Author's Rant

Lady A: Here it is.

Inuyasha: Here is what?

Lady A: *glares at Inuyasha* Chapter 1 of my first fan fiction, baka.

Miroku: *bonks Inuyasha with his staff* My apologies, Lady A.

Lady A: *glances at Miroku and smiles* Well, well, well. If it isn't my favorite monk? Keep an eye on the baka for me.

Miroku: Of course, Lady A. *drags Inuyasha's unconscious form away*

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other shows, movies, and/or books I make references to. The original graphic novels of the Inuyasha series is owned by Rumiko Takahashi/SHOGAKUKAN and the TV series is owned by Rumiko Takahashi/SHOGAKUKAN, Yomiuri TV and Sunrise. All credit goes to them for the characters of the Inuyasha series. I do, however, own my original characters and the plot. This disclaimer will only appear in the first chapter.

Chapter One: Memories

*Dream Sequence*

A face hidden in shadows, eyes of glowing gold. His majestic silver hair blowing in the wind. The full moon's radiance bathing the mysterious man in a heavenly light. His hand outstretched towards Artimes, calling her to him.

"Who are you?" She whispered in awe.

She reached for his hand but hit something solid. She placed her hand on the invisible wall as if begging it to let her through.

"I know you." She whispered, straining against the invisible barrier.

She stared into his golden eyes, transfixed. Tears rolled silently down her face, a sob rising in her chest.

"Please…Sesshoumaru…" She cried.

*End Dream Sequence*

All faded into darkness, all except an annoying beeping sound that wouldn't shut up. She opened her eyes slowly, letting her room slide into view. She realized after a few moments that her back was on the floor. Her legs were still on the bed, sheets and blankets twisted around them. She sighed heavily when she finally realized that she had fallen out of bed…again. Judging by how cold her back was, she had been there for a while.

The incessant beeping was her digital alarm clock trying to stir her into action. She groaned as she untangled herself from the bed covers and stood up. She smacked her hand down on the clock to stop the annoying contraption from giving her a headache. It was 7 am and she wondered who in their right mind would get up so early on a Saturday morning. She smacked her forehead.

"Me of course." She grumbled.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and wandered towards the bathroom. She silently cursed when she ran into the door jam. Cursing had become second nature to Artimes after she became friends with a certain half breed. She would never forget that fateful day in Junior High. The day she met a strange boy on the roof of her school. The day, she met Inuyasha.

*Flashback*

Artimes grabbed her school bag and the incredulously large lunch her cook, Sanji, had made for her. Sanji was always cooking for a small army so her lunch was naturally this size as well. She hefted her lunch and bag and headed out into the hallway. She never needed a lunch that big. It's not like she had any friends she could share it with.

Due to the circumstances of her life, she was without a doubt, a loner, in every meaning of the word. Even if she did have friends, they wouldn't be able to eat the food Sanji had prepared for her. Artimes couldn't stand spicy food, she couldn't even eat curry. It's not her fault she had wonky taste buds.

Sanji had learned very quickly how to prepare food for Artimes which to everyone else would taste unbearably sweet. Sanji was a great cook, and she really felt bad for wasting half of her lunch, but it couldn't be helped. The food was only edible to her. She sighed heavily as she made her way to the stairs that lead to the roof.

She began thinking about what it would be like to have a friend. A girl in her class was nice to her. What was her name again…Kagome. Lately Kagome has recently become very ill, but some of the diseases and ailments they were told she had, either did not make sense or didn't exist at all. She had a feeling Kagome was up to something, but she didn't know where Kagome lived so confronting Kagome was out of the question.

Artimes, for the most part, passed unnoticed, unseen, and most definitely unheard. Kagome was the only one brave enough to talk to her. Artimes was considered to be cursed. A long list of tragedies in her life had made her into the strange child that nobody wanted. Her parents had died when she was little and she had been in and out of foster homes until a little over a year ago. In each home she had been adopted into, a strange accident or death occurred and she was commonly sent back to the orphanage. She remembered the day she met Takia.

*Flashback Within Flashback*

An elderly business man and long time supporter of the orphanage, Takia Okuda, paid a visit to the orphanage. He saw a young girl with hair like fire and eyes like rain sitting alone in the corner, drawing.

"Tell me, dear one. What is your name?" He asked, smiling.

She looked up at him with cold eyes.

"My name is Artimes." She replied simply and returned to her drawing.

He glanced down at the pad and saw the figure she was drawing. A man with long hair, a crescent moon on his forehead, and what looked to be claw like hands.

"So you are drawing a demon, dear one?" He asked a knowing look in his eyes.

