Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. Somehow I know that if I did, I would end up pissing off a whole lot of fans. And there's nothing more scary than a mob of angry fans. I also don't own NeverWinter Nights… but if I did, I would make a sequal, and allow people to play as half dragons. Sry… I'm a nerd…

Nights in Never Winter

By CrimsonFang (Rob Casilio)

Ch-1 An almost forgotten friend

Kagome clicked lazily around the screen, her little charicter moving across the tavern. She sighed and moved her charicter to the bar. There were, as far as she could tell, no friendly faces in the crowd. She also noticed that she was the only female in the bar, besides one of the bartenders. She sighed and sat down at the counter, setting her bow down beside her. She ordered a light ale from the only female bartender, and glanced cautiously around the room. Kagome was, to say the least, an attractive girl, no more than seventeen years old, and she often attracted the attention of unwelcome guests. She had been the victem of muggers, theivs, and rapists. That was how she came to be here, if you take my meanings.

Five years ago, Kagome was living peacefully in her families shrine, having the life of an ordinary girl. Well, as ordenary as it could have been. She was one of the few humans with devine powers. Her grandfather, who, in his younger years, was a powerfull monk who had long since mastered his holy powers. Kagome's powers were a bit different from his, though. They weren't Kai based like a monks, but spirit based like those of an elf. Nevertheless, her grandfather had figured out how to teach her to channel her energy into her arrows. At twelve years old, she was already running circles around several of the boys at the temple. She remembered one in particular who she had become good friends with. He was an odd young monk. Skilled with a staff and sutra cards. He also had an unusal gift. From his right hand, he was able to cast a Wind tunnel spell that sucked in low level enemies or enemies with little health remaining.

It had been five years since she had seen anyone from the shrine. She shivvered at the memory of the day the day when her life had come crashing down around her and she was forced to become a drifter. She remembered that dark figure, with those blood red eyes. She felt the hot tears roll down her cheeks, and she lowered her head. She remembered the screams. The screams of her mother. The screams of the children. She saw her grandfather's body lying face up on the temple steps. He had been impaled by his own staff. The children were screaming, locked inside the burning house. She felt the dark figure's arms wrap around her and the blade press up against her throat. The steel was still warm from her mother's blood. She felt his hand move up her body, and she was helpless to fight back as her innocence was ripped from her. When it was all over, the dark figure was gone, and the shrine had been burned to the ground. She was bleeding, bruised, and naked. With blank eyes, she looked through the destruction. She found a Miko's Kimono and her bow and arrows lying buried under the smoldering wreakage. Silently she had dressed, slung her quivver and bow, and walked off.

sHe had walked in this same state of shock for five and a half days before she collapsed from exaustion. When she had woken up, she was in the house of an old Miko, a human with powers like hers. Lady Kaede took her in and for the next two years and trained her in using her powers to their full potential. Once she turned fifteen, she had set out into the world, swearing revenge on the dark man, who she had been informed was named Onigumo.

Kagome took the last sip from the glass and set it down with the other three empty glasses on the counter.

The bartender sighed and shook her head. "every adventurer who comes in here seems to have some horror story about their past. They just like to drink it away, I guess."

Her voice stirred Kagome from her trance. "huh?" she had not noticed that at some point during her flashback, she had downed four glasses of ale and begun thinking out loud.

The bartender sighed again. "I almost wish something like that would happen to me. Sometimes I get so tired of watching the advanturers and want to become one."

Kagome smiled softly. "Trust me, you'r much better off behind that counter watching the travelers come and go than being out there fighting for your life on a daily basis."

The bartender only snorted. "you spend some time behind here listening to all the tales of tradgedy and tell me i'm better off."

Kagome was about to respond when a hand fell softly on her shoulder. "Excuse me miss. I couldn't help but notice you'r beauty when you walked in."

Kagome turned around to see the face of a young man about her age. His short black hair was tied up in a small pony tail at the base of his neck. He wore the usual purple robas of a monk and carried a staff. He spoke casually, his eyes tracing her body before settling on her face.

"would you bear my… Kagome!" his voice almost cracked out of surprise.

Kagome sat dumbstruck on her barstool. She might have recognised him sooner if she wasn't drunk. Her eyes scanned his face for a while, but drew nothing but blanks. Then his right arm came into focus. It eas wrapped in a purple cloth and leather bracer, encircled with sutra beads. Something clicked in her mind. "Meroku!" she gasped.

The monk pulled her into a tight hug. "I…I thought you had died in the fire with the rest."

His features went blank. He sighed and sat down next to her. "I almost did. You're grandfather protected me. "Another round, please" he said to the bartender.

She walked over to collect the gold. Miroku eyed her up and down. "And I'v got a proposition for you."

The bartender raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Will you bear my children?" he asked casually.

The bartender turned bright red and walked away stiffly.

Kagome Puncked him off of the stool. "Same old Letch… I was woundering why you haven't tried to grope me yet."

Meroku'r eyes lit up a bit at the thought.

"Oh, yeah, that'r right. You were afraid that I'd beat the living…"

she was cut off by Miroku's laughter.

"What? What's so funny."

Miroku attempted to speak but failed, and just shook his head.

Kagome forced a smile and laughed nervously when she realized that she had been shouting at the top of her lungs.

Several of the patrons were staring at her, some annoyed, some intrueged, and some looking at her with intensions that made Kagome shivver.

Miroku noticed her discomefort and put his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, lets go somewhere private. I'v got a room upstairs." Kagome nodded and followed him.

Well, that's the first chapter of my first story. i hope you like. heh... i'm a huge RPG junkie and NWN is by far my favorite. hade to do an InuYasha version. don't worry, the whole thing won't take place in NWN. it will fade in and out of reality and NWN more and more often as the story progresses. well, you know the drill, reveiw and more will come. thanks to all who read and reveiw.

- CFang