Summary: By nature, Kagome was anything but cruel. She was kind, compassionate, and friendly, so how in the world did she ever achieve the title of strongest girl in Japan? It was something she certainly didn't boast about. Instead, Takemichi couldn't help but notice how she seemed to regard such a thing as a burden, but why…?

Pairing: Undecided

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

Chapter One

Dim lighting provided an eerie ambiance to the room. Takemichi couldn't help but feel like he was walking on thin ice by just being there. All his nerves were alight with the burning instinct to turn tail and flee before things could get messy.

As the door opened, he froze in place. He hadn't been standing, but he wondered if his legs would've started to shake. The faint sounds of footsteps could be heard drawing near. There was another set seeming to shadow her own. He lifted his gaze to the mirror in front of him, allowing himself to look at the pair that'd joined him in the private room.

His hands tightened into fists on his knees. He was expecting to see a different person, so why… why could he only see the face of an old friend? On her exposed shoulder, he could spot a navy blue mark, curling around the skin like a crescent moon. Around her neck hung a pink jewel- the same one she'd lamented about one day several years ago when she called him out on his time-traveling. There was no mistaking her.

"Hello, Takemichi."

The casual tone in her voice made him flinch. She circled around his own chair, stepping out in front of him as she moved to lean against the desk. The figure with her followed her, moving to stand behind the desk. The katana on his waist was somehow more intimidating than an ordinary gun.

He was quiet, trying hard to find the words that he felt dying to be let free. Her cool, calm expression felt like salt to the wound.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Kagome remarked in a soft tone, pressing her hands against the wood behind her. "Normally I wouldn't accept this sort of thing," she said, referring to the meet-up with him. "But you're a special case, so I figured, eh, why not?"

When silence answered her, a curious look seemed to flicker in her blue eyes. She tilted her head to the side with a soft hum, as if she was encouraging him to say something.

"Kagome…" Takemichi felt his hands tighten, a faint tremble starting as he tried to keep himself composed. "What… happened to you?"

"What happened to me?" Kagome motioned to herself, hand resting on her chest, as she blinked owlishly. The innocent expression made him grit his teeth. "Nothing happened, Takemichi," she stated. "I'm who I've always been."

"That's a filthy lie and you know it!" he shot back. Kagome's eyes narrowed. She heard the figure behind the desk take a step forward, and she held an arm out in an attempt of dissuasion.

"Tell me," she said, her expression returning to normal. "Do I look any different to you?"

Silence followed when Takemichi knew he couldn't argue that fact. At the same time, he found the strength to stand up. "Just because you look the same doesn't mean you're the same Kagome!" he argued. "You let these losers put pressure on you to become someone you're not!" Tears burned in his eyes, but she remained unfazed.

"I didn't let anyone put pressure on me," she stated. There was something in her voice that gave him a spark of hope. It sounded like she wasn't just trying to convince him, but as if she was trying to reassure herself, as well. "I did what I had to do."

"That's bullshit and you know it," Takemichi responded. She fell silent, her expression hardening as she took a deep breath. "You were just a girl who had power you didn't even want! You were just looking for somewhere to belong and couldn't tell when someone manipulated you!"

"..."

Takemichi knew that he should probably have held his tongue, well aware of the dangerous person she was, even if they were old friends. The silence felt like a warning, her expression one he didn't know how to decipher.

His hands tightened at his sides, tears blurring his vision.

"Did you forget that?!" Takemichi yelled. "You told me your power was a burden, and that you were scared of it!" Still, her expression didn't shift, and he felt frustrations rise. "How could you let yourself fall into this situation?! You're not the type to be manipulated, Kagome!"

At this point, he'd take her anger if it meant there'd be a change. She was so hard to read.

"Everyone loved you, you know," he continued. "I could never understand why everyone was drawn to you, I just knew they were. You were warm and friendly, compassionate and kind. No matter what happened, you took care of people." He shook his head, his hands tight at his sides. "You even lectured us for fighting all the damn time!"

Nothing but silence answered him. It was almost suffocating, and he hated it. Finally, he'd found the difference between the Kagome he knew and the one before him now. The faux warmth had left her expression, leaving her standing there with an icy chill around her.

When he looked up at her, he found himself frozen. He'd very quickly come to the realization that he'd tread over a very thin line. She took a step towards him, and, while he wanted to back away, he found it impossible to make his legs move. Her footsteps were soft and quiet as she padded across the floor.

"You remember all this very well," she mused, her voice falling to a fatal whisper. "Well, did it ever occur to you that maybe people were putting a bit too much on me?"

"H-Huh?"

There was something unidentifiable in her eyes. As he thought about it, he had never seen that look in her eyes before.

"I don't have a damn burden anymore," she stated. "I'm free, I've accepted my role, and I'm not stuck taking care of people anymore."

"Kagome…-"

"I never promised I'd stay the same, Takemichi," she remarked in a cold tone. "Every time I did, I died."

He flinched, knowing very well the weight of truth those words held.

"This is me protecting myself," Kagome remarked, turning away from him. "It's something no one else is able to do."

"Kagome, wait…-" He saw her motion to the pink-haired man with her, who promptly started to follow her. "Just a few more minutes, please."

"Why should I?" she mused softly. "I have nothing more to say." She didn't bother to look at him as she left the room, though he didn't miss the sneer the pink-haired man with her gave before he ultimately followed after her. "Farewell, Takemichi. I'd be careful," she offered as a faint warning. "The next time our paths cross things might not go so well."

It was ominous enough, but it was a clear warning. The door swung shut, leaving him alone in the room all over again. As silence swept through the room, he found himself going over her words again in his mind.

He could tell that, deep down, she wasn't happy in this life. She kept a facade up, but that was no different than how she was twelve years ago. She'd always hidden her feelings, after all. He couldn't help but feel as if he'd failed her, knowing there was truth to her words.

With a deep breath, he steeled his resolve, hands falling to hang limply at his side.

"Don't worry, Kagome," he whispered. "I'll find a way to save you. Not just you, but everyone else as well."

There had to be a way for everyone to be able to be happy. This couldn't be the only way she managed to survive.

Auroua-chan: Gonna end this one here. I was gonna add to it, but this felt like the better stopping point. The next chapter will go back to their teenage years.

Bonten timeline.

Kagome has the Shikon no Tama, which definitely does make her a lot stronger. A few demon companions are still around for her, as well. (Kagome's tattoo is a reference to an undefined tie to Sesshomaru, obviously.)

There was a glimpse of how Kagome was when she was younger in the way Takemichi remembers her. It seems that Kagome is also painfully aware of every timeline in which she dies. (At this point, all but the Bonten timeline.)

The pairing is undecided. Open to suggestions, of course! While Sesshomaru is technically an option, they're gonna have more of a sibling bond as well. A guy from TR is preferred for her, but nothing's been decided yet. There's still some time.

Kagome may seem like she resents how much she took care of the others in the past, but that's not exactly true. And of course, she can't help but take care of her companions in Bonten.

Anyway, that's it for now! 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~