Blood Tears

By Rose Songweaver

Kagome was transported to a dark place that didn't truly belong to this world. She had been numb previously, shocked by Kikyou's betrayal and unexpected murder. But her mind was slowly waking up, and grief was clawing its way into her consciousness. She was burning; she wanted revenge so much. She didn't know what had possessed her to leave Kikyou and Naraku without harming them, but it wasn't as if she had had a choice. She was swiftly being dragged away- only her need to say goodbye had allowed her to stay so long. She had no idea what happened with Kanna's mirror, only that with the return of her soul, she had been filled with incredible power. It was no the pure, holy power of a miko- no, this was more animalistic, more primal. It demanded revenge.

She was suddenly deposited onto the ground with a thud. It was a fall of a good three feet, but Kagome really didn't care any longer. She was suddenly filled with a burning agony. Her body was being slowly heated beyond endurance. First, her insides seemed to disintegrate, simply melt away. She couldn't breathe, even her heart stopped beating.

But it didn't stop there. The fire spread, melting her muscles and very bones. She was screaming silently, the sound locked deep inside her throat. Her brain was slowly melting, but her soul was still locked inside her body. She had no thoughts, only pain; her very sanity seemed to be bent ruthlessly as the torture on her body continued.

Eventually, even her skin was assaulted, making her nerves, every single one, burn with incredibly pain. Then, slowly, a million lifetimes or a second later, the fire deep inside began to cool. Her organs reshaped themselves, as did her bones, muscles, and skin. Last was her head- her brain cooled, allowing though process again. The pain was gone as abruptly as it had come.

Kagome didn't move for a second; she couldn't. She was entranced with everything she felt. She could smell incredibly well; everything nearby seemed to carry a scent. Her hearing was amazing- every little thing, even the sap on the trees, was carried to her ears. She opened her eyes slowly and noted the infinitely improved. Everything was sharper, every line more pronounced, every color more dramatic.

She stood slowly and looked down on herself. Her skin was more even colored, now a milky white instead of the peaches and cream she had previously possessed. She noted that her fingernails were beautifully shaped silver claws. Her wrists held deep red slashes that stood out against her skin.

What happened to me, she thought. The question was quickly followed by, i who am I?

She racked her mind for an answer, but found nothing. Her memory was blank, wiped clean. She remembered white light, grief, an arrow. But nothing else. Not even a hint of her identity.

She frowned and shook her head slowly. She couldn't remember anything that happened to her, any memories of her life, and it terrified her.

She began to walk forward, noting the light silk dress that swished around her. It matched her nails perfectly; it was white, with silver embroidery. It was incredibly light, and reached around midcalf. It clung slightly, but didn't hinder her movements.

Her foot hit something, and she glanced down in surprise. At her feet was an old, rusty sword. She stooped and eyes it warily, then picked it up. To her surprise, it glowed softly and shifted slightly. It now held a silver and white sheath with straps obviously intended for her shoulders. Shrugging slightly, she slipped it on. It rested perfectly between her shoulder blades.

No harm in a sword, she reasoned. i Besides, it would be nice to have a weapon.

Kagome set out toward the scent of water. It seemed to be a river- she could hear the rushing water. She arrived in a dew minutes and looked at her reflection.

For a second, she saw a small girl with deep black hair in a short green dress, but it was gone in a second, replaced by her own image. She saw herself as few people ever can, as a true stranger that criticized herself honestly, without bias.

She was lovely, she would admit that. She was small and curvy, with a slightly defiant stance. Her long hair reached her hips in long waves; it was a deep black color also, but seemed to reflect slight red and silver tints. Her eyes were ice blue, large and striking, but cold. She allowed no emotion to surface. Her cheekbones were high with red slashes that looked identical to the ones on her hips. She had a small nose and full, pouty lips.

She turned away without interest. For a second, her mind screamed that the reflection was wrong, everything was wrong, but it was gone quickly. She paused for a second, then stiffened slightly. She felt something coming, at an extremely fast pace.

Within a few seconds the newcomer had revealed himself to her. He was tall, dressed in furs. His black hair was held up in a high ponytail, and his hot blue eyes stared at her impudently, challengingly.

"Hey, wench, who are you and what are you doing here," he demanded roughly.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and she shrugged off the strange, brief recognition. "Do not call me that," she said quietly. "I will leave when I see fit."

His growl reached her ears immediately after her words. "Do not talk to me that way, wench! You are in my lands, and I demand respect! I am Kouga, prince of the wolf tribe!"

Kagome frowned in confusion and annoyance. Kouga... the name rang a bell, but she was unable to place it.

"I do not particularly care who you are," she assured him. "Stay out of my way, and I will stay out of yours."

Kouga stared at her, and wanted to scream in frustration. This demoness was strange, familiar almost. She was nothing he had ever seen before- she was nothing he could think of- not wolf, not cat, not dog, not bird, not anything he had ever heard of. Not to mention, she regarded him with complete dismissal that made his youkai howl.

She began to walk away, but stopped when the sound of his sword leaving its sheath reached her ears. She turned back to face the crimson eyed wolf youkai. "Do you really think this wise," she inquired softly. He growled in reply and rushed at her, sword ready.

She sighed and said softly, "I guess you do."

She dodged his initial attack with incredible speed, moving in a second, too fast for the eye to follow. She stood a few feet away and watched him with a slightly curious look. Something was in his legs- it glowed softly; called to her, almost.

He skidded to a stop and turned. He rushed her again and again, but she dodged every attack. Finally he made a particularly fast lunge and made a quick sweep with his sword. He managed to cut off a few inches from one lock of her hair.

"Fight back, wench," he growled angrily.

She stared at the few inches of hair, then at the wolf demon. She tilted her head slightly, confusedly, and studied him. "As you wish," she said quietly.

She drew the rusted old sword from its scabbard, but it was not there. In its place was a large, incredibly beautiful sword. It was magnificent, obviously powerful. She felt the fur at the hilt and studied it in confusion.

Kouga stepped back in pure shock. "Where did you get that," he growled.

Kagome studied him in confusion. "I found it," she said slowly.

"Liar," he snarled. He rushed her again, but this time she did not move. She seemed to be in a trance, staring at the Tetsusaiga in shock. He smirked in victory as he brought his blade in a crushing blow at her head.

Unfortunately, the blow never made it. Before he even knew what happened, his blade was block and flicked out of his grasp. He was then flung down and pinned by her foot to her chest.

"I warned you," she said softly, almost mournfully. She raised the Tetsusaiga and brought it down at his head.