Author's Note:

Hello everybody! I've got the new version of this story for you! Well, I recently decided that this story wasn't going in the direction I wanted it to. If you read my last author note before I deleted it, then you would know that I only mentioned minor plot changes. Well…about that, I kinda had sudden burst of inspiration last night and I was up till midnight trying to write it down. It might not seem that major to you because I haven't posted much yet but to me, I've basically changed the whole plotline. This story could really go anywhere from here. I'm so sorry for any confusion this might cause!

P.S. I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto in any way, shape, or form.

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

Things weren't always easy for young Kagome Taisho-Higurashi. She might have been the daughter of the late Inutaishou, but to her, that didn't mean anything. Her mother was human, and a priestess at that. She was a mystery to all who saw her. How could she survive the clash between her demon and priestess blood? It was a question no one knew the answer to, until a priestess by the name of Kaede arrived at the castle. Kaede theorized that the sacred jewel was suppressing the damage that would have been caused by the two powers surging inside her body. It was deduced that Kagome should not be separated from the jewel, should her two powers collide and destroy her, and thus the jewel was implanted within her body.

"But Sesshoumaru," Kagome pouted, "why can't I go with Sango-chan, Miroku, and Inu-nii?"

Neither of them spoke.

Kagome glared at Sesshoumaru for the longest time with one bare and slightly dirty foot placed delicately in front of her as she took a somewhat offensive stance. The traditional miko robes, as well as the quiver of arrows she wore on her back, made her look quite fierce for only a 10-year-old. The golden circlet on her forehead gleamed in the light of the sun shining through the window. Her bright blue eyes strained as she struggled to keep them open for just a moment longer.

She suddenly clenched her eyes shut and shouted, "Fine! You win! I give up!"

She plopped back down in her chair as she stretched in the low seat so as to be tall enough to see over Sesshoumaru's tall desk. Unfortunately for her, her growth spurt still hasn't hit. She was still a measly 4'3".

"Can you at least give me a real reason for why I can't go to the academy?" she asked, exasperated.

He sighed and she tried not to flinch as he got up and rounded his desk to kneel before her seat. Then he sighed once again and finally spoke.

"As I have told so many times before, Kagome, you are not to attend the academy."

"But why can't I go? Sango's the same age as me!" she protested.

"Sango's father taught her the ways of the demon slayers. She knows much more than you about defending herself."Sesshoumaru replied, standing at his full height and looking down at her emotionlessly.

"But I can defend myself! Kaede-san is already teaching me how to be a miko," her short stature kept her from being able to look him in the eye without straining her neck.

"Would you want to disappoint her by leaving without finishing your training?" he questioned.

"Well," Kagome looked uneasy, as if she was really thinking about what Kaede-san would want.

Kaede was a retired palace miko who had been cursed by Naraku to live the rest of her life as an 80-year-old woman. She was considered something of a hero because she saved a precious heirloom of the Higurashi family. One of Naraku's lackeys, a bird demon, had been trying to steal the Jewel of Four Souls but Kaede stopped him. But her reward had been bittersweet. Kaede lost her eye and now had to wear a wooden eye-patch. It was with that eye that Naraku cursed her. She would never be able to thwart his plans again. Kagome had only been a baby at the time, but she would have dreams, nightmarish dreams filled with screams of pain and sorrow.

"No, I wouldn't want to disappoint Kaede-san," Kagome said, knowing that was the answer he wanted to hear.

"Good." he said as he walked back behind his desk.

Kagome followed and stood in front of it. She placed her hands on the table, leaned her chin on them, and asked, "So when can I go?"

Sesshoumaru sighed for the third time that hour. He could feel the tension in the room rising. "You will not be going this year, nor the next. You place is here, as the next ruler of the Western Lands," his voice rising above his normal speaking level. Kagome only stood in silence, her frustration almost ready to overflow. Finally, it became too much and it all burst out, "But why? Why can't I learn how to fight like everyone else my age?" she demanded.

