Prologue: The Beginning

Sesshomaru sat outside in the school gardens.

He seemed intimidating there, surrounded by so much innocence and light. Noone would really classify Sesshomaru as either. The wind made the vines of flowers dance around his form, though they never touched him.

He heard gossip drifting in from the hallways, stupid jokes, and laughter. He heard his name whispered several times, heard others and little snippits of whatever they did that was so earth-shattering it had to be blown around the school. He sighed inaudibly at the stupidity of the student populous as he listened to their mindless chatter.

Idiots.

He went back to his drawing. He was gifted in many things, drawing being one of them.

On the large sketch paper was a girl. He made her hair raven in color, and sneering fairies danced around her head. She was shedding tears of blood, and an arm around her waist was the only thing keeping her levitated. The arm was attached the the silhouette of a man in the shadows. His eyes glinted red, and he held a sword to her neck. A full moon in the bakground finished it off.

He closed his book and leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes.

Something was changing. He could feel it.

&&&&

Sesshomaru was once again in the gardens the next day. But someone else was here with him.

It was a girl. She had long black hair in a natural wave and a slim figure that spoke of grace. She was writing something, but paused to look at him with piercing blue eyes. He held her gaze with his own molten gaze, before she returned to what she was writing.

He sat down under a tree across from her and began a new drawing.

As they both worked, they were in an almost intimate awareness of each other. It seemed like they could read each other.

They stood at the same time, done with their work.

She stared at him for a moment before turning and entering the school's halls again.

He, however, prolonged his stare on her retreating form. He looked down at his drawing and scowled before heading after her into the school.

The wind blew with a new ferver, seeming to know something the two teenagers did not. As the flowers danced and the day turned to night, the air crackled and pulsated with something long lost to this age of technology.

It told of something in times long past....

Part 1:Discovering Their Secrets

Kagome walked through the everlasting expanse of forest behind her shrine, her lithe movements silent so as not to alert the wildlife in the immediate area.

Her first day at her new school was mundane and followed the exact rythyms of her last school. Guys being pigs, girls being bitches, and the teachers being monotonous.

There was only one person that seemed to stand out. Well, two.

One was a girl named Kikyo. She was almost identical to Kagome herself, but her demeanor was what made her stand out. She spoke only to scorn, be it indirectly or to their face. Her eyes were glazed over with hatred and something akin to death. Like her soul had left her, leaving her to be a mere animated body.

The second was a man she did not know the name of. She had seen him that day in the school's gardens. He had long silver hair, golden eyes, and tattooed markings on his face. On both of his cheeks were parallel crimson streaks and, on his forehead, an ocean blue crescent moon. His face remained expressionless, though, while he worked, his eyes flashed with emotion after emotion.

When both had left, they had stared at each other. Kagome could see questioning in his gaze, as well as a constant guard. Like a wall around his eyes.

The iciness of his demeanor was enough to put even Kikyo on edge, but Kagome was not affected. She saw something in him that she knew was inside her own self. She saw how protective he was of himself. She saw how isolated he had made his life.

When they had left, she also found a challenge in his eyes.

She wondered what he expected of her. He probably thought she would submit to him, like so many of the other students. Or maybe he thought she would shriek at him for acting so weird toward her. He probably thought she would act indignant and start preaching about fairness and normality.

It was what everyone else thought she would do.

She sighed inaudibly. If that was what he expected her to do, he would be sorely disappointed.

She hadn't made a sound since she was four years old.

&&&&&&

Sesshomaru, alone in his dark bedroom, staring at the sketch he had drawn, was deep in a state of confusion.

He had drawn the girl from before. But she was in a miko's garb with a backdrop of a curtain of sakura. In her arms she held a fox, still in the morning of his life.

He didn't know why he drew her. He didn't know her, and she had an uncanny likeness to someone so annoying that he wanted to violently kill said person.

But as similar as they were, they were very different. He could tell. Kikyo was icy, the girl had warmth radiating off her. Kikyo put on gallons of make-up, making her look like a slut. The girl kept her face natural. Kikyo dressed revealingly, the girl was more conservative.

