What Doesn't Kill You

Author: Reflection of a Broken Dream

Pairing: OC x Sesshoumaru

A Quick Note:

- Other Pairings: Kagome x Inuyasha, Sango x Miroku, Hikari (Kagome's mom) x Kaoru (Kagome's dad), Kaoru x OC, Kaori x OCs, possibly others to come.

- This is different than what I would normally write, and it's centered around my OC Kaori. (Kaori is one of my favorite OCs. I love the name Kaori for whatever reason...so I usually take the name and mold a suitable female character around it and create a good storyline for her to catch the eye of certain male characters in series that I particularly like.) Other characters will come into play, but this will mostly revolve around Kaori and Sesshoumaru. Note: She doesn't find Sesshoumaru in this chapter. Have patience. It'll come together soon. :D

- I hope ya'll enjoy!

- Please Review!

Disclaimer:

I don't own Inuyasha...but I do own Kaori! 3

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter 1 - Enter: Kaori Higurashi

Thigh-length ebony hair swayed as a young woman, barely twenty-one, stepped out of a bright yellow taxi and onto the cracked gray sidewalk in front of a large concrete stairwell.

"You know, you don't seem like the religious type to me, Kaori," the cabby, Shin, piped up as the woman partially re-entered the taxi and pulled money out of a small pocket in her backpack. "Why are you going to a shrine, of all places?"

"Family," Kaori replied simply with a soft sigh. 'And they have no idea that I'm dropping by...,' she added mentally, wary of that very fact. She'd never met anyone from her father's side of the family, so she didn't know how things were going to play out... "Here." She handed him the money she owed him from the ride, her calloused hands brushing his.

"I know how that is...," Shin nodded as though he understood. 'He has no idea...,' Kaori sighed again in her mind as he prattled on. She tuned him out. It was a...complex matter- it needed to be handled delicately. Still, she didn't move to correct him. 'Let him believe what he wants to believe.' Zipping her backpack shut again, she pulled her green suitcase close enough to grab the handle before gripping the strap of the backpack in her other hand. "Well, good luck with the family and all. I hope your stay isn't too boring." The middle-aged man gave her an amused grin. She returned the gesture with a slight uplifting of her lips.

"Thanks," Kaori replied with a small nod. "Good luck to you, too. I hope ferrying people around doesn't get too boring."

"Oh, never," he laughed. "I always get to learn interesting things about people I usually never get to see again. Maybe I should write a book..."

"Leave me out of it," Kaori shot back at him half-teasingly, making him laugh again.

"Oh, fine, fine," he pretended to huff. "I didn't learn much about you, anyway." Kaori couldn't help the curling of her lips. It had been a while since she'd been able to banter good-naturedly with someone else.

"Goodbye, Shin," Kaori bid with another polite incline of her head.

"'Bye, kid," Shin grinned back at her. "I'll have to look you up if I ever wind up in this area again." Kaori just gave another polite nod before pulling her bags out of the cab and shutting the door behind her. Shin gave a honk and a friendly wave out of his window before he sped off, leaving a small cloud of exhaust behind. Kaori paid no mind to the toxic fumes. Having come from an inner part of the city, she'd lived in the fumes for years- they no longer bothered her. When he was finally out of sight, Kaori turned her deep, dark, stormy blue eyes to the blazing red sign that towered over the concrete stairs. It read: 'Higurashi Shrine'.

