The Difference Between Heaven and Hell

Prologue: 18 years ago

-

-The Beneath-

The hell-born goddess Seraphina looked upon her demi-god child, greed in her eyes. This one would be perfect. This demon would look upon the land in hate. She could feel it. This hell-born creature would look upon death and smile. And yet...her precious creation would come to his downfall just like every other one she had created. The Great One had said so.

"Oh Great One, how will the child fall in the neutral world? How will this perfect creation cease to follow the Order?"

But the Great One said nothing, told Seraphina nothing, so Seraphina held her babe close to her and walked back into the Halls of Truth, returning to the neutral world to place her babe in the hands of his demon adoptive parents.

Her silver hair fell over her shoulders in waves and her golden eyes shone like puddles of molten sunshine, but Seraphina was not beautiful. She was evil in beauty's form. She was killing perfection, just as her son was meant to be.

"Killing perfection...it suits you, my son." She seemed to ponder something before smiling, in a sickly sweet way. "The japanese name for you, my son, is Sesshomaru. You shall be feared, my son. Sesshomaru is thy name."

Then she spoke no more, just stared blankly at the path ahead of her. Her mind was clouded with thoughts of her mighty son's defeat.

-

-The Above-

The heaven-born goddess Eve screamed, her wail forcing the creatures around her to cover their ears in pain. The goddess really was excruciatingly loud.

In between contractions, the goddesses prayed for the pain to end and the babe to arrive in the world. The prophecy said today was the day for a miraculous birth that would change the existence of the three worlds forever: The Above, the Neutral Realm, and the Beneath; Heaven, Earth and Hell.

Finally the healing goddess peered between Eve's legs and saw the head of the babe poking out. "Push, your highness, I see the babe's crown of hair." And she did push. She pushed harder than she had ever pushed any of her other 10 children. This child needed to be out quickly. She was a demi-goddess and needed to be taken to the Neutral Realm. As she pushed harder, Eve began to wonder why she had ever had that affair with the human man. If she hadn't, her newest daughter would be a true goddess, not a demi-goddess, but the true and whole goddess of Purity.

"Here she comes, you highness, one last push!"

And Eve pushed one last time, sufficiently eliminating almost all of her strength. She wouldn't have been able to push again. Luckily, she didn't need to.

Her daughter was presented to her and she held her fragile body up against her lithe frame. "What shall I call you, my child?"

Her elderst daughter, Sora, goddess of the wind, stepped forward. "Mother..."

"Yes, Sora?"

"How about the name Kagome?"

"Kagome? Basket?"

Sora blushed and whispered in her mother's ear: "The basket, mother, is another term for a mother's womb. If she is to be the demi-goddess of Purity, then basket fits because her womb is always pure. She can only become impregnated when she is with her true love. Basket and Purity fit."

Eve smiled and wrapped her arms around her youngest child. "Kagome...a perfect name for the perfect daughter..." And then the midwife took Kagome from her grasp, taking her to the messenger to be taken to the Neutral Realm.

"Be safe, my Kagome..."

-

-Chapter One: Present Time-

"Kagome-chan! Kagome-chan! KAGOME!" Souta, the youngest Higurashi, pushed through the crowd, chasing after his elder sister. "Kagome! Don't go!"

Kagome spun around and halted, looking at her brother threateningly. "Why, Souta? Why can I not go to my InuYasha?"

"Because he is deceiving you!" Kagome's eyes flashed silver. "Kagome-nee-chan? Why did your eyes change color?"

Kagome closed her eyes and a tear slipped out. "How do you know he is deceiving me, Souta?"

"Because Naomi-sama saw him go into the woods with Kikyou. Kikyou was wearing her nightclothes and everything! She had the Shikon-no-tama with her. I think she stole it out of Mama's shrine."

"Thank you Souta. I need to go find InuYasha."

"No! You'll heart will be broken."

"My heart is already broken. I need to find the Shikon-no-kakera before Kikyou does something foolish." Kagome hiked up her kimono, the ends still trailing in the dust of the road, and ran into the woods, very aware that several demons awaited her in it's dark depths.

