Summary: In a world where demons rule the land and humans are slaves, one family is tied by the strings of fate. But fate's made a mistake that can only be fixed by one human girl.

AN: I'm very mad at myself. I meant to add the beginning of this chapter to last chapter. Now it ruins the whole affect. sigh Anyway, this chapter is a very weird set up. It consists of two main flashback sort of things. The first is Sesshoumaru, this is kind of like his dream, but it actually happened, k? And then it's back to present, and then on to Kagome's flashback. Which, I must confess is very .. uh, dark. Oh well, I'll shut up and see if you guys get it.

Warnings: Angst and crying.. yea

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Declaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha.

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In the Last Chapter

Sesshoumaru went to bed that night with the image of an adorable little girl with long black hair and a name on his lips.

"Rin."

Fate's Mistake

Chapter 3

And he dreamed..

--------------------------------- Sixty years ago

The cool steel emitted a gentle ring that echoed in the spacious room. It was beautiful, all sharp edges and smooth metal. Not a chip could be spied on the metallic surface; not a scratch in sight. A sword whose blade was not made to kill. A sword that, for all its magnificence, was utterly useless.

He was furious, and certainly had reason to be. "Some inheritance," he spat out in a rare display of emotion. He had spent three days in this room of white washed walls, and he still could not find out what good the sword was for.

He stood up, practically throwing the sword back into its scabbard, and strode out purposefully. He would stay here no longer. Of all his forty years of life, he had never been so insulted. From the death of his mother, to the human who replaced her, Sesshoumaru had had enough.

In seconds, Sesshoumaru was racing through the woods surrounding his father's palace. As the trees glanced by, he fumed. His life was not what it used to be. His mother's last words were thrown to waste. "Cherish that youthful innocence, love," she had said, kissing her son on the forehead. And then she was gone, gone forever from the world, swept up in the bloodthirsty battle of the demons. Cherish his innocence indeed, Sesshoumaru sneered. It was the servants who informed him of his mother's death. His father had not cared enough to make an appearance.

All his life, his father had viewed him only as an heir, not as a son. Sesshoumaru had decided that the Inutaikou was not one for showing his feelings. But he was wrong. In ten years time, his father had bedded a human and produced the one thing that defiled the Inutaikou's family: the half breed. The brat, met by the demonic world with great distaste, was showered with affection from their father.

The brat may only be six, but he sure was on the receiving end of more love than Sesshoumaru had ever even witnessed in his father.

He stopped his headlong flight, his chest heaving slightly from the anger that flooded to his head. Here he was, officially named the heir to the Western Lands, and his gift was a sword that did zilch. He yanked the sword out of its scabbard, cutting the metallic ring off by slicing it through the nearest tree. For a split second, he hoped something happened, but then he knew; the sword that was to be his inheritance would not cut.

His fist slammed into the tree, bringing it crashing down. It proved satisfying and his anger slowly ebbed away.

In the distance, he heard the sound of voices, loud and brash. His frustrations not quite out of his mind yet, he decided to lash out some more. In seconds his nose traced the source of the noises, his claws whipped out, and the three humans dropped dead. His eyes scanned over the blood splattered bodies, following the road they had been walking upon. A small form on the floor a few meters from him quivered then lay still. His nose told him the young human was dead. But curiosity drew him closer.

It was a human child, not more than nine years old. She was small, crumpled on the floor with bruises on her face. Something twitched ever so slightly within Sesshoumaru.

"Cherish that youthful innocence, love."

The damned sword was out of the scabbard before he knew what he was doing. He told himself he was curious as to the swords power, but even as his eyes focused on the pall-bearers, he had no idea what he was doing nor why.

The pall-bearers were ugly beings, like little fat brown toads with rows of protruding teeth. They had come to take away the dead. Sesshoumaru brought his sword down upon the creatures, slicing them through with the Tenseiga. He knew now what stupidity the sword was for.

He watched silently as the little girl sat back up again, brought back to life by a mere swing of a sword.

Her big innocent eyes blinked up at him. It was like the imprinting that occurs when baby chickens are born. From that moment on, the human girl Sesshoumaru brought back to life latched herself to him and followed him everywhere.

Perhaps it was the "youthful innocence" that he so lacked or perhaps it was the combination of his inner turmoil, but whatever the reason, Sesshoumaru tolerated the child as any human would his own daughter.

