Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and co. Rumiko Takahashi does.

Just so anyone who reads this knows, I might start updating later than usual, as I really want to have time to revise and edit.

Chapter 5: Bit of the Past

Night time. I both love it, and yet despise it with all my being at the same time. How can this be, you ask? Quite frankly, I don't even understand how. But, it is possible to have two conflicting emotions at the same time, I should know. You see, the night is my time of solace. When you are little, you live with your parents in their home, and let them take care of you. They earn the money, they provide the food, they give you shelter and protect you from all that is bad in the world. Or at least, try to.

This is kind of what the night time does for me. No, it really doesn't feed me, or earn money so I can survive, but it protects me. It guards me against everything that I hate during the day. Things that I am, as much as I hate to admit it, afraid of. People, for one. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-social; I don't hate people. What I do hate, are all of the terrible things that people do. All of the stupid things that people do. Ever since I was a child, I always witnessed the idiocy of people.

Every time someone was laughed at because they were different, for example. I know, because I was laughed at. Not just made fun of, but hated because everyone in my village thought I wasn't normal. And I believed them. As a matter of fact, I still do. How could I not? Sometimes I thought they were right, and then......

there were times I felt that I was right. Even now, it scares me when I can't make up my mind. There were times when I said,

"There's nobody following me. I'd be able to see them if they were."

And there were other times that were the most frightening of all, those times in which I ran, checking behind me to make sure that they couldn't get me. Back then I didn't know who they were exactly, and I still don't.

It wasn't just people following me. Sometimes objects seemed to move. A tree, a bush, maybe a rock or figurine. It was normal to me, just not to everyone else. I remember once I told my older brother, Souta, about a shadow that kept following me. He was resting against a tree, watching some of the other kids play with each other. I sat next to him, wanting to tell someone, so maybe the shadow would go away.

" Hey, Souta? Can you please tell that shadow over there to leave me alone? It's starting to scare me."

Naturally, my brother thought I was being silly, and started laughing.

"That's real funny ,sis, but if you keep saying stuff like that, people are gonna start to think your crazy."

I may have been a kid at the time, but I wasn't stupid. It was obvious he didn't believe me. So, I went to the next person that I thought could help me. My sister, Kikyo. Now, me and Kikyo were never really close, regardless of the fact that we were born on the same day. But I had to tell someone who could help me, and Kikyo definitely could. Kikyo was a master archer, not to mention priestess, so of course I found her practicing her archery. I approached my sister just as she was about to shoot an arrow into a tree. Upon reaching her side, Kikyo turned her head towards me, keeping the shooting stance she was in.

"What is it you need, Kagome?"

I watched her for a while before answering, wondering how we could be sisters when she looked so beautiful, and I , well, so....not. Tall and slender...pale skin....straight hair that reached past her waist....and she was the perfect child. Had perfect manners. Did every single fucking thing perfectly. I'd be lying to say I wasn't just a little jealous. I mean, come on, wouldn't you?

"Kagome?" She frowned, pursing her lips. "What's wrong?"

Ah. I had gotten sidetracked.

" See that shadow over there?" I pointed for emphasis, so she wouldn't miss it. " It keeps following me around. Can you please tell it to stop?" There. Now it would have to leave me alone.

Wrong.

"......Kagome, I don't like playing games."

She hadn't seen it. Hadn't believed me.

" But...I'm not playing around! That shadow keeps on following me!"

She just narrowed her eyes and turned her away.

" If you truly think so, then, sister..." she released the arrow and it shot right through the middle of the tree in one swift motion.

"....you are insane."

And she walked away, head held high and all.

People in the village began to hear about what had transpired, and gossip spread.

" Did you hear what happened? Kikyo said Kagome's insane!"

" She did? Well then, if Kikyo said...."

"What's that you say? Kagome's crazy? I knew it..."

"That girl always did seem a little off balance in the head, if you know what I mean...."

