A/N: 2nd chapter of the 3! Its winding down now, and through the next chapter there will be time skips, so don't be surprised when little Kagome suddenly knows big words like Schizophrenia and Diaphragm 'kay?

Disclaimer: All of the places mentioned in this story are placed there with the thought that they are made up. I also do not own Inuyasha. Only the wonderful genius Rumiko Takahashi has the right to all of the characters. I only own Jin, and his little band of thieves.

Stroke…

Stroke…

The finger thick brushes of gold and silver melded together to create the masterpiece that was her painting. Little bits of black charcoal and pale cream colored paint stained Kagome's pale hands as she added the her second layer of color onto her easel, her arm straight and eyes completely focused on the picture in front of her. She barely registered her teacher's low mumble of approval as she passed by; making her final rounds on all of her students projects. Kagome's easel was the last one of all the students that attended her class at the end of the day.

"Alright students," The teacher announced, clapping her hands to gain the attention of the class. "Time to pack up your easel's and paints for the day. Nice job, I will see you tomorrow!"

Slowly the class complied with the teachers wishes. Many groans could be heard by the students as they shifted to clean up their messes. Only Kagome stayed silent as she continued to paint with her delicate, fine strokes as she bit her lip in concentration. Her teacher watched her from behind her desk. "Madame Kagome?" She intoned. Kagome didn't react, too focused on the finishing touches she put to her easel. Within a few moments she would be finished.

"Madame Kagome!"

Kagome jerked back, nearly losing her place on her stool as she did so. With a quick glance at her painting to confirm that the paint on the brush hadn't disturbed the rest of the painting, she met the gaze of her frustrated teacher. "Yes..?" She asked, unnerved at the glare. "Is something the matter?"

"The class was dismissed 15 minutes ago." She said. "It is time to leave now." She placed her hand on Kagome's shoulder, her gaze on the painting. "Your painting is gorgeous, Kagome." She added, before moving away to collect the materials that students had left behind. Kagome flushed. She hadn't been expecting the praise. Cleaning up her paints and putting away her smock, Kagome glanced at her painting. It was most certainly finished but it hadn't had enough time to dry.

'I suppose I could take it home anyways, I would just have to be careful…' Kagome reassured herself, lacing her bag around herself and then picking up the painting. She gasped a little when it nearly slid in her hands. 'Ok…really careful.' She amended. Shifting the painting so that she had it in her hands but wasn't touching the wet paint, Kagome gave her teacher a small goodbye and left the school.

Since it was a late afternoon in the fall, the air was brisk and the winds were fast, so Kagome had to bundle up in the warm wool coat her mother had given her for her 17th birthday a month ago, along with the matching scarf. Her painting was set in her hands, and against the winds Kagome hoped that it would survive the trip 3 blocks to the station that would take her the rest of the way home.

It was almost too cold to bear as she made her way through the first block. The winds blew her hair every which way and blocked out almost all the sounds that where coming from the cars and the people who walked around her. She really needed to get home before she froze to death.

So she decided to take a shortcut.

There was a back alley that crossed between the second and third block to the station. The alley was just a place for the fire escapes of the many old apartments that made up the neighborhoods that where around, and so they where normally just littered with trash and empty. She hated the smell of it, and Sango had always advised her against it when they walked to the station, but Sango had her sports club to do today, so she wasn't there to keep Kagome from making the trek.

"Ok..." She goaded herself. "It's just a short walk from here to there. No big deal….a few steps and you'll be out." So what if it smelled like old underwear and was dark and smoggy from the smoke that came out of the ventilation system? It wasn't that big of a deal. She would do it and be done with it. Holding her painting close in front of her, Kagome darted forward, walking at a fast pace, humming to herself to dispel the uneasy feeling that coursed through her as she moved through the dark area. 'See…this isn't so bad….'

"Hey missy, where ya' headed?" A cool voice questioned voice close to her ear. Kagome jumped and span. A man stood behind her, a cigarette hanging limply from his mouth as his lips stretched into what could only be described as something that was supposed probably supposed to be attractive, but could only be described as disgusting and lecherous.

"U-um…" She murmured, backing up until her back hit something hard. "H-huh?" She looked up. A face only a mother could love stared down at her, bulging eyes and gout cheeks forming something of a look of dirty excitement aimed at her.

This was bad. She needed to get out of here now.

In a quick movement, Kagome jerked away from the man and tried to run around him. But as she did she was swung up and around, and then she was back where she had been; only this time, she was on the ground. More guys gathered around her, all sporting lecherous smirks as they advanced. "N-no." She squeaked as she backed up. "Stay away!" The man that sported red hair and the cigarette, which appeared be the leader of the men, looked down at her. "What's wrong?" He cooed, reaching down to touch her hair. Kagome slapped his hand away, feeling panic rise in her throat as she looked around at all the faces. It was no use…She could never get away from all of them. The man, unperturbed by her resistance, merely grinned at her. Kagome could already feel the constricting of her lungs as her vision blurred.

Crap! An attack? 'No…Not now, please?' She begged. But it was to no avail. Her breathes became labored, air become harder to reach. She could barely register when the red haired man decided to take away her painting. "N-no!!" She gasped, reaching out for it. But he merely pulled it out of her reach, looking at it. "Well lookie here boys." He taunted. "We have ourselves a little artist." Kagome could only watch as they laughed at her painting. Her vision blurred as she was grabbed by her shirt collar, but she couldn't move. Her attack had accelerated at a rate faster than normal, due to her panic at the situation. There was nothing she could do. She saw the man's face coming closer, could hear the other men's voices rising in cheer and jeer and then…

Nothing.

There was no longer anyone holding her. Or rather, there was, but it was a gentle hold, calm and strong as it maneuvered her body to sit against the brick wall of the alley. She saw the flashes of silver as it moved among the men, and watched as they fell, one by one, unconscious. The red haired man, she saw, had gotten up and moved again, and this time he had a knife. But Kagome wasn't worried. He fell too. The silver haired man collected her painting and stopped for a moment, examining it. What was he looking for? But Kagome couldn't hold on any longer, and fell into the warm darkness that always seemed to follow the gold and silver that covered her painting.

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Kagome jerked awake, panting. She looked around, only to find herself in her room. It was dark outside, letting her know that it was the deep of the night. How had she gotten here? She remembered it so clearly, walking home and the men and everything. It couldn't have only been a dream…and the silver haired man had been there….

Kagome swung her legs over the side of the bed, standing up as she made her way to the bathroom with a yawn. She looked at herself in the mirror, and saw that she was still in her school uniform. Maybe she had come home and fallen asleep before changing? Kagome left the bathroom and frowned as she saw something white sticking out from under her pillow. Grabbing it she unfolded it from its square state and read scribbled handwriting. Unable to stop the deep red blush that rose up in her cheeks, Kagome glared at the note as if it was the man himself.

He had seen the painting. He had even kept it. Then he left this not.

Unable to stop the grin that spread across her face, Kagome closed her eyes and muttered, "Inuyasha no baka…"

Words: 1,570

Last Minute Edit: Sorry for any and all grammer mistakes. This chapter I had to rush to get out to you all before Sunday. R&R!