Despite their diffrences and similarities, he knew not why he had focused on her.

She wasn't what he really expected. Her eyes were blue, not the brown of her race. She was not indignant to his stare, nor did she melt or drool over him.

At that, he silently thanked her.

At least it gave him some justification for the drawing. He drew her because she was different, because she stood out.

But still, this reason did not seem good enough.

Even so, he accepted the fact that he did draw her. It would just take a period of time to figure out why.

He put the sketch book under his bed and rolled onto his back, clapping to turn off the only dim light there was in the room.

Laying there in the pitch darkness, his golden eyes glowing like suns, he was confused at his final thought before he slipped deep into sleep.

I have not drawn a real person since my mother died...

Part 2: Merry Meet

Kagome, once again, found herself in the school's gardens. And, once again, she encountered the man from before.

This time, however he approached her.

He came to sit beside her, bringing his sketch pad with him. They were still about a foot away, but still close enough.

He was curious. Both of what she was writing and why she acted the way she did. He leaned against the same tree she was leaning against and began his drawing.

For about an hour, they sat there working in companionable silence. Every once in a while, they would lean over to watch the other work, Kagome mostly.

She liked his drawings. They reminded her of what she wrote about, mostly. The olden days of youkai and mikos. The days of folk with fairies and dragons and deities. But magic especially.

And he was particularly interested in what she wrote. She'd write a poem, then turn the page and write a story, only filling up a page or two every time.

They, again, stood at the same time. Kagome offered him a smile, then walked off. He, again, prolonged his stare.

He watched her walk into the halls, her form almost disappearing behind a wall before another girl, he recognized her as Sango, approached her. He heard her yell "Kagome! Class is already starting! We're gonna be late!" Then he watched them run down the hall and out of sight.

"Kagome...." he murmered.

Part 3: Breaking the Habit

For the next month or two, Sesshomaru and Kagome worked, side by side, in the gardens. It was the only time of day Sesshomaru really looked forward to. It gave him peace. And Kagome found herself, also, looking forward to this time. She could escape from all the ridicule, all the stares, and just do what she wanted.

They learned a lot about each other through the silence of that one hour. Sesshomaru learned that her eyes changed color with what she felt, she loved to write (duh), and was actually completely opposite from the bitch she so resembled. Kagome learned that he only showed any type of emotion when he drew, he was pretty much isolated from most of humanity, and he, no matter how much easier it made life, hated technology.

But this time, he decided to break the cycle. "What are you writing?" he asked, looking over at her.

She smiled and handed him the notebook. He read.

When saw you last a harpy bold
Steal young lambs from the fold,
Underhill, the land of elves,
Or where the dwarven miner delves?
Never saw you, nor saw I
Where the unicorns go to die.

The faerie place, always green,
By human eye has not been seen;
Follow the Jabberwock's new trail,
And you are always doomed to fail,
For where such creatures dwell is nigh
To where unicorns go to die.

Dragons are such fearsome beasts,
Enjoying human maiden feasts,
But the Dragon King, foul and fell,
May just as eas'ly be down a well;
They're not to be found in the sky,
But where unicorns go to die.

The patron saint of giving gifts
And his reindeer with magic lifts
Visit every Christmas Eve,
But for the North Pole he does not leave;
Seen only by your child's eye,
He lives where unicorns go to die.

You sail the seas with excessive care:
Leviathin may be lurking there;
You don't want to visit the great Davey Jones
And give the sea floor a new set of bones.
Worry not, for I do not lie:
It stays where unicorns go to die.

But where do they pass away?
Where on the ground horned corpses lay?
The spiral crest of purity,
Worshipped since antiquity;
"Silly one," I must reply:
Unicorns will never die.

He handed the notebook back to her, along with the sketch pad. On it, he had drawn a forest. It was set at night, and the trees were closely packed together. There was a silver unicorn's head sticking out from the trees, it's body just flashes of silver among the trunks and foliage.

She smiled, stood, and turned around to leave.

"Kagome." he said.

She turned back around, giving him a questioning stare.

The smallest ghost of a smile crossed his features, disappearing too quickly for anyone to even know it was there. "My name is Sesshomaru."

