To Be Human Again by Sheenio

Chapter 1

           It has been a looooooooooooooong time since I've written anything; I've been on hiatus from my previous stories on FFN due to the numerous chapters that I had pre-written...die along with my laptop. SO- here I am, writing another while I wait to save up the money to afford the repairs on my previous computer in order to get everything off of the hard drives. I'll admit that updates may not be frequent, but I'm seriously going to try and get back into the rythm of things seeing as I will be having a pretty uneventful summer aside from working on personal projects.

So, here it is- enjoy! Please leave a review if you can; I haven't written in a while and I'm not sure if my writing style is what it used to...so every review would be appreciated!

DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha and its characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

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            Sapphire eyes stared at the bloodied claws in front of her. Every detail of every drop catching her attention as her hearing caught the 'splat' that continued at a steady pace. Death was nothing new to her- she had seen it numerous times. Whether it was already a rotting corpse or a token moment during battle, she was bothered by it but never intently observing...or partaking.

            "Kagome...clean kill." Came a voice to compliment her. Blinking, it was with a deep sickening realization that the clawed hand in front of her was indeed her own. She looked up at the source of the voice, watching his raven hair move through the breeze and his wolf tail swish proudly.

            "Kouga." She simply said, looking back at her kill. It was what the youkai called a 'feral', or a demon without intelligence that merely attacked and killed where it may. It just so happened that the very feral that lie dead before her had been killing off both humans and wolves in the region, yet Kagome was not supposed to be the one to end its life.

It was supposed to be her alpha's.

Earlier in the Spring, Kagome would not have even imagined being the position that she was now. Large black wolf ears atop her head, a black plush wolf tail to match it, deadly claws on her hands, and the diamond-shaped marking on her forehead to match the black stripes that marked her lower jawline up along her cheeks; No. The human Kagome would have laughed...but now the demonic Kagome howled each full moon in mourning.

This was her curse.

This was her life.

            "Don't look so sad- you used to slay all sorts of demons back then." Kouga said, seeing her eyes soften as she looked back at her hands. The wolf prince came closer, inspecting his new packmate for any injuries.

            "I'm sad that I took your kill from you." Kagome said. Lie.

            "Oh please, you know I don't mind that you're the top huntress in the pack. Besides, it only shows how strong my mate will be!" the wolf said with a grin plastered on his face.

            "Oh. Yeah...I'm...happy to show my worth." Lie.

            Her lies did not fall upon a useless nose. The wolf prince watched her as she flicked her claws free of the dripping blood and turn back towards him. Her spirit was broken, and he knew it. He thought back to how she was when she first came into his lands, not knowing what was in store for her nor what was happening to her. Still...he knew better than to ask anything more than how it happened.

            He stood there, gaping in the rain as the demoness howled in misery through her sobs, making her only cry harder with each natural howl that left her lips. The rain took its toll on her- her uniform soggy and clinging to her body as she sat there looking as helpless as a newborn cub.

            "K-Kagome?" he asked, wary of approaching this female regardless if she smelled like the Kagome he knew. The demoness merely hiccuped, looking right at him with a mixture of terror and sadness. Her eyes. Her eyes were a dead giveaway to who she really was...or used to be.

            "T-The jewel..." she whimpered before sobbing again, this time into Kouga's arms as he wrapped his arms about her.

 

            It wasn't long after that, that he had returned to his pack with her. She refused to speak for the longest time, only howl to the moon sadly when the rest would howl with delight and celebration- especially with the new presence of their princess.

            Upon her arrival, the Elders were taken aback- the markings on her brow and cheeks weren't just any markings, but beheld the same token markings of the Eastern bloodline- once thought to be lost forever in the wars past. Kouga had been fighting tooth and nail to reclaim the Eastern throne from the current Taiyoukai that had claimed it for himself, but he just wasn't strong enough. 'But Kagome will be,' he thought to himself smugly. 'And with her by my side, the clan will be prosperous in taking back the title.' Of course...Kagome didn't know much about it. She didn't care to ask. All she knew was that in a few weeks time that she would need to present herself at the next Cardinal Lords' meeting in Edo...and that only made her more miserable.

            Her behavior honestly was beginning to vex him. He watched her now as she dipped her hands into a nearby stream to clean them with that same blank expression on her face as earlier. 'She mourns for her human life, I know...but how can I make her see that this doesn't have to be a bad life for her?' The prince thought to himself.

            "Ready to go back to the cave?" He asked her. The demoness nodded and stood, wiping her hands on the soft leather skirt she wore. Still, no change in her expression as she turned towards him. "Uh...maybe...do you want to stop at the village on the way?" He asked, watching her. An eyebrow raised. Her eyes locked with his- yearning in those blue irises. A reaction!