"InuYasha! InuYasha!" she called, still running. She couldn't stop moving, there was something in the woods; she could feel it.

-

Sesshomaru watched as the girl ran. Her raven tresses fell out of her bun as she went and her kimono became dirtier by the second, but she was still strikingly beautiful. What did this alluring creature want with his brother?

He had been passing by a local village when he had smelled her. It wasn't that she had a bad scent, it was actually a very pleasing aroma, it was just that he could not place what she was. She did not have the coppery smell of a demon nor the death-coated scent of a ningen. She smelled like lavender and vanilla mixed and his inner-inu had called for her. His inu had never called for any female.

So, Sesshomaru had decided to follow this creature, little did he know that this particular creature knew that he was following her.

-

"InuYasha! INUYASHA!" Kagome was gasping for air. She couldn't keep running like this. "InuYasha, come out you COWARD! Bring me back the Shikon-no-Kakera! I don't care if Kikyou is with you! COME OUT! And you, whatever the heck you are, in the tree behind me, you come out too!"

Sesshomaru's mouth dropped. She sensed him? Caught, the only thing Sesshomaru could do was remove himself from the tree and introduce himself, because Sesshomaru, Prince of the West, did not stalk young women, or run away from an encounter. "Human, how can you sense me?"

Kagome flipped around and banged her nose on something considerably hard. "Ow..." She looked up and was met with the most beautiful pair of eyes she had even seen. "Whoa...urmm...who are you?"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "You do not know me, girl?"

Kagome turned pink from anger. "My name is Kagome. Not girl, wench, witch, ningen, and/or wretch. Got that?"

Sesshomaru's eyes tinted red. "Learn your place, girl."

Kagome lifted a hand and smacked him right across the jaw. "My name is Kagome. And I hope that slap turned on your pathetic brain."

Sesshomaru growled. Who did this girl think she was? "Touch me again and I will not hesitate in removing your head from your body."

"What are you, some suicidal idiot or something? You can't tell me what to do! And it's against the laws around here to murder Princesses, is it not? I am Lady Kagome Higurashi, Princess of the Kingdom of Yokohama, second only to my parents, and on equal level with Lord Sesshomaru Tashio himself, and bearer of a purifying power unique only to me and deadly to almost every demon."

Sesshomaru smirked. "Equal level to the Tashios? In your dreams, mortal. Maybe you are equal to InuYasha but your equality ends there."

"Lord InuTashio bestowed a great honor on my family. We protect the jewel of the West: the Shikon-no-Kakera, the great jewel that gives power to any that possess it. Also, my elder sister, Kikyou, has been promised to the Prince Sesshomaru. They are promised to be mated and wed."

Sesshomaru's eyes bled red. "A mortal mating with the Prince. Preposterous."

"It's true. My parents signed the engagement agreement this morning. I was sent to go find Kikyou, but she has disappeared with the jewel and is somewhere in this woods with InuYasha Tashio, the hanyou Prince, disowned by his father." Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow and his eyes returned to their original golden hue. This girl knew a lot about his family. Maybe she was what she said.

"Is the Kikyou you speak about Kikyou Nanami Higurashi, the miko Princess?"

Kagome sighed. "Yes, she is my sister. I feel sorry for Prince Sesshomaru though..."

He cocked his head. "Why is that?"

"Kikyou is currently sleeping with InuYasha and when she marries Sesshomaru, I doubt she will be faithful." She blushed. "I'm sorry. I've said too much. I don't want to bore you any longer, so I will take my leave. I need to find the sister of mine." She pulled the comb from her hair, letting the tendrils fall freely, before hiking up her kimono and running deeper into the woods. As she went, she glanced over her shoulder at him: "Arigatou for listening to me, Youkai-sama, I hope we meet again." Then she was gone; gone to find his half-brother and his future mate.

Sesshomaru spat. He was to be married off to a human whore! How degrading! How could his father do this to him! There must be someone else for him to marry. There just had to be.

