Summary: A moment in a time that wasn't hers sealed her fate, only for a forsaken life to greet her when she's reborn once more. Tattered memories of that past create demons that scathe and nightmares that haunt her. Kagome met V, and with him came light, but Rika knew. She knew how naive her sister was. How dare she want the light when it'll only kill her. He won't take her away.

Pairing: V x Kagome. ; [Hinted/Feudal Era] Kagome x Sesshoumaru. ; [One-sded] Rika x V

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

Note:
Sisters!Rika&Kagome.


Prologue


Feudal Japan;
[est.] completion of the Shikon no Tama
.

A different kind of silence fell over the clearing the pair stood in. She had been silent the entire walk there, a heavy air hanging over them. She didn't want to break it, almost afraid of what might come the moment that silence was actually broken. They finally stopped in a familiar clearing, and a faint smile lifted her lips. The aged, wooden well in the middle of the clearing no longer radiated the bizarre aura it once had. It'd been sealed, her decision to remain in the past with her friends sealing the only portal to her hometime she'd have.

Her hand went up, and she carefully removed the Shikon no Tama from around her neck. With the death of Naraku weeks ago, the jewel had been completed. The sparkling pink marble had been pieced back together and now no sign of its shattering remained. No cracks, no chips, nothing. She tightened her hand around it and exhaled softly. She brought the best smile she could manage onto her face as she carefully trudged over the tall grass and she made her way over to where Inuyasha stood, his back to her.

"The is about your wish, isn't it?" Kagome asked, her voice finally breaking the silence that'd crowded around them. His ears twitched as she spoke, but he said nothing as he turned to face her at last. Her eyes widened when they clashed against his molten amber. This was the first time she'd seen them since he'd asked her to come with him. There was a sad gleam in them, and it nearly froze her in her tracks. Her smile fell, and she silently pondered what he was giving her such a somber look about.

Had the realization finally sunk into his head? That if he chose to become a full demon by using the jewel, then he'd most likely forget and leave everything and everyone who he knew behind? She didn't know what he was feeling at that moment, but she could tell by looking into his eyes that it was weighing heavy on his shoulders. Her gaze softened, and she pulled her smile back onto his face in hope that it'd give him both comfort and encouragement in his decision.

He was her friend, and she wanted him to be happy. She wanted him to make the choices that'd make him the most content, no matter how it impacted her. If he chose to leave, then she'd hold her tongue and hope for the best for him.

"I know you must've been thinking about your wish for a while now," she said, her voice quiet. The cawing of birds from the trees they'd broken through minutes ago followed her words. "I've been so preoccupied with helping everyone tend to their injuries that I forgot all about it," she trailed off with a quiet chuckle. She shook her head and closed the distance between them. Inuyasha blinked, jumping some as if she'd surprised him. Kagome looked up at him, tilting her head to the side curiously.

It wasn't like him to be caught so unaware. This is a side of him she'd never seen before. She saw his eyes widen when she held the jewel out to him, her smile stretching a bit wider as her blue eyes shone warmly.

Inuyasha silently stared at her outstretched palm, but he made no move to reach for it. Her expression wavered some as sadness pooled in her chest. "Here," she said finally, her voice still soft and endearing. "You can make your wish now. I won't stop you if it's what you want."

No matter his choice, she'd be left in the past, and she was okay with it. After all, her decision had been made prior to the final battle against Naraku, and she was content with her choice. However… she didn't think she could handle being here when he finally made his wish.

"..." He watched her hand, his amber eyes focused on the pink jewel with a faraway look in his eyes.

She didn't rush him to take the sparkling jewel from her. She kept her hand outstretched towards him as she patiently waited. The final battle had been hard for all of them, and he'd lost Kikyo for good. Saying goodbye to her was painful, she knew that.

Suddenly, without warning, his hand shot out and gripped her wrist. She was yanked into his chest and held there as a surprised squeak escaped her. Kagome was stunned into silence as he crushed her into his chest, holding her tight as he buried his nose into her hair.

"I-Inuyasha!" her surprised yelp was all she could manage to say before she fell silent. Her cheeks took on a warm flush as his grip went from hard to gentle as he cradled her protectively to his chest. One hand rested on her back while the other had her head pressed against his chest, his claws carefully threading through her hair. Her surprise melted away, and she decided this one moment was okay. Sesshoumaru was sure to be irritated if she got back and smelled like Inuyasha, but if this was to be their goodbye, then she'd take the demon lord's annoyance with a grin. Her soft smile returned to her face, tears brimming in her eyes at the thought, as she circled her arms around him.

