Again this is the prequal to InuYasha's Match. It doesn't really matter what order you read these in if you are new to the story so if you wanna wait till I finish this one to move onto InuYasha's Match feel free to do so.

Hope you all enjoy the chapter and please don't forget to review!!!

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own inuyasha, but my established original characters plot lines and writing in general from inuyasha's match and any more I may come up with along the way are definatly MINE!

------A picture of what Tauni looks like can be found on my Deviant art page! the link is in my profile, Check it out!------

Tauni wandered through the woods trying to figure out just where she was. It wasn't long before she spotted a familiar tree through the canopy. It was the huge tree at the Higurashi shrine. Changing direction she headed toward it knowing that once she reached it she was home free.

A few minutes later the teenager reached the base of the towering tree, but instead of finding the shrine all there was were more trees. Something was definitely not right here. Just where on Earth had that stupid well dumped her?

Back in the direction where Tauni's house would have been, she noticed several streams of smoke rising above the trees.

Well, where there is smoke there are usually people. Maybe someone there can tell me just where I am.

Tauni finally made it out of the woods and was shocked by the scene being played out before her. It looked as though she had stepped out of the woods and into one of the pictures from her history book.

An ancient looking village was being raided by bandits on horseback. The smoke she had seen through the trees were the roofs of the houses burning. A few people with buckets were doing their best to bring the fires under control but it was no use; the blazes were completely out of control.

The looting bandits were running in and out of houses stealing belongings and terrorizing the occupants.

At the far end of the village there were a few men and a young woman trying desperately to fight off the main group of attackers.

Not one to stand by when people are in danger, Tauni dropped her pack and took off running toward the other end of the village, stopping along the way to pick up a discarded sword.

Tauni stepped into the fight just in time to catch the blade of a bandit right before it struck the young woman from behind. Tauni fended off the bandit with practiced motions and gave the small group the upper hand. Working together the two women and the few men drove back the bandits.

When the leader of the trouble makers called the retreat, Tauni glanced back toward him. The bandit she was fighting took advantage of her distraction and caught her upper right arm with his blade.

Tauni cried out, dropped her sword, and grabbed her wound. Warm sticky blood seeped between her fingers and dripped to the ground.

In the next second, the bandit began advancing on the wounded young woman. Tauni took a step back for every step he took forward, but soon found herself backed up against the wall of one of the small houses.

Knowing his victim was trapped, the bandit raised his sword for the final blow with a sadistic smile.

Tauni squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the blade to strike.

When a few moments passed and nothing happened, Tauni slowly opened her eyes. The bandit was dead at her feet, run through with an arrow.

Tauni looked up and several yards away stood her rescuer. It was the young woman she had saved earlier in the fight. The two women locked eyes and Tauni gave a nod of thanks. The woman returned her nod and turned back to the slowly retreating bandits.

Feeling the effects of the blood loss she suffered from her wound, Tauni leaned back against the wall she had been trapped by and closed her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision.

Tauni jumped when someone grabbed her hand and attempted to pull her forward. The teen opened her violet eyes and found herself looking down at a girl that had to be no more than 10.

The little girl pulled harder on her arm. "Quickly, come with me."

With a slight nod Tauni followed the little girl into a barn a few yards away from the battle. As soon as they entered the girl swung the door shut and barred it in place to prevent anyone from entering.

Tauni sat down in a pile of hay and moved her hand away from the wound in order get a better look at it. It really wasn't that deep but it was bleeding profusely. The little girl hovered in front of her and looked at the wound.

"Are ye hurt badly?"

Tauni shook her head. "Not too badly, but I have to stop the bleeding. Could you help me with this?"

The girl nodded and helped Tauni rip away what was left of her tattered sleeve. Once the fabric was removed the girl used a small piece of it to clean the large gash and the rest of it to wrap the wound.

Tauni smiled at the young girl. "Thank you."

The girl nodded but looked at Tauni curiously. "Are ye a demon?"

Tauni was shocked. "Why on Earth would you think I was a demon?"

The little girl looked her up and down. "Well, ye are dressed so strangely and your eyes are such an odd color."

Tauni laughed, the girl did have a point. She did look completely out of place compared to everyone else. "Good point. But I'm not a demon; I'm just a normal person."

The young girl looked unconvinced. "Well, if ye are lying Kikyo will be able to tell."

"Who's Kikyo?"

The girl sat down in front of Tauni. "She is my older sister. The village priestess, she is the one that saved ye from that bandit."

So that woman's name is Kikyo, and she's a priestess. I really did end up in some weird alternate reality or something didn't I?

"Well I'm going to have to thank your sister. And what's your name?"

The young girl thought for a moment deciding if she would answer. "I am Kaede."

"Well Kaede, it's very nice to meet you. My name is Tauni."

Both girls jumped when someone attempted to open the door. Tauni instinctively pushed the younger girl behind her, and forced herself to her feet in a defensive position.

"Kaede are you in there?"

Kaede smiled and ran to the door. "That is my sister, Kikyo."

Kaede opened the door and Kikyo smiled down at her younger sister. "I'm glad you weren't hurt." Kikyo then turned her attention to the stranger before them. "Are you injured?"

"I'll live."

"Then let me ask you. Why have you come here? Do you seek the shikon no tama?"

Tauni looked at her blankly. "The shikon no whata? I don't even know what that is. I'm… uh… just lost and I saw the smoke through the trees and found my way here. That's all."

Kikyo narrowed her eyes at the stranger but believed what she had said. "Very well you may stay here until you are able to travel."

The priestess turned to leave with Kaede right behind her. She stopped inside the doorway and looked back at the stranger. "Back there. Why did you feel the need to join our battle?"

Tauni shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I couldn't just sit by and watch those men kill everyone and destroy the village. It wouldn't have been right."

Kikyo was satisfied with her answer. "Get some rest. I will send Kaede later with some food and some things to treat your wound."

Without another word the priestess and her younger sibling disappeared around the corner. Tauni sat back down and leaned her head back against the wall.

"Something tells me I'm not in Tokyo any more."