But I wasn't insane. Everything I saw, everything I heard.......it was all true. It had to be. Why else would it all seem so real? Pretty soon, everybody in the village watched me like a bunch of starved dogs, waiting for the chance to jump at me. I knew Kikyo hadn't meant for it to get out of hand, but I still blamed her. Everyone listened to Kikyo. She was the sane sister. Never made a mistake. Not once.

As I got older, I was able to control my "insanity". When I saw silver sparkles in the air, I didn't try to catch them as I did before. When I heard voices around me, and I saw nobody there, I ignored them. I even stopped talking to the stones that wanted to follow me around. But that didn't change peoples views about me. I was still the 'mad girl' to them. Then, when my family was killed, minus Kikyo, things got worse.

People totally ignored me. Didn't want to have anything to do with me. Except of course, when they felt like spiting someone, just for the heck of it.

I was alone with no family, no friends, and basically, no reason to live. After I was kicked out of my village for "disrupting the peace", yeah right, and my second encounter with Naraku in which I was cursed to live forever at the age of 16, I found my hut, and my new home.

Following 3 days since I had arrived there, a group of thieves broke in while I was out gathering herbs. When I entered my hut, they jumped on me, slashing me with their daggers and tying me up. One of them took out a shikon shard and began admiring it while the others began grabbing stuff they liked, which until then, I hadn't even noticed didn't belong to me.

I was once again captivated by the shikon jewel, staring into it's depths, though it was only one shard. My vison started getting hazy and intense hatred for the thieves overwhelmed me. Before I knew it, they were dead. Killed by their own weapons. I dropped to the floor, staring at my hands which were covered in blood, theirs and mine. I had lost a lot of blood, therefore fainting after a wave of dizziness.

And I woke up the most ugliest creature alive staring at me. Big bulging eyes....sickly green skin....it was disgusting! The thing started babbling nonsense, and pointing at me with a weird looking staff. This scared me, as it would anybody, and I tried getting up, causing a sharp spasm in my stomach which caused me to shout. I fell back against a soft bed, confusing the hell out of me since I remembered blacking out on the floor.....

" Jaken, get away from the girl. You seem to startle her."

Sesshomaru.

Yes, I still remembered him. He was the one who had healed my wounds and cared for me while I was injured. Not that he'd had a choice. I did faint in his, well, let's just say 'vacation' hut for now. I mean, what was the guy supposed to do? Throw me outside to rot?

He was the first youkai, and the first person in years, to talk to me. Well, I did most of the talking, but he "tolerated my presence" as he used to put it. He'd sit under a giant oak tree atop a hill everyday, watching the scenery, and I, well, I just followed him. Heh. Yup.

I eventually got curious as to why he went there everyday.

" Why do you...well, you know....." Smooth, huh?

"No. I don't."

I sighed. He just loved to get me exasperated.

"Why do you come out here? Everyday?" There we go. Plain and simple.

For some time, he didn't answer. I began to get nervous. Had I asked the wrong question?

" I am waiting for someone." I nearly had a damn heart attack when he answered.

"Waiting for someone? Eh......who?" He glanced at me.

"Oh! Well...heh...uh...you don't have to answer that....." I kind of wished he had. I was curious. More curious then before.

Who was so lucky and so special, that the great Sesshomaru would actually wait for them? A girl maybe?

" Is it a girl? I mean, the person your waiting for....." My heart was pounding.

He actually smiled....that's right, smiled... a little.

"Yes, Kagome, it is a girl."

I never did find out who the girl was. The last time I saw him, Sesshomaru gave me a present.

This sword I have? The one I guard with my life? Yeah, that one. He gave it to me. I didn't know why, still don't, but he did.

I don't know why he left. Maybe that girl, whoever she was, finally came.

Whatever the case, he was gone, and I was alone again. Until I met up with Naraku a third time.

But that doesn't really count, see, that's when he turned me to stone. But now, I was free, and sleeping quite comfortably in my old bed back when Sesshomaru treated my wounds(never told me why he even bothered) and I had Rin right beside me. Maybe...just maybe.....she could help keep the insanity away.

I heard some loud snoring on the roof above me.

And he'd help keep me awake.....bastard.

Though, he did kind of remind me of someone.....

End of chapter 5