"BECAUSE YOU ARE A PRINCESS AND A MIKO!" he yelled. All the rage he had been holding back poured out into that one sentence. It was not difficult to see Kagome flinch back at his anger. Anybody else would immediately run from the room.

"Is that your only reason? Or are you just assuming that all Miko's are weak? Why can't you stop acting like father and start being my brother?" Her voice started as a whisper but slowly became louder until she was screaming. She could hardly see through her watery eyes.

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to argue, but stopped mid-breath as he saw her tears. His silver brows knitted together, and he started to apologize before Kagome ran out of the room in a storm of tears.

"That filthy half-breed is too much like her mother. I can't believe that you've kept her alive for…" Before the scaly midget could finish his sentence, Sesshoumaru had already kicked him out the window. The lizard man fell three stories into the gardens.

"Do not presume that you are not disposable, Jaken," Sesshoumaru said, knowing that he could still hear him. "You will not speak of my sister in such a manner, lest you wish find yourself six feet under.


As Kagome ran through the halls towards her room, her eyes widened in realization as she changed directions sprinted for the palace gates instead.

'Oh no,' she thought 'they can't leave without saying goodbye!'

She ran through the seemingly endless passageways of the vast castle, past the guards of the oak doors engraved with the Taisho crest, and down the dirt path past the training yards. She arrived at the gigantic, open gates only to find no one there. She couldn't see anyone in the distance.

"Nooooo, they're gone!" Disappointed, she let herself drop to the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes, but before they had a chance to fall, someone jumped on her from behind.

"Sango!" Kagome exclaimed as she realized who it was. "What are you doing here?"

Standing behind her was the whole gang; Sango had her arms wrapped around Kagome's neck, while Miroku was standing casually with his staff on his shoulder. Inuyasha was glaring at her.

"Did you honestly think we would leave without saying goodbye? Hmph! Great to know you think so little of us, wench," Inuyasha said agitatedly.

"SIT BOY! How many times do I have to tell you to STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Kagome yelled at him.

"pffweffnkch" Inuyasha tried to say from the ground, his mouth full of dirt and rocks.

"SITBOYSITBOYSITBOYSITBOY!" she quickly shouted as he was repeatedly slammed into the ground. Kagome turned back to the others. "Well, now that that's over with, I guess it's time for you guys to leave right?" she said cheerfully, until her voice trailed off in sadness. The laughter that was once in the air disappeared, Sango and Miroku looked down at the ground, feeling guilty for having to leave their friend behind.

"He said no, didn't he?" Sango looked back up, her eyes radiating sympathy. Kagome only nodded slightly before she was engulfed in a bone crushing hug.

"I'll miss you guys," Kagome's eyes watered and soon tears were falling like raindrops onto Sango's kimono. Miroku moved in for a hug as well but was swatted away by Sango before he could touch Kagome anywhere inappropriate.

"Heh. Why would he let a shrimp like you be a ninja anyway?" Inuyasha said, finally standing up from his position on the ground.

"Don't make me 'you know what' you again!" Kagome threatened.

"Hmph. Whatever," Inuyasha said this with less fervor than normal. He was genuinely scared that she would "sit" him again.

The four friends turned as they heard someone approaching from the gates. A man carrying a large sword over his shoulder and sporting a long braid and a diamond shaped tattoo on his forehead.

His name was Bankotsu, and he was older than the rest of them. Technically, he was only going to supervise the other three and keep them out of trouble. He was already a ninja and would probably end up teaching a genin team. Kagome shuddered at the thought of having Bankotsu for a sensei. He could be quite the sadist.

"Have you finished with you goodbyes yet? It's time to go." The voice of authority jolted her out of her reverie.

"Yes, let us meet again under good circumstances and pray the gods bless us in our travels," Miroku added.

