Red isn't only Blood by Kayrin

Prologue: Shattered heart and sorrows of the invisible

While they had been walking in the forest she had sensed Kikyou's shinidamachu. The others had not noticed and she had meant to tell them only if the insects got too near. Fortunately that had not happened...they remained distant as if waiting for somebody to notice...she could've just guess who.

Her mind had been wondering more than often on how the hanyou felt about her and at the end she had understood she was only a shard detector. She had cried herself many times because of him. She loved him...and now her heart was dying because of him. Somehow, someway she had managed to resist all this, not pretty sure why she cared.

She had become rather strong, now to her Kikyou's strength was nothing special...they were equal in power now. Despite that the miko was the one who made her suffer the most. Being told everytime that she was only Kikyou's reincarnation was like getting stabbed 100 times at the heart.

She smiled sadly to herself, too bad the hanyou didn't understand this. She had looked in the direction where he was and had seen he was in deep thought too; probably thinking about that rotten corpse of Kikyou.

Some time after without even looking at her Inu-yasha had stopped and had ran away. Some shiinidamachu had came near and he had tracked them just as the rest of the group had. She wasn't surprised. When Kikyou was near, Kagome disappeared, she became invisible. After all she was but a mere replacement. She had closed her eyes, she had wanted to cry but she wouldn't, she had sworn to herself all the crying was over. She had always been strong and she wasn't going to change now. There where other times to despair for such things, she needed to practice more with her bow now. At least if Kikyou came to claim her soul she wouldn't manage.

Knowing how to protect herself had became useful to make her suffering lighter. After Kikyou's rebirth Inu-yasha had saved only the dead priestess he saw in her. The look of protection he had whenever she was attacked made a part of her content, but deep within her, she knew he didn't see her and that made her feel bad. So bad she couldn't express it with words. When that happened her heart died for a second. She had wished many times for death, but against her will it became alive again because life was knocking again at it's door with the horrors of everyday's shard haunting.

Not being helped by Inu-yasha had took a bit to get used to, but at the end it had been for the better, the pain in her heart now came only when he met with Kikyou and it didn't happen so often. That was what she had forced herself to think all the time, but she knew it wasn't true.

Sango and Miroku had been some meters away from her. They understood when she was in need to be alone, they were the only ones who understood. There had been Shippo too but he was only a kid. She thought of him as a little brother to keep care of, but when it came into her feelings, her problems...he was too young to understand. He had been playing with Kirara at the back of the group and she had to smile seeing the nice scene.

Sango was her best friend, even though they didn't have many things in common they had become very close one to the other. She knew Sango's secrets and Sango knew hers. Miroku was an important friend too. As strange as it could sound because of his innate perversion, he had helped her when it came to Inu-yasha. It was a bit thanks too him and Sango she didn't feel lost inside anymore.

She had lifted her head from her feet and had stared at the sky. She had wished to be able to fly, fly away and return when she wanted. No more Inu-yasha, no more Kikyou, no more Shikon no tama, no more Naraku, no more of everything.

Deep in her thoughts she had not noticed Sango had came near her. She had told her if it wasn't the case of going to see if the hanyou was doing some stupid things. In fact he had a shard he always insisted on keeping with him...one she had found under the goshinboku. They had not wanted him to generously done it to the miko. She ran as fast as she could not caring about her shouting friends behind her who where yelling for her to slow down. She had been following the youki of Inu-yasha, Kikyou and her shiinidamachu and couldn't possibly go wrong. When she had arrived to where whom she was looking for was, she froze.

She had known this for a long time but seeing it with her own eyes had made it more painful. She wanted to turn, run, cry, hide in her own world, but none of those options seemed to fit at the moment. Her mind was blank, she had only been able seen the one she loved kissing and swearing to protect a dead corpse, or better, Kikyou. Her heart had shattered into so many pieces she doubted anybody could repair the damage caused. A single tear had rolled down her cheek and had sealed her heart behind thick, strong walls. That had been the day when everything had stopped to matter.

