Beautiful Beast by Sparrow

The Girl in the Mirror

Okay, kids. I haven't updated this story since, what, September!?!? But I read over it, edited it and updated it, and am planning on writing new chapters. I guess there's nothing else to say, except enjoy!

Part 1: The Girl in the Mirror

Kagome blinked the sleep out of her chocolate brown eyes. She'd been dreaming again. Sitting up, the blanket sliding down to pool in her lap, she slapped on the lamp on her bedside table and groped around for her diary. After another moment of sleep-groggy groping, she managed to grab a pen and flipped to a clean page.

She wrote down the few things she could remember from her dream: claws, fur, teeth, silver hair. Demons? They were the same things that had been dancing through her dreams for the past couple of weeks, though they still confused her as much now as they did then.

She didn't know why she wrote the last word, but it made sense in some far reach of her mind. She tossed the journal back on the bedside table, set the pen on top, and swung her long legs out of bed.

She had a headache, but it felt like her entire body was going to split apart, throbbing from a pushing that seemed to come from some hidden part of her, a part long forgotten and buried deep within.

She padded to the window, her gaze sweeping the dark grounds. Her eyes traveled to the God tree, and then to the dark well house. She sighed. What does it mean? she thought, stretching, knowing that it wouldn't ease the pain that seemed to be in her very bones but would, for the time being, at least, mask it with the wonderful pleasure. The muscles in her stomach seemed to turn into a stone as she stretched, an anchor, holding her down and together. Demons. Silver-haired demons...? Her eyes took in the dark well house like it held her destiny. The well house itself was almost meaningless, but it was what lay inside that seemed to have significance.

Way to go, Kagome, she scolded herself as she walked across the grounds. It's below freezing, and you forgot your shoes. She blew out a visible puff of breath and began to run towards the steps that led to the well house. As she pulled open the door, a little white something drifted through the air and landed on her nose. She let out an exasperated sigh. "Great," she said, pulling the shawl tighter around her shoulders. "Now it's snowing." Muttering something about frostbite and freezing her butt off, she walked to the well and placed one hand, palm down, on the cover, not realizing she was doing it.

"You're just a well," she began, but then heard herself say, "Aren't you?" She couldn't answer that question the way she wanted to.

She wasn't sure how long she had been staring at the dark well, how long she had been studying her splayed fingers, before a sudden thud from outside startled her. She whipped her head around, clutching the edge of the well in a white-knuckle grip as she stared into the night, into the swirling snow. "Wh-who's there?" she stammered, walking away from the well. With her back to it, her head poking out into the darkness, she didn't see the pink light that suddenly began to pour from the cracks around the well cover.

She had been searching around with her eyes, trying to locate the source of the thud, but she couldn't see anyone. She was just about to go back to the house, back to bed, when a crack from behind her caught her attention. Kagome jumped, and began to worry her bottom lip, just a bit startled. She turned back towards the old well, where she saw the cover was split open. She took one step and stopped. She had to muffle a scream: there was a hand sticking out of the well.

* * * * *

He stood at the edge of the forest, waiting for their return. The girl would return with The Rose Princess, and it would begin. But how long would it take?

He consulted the small mirror Kyoko had given him, "to keep watch," she'd said, and whispered, "show me the Princess." An image suddenly appeared: she was slowly pulling herself from the well, and, standing in front of her, was Kagome. His mouth curled in a small, almost invisible smile.

"Still beautiful," he said to the night, "no matter what you are."

And as the familiar rosy light spilled from the well just a few hundred yards from where he stood, Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands retreated into the darkness of the forest.

* * * * *

"Stay away from me!" Kagome screamed as the figure emerged from the well, brushing their clothing off as they stood. The figure seemed to pay no attention, because they started advancing toward her. "Don't come near me, you... you monster!" Kagome screamed, backing towards the door, forgetting all about the snow and the cold behind her. All she wanted to do was get away.

"Oh, come now, dear Kagome," the figure, a young woman who looked to be just a few years older than Kagome herself, said in a friendly, cheerful voice. Kagome froze. She knew that voice. But from where? "I'm not going to hurt you." Although the person that stood before her was a complete stranger, Kagome believed her. Almost trusted her.

"Who are you?" Kagome said, pulling on the shawl, remembering now that she was cold and barefoot with an oncoming snowstorm raging behind her.

The young woman in front of her was about a head taller than Kagome, and not as thin, but it wasn't that she was fat. She was very... curvy. She was wearing all black: boots, leggings, shirt, cape. Her hair was dark, too, her raven bangs hanging just a couple of inches below her chin, while the rest of her hair hung down her back in a long, dark braid. A very furry black something was wrapped around her waist and draped over one shoulder. It reminded Kagome of a fox tail, except it was black, not red. The dark colors made her pale face seem as white as the snow, her bright golden eyes standing out like two fires in the night. Her blood red lips were slightly parted, and a silver stripe graced each cheek. There was a red star on her forehead, and her eyes were outlined with green.

