I don't own Inuyasha! Hope you enjoy the story!

~~~~The Sleeping Prince~~~~~

Chapter 1

Ever since she was a little girl, Kagome Higurashi dreamed of nothing more than traveling to the land beyond the well and rescuing the mysterious prince. It wasn't until her father died that she began to really consider trying to go to the other world. Her mother was in a constant state of denial, believing that someday her husband would return. The fact that Kagome had not seen her father's death and her mother's belief that her husband would return led to fantasies about her father merely leaving to go to the other world like he'd always talked about. She began to visit the well daily, hoping for some sort of sign. On her sixteenth birthday, she went to peer behind the vines at the well entrance as she always did to imagine what it would be like if her father were to return from the other world to be with her again. It would be the perfect birthday present! Her hopes were found to be unrealistic. Nothing happened and nothing would ever happen. The well- despite the many fantastic stories- was just a well after all. Tears began to fall. She sobbed uncontrollably, finally accepting that her dad was gone forever.

A faint blue glow at deep within the well made her blink to clear the tears. She held her breath as she cautiously peered into the well, focusing on the blue light.

"That looks like the sky…" She muttered.

The blue light expanded, lighting up the well so that Kagome could see the well walls. There appeared to be gems of every color embedded in the walls. The young girl reached out to the light and felt herself falling. The journey made her dizzy, but once she adjusted Kagome realized she was simply sitting just inside the well entrance. How did this happen? She asked herself. She stood and began to brush the vines aside. As she stepped outside she was amazed to see that she was standing in a completely different place. Kagome gasped and leaned back against the mountain. The signs were gone. She couldn't see her family's house. She was alone in the forest surrounded by shadows. The other world… It does exist! I made it! She jumped up excitedly and tried to decide what to do now that she'd gotten here. She looked down at herself. Faded jeans and a band t-shirt. Not exactly the right clothes for this sort of place, or for the journey ahead. Her sneakers were relatively new and good enough for long travels, but they weren't hiking boots. Of course, the first thing she needed to do was go back to her time and get more prepared. She quickly went back inside the well, but nothing happened. No light, no dizziness. Nothing. Frowning, Kagome decided that this could only mean one thing. Her trip here was a one way thing. She imagined her mother realizing that she was gone and felt as though she'd made a selfish mistake. Now her mother was all alone.

Kagome went back out into the mysterious world and tried to decide which way she should go. First of all, she would have to find some sort of shelter and maybe gather some information from the people who lived in this world. Closing her eyes, she trusted her instincts and headed into the woods. She could only hope that she was headed in the right direction and not into danger. Birds chirped and leaves rustled from time to time, but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. As she neared the end of the forest, she noticed a small hut located near the end of a small village. There was an older woman sitting outside feeding seeds to the birds. Kagome neared the older woman, feeling her heart pound nervously at the thought of her first encounter with a person of this world.

"Be not afraid young lady. There be no demons here." The old lady said without looking up.

"Demons?" Kagome asked.

"You aren't from around here, are ya?" The old lady asked, looking up at Kagome.

"No… I…" Kagome couldn't think of the proper explanation.

"Came from the well, didja?" The old lady asked. She laughed when Kagome looked shocked.

"How did you…?" Kagome asked.

"Let's discuss it over dinner. By the way, name's Kaede. What's yours?" The lady asked.

"Kagome."

The two ladies went inside the hut and made small talk while Kaede finished the meal. Kaede seemed to know quite a bit about the well and about the sleeping prince. Kagome felt her heart flutter excitedly as she listened to the older woman tell her the stories she'd been told by her father. If only dad could be here… She thought. She could imagine the knowing smile her father would have right about now. He had truly believed in a magical land on the other side of the well. His belief had been passed down to his daughter. She saddened at the realization that she would never see his smile again. Kagome questioned Kaede about others who might have come through the well before. There wasn't much to tell. The stories were as much of a fairytale to her as they were to Kagome. The two enjoyed their meal and prepared for bed.

"It has been so long since I've had anyone to share my home with. Please make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you. I… couldn't get back through the portal in the well. Is there something to that Kaede? Am I stuck here forever?" Kagome asked.

"I would imagine that is because of the curse. And because Naraku's corruption is attempting to take over the land." Kaede pondered.

"Naraku?"

"Aye. Naraku is a very powerful, very evil demon. He has the powers of both a wizard and a demon. Ever since the death of Inutaisho… Naraku has been working hard to take over." Kaede said.

"Inu…?" Kagome asked. Kaede laughed.

"Inutaisho is the previous ruler of these lands. His eldest son was the one cursed." She explained.

"The sleeping prince! He has a younger brother?" Kagome asked. Kaede nodded.

