Disclaimer for this story: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto and InuYasha is property of Rumiko Takahashi. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author, punkish furball. The author, punkish furball, is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

punkish furball—Hello all! Woohoo! New story!

Words to Ponder:

First off Happy New Year all! :)

…Just couldn't get this idea outta my head. I honestly have no clue where I'm going with this. So feedback will be much appreciated and I'm open to ideas for pairings!

Normal transition: -O0o0O-

Flashback transition: -O0o0O-

Prologue

"It has to be perfect!" Kagome said to herself as she looked into the windows of the various stores and shops that lined the Tokyo streets she walked searching for the perfect item. She sighed when nothing in the window displays caught her attention; she had already spent days searching for the perfect birthday present and had nothing worthwhile to show for it. This is going to be a very important day for him. It had never occurred to Kagome that he wanted to celebrate his birthday even after the three years they had spent together. After all, he is a demon and possesses such a long life span when compared to a human; celebrating birthdays shouldn't have mattered to much to him. But when the small kitsune commented on one of the celebrations of one of the children living in Kaede's village, Kagome couldn't resist planning a surprised birthday bash for little Shippo. Sango, Miroku, and Kaede readily agreed to the idea and were eager to assist Kagome for the young kit. InuYasha openly objected to the idea until Kagome promised to get him some extra chicken flavored ramen for the party. He grudgingly agreed to help as little as possible.

Kagome had already taken care of the majority of the preparations for the party planned to take place for later today. She had bought some decorations for Kaede's hut ready to be put up and all of the refreshments were ready including a three layer chocolate cake Shippo is sure to love. Kagome only had to find Shippo a gift for everything to be perfect. Modern toy stores didn't really have anything Shippo would like; it was all too flashy and loud. Kagome had looked into an art supplies store the day before and had purchased a set of brilliant water colors with different sizes of brushes and several sheets of canvas on a prior shopping trip, but that didn't seem like it was good enough for Shippo's special day.

'Maybe I'm trying too hard,' Kagome thought. She made one final glance at her surroundings and something caught her eye. It was a dingy looking building with dirty windows, chipped golden characters spelling out "Antique Store" painted on the door, and dim lighting shining from the inside. It seemed odd and out of place located among the other stores lining the busy walkway.

"Worth a shot," Kagome said to herself before walking into the small shop. She immediately grimaced when a stale odor hit her nose but didn't leave the store. Kagome walked to the back of the store and saw an ancient assortment of toys and knickknacks arranged on dusty shelves. Looking through the mounds and mounds of toys, she immediately drawn to a small wooden top with faded designs painted on it.

'Shippo might like this,' Kagome thought and reached for the top. From beneath the pile of toys, a small wooden limb brushed her arm. Kagome jumped back at the contact and glared at the miniature wooden offender. Kagome reached out, grabbed the little arm, and pulled wooden puppet from the mountain of toys. She turned the doll over in her hand; it was very basic in structure made of a wooden body brownish tan in color with no expression on its face or any other signs of distinctions.

"How cute!" Kagome exclaimed loudly. She cradled the wooden doll to her chest with one hand and held the wooden top in the other. She walked to the counter to purchase the toys.

"Have you found everything you're looking for?" the shop owner asked in a friendly voice. He was a friendly looking old man with white hair and a gentle smile.

"Yes," Kagome answered happily. The cashier rang up the items and Kagome paid him. She held the bag to her chest with a happy sigh. She quickly made it home and got settled in her room. She placed the bag on her bed and removed the wooden doll from it.

'I don't think I can give you up!' Kagome thought as she clutched the wooden doll tightly to her chest. All of a sudden, she shrieked and moved the doll as far away from her body as she could.

"Did you…" Kagome began addressing the puppet, "Did you just hug me back?" But the doll didn't respond like Kagome thought it would.

"You really are a strange little thing. Still cute though!" Kagome said to herself, but, in all honesty, she had seen stranger. She shrugged her shoulders and headed towards the bathroom with the puppet in her hand. She felt the need for a long hot shower after her successful shopping day. She opened the door to the bathroom and absently placed the doll on the bathroom counter. With a smile on her face, Kagome turned on the hot water in the shower letting the steam fog the mirror as she stripped down and got inside.

-O0o0O-

Sasori's eyes snapped open as he was immediately struck with the oddest vision he ever had. As always he was residing in Hiruko, one of his favorite puppets, while he waited for his partner, Deidara, to obtain the Jinchūriki that resided in Sunagakure as the village's Kazekage. The fact Sasori had even had a vision was odd in itself; he hadn't experience such sensations since he abandoned his human body.