The young woman seemed suddenly confused, as if she had not expected the question. "Who am I...?" she whispered, as if it was something one would not ask a complete stranger, no matter how familiar they seemed. Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, the girl said, "Oh, my goodness! You don't remember! Oh, wow," and then she laughed. "Well, that may explain why you don't know who I am." She laughed nervously.

Kagome's head was swimming. "What? What don't I remember? Who are you!?" Kagome's voice was rising at a dangerous pace, and she was starting to get freaked out again.

"Relax, sis," the young woman said, trying to sooth her. "Just relax. All will be explained in time. Now, you have to come with me. Please." She started to walk towards Kagome, one hand extended. Kagome looked at the green stripes that wrapped around the girl's wrist, and then at her hand, which was tipped with claws. She gasped. My dream... she thought, her eyes wide and her mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"I am not going with you, you... you freak!" she said, the fact that the girl had called her "sis" not even registering in her mind.

"Oh that's it, call me names!" The girl's pace quickened, her hand still outstretched.

"Kagome, please come with me. I don't want to have to take you against your will, but if I have to..."

"Don't touch me!" Kagome shrieked. She had raised her hands as a shield, should the girl decide to try and attack her, but it was she who ended up "attacking."

As the girl continued to walk towards her, her eyes narrowed, Kagome screamed, "Get away!" A ball of blue light formed in her hands and shot towards the girl, sending her flying into the opposite wall. Her breath was forced out of her in a "Whoosh!" and she winced with the pain.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Kagome running towards the house, her shawl lying forgotten on the ground, slowly getting covered in snow. "Kagome," she whispered, removing a tiny mirror from a small satchel around her waist, "why does it have to be this way?" and she disappeared with a flash of pink light and a quiet "pop!"

Kagome burst into her room and slammed the door behind her, her breathing ragged and her chest hurting. She dived into the bed, pulling the covers tightly around her and squeezing her eyes shut like she had when she was a little girl.

After a moment, when she didn't hear anything, she peeked out from her cocoon of blankets, and the first thing she saw was the mirror. Or rather, the person in the mirror.

It was the girl from the well house.

"You just had to do it the hard way," she said, putting her hands on her hips and frowning. Kagome screamed.

"Shhh!" the girl, suddenly frantic, put a finger to her lips. "Don't wake up the whole house!" Kagome didn't pay any attention, just kept screaming. She grabbed for the first thing she could reach, which turned out to be her diary, and swung it at the mirror. Before the book could reach the glass, the girl's hand shot out of it and grabbed the book in midair. "Now don't go breaking things." Her voice was sweet as she stepped out of the mirror and onto Kagome's floor.

"What... what are you?" Kagome scrambled off the bed and backed herself against the wall. She tried to inch towards the door, but the girl was quicker than she was. In a blur of black, she was blocking Kagome's only exit.

"Me?" the girl said, putting one hand on her chest, feigning surprise. "Why, I'm your sister!"

Before Kagome passed out, she felt herself being lifted up and carried, and the slight bounce as the girl jumped from the window. She was unconscious before they hit the ground.

* * * * *

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" the young man called. "Lord Sesshoumaru! They've returned! Kyoko's back with the Princess!" Sesshoumaru turned his eyes on the young demon, who, once he found himself under the cold stare of the youkai Lord, stopped dead in his tracks.

"Thank you, Yasuo," Sesshoumaru said. The young man nodded, his waist-length black hair bouncing as he did so.

"You are welcome, Lord Sesshoumaru." Yasuo turned and looked at the well. The girl had emerged from it, carrying in her arms a limp body in checkered blue pajamas. Sesshoumaru approached the young woman, who was staring down at Kagome's unconscious face.

"She does not remember?" Sesshoumaru asked, startling the young woman, He knew she did not, but asked anyway.

"No, my lord," she said, looking almost as if something inside of her had broken.

"When it is time, it will be your job to tell her." Their eyes met and the woman nodded. She gave Kagome to Sesshoumaru, who held his arms out in silent request. He turned and walked a few paces before leaping up into the air, clutching Kagome closer to his chest.

Yasuo looked at the girl next to him.

"Are you alright?" he said. She looked at him, her dark eyes shining with tears.

"Yes," she said, looking away from him for a moment. When she looked back, a tear had traced its way down her cheek. She jumped slightly when Yasuo brushed it away with a thumb.

"No, you're not," he said. She let out a small, humorless laugh.

They were silent as they started walking, Yasuo not knowing what to say to comfort his companion.

But it was she who broke the silence. "It just hurts that I had to lose her, but now that I have her back," she sighed, "she doesn't even know who I am. That hurts more, I think, than losing her in the first place." She sniffled.

"I'm sorry, Kyoko," Yasuo said. "I really am." Kyoko looked up at him. He was almost as tan as she was pale, his eyes a beautiful gold. A deep red lined his eyes, and two dark blue stripes streaked each cheek, the same blue as the moon that stood out on his forehead.

They were silent for a moment longer before Kyoko said, "we should get moving or we'll never catch up with them." Yasuo watched Kyoko take off into the night, sighing deeply before following her.

End part 1

Not my best, but it's a start. If you're wondering about the curse mentioned, don't worry, it's all explained later. Well, that's it for Part 1. Feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading!