Title: Through the looking glass

Author: Celestial Seraphim

Warning: angst, OOCness, Kagomeness, childish cuteness, mild violence

Pairing: SesshomaruxKagome

Side Pairings: Inu no TaishoxSesshomaru's mother

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters those go to their prospective owners but I'm currently in negotiations for a Sesshomaru plushie :3 I do not own the cover art it belongs to YoukaiYume and is one of the Inspirations of this story.

Summary: What if Kagome had fallen down the well much earlier in life? What if she'd known Sesshomaru first, grown up side by side with the Taiyoukai but couldn't remember? Like Alice falling into Wonderland only to wake up with no time going by at all? What story would their forgotten memories tell?

Author's Note: I'm sooo glad so many of you are liking how it started! Thank you to those who reviewed 3 I really appreciate it and to all of those who followed/fav'd you are the beginning of my avid lurkers lol. You guys are the ones that really make it worth it and to those of you who are yelling at me to get back to my other works *sweatdrops* I will, I swear. I'm just full of SessKags goodness right now lol I hope you guys will like this chapter as well!

BTW for the sake of my fanfic's I will always refer to Inu no taisho as 'Toga' or Inutaisho. It's a bit easier when he has a name and Sessho-mama is Kimiko.

Through the Looking Glass…

Chapter 1

Blue eyes slowly opened as the fog cleared from the small girl's mind and she realized she was not where she was supposed to be. Blinking in mild surprise she looked around her, realizing it was a bit too dark for her liking. The small girl let out a soft surprised sound when something in her mind clicked and she realized she was in the bottom of the well. Looking up Kagome let out a cry to see there was nothing but blue skies above her. Strange, the well house shouldn't have let her see that. "Mama! Papa! Grandpapa!"

She waited, sitting obediently on the dirt covered ground. She waited for a second longer before she called out again, a tremor slowly building in her body. "Mama! Papa, I want to come out! I don't like this! MAMA!"

Kagome ended in a shrill watery scream, fear making its way through her small body. Working herself into a frenzy as the darkness at the bottom of the well seemed to close in around her, she wailed loudly. Small hitches in her breath stopping her before a louder wail left her lips, screaming for her family to get her. Kagome prided herself in being a brave girl. She did not ask for a nightlight and slept with her room door closed, she scared the neighborhood dog away when it growled at her friends as well as shoved the local school bully for a younger kid. She was a good girl who was brave but she felt everything around her was strange, she couldn't remember how she got to the bottom of this well, her parents weren't answering her wails, her pretty pink dress and she had to pee.

Suddenly, there was a voice from above her that was decidedly feminine and she called out wetly, "Hello?"

A head poped over the well's rim and a younger version of the woman Kagome knew blinked at her in shock. "Shin-san?"

Pupilless emerald eyes looked at her curiously and cropped emerald hair with dark skin like bark leaned fully over the well's rim. "Are you alright, little one?"

Kagome frowned and tears welled up in her eyes, "Shin-san, I want mama."

She watched as those strange green eyes softened at full lips curled into a sympathetic smile as the younger looking woman said gently, "What's your name, little one? I don't remember seeing you before in my forest."

The little girl frowned, panic and tears forgotten as confusion took hold. "What do you mean Shin-san? We were playing in the well house a few days ago. You were telling me about the hanyo son of Toga-sama and his miko. "

The woman's eyes widened and she bit her lip before a sad smile curled her lips. "What is your name, little time traveler?"

The little girl frowned even more at the nickname not understanding before she said slowly, "Higurashi Kagome…Shin-san I want Mama and Papa. Why haven't they come for me yet?"

Her lower lip began trembling slightly as her voice became plaintive and the woman seemed to panic a bit before she hushed her gently, "It will be okay. Don't cry, little one. Let me see if I can get you out of there then we can find a way to get you back to your parents."

The tiny child sniffled but nodded her head, still sitting on the well's floor as the woman, Shin, darted away. It was a few minutes later and Kagome's eyes were drooping from all her wailing when Shin came back with a vine-like rope. "Come, little one. Grab on so I may pull you out."

Kagome grabbed on to it tightly and Shin began to haul it up, Kagome let out a soft sound of surprise but closed her eyes as she held on tightly. Afraid she might slip and fall as Shin let out soft grunts before finally hauling Kagome over the edge. They tumbled over and Kagome began to cry again as humiliation flushed through her. The woman opened her mouth to question what was wrong when a pungent odor of urine hit her sensitive nose and sympathy washed through her. Cuddling the currently mortified and scared child, Shin shushed her softly until Kagome's cries were soft sniffles again. Kagome hiccupped, upset about wetting herself in front of Shin-san of all people but it was abruptly cut off when the little girl noticed they were surrounded by forest. Confusion filled her and her small voice trembled slightly, even the tree that was at home was different. Looking at the ethereal woman in front of her Kagome asked,

"Shin-san, where are we? Where's my home? Where's Mama and Papa?! I wanna go home. Why is the well outside?"

