Disclaimer: Based off of Rumiko Takahashi's InuYasha. All characters belong to her. I'm just modernizing it.

Prologue

"Outta my way if you know what's good for ya!"

Shouts of alarm echoed through the modest streets of the once-quiet farming town as a white-haired youth dashed through the crowds, knocking down anyone and anything in his way. His speed was incredible; he was practically a blur of red and white among the drab buildings. In his hand, he clutched a stone-beaded necklace with a round pink jewel at the end.

He nearly stumbled when a sharp voice caught his sensitive ears.

"InuYasha!"

In a second, he felt a sharp stab of pain in his heart and tumbled onto the asphalt, his momentum skidding him over the rough surface. His rolling finally stopped as he crashed into a bike rack.

Blinking away the intense throbbing in his head, he managed to lift his gaze to a young woman kneeling down to pick up the necklace he dropped a few yards away. Although his vision was becoming blurry, he could see the girl's piercing glare through her thick black hair that fell around her face and shoulders. But something was different about her. Something he couldn't quite identify, but the sight of it made his stomach ache.

"Kikyo…" His voice was rough, and another jolt of pain in his chest caused him to hunch over and claw at the concrete. The gears and wires of the fallen bikes dug into his skin. He grit his teeth and managed to growl, "Damn you… I thought -" He gasped, clutching over his heart, and he could no longer speak as one last wave of pain dragged him into unconsciousness.

The girl named Kikyo tried to stand, but her legs gave way beneath her, and she slumped onto the street. She could feel the heat of her body drain away as blood streamed out of the large gash that ran across her back, soaking her white haori. It was quickly becoming as red as her hakama. The girl's breathing was labored, and her body trembled, though she no longer felt pain. She felt numb, and she was running out of time.

"Kikyo!" an elderly woman gasped as she ran up to the girl. The old woman dressed in more elaborate priestess attire knelt down by her apprentice. Her withered hands trembled over the girl's wound. "Kikyo, we need to take you to the hospital. This wound -"

"It's too late," Kikyo interrupted coldly. She didn't mean to snap at the woman, but the aching somewhere in the pit of her stomach irked her. She swallowed the metallic taste in her mouth and looked up to the old woman. The woman's furrowed brow and deep frown exaggerated the lines on her face, yet the wet gleam in her eye that wasn't covered by an eyepatch made her look like a helpless child.

Bringing the necklace to her chest, Kikyo managed to breathe out, "Lady Kaede... please... once I pass on, you must find a way to destroy this jewel... It must not fall into the hands of anyone who would abuse its power."

By this time, a crowd of townspeople gathered around, some calling for an ambulance, some murmuring to each other about the events that caused one of their priestesses to be attacked by a half-demon.

Kaede shook her head, wisps of sandy gray hair flying around her. "Don't speak of such things, my child. You can still be saved."

"No," Kikyo choked out, forbidding the sting in her eyes to form tears. "I can't…"

"Kikyo…"

The girl gripped the jewel in her slender hand, the stone beads poking into her palm. Her head was spinning, and dark spots were slowly clouding her vision. With whatever breath she had left in her lungs, she whispered, "The Shikon no Tama… for such a thing…"

The darkness soon overwhelmed her as the air escaped the girl's chest. With a final shudder, Kikyo's lifeless body collapsed into a puddle of her own blood, and the jewel vanished from her hands.

Chapter 1

"Youch!" Kagome cried, clutching her side and startling her cat.

"What's the matter, dear?" the girl's mother asked from the kitchen, halting her hand that was busy chopping vegetables.

"Nothing now," Kagome groaned, rubbing the area where she felt the pain, just at the side of her stomach. "I just got this huge cramp all of a sudden."

"Is it that time of the month?" her mother asked gently. She wiped her hands on her yellow apron and stepped into the living room where Kagome and her grandfather sat and watched the local news.

"Ugh, Mom!"

