~Still no scheduled update but I am updating! Are you happy with me? I aim to please my dear reviewers. The more reviews I get, the more I want to update.

~Still no set pairing. My writing is just flowing as I go and I don't think I'll settle on a pairing while they're still in the streets. So you can still vote and give me your thoughts. Do it while there is time!

Disclaimer ~

I do not own Kuroshitsuji or Inuyasha. They belong to their rightful owners who are not me. In fact, the owners are probably being smart by keeping them away from me because you never know what I might do with them. I do not have a beta reader so I do own any and all mistakes you spot but if you point them out, I'll fix them for you.

Curiosity of the newcomers ran rapid after that. Nobody was sure of Kagome's and Snake's backstory but now, they wanted to know. For gutter rats, names were rare. Nobody wanted to associate with the people who casted them off or ignored them and those people were often the ones to give them their names. To keep a name was to acknowledge the past that they tried to deny.

For three days they were able to deny their curiosity. For three days they all got use to their new names and 'practiced' their acts. It only lasted for three days before they just had to ask.

"How come you never told us you had a name?" Wendy asked on the third night.

Kagome shrugged her tiny shoulders, her eyes drooping in exhaustion. In her hands was her share of bread from today's theft but she hadn't eaten yet. It hadn't escape anyone's notice that she had barely spoken or eaten since she had revealed her true name. She didn't even talk with Snake as much as before. Revealing her name had made her very depressed but nobody was sure how to fix it.

"It's just a bunch of random letters." Kagome answered.

"Well then, why did you keep it?" Wendy was persistent in her questions.

One of Kagome's hands moved to rest on her hip. Her fingernails lightly stroked the area despite the grimy shirt and pants she wore. Dust, mud and other unmentionables flaked off the outfit and dirtied her hands. "My parents were good people and my name is all I have left of them."

This time it was Doll, sweet naive Doll, who asked the question. "Why do you keep something from the people who casted you off?"

Joker saw Kagome tense and water filled her eyes. It was baffling to the others around her. Nobody had ever seen Kagome cry. She had never shed a tear when hunger clenched all their bodies. She never voiced her pain when she was injured or when that injury became infected. She always seemed too calm, too accepting of the situations around her.

"Because they were good people. It's not their fault that I ended up like this," and with that, Kagome refused to answer anymore questions. No matter who asked or what the question was, Kagome would simply sit there, huddled into Snake, and her blue eyes would stare off down the alleyway.

`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··. . .·

Doll insisted that they try. They had to try and practice if they wanted to be in a circus. At first there was rebellions against the idea and loud protests but when the leaders of the group, Kagome and Joker, decided to humor the girl, everyone was forced into it.

It was horrible at first. Nobody was good at their chosen jobs. Joker couldn't juggle without his missing right arm and he was too grim to be funny. Peter and Wendy, despite their close bonds didn't trust each other enough to even fall backwards off a crate and have the other catch them. Beast refused to participate and instead chose to play with her alley kittens. Jumbo had no fire to practice with and Snake had no reptiles to charm. Dagger had a single broken blade to throw but he wasn't even getting close to the target because every time he did try to throw it, his balance would wobble and he would miss. Doll tried to walk across a simple board plank but her center of balance was horrible and she ended up falling and hurting her ankle. Since Kagome had no job, she took to encouraging others to continue trying and when injuries happen, she acted as the doctor and bandage them.

It was a chore to them. It was painful. Almost everyone wanted to abandon the idea after the first few days but not even the stern Peter could bring himself to crush that bright smile on Doll's face as she insisted that they would get better.

Who could have guessed that Doll was right? After a week of practicing, they steadily grew better. Peter and Wendy trusted each other enough to now fall back but not from any kind of heights. Joker was getting better at his jokes, even if they still contained a darker undertone and Doll could now walk across the wooden plank that they had laid across two pillars of crates. If someone stood by Dagger's missing side, this someone was usually Kagome, he was now able to hit the crate he was aiming at. It wasn't much but they only had a single dirty alleyway to practice in and considering their disabilities, they thought of this as a large improvement.

