Disclaimer: I might as well put on here. I don't own Inuyasha no matter how much I wish I did.

A/N: Ok, just to tell you I'm terribly sorry for the extremely long wait. Flame me if you must but I'm sorry and I hope that it'll never take that long to update again. The next chapter should be longer considering this one is kind of short and moves quickly. Thank you all for reading.

In the Sands of Time

Souls' Hatred

Lies upon Lies

The gray halls seemed bare and lonely as he walked through them, but he didn't notice the emptiness. His mind was going over everything that had happened, everything that had been said. It was only a moment ago that he had seen the girl who had said his name and shot him in the shoulder with a piercing arrow. If only he had gotten her name.

He pushed open a door to his left and scanned the room until his eyes landed on the person in the middle of it. No one noticed as he stood there, watching as everyone else's eyes were on a white screen before him or her. It was only when he spoke that all heads turned and gaped at the appearance of the boy in the doorframe.

His mother was the first to regain her voice at the unexpected sight of her son. "Inuyasha, what are you doing here?"

He raised his eyebrow in confusion at the words that escaped from the thin lips. "Why can't I be here? I am not your son, the one that this whole ordeal is about? Why shouldn't I also be in the room watching the women whom I might have one as my mate in a short time?" His voice was composed and proper for addressing his mother before members of the house.

"You speak very confidently after the way you acted just a moment ago. I don't see why you shouldn't also watch and see the weaknesses of these young, beautiful women." She nodded and motioned her son to take a seat next to her. He caught the choice of words she used, like pointing out the bad spot on the apple and not relishing the good.

He walked with dignity to the chair that had been emptied for his convenience and sat in it. The screen in front of him turned a blue shade before shapes and other colors formed from the nothingness. It was a dark scene; fire burning all around and in the middle of it all was a small, brown hair girl. Her face still wet with tears and black charcoal on her face and arms. She held a young boy protectively in her arms and watched as the fire around her began to burn brighter and hotter.

Her lips moved but no words reached Inuyasha's ears, all he heard were cries from trapped women with no escape from the raging fire. Then everything became a blur and the image became black and distorted. He was about to speak protest when another image took its place.

This one caught and captured his attention entirely. All memory of the previous image was gone as his eyes landed on raven hair and pale skin. The traditional white and red priestess clothes fit loosely and only showed how truly tinny she was. On her back, she carried a long bow and a quill of arrows. She was poised and elegant. Her narrow eyes missing nothing as they scanned her surroundings. She was perfect in his eyes, more then he could ever hope.

"Kikyo is her name." His mother said after seeing the way her son looked so lost in her. "She's said to have the most favor in these trials." Inuyasha broke his gazed from the screen and looked at his mother.

"You mean she might win?"

"She might? That is an understatement. She will win, I know she will." His mother sounded confident and sure about the idea. She seemed to take a liking to Kikyo as well, not considering her past and rank. He just nodded as he watched her lucid movements.

Hours passed by with out the amber eyes removing their gaze from the white and red figure. When the screen finally did fade and wash away into yet another woman, profanities spilled from his lips.

"Looks are not everything, Inuyasha. She must also have the right attitude towards life or she will not be seen fit to be royal in this castle." She rose and walked out the door, leaving her son to stare unseeing at the next woman who stepped from the darkness.

The screen blinked off then flickers back on now focused on a cream complexion. Inuyasha snapped from his thoughts as he looked at the peaceful girl, eyes so gently shut with her black hair that sprayed beneath her as if wings ready to spring to life. His eyes grew wide for a moment at the beauty in the youthful face. He stared, transfixed, at the fine lines of her face that seemed to glow in the soft light that held her.

"What is happening?" his mother's voice broke through his mind and brought him back to reality. "I thought I had shut this one down." Her eyes scanned the room, looking at every member.

"What do you mean shut it down?" Inuyasha asked his mother as he looked back and forth between the two women.

"Inuyasha, this is none of your business, leave, please." Her voice was strong and ordering not wavering for a moment. Amber glared at brown until he turned away and headed for the door. His eyes lingered on the illuminated face still displayed on the screen before he turned to his mother.

"No, I'm part of this also. I have a right to know what's going on." His voice was defiant, threatening her to tell him differently. In a few short days he would take over the crown and have power over everyone, but until then, he still was under the queen's voice. His eyes flickered back to the black hair that framed her face making it appear white.

Her eyes shot down to the ground as she thought of the words to say that would have him listening. Finally she looked up at him and told him. "She's failed, she's being taking out of it."

Time seemed to freeze as he stared at his mother then at the sleeping beauty. "What will happen to her?" He finally asked.

"She'll become a slave, tending to things around here." she spoke casually as if she were talking about the weather outside. Inuyasha cringed inwardly at the sentence she was receiving; he knew how the servants were treated around here. They were worked from the early morning until late into the night making sure everything was were it should be. He nodded towards his mother to assure her he understood and walked out the door, not wanting to be a part of this anymore.

Kagome woke to the sweet scent of food that she found sitting beside her on a table. She sat up looking at her surroundings. The small room that held a small closet and trunk at the end of the single bed was dark and poorly lit. She turned her attention back to the fresh food on the tray. She wasn't much hungry and only took a bit of everything there. When she was finished, she pushed back the thin blanket that covered her and stepped onto the icy floor.

She turned her attention to the door that had emitted a soft knock. "Come in." She said softly, unsure of where she really was. The door creaked and woman stepped forward. She appeared very elegant, even in the dim light.