Her grandfather suddenly whipped out a little keychain of a pink marble from a nearby box filled to the brim with their shrine trinkets. "Here you are, my dear! A Shikon no Tama to cure yourself of any misfortune!" He passed the keychain to his granddaughter, who took it and eyed it skeptically.

"Grandpa, this is just a marble we sell to tourists."

"Well yes, but it holds lots of history!" The old man shifted his thin body to face his granddaughter, his joints popping at the exertion. "You see, hundreds of years ago, the Shikon no Tama, or Jewel of Four Souls -"

"You already told me this story. Besides, I don't believe in fairytales." Her grandfather looked hurt, but she either didn't see him or chose to ignore him. She found more interest in waving the keychain above her cat, Buyo, as he tapped it with his little brown paws. She was tired of hearing all her grandfather's tales of yore and decided to move on to a more important topic. "Oh, Grandpa! Do you remember what day it is tomorrow?"

The old man beamed at her, his melancholy mood quickly forgotten. "How could I forget my only granddaughter's birthday?" He reached over to open a little cabinet from the stand under the small television and pulled out a neatly wrapped present. "It's a day early, but happy birthday, Kagome!"

"Oh wow! Thanks, Grandpa!" She quickly tore off the wrappings and popped open the box. She was hoping for some new shoes, or maybe a new purse, but all she got was a wrinkly webbed claw of sorts. Her face fell as she hesitantly picked up the thing and examined it, the skin feeling like hard leather in her hand. Typical.

"It's a mummified Kappa hand!" her grandfather proclaimed, puffing out his chest and stroking his long white beard. "It is said to bring good fortune and -"

"Buyo," Kagome sighed, waving the hand over her cat's head. Its eyes darkened as it stared up at the withered thing. "Eat."

The cat eagerly took the hand in its mouth and strutted away as Kagome's grandfather gaped after it in shock. He tried to snatch back the gift, but the cat evaded his grasp with grace. Buyo was quick for a fat feline. "No, that's wasteful! Buyo, come back!"

"Dinner's ready!" Kagome's mother called from the kitchen. With a huff, Kagome got up and joined her little brother, Sota, who was already seated at the table, chopsticks in hand.

He beamed up at her as she sat beside him. "Hey, Sis, you'll never guess what happened today!"

Kagome half-heartedly listened to her brother's ramblings as she daydreamed about what it would be like to be sixteen.

Kagome yawned as she dragged her feet out of school the next day.

She was so excited for her birthday that she completely forgot she had a math exam that day and totally bombed it. It was never her best subject, but it still bummed her out. She was planning to head out after school with her friends Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi to celebrate her big day, but her teacher insisted she stay later to talk about her less-than-stellar grade in math. And what's worse, she was forced to stay longer and help clean up the classroom because one of the baseball players had to leave early for a tournament. She didn't even have the energy to take up her friends' offer to have dinner at WacDonalds. She just wanted to sleep.

The sun was setting, casting orange, pink and red light across the scattered clouds, and there was a cool breeze. At least the weather was nice. She guessed she'd probably make it home by nighttime, but she didn't worry because she already called her mom to tell her she'd be late. She was just glad that when she arrived at the train station there was barely anyone there. Maybe she'd be able to sit and rest on the ride back home.

As she waited for the train to arrive, she watched the electronic bulletin board flash ads for vacations, drinks, and a couple new movies. Then it flashed the usual warning in fluorescent red and yellow lights:

"CAUTION: Be on the lookout for suspicious activity. Watch for malevolent demons. If one is spotted, call the Demon Hunters at…"

She wasn't too concerned about demons. Most of the ones she'd seen had never bothered anyone. In fact, in the small crowd she stood in, about a third of them were demons disguised as humans, as most of them usually were. It was strange. All her life, she could see the demons' true forms when everyone else couldn't. She never knew why, but the first time she mentioned it as a kid, it caused a lot trouble. Attention turned to the disguised demon, there was nervous tension, and the demon tried to flee but was immediately surrounded by patrolling hunters and arrested. She never knew what happened after the demon was dragged away, but the horror on its face unnerved her. So she decided to stay quiet after that. None of them deserved that kind of treatment, as long as she could tell. She still felt guilty about it to this day.

