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Down and down the rabbit hole she went.

Chapter Two

"My, my, aren't you a pretty thing." A velvety voice purred, immediately pulling Usagi to consciousness. The first thing that came into Usagi's line of vision was a beautiful and foreign face. Heavy lidded eyes with long mauve lashes curled over deep cranberry eyes, a long slender nose, and full crimson lips. Instead of round pupils, she saw slits like a cat's. Long blackberry hair fell in luscious waves over her sharp features, parted in a manner that the strands on the right side tumbled over one side of her face. The woman canted her head then, "and don't you look familiar." The woman's scent rolled over Usagi, making her forget briefly about the aches and bruises she surely received from the fall. Usagi was lying flat on her back with the stranger hovering over her in a position that made the moon princess blush.

"Uh... um..." Usagi gulped until the woman realized their compromised state. She laughed deeply, and drew herself away. Usagi's knees had been up, skirt pushed back to reveal more thigh. The woman was unfazed, and seemed to take comfort in their closeness. For Usagi's sake, she seemed to let go. The woman was clad in a very skin-tight body suit that was nearly the same color as her hair, but closer to black. She was fit, but curvy. Usagi's blush deepened at how ample the woman's breasts were, easily noted by how the fabric strained over them.

"Enna!" The woman called out with her head turned. That was when Usagi noticed the white stripes against her darkly tanned skin. They disappeared beneath her high collar. "I found someone!"

"Oh? I'm on my way!" It was another female voice, but it was husky. A very tall woman soon came into view, and Usagi immediate sat up, drawing her skirt down to cover her knees. Immediately the woman made Usagi think of Haruka, because she was rather handsome than pretty. Her features were cut and striking, yet the soft definition was still present in the curve of her jaw and neck. She was too lean to be considered lanky, with unblemished fair skin. Her hair was what threw Usagi off, but she wasn't one to throw stones. While Usagi's hair was a long, silvery blond currently done up in twin buns and streamers, the taller and older woman's hair was short and stark white. They fell like feathers over her eyes while remaining up and rippling with the breeze all around.

The woman - Enna - paused with a thoughtful look sliding over Usagi's form. She was dressed traditionally but in a male's fashion. A white haori hung over her black tunic with gray hakama pants. If Usagi didn't know any better, she would've mistaken Enna for a man. "Kawaii, ne." Enna crooned and then chuckled at the sight of Usagi's blush. "And fortunately for you, we're not lecherous travelers." Enna soon knelt on the feline woman's other side. This close, Usagi noticed the unique qualities of Enna's slanted eyes. Her left was chocolate brown, but her right was a pale gray that was almost white.

"I'm Enna, and this is my companion, Vashe."

Vashe made a face at being referred to as a companion, but she complied, leaning closer to the taller female before nipping her earlobe. Enna hissed softly, and lightly swatted the busty female. Usagi watched bemusedly. She didn't even know how to begin, but her mind was playing back Pluto's words.

Enna Asagi.

Vashe Kulenovic.

What were the chances that she would come across her missing sister's friends so soon?

"Um, my name is Usagi." She replied.

"And such clothes!" Vashe said as she slid away from Enna in a grace that cats could only possess. Vashe leaned in to run her fingers along the fabric of Usagi's skirt and blouse. "I have never seen any design like it. Not even back home." Vashe murmured, and tugged gently at the bow.

"Dear, you're scaring the poor girl." Enna chastised lightly and Vashe moved away with a pout. They both stood, and Enna offered her hand to Usagi. Blushing faintly because of the woman's striking appearance, she took her hand and was hoisted up effortlessly. "If you don't mind us asking, where are you from?" Enna asked.

"Can I ask where I am first?" Usagi replied after patting the leaves and twigs off her clothes.

"You don't know where you are?" Vashe asked incredulously. And then frowned, "were you raped and left here!? Oh, I'll find those responsible and tear their balls to pieces!"

"Oh no, it isn't like that! I just... fell." Usagi finished lamely and Enna's pale brow rose. The gray eye seemed to glint, and sensing something other about that particular orb, Usagi shielded herself tightly, afraid of revealing herself too soon. She appeared normal and mostly human.

"Strange," Enna pondered out loud, "you're human yet you don't look so. Where are you headed, young one?"

"I..." Usagi paused, before nervously licking her lips. Their eyes watched her intensely, and she could feel the pressure sinking in as she tried to come up with something that wouldn't allude to her quest so soon! "I'm looking for work. I left home on my own, and... and had my things stolen." Usagi wore the saddest face she could muster, thanking Minako immediately for her acting skills.

Vashe looked faintly suspicious, and Usagi wondered immediately if she was the kind of person who could sense a lie. Usagi was shielding so tight however that it was nearly painful. Enna rubbed her chin thoughtfully, before blossoming into a grin. "Well, looks like you're lucky, little dumpling. You see, Vashe and I are traveling performers. And we happen to need an assistant. We will provide you food, shelter, and transportation. How does that sound?"

Usagi's eyes widened at the thought of food and her stomach grumbled audibly. Vashe broke into laughter, any signs of distrust melting away from her features.

"Come then, Usagi." Vashe cooed as she linked arms with the smaller blond, "we'll take good care of you."

Waiting by the dirt road was a brown-haired steed and a colorful caravan. Vashe slipped into the back first and pulled Usagi in. Enna took a seat up front outside and took the reigns. The interior was comfortable, with cushions and a tatami futon to the side. Clothes were folded in the corner with more hanging from the ceiling like curtains of their own. A sweet and spicy aroma made Usagi think of Rei's temple, of incense and herbs fused together.

