.

There is a place where things are sent when they are to be forgotten or taken away.

They do not go. They are sent.

This is important.

The passageway served as a link between all worlds. Portals opened and shut, things are taken through and then swiftly moved out. Nothing ever entered the space of its own accord. And on the rare occasions that they did enter, they are…dealt with.

Something different is coming. And there was the problem in itself. It was coming, not being taken.

This was wrong. This was not how it was supposed to be.

In the deepness of the tunnel…something stirred.

Chapter 1: StoryTime

The Spirit World… the world where the impossible is possible. Home to magical beings such as monsters, spirits, and of course, the Demon King himself. A beautiful, young girl had battled her way through it, and now stood in the castle of the Demon King. She was preparing to confront the cause of all of the hardships she had been through.

The doors opened and the Demon King had appeared.

"Give me my brother," she said her voice strong and determined. She would not bow down to this man, for she was as strong as he was, and maybe, even more so.

He stared at her face for a long moment. He walked towards her, and then placed his hand gently underneath her chin, forcing her to look into his face. "How you changed my world you precious thing," he said. "You've changed me. You have been able to reach me in a way that no one has ever done. I've struggled to understand you… I am near exhaustion. Why can you understand that everything I've done… I've done for you? I don't move the stars for just anyone. You've run for so long… and you've come so far… to me."

The young girl could feel her anger slowly fade away as she gazed into the Demon King's sad eyes. She reached up to take the Demon's Kings own claws and placed it on the side of her face and closed her eyes. She felt the warmth from his hand… the hand that had been the cause of all of her pain… the one that had caused the suffering that she had been through in the last half a day… and she knew that he spoke the truth.

"I do understand," the girl said simply. "I know that all that you've done is for me… and for that… I will always be grateful. But if you truly care… if you truly want to help me… then please… give me back my brother."

The Demon King removed his hand and walked pass the girl, avoiding her eyes. "Everything you have wanted I have done," he said to her. "You asked the boy to be taken away. I took him, so that you would become free from worry. You arrived here to find him, we were able to meet once again. I have reordered time. I have turned the Spirit World upside down, and I have done it all for you! And yet you want to leave me…"

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered," said the young girl. "I have fought my way here to your castle through the Spirit World. And now I am face to face with you. And somewhere along my journey I've realized that I have..."

A young woman now muttered the words, chewing her bottom lip as she thought carefully. Her long raven hair had been sloppily pinned back, and a crown of twigs and flower petals placed on top. The dress she wore proved to be just an old Halloween costume, slightly small on her. Her creamy skin shimmered with a light mist, a result of the early drizzle from earlier, and chocolate-brown eyes sparkled with suppressed stories and fairy-tales just itching to be let out.

"I love this next part," Kagome said to herself. She was reading out loud from her favorite storybook. She flipped through the pages, pass the conversation between the girl and the Demon King, trying to find a particular page. Once she found it, she then twirled around in her dress as she said, "It's only forever, not long at all." She looked back at her "Demon King", better known as her excessively obese cat Buyo.

"Maaoow…" he whined, trying to stretch his legs out but falling over instead.

"Oh, Buyo," she said, laughter in her voice. Her sneakers slapped against the clean courtyard ground as she jogged over to the cat, bending down to rub his tummy, and receiving a thankful yowl in response.

"Kagome!"

The girl quickly got up and looked back at the sliding doors to her home, spotting the source of the womanly voice.

"Yeah? What is it mom?"

"Your grandfather and I are going out now. I need you to come inside and watch Sota."

Kagome groaned. The last thing that she wanted to do right now was baby-sit her annoying little brother.

"Do I have to?" she complained, her twig crown slipping sideways over her head. "He's just gonna be in bed the whole time anyways…"

Mrs. Higurashi responded in her no-nonsense voice, erasing all thoughts of liberty (in the form of going to the movies with friends) while she was out. "Now, dear, you've been promising to do this for a while."

Kagome felt her temper slowly rise. "But what if I had plans? What about that?"

"Kagome," Mrs. Higurashi placed her hands on her hips, eyeing her rebellious daughter who still hadn't moved an inch. With a weary sigh, she wiped her hands on her apron and walked over, placing a hand on Kagome's cheek. "I'd love it if you had a date. Most girls your age should be going out. What about the Hojo boy? He seems nice…"

Kagome shrugged her mother's hand away angrily. She was changing the subject again. But knowing her mother, she wasn't going to be able to get a straight answer out of her. Kind and motherly the woman may be, but she had a will of steel.

