Memoirs of a Soul by Kiki Smythe

Prologue

AN: Dear readers,

A note to start the story with, I will use some Japanese words in here. Not intentionally of course, but because they are now part of my regular vocabulary and the fact that some words don't translate exactly between to two languages. Such as youkai and demon, the word demon in the English language constitutes as a servant to Satan, whereas in Japan, youkai just a mystical creature that mostly happens to be bad. Kind of like a unicorn. Whoa... I just compared Inuyasha and Sessho to a unicorn.

Disclaimer: Inu and Co. doesn't belong to me... *sigh*

Prologue

~*~

A fifteen-year-old girl fell through a magical well in the year 1997 at the Higurashi shrine in Tokyo, Japan. and was transported four hundred years into the past.

In the Warring era of Japan, a lone house was being burned down. A seven-year-old child watches as her family is being slaughtered and burned alive by bandits.

Just before the teen from Tokyo takes her first breath of the pollution free air of the past, the child screams as her grandpa's throat is slit. She crashes to the ground in a faint behind a pile of wood. She loses her voice due to the mental exhaustion... and the loss of a bright glowing orb that came out of her body and headed to the direction of the Bone Eaters well.

~*~

"'I ask one favor of you, Kaede. Burn the sacred Shikon jewel with my body, that way its power will never be used for evil.' And as she said that, Kikyo's eyes glazed over and she fell to the ground."

Kaede was once again telling the tale of the Betrayal of Kikyo and of the Hanyou, Inuyasha, to Kagome, Kikyo's reincarnation. As usual at the end of the tale, Kagome looked thoughtful, pondering about her reincarnation's personality before her unnatural rebirth.

"Why does Kikyo hate now, Kaede? Wasn't she pure of heart and mind?"

"I know not, child. It seems that Kikyo died pure, without a speck of hate, but over the course of her death, she gained hatred that she couldn't have acquired without being alive."

Kagome looked startled at that statement. "You mean that I was the one that cause her to hate Inuyasha?"

"Nay, child, nay, that's not what I meant. I meant to say that 'tis unnatural for her to be full of this hate. The only possibility is if she was in purgatory or she had another reincarnation during this fifty-year span between your arrival and her death. Alas, it must be the former since you are her only reincarnation."

"But Kaede, if she was in purgatory, how was I reincarnated?"

"I know not, child, but I do know that the life and death of Kikyo will probably never be contemplated."

~*~

A young girl peeked around the tree and stared into the clearing where a beautiful youkai was resting. Its clothes were torn and it had several gashes thorough out its body. If the girl knew about angels, she would've mistaken the serene figure as one.

Is it dead? The child started approach.

A blur of white appeared as the youkai suddenly was sitting. Its fangs were bared, its eyes were a blood red with black pupils, and its white hair was flying out behind it, yet still managing to be perfect.

The child gasped and stepped behind the tree, but she didn't run away. She was captivated by the white hair flowing back into place on the youkai's head. White always had a calming effect on her, especially if it was hair. It seemed to stir some long lost memory of love within her soul. That was probably why she had such a fond relationship with her deceased grandpa.

It's probably hurt and just acting like this because it is scared, she thought, remembering the time she came upon a cat that just came out of a fight. It scratched me, and I was just trying to help it.

She thought back to when her grandpa told her that food soothes the soul. I'll get it some food! That will make it trust me! The girl scurried away back to the village to find some food.

All this time, the youkai was staring at the human girl retreating form with a seemingly bored expression. Why didn't she run? Why did she not talk? Why wasn't she afraid of me?!

The youkai settled down, thinking that the brat ran to get the men of the village. The battle with Inuyasha cost the youkai dearly in its reserves; the youkai would have to use up its remaining strength to finish off the annoying human men.

The men never came, but the girl returned, with food... human food.

"Girl, I don't eat human food." The girl stopped in the middle of the clearing, half way between the trees' edge and the youkai. She must've gotten scared, thought the youkai.

The girl, in fact wasn't scared, but was surprised. The girl thought blankly, the youkai is a he? He looked like a she, but I wasn't sure since only men wear armor.

"What are you staring at? Well, why don't you talk?" The girl remained silent. Pity, I thought the child would have blurted out something by now, the youkai mused. The youkai turned away, deeming the girl non-important.

The girl kept coming, day after day, each time with the human food. Each time she left the food next to the youkai, and went back to the village. Each day, the youkai ignored her, like she was not even there, like she was invisible. But each day she persisted, she kept coming to sate something she wasn't even sure of.

Finally, the girl was caught stealing food for the youkai. She was beaten for her crime.

