Summary: Kagome Higurashi, guardian of the Shikon no Tama and descendant of Midoriko's lineage. They couldn't get rid of her, no matter how wary the elders were of her. She's strong, but more than that, she's kind and gentle, if she only valued herself a bit more. Losing her would be detrimental, most of all to Gojo Satoru.

Pairing: Gojo/Kagome

Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.

Note:
Flashbacks/Past are written in bulk Italics.

Prologue

"She's far too dangerous to allow to remain as she is. What will happen when she loses control of the Shikon no Tama? There is no telling the sort of evil that will come. What sort of-"

"She won't." Calm, but reluctant to give in to the request, Geto had turned away from them. "You are allowing your fear to infect you. She is only a child, yet you're talking as if she's a criminal. The cursed item shows no signs of unsealing as it is, it lies dormant inside her."

Sure, such a thing could be dangerous, more so when it was something as renowned as the cursed bauble, but it lay sealed in a young priestess. Her own strength had yet to awaken fully, only glimpses of it shining through the seams.

"You wish to erase a child who has no concept of what lies within her, for something that, for all we know, might never awaken. It very well could be her own dormant energy suppressing that of the cursed jewel, and without that, it might just go back to its full potential."

"Isn't her background check completed?" Gojo reminded. "You can't just kill the brat anyway," he stated. "A direct descendent of Midoriko's lineage, it's no wonder the jewel is with her."

So few people throughout time had been able to keep the jewel locked in a dormant state- and they all held a piece of Midoriko, the creator of the cursed object- within them.

"Just 'cause you're scared of a bunch of 'what-ifs' doesn't mean she should die," he continued with a scoff.

"She can't be left unattended."

"She won't be," Geto remarked.

"I see nothing wrong with you. I won't abandon you like others have done."

"Hmph, you shouldn't say things like that if you don't mean them- it's a bit cruel, don't you think? I'm a rotten burden. You'll get tired of protecting me one day. Everyone does, you know."

"I do mean them. You're not a burden, Kagome. You're far stronger than you've ever given yourself credit for, that much is obvious."

"Haha… you're a strange one, Suguru, but… thank you. I'm grateful that I was able to meet you. Maybe…"

Light peppering in through the drawn curtains slowly caused her to stir from her slumber. Blue eyes opened, slowly adjusting to the shift in light as she sat up. The blankets pooled in her lap as the glimpses and fragments of her dream came rushing back. Her chest ached, and she lifted a hand to burrow her fingers into the loose material of the oversized shirt she wore.

The jewel around her neck pulsed in sync with her aching chest, and she closed her eyes to ignore the sting building up behind them.

"Idiot…"

The word was sharp, a whispered hiss into the silent room.

She was an idiot, that much she knew for sure.

"I won't abandon you like others have done."

"Liar."

She was foolish, naïve, for buying that claim. She should've known better than to believe it, but she'd gotten her hopes up. In the aftermath, they'd been crushed. She wasn't surprised. She wasn't even angry at him. No, she was disappointed with herself.

"I should have known better." Her words were meant to pick at herself. They were scolding, and she spoke as if she was talking to a child who'd done something they'd been warned against.

Her heart was heavy. Her shoulders slumped as she gazed down at the covers in her lap. She felt stupid for believing his claim in the first place. She was foolish, innocent, and wide-eyed, reaching for any hand that seemed to offer kindness. Desperate for someone, anyone to cling to in the hope they'd see her for who she was and not what she possessed. He'd felt so honest when he said those words, and she couldn't help but buy into them.

She'd never wanted to be alone, and, desperate to ignore that looming threat, she'd clung to his hand as if she was the same child she'd been when she met him. He'd been kind, welcoming, and encouraging despite her own nagging fears and insecurities.

Most of the time, she was able to ignore the unpleasant feeling gnawing away at her core, but sometimes it overpowered her out of the blue. Her hands fell, going to dig into the blankets, tugging them up as she fell back down. She yanked the covers up to hide her face from the shadows cast across her room.

A burden.

That's what she was.

At thirteen, she'd been deemed a burden by the elders. Years later, she still was one, it seemed.

The door slammed open, and she jolted up like a startled animal. "Good morning!"

Wide, bluebell eyes landed on the man behind the commotion, and she scowled at him. "Rise and shine, Mochi!"

Kagome snatched her alarm clock and tossed it at him with all the strength she could muster in her petite arm. "Get out, Satoru!" she shrieked. The bright pink alarm clock was knocked to the side quickly, clattering loudly to the ground.

The man with white hair hummed when she huffed in frustration. "Is that any way to talk to your dear big brother, Mochi?" he asked with a grin.

"Brother, my ass!" she fired back with narrowed eyes. "You're not my brother, and don't call me that!"

He sighed, holding his hands up as he shrugged. "You're so hostile this morning. What, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?"

"…" She was silent as she shoved the blankets to the side, avoiding his blue eyes that were hidden behind his dark sunglasses. His hands fell to land on his hips as he did the opposite of her request, coming more into her room. Her annoyance was evident in her eyes.

"Hm?"

Kagome tightened her grip on her hairbrush, tugging it through her raven waves. She didn't respond, and Gojo was quick to catch onto her unwillingness to have a conversation with him.

"My name is Kagome- use it," she stated flatly. "Not Mochi, or anything else you wanna try and think up to annoy me."

Blue eyes narrowed as she set her brush down.

As it was…-

"Yeesh, you're in such a bad mood today, huh? It's too early for that," Gojo sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He closed the distance to her, much to her irritation. He invaded her bubble of personal space, peering down at her. He prodded her cheek. "Cheer up a bit. Your bad moods infect everyone, you know."

She scoffed and shoved him off. It didn't impact him any, but she turned to walk away either way. "It's too early for you to be this annoying, too, and, yet, here we are," she retorted in a flat voice. "Get away from me."

He ignored her demand once more, heading off after her. Her words didn't impact him, and neither did her actions. She attempted to slam the door in his face, only for him to prevent it easily. He set his arm on her shoulders, tugging her into him.

"No can do!" he exclaimed, "we've got places to go, Mochi."

"I've told you to knock it off with that dumb nickname!" she snapped at him.

She was ignored by the white-haired man, much to her ire, and she let out a groan as he explained their plans for the day.

Auroua-chan: So glad to get this posted finally! I don't want to say too much for spoilers, so I'll leave it here.

Thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed! Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.

Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~