Artimes looked up at him with a frigid expression on her face and confusion in her eyes.

"I have many books about demons such as this one. How would you like to come and live with me? Perhaps be my granddaughter?" He asked happily.

"You'll just send me back like all the rest." She replied acidly.

"Nonsense. Even if I die, dear one, you will be well taken care of. There will be no need for you to ever return to this orphanage again. I give you my word of honor, dear one." He vowed.

Artimes looked at him for a moment, her eyes searching for the truth in his words. Finally her icy gaze softened slightly, but just marginally.

"Very well. I accept your offer, Grandfather." She replied, standing and bowing.

*End Flashback Within Flashback*

From that day on, Artimes had a home. Unfortunately, she experienced tragedy once again when Takia died. Whatever warmth she had vanished with his passing. The only ones who saw her softer side was the staff at her estate.

There was Sazuki, the chief of staff and Artimes's personal attendant, Sanji, her beloved chef who she secretly adored for his silly antics in the kitchen, Kaya, the housekeeper who made looking stern into an art form, Hiro, her butler who was the embodiment of flamboyance, Yuki, the gardener who always had a smile and a rose for her every day, and Lee, her personal driver who was more like her bodyguard/training partner. Lee was what she considered to be her punching bag/pin cushion. They would practice close combat and swordplay almost every day.

She sighed. She had a very strange family but at least nothing else bad had happened since Takia's death and she was grateful for that, but she never showed it. She stayed cold on the outside and kept any and all emotion on the inside. It was safer for her that way. She couldn't risk forming attachments or even hoping for an attachment.

No one cared about her, no one missed her, nobody needed her. She really wanted a friend but no one showed any interest in her. Being a foster kid was bad enough, but to then be the top student in school and to have death following in her wake, it made it nearly impossible for her to have a friend. It made her so angry that, at times, she really believed herself to be cursed.

She shook her head clear of her thoughts. She knew those thoughts would not lead to anything fruitful so she pushed them aside as always. By this point, she had finally reached the door to the roof. She sighed again.

"My life is too damn depressing." She muttered under her breath.

She opened the door and headed out onto the roof. The sunlight blinded her for a moment. She shielded her eyes until they adjusted to the harsh light of the outdoors. She stiffened slightly when she sensed that she wasn't alone. Artimes had a knack for sensing others and the presence she felt wasn't of the normal variety. The energy seemed so…so violent.

She really felt like hitting something and she, for the most part, was nonviolent. She hated conflict and usually opted for the more peaceful solution. Artimes wasn't a fool. She learned how to fight early on in life. She was an elite martial artist and a master of swordplay (What can she say? She had a lot of free time on her hands.).

She turned towards the presence until her eyes fell upon a strangely dressed boy. She inwardly gasped when she caught sight of his silver hair and gold eyes. Her mind flashed to the dream she had every night of her life, of the strange man bathed in moonlight. She snapped her mind back to attention.

She quickly scanned the boy and mentally took note of his appearance. He was wearing a red haori, red hakamas, and no shoes which she found a bit odd. She glanced at his hands and noticed that they looked like claws….claws?! She mentally shook it off and continued her inspection until she reached his head.

What drew her attention was not his silver hair or his gold eyes, but the two very adorable dog ears on the top of his head. Artimes boiled down all the information and consolidated it, she formed a plan, a 3-step process.

1.) Learn his name.

2.) Ask him to join her for lunch.

3.) Touch those adorable ears of his!

Artimes was an incredibly quick thinker. The total amount of time she spent analyzing the boy and forming a plan took about ten seconds. She put on her mask of perfect indifference and approached him. The boy visibly stiffened. She smiled at him politely and he seemed to relax but only slightly.

"Hello, my name is Artimes. What's yours?" She asked politely.

He scoffed.

"I see no reason to tell you." He answered sharply, turning his head to side and looking away from her.

Artimes was slightly taken aback by his rudeness but she didn't let it show. She wouldn't be surprised if he told her to get lost. She decided to interchange Step 1 and Step 2 of her plan. She went with her special tactic called "Stomach Bribery."

"Well alright. You don't have to tell me your name if you don't want to, but will you join me for lunch? My cook, Sanji, always cooks too much and I really hate wasting it." She replied giving him a sweet smile.

She watched in amusement when his ears perked up at the mention of "lunch." He placed his hands in his sleeves and appeared to be mulling it over. After a moment, his stomach growled loudly which seemed to be his body's way of saying "yes." Artimes sighed and grabbed his right sleeve and dragged him over to the shade.

"Hey!" He complained but he didn't resist.