"I'm finally here...," Kaori spoke, the words barely a sigh that brushed past her painted red lips. She had worn some make-up- red lipstick on her mildly full lips, black eyeliner and mascara to accentuate her eyes- and formal clothes- a black pencil skirt hugging her form from her hips to her knees, a somewhat loose white button-up top that was tucked into the top of the skirt, sheer nude colored panty hose, and simple black heels- so that she looked nice meeting the people that were her family. Well...some of them were and some weren't. Some might not react well to her sudden appearance at the doorstep...but she was prepared for that. The feeling of not being wanted wasn't unfamiliar to her. Despite that, she still wanted to try. Taking a breath and flipping her long wavy hair back a bit with a flick of her head, Kaori began to scale the concrete stairwell before her. She took it slowly so she didn't trip in her heels, the woman pulling her black backpack onto her back and shifting the green suitcase to her other hand as she ascended the stairs. It wasn't long before she saw the makings of the shrine and the house that went with it. A large courtyard spanned around the two buildings, a few trees littered here and there. She could see a smaller building around back- a shed?- and what looked like a wellhouse to the back left of the shrine and house. Near to it was a tree surrounded by a fence. 'Must be one of those ancient trees that's been in the family for generations...,' Her dark eyes roamed over the bark of the tree a moment as she came to stand at the top landing of the stairwell, the young woman musing over her findings of her religious branch of the family. 'It's sort of ironic that I am, technically, a miko, yet I don't believe in the gods. I believe in myself, because that's all I'll ever truly have when everything's been said and done, and nothing more. I'm much too dark, too tainted to ever live up to the Higurashi namesake...' Her stormy blue eyes swirled and darkened with her emotions and memories for a long moment.

"Are you here to pay tribute at the shrine?" a female voice surprised Kaori, the woman blinking and turning towards the older woman who had, seemingly, just exited her house. The woman offered her a smile, though she looked rather tired, her facial features worn and her skin pale.

"No, ma'am," Kaori replied slowly, politely. "I was looking for Kaoru Higurashi."

"Oh...," she breathed out, her dark brown eyes widening for a moment. She soon blinked and her eyes narrowed with worry as she began to stroll across the courtyard, towards Kaori. "Dear, I don't know how to tell you this..." Kaori held her breath, fearing the worst as the slender older woman with short wavy obsidian hair and dark brown eyes slowly came to a stop a few paces from her. Kaori idly noted that she had on a short-sleeve black dress with small flowers printed on it and slide-on black shoes. "Kaoru...Kaoru died eleven years ago in a car accident." Kaori felt her intenstines twist into knots at the knowledge of Kaoru's death. It wasn't so much from the fact that she had loved him- she'd never known the man- as the fact that everything she'd done was in vain. The older woman seemed hesitant for a moment before she spoke again. "Are you...are you, by any chance...Kaori Higurashi?" Kaori hesitated in her response, knowing who this woman was though she didn't know her name.

"I am," she admitted slowly, not knowing where this conversation was about to go. Into treacherous waters, no doubt.

"I...," the woman started and stopped, swallowing hard. She surprised Kaori by stepping forwards and enveloping her in a hug. "I'm sorry...I didn't know that you didn't know...I would have sent word..." Kaori was surprised. More than surprised, really, stunned was a better word for it... "I told your mother...I thought she had told you." Kaori struggled a moment to find her voice as she slowly, hesitantly, raised her hands to touch the older woman's back in a semblance of a returned embrace. Kaori had never been held like this before...

"My mother died that same year...," Kaori managed to get out, her voice somewhat strained. The older woman sucked in a deep, probably surprised, breath. "...she never told me anything about my father besides his name, his death just the topper to the list. I...I know this is...awkward...I can leave if you'd like."

"No!" the woman finally pulled away, surprising Kaori only that much more. "Please...stay. I can make tea and we can talk about things." There was a pleading look in her dark brown eyes that Kaori found she couldn't refuse.

"Ah...alright...," she slowly agreed, bringing a smile to the older woman's face, albeit a sad one.

