Complete Summary: Behind these rotting wooden walls and corroded and warped ceilings lay individuals who are tortured and tormented down to their very souls. Inescapable fates went unabashed, unhealable scars and wounds that ran so deep marred once beautifully creamy skin. Blemishes of the earth, nay- lower than the dirt they walked on and scorned for their association, they await an ultimatum, for an absolution that they all knew would one day come. It was all a matter of when.

NOTES:
This is a DARK fic. It will more than likely have controversial topics and extensive dark scenes. This is a challenging fic for me and written for personal reasons.
Please, if you are underage or too immature to handle dark themes and adult situations, please leave.

WARNING: Character death.

It was quiet within the palace as she carried Rin back to her bed. Everyone had gone to their respective rooms, and everything was relatively peaceful. The children had gone to sleep a bit earlier today than usual. After Shippou had nodded off on Rin during the evening outing, it was clear that it would be an early night.

Most of the servants had already gone to sleep as well. Only the nightly guard remained at the end of each hallway. There was a moment where even she paused to enjoy the silence. It had been so busy with activity around the palace; lately, she had hardly the time to do anything else but cater to everyone's whims. She loathed the fact that she even had to do any of this. But time and time again, she would tell herself to remain as patient as possible.

She returned to her room and immediately began searching through her drawers. It was already very late in the night, and she knew it was now or never. Footsteps behind her made her aware of another person in her room.

"Did you do it?" She asked, pausing in her search.

"I've decided I wanted to stay," her sister said softly, "I don't think I can do this."

"What do you mean?" She asked, standing to full height. "We were in this together. Do you even know what he'll do to us if we spend much longer here? It's already been seven years! He's not going to forgive us for taking this long."

"But... they're not bad people," she said, trying to convince her otherwise. "I don't think they deserve any of this."

"If you won't do it, then I will," she said as she attempted to walk past her.

"Sister, please," the woman said as she stepped into her path. "You very well know that we are both safe here."

"Says who? That demon lord?" She spat back, "You don't understand the number of resources our master has at his disposal. If we don't do this while we have the chance, we may end up stuck here for the rest of our lives, catering to a little girl's bidding. Is that what you want?"

"Rin is not demanding, and you are irrational," she retorted back, quickly feeling like her words were failing her. Her side of this skirmish was quickly dying, and she knew that if she didn't convince her, there was no going back.

"The master... I don't really know what his plans are," she finally said, "but if we don't do what he says, you and I both know it will both of our heads. Aside from that... they are sympathizers. They have no right to even be here. That alone should be enough to rid ourselves of these blemishes."

"I can not let you do what you have planned," her sister said, blocking the exit to the door.

Her entire countenance turned dark as her power began to leak from her skin, calculated. Controlled. Placing a sound and scent barrier around her person and her sister was an easy task, one she had learned early on. With anger lacing into her words, she spat, "Move, Sister, or become one of the many who will fall."

Her mind reeled as her sister pushed her back. Her sister didn't have power like her and couldn't combat her sister's destructive force. But she would try.

And she would fail.

They brawled- they rolled across the floor, each tearing clothing and clawing at the other. She knew her power made her sister sick, and fighting through that sickness was a feat in itself. She hadn't any idea the amount of fight her sister could really put up. They tousled a few moments more, tripping over each other to get away from the other.

Her sister was pulling herself up by the corner of her bedpost. Before her sister could regain her footing, she quickly yanked her head back by her hair and slammed her sister's head forward on the sharp edge of the bedpost with as much force as she could put into the swing.

There was no pause in her actions. She repeatedly swung, hearing the satisfying bone crunch against the wood. So blinded by her duties, was she, that she failed to notice that her sister was already dead by the time she stopped.

Blood pooled at their feet as she finally took a breather and pulled away from her now-still sister. With a grumble, she removed a tatami mat nearby and pulled open a floorboard. She knew she'd have to kill someone within the palace at some point for getting in her way; she just hadn't expected it to be her own sister. She pulled out various items she had hidden there. Enough for a large trunk. She had been prepared for this. She had known that her backup room arrangements would be needed someday.

She found the backup replacement mats and bedding that she had stuffed near the bottom of the hole. She carefully placed them near her dresser and then proceeded to drag her sister over to the deep hole. She tossed her sister's limp form into the hole, only pausing briefly to inspect her sister's broken, bruised, and bloody face. Her face had split dead center between her brows, and her nose looked as if it had caved inward. With a sneer, she threw her sister into the hole and didn't look back.