At first, Sasori felt his body entered by a foreign, moist heat that encompassed him completely, something he had never felt in his artificial form. Then an image passed before his eyes, a woman, young and beautiful with long black hair and bright sapphire blue eyes. He couldn't dwell on her garments for long because they were quickly removed before she stepped underneath a running shower head behind a clear, plastic shower curtain. Slowly she undressed herself taking care to deposit her clothing in a wicker basket from her knitted top and skirt to her white lacy underclothes. Because his puppet body didn't have the "equipment" of flesh and blood men, Sasori was only shocked as he watched the woman disrobe but was sure he would have been aroused if it were at all possible.

Sasori had to construct his own image of the sight of her in the shower. As an artist, he liked beautiful things and this woman was definitely a rare beauty. He pictured her brilliant blue eyes closed happily with her smoky black eyelashes caressing her cheeks as the water soaked her form, her full lips pulled into a pleased smile, and her milky white skin and silky black hair dotted with the droplets of water from the shower and hit by light making her appear as delicate and beautiful as a crystal doll. But like all humans, her smooth pale skin would wrinkle and darken. That silken onyx hair will lose its sheen and softness growing thin and wiry and gray. Her eyes would lose that sparkle and glint of life.

'Such a shame,' Sasori thought as the image left him, 'Her beauty would do well to last forever.'

That woman seemed far too surreal to be an actual being; however, Sasori did not imagine and, if he did, the opposite sex was the farthest thing from his mind. Somewhere, this woman existed and somehow, she was connected to him. Sasori scowled as he continued to grow frustrated. This new situation coupled with Deidara's tardiness proved to be very annoying.

-O0o0O-

Kagome grinned as she looked down at the sleeping kitsune curled up next to Kirara. After her shower and change of clothes, she returned to the Feudal Era to show off the water color set and top she had gotten for Shippo. She decided to keep the puppet for herself and it quickly became her new "companion". The decorations were put up and the food was set out all the while with Shippo was out playing with the village children. When he returned Kaede's hut, he was overjoyed with the sight of all the food and presents. He thanked Kagome many times with tears shining in his emerald green eyes. Overall the celebration was very fun ad enjoyable, InuYasha even got into the spirit of this and presented Shippo with a small dagger, simple in design but lethal if used properly, and a promise to start training him so the small fox can finally "quit with the kiddy illusions and use some real weapons for a change". While Shippo slept contently, the others gathered around the fire in Kaede's hut all not quite ready to retire for the night. The current topic of conversation was Kagome's new toy; everyone noticed her growing attachment to it in only a few hours.

"What do you mean get rid of it?" Kagome said as she clutched the wooden puppet tightly to her chest. She couldn't explain why she was so attached to the wooden toy, but she didn't want to give it up just yet.

"It's just too goddamn creepy!" InuYasha hissed; he hated the small wooden toy. He knew it had to be possessed. What else would explain Kagome's attachment to the stupid thing? She hadn't let it go since she returned and he knew that when Kagome set it down to check on Shippo outside, he saw the dammed doll move into her lap as soon as she sat down next to Sango.

"What I believe InuYasha is trying to say is that we believe the doll is possessed by a malevolent spirit that seems to be very drawn to you," Miroku said as eloquently as ever. He too had been watching the small toy very closely.

"You can't deny it's more than a little odd," Sango added, "You had to have noticed something."

Kagome looked down at the puppet in her hands. She remembered feeling the wooden doll attempt to wrap its arms around her before she took her shower and she could not shake the feeling of being watched by its expressionless face. Kagome then recalled one of her grandfather's old stories about tsukumogami, spirits that are created after objects have become alive and aware after existing for a century since its creation according to the stories. Any one hundred year old object had the potential to become one of these spirits.

'But all of the spirits in those stories take on faces and appendages,' Kagome thought, 'Still, could it be that you are really alive? And if you are, what do you want with me?'

"Ye must be careful," Kaede said solemnly, "It is not uncommon for objects to take possession of humans whether it is their own soul or the soul of another contained within it."

"Do you think that you and Miroku-sama could examine it then?" Kagome asked, "I haven't felt any kind of dark aura coming from it, but you both have more experience with this type of thing than me."

"Just get rid of it!" InuYasha said again irritated that his idea was being ignored.

Miroku shook his head and replied, "That would be irresponsible. Should the doll really be possessed, it must be exercised before we even think of disposing of it."

"Miroku-sama and I should be able to examine the doll tomorrow," Kaede said, "Do not lose sight of it until then, Kagome-san."

"I won't," Kagome said. She stood up with the doll in her hands and grabbed her backpack.

"And where do you think you're going?" InuYasha asked, glaring at the doll.

"I feel like taking a bath," Kagome said, "and like I said, I won't let the doll out of my sight." Kagome left the hut with her bag over her shoulder and the doll cradled in her arms.