He would travel with her for weeks to come, until fate came to take her away. But for the time being....

Sesshoumaru's amber eyes trained in the distance, watching for anything that might be a threat to his Rin's safety.

"Sesshoumaru sama?" A twinkling voice called from behind.

He turned to face her as she ran up the dirt path in the forest.

"Hai, Rin."

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Kagome trudged along after Kaede. "You know, I don't get that Sesshoumaru guy," she said aloud, still thinking about the Haiku session she had with him the day before.

"Shhhh!" Kaede hushed her, "Inside this house, the demons hear everything."

"Even that annoying half demon one?"

"Child," Kaede's tone warned.

"Okay okay, sorry."

The old woman's knuckles rapped again the door they finally stopped in front of. It opened on squeaky hinges, and a girl poked her head out.

"Oh, Kaede, it's you. What is it?" The girl asked.

"Sango, I want you to take this girl in. Kagome Higurashi, she's new." The old woman explained.

Sango gestured for Kagome to come in. "Of course," she nodded amicably.

"She'll work shifts with you, but keep her out of Inu-Yasha's suite."

With that, Kaede left.

Sango shut the door, inspecting Kagome with expert eyes. "Well, you look my size, so you'll do fine in some of my clothes. And I don't know about this Inu-Yasha business, but I guess that's fine by me."

Kagome shifted uncomfortably. "Um.. Nice to meet you."

Sanga chuckled, "Nice to meet you too." And within moments went through all the rules and regulations of their room. "You sleep there. Wake up time is six unless we have night shift. Since we're rooming and you're new, we'll work the same shifts as Kaede says. Breakfast can be taken in the kitchen. Bathroom that way and drawers there," she said, leading Kagome through the room.

"Sango," Kagome began timidly, squatting on the floor of her new room, "have you ever been assigned to Sesshoumaru's room before?"

Sango laughed, "Who HASN'T been assigned to his room before?"

She explained further, "Look, the thing is NO ONE wants to be handed his job. All the old timers know enough to steer clear of Kaede when she's looking for someone to handle that shift. That's why she gives that particular job to new people. But everyone always complains. He's a touchy one, that demon. Always manages to scare the servants. They start begging for another job after the first time."

Kagome wondered why. The demon certainly wasn't that awful when he scared her. True that she almost had a heart attack, but then he had gone and read her a haiku. He was rude, but in his own way, he seemed kind. Kagome shook her head. Why was she even thinking about him? What was so special about the demon other than his amazingly good looks?

Sanga fell back on the floor, gazing up at the ceiling. "Either way, I'm surprised you've had no real complaints other than the fact that the demon was rude." She looked at the silent girl beside her and grinned. "How old are you anyway?"

"I'm sixteen."

"Where are you from?"

Kagome, lay down on the floor next to Sango, deciding that a little getting-to-know-her-better moment wouldn't be so bad.

"I came from the south. My owner sold me after my father ran away from him. He said my family was cursed. Just because my father ran away and was killed by someone other than his slave catchers. Just because my brother was beaten to death by his own demons. Just because my mother died during a flood." Kagome wiped tears from her face. She hadn't meant to talk about these things. They were still too fresh, the pain of it all. She wasn't ready to think about them yet.

Sango patted the girl next to her. "Oh, Kagome, I'm so sorry."

Everything that had happened so far overwhelmed the shuddering girl. She'd been dragged from one awful demon castle to another palace. Everyone she'd ever loved had died and left her. The second news of her father's death reached Lord Naraku's ears, he had sold her off. She hadn't even had time to grieve the death of her family.

Tears spilled over her lids, her hand pressed to her mouth in an attempt to hold back her sobs. Her mind panicked. She didn't know anyone here; everything was so new, so unknown.

Sango rubbed the girl, pulling her up to lean against the wall. "Kagome, don't cry, please don't cry."

Kagome's mind registered the somewhat familiar voice, her hand clutching onto Sango.

Sango hugged the sobbing girl, rocking her back and forth. The poor girl had been through so much. It was always such a shock for new slaves coming in. They were always so traumatized by events in their lives. She rubbed Kagome's back softly, murmuring quietly to the girl. She knew how emotionally draining it was, she'd gone through this before.

In a small corner of Kagome's mind, something flickered. A soft voice called to her and her story poured out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

------------------------------- Two years ago....