"Hojo's not my type," she muttered as she brushed past her mother and inside her home. Sota, who'd heard everything, barely glanced up from the TV as Kagome flopped onto the couch, crossing her arms in front of her chest angrily.

"So…" he said, filling in the silence between them. "Who is your type then?"

"Ugh!" Kagome yelled, and walloped her brother with a nearby pillow. Sota was in hysterics. Walking over to the TV before he could protest, she yanked the cord out, and smirked at him.

"Hey…!" he yelled as she stomped up the stairs. "It was getting to the best part!"

Kagome went upstairs and slammed her bedroom door, listening smugly as Sota complained to their mother, only to have her chastise him for annoying his older sister.

"Besides, you can't watch TV all night."

"But mom!"

With a short, humorless laugh, Kagome flopped onto her bed, letting the mattress bounce a couple of times before coming to a stop. She screamed frustrated into her pillow, using it as a muffler so the rest of her family wouldn't hear her. When she was finished, she breathed in her own aroma, silently counting backwards from ten.

10…9…8…

Someone was coming up the stairs. Their footsteps were muffled through the door, but even then she could make out her mother's light pace.

…7…6…

There was a pause when she reached the top steps, as if she was trying to hear Kagome from the stairway and tell what she was doing. Kagome stayed silent.

…5…4…

With a sigh, her mother walked up the rest of the steps, then paused outside her door, still trying to hear her daughter inside.

…3…2…1.

-KNOCK KNOCK-

"Kagome? Are you in there?"

Kagome was half tempted to yell "No, I'm not! Go away!" but thought better of it. She didn't need to cause her mother too much grief tonight.

"…yeah."

"Can I come in?"

"…if you want."

Kagome, now facing the wall on the other side of her bed, heard the door open, then her mother's weary sigh.

"Kagome, please don't be like this…"

Kagome said nothing.

"Well… your grandfather and I have to go tonight. Remember, Sota is to be in bed by 8:30. And you have to give him his medicine before he goes to sleep."

"I know mom," said Kagome annoyed. She knew how to take care of her brother. She had been doing it since he was born. Her mother just put her hand on her daughters head in a loving way. "You know I could never do anything without you? I don't know what I would do if you weren't here." Kagome just gave her a small smile. Her mother just noticed the small book that Kagome had in her hands. "The Demon King," she said absent-mindedly. "Aren't you getting a little tired of this book? You read it almost every day."

Kagome picked it up and flipped through it. "I can't help it… I love this story."

"Did you ever thank Kikyo for giving it to you?" her mother asked.

"Of course I did," said Kagome in an offended tone. Kikyo was her favorite cousin, and she loved everything that she would give to her. She still remembered when Kikyo had given her the book.

-Flashback-

Kikyo was in town for the weekend and was staying at their house. She and Kagome had always been best friends, ever since they were little. She could tell Kikyo anything. She was a kind-hearted person, though it was impossible to tell what her feelings where. She was one of those people that would be good at poker because she was an expert at hiding her emotions. Kagome on the other hand, was the opposite. Kikyo once said that she was like a mood ring; because you always knew what she was feeling.

She and Kikyo were in the kitchen washing the dishes while her mother and grandfather were out shopping, and Sota was asleep.

"It must be hard for you to always watch Sota," said Kikyo as she dried a plate.

"Yeah," said Kagome unhappily. "It's not that I don't love Sota, it's just that… for once I wish that someone around here would ask what I want. You know? Sometimes I feel that my life would be better off if Sota wasn't here."

Kikyo gave her a serious look before saying, "Kagome, you should be careful what you wish for."

"I know, I know," said Kagome as she picked up another dish. "But I still feel like that sometimes. If Sota didn't get sick all the time, I wouldn't have to be here all the time. To tell you the truth, Kikyo… I really resent him. He's always sick and I'm the one who has to look after him. And he always wants to stay inside, so I have to stay in too. I'm tired of it."

"You know what you're problem is Kagome?" said Kikyo. "You take too many things for granted."

"What do you mean?" asked Kagome as she put down her sponge and glared at her cousin.

Kikyo merely continued to wash. "All I'm saying is that not everything is what it seems. You need to look pass the obvious. And above all… be careful what you wish for. You don't appreciate something until it's gone."

"You've been taking philosophy or something?" joked Kagome.

Kikyo just gave her that gentle smile that she loved. "You know? I have something for you." She then reached into her pocket.

