Hello, dear readers
It won't be a tragedy I assure you. Only harsh and sometimes unexpected twists of fate)
I am happy that I managed to surprise you
Thank you for the interests and warm words
Your E
p.s. cos of work I'll not update very often. only weekends are free for me now. Gomen

She was in a deep sleep. Her soul was peacefully slumbering under the velvet layers of darkness. Nothing existed. Nothing troubled her.

Awareness came with annoying beeping sound and burning sensation in her abdomen. She wanted to get up and scratch her skin until it falls out but could not even open her eyelids, so she waited.

One thousand thirty one, one thousand thirty two, one thousand thirty three…

She counted sounds in lack of better things to do. Her memory was escaping her, not giving any clues of "why" and "how" she got, no doubt, in a hospital. It of course was some yokai and her carelessness, but something was nagging her, telling that it was far more important than just "everyday routine".

The silence of the room filled with the rustling of clothes and her mother's tired voice that wished her good morning. Oh, how the girl wanted to stand up and hug the gentle woman. Mr. Higurashi was in such pain. It was unbearable. With every sniff and broken word that escaped her mother's lips Kagome suffered.

She was trapped in her body for almost two weeks. During this time she learned to despise the being that injured her.

Now she was standing in front of her huge mirror and was looking at long, thick scars that marked her body. This four lines reminded her of the person that managed to vandalize her mother's soul. Sadly, she did not remember who this person was or she would properly thank them, tearing their body limb by limb, till nothing left.
On the fourth day after her discharging from hospital Inuyasha came. She followed him, ignoring her mother's pleas and sad glances. Kagome decided to never come back whatever the cost. She simply could not endure her mother's pain.

The days dragged. The cheerful atmosphere that usually surrounded the priestess died. Something dark and bitter entered her gaze and her friends could not hide their worries about her well-being, which seemed to draw her even further from them.
Kagome went through agony. Inside of her was fighting duty and deep love for her family. She did understand that it cannot continue. However, she was doubting her ability to pull it through.
Could she leave her family in order to complete her goal? Would she be able to?

With musings came anguish. She regretted the day she fell into the well. She cursed her curiosity and stupidity. If I did not do this, if I did not do that… she thought. However when something was done you cannot reverse it and as much as she was willing to lie to herself reality was harsh and demanding. She lost her home due to her sense of duty.
This is not fair! She screamed in her mind and pink shreds slowly became clouded with darkness.

Sesshomaru was one happy demon. It was strange for him to feel that way but he felt exactly that – happiness. Rin, his brilliant human ward, managed to learn a very complicated song and performed it with outstanding grace. It pleased him so much that he smiled for the first time in decades. His gesture was open and sincere. It pleased her greatly, which doubled his content.

Rin did inexplicable things in his heart. He started to notice that this girl slowly seeped into his life and became an irreplaceable item. Sesshomaru became more affectionate and even initiated physical contact from time to time. He praised her, he brought her gifts. He felt a surge of pride when she accomplished something and fear when she was in distress. He acknowledged deep attachment to the girl and inwardly considered her as his pup. However he would never admit it, as it was potentially dangerous for her. His court saw her as his pet and he was fine with it. They would not hunt a pet. However they would definitely try to harm his pup and he could not allow that. Ever.

Thus he carefully measured his words and his actions. It was so strange for him to care about someone more than about himself but he found Rin worth it, so he tried to do it as good as he could; and that meant perfection.

The girl was trying at her best to be the one that Sesshomaru –sama approve and love but it was tiring. Thus sometimes she slipped from watchful teachers and explored the world outside the palace on her own. At first she was afraid of wilderness that surrounded her but her curiosity was even stronger, so Rin freely roamed the land beneath the stone walls.

Sesshomaru sensed his ward departure and signed. Yet again, old demons failed to watch over her. It amused him how they kept silent about her little journeys to the outside world and fidgeted when he asked about them. On the one hand, he felt proud that Rin could sneak from demons, on the other, he felt worried about her well-being. However if something happened he could always save her; there was no need to spoil the pup's little pleasure.

It was late when Sesshomaru realized that he could not sense Rin anymore. The feeling of dread run down his spine.

Where was she?

Trust Rin to get lost in the woods. Hot angry tears run from her eyes. She again made a fool of herself and was in need of saving. The girl did not know how far from her home she wandered. Her tenshi will be mad and probably scold her. Rin did not mind that. She wanted for him to find her, because woods became very dark and quiet, as if they wanted to hide her from the world. She did not like that.

Strong claw gripped her arm and pulled her closer. Shadows laughed at her feeble attempt to get free. Rin heard the sickening sound of bone breaking and prepared for the pain, but it never came. Beast fall to her feet. Dead. Rin squeaked, crawling away from it.

The girl looked up expecting to see her Lord, but instead she saw a black-haired woman that smiled at her. She looked pale and her eyes were dull, as if she was a doll, not a human.

- Don't fret, little one. I'll help you. - she whispered, her voice monotonous and void of emotions. Rin shivered. This woman scared her more than the monster that, seconds ago, lay beneath her feet.

The woman kept smiling, whispering reassuring words. Her hands reached for Rin. The girl stumbled back not wanting to be touched by this strange creature.
The woman froze, then suddenly grabbed the child's hand, ignoring her cries of discomfort, and put her behind her back. Rin heard a very familiar snarl and then something crushed. Confused, child peeked from the woman's body and what she saw made her blood run cold. Her tenshi was lying on the ground. Rin screamed and rushed towards him.

Sesshomaru was lying on the ground, baffled. The human Miko was not only alive, but much stronger than he remembered her to be. That intrigued him. She, also, looked differently. Her hair became longer and thicker. Her skin glowed in a moonlight and he was forced to admit that she took his breath away. However something was not right. Her eyes were glassy and dull. They lacked their usual sparks of emotions and colour. It was wrong. As wrong, as his broad knowledge of Miko's characteristics, that is. Until this moment Sesshomaru did not really thought about it, but now it was obvious that he paid a lot of attention to Miko known as Kagome. The thought was unsettling.

He saw Rin running towards him. She smelt of fear, desperation and salt. He glowered. His arrogance hurt her again. Sesshomaru willed his body to get up. It was enough stress for his pup, as it is. However his body did not listen to him. His head spun and he was forced to shake it in order to clear his vision. Shikon powers were not enough to seriously harm him, but combined with pure Miko energy it was something to consider. It was only his luck that onna was not properly trained or he would be in much more pitiful condition than he is now.

Miko looked at him, radiating pure hatred. He felt, as if she raised from the dead just to destroy him. The thought made him inwardly laugh. She was still weak, only possessed by the jewel and somehow he knew it was his fault. The only thing that he could not comprehend - why he cared.

Kagome was pissed. She remembered the person at fault. Currently he was lying on the ground - injured and pathetic. It pleased her to see him like that. Who could have thought that hurting people was so fun. She giggled, feeling high. Power coursed through her veins, making her dizzy. Kagome accumulated it in her hands, ready to blast the arrogant demon again. She was practically overwhelmed with desire to kill. She wanted to burn him to crisps.