Miroku could be quite intelligent when he wasn't groping beautiful women. Luckily, the hoshi was kept on a tight leash, thanks to Sango. But when he did manage to sneak off to ask young women to bear his children, Sango was always there to knock him unconscious with her trusty boomerang.

"And you can count on me to keep this perverted monk in line," Sango commented with a smile.

Kagome stifled a giggle at that, then sobered. "Well then, I guess this is good-bye," she said. Even the blindest of men could see the sorrow in her eyes. The others nodded and they all approached her to hug her one last time before they started to walk out the gates into the now setting sun.

"Sayonara, wench!" Inuyasha yelled back.

Kagome resisted the urge to "sit" him again and waved until they were only specks on the horizon. After they were no longer visible and her arms ached like she'd been hanging from a cliff, she started to walk back into the castle. But before she made had made even one step, she suddenly dashed just outside the gates. Hoping that they would hear here she screamed,

"JUST WAIT, INUYASHA, NEXT TIME YOU SEE ME, I'LL KICK YOUR ASS WITHOUT THE BEADS!"

She missed seeing his smirk, and didn't get to hear what he said in a teasing voice.

"I always knew she had a big mouth."

Two Years Later:

A shadow slid its way across the high stone wall that formed the outer barrier of the Western Palace. It crept its way towards the gate and narrowly missed getting caught by the guards swarming the grounds. Yep, they had definitely noticed she was gone. In all the confusion, she managed to slip out the gates with a small furry animal by her side. In a flash, the small animal became a large one and ran off into the night, the shadow clinging to its back.


"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken ran out the gates to meet the demon lord, franticly waving his staff in the air. The demon didn't even look down at him as he swept past. He didn't need Jaken to tell him what he already knew. Kagome was gone.

'You had better be safe, Kagome.'

Still ignoring the pestering Jaken, Sesshoumaru simply walked off to prepare a message to send to the hokage. It was not difficult to figure out where she had gone. He might as well support her like the brother she wanted him to be. He sat behind his desk, searched for the required papers, and started filling them out.

Several Weeks Later:

A young girl stood atop the Hokage Mountain. She had long deep black hair with white streaks and wore the traditional red and white miko robes. The circlet on her forehead sparkled, as well as the four gold bangles on each of her wrists and ankles. Each of the bracelets had six silver bells that jingled as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She wasn't wearing any shoes, but, nevertheless, if you looked at the bottom of her feet you wouldn't find any cuts or scratches. On her back, she carried a giant, ornate wooden box, the contents unknown.

Sitting on her shoulder was a three-tailed cat, Its silky coat a pure, pristine white save for the pink, circular mark on its forehead, and was barely the size of her the young lady's head.

The cat nuzzled the young girl's cheek and said, "Milady?"

The girl looked down at her companion and replied, "Don't worry Rei. We'll go soon. I just wanted to see the village from up here. We'll go see the hokage in a little bit." Then she looked up at the sky and shouted, "Look out Konoha, 'cause here come's Kagome!"

Meanwhile:

Naraku lay on the floor of his dark, underground cell. He had been captured by the great Inu no Taisho a little less than 200 years ago, but he wasn't defeated. Oh no. He would return, and seek vengeance for his imprisonment in the most violent of ways.

"There will come a day that will be perfect for my escape and when that day comes I will kill everything that bastard dog held dear. I only wish his death had been by my hands instead of that idiot Takamaru's," he murmured to himself.

His eyes gleamed with a sinister light as his face contorted into an equally sinister smirk. The power-draining chains on his limbs clanked as he sat up and laughed, with no care of who heard him.

"Just you wait Sesshoumaru. I'll make you pay for all that you and your father have done! You're stupid to think you can keep me here for much longer! The girl is gone and I can come out to play. Ku ku ku ku ku."

Another Author's Note:

Soooooooooooooooo? What do you think? And again I'm very sorry for any confusion that has been cause by my forever changing mind. I would be more than happy to answer any questions if anybody has any.