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Apologies and notes:

Hello, yes people it's me, DKOS. I know that it's been years since I've first posted my other story and to all those people who were eagerly awaiting an update I apologize. I won't go into detail but I would like to say that back then I was too young, and not seriously dedicated and mentally-disciplined enough to even consider doing something like writing on a regular basis. But the years have gone by and I've grown. I am now ready to start writing again and I am already working on another chapter for my first story.

But 'till then I hope that this will tide you over.

I was reading some of the newer manga episodes, then some of the earlier ones for the heck of it and this scene popped into my head.

What would happen if Naraku met Inuyasha BEFORE he got stuck to the tree?

Naraku's Bad Timing

Feudal Era, 50 years pre-story, Day of Narku's Scheme/Kikyo's Death

Today was a good day, a wonderful day even. Hell, this was the best day EVER.

Such were the thoughts that were running through the head of our favorite Half-Demon, Inuyasha. Because today was the day that Kikyo had agreed to meet with him and share the Sacred Jewel with him, allowing him to become human and finally find his place in one of the two worlds that he stood at the crossroads of.

Yes, today was a good day indeed.

It was such a day that Inuyasha couldn't wait, so he had decided to head to the meeting place early, maybe he could even pick some flowers or something for Kikyo while he was waiting. Yes, he was feeling so happy that he was considering abandoning his Tough-Guy attitude for a moment to do something thoughtful for a change.

What a day.

Finally arriving at the clearing Inuyasha spotted Kikyo, who had arrived earlier than he had, apparently as excited about today as he was.

He was just about to call out to her when he saw it, a red shape dashing towards her, planning to strike her when her back was turned. He was running towards her, but he knew that he would never make it in time.

"Look Out!" he cried, fear filling his heart after it had been hardened for so long. Startled, Kikyo turned around, seeing the threat but knowing that she wouldn't be able to notch an arrow in time. Doing the only thing she could Kikyo swung her bow, filling it with spiritual energy and managed to deflect her attacker, but her arm was badly wounded in the process, blood shooting out of the wound in a violent spray as the injured Miko fell to her knees, partly due to the force of the attack and pertly because the pain caused her legs to give out.

"Kikyo!" yelled Inuyasha, increasing his speed, and, without realizing it, blurring like his brother had so many times when he was beating the daylights out of him during their encounters.

As Inuyasha finally arrived he stood protectively in front of Kikyo, claws bared, a furious look on his face, ready to maul the person that had attacked the woman that he cared so much about. But when the attacker looked up both he and Kikyo drew back, shock on their faces. For the one who attacked Kikyo was…

"…Inuyasha…" the name slipping from the Miko's lips in her shocked state.

Needless to say, the real one was not amused. "Hell No! This bastard isn't me!"

"Indeed" spoke the imposter. "I am not that worthless Half-Breed" Whoever this was (We all know who) he was already pissing Inuyasha off.

"Just who the hell are you, pal?" demanded Inuyasha, barley restraining himself from attacking, not wanting to leave Kikyo while she was defenseless.

"You may call me Naraku" as he spoke the imposters form shifted, seeming to melt. Soon, in place of a red-clad hanyou there was a fair-haired man wearing a baboon-pelt cloak.

But Inuyasha was not done with his questioning; "Why did you attack Kikyo? And why did you look like me, you shape changing bastard?"

"Why should I tell a Half-Breed like you anything?" was the calm reply that Inuyasha received.

Before Inuyasha could start cursing, and he knew a LOT of curses, Kikyo, who had been staring at 'Naraku' with speculative eyes from her kneeling position behind Inuyasha asked a question that brought both part-demons to a pause: "Onigumo, is that you?"

"Humph, so you recognize this heart even when it's incased in such a shell. Indeed, Onigumo does dwell inside me." Was the reply that Naraku gave.

"How has this come to pass? How is it that you can walk after being so scarred from your burns only days earlier?" demanded Kikyo.

"As I told you, I am Naraku, not Onigumo." Said the demon in question, "But I shall humor you. As you must know, Onigumo was a wretched human being, with a soul darker than even a demon's. Everyday, when you came to him, cared for him, he was tormented, seeing the Shikon no Tama's keeper so close but being able to do nothing. He wanted nothing more then to steal the jewel that you guarded and then take you as his own."

As he spoke a growl erupted from Inuyasha's throat, his bangs shadowing his eyes. Smirking at how the tale was affecting him Naraku continued.

"Finally, one day a group of demons approached him, attracted by his tainted soul. He knew that his body was useless so he offered his soul to the demons in exchange for the ability to freely move once again. As the demons consumed him something happened. His dark, tainted soul acted as a bridge, connecting and merging the demons into me: Naraku." explained the red-eyed pseudo man.

"After that it was child's play to learn of your meeting, and so I planned to steal the Jewel and to eliminate you two in the most agonizing way possible: by having you do it yourselves. At least that was the plan." As he spoke, the once calm and mocking tone began to grow harsher as anger set in. "But you, you ruined it you FOOL. You ruined my plans, so now I will…"

But whatever Naraku was planning on saying was cut off as Inuyasha, who had been growing angrier and angrier as this BASTARD continued to speak, charged him. Fury flooded his veins, raging through him and the demonic urge to protect his Mate was suddenly roaring in Inuyasha's head. Golden eyes turned red, claws and fangs elongated by inches, and Inuyasha threw himself at Naraku with a roar.

"OW OW OW" "GET OFF ME YOU CRAZY- GAAAH MY LEG" "NOT IN THE FACE! NOT IN THE FACE!" "AHHHHHHH! MY EYE! MY EYE!"

