Curiosity Caught the Dog by Cloud

Alone

A/N – Alright, so this is my new Sesshoumaru and Kagome story. :D I came up with the idea in the shower this morning. XD Reviews are most welcome, and so is constructive criticism. I hope that no one else has thought of this before, haha. I know that the Japanese say the last name first, but the news report here was aired in America. XD This may start out a little off, but I'm hoping you'll stick with it. Anyway, let's get started! :D I don't own Inuyasha or the characters, or R14Fox News, if it happens to miraculously exist. XD NOTICE. THIS PART TAKES PLACE THREE WEEKS BEFORE CHAPTER TWO.

Chapter One – Alone.

...Three Weeks Earlier.

A young woman sat in front of her television, the lights casting strange shadows in the small apartment. As it came back from commercials, she refocused on the man who was reporting. "...And now we go to Hideyuki Masamoto, who is live in Tokyo, Japan, where a magnitude five point two earth quake has destroyed an ancient shrine. Hideyuki?"

"Thank you, Chuck." The woman, with practiced ease, slid her face into the artificial mask of grief. "As you can see around me, not many of the buildings were damaged, apart from the Higurashi Shrine and the few surrounding residences. The Shrine was at least three hundred years old, and was a monument to the people that live here. Two people were reported dead." Her accent was barely noticeable. The young woman watching gasped, looking at the wreckage that was once a beautiful shrine. A helicopter's view showed that the wood had collapsed on a well, and the house nearby had been leveled with the ground. "Jurou Higurashi, the keeper of the shrine, and his daughter, Satomi Higurashi. Her daughter and son, Kagome Higurashi and Souta Higurashi, are missing. Local authorities are now waiting for other family members to come forth, to claim the property, and if no family members are found, the Shrine will become government property. For now, most of the locals are hoping that the two are found safe."

The camera switched to an elderly Japanese woman, who looked rather worried and sad. A translator was voiced over the woman's Japanese. "I just hope that those two are found alive. The Higurashi Shrine is a treasure, and always will be within the hearts of our people."

"Thank you. This is Hideyuki Masamoto, R14, Fox News." The young woman, saddened by the news broadcast, flipped the television off. It could be so depressing at times, she wondered why she even watched it. Then she thought of the girl that was missing...Kagome, was it? And pondered what it would be like to be in her shoes, to lose her family and have the world think you were missing. Or dead, even. She shuddered. She'd probably be sorely tempted to run away.

0-0-0-0-0 Three Weeks Later.

Contemplating on challenging his shameful half brother, Sesshoumaru paused near the Bone Eater's Well. The half demon had always been a nuisance to him, swinging Tetsusaiga around like it was a useless stick. Sesshoumaru thought that if would be put to much better use in his hands, but his father had seen fit otherwise; the sword burned him every time he wielded it, just to prove that fact. So... Why attack Inuyasha then? It was a good question, but had an even better answer. To show Inuyasha that no matter what sword he swings around, he could never best me, The Great Sesshoumaru. The thought was natural to him. He knew that he, himself, was strong, maybe stronger, than his father, and Inuyasha was no where close to his level. In fact, the girl that traveled with him posed more of a threat than Inuyasha did. Her spiritual powers were untapped, and unpredictable as the ocean itself.

Just then, there was a burst of energy from the Bone Eater's Well, and a light shone out of it's depths. Staying within the shadows of the trees, Sesshoumaru gazed steadily at the well, intrigued. Speak of the devil... He thought with a slight flash of amusement as the scent of sweet rain and slightly Inuyasha reached him. It didn't reach his eyes, but made him back into the trees further, where she would not be able to see him. As she climbed out of the well, Sesshoumaru noticed that he had not sensed her before. He would have immediately smelled her if she was in the area, even a few miles away. Or sense her aura, which had materialized in the bottom of the well.

