Why Me?

by Engillinn

The blue-eyed Sayuri runs away from her village when a demon with red eyes attacks it. She accidentally stumbles upon Sesshomaru, who takes interest in her blue eyes, or rather where she got them. - Second person view. M for future scenes!

1. Chapter 1

You saw the little cabin from where you stood saying good bye to you friends, Yuki and Keiko. You were all exhausted from working all day long and you were looking forward to get some real sleep. The three of you talked for a few minutes about everything and nothing before Yuki and Keiko walked off home to two of the larger cabins and you walked to the poorer part of the village. As you came closer to your home, the slower you walked. When you reached the door and opened it slowly you felt the strong smell of sake in there and heard your father's snores. He was lying more or less on the floor and an empty cub was lying on the floor, a bit from his old hand, and a little sake was on the floor. You sighed and took the cub up and decided not to try and move your father and just go to sleep. He would just get cranky if he woke up while you were trying to move him. You took a little cat wash before bed and praised your idea of making this "wall" to seal you from the main entrance. At least you got a little personal space.

You thought about your father. You thought about how he had left you alone for all these years. He didn't do anything. You had to build the wall yourself, like you did everything else by yourself. He was normally sleeping, drinking, hanging with his drinking buddies, or he was fishing. The fishing part did happen every two weeks, though.

But, like always, you thought by yourself that it wasn't his fault that he drank a lot, it's just because of your moms death and all the other babies. He just didn't know how to get over it.

Your mom died when you were ten while trying to give birth to her eleventh child. She died from blood loss and the little baby boy was born dead, like the other ten children. You were your parents little miracle. Before you six children had died, after you four had died.

But, never mind that right now.

You and your father were the only ones left of your family, and you were the one working. You worked from sunrise to seven o'clock, but not on Saturday and Sunday. That would change in four months. Then you would be sixteen. A full grown woman, then you would get married and have children's of your own. You were looking forward to it, having children. You loved them.

You lay down on the mattress and you fell almost instantly asleep, not even having the thought of eating before lying down.

You woke up slowly this morning, sighing as you heard faint chirping of birds in the woods close to your home. You sat up and looked around for something to wear and jumped up to get ready to work just another day… Once you were ready you checked to see if your father had returned himself to his bed over the night, which he didn't, so you sneaked past him and found something to eat.

Your father was an elderly man. He had gray hair and a huge beer tummy. His face which had once been so happy and relaxed was now wound up tight and wrinkled, making him look so much older than he was. He was about 50 years of age, though he could pass for seventy. It saddened you. You had his eyes. The only thing you had received from your father since the age of seven. Or that's what it looked like.

Apparently you had your raven-black hair from your mother; your father's hair had been almost dark brown, a very light color compared to the norm. But you got your looks from both of your parents; they had been very beautiful when they were young. It was obvious from the start that the two of them would get married.

You shook your head as you realized that you were getting caught in the past again, so you got yourself a meal, made some lunch for you and got ready for work. Your work included many things. Like washing clothes, cleaning skins, cutting down meat, watch the children for the richer people in the village, cleaning Miss Atiro's hut, taking care of some animals and moving rocks from the mine and such. But that was only sometimes. And when someone got hurt some girls were trained for first aid. But for today, it was the mine for you.

You had walked out and you were thinking as you watched the sun get up before you. You felt heavy, this morning. It felt like some dark, gloomy cloud was hanging over your head. But there were no clouds in sight.

,,Hey! Sayuri!''

You turned around as you were walking up the hill to the mine. You saw Ritsu working his way up. You couldn't help but smile as you watched your best friend climb up the hill. You had known him since you could remember yourself and you were so glad that he was your friend. He was the kind of friend who defended you against teasing, the one who told you all the news, the one who helped you get to know other people.

You waited for him and when he reached you, you walked again: ,,Hi there, Sayuri.''

,,Hello Ritsu. How are you today?''

He gave you a wide grin and replied happily: ,,Surprisingly, I'm feeling wonderful. What about you?''

You couldn't help but smile back: ,,I'm feeling alright, thank you. How are you parent's?''

,,Good as well. I'm not even going to ask about your father. What a riot yesterday! He and Banji's father . . .''