Kagome's smile grew wider as the days progressed. For a second, she considered that Doll's dream could be possibility. Maybe they could be the next big circus act. With a happy smile, Kagome began whistling a merry tune as the others continued to practice.

`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··. . .·

It was a simple theft that went horribly wrong. Kagome had snuck in easily enough but her dirty appearance must have put the owner on guard because the second her fingers touched the little bit of cooked meat, he immediately knew. He roared in anger and hobbled forward with a large club.

Kagome gave a squeak of surprise. Her hands quickly grabbed the food and she took off out of the store. She could hear the sounds of pursuit but as long as Kagome kept calm, she knew she could outrun him. She cradled the meat closer to her chest as she dodged around the pedestrians on the street. She was almost home. Once in the alleyways Kagome could easily disappear into the shadows and gift her family with the food she had.

Sometimes, Kagome questioned the cruelty of the world. When one saw a thin, starving teenager running for her life away from a much larger man with a club, what do you do? At one point, Kagome would have believed that there would have been at least one good soul that would have tried to delay the shop owner but she knew the truth now. She knew of the cruelty of the world.

She really shouldn't have been so shocked when people purposely tried to block her way or when they attempted to grab her themselves. Despite their efforts, it was a little funny that she tripped over a simple shoe attached to a cruel man who purposely stuck his foot out. With a cry Kagome fell to the floor, just outside of the dark alleyway that was her home.

She barely had time to curl her body into a tight cocoon before she felt the rain of blows. Pained cries escaped her as the club beat down on her. Once. Twice. Thrice. It continued to pelt down despite the bruises that were forming and the blood that flowed from her cuts. She was never sure how long it lasted. It could have been a couple of seconds or it could have been minutes. Pain made it difficult to keep track of time.

A glint of silver was her hero that day. The shopkeeper gave a startled cry as a knife flew by his head. A dull thud was heard as the blade dug deeply into the wooden club that was raised above the shopkeeper's head, ready to deliver another blow. Kagome turned pain filled eyes to the alleyway to see her saviors.

Dagger stood with a fierce frown on his face. Beast stood on his right side, both of them supporting each other so they could stand. Standing in front of them was a furious Joker and an intimidating Snake, who was baring his unnaturally long canines at the man. Behind them all, Jumbo towered over everyone like a beast. It was an army of street rats, dirty and looking mean enough to tear the man apart with their bare hands. Wisely, the man gave a squeak and raced away.

The haze was growing stronger as she watched Joker and Snake run up to her fallen side. Her once clean skin was now more blue than cream because of the bruises. Cuts and splinters littered her skin, each one tinkling a small amount of blood. One of her eyes had the unfortunate luck of being hit with the club and was now swelling close.

Snake easily lifted her up despite the young man's thin appearance. One of scaly hands stroked her cheek as a question lurked in his eyes. Kagome tried to answer and reassure him, but her tongue refused to move. Instead she gave a smile and turned her eyes to Joker, who was hovering uncertainty by her side.

With slow, pained movements, Kagome moved her hand under the bottom hem of her shirt and brought out the large seasoned roast that she had managed to swipe and hide. It was a little dirty now but the mouth watering smell it gave off made all the hungry stomachs nearby groan in protest.

She passed it into Joker's hand as Snake carried her past him and into the alley. Kagome never got to see the shocked looked in Joker's violet eyes or the pleased, thankful smile that appeared a few seconds later. The pain was too much for her. She fainted in Snake's arm, trusting the snake-man to watch over her.

For the next few days, the gutter rats in that alleyway feasted on savory roast and they were extremely thankful to the woman who got it for them.

`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··. . .·

"Your aim is definitely getting better!" Kagome stated cheerfully as she watched Dagger throw another tiny knife. The young boy had been practicing a lot ever since Kagome had found the cluster of throwing knives hidden away at the bottom of a trash can. These blades were in great condition and the perfect size for Dagger's smaller hands.

