Chapter 1 - Sorrow Fear Not

Night had fallen on the city, stealing away the light and replacing it with a chilly evening frost. It was well past midnight and even the nighttime insect concert had retired in favor of other activities.

On the roof of the Higurashi temple, a lone figure dressed in Miko attire sat silently gazing up into the night sky. Long golden hair blew softly with the wind as she sighed and reached to pour herself another shot of sake from what was her second bottle. Their fat cat, Buyo, sat next to her a look of indifference on his face. The feline, like history had stated, was sensitive to the supernatural and had immediately confronted her. Upon realizing she could hold a conversation with him, she had grown extremely attached and Sachiko cried; telling him what she could tell no one else.

Not only had did she have no knowledge of what she was changing into, but with the lengths she had to go through in order to keep this a secret from not only her Mother, but from her Grandfather as well had been unending. The old coot would not hesitate to purify the youki he had sworn she was giving off, and according to Buyo her grandfather was the absolute truth. Learning this had her grateful that her younger sister was out traveling the Feudal Era with that hanyou "InuYasha" as she had called him, because as a miko she would immediately realize what Sachiko had become.

"Miko-san cause you no harm."

The cat was adament in his belief that Kagome would not harm her, for she had traveled with a hanyou, something possessing both human and youkai blood, And while InuYasha was half, she was a pureblood. Something that should not have been possible considering she was human when born. Therefore when she smelled Kagome's scent she panicked and did whatever she could to keep the miko unaware of what she had become.

"Hai Buyo-kun. She would." Sachiko said softly, absentmindedly stoking the cat. In response the cat had begun to purr, closing his eyes in an attempt to fully enjoy the sensation. Sachiko could see it now, looks of sisterly love and trust shifting into looks of disgust. After all she had changed significantly in the few months Kagome had begun her double life of middle school student and Miko of the past.

Her hair which had once fallen to her shoulders in ebony locks had lengthened considerably to an inky waterfall that fell well past her waist. Hair that had had been thick holding a slight wave at the bottom had grown thinner, more radiant and smooth; reminding her of spider silk. But despite the fact it was thin it was strong, and its own weight had pulled the strands straight. Thankfully her eyes were still blue, albeit instead of being indigo shone like sapphires, which she blamed on the on 'eyeliner' she had begun to wear. Her face had lost its cherubic look and had taken on more of an aristocratic beauty. Her skin was flawless, unnaturally so, and in her grandfather's eyes it defied reason. Her new body flaunted on the cover of Whisper's, a lingerie company that had hounded her for work, either turned on or made any who saw it jealous.

She had lied about each and every one one of her changes in an attempt to to quell the questioning gaze of her mother and the suspicious look on her granfather's face. She snuck out of her house and bought extensions that had matched as close as possible in texture. She had bought two kinds of bras, the heavily padded she would have to explain her sudden bust increase and the plain supportive ones she would actually wear. And her figure, she blamed that on the volleyball team's new 'regimen'. It had been difficult and expensive, and no one had recognized her but she would rather that then tell a family who's blood ran true with the blood of mikos she had turned into the very thing they were supposed to purify.

"Miko too kind." The cat purred arching his back under her fingers, stretching his tail to prolong the touch of her fingers and in an attempt to comfort her, he rubbed against her ankles. Sachiko responded by denying the cat touch, and filled her glass once again before downing it all at once. Watching it happen, the cat rolled over to gaze at the woman while he lay on his back. "Careful Youkai-sama, you still get drunk."

She knew that she could, but she was aiming for something in-between inebriated and sober. Where she could loll around indolently, and moments after her next shot, it hit her. She allowed her form to fall onto the rooftop, alternating between stretching her limbs and curling into herself as a rumble of satisfaction was let loose. Staring at the girl who who was behaving like a kitten on catnip, already aware of what had happened, the cat began dryly. "Youkai-sama…"

The eyes that looked at him were still remarkably aware. "I'm not drunk," She informed him. She wasn't drunk, drunk was what they saw on the television screen, stumbling and shrieking, laughing and crying and acting like a fool or becoming ill, and she was none of that. She was just relaxed and now that she thought about it the cat was right. "Buyo-kun" she began, scooping the obese feline into her arms. "You're right. Kagome-chan wouldn't kill me for being different, if that were the case she would have purified the Hanyou long ago."

In one fluid motion she was on her feet, descending the height of the rooftop to the ground in a single drop, aware that her youkai state would keep her from harm. "For the hanyou to have survived this long… and Kagome-chan to put up with his badgering… she has to be kind."