You blushed and looked away from him, knowing that he was trying to convince you once again to leave your father's house and just live with him and his family: ,,Please don't tell me! It's enough that he was dead drunk at home yesterday. And this morning.''

He sighed and told you in a scolding tone: ,,You really can't lie, Sayuri.''

,,You know I can. I just don't have any reason to. Besides, you get this awful feeling in your stomach . . .''

He laughed and asked in a joking manner: ,,How do you know? HAVE you ever lied?''

You rolled your eyes at his comment: ,,Very funny,'' and then changed the subject: ,,Are you supposed to work here all day?''

Ritsu shook his head, scratching the back of his head awkwardly: ,,Naaaaaah . . . Just half of the day. It's my birthday, ya know . . .''

You felt a shock run through you as he said that; how could you forget? You tasked him quickly in embarrassment: ,,It is? I'm sorry, congratulations! You are sixteen now right?''

He chuckled loudly and replied with the same huge smile: ,,Yup! My parents are already waiting for me to find myself a wife!''

You nodded; at sixteen years of age you were considered an adult and so you should get married and begin an adult life. You smiled slyly as you asked him: ,,And do I know the woman that will get the honor of marrying you?''

At this, Ritsu blushed and stuttered a bit before spitting out: ,,Still have to wait four months for that.''

You were surprised; he already had someone in mind? You felt a bit sad, just a teeny bit, and you asked: ,,Really? When is her birthday?''

,,16th of May,'' he replied timidly. You stopped a moment, surprised, but relieved that he wanted to tell you. With a smile you told him, excited to find out who the mystery girl was: ,,What a coincident! That's my birthday . . .''

,,I know.''

You hummed as you tabbed your chin, thinking if you could possibly know the girl: ,,Does this girl live in the village?''

,,Yeah.''

That set you off track and you told him in a low voice: ,,But I'm the only girl in this village who'll turn 16 in the 16th of May . . .''

,,I know that too.''

You looked at Ritsu like he was crazy. You couldn't help but study him a bit, lost in the shock his words had put you in; his gray eyes were sincere, his black hair was a bit messy and too long, as always. He was much higher then you, you were only 5'5 and he was almost a head higher then you.

When you had gotten over your speechlessness, you asked in a low, annoyed voice: ,,This is a joke right? Are any of your stupid friends around hiding and waiting for me to fall in the trap?''

Ritsu was taken aback by your sudden annoyance, though he couldn't really be surprised; he often teased you, but it was never anything bad so you had always forgiven him after while. He replied with a loud voice: ,,No! How could I joke about something like this? I'm being serious, Yuri, don't you believe me?'' his voice became softer as he asked: ,,I thought you always believed everything that was said to you. You did that when we were younger. Like that time with the demon in the lake . . .''

,,That was a nasty thing to do . . .'' you mumbled. Ritsu laughed and said: ,,Yeah, but you believed it! But I have admit; I do often lie to you but I swear to you, this isn't a lie!''

He looked so desperate to make you believe him, and you couldn't stop yourself from asking: ,,But-But . . . Why?''

You shook your head as you tried to wrap your head around this. Ritsu had been your best friend since you were three. He had always been there for you and he was the one who helped you the most after your mother's death. When she died you ran to his house and knocked on the wall to his room. It was in the middle of the night, but he still came out and asked what was wrong, why you were crying. You remembered when you tossed yourself on him and hugged him like you didn't ever want to let go. You were scared that he would also die from you. You told him what happened and he understood. He comforted you and took better care of you if that was possible.

Ritsu rolled his eyes and asked annoyed by your stupid question: ,,Because; why do people get married, stupid?''

You shook your head again and asked, still in a kind of shock: ,,But why me?''

Ritsu sighed and scratched his blushing cheek, finding it hard to actually confess to you his feelings: ,,You can sometimes be very annoying, ya know . . .!'' he groaned as you just stared at him, wide-eyed: ,,Because I love you and I want to marry you!''

You continued to stare at him, dumbfounded; what? Loved you? You didn't know what to answer, heck; you couldn't even answer! You did care for Ritsu, but loved him? Marry him?

You looked away from him, blushing at his enthusiasm and told him in a low, confused voice: ,,I-I have to think about this, Ritsu. This is kind of a lot to take in, so early in the morning. I'm not even sixteen yet!''