Of course there were evil demons around, but she never encountered them. Most of the malevolent demons joined gangs and lurked around the dark districts just outside the big cities. She'd been smart not to go anywhere near those areas because some of the most gruesome crimes happened there. However, if she remembered correctly, there was a reported murder about a week ago in a little farming town further south. Apparently a priestess was killed by a half-demon, and the culprit went missing soon after.

But she wasn't worried. The town was a long ways away, and if the criminal tried to get anywhere near Tokyo, he'd be spotted easily. Half-demons (also known as hanyous), unlike their full-demon counterparts, weren't able to disguise themselves, and, from what she had heard, were pretty otherworldly-looking. She'd never seen one, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't curious.

The train finally arrived, and she stepped on, relieved to see open seats available. She sat down with her backpack on her lap and gazed out the window, watching the sky get dimmer by the minute.

She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until the train lurched suddenly, nearly tossing her and the other passengers out of their seats. An ear-splitting screech rang through the air as the wheels grated against the tracks until they finally stopped. It was quiet for a while, people murmuring worriedly. After a minute or two, the conductor's voice came over the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the inconvenience. It seems as though we have some technical issues, and we politely ask you all to exit the cars at this time. Fortunately, we are about a kilometer away from the next station, so if you'd like to walk further ahead, another train will arrive within the hour. We are now in the town of…"

Wait, what town did he say they were in? Kagome suddenly felt a twinge of anxiety, but wasn't sure if she heard him correctly. She asked the nearest passenger, a young college student, what town the conductor said they were in, and the student repeated what the conductor said. Kagome's stomach dropped, and she could feel the blood drain from her face.

She overslept, and now she was in a little town an hour outside of Tokyo.

Suddenly furious at herself, she stepped out of the car and tugged at her hair. Once she was out of the crowd, standing on the side of a grassy hill a yard away from the tracks, she let out grunts of frustration and stomped and kicked around in circles. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

After a moment of her little tantrum, she took in a slow, deep breath. She'd just have to call her mom to inform her of the situation. She slipped out her cellphone from her skirt pocket and flipped it open, immediately dialing her mom's number.

Her mom picked up in two rings. "Kagome?"

"Hi, Mom," Kagome groaned. She saw that the crowd was quickly moving towards the next station, so the decided she might as well follow them, not wanting to stay in the grassy opening while it was dark out.

"Kagome, where are you? We're worried sick!"

"I'm fine, Mom, but I fell asleep on the train and now I'm -"
"Wh-t?" her mom interrupted, her voice choppy over the phone.

"Mom? Can you hear me?"

"Ka-me? Y- th-?"

"Yeah, Mom, I -" A beep indicated that the call ended. Kagome looked at her phone incredulously. It was dead. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

Her sudden shout startled some people around her, and it took all her strength not to break her phone. Instead, she stomped to the nearest light pole and kicked it, only to have a sore toe in return. She was about to ask to borrow someone's phone, but her sudden outburst made them weary of her.

Fuming, she spotted the light of the small train station and stormed towards it. Just her luck. How could all of this happen in one day? And on her birthday, no less. She felt like the world was out to get her.

Once she was at the station, she plopped down on a nearby bench and dropped her head in her hands. She was exhausted and beyond irritated at herself. How could this day get any worse?

"Excuse me, miss?" a rough voice crooned.

Taking in a deep breath to collect herself, she looked up to see a frightening woman towering over her. Not really a woman, but a demon. The creature had translucent pale skin and six thin arms. She didn't even wear a shirt, exposing her small white breasts and long torso. But she wore a tight red leather skirt and green boots. Her long hair was thin, dark and greasy, and her eyes were completely black, devoid of light. Her fanged grin made Kagome's skin crawl.

Kagome swallowed heavily and moistened her suddenly dry mouth. "Y-Yes?"