"Kikyo you didn't have to get me anything," Kagome said drying her hands. "I still owe you for the great christmas present."

Kikyo just smiled again and said, "I found this in an old bookstore… and something just tells me that it belongs with you." She then pulled out a small, red and worn-out book.

"The Demon King?" said Kagome taking the book carefully and staring at the title.

"I know how much you love books like this and I thought that you would enjoy it."

Kagome gave her a big smile and a hug. "Thanks Kikyo. I promise to start reading it tonight." Kikyo just nodded. "Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"Just remember… not everything is what it seems; sometimes you have to look beyond to really see. Don't take anything for granted. And most importantly, remember that the fairy tales in books are what we read to children before they go to sleep. But living in one is a completely different story, and once the book is shut, nothing is a wonderful as we first thought."

"Kikyo," said Kagome slowly. "You're making it sound as if I'm going somewhere and might never come back." Kikyo shrugged. "I just have a feeling that I need to tell you this. Promise me that you'll remember it?"

"Of course I do," and she hugged her cousin again. They had finished the dishes and were heading into the living room when Kikyo spoke again, "Kagome?"

Kagome looked up from the plain title of the book, "Yes?"

"It's alright. You can tell people what you want too you know?"

-End of Flashback-

Kagome's mother had given her a kiss on the head before she left the room. There was a click of her door closing, then the sounds of her mother retreating downstairs. A brief goodbye to Sota, the door opening then closing, then a car starting up, and pulling away from the Shrine. Kagome stretched out on her bed and pulled her book towards her; she opened it to the very beginning and read, 'Where everything seems possible and nothing is what it seems.'

There is a place where things are sent when they are to be forgotten or taken away.

They do not go. They are sent.

This is important.

The passageway serves as a link between all worlds. Portals opened and shut, things were taken through and then swiftly moved out. Nothing ever entered the space of its own accord. And on the rare occasions that they did enter, they are…dealt with.

Something different is comimg. And there was the problem in itself. It was coming, not being taken.

This was wrong. This was not how it was supposed to be.

That part always gave Kagome the creeps. The worst part is that being alone in the shrine, always made it even more creepy. It was silent.

"Kagomeeee!"

Well, maybe not so silent. Kagome buried her head in her pillow again, in hopes that maybe her brother would forget about her and go to bed on his own. No such luck.

The door to her bedroom flew open, and Sota ran in, jumping on his prone sister.

"Ugh… Sota! You weigh more than Buyo does!"

She received a pillow in the face for that comment.

"Sis, can you tell me a story? Pleeeeeeeaaaaase?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, shoving Sota off her stomach.

"No," she said simply, and then flopped back over. Her hair had half fallen out of its loose bun, and the twig crown was painfully tangled in it.

"Please? I promise not to bug you… for now."

At least he was honest. "Will you take your medicine and get ready for bed right now?"

Sota considered for a moment, his face screwed up in thought. Finally, he reluctantly agreed. Kagome ushered him out of her room, shutting the door behind him, and then sat to her table lined against the wall across her bed.

After a long few minutes of painful hair tugging and muffled profanity, Kagome managed to wrestle the twig crown out of her hair, and brush it until it was glossy again. She lay her hairbrush down, and then smiled at the music box she'd laid it next to. It was a glass prism with five sides, showing five different views of the small doll inside.

Picking up the music box, Kagome wound the key at the bottom, and then watched as the doll turned with the tinkling music. The doll wore a long, yet plain, white dress, (similar to the dress that Kagome was wearing) and had silver flowers in her hair. It was one of the prettiest things Kagome owned.

"Sis?"

Her door creaked open, and Sota cautiously popped his face inside. He was wearing his ninja pajamas, and nervously fidgeted with his fingers while he waited for her. With a smile, Kagome followed him back into his room, shutting of the light in her own as she did so.

After tucking him in, Kagome kneeled on the floor next to his bed, scratching at the blue comforter as she thought of inspiration. The Demon King was her favorite story, as was Sota's.

"Once upon a time," she began, ignoring Sota's groan at the cheesy beginning. "There was a beautiful young girl. She lived with her family in feudal Japan, many centuries ago. Her mother always made her stay home and watch after her younger brother when she went out to work in the fields. The young girl loved her brother with all her heart, but she was very sad, because her brother was always sick and she had to take care of him. This meant the girl rarely ever had time to herself, except when she went out to get water or collect herbs.