The young man looked disappointed and a bit hurt, though he tried to sound calm and mature: ,,You don't return my feelings?''

You were at loss for words for a moment, what could you say? You had no idea what kind of feelings you had for him, he'd always just been Ritsu! After a moment you said carefully: ,,I don't know. I haven't thought about it, ever . . . I mean, I can't even get married for other four months, i thought I'd have at least until then to think about marriage and stuff!''

Ritsu looked relieved; at least you hadn't given him a "no". He smiled and grabbed your hands in his, telling you in a bit of a understanding voice: ,,Of course! I get it; it's a bit sudden, and out of the blue, but please, think about it, Yuri!''

You tried to avoid his gaze, blushing and feeling uncomfortable, before nodding awkwardly. Then you looked at the position of the sun from the corner of your eye and changed the subject again: ,,We're late . . .''

Ritsu sighed as he looked at the sun as well. Then he let your hands go. You continued walking up, but it looked like you were sleepwalking. When you got to the mine, Mister Yo started to yell at you two being late. When he paused to take another deep breath and between your begging for forgiveness Ritsu said: ,,It's my fault Sayuri is late. My mother wanted to talk to her. Can we now go to work?''

Mister Yo grumbled something about young people today, but left. You had been looking at your toes for the whole time and mumbled something that was supposed to be thanks and you left to your work. As you were pushing heavy carts of rocks you thought about Ritsu's proposal. Did you love him?

No. You really cared for him though. You just looked at him as the best friend you could have. And he would never be something else and more. You couldn't think of a life as Ritsu as you husband.

You had to say no.

It was finally lunch time and everyone went home to eat. You just walked to a nearby lake. It was pretty far from the mine and just perfectly close so you could hear when work started again, so you could relax.

You were sitting on one of the rocks and your legs were in the cool water. You loved this place. It was so calm and quiet, and sometimes some animals came to have a drink. Suddenly you felt something crawl up your arm. You got stiff and looked slowly down on your hand. Your face went white. A caterpillar was on your hand.

,,! GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF GETT IT OOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!,,

You were screaming the same thing hysterically until you noticed the caterpillar was gone off you hand. You sighed and sat down. As you were going to relax a bit before work, you felt the earth shake. Not like there is an earthquake, but something else. You raised yourself up and listened carefully. What was that? It sounded like yelling and screaming . . .

,,The village!''

You ran to the village and just as you were getting out of the forest, a big herd of animals came running your way. A big boar came running your way, but you through yourself from it and tried not to get hit by any of the animals. When the last bird was gone you ran again to the village.

,,Please be okay, please be okay!''

You got to the mine and sniffed as a stench filled the air. The smell reminded you of fire, and when the animals were slaughtered. Burning flesh and boiling blood. You ran to the hill and you froze by the sight. Every house was burnt down. Everywhere were bodies lying, burnt or sliced into pieces. The fence with the animals had been tarred down, and they were all dead. By the farer end of the burnt down village, there was a pile. Of bodies. All the children you had been taking care of and many more, they were all there. Their little faces marked with fear and terror of the one who slaughtered them.

You were numb, didn't know how to react. Then you finally came to your senses and ran down wards. You knew you were much too late, but you just couldn't accept this. You were almost down, when you tripped and fell to the ground. You hadn't noticed, but tears had been flowing down your cheeks without your permission.

You stood back up and wanted to go to your home, see if Ai or your father were still alive. But you thought by yourself: ,,It's better not to see them dead, better to have the memories of them living in my mind.''

You didn't go any further. Better not. You would only feel more grief. You sobbed and saw the middle of the village in between the flames. There was someone there . . .

You narrowed your eyes and saw that it was a man. His red eyes wandered over the destruction and a cold smirk on his lips told you, that he was amused by the work he had done. Then his eyes looked over the flames and they landed on you.

You fled; his eyes following you every step to the forest. You fled as fast as you could. Tree branches hit your arms and bushes tied down your legs. But you still kept going, wanting nothing more than getting away from that evil man. But the picture of your burning home was stuck on your eyelids. The burning houses, the earth red with blood from those that had been your friends and co-workers, boss or even just neighbors; the little children who had died from the pain of blood loss when their arms were cut off or legs. They had watched their parents die, trying to help them.

