Life and Death

Kagome walked along behind her mother carrying her share of the heavy grocery bags.

"Come along Kagome." Her mother urged shifting her own bags. "We don't want to be caught out here after dark."

Kagome tried to walk faster, knowing full well her mother was right. They lived in a bad neighborhood and Kagome knew it, they always had. Her mother tried her hardest to take care of Kagome and her little brother, Souta, working two jobs and taking on a third when things really got bad.

Kagome knew things could be worse; she'd seen a lot of horrible things in all her 12 years and would not complain about their situation when she knew there were far worse ways to survive.

Just as the streetlights began to flicker a figure stepped from the shadow of an alley. "May I help you with your bags miss?" he offered.

Immediately she decided she did not like the hanyou. From his ruby eyes to his crisp white leather coat to his highly polished shoes, he reeked of power and wealth, two things that definitely did not belong on this side of town.

"No thank-you." Her mother replied politely and began to walk past.

He smiled and nodded, the expression not quite reaching his eyes as he allowed them to pass.

The tension in Kagome's shoulders did not ease until they turned the corner and she no longer felt the stranger's eyes boring into her back.

When they reached home, her mother retrieved Kagome's little brother Souta from the neighbor and securely locked the front door of the apartment once they were all inside. After sending Souta to get cleaned up for dinner, Kari Higurashi returned to the kitchen and silently watched her 12 year old daughter put away the groceries. As she watched her move around the kitchen she feared for her.

"Kagome." She said softly.

"Yes mama?" Kagome placed the last can in the cabinet and turned to her mother. She noted the frightened look in her mother's eyes. "Mama, why don't you go rest? I can make dinner."

Kari moved to stand in front of her daughter and rested her hands on her thin shoulders. "Kagome you must promise me something."

"Yes?"

"If you ever see that man again, you must not speak to him. If he approaches you run." She said sternly.

"Why?" Kagome asked. Her mother had never made such a request before, at least not with fear in her eyes.

"Promise!" her mother demanded shrilly.

"I promise." Kagome said quickly. Her mother never yelled at her or her brother. She placed a kiss on Kagome's forehead and sighed as she left the kitchen.

"Mama, who is that man?" Kagome called after her.

Kari stopped and slowly turned to look over her shoulder at her daughter. The coldness in her eyes and the seriousness in her voice told Kagome she was not joking. "The devil."

Too bad the devil enjoyed a good chase.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Kagome attended school as usual, though when walking home alone she was even more attentive to her surroundings. And although there was never anyone out of the ordinary along the way she always had the gut feeling that she was being watched.

Then he appeared.

One day as she left school she saw him. He stood across the street, leaning casually against a pristine white Mercedes Benz. Even though his eyes were covered by a dark pair of sunglasses she could feel the blood red orbs trained on her. Since he wasn't near her she ignored him and continued her trek home, thanking Kami when he did not follow.

This routine continued for two weeks, until one day he wasn't there. It rained softly and Kagome sighed in relief at the absence of his eyes upon her. Despite the fact that she didn't have an umbrella she didn't mind the walk home, and the rain could not dampen her spirits.

As she stopped at a crosswalk to wait for the light to change and traffic to clear so she could pass she tensed as she sensed a foreboding presence. The rain abruptly the stopped and she looked up to see a black umbrella over her head. Although she knew who held it, her body seemed to move in slow motion as she turned her head to see them.

She seemed to be swallowed up by the crimson orbs that were right in front of her face. His face was inches away from hers, so close their noses almost touched.

"Hello Kagome."

It was his voice that broke the spell and sent her running through traffic dodging oncoming vehicles. By some stroke of luck she made it to the other side unscathed though she still ran. About 2 blocks away she slowed to glance over her shoulder and only to run into someone. As soon as hands gripped her shoulders she knew it was him. He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and carried her to a waiting car.

He placed her inside and slid in after her. Kagome frantically pulled the door handle but it seemed the childproof locks had been put in place. So she settled for banging on the windows and screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Stop it." Her kidnapper demanded.

She turned to face him. "Please, let me go. Please."

He shook his head, dark hair rippling about him.

Tears streamed down her face. "Who are you?"

He reached for a lock of her hair, chuckling when she jerked away. "My name is Naraku, and you my dear are very special."

"What do you want from me?"

"Just you, Kagome. Just you, all for myself."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Years passed.

Years of rape and torture.

Years of abuse.

Years of death.

It seemed that when Naraku found her, he had sensed the untrained miko powers within her and sought to make her his own person executioner. He had her trained, her powers honed, her innocent spirit broken, replaced with dark hatred. She was strong, though not strong enough to kill him; instead she killed those that defied him. Extortion, drugs, illegal imports, the black market, he had his hand in it all and she was his angel of death.

She purified the youkai, drove the humans mad or caused their bodies to simply shut down. In return, he never targeted her family. He was the man behind her mother's promotion, that in truth really only allowed her mother to work longer hours so that Kagome could be with him more.

For her 13th birthday he brought her a youkai who had tried to steal from him. He made her purify it, made her stay and hear his screams as he died. Her first kill, his birthday present to her.

Her mother had been right he truly was known as the Devil and his workers and followers were his Advocates. She learned to fight when he left her with them. They all hated her, hated the power that she had. She never killed any of them, merely took the beating until she could defend herself without the use of her miko powers. She was able to make a few friends Yuka, Eri and Ayami. Each had been forcefully recruited as Kagome had, and despite being around the same age as Kagome each had their own specialty as well.

