Harusame
By: Yume yugi

The morning sunlight shown through Kagome's bedroom window and onto her sleeping eyes. She abruptly woke up looking at her surroundings. She was panting extremely hard and a cold sweat had started on her face. Just a dream, she assured herself, it was only a dream, nothing to worry about. She quickly dressed and went down stairs for her routine morning breakfast.

Afterwards, she found her overly loaded backpack, and checked the calendar. It was a Saturday. She smiled to herself. Time to go and visit inu yasha and the others! She thought happily. She slowly made her way to the enchanted well.

" She's late! Kagome is late!" inu yasha yelled as he paced back and forth. Shippo sat on the ground near the well and watched him. Inu yasha had made Kagome promise to come early that morning and spend the day looking for traces of the Shikon no Tama shards. Kagome quickly pulled herself out of the well, and placed her overloaded backpack on the ground next to shippo. " Oh, hey inu yasha! Hello shippo!" she said happily, and picked shippo up off the ground.

The small group of friends soon began on their journey. As they left the forest, they entered a meadow. A low whining began to send chills up their spines. It sounded much like that of a pup when separated from its mother. As they followed the sound and entered the ruins of what had once been a thriving village. " What's happened here?" Kagome asked looking around at the broken buildings and dead bodies of the villagers, rotten with weeks of decay.

As they continued toward the source of the sound, it gradually grew louder. They came to cave just outside of town and in it a sort of house. As they entered they saw a young girl, about four or five sitting on the floor and the body of her mother sitting in a rocking chair, rotten and putrid. The girl was dressed in a blue kimono with a green sash around her waist.

" Little girl.? Are you alright?" Kagome asked kneeling down next to her. The girl looked up at Kagome quickly. In her golden eyes was a mix of fear and anguish. She also had silver hair, which trailed down to her waist, and small white ears like inu yasha's. In her small hands was a doll, resembling her mother. Its head busted in and its right arm and left leg were also broken. " My dolly is broked.and so is my mommy." she whispers looking from the doll to her mother's corpse. " Hmm." inu yasha said looking from the girl to the body and back to the girl. " Little girl.what's your name?" Kagome asked her trying to get her to speak again.

" Kajima." the girl whispered not looking away from the body. Her face was stained with dirt and the tears, which she had cried for her mother. " Miss.will you wake mommy up? I miss her lots." Kajima said looking up at Kagome hopefully. Kagome's stomach churned with guilt and sorrow. " No, we can't help your mother.but we can help you." Kagome whispered to Kajima and pulled the girl up onto her lap. Kajima gave no indication the she wanted to be released. " Can you help me find my big brother?" she asked setting her head on Kagome's elbow, and closing her eyes.

" What's he look like?" Kagome asked her, petting her ears. Kajima turned around in Kagome's arms and her eyes began to beam with joy. " His name is Kaijou! He's tall and has silver hair that goes to his back! He's got pretty yellow eyes with brown in the middle, and he lives over the big mountains!" she explained and pointed up.

" He sounds nice." Kagome said and stood up with Kajima still in her arms. " Inu yasha, can we help her?" she asked her companion. " no child should ever have to be left alone to fend for themselves.alright.we'll help her." Inu yasha said and sighs. What have I just gotten myself into this time? He thinks to himself.

As they start out of the village Kagome, who had been carrying Kajima in her arms, stood still for a moment. " What's wrong sister?" Kajima asked looking at Kagome worriedly. " I just feel a bit sorry for these villagers." Kagome said," nothing more." Kajima looked over Kagome's shoulder at the bodies as the lay scattered over the grounds of the village. " They go to a better place now, sister.where Buddha shall care for them, and they will know no hunger, or sickness.only happiness and joy." Kajima says smiling. Kagome looks at her surprised at first then nods and they continue one their journey.

" We should stop here for a while." inu yasha says stopping next to a riverbed. Kagome sits down on a rock next to him and sets Kajima down to play with Shippo. " Shippo-Chan, can you turn into a flute?" Kajima asked him smiling. " Well yea, I can.but why?" shippo asked. " Answering a question with a question is kind of silly.don't you think?" Kajima counters. " She's go you there." inu yasha pointed out to him. " fine, ok." shippo said and transformed into a flute.

Kajima picked him up, and gently set her lips to the opening and began to play a sweetly sad tune.