Too happy within his lovers arms Inu-yasha had sensed her presence just now. When he had turned to look at her, his face had the expression of a kid who had just been found stealing biscuits from the kitchen. She had felt pity for him, he couldn't leave his past life behind. His will to live had been really weak after all. She didn't know if he knew what he had done...she didn't care. All she had wanted was to die. Then, if her soul was reincarnated again, from somewhere else, she'd prey that that person wouldn't suffer much as she had. She had looked at him with indifference and had slowly turned the other way knowing she was out of place. She had heard him call her name but it didn't matter. Inu-yasha had become really part of the past now. She had decided to go on searching for the shards on her own, she didn't need him anymore.

Due to her despair she had ran so fast that she could've been mistaken for a youkai. She had not been afraid to be alone in that era , she had grown up from when she had first came through the well and could now make it on her own in Sengoku jidai.

When she had been distant enough from the place where her heart had been thorn apart she had stopped. Night had started to fall. The wind had sounded like the howling of wolves and the moon had looked like an eye looking at the world from above. The shadows had been starting to cover everything bit by bit, as if blackness had been eating up all that surrounded her.

Although she had sworn she'd never cry again while running to find a shelter, her eyes had filled with tears. She had gave up on everything for him. Her family, her friends, school, life, her time...and what had he done? He had betrayed her.

Her hair had been sticking to her face and she'd been having problems seeing where she was going because of a strange fog there had been around for a while. Only when she had stopped to concentrate to find a cave of some sort she had noticed it was raining. For how much had it been? She had not been able to make it out. One thing had been sure, she had been running for a lot of time. Her muscles had been screaming out in pain and she had been socked too. Despite her physical state instead of a shelter she had somehow felt a weak youki of a child nearby and had ran towards it.

By the weakness of the energy the kid had been probably nearly dead. Who she found was a small girl, eight or nine years old, not more. She had on a simple red and blue kimono. Her hair where loose but tied by one side in a funny short ponytail. She had a big slash on her stomach probably caused by a youkai.

Taking the girl in her arms she had concentrated all her remaining energies and had placed her hand instinctively on top op the wound. She had felt the warmth of her hand transferred to the coldness of the child's body. A weak yellow-orengish light could have been seen between her hand and the girl's wound. The slash had closed, no sight had remained of the previous hurt and the girl's skin had turned to it's normal color. When she open her eyes she had called Kagome Sesshoumaru-sama and that had took the young miko by surprise. This girl knew Sesshoumaru? She had asked the girl her name and she had told her she was called Rin. That had been all Rin had said, probably too shy or weak too talk. The kid had then fell asleep and she had looked over her for all the night.

Once she was sure the child was feeling good enough she had placed her under a big tree and when she had woke up she had told her to stay there until Sesshoumaru arrived. She had thought he would arrive soon. He was youkai after all and even with this weather he had no problems in finding what he was looking for. The idea of leaving the girl with the taiyoukai had not been really appealing but the kid had smiled widely when she had misunderstood her for Inu-yasha's brother. She had deduced she was treated well and that the she was fond to him. That had sounded like the right decision to her. She had created a barrier around the girl which only Sesshoumaru could pass in case any other youkai attacked her. She could well remember the youkai's youki and creating such a barrier had not been difficult. His ki was strong but not overpowering; just strong enough to make you fear him. The child had not protested and then had thanked her. She had nodded slightly with her head while smiling to the young girl.

Without her realizing it, the blackness of the night had left the space to the light of the day. The first night of lone shard searching had ended. For the whole night she had not thought about Inu-yasha and she couldn't figure out if it was a good or bad thing. A part of her had felt as if forgetting him was the same as betraying him herself as he had done, but a part of her had thought that this was what he deserved. Too bad that had been the weakest part of her. She had been feeling as a traitor and really selfish... So lost in her thoughts she had not paid attention to where she was heading and had simply walked away .

Rin had been sitting under the huge tree wondering. Who was that girl? She had looked like an angel. She had told her, her name was Kagome. Her lonely figure walking towards the sun as it rose was beautiful, yet something... Her hair had been flying in the wind just as her wierd dress and had made her seem like a girl of a painting. She had looked like a god and had been surrounded by a mysterious invisible light...