All you must do…

Is spread your wings,

And fly away…

Kagome hummed happily to herself as they finally reached the bustling village of Kyoto. It was so just so big! Being a miko and this being her first outing to a place with normal humans made this a huge new experience to her. There were so many colors and shapes and people! Long green sakura patterned furisode and kimono's fluttered in the wind. The houses were so much taller than the small huts she was used to being around, and made of wood instead of sharp stone. The earth beneath her feet was solid and flat due to being pounded over by feet all day and sometimes through the night. A black stall caught her attention. It had so many kinds of merchandise. There were red ribbons and green ones, flower prints and cloud prints. She was so caught up in her new discovery of ribbons and jewelry made her unable to notice the stares or how no one stepped around her.

Miaka cocked her head in confusion. Her mama was staring at weird colored strips of cloth as if caught in some sort of enchantment. She huffed, might as well go get room and board while her mama was being foolish enough to get caught up in such small matters.

Kagome gazed with starry eyes at the selection of jewelry in the black stall. There were so many designs and colors! But through the entire masse, she found her eyes being drawn to a small velvet box to the side. "Ano…what's in there?" she asked tentivley and unused to speaking to strangers.

"Some useless baubles that you can have for free." Kagome nodded and looked in anyway. Through the clutter of bloody white ribbons and moss covered green ones, something caught her eye. Reaching out, she pulled back a long blue ribbon longer than she was tall, and it was gorgeous! The entire thing was a kingfisher blue and extremely flexible but strong as well. But in the very center of the ribbon was a blue-white moonstone in the center of a red rose with a small fox made of silver wrapped around the entire thing. She simply stared in amazement at the ribbon and bauble, something about it was…enticing. It was like an item from a memory from far away.

"How much is this?" She asked holding up the long ribbon and fox-flower charm

The man snorted, "You want it, and you can keep it."

"Huh, why so…free?"

The man scratched his balding head and looked at her with earnest brown eyes, "It's said to be cursed."

Kagome tilted her head a bit confused, "How can something so beautiful be cursed?"

He glanced from side to side as if telling her a big secret, "It's said that it was worn by a winged being, a tennyo, when she died." Kagome made a small sound of agreement. She was about to leave and take the free item when she paused and looked back at the man. He was dressed in heavily worn and patched up clothes, and what was left of his hair was shaggy as well. Giving a slight bow, she outstretched her hand to place it on the table and turned away with a small thanks.

Myoga stared in shock at what the young miko had left to him. It was a small pile of silver which was enough to pay for his home and finally bring food home to his wife. He nearly fell in surprise and relief, and then frowned in worry. Such a kind spirit was usually eaten and destroyed, in these times if you weren't strong or selfish you normally ended up someone else's food… Silently he prayed to the Moon Tennyo, or at least that was what the miko in the story was known as because the name was never known. He had prayed to her as his last resource seeing how all others had failed him.

Kagome smiled brightly as she stopped to put on the long blue ribbon. It was velvety soft to the touch and fitted just right. There was some different magic on it for sure, she could practically feel it. Oddly, unlike most magic, it didn't make her eyes water or give her the urge to sneeze… it felt like it was… A love magic upon the beautiful ribbon. Shaking her head at her stupidity, Kagome scanned the crowd for Miaka only to find a swell of villagers coming to her and shoving her towards the other side of the village. Feet stomped above and below her in a frenzied state. Someone had accidentally, or so she hoped it was, had broken two of her ribs by stepping on her, and her leg was bleeding horribly from a bad cut.

Kagome walked around dazed while clutching her injured side tenderly. She had somehow become deposited in the middle of the forest it seemed when the only sight was an endless mass of trees. She stumbled around at first confused and a bit discombobulated and then looked around.

"Trees check. Water, no check. Lost, check. Entirely screwed? I sure am," Kagome muttered to herself as she walked through the forest. A sudden feeling made her straighten. The feeling of pure evil, like a dark mist, was creeping around. She swore to herself upon realizing she had given Miaka her bow and quiver when the little girl had told her she was going to find a room at an inn. It crept closer and Kagome tried not to shake in fear. Memories of her last mission started reappearing.