One day, when her brother had gotten over a bad fever, she went out to the old well to get water. On her way there, she saw a demon leaning up against a tree, resting from injuries. She had never seen anyone as handsome as this demon. So she hid behind a tree and gazed at him for a long time. It was then that she saw that he had deep wounds covering his body, along with a green liquid that looked like it might have been poison. The girl knew that if he didn't get help soon he would die. So she mustered up her courage and went to him. Naturally, the demon didn't want anything to do with a human girl and tried to scare her away. But he had lost so much blood that he couldn't even stand up on his own.

She told him that she wasn't going to hurt him. She said that she wanted to help him. The demon told her that there wasn't anything that she could do to help and that she should just run home. The girl then left after that, but she didn't go home. She went to the well to get water and to pick herbs for the demon. She returned soon after that, and offered him the bucket of cold water; which he drank greedily. She could see that he was surprised that she had returned, and he stared at her as if he had never seen a human before.

The demon demanded to know why she was doing this. The girl replied that she wanted to help him. No other reason. She told him that he had poison in his wounds and if they weren't treated, then even a demon would soon die. After that, he swallowed his pride and allowed the girl to treat his wounds. Every day for the next few weeks, she would go to him, and she brought him food, water, and medicine each time. She would change his bandages, and give him special antidotes and over time, the poison was pushed out of his system. When she went to see him, they would talk for long periods of time. It was then that she found out that he wasn't a complete demon, but a half-demon. His father had been the Demon King of the Spirit World, who had fallen in love with his human mother.

His father had died recently and so the half-demon had just taken the throne, which meant that he was now the new ruler of the Spirit World. Not long ago, he had picked a fight with a powerful, evil demon and had been injured in the process. With his last ounce of energy, he was able to defeat the demon and fled here to rest. The girl was very surprised at this and she listened to him tell his stories about the Spirit World, the creatures that lived there, and his role as a Demon King.

She also told him of her life, how she wished that she would be free of all worry, and that she could see his kingdom in the Spirit World. The two of them had grown very close over the next few weeks, until the Demon King was well enough to leave. The girl had grown sad that she would lose her dear friend, but she knew that he had to return to his kingdom. But from that moment on, the Demon King would visit her village and watch her from a distance. He made sure that she was always safe and well. But the villagers had spotted him one day, as he was watching the girl. They had feared that she would become his next victim.

But what no one knew was that the Demon King had secretly fallen in love with the girl. No one had ever been that kind to him before, and she had been the only person to treat him as a living creature, since his own beloved mother. When the girl realized that the Demon King was watching over her, she would often leave and meet him beneath the tree where they first met. One night, when the brother had grown particularly sick, she turned to the Demon King for help.

"Say the right words," the Demon King said. "And I'll take the boy away with me, and you can be free." Ah! But the girl knew that the Demon King would keep her brother in his castle forever and ever, and turn him into a demon. So she held her mouth. But one night, when the girl was tired from housework, hurt by her mother's ignorance, and tired of having the village men asking for her hand in marriage, she could stand it no longer."

"Yeah? Keep going!" yelled Sota

Kagome glowered at her younger brother. So much for taking a break! "I want to get a glass of water!"

"You can get a glass of water after you finished the story."

With a flourish, Kagome stood up, arms outstretched and eyes flashing. Her voice thundered as she cried, "Demon King! Demon King! Wherever you may be! Take this child far away from me!"

At that moment lighting flashed outside the bedroom, and a thunderous BOOM had erupted, that caused Kagome and Sota to jump. The lights had gone out, leaving them in the darkness.

"Creepy," said Sota as they listened to the heavy rain hit the window.

"It's only a power out, Sota," said Kagome softly. "There's nothing to be worried about. That's strange. The weather man didn't say anything about rain tonight."

"When is the weather man ever right?"

"You make a good point. Listen, I'm gonna get a drink now, alright Sota?"

"Yeah… whatever… just hurry back."

Kagome bit her lip to hold back in the snarl, and walked briskly to the door. It took her a minute to find her way to the door, and to find the handle. Then she swung it open and stepped into the dark hallway, letting the door click sharply behind her. She leaned against the wood, feeling her temper slowly rise. Spreading her fingers against the doorway, she tilted her head to the left, her mouth near the crack of the door.

"Sometimes, I wish demons would come take you away…"

Then she rose off the doorway, and walked downstairs for a drink. If she'd stayed, maybe she would have heard the insane giggling coming from inside, followed by the sounds of a man chuckling.

"As you wish."