Sesshomaru turned and disappeared into the sanctity of the darkness, wallowing in his loathing of the world and it's cruel ironies.

Meanwhile, Kagome was fuming. Where was that ruddy sister of hers! "KIKYOU HIGURASHI! COME OUT HERE BEFORE I GO AND GET SANGO AND KIRARA!" Suddenly, InuYasha appeared from one of the nearby trees, Kikyou on his back.

Kikyou climbed off the hanyou's back and walked towards her younger sister. "Ah, Kagome. Nice to see you. Isn't it InuYasha?"

"Of course, Kikyou-koi." InuYasha had a blank expression and the Shikon-no-Kakera hung around his neck like collar.

"What did you do to him, Kikyou?"

"He wanted to play with the Shikon and I let him. Now it has possessed him and I have his powers. I may only be half a hanyou, but I have gained more power nevertheless. I don't want to completely kill him yet, it might anger my future mate and his parents."

"Didn't you know? The Tashios disowned InuYasha because he's a half-breed and a dishonor to their taiyoukai family line."

Kikyou wiped the dirt from her hand on InuYasha's fire-rat kimono. "Pity for him. Now I have no reason to keep him alive."

Kagome let a tear slide down her cheek. "Can I say goodbye first? To the real InuYasha? I know I can't stop you but I want to let him know how much I love him."

Kikyou scoffed. "Pathetic. I don't want you to touch him. You can say goodbye to this InuYasha or you can just leave. I'm not giving up my power for even two seconds so you can say your pitiful goodbyes."

"Fine." Kagome reached carefully into the inner part of her kimono, grabbing a hold of her dragon-scale throwing dagger. The question was, did she kill Kikyou or InuYasha. The answer was simple, if she were to kill InuYasha now, while Kikyou was still feeding off his power, they would both die, but Kikyou would die first, which would give Kagome just enough time to say goodbye.

She pulled the dagger out and threw it fast to her right, hitting InuYasha in the throat, causing him to choke and fall, dying. Kikyou fell next, clutching her throat and reaching out to Kagome, silently screaming. "Kikyou, it was your time. You've endangered our whole family." Then she pulled the dagger from InuYasha's throat and pressed it into Kikyou's still beating heart. Her sister sputtered and spit up a little blood before going still.

Kagome walked over to where InuYasha lay, dying. "I'm so sorry, InuYasha. Kikyou was posessing you. You would have been a threat to my kingdom and more importantly my family. I guess I didn't love you as much as I thought..." Then she kissed his sweating brow and left him to his death. She couldn't be the killing blow.

She began her trek back to the village, wiping her bloodied hands on her inner kimono, hoping to conceal it's scent from the demons and it's visibility from the humans. She was not as lucky as she thought.

A bear youkai leapt into her path and swiped her across the side, ripping out chunks of flesh and fabric as it went. She fell over in a heap, slowly collecting blood on every inch of her body, and slowly losing consciousness. The bear loomed over her, hunger in the depths of his green eyes and was about to dine upon Kagome's young flesh when a blur of silver and white cut in front of it, knocking it to the ground. It looked perplexed for a moment as the blur materialized into the form of Sesshomaru.

"Beast, what do you think you are doing to the Princess of Yokohama?" The bear looked at Sesshomaru stupidly before growling and attempting to escape into the woods. Sesshomaru cut in front of him, smoothing his silver hair back from his face. "No, bear, I'm not done with you yet. You've harmed a Princess. That's treason. I will have to end your pathetic excuse for a life."

Kagome glanced up from her position. "No, youkai, do not kill him. I am covered in blood. That is what tempted him to attack me." She looked at the bear and noticed it was all white except for a black crescent shaped marking over it's right eye and two black stripes on each of it's front legs. It was slightly cute, in a demonic sort of way. "Don't kill it. It's kinda cute."

The bear seemed to purr, more so growled, and Sesshomaru gave it a strange look. "What are you purring at, you idiot?" The bear quieted and bowed submissively. Kagome attempted to stand but was sent sprawling by the force of the pain.