The blade hit the center of the box perfectly. Dagger still needed someone to lean against to keep his balance but his aim no longer wobbled and when he threw the dagger, he was now filled with confidence and charm. Kagome, who was currently supporting his weight, was flashed his charming grin and he dropped a playful wink at the girl.

"I have to be good enough to defend Big Sister against the men of the world." Dagger stated cheerfully.

Kagome's gave him the reaction he wanted. Her eyes fell to the floor and a bright pink blush covered her cheeks. Dagger laughed wildly as the arm he had thrown over her shoulder to help him balance, gently tapped her in rhythm to his laughter. Scowling playfully, Kagome wondered if it would be mean to just take a step away and let Dagger fall to the floor but his sparkling eyes and the smile on his lips was just too charming for Kagome to do that.

After a few seconds Dagger stopped his laughter and stared at Kagome intensely. Unused to the serious expression on Dagger's face, Kagome shifted her weight to her other foot in an weak attempt to put some distance between them.

"Dagger?"

"Do you trust me?" Dagger asked seriously.

"Of course I do," Kagome answered honestly.

"Beast!" Dagger suddenly yelled. Beast brushed off her kitten and Jumbo helped her to her feet so she could wobble toward Dagger. With practiced movements Kagome slipped out of Dagger's grip and Beast took her place. The two leaned against each other, balancing each other out by acting as substitutes for each other's missing limbs. Twirling his last knife, Dagger nodded towards the crate in the distance.

"Kagome, can you go stand by that box?" Dagger asked quietly.

Kagome was nervous since she had a feeling that she knew what was going to happen but she couldn't possibly back out now without hurting Dagger's feelings and showing him that she didn't trust him. So with slow, dragging steps Kagome moved towards the crate. She placed her back against the tower and turned to face her family, who were now gathering in curiosity of the new event.

"Now, don't flinch." Dagger barely finished his words before his hand flashed and a streak of shiny silver was heading towards Kagome.

It was the first time such a deadly weapon was thrown at her. Kagome wasn't use to feeling helpless and despite how much trust she had, Kagome had a slight fear of being impaled. With a whimper she flinched just a hair to the left, right into the dagger's path.

A shocked cry escaped Kagome and Dagger cried out in distress as he witness his knife hitting flesh. Red liquid swelled up from Kagome's left arm where the blade had pinned her to the crate behind. All of those that could, raced up to help her and free her from the crate.

`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··. . .·

"I'm so sorry, Big Sister." Dagger apologized once again.

"It's my fault," Kagome soothed the distress boy. "If I hadn't flinched then the knife would have missed me. Your aim was perfect." Which was true. If Kagome hadn't moved, the blade would have imbedded itself into the crate right by her side. She would have been safe if she had just trusted him more. Instead, the whole family was now gathered around her in concern as Jumbo wrapped her arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

A few hours later, the family had moved away after verifying that Kagome would be okay. Only Jumbo stayed by her side, peeking under the bandage every now and then to check her healing. What the large man saw amazed him.

"You heal very fast, sister." Jumbo rumbled as he stared at the wound that had closed in a matter of hours and now, only a large scar was left behind.

"I've always been a fast healer." Kagome explained. "When I was younger the doctors tested my blood but it seemed ordinary enough. My body is just strange."

"Is that why you are here?" Jumbo gestured with his large hand to the alleyway they called home.

Jumbo, despite his large size and cruel past was a gentle man. He was normally the voice of reason when the group got out of control. It was his imposing size that scared off other gutter rats before they came too close. It was the large giant who hugged Doll with such gentleness when the agony became too much for her.

Kagome always wondered why someone like him was denied kindness. Did humans get some kind of sick joy of being able to beat a boy that was larger than them? Despite his large size, there was no doubt that Jumbo was a kind man. He cared for his odd family deeply and somewhere along the way, Snake and Kagome became included in his sweet care.

Maybe that was why Kagome answered him and gave him more information about her past than she ever wanted to reveal. "My family was good to me. I lost them but Snake found me not too long afterwards. We came here but we can always leave if we choose too." She didn't mean for her words to be cruel so it pained her to see Jumbo recoil like he was hit. "We choose to stay. We are here because we want to be. It had nothing to do with my past or my body."

