=Remnants of a Memory=

By: devilsangel

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A/N: I decided to continue this, because I just ADORE the idea. Even if it's 'un-popular'. .. *makes face* I like it. So, I'll continue it. XD. .. By the way, I think I might put "DevilsAngel" on hiatus for now, because it's just been losing it's touch. It gets more and more 'off', that I'm starting to think that it's like one of those really crappy fics a five- year-old writes. .. I'll think about it.

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=Chapter One: Alone=

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Kagome woke up apprehensively, scared awake by a nightmare she couldn't even remember anymore. A drop of cold sweat slipped from her forehead and trickled to the tip of her chin, dripping onto the ground she had slept upon. She warily propped her lithe, thin body up, avoiding the possibility of making any sound, and stumbled for the entrance of the cave. She avoided the other sleeping bodies on the ground as she tiptoed her way past.

As she stopped outside into the red dawning rays of a dying sun, she shivered from the lack of her group's usual body warmth around her. Her dirty rags billowed as a chilly wind blew across the large expanse of wasteland once known as Earth. Dust particles of fallen, centuries-old skyscrapers wisped by, catching a hold onto the small zephyr.

Kagome scanned the barren desert known as her home, from her small outcrop on the mountain. Her gaze gradually drew upward and rested on the once- shiny, titanium metal of the old Galaxy Control Center. Long abandoned, years have taken its toll on the once glorious spacestation. The site of its faithful, rusty shell comforted Kagome to no ends. It related to them. Their little ragtag group were the only Ningens left, that had not died or moved to the neighboring galaxy. A Galaxy Reserve for the dying race. Kagome's pride held out until the end, and the rangers left her and her group on Earth to die. Everyday was a fight for survival. To find enough food for a three meals a day. Enough water to soothe their parched throats. And yet, they still survived. Battered, broken, but nothing could break their pride. And the faithful spacestation portrayed this accurately and perfectly,

She sighed and closed her eyes, straining her mind for any remains of her previous nightmare. Glimpses of a black void. .. a magical arrow. .. and a shining shard. That's was all the compensation her search would give her. But these items were not to be feared. There was a vital subject that she just could *not* remember.

Frustrated, Kagome closed her eyes and tried to reach into her memory again. Flashes of scenes and images burst into her mind's eye, blinding it with it's extravagance of color and muted sound. Kagome shut off her concentration when a pink light engulfed her senses and through out of her reverie. She opened her eyes, thoroughly exhausted.

She still wasn't able to solve the puzzle of her recurring nightmare. As an untrained Scryer, her mind scrying was limited, and when used, usually pertained to amount to nothing. She wasn't able to delve into the memories of her incarnate. The only fact she had ever traced efficiently was that her incarnate was a powerful miko. Mikos didn't exist in this time anymore. It was written that they had joined a secret society during the Final War, were found, and were killed. All but a few mikos lived, but they changed their ways and became Scryers.

Kagome was probably the last one alive. The thought both exhilarated her and frightened her. To be the last of a subrace.

And yet, she still couldn't Scry. Her incarnate was so powerful that her mind scrying barriers were still up and efficient, even after Death and Rebirth.

Kagome stood there for a while, leaning against the rocky outcrop, her knees shaking with fatigue and hunger, and once again, turned to look at the bettered old spacestation above her. She smiled softly to herself, and using the rocky wall as support, walked slowly back into the cavern. The dead sun's, now orange, rays illuminating her thin, slight back.

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"Commander Nagiska."

The commander sat on her chair, gazing down impassively at the bowed man before her. She waved her hand for him to stand up. He obliged. A Ningen slave dragged over a chair to where he stood and exited the room, leaving the two alone.

"Yes, General? What manner of crisis is it, that you called so urgently for my audience?"

The general bowed his down, humble, showing respect for the subtly mad commander.

"Continue." She demanded.

He bowed again and began to speak. "About Kopi-"

"Ah, General Kopi. I'm am informed he has retrieved the Rei-Kuruko?"

"Eh. .." the general was silent.

"Well? General? Speak up, man."

"Eh. .."

Nagiska tilted her head to the side, waiting for his answer.

"I believe you were falsely informed, commander." The general finally managed to choke out. "Kopi has lost the Soul Android as well as Troop A13." He sighed, relieved to squeak out the truth. He looked up to see the beautiful commander's reaction to the news.

She was stunned into silence.

"The Rei-Kuruko has escaped?" she murmured.

"H-hai."

Her eyes flashed red. " Damn him. The incompetent fool. The former was lost as well as the entire Troop A13?"

The general nodded his thickly bearded face, and bowed.

"Replace them."

"Hai."

"And capture the Android as well as Kopi."