"Kagome?"

"Kagome! Wake up!"

Kagome rolled over on the futon, pulling the sheets over her head. "No'm, a lil longer.."

She snuggled into the warm sheets. They were so.. so.. warm. She smiled contently, the annoying voice that talked to her moments before forgotten.

Suddenly, the sheets were yanked away. She bolted upright, gasping at the cold air.

"Mom!"

Her mother smiled maliciously. "I've been trying to wake you up for the past half an hour."

Kagome shook her head lightly. "Oh, Mom, I'm sorry."

Her mother laughed lightly before ducking out of the room, humming a tuneless melody.

She was always the last to rise and it embarrassed her. Her family was hard working and Kagome felt like she wasn't pulling her weight. Quickly, quietly, she shifted the futon, folding it neatly and stacking it in a corner. She looked disdainfully at their puny room. It was an awful place to live, but it was the only place she knew to be her home. Sometimes, when she thinks no one is watching, Kagome would drape herself on an embroidered chair in Lord Naraku's castle, pretending she was a demon, not a lowly human. But she'd always chase the thoughts from her mind. She shouldn't be ashamed of being human. She just couldn't help it.. she wanted so much to be able to lay her head on soft cushions and warm blankets.

Her bare feet padded against the ground as she hurried to finish her morning chores. She passed by the garden where her father and brother were already hard at work, all of them ignoring the rain that was pounding on their heads. Without so much as sparing them a second glance, she scurried onwards to the back entrance of the kitchen. She wiped her feet dutifully, carefully removing mud from between her toes so that she wouldn't defile the floor of the kitchen.

The older women only briefly acknowledged the young girl before returning to their conversations.

"Yes, yes, my husband was saying that also."

"It's awful isn't it? If it rains anymore.. I don't know what would happen."

"Do you think the Lords will allow us to stay in higher lands?"

"Heaven's no. The demons could care less if the flood wipes us all out. The marketing for slaves has gone up."

"Is that so.."

They murmured to one another, gossiping about this and that. Kagome concentrated on her dishes, trying in vain to keep her mind from wandering.

There was bound to be a flood at the rate this storm was going. Did the demons truly not care? Would they continue to allow the slaves to stay in the lower areas of the lands? But of course.. of course they don't care. Why should they? 'We're only humans after all,' Kagome thought bitterly. Her hands gripped the beautiful china that was half submerged in soapy waters.

The crack was loud, cutting off the old women's chatter. Kagome blinked rapidly, feeling the tears form behind her eyes. She dropped to her knees, facing the other slaves, her head bowing.

"Please forgive me," she pleaded, "It won't happen again. I was not thinking. It is unacceptable, but please," she raised her eyes to the others, "forgive me."

The trickle of blood from the cut made her hands slippery on the tile floor. She curled her fingers in, digging her nails into her palm, deepening the cut as she awaited their answer.

She knew they would go easy on her, they would not tattle to the demons. They would watch out for her and try to explain about the broken dish. She would not be punished.

But luck was not on her side. The silent women all gasped collectively as the door to the kitchen blew open. He stood there, eyes blood red, staring at the humans.

"What noise do I hear?"

He was the slave driver. They knew him by no other name. He was not a powerful demon, thus was given the job to watch over them. He was plain old "Lord," and he was the sole reason for all the pain the slaves of Lord Naraku suffered. That is, those who had not crossed paths with the infamous demon.

"Answer me, filth!"

Kagome shuddered involuntarily, turning to the slave driver. "Lord," she swallowed, "forgive me. I was careless and broke a plate."

The Slave Driver's lips curled back, revealing sharp fangs. "Broke a plate, did you? Thought you could get away with it, didn't you?" His grin widened, "Thought you would get off easy, did you?"

He advanced towards her with each menacing question. When he was close enough that she could smell his foulness, his hand reached out. She flinched, pulling back slightly, but his hands were already entangled in her hair, yanking her off her feet and pulling her head back. "Human, did you think I would not find out?"

He laughed. It was disgusting, breathing him in, smelling his breath as he laughed hacking laughs.

In a swift motion, he flung her at the back door. She yelped as her back collided with its wooden frame, the force of the impact, breaking it off its hinges, taking the door out with her as she skidded into the mud and rain. Kagome winced, trying to drag herself back up. Her head was dizzy and everything swam before her eyes. She faintly recognized the slave driver walking leisurely towards her.

