Summary: Kagome moved from Japan to America when she was in seventh grade. She stopped talking in eighth grade, and no one knows why. Now, in eleventh grade, Kagome will undergo a series of events that will dramatically change her...Kagome's POV.

Rated M. Why? Because my mind has many bad things in it and I don't know what I might use...

Dates Written:
June 18th, 2006
June 19th, 2006

This story is coming to an end and the tension is murdering me (not literally). So are the reviewers for not updating right away. I'm sorry! I have a bad habit of putting off updating longer than I should! But, no worries, I'm writing a lot and updating a lot since we're getting closer to the end of the story.

Okay, during the mysterious talking (those are the voices that Kagome hears), bold will be the man talking, and non-bold will be the woman talking.

On June 19th, I was writing this. I had about a seventh of it done (going off of my word count), and I wasn't getting anywhere too far. Then I had a wonderful day with my friend, cousin, and horse. I finished it within an hour and it's not too shabby! Well, I hope it's not too bad...

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The Games We Play
Entry Thirty-Three: Second Chances

X x X x X x X x X x X x X

Eleven Days Until The Rebellion...

He got, roughly, two hours of sleep after he had taken Kimbo home. Sesshoumaru groaned and looked at his ringing cell phone. Who on Earth would call him at six in the morning? Who did he even know was awake at six in the morning? He reached over towards his night stand and looked at the number. It was some government building, he knew that much.

"Hello?" He answered in a less-than-thrilled voice.

"This is officer Ophielia Chan. Are you an aquaintance of Kagome Higurashi?" The voice on the other line asked. Sesshoumaru's first reaction was nothing along the lines of panic. In fact, he began wondering what Kagome had done to get the officers to call him, rather than her mother.

It wasn't like Kagome was always doing stupid stunts, but she would be the only one who would get in trouble and have someone call him at six in the fucking morning.

"Yes, it is. What can I help you with, officer?" Sesshoumaru tried desperately to sound nice. As the officer spoke to him, heno longer sonuded nice. He sounded desperate.

Things were like some horror movie gone wrong. He should have known better, just like he should have known better when Kagome had been kidnapped... He silently cursed himself and tried to focus on the words the officer spoke.

- - -

"Soon?"

"Yes, soon."

"What happens then? What do you do with people who come early?"

"Nothing. They wait until it's time. It would cause all kinds of havoc if we left someone in earlier than we should."

"I heard that you knew her."

"Yes, I did."

"How?"

"She was my child."

Warmth filled Kagome. She didn't know where she was. All shecould see was light. It filled her entire body and her heart felt warm. It felt warm like it did whenever Sesshoumaru would kind and loving things to her. Only, it wasn't just her heart that felt warm. It was her entire being.

- - -

This was, without question, one of the hardest things about being a detective officer. Some special breed of police officers who took enough detective training for them to be in that department do.

Great, Ophielia thought, I'm a mix between two parts of the justice system. How much more fucked up can this get? She asked herself. She watched as her lust-struck, dumbass partner came up with a cup of coffee. Let me guess... He brought me Starbucks because he things I'm just the same as all those other suger-craving pigs in the world.

"Hey, Olia, I brought you some Starbucks." The officer said.

Ophelia- 2; Dumbass- 0

He was trying too hard by using her nickname constantly. Ophielia silently wondered if he even remembered her real name or if he thought that 'Olia' was more errotic to say. Stupid trainee. She hated this part of the job, too. But it wasn't hard. Not like other things.

As the ringing stopped and a voice spoke on the other line, she motioned for her dumb puppy to be quiet. He agreed, just like a puppy does. He truly is useless. Ophielia thought briefly.

"Hello. Is this the Higurashi residence?"

"Yes, this is. May I ask who is calling?" A deep-sounding male voice replied. The voice sent unwanted shivers down her spine, which made the trainee think that he was some kind of stud. He started doing something stupid as Ophielia tried to focus on work once more.

"This is Officer Ophielia Chan. I found someone by the name of Kagome Higurashi earlier this morning..." She paused as she heard the breathing on the other line go dead. Did he hang up on her? Just as she was about to hang up in response, she heard a hitch in the breathing. No, he was just caught off guard, it seemed.

