MC: Hey guys, MC here! I just wanted to say thank you for clicking on the link and giving this story a chance. I'm a rookie writer, so please be patient and understanding to my lack of awesomeness towards this writing thing. If you really like the story, follow me on Twitter - the link is on my page.

Well, enjoy!

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Disclaimer: I will only post this once - I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha, Disney's Mulan, or...well...anything for that matter, except for the characters I have created (who probably won't even be in this story) and my somewhat intelligent mind.

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Chapter One

It was cold - too cold for Hakku's tastes. He narrowed his eyes against the stinging wind, biting back a bitter remark against his lord as he and his companion, Ginta, climbed the steep, rocky slopes of the mountain. Reaching up to grab a hold of a rock, he sighed, sending up a flurry of snowflakes that had somehow collected on his sleeve.

I know the barbarian's lair is somewhere around here, Hakku thought grudingly, ignoring Ginta's yelp of surprise as he placed his foot on the rock his companion had grabbed a hold of. As he reached up, feeling for another hold, he thought about his lord's instructions.

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"Ginta, Hakku. I'm trusting you with this mission. Go find the barbarian and his followers, and give him this message for me."

A small scroll no bigger than his hand suddenly appeared next to Hakku's polished black shoe. He narrowed his eyes at the harmless object, feeling a weight on his gut that felt suspiciously like dread. "Do not open it - keep it safe."

"Yes milord." Ginta and Hakku said simutaneously, bowing low. As they rose, Hakku snatched up the scroll, roughly shoving it into his sleeve before following Ginta towards the exit.

Feeling someone watching him, Hakku cast a glance over his sholder, his dark brown eyes landing on the curtain that hid his lord from everyone. It looked sheer, but was a solid lavender color. The only indication that his lord was even there was because of the sillhouette.

"Is something wrong, Hakku?"

Starting, Hakku's eyes widened slightly. "N-no, milord." He sputtered, giving a hurried bow before quickly dashing through the doorway and out of sight.

…

Thinking back now, Hakku couldn't remember ever seeing his lord because of the curtain. What is he hiding from...or whom?

Before he could even blink, two pairs of hands suddenly seized him by his biceps, and he yelled in surprise as he was suddenly hoisted into a cave. He landed on the hard, stone floor with a grunt, his eyes screwing shut in pain as it traveled from his wrist to his elbow like an electric shock.

Ginta landed next to him in a heap, howling as a loud crack came from his ankle. Hakku pushed himself on all fours, ignoring the pain in his arm as he struggled to push Ginta onto his back. "Ginta, are you okay?"

Chuckles reverberated off the cavern walls, and Hakku stopped, his eyes wide as he looked up. They were surrounded, their captor's silhouettes dark against the light of the fire that blazed from behind them. Even though their faces were hidden, Hakku was sure they were all smirking evilly.

"W-who are you?" Hakku asked shakily, his voice slightly squeaky from shock and fear. One of the nearest men chuckled, rubbing his hands together as he took a step towards him. His skin was darker than any of the others, and was bald, a tattoo taking place of his hair. "Don't worry, little mouse, we won't kill you…yet."

There was another round of laughter, and another guy stepped over to them, picking up Hakku by the front of his shirt before snarling in his face. "What are you doing in our lands?"

"T-This land belongs to h-his l-l-lord Taisho!" Hakku stammered, his eyes watering from pain as the man shook him fiercely. "Wrong, mouse! This area belongs to our Lord Naraku!"

"Cease your teasing, men." A sultry voice echoed through the cave, causing the men to straighten up. Hakku was released, and landed on the floor with a whimper.

"You have a message for me from Lord Taisho, have you not?" A tall, thin form stepped forward from the back of the cave, mahogany eyes glittering against the fire light. His black hair fell in waves around his shoulders, blending in with the black cloak he was wearing.

Hakku shook violently as he tried to stand, tears running down his face. His arm had swollen, and his wrist had turned and angry purple color. Hissing as he reached for the small scroll tucked in the safety of his sleeve, he tossed it onto the floor in front of the man. Dark eyes stared down at the scroll, a smirk appearing on his face. "Well, this is certainly good news." He scooped the scroll up gracefully, gliding over to the fire before throwing it into the fire. "I believe it's time to pay the old man a visit."

He turned suddenly, his eyes hardening as he froze Hakku with a piercing glare. "Go to your lord. Let him know I'm coming." the man spat, turning on his heel and moving towards the back of the cave. "Leave the other one. To be a high ranking soldier, you must be competent enough to go deliever the message yourself, hm?"

…

It was a beautiful summer morning as Kagome stepped out onto the stone pathway, her blue eyes gleaming in happiness as she caught sight of her mother walking with her grandfather through the garden. "Good morning Mama! Jii-chan!"

The pair looked at her, waving and smiling happily, but there was something about the way her mother looked at her afterwards before turning away that made Kagome's heart skip a beat. She shoved the weird feeling away, however, when a commanding whinny came from the stables. Kagome turned, rolling her eyes as she saw a calico-colored horse was staring at her, stomping impatiently on the ground. "Good morning, Buyo."