"You have something want," the creature responded, eyeing the young girl up and down.

"I'm sorry?" Kagome's pulse drummed in her ears, and she suddenly started to sweat although the air was crisp for spring.

"The jewel." The creature leaned forward, backing Kagome further into the bench. Kagome looked around to see if anyone could help her, but the station was empty. When did that happen? Where did everyone go?

"The jewel," the creature repeated, her sour breath surrounding Kagome's senses, "I want it." Suddenly, the creature's mouth opened abnormally wide, exposing elongated, sharp teeth, and its long tongue slithered out to lick the side of Kagome's face, leaving a trail of slime.

Completely creeped out of her skin, Kagome squirmed and tried to push the thing away as it took hold of her arms with an iron grip. Finding her voice, Kagome shouted, "Get off of me!" and a bright pink light surrounded them, followed by a sharp scream.

Before Kagome's eyes, a couple of the creature's arms tore off her body, splashing Kagome's face with blood as the demon flew back into the pit of the train tracks. Completely baffled by the events that just occurred, she stared at where the demon disappeared. Everything was relatively quiet, except for the buzzing of the lights and crickets, along with cars driving nearby. It wasn't until she felt a little pressure on her bicep that she realized one of the demon's arms was still latched onto her, the grip still twitching.

She let out a squeak and flung the appendage off her. Not taking the risk to see if the thing was alive, she slung on her backpack and sprinted out of the station and into the streets of the little town. She didn't know where to go or who to trust. What if there were more demons around out to get her? And why was the creature talking about a jewel? Kagome wasn't even wearing any jewelry. Whatever. It didn't matter what the thing wanted. She just needed a phone.

The streets she ran through were almost empty, save for the few people strolling home or into little shops. She'd never been to a small village like this, and she was completely lost. Where was the local Hunter station? Did this town even have a payphone? It was like this town hadn't upgraded in decades.

As she turned the corner, she spotted a little park with a massive tree and a small playground. She thought it best to hide there and catch her breath before continuing on. She ran around the giant tree, but tripped over someone's leg and slid over the cool grass. Quickly apologizing and trying to ignore the stinging in her hands and knees, she glanced over to see that the person she stumbled over sat limp against the tree, his chin tucked against his chest.

He was a boy her age, wearing tattered jeans and sneakers and a dirty red letterman jacket over a stained white shirt. But his clothes didn't surprise her; his hair did. His tousled silver hair practically glowed under the dim streetlights. And… were those dog ears on his head? He must be a demon. But she had never seen dog ears on a demon before.

Without thinking, she extended her hand to touch those fuzzy ears, but their sudden twitching stopped her. The boy's face contorted and his breath hitched, which turned into a fit of rough, violent coughing, his body hunching over. His hands clawed at the ground, digging deep into the damp earth.

Kagome didn't know what to do. He glistened with sweat, his hair sticking to his dark skin. His breathing became forceful and rough, and one of his clawed hands gripped his chest, just over his heart. Was he having a heart attack or something?

"H-Hey, are you okay?" she stammered, reaching out to him.

He swung his arm at her, forcefully knocking her back into the grass. Regaining her senses, she looked back at him in confusion, then fear. Through his hair, she could see bright gold eyes glaring at her with a fire that burned. His thick black brows furrowed, and his sharp fangs bared menacingly at her. He looked completely feral.

His breathing settled a bit, but was still heavy and labored. His voice came out in a deep growl. "You…"

Kagome gulped and backed away. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Back to finish me off, eh, Kikyo?" he spat the last word out like poison on his tongue.

"Kikyo? I'm not-"

A harsh voice cut her off. "There you are, you little brat!"

Kagome whipped around to see the demon from the train station; however, its body had grown much longer with several insect-like legs jutting out - like a giant centipede.

"Give me the jewel!" the demon screeched, lunging at Kagome.

In a panic, Kagome scrambled back to the boy and grabbed a hold of his shirt just as the centipede clutched her waist with a bruising grip.