How could anyone be so evil? Killing innocent children and grown-ups, and destroy a whole village.

You couldn't understand evil. Nor did you understand how people can be evil, or how evil they could be.

It felt hard to breath, and your legs could barely move. Your heart was trembling and your breath was unstable. You collapsed on the grass and lay there, without moving. You tried to catch your breath, but as soon as you did, you sobbed and cried. When tears denied coming, you sobbed and, you didn't even notice it, you fell asleep

You heard something. You opened your eyes slowly, and noticed that it was getting dark and colder. But this sound, a little girl? Then some other tone, annoyed answered the girl; then again the little girl's voice, and then a new one, a male's voice. And then nothing.

You blinked your eyes. Persons? Since when was there any one in the woods? Where did they go? Why is there all of a sudden quiet? Why did they go?

You pulled yourself up, your legs shaking and you noticed your cuts and bruises from before. You paid them no mind, though and walked towards where they had been, the voices. Then when you were starting to think this was just something your mind made up you heard the little girl: ,,I can't hear anything . . .''

,,Quiet.''

The male voice spoke. Just few trees away from you. You stopped. Then the male voice spoke again: ,,Come out, wench. I do not have time to wait for you.''

%How did he know?%

You were scared to death, both because the killer in the village was still in your mind, and the voice was cold as ice. You still decided to go. Things couldn't get any worse, could they?

You bit your lower lip and tried to breathe normally as you took your first steps to . . . Who? For all you knew they could be just as cruel demons, desperate to kill any human being.

But you still kept going towards them, until you saw the little girl, maybe 8-10 years old, with black hair and big eyes, a little imp, green and ugly fellow with huge eyes like dishes, and the most beautiful man you had ever seen. His golden eyes looked at you coldly and his long white hair swift with the wind. He was tall, in a white kimono with red sleeves, armor, and something yellow and blue wrapped around his waist.

He was still watching you and his gaze told you that he wanted, no, demanded to know what the hell you were doing, crossing his path and you should show him respect. But probably the first thing you noticed where the demon markings on his forehead and chins. He also had a large fur thingie on his shoulder.

You didn't know what to do, your mind told you not to show a demon your respect, but to fear him like death itself, but this demon told you that if you wouldn't show him respect, you would die. You still looked him in the eye, scared to death of doing something that might make him unpleased. Suddenly he drew his sword from its sheath and walked your way. You felt your face pale up and your stomach turned inside out. This was it; he was going to kill you!

Your heart trembled and you couldn't believe this was happening. Then the little girl yelled: ,,Look out, lady!''

You watched her finger pointing behind you and quickly turned around. A spider demon was running your way. And the first thing you could think of was a long, high-pitched scream.

You ran to the closest shelter there was, the beautiful demon. Then a little slice-sound and a low bump-sound after that told you the ugly spider demon was dead.

You looked up from behind the demon, one part of the spider demon was lying on the ground and the other one, with the eight feet on, was just falling to the ground. You looked up to the demon with the golden eyes which was still waiting for you to do something. You were already on your knees, so you bent forward saying quickly: ,,Arigatou gozaimasu! Thank you so much sir! I'm, sorry for disturbing you and your company, I'm so sorry! Gomen nasai! What can I do to show you my gratitude and thank you? I can do everything, anything that need to be done! I beg of you to let me thank you!''

The little girl giggled a bit and you fought yourself not to look up to her. She said: ,,I don't think I have ever seen anyone so grateful to you, Sesshomaru-sama! Or to anyone! She is funny! I like her! Please can we take her home? Please, Sesshomaru-sama?''

There was dead silence. You were still lying face down in front of him. Then he spoke: ,,Give me one reason, human wench, why I should take you to my home.''

You thought carefully over every compliment you had been given or the past few years, your talents and everything that could help you on this moment. Then you picked your words with accuracy: ,,I'm really hardworking, I don't give up on difficult tasks. I can clean, I can cook, I know just about anything that a woman needs to know. I follow orders without hesitation. I . . . don't have anything that slows me down anymore.''