She smiled again, then walked away.

Part 4: Bring Me Peace

After the first time they worked together, they found themselves doing it more and more often over the past 5 or 6 months. They didn't have to look over at what the other was doing to know what would correspond with it. Often Sesshomaru would wake up with this idea in his head, only to find out that Kagome had the same one. It went the same on Kagome's point of view.

Sesshomaru also found himself putting the rest of the world into the background and concentrating on every moment in the gardens. He looked forward to this time of day every day. He found tranquility and harmony in the silence, among the trees and flowers.

The strange thing was that they never had to deal with people talking of them, while they were in or out of the gardens. Noone said a word. Either they were too dense to notice, Sesshomaru figured, or they were afraid. Either one worked for him.

Kagome also looked forward to these times. She didn't have to worry about communicating, or problems at home, or stuff at school. It all came naturally here.

One day, though, Sesshomaru decided to break the silence again. "Kagome?" he asked when he was done. She looked up at him, being that he was a head taller than she. "Do you mind if I walked you home today?"

Normally, he would just say 'I'm walking you home. Get your stuff.' But she had earned his respect. He wanted to keep hers.

She smiled and shook her head.

He relaxed slightly. "Alright. I'll meet you here after school."

With that, they turned around and walked their separate ways.

Neither knew just what kind of door they just opened..............

.........Or what would come out.

Part 5: My Kind of Release

The walk to Kagome's home was uneventful. Even so, it became a part of Sesshomaru's daily schedule. Walk Kagome to school, classes, time with Kagome in the gardens, classes, walk Kagome home. All this was done in relative silence, unless he said something to which she merely shook her head or shrugged.

One day, Kagome decided to break the routine. When she got to her shrine steps, she turned toward Sesshomaru. She held out her hand.

He watched her eyes for a moment, then looked down to her hand. Slowly, he slipped his palm into hers.

Gripping his hand, she turned and started running. He followed easily after. When they got to the top, they still ran. They stopped at a line of trees.

He looked over to Kagome, who stood next to him, staring resolutely into the forest. She loosened her grip on his hand and started into the forest, intending to let go.

He tightened his grip.

She turned toward him, seeing the look that simply said 'no'. She reaffirmed her grasp, and started back on the way she was walking before.

There were no trails in her five acre by five acre expanse of forest, but she knew these woods like the back of her hand. She stayed to the most open areas, making sure he didn't get tired.

Sesshomaru, however, had been taking kendo and judo since he was young, and it would take more than this to make him tired. Still, it was harder for him to make his way through the trees, being that he hadn't been in the woods before. It looked as if Kagome could glide through, for she barely made a sound as she stepped.

He also knew that she was leading him somewhere. He wondered briefly where, but trusted her on this.

When they reached their destination, they stopped. It was nothing special, really. Just a clearing and a few trees. These trees had grown in spiraled and curved at the trunks, so one could just crawl up the trunk to the first fork in the branches.

Kagome looked at him, telling him with her eyes to let go. He granted her wish, slightly disappointed in the loss of contact. He would wonder on that later.

She started to climb a spiraled trunk, going to the branch on the left. This branch was a good 15 feet above the ground, it's opposite maybe a foot higher. She gestured to the limb about five feet opposite of her.

He climbed the tree, taking the branch to the right and sitting directly across from her. Together they sat in silence. Kagome suddenly smiled mischievously at him, springing up to stand on her feet on the branch.

He suddenly understood. Fine. If it's a chase she wants, it's a chase she'll get.

He kneeled on the branch, a predatory grin in place. He launched easily to her limb. Before he made contact with the branch, she jumped backwards. In a split second of terror, he almost forgot to latch onto the limb. When he did, he was relieved to see two hands hanging on to it alongside his.

He grasped her wrists, folding his body over the limb so his head and legs dangled over different sides. He stretched his arms out as far as they'd go, only his grip keeping her from dropping. He smirked.

She smirked back, wrenching one wrist free of his grip. She waved, then jerked the other wrist away. He watched her land in a kneel from above, then watched her run off into the woods.

