Present

Her heart pounded as she stared at the box on her kitchen table. Small and innocuous, it was wrapped in shiny black and white paper. Pale faced and slack handed, her purse slipped from her fingers and dropped nosily to the floor as she took a panicked step back; her back hit the door and she yelped, terrified as she glanced worriedly over her shoulder.

On the other side of the room behind her closed bedroom door, a door she distinctly remembered leaving open, silence whispered darkly. She could feel the currents of darkness, calling to the purity within her. It was the box on her table that pulled on her senses more though, the gagging scent of death stinging her nose, his scent.

Close to tears, she unwillingly moved forward and as if sensing her distress, warm solid yōki wrapped up around her, mingling with the strength of her purity until her heart was calm and her mind clear. Knowing still that it was a false kind of courage, Kagome gratefully set a hand upon her still flat belly and thanked the life growing within her. Reaching out the box, she removed the lid and stared helplessly at the piece of paper within.

It was a small note, maybe the size of her palm. On it, written in some kind of red ink, was a simple note:

Hello, Kagome dear.

How many times do I have to tell you this?

Closing her eyes because she recognized the endearment and the 'ink' for what it was, she turned determinedly to her bedroom door. The silence of the apartment tore at her heart because she knew what had happened. He had never liked to share her attention with anyone or anything else.

When she reached the door, she pressed gently against it with her purity, cleansing it of the darkness, before she pushed it open. It was a sight she would never forget as she stared helplessly at the walls, her once beautiful bedding. They were covered in splatters of red, the same scarlet blood that scrawled over the note in her kitchen. It was like a horror movie, only worse because it was real. It was the eyes that caught her, starring lifelessly up at her from the once emerald coverlet, gold and blank, surrounded by soft gray fur. On the walls, written in blood, was another note.

I told you I would find you. I told you I would never let you have anyone else!

Screams echoed through the apartment, hoarse, tearing cries she barely realized were ripping from her throat. She crumpled to the floor and covered her eyes, trying to hide the scene from her mind. Terror, thick and coarse, clogged her throat as her power surged up protectively around her in the now empty, bloody apartment.

o.O.o

Word Count: 470