"Please...come this way," the older woman began gently pulling her into the house by the shrine. They took their shoes off at the door, shutting the door behind them. "You can leave your things by the door, if you'd like." Kaori only nodded as she left her bags by the door and stepped into the nice house. It wasn't huge, she supposed, by normal standards, but it was large to her. Kaori had always lived in a single-bedroom apartment. When her mom had been alive, she'd lived in a large closet turned into a bedroom- still a one-bedroom apartment by any standards...- it had barely been big enough for her mattress... Kaori glanced at the walls, seeing pictures of a happy family in almost every one. There was an older girl that resembled herself to some degree and a younger boy that seemed to have some resemblace to her, but not as much as the older girl had. 'My half-siblings,' Kaori silently guessed. She walked past the portraits and the older woman lead her into the kitchen/dining room of the house. "Please sit, I'll make the tea." With a small nod, Kaori did just that, sitting at the table as the woman got to work making the tea.

"If I may ask...what is your name?" Kaori finally asked, the question having been itching to come out.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she turned back to Kaori, blushing lightly. "My name is Hikari, dear. I hadn't realized that I hadn't properly introduced myself. You must think me rude."

"No ma'am," Kaori shook her head. "You're quite the opposite- very kind. It's nice to formally meet you, Hikari." She gave a small smile and her effort was rewarded with a return smile from Hikari, the woman blushing lightly from the compliment.

"And it's nice to formally meet you, as well, dear," Hikari beamed, getting back to work on the tea. It was silent a long moment, making Kaori a bit nervous.

"Um...is it alright if I put the elephant on the table, so to speak?" Kaori asked outright, Hikari glancing back at her from over her dress-clad shoulder. She got a nod of confirmation and Kaori felt slightly better about what she was about to ask. "Why are you being so kind to me? Your late husband- fiancee at the time of my conception- had a fling with another woman and got her pregnant with me. By all rights, you should hate me..." Hikari didn't pause in making the tea, but she turned away, seeming thoughtful of the question. "You don't have to think of a nice way to word it, either...I'm used to brutal honesty." There was still a long pause before Hikari answered her.

"I don't hate you, I don't think I ever could," Hikari finally answered, her voice soft and sincere. "You have no control over what happened, who your parents were, and I won't blame you for what they did." Kaori blinked, some of the tension that had wound tightly within her beginning to uncoil. "Was it wrong for Kaoru to run off and sleep with another woman when we were to be married the next month? Yes. I was angry...so very, very angry with him when I found out, but...we talked it out...after the initial blow out." Kaori nodded slightly, interested in the story. Her mother had only ever bad-mouthed Kaoru, never telling her the whole story. Kaori had never known what had happened other than the fact that her father had slept with a woman- her mother- when he was engaged to marry another. "He'd had cold feet for a moment, unsure if marriage was what he wanted at that point in time...and Kaoru had convinced himself that having a fling would be the deciding factor of whether or not he was ready to be tied down to me for the rest of his life..." Hikari sighed and Kaori felt for the woman; she didn't deserve the hurt that her father had dealt her. She was too kind-hearted... "So he'd gotten himself drunk and chased a skirt. When it was all over and we had argued, he came back and spoke to me again, admitting that it had felt wrong the entire time he'd had the little affair. He regretted it...and then he told me that he could say that he honestly and truly loved me and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I could see that he had truly meant what he'd said. So...I told him not to regret it." Kaori blinked again in surprise. Hikari was a strong woman on top of being kind-hearted. Kaori felt her respect for the woman grow as she continued her story. "When he asked me why, I told him it was because he'd banished those uncertain thoughts and feelings about us from his heart and mind. If he hadn't have done what he'd done, we would have been married without his sense of closure and he probably would have had other affairs. It wasn't right, I don't condone that type of behavior, but...it was a mistake. A mistake that he learned from, so it was a mistake worth making." Hikari paused. "But I'm sorry that it was because of those very circumstances that you came to be. I'm sorry that it wasn't because your father and mother were in love...you must have had a hard life living with your mother..."

"Don't worry about it," Kaori brushed off easily. "Mom wasn't the 'fall in love' type anyway... She didn't believe in it. Life was hard, but I didn't come out of it without important lessons of my own. I wouldn't be here or who I am today without the events that happened...so I can't- and won't- regret anything. You shouldn't, either." Hikari finally faced Kaori again, a small, slightly sad, smile upturning her lips.

