CHAPTER I – A WELL, A DEMON, AND NEW BEGINNINGS
Mandie looked at her watch and pounded on the front door of her new friends' house. "Kagome open up, we're going to be late for school again! KAGOME! As she pounds away on the door she happens to see something out of the corner of her eye, its Kagome running towards an old run down building a few feet away from the main house. Mandie turns and picks up her backpack from off the ground. "Hey Kagome wait up schools about to start we don't have time to play around."
When Mandie reaches the door to the building Kagome just went through she finds the place empty. "Hey Kagome where'd you go? Oh wow it's an old well house how cool..." Mandie looks around for a moment and then a thought comes to her. She pears over the edge of the well "Kagome are you down there you didn't fall and get hurt did you?" Mandie quickly surveys the well house once more and notices there is a bit of rope tied to a rock sticking out of the well. After making sure it can hold her weight she climbs into the well and starts her slow decent. By the time she reaches a few feet form the bottom the rock is wobbling dangerously and Mandie can feel it tipping. "Oh crap." Mandie squeezes her eyes shut and falls the last few feet lading with a thump and a soft "oww"
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Shippo's ears twitched as he took a bite of his apple. "Hey did anyone else hear that?" Shippo puts his apple down on the blanket and walks towards the well; the others are to busy talking to notice that he moved. When he leans over the edge he lets out a little shriek "Kagome, Kagome there's someone in the well!" Instantly Kagome and the others rush to his side and InuYasha draws his sword. "Stand back Kagome I'll take care of what ever demons in the well this time." As he raises his sword over his head Kagome screams "SIT BOY!" and he falls to the ground, his sword transforming back into a piece of junk. Kagome looks over the lip of the well and nearly faints. "Mandie is that you?"
Mandie nods her head and then realizing Kagome probably won't see it shouts up. "Yeah I thought you fell in here but I guess I was wrong, Kagome who was that little boy with the fake ears on?" Kagome laughs nervously "Lets get you out of there first then I'll explain." She runs back over to where her backpack is and pulls out a coil of rope like the one that was tied to the rock. "Here climb up with this." She hands the rope to Sango and Miroku and throws the remaining part into the well.
When its low enough that she can reach Mandie grabs hold and slowly starts to climb up. It takes a few minutes but when she reaches the top and climbs over she almost falls back in. Sango and Kagome grab her and pull her forward causing her to land face first in the grass. "Again oww but at least I didn't fall back in thanks." She blinks a few times and then looks at the people surrounding her. As she stands she grabs hold of Kagome's arm, "Kagome most of these people look normal, but what's with the kid with dog ears and the boy with a tail?" she whispers. Kagome Sango and Miroku laugh but InuYasha as normal gets mad.
"What the hells so funny you got a problem with my ears or something you stupid human!" Mandie lets go of Kagome's arm and walks towards him she stops a few inches away and even though she's a few inches shorter, looks him right in the eyes. "What did you say dog breath?" "I said you're a stupid human got a problem with that?" he glares at her with a look that would have wilted trees. By this time the others aren't laughing anymore and Shippo nervously walks towards the girl "Umm… I wouldn't do that if I was you InuYasha doest have any problems hitting kids so I don't think he will not hit a girl…" Mandie doesn't even look at him as she responds, "oh so not only does he have dog breath but, he's also a brutish little brat huh." InuYasha raises his fist "You better watch your mouth human I've got no problem pounding on a smart mouthed little brat like you." Mandie, to the shock of everyone but Kagome laughs. "Oh yeah right you couldn't hit me if you tried and even if you could it wouldn't hurt, go ahead and hit me…if you can." She laughs again and waits for him to move.
"Umm… Kagome shouldn't we put a stop to this InuYasha could really hurt her" Sango whispers as they watch the two. Kagome shakes her head "Mandie can take care of her self watch" she whispers back. Just as Kagome says this InuYasha brings his arm down to punch Mandie on the top of her head as he has done to Shippo may times. Mandie for her part merely grabs his arm, dances around him so its twisted behind his back, and kicks out his legs so he falls to the ground and she can stand with one foot on his back. "Like I was saying dog breath you cant hit me" Sango and Miroku are in shock staring with there mouths open and Kagome is shaking her head "Ok Mandie let him go I think his prides been hurt enough for one day." Mandie smiles at Kagome innocently, "Oh I was just having a bit of fun Kagome". She however releases his arm and walks back over to the others.
"My name is Mandie Cotto; I'm an exchange student from America nice to meet you all." She bows slightly to them in greeting as InuYasha jumps into a tree mumbling something about showing little stupid humans a thing or two. Miroku is the first to step forward but before he can speak a figure steps into the clearing surrounding the well.
"What's this InuYasha defeated by a human girl, how shameful could you be any more pathetic? Your not even worthy of wielding the Tetsaiga why don't you just hand it over now." InuYasha jumps from the tree he was in and spits, "Sesshomaru you have your own sword why don't you be happy with that and leave us alone" Kagome shouts from the where the humans and Shippo are standing. InuYasha doesn't bother with words but goes straight on the offensive and attacks with his sword. Before the blade can reach him Sesshomaru withdraw his Bakusaiga (see A/N) and blocks the attack. After that the battle is on and the humans and Shippo (a safe distance away) continue no with there breakfast like nothing is wrong.