"Eh. .." The general began.

"What now?!" Nagiska snapped, losing her cool. Her once violet eyes flashed red with anger and frustration. The general drew back in fear.

"- Kopi's body was found in the Nephrite Galaxy. Among the remains of the outlawed Android factory. The entire Sector B728 of the galaxy was destroyed." The general bowed again.

The commander's eyes were slits of blood-red. Her usual tame, wavy purple hair was frizzy from the anxious, frustrated pulling it received.

"General, make sure no word of this reaches the RePublic. They could overthrow Galactic Control." She said, almost thoughtfully, despite her seething mood. She turned to look at him to see his answer.

"H-hai." He bowed yet again.

"Stop that. You look like the galaxy's biggest idiot. Get out of my sight, fool." She stood up with a stomp and pointed her finger from him to the door. The general was about to bow, but he stopped himself halfway. His cheeks burned as he looked into the amused face of the commander. Slowly, he raised himself to his full, short, height. He saluted his Commander and started for the closed door.

"Stop."

He turned at her call and found himself face to face with Nagiska. A cool metal gun was pressed to his throat. She brought her seductively beautiful face close to his, and smiled. A smile that didn't provide any reassurance.

"I'm sorry, general, but I believe you know too much for your own good."

She shot.

His eyes widened with shock as he clutched his throat. He slowly crumpled to the ground, like a broken down machine. The blood from his throat pooled around him as his brown eyes rolled upwards into their sockets. Blood seeped out from his mouth as he took his last, dying breath.

Nagiska stood there, looking down at him, impassive as always. The secret would never get out. It was all safe, within her. She rang the bell for servant to come up and clear the body away, as well as the gun.

And she turned her back to him, to head back to her chair. She sat down swiftly and turned around to face the control panel of her ship.

Kopi's incompetence would only slightly affect her plans for the Rei- Kuruko. But, first, she needed to capture it.

She turned on the transmission line, leading to the satellite, and pulled the microphone towards her mouth.

The receiver on the other line triggered open.

"Captain Yasuke?"

"Commander Nagiska. How may this humble captain serve you?"

"Welcome to the status of General, captain."

There was a crackling silence on the receiver and then a surprised reply.

"Nani?"

"Call in Troops C1-12 and have them transported to the Nephrite Galaxy. We have a Rei-Kuruko we need to catch." She ordered.

"Understood."

"Very good. Let's hope that you prove to be more reliable than Kopi."

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13th S.C.* Near the Planet of Yoku. The stately black-paneled Council spacepod floated, dominating, in the midst of thousands of white cruisers.

Darking, the Galactic Council's overwhelmingly large cruiser was currently holding the entire Council body. There was a very heated debate going on inside it right now. Hence, the many levitating minicruisers*.

"Earth is already a wasteland. Why not destroy the dead Sun to make a new nebula?"

"It would destroy the Balance of the Planets. Breaking the Balance is dangerous, councilman. Much less the possible occurrence of a nova. We could be wiped out entirely. Think with more logic."

There rose a loud murmur. Another man spoke up.

"Besides, Ningens still live on there."

The murmuring stopped abruptly.

"Ningens? On Earth? What kind of nonsensical blabber are you saying now? Gashuu?"

"Iie, not nonsense. The truth."

The murmur rose again, this time with a fierce, persistent fervor.

"Ningens were to be transported to the Plant Tetra."

"Well, there are obviously Ningens still living on Earth." A woman's harsh, shrill voice penetrated the sound.

"No possible way! There is no supplement or nourishment left on that ball of dust particles!"

"Your possibly wrong, councilman. Because, they definitely aren't living off the gamma rays!" She spat back.

"Enough!"

The murmuring quit gradually as the heads of thousands of council members turned to look at the center of the room where the hooded Speaker stood (A/N: the Speaker is the main Councilman. Sort of like a Judge, of sorts.).

"Enough," he repeated, this time quieter and softer.

"Councilmen, and woman," He acknowledged the seated Council. "We are here to debate whether or not the Sun should be destroyed to create a new nebula for a new solar system."

He stopped to look around at the eagerly listening faces of his fellow councilmen, and he continued. His voice was strong and steady, punctuated what needed emphasis. His presence commanded attention from them, aware of it or not.

"But, it seems that we have run into a slight cliché."

The heads of the council members nodded in agreement.

"Why make such a fuss, when all we need is to send a Troop over to capture the remaining Ningens and dump them onto Planet Tetra?"

The heads of the Council nodded to each other in agreement.

A brave young man spoke up.

"I don't believe that they will come willingly. I've had experience with the remaining Ningens."

The Speaker beckoned for him to continue.

"They call themselves the Lost."