"Yes, he has been fighting the corrupt demons for many years. The curse put upon his brother keeps him from ascending to the throne. For the eldest brother still lives and would therefore be the new leader. The powers that would be bestowed to the new king is withheld from the both of them…" Kaede frowned.

"Do you think the younger brother could defeat this Naraku guy?" Kagome asked.

"Sadly, the only one would that could defeat Naraku is under a horrible curse…" Kaede sighed.

"The younger prince… do you know where he is? Maybe he can help me save his brother." Kagome said hopefully.

"Inuyasha… he is not the kind of demon that would want to work alongside another. He prefers to be alone. He is a rude demon who does not trust anyone. I would suggest you stay away from him." Kaede warned.

Kagome sighed. It looked as though she would be on her own in this after all. The next morning Kaede gave the girl directions to the castle and advice about staying safe. She gave the young woman a staff with a huge dark blue gem embedded in the topmost part. There were words in a long forgotten language inscribed all over the staff. It was said to be a magic staff that would protect her from any demon.

"You just trust your instincts, child, and you'll have nothing to fear." Kaede assured her.

Kagome headed off, following the directions given to her by Kaede. She walked as far as she could before she began to grow tired. Trusting her instincts, Kagome found a nearby cave to provide shelter for the night ahead. If only I had come to this land more prepared. I could have brought a sleeping bag, snacks… She sighed and checked the cave for signs of danger. The cave was empty. As Kagome carefully placed her new staff against the cave wall she couldn't help but wonder if she would really have to use such a thing. As dangerous as this new land seemed to be, she had yet to come across any danger. It was almost as though she were all alone in this world. There was a small stream nearby, which Kagome had to drink from by cupping her hands together. A small animal ran towards her on the other side of the stream. She looked up, shocked at first to see the strange creature. It was obviously some sort of rabbit. The animal froze and looked up at her, accessing the danger. A long ear twitched and stood to attention, hearing something that the girl couldn't hear. Paying no mind to Kagome, the creature leapt over the stream and proceeded to run for it's life.

Kagome frowned and looked past the stream, trying to make her eyes see through the trees. The rabbit was running from something, but there appeared to be nothing chasing the small animal. Relieved, Kagome headed back to the cave. Her staff had fallen onto the ground. The quickened pace of her heartbeat warned her that the staff had not fallen on it's own. Something or someone had knocked it over. Reaching down to grab the staff, Kagome heard a small voice. She held tightly to the staff, praying that by some miracle she could make the magic work. Squinting into the darkness of the cave, she could just barely see that there was now someone crouched in there.

"Do you know how to use that?" The voice asked timidly.

"Yes, I know how to use it. Are you hiding from something?" Kagome asked.

"Shhhh. He's coming…"

"Who's co-"

"Shh!"

Kagome held the staff tightly prepared to defend herself against an unknown attacker. She could hear someone running towards her and her heartbeat sped up. With a deep breath she tried to steady herself so that when the time came, her aim would be true. A figure appeared just inside the forest. It was a man by the looks of it. He took a moment to sniff the air around him before setting his sights on the cave. The anger was plain on his face and Kagome held tight to the staff.

"Quick, kill him before he kills us!" The voice in the cave whispered.

The man began to run towards the cave. Kagome prayed harder than she'd ever prayed before. The words began to light up on the staff, but she had no time to admire it. Within seconds he would be upon them. He wasn't just a man, he was a demon. His clothing was strange, his appearance a bit off. More than that, he had an aura about him that warned Kagome of the potential danger.

"What the hell are you doing?! Your enemy is the one behind you, not me! Or are you sided with that… thing?" The demon yelled.

Kagome frowned out at the demon man in front of her. Behind her, there was hissing laughter. She screamed when the hidden person suddenly grabbed her from behind. The voice had led her to believe that the person hiding in the darkness was small, possibly a child. The hand that found her small throat proved that she was wrong. He was definitely not a small person. She could feel the strength in the huge hand and shuddered to think of how quickly the man behind her could damage her throat. Though of course, this was not simply a man either. Her hands moved quickly to the hand at her throat, attempting to free herself. She gasped at the scaly skin and began to struggle harder. She tried to look up and behind her to see the demon holding her. His face was shrouded in darkness. The other demon was glaring angrily past her, apparently able to see despite the darkness.

"I had hoped to see you purified! No such luck… this girl is a pathetic excuse for a priestess." The demon in the cave hissed.

"Counting on humans to fight your battles now? Talk about pathetic, you're worse than her." The man laughed.

"Useless and powerless as she is, her blood still hums with potential! And that blood shall soon be mine!" The demon in the well claimed.

