"Bring her to me," the Emperor said in a low, malevolent voice, "alive."

Inuyasha looked at the sketch, clearly puzzled. "Her? Hmph! She's hardly more than a child! What could she possibly–"

"Do not question my motives, bounty hunter! If you wish to receive the reward, then you shall deliver the girl to me. Is that clear?"

Inuyasha grinned. "Piece of cake."

"Stop! Thief!" someone shouted from the village square. Kagome looked up to see a small kitsune running frantically past her. She snatched him off the ground by his tail.

"Lemmie go!" he shrieked.

"Shippo," she said in exasperation, "you've been stealing again!" The young fox demon continued to struggle in her grasp, clutching a small pouch of coins to his chest. Kagome sighed and said gently, "Please give those coins back to their owner."

"But–" he sighed, ceasing his futile struggle. "Okaaaay..." Kagome set him down on the ground, just as the man who owned the coins ran up. Shippo thrust the pouch up at him. "Here," he said regretfully. "Sorry I took it." He didn't sound sorry at all.

The man counted the coins, and with a satisfied "hmph" he walked off.

Shippo glared up at Kagome. "He didn't deserve that money! He said I was just a baka street urchin!"

Kagome tried to hide her smile as she replied, "Shippo-chan, you have to learn to ignore comments like that!"

"Well, one of these days I'm going to be a strong youkai like my father was, and people like that guy are going to pay!"

Amused, Kagome swept the little orphan into her arms. "C'mon, you can have dinner at my house again." Twilight was descending upon the village as she carried Shippo outside the gates, toward her family's small cottage at the edge of the forest. The two friends were unaware of the silver-haired hanyou watching them from the shadows...

Inuyasha watched the girl carry the young kitsune into the cottage, an amused grin on his face. "Heh heh heh! Soon enough I will have her... And then the Shikon no Tama will finally be mine!" He unsheathed the Tetsaiga and ran his finger along the sharp blade. "Too bad I can't kill her..." He jumped down from the tall tree and stalked toward the cottage.

Kagome awoke with a start, sitting up in her bed. She looked around the room, sensing that something wasn't quite right. Shippo's soft snoring, as he slept curled up at her feet, and the cacophony of insects outside were the only noises that she could hear. Yet what had awakened her?

She layed back down with a sigh. It must have just been a dream, she thought sleepily. Still, something seemed amiss. Oh, you're just being a scaredy-cat. Go back to sleep! She told herself firmly.

She was just drifting once again into slumber, when a hand clamped over her mouth. She let out a muffled "mmph!" and began to thrash around.

Rough hands yanked her to her feet, and she bit down hard on her attackers hand, which was still pressed tightly over her mouth. "D, you bit me!" An angry voice exclaimed, and she was sharply smacked across the cheek. Before she even had a chance to scream, he pressed a rag over her nose and mouth that smelled strongly of chemicals, and slowly... things began... to become dim...

Inuyasha slung the limp girl over his shoulder and leaped out the window, heading briskly through the forest. "That was all to easy," he said triumphantly, a cocky smile playing on his lips. He came to a stop by a small stream, setting the girl down against a tree. It was too dark for even his sharp eyes to see her face properly, but he could tell that she was younger than he originally thought. "What could the emperor possibly want with such a young girl?" He shrugged. "Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter as long as I get my Jewel."

Suddenly the girl's eyes began to flutter open. What? The fumes wore off already? Cheap crap! It's supposed to last for hours! He shook his head angrily.

The girl moaned and said, "Where am I?"

Inuyasha let out a slight growl and yanked her to her feet.

"C'mon! We're wasting time."

She shrieked. "Who are you?! Let me go!"

Inuyasha let her struggle for a moment, taking pleasure in her terror. Then he flung her over her shoulder and once again began walking through the forest.

"Put me down! Someone– HELP!!"

Author's Note: Considering this is my first fanfic, I don't expect it to be extremely popular or anything. Some constructive criticism would be nice. :) I will add chapter two after I get a few reviews.