"You deserve to burn with the rest of them," she commented as she removed the bedding from her bed and the bloodied tatami mats. She shed her own clothing, tossing everything down into the hole with her sister. She grabbed her oil lamp and poured as much oil as she could over the hole before replacing the floorboard and the mat. She returned everything with new ones before going to the connected springs and washing as quickly as she could manage. She didn't want the smell of blood to attract anything just in case her scent barrier couldn't overpower it.

Quickly, she turned out the lights and crept to her door. She remained barefooted so as not to make a sound as she cracked the door open. The windows indicated that sunrise was rapidly approaching- if she didn't do this now, then she would have to wait even longer. And she might be found out about her sister.

Not that the demons cared.

She waited for the guard-switch and then padded quickly to the launder down beneath the floor in the servants' quarters. The oil that dripped from hands would help spread the flame across the building as well. She had been casually dropping the liquid everywhere all day.

She tilted her lamp and allowed the flame to engulf the room. It only took a span of a few moments. And then... she made her way to Rin's room.

She knew that no one would go into the launder until at least midday. It would give the bottom floors enough time to burn before reaching the next base up. If she succeeded, there would be no one able to tame the flames, and everyone would either be forced to flee or be burned alive because the fire would be too great to put out.

Creeping into the little girl's room, she quietly closed the door and came to stand before her bed. And Rin woke, startled.

"Yumi?" She asked, "What's going on?" She yawned and stretched. When Yumi didn't answer, Rin quirked her head to the side in silent contemplation. "Is something wrong?"

Yumi remained quiet a moment, trying to determine how best to do this. "I do wish you were not a child for this," she said as she began reaching forward.

Rin, not understanding what was happening, leaned forward as well, thinking she was about to be carried. To her utter surprise, however, the maid's hands wrapped around her throat, and she suddenly couldn't breathe. Her eyes flew open wide, and she was suddenly aware of everything happening around her. Her hands raised to Yumi's wrists, attempting to pull them away as she tried to gasp out. "Y-Yumi, p-please..." She rasped as best she could.

"Unfortunately, you have spent far too long with these demons, a sin that you must pay for with your life. Your parents should have taught you that consorting with demons could be costly," she said as she squeezed tightly. She had no interest in dragging this out longer than it had to. She didn't want the girl to be murdered brutally, and choking her to death seemed like the least likely violent way to go. Of course, if she could speak, then she wasn't pressing hard enough.

At least, that's what she had thought before Rin began kicking. Her nails scratched hard into her arms as the woman put more weight into her hands. She forced Rin back onto the bed, and Rin's frantic actions became even more erratic. She looked everywhere, her eyes wild, trying to call for help as her mouth opened wide without a sound.

"STOP, you're hurting her!" Cried Shippou, and she turned to see the little fox demon racing toward her. His hands blazed blue as he zipped through the room. She hadn't even heard the door open... when did he even get there? The surprise in her face lasted only a moment before she swatted him to the side effortlessly.

"I will not be thwarted, child!" She yelled as she focused on keeping Rin down. She was reaching for Shippou, still kicking, but her movements were becoming sluggish.

"Rin!" Shippou cried again, panic beginning to sweep across his face as he charged at the woman full force.

Yumi threw up a barrier and forced it to expand as Shippou's body collided with it. It electrocuted him on the spot, suspending him in the air for but a moment, and he fell... limp and quiet. Her power cracked, flashing deep purple lights throughout the room for a few moments before she reigned it in. She turned her attention back to Rin and saw her eyes fade. Her hands went limp, and her legs stopped resisting. Her body twitched from lack of air, and soon enough, she, too, was gone.

She waited for the twitching to stop. Her own face had contorted into a hateful grimace, and she hadn't even noticed until she felt her own body relax. It was almost as if she lost all self-awareness as she committed murder.

She rolled her neck and shoulders as she inspected the two children before her. She lifted Rin's limp body and placed her beneath the covers. "You, at least, will not be burned alive, Rin," she spoke as she walked over to Shippou. She lifted Shippou as well and carried him to the bed, tucking him in beside the girl, as if there was never anything wrong. She even closed the girl's eyes and gave them the illusion of restful sleep before using the hidden tunnels connected to an exit leading out of the palace. She made sure to cave in the tunnel behind her, hoping to block off at least one of their exits.

When she left, she waited nearby. A neighboring hilltop that she allowed herself a small picnic in. Something exploded in the palace above the treetops. She figured it was probably her room, actually. She had left a lot of things that could go boom out in her bedroom. She smiled happily- her job was done. If only her sister had seen it. If only she could have seen how successful they would've been. Together.

She watched as the fire reached well above the treetops. Screaming could be heard from within the palace. Demons were beginning to flee the palace and enter the courtyard- some on fire, some not. She watched the lot of them weep as they filled the square nearly to the brim.

