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Flames licked the walls greedily as everything slowly turned to ash. Smoke enveloped four figures in its suffocating embrace. Demon or not, this amount of smoke was dangerous. Toga snarled. If this wasn't enough, human soldiers were waiting for them outside. It seems one of the noble families of the land sought their demise. And apparently, these humans knew who they were up against. A minimum of three hundred men had been sent to slay the Great Dog General and his kin.

Toga looked over his shoulder at his human mate and their newborn pup before turning to his eldest, "Sesshomaru, go with Izayoi and Inuyasha. Make sure the three of you escape. Is that understood, pup?"

Sesshomaru's intelligent golden eyes drifted to his father, "I'm sorry, Father. But I do not. Is it not your family's life currently at stake?"

Toga stared at his son in outrage. He was about to smack the insolent whelp for what he said but Sesshomaru spoke again, "You go with them for they are no concern of mine."

Faster than the great dog general could blink, Sesshomaru had disappeared into the raging fire to confront their attackers.

"SESSHOMARU!"

Toga attempted to go after his foolish son, but the house was already collapsing on top of them. He heard Izayoi's suppressed whimpers and Inuyasha's wails. He had no choice. He had to leave Sesshomaru behind. The dog demon turned once more to where his son had gone before lifting his mate and pup. They had to escape. They had to, or else Sesshomaru's actions would've been for nought. With any luck, he would be able to return to aid his son.

The younger inuyoukai ignored his father's enraged howl. He could care less about what his father thought of him now. It was the old dog's fault anyway. He was the one who ensnared a princess. He was the one who whisked her away and impregnated her. Sesshomaru scowled inwardly, after what happened to his first mate, one would think that Toga would've learned his lesson.

Humans can never be trusted. They are good for one thing and one thing only—sport. The young demon dashed through the burning halls. He would meet these foolish humans, he would meet with them and he would kill them all. That thought brought a smirk to his lips. Finally emerging from the burning castle, Sesshomaru landed gracefully in front of the human army.

His smirk grew wider as they flinched. Good. They were still afraid of youkai. Walking calmly, Sesshomaru flexed his claws.

"Attack!" ordered a soldier on a horse. No one dared to move. Sesshomaru spared him a bored glance. The human visibly shook under his stare and rightly so. 'It seems that these vermin have not forgotten their place.' It was somewhat amusing that they attack in large numbers and yet they are still afraid of one youkai pup.

The man gulped, sweat trailed down his ugly face,

"W-What are you doing, you fools!? I said attack! Kill the demons!"

As if his voice slapped them all back to their senses, a collective war cry resounded from the soldiers as they all charged at Sesshomaru. Not that it bothered him in the least. Three hundred humans against one demon-child? Sesshomaru's claws dripped with poison, 'So be it.'

Toga had returned to battlefield only to find heaps upon heaps of dead bodies, most of which have been burned and damaged beyond recognition. The smell of Death was everywhere, making it impossible for the dog general to sniff out his son. There was a painful tug on his heart. He could not find his son. And what was worse, he could not find it in himself to believe that perhaps he had survived. Not one to succumb to grief so easily, Toga flared his youki and searched the carcasses one by one.

By the time he had finished, three days have passed. Out of sheer exhaustion and sorrow, Toga fell to his knees in defeat.

Years Later…

"Rin-chan! Souta! What happened to you two?"

Rushing over to her brother and sister, Kagome knelt down to their level. Their faces were covered in mud and cuts, thin trails of blood here and there. Rin was crying while Souta was trying to keep his tears to himself, "W-We just wanted to visit our old friends… W-We thought we'd play with them since it's been a while…but…" His fists shook at his side as he shut his eyes tight.

Kagome's face twisted into a menacing scowl but she quickly shoved her murderous thoughts aside. Leading her siblings to her room, she made quick work of their wounds. Scowl never leaving her face, Kagome cleaned the wounds carefully and expertly bandaged them all up. She was relieved that their injuries weren't all that serious. Once they were all patched up, Kagome told the two of them to rest in her room while she made dinner.

