A/N: Hey! I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter of my rewrite! I know it seems to be quite different, but I promise I'm staying true to my first few original chapters. Sesshoumaru is stubborn and prideful, so he's not going to just roll over and follow someone else's orders... You'll also hear more from him and Solaris next chapter - I split their conversation up because there are some new character's that I'm introducing that require a few explanations.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! I love feedback, so please feel free to drop me a line. Enjoy! :)
PS: I've changed the name of my OC from the last fic...if you're familiar with who I'm talking about, you'll meet her in this chapter.
Chapter One
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Kagome watched the clouds as they breezed by, twisting and changing shapes in the blue sky above her. She was nestled down into the tall grass, and her yukata was gratefully keeping her well hidden with its myriad of green and gold hues. She was hidden from the world…and she hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time.
Distantly Kagome could hear the wedding celebration in the village was still in full swing, and she was happy for them. However, relationships (successful or otherwise) seemed to leave a bad taste in her mouth these days. InuYasha was abrasive as ever, and Sango and Miroku had finally found a balance of what could only be described as tough love that seemed to work for both of them. Shippo, the darling, was still unfortunately clueless, and was more than happy to play with villagers when his older friends were stressed out and stretched thin.
She'd recently taken up photography as a way to share her adventures with her family, and her camera still sat unused in the grass beside her. Kagome had snuck away with the intention of being the wedding photographer, but the afternoon was warm and the grass had been so inviting that she hadn't thought twice about stretching out and taking up Miroku's third favourite hobby.
Yuzuki was not a runner.
She'd decided that for herself, years ago, when her brothers would run tirelessly in circles chasing their own tails. Granted, she was faster than any of her siblings when push came to shove, she had very quickly discovered that there was little fun in being the fastest and often loped behind her brothers when they traveled, content to take her time fully knowing that she could pass them at any point she wished.
Unfortunately, Yuzuki was running.
Running like her life depended on it, because in a really morbid way, it did. Her fortress had been attacked, and her family had been slaughtered like cattle. She'd been pulled from slumber by her older brother Juugo, bleeding from a deep wound above his eyes. The blood running down his face seemed like a twisted joke—one that her twin brothers would gladly pull to try to goad her into a chase. With few hushed words he'd bundled her up and dragged her down the hall.
"Nii-sama, where are we going?" Yuzuki kept her voice quiet but she couldn't hide her alarm.
They stopped suddenly, and Juugo pulled her tightly to his side.
"Don't make a sound," he whispered, turning his body to the screen that separated them from what Yuzuki realized was their parents' room.
"Kaa-san?" he rasped, his hand shaking as he slowly pulled the screen aside.
A very wet, very choked gurgle was Juugo's answer as he slipped into the room. Yuzuki followed him carefully, every hair on her body seeming to stand on end. The pressure in the room seemed to increase as her eyes adjusted to the unnatural darkness, and she quickly found what had stopped her brother dead in his tracks.
Their mother was lying unnaturally still, her body twisted into shapes and angles that her limbs were never made to hold. A stranger stood above her, completely swathed in shadow. She felt her own hackles rise as her brother's growl cut through the silence of the room.
"Get away from her!" he unsheathed his claws, a chill ripping through the room as he summoned his icy youki.
"Pathetic pup," the figure spoke, turning to face him. "You are powerless to stop what happens next."
"Yuzuki, get out of here!" Juugo hissed over his shoulders, swiping the air and sending five blades of crystaline, arching ice towards their enemy. "You have to find Sesshoumaru, do you understand me?"
Yuzuki watched in horror as the lances of ice simply flew through the apparition, landing with hollowed thuds into the wall behind it.
"Yuzuki!" Juugo roared, a burst of icy youki crystallizing along his skin into armour. "You must find Sesshoumaru!"
B-brother… Yuzuki's whine caught in her throat. The shadow was still advancing, and her brother turned away from her to meet it.
"GO!"
Yuzuki watched in slow motion as the apparition swiped its hand down in the same arcing motion as her brother did, sending a twisting spear of shadow towards them both. Juugo leapt towards her, his eyes bright with rage and panic, and he pushed her back towards the doorway. Another wet sound filled her ears, and Yuzuki looked down to find that the spear had pierced not just her brother's abdomen, but found her side as well. A sizzling, burning pain blossomed to life as her eyes traced the shadow back to its' master, whose glowing green eyes promised something worse than death.
"Please, Yuzuki…" Juugo whispered. "Run."
And Yuzuki ran.