"What happened when your mother died?" Hikari asked gently.

"Well...," Kaori started and stopped, choosing her words carefully. "She wasn't exactly...the nurturing type...so I'd already learned how to take care of myself. I emancipated myself before they could send me to the system- I didn't have any other family members on her side- or send me here to disrupt your lives. I didn't want any of it- I wanted to take care of myself." Hikari blinked in surprise, her mouth dipping open as if she were about to say something, but Kaori didn't give her a chance to say it. "I wanted to be on my own, and I got my wish. Working from a young age like that wasn't easy...and keeping my grades up was tougher than I'd thought, but I did my best and I graduated at the top of my class. I have no regrets."

"I'm glad that you made it through all right, and that you can honestly say you have no regrets, but I still wish I had known," Hikari replied, her voice soft and motherly with the tiniest hint of a scolding tone to it. "I could have helped you, if only a little."

"I appreciate that," Kaori responded with a small smile that was trying to curl the ends of her lips up higher. "I really do. But I was fine. I found jobs and I made it through." Slowly, Hikari gave an accepting nod. She turned for a moment to tend to the tea, pouring it into glasses before bringing them to the table. She set one in front of Kaori as she sat on the other side of the table from the younger woman. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear," Hikari nodded as she took a sip and caught Kaori's eyes in her own. "If I may ask, what sort of jobs did you do?" Kaori hesitated. Noticeably.

'Oh, I sold my body after a year of doing hard labor and not making the cut for the bills,' Kaori answered silently, reviewing her life and trying to look for a better way to word it. 'And it so happens that I had sold myself to a gang member against the Yakuza that had later sent word up about me, giving me more clientel in the gang that had eventually lead to my joining said gang and rising through the ranks, starting with whore and seducer- a person who seduces the enemy and kills them in bed... By the end, I had risen to the rank of head whore and partner to the boss. I had become a lethally trained assassin on top of being a whore and a seducer.' She sighed inwardly. 'I absolutely can not tell her about all of that.' Looking up at Hikari through her thick black lashes, Kaori could tell that she was waiting for an answer. She took a sip of her tea to buy her some time.

"I did some really hard stuff the first year," Kaori admitted softly. "Working in factories, cleaning office buildings, hotels, and various other buildings, bussing tables at restraunts, running errands for people...things like that. But it all wound up not being enough to cover the bills, even when I worked three jobs a day. I was being paid less than minimum wage because of my age, so I didn't get much. I was desperate...then I happened by a man that got me in with his...unofficial organization, you could say. They were dedicated to keeping the streets clean and kids out of trouble. I was employed part-time at first, then I decided to go full time when I got promoted. They paid well and I didn't have to worry about the bills anymore." Kaori inwardly applauded herself for her round-about explination. It was all true...just a much watered-down version of it. They kept the streets clean of Yakuza to keep the kids from making a mistake that they, most likely, wouldn't live long to regret. (They kept them from entering the Yakuza under false pretenses of riches, protection, and glory, and they kept the Yakuza from selling drugs in their part of the city.) They did good things...but sometimes it took sacrifices on their part and literal battles to keep the Yakuza from gaining territory and people. Kaori had gotten caught up in more than one gun fight...and more than one knife fight. She had gotten into the habit of carrying a pocket knife on her person, just in case...

"I'm sorry you had a rough start...but the group you joined sounds nice," Hikari smiled at her, blissfully unaware of the entire truth. Kaori was thankful for it. "Was it something like working as a social worker?"

"Something like that," Kaori nodded, taking a sip of her tea and hoping that she wouldn't pick up on the lie.

"Do you still work for them?" Hikari asked, interested. Kaori hesitated again.

"I was working for them up until about a month ago," she answered honestly. "But then I got caught up in a case that was very dangerous...and I decided to quit. My boss said I could come back if I ever wanted to, and I might go back someday." In actuality, Kaori had gotten caught up in several major bloodbaths, killing and trying not to get killed. She had become weary of that world, exhausted of the unending fights. Her boss hadn't blamed her for her decision- he had sympathized with her. It got tiring for him, too...but he couldn't back out because he was the boss. (He'd then lead the Yakuza away so she could make her escape and he'd covered all the bases for her, making it look like she had died so they wouldn't come after her or her family or anything like that.) His offer looked like it was going to be taken-up again sooner than she would have liked. (Faked deaths weren't anything new to their tactics or the Yakuza's, so popping up again after announced dead wouldn't be much of a surprise to them.) Kaori had sold everything but the necessities to come and see her father, the woman hoping to start a new, much less violent, life with her family. She had money, but it would grow thin sooner than she would have hoped. "...I guess, because of the situation I was in, I wanted to try and reconnect with my family..." Hikari had a look of understanding and slight sadness on her face. "Dad's gone...but that's okay. I have no regrets. At least I know what became of him." Hikari gave another slow nod, a thoughtful look on her face.

"This house...is your grandfather's house- your father's father's house," Hikari surprised her. "And your grandfather is still around, if you'd like to meet him." Kaori blinked as she looked at the older woman curiously, instantly knowing she was up to something. "I'm sure he would let you stay for a while, if you'd like to."

"I couldn't-," Kaori started and stopped, Hikari interrupting her.

"You can and I'd like you to," Hikari replied, stunning her again. "I'm sure he would, too...and I'm sure Souta would like to meet you. I'd introduce you to my daughter, Kagome, but...she moved out some time ago and I don't hear from her much anymore..." A sad smile graced Hikari's lips for a brief moment before she shook it off, looking determined. 'She really is a strong woman,' Kaori noted again in her mind. 'I wonder why Kagome doesn't try to contact her..? Surely they can't be having a fight... Hikari seems to be the understanding type, so they would easily be able to talk things out... It doesn't quite make sense...unless Kagome is one of those priviliged bitch types...but, somehow, I doubt that...' "Let's go see what kind of trouble Ji-san is getting into in the shed, hm?" An amused smile tugged at Hikari's lips and Kaori found an equally amused smile tugging at her own lips. This sounded interesting...

"Alright," Kaori nodded. Both of the women finished their tea and set their cups aside before they stood and Hikari lead her outside again, to the small building off to the right side of the shrine. There were things piled up outside of the building and Kaori couldn't help but glance at the items out of curiosity. Some of the items were antique-looking old-world things, such as medicine bowls, paintings, a chastity belt, and things of that nature, some of the items were rusted and uncomprehensible, and others were newer- or better taken care of- items like swords and armor, scrolls and books.

"Father?" Hikari called out as she approached the entrance to the shed. A loud 'thump' sound made Kaori's eye tick. That had to hurt... "Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine!" an elderly man called back as he grumbled to himself, seemingly coming closer to the door judging by the sound of his voice. Kaori's blue eyes trained on the door, waiting for the man to emerge. All at once, a man came stumbling out and uttering soft curses beneath his breath. Kaori blinked at the short man rubbing his head, his receeding white hair pulled back into a high, short, tight ponytail. His skin was overly tan, indicating that he was outside a lot, and he had a slightly hunched back. He was missing teeth and had a lot of wrinkles- not uncommon for someone his age- but his wide dark eyes had a liveliness to them that surprised her. Kaori also idly noticed that he was dressed in a white haori and red hakama, traditional miko clothes. "What is it, girl? You know it takes me a while to re-organize the shed..." There was mirth in Hikari's eyes and an amused smile curling at her lips that she hid behind a hand.

"I know, and I'm sorry to interrupt your weekly ritual...but I have someone here that I want you to meet," Hikari replied, motioning over to Kaori with the hand that had previously been at her lips. Kaori stiffened as the old man's eyes found her, the woman bowing politely to one of her only living blood relatives.