"Let me go!" Kagome shouted as the demon pulled her harder.

"You let go!" the boy demanded, trying to pry off her hands as he was dragged along with her.

"Troublesome girl! I'll devour you along with the Shikon no Tama!" the demon roared.

"The-" the boy halted in his struggle. Did the creep say...?

Just before the demon moved to eat the girl, Kagome dared to let go of the boy's shirt and defend herself. Desperately, she shouted, "Stop it!"

Just like at the station, a pink light surrounded them and the demon was thrown back into the playground.

Kagome sat there in the grass, breathless. How did she do that?

Quicker than before, the centipede recovered and slithered back to her prey. "Damn you, bitch!"

Within a second, the centipede's fangs sunk into the side of Kagome's stomach, then ripped away a bloody mouthful of flesh. Kagome was in such a state of shock that she didn't have time to scream. The force of the attack threw her to the ground, causing a sharp stinging in her side. She heard a soft thunk before her, and through the blurriness in her eyes, she saw a pink round jewel covered in blood roll in the grass. Was that jewel inside her the whole time?

"I knew you were hiding it!" The demon rasped, slinking back around to finish the job.

"That's mine!" The boy exclaimed from the tree, trembling as he tried to hold himself up on his hands and knees. His eyes shown desperately towards Kagome. "Hurry! Give me the jewel!"

Before Kagome could react, she was swept up by the centipede's thick body and thrown against the tree along with the boy. The creature's body coiled around them and the tree, crushing her body against his, her race pressed against the boy's stomach. Even through his grimy clothes, she could feel his intense body heat and smell the sweat and dirt on his skin. Did this guy ever bathe?

A sickening chuckle bubbled out of the centipede as it looked back at its captives with its cold beady eyes, Kagome's blood dripping from its mouth. "I heard of some lowly half-breed called InuYasha who was after the Shikon no Tama." The creature focused on the boy, a toothy grin crawling over its lips. "You must be the brat."

The Shikon no Tama? Like the one in Grandpa's stories? Kagome was beyond confused. She thought the thing didn't exist.

She felt the boy tense underneath her, and a low growl rumbled through his chest. As she looked up at him, she wondered, was he really a hanyou?

The boy let out a forced laugh. "Don't underestimate me, creep. If I went up against a small-fry demon like you, I'd-"

"Hey!" Kagome interjected. The boy looked down at her with a scrunched-up expression, like he just smelt something rotten. She ignored it. "You've been all bark and no bite this whole time. Are you really as strong and you say you are?"

The boy's nostrils flared and his mouth pressed in a thin line. Sweat continued to roll down his face and neck, and Kagome couldn't tell if he was growling or trembling.

"He can't fight in that sorry state," the centipede purred, slinking by the fallen jewel. "Looks like you have quite the nasty curse. All that pain, but not able to die…" Its long tongue slipped from its mouth and coiled around the jewel. InuYasha began to squirm helplessly. "What a pity. I was hoping for a little fun…" The centipede lifted the jewel into its mouth and swallowed it whole. An even bigger smile stretched across its face. "Oh well," it sang.

"Shit!" InuYasha cursed, struggling against the creature's hold on them.

The centipede's body began to tremble, its hold on them tightening until Kagome thought her ribs would break. Then, with a high-pitched screech, the demon shuddered as its skin peeled off, exposing slick grey, veiny flesh. Its eyelids pulled back until her eyes bulged, and they slowly turned into a vibrant red. Her teeth grew as her lips stretched back against her skull, forming a sickening grin.

Through it all, the creature cackled and shivered in pleasure. "Yes! All this power flowing through my veins! It's delightful!"

Kagome clutched InuYasha's shirt as the centipede tightened its grip on them. She was starting to get lightheaded.

"Hey…" the boy mumbled to Kagome. She looked up at him, but he was staring off somewhere else, his expression pained but stern. "You think you can get rid of the seal on my chest?"