Needless to say, the newly transformed Inuyasha was more than capable of tearing Naraku to shreds. Kikyo, who was watching the massacre with wide eyes was torn between turning green at the sight, which was saying something considering how battle hardened she was, or blushing out of flattery after seeing Inuyasha's display of protectiveness.

"AHHHH! MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOOOOOOOOPPP!"

Sweat-dropping a bit, Kikyo wondered if she should just put the poor bastard out of his misery. Then she thought about his confession to planning on having her and Inuyasha kill each other, condemning them both to hell, orphaning her sister and stealing the jewel that she had dedicated the past couple years of her life protecting.

"Inuyasha, go for the kidneys, GO FOR THE KIDNEYS."

Yeah, she's been spending a little too much time with him.

"WHY, WHY WON'T THE PAIN STOP?"

Poor fool. His whole plan depended on timing and him being able to convince the two of them that they had betrayed the other.

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST KILL ME ALREADY"

I mean really, his plan had so many holes. If they caught the slightest hint of his deception then the whole thing falls apart and either of them can easily waste him at this point, seeing as he only has shape-shifting and maybe some kind of poison/curse/thingy to try and defend himself with.

SLASH STAB

"gllluu"cough cough "ahh-ahh-ahh…" "…n…o…"

And with that, the 'Great' Naraku died.

"Inu…Inuyasha?" hearing the Miko, the still-transformed Inuyasha turned to face her. Now getting her first good look at Inuyasha's transformed state, Kikyo had to admit that she was a little intimidated, and found herself automatically tensing when he approached her, only to be utterly shocked when he dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair.

"Inuyasha?" shock and wonder filling her voice, Kikyo was even more surprised when she felt the Hanyou begin to tremble and the soft splash of tears hitting her neck.

"I-I-I, was terrified. I thought that I had lost you, because I wasn't strong enough to protect you."

"Inuyasha…it's not your fault, Naraku-" "NO. I should have protected you."

As the Hanyou spoke he drew back to look in his lover's eyes, letting her see that he had transformed back to normal.

"Kikyo, I've decided." "Decided what, Inuyasha?" "I'm going to stay like I am"

Startled, the Miko drew back, wincing slightly as she jarred her injured arm.

"What?"

"I want to protect you Kikyo, and if I turn into a human permanently then I won't be able to do that."

"But what about the jewel, you are not going to use it to turn yourself into a Full-Blooded demon, are you?" at this point Kikyo was beginning to panic, worried that one shape-changing fool had undone all the progress she had made towards her relationship with Inuyasha, and with dissuading his lust for power. However, she needn't have worried.

"No, whatever it was that allowed me to transform, it let me feel a little bit what's like to be a full-demon. The power, it wasn't worth almost losing myself, and if I become like that for good, I may even try to kill you." These solemn words, so filled with maturity and concern for her soothed Kikyo's worries, and she once more relaxed in Inuyasha's arms.

"Besides" continued Inuyasha with a smirk "If I gained power that way, I might end up like that loser" gesturing to the bloody remains of Naraku with his thumb, prompting a giggle from the wounded Miko.

(Scene fades out.)

And there you have it, how Naraku screwed up and got himself killed. As a result of not getting sealed-to-a-tree/dieing, Kikyo and Inuyasha were able to continue to build a stronger relationship. A few days later Inuyasha's brother, Sesshomaru, arrived at the village, sensing his brother's transformation and smelling the change in his blood, and challenged him to a match to discover the source. In the process Inuyasha transformed, forcing Sesshomaru to do so as well in order to survive, and the two beat on each other for several hours until they both couldn't move, lying in craters next to each other after changing back due to exhaustion. While they couldn't move and were waiting for Jaken and Kikyo to find their sorry asses, the two brothers had nothing better to do then to, reluctantly, talk to one another, a fact that was made possible by their exhaustion and Sesshomaru's newfound respect for his brother. Eventually, when their respective lover/servant found them Sesshomaru declared that he would stick around for a little while to teach Inuyasha how to control his transformations, so that he wouldn't "stain the family name by acting like more of a mindless-brute than usual".

This was how Myoga and Totosai found them a week later (it took Myoga a few days to reach Totosai once he sensed Inuyasha transform), upon seeing this Totosai decided that Sesshomaru was ready to wield Tenseiga's full power, and re-forged the so called 'useless' sword, unlocking the Meidou Zangetsuha, giving Sesshomaru nothing to complain about when Totosai sent Inuyasha into the Black Pearl to get the Tessaiga.

Miroku's family line never got cursed and so he grew up with many uncles and aunts and brothers and sisters. Sango's village was never attacked and her brother never enslaved, though she did eventually fall for a certain perverted traveling monk , whom her family found hilarious. Shippo never became an orphan and Koga had no reason to fight with Inuyasha.

Kikyo eventually purified the Shikon no Tama with a ritual she designed and discovered that as a result she became ageless. And so Kikyo and Inuyasha lived out the rest of their lives happily, with no worries about shape-shifting, plotting, cowardly/lazy, psychopaths. All because Naraku waited too long to commence his 'Master Plan'. Good job dumb-ass.

Well there you have it folks, what will hopefully be my re-introduction to the world of writing.

I'm currently a little swamped with homework and looking for a part-time job but I hope that I'll be able to update my previous work "Fallen Tamer, Broken Knight" sometime during the next week.

Once again I apologize to all the people that I disappointed by disappearing for so long, though I do ask that you don't flame me for it. I had my reasons.

Also, I am currently in need of a Beta-Reader. If anyone would like to volunteer for the position, I would really appreciate it.

'Till then, ta ta.

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