Blood, lots of it, gallons of it, littered the hard frozen ground. The bodies of her teammates lie still and unmoving but for the rise and fall of their functioning lungs. She had been so terrified that she had passed out, she was sure of it. One minute she was paralyzed by fear, the next she was lying on the ground dazed and covered in blood…

Kagome shivered as the presence got closer. Even if she wanted to she couldn't out run it, so the only thing she could do was wait for it to come to her and see what she could do. Suddenly a spray of red burst into the air. Kagome's eyes widened even more if possible when she realized it was her blood, and she hadn't even felt it. Suddenly she felt a slight tug at her left shoulder and expected the spray of blood red mist.

She felt the ground underneath her shift as she tried not to lose the contents of her morning meal. Pulling back the hand that had been pressed in blood Kagome blanched at the large amount of blood covering it. She felt an unexplainable rage start to well up within her, but for some reason it suddenly stopped. Almost as if witnessing a dream, Kagome saw vines creep out of the youkai and witnessed the spray of blue blood before she finally gave into her inner compulsions and allowed the world to fall away from around her. As her body gave away, she noticed a sudden flash of red and stared at something vibrantly green before the word faded to black.

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Something was on Youko's nerves to say the least; at the most, he was being an annoying ass. Upon asking what his problem was, Youko simply mentally glared at him in agitation before quickly turning away.

Trying again to ask what had frazzled the fox, he irately asked, 'Youko's what's so irritating that you won't even tell me?'

Youko just gave him an agitated glare before responding ~She's near us, in Kyoto probably~ Kurama's eyebrows shot up in surprise at that. Instead of searching for her, she came to him, and fairly quickly as well at that. He felt her curiosity and wonderment through a barely existing link. She was entirely enthralled by something and had ended up getting it.

Unexpectedly, a subtle scent floated out towards him. It was what could only be called an innocent scent. It was of the soft milky scent of a mother with a newborn infant, of sweet flowers and gentle nights, and of gentle rain, morning dew, and cascading waterfalls, and it made him feel need. Need to find her, need to protect, need to always be by her, need to posses.

Then, like a bucket of cold water, he noticed the feeling of one of them. A kin who had gone astray in his search for his mate was somewhere in the forest and stalking her. A sudden surge of jyaki from Youko nearly sent him reeling. He was pissed for reasons unfathomable. Then the sent of blood wafted to him on a passing breeze. Kurama felt a primitive urge crash over him. It was highly unusual, but now he understood Youko's anger.

Someone had hurt her, and badly if the amount of blood in the air meant anything. His feet were already crossing the uneven ground as fast as they possibly could in the form he was in. Kurama reached the clearing in time to see her left shoulder get sliced open. His teeth started to lengthen into feral fangs as he watched her struggle to stay standing after another blow to her side.

He immediately noticed the one who was harming her. It was one of the younger kitsune who had chosen to switch sides and turn into one of the soulless monsters that preyed upon the living. Youko could feel the mental sag in Kurama and surged forward just before the other fox could do more damage to his mate. He wasn't sure if it was Kagome from that time so long ago, but he had to make sure she was okay and alive when he finally got a good look at her.

Not even caring to notice exactly how the other fox died, Kurama lunged forward to catch the girl as she fell. Grasping her, he was surprised to see her eyes still fully open, and shocked to notice they were blue…

~Kagome! ~

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The horrible throbbing in both of her shoulders and her leg woke Kagome. Opening her eyes, Kagome immediately noticed that she was in a dark cave illuminated by some kind of glowing moss. Something warm was wrapped around her and holding her to its chest. She started to freeze up, what if it was some kind of perverted hermit! A gentle vibration caused her to pause in her frantic thoughts. It felt almost like a back massage and she nearly slapped herself when she realized that she was relaxing into the strong chest.

She felt strong arms tighten around her…

Feeling lightheaded, she tried to sit up only to stop. Kagome was sure that the person thing or animal had just growled at her. Sighing, she relaxed sure of the fact that he wouldn't hurt her. She glimpsed red hair, but the feeling of the youkai was so familiar, like the one in her dream. Suddenly alerted, she tried to turn only to find she couldn't… a sudden thought wrenched at her heart what if it was…

"Youko?"

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Sorry for the short chappie, but I've been in a rush for a while!