The ugly imp said with impatience: ,,Lord Sesshomaru, I think we should move on. This human wench is dead anyway.''

He spoke coldly and calm to the imp: ,,Are you giving me advices on my decisions Jaken?''

The imp yelled in a scared tone: ,,Of course not Lord Sesshomaru! I just think it's best to leave the human . . .''

,,Jaken-sama, I think we should let Sesshomaru-sama decide. But I really want her to come, then she can play with me!''

Again silence filled the little clearing. Then the demon, Lord Sesshomaru, said: ,,Then you will be Rin's babysitter. And if you fall behind, we will not come back after you. Now, get moving. Enough time wasted.''

Then he walked past you before you could say thank you. The little girl yelled: ,,Yay! Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama! I bet she'll be the best one, ever!''

Then she walked to you and took your arm: ,,Wow, now we can be friends! What's your name? My name is Rin, and this is Jaken-sama, and that is Sesshomaru-sama!''

You smiled to the little girl, still confused, and said: ,,Hi Rin, my name is Sayuri.''

The girl, Rin, smiled brightly and told you with her eyes shining with excitement: ,,Okay, Yuri-chan, but we have to hurry, or else we will fall behind. And Sesshomaru-sama doesn't like it when I fall behind. C´mon!''

She took your arm and dragged you up. She then ran after that little imp, Jaken, and Lord Sesshomaru. You stared at his back as he walked away from you; now you worked for him and you had to do as he said, no matter what. You were a servant now.

,,Yuri-chan, where do you live?''

You jumped and caught up with Rin who was looking back at you with a smile. You blinked at her, thinking of what to say, being careful to not begin crying: ,,I . . . nowhere. I don't live anywhere anymore.''

,,Why?''

That was an honest question. You decided that honesty should be rewarded with honesty: ,,Because my village was destroyed. There is nothing left of it.''

The smile turned into a sad frown and she asked: ,,That's sad. Who did it?''

Flashes of the red eyes staring at you made you shiver; who? You told her in a low voice: ,,I don't know. I wish I did,'' you didn't want to talk about your village anymore, feeling the tears close by: ,,But where do you live Rin?''

The girl smiled once again and told you with a small hop: ,,I live with Sesshomaru-sama! I have two rooms, one for my dolls and one for me to sleep in! I can't wait to show you all my dolls! And then we can go out and play with my ball! Do you know how to read Yuri-chan?''

You were kind of confused by all the information she was giving you, so you didn't even think before you told her: ,,Yes I do. My mother taught me to read.''

You felt like biting your tongue off; reading was not something a girl of your stature should know. It wasn't a thing women should come close to. But Rin seemed impressed and excited: ,,She did? I wish I had a mommy who could teach me to read.''

You looked at the little girl with sadness in her eyes as you asked her carefully, not sure if this was a delicate subject or not: ,,Don't you have a mommy?''

She looked at you and stated: ,,No. But I have you now. I know! You can teach me! Sesshomaru-sama doesn't have time, and Jaken-sama doesn't want to. Please?''

She looked at you with the biggest puppy-dog eyes you had ever seen and you couldn't help but smiling: ,,Of course, I'll do my best!''

Another hop and a huge smile: ,,Thank you Yuri-chan! But where did you get these scratches from?''

You looked at your arms and saw some bruises too. You looked at your feet and saw there some scratches. You answered, awkwardly, trying not to get to caught into it: ,,I was running through the forest. I was in a hurry.''

She looked at you with wide eyes and asked in a honestly curious voice: ,,Why were you in a hurry?''

This kid had all the questions in the world! You still didn't want to talk about your home. Your heart was still aching from it. You told her the first thing that came to your mind: ,,It was getting late. I was hungry, so I was hurrying home through the forest.''

Rin nodded, obviously taking this explanation valid and asked: ,,Are you hungry now?''

,,Why do you ask?''

She explained, asking her questions obviously seemed to entertain her: ,,I just wanna know. The other babysitters say that I can be a little brat sometimes. Am I?''

Rin looked a little hurt, wanting you to accept her and be her friend. You smiled to her, glancing up when you felt the attention shift from ahead to you and your answer. The girl meant something to the two demons, even though they didn't show it at all. Rin was still waiting for your answer and you smiled even brighter to her: ,,What? A brat? For being curious? Silly people, it's healthy to be curious. Unless you are too curious, haven't you ever heard that curiosity killed the cat?''