"You can't deny that she's attached to it," Miroku commented a few minutes after Kagome left and she was out of hearing range.

"I know," Sango said, "and it looks like the feelings mutual. It practically clings to her even more so when we were talking about it. It was like it was afraid of being taken away from her."

"Before we examine the doll, I would like to do a sort of experiment," Miroku said to Kaede.

"Of course," Kaede said, "What do ye intend to do?"

"I wish to remove the doll from Kagome-san's possession while she is asleep to monitor the doll's actions while it is away from her. To see if it will return to her side," Miroku said, "I'm certain the doll is possessed, but there is a chance that the spirit is not an evil one and simply finds solace in Kagome-san's company and influences her so it can remain by her side."

"So you think just letting that thing hang around her is ok?" Sango asked, "Even if it isn't an evil spirit, what lengths do you suppose it will go to in order to remain at Kagome-chan's side?"

"We'll have to see," Miroku answered solemnly.

-O0o0O-

Sasori fought the urge to groan in irritation; time seemed to crawl by as slowing as it could. In addition to Deidara taking his time obtaining the Jinchūriki, this blue eyed woman and her obsession with cleanliness was proving to be just as annoying. Although this particular vision didn't begin in exactly the same way the other did, it brought about the same sensations as the prior one. Just like in the previous experience, Sasori felt encompassed by a warm sensation. However, this warmth wasn't the steam produced by the heat of a shower. It took Sasori a few moments to realize that "he" was being held in someone's arms, the woman with the blue eyes. The two of them were in a small wooden structure with simple construction. Ahead of him sat a very odd assortment of people, an elderly woman, a much younger girl, and two young men. They were all dressed in archaic looking clothing and spoke in older speech patterns. Other than that only one of the four people looked particularly strange; one of boys had long silver colored hair and triangle shaped ears perched on the top of his head.

Sasori knew from experience that many shinobi and kunoichi possessed odd appearances and characteristics due to the blood lines of their clans. The sharingan of the Uchiha clan and the shark like teeth of the certain members of Kirigakure were only mild examples of how peculiar a shinobi can appear that Sasori was familiar. The boy's ears seemed dog like in nature. The only clan Sasori could recall that had canine characteristics was the Inuzuka clan of Konohagakure, but the boy's ears were not noted features of any of the clan members. Additionally, the hut the group was stationed in was not the caliber of any structures in Konohagakure. It was obviously a village of a lesser quality lacking Konahagakure's wealth and notoriety.

The group and the girl were discussing something, a topic that made his form in this scenario cling to the woman that held him almost desperately. The girl's companions seemed concern about his sudden appearance and obvious attachment to her person. He could tell that woman was getting agitated and decided to leave and take a bath in the local hot springs. Before being blessed (or cursed depending on your connotation) with the raven haired girl's womanly assets once more, Sasori was able to obtain a few tidbits of useful information. Immediately, Sasori was able to presume that the form he existed in with his new "companion" was a small wooden puppet like the ones he used to begin his training in puppet making and Kugutsu no Jutsu, the Art of the Puppet Master. Sasori was also able to confirm his beautiful companion's name.

'Ka-go-me,' Sasori thought and sounded out each syllable of the name in his head. It wasn't a common name in the world of shinobi, but it suited her.

Before his vision ended, Sasori was able to gain some valuable insight on the thoughts of Kagome and the connection they seemed to share. After she cleansed her body thoroughly, she relaxed in the hot springs. From what Sasori could tell, he was seated on the bank of the hot spring facing her. Kagome looked at him and quietly examined the puppet body sitting on the shore. She reached forward, grabbed him, and held him gently in her palm.

"Maybe I am possessed by you," she said softly while looking at him with a tender look in her eyes that influenced an unexpected emotion in Sasori. She sighed with the puppet did not reply.

"Somehow, I thought you'd say that," she said before placing the puppet back on the shore and turning away. The vision ended soon after that.

'There is a persistent connection between Kagome and myself,' Sasori thought Sasori paused in his thoughts and noticed the sun had faded from the wide desert sky and it was now dusk. He could hear the sound of Deidara's so called art and the rustling sands controlled of the Jinchūriki, Gaara, as the two engaged over Sunagakure. The two of them must have made contact only moments ago. Leave it to Deidara to make a spectacle of things. Sasori groaned and turned his attentions back to Kagome.

'I am certain that it will not be long before we come into contact with each other,' Sasori thought, 'She had better not keep me waiting.'

-O0o0O-

punkish furball—It may have been a short start, but I think this is going to turn out very interesting.

Comments? Questions? Words of Wisdom? Contact Me! L83R, DUD35!

(edited 11.11.2010)