I've managed to keep up with the updates so far, and I'll try to do my best to keep doing so. Also, I'm trying to make the chapters longer starting next chapter.

Thank you Lady Silverfor aka Charita Rai; That song was part of the playlist I use for inspiration :) I'm glad the feeling I got from that song came across. And you'll just have to read on to figure out who the hand print is from.
Also thank you Dickxing; I'm glad you're liking this story so far :) It makes me happy to hear that. It may or may not be Sesshomaru, you'll just have to wait a bit longer ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters belonging to Rumiko Takahashi. I do however own parts of this storyline and any original characters appearing in the story.

Hearts Condemn Us

Chapter III.

The morning sun filtered through the cracks in the curtains, and with a groan Manami woke. 'Morning already?' She yawned and stretched her arms towards ceiling.

Several pops and cracks were heard through the room as she arched her back of her mattress in a feline manner and she let her arms fall back onto the bed as she pushed her blanket off with her legs, revelling in the feeling of sleep slowly leaving her system. She felt well rested, considering she still suffered from the jet lag and the weird dream she had yesterday. Lifting her legs towards the ceiling, the rim of her pyjama bottoms slid down towards her knees and Mana inspected her right ankle. She was surprised to find nothing wrong with it.

'My ankle no longer hurts, seems like the bruise is also gone.. Did I just imagine it?' She thought. 'No, I may have an over-active imagination, but that bruise wasn't a part of it. That's something to think about.'

Though a bit apprehensive about the disappearing bruise, Manami decided to do something other than lingering on things she couldn't yet explain on her first real day home. She hadn't yet unpacked all of her stuff, so she rummaged through one of her bags containing her clothing and picked out some clothes for the day. After changing she walked over to the tiny sink she had in her room, luckily she had one for she hated waiting on other people to get ready in the bathroom, and splashed some cold water in her face. Looking up, Manami almost thought that the face from yesterday would be in place of her own, but it was her own face that looked back at her. Still, the similarities with the face of that girl and her own were striking. The hair and eyes were a different colour, but the overall shape of the face, the nose, lips and eyes were pretty much the same. Shaking her head, Mana dried of her face and quickly pulled a brush through her hair before settling her long hair in a messy bun, her bangs and some loose strands of hair falling around her face and shoulders.

'This'll do, I guess. I still look tired as hell though.' Manami thought while pinching her cheeks, hoping to get a bit more colour in her face. 'Some breakfast and then sunlight, that'll do the trick.'

The smell from breakfast wafted from downstairs, and her stomach growled. With a smile on her face Manami nearly bounced down the stairs with a light step, but stopped as soon as she heard her grandfather on the phone.

"Yes, it's really worrisome that's she's sick so often. Yes, yes."

"Hmm, she is at the doctor right now, she ran low on painkillers."

"No, she'll be fine, but she won't be coming to school any time soon."

"I'll pass it on to her, thank you. Bye."

'What a weird conversation? Kagome's sick? But she was just fine yesterday, and this is the first time I heard about painkillers..' Her grandfather moved away from the phone and made his way outside, but Manami stood rooted to her spot. Worry filled her entire being and her mind immediately started working overdrive.

'What could be wrong with her? How long has this been going on? How often has Kagome been ill? What kind of illnesses? Is she in pain? Does she sleep and eat enough? It isn't some incurable disease, or something of that ilk, right? No it can't be, there aren't any fatal diseases in the Higurashi family line that appear at a young age, only the obvious ones that come with aging.' And her thoughts went on and on in the same fashion for several minutes. 'She isn't, I mean, she can't be.. Pregnant? No, she's too responsible for that. Even more so, I don't think she ever even had a boyfriend.. So pure and innocent!'

Manami couldn't take it anymore, she had to know what was wrong with her cousin of whom she thought of as a little sister. Always had she looked out for her cousins and family, they were all she had. She would do almost anything for them, and if it was necessary she could even kill. With almost inhumane speed she raced into the kitchen, where she knew her aunt was.

"Auntie, where's Kagome?" Manami asked her aunt. "I heard Guv telling the school over the phone that she was sick, but she isn't here.. It isn't something bad, is it? She's going to be alright, right?"

"Oh good morning, Manami-chan. Kagome's fine, dearie. There's nothing to worry about." Naomi fidgeted. "She's just going to be away for a day or three, but she'll be just fine."

"What do you mean? She isn't here even though she's sick?!" Manami nearly screamed.

"Manami don't worry yourself like that, Kagome isn't sick, she's just going to be away for a couple of days, nothing more. She'll be back soon!" Naomi answered with a smile that told Manami that her aunt wasn't lying.

"Hmm, if you say so." Mana answered, knowing full well that her aunt was hiding something. "Just so you know, I do want a full explanation when she gets back, even if I have to take some drastic measures." A sinister smile formed on Manami's lips, and she saw her aunt falter just a little.

Manami let it go, there was probably a good reason for her aunt's actions. And seeing Naomi smile like that eased the worry in Mana's heart about Kagome's physical condition.