There was a chuckle from the back of the stadium.

"They are led by an young and untrained Scryer."

"I thought Scryers were all eliminated." Someone thought out loud.

"No. She is the last of the Old Ages."

"You speak of her highly." The Speaker noted.

"I do, indeed. Her pride and determination are hard to find in the Ningen race."

"We of the Reborn do not care about this woman's character. We are here to debate on the Sun's destruction."

The young man sputtered, and sat down.

The murmuring began anew.

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The cruisers slowly filed away from the Darking, leaving it alone in the black, starry space. The Speaker took off his head. Silver-white hair fell down from their holds as he looked out, with amber colored eyes, from the interior of the Council cruiser.

The young man from the Council's earlier comment disturbed him.

'They call themselves the Lost.'

'-Led by an untrained Scryer.'

'-Last of the Old Ages-'

He shut his eyes and rubbed his temples furiously. It couldn't be true. After all these years?

How?

(A/N: so tempted to end here! But, I won't give you that bad of a cliffhanger.)

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"Kagome!" A young, teenaged Inuyasha yelled, beating against the lifeless metal shell of the Android that held him.

She stood there, helpless, as he was lifted into the transporter via Android. She screamed furiously and ran after him, ramming into the metal Android with all her might. There was a dull thud from where she hit it.

The Android turned around, mechanically, Inuyasha still in his heavy grasp. He lifted Kagome up with its free hand and flung her back against the mountain wall. Inuyasha heard a dull crack and saw blood trickle from her forehead.

"KAGOME!" he bellowed. He jammed his elbow into the head of the Android only to achieve the breaking of his arm. He winced and struggled against its grasp.

"Kagome!" He yelled again, desperate.

He saw Kagome slowly raise her head; her eyes were filled with remorse.

"Why?" she croaked out.

"Why did you run out today of all days?"

"Why didn't you listen, Inuyasha?"

She lifted her tear-filled eyes to look onto his face. She lifted her arm feebly, more of an attempt to grasp the image of him than an attempt to save him.

Inuyasha was slowly hefted into the shuttle.

"Inu-ya-sha." She cried, her voice almost dying out. Inuyasha's ears heard it all. The ears of a Reborn were a hundred times better than a Ningen's.

"KAGOME!" He shouted as the door slowly closed. The last thing he saw was the image of Kagome collapsing to the ground, blood trickling from her scalp onto the ground.

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Inuyasha slipped out of his thoughts as a cold hand clasped his shoulders. He turned his head around to look into the concerned face of his Council master.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha sighed.

"What is it? You don't like the results of the Debate?"

"Iie."

"Why?"

"Because, the destruction of the Sun would mean the ultimate destruction of Life on Earth."

"There is nothing living on Earth."

"There are Ningens."

"Ningens are nothing, Inuyasha. Not compared to our species."

"We are Ningens." Inuyasha said abruptly.

"We are the Reborn. We are better, superior to the Ningens."

Inuyasha didn't answer and turned back to look through the window.

"Your time on Earth with the Ningens affected you too much, Inuyasha." The Council master observed. "You have grown soft for them. They are not like us. We are superior in every sense of a way."

Inuyasha grunted.

The Master smiled. "We are the result of the altered DNA of a Ningen, true. But we are not Ningens. Ningens act only by emotions. We act by logic."

Inuyasha turned to look into the face of the wizened master again.

"But, Master, don't you ever wish you could love like Ningens? Be sad like Ningens? Live like Ningens?"

"No."

"Why?"

"There is no 'why' to it, Inuyasha. We are the Reborn. This is our way of life. This is how we live. And this how it will stay." With that, the Council master turned around and walked off, white cloak swishing behind him.

Inuyasha turned back to his window.

'But, I wish I could live like a Ningen. And love like one. Kagome was the first, and last, to show me what love really was. And if there is the possibility that she is still alive, I will find her. Save her. And protect her.'

Inuyasha grinned to himself and walked the opposite way the Master did. To the fighters and escape pods.

He took off his clock and threw it onto the ground. If Kagome was alive, he would get her. His dog-like ears tingled with apprehension.

He would find her.

And he would discover what love really was,

Again.

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A/N: Gomen ne! No Fluffy-chan in this chapter. .. I just wanted to introduce the other main characters. Iie, unfortunately, I'm not planning to make this an Inu/Kag. It's Sess/Kag, sorry Inu/K fans. .. *Ducks from tomatoes being thrown*. Well, I'm going to be away for a while, so this is all you'll get for a few days. You know you love me, so give me a nice lil' review! XOXO

*=Definitions

Levitating minicruisers= parking 'cars' S.C.=Star Cycle. .. their way of telling time (hours)