After a few seconds, Jumbo nodded in acceptance of her answer. His large body fell back against the stone wall and his eyes drooped in satisfaction. "I'm glad you decided to stay. You brought this family together and gave us hope." Around the duo, the others were practicing their acts or speaking to each other. Some of them were cuddled together, the long day taking its toll of them while others were occupying themselves with hobbies. If you ignored the dirty, sickly appearance of the children and the disgusting alley they rested in, they would look like a happy family wasting time. "That is enough for us."

"That's enough for me too, Jumbo. This is where I belong."

`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··. . .·

"You have to trust each other." Kagome insisted. "How can you swing through the air and catch each other if there is no trust?"

Peter glared darkly at the taller woman while spitting insults under his breath. "When did we start believing this shit anyways? When did Doll's game become reality?" Peter yelped when Wendy cuffed him behind his ear for his cursing.

"He dropped me last time," Wendy muttered darkly. "That hurt!"

"It's not my fault she won't listen to me. How can I catch her if I'm not ready too?" Peter argued back.

Kagome sighed tiredly as she rubbed her temples. There was a headache forming there. She just knew there was. Every time Peter and Wendy started their arguing, a headache formed. This was probably why the rest of the family left her to mediate them and soothe their tempers.

In the background their arguing continued. Wendy's own temper was flaring, Kagome could tell by the way she childishly stomped her little foot. Peter was glaring back with that arrogant gleam in his eyes that showed that he didn't want to be wrong and therefore, he wasn't wrong. Despite their older mind frames, Kagome wondered if they weren't really children at times like their stunted bodies portrayed.

Growing tired of their arguing, Kagome asked a simple question. "Do you trust each other?"

"No!" They echoed together and then glared at each other for answering at the same time.

Kagome shrugged and easily lifted Wendy's smaller body into her arms. Peter was yelling out more insults, most of them now directed at Kagome but Kagome continued to walk away with her hostage. Peter did not pursued them but his large green eyes were glaring after the retreating females.

Without any warning, Kagome spun on her heels and tossed Wendy high in the air and towards Peter. "Catch, Peter!"

Thinking back on it, it probably wasn't her smartest idea. What would have happened if Peter didn't catch her or if Kagome's aim was off? In her defense though, Kagome was tired, her stomach was once again clenching in pain and her headache would not go away. These things never did any good for her temper and their endless fighting was not helping.

A startled scream escaped from Wendy. It was a high enough pitch to burst anyone's ear drums and shattered glass. Her eyes were wide with fear and there might have been a few tears on her face. Kagome felt bad and regretted her decision in that moment. She never meant to frighten the girl but they had to learn to trust each other just like Kagome trusted Peter.

Peter dashed forward and caught Wendy with ease. His hands gripped her waist and he held her high above the ground, away from anything that could hurt her, including the floor. Her scream of terror became a hysterical, frightened laugh as Peter gently brought her to the ground and set her on her feet. Kagome watched as Wendy threw her arms around Peter, her tiny body trembling as she cried something into his shoulder.

Kagome believed it sounded something like, "I trust you. I trust you, Peter."

`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··. . .·

"They are so cute!" Doll exclaimed as she stroked one of the newborn kittens that Beast had found.

They were an assortment of colors, each one smaller than their hands. Beast had the litter nestled in her lap, looking as proud as a mother cat herself. Doll and Kagome were crouched by her side, cooing over the fluffy furballs. The males of the family couldn't quite get the girls' excitement about the cats so they stayed back and let the girls have their feminine moment.

Kagome was drawn to the cute calico that was nestled in the center of kittens. She was without a doubt the largest of the litter with a round stomach and stubby little legs. Beast smiled as she watched Kagome stroked the calico. Beast didn't necessarily dislike Kagome but so far, the eldest girls had found no reason to bond. They could live and work together but they were not as close as some of the family members.

