Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha. My wish goddess doesn't like me. She never grants me any wishes.

Tainted

Chapter One

A loud clang had Kagome jumping out of bed and sprawling face first on the hard wooden floor. Groaning, she rubbed the side of her arm where she slammed down first and sighed. She flung her long, black hair back and stood, throwing a weary glance at the small figure standing in the corner of her room.

With soft, thin strands of silver-white hair and two dog-like ears poking out among the mast of messy locks, the young boy was quite the character. He stared at her with amber-gold eyes and a sheepish smile on his face. Small hands were clasped together tightly as he bent down to pick up the little gold alarm clock, which Kagome took as her wake-up call every morning. The metal on the side was a bit scratched up, but no further damage was done.

Kagome shook her head helplessly and tried to smile, but to no avail. Walking over, she took the alarm clock from the boy's hand and placed in on her desk, pressing it down firmly before turning to the one who had dropped it in the first place. He cracked a nervous grin at her and scooted to the left, jumping on the bed. Kagome stared after him in shock. The boy crawled to the edge of the bed and grabbed her hand, pulling her up and jumping on the bed once again, making the both of them bounce up and down. A sense of déjà vu flooded her senses and she gasped softly, overwhelmed by the sudden loneliness that seemed to settle in her heart.

She had had these episodes pretty often since the boy had arrived only a few days ago. He had appeared, somehow, in the back of her house, trying to make way through the extreme dangers of pink and purple periwinkles, wrinkling his nose in disgust. The sight of him brought on her first wave of lost memories and she had to stumble back on mental impact. The boy had not noticed her, however, until she herself made way through the hordes of pink and purple hues to where the boy had progressed. He had then looked up at her, startled to see someone in front of him. Kagome had been a bit taken aback at the sight of the strange looking ears upon his head. She had tugged at them to see if they were some sort of child's toy, but it had resulted in a couple of ear-shattering yells that deafened her for at least a minute. It took her awhile to piece everything together, finally realizing that they were real, and if you pulled on them, they would hurt.

Kagome had asked him where he was from and why he was here but he had not answered. He had only pointed to his ears and imitated a dog's bark, then tugging on her hand and urging her to say something. She had ended up with the strange conclusion that his name was Inu-Yasha. She spoke the name out loud and got a happy response in return. The boy had nodded so fast that she was afraid he was going to get a concussion. She had started calling him Inu-Yasha from then on, but he never talked, only stared at her often with his big, golden eyes. Her mom never questioned her, or the boy, as if secretly understanding what Kagome didn't. Kagome didn't say anything about it either but simply dug out her old sleeping bag from her closet and set it on the ground beside her bed. She had discussed it with her mother that night and they had both silently agreed that there was an urgent need to keep the boy with them, even though neither knew why. Inu-Yasha had stayed with them then, often straying out into the woods by himself and climbing up on a tree, enjoying his high view of the woods from above while Kagome was slaving over her schoolwork.

There was a tug on Kagome's hand and she snapped, finding herself staring into yellow-gold orbs that pulled her in. She shook her head and got up, sliding off her bed. "I'm going down to find something to eat. You want some?" She started walking towards the door, glancing back at Inu-Yasha for an expected answer. The boy simply shook his head and continued bouncing on the bed. Kagome shrugged and skipped down the steps, pondering about what to do with a perfectly good Saturday. She could call a group of friends and hang out at the mall… or she could take Inu-Yasha and allow him to lead her to the woods. She decided on the latter and proceeded to retrieve the Doritos off the high shelf where her little brother, Souta, couldn't reach. Someone's got to protect the food in this house.

Kagome trailed nosily behind the small human-like child, watching him prance around, as if enjoying his special time in the woods. She had to admit, it was refreshing to be here; watching the clouds edge forward slowly above her, relaxing as a small breeze blew her hair back now and then. A small crack sounded in the distance