. The reason they were both still alive.

Mikos, in the eastern land, are a rare commodity. If someone was found out to have great spiritual powers, they would instantly be sent to the ruling castle for a source of power. Chained up, repeatedly provoked to emit their energy until they were spent of their powers. They would be repeatedly raped until they produced several offspring that continued the great miko lineage. Emi, however, caught the attention of Lord Naraku.

She was placed out of bounds of the mass power distribution, and was used as Naraku's personal power source. Many nights, Kagome was left alone while her mother entertained Naraku. She would be left with nothing but her thoughts in her mother's darkened quarters, and the echoing shrieks that whispered through her window. Reading frequently kept her mind off such dark thoughts, and enlightened her to the history that caused this bleak life for her in the first place, it was a small comfort.

Hundreds of years ago, two powerful lords of opposing lands began a great war that persists to this day. The lord of the West, Lord Sesshomaru, was unhappy with the Lord of the Easts, Lord Naraku, frequent trespassing and ruling methods. Lord Naraku wanted to join forces for complete world domination, but Lord Sesshomaru had no interest in this, and told Lord Naraku that he was to never step foot on the western territories again, or he would be killed. Naraku took this as a challenge and vowed to Lord Sesshomaru that he would take something dear to him. Lord Sesshomaru scoffed at such an idea, claiming he had nothing to him that he would hold so dear. This, however, was a lie.

Lord Sesshomaru had a young ward, whom he protected with all his might, despite her being a human. Many of the officials in his castle were wary, even disgusted with such a lowly creature taking residence in their demon village, especially in the castle. When they would voice their grievences, the powerful lord would give them a piercing glare, and warn them of what would happen should they question his decisions again. So they would whisper to one another, making sure Lord Sesshomaru never heard their distaste for the young girl. Lord Naraku had heard of the little girl who had gained the daiyoukai's protection, and found an excellent way to make him suffer.

In the dead of night, Lord Naraku sent his puppet to the western castle. It slipped in, undetected, as it only smelled of earth and smoke. It had no problem finding the girl's room, that was protected by not one, but two guards. Like two warning signs that brought threat to the very thing they were to protect. They were dead before they could sound the alarm. The next morning, all any one could find, was the mutilated servants, and a patch of hair from the little girl. She was gone.

Lord Sesshomaru was furious, and despite his cold face, his eyes bled a deep crimson; everyone in the castle knew this loss of the girl he protected had sent him into a insatiable blood lust. He launched a full attack on the eastern lands, and dismantled the known trade routes into the main cities, leaving the region in ruins. To this day, while there were a few scuffles on the border, and they were technically at war, but they were at a stale-mate.

Occasionally, Kagome would hear loud explosions outside the borders of the city, but her mother assured her that the mikos had created a barrier long ago that they maintained through the ages with each generation. They would be safe, so long as they stayed within the barrier. The barrier that was maintained by draining the life forces from various mikos.

"Ah, Kagome, we're almost there." Emi said softly, looking down at her daughter. She was nearly sixteen, and would soon have a target on her back. Which is why they were currently escaping. Emi could handle the various abuses from the monstrous lord, but she could not handle him laying his hands on her daughter. Thus, on the guise of getting a few things from the market, Emi had taken the quickest route to the border. Naraku would be there any moment. He had eyes everywhere.

"Mama, where are we going?" Kagome asked quietly, trying to keep under the radar of the demons around her.

"We are going to grandpa's old home in the forests. A beautiful shrine, protected by charms. It should still be untouched. It's right over those mountains." Emi pointed to the the glowing sunset past the jutted rocks and dense forest in the distance, that cut through the hazy purple fog.

Kagome looked up at her mother nervously. "I thought Naraku wanted us to stay in the castle, mama?" Emi's eyes hardened.

"No matter what, Kagome. You need to find that shrine. Naraku is a monster, and will do anything to steal that radiant light you hold within you." Emi stopped right at the gate, where a small opening had been carved into the bottom of the wood, and into the ground beneath it. The yelling intensified around them, and the dreary moaning turned into vicious howling. He had finally realised they were missing.

"You must find your way, Kagome. Go to grandpa's shrine, my old home, and start a life free of this misery." Emi cupped her daughter's face, and pressed their foreheads together.

"Come with me! We can go together! I won't leave without you, mama!" Kagome's eyes welled up, and she held her mother tightly. Emi soothed her hair, aware of the voices growing louder.

"You must Kagome. This place holds no future for you. I love you more than anything, my sweet star. I will follow along when I get another chance to escape, but for now, you must leave and never return. " Before Kagome knew it, she had been pushed through the narrow hole, nearly too small for her. "Now go, Kagome! Run!"

Kagome hesitated, but her mother had already disappeared. A large red eye peeked through the opening, blinking at her. "I have found you, little Miko! Come to me, and I shall treat you well in my home, just like your mother!" Her heart leaped into her stomach, and her legs made her scramble up and run for dear life. She thought of nothing until she reached the forest, and her legs nearly gave out. Her chest and legs burned, but nothing more than her heart.

Sliding against a thick tree, she slowly curled into a dugout between two large roots. Her mother would come for her, right? She would be safe. Naraku liked her mother too much to kill her... Kagome's eyes blurred, and her heart wrenched. It knew the truth of her mother, one she could not quite allow her mind to believe. Naraku killed all who disobeyed. She sobbed into the small bag she carried. What would she do, alone in this forest? She relied on her mother so much for food, shelter, warmth. She knew nothing of survival. Her mind raced, her hope soared and plummeted throughout the night, until she finally became too exhausted, and sleep finally overcame her senses.