Kagome saw Beast as too hot-tempered and Beast saw Kagome as too soft. They both envied each other for reasons they couldn't yet name. Seeing Kagome enchanted by the small kittens though, Beast wondered if there wasn't something they could find in common.

"You can keep that one if you want her," Beast offered quietly.

"Really?" Kagome exclaimed loudly as her eyes twinkled in excitement. She was so tiny and cute now but one day she would grow into a companion for her. She could be her secret keeper once she was big and strong . . . and old enough to walk away and leave her. Kagome's joy plummeted quickly. "I can't. She would simply run away once she's older."

"I could train her," Beast shrugged. "Cats like me. I'm sure I can train her to stay with us and to not disappear for long."

"Would you really do that for me?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

"It's what family does for one another."

`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··. . .·

Doll never slept alone. Maybe it because she was abandoned at such a young age or maybe it because she was subconsciously seeking the comfort that was denied to her so long ago. Whatever the reason was, all the family member knew that they had to take a turn cuddling with her if she chose to sleep near them.

Sometimes she chose to sleep next to Peter and Wendy. Their small bodies would cuddle into her, one on each side. It was one of the rare moments that their brash tempers and harsh words were put aside for the small girl. Peter sometimes complained, claiming that Doll was old enough to sleep on her own but a sharp glare from Joker shut him up quickly.

Sometimes Joker would hold her in his lap, keeping her as close as possible with only one arm. Even Beast would let Doll lay her head down in her lap and stroke her soft brown hair as she slept. Dagger, who was never far from Beast, would give her a charming smile and narrate fascinating tales until Doll fell asleep.

Most of the time she slept in Jumbo's large arms. Those two were the closest, the giant and the child. Jumbo would sit her in his lap and force her to lean back against his large chest. His large arms would form an unbreakable cage around her, as if sheltering her from the world. It was a sweet sight and it warmed Kagome's heart to see the two together.

It was rare for Doll to choose to lay with Kagome or Snake. There was no hurt feelings on the girl's decision. Kagome figured that Snake's mute nature simply unnerved the small girl. The human hybrid was also very protective of Kagome for reasons only known to the two of them and he would hiss or glare when Doll tried to snuggle with Kagome. If the sight of the long fangs and glaring golden eyes weren't so scary, Kagome would have found the situation funny since Snake was acting like a spoiled brat.

So it surprised everyone when Doll, even with Snake's angry hissing, moved towards Kagome and took a sleeping spot by her. Shocked, Kagome could only stare at the girl as she cuddled into the side of Kagome's that was away from Snake. As the hybrid continued to voice his displeasure, Kagome reached a hand out and yanked on his ear.

Surprised, Snake's noises stopped and he blinked his golden eyes. Kagome casted a rare, heated glare his way that spoke of an unvoiced threat. For some time the two just stared at each other, never before disagreeing over something. Finally Snake submitted and laid on the floor with his head resting in Kagome's lap like usual.

Dagger was on watch duty that night. One by one his family dropped off to sleep, trusting him to warn them if anything went wrong. Dagger felt very proud of himself. Very few were allowed to be on watch, mostly it was Kagome and Joker taking turns but they both were exhausted today, so Joker told him that he could do it this time.

Hours went by and nothing odd happened. Snores echoed all around as stomach gurgled and voiced their displeasure at being empty. At one point Beast mumbled Dagger's name which caused him to blush brightly. Peter and Wendy tossed and turned and Snake gave a grumble of displeasure. The moon climbed higher and the stars grew brighter as time passed.

He would never admit it out loud but Dagger had started to doze. Who knew it was so much work to stay up all night? His eyes grew heavy and he started to nod off when he suddenly jerked awake. His eyes looked around rapidly as he tried to find what had disturbed him.

Something didn't feel right.

It happened too fast for anyone to stop it. A large deadly serpent hissed loudly and lunged from the shadow. Its thin body was sailing through the air and heading straight for the sleeping Doll and Kagome. A shocked cry escaped Dagger and he lunged forward in an attempt to grab it but he fell short and crashed to the ground.