Vashe yawned widely and stretched lazily onto the side. She propped herself on an elbow and gestured for Usagi to come close. Usually, strangers irked Usagi - but Vashe had been familiar with her from the beginning. Plus, they had the names that Pluto listed, and she had no one else to trust by them and the connection they had with Tora. Unless their memories were stripped clean of their past lives, then that was another mystery for Usagi to figure out. That was the kind of magic her mother was capable of, since she had been the reason for their reincarnations. She got comfortable, and tucked her legs to the side.

"You're different." Usagi said. She had sensed it - felt it in the air that surrounded Vashe. Magic came off in warm pleasant brackets, magic that she had never felt before.

"That's because I'm not from around here. I am from Europe, a foreigner among these lands, in more ways than one." Vashe purred. Usagi thought she saw an outline of a tail flickering back and forth. As soon as she blinked, the image was gone. "Do you believe in the fae, Usagi?"

"Fae?"

"Yes, the faeries in other words."

Usagi's eyes widened. "I... am not sure."

Vashe chuckled, "so sweet." She murmured, "but we'll leave it at that. I wouldn't want to reveal so much until I learn a little more about you, rabbit." She smirked at the blush again. "That's not going to get old for either of us."

"Glad that I could make you laugh at my expense."

"Oh, Usagi. We're becoming friends! Enna and I have been on the road too long. We're use to having our daughter, but she had decided to branch out. Do her own thing until she comes back to us."

Usagi blinked.

Vashe smirked again. "We adopted her. And someday, you'll meet her." She sounded so sure of it and Usagi couldn't help wondering who these women were. The instant ease and companionship was unlike anything she'd experienced with her inner senshi. And considering how much older they were, it seemed... protective, like she could trust them to keep her safe no matter what.

Usagi's stomach grumbled again, and Vashe giggled, though the sound came off as more of a purr.

"Here," Vashe said after sitting up with ease and pulling out a small box. She lifted the lid revealing neat rows of perfectly shaped onigiri. Usagi's eyes lit up immediately, "please. Have them all. Enna can easily make more when we pick up more supplies." She laughed at the worried look on Usagi's face and pushed the box toward her. "Don't worry about us, rabbit. Eat. You need to more than we do." Vashe's cranberry hues glinted happily. "And it's about to be a long journey. Sleep while you can."


Across the green field and deep within a volcano sat a prison unlike any other. Soft green light filled a small cavern, the workings of a spell that has yet to be lifted. A white tiger with crystal blue eyes sat before a gnarled and twisted tree, whining low and deep within its powerful throat. For years, the tiger sat gallantly by its slumbering master side, only leaving to feed and drink before resting by the glowing tree. Scrolls of containment hung from each branch that kept the individual locked within the trunk. Only a face could be seen, oval shaped and familiar. Locks of pale hair framed her slumbering features, silvery lashes resting on high cheekbones. The tiger yowled softly and then chuffed. The green light flickered, and the mountain shuddered, causing the tiger to look up in alarm. Lips peeled back to reveal deadly fangs.

Sesshoumaru woke from one of his rare naps. A-Un had roused in alarm, but realizing there was no threat, he lowered his double reptilian heads to rest again. It was late into the night, and the beast curled its long neck protectively over the sleeping and prone form of Rin. The Demon Lord of the West was truly unsettled by what he'd just seen. He stood up slowly, sheathing his tensaiga. Jakken remained snoring, which the dog demon ignored. Golden eyes glanced up and in a blur, he stood on a branch, overlooking the forest with his white hair billowing softly in the wind. The roads had been quiet of any threats as of late. No demon tried harming his Rin, nor attempt to steal the Tensaiga from his grasp. He was most feared, but he couldn't help but wonder about his brother. The whelp still lacked manners since last he'd seen him, even when he'd assisted him on defeating one of Naraku's minions.

He frowned as to why he was suddenly miffed. He was always so reserved and cold, unless Rin spoke to him.

He shook his head free from any stray thoughts. The dream. The imprisoned female. And the big cat. She seemed so familiar, yet he couldn't pinpoint where or how. His mind seemed to have blocked out any attempt to decipher the meaning of the dream, especially the reaction the sight of her face instilled. Panic. Such that Sesshoumaru was not privy to. "Tensaiga, do you know the source of this Sesshoumaru's unease?" He murmured to his sword. The sword hummed in thought, and he felt a power passing over his mind from their connection.

A woman locked away.

A misunderstanding.

Blinded by rage.

And then forgotten.

The sword spoke cryptically in his mind, succeeding in only causing his irritation instead of bringing enlightenment. Sesshoumaru's lips twitched, dissatisfied while the sword's connection faded. It seemed that Tensaiga would help little, unless he appeased it somehow. "We must find this place. This Sesshoumaru recognizes not the field, nor the mountain."

Suddenly, the sword woke.

Tensaiga knows whom could be of assistance.

The demon lord's eyes narrowed, "then show this Sesshoumaru."


Pain. Tears. Cold. Emptiness.

The pure look of betrayal hurt worst then the arrow that pierced her heart.

The goddess born in a different time, instead of united with her sister, could only think about the smiling face of the child princess.

And then she saw him, his beauty as blinding as the sun. His golden eyes flashed red immediately and he howled his rage, his fury that she had been struck. Only one person could cause her so much pain, and detest her so.

Before she fell, taken by cold hands into another world, she saw her. Those cold dark eyes on such a stunning face and her long black hair.

She thought her a friend.

Did they not harbor the same wishes to protect these villages from any threats?

Taken away. Into the cold darkness.

The yowling screech of her beast broke through the silence, and then a hiss of pain.

Oh, her sweet cat. Her calm winter. "Yuki," she whispered until she froze in time, sealed into the tree.

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Ah, another chapter! But yes, I may have misconstrued the timeline a little. Tora had been sealed roughly the same time as Inuyasha. Both were similar misunderstandings by the same person. xD