Sighing, the older Higurashi glanced at her surroundings tiredly. The mouldy bricks and the tattered, damp drapes were a far cry from the elegant curtains that hung on pristine windows and the alabaster walls of their old home. Still, Kagome can honestly say she prefers this. She just can't say the same for her siblings. Well, not that any of them were verbally complaining. Souta and Rin seemed content—confused but content. Her younger twin, Kikyo was more than helpful and understanding. But Kagome never failed to catch sight of a certain longing in her twin's eyes. A longing for the life they once had.

Shaking those grim thoughts from her mind, Kagome proceeded to the task at hand. They might be poor now, but Kagome always made sure that their food, at least, would still be fit for kings. She prided herself in her cooking skills. It was one of her strengths if nothing else. She could do wonders with simple boiled water, a few mushrooms and onions.

Hearing their door creak open, she turned to greet the new arrivals, one of them being her sister. Kikyo, unlike her, had dark brown eyes and a paler complexion. Kagome always envied how much older she looked. People always mistook Kikyo to be the older twin. Well, not that she can blame them. Kikyo always did have this air around her that screamed adult.

The other two adults were Sango and Miroku. Sango was a beautiful woman. Her long brown hair tied in a low ponytail and her chocolate brown eyes. She's Miroku's wife. Previously, Miroku had been a priest, that is, until he was kicked out for attracting 'inappropriate' attention amongst the young ladies of noble families. The last one was Sango's younger brother, Kohaku. He was a quiet boy, but Kagome was certain that she wasn't the only one who noticed the faint blush on his face when Rin talks to him.

"Hi guys! Any luck today?"

"Well, Mother Kaede gave the usual three pieces of silver. Probably enough for a few days at least." Reported Miroku. Despite not being a priest anymore, he still helps in mass preparations and psalms.

"No luck here. I think fortune-telling is really getting old. I feel like my shoulders are about to fall off." Sango rubbed her aching joints, trying to get the feeling back.

"I was going my rounds today and children are getting sick left and right. We're running out of herbs, sister." Kikyo's brows furrowed in worry.

"Koga-san said that the school is running out of materials." Came Kohaku's voice.

If Kagome was depressed, she didn't show it, "I see, don't worry! It'll be my turn to go out tomorrow. I'm sure I can manage something. Why don't you guys take a break while I finish making dinner? It'll be ready in a while."

Appreciating her positive attitude, three of them went to their respective rooms. Kikyo, however, stayed behind and walked over to Kagome, "Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"Don't you think that maybe… we should try and go home?" Kagome stilled for a moment, her back turned to Kikyo. A minute passed before Kagome spoke, her voice was quiet, "Kikyo, you know there's nothing left for us there."

"I-I know. It's just that if we were to at least consider Onigumo's—"

"No. We've already lost mother and father to his 'offers'. I will not risk losing the three of you."

"We don't need to live there. We could just try and ask for help. With that money we could buy the other children enough medicine to last five years. We could send Rin and Souta to school again. We could help Sango and Miroku to keep up this house."

Kagome spun around to face her sister, "We will do no such thing. Onigumo is a vile character. He will cheat us quicker than you can say Notre Dame. No. I will figure something out. I always do. Just leave this to me, Kikyo. I promise. You have my word that we will be able to do all those things WITHOUT the help of that traitor."

Kikyo's face fell, "I just don't like seeing you push yourself. I know you haven't been eating, Kagome. I know that taking care of Rin and Souta is wearing you down. You may have the others fooled, sister, but I can see you growing thinner by the day."

The older Higurashi placed a reassuring hand on Kikyo's shoulder, "Guess I'm not as good an actress as I thought."

"This isn't funny! What if you suddenly collapse on the streets!?"

Kagome sighed, letting her shoulders slump ever so slightly, "Don't you see, Kikyo? If we give in and turn to Onigumo for help, we won't even have our pride left. And we'll be known as just another conquest of Onigumo. If we're going to lose either way, I'd rather we lose with our heads held high. Besides, if we go to him now, we'll be a laughing stock to even bother resisting so long."