The girl had not questioned her on the sudden change in their relationship. Before the shift, they had been like Siamese Twins, always telling each other everything and now Sachiko knew her actions made it seem as if she couldn't stand her sister. The looks of hurt she had caused when she had pretended to be annoyed, and the fleeting glances Kagome had shot her when she was applying make-up was more than enough to cause her heart to grow heavy with grief she did not need. "It hurt me to do that her." she said, sliding open the door to her home. She had taken less than a dozen steps, Buyo laying as still as a sleeping baby in her arms, before she heard the footsteps of someone approaching her. Sachiko couldn't stop the curse that slipped from her lips when her sister rounded the corner still dressed in her school uniform. Sapphire colored narrowed as they locked onto stormy eyes wide in began squirming in her arms, loosening her grip before he leapt out of her arms. With a thud the overweight feline landed on the ground, his tail held high as he glanced back at her. The tip of his tail flicked in Kagome's direction as he spoke.

"Youkai-sama talk to Miko. "

And he with that said he walked off.

"What are you-" She broke off mid-sentence when she actually looked at the miko who seemed as if she was genuinely troubled.

"Sachiko." Kagome whispered. "For a moment I felt youki and reiki fighting. I thought a youkai was trying to get you since you weren't in your room and you were struggling. But seeing you standing here alone… I know you're…"

Tsubaki's brows furrowed as the meaning to her sister's words sunk in and once she processed it, her jaw clenched. "You sensed me." she said, and Kagome nodded. "Wouldn't that make it easier to purify me?"

Kagome started slightly, and stared at her older sister, a look of shock on her face. The youkai tried not to take a step back as the miko took another step toward her and she watched as the corners of Kagome's mouth turned down. "Hey now, I would never hurt you, Sachiko-chan." she said, reaching out. Her colbat eyes, eyes that reminded Sachiko how much she had changed, wide in shock. She deftly avoided the miko's touch. "You're still a miko." Kagome's frown deepened. "I'm not going to hurt you." she said again. "You're not just turning into a youkai. You're my sister. I'm sure there is a reason for what's happening." Sachiko tried not to look as if she wanted to escape, as if she didn't want to leave her sister here in the hall alone, but she did. Every fiber of her being wanted to flee. She did know that Kagome was her sister, but miko and youkai, they did not go well together. Sachiko knew that Kagome could purify her, probably from several feet away, but the earnest expression on Kagome's face should have been enough to minimize her fear.

But this talk was being done at the most inopportune of times, she her judgement was clouded by the sake in her system and as a result Sachiko was a little less than reasonable. The vision of her charred body up on the rooftop suddenly popped into her head. "You can make a mistake. Your powers might just flare up to rid the world of my youki." "Sachiko." Kagome gasped. "I don't get it. You know I travel with InuYasha and the others." "InuYasha is Hanyou." She watched as Kagome rolled her eyes, she knew that already, but Sachiko wondered was his human half protecting him? "And he's been safe around me." Kagome cried. This time she questioned her own change, would she be like one of the many youkai her sister had slaughtered and attempt to destroy any and everyone in her path. Mistaking her troubled expression as needing to further convince Sachiko of her safety, Kagome continued. "Shippo is a demon. He's more than safe around me." The youkai shook her head, the frown marring her face deepening. Wary eyes on the young girl, she shook her head waving away the statement. "No. Its not the same. I don't know. I wasn't born this way." she said, half growling, half whispering before continuing. "Just go back -"

Before she could finish her sentence, Kagome leapt toward her wrapping her in a hug, and she tightened her grip around Sachiko, deepening their hug as she said. "See Sachiko. I won't hurt you. Just come with me down the well. Come with me and let's see if we can understand what is going on."

"Let go." Sachiko groaned, struggling to escape from her sister's heated embrace.

"No."

"I said get off!" Sachiko snarled down at the girl, her eyes flashing. Seconds after the words escaped lips that were curled to bare her teeth, the area where Kagome's arm's encircled her began to burn like hot iron. Before she could stop it, she screamed, an inarticulate culmination of all her outrage, confusion, worry , and pain. She'd hadn't even begun to understand what was happening when her skin began to glow white enough to banish the shadows and then there were bolts of darkness tainting the light.

It was then she was blinded by the white and she could hear the cackle of the electric darkness. The glow was her reiki and the youkai dancing like black lightening about her frame, she realized, making her think they were battling each other for supremacy on who would take over the injured girl.

Kagome's sharp gasp of pain was what decided. Sachiko's blood ran cold and the white light faded leaving the black electricity dancing about her frame. This allowed Sachiko a glance of her sister staring at hands scorched by her power before those pained indigo eyes gazed at her in shock. "I didn't mean to." she whispered.

And as the flare of dark energy left her, she felt weaker than she had ever felt before. Back bowing, body no longer able to hold itself upright she began to fell. She could hear nothing other than Kagome's pained gasped, and could see nothing but the pained look in the miko's eyes before before blackness took over completely.