            "Why would I want to go there?" She asked after a long moment with a hint of forced distaste, lowering her eyes from him. Kouga sighed and rubbed his temple.

            "Look...Kagome, I hate seeing you look so...empty. Come on, we're friendly with the humans there. Maybe you'd like to get something to eat? Or look at what they have in the markets? They have a beautiful set of kimono stands there..." He asked, desperation edging in his voice.

            A knot formed in Kagome's throat at there mention of humans. "I...Kouga I don't know..." she said uneasily. Her mate-to-be stepped closer, placing a hand on her shoulder.

            "Kagome, please. Maybe it'll do you some good to be someplace else than that dank cave." He suggested with a wry smile, tilting his head to catch her gaze again.

            "...Fine. I guess I'll give it a shot." She said with a sigh. Kouga grinned and hooked his arm around her waist in a comforting hug.

            "Good! Now come on, I'm starving!"

~ ~ ~

            In the Western Lands, a tall stoic figure stood perfectly still in the courtyard. As always, Lord Sesshomaru held about him an air of elegance and at the same time, the deadliness of his cold glare. Servants observed as he stood like a stone, unmoving for nearly over an hour now and possibly longer. His companion, however...

            "Rin. Keep still." His voice was brisk, making the fidgeting child pause. The little girl stood beside him, wearing his house colors and her hair up in ornate pins and flowers. In the hot sun though...she was very uncomfortable in the three layer kimono she was directed to wear for the occassion.

            "I'm sorry, my Lord! It's just that it's been hours...are we done yet?" She whimpered, looking over at the demoness across from them. Inukimi looked up from her canvas, raising an elegant brow at the child, matching her son's cold features before breaking out in a smile.

            "You can take a break, Rin-Chan. I have the basics painted already." She laughed as the child make a loud sigh of relief and ran over to see what her grandmother had been working on for over an hour now. "Calm yourself, Rin-chan. A proper lady doesn't just run up to a wet painting." She chuckled. Nonetheless, Rin looked at the painting.

            True to the art, the paint strokes were beautiful and life-like; a tall and proud Lord of the West stood with young Rin at his side- flowers took root all around them in the picture as they stood close much like father and daughter would. Rin broke out into a smile as she took notice of the warm expression her grandmother had replaced Sesshomaru's features with.

            "I love it!" The human girl exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Inukimi. The demoness again laughed and patted her head. "I cannot wait until it's finished! This is one of the best birthday presents I have ever gotten!" She squealed.

            "As you should, now hurry along and make yourself ready for lunch." Inukimi plucked a flower from beside her seat and handed it to the little girl. Rin accepted it with a grin and bowed to her beloved Inu rulers before scampering off into the halls.

            "Soon enough your garden will be plucked into nothingness." Her son commented as he stepped closer to his mother. Inukimi smiled coyly at him as she motioned for him to sit.

            "And you would let her, would you not?" She asked as a servant came and poured tea for them. As Sesshomaru seated himself, he finally looked at the painting and gave a leery glance at his mother. "Don't." His mother said, nearly rolling her eyes. "I will not paint another for her, and who-pray tell- would you then allow to see your cherished flower to try and paint it again?" She asked cheekily, making Sesshomaru blink in annoyance.

            "Aside from Rin's birthday today...why are you here?" He asked suddenly, observing his mother.

            "Sesshy-chan, how could you wound me so? Can a mother not enjoy her son and granddaughter's company?" Inukimi placed a hand over her heart, looking as if he had slapped her instead. The Taiyoukai did his best not to sigh aloud at her playfulness.

            "Do not call me that...and you're hiding something. I can practically smell it." He said with a low growl, making Inukimi chuckle to herself as she sipped her tea.

            "Well...I was going to wait until a little closer to the meeting but...there is a matter you must attend to now that Naraku is dead." His mother rose a brow at him as she quirked her lips. Sesshomaru merely stared at her, waiting for her to get on with it. "It's high-time that you aquired a mate, my son." She said as she placed her cup down again.

            "I have been looking, mother." Was his reply. Inukimi looked up at him in surprise- she had not expected that to go over so well.

            "You...you have?" She asked curiously. "Have you found a suitable mate yet?"

            "No, I have not. You must know, mother, how picky I am when it comes to females." Sesshomaru said blandly, making Inukimi's brows knit together.

            "I'm afraid I do not; what type of female would be suitable for yourself?" The question made Sesshomaru stop and think. He thought of the past females had courted for the short period of time here and there. They had all been after the wealth of the West, like many before him, but they all lacked something else as well. Rin was very precious to him though he would not admit it and there was one thing that he could tell was wrong right away with the previous females he had introduced to Rin;

            "The type that is not afraid to be human at the same time."

 

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