"Seal?" She looked at his chest, and just peaking out from under his stretched shirt, she saw a glowing spot over his heart. "How do I-"

"Do not touch that seal!" a withered voice rasped behind her, followed by a gunshot and the centipede's sharp yelp. Kagome managed to look over her shoulder to see an old priestess surrounded by common men armed with rifles and handguns, while the centipede swayed and shook its bleeding head. These people didn't look like the Hunters in the city. The priestess glared at the boy, but spoke to Kagome. "Young lady, you must not dissolve that seal! That is the only thing that keeps that dog down!"

InuYasha scoffed. "Wouldja rather be insect food?! If that thing absorbs the jewel, this whole town will be dead by morning!" This seemed to shut the woman up as she glared at him with her one eye. InuYasha focused his attention back to Kagome. "You! D'you wanna die?!"

As if! Crushed to death by an insect demon with some strange boy in some strange little town?! No way she wanted to die like this!

Kagome didn't know exactly how to get rid of the seal, but she placed her palm over his chest and pressed firmly. She suddenly felt a strong pulse push back, and InuYasha grunted, his body tensing and his teeth grinding together. Then, with some unknown power within her, Kagome fisted her hand over the pulse and tore the seal away in a stream of light.

InuYasha's eyes flew open, and he gasped as if he just emerged from under water. Beneath her clammy palms, Kagome could feel his heart racing, and his chest rose and fell with each easy breath. Soon, those breaths evolved into a chuckle, which turned into joyous laughter. But this laughter made Kagome uneasy - the look in his eyes was dangerous.

With all the power he could muster, InuYasha lurched forward and burst through the centipede's body, knocking Kagome back along with chunks of the centipede's body. The demon screeched and glared at the youth who spun through the air with a newfound energy. Facing the creature, InuYasha crouched low, his claws set, and his fangs gleaming in a wide grin.

The centipede flew towards him, its teeth bared. "You'll pay for that, you brat!"

"Bring it, bitch!" InuYasha shouted back, launching towards his prey. With one sweep of his arm, he tore through the demon's body with ease. Without as much as a yelp from the centipede, its body parts flew everywhere with each swipe of the hanyou's claws. The whole ordeal was over within seconds, and the boy stopped to admire his handiwork, blood splashed all over his hands and clothes. All Kagome and the townspeople could do is sit back and watch as flesh rained down around them. The boy really was strong after all.

Kagome noticed movement at the corner of her eye and saw that one of the centipede's legs was twitching. She jumped back and squeaked, "Ew! It's still moving!"

"Young lady," the old woman addressed Kagome as she shuffled towards the girl, her face still stern. "You must retrieve the jewel from the demon's body, else it will revive again."

"You serious?" Kagome glanced around at all the chunks of flesh surrounding her. "How do I know where it is?"

"It should be glowing," the woman explained evenly.

"Um…" It wasn't long until she spotted a piece of twitching muscle glowing with a soft pink light. She scrambled towards it and retrieved it with a trembling hand. It slipped out with a wet pop and dragged out a line of mucus or slime. Either way, Kagome gagged as she wiped the jewel against the dirt.

The old woman came to look over the girl's shoulder. There was something very familiar about this girl, and the woman found it strange that this girl possessed such unique powers similar to…

"So…" Kagome began, looking up at the woman. The sudden resemblance made the old woman's frail heart skip a beat. "This… Shikon no Tama, you call it… it can increase a demon's power?"

The woman's mouth opened, but InuYasha answered instead. "That's right, and you humans have no business with it."

Kagome looked up to see the youth standing over her, that terrifying grin on his lips, his claws still poised to strike. The yellow streetlights behind him framed his silhouette, his hair reflecting the light in a way that made it look like it was on fire. His glowing yellow eyes made him look like some wild animal. Kagome suddenly felt heat drain from her face.

The boy huffed down at her, cracking his knuckles. "Now, hand over the jewel - if you value your life, that is."

Kagome blinked up at him. Wasn't he supposed to be helping them?