Her eyes widened as you said this and you explained: ,,Of course we're not talking about an actual cat, it's just a saying. It means that sometimes, being too curious can cause you trouble.''

She asked honestly: ,,Really? I didn't know that! I don't want to get in trouble. Why am I curious?''

That was a question which really didn't have an answer. You felt the attention the two of you had move away from you, the pressure disappearing. You hummed for a moment, looking up at the reddening sky: ,,Why are you curious? Let's see…''

Rin waited patiently while you thought about what to answer, until you came with the final conclusion: ,,I think you just want to know things. Like, I wanted to learn to read, so I could know what the books say. Normally girls don't read, but me and my mother where different. We liked reading and drawing. And writing.''

Rin's face lit up, and you thought to yourself that you did an excellent job avoiding the very, very sticky question: ,,Me too! I love drawing! When we get home, we can draw together too. But I'm getting tired.''

You looked up again and just saw where the moon was getting up, and the sun was setting. It really was getting late. You were hungry and little Rin too. Lord Sesshomaru hadn't said a word and Jaken just was there, probably glad being not the one in interrogation by the little girl. Lord Sesshomaru stopped and said: ,,Jaken, find food. You, prepare it.''

Jaken answered him: ,,Yes my Lord.''

,,Yes, Lord Sesshomaru.''

You were smiling again and you made a little fireplace as Jaken got back with something to eat. You didn't like cooking. But you liked making something for others. You cooked the meal and you ate. Lord Sesshomaru had been sitting on a rock for the most time, but once he left without saying a word. Then he came back and you didn't want to be rude by asking where he went. You were in general a very polite girl. And you hated to see a nice place in total mess.

But you were looking forward to working at Lord Sesshomaru's house. What was the staff like there? Would you be happy? Would you be Rin a good babysitter? You sure hoped so. You looked over the quiet group and then Rin started to talk, or more like annoy Jaken with her talk. You stayed silent and watched them talk about something. Rin was talking about how nice the flowers were and Jaken was talking about how foolish it was thought of her. When Rin saw that she couldn't convince Jaken that flowers were pretty, she turned to you: ,,What do YOU think Yuri-chan? Do you think that flowers are pretty?''

The toad like demon blew up and yelled: ,,It doesn't matter what this pathetic human thinks of that!''

Rin argued: ,,But I wanna know what Yuri-chan thinks!''

,,Maybe she doesn't want to answer your stupid question, foolish child! Now stop asking stupid questions, Lord Sesshomaru will get tired of them!''

Rin turned to the demon sitting on the rock. He didn't open his eyes, and Rin said: ,,I'm sorry, Sesshomaru-sama. I didn't mean to disturb you.''

He didn't response. He just sat there. Rin looked content, though, and stood up just to sit back down next to you and whisper: ,,I'm tired Yuri-chan. Can we go to sleep?''

You smiled and whispered back to her: ,,Yeah, sure. Come on. We should let Jaken-sama know we are going to sleep.''

Rin smiled and yawned. You felt a bit warm in your heart; at least you could divert your mind somewhere else. You got ready for sleep with the girl, and so there was nothing left for this day, then go to sleep and wake up the next morning.

It was dark. You couldn't sleep. It just wasn't real that you were sleeping in the middle of the forest with people you didn't know, a youkai, and an imp, and of course a little human girl. It didn't make any sense at all. You sighed and knew that you wouldn't be able to sleep. At least not yet. You had slept most of the day so you weren't tired at all. But you knew you guys would walk the whole day tomorrow.

You went completely still; what was that? You could swear you heard music. It was faint, but it was there. You felt feelings bubble up in your chest, so mixed, so many and so strong! Suddenly you were anxious to stand up and go for a short walk. As you stood up you noticed that Sesshomaru was still on that rock.

% He must have a thing for them or something . . . they at least look alike when it comes to personality . . . %

You smirked by these thoughts but returned to your normal, sweet self. You looked around, trying to figure out which way to go. You looked to the east. Where was the music coming from? You wanted to go there. You took one step to the low music when a stony voice said: ,,Go back to sleep.''