As they stood like that, Sesshoumaru's scent became overbearing as he held her against him. His brother had been hovering around her for days on end, refusing to have her out of sight until her wounds were healed up, even as she took to taking care of everyone else. It was so like her… to put others over herself no matter the situation. He felt her hands grip the fabric on his back as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Minutes passed as they remained like that, silently standing and holding onto each other as if it was the last time they'd ever see each other. When he finally spoke up, Kagome felt confusion swell inside her.

"... Kagome… I'm so sorry…"

A confused frown replaced her smile. She tried to lift her head, to no avail. "What're you apologizing-!" Her voice failed her and ran silent when a searing pain shot through her abdomen. As she stood there, pain beginning to race through her body, she realized he no longer rested his hand against her back. His other hand still held her head firmly into his shoulder, but she could feel it trembling. She wasn't able to move from his grasp, even when her legs began to give out. A cold numbness chased the pain, but he kept her held up against him. Her hands uncurled from his clothes, fingers slowly grazing down his back as the jewel fell from her palm. It hit the ground and rolled a few inches before becoming hidden among the field of green. His claws threaded through her hair gently as he kept her weight supported.

"Inu... yasha…?" She was unable to form any words other than his name, and everything she wanted to say began to slip from her mind. The metallic sting of blood landed on her tongue as warm crimson began to trickle from her lips. Her eyelids began to feel heavy, and as they fluttered a few times, she could only barely register him laying her gently on the ground where they'd once stood together. Once she was laying on the ground, he turned to pick the fallen Shikon no Tama up.

She struggled to keep her eyes open, her breath labored as the sun in the sky shone on her with a near-blinding radiance. Inuyasha turned back to her once he'd retrieved the pink jewel, coming back to stand over her. He became the shadow that blocked out the glittering sunlight. She tried to blink the blurs away from her vision as she tried to meet his gaze. Dripping down his cheeks were clear, glistening trails, moisture brimming in his eyes and overflowing as he watched her.

"This was the easiest way," he said. His voice was quiet and sounded weighed down with both regret and pain. "It would've hurt you too much if…" he stopped himself and his ears flattened against his skull. "I'm sorry…" he repeated as he looked away. He stepped away from her, leaving the sunlight to fall back over her. As he walked away, he spoke the words that brought reason to his actions.

"I wish for Kikyo to come back."

Those were the last words she heard before darkness consumed her. The cold hands of death finally took hold of her, clawing into her and embracing her dimming life in an iron-tight grip

… … …

Light blue eyes opened and she was greeted by the pitch-black silence of their room. No light seemed to filter in, not even from the window with the curtain pulled all the way back. A dark sky full of starlight and moonbeams barely graced their room. She blinked, and as soon as she did, splotches of crimson returned to her mind. A sharp breath fell from her as her chest began to clench painfully. She sat up, her heart racing as she stumbled out of bed. The floor was cold under her feet, but it didn't perturb her.

After a few steps, she found the other bed in the room, and she carefully pulled herself into it.

"Serena... Serena!"

The sharp and panicked whisper echoed pitifully through the darkness surrounding them. Combined with the faint movements of her bed, it was enough to cause the blonde-haired girl to roll over slowly. The covers slipped from her as she sat up. Bright green eyes found the tearful blue easily in the dark, and she slowly moved over to give the other girl room to slip under the covers with her.

Grace smiled at the wordless invitation, and she huddled under the blankets with her, nuzzling closer to the older sister. She felt safe alongside her sister, but not even she could chase away the panic of that dream again. Serena's arms slowly went around her shoulders as she shared her warmth. She could feel the ravenette trembling against her.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Serena asked softly. Her voice didn't dare drift above a whisper, lest they were discovered awake after bedtime. She felt Grace tense up in her arms as she slowly nodded against her, hiding her face in the dip between her neck and shoulder. Serena began to comb her fingers through Grace's long hair, humming a tune with no real melody in her ear to placate her some.

She didn't need to ask what it'd been about. After all, it was always the same one with her. A woman that she would surely look like when she was fully grown, left to die alone in a pool of blood, scared and abandoned. She'd been having the same one for years now.

Their adopted parents despised how she'd talk about it. What had once used to pull them from sleep with terrified screams and cries were only annoyances that brought further disdain to her from them. To them, it was an omen. She was a burden. A weird little freak destined to bring misery wherever she went.