The horse whinnied again, snorting as Kagome reached the paddock, patting the silky nose gently. "You're ready to run, aren't you?"

"Kagome!"

Turning at the sound of her name, Kagome saw her grandfather going into the house, and her mother was coming towards her, a small smile on her face. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Okay." Kagome answered, smiling as Buyo breathed on her neck, causing her to giggle. "Buyo, stop!"

"Kagome, I need to speak with out about something."

Kagome stopped, her smile fading at her mother's serious look. "Mama, is something wrong?"

Before she could answer, there were frantic yells from the house. "Sakura! Kagome! Come quick!"

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"How is he, doctor?"

The tall man with the graying hair sighed, taking the offered seat from Sakura as she placed a steaming cup of tea in front of him. "Do not fret, Sakura, he's doing well. But, he seems a bit stressed…did something happen recently that might have put any pressure on him?"

"Well…a few weeks ago was the two year anniversary of Kane's death." Sakura sighed, pouring her own cup of tea before sinking down into a chair next to him. "The children miss him dearly, especially Souta. Kagome is holding up on her own, and has sort of taken Kane's role for Souta since he's been gone…it'll be sad to see her go…"

"When is her appointment with the Matchmaker?"

Sakura hung her head slightly, tracing the rim of her cup almost guiltily. "Tomorrow morning…"

"And good thing, too." A new voice said, and Kagome's grandfather appeared, his bushy eyebrows slanted downwards as he looked at his pale-faced daughter-in-law. "Sakura, it's for the best."

"But Jii-chan…" Sakura was cut off with a wave from her father-in-law, his determined expression catching her by surprise. "She's almost twenty-one, Sakura. She's almost too old to marry, and if she doesn't marry soon, she'll bring dishonor to the whole family!"

There was a thump from the hallway, and they all turned to see Kagome flying past the doorway towards the stairs, tears falling down her cheeks. Sakura moved to stand, but was stopped by Kagome's grandfather. "You know it's for the best."

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It was dark inside the room as Kagome slipped inside, gently closing the door behind her before lighting a nearby candle. There was a rustle of blankets from the bed, and someone sat up, brown eyes wide. "Mama?"

"Shh, Souta, it's me." Kagome said soothingly, moving towards the bed. She set the candle on the bedside table before sitting on the edge of the bed, ruffling her brother's hair affectionately before smiling. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess." Souta sighed, letting Kagome gently push him back against the bed before looking at her quizzically. "Why are you crying?"

Kagome just shook her head, running her fingers through her brother's hair as she bit her lip. Should she tell him? Deciding against it, for it might possibly stress him out, Kagome smiled softly at her brother. "Souta, do you want to hear a story?"

"Umm, sure." Souta said quietly, looking over at his collection of books. If it was anything else he loved more, it was books. Kagome gave him a bright smile, shaking her head slightly. "How about I make one up?"

"Okay." Souta sat up slightly. He liked hearing Kagome's stories when she made them up – they always seemed to make more sense, like she had lived them. "What is this one about?"

"Hmm, let's see." Kagome mumbled, tapping her chin in thought. Souta chuckled at this, laughing harder at the comical expression of triumph. "Once there was a beautiful princess, who really didn't want to be a princess. She loved being outdoors, and every chance she had, she went outside, walking through the palace's lovely gardens.

"Well one day, she overheard her father and his generals talking about going to war. Now, the princess knew that her father was growing very old, and believed that he was weaker than he used to be from lack of training. When she asked her father to not go to war, to let someone else go in his place, he scolded her for butting in his affairs, and sent her to bed, not speaking to her.

"So that night, when everyone in the castle was asleep, the princess stole away from her room and into her father's study, where a set of majestic armor was there, laid out for the next day. It was all shiny from being freshly polished, with beautiful symbols and markings on it, and laid beside it was a beautiful jeweled dagger, with a large sword to match that was longer than your arm.

"With the dagger, the princess committed an unspeakable act – she cut her beautiful long hair to boy's length, put on boy's clothes, and stole her father's armor and weapons, before leaving the palace on her valiant steed."

Kagome paused for a moment, smirking at Souta's shocked expression. "Wow, Kagome, I hope that you never do that. Your hair is so long and pretty." He reached out to grasp a lock of hair, feeling the silky smoothness of the raven-colored strand before smiling up at her. "Kagome…"

"Kids, are you in there?" The door opened, and Sakura appeared, looking worn out as she saw Kagome and Souta looking at her. "It's time for bed, kids."

"Yes, Mama." Kagome and Souta replied, Kagome less enthusiastic. She kissed Souta's head, whispering goodnight before standing up. Souta suddenly reached out for her hand, grasping it and giving it a weak squeeze before letting go. Kagome smiled lovingly down at her little brother before leaving the room, unknowing that her mother had seen the whole thing, and that it had made her feel even worse than before. Oh, Kagome…

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