A/N: Hey everyone, I'm actually still alive and kicking! Since I'm on vacation at the moment, I found some time to write, so I went looking for my motivation - found that nasty bugger hiding under a rock, had to threaten her with bodily harm since she wouldn't come out. Anyway, here's chapter two - we finally get to meet the rest of the main protagonists. I've also written a couple of lines for The Flower, I might be able to update that story within the next two weeks (next chapter is gonna be a long one). And that's all from me for the time being, have fun reading =)

Misfortune

It could have been much, much worse, or so Kagome kept telling herself repeatedly as she surveyed her new home. Her father, a wealthy merchant, had been unlucky in his last dealings, and lost a lot of money. He had been forced to sell his mansion to pay back the money he owed his partners, and the family had moved out of town. A friend of his had helped him acquire a smaller house at the edge of a larger village. Unfortunately, they had only been able to keep a small part of their staff, the others had left to find employment.

Kagome didn't miss town that much, she never had been a social butterfly, anyway. As for her sisters – while Sango managed to deal with the changes rather well, Kikyo had been terribly disappointed.

Even though they were sisters, all of them were very different from each other. Kikyo, at 25 the eldest, was a great beauty, and a lady in every sense of the word. Men fell over themselves to be in her good graces, yet she had never found one to be worthy of her time. She also possessed great spiritual powers, and could purify a youkai at a touch.

Sango, aged 21, was the tomboy – she should have been born a man, everyone agreed on that. She loved swords, riding and running around wearing armour. Her parents' attempts at turning her into a lady had failed miserably, and Sango greatly enjoyed being different. Out of the three, she had been the only one who had not inherited their mother's spiritual powers.

Kagome, who had only recently turned 19, had always been somewhat overshadowed by her sisters – not as beautiful or gifted as Kikyo, nor as strong and fearless as Sango, she had constantly struggled to find her own path. While her mother had instructed her on how to use her powers, her training had been cut short – and Kagome hadn't been able to bring herself to find a new teacher. She had practised archery, as well, but again wasn't as good as Kikyo. Kagome had stopped really expecting anything from life a couple of years ago – she was content with whatever good happened to her, and her family.

She was clearly her father's favourite – he couldn't really deal with Kikyo's obsession with fashion and other pretty things, and Sango was too straightforward and bold for his tastes. Kagome could be pretty headstrong and stubborn herself, but was much better at hiding it – and more subtle in her machinations.

As for her relationship with her sisters – Sango had always been protective of her little sister, while Kikyo had never shown much interest in her – the age difference and her lack of patience being the main reason. However, everything had changed the day their mother had died.

They had been attacked by youkai – several of their best men had fallen in an attempt to protect them, and, even though her mother had managed to purify several, she had been unable to save both herself and her little daughter. Kagome had survived, though injured. Her mother had perished.

Ever since that day, Sango's protectiveness had increased, she hardly let Kagome out of her sight anymore. Kikyo, on the other hand, blamed Kagome – if not directly for her mother's death, she did blame her for surviving. Their relationship had deteriorated afterwards, and nothing, it seemed, could reconcile them. Even though they lived in the same house, they acted as if they were strangers. It was slowly killing Kagome.

However, now, their lives had changed – if for better or for worse remained to be seen. But Kagome was quite willing to see things in a positive light, and determined not to give in to despair (and ignore her sister's exclamation that that the world would end if she couldn't find a hairpin to match her newest kimono).

Kagome had quickly fallen in love with the garden, but, since it was already late autumn, she could not spend as much time outside as she would like to.

Despite the initial difficulties, they settled quickly into their new home, and everyone eventually got used to their new life. Kikyo soon became the center of attention of all the single (and some married) men in the village – safe for two.

The local priest, Miroku, was apparently smitten with Sango – he would spend as much time as he could spare with her – and half of that groping her. Kagome wasn't quite sure that man had chosen the right profession, or maybe he was simply an idiot – for Sango retaliated by hitting him and sometimes even knocking him unconscious. However, that only halted his advances momentarily, and, after a while, Kagome had begun to suspect that maybe, this crazy man enjoyed being beaten up by her sister.

Then again, men seemed to be stupid as a whole – for she had one to deal with herself. A young youkai-lord held the surrounding lands, and had most graciously allowed humans to settle here. He was an ookami by the name of Koga. His character was actually much like Sango's, he just had a lot less class and taste than her sister. Kagome would have never guessed he could actually be anyone of importance – he had certainly not appeared like it.

And for some reason Kagome couldn't fathom, Koga had developed an unhealthy interest in her person. She had no idea what it was that drew the youkai in, and she had already tried several times to let him know she wasn't interested – however, Koga was either extremely dense or extremely stubborn, and she didn't want to hurt his feelings, either. She did like him – just not enough.