Two bags were flung out of the well, and Sesshoumaru tensed, although somewhat needlessly. She crawled out a few moments later, huffing loudly in the half light of dusk. Once she got out, she sat on the ledge of the well. Sesshoumaru noted she smelled also of stone, wood, and tears. Her eyes glistened as she sat, her eyes closed, and her hand fingering a necklace at her throat. Looking closely, he saw that the necklace was a simple stone held by wire. Humans were such odd, sentimental creatures. And yet, something about her was different than it usually was. She glanced up at the darkening sky. There was a fire in her eyes that was dulled to a spark, her scent telling of barely concealed grief. Just when Sesshoumaru thought she would break out in tears, she inhaled, seeming to swallow her fears and doubts for the time being, and squared her shoulders. With something akin to surprise, he watched as she took a note out of her pocket, and grabbed an odd contraption out of one of the bags. Narrowing her eyes in what looked like frustration, she unfolded the paper and placed it on the edge of the well. The little thing she had in her hand made a little noise as she pulled something from it, then used it to stick the piece of paper to the well. A pang of sadness flashed across her features, but she refused to let it overwhelm her, and inhaled again, her shoulders squared. She is an odd human, of that there is no doubt. Sesshoumaru thought to himself. Any other human would have given in to the grief that was clawing at her.

Sesshoumaru watched her as she got up. Heaving a large sigh, she began hauling the bags away, toward the small village nearby. They were far too heavy for her, but she continued anyway, pausing every few minutes to take a breath. Despite the fact that she probably could have waited for Inuyasha to come help her, she did this entirely by herself. "Earthquakes... Damn. Souta had better be alright." Sesshoumaru strained to hear her words from the forest, far enough away that she wouldn't notice him. Earthquakes? I have felt nothing of the sort in the past fifty years. Yet she is most certainly mortal. He took a cautionary sniff of the air, just to assure himself of her mortality. She didn't smell like other humans. Not like sweat and grime. And she does not look fifty years old. Blinking, he kept following, confusion gnawing at his brain like a wolf on a bone.

It was night by the time she reached the edge of the village, where an older priestess resided, Sesshoumaru remembered. Pulling her bags up to the side of the hut, she collapsed on the ground next to them, breathing heavily. She made a frustrated sound. Sesshoumaru found that watching her mutter to herself was a slightly amusing, but frankly, he was curious about her. If only a little bit. Leaping up into a tree, he crouched on a branch. His eyes were bright enough that if she decided to stare at the edge of the forest for a while, she would notice him. But he was counting on her not to. After all, she was human, and quite oblivious to her surroundings. Huffing loudly, she stood up abruptly, and began rifling through one of the bags until she pulled a strange looking blanket out. She laid it on the floor before going back to the back. Is she planning to sleep outside on the ground by herself? Sesshoumaru thought. Either she was incredibly stupid, or exceedingly arrogant. Or just... Oblivious? He chose the latter. When she pulled strange clothes out of the bag, it took him a moment to understand what she was doing. Facing the forest, she lifted the shirt off her head. Sesshoumaru turned, facing the opposite direction. He'd only caught a flash of pale skin, but he was not dishonorable. Nor would he lower himself to watching a human, however unaware, undress. Walking in the opposite direction, he wondered what about her had caught his attention in the first place. She was unbearably human, she was a priestess, not to mention the fact that she traveled with his half brother, of all people. And yet, Sesshoumaru admitted, in the deep recesses of his mind, she was not like other humans. What made a human want to take a demon fox into her care? Or trust Inuyasha as she did? And why did she mutter about earthquakes that hadn't happened?

Shaking his head, as if he could rid the thoughts, he frowned. "Ridiculous."

0-0-0-0-0

On the outskirts of Edo, Kagome yawned. "I guess... I'll always be alone, huh? Even Shippo's gonna grow up sometime." Staring at the stars, caught up in the lonely sky, she sighed. "Goodnight Souta. Gramps. Mom."

End of Chapter One – Alone.

A/N – I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of this story. :] reviews and favorites are much appreciated.