Simply Divine

White and Silver

She was falling. Real hard. She was falling, and there was no one there to catch her. Why would there be? Who would want to catch a falling girl who never did anything for herself? If it took a few broken bones to teach her how to walk, no matter how ironic that sounded, then a few broken bones she would get.

See, when you're falling, you have time to think. Time to think about why you're falling in the first place, and why no one will be there to save you. Feeling the wind rush under you, clothes violently flapping in the wind-- She was truly falling, and there was no one there to catch her. Inuyasha was not there. No, he was off fighting Naraku at the moment. The same went for Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara. And she was pretty sure Myoga couldn't save her. Hojo was in another world, her mother, brother, and Grampa there, too. And let's face it, she knew even if Kikyou were around, that her incarnation wouldn't lift a finger to save her. Why would she? Why would anyone?

There was no one else to think of, really. Kouga was lying wounded in a ditch with all of his jewel shards extracted. The rest of the clan followed suit, except most were dead. Who else was there? No one. No, that's not true. There was herself, and since she was so weak, so feeble, the only thing she could do was await the crushing impact of the ground which more than welcomed her falling body.

If this fall doesn't kill me, something else will. She had lost all hope, and had finally realized what a weakling she truly was. Closing her eyes tightly, she found a painful ball stuck in her throat, restricting her voice. It however failed to restrict the tears that flowed ever-so-freely down her porcelain cheeks.

The ground was coming closer, and she knew--she knew-- it would hurt. She couldn't even pretend she was tough, because her tears told anyone who was listening about her fears. Fears of pain, of death. She wished she was like Kikyou, who wasn't afraid of death because she was already mirroring it as is. Blacking out from either pain or the rush, her mind went blank. Was she so weak-minded that she couldn't even think as well?

Something white and silver flashed through the air, whizzing past Kagome. And after the blur was gone, she was no longer falling.

Brown eyes flashed open, and the only thing her large orbs could see was white. Pure white. I'm not...Dead, am I? Sitting up from something soft, she noticed a wet rag fell from her head. Kagome picked it up between her index finger and thumb and inspected it cautiously, as if it were poisoned. God, she had an awful headache. "Where am I?" Her senses came back in a frenzy, causing her face to become slightly flustered.

Her gaze adverted from the rag to the soft bed she was now sitting on, and then all around the room. She was dreaming, right? The young school girl turned her body to the side, her feet falling off of the bed as her toes now lightly skimmed the floor's surface. Kagome stood up and immediately felt sick and wobbly. Had she been falling for so long that it felt odd to stand on solid ground? Walking over to the door, she opened it and went through the port. The makeshift priestess glanced left and right down the hallway, noticing it went on for eternity.

"Hello?" she bellowed slightly. Maybe it wasn't best to be making noise. Maybe she had been captured by the enemy. After walking down the hall for what seemed like hours, Kagome came upon a large central room in which many hallways started and ended from. There were beautiful paintings on the wall, and she walked by each one of them, marveling in their excellence.

"I see you've awoken."

Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin as she whipped around, having to look up so high to see the speaker's face that her neck hurt. Her eyes widened and her heart pumped loudly against her ribcage, the sound reverberating throughout her entire body. "Se-Sesshomaru." It was safe to say she was confused. And confused was an understatement. "Were...You the one who saved me?"

"I did not save you for the reason you think." Oh no, because he could've cared less if she died or broke every bone in her body. This girl had proven herself to become quite a nuisance in the past, and her dying was one of millions on his 'Things I Don't Care About' list. Turning around, the Lord of the Western Lands started walking off.

Kagome quickly ran to catch up. "So why did you save me?" She knew he had a heart. Why else would he keep a human child around? Everyone had a heart, even him.

"Naraku is planning to use you."

"Use me to what?" She raised a curious eyebrow, still looking up at him as she walked along his side.

He never would understand why his half brother was so fond of humans. They were so god damn annoying. Before he had a chance to explain, Rin came running up to the two.

"My Lord, a man gave me this!" She smiled widely and stuck out her hand, in which held a piece of paper.

A man gave it to her? This meant she was outside. Unsupervised. Oh, heads would roll. The dog demon took the paper and read the simple line to himself.

Even you cannot protect her.

"What does it say?" Kagome asked. She was much too short to read over his shoulder, and was thankful when he carelessly handed her the paper. "Protect who? Rin? Is she in danger?" She became worried. There had been times in the past where she and Rin were alone and spent time talking. Rin was the cutest and most innocent little girl she had ever met, and anyone trying to do her harm was just plain evil.

"No, you." He continued walking, mentally smirking. Who said I was protecting her? Because on the contrary, she should be fearing him right about now. It seemed that everyone else knew about her, except Kagome herself. What a pity. She had no idea why everyone was after her, and she even dared to think he was saving her. It was laughable, had he the ability to laugh.

"Me?" Kagome was stopped in her tracks, staring off into space as she wondered what anyone would want with her. She could see the jewel shards, but that was it. And only a few people knew about that, including Naraku, whom wasn't very notorious for delivering letters. There was something going on here, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. She eyed Sesshomaru's back suspiciously as he continued walking.

Eyes widening in realization, she knew she had to get out of the castle. Damn! Just when she had stopped falling, she was now about to be pushed over a cliff again. Kagome backed away slowly, ignoring the quizzical look she received from Rin and then turned around. She ran, as fast as she could, too. Stretching her legs, she wondered where the nearest exit was. Anywhere but here. Anywhere but this prison she was held in. She was not being protected, but more like held captive. Was there something she didn't know about?

