It was already dark out when Sakura climbed out of the well. She was surrounded on all sides by dark silhouettes, and the only escape was the starry sky above her.

'It's just as primitive as I remember...' she thought glumly. Shifting her bag, she looked up at the moon; it was at its halfway mark. From there she headed north, towards the distant mountains. 'If I'm going to find him, then I should probably start at home...'

Then she took off running. This was one of the few things she enjoyed about being "unique". Everything seemed to soar past her, blurred and distorted by the speed. It had been ages since she'd had the freedom to sprint like this. She briefly thought back to the track stars in her P.E. class back in the future. They wouldn't dare to call her slow, if they could see her like this.

Of course, that was forbidden. To attract the attention of mortals was asking for death. That's what he used to say anyway...

Her thoughts were interrupted as the ground shook violently beneath her; strong enough to knock her backwards into a tree. Her attention went to a mountain in the distance, barely obscured by the trees. Large clouds of debris were rising around it, and she could see clusters of creatures flying away from the decaying mountain. It only lasted a few moments, and then there was nothing left.

She stared at the still rising clouds of dust, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Did she just watch a mountain collapse?

She attempted to shake off the shock and continue on her way. If it didn't directly affect her, then there was no point in thinking about it. It didn't even occur to her that she was being followed.

High above her, a young woman watched her from the skies. Her black hair was in a hasty bun and green jade earrings dangled from her elfin ears. Her piercing red eyes reverted from the white bundle in her arms to the girl on the ground.

"Grab that girl, Kagura." the "bundle" said. She ignored him briefly. Why would Naraku be interested in this girl? She looked like a simple mortal.

"I said, grab her." the bundle said again. Kagura sighed and swooped down upon the girl. She didn't even have enough time to look up, before she was pulled onto the feather and taken up into the air.

She started to fight back, but her voice froze mid-word. Kagura had placed the bundle in her arms. Looking down she could see a tiny white haired baby smirking up at her, his pale lavender eyes glistened wickedly. Sakura tried to throw the infant away from her, but her body wouldn't respond.

'Don't bother resisting...' the infant said, but the words seemed to be resonating from her own mind, not from the child. Her eyes grew dim, and then she could remember nothing else.

Kagura glanced back at the girl, surprised that she had succumbed so easily. Then she sped off towards the eastern mountains.

End Chapter 2