'I don't think any mother can smile so fully if her daughter is really ill or anything of the like.. No, it surely isn't as bad as I think it is. Let's wait and see, Kagome shall be back soon and I don't care what I have to do, but I'll make her tell me one way or the other.' Manami mused.

After calming down her racing heart and thoughts, she instead worried more about herself. Though she didn't remember her first dream in its entirely, the second was still haunting her with its vibrance. It was a dream she often had when she was younger. Nothing much happened but the feeling she got felt so real, so alive. And then there was that colour of dark silver that lit up so beautifully in the light of the moon, almost like liquid silver. Coupled with that feeling in the pit of her stomach, one that spoke of peace and fullfilment, Manami didn't quite know what she had to make of the dream. And not only that, but after she woke up she felt so refreshed and dare she even say powerful. If not for the disappearing bruise, she would've felt like dancing and singing, but instead she felt dread settle in her stomach.

'It's the same dream. But why did it come back now? I haven't had that dreams for five years now. And what about the bruise? I heal fast, but not overnight. I'm no superhuman or the like.' Manami walked out of the door, looking for her grandfather. 'Perhaps grandfather knows something, he might be a bit over the top, and most of his stories are nothing but grand tales, but there's some truth to be found in some of them.'

Going outside, she saw her grandfather sweeping the stone steps going towards the shed at the back. Manami opened her lips but halted halfway.

Something pulled

"What?" Manami said softly. "What was that?"

Manami looked around, trying to see what was pulling her before her eyes settled on a small shed at the farther end of the shrine grounds.

"That is... The Bone Eaters Well..." She managed to whisper.

Someone breathed

Her eyes went wide, her body rigid and her mind blank as darkness took her.

'You need to leave soon, don't you?'

'Yes, the West is calling and there's no one else.'

'I'll look after him, don't worry my friend. He'll be just fine, I promised, didn't I?'

'You, you remember our promise?'

'Of course, we're friends, aren't we? Even though I'm human and you're not.'

'If not for your scent, I would've thought that someone with your power was anything but human.'

'Haha, well, I guess I am stronger than normal humans, but I'm no yokai, even less a daiyokai like yourself.'

'No, but you'd make a fine yokai, miko.'

Manami felt herself falling, falling into a deep place inside herself. It felt familiar, this feeling of reaching deep inside a crevasse inside her mind and memories. Just like that dream.. Much like Alice, it felt as if she fell through a hole, just not a rabbit hole. And instead of empty jars of marmalade and other things, there were lights flashing by in the darkness. She tried to reach for them, feeling that if she went just a little bit further that she could grasp it, anything, with her hands. I need to know. That voice, it wasn't the girl, no. Who was that? Someone else, someone she knew. It had been the voice of a man, and Manami felt her heart warming at the memory of that voice. The warm timbre and gentleness of it soothed her. But why? The other voice had been that of a female, and that one hit home even harder. It was familiar in a way it couldn't be. It can't be. More and more lights flashed by, but Manami couldn't reach any of them, no matter how hard she tried, and all the while those voices rang inside her head.

It wasn't time yet. Not yet.

"Manami.. Manami?" A voice said. "Do you hear me, Manami?"

"Manami? What happened Grandpa?" Another voice said. "Did she fall?"

"Ugh..."

" MANAMI! Oh dear, she hit her head pretty hard. Stay with her Naomi while I'll get some water and first aid."

"Alright, please try to hurry."

'So loud.. Who are they? And why does my head hurt?' Even her thoughts were loud, and Manami winced. 'Who's Naomi again? Oh, I think I know...' She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was the face or her aunt, Naomi, hovering abover her with a concerned expression on her lovely face. 'I remember, I think that's a good thing..'

"Manami, Manami are you alright?" Naomi asked her.

"Ugh, yeah I think so.. My head hurts like a bitch though." Manami responded groggily.

"You fell down and hit your head, dearie. But hearing you speak like that I think you'll be fine in a little bit. Grandpa is getting you some water, until then just take it slow, okay?" Her aunt smiled at her, some of the worry leaving her eyes.

"Hnn, great.. So that's why I feel like I've just grown a second head or something on my head." Manami said, a little bit clearer this time round. "How long have I been out of it, auntie?"

"I think for just a minute. I didn't see it happen, but I heard Grandfather shout your name, and then I came running." Naomi said. "You were on the ground, unconscious. When I came running

Her aunt just smiled, again, but Manami couldn't smile back at her. The voices she just heard still rang loudly in her ears. She couldn't say that she heard voices, even more so because she didn't hear them in her head, but as if they were spoken out loud.

'Things are getting curiouser and curiouser since I got back.. I mean weirder..' Manami thought while still laying down on the stone pavement. 'Old dreams, voices and visions.. Forget asking Grandpa, I think I am in need of a shrink. I thought I was finally done with that part, but I guess I'm wrong.'

From afar, she could hear Grandpa coming closer in hurried steps. Above her, Naomi looked over and said something, but Manami wasn't listening. Instead, she tried to think back to the voices she heard. Strangely, she had difficulty remembering the male voice, but the female one came to her with ease. And that was just the one she didn't want to remember.

'That female voice.. That was without a doubt my voice.'