"You must not give him the jewel, child," the old priestess demanded behind her.

InuYasha ignored her and just growled, his smirk quickly forming into a scowl down at Kagome. "I'm tired of waiting. And I won't go easy on you, especially when you smell so disgusting!"

Kagome saw him coil back to strike, and she jumped out of his reach with a yelp. His attack barreled into the ground, leaving a deep hole in its wake. Turning to face her again, he crouched on all fours, staring at her like a hungry beast.

"Next time I'll cut you in half," he growled.

Suddenly angry, Kagome shouted, "What's your problem? Is this the thanks I get for helping you?"

To the side, one of the townsmen murmured to the priestess, "Lady Kaede, I don't think releasing InuYasha is any better than the centipede…"

Kaede sighed heavily and folded her fingers in front of her. "Such a foolish boy…" She closed her eyes in a silent prayer.

Ignoring the townspeople, InuYasha leapt at Kagome once more as she ran towards the playground.

"Leave me alone!" Kagome shouted, hiding behind a slide.

"Not until I get what's mine!" InuYasha barked back, swiping at her and slicing the slide in half. The force of his attack pushed Kagome back into the sand, and she let go of the jewel in the process. InuYasha spotted it immediately.

But before InuYasha could do anything, a line began to glow on his skin over his collarbone and looped around his neck. When the glow faded away, he pulled the collar of his shirt to look down at his chest and saw a tattoo of a necklace with jagged beads printed on his skin. "What the…?"

"Young lady!" Kaede called over to Kagome. "Recite an incantation to subdue his soul!"

"A what?!" Kagome panicked.

"Anything will do! A word to subdue him!"

"B-But what kind of word?"

InuYasha scoffed and launched for Kagome again. "As if you could subdue me!"

Kagome avoided his blow again, snatching back the jewel and struggling to think of a subjugating word. Freeze? Stop? Stay? Then, the flick of the boy's fuzzy ears gave her a ridiculous idea. She sucked in a deep breath and shouted with all the conviction she could muster. "SIT!"

Instantly, the tattoo around InuYasha's neck glowed, and his upper body was thrust to the ground. For a moment, all was quiet.

One of the men was the first to speak. "L-Lady, Kaede, is he…?"

"No," she answered, "he's not dead, just stunned."

InuYasha lay there, eyes wide. He just ate dirt, and all because of one stupid word! He angrily pushed himself to his knees and tugged at his shirt to glare at the tattoo. "The hell is this?!"

Kaede acknowledged the boy coolly, "That is a spell to keep you out of trouble. You are powerless to remove it."

InuYasha growled and scrambled to his feet. "Why you son-of-a-"

"The word, please."

Kagome pointed to the hanyou and firmly said, "Sit, boy!" Like before, he dropped face-down to the ground. Kagome tried to stifle a giggle. This was actually kind of funny. She just wished she were able to do it sooner.

Kaede took in an exasperated breath and addressed the girl. "Now then, Miss," Kagome turned to the woman, "if you will follow me to the shrine, I will gladly fix you up."

Kagome hesitated and glanced at the boy who still lay flat on the ground, too humiliated to get up.

"Don't mind him," Kaede reassured. "Now that he has that leash bound to him, he is no longer a threat."

"Okay…" Kagome slowly approached the priestess. Her limbs were still a bit shaky from all that adrenaline.

Kaede then spoke to the men, "You all head home now. All is well."

Relived, the men politely bowed and turned home.

"You are a strange girl," Kaede commented, glancing at the girl next to her. "May I ask for your name?"

"Higurashi Kagome," she replied. "Thank you so much for helping me, and I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused."

"Think nothing of it, my dear. But I am curious as to how you got into this predicament."

A/N: Hi! This is my first fanfic, and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I always wondered what the whole story would be like if there were no time travel, so this is my way of playing out those possibilities. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

also, the original story of InuYasha takes place all in one year, but I'm going to extend the timeline to 3 years. This gives the characters more time to grow and mature, so this might be long...