(AN)Okay, this is my first fanfic!(fireworks) Now, Kagome is very OOC, but this is an AU fic, so does it really matter? She gets less OOC as the story goes on, but not that much.

Disclamier: Sadly, I do not own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi own them. I don't even own a plushie!!(sob TT) I do own Namaka and Rahilu!(not that it makes me feel better.--)

():scene change

"moo":speaking

'moo': thinking

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A girl slept against a tree, the wind ruffling her hair,looking like any normal girl. But this is no normal girl. This girl's name is Kagome Higurashi, a person feared by youkai and humans alike. She is a miko of incredible strength, stronger than any miko every known, but she does not know this, because her heart is riddled with pain, hatred, and anger, her heart full of darkness. The pain of losing her family. The anger at herself for being to weak to save them. The hatred towards youkai for ripping them away from her. To get away from these feelings, she kills. She kills to avenge her family. She kills for herself. Not mindlessly killing, though. Just to those who danger her, those who get in her way. Will she ever be cleared from this darkness? Only fate will tell.

The girl woke up suddenly. "Souta," she whispered. "Where are you? Have the youkai killed you like they killed Okka-san and Jii-chan? Or are you still alive?"

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Flashback:5 years ago(Kagome is 11 years old here, 16 in the rest of the story)
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Kagome smelled smoke. "It's coming from home!" she whispered and ran toward the village. As soon as she entered, Kagome saw flames licking the roofs and devouring the houses. Everywhere smelt like burnt flesh. As she ran towards her house, she saw her mother stagger from the house, carrying her unconscious little brother, Souta.

"Okka-san! Are you all right?! Where's Jii-chan?! Is Souta all right? Who did this to you?!" Her mother took one more step and fell to the ground. As Kagome rushed over closer, the smell of burnt flesh got stronger.
"Kagome," Her mother said in a raspy voice. "Jii-chan's dead. He died in the fire. I am going to die soon, so take care of Souta. Promise me."

"Who did this to you?!" Kagome repeated urgently.

"Promise me you will take care of Souta and I'll tell you."

"Okka-san, you're not going to die! Everything is going to be all right. We'll all be fine. Everything will be alright!"

"Promise me, Kagome!"
"I promise," Kagome whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
"It was the youkai," her mother paused, violently coughing. "But, please, don't hate them."
"Why shouldn't I hate them for doing this?!" Kagome shook in anger. " They destroyed everything, and tried to kill you and Jii-chan! I have every reason to hate them! They deserve to die!"
"Don't hate them..."After saying these words, she fell back and died.
"OKKA-SAN!!!!! NO!!!!!!" tears were flowing freely down her cheeks as she turned around and saw three figures in front of the flames. There were two tall ones and a smaller one, who looked about her age, if not a few years younger. The figures were clearly youkai (the younger one had dog ears and the two older ones had pointed ears and facial markings. As she stared, one youkai turned around, looking at her with emotionless eyes and signaled to the other tall one. He turned and looked at her with pity- filled eyes and started to come towards her. Kagome grabbed Souta and ran into the forest, tears still flowing down her face.

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Still flashback: fast forward two months.

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Souta and Kagome ran down a path in the forest, Kagome pushing away bushes and branches away for the young boy.
"Sota," Kagome said as she smiled at him. "It's almost your 6th birthday. How may days left?"
"Two! Then you can start teaching me how to be brave and strong, like you! Soon I can help you with jobs for the village, and start learning how to use a weapon, so I can help you even more!" He puffed out his chest in pride.
Kagome grinned. 'So kawaii! If only Okka-san could see this. She would be so proud!' She kneeled down and hugged him.
"Kagome? What are you doing?"
"Souta, I can't teach you to be brave and strong."
"Why? If it's because you don't think you're strong enough, you're plenty strong. I mean, how many people can kill a centipede youkai by themselves when they're only 11? Not many, I think."
"No one can teach some one else to be brave or strong. I can help you become strong, but bravery is an emotion. You have to learn that by yourself, but I'll always be by your side, no matter what."
"Thanks, Onee-chan."

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Later that night
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Spooning out soup for both of them, Kagome smiled. She remembered her mother doing this, and how delicious the soup would always be. "Here's your soup Souta. Be careful, it's hot."
"Thanks." He slurped a few spoonfuls and stopped. "Kagome, did you hear about the youkai that are said to be coming through this area?" She shook her head. "Well, they're supposedly slave traders. They've been capturing people and selling them as slaves. I hope they don't come here"
"Yeah, me too"
After this conversation, the two went to sleep. After about two hours, a twig snapped under someone's foot, waking up Kagome. She sat straight up when she heard voices whispering.
"Be careful! You're going to wake them up!"
"Why do you even care? They're just kids! Its not like they can escape."
"I know, but they're easier to catch when they're asleep."
"Right."
Kagome almost laughed out loud. 'They actually think they're being sneaky! Even Souta can be sneakier than that!' She stood up and said in a firm voice, "Who's there? I know you're there, so show yourself!"
The two youkai stepped out. "Smart one, aren't ya'?" said one.
"Not that smart. You two were making enough noise for a couple of elephant youkai. Identify yourself!"
"Fine," the first one said grudgingly. "I'm Namaka, a vulture youkai. The lump over there," he pointed to the other man, "is Rahilu, a rat youkai."
"What do you want?"
"Jeez, you're not very bright after all, are you? We're the slave traders!" Namaka suddenly disappeared and transported over to where Sota was still sleeping.
"Souta!" Kagome yelled, hoping to wake him. She rushed forward, only to be stopped by Rahilu grabbing her.
"Kagome! What's happening? Why-" Souta got cut off by Namaka, who had put a cloth over his nose and mouth, causing him to fall to the ground.
Kagome managed to pull out her hidden dagger from her sash, and stabbed Rahilu, stabbing him in the heart, killing him. Just as she turned around, she saw Namaka disappear, along with Souta.
"SOUTA!!!!!" Kagome yelled, her voice fading into the night.

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End flashback (finally!)
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"Souta, I promise I will find what has happened to you, and avenge Okka-san and Jii-chans death. I promise."

(AN) Wow! That was a long flash back!! About two pages! Man, I never write that much!

Do ya' see the purplish button that says review? Do ya'? The button is lonley. So am I. Review and make us both happy! If you flame, well at least you read it. --