A pale, scaled hand flashed out and grabbed the snake before it could harm the girls. Thin pale fingers wrapped themselves just under the snake's jaw, keeping its fangs away from Snake's skin and its tail trashed wildly in protest. Immediately the flailing reptile wrapped itself around Snake's arm in an effort to free itself, hissing angrily the whole time. One by one all the family members woke up due to the loud racket to see Snake with a furious snake wrapped around his arm, which was only a few inches away from Doll and Kagome's faces.

Dagger was curious when Snake hissed back and it looked like the two reptiles were getting into a heated argument. Kagome blinked herself awake and watched in interest as the serpent's upset noises steadily grew quieter and quieter. Finally, the wild reptile laid docile around Snake's arm as he smiled and brought his arm to his chest.

As the snake wound itself around Snake's neck, he did the unexpected. He spoke for the very first time. "Sorry says Emily. I was not aware this nest belonged to another reptile, says Emily."

Everyone was shocked into silence, including Kagome. Snake never talked. Never. Everyone just assumed that he was mute. He always communicated well without words. After all, hisses, glares and body language spoke quite loudly when used by Snake but now they learned that he could talk, even if it was with a very feminine tone.

"Who . . . the hell . . . is Emily?" Dagger asked loudly. "Please tell that Snake's real name is not Emily."

The serpent raised its head and hissed loudly, drawing everyone's attention back it. "I am Emily!" Snake spoke in the girlish tint but adding afterwards, "says Emily."

Emily was the snake. Emily was the serpent that that tried to attack the girls. Emily was the reptile that was now resting around Snake's throat like a weird necklace. It was strange. Too strange. Everybody was shocked into silence.

Well, everyone but one person. "I told you he would be our snake charmer!" Doll loudly exclaimed. "He even talks to snakes!"

`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··. . .·

It hurt. She was screaming in agony as her body convulsed. Her heart was struggling to beat and her skin was tearing apart. It felt like something was being ripped from the root of herself and her body was struggling to hang onto it. Whimpers fell from her lips as blood poured down her body.

It hurt. Oh Kami it hurt so much! Make it stop. Make it stop. Please make it stop.

There was someone holding her. His lithe form cradled her gently and his voice was saying something but the pain made it hard to focus. Tears dripped from his face and down onto hers, adding a strange coolness to her heated body.

That wasn't right. He wasn't meant to cry. She made this decision for him. She wanted him to be happy and that happiness did not rest with her. She accepted that. Despite the pain and the agony, she was happy as long as he was happy. So why was he crying?

"Inu . . . yasha." Her tongue moved without her permission to form a name that was so familiar but she couldn't remember ever saying it before. "For you."

"Baka!" The strange male choked out as his grip around her tightened. Her face was buried in a strange red cloth. The same shade of red that covered her body due to the large amount of blood that continued to escape her body. "Baka, baka Kagome."

A sharp gasp escaped her as the woman threw her head back. Her body trembled before everything gave out. Her heart no longer had the strength to beat and her lungs had no will to hold air. Darkness bloomed before her eyes as her body gave up.

A shattered scream escaped her as something finally ripped itself free of the its fleshy prison that was her body. Whatever it was, it was so pretty. A shining blue glow that hovered over her body, uncertain of why it was suddenly naked. The last thing Kagome saw through her eyes was the blue blaze shattering into multiple pieces and shooting out in random directions.

Then she was falling. Dark shadows gripped her helpless body and sucked her into the ground. She screamed for help. She screamed for someone to hold onto her but the only ones to hear her was the hellish creatures that surrounded her.

Kagome broke the surface of reality with a startled gasp. Sweet air rushed into her lungs and tears flowed from her eyes as a reminder of the painful dream. She was cold. Despite the scaly body that was pressed against her, Kagome also felt alone. She continued to cry silently as she gently untangled herself from Snake's grip and got to her feet.

She only made it a few feet before her body collapsed, leaving her alone on the cold ground. Sobs were now racking her body and she felt like she was not getting enough air into her lungs. Her skin was covered in goosebumps but she felt feverish.