"Ow..." The bear stepped toward her and began to lick the blood off of her face and hands, transforming into a smaller demon as it went. By the time it was done it was the size of a cub and it relaxed next to her, content to lick her hand. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.

"Softie...Kagome, it seems you have the pest under control."

"It seems I do. Thank you for saving me, even though I feel slightly bad for not knowing your name."

Sesshomaru pondered that. If he told her his real name, she might stop talking to him, in fear of angering her sister and parents. Or his. So he decided to shorten it. "Maru."

She seemed to think for a moment. "Maru...it's a strong name. So Maru-sama, is there any way you could get me to the village or somewhere I could heal this badly mangled side of mine." The bear stood then, as if hearing it's cue to help.

"Kuma...you can't help. You're too small and I don't want you getting big again because that mean you'll want to eat me again."

"Kuma?"

Kagome laughed, the melodic giggle filling the dark space between her and Sesshomaru. "He needs a name."

"Don't tell me you're keeping him as a pet."

"He's not even an adult yet! He needs a mother!"

"Do you make it a habit of taking in stray demons?"

Kagome blushed. "Oh no. How many do you have?"

"Well, my mom adopted a little fox kit name Shippo. He's like a little brother, but he calls me mama. And then there's Koga. I found him wounded and let him work in my household, but he kinda has a crush on me." Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. He knew Koga. He was one of InuYasha's rivals during his childhood years. Sesshomaru had always been on Koga's side, even though Koga was only a peasant. He disliked his younger brother that much.

"Interesting."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "If you're going to be so damn condescending, I'll crawl my way back to my village. Maybe my blood'll hold out till then."

Sesshomaru looked at her, then walked over to her, picked her and leapt into the air. Kagome squealed. "What about Kuma!"

"He'll follow if he likes you as much as you say he does." Sure enough, Kuma was trailing them on the ground; a tiny white puffball in a sea of black and green.

"Aww..." Kagome looked down and gasped, clutching tighter to Sesshomaru's frame. "Why are we up so high?"

"Would you like to get attacked again?"

Kagome paled and put a hand to her side. "No..." She looked into the horizon and saw an approaching white castle. "Where are we going?"

"To the Western castle."

Kagome laughed. "Why would you want to go there? Kikyou said that Sesshomaru is a total ass and he's the nice on of the family!"

Sesshomaru almost dropped her, he jerked so hard. "Sesshomaru-sama is not an ass. He's just a typical royal teenage male."

Kagome smiled. "I bet you're right. Kikyou was wrong about everybody." Kagome let a grief-filled tear slide down her face. Before he knew what was happening, Sesshomaru had wiped it away with the smooth side of his nail. Kagome shivered.

"Maru, what are you doing?"

"I must tell you something Kagome-sama. I am not who you think I am." He looked down at her pale face and saw something there; it was acceptance and regret.

"I am also not who you believe me to be." She turned her face away from his gaze. "Can you take me home? I have a feeling that after what I've done today, my household will be in an uproar."

Sesshomaru nodded and changed course, heading for the main village in the center of the Yokohama kingdom: Kagome's home.

He alighted on her marbled balcony, his boots hardly making a sound. Kagome was fast asleep in the crook of his arm, sleeping off her injury. Dirt caked her face and her was matted with blood. He wondered, sullenly, if he would ever get to see her in all of beautiful splendor. Maybe they would meet at a gala, or in the worst case, at her sister's and his wedding. Somewhere in his mind he wondered if he would be able to go through the ceremony with Kagome in the room. Today they had shared something and he would never be able to forget it. If only they were not both royalty. Things could be different.

He sighed and left, pondering that troublesome thought all the way back to the West. He saw Kuma, as he left, padding outside of the stable door, trying to get in. He landed next to the bear and opened the stable door. The bear relaxed in a corner stall, awaiting the return of it's mistress. Then Sesshomaru was gone; gone into the night to wallow in self-pity and hate for his once loved royal lineage.

R&R

Kudos and Mucho Love!

Darkness