Hi everyone! Here is Chapter 2! I will try my best to update once a week, but once classes start...I can't promise anything. I hope you'll bear with me and follow me through to the end! I'm really excited for this story. =)

No canon characters appear in this chapter. Some will appear in the next chapter. Sesshoumaru appears in Chapter 4, I promise. So if you will be patient, I promise you will enjoy this story. These first three chapters are an extended prologue, of sorts.

Please review! I would really like to know what you guys think, especially any constructive criticism you might have or events you'd like to see transpire. While I can't promise that the latter will definitely happen, I will definitely consider your opinions. =)

~Akane-chan

Chapter 2: Escape

Despite the moon being absent in the sky, the halls of the castle seemed much brighter as I ran toward my mother's chambers. My senses heightened, I felt and heard my heart in my head pounding intensely through my veins. I paused outside the sliding door to the room with my hand slightly outstretched. Doubt crept into my mind, and I couldn't explain it to myself. It bothered me that this nagging voice in my head was telling me to stop and go the other way—to run away by myself. Father told me that I needed Mother. I needed her to teach me about my powers. But why? How could she teach me? Something didn't sit well with me—but I couldn't put any words to what it was.

Screams of battle reached my ears, acute and powerful. My father's words to run rang in my head, overpowering the sudden doubt. I shook my head. I will have time to think about all of this later. Swallowing hard, I slide open the door. Surprisingly, my mother was not alone in her room.

"Kira, dear," Mother said calmly. I was quite taken aback with her reception of me at this hour. She had to have heard the chaos outside, and yet, she was sitting calmly by her window, while one of her servants packed a small bag quietly in a corner. She had been waiting for me, it was obvious. With one smile at me, she turned her gaze out the window and upwards toward the night sky. Closing her eyes, she muttered something too soft for me to hear. A single tear trailed down her cheek, and my breath caught. Never before had I seen my mother be anything other than calm and collected. Doubt crept back into my mind.

"Mother…," I squeaked. My voice was weak against my parched throat.

"Your father is going into that war now, isn't he?" She asked. I could not bring myself to answer. Emotion pushed against my eyes, and it was all I could do to keep it contained. She did not seem to need an answer, however; she rose from the window and walked over to her servant, who had just placed a blanket inside the bag. Closing the bag, he handed it to Mother, and with a bow, left the room.

Mother walked over to me, bag slung over her arm. With her other arm, she put her hand on my shoulder, smiling again at me.

"How much did your father tell you?" She asked.

"He…" I started, but wasn't sure how to finish the sentence. I had learned so much within a very short amount of time. I couldn't quite put it all together in my head. "He told me to find you and run away. He…he said that you would teach me how to use my powers, I think."

"Alright, then. Let us make our leave, my daughter. We must not linger here anymore." She took me by the hand and led me to the front of the castle. Once we reached the courtyard, guards greeted us. They escorted us to the front gates, Once through, Mother dismissed them, Hesitantly, they obliged and returned inside the walls.

"Mother, is it wise to send them back inside? What if we're attacked?" My eyes darted toward every dark shadow, scanning each for unnatural movement. I wish she had let them continue with us. I felt much safer with them around us, especially tonight.

"They need to remain here and protect the castle. We will be fine on our own. As long as I am with you, you will be safe," she said quite calmly. I was struck by her confidence. What could she do that made her so calm? For some reason I could not understand, I believed her, and some of my anxiety ebbed away. I nodded, and we continued toward the forest that began just outside the castle walls.

An unnatural darkness seemed to permeate the atmosphere of the forest. Almost no light escaped through the tree canopies; I could not see beyond a meter in front of me. I could only make out vague outlines on the floor of rocks and roots. I prayed that I would not trip or fall in a camouflaged hole. Somehow, though, my mother moved with ease among the trees, and, much to my dismay, weaved sporadically among them, turning at unexpected moments. Her pace quickened to a point that it was difficult for me to keep up. I was grateful that she was grasping my hand tightly, as she was now half-dragging, half guiding me through.

