Chapter One

"Hurry over this way!"

"Rin, Lord Sesshoumaru told us to stay put!"

The child ignored the imp's comment and skipped over to a large dandelion field. The flowers were just old enough to blow into and make the dead peals fly away. Rin couldn't wait to make hundreds of wishes at once.

"Rin!" the imp called again. "Oh boy, if Lord Sesshoumaru comes back to no Rin, he's gonna blame me!"

Rin laughed happily before picking a dandelion. "Should I wish for me to stay with Lord Sesshoumaru forever?" she asked herself as she gazed at the flower. "I've already made that wish on the star, though." She tried hard to think of something when she saw Jaken scurrying over.

The child giggled softly and purposely fell on her back, making the petals of numerous dandelions pop off. They landed on her chest, and she couldn't help but feel at peace. The sun was so bright, and the breeze made her feel content.

Panting away, Jaken appeared next to the girl. "Why must you run?" he asked harshly.

Rin sat up, but before she could answer, the sound of a cry got her interested in something else. She stood up and shifted out of the dandelion field. Ahead there was a couple boulders twice her side.

"Hold it, Rin!" Jaken wasn't sensitive toward the human girl, but he knew that if anything happened to her, his master would have his head. He could sense danger nearby.

Rin, though, didn't stop to listen. She made her way over and peaked her head between the boulders. Just up ahead she could see something squirming on the ground. The girl gasped and hurried over.

"Rin!" Jaken creeped between the boulders, and watched the child run for something that was obviously crying in pain.

As Rin slowed down just a few feet away from it, she realized it was a person. He seemed small and young, maybe a little older than Rin. His ears were pointed, and his upper body was bare, showing scaly spikes on his back.

Rin knew a demon when she saw one, and she also knew that Sesshoumaru wouldn't be too happy if she got close enough for one to attack to her. However, seeing the deep cut on the boy's right leg made her pity him.

The girl gulped loudly, and creeped closer. "Are you alright?" she asked. "Here, I'll help you."

The boy hissed in response, which caught Rin off guard. It was clear enough that he didn't trust anyone, and especially a mortal.

Still, Rin couldn't ignore his pain. "I have herbs that can help with that." She reached her arm out to take his hand, but the boy swiped at her with his scaley claws. The girl screamed as she dodged back, falling on her bottom.

"Hey!" Jaken finally made his way over and got between Rin and the demon. Holding up his staff and waving it around at him, the imp shouted at threats, and demanded he leave Rin alone.

The boy grunted in response before rushing to his feet and taking off with all the strength he had left.

"That's right!" Jaken called out and looked up at the face. "Run, run! Don't mess with—Rin? Rin, where did you go? Rin!"

Miles away from where the girl disappeared from, InuYasha stood by the Bone Eater's well, a portal to the modern-day world. The half-demon boy had his nose up, sniffing the air, and feeling the breeze on his face.

It had been two days since the new moon, and InuYasha was more than glad to have his demon powers back. His ears perked up when he heard a thumping sound.

"InuYasha," a cheerful voice said.

The blow slowly turned his head toward the well, where his close mortal friend attempted to climb out of and dropped her big yellow backpack onto the ground. He smelled sweets, which was no surprise, because the girl always brought snacks back from her time.

"It's about time, Kagome," he said with a grumpy expression.

"I'm sorry, how long were you waiting?" she asked after climbing over the well and standing on the ground. She enjoyed being in the Feudal era, even if it meant facing monsters and enemies.

"All morning."

Kaogome gasped before her cheeks flushed up and she smiled wide. It warmed her heart to know how much she meant to InuYasha. At first, she was just helping him collect the shards of the Shikon Jewel, but now they were close friends. "You really do care, don't you?"

"Chtt." InuYasha turned around with his arms crossed. "It's been two days, and we are lacking the ability to find the shards."

Kagome giggled, knowing that it was more than that. She didn't argue and picked up her backpack.

"The others are waiting," InuYasha said as he started forward. He hadn't picked up anything suspicious, but with Kagome's intuition about the jewel shards, they were bound to find something nearby.

Kagome followed him, and the walk started off silent. The girl couldn't help but wonder if anything happened while she was gone. Not that she was suspecting anything, but now would be a good time to catch up. "Has anybody attacked, or did anyone get hurt while I was gone?" she asked.

InuYasha didn't answered as he continued to walk forward. He knew that if Kagome found out about his injury during the new moon, she would worry. He didn't want to get into it, and there was no point in doing so.

"InuYasha?"

"No, nobody got hurt, and nothing happened." He avoided eye contact with her and hoped she wouldn't pry any longer.

However, Kagome was good at reading people. "You can tell me the truth, InuYasha."

"I am!" The boy finally turned to her and had his typical scowl on his face. He and Kagome often bickered, especially since they were so different from one another.

Kagome eyed him. "InuYasha, I don't like to be left out!"

"You're not!" The two stopped and gave each other death glares, although they would never try to kill each other.

"Kagome!" That came from Shippo, the little kitsune who had stuck around with them for months. He hopped over like a bunny with anticipation. He was always excited to see Kagome after being gone.

Kagome caught the little boy as he leaped into her arms. "Oh, hi, Shippo!" She couldn't help but giggle, for she enjoyed his snuggles.

"I missed you!"

Soon after, another voice called out and two other people made their way over. They were just as happy to see Kagome.

"Miroku, Sango!" Kagome said gleefully. "How is everybody?"

"We are just fine," Miroku said calmly. "Did you have a wonderful time with your family, Lady Kagome?"

Before Kagome could answer, InuYasha shushed everybody and stood tall in caution. He had his hand on the handle of his sword that was sheathed by his waist, ready to use it for any sudden attacks.

"What is it, InuYasha?" Kagome asked softly. She didn't sense any jewel shards nearby, but that didn't mean there wasn't any danger.

After a few seconds of silence, a tall man with long green hair stepped out from the bushes. His pointy ears showed that he was a demon, and the sneer on his face put the others on guard.

"Who the hell are you?" InuYasha asked unkindly before unsheathing his sword. The blade transformed into a huge fang, which held great power.

"InuYasha," Kagome whispered. She put her hands up to her mouth, worried about what she saw in the demon's hand.

It was the throat of a young girl looking slightly younger than Kagome. The girl's arms were hanging by her sides, and she was clearly unconscious, or maybe dead. The man was choking the life out of her.

Kagome felt sick, for the sight was too awful to look at.

The man chuckled evilly. "She's a little pest, she is," he spoke. "I'm finally taking care of her."

"P.. please…just leave Misaki alone..." She suddenly started gagging as the man tightened his grip on her throat.

"Almost finished with you."

InuYasha pointed his sword at the man and glared bullets into the man. "Let her go, before I kill you in an instant."