He flipped off the branch, landing, as she did, in a kneel. He tore off through the trees, never stopping. He didn't have to know these woods. He knew her.

She was near. He could feel it.

Quick movement out of the corner of his eye gave her away. Jeans and a camouflage tank didn't hide her movement very well. If there was any advantage she had, it was the quiet with which she could move.

Kagome ran again, knowing full well she had been discovered. She didn't know how long or how far she ran, but she knew she had to keep going. Against her better judgement, she obeyed her screaming muscles and stopped, her back to a large tree trunk. She looked up.

She was leaning against the Goshinboku.

She looked off to the right for any sign of her hunter. Nothing. She looked to the left.

She was suddenly slammed back into the tree by a body. Two arms slammed two hands into the tree on either side of her head. She looked forward, only to be met with fierce golden eyes, wild with the thrill of the hunt.

Sesshomaru had forgotten how much he loved the hunt. When he was still playing hide and seek, he remembered how he loved to be 'it' and hunt down his prey. Worthy prey was even better.

Suddenly, the whole world melted away. The only thing existing in his brain was the fact that he had her alone and he had her trapped. Her eyes took up his vision.

They were beautiful, truly. Stormy gray when she was sad, vibrant cerulean when she was happy. Now, they were deep blue with an adrenalin rush and......something he couldn't read.

Everything from the past six months invaded his mind. Memories from when he first met her, to this moment in time.

Again, all that he could think of was he had her.

He leaned forward, touching his forehead to hers. "I win." he said, his voice low.

Kagome felt a trill of excitement throw itself up and down her spine. When he caught her, it released the fear her mind struck into her heart when she was being chased. It was like she was being pursued by a true predator, one that, when it caught her, would tear her to shreds.

When she found herself looking into familiar golden eyes, she felt her body instantly relax. The world fell away, and all that she saw were those stony gold eyes. One word kept repeating over and over in her head:

Damn.

She knew him well enough to know that he took whatever he believed was his. She knew him well enough to know that he knew that he had just won. And she knew him well enough to know that he would take his victory past just a trophy.

She watched in anticipation as he leaned forward. When he said those two words, her heart stopped.

Those words drudged up memories she didn't want at the moment. She was supposed to be having fun, playing chase with the guy she had been spending time with for the past six months.

Suddenly, honey golden eyes were replaced with lusty brown ones, markings changed to tanned skin, and the god-like face turned rough. The warm mint breath she breathed now was thick with alcohol.

She turned away sharply, shoving his body from hers. She started into a run, but a hand gripped her wrist.

She turned around, and there stood Sesshomaru. She gently twisted her hand away. She gave him an apologetic look, then ran out of the woods and into her house.

He stayed behind long after, wondering. When he finally gathered up his senses, he walked out of the woods and back to his house.

Part 6: Midnight Musings

Sesshomaru tried to sleep that night. He tossed and turned in his bed, the silken sheets twisting around his body like a hot cocoon. It was no use. His thoughts kept bouncing around in his head.

He pulled the sheets away from his upper body and made a pillow for his head with his arms.

What happened? he kept wondering.

What could have happened to make him so attached to this girl? When he thought she had fallen, he remembered something that gripped his heart and threw his stomach into his throat.

Fear, he guessed.

He wasn't exactly new to fear. But fear was alien, and certainly not welcome.

But why would he fear for this girl? He feared for his mother, for his sister. Those were the only two he ever thought he'd fear for.

He also remembered the relief. Now, whereas he knew what fear was, he had never felt relief. He had a right to fear what he feared for his mother and sister, but nothing had ever come out right. Who could feel relief when everything had turned out wrong, right?

Still, relief was not so unwelcome as fear. Relief he could handle, he figured. Besides, relief was one of the good emotions. This great relief almost made him smile, almost made him take her then.

Keyword: Almost.

During the chase, he remembered the adrenalin rush. Never had anyone eluded him for so long. He reveled in that feeling as he did in the relief. It had been so long since he had gotten to run, to play.

But when he finally trapped her, it was play no longer. As much as he wanted to deny it, he wanted her then. Still wanted her now, if he listened to his body, not his mind.

Maybe he thought. I should just forget her now.