"What's wrong with her? I couldn't find her when I woke up this morning, and I'm worried. Please tell me she's okay." The voice begged. She felt horrible for what she had to say. But what was there to do? They would find out eventually and she was only the messenger.

Don't shoot the messenger, Mr. Higurashi.

"We found Kagome around three or four this morning. A report was filed that someone was hurt. When we got there, Ms. Higurashi had already passed away. It seems that she had enough time to write 'sorry' on a piece of paper, but it's in her blood..." Okay, maybe she overstepped the line there.

The line got quiet as she looked at the number that was in the wallet of 'Kagome Higurashi'. She was going to call it and see who it could be. Perhaps it would lead to a suspect, or just another shocked family member.

The line clicked off, and Ophielia didn't blame them. If she knew someone in her immediate family had died, she wouldn't really be up for talking to any officer either. Especially one like her. She glanced over at the dumb trainee then down at her Starbucks coffee. She discreetly grabbed it and trashed it.

She began to dial another number and figured out why it appeared familiar. This was the number of the Taisho family, one of the largest businesses in America. She herself had been trained in being a detective from there. Her heart softened as she thought of how she would explain this to the family that she knew herself.

Selfishly, she hoped that they were enemies so she would not have to take another heart-breaking reaction.

- - -

"Inuyasha! Wake up you insolent dog!" Sesshoumaru snapped. Inuyasha's eyes opened then he jumped at the sight of his brother. What in the world was he doing in his room? Inuaysha's thoughts were pushed aside when he was able to read the panic on Sesshoumaru's face. Even when Kagome was in danger before, Sesshoumaru's mask never slipped too far from him.

Now, there was no trace of such a thing.

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked sleepily. He sat up and tried to focus on the bright yellow eyes that his brother possessed. Perhaps it was just being tired, but Inuyasha was pretty sure he was seeing tears in his brother's eyes. Maybe, if his nose was smelling right, he had already been crying.

No. Sesshoumaru never cried.

"Kagome... She's..." Sesshoumaru couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. Inuaysha just stared at him. He knew that anything regarding Kagome would be enough to slip the mask from Sesshoumaru's face. However, he didn't realize that Kagome was so important that she could rip it away entirely.

When Sesshoumaru still couldn't manage to speak after a few minutes, Inuyasha sat up and pulled some boxers on. He stared at his brother as he paced back and forth. Inuyasha knew that his brother hid his emotions better than christmas presents. You wouldn't be able to tell that he was nervous from scent. He was that discreet on his feelings.

But Inuyasha could smell and almost see the panic, worry, depression, and anger radiating off of his brother. As much as he didn't care deeply for his brother, he was worried. Sesshoumaru didn't get startled easily. He had said Kagome's name, which indicated that she was the reason for his state of mind.

Kagome didn't do a bitchy thing, did she? No, Kagome wasn't that kind of a girl. She wouldn't do anything stupid unless she was provoked. Provoked... That word stuck in Inuyasha's head well.

"What happened?" Inuyasha asked firmly. Sesshoumaru stopped pacing and stared at his younger brother. He had tears in his eyes and rolling down his cheeks.

"Kagome... She's... She's dead." Sesshoumaru managed to spit out. Inuyasha's heart stopped. Within moments, both of them were barging in their fathers' room and waking him up.

"What is the meaning of this?" He asked harshly.

"You didn't give body guards to watch Kagome last night!" Inuyasha snapped. Akito didn't pay attention. His son who didn't show emotion was crying like a pregnant woman. That was a bad sign.

"Tell me what happened. Now." He snapped.

"Kagome... She died... Andrew and Naraku... They got to her..." Inuyasha managed to spit out. Akito looked at his distraut, full demon son and shook his head.

"Sesshoumaru, have you really let her get to you so deep that your common sense is gone!" Akito finally snapped. Both brothers stared at him in bewilderment. He seemed to care for Kagome before, hadn't he? Why was he insulting her by saying such things? Why was he dragging her down and taking his son down for loving her?