Kagome struggled harder trying desperately to get away from the crazed demon. Were they only here to fight over her blood? Why did he call me a priestess? What the hell is he talking about? Apparently the demons believed her blood to be powerful. If only I actually had some sort of powers to escape this horrible creature… The demon man in front of her had gotten close enough that she could see him a bit better. He had long black hair that was tied back from a handsome face. He appeared to be wearing a mixture of fur and armor. Kagome's neck was suddenly stretched back at a painful angle. She could feel the other demon's breath upon her skin. Her eyes found the demon behind her and she gasped at the monstrous features. He was no doubt a snake demon. Long fangs showed as he opened his mouth.

The other demon rushed forward into the cave. Kagome looked to him, hoping he would save her. What were the chances that she run into not one, but two evil demons? The clawed hand at her throat managed to draw a small amount of blood. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. The smaller man seemed to hesitate. Kagome looked to him, pleadingly but his eyes took on a slight glaze. Panic began to set in and she feared that she would be eaten here by demons so far from home. A thin pronged tongue reached her neck and she shuddered in disgust. Fear was replaced by anger. How dare these stupid demons try to eat me! Was the last thing she remembered thinking.

"Get your nasty tongue away from me!" She screamed.

A bright blue and white light seemed to expel from the human girl and engulfed the demon holding her. His snake eyes widened in fear as his hand was evaporated and he was thrown backwards away from her. He looked down at where his hand used to be and shrieked. As he tried to enact his revenge on her, he burst into a cloud of light and dust. The girl collapsed to her knees, gasping for air. The other demon stared at the spot where his enemy once stood. Talk about being purified…He thought. His eyes found the human and he began to cautiously approach her. Angry human eyes met his, a silent warning between the two of them. He held up his hands to show that he meant her no harm. Her aura was so intense at the moment that he feared being purified by being too close to her.

"I guess this means you really are a priestess…" The demon laughed nervously.

"Don't think… I won't.. purify you too.. Just because you don't look so… demonic." Kagome said in between breaths. She rubbed her neck, still feeling the other demon's touch.

"Not that it really matters at this point, but I wasn't going to let him eat you…" The demon said.

"Oh yea? Don't like sharing, do ya?" Kagome accused.

The demon winced slightly. He looked over the human, looking for injuries. She seemed to be fine for the most part. It seemed as though the use of her purification powers had taken a toll on her. He imagined that being strangled didn't really help the situation much. She might not have the energy to use her powers again anytime soon. He looked to the cave exit, considering leaving before she could regain her strength and destroy him as well. Something held him back though. He turned his gaze to the young woman and noticed the bruising that had begun to appear on her throat. This human wasn't like any other human he'd come across, she was able to defend herself and she wasn't overcome by fear of demons. She seemed to be a lot stronger, more lively. To imagine her left here all alone in the dark…

"Look… it's obviously not safe for you to be out here alone. Where's your home? I'll help you get there." The demon offered.

"Home? There's no returning there until this Naraku guy is defeated. And everything was fine until you and your … friend showed up." Kagome accused.

"Friend?! That scaly bastard was a pain in my ass. Our families have been fighting for years…" The demon said.

"So enemy then. Does that mean the enemy of my enemy…" She coughed and fell silent.

The demon watched the human collapse onto the cave floor. He approached her cautiously, eyeing her strange clothing up close. Her smell was sweet and overwhelming. She looked up at him lazily. He tried his best to look harmless. Her dark hair spread out around her on the cave floor. He sat as close to her as he dared and met her eyes once more.

"You're right. Consider me a friend. You can count on me to protect you. So go ahead and go to sleep." He encouraged.

"I'm…. Kagome." She said sleepily. The demon smiled.

"Kagome, the priestess. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've never met a priestess before." He said.

"… and you?" She asked.

"Oh. Right. My name is Kouga." He said.

"That doesn't… sound like a demon name…" She said closing her eyes.

"Hmm. Well, I am in fact a wolf demon." He said softly.

Kouga watched over the young woman as she began to fall asleep. He found himself sighing from relief. The display of power earlier proved that though the girl was small she was fully capable of dealing with demons. He laughed softly to himself at the memory. Finally the horrible snake family was taken care of. The fighting had carried on for much too long. How would his family react if he told them that the last of the snake demons had been killed by a human? Kouga decided that he would protect this girl. She had to let him stay alongside her. She'd even mentioned Naraku, as though she planned to be involved in the battle with the man. Everyone knew that there was only one person who could defeat Naraku. Kouga sighed. The girl stirred in her sleep, seeking a more comfortable position. Her hand found the staff even in her sleep and she sort of cuddled up to it. Kouga smiled and leaned his back against the cave wall, preparing to stay up all night watching over the young priestess.