Artimes placed her stuff to the side then focused her attention on the boy. She placed a hand on each of his shoulders and pushed him to the ground gently. He complied which didn't really surprise her, given that he was hungry. She sat next to him and pulled out her lunch. She placed four boxes of food out in front of herself and the boy. She handed him a pair of chopsticks.

"Choose whichever two you would like." She offered.

The boy scanned the boxes over and chose the two closest to him. He picked up the first box and sniffed it. He then picked up some of the food with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. He chewed it a moment, as if enjoying the flavor, and swallowed. Artimes was expecting him to say something along the lines of "Ugh! It's too sweet!" or "You actually eat this crap!" but that isn't what happened.

"Hey, this is pretty good. I thought it would be spicy like Kagome's but it's perfect." He complimented smiling before resuming to eat.

Artimes blinked. She wasn't expecting him to like the food, but that certainly didn't stop her from moving forward with her plan. In fact, it helped her tremendously. She began eating then remembered that he had mentioned Kagome.

"You know Kagome?" She asked politely.

The boy stopped eating for a moment and answered her, "Yeah. She and I are friends."

He shrugged his shoulders and went back to eating. They finished lunch in silence but then again silence never bothered her. Once they were done eating, she cleaned up the boxes and put them back in their carrier. Once her work was complete, she looked up at the sky and gazed at the clouds. The silence was broken after a few minutes by the strange boy.

"Inuyasha." He said simply.

So his name was Inuyasha, Steps 1 and 2 were now complete. That only left the third and final step. She glanced over at him and gave him a polite smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Inuyasha." She replied her eyes returning to the clouds.

A few minutes passed and the silence was broken yet again by Inuyasha.

"Why are you sad?" He asked softly.

Artimes's eyes widened in shock. Of all the questions he could ask, she wasn't expecting that one. She quickly regained her composure and put a secure lock on her emotions. She would not allow Inuyasha to rattle her again.

'No attachments, no attachments, no attachments.' She chanted inwardly.

"What makes you think I'm sad, Inuyasha? I am quite content." She replied warmly, smiling at him.

He let out a sigh and turned to her.

"You're lying," He said in that same soft tone, "I can smell how you feel. Your scent is steeped in sadness and loneliness radiates from your aura. You can't hide it from me."

Artimes looked at him in bewilderment, the mask slipping a bit.

"I'm not lying. I am neither sad nor lonely." She replied meeting his gaze.

He growled.

"Will you quit fooling yourself?!" He snapped quickly rising to his feet.

He was clearly very upset. She had to put a stop to this, right here and right now. This boy was making her control slip and she could not allow that to happen. She sighed and stood up as well. She faced him and prepared herself to do the one thing she hated most, being the "Ice Queen" as people referred to her bitch mode. Her eyes were like ice and her words were even colder.

"I would appreciate it if you would refrain from yelling at me and how I conduct my affairs is none of your concern." She replied her voice like the Arctic wind.

Inuyasha walked up to her and slapped her face. Her cheek burned from the impact and a look of surprise and shock was evident on her face.

"Stop being so damn stubborn. You can't live with your emotions bottled up like that and you shouldn't be so heartless towards your friends." He said his voice soft once again.

She turned and looked at him. Her eyes wide with shock as his words sunk in. Her eyes fell to the ground and she lowered her head.

"I don't have any friends," She admitted quietly, "They're afraid of me."

"With the way you treat people, I am not surprised." He stated bluntly.

She didn't dare look at him. She was trying desperately to keep her mask of indifference in place but it seemed to be crumbling away. The shock of being slapped had rattled her. She had never been slapped before. Hell, no one cared enough to slap her in the first place.

She struggled to find the words that would make him understand why everyone feared her. He had to know that she didn't choose to be this way, but it was the only way she could survive.

"It's not that. That isn't the reason why they're afraid." She started.

Inuyasha glanced over at her, arms in his sleeves.

"They're afraid of me because…" She started again, struggling to find the words.

Her heart was screaming to tell him everything, but her mind pushed it aside and futilely tried to keep the mask in place. The more she tried, the more it crumbled. She took a breath to steady herself. No one had shown the slightest interest in her and now, here was this strange boy, bypassing all her defenses like they didn't even exist. Her body visibly shook from the amount of effort it took to hold her tongue. She had never felt the need to "pour out her soul" to anyone and it was getting damn hard for her not to do it now.

Her body gave up before her mind did. She fell forward. Inuyasha reached out and grabbed her before she hit the ground. He sat down with her and wrapped his arms around her. She was at the breaking point and the moment she looked up into his golden eyes, her resolve snapped like a toothpick.