Kagome felt the tingle of a demonic presence like an itch on the back of her next that she couldn't ignore.
What is such a strong presence doing so close to the village?
Sitting up, Kagome released some of her ki as she sought out the aura of the approaching demon. It was moving quickly, but in odd, stuttered bursts. The aura didn't carry the taint of Naraku, which allowed her to relax marginally. The lack of evil presence explained why no one else seemed bothered. Strangely, the demon seemed to sense her probing, and Kagome felt as it changed direction, approaching her.
Jumping to her feet, Kagome grabbed her camera and stuffed it back into its bag before slinging it over her shoulder and taking off in the direction of the aura. If she had just summoned a demon to the village, she sure as hell wasn't letting it past her without a fight. She could tell whoever it was was slowly running out of steam, and so she ran towards the forest to intercept them.
Jogging through the trees, Kagome spread her aura out more freely, searching for whoever was approaching. The forest had slowed them down even further, and by the time she found the aura, it was so weak she almost missed it.
Collapsed against a tree was a young demoness, both striking and oddly different. The woman looked young—very close in age to Sango or even herself. She was extremely pale, whether it was because she'd been running or whether she was simply naturally so. Long steely hair was deeply waved, almost reaching the back of her legs. As the sunlight flickered through the trees, Kagome could see it was almost a charcoal-blue. Her face was contorted in pain, but carried no markings indicating her allegiance. Her eyes were tightly shut, but Kagome was rue ignore someone who need her help, and so she crept forwards.
"Hello?" she whispered, placing her bag down as silently as possible. "Are you okay?"
"H-help…" the woman's eyes flew open—and electric blue so bright Kagome thought she was staring at neon lights. "Pl-please."
"I'm here," Kagome scrambled to her side, taking one delicate clawed hand in her own.
She's so cold… Kagome frowned, trying to feel for a pulse in her wrist. The delicate limb had similar markings to Sesshoumaru's, she realized, although hers were decidedly more curved and delicate. They were a subtle colour as well, barely blue against her milky skin. The air around them was cool too, Kagome realized, as her breath started frosting in the air in from of her.
"M-my family…" the demoness whimpered, her free hand going to her side. Although her kimono showed no signs of blood, there was a strange singed mark low near her hip that Kagome immediately realized was the source of the injury plaguing the woman.
"Th-they're all…" her airy voice wobbled. "…dead!"
The demoness continued, her whispers harsh. "They're dead! They're dead…nooo…"
An unearthly sound ripped it's way from her throat and Kagome wanted to scuttle backwards as it sent shivers down her spine. The demoness howled, mournful and sad. Gone, gone, gone… her unearthly voice lamented.
"What can I do?" Kagome fought the sadness that the demoness' voice emitted. "How can I help you?"
"Y-you…" the question broke the demoness' howl. "You want to help me?"
"…sure," Kagome said awkwardly after a moment. The woman's eyes were utterly enchanting. "Helping is what I do,"
"Then please," the demoness struggled to pull herself upright, and Kagome hastily helped as best as she was able to. "avenge my honour…help my house, there was a…" a wave of coughing stopped her.
"A shadow," she finally breathed. "It killed them."
"A shadow?" Kagome was unsure, but the woman in her lap seemed very certain. "Was it Naraku?"
"I need—" the woman's eyes brightened in panic, dancing around, looking for figures that weren't there. She was getting delirious.
"What?" Kagome propped the woman's neck up as her head lolled, trying to regain her attention. "Please tell me how I can help you!"
The demoness snapped to attention as quickly as she had zoned out, her eyes focusing on Kagome with laser like precision. Her youki rose around them like a great cloud of frosty air before it flooded Kagome's body, seeping into her skin like a wintry chill.
"Juugo…" she whispered. "I'm sorry, this is all I can do…"
"W-who's Juugo?" Kagome grunted, her body struggling against the overbearing youki that surrounded her. She felt smothered, like her air supply had been cut off. Her powers were sluggish, curling lazily just out of her mental reach.
"F-find… Sesshoumaru…"
Kagome heard the demoness' last whispered words before her body fell slack like a puppet who's strings had been cut.
No!
Kagome was still struggling against the youki that oddly refused to disappear with the demoness' passing, and morbidly she watched as the body in her arms seemed to fade away into mist before evaporating from her lap. The youki, however, remained, flooding her senses and filling her lungs. Her body wasn't responding—her hands felt frozen and she couldn't even pull her body away from the cloud.
Find Sesshoumaru…
His name echoed in her head as she pitched sideways, her eyes falling closed before her cold body even hit the ground.