"So umm... Kagome not that I mind watching your fried there get his butt kicked, but who is that guy and why are we just sitting her instead of helping him?" Kagome takes a bite of her rice ball and swallows before answering "That's Sesshomaru, InuYasha's older brother, there always fighting so we just leave them alone since it normally ends in a draw anyway." From the other side of the clearing away from the battle a little girl sticks her head out of the bushes. "Hi Kagome" The others smile at the little girl and motion her over "Come have some breakfast Rin," when she sits down near them Sango passes her some rice and an apple "I wonder how long the fight will last this time." Rin shrugs her shoulders, "I don't know Miss.Sango Lord Sesshomaru seamed extra mad this time." Mandie looks between them confused, "Waite I'm confused" she points to the girl Rin "your on this Sesshomaru's side" she points to Kagome "but Kagome your on InuYasha's side…so why are we all eating breakfast together?" Everyone laughs and Mandie's faces starts to turn red. Finally Miroku answers "we don't have anything to do with the fight between InuYasha and Sesshomaru, nor does Rin, so you see there's really no reason why we couldn't be friends with her." Mandie's face turns an even deeper shade of red "oh… sorry Rin" Rin smiles her typical crooked toothed smile at her "Its ok who are you by the way, I've never seen you with Kagome's group before." Mandie smiles and her face returns to its normal color, "I'm Mandie Cotto, I umm… just came here today for the first time…" Rin smiles again "ok", and goes back to eating.
Hearing laughter both fighters shift a bit of there attention to those eating breakfast, that's when Sesshomaru really notices the new person with them. In a matter of seconds he takes in her long dark brown hair, her gray blue eyes and her curved figure, but its not only the physical things he notices, and as InuYasha launches an attack, he jumps over it and right in front of the girl. Before she can even scream Mandie's eyes lock with his and she faints. Sesshomaru grabs Rin with one arm and the girl in the other, "You can keep the tetsaiga for now InuYasha, but I will be back for it later." In a flash both the girls and him disappear.
InuYasha curses and plunges his sword into the ground "That damn Sesshomaru one of these days I'm going to kill that bastard! The others stand and everyone quickly starts packing. "We've got to find her quick who knows what Sesshomaru plans to do with her." Kagome franticly stuffs things into her bag "InuYasha come on hurry up and get your sword out of the ground!" InuYasha huffs and does as told "I don't see why we have to go after them; he'll show up sooner then wanted anyway." Kagome straightens up, the fury evident on her face, and InuYasha pails, "sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, SIT!" By the time the dust settles, there is a crater about five feet deep with InuYasha in the middle and they have to wait until he is able to walk again to leave.
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Miles away deep in the woods hidden so no one can find them Sesshomaru, Rin and a little imp named Jakken who had waited there for them all look down at the girl who Sesshomaru took. "My lord she is pretty but why did you take her and what are those strange things covering her eyes?" If the demon intended to answer he never had a chance because the little imp spoke first "shut up Rin cant you see that lord Sesshomaru is concentrating?" A few hours later when the other two have lost interest at watching the girl Sesshomaru speaks, "Jakken Rin go to the village down bellow us and buy this girl something to wear, her clothes displease me." "Of course lord Sesshomaru at once, come on Rin, get a move on you lazy girl." Together the little imp and girl walk down to the village, and its after sunset when they return with a beautiful black and dark green Kimono.
About half an hour after they return when the moon is fully risen, something begins to happen to the girl. The others gather around to watch as a crescent moon not unlike Sesshomaru's appears on her forehead and two ears grow from the top of her head. When she opens her eyes and sits up she rubs her head "oww what happened this time did I fall back in the well?" "Oh she has a tail too!" Rin rushes forward and as Mandie looks back she screams causing Rin to drop her tail in shock. "Oh I didn't hurt you did I I'm sorry!" she jumps away from the girl and hides her face behind a tree. Mandie, who is shaking shakes her head, "No you didn't hu…hurt me Rin but … why… why do I have a… a… a tail?" Rin shrugs her shoulders "I don't know but you have ears to and a mark like Sesshomaru's on your forehead, only it green not blue." Still shaking Mandie reaches up and feels her head when she feels the ears there her vision starts to go blurry. "O…ok will someone please tell me what's going on before I faint again?"
Sesshomaru answers her "You are half dog demon, a mutt like my brother, but different some how, when I first saw you I smelled no demon blood in you, it wasn't until we locked eyes that you began to smell like a true demon, now I doubt if anyone could tell you apart from a true demon by your smell." He turns to Rin "Rin give her the Kimono" Rin jumps up and hands it to Mandie as told.
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A/N: For anyone who doesn't know Bakusaiga is a sword that, when Sesshomaru's left arm was regenerated (yes it does happen read the Manga) manifested in his hand. It's power is akin to the Tetsaiga, but in this story I'm making fluffy greedy, so he wants both.