As the young woman approached a wide corridor guarded by two demons, she slowed her pace until it was a steady walk. They only stared forward and paid her no attention. Were they going to let her go? Was she able to leave freely? As she pushed open the door, her run continued and she headed away from the castle and toward the forest. Not the best place to hide, but it was better than an open road or town where innocent people were at risk. Was she afraid of Sesshomaru?

He was a scary one, she knew that. And he could intimidate anyone with a simple glance. She needed to find the well, or her friends. Somewhere she could be safe. Why can't I protect myself? Why must she seek protection from Inuyasha and company, or hide on the other side of the well? She was truly weak.

Short pants bounced inside of her lungs as she stopped to catch her breath, leaning against a tree. Her eyes squinted in pain as a cramp formed in her right side. She had to of run a good mile straight, which was surprisingly far for her to run nonstop. But she was safe. Or at least safer than inside of Sesshomaru's castle.

"Going somewhere."

And, yet again, she jumped nearly twice her height. Angry eyes glanced up to Sesshomaru. "What do you want."

His eyes were dull, and he wore a bored expression. "You can either come back on your own or I can force you."

Her heart hadn't slowed, and fear coursed through her veins. What did he want with the likes of her? He hated humans! "Tell me why you don't want me to leave."

A silent moment passed between the pair, and intense gazes never left the two's eyes.

Within a flash, she saw Sesshomaru disappear. Where-- She felt something pierce her back, and then everything went dark again.

Kagome stood on the edge of a cliff, an arrow notched in the bow she held offensively. She could see in the near distance Naraku fighting, and aimed for his heart. But suddenly, a burst of energy, as if a barrier had busted, knocked her backwards. And then, she was falling. Real hard. She then felt masculine arms come under her, saving her from falling. "Inuyasha..."

Kagome jerked from her slumber and shot up. She breathed heavily as beads of sweat rolled down her body. The young priestess found herself in the position she was earlier, looking around the bedroom. Unknowingly, tears started clustering in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She was still falling, and this time, she was determined to save herself.

There was a sharp pain in her back, and she couldn't quite figure out what had caused it. She ignored the pain, because this time she wouldn't be weak. She wouldn't drown in the puddle of pity for herself. She would grin and bare it, because pain was weakness leaving the body. And boy did she have a lot of weaknesses.

Getting out of bed, she walked over to the door, only to find it locked this time. "You've gotta be kidding me," she whined and turned around to lean her back against the door. Kagome slumped downward until she was sitting on the floor, her head hung low in defeat. She wouldn't let her confusion get the best of her. She would break out of here and run away, only relying on herself. That's how it was meant to be.

She must've fallen asleep on the floor, because she awoke to a pounding on the door behind her. It was so violent that it shook her entire body. An annoying voice filled her ears.

"Are you decent, woman!" Jaken yelled as he pounded a fist onto the door. "I'm coming in, girl!"

Kagome groaned and scooted forward so she wouldn't be hit when the door swung open. When it did, a green imp appeared in the room. "I was instructed by m'Lord to dress your wound again."

"Well you can tell y'Lord that I'm fine." She wasn't though, and she could feel blood leaking through the bandages.

"How dare you speak in such an ill-mannered way toward Lord Sesshomaru! You should be grateful that he hasn't killed you yet, girl!" Sheesh, humans had no respect. He didn't know why Kagome was still alive and why his Lord was putting up with her, because like Kagome, he was left out of the loop on why she was so important at the moment.

Tch. Yet. How comforting. She reluctantly stood up and shuffled to the bed, flopping down face-first with her arms spread out. Ouch. Not the best time to be bouncing around like you don't have a mild gash in your back. She would've felt nervous and would've called the imp a pervert when he lifted her shirt had it not been for the fact it was Jaken. He probably was anything but wanting to dress her wounds. Wincing slightly as she felt the pressure of the old bandages relieved, she gagged at the smell of blood. He had struck her, hadn't he? Sesshomaru had struck her...Had he no morals? Had he no respect? Striking a woman from behind, what a man he was. As if.

After Jaken finished, he walked back over to the door. "You're to be at dinner tonight, I'll come get you when it's time. And don't try anything funny!" With that, he slammed the door and left.

Kagome then allowed her tears to slip freely down her cheeks, burying her head into the pillow as it muffled her sobs. Why? Why her? She had learned not to become afraid in the Feudal Era, but Sesshomaru was a different case. He was frightening at times, but she usually could stand up to him anyway. Because she knew he had soft spots. Like Rin. And his father. And his brother, though neither would admit it.

She didn't know why she was so worked up. Maybe it was because she had hit a revelation. She realized that she couldn't depend on herself, and that she was the weakest of her group. "I'm such a burden to them all," she mumbled into her pillow. She needed to change. Kagome Higurashi needed to change. And starting tonight, she would prove she wasn't the weak, little girl everyone thought her to be. Heh, Sesshomaru probably looked down on her (even though he did that to everyone). She'd change his views. Tonight at dinner, Kagome would be a new person.

But why dinner? Why was she invited? Was he going to explain the situation? Or perhaps he just wanted to watch her squirm for his own amusement. Either way, she wouldn't be afraid. No, because tonight she was going to change for the better. Tonight, she would catch herself.

A/N: Sorry if this seemed a little short. I plan to make the next chapter like...Really big. About twice this length. Any who, thanks in advance for those who comment. Love you dearly :D -Ami