"My name is Higurashi Kaori, Higurashi-san, I'm pleased to meet you," Kaori spoke as politely as she could, unsure of what to expect from the odd elderly man.

"Eh?" Ji-san blinked at her as she stood straight again. "Higurashi Kaori, you said..?" Kaori nodded. He seemed thoughtful, rubbing his tiny beard. "Never heard of ya." Kaori almost lost her balance and fell to the side.

"Haruka," Hikari elaborated, the man turning his attention back to his daughter-in-law as Kaori straightened herself again, flinching a little at her mother's name. Kaori didn't flinch in pain- she could honestly say she never cared much for her mother- Kaori was just surprised by the use of her name. "Haruka Kusanagi."

"Hm? ...OH!" Ji-san's eyes widened as he finally understood the implications. "You're the daughter of that woman and my son." He rounded back to Kaori, staring her down.

"Yes, sir," Kaori admitted with an incline of her head.

"I see...," he rubbed his beard thoughtfully again. 'Is he really thinking something over..?' Kaori questioned quietly with a blink at her odd grandfather. 'Or is he just pretending again...?' "What of your mother, girl?"

"She died eleven years ago, ironically the same year that I just found out that my father had died," Kaori spoke honestly, wondering what he was up to now.

"And her family?" he questioned.

"They were all deceased before I was born," Kaori answered with a light shrug. She idly noticed that Hikari's face gave away her worry. She could only imagine what the woman was worrying about...

"Why weren't you transferred here, then, when she died?" he asked bluntly, his brow scrunched in obvious confusion.

"Father!" Hikari chided.

"It's alright," Kaori replied easily, locking eyes with Ji-san. "I filed for emancipation and worked several jobs. I was granted emancipation and was allowed to live on my own. I worked hard and graduated school on-time, at the top of my class." She could see sorrow for her gleaming in his eyes. "That's the way I wanted things, and I don't regret a thing."

"I see," his voice was softer, kinder. "I respect you for your hard work- you're a surprising child... Did you come here looking for your father?"

"I did," she nodded. "But now that I know what happened, I think I'll-"

"Leave?" Ji-san finished for her. She nodded. "Nonsense." Hikari smiled while Kaori blinked at him in surprise again. "Have you got a home to go back to?" She hesitated.

"No sir, I let the rent go and sold most of my things so I could make the trip," Kaori admitted honestly, mentally cursing herself for revealing that truth that she hadn't wanted to reveal. Mild shock registered on both of their faces. "But don't worry, I have a friend I can stay with until I get back on my feet again. He has a spare room I can use while I get back onto my old job with my boss."

"A man?!" Ji-san roared, shocking Kaori. "You'd be staying with a man?!"

"Uhh...yeah...," Kaori managed to reply in a small voice, the woman trying to shake off the shock of his anger.

"Oh dear...," Hikari gasped as Ji-san went on a tirade, his yelling voice barely understood as his words ran together.

"Okay, I got 'stupid', 'girl', 'hormonal boys', and 'wind up like your mother' out of his rantings," Kaori spoke as she stepped over to Hikari's side, the man before them pacing and ranting. Hikari smiled, her amusement obvious as she futilly tried to hide it.

"I'm sorry, Kaori...I know he can be a little hard to take when he starts ranting," Hikari apologized.

"It's fine," Kaori easily waved off, mirth shining in her own eyes.

"I didn't know you didn't have a home to go back to...that you had sacrificed so much to come see Kaoru...," Hikari pointed out, worry seeping back into her features.

"It's just material things," Kaori shrugged. "Like I said, I have a friend that'll let me stay with him and a job waiting on me. I probably wouldn't be in his house for more than a month."

"I don't know how comfortable I feel with you living with a boy...," Hikari voiced her concern as she caught Kaori's amused lighter blue eyes in her own dark orbs. "You do know about the birds and the bees, don't you..?" Kaori felt a blush rising to her cheeks at the odd topic that she really didn't want to be discussing with the elder woman.