The gentle touch scared Kagome even more. She yelped and dived away from the hesitant hand that had touched her shoulder. Frightened blue eyes clashed with gentle violet hues as Kagome slowly realized that it was Joker who was crouched by her side.

She didn't know why she did it. Maybe she wanted comfort. Maybe she just wanted someone to hold her and tell her that the dream was not real, no mater how realistic it was. With a sob Kagome threw herself at Joker and huddled into his chest as he wrapped his one good arm around her.

He didn't ask any questions. He just cradled the young woman in his arm and leaned back against the nearest wall. He listened to her sobs and could feel her tears soaking his shirt but he didn't mind. He quietly hummed a random tune while stroking the long black hair that reached her waist. He just held her and let her cry out her pain.

Soon her misery dried out and no more tears would appear. Kagome sniffed in an undignified manner before peeking up from beneath her lashes at the young man who held her. He was gazing down at her, his own eyes filled with silent concern and questioning. Gently, Joker nudged her so Kagome would turn around.

She was still cradled between his legs with his one good arm wrapped around her waist. Kagome now had her back pressed against Joker's chest and his smooth breathing relaxed her tense muscles. Pressure between her neck and shoulder told Kagome that Joker was resting his chin there.

"It was a nightmare." Kagome answered the unasked question.

"I know," Joker replied softly.

Silence fell over them. Joker started to hum his tune again, which made Kagome drowsy. She didn't want to sleep though. Not while the details of her dreams still plagued her mind.

"What did you dream about?" Joker asked to shatter the silence.

"A nightmare." Kagome shuddered at the memory.

"What kind of nightmare?" Joker persistently asked.

"The worst kind," Kagome snapped rudely.

She was tired and her mind was frazzled. She wanted to sleep and she wanted food but both of these kind of things seemed unlikely to happen until tomorrow. Joker's harmless but annoying questions were not helping her temper.

He must have gotten the hint because Joker stopped asking. He let Kagome sulk in her silence as his own thoughts raced in his mind. He had never seen Kagome so broken. She looked like she was in a midst of a panic attack when Joker found her. Whatever she dreamed about obviously bothered her but she probably didn't want to seem weak.

"I have nightmares of fires." Joker's voice startled Kagome out of her trance-like state. At Kagome's confused and questioning gaze, Joker decided to elaborate. "I have continuous dreams about it. I can feel myself dying as the flames dance on my skin. It horrifies me enough to make me afraid of all large fires."

It was so unlike him. It was unlike any of their family members to admit their fears and weakness but it was surprisingly rare when it came from Joker. He and Kagome were the leaders of their group. The others looked to them for guidance and advice. They couldn't afford to question themselves or seem weak in the face of great odds. They could never hesitate.

"I have strange nightmares," Kagome found herself replying back. "I feel like there is something deep down inside me and it is being ripped free. It hurts, it hurts so damn much but I know there's a forgotten reason to why I'm doing it." The young woman shut her eyes and cuddled deeper into Joker's chest so she could whisper the last part. "I've been having that dream forever and each time, I die alone. I think . . . that's why I'm afraid to be alone."

Joker's one-armed grip tightened and he leaned his cheek against Kagome's. They shared in their pain, the weaknesses they would never admit under the harsh sunlight. It was relaxing to know that another knew and understood their fears.

"You're not alone now. I won't leave you," Joker vowed to her.

Some characters are OOC a bit (though I stand behind Kagome's temper. Hunger, headaches and the street life will alter some behaviors for good reasons). Each 'section' is in chronological order but they can be seen as their own mini stories. This is my attempt to entwine Kagome into the close bonds of the Circus crew. Leave me behind a review to let me know your thoughts. Which snippet was your favorite?

Some questions to dwell on as you wait for the next chapter. Who is the shadow creature? What haunts Kagome's past? Hints lurk about the Shikon no Tama, how will this affect the group? A visit from the Tooth Fairy? Would you choose to remember the horrific events of a past life or would you rather forget?