Their shared bedroom was dark, shadows twisting and turning into demons along the walls. They loomed over them, threatening and imposing. Serena stared them down in the hollowed sockets they had for eyes as she silently wondered if this was the night they finally became real. If tonight those shadows would finally creep in to pounce and steal their lives away from them. If tonight they'd finally reach inside them both and rip their ribs out one by one before swallowing their souls whole, leaving nothing but hollow carcasses left behind.

She felt Grace nuzzle as close as she could, but she could tell that she was nowhere close to falling back to sleep. After all, she knew what awaited her in her dreams.


"You can't trust him."

The cold mummer against her ear made her tense up. The tea between them was turning cold, and, with it, so was the air surrounding her. Her eyes burned with the glimmer of tears, and she squeezed her eyes shut as the blonde next to her leaned against her shoulder. Blonde locks fell to mingle and intertwine with her own long, raven tresses.

"V's love for you is nothing more than a cruel illusion. One day he'll forsake you and leave you withered away by the sun… My darling little sister… You're so weak and frail," Rika hummed softly as her fingers found the top of Kagome's head, slim digits carefully fixing the bow pulling back the longer sections of her bangs. "No one will love you if you choose to remain so useless."

Kagome gripped the table's surface with one of her hands, tightening her grip until her knuckles went paper-white. She tried to push those words away but it did no good when Rika reached out, turning her body so she was facing the younger girl. Cold hands gripped the loose sleeves of her dress, and Rika tugged them hard enough to turn Kagome towards her. Blue eyes clashed against green. Her gaze, soft and trembling, fell to crumble pitifully under the intense shadows lining Rika's vibrant green eyes. The hands gripped tighter, holding the docile woman in place with a steel-like grip.

"I need you to hear me," Rika whispered, despite it being just them at the table. "I need you to listen," she pleaded. "V's love for you isn't real. No one is capable of loving someone such as you... such as us…" Her words were like poison saturating her mind, and Kagome was helpless to tune them out no matter how hard she tried. "You and I… we only have one another in this forsaken life… Would you really allow yourself to be swayed even more by cruel deception? You know once he's done with you, he'll leave you all alone, broken and worthless."

"That's… not true," Kagome whispered quietly, almost as if she was trying to convince herself of that opposed to the woman at her side. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, fighting as hard as she could to fend off the horrible flames of doubt Rika's words were fueling inside her. "V loves me…" she whispered, assuring herself of what he told her every day many times. "Rika!" Kagome opened her eyes and looked back at her sister. "You're wrong about him… he loves me."

Rika glared at her, but before she saw it, it faded into a pitiful glance. "It's manipulation," she whispered to her. Tears brimmed in Rika's eyes as she faltered back to her last resort. "Are you really going to let him turn you against me?" she asked, desperation seeping into her frightened tone. "My only flesh and blood, the only one who can ever share my pain, my darling little sister…" she cupped her cheek and brought her gaze back to her. "Will you really betray me for a man trying to manipulate you?"

Guilt crept up Kagome's spine upon hearing Rika's weak whimpers. Her own tears burned in her eyes. "Rika I-"

"A world of love and light doesn't exist for us. We are vermin meant to be exterminated by the strong of this world," Rika continued as if Kagome had never said anything. "You'll only get hurt if you open yourself up to believing you're worth anything…" Rika abruptly let her grip on Kagome fall. Before the ravenette could react, Rika threw her arms around her and she pulled her against her chest. She cradled her close in a hug that was practically smothering, almost as if she was terrified to let her go. Almost as if she was scared the dark-haired woman would fade away into hideous shadows the moment she let her go. "You, me, we're filth deemed tragic from the start," Rika whispered into her hair. "Please don't abandon me to suffer all alone in this dark, horrible place…"

Kagome gripped Rika tight, fighting tears back as best she could. Guilt bubbled up in her, leaving her feeling nauseous at the mere thought of Rika's words. Unable to pull away out of worry she'd only cause Rika more anguish, Kagome let her arms wind around Rika. "Rika… I'm sorry. I won't leave you behind, all alone." Kagome gripped her tight, and she heard Rika let out a comfortable sigh. "I'm sorry…" she whimpered. "I'm sorry," she repeated with a choked cry.