"Yes, of course," Kaori replied as casually as she could as she looked away. "I've made my own mistakes...but I was safe." She fidgetted uncomfortably under the other woman's scrutinizing gaze.

"And that's why you're staying here at the shrine until you get back on your feet!" Ji-san finished his rant, huffing and puffing as he stopped in front of Kaori, pointing his stubby finger up at her as she blinked at him in shock.

"But my job..." Kaori started and stopped, not given a chance to finish.

"Is it far away?" Ji-san interrupted.

"Yes," Kaori sighed softly. Five hours away by car...longer by other means.

"Then you can get a new one," he declared. "And in the meantime you can help out at the shrine as a means of payment for room and board! Ha!" He caught her before she could even ask the question. 'He's good...,' she admitted silently. She glanced over at Hikari, seeing the woman smiling innocently at her. 'I think she planned this all along to get me to stay...' "Hikari, please show her to a room and get her a change of miko garb. Then she can come out and help me re-organize the shed...you do have more comfortable shoes, don't you?" He looked at Kaori pointedly, from her heels to her face.

"Yes, sir," She nodded. "I have tennis shoes and black slip-ons."

"Tennis shoes would be better for this kind of job," he nodded in return with a soft grunt. "Go on, go and hurry back." He shooed his hands at her and she had to shake her head as she turned back to a highly amused Hikari. She was not used to this kind of atmosphere...

"This way," Hikari chimed cheerily as she lead her back inside, both depositing their shoes at the door again. This time, Kaori picked up her shoes and her bags again as Hikari lead her up the stairs. "You can stay in my daughter's old room if you'd like. I haven't cleaned it since the last time she's been home...but it's the only spare room we have at the moment."

"That's fine," Kaori nodded, feeling odd in this somewhat bizarre situation. Though, she had to admit, it wasn't as bizarre as some of the things that she'd gotten herself into... "Are you alright with me taking her room?"

"Yes," she nodded surely. "I know that Kagome has a home and a family where she is, so she doesn't need her room here anymore. I guess I've just been procrastinating..." She gave a small, saddened smile.

"Mm," Kaori could only nod as they reached the top of the stairs, the room the first one on the left. Hikari opened the door and she was almost blinded by the pink walls. "Wow it's...pink..." Hikari laughed softly as she turned back to Kaori. 'And dusty...,' she mentally added.

"Yes...it's been that way since Kagome was little," she replied gently. "She wanted to change the color when she got older, but she never found the time..."

"What color did she want to change it to?" Kaori asked gently.

"Green," Hikari surprised her, both locking eyes again. Hikari's orbs were a little hazy from memory, but they sparkled with this particular subject for some reason or another. "Kagome said she wanted to paint the walls a softer, soothing shade of green that would remind her of fresh foilage in the spring."

"That sounds nice...," Kaori answered appreciatively. 'My half-sister has good taste in colors...,' she silently praised. "If you wanted, I could paint the room for you...since she never got a chance to. ...Or would you rather leave the pink...?" Hikari took a long gaze at the pink walls before looking back at Kaori with a small, cheerful smile.

"I think...that's a lovely idea," Hikari surprised her. She wasn't sure if she would want to or not. Kaori wouldn't have blamed her if she hadn't wanted to paint the walls. "If you don't mind doing it, then we can go look at colors tomorrow and I'll buy the paint."

"I'll buy it," Kaori offered. "I don't mind, really."

"No, no, dear, keep your money," Hikari gently refused with a shake of her head. "This is something that I will pay for- I had promised Kagome, but it never came to be." Reluctantly, Kaori nodded in agreement, earning herself another prize-winning smile from Hikari. "Alright...go ahead and settle in and I'll get the miko garb from my closet. I'll be back in a moment." With another nod, Hikari was off and Kaori stepped into her new room.