Kikyo had actually called Kagome stupid – if she were to become his mate, she would have been a lady, and her family would have benefited from the whole affair – and it wasn't like they couldn't use any help. However, Kagome had no intentions of binding herself to someone she didn't love for all of eternity just because her sister was unhappy with her lot in life (and wanted her out of the house).

But, apart from all that drama, things were finally looking up – their father had made a new acquaintance, and this might very well be the turning point in their lives. All that was required at them moment was a journey of a couple of days to meet with several merchants and finalise the deal. He had made some clever trades lately, and things were looking up.

Before the merchant left, he asked his daughters what kind of presents he should bring back for them. Kikyo wished for a new kimono (though she did understand it would be nowhere as pretty as her old ones), and Sango asked for some new armour, since hers had been damaged beyond repair. When asked what she wanted, Kagome smiled faintly and asked him to bring back some sakura blossoms for her.

Humming softly to himself, the merchant slowed his horse to a walk and patted the stallion's neck affectionately. His dealings had gone quite well, and he had every reason to be in a good mood. He could hardly wait to reach his home, and tell his daughters the good news. However, something irked him – while he had already procured the gifts for his older girls, he had no idea how he was supposed to find sakura blossoms in the dead of winter. Or why Kagome, who by no means was an idiot, asked for something that was, at least at the moment, impossible to obtain. The merchant shook his head. Kagome sometimes was an odd one.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, and the merchant noticed some rather ominous clouds on the horizon. Praying to whatever kami was listening at the moment, he urged his horse forward, hoping to find shelter before the storm hit.

However, his prayers went unanswered, and soon, he found himself completely lost in a world of blinding whiteness. He could no longer tell north from south, or even if he had been going in circles. His situation was, in short, desperate.

So, he considered himself the luckiest man alive when he came across what appeared to be the walls of a castle. Turning to ride alongside the fortification, he soon reached the gates, which – much to his surprise – stood open. He briefly considered that this might be a trap to lure in travellers, but, unless he got warm soon, he would freeze to death, so his options were really very limited. Keeping his eyes open for anything that might move, he slowly advanced into the courtyard.

It was eerily quiet, as if not a soul lived here, but all the merchant cared about for now was to find someplace warm and dry. He would worry about everything else afterwards.

He found a building that might have once been a stable and led his horse inside. He had some food left and could provide the stallion with a meal. He seemed just as glad to be out of the freezing weather, and snorted contently.

After making sure his horse was well taken care of, the merchant headed over to the main building, to find whoever resided here and ask for a place to stay, and a meal. However, as he wandered the hallways of the castle, he was met only with silence. No-one answered his calls, there were no guards, no servants, nothing.

However, the house didn't look abandoned – there were no cobwebs, and the whole place was spotless. It was all very strange – for, even if the lord of this castle should have left, he would have left some servants and guards behind to look after things in his absence.

Assuming that someone had to be there, he called out once again, stating his purpose and asking for a place to stay the night, lest he freeze to death. Once more, he was met only with silence, but then, suddenly, he thought he had seen something move a the far end of the corridor. He quickly hurried after the shadow, but could never get close enough to actu ally see his strange guide.

Soon, he found himself in front of a small room that was lit by candles. Food had been prepared on a small table, and in the corner sat a comfortable-looking futon. With a soft smile, he thanked his silent watchers, and made his way inside.

The food was delicious, and warmed him from the inside out. Seeing as how he had ap parently been granted permission to stay, he went looking for the hot springs after the meal to clean himself of any grime and dirt, and to get warm properly. When he felt he had soaked long enough, he returned to his room, and soon went to bed.

The next morning, he found that breakfast had already been provided for him, and he smiled to himself. Maybe this place had been put there by the kami, he mused, and he was immensely thankful.

He was elated to find it had stopped snowing sometime during the night, and the pale sunlight of a winter morning illuminated the frozen world. Getting home through this much snow would be troublesome, but things were looking up. Since he didn't assume anyone would come to bid him farewell, he exited through the door leading out into the gardens and made his way to the stables.

He rounded a corner and stopped dead. There, right in front of him, grew a tall sakura tree, and it was covered in blossoms.

The merchant's breath left him in a whoosh as he took in this divine miracle. Granted, there were plants that grew even in the dead of winter, but he had never seen a sakura tree do the same thing. And, even though a terrible storm had been raging last night, the tree seemed completely untouched by it.

Awed, he moved closer to inspect this oddity, a smile lighting up his face. Truly, this had to be the work of the kami.

Suddenly, he remembered Kagome's wish, and he felt thrilled at the prospect of finally being able to fulfill it. He reached up with a gloved hand and broke off a tiny branch covered in small pink blossoms.

