Chapter 2

After we did some traveling through the mountains, we stopped on the out skirts of town to rest for the night by campfire. I learned that Kagome could see these magical jewel shards and that she had to collect them to defeat someone by the name Naraku. She said that he had most of the jewel shards and that he was winning this fight and she had to stop him from getting anymore shards in order to win this and stop him from killing anymore innocent people. When she spoke of this horrid detail, she preceded to talk about the pasts of all the members of the group; about how they were all somehow affected by Naraku's evil game. I couldn't really comprehend how they all must feel. I would feel so broken down and I would just quit; but all of them still continue on to fight to avenge their loved ones.

I pretended to be asleep while Kagome and Inuyasha stayed awake and continued talking.

"Sesshomaru is going to kill you all once he finds her you know."

"I don't think he will, why do you always have to think like that?"

"Because it's true and you know it."

"Oh Inuyasha, you're so negative all the time."

"So what is your plan then, when he comes for her?"

"I don't know really. Do you think we should let her go with him?"

"Just so he can kill her?"

"I don't think he's going to kill her. Technically she is in fact Rin; why would he kill Rin?"

"Yeah yeah, but you never know with him. He's a killer."

"True, but I think he has changed since that girl…"

Sesshomaru, that name made me ache for some reason. Like I recognized it somehow but I don't really know who he is. Somehow I'm connected to him; technically my past is but why is my future self connected to him? This soul hasn't touched him in over 500 years. Do friendships really last beyond our little life time? Do they really travel through space and time, fate tricking us every time; making us think we are falling in love all over again every life time?

~~~POV change~~~~

Something strange has been drifting through the air these past four days. The girl was dead. Her scent should have vanished. Or is she haunting me; my senses tormenting me. I've been losing my focus, but I was too prideful to show my remorse for the little human girl. I couldn't save her for I've already saved her once before. I am no god; this reality is a prison. I will find him, and tear his heart out personally. I've never wanted to kill so badly, it has been a while since I've had this overwhelming feeling of 'need for destruction'.

Something was telling me I was wrong. Something here isn't right. She isn't dead. Maybe Naraku planted a puppet somewhere to attempt to try and drive me to insanity. He knows I will try and seek out the puppet and then try to destroy it when I figure out his scent reeked all over it. He knows that with her face on the façade I would not be able to destroy it, and if I do I would feel an immense amount of guilt. That Naraku, he is sick. He thinks he can destroy me and tear me apart; he is wrong. I need to find that imposter and destroy it. I will not let him win this game. I don't care about the girl anymore. She is dead. She is no longer my reason to protect.

I have this overwhelming emotion of hatred. The thing emitting the scent of that girl must be destroyed in order for my torment to end.

I could not sleep that night, in fear for my life. Kagome and Inuyasha finally fell asleep. How could she sleep like this? We are sleeping right smack in the middle of the wilderness; anything could happen, anything could attack us at this point and they sure as hell could get away with it.

I must have jinxed myself; I felt a presence coming towards where we were camping. I tried to convince myself that it was just my nerves but that was proven to be false when I heard some leaves rustle and followed by a branch cracking. I could hear my blood pounding in my ears; that feeling made me sick. The little girl in me has awoken, instead of Rei. I looked over to the others for help, to see if they were hearing the same thing as me. Inuyasha's ear twitched and he shot up suddenly.

"Do you hear that?" I asked frantically.

"Yeah, they smell like bandits."

"Bandits?! I hope they keep moving.."

"I think it's too late for that, they can see our smoke." He said as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. "Kagome, get up!"

Just as he said that, the others shot up just in time to hear the first cry of our attackers. I jumped up, out of the corner of my eye an arrow glided right by my head. My heart skipped a beat, realizing what could have happened if I was just a tad bit late moving. My instincts started to kick in when they started circling in on me, I backed in to a tree behind me. Out of the corner of my eye, the arrow that almost hit me.

"You're a pretty little girl aren't you, why don't you be a good girl and come with us and we might spare your life." The one male said. I swallowed hard, anger began to rise within me, I refused to be someone's toy.

When they least suspected it, I grabbed the arrow from the tree. I stabbed the smaller male in the stomach and again in the leg to drop him on the ground to buy myself some time. I started to make a break for it, I noticed all of my friends were busy with their own attackers. There were so many of them.

"REI! Run, get out of here!" Kagome shouted as she shot off her arrows. Mesmerized by their great light, I hesitated but then registered what she actually said seconds later when the men started towards me again.

I ran as fast as I could, trying to avoid running in a straight line in fear of an arrow hitting me in the back. I knew they weren't on my tail, but I could hear their voices following me down the trail. My converse shoes were slipping over the damp ground terribly. I lost focus with my vision, I could no longer see because the forest became so dense, the moon could no longer penetrate the trees. Before I knew it, I was on the ground eating dirt and knocking my forehead against a sharp rock. Warm liquid cascaded from the impact site and I suddenly fell sick to my stomach and I felt like I couldn't move; gravity became too heavy for me.

Before I knew it, someone grabbed me by my long black hair and pulled me up so I could see his face. Cold metal sent chills down my neck as it came in contact with my dampened skin.

"I have you now, stupid woman." As the man said that, three more men showed up on horseback.

"Make her stand on her feet so I can get a clean shot!" One of them shouted as they dismounted their horse and started towards me.

My survival instincts began to rage; what did I have to lose at this point? I was stuck in this era with nothing; no friends and no family. I obeyed and stood on my feet, trying to regain my orientation and my balance.

"Don't you try to run" the man with the knife said as he pushed harder against my vitals; maybe a little too hard. Blood started to pour out of my neck, staining my clothes. I wasn't going to live; even if I got out of this alive. There are no villages for me to run to for help. There was no hope. But the little rebel inside me insisted that I be a pain in the rear and make a run for it anyway. It would be a wonderful way to die.

The men surrounding me were obviously morons; they left a good open gap for me to run. I took full advantage of this. I elbowed my captor and knocked him to the ground and spun out of his grasp; my throat was going to bleed out for sure. I didn't let it phase me; I ran towards the horse the male with the bow dismounted from and I mounted and kicked its sides like they do in the movies.

I didn't know how to ride a horse; I clung to the front of the saddle and gripped with my knees; my one foot out of the stirrup. I felt like I was going to fall at any second. Once I couldn't hear the voices, I could no longer hear the sound of horses, or even the fires illuminating the dark, dark night; I slowed my horse down to a walk and began tearing away at my now stained t-shirt. I tore a considerable chunk out of the neck to press on my deep wound. I could care less if I was now exposed; I was going to die soon any how.

My body was starting to break down as we crept along the forest floor. I had tunnel vision and it was getting hard to breathe. I was no longer looking ahead; but when I did, I could have sworn I saw an angel. But this angel wasn't exactly glowing.

"Excuse me? Please help me" I managed to croak out. The angel turned around; it was a male. He had strange tattoos and abnormally long hair. His armor was strange too. He carried two swords and golden eyes that could pierce your soul if you didn't have your guard up.

I stumbled off of my horse and took a few steps towards him. The ripped cloth around my neck was completely soiled. The wind picked up behind me; sending my hair sticking to my face and neck.

"So you're the thing that has been tormenting me." He said. His voice was cold.

"Thing? Look, I'm a human girl!"

"What is your name girl?"

"Rei. I don't have much time, I'm going to die." As I said this, I realized I no longer had anymore energy to speak again. I could barely breathe and barely make out his movements as he started towards me. As everything went black, I felt something warm touch my shoulders, as I gave in to the void.