Fandom:Crossover (Inu-Yasha / Full Metal Alchemist)
Title: Fairy Tales
Author/Artist: Night's Fang (Who else would it be?)
Theme(s): Books (Never Really Mine),
Pairing/Characters: Kagome Higurashi, Roy Mustang. (And maybe Inu-Yasha)
Rating: T
Disclaimer/claimer: Own the plot. Don't own the characters. Own my twisted mind.
Summary: Fairy-tales, and Mystical-Sciences. Myth, and Matter. She'd always lived in different worlds. She'd carved her existence in them. But no matter how much she wanted to believe it, she never disillusioned herself. "Happily Ever Afters" were never really hers. And she didn't want them either.

Kagome Higurashi at age ten, was accidentally involved as a reactant in a human transmutation, due to a co-incidental 'wrong place at the wrong time'. She also ended up being the product as well. And losing her soul, gaining another one – courtesy of Roy Mustang, and gaining certain homunculus abilities, and most surely another personality.

When Kagome was a child, she'd lived in two different worlds. Literally, and philosophically

Literally in the sense of her shuffling on and off between the two worlds divided by The Gate. Always in and out of Gaea. Into the world of Asmetris and back. While many people felt it alien to call anywhere in the universe home, a place where they fit in and actually belonged; Kagome could sincerely, honestly and proudly walk around saying she had two.

Philosophically because she was always either in the realm of reality, or the quaint little world, the book she was reading created for her. She constantly moved in and out of reality and surrealism. Between the world of her ordinary routine and the world of literally marvel.

And philosophically again because she'd always lived in the world of fact and fiction. Studying matter, languages, geography, history, science, and maths during her days in Gaea. Studying facts, theories, possibilities, practical applications, nuclear sciences, alchemy in general on the whole, alchemy in minute detail under Mustangs supervision and tutelage in Asmetris.

And during the nights she'd switch over. Go into the world of fairy-tales like all the other young girls of her age. Where everything was possible. Where magic existed. Where the princess would be whisked away by her knight in shining armour or prince. Where the hero of the story would never give up his goal of being with his love, no matter the hardships. Where good triumphed over evil, and the hero always won gloriously in the end. A world she was led into every night by the deep, low husky baritone of her one eyed raven haired mentor and God father Roy Mustang.

A world which she left when she woke up in the mornings to the sun's rays – muted by the curtains – falling on her face, the smell of wood, earth, and remnants of a strong cologne, crushed snugly in the embrace of her father figure.

It was this world that the ten year old Kagome had grown to love the most. Her little world of fantasies which seemed real. It chased the nightmares of that horrible day far away.

She'd never realised the routine she'd damned herself to then.

-x-x-x-

Roy Mustang was her everything. Her father, her benefactor, her Guardian, her teacher. Her God. She loved him, respected him, idolized him with a crazed passion, worshipped him. She'd wanted to be just like him.

Roy Mustang died when Kagome Higurashi was seventeen. Kagome didn't cry for his funeral. Or for many days after that. She just sat by his grave with a soft, distant and empty smile on her face till she collapsed. For she'd realised that day that he was nothing now. Non-existent yet omnipresent.

Eight years later Kagome still lived in two different worlds. Shuffling in between the modern era and to Sengoku Jidai through the magical ancient Bone-Eaters well. Living two different lives. One as a student in her time – albeit a sickly one who kept missing school a lot. And the other as Kikiyo's re-incarnation, and Inu-Yasha's shard detector. As an epic, yet damsel-in-distress heroine.

On one hand she was a powerful priestess who possibly surpassed her previous incarnation's abilities by leaps and bounds. She was famous for being kind and gentle to everyone.

On the other she was the constant target. The burden. The one who had to be protected at all times.

In a way Kagome Higurashi felt that she could possibly – and truthfully say – "Been there. Done that" for almost everything. She played so many roles in her life. Now sometimes, whenever someone praised her for her acting talents and marvelled at adaptability to different situations, she couldn't disagree with the snide voice in her subconscious (that was most likely her homunculus side) that went, "Oh really now? And you don't even know a tenth of it yet!" and laughed hollowly all the while saying it.

-x-x-x-

It was always one role after another. One character after another. One life after another. One world after another. The routine continued.

(It does. It does. And it doesn't stop now. Nor will it ever.)

And sometimes Kagome wondered if she was truly life's version an actress, and the parts she played were the various movies or plays based on life.

(The cycle goes on.)

She became the ideal daughter to her mother. Kind, caring, gentle, responsible. Respectful, dutiful. The one who'd sacrifice anything for the family. The one who'd always make her mother proud.

(Round and Round we go.)

She'd played the ideal sibling to Miroku, Sango, and Souta. A shoulder to cry on. A ear for the problems. Always listening. Always consoling. Always calming. Always looking out for.

(It continues to turn. Never slowing. Never ceasing.)

Shippo's surrogate mother. A kind word here. A stern reprimand there. A pat on the head. A brush of the under eyes. A slew of advice. A ton of hugs. Showering him with affection. Watching over his needs. Chasing away his fears.

(Rewind. Revise. Repeat.)

She was Inu-Yasha's pseudo lover. The one that came to replace Kikiyo. Her shadow.

(Round and Round we go)

She was Naraku's sworn enemy. Distaste for his soul. Disgust for his actions. Hate for what he truly was. She'd chase him to the ends of the earth. She'd hunt him with a horrifying conviction. And she'd damn him to the deepest pits in hell.

(Never slowing, never ceasing)

She was a priestess.

(We're hopelessly tangled in this web of our own creation.)

She was a student.

(Unable to free ourselves.)

She was a friend.

(We'll stay entrapped forever.)

She was a foe.

(We'll never be free.)

Yes she'd played so many roles. Thinking about the major ones made her head hurt. The minor ones were too many to count.

(The threads are too many.)

She'd lived in too many different worlds.

(The web is too tangled.)

She'd lived too many lives, and lies.

(And we don't know who we are any more.)

Fairy-tales, and Mystical-Sciences. Myth, and Matter. She'd always lived in different worlds. She'd carved her existence in them.

(So what are we then?)

But no matter how much she wanted to believe it, she never disillusioned herself. "Happily Ever Afters" were never really hers to begin with.

(Maybe we're nothing.)

And thinking back to the day when she felt she truly died, Kagome knew that she didn't want them either.

(Yes we're 'nothing'. Nothing at all.)

Kagome Higurashi smiles the same soft, distant and empty smile, she did by Mustang's grave, as the homunculus inside her head continues to sing.

(Nothing. Just like you sensei.)

A/N: All right this turned out completely different from what I expected. I find this a tad creepy really. The story just seemed to write itself once I reached a certain point.

The italics in brackets is the homunculus in her mind.

Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed reading this. Leave a note then! Ciao!