The Edge of Night by Elizabizzle

Chapter 1

Lightening streaked across the sky as it's brother still boomed. The rain had yet to fall. The dark clouds gathered overhead but did not fill the sky. The full moon was still visible, its milky glow bathing her in its ethereal beauty.

Memories...

Anger...

Sadness....

Fear...

Longing....

Loneliness...

She left them all behind. Her mind drifted to the stars as she leapt through the tall grass. The only thing she was aware of was the silky material of her dress. She felt it fly around her ankles. The scarf she held in her hands fluttered wildly behind her, wanting to be released. She tightened her grasp and kept on dancing, oblivious to the strong wind that blew.

The grass was soft beneath her bare feet as she twirled around in this empty field. Nothing was in her way here, no hills, no boulders, just the trees that edged along the border. She closed her eyes. She heard the trickle of the stream nearby, the haunting sound of the wind as it blew through the trees.

Eyes still shut; she stopped her twirling and leapt off her feet. She spun in the air, felt her hair slide across her face and neck. Then the soft earth was beneath her again, she continued this dance.

It felt good... to just let go. To get away from the complications that surrounded her on a daily basis. Or for her on a nightly basis...she mentally berated herself. She pushed the thought from her mind, not wanting to remember, not yet.

Suddenly she stopped and opened her eyes. She was just inches from one of the boundary trees. She reached up slowly with her right hand, and vaguely noted the scarf was wrapped around her wrist and a little up her arm, and lightly traced the tree bark with her fingers, feeling the grooves of the worn tree.

"I wish I could see this whole field in the daylight," She whispered longingly. She felt the pull of desire to be a normal girl once again.

Shaking her head softly, so that her dark hair spilled over her shoulders, she turned around and slowly started to walk back.

"That's never going to happen, so I might as well stop wishing." She whispered to herself. She sighed wearily as she thought of what it would be like to be a normal teenage girl with normal teenage problems; boyfriends, malls, shopping, going to the beach on Spring Break, parties, etc. But she couldn't. She never could.

The sound of water rushing over rocks caught her attention. She glanced to her left and saw the faint shimmer of the moonlight reflecting off the water, and a sad smile grazed her lips. She recognized the little stream that flowed into the lake on her property.

Most nights she would take her little boat out into the water and lay back. Just letting it float out in the middle, letting the water rock the sides. Her smile faded into a saddened look. She would lay in it for hours, gazing up at the moon and star lit sky, making wish after wish. But they never came true.

But on nights of the full moon she liked to come out and dance in this field. She loved to dance. Her dream of becoming a professional dancer would never come true. Not for a woman like her.

She took up painting in its place. Normally she painted landscapes. Her specialty was paintings of the moonlight against the lake. She would sit for hours at the widows' walk of her house, and paint until the first peeking of dawn, and then she would go inside.

She sighed deeply as she continued to walk, oblivious to the pair of molten amber eyes watching her.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He had been on his way back to his castle in the Western lands when he saw a young woman dancing in the moonlight. He watched from under the cover of a tree as she twirled and spun in the open field.

He had almost missed her, but his ears caught the sound of her graceful landings, and his nose caught the scent of cinnamon sticks and vanilla. He had turned his head towards the sound, and was caught by the fluttering of what he thought was moonlight, but it was nothing more than a piece of cloth. His eyes followed it towards its source, the hand of a human woman. He had stopped under the tree then. A human out at this hour...

He knew he should leave; that this human girl was not worth watching. He watched as she started to walk faster, and then broke into a run, starting to dance again. But this time he noticed she lacked the enthusiasm she has when he first found her. She didn't seem to have her spirit in it. A subliminal message went off in his head. He should go. But his legs didn't seem to want to move. Something in the way she was carrying herself, made him stay put. She seemed sad, lonely. But she seemed as if she was battling those emotions, like she was used to them. Kami knows he was only if you didn't count the little green nuisance of a servant.

He pulled himself from his reverie and watched the human. 'Now!' This time, his legs obeyed and he started to turn; but just as he did, he caught the girl in his peripheral vision, slipping into a shadow of a tree. Surprisingly enough, he found himself eagerly anticipation her re-entry. But, she did not appear.

He let out his breath slowly, having not been aware of holding it. He cursed himself mentally. There was more important work to be done at his palace.

"Why are you spying on me?"

Damn the moisture in the air. It was blurring his senses. The voice came from behind him and he slowly turned around, coming face to face with the girl he was watching.

He didn't answer her, and instead parried with a question of his own. "What are you doing on my lands, human?"

He had planned on his words to come out harsh but his voice was calm with a trace of astonishment. For some reason this woman intrigued him, and he found himself curious to know why. He studied her carefully, his ears catching the sound of her breathing.

Now that she was up close, he was startled by her appearance. Her slim figure was one of which he knew most women would kill for. The silky red dress hugged her frame, drawing out her milky-white skin. The color of moonlight, he thought. Her dark ebony hair fell straight down her back, to the backs of her knees, with golden stripes. But what really caught his interest were her eyes, a swirl of gold and black, full of passion, wisdom and kindness. For a split second he thought he caught a trace of sadness, longing. But as soon as it was there, it was gone, and her soft voice broke his thoughts.

"I was just dancing. I love the moonlight and I come to this field often when I need to.... get away." Her voice was gentle, and it struck him how bold she was. Most humans and demons for that matter would tremble at the thought of him even speaking to them. But this human was just answering his question. She walked past him, and he caught the scent of cinnamon and vanilla emanating from her. She turned and looked at him, slowly walking backwards out from the shade of the tree, and into the silky moonlight.

She looked him over slowly. He had handsome features, with silver hair that barely grazed the floor, its silky locks shimmering in the moonlight. He wore a white, silver, and red kimono under chest and shoulder armor. She could tell by the way the armor and clothes fit him, that he had well defined muscles. Her gaze swept over the empty sleeve, and she noticed that he had no left arm. She didn't seem shocked, and she didn't stare at it, like most people did. Looking up at his handsome face, molten amber clashed with golden black.

"Are you Lord Sesshomaru?" She asked quizzically, her expression that of mild curiosity.

For a moment he was stunned, although he didn't show it. No human dared to speak his name, along with most demons he knew. He considered not answering her and just walking away, but he found himself answering her instead.

He looked down at her and sneered. "I am," He said tonelessly. "Name yourself, human." His amber eyes never left her dark gaze. She stopped walking. The breeze toyed with a couple strands of her dark hair; bringing it across her neck in a seductive motion, then back behind her again. She took another step back, her hands clasped behind her, her scarf fluttering in the breeze. She seemed shocked that he wanted to know her name; that he cared.

"Kagome.... Kagome Higurashi," She said softly, casting her gaze downwards. Suddenly, he found himself mesmerized by the human girl. It wasn't just her unorthodox beauty; it was her attitude, her voice. She seemed as if she didn't have a care in the world. But her dancing earlier had shown otherwise. But if she felt the emotions he picked up earlier, she had a strong way of hiding them. But then, he could relate. He knew how important it was to hide your emotions from someone else. He had done it all his life.

His ears twitched as he heard a squeal. One of his servants was looking for him. The held each other's gaze for a moment longer, than he turned his head back to look behind him. When he turned back around, she was gone. Her scarf lay on the ground. He picked it up, feeling the soft material run along his fingers.

Now the only proof of her appearance, (besides the scarf), was the lingering scent of cinnamon and vanilla in the shadows where the moonlight didn't reach.

"Humans," He said coolly. All thoughts of the girl were pushed into the back of his mind as he turned to meet his little green servant.