And almost jumped out of his skin when a feral snarl ripped through the serene silence.

He spun around to face the one causing this noise, and almost yelped in fright. There, in front of him, stood a creature that was hideous – not in the way low-life youkai usually were, but because of the fact that this one clearly was one of the stronger ones – but he had lost much of his beautiful, human-like appearance.

His eyes, for one, were red, and filled with fury. Long fangs protruded from his upper jaw, and the markings on his face were jagged – well, those that weren't hidden under the abundance of silvery-white fur that seemed to cover most parts of his body. Actually, his hands seemed to be the only part of his body completely free of it. Speaking of hands – they had dreadfully long claws. And his face didn't look normal either – it seemed like a cross between a dog and a human.

Gulping, the merchant took a step backwards, which only caused the creature to stalk closer.

"How dare you steal from me", it snarled. "I allowed you to stay, I had you fed and clothed – and this is how you repay me, filthy human?"

The merchant paled. Apparently, he had just run into the castle's lord.

"I – I beg your forgiveness, my lord! I really meant no offense."

"Oh, you didn't? Did you not realise that this tree is special? Or have you come across other blooming trees in winter before, hm?"

"Yes, I did – and no, I haven't. But, I wasn't thinking - "

"A common fault with humans, it seems. However, this is no excuse. You have damaged something precious to this Sesshomaru – you will pay the price."

He flexed his claws threateningly.

Feeling terror overcome his senses, the merchant dropped to his knees and fell flat on his stomach in the snow in hopes of placating the demon.

"Please, Sesshomaru-sama, have mercy! My family needs me – without me, they have no-one to support them! I never even meant to come here, I got lost in the storm, and my daughter asked me for sakura blossoms, so - "

"Your daughter, you say?"

"Yes. I'm really, terribly sorry, she asks for so little, and I just wanted to see her smile..."

"Sit up."

The merchant was quick to follow the youkai's orders.

"I might... be persuaded to let you live, human", he said while starting to circle around him. "I will trade your life – for your daughter's."

The merchant spun around to face the monster.

"You want – no! There is no way I will give her up for my sake - "

"Did you not say that your family needs you? Or do you expect your daughter to take over your position, should you not return? Furthermore, this Sesshomaru believes you are in no position to argue. You will return to your home, and you will send your daughter here. If you should fail to do so, I will have you killed – and your family, depending on how furious I will be with you."

"H-hai, Sesshomaru-sama."

The merchant bowed his head. Luckily enough, the demon had no idea where he lived, so he might be able to take his family and escape in time... as much as he hated the prospect of having to start over again so soon, Kagome's life was much more important to him than all that.

He suddenly noticed a strange gleam in the youkai's eyes, and his lips turned up into a smirk.

"InuYasha!", he bellowed.

With a wave of his hand, the lord told the merchant to stand as he headed back towards the house. Just as they reached the door, a younger man came out – he had the same silvery-white hair, but his eyes were golden, and he had little dog-ears atop of his head. He looked pretty ordinary, for a hanyou, that is.

"What?", the hanyou demanded gruffly.

"You will accompany this human to his home, and retrieve his daughter. The one that wanted the sakura blossoms."

InuYasha's eyes zeroed in on the branch the merchant was still clutching.

"Oi, you broke off a branch off the bastard's tree? You're lucky to be still in one piece."

Sesshomaru sighed dramatically.

"Language, InuYasha. One might think you had not been raised as my brother."

"Keh. Whatever. How do we get to your home, and how long will it take?"

"I don't know – I got lost in the storm, so I don't know which way to go..."

"Well, where do you live? Surely you must at least know that."

"In a small village in the territory of Koga, leader of the wolves."

"To the east, then. Man, I really don't want to go anywhere near that mangy wolf, I hate his guts", he growled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"That is unfortunate, little brother. However, you will have little choice in that matter, as I don't see myself leaving this castle anytime soon."

Something seemed to pass unspoken between the brothers, and InuYasha relented.

"Keh. Fine. You owe me big for that one, Sesshomaru. I'm gonna go change, meet me at the gate when you're ready, human."

With an air of defeat around him, the merchant went to fetch his horse. The prince returned soon enough, clad in red clothes and carrying a sword. However, he wore no shoes, despite the freezing temperatures.

"Is something the matter?", the hanyou asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Ah – no, I was just wondering if you needed any shoes, InuYasha-sama?"

"No. I always felt they would just get in the way, so I never wear them, unless someone forces me to."

The merchant had a feeling that "someone" was called Sesshomaru.

"Anyway, let's go, we're wasting daylight here."

The merchant nodded and mounted his horse. The hanyou led the way, taking great bounds across the snowy landscape. Horse and rider followed as fast as they dared.