Your heart almost stopped as you turned around and looked at Sesshomaru. You weren't sure you heard him so you whispered timidly: ,,I'm sorry, my Lord, what did you say?''

You almost jumped again when you heard his deep voice cut the night. You felt a stronger pull to his voice than to the music you were hearing: ,,Go back to sleep. If you follow the music, you will die.''

You felt a bit of stubbornness built up in your body, and you asked him as politely as you could: ,,I'm sorry I have to ask my Lord, but why?''

He had barely moved, but his eyes opened now, the golden orbs glowing in the darkness, ,,Because the demon that is singing is luring you to it, it is looking for a meal. Do I have to repeat myself.''

You blushed as you realized that he had just saved your life. You then humbly replied: ,,No, my Lord, I'm sorry.''

You lay back down and tried not to listen to the music.

You lay on your back, trying so hard not to listen to the music. It was still calling you. You saw a sudden movement where Sesshomaru was. You looked quickly in his way, just quick enough to see him disappear to the east.

% He's probably going to slay that demon or something like that . . .%

Then just moments after that thought, you fell asleep, too tired to keep yourself awake, but the last feeling you felt, much to your surprise, was safety.

You were walking in a clearing, with millions and billions of flowers all around. They were white roses, with small thorns. Then suddenly, fire blew up. Everywhere, except a small path, which you ran to. You felt eyes looking at you; red, evil eyes.

Then the path ended and you were in another clearing, but the roses were deep red, with sharp thorns. You walked to the middle of the clearing and took one up. The thorns stung your fingertips, and they bled. Then, as the low whisper of the wind sang in the trees, and the flames threatened to get closer, you saw Ritsu. He came walking from the flames, and a cold smirk was as plastered on his lips, and he reached out his hand, as to grab you.

He got a hold of your arm. His hand pulled you to him, and you fell in his way. His eyes were staring at you manically and he said: ,,I need you, Yuri. Come with me. We will live forever, in the next world . . .''

You felt your heart say no. You wanted to protest, feeling your whole body telling you not to go with him; you had something else waiting for you, even though your mind was telling you that it was maybe for the best. But it was like you were paralyzed; you could neither deny him nor go with him. He walked slowly to the fire that was all around you, dragging you with him. You felt the heat from the flames on your skin. Ritsu was in the middle of the fire holding you tightly so you couldn't get away. The flames licked his body, and his flesh burned. You saw his hair burn up and his hand that held your arm was the only thing left of the old Ritsu. His eyes were still there, staring at you, and his black skull, with the same cold smirk. Then he pulled you to the fire. The burning pain, as you felt the yellow, red and orange flames burn your skin to the bone. Your hair was on fire, and the heat was unbearable. A blood chilling scream escaped your lips, for a moment.

The fire was out. Everything was black. You felt dread in your heart, you felt naked and exposed. This wasn't good. Then your father came from the shadows and said angrily: ,,Where the hell were you, Sayuri? I wasn't supposed to die, you worthless daughter! You can't ever do anything right, now can you? Just like your grandmother! Always daydreaming about demons, like your mother. You are the one who should have died, there is no one who cares about you, anyway!''

Then he disappeared, leaving you with tears in your eyes, and no sound coming from you, no matter how you tried to scream at him. Then Keiko and Yuki came, making you see stars from the pain in your heart: ,,Where were you, Yuri? Where were you when we needed you? We are dead because of it! You are the only one alive now! Just because you didn't want to be at home with your poor father! We are almost certain about that you didn't care about us, or your father. You should be ashamed of yourself! We HATE you!''

Then they disappeared as well. Tears streamed down your cheeks but no sound came from you. You closed your eyes, and when you opened them again, all of them were in front of you, Ritsu in the lead. Their burned hands locked themselves around your arms and dragged your to the fire.

Your eyes quickly opened and you took a gasping breath. Everything was dark, and the night air was refreshing. You were too warm and sweat was dripping from your forehead. Your breath was uneven, but there was no sound around you. You looked around and saw that everyone was still asleep. You lay back down and tried to calm yourself down again. But tears still forced themselves from your eyes and ended either in your ears or the fell to your hair. You sobbed until you finally fell to a dreamless sleep.