"Good morning." She greeted. Kagome suddenly remembered her from the day before she was the queen. She quickly nodded acknowledgement, not to appear rude. "I'm sorry to say that you have been taken out of the trials." Her voice held little empathy as she spoke.

Kagome was about to nod again when she remembered something. "But I thought that you had to fail two trials before being taken out." Confusion was evident in her voice and eyes.

"Yes, well we had some complications with you're testing and thought it best if we took you out." She lied but Kagome didn't seem to notice, she only nodded with her eyes cast downward. "I've come to show you around the castle to get you comfortable with the area before you start your work." She glanced over at the tray of food beside the young girl before commenting on it.

Kagome replied she wasn't hungry and stood to change her clothes that were laid on the trunk at the foot of her bed. The queen excused herself and waited outside before Kagome emerged from the room fully dressed.

As they walked down the halls Kagome only partially heard what was being said as her mind drifted elsewhere.

"You'll be starting in the gardens." A nod was all she gave to indicate that she was indeed still listening. Her eyes looked drained of all energy and ambition that had once been there only days before.

"Maybe if I see good work you will be moved up to work in the kitchens and maybe even clean my sons room. You'll be working from 6 am sharp with a small lunch break in the afternoon for forty-five minutes then I'll expect to see you back working. You will be relieved when your section has been taken care of, no sooner and no later." Another nod.

This ran on for the next hour, everything she was to know, do and not do was covered, she only opened her mouth when needed and kept her eyes down.

"When will the trials be done with?" Kagome suddenly asked, surprising even herself.

"In three days time." She replied without much emotion. Kagome sighed at the thought of eight other girls being turned into servants in a matter of minutes. "You won't be starting until then so you can make yourself familiar with the place."

Footsteps could be heard rapidly approaching them from behind. "Your Highness." He wheezed between gasps of breath. She turned around to look at the hunched over messenger.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Your son would like to speak with you." He said after catching his breath and standing up straight. "He's waiting in the main room." He added as an after thought.

She turned back to Kagome. "You can find your way back to your room?" Kagome nodded then asked, "If you don't mind I'd like to look around a bit more." She got a nod in response before the other woman walked away down the hall.

When they were out of sight she leaned against the wall and sighed while sliding down to the cold stone floor. She sat there thinking through everything that had just happened in her life, reflecting back on the memories that had been brought back to her attention.

'Who was that boy?' she asked herself, the name rolled off her tongue slowly unsure of it. "Inuyasha."

His hand skimmed across the smooth wood beneath his fingers. He was sitting on the royal throne that he'd only dreamed of sitting on when he was younger, knowing that his brother would take it before him. However, that all changed when Sesshomaru left abruptly and Inuyasha was the only one who could take on the responsibility.

"You wanted to speak with me?" Inuyasha turned at the sound of his mother's voice.

"What was the real reason you pulled her? I know that they had to have failed at least two trials, not just one." He attempted to contain the anger in his voice and spoke though clenched teeth.

"I don't see why you care so much, Inuyasha. It's not like she was any good." Her voice returning to the natural calmness it always held.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Does it really matter? It's too late to do anything now. The women are done with their second trial already. It won't make any difference who the winner is." She turned to leave but was stopped by the sudden shout from her son.

"The hell it does!"

"You'll learn soon enough, Inuyasha. Have patience." She walked away from him, leaving the room.

"Why do these discussions always end like this?" he sighed to himself, not expecting anyone to answer. Inuyasha jumped when he heard a voice coming from the corner.

"Maybe because you don't know what you are looking for in them?" Amber eyes glared at the monk that walked out of his shadows.

"And how the hell do you always just seem to appear out of thin air?" he barked.

"Just call it coincidence." Miroku shrugged. "But I wouldn't bet to uptight about what your mother is saying. It's true, you will find out soon. Just give it some time."

Inuyasha just looked at him. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who's having your wife picked for you."

"True, true." The monk put his hands in the air in defeat. "I get to pick from the ones that fail to be yours." A perverted grin became visible on his face. Inuyasha just shook his head and walked away.

"You sicken me, you know that Miroku." Were his last words to the monk before he was out the door and heading down the hall to the kitchens.

With his head up in the clouds thinking of the yummy food he would snatch from the kitchen, he didn't notice the small body that was sitting on the floor until his foot collided with her leg. He jerked from his daydream to look down at the raven-haired girl who looked up with rage that quickly burned out at the sight of him.

The girl squinted up at him as if she couldn't see with the dim lights shinning from above her. After a cat look she shook her head and stood from the cold floor giving him an icy glare. "Who are you?" Inuyasha asked before she could walk away.

"Why should it matter to you. You were the one who betrayed me and my family, bringing me here just so I could be reminded every time I see your silver hair of the night my life ended." Her voice was smooth and unaffected despite the way he stared at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He lied. "I've never met you before in my life."

"You just don't remember because of all the lies that have been fed to you throughout the years you've lived here. They've really done a good job on brain washing you, I almost feel sorry." She walked down the hall in the direction of her room.

Inuyasha was left there alone in the empty hallway. His appetite suddenly gone he turned and walked into his own room, relieved to get away from the confusion of the day only to enter the one of the night.

(finally, I'm done with the chapter. I spent all night writing it so PLEASE tell me what you thought. Next chapter should be up soon. I promise this time.)