Kaori set her bags down on the bed and looked around, seeing a computer desk across the room from where she was, a window to her right. She stepped up to the desk and ran her fingers over it, the appendages coming back with a layer of dust on them. It wasn't a lot, but enough to coat her fingers. She wiped them carelessly on her skirt, all the while looking out at the ancient tree just outside her window. Disreguarding it for now in lieu of exploring, Kaori walked towards the entrance to her room, seeing a door on the right. She opened it. A small closet stood before her, some of her half-sisters clothing and things stored in it. Kaori felt like she was violating her half-sister's space, so she promptly shut the door and turned left, towards the last door in her room. She was surprised to find a personal bathroom with a shower and bath tub, cabinets immediately before her with a large mirror. Amazed blue orbs stared back at her as she stepped into the bathroom. It wasn't huge, but she'd never had a bathroom off of her room before. It was a luxury she wasn't used to. (Client's bedrooms aside.) "Kaori?" Kaori turned and stepped out of the bathroom to see Hikari standing at the entrance of the room with red and white cloth in hand. "There you are." She smiled again, holding the cloth out. "This is the traditional garb of the shrine maiden. Do you need help changing into it?"

"No, ma'am, I think I can manage," Kaori returned the smile as she recieved the garments.

"Alright, then...I'll be waiting for you downstairs," Hikari bobbed her head and began descending the steps. Kaori slowly shut the door before striding back inside and depositing the clothes on her bed.

"Whooo...," she let out a deep breath as her fingers absently began unbuttoning her shirt. "A shrine maiden, hmm?" She glanced at the clothing as she finished unbuttoning her shirt and pulled it out of her skirt, discarding it at the head of the bed. "This is a drastic change...from one end of the spectrum to the other." She unzipped her skirt and let it pool to the floor before pulling her pantyhose down on top of it. She got both together and tossed them by her shirt, leaving her in her 38 D-cup white lacy bra and simple black panties. Many scars littered her creamy skin, the deepest of them etched onto her back, a streak from her right hip to her left shoulder, said scar peeking through her obsidian hair. Her lean body had muscle tone to it, giving her an athletic look. "How did I get roped into this again...?" Amusement tinged her voice as she pulled on the white haori, the woman straightening it before donning the red hakama, pulling it up over the white haori and tying it in front with a white tie. She'd had to wrap it around her thin waist a few times before she could tie it securely. "I never thought that I'd be staying here...not really...will this be my chance to fix my life..? I still worry about boss man...maybe I should go back after a few months..." She debated the issue in her mind as she pulled her hair out of the back of the garb and pulled the white haori a bit tighter and closer together at the top and bottom, assuring that it would stay put. "I don't know what to do." She sighed to herself, looking out her window to see the ancient tree rustling in a gentle early summer breeze. "I've lived one way for so long...can I forget it so easily to live a new, better life..? Or will my habits forbid me from moving on...?" Shrugging with another heavy sigh, Kaori shuffled to her bag and pulled out a pair of socks. She donned with quickly and pulled her tennis shoes out, keeping hold of them as she exited the room. 'Only time will tell, I guess...,' she mused to herself as she descended the stairs and walked over to Hikari.

"You look wonderful, dear," Hikari beamed. "I'm glad they fit you so well. Here...we'd better go see Ji-san." With a nod, they both put their shoes on and headed outside, to the shed. 'Here's to trying a new way of life,' Kaori determinedly geared up in her mind, the woman ready to help her Ji-san.

'After all...what's the worst that can happen?'

- End Chapter -

- First rule of everything ever- NEVER ask 'what's the worst that can happen?'...because you just might find out. Hee hee. XD

- Can Kaori overcome her haunted past as a cold-blooded killer and whore to live a more normal life...? Or will it all come back to bite her in the ass? Read more to find out! XD

- Hope you all enjoyed my first chapter! More fun-ness to come! XD

- Please review!