The pain of everything brought tears to her eyes, but it made no difference for the rain pounding down on her washed it away.

Rain.. it washed away her pains and sorrows.

She opened her mouth slightly, tasting the rain, the pouring droplets that cooled her sore back.

The Slave Driver's foot came flashing, sinking itself into the soft flesh of her stomach, pulling her up feet into the air.

Kagome exhaled sharply, the air forced out of her lungs. Her mind barely had a chance to register the pain before she was flying, so unpleasantly falling through the air. Her arms flailed about, trying desperately to hold onto something, to break her fall before it broke her.

She landed yards away from where she was originally. Landed on her arm, the loud crack drowned out by the rain. She screamed at the pain that exploded into her muscles.

"Oh gods," she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut, "Oh gods, please let it end."

She was crawling, on three limbs, her hand grabbing handfuls of mud, and she slipped and slid, crawling as far away from the demon as she could.

Her mind cried out. Her heart screamed. Her soul wept.

He stoned her. Not to death, but as she crawled from him, he laughed his menacing laugh and pelted rocks at her with amazing accuracy. They cut her, drawing blood on her face, her arms, her back.. everywhere. She sobbed out at the pain, yelling into the thundering rain, shrieking her miseries and agony.

It was always like this. No matter how hard to tried, she could not please the demons. In the end, they would hurt her. They would hurt her and her family.. her people, her kind.

She could not escape.

Will death not come for her?

Death…. death will be better than this..

She was sleeping, peacefully, blissfully, dreamlessly sleeping, finally free from the pain. She didn't even realize she was not breathing, didn't even know. Didn't know until someone had yanked her up back to the surface, pulling her head clear up above the water.

She gasped in the air she did not realize she needed, immediately breaking out into a violent attack of coughs.

Her mother was the one who found her, hours later. Days maybe, Kagome couldn't remember. All she remembered was that it was her mother's face she saw.

"Kagome! Kagome, oh, baby, please don't die."

"Mom?" She whispered, but her mother couldn't hear her. It was still pouring. The rain refusing to stop, like the torrent of tears that refused to stop leaking from her eyes.

It took a while before she noticed her feet were kicking in the water. It took a while before she realized she was in water.

"Mom! What happened!" She cried out. She tried to reach her arms out to help keep her body afloat, but the sharp pain in her arm stopped her.

Her eyes peered through the rain and spotted land. Land.. why wasn't she originally on land? She made out the silhouettes of her father and her little brother.

"Mom!" She yelled again, her voice growing hoarse as the loud rain roared into her ear.

"Don't worry, baby, I'm going to get you out. I'm going to save you as I never could before."

Her mother was crying, she could tell.

She was close now, close to the land, to her father's outreached hands. Her mother, lurched her forward, almost throwing her at her father. He grabbed her good arm, and with the help of her brother, Souta, pulled her out of the water.

As Kagome's feet touched the muddy land, she heard her father's anguished cry. She saw the tree crash down, the soil that held it down, washed away. She saw, before her very own eyes, her mother..

Her beautiful, special mother who ..

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut. "NO!!" She shrieked, bordering hysteria. "No!! Mom!!"

But it was true, the tree had crashed down into the water, snaring her mother in its branches.

They did not find her body till weeks later, when the storm finally ended, when the flood finally receded.

Kagome found out much later that she had been slipped into unconsciousness after the beating; that no one had gone to look for her; that it had rained so hard the river truly did overflow; that the water had flooded up past their tiny houses, flooding over Kagome who lay unconscious.

Her beautiful, special mother who she loved so much.

Kagome howled into the sky her anguish. Why did the gods have to be so cruel?

She wanted to blame herself, but in the end settled with hatred for the entire slavery system.

Most of all..

She hated the rain.

Rain.. it washed away her pains and sorrows.. but it took more than that..

It took her happiness.

:End Chapter 3:

AN: I have something extremely elaborate planned, but I can't find out how to fit the whole thing in. Basically there are three separate stories. There's Sesshoumaru's past, Inu-Yasha's past, and then the present. This will all tie in with the whole "fate" idea. I know jumping back and forth from past to present is annoying, but I can't think of any other way of incorporating this idea into the story. Bear with me. And please, by all means, review!

My thanks to my reviewers for the last chapter.