"You should be grateful, girl, not just any village would take in an orphan!"

"Stealing from the village reserve? I didn't think even an orphan like you, Rin, would do that!"

"Rin, I hope you learned your lesson. We won't be so lenient from now on."

The torrent of fists and feet stopped abruptly. One man said, "Go home, Rin, we're done."

As the men watched Rin stagger away, they all started whispering. "What a freaky child, she didn't even make a sound."

"She hasn't spoken since her whole family was killed by bandits."

Once again, the girl comes... The youkai was staring out at oblivion. His sensitive nose caught the faint smell of blood. Turning slightly, barely perceptible to the naked eye, the youkai noticed that Rin was covered in bruises, limping, and had a nice cut on her left forearm.

Slightly curious, the youkai put on the appearance of looking away, when he asked, "Girl, why are you injured?" To his surprise, the girl sat down next to him and actually smiled.

"I just asked a question. It's not like I really care." The girl just laughed.

The youkai sat again, alone in the forest. Inspecting himself, he noticed that he was completely healed. He stood up for the first time in weeks, and walked out of the clearing. Sniffing the air, the youkai came across the scent of his faithful, yet very annoying, servant. He changed direction to follow the direction in which the scent was coming from.

When he arrived at the edge of a meadow, he saw Jaken facing the other direction and yelling out, "Master, did you really use this faithful servant in an experiment with Tenseiga?"

The youkai smirked as he scooped up a rock from the ground. This is going to be fun. The youkai threw the rock, causing it to hit Jaken in the head and knock him off the dragon's back.

Putting his mask back on, the youkai walked towards the two-headed dragon, Ah and Un. "I will not tolerate such insolence."

"Lord Sesshomaru, I did not know you were there!"

"Of course, I did not wish you to know that I was here." Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks.

I smell blood. I know this blood.

Rin was running. Her village was being destroyed. Everyone was running, screaming, and crying. Wolves were darting between legs, snapping at ankles, plowing people over. Rin ran when she saw the first death, she ran into the woods, she ran to the youkai. She didn't know why she did that, but some gut instinct told her that he would protect her, keep her safe.

Wolves were behind her, she was running out of breath. The wolves had drool running out of the corner of their mouths'. Rin could hear their pants grow steadily closer as the feet between them decreased. She could see the image of the youkai in front of her. She tripped on a root, crashed to the ground... and the wolves pounced.

"Where are we going Sesshomaru-sama?" asked Jaken.

Sesshomaru remained silent; he didn't want to be bothered. Going past the clearing in which he had stayed, he came upon Rin, lying cold and lifeless on the ground. Something inside him felt funny, like the corpse was causing a tugging at something in his chest. And with that tugging, was the pulsing of Tenseiga, both going at the same beat. Why is Tenseiga acting like this? Does it want me to use it?

Firmly gripping Tenseiga's hilt, Sesshomaru brought out its blade. Focusing on Tenseiga's power, Sesshomaru could see impish creatures similar to Jaken in appearance. They were gaki, sent from the underworld to bring one's soul to rest. Following Tenseiga's lead, Sesshomaru sliced through the creatures, causing them to disintegrate. Putting Tenseiga back in its sheath, Sesshomaru crouched down and held Rin on his lap, waiting to see what he had done.

Rin opened her eyes, she felt stiff, as if she had woken up from the most unusual nap. Looking around, she saw the youkai standing above her.

Staring up at him, she thought, I knew he would save me.

Jaken, however, was having a heart attack. "Lord Sesshomaru, You brought this worthless human back to life!"

Again, Sesshomaru deigned him unworthy of an answer. Pushing Rin up to a stand and standing up, Lord Sesshomaru turned around and walked away.

Rin silently started to walk behind her savior, her Sesshomaru-sama.

~*~

Kagome headed to the well for the last time, a complete Shikon Jewel back in her hip. Adjusting her backpack on her back, and positioning her body around her bike, Kagome was about to make the regular sprint to the Bone Eaters well. Digging her feet in the dirt, she bent her knees so she could spring on her bike and try to make it to the well before Inuyasha caught her.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome collapsed on her knees and sobbed her heart out. "Why did you have to go? Why did you have to fulfill that stupid promise to an undead Dark Miko?"

Tears slipped past her cheeks as she stood back up. "Inuyasha would've wanted me to go on with life. Just before Kikyo took Inuyasha to hell, he told me that I was different, I was unique...That I wasn't like Kikyo." Holding her bike like it was a lifeline, Kagome staggered to the well and jumped in, disappearing from the Warring era of Japan, forever.