For the first time in over ten years, she cried. She buried her face into his red haori and just cried. All the emotions she kept locked away inside of her, all came out at once. She was vaguely aware of Inuyasha tightening his arms around her. They stayed like that for a long time, the only sound was her muffled sobs.

Finally she pulled back, wiped away her tears, and looked up at him. She saw worry, relief, and a bit of helplessness in his eyes. She smiled at him. Not a polite smile or a cold smile, but a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Inuyasha. Why don't I explain everything from the beginning, so you understand why I am the way I am?" She spoke quietly.

He looked confused for a moment but it soon passed. He nodded, repositioned himself to sit in front of her, placed his hands in sleeves, and waited. She smiled again and told him about her life. Her parents' death, the foster homes, the strange accidents and deaths while in each home, Takia and his death, the staff who was like a family to her, the estate, the cruelty of the orphanage, all the rumors, gossip, and hearsay of her fellow students. All of the things that molded her into what she was, all for the sake of survival. He stayed quiet and listened to everything she said. Once she was finished, he let out a long sigh.

"Geez, no wonder your scent and aura were so chaotic." He commented.

She blinked. Her scent? She understood auras but what about her scent?

"What do you mean my scent?" She asked not bothering to hide her curiosity.

"I'm half demon so my sense of smell is far superior to a human's. Different emotions have ways of changing a person's scent. That's how I could tell what you were truly feeling." He explained.

Did he say half demon? Her mind immediately flashed to a book she had a read in Takia's library at the estate. It was about youkai or demons. He said he was a half demon therefore a hanyou. Her brows furrowed in concentration. Her hand instinctively went to her chin and she closed her eyes to his curious gaze.

According to the book she read, youkai were common during the Warring States Era also known as the Feudal Era. Hanyous were half demon and half human and were not accepted by humans or demons. They were commonly rebuked by both human and youkai society and were treated as outcasts and undesirables. But what in the world was a hanyou doing in the Modern Era?

"Inuyasha?" She said her hand returning to her lap and her eyes returning to his face.

"Yeah?" He asked his ears twitching slightly.

She scooted closer to him and with lightning speed, grabbed his ears gently and fiddled with them.

"Gah!" He exclaimed jumping away.

She stood and chuckled. Step 3 of her plan was now complete. She never felt so light before. It was like the giant boulder on her shoulders took a very long vacation. Inuyasha was scowling at her which turned her chuckle into full blown laughter.

"It's not funny!" He yelled but he couldn't hide the grin forming on his face.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but your ears are just so adorable. I'm guessing from their shape and color that you're an inu hanyou. Your demon side is silver dog demon, correct?" She replied rising to her feet.

He look dumbfounded for a minute and she wondered what she said to make him look like that.

"You know about demons?" He asked astonished.

Now she understood. Inuyasha wasn't use to people knowing about demons which meant he likely did come from the Feudal Era.

"You're from the Feudal Era, right? And yes I know about demons. My grandfather, Takia, had quite an extensive library, but I have never actually met a demon before." She explained.

She was quite glad that Takia had such an insatiable thirst for knowledge. He had quite a few books, scrolls, and print outs all about the Warring States Era.

"Kagome calls it the Feudal Era too, but yeah." He answered still stunned.

Then it clicked. The reason why Kagome had so many so-called "illnesses" was just an excuse for her to cover up the true reason why she was missing school so much. It was because she was traveling through time to the Feudal Era and back again.

"How do you come from that era to this one?" She asked crossing her arms in front of her.

"The dry well at the shrine where Kagome lives." Inuyasha explained.

One more thing clicked into place, the strange aura she felt around Kagome. Kagome had to be a miko also called a priestess. Mikos have great spiritual powers and are capable of purifying demons.

Realization dawned on Artimes when she saw how long her shadow was. She glanced behind her and saw the sun setting. She sighed heavily and grabbed her things. She headed towards the roof exit, but then Inuyasha grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" He asked slightly unwilling to part company with her.

"I missed the rest of my classes and the sun is setting. I really don't want to be walking home in the dark so I have to head out now. If I hurry, I should be able to make it home before it gets too dark." She explained.

She looked at the sun again and shuddered. She didn't like the dark. Even though she was a martial artist, she could still be outnumbered and hurt badly, maybe even killed. Her focus returned to Inuyasha who had released her arm and grabbed her empty lunch boxes and backpack. He then knelt down with his back to her.

"Get on. I'll take you home, so you won't have walk alone in the dark." He offered giving her a smile over his shoulder.

She was shocked to the say the least. She hesitantly climbed onto his back, secured her legs around his waist, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Um…Inuyasha, are you sure about this?" She asked nervously.