Eri had been trained to hack; she could get through any firewall, accessing bank accounts, private records, even bypass security systems. Yuka was a thief, well trained in stealth, from pick pocketing to breaking and entering. Ayami was the oldest of the group and definitely had the least stressful job of them all. Although very talented in martial arts she was also one on of Naraku's best drivers. She knew the city like the back of her hand and could easily lose anyone tailing her after an assignment. Whenever Kagome worked with them she was the lookout. Using her powers she could sense the auras of those approaching where ever they were working at the time and either get rid of them or warn the others. The girls worked well together and helped each other out. Despite their youth they each had endured the same hell with Naraku, killing any childhood innocence leaving cold dark shells, only the slightest glimmer of hope shone within their souls and kept them from going crazy.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

A private collector. That was their target this time. Simple instructions, disarm the security system, get in, grab a priceless jewel necklace, get out and of course don't get caught. Naraku was very specific about the don't get caught part. The look in his eyes when he gave them the assignment spoke only of pain should they fail.

As they left his office he told Kagome to stay for a moment. The other girls exited the room and closed the door behind them. Kagome stood still, her eyes trained on a speck of blood, her blood in fact from her last defiant lapse in judgment that lingered on the wall. From her peripheral vision she watched him rise from his chair and walk around his desk. He moved to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her slim waist.

"My Kagome. How you've grown so much these past four years." He pulled her flush against him, his hands sliding up to brush the underside of her breasts. "So beautiful, so strong, so deliciously defiant, my little mistress of death." He chuckled, kissing her neck. "Perfect."

He was quite for a moment before continuing. "Today is special. Do you know why?"

"No." Kagome said softly, hating his hands on her.

"Why, Kagome! Don't tell me you forgot." He said turning her in his arms to face him. Kagome looked up at him wondering what he could be talking about. "It's your 16th birthday, my dear."

Kagome shrugged. "Sun rises and sets as usual, lives born and others taken. Merely another day."

Naraku chuckled tucking a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. "So true. But tonight will be special if you succeed on your task."

"I always succeed. Why is tonight any different?" She demanded.

"Your tone." He warned coolly, pinching her right nipple before moving his hand up to cup her cheek, his claws scraping her skin. "Tonight will be special because I have made a decision." He brought his face closer to hers. "When you return victorious, and the necklace is safely within my grasp, I intend to mate you."

Naraku swallowed the gasp of disbelief that escaped her lips with a crushing kiss. His tongue exploring her mouth, loving that he was the only one to have the pleasure of doing so. Finally he pulled away. "Go." He ordered. "Complete your mission, and there will be more of that later."

He stopped her once more before she left. "Oh and Kagome?"

"Yes?"

The spider-shaped scar on her back burned with such intensity that she flinched. "Should you fail me, that scar upon your back will be nothing compared to what I will do to you."

Kagome nodded and closed the door behind her.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The job was easy, just as Kagome knew it was going to be, and yet she could not get rid of her feeling of anxiety; the feeling that something important was going to happen. Kagome studied the necklace. It was gaudy to say the least, thick with a variety of gemstones, the main one being a large pink pearl the size of a walnut. As Kagome fingered the jewel she could not discern why Naraku was so interested in it.

The girls once again entered Naraku's office and were greeted by the excited hanyou, who immediately demanded the necklace. Kagome handed it to him and watched as he seemed to loose his mind. He viciously ripped the necklace apart sending precious gems clattering across the floor until all he held was the large pink pearl. "Finally! Finally it is mine! The Shikon jewel all mine!" he laughed his eyes crazed.

"I thought that was just a legend." Kagome stated.

Naraku reached for her pulling him to her. "No merely lost, and now it is mine!" As he touched Kagome the jewel began to glow and Kagome felt her miko powers tingle, but the joyous hanyou did not notice. Suddenly he dropped the jewel as if it burned. Kagome watched it roll to a stop at their feet and felt the undeniable urge to pick it up.

It called to her, glowing brightly willing her to take it for her own. Naraku tried to stop her but he was too late. As soon as her fingers touched it she felt a surge of power engulf her. When she turned back to Naraku he was met with a sinister smile gracing perfect lips and glowing eyes trained upon him. Kagome stood and approached him, her hair and clothes billowing gracefully in the waves of energy that rolled off her.

Eri, Yuka and Ayami watched in awe as Naraku stood frozen in fear, as he had caused others to be so many times before.

"Kagome," Naraku said his voice surprisingly steady. "Don't forget what today is again. You succeeded, and so I shall give you the promised gift. I will mate you! Give you everything you could ever want! All you have to do is hand me the jewel." He opened his arms to her.

Kagome stepped into his cold embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist the jewel clenched tightly in her fist. Turning her face up to his she gazed into his wide scarlet orbs.

"It is merely another day, lives born and others taken. And yours, my dear Naraku, is long over due." With that said Kagome kissed him, pouring all of the pure power from the jewel into his body. She did not let go or stop despite his attempts to push her away, until he burst into a thousand of shards of light in her arms. Her eyes returned to normal and her power receded. She opened her palm to gaze at the jewel that had helped fulfill her only birthday wish only to find it crushed into dust as well, just a few shards remained which she placed in her pocket.

She slowly turned to face her friends, tears upon her cheeks. "He's gone." She whispered.

The night had indeed been special.

It was her 16th birthday.

It was a night of life and death.

The night Naraku was destroyed.

The night the Dark Maidens was formed.

And….

….the night the Shikon Miko was born.