"Do not let your guard down, Kira," Mother's voice echoed through the forest. I nodded.

An eerie breeze shook the trees and caused my hair to stand on end. The urge to run gnawed at me like a wild bear, and I couldn't understand why. We were far away from the castle at this point and I could not hear anything of the battle taking place, if it was still happening. Nevertheless, I crept closer to my mother, gripping her arm tightly.

"Mother, something doesn't feel right about this place. We should go somewhere else…," I whispered.

"I know, Kira. I feel it as well. But we must regain as much of our strength as we can. Otherwise, if we are found, we would be captured easily."

She's right, I thought, but I don't feel tired at all. If I really needed to, I could probably run non-stop for at least ten kilometers. I looked at my mother. Her face was pained, and her eyes blinked rapidly in exhaustion. She could not run if we were caught now by whatever was attacking the castle. She was human. A normal human. I found myself growing uneasy.

The light seemed to brighten around us as we travelled deeper inside. I was unsure of whether we were reaching the other side of the woods or if my eyes were acclimating to the darkness. My thoughts were answered only a moment later.

"We are almost there, Kira. Look," Mother pointed to the sky above us. I looked up, and my heart leapt for joy. I could see the stars through the canopy! Finally, we were almost out of this dreadful forest.

Finally, we came to a short, rocky wall. I had never been past the forest on the grounds. I once went just a short distance into the woods when the guards weren't looking. Moments later, there was a commotion and my father grew so angry with everyone who crossed his path. Frightened for the guards' lives, I came back out to explain what had happened. I had never seen Father that angry, and I frankly did not wish to ever experience that again, in the moment or in hindsight.

"I think this is a good spot," Mother said. I followed her gaze. A small, short hole in the rocky cliff was just to our left. I walked cautiously over to it. I could not see three meters inside, it was so dark. I wish the moon shone tonight. I did not like this feeling of vulnerability.

Mother walked inside without hesitation. I swallowed the lump in my throat and quickly followed. Once again, she moved about with ease, as if she had been here before. It occurred to me that maybe she had been here before, many times.

Finding a flat space, Mother quickly lit a fire and sat down. How she did it, I was not sure, but I was grateful for the light and warmth it provided. Quite ungracefully, I eagerly plopped down next to my mother and sighed. I hadn't realized just how sore and tired my body was until just now.

"Kira, that is not how a young lady sits," Mother scolded, though a smile graced her features. "Are you alright?"

I nodded. "I'm tired, though." My stomach growled and I grinned sheepishly. "And a little hungry."

Mother pulled out a roll of bread from her bag and handed it to me. "Here you go. We will gather food for a proper meal tomorrow after we rest. It is too dangerous right now."

There was a question I was dying to ask. A silence extended between us as I thought of how to ask it. Finally, I spoke up.

"Mother..." I started. I was still so unsure. Would she tell me? What of Father? I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to my questions.

"You want to know why your father sent us away, am I correct?" She finished for me. I nodded slowly. Instead of answering, she merely smiled and cupped my face with her hand.

"There is time for that tomorrow. You have had a long night. Get some rest, and I promise you will have your answers when you wake."

I frowned. My mind was too frantic to even consider sleep at this point; but I yawned and knew she was right. I had only been asleep for a couple of hours before the guards woke me up.

"Are we safe here? Won't they find us...whoever is attacking us?" I asked.

"Yes, we will be safe here. I put up a barrier at the entrance to the cave to conceal our scent and ki," she consoled.

Confused, I looked toward the entrance. It was faint, but I could see the air rippling and glowing slightly. I thought to ask if they won't be able to see the unnatural light the barrier eminated, but my mind grew hazy with exhaustion.

"Ok," I said. With one last yawn, I curled up next to my mother and fell asleep.

I woke just a few hours later to cloudy sunlight barely lighting up the darkness of the cave. Immediately, the smell of burning incense assaulted my nose. I sneezed once, followed by several coughs, before covering up my nose with the sleeve of my kimono. I looked around and found the small bowl burning above the small fire we made only recently. The intense smell worried me-surely the barrier Mother put up could not hide such a smell completely. But Mother knew best.

