Fragmentations of Our Past

Rating: M for everything, adult themes to violence to language.

Disclaimer: Property of Rumiko Takahashi and I do NOT make a profit from it

Note: Special thanks to Sennin, Hell Chaos Angel, and Seraphwalker for reviewing the first chapter. I hope I can keep you all intrigued!

So sorry for falling off the face of the earth. All I have are the usual excuses…nothing special at all. School, stress, homework, work. We all know the list. If only I HAD been abducted by deviant aliens, NOW that would have been a good excuse…

Act I, Scene II

Seconds later, Kagome's body responded to the rapid distress signals her brain was sending. She threw herself to the right, tucking and rolling, her hand automatically going to a place where her gun should be.

If she hadn't been ordered to leave it at home, that is.

In the space that her head had occupied a few moments ago, there now stood a very angry, fully Shifted Taiyoukai. Kagome stood up slowly, wary of the poison tipped claws that were angled at her throat.

"I can explain Sesshomaru…" Kagome began, holding out her hands in plea.

"There is nothing to explain. You are dead." He pulled back his claws once again. Kagome shot a glance at Sango who had drawn a knife out from beneath her breastplate. Trust a taijiya to sneak a weapon in past youkai bodyguards.

"Stay out of this Sango," she ordered as shemovedher weight forward to the balls of her feet, bouncing lightly, ready for the next attack. Kagome riskedone morequick look to see if the slayer complied with her orders. Sango still held the knife at ready, but backed up into the archway at the top of the staircase, giving Kagome more room to maneuver. Kagome felt the air shift towards her and dodged once again, this time to the left, only to discover that her chosen direction put her back up against a large marble column.

"Look Sesshomaru, I was ordered-" A vicious snarl from Sesshomaru cut off her explanation, and Kagome felt the bottom of her stomach give way. He was truly enraged. She had never quite seen him that angry before.She thought she knew fear before, but this, this was absolute terror that she felt now. Kagome frantically reached inside, hoping to call up some sort of barrier to his attacks, praying that her miko powers would obey her. Faster than Sesshomaru could press his advantage, a blue barrier surrounded her completely. She watched mouth agape, as Sesshomaru struck again and again at her miko shield, causing it to spark and vibrate with the intensity of his youkai. Kagome shuddered inwardly. He looked like a rabid dog. Hell, he was a rabid dog right now.

She should never have come.

Below on the ballroom floor, cries of fear and outrage went up as the youkai guests sensed the holy energy being exerted in their midst. The perimeter guards began weaving their way through the crowd towards thelocation of the disruption. Kagome laughed desperately, frantically, praying for the arrival of these guards, who though might be inclined to shoot her, might also be to talk some sense into Sesshomaru. She had the rather obvious notion that if she even tried to open her mouth once more to calm him; it would only serve to send him further into his blood rage.

The barrier popped and rippled, and Kagome tried to keep herself from shrinking down into a fetal ball on the floor. It wouldn't do to have a deputy chief in the Task Force look like the cringing, whimpering girl she was in danger of becoming. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Sango stopped the first few youkai bodyguards from getting past the archway. She gestured wildly, hoping to grab Sango's attention, but this prompted an uncontrolled snarl from Sesshomaru that turned into more furious beating upon the barrier. Kagome watched in horror as the skin on the enraged Taiyoukai's hands began to burn and melt away. She needed to find some way to stop this and NOW.

With a brief prayer to the kami, Kagome decided upon something that she had no real right to do. In fact, it might even serve as nails in her coffin, but it was the only option she saw. Sango would not let the guards past (most likely because they were behaving in a trigger happy fashion); she had no weapons but her ever undependable miko powers, and Sesshomaru would never listen to reason. But he might see it, and with that thought she reached into the bodice of her dress to pull out a small ivory handkerchief. She quickly unfolded it to reveal one single lock of silky, shiny black hair tied carefully together with a faded orange ribbon. Instantly, Sesshomaru froze in mid-strike; his eyes were riveted upon the forlorn piece of hair.

Kagome carefully held it in front of her, placing it in her open right palm where a jagged scar ran across the length of her palm.She nervously licked her lips, and parted her mouth, trying to come up with the right words to say. All that came out was a sad little sigh. She tried once more, and on this attempt, her breath and lips and tongue all worked together and she was able to say just one word,

"Remember."

She had wanted to say something that would encompass all the regret and guilt that she felt, to speak of noble sacrifices made, but the word she had managed sounded terrified and false on her lips, a desperate plea rather than reminder. Kagome dropped her eyes to the ground, closed her fingers gently around the black strands, and brought her hand to her heart.

"Remember..."

She should never have come.

Sesshomaru suddenly let out one long deep sigh and lowered his claws. The blood rage left his eyes, and with a wave of his burned hand, he Shifted himself back into a human form. He would be...unable...to kill the miko bitch Kagome.

Today, at least...

Sorry this is super-short, more shall come, more shall come..

Let me know what you think and till next time,

Aidyn