Disclaimer: Don't own...yet...

Chapter One

Sango stomped through the night woods, not caring how loud she was being. She had long ago abandoned the marked trail, preferring to battle it out with trees and bushes to vent her frustration. Kirara followed closely behind her, watching her with concern, her eyes glowing like embers.

The girl crashed through a wall of thorny growth and found herself in a clearing. It was picturesque and peaceful with a stream cutting through it and a gnarled, old tree blocking out part of the sky. The demon exterminator's rage ebbed slightly just looking at her surroundings.

She sat down under the tree and leaned against it. The demon cat did rings around her, rubbing the girl with her head and meowing sympathetically. Sango sighed and was surprised to find that a few tears had fallen from her eyes. She stubbornly wiped them away and said to the sky, "I'm not going to cry for something that wasn't there."

The demon exterminator sat in the quiet and tried not to pity herself and was losing at it. She glanced at Kirara, who was staring unblinkingly at her, and smiled bitterly. "You know, he says he cares for me and then he goes and pulls a stupid stunt like chasing a pretty girl and getting caught up in something horrible. Then he goes all romantic but later acts like nothing happened and ignoring me completely. Sometimes I wonder if it's really worth the frustration of l..." she wouldn't say that word, she couldn't bring herself to do it so she substituted it with, "liking him."

Kirara, needless to say, offered Sango no verbal consoling, but curled up into a tiny ball in her lap and continued to stare at her in a "I'm listening, go on," sort of way. The girl began to scratch the fire cat behind the ears and continued, "It's so aggravating, never knowing where I truly stand with him. I can't hide my emotions at all, but he's got this perfectly controlled face and you never know what's really going on."

The two sat there under the tree and the demon exterminator was filled with a sudden sense of hopelessness. Nothing made sense and she was lost in a maze of feelings. The feeling that it was all just a lost cause began to mount up and she punched the tree and let out a stress-ridden scream. With her fist still buried into the bark, hot tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.

"You know," a woman said besides her, "you're making a lot of noise and it's very rude." Sango jumped, this person had come from nowhere. She sprang to her feet and assumed a fighting stance while Kirara erupted into flames and emerged in her large form.

The woman was unfazed by both of them. She glared condescendingly at the girl with vivid green eyes and flipped her black, curly hair behind her shoulder. "Dears, I'm out of both your leagues," she told them in a stern tone. The demon exterminator had a gut feeling that it might be true, but if this strange woman intended anything bad, she wouldn't take it quietly.

"Such a tomboy!" the visitor exclaimed. "No wonder you're unsure of his feelings, acting that way." Sango felt her mouth drop slightly and the demon cat hissed in an annoyed way. The woman directed her vivid eyes towards Kirara who leered back for a minute before turning her head away. The girl was surprised, it was unlike the demon to submit and she turned her attention to really examining the woman that stood before her.

She was tall, very tall in fact, and radiated out a majestic, otherworldly presence. Her skin was pale, but not in unhealthy way, and she still managed to have rosy cheeks and very red, full lips. Her hair was long and fell past her waist, partially tied up. While still looking young, her eyes seemed old. Overall, she seemed unreal, like she was from another plane of reality altogether.

"Being so boisterous and tough is not what a young man seeks in a wife. He wants someone who is meek and quiet," the woman told her in a mothering voice. As Sango's glare intensified she added, "And definitely not one so spirited. You're behavior is very unbecoming and un-lady like."

"And I suppose you're married and have the perfect relationship?" the girl snapped out. The woman's eyes lost their motherly light and became hard.

"Keep your mouth shut, girl."

Fueled by anger and stress, Sango continued, "Suppose that's a no. I hope you can mange to pull your foot from your mouth and leave."

Without warning the woman struck, her hand clamping around the demon exterminator's throat. Kirara roared and moved to attack, but the woman waved her free hand and the beast dropped to the ground, unconscious.

She tried to claw at the restricting hand, but it was useless. "Watch your tongue when a superior offers you advice, mortal," the woman scolded and her grip tightened. Sango's struggle ceased, the extra movements couldn't be done with her oxygen being cut off. "You shouldn't speak unless you're spoken too, if at all." She felt energy from her captor's hand clamp around her neck, "Hope you enjoy my gift, dear."

The girl dropped to the ground, the woman suddenly gone. The edges of her vision were starting to fade. 'Mortal?' Sango thought as the world darkened. Does that mean she was some kind of...Her thoughts were left incomplete as she blacked out entirely.

A/N: Ohoho! Yet another story...perhaps I should finish the ones I've posted before starting more...? Nyah. Just to clear it up, the woman was a goddess and she won't be making another reappearance. Kudos to you if you can guess who she was based on, except for Krystal, you already know, though it should become more apparent in the next chapter. Note to self, work on summaries! Since I have nothing left to say, I'll end this by begging you guys to review. Yes...so please do so.