"You're always so warm," Rika leaned more into her arms, smiling against her shoulder. Her sister's hands trembled as she dug her fingers into the back of her own dress. It was her turn to cling to Rika as if she were her only lifeline. Kagome gripped her as tight as she could, and soon her shoulders began to tremble just as her hands did. The embrace brought a fresh onslaught of tears to her, her wounded soul and grieving heart aching as she let her pain consume her. Her tears were searing as they ran down her flushed cheeks, and she buried her face in the crook of Rika's neck as she began to bawl her eyes out.

Rika rubbed her back gently. "You're hurting so much," she sighed. " I can see it, and I can feel your agony." She combed her other hand through Kagome's hair gently as she let her cry herself out into her shoulder. "You were so hopeful in welcoming a new life into this world, but now that hope is no more." Her caresses slowed as she said those words, the hand buried in Kagome's hair falling still. "Kagome… who do you think is truly at fault for the loss of your unborn child?" she asked her softly. "Who is to blame?"

She felt Kagome stiffen at the question.

"I… It's my fault." The broken tone she spoke with was muffled from where Kagome kept her face buried into her shoulder. The response she got made Rika sigh softly as she finally resumed petting her hair.

"Yes, in a way, I suppose it is," Rika said, her voice full of cynical pity. The agreement made Kagome grip her tighter as another choked sob fell from her. A sharp pain invaded her chest as a fresh wave of tears burned in her eyes. "You dared to have hope when you had no right to, and because of that, you brought suffering onto a poor, unloved soul." She could feel Kagome trembling harder under her hands as if she was so close to breaking into pieces at the harsh certainty in her words. "V is also to blame," she said. "He refused to consider your feelings on the matter. He only cared for his own pain." Rika reeled away from her and set both hands on either side of her face, forcing her to look into her eyes. "He pressured you into his decision, and like a pathetic weed, you were trampled under the weight."

"No… No!" Kagome yanked herself away from Rika, nearly stumbling to the floor in her hasty movements. "That's… not true," she said a second later, her voice dying to a whisper. She felt Rika grip the sides of her face again, this time not fighting to get away. "He… V got me to understand that… that… it wouldn't end well." Kagome closed her eyes, blinking back the tears before any more could fall. As she did, she let her palm ghost over her stomach, feeling for the bump that she still sometimes woke up daring to hope she still had. There was nothing there, anymore, however.

They'd made the decision together. He hadn't pressured her one way or the other! He'd never do something so cruel to her… The entire ordeal hurt him just as much as it hurt her!

Her pregnancy was a hazard to her health. If she'd decided to carry on through the rest of it, then it would have ended up killing her- and most likely killing their son along with her. If, by some miracle, he'd survived, then the guilt of knowing his life came at the sacrifice of his mother would be his unwrought burden to bear. She couldn't sentence her child to a life full of guilt due to her own selfishness.

Kagome shook Rika's hands off of her once again, replacing them with her own as she began to sob as the memories of the entire ordeal she was working to put behind her returned full force. Rika's words burned in her head as she huddled into herself, her heart clenching with each sob that fell from her lips.

Rika slowly sat back down beside her, once more resting her hand on her shoulder. A second later, she pulled Kagome into her chest and let her cry herself to exhaustion. "I wish you'd see the truth, Kagome. Life will be less painful for a burden like you that way…"

The sound of the front door closing stole Rika's attention, and she only looked up once footsteps carried a figure towards the kitchen they were in. Her eyes landed on V as he came to a halt.

"Rika…" His voice was tense at seeing his sobbing fiancée held in her sister's arms. Rika merely hummed before looking back at Kagome. The crying woman didn't seem to hear him, and he carefully set his keys and the bag from the convenience store he held down on the kitchen counter.

He walked over to the pair at the table, crouching so he was beside Kagome's other side. His hand landed on her knee, where he then gave her a comforting squeeze. "Kagome, maybe it's time you take a nap. You didn't sleep at all last night," he said softly, trying to encourage her to pull herself from Rika's embrace.

For a split second, her eyes were on him, but as soon as she met his gaze, Kagome shoved his hand from her body with a weak effort. He let his hand fall, and he slowly stood up with a quiet sigh.

Rika's gaze scathed him as he was batted away by Kagome's weak shove. She pulled her further into her arms, a victorious gleam reflected in her eyes as she eyed him, sizing him up. V frowned in response, and he carefully attempted to coax Kagome away from Rika. After a bit of effort, it worked, and Rika was glaring at him as Kagome tucked herself away into his chest. He turned back to the blonde woman as he combed his fingers reassuring through Kagome's hair, silently watching her for a few seconds before finally finding his words.