She looked at the child in barely contained pity as she said, "Little time traveler did I tell you how this well worked?"

Thankfully with something to focus on the little girl's threat of water works once again subsided and she thought carefully before looking behind her at the well. Eyes wide and said with a little awe, "You said she traveled through the well….did I…Did I travel through the well?"

Shin smiled, grateful Kagome seemed to be a smart child unlike some children that wandered the forest. "Hai, Kagome-chan. I, as the Goshinboku, power the well and somehow you ended up getting put here."

Kagome blinked and asked in hushed awe, "Shin-san are you Kami-sama?"

The woman blinked before letting out a bark of laughter, cuddling Kagome to her again as she said, "Iie, Kagome-chan. Although there are many names for me. Youkai, bakemono, spirit, deity and even Dryad. I am just me though, just Shin of the Goshinboku."

Kagome allowed herself to be cuddled, needing the comfort as her little seven year old mind tried to understand everything before she asked softly, "Will I be able to see Mama and Papa again?"

The young woman sighed, squeezing the little girl in her arms comfortingly before she said softly in return. "I don't know but I will do what I can to make sure you do."

The little girl sighed, trusting Shin with all of her little heart and loving the woman for always taking care of her. A minute later the little girl's nose scrunched up and she said plaintively once more, "Shin-san I feel yucky."

The woman chuckled lowly before coaxing the girl the stand and taking her hand, deciding they'd go to a lake and wash. Thoroughly.

(OoO)

Three days later found Kagome happily running through the woods to hide from Shin as they played Hide-and-seek. She'd lived much like the Dryad's her mother once read about lived. Sleeping in trees or in the roots of Goshinboku, bathing in the streams, making flower crowns and running with the forest animals as she played with Shin. There were moments when she missed her parents terribly and she wailed loudly wanting them back but then Shin would coax her into a game and it was all better again. Kagome stumbled slightly but caught herself and ducked inside a hollow log, hushing a disgruntled fox as he was awoken by his afternoon nap but the forest child.

Shin laughed softly as she let Kagome get a head start, knowing the forest would tell her where the child is even if she thought she'd hidden cleverly. She was coming to learn she loved the little girl much as she would love a daughter. A part of her was reluctant to give her up but she knew she did not belong here and she had to find a way to send her back. It stumped her though that the magic that connected her to the well refused to bend to her will. The well never rejected her wishes yet it vehemently refused to open to send the girl back home. It was heartbreaking, especially when she held the distressed child in her arms. It hurt to see the little girl so distraught, missing her mother and father. She could only hope that for the time being, she would suffice.

The adolescent fox had been watched the new forest child giggle to herself as she kept peeking out of the log to catch a glimpse of the Goshinboku. His nose twitch and his ears swiveled a few seconds before his mind registered the danger as the little girl glanced out again only to be grabbed by the scruff of her strange kimono and hauled forward. The fox let out a low snarl, darting out and taking a chunk out of a leg nearby before he was kicked away. He heard the forest child cry out for him to leave and after a second the too strong scent of man made him flee in the direction of Goshinboku to warn her.

Kagome watched the little fox the usually stayed close to her makeshift home run after tumbling away when a boot connected with him. Terrified blue eyes turned to the man who held her and something in his face made her insides feel like ice. She whimpered, trying to curl into herself midair and away from his prying eyes. Suddenly, she'd never wanted her mama or papa so much as she did in that moment but another face popped into her head. Shin's face. Trying to gather her courage she stared the man in the eyes and tried to sound firm even if her voice shook a little.

"Put me down. Shin-san won't be pleased with you."

The man arched an eyebrow at her and the little girl felt indignant getting the feeling he wasn't taking her seriously. He looked over to his moaning companion nonchalantly, ignoring the blood that was coming from his calf where the fox had bitten his comrade. "Did you hear Toki? Her mother won't be pleased."

Kagome twisted her little features trying to scowl impressively like she'd seen her father do one time when a little boy had pushed her too hard. "I am being truthful. Let me go. This isn't nice. You shouldn't put your hands on a woman papa says."

A slow twisted grin curled the man's lips and all the courage she'd gathered fled her at the look in his eyes. There was something wrong with it. "Well now, your papa isn't here now is he filth."

Kagome flinched and her bottom lip trembled at both the reminder as well as the fear that swelled in her. Fear moving her she lashed out and her foot connected with his chin. With a cry he let her go and for a moment her stomach flipped as she fell through the air before pain flared in her bottom as she landed on the ground. However, it dulled instantly as she scrambled up and turned, running away. She knew she had the advantage seeing as she knew these woods and they knew her. She heard the man snarl something to his companion before they gave chase and her heart leapt in her throat. 'Do not cry, Kagome. Donotcry. Donotcrydonotcrydonotcrydonotcry.' She continued the chant as she bit down on the inside of her cheek unthinkingly, instinctively knowing if she cried she wouldn't be able to see.