A foolish thought, he knew. He would always carry the memories. Always be reminded by something or other. Besides, his art had sky-rocketed since he started working with her.

Speaking of which..........

He stood up, tying the sheet around his waist, and walked over to his easel. He put a new canvas on it and began working. He always thought better when he worked, anyway.

He couldn't avoid her either. He needed his escape, and his escape was with her. In the gardens, he didn't have to think about anything. Away from all the chaos and motion, he could be himself. He wasn't giving that up. He wasn't giving her up.

And when she had torn away from him, he felt his heart clench. He had reached out to hold her there, but allowed her to leave at her whim. That same pain still twisted his chest.

What had he done wrong? Had me moved too fast?

No. He knew what she did when something like that happened. She would shake her head to whoever did something with her that she didn't want to do, let them down easy.

Something scared her.

But what?

When she turned back around a second time, there was an apology in her eyes, accompanying the sorrow and, yes, fear he saw as well.

He looked back at the easel. He had drawn her there from a side view. She was on her knees in the clearing where they climbed the tree, staring sadly up at the raining sky. She had a hand reaching up, catching some of the rain drops. A figure in shadow stood behind her, watching her with adoring eyes.

His mind made up, he climbed back in bed. His thoughts settled down, allowing him some rest. His last concious thought was:

Time to go talk to Kikyo.

Part 7: Silent Pasts

Sesshomaru had to break his daily routine, no matter how much he didn't want to. He had to know. He explained to Kagome that he had to hurry home. Someone important was waiting to talk to him there.

He was relieved when she smiled warmly and nodded.

He ran faster than he ever had before to his house, knowing she was there with his brother. He walked into Inuyasha's room, getting a front seat view of them making out.

He sighed in annoyance, grabbed Kikyo's arm, and pulled her out of the room, locking Inuyasha inside in the process.

She yanked out of his hold. "What is your problem?!"

"What can you tell me about Kagome?"

Kikyo immediately became solemn. She lit a cigarette, giving it a smoke. "I'll tell you. But you have to swear that you won't tell anyone and you won't use it against her. Got that?"

He nodded.

"Kagome is my sister. Step-sister, technically. When I first moved in with my father, all Kagome did was stay up in her room. She was about 8, and I was 9. When she did come down, she stayed in separate rooms from us, specifically my father. One day, I came home and found this piece of paper." she said, putting her hand in her pocket and pulling out a yellowed, worn piece of lined paper. "When I asked her about it, she just hung her head and walked into the woods in the backyard. She never talked." as an afterthought, she said "Is she talking now?"

He looked back on all the time he had spent with her. Had she talked? Ever? He thought harder. No. Never.

"No." he answered.

Kikyo smiled wanly. "Who knows? You might be the one she opens up to." she unlocked Inuyasha's door, walking back in. "Or not." with that, she closed the door on him.

He sighed again, walking back into his room. It's becoming a habit with him, sighing, that is.

He sat on his bed and opened the sheet of paper. The handwriting wasn't easy to read, but he managed. He read.

Mommy still doesn't know. It's been years and I can't believe it. All that time still seems so short. I can still see him. Daddy's still in my nightmares. I can even see him at daytime. I woke up screaming in class today. All the kids laughed at me. They don't know either.

But I know. I've got scars to prove it.

Daddy hurt me another way too. A way you can't see. I don't know what he did, but it hurt. I was in my bedrooom. I was about to go to sleep. Then I saw daddy. He had this weird face on. It scared me more than the face he gets when he hurts me. He got on top of me and

He stopped right there.

Fuck.

That was the one word that kept repeating in his mind. Fuck.

He sat there for an hour, eyes wide, millions of thoughts running rampant through his head in no discernable order.

When he was finally calm enough to sleep, he had nightmares through the eyes of Kagome. A big rough man standing over him, pressing his full weight on him, whispering threats in his ears.

Somewhere around midnight, he guessed, the nightmares stopped. He was in a forest, rain was falling. He spun around when he sensed movement.