"You have my second fang. You have the Tensaiga. If you go to her body now, you will be able to revive her. If you have waited too long, then her mind, body, and soul will have had enough time to pass through the gates of the afterlife and she cannot be brought back." Akito said. Sesshoumaru looked at Inuyasha.

"Brother, you and I will head towards the morgue." Sesshoumaru said.

"Can I grab something on the way out?"

"Inuyasha, she has nine hours of death that can pass. After those nine hours, she cannot be revived. Three hours for each part of her to pass through the gates. You must hurry to her now." Akito said. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru looked at each other and smiled.

"Inuyasha, never mention this to anyone." Sesshoumaru said. He knelt down and motioned for Inuyasha to get on his back, as a piggy-back ride. He hadn't done this since they were brothers. That was before he had locked up his emotions tightly.

"Why are you bringing me? You don't like me." Inuyasha said as he slowly mounted his brother. It felt wrong in so many ways, but it reminded him of days when the could go catch frogs by the pond and do nothing more than be brothers. The Sesshoumaru he was related to then was the Sesshoumaru that he could never hate. It was the emotionless one that drove him crazy.

"You're my brother... Not to mention, you are Kagome's friend. She will care for you just as much as anyone else. I wish for her to be in a good mood when revived." Sesshoumaru said. Inuyasha smiled and Sesshoumaru stood up. Within a flash, the two brothers were gone, leaving their father alone.

The girl was good for them, Akito told himself. The two hadn't gotten along since Inuyasha's mother died. Sesshoumaru locked himself up and they stopped being the loving brothers they had once been. The girl, even though she didn't intend to do anything extraodinary, had managed to revive a dead relationship.

She held the power of a demon... Yet, she had miko powers that made her holier than others... He understood something more about her.

- - -

"Can't you slow down the process any more?"

"I can't. Her soul and mind have already crossed the gates. If her body finishes crossing, there will be no chance..."

"Where are they? Can you tell?"

"Close... I'm sure they'll be here in time."

"I don't want her to suffer the same fate as I."

"You were a victim of the same people?"

"Yes... Unfortunately, she had brought the jewel with us on a shopping trip. I don't remember much of my mortal life now, but she had taken the Shikon No Tama with her."

"SHE is the protector!"

"Yes... She brought it with us and I was in a rush to get her out of there before someone noticed the power radiating from it. She wanted a toy that I wished to give her. I couldn't, however, because we needed to leave before someone harmed her. Someone else came and ran into us... I saw the look in his eye. It was deliberate."

Kagome hadn't been able to feel her body for a long time. It didn't matter now. She was in a place that felt so absolutely wonderful. Her mind and soul were already fused with the place. She welcomed the warmth and happiness that it brought. Slowly, but surely, her memories became more and more hazy.

It was hard, she noticed. It was hard to get someone out of her head. In fact, it was hard to get a lot of people out of her head. But she knew that they were the reason she wasn't able to enter the place of warmth fully. She couldn't remember their names, but she didn't quite care. There was such warmth radiating from this place that she wanted to enter it quicker. Even if it meant forgetting people in the process.

It was utopia, she was sure of it.

She saw a burst of light, as if a curtain had been removed from her previous vision of light.

"It's too late. I'm so sorry..."

"This is not good. She is here earlier than I want her to be and earlier than she is scheduled to be. Things were not supposed to be as such. It will throw balance off if she does not go back!"

"How can we stop her?"

"We can do nothing... We can do nothing but sit here and pray that our world remains as it is."

Kagome gladly entered the warmth. There was alarmed chatter all around her. She couldn't see anyone, but she didn't care. She didn't have eyes. She felt like she was floating and that everything in the world would be fine. She felt so amazingly good. She felt warm like Sesshoumaru could make her heart feel. But, this warmth was all over her body.

She didn't want to leave it. Never.

Her sight landed on the curtain that had kept her from most of the light. The curtain that retained light seemed to close more and more. However, as it began to close, a strange feeling filled her.