Shin felt the immediate shift in the forest, telling her unwelcome visitors had encroached on her territory. She frowned and her ethereal features turned dark and sharper before she heard a canine yip. Keeping herself still she listened to the call before letting her aura flare to alert whatever creature that she was here. Instantly a fox broke through the foliage, its eye wild and sides heaving before a series of yowls and yips alerted her to what was wrong. Kagome was in danger. It was like everything in her turned to ice as fear gripped her, humans. Humans had Kagome. They were not the most understanding creatures, they would damn her because she lived in the woods with her and the animals. She had to go to her but she could do little to affect human adults, let alone touch them. Her mind raced as she tried to find a solution just as the forest shuddered, alerting her to another presence in her forest.

Her awareness stretched along her forest until it brushed against the aura of another. Jolting as she recognized it she turned to the fox and said urgently, "A youkai has just entered the forest. Tell him I need his help and lead him to us, I will go to Kagome."

The fox yipped in agreement before whirling around and heading towards the direction the youkai was in. Shin watched for a few moments before twirling around and heading to where the forest cried out in outrage in their new forest child's defense.

The little child let out a cry of shock and hurt as she tripped over her shoelaces, landing heavily on her arms and face. Her sides heaved and she felt something burning every time she sucked in air, it hurt. Suddenly, an explosion of pain made her mind go blank as she was sent flying into a tree and whimpered where she landed in its roots. She curled up around herself, no longer caring if she cried and not trying to be brave any longer. She wished fervently for Shin to show up and save her. Suddenly, there was a vicious snarl and little Kagome peeked through her arms to see a pair of wolves staring menacingly at the men, behind them was Shin. An enraged look flashed through her pupilless emerald gaze as she stared down the humans but they didn't look at her, didn't even notice her. Their eyes were on the two wolves that circled them, toying with them by leaping in and out of reach with snapping jaws.

"Close your eyes, Kagome. This will be over in a little."

Kagome obediently shut her eyes, trembling as the wolves' snarls and the men's yells mixed in with another deeper snarl. She heard a strange sound, like something cutting through air and then the men were silent. She could hear both wolves' low growl before they whimpered slightly and two arms wrapped around her small form. She tensed for a moment before Shin's familiar scent of lilac and lavender filled her nostrils but she still did not open her eyes. The little girl slowly relaxed and let the fear leave her as she felt Shin's steady steps while she murmured comforting words in Kagome's ear.

When she finally stopped moving Kagome hovered on the edge of sleep and wakefulness. She could hear two people speaking, recognizing one as Shin but the other was deeper and recognizably male. This made her shudder unconsciously and Shin's arms tightened around her a little more. A soft yip brought Kagome out of her exhausted daze and she peaked out of Shin's arms, looking down at the fox who'd tried to protect her. She smiled tiredly and the fox's tail wagged once, giving her a foxy grin as it sat on its haunches. "It seems as though you've gotten yourself a faithful companion."

Kagome glanced up shyly at Shin, knowing she wasn't supposed to keep any of the animals or treat them as pets. However, at Shin's rueful look and indulgent smile Kagome knew that the fox had chosen her not the other way around. Smiling slightly she asked softly, "What is his name?"

Shin looked at the fox expectantly and the fox cocked its head to one side before letting out a series of yips. Shin hummed thoughtfully and said, "Akimitsu…autumn light."

The small child studied the fox's bright orange-red fur like the autumn leaves and chirped, "It fits!"

The fox seemed to preen at her words, puffing out its chest a bit. Kagome giggled but stopped abruptly when a voice cut in. "I think he appreciates the high praise."

Kagome froze, blue eyes locking with cautious gold as she stared at the strange looking man across from them. A small tentative smile curled the corner of his lips as he looked at her, hunching his shoulders to try making himself look smaller. Kagome shuddered again, this man was not the others but she couldn't stop remembering the look in the other man's eyes. She burrowed into Shin's arms again, glancing at the man through her fingers, not noticing the look that passed over her head between the two adults and never realizing her life was about to change.

TBC…

A/N: Here's another chapter and I hope you guys enjoy it. Decided to show another side of Kagome and add a little twist. Yes, Shin is the Goshinboku tree and is not at the same time. She lives within the tree and I suppose you can equate her to a dryad but with much more power. Seeing as she was/is the 'God Tree'. I'm sure you can all guess who the man with golden eyes is lol but can you guess what's going to happen next? Just to clear up things I'm treating 'Inuyasha Forest' as though it is a living entity because of Shin/Goshinboku so everything even the trees are alive just not in the talking sense. Also when Kagome was referred to as the 'Forest Child' they don't mean that she'd like Shin or a dryad or anything like that. All the entities (trees, animals, etc) know her as the 'Forest Child' because she lives there and is taken care of by Shin who in a sense owns the forest/is the forest. So they see her as a daughter of the forest. Any questions? Feel free to let me know :)