Note: this is not an Alternate Universe story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha (sadly)

"Hurry get up out of bed before Lady Kikyo comes."

The girl yawned and sat up in her small, old bed. It barley held her up, let alone the stranger who had just sat on it.

"I'm up, I'm up," she said sleepily and threw off her torn sheets, placing her feet on the dusty ground. She stood and stretched out her arms, moaning softly. "You slept in today, don't worry though, I didn't tell anyone else." A soft smile appeared on her face. "Thanks Rini." The smaller girl beamed and skipped out of the room.

The girl was 17, but you would have never known from, her appearance. She was skinny, unhealthily skinny. Her ribs were visible under her shirt and she was slightly boney. Her skin was pale and dirty. Uncountable cuts and bruises were scattered all over her body. Patches of dirt were on her cheeks and arms. Her clothing was nothing but rags, torn and ripped in various places. She had long raven black hair that she tied up in a messy pony tail. Her chocolate eyes were filled with sorrow, their gleam had been lost long ago.

When she stretched her arms out again her shirt collar fell a little, revealing two small holes on the side of her neck. An unmistakable youkai marking.

Her feet shuffled on the wooden floor and creaked when she stepped on the unsteady floor board. She subconsciously yanked up her shirt, putting it back in place. The smaller girl came up next to her again, holding a basket. "I already took care of all your rooms for you. I know that you like to get fresh air so I asked if you could collect to food today," she smiled and placed the straw woven basket in the girl's arms.

"Thanks Rini. I don't know where I'd be without you," the girl smiled faintly and continued walking down the large hallway. "It was no problem," Rini said and blushed from embarrassment. The small girl was immune to the sad waves that the 17 year old was giving off. Either that or she chose to ignore them.

A long pause swept over the two of them, though it was not uncomfortable, just silent. The hallway split in two and rini stopped the girl. "I'm on washing duty so I have to go left. I'll see you later, ok?" The girl nodded, excusing Rini from her presence. Once she was out of sight the girl forked right down the castle's hallway.

Home to 277 rooms, she was almost surprised that she didn't get lost. Of course at first she did, but over time everything was easy to remember. 55 guest rooms, 14 bedrooms. A library, lots of sitting rooms, 17 bathrooms. 3 dining rooms, a kitchen, an in door garden, 2 music rooms. A play room, balconies, art rooms, writing rooms, 28 servant rooms (which counted one of hers), and a pool table room. There was a washing room, but that didn't really count.

The girl made her way down the stairs and out of the front doors without anyone noticing her. The bright sunlight blinded her momentarily, but her eyes adjusted quickly. Her bare feet stepped over the soft grass, causing some dew to dampen her feet. Lush green surrounded her, tons of trees, plants, and miles of fresh grass. The castle master owned acres of land, stretching out for miles on end.

Forest covered most of the land, though there was also a lot of open ground. The barn was located behind the castle, the pasture far in front of it. There were lots of horses, and farm animals, including sheep, cats, dogs, chickens, and cows. Other animals lurked around as well, like an occasional fox or stray.

She carried the basket lazily in her right arm, it swinging softly by her leg. She sighed, her eyes glazed over in unknown emotion. Sadness, loneliness, regret, even peaceful at one point. The girl made her way down the invisibly marked path, but did not go in the desired direction. Instead she processed toward the east part of the castle.

She let out a small sigh once a wooden square came into view. She picked up her pace, dropping the basket in the process. She rushed over next to it. "The bone eaters well," she whispered softly to herself. She leaned over the edge, only to see her face reflect back at her. Water was filled in it up to the brim. It was not a shock to her, in fact it would have shocked her if it was dry. The well had been filled with water shortly after it stopped working for her, which was after the Kaede's village was destroyed.

She gently ran her finger tips over the surface, causing small ripples to drift off, hitting the sides. She sighed again, old memories filling her mind.

!#$&()+

"She's an odd one, that Kagome," an older women said who was sitting next to Rini. "She's had a rough past," Rini said sadly. They both were in the washing room, ringing out clothes. Rini dipped hers back into the soapy water in the bucket. "She lost everything Tetsu," Rini said to the older girl.

Tetsu was just like Rini and Kagome, skinny, raggy clothing. Rini was only 14 with black hair that came down to her bottom and had violet eyes. She let her hair down, not tying it up. Tetsu had short, chin length hair and dark, almost black eyes. Both had pale skin and dirt patches.

"Yeah, well, we all have," Tetsu scoffed. "She needs to get over it." Rini gasped and froze in the middle of what she was doing. "How can you be so heartless!" she exclaimed, more of a statement verses a question. Tetsu snorted. "She's been here for a year now and hasn't changed a bit." Rini snorted and concentrated back on her clothes, which were now dripping all over the floor.

"Some of us had it harder than others," she sighed.

Rini had known Kagome for some time now. She had joined up with her a few years back, she was the only one who knew her true story. Kagome never spoke much, unless she was spoken to first. Rini, an orphan, had found Kagome and her cousin, Miroku. The only way you could tell that they were related was their violet colored eyes.

Everything happened so fast, Kagome was scarred for life. She would probably never be the same. Rini, herself, hadn't witnessed what Kagome had, but she had heard from Kagome. Not only that, but she had seen the after scene.

Tetsu flapped a wet shirt absently in the air, a feeble attempt to dry it out. She looked over a Rini who was still lost in thought and growled with frustration. She tossed it on the clothes line and went back to work with the now silent Rini.

It's a short chapter, I ment to make it longer, but hey things change. The story will come along, things will clear up. For now. . . .

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