Suddenly, her mind, body, and would were jerked from their spot. She was being taken away from the warmth that the place brought her. The warmth and happiness that made her so willing to forget were going to be gone. She tried desperately to stay, and to listen to the voices that she heard earlier. They weren't the same.

"You're lucky that it worked, Sesshoumaru. It's been just over nine hours. She should have been gone forever." A commanding voice said. Kagome let out a small wimper as she opened her eyes. They were adjusted to the light, after all the light they had seen.

Kagome stared at the faces before her. Silver hair, silver hair, black hair with red tips. Slowly, her memories caught up with her. Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and some lady in a police uniform. Kagome sat up and looked at them. Her face paled when she realized that she was in a place full of dead people.

She looked at her skin, realizing how pale it was. She began to feel cold instantly and the officer wrapped a warm blanket around her.

"What could have caused her to take more than nine hours? I was only aware that it took three hours for each piece to be stripped of the Earth, no matter what happened in the life." Sesshomaru said. Kagome looked down at the table and smiled. She remembered everything. She even remembered her father's voice speaking to the voice of Kimi.

"You guys." She managed to whisper.

"What?" Inuyasha said. They all looked at her, apparently surprised that she was able to speak so quickly.

"I had memories. As they were being taken away from me, I felt a warmth inside of me. It felt so absolutely wonderful, and I wanted nothing more than to get closer to the warmth. Then, I got to memories of you guys, Sango, Miroku, Souta, mother... I landed on those memories and I couldn't...

"I wanted to keep them, because they felt dear to me. I couldn't remember why, but I had a feeling of pride with those particular memories. I held onto them for a while before I decided that the warmth I found was much better... I hesitated." Kagome admitted. Sesshoumaru looked at her and let out a real smile.

Without thinking of Kagome freezing up, Sesshoumaru thrust himself forward and hugged her. She had hesitated on giving up memories of her friends, and that is what saved her. He would have to encourage her to be as hesitant on things as she wished to be in the future.

Kagome looked at an officer with pale skin, black hair with red tips, and cerulean blue eyes. She was a demon, Kagome could tell. The woman answered Kagome's question before Kagome finished thinking it out.

"I'm officer Ophielia. I was called for your murder... And... Because I know these two friends of yours," She looked at Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, "I will do whatever you ask. I was told that you intended to take out your killers yourselves. I will be sure to hold back the police as long as I can. I've got your back on this." She said. Kagome smiled and rested her head against Sesshoumaru, who hadn't stopped hugging her.

"Thank you for giving me a second chance." Kagome whispered to him. He smiled and closed his eyes. Inuyasha watched the two and slowly diverted his attention towards the officer. He then made himself busy by speaking with her and helping her figure a few things out that she hadn't realized earlier.

O o O o O o O o O o O

I am not yours. I am not something for you to hold and use. I am myself, and I will NOT allow you to take claim over me. I will show you that I am not weak. I used to be weak, but I will not be that way anymore. I will be strong. I will show you that you will pay for what you have done to me. I will fight back now. Are you ready? I warn you, do not expect a weak girl to fight you. Expect me, the Holy Demon.

O o O o O o O o O o O

Review Replies:
Shake Dog Shake- Thank you for the wonderful review! And, just because a faithful reviewer (that would be you) is willing to read it, I will go ahead and post a sequal. Although, I have to admit, it'd be nicer if more people were able to read it than just you (no offense).
Born Under Saturn- I can't wait to find out what happens next, too! I made no plans on what would happen. I'm just kinda going with it.
acrazychild4life- Awww! Thank you for the wonderful words!
black dragon of destruction- Unfortunately, the person who did that to me is a lawyer. I don't think I have the same chances that a snowball has in hell... But thanks for hoping the same thing.

I feel like I got hardly any reviews. Usually the reviews are all full of love and support, and, apparently, I confused the shit out of you people. Well, hope this straitens things out... If you're still confused, then go ahead and tell me what you were/are confused about. I'll send you a private message explaining things...

Next Chapter: Holy Demon
Reviews Needed: 760

- Lonely Bird