With the added light of the morning, I could finally see my surroundings more clearly. The walls of the cave were dark and glistening with moisture, almost mossy. The cave itself seemed almost unnatural in the smoothness of the walls and floor around us. I reached out to touch the wall. I felt cool against my hand, yet comforting. I wondered again how often my parents had come here before.

"Ah, you are awake," I heard my mother's voice call from the entrance. "I bet you are hungry. I gathered some food for us. Here." She handed me a small satchel. Confused, I opened it. Inside, I found an assortment of red and blue berries, herbs, and some bread from the previous night. My mouth watered and my stomach growled in anticipation.

Mother laughed. "Go on-eat. I've already taken my share. Have as much as you like," she said as she sat across from me, the incense fire between us. Without hesitation, I devoured the berries and bread, the sweet flavors coating my mouth, temporarily satiating my thirst and hunger. Finished, I set the fabric that held the food down and glanced up. Mother smiled softly at me. There was something else to that smile, however; something sad that I couldn't quite place. I noticed her eyes were red and had dark circles beneath them.

"Mother, did you not sleep a all?" I asked.

The sad smile reached her eyes. "I was making sure you were safe."

"But you said your barrier would protect us," I complained. She needed sleep. I couldn't survive out here on my own.

"I was just being careful in case the barrier fell," she said. I didn't quite believe her. Part of me thought that she knew her barrier wouldn't be enough to protect us from whatever had attacked the castle. I swallowed hard. We weren't safe at all.

"Now, are you ready to begin your training?"

I perked up. Yes, I remembered Father telling me that I was supposed to learn how to use my powers. My heart sunk a little at the thought of my Father. I prayed he was alright. But what powers was he referring to? I wasn't aware that I had any. Regardless, I nodded enthusiastically toward her.

"Then let us begin," she said, angling herself toward me. "First, I must ask you a question. How much did your Father tell you about who you are?"

I stopped. My memories of last night were muddled from lack of sleep and chaos. I tried recounting the conversation I had, but leaving out several details because I didn't quite understand them. Nevertheless, Mother smiled and seemed to relax slightly.

"That's good. You know the general idea. However, there is one thing he did not mention because he does not know of it," she said. "Shortly after Sereni healed you, she appeared before me, when I was alone nursing you. She gave me a bottle with a strange glowing liquid inside it. When I asked her what it was, she told me that it was an elixir of life and perpetual youth, and to have you drink some every day for at least seven days. I asked her why, since you were already healthy and alive. She shook her head and faded away. Before she was completely gone, I heard her say something to me: 'She must fulfill her destiny.'" She paused for a moment to look at me closely. When I gave no response, she continued. "Your father and I planned to tell you this later, when you were much older. We wanted you to live as normal a life as possible, free from any worries about this. But, given the circumstances...it seems you will have to grow up just a few years earlier than we planned," her voice trailed off. She closed her eyes for a moment. I sat there, watching her. Finally, I found my voice.

"Why does Father not know about this?"

"Because I know your father. If he had learned of your immortality, you would not have been allowed out of your room, let alone out on the grounds with the guards." She smiled, and it was a genuine, happy smile. My eyes, however, widened at the thought of being locked in my room forever.

"Mother...what does 'immortality' mean?" I asked.

"It means, Kira, that you can never die," she answered. I gasped, and her smile faded slightly. "However, it does not mean you cannot be injured or fall ill. Should you fall ill with an incurable disease or become permanently injured, you will live with it-forever. So you must take extreme caution with everything you do."

I nodded in understanding, not quite sure how to respond.

"You do have heightened healing capabilities, however," Mother continued. Her voice was more light-hearted and her smile returned. "I suppose it is to help you combat injury and illness. Perhaps a gift from the goddess, as one of your powers."

This was the part I was most excited about. "What powers do I have? How do I use them?"

"I see you are eager to learn. You always have been attracted to knowledge. That is one trait I am glad you inherited from me," she said. "I won't keep you waiting any longer, then. Let's start with something simple: mind-reading."