"I think it'd be better if you left, Rika."

This wasn't the first time he'd come back to something like this, and each time only seemed to have a heavier impact on the woman clinging to him.

"I'm helping my sister," she stood up, folding her arms over her chest.

Her response made his blood boil. She was so calm about it, so certain, despite how the other girl was still a choked-up mess. Each time, she'd talked to him less and less about the words Rika said to her, but he knew they weren't the words she needed to hear.

"This isn't helping," he replied, voice tense. She had been doing better, her grieving and healing coming along as a tandem process, but this was neither of them. This was pain and hurt. "I'm not asking you, Rika," he said, wrapping both arms around the woman clinging to him. He met Rika's stare as she glowered at him. "I'm telling you to get out," he said, his voice still soft despite the tense edge to it.


Modern Time;
[est.] 1.5 months after Another Story start.

The pristine stone before him brought a multitude of emotions over him whenever he saw it. Even though he knew it lacked validity, it still burned a hole in his heart at the mere sight of it. The grave he stood tall before was still recent and in perfect condition, flowers of different kinds left in memoriam of the life expressed by it. The name engraved into the stone caused a bitter feeling to burn alive in his chest, the feeling soon turning to acid when it reached his tongue, sizzling holes into it whenever he tried to so much as speak about it.

This decision… it was an extreme one, and he knew that. He regretted his actions, guilt settling in his heart as he read over the name for the umpteenth time. What kind of person dared to construct such a lie? Surely a terrible one, and he deserved whatever fire that might come his way should the truth ever get revealed.

V lifted his hand from his pocket, and his fingers grazed against the pair of metal rings he wore around his neck. He gripped the matching bands tightly, holding his hand firmly to his chest. His eyes burned more than he'd grown accustomed to since the incident at Rika's hands, and the grave before him began to go even more blurry. The stone bled into the flora placed before it.

He told himself that he was protecting her from the scrutiny of others this way. He told himself that saving her from judgment and resentment she didn't deserve was the best way he could show his love for her, even if she'd departed from him. He knew now that his choice had been the wrong one, and he wanted nothing more than to reverse this extreme error he'd forged into reality.

He had killed her.

In every sense of the meaning, her death rested on his shoulders. Even though she still breathed in that nightmarish scape made by her own flesh and blood, she was dead to everyone who'd known and loved her. If she ever tried to return, there was no way she could do so painlessly for her and everyone else, and it was all because of his actions.

A fleeting memory of blue eyes and dark hair flashed behind his closed eyes as he gripped the rings hanging from his neck, the pair of rings that had been intended for them both.

"I'm so sorry, Kagome," he whispered through the empty and quiet stretch of graves surrounding him on his own. He allowed himself to spill his aches and the truth he harbored deep inside to the left-behind remnants of flourishing life. Maybe if he spoke it enough, then perhaps his words would reach her far away in her own cell of pain.

A beam of sunlight tore through the gloomy clouds overhead. It graced the grave in front of him, highlighting her name in a beautiful, practically ethereal, glow.

V watched it for a moment. Perhaps it was delusion at this point, but he didn't care. It felt… oddly encouraging. In a way, it was as if she was reaching out to him, and it brought along with it a sense of motivation for him. Delusion or not, it didn't matter.

"I won't leave you alone, Kagome," he said. He wished he could say those words directly to her again. Somewhere along the line, that promise of his had gotten lost and buried under her pain and fears.

He would undo this. He'd fix everything with his own hands if he had to, just to spare the rest from the pain of the truth.


Aurou-chan: I've got some information about this story.

So it was revealed in Rika's Behind Story that her post-adoption name is Serena, so Kagome's also going to technically have a different name post-adoption. Outside of this chapter, it won't be mentioned much. I'm just having Kagome's post-adoption name be Grace. (Kagome will technically be an alias for her, much like Rika is.)
A lot of Rika's Behind Story might not be included. Just to make it clear.

Other characters from Inuyasha will be showing up. Two of which are Sesshoumaru and Shippo. I do have some ideas for MC [as in who to make her be] too.

I will also say that Kagome has met both Sesshoumaru and Shippo in the modern world [as have Rika and V.]
There's gonna be a little bit of one-sided Rika and V [from Rika]

Anyway, that's it for now. I hope you all enjoyed, and thank you all for reading. Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.

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

Bye for now~