She watched, fascinated as the black smoke billowed out. She only waited a few minutes to ensure that the palace would, indeed, burn thoroughly. She supposed no one was watching the launder, considering how successful she'd been. She idly wondered if anyone was even watching her. Or, perhaps, they had all just become comfortable within her and her sister's presence within their home.

And then she saw him. The demon lord was early. But it was already too late... she knew the flames would have already reached the top floor where the children resided. She hoped it pained him. And then she saw him practically drop Kagome and race into the flames himself. How glorious this was! Excitement coursed through her body- the hope that one of the great demon lords be taken down in flames had her body pumping with adrenaline.

But she couldn't stay. Any longer, and she would be at risk of exposure. So quickly, she made her way down the back of the hill where her ride waited, anticipating her reward for her success.

Kagome dropped the mirror in her hands, and it cracked against the brick. Neverending tears flowed past her cheeks. A hand flew to her mouth as she realized the horrendous extent of Yumi's actions. Yumi's heels clicked on the brick as she returned, and she clicked her tongue upon noticing the cracked mirror.

"Do you know how long it took me to get that mirror?" The woman said as she flipped her hair back.

"Why?" Kagome asked, her throat constricting. The very life draining from little Rin's face made her want to vomit- it was a scene that she will forever be stuck with. Forever be tortured with. "Why would you do this? Any of it?"

"You know why," Yumi said, "You've been through it. How can you sit there and pretend like you, yourself, have never done anything so horrendous."

"I have no choice," Kagome said, anger seeping into her words as she forced herself to sit straighter. "I was forced to do it."

"As was I," Yumi said as she placed a hand at her hip. "You know you could roam about freely, yet you choose to stay here of all places. Tell me," she said as she leaned down, "do you want to be raped? Do you want to be beaten and starved? Because you being rebellious is not helping you, at all."

"I don't want any of those things," Kagome said as she clenched her fists at her side. "You killed them for such a prejudiced reason."

"And you killed for your own selfish desire for freedom."

"A mistake, I can say, that I am paying for every day I remain within the confines of this cell," Kagome replied, her voice beginning to crack. "And what of you? You can't honestly tell me that you have no regrets."

"Oh, I have regrets," the woman said back, and she sighed dreamily, "I've regretted not recruiting you sooner. You are a beast out there. Wish I had taken the chance to see you in action by your side as a companion. What a shame that you are being collared and shackled to this cell," she paused a moment to think. "I regret not noticing my sister's loyalties sooner. Had I know from the start, I never would have brought her along. The demons had bewitched her, and you encouraged that sort of fraternizing with the enemy. Of course, that is what the backup plans were for. You just never know what will happen."

Kagome allowed her gaze to pass over the woman. There were scars on the woman's arm... no doubt a lasting effect from the skirmish with Rin and her sister. The only evidence that probably remained of the little girl.

"What happened to you?" The woman asked, curiousness laced in her tone. "You were so powerful. And you've taken out so-"

"Stuff it," Kagome said, turning her head away. "I'd prefer to not recall those atrocious days."

The woman's grin widened, clearly new material to work over the broken priestess. "Are you ready to come back out into the light again?"

"Never," Kagome replied as she crossed her arms and huddled against the wall. She didn't bother to wipe her cheeks- it would only smear more dirt.

"Suit yourself," Yumi replied as she stood up again. She straightened out her clothing, "but remember, the Young Master is not as patient as the two previous ones. He will get what he wants, however soon it will be."

"It was you, wasn't it," Kagome choked out before Yumi could leave. "You let the wolves in and killed the rabbit and the phoenix bird accident, too."

"You know, it really wasn't easy to get the screws loose on that stable. You have no idea the number of different tools I use just to get the pin to come out," Yumi said with a wicked grin.

Yumi's clicks down the hall indicated her swift departure and allowed a sob to tear past Kagome's lips. She wept long and hard for the little girl whose life had been taken far too early. If only she'd been there... if only she hadn't insisted on enlisting the slayers for help. Maybe then she wouldn't be here. Perhaps then she and the other would still be together. They'd have a home.

Or maybe... it would still end up the same way as before. Maybe later. Maybe sooner.

She wondered if she liked the pain. In a way, it was a blessing to know what had become of the little girl. The last she'd seen her...

She shivered as she gripped the sides of her head to hush the voices that haunted her mind. The roars and screams of those who'd lost their lives to the palace echoed all around her. The sounds of the flames flaring past her ears were overbearing. The amount of pure heat surrounded the area when they had approached the palace.

If only she could go further back in time... if only...

A/N:
This was a hard chapter to write, and I can imagine it is a hard one to read as well.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter nontheless. There will be more secrets slipping in soon as well. X3

See you guys in the next chapter! (Sorry I was late with this one! . )