He was met with the sight of Kagome. She had a long, white, silk dress on. It was tight around the chest, stomach, and waist, and would have flowed loosly about her legs if it wasn't sticking to her body from the rain. Her pale skin glowed in the darkness. He hair was matter to her back, her eyes as watery as the rain she was drenched in.

She was the most beautiful thing he could ever hope to see.

He saw her knees buckle, and caught her before she could hit the ground. He leaned his back against a tree and gathered her to his chest. There, she cried. She made no sound as she did, but her tears were words enough.

"Shhh, shhh." he soothed. "It's alright. I know, I know. Shhh."

When her tears had dried, she tried to sit back, away from him. He would have none of it. He tightened his iron grip.

She was fine with that, too.

The rain continued to pour, but that was out of his mindset. He felt his body and hers fading from the dream. Before he could wake up fully, he whispered in her ear. "I'll see you in the morning."

Part 8: Torture

Kagome had to walk home alone a second time. Sesshomaru promised he would come to her at about the half-way point, and she believed him. She could survive a few blocks without him, right?

As she passed an alley, one that always made her nervous, she stopped. There was a man lying there.

She ran to his side and felt his heart. Then his chest contracted.

She jumped backwards, slamming her back against the wall in the process. He stood up, walking towards her with menace in his eyes. He pressed his body to hers, crushing her lips with his.

"I've been watching you, little girl." he said. "If you won't talk, I doubt you'll scream."

With that, he shoved into her. Tears burst into her eyes for the first time in years and he moved in and out of her. He pulled swiftly away, dropping her unceremoniously to the ground. "Interesting." he said lowly, standing over her. He kneeled down, intending to go again.

"Your daddy told me about you." he remarked, putting his face lower to hers. She closed her eyes, trying to block out his words. "He said you're an excellent screamer. Let's see, shall we?"

Part 9: Savior

He was pushed aside by a flying body, slamming into the wall. She saw Sesshomaru standing above her, panting from the fastest and longest run he ever had to endure.

He knew something was wrong the minute he stepped away from her. Why didn't he get here in time? Hell, why did he leave?!

He pulled Kagome to his chest in a manner reminiscent of the dream. "What did you do to her?" he whispered lowly to the man laying a few yards away.

"The same thing her dear father did to her." he said nonchalantly.

Sesshomaru gently laid Kagome down on the ground, her back propped up against a wall. He stood and turned slowly to the man. "Your name?"

"My apologies. Call me Naraku."

"Well, Naraku," he said lowly, his eyes shadowed by his bangs. "Do you know what you can do for me?"

"Enlighten me."

He leapt at Naraku, tkaing his head in his hands. "You can die."

He snapped his neck, allowing the body to fall to the ground.

Kagome stared fearfully at the twisted neck of Naraku. She had no idea her Sesshomaru was capable of that. Of killing. Still, Naraku did deserve it.

He kneeled before her and picked her up.

Even though he killed Naraku, he wanted to do so much worse. He dared touch Kagome, the only thing he really cared for. He had noone else. What's more, Naraku was foolish enough to touch what was his.

He suddenly had the biggest epihany he ever had. It made him want to laugh and cry. It filled him with hope and it filled him with fear. He felt like he could fly but he felt weighed down by ten extra tons.

I love her.....

Part 10: Tying Up the Loose Ends

He was about to take her inside, but she shook her head and pointed to the woods. He looked at her for a moment, then obeyed.

He took her to the clearing of spiraled trees, surprisingly without much trouble while he was carrying her.

He sat down, bringing her to sit in his lap. She was slightly startled by this, but didn't fight it. She leaned her head against his shoulder, listening to him breathe.

"Kagome, listen to me." he said solemnly, staring down at her. He felt her nod. "In the time span of months, you've taught me so many things. You taught me how to fear, how to hope. You showed me through your silence everything I could ever need to know. You even gave me back my dreams."

It was true. He had never dreamed before, never hoped. Never known a fear like the one she gave him.

He hesitated a moment.

Kagome got the clue. She sat up in his lap, peering into his eyes. She struggled for a moment, then got out the words she had wanted to say since he saved her. The words he wanted to hear for so long.

"I......" she struggled again. "I....L-love.......Y-y-ou."