"Half demons like myself can jump across buildings like they're nothing. Don't be nervous. I won't let you fall, I promise." He replied wrapping his arms around her legs.

And with that, they were off. She let a little "eek!" when they jumped from the school roof to another building. Inuyasha continued to move throughout the city, Artimes finally unburied her face from Inuyasha's hair. She had done it earlier when she saw how far off the ground they were. She had a thing about heights.

She kept her gaze forward and watch the scenery fly by. She was scared but she was also excited. She had never traveled like this before and it was actually fun. She started giggling and she felt Inuyasha chuckling as well.

"Having fun?" He asked smiling.

"Yeah, I have never seen the city from this perspective before. A girl could get used to traveling like this." She replied grinning.

"Well then, we will have to see about that, now won't we?" He asked a mischievous smile on his face.

She laughed. She felt lighter than air and she felt safe with Inuyasha…no matter what he might be scheming. After a few minutes, Inuyasha jumped super high into the sky. Artimes's eyes widened and she yelled as they headed back down.

"Inuyasha!" She yelled loudly.

He landed gracefully and took off again.

"Do you mind not yelling? Sensitive ears." He whined.

"Sorry, but warn me before you are going to do something like again. You scared me." She retorted resting her head on his shoulder.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." He said while smiling.

"Show off." She muttered knowing full well that he heard her.

His smile got even wider, if that was even possible. She sighed and closed her eyes. She felt Inuyasha as he moved beneath her; strong, vibrant, and full of life. She realized then that he had a very earthy scent and she found it relaxing. After a while, she noticed that Inuyasha was slowing down. She opened her eyes and gave him a curious look.

"We're getting close." He said glancing back at her before bounding off again.

After another minute, he made once last leap and landed a short distance from her front door.

"How did you know where I lived?" She asked while sliding off of him and grabbing her stuff.

"I followed my nose, stupid." He said shrugging.

She walked towards her door but she stopped halfway there. She dropped her stuff and raced back to Inuyasha. She embraced him tightly.

"Thank you, Inuyasha." She whispered in his ear.

He held her closer and said, "Any time."

She pulled back from him so she could look into his eyes. She needed to ask him something. It was very important and it took all her courage to get it out.

"Are we friends now?" She asked almost shyly.

He smiled.

"Of course we are, you silly girl." He answered with a huff.

She smiled widely, but then a thought occurred to her. Would she ever see Inuyasha again? Would he ever come back or would he forget about her?

"Then I have a favor to ask, Inuyasha." She stated stepping back from him and lowering her eyes to the ground.

She had to ask, she needed to ask. She needed Inuyasha, she needed his strength, his courage, and his friendship. She needed hope and only he could give it.

"What is it?" He asked clearly curious and a little weary.

"Would you come and visit me sometime? You know when you return to this era?" She asked timidly.

For once in her life, she was clinging to hope with all the strength she had.

"Sure. Kagome always yelling at me to leave her alone, so when she comes back so will I." He answered looking away.

A grin broke out across her face and she made note of the "blush" on his face, but that paled in comparison to the joy she felt. He promised he would return when Kagome did and although those visits were few and far between, she would gladly take it. She ran forward and embraced Inuyasha a second time. She felt Inuyasha hug her back. She let go of him and made a mad dash, grabbing her stuff, and ran towards the front door.

"Okay, Inuyasha. I'll see you soon. Goodnight!" She yelled waving back at him.

*End Flashback*

Artimes continued to get ready. She was dressed in a long sleeved, dark red shirt which had a hole in each shoulder to show the skin beneath. She was wearing a similar colored short skirt, and matching leather boots. She grabbed her blood red leather jacket and put it on. She grabbed a small black pouch and attached it to her brown belt.

She waved her goodbyes to Sazuki and the others and headed out to the driveway. Sitting in the middle of the driveway was her baby, an absolutely gorgeous crimson motorcycle. She grabbed the helmet which had a blue phoenix adorning it and placed it over head, careful of her long, crimson braided hair. Her sapphire eyes stared lovingly at her motorcycle. She tore her eyes away from the beauty and sighed. She straddled her bike, turned on the ignition, and revved the bike to life.

She had to hurry, it was almost time.

Author's Rant

Lady A: Please Read and Review. The more reviews, the more chapters.

Miroku: Lady A?

Lady A: Hn?

Miroku: *takes her hands* Will you do me the honor of bearing my child?

Lady A: *sweat drops*

Sango: Miroku! *raises her boomerang and clobbers him*

Inuyasha: Serves him right, stupid pervert. *drags Miroku away*

Lady A: *chuckles* That never gets old. Anyways Review, Review, Review!