Kikyo sighed. As usual, Kagome was right.

Pride was the only thing they held on to. It's what kept them sane this past year.

"Did you know that Rin and Souta have been bullied today?"

Brown eyes widened, "What? By who?"

"By their old 'friends', you know, our previous neighbors. They came home all dirty and bleeding. RIn was crying and Souta was trying to put up a brave front."

Kikyo had to sit down, "Why on earth…?"

Kagome ran a hand through her hair, "Why? I would think it obvious. Now that we aren't in their little, rich circle, they treat Rin and Souta like dirt. I swear, if I get my hands on those little cretins…"

By this time in their conversation, Kagome had turned back to her cooking and Kikyo noticed how tightly she was gripping the ladle. The oldest Higurashi sighed, "Forget about it, Kikyo. You don't need to worry about such things. Why don't you go check on Rin and Souta. They'd be glad to see you're back."

Reluctantly, Kikyo nodded and did as she was told.

Dinner was lively as usual. The youngest two of the Higurashis had seemingly forgotten their little ordeal that afternoon. For that Kagome and Kikyo were thankful. Kohaku did notice the wounds but when he asked, Rin and Souta shrugged it off and said that it was nothing. Miroku told funny made-up stories, making everyone laugh. Sango washed the dishes with Kikyo while Kagome put the kids to sleep. This was their daily routine come evening.

Before the sun rose, Kagome had already prepared breakfast and was getting ready to head out. She had a busy day ahead of her. Moving the cloth that served as their door, Kagome's bare feet met the cold pavement.

The Higurashis were known for their incredible healing abilities. It was rumoured that one touch could heal a fatal illness. It was true; however, it was only for a limited number of patients per day. If it were someone as experienced as their father, he could probably treat a maximum of three people without endangering his own life. While Kagome and Kikyo were taught how to do this, they lacked time and practice, they could only heal one person per day and it was only on urgent cases.

When their family had been cheated into bankruptcy, Kagome and her siblings ran away and found shelter in the slums. It was hard at first. The gypsies did not give them a warm welcome and even threatened to kill them, thinking that they were spies of Onigumo. That was when Sango and Miroku found them.

They have been living with them since.

Kikyo was in charge of making the house visits, healing the sick, services are free of charge. Sango took care of their faction outside the Court of Miracles, the dancers, the beggars, the puppeteers, and so on. Miroku, aside from his duties at Notre Dame, helped Koga and Kohaku run their little make-shift school in the Court of Miracles. It had been agreed upon that these children need a proper education. The teachers were anyone who had useful knowledge. Koga is a wolf demon. He was once a noble, too, and like the Higurashis, his family fell into ruin because of Onigumo. Now, at the request of Kagome, whom he had a crush on, he decided to be useful and teach the children.

"Hey there, mademoiselle."

Kagome whirled around and came face to face with two ugly men. By their pungent presence, Kagome deduced that they were dangerously drunk.

'What a wonderful way to start my day…'

"Good morning, gentlemen. May I help you?" she asked politely. If she ran away, they would only pursue her. And she wouldn't want to run around the Court of Miracles this early in the morning.

They towered over her, the smell of booze rolling off of them in powerful waves. Kagome held her breath and looked them in the eye. Not fazed by her blatant defiance, the two males licked their lips and gave her a good once-over, licking their lips. Their perverted eyes made her skin crawl.

'Typical morning madness it is!'

TBC…

A/N: I couldn't resist! I just had to post this before my long weekend is over. The next chapter won't be up for a while but since this one is more or less done, I wanted to post it as soon as I could. Please ignore the errors for now, I will fix them later. Hope you guys like it! Oh and before I forget! I have a fanart on DA for this particular story. Go check it out! It's called "Youkai of Notre Dame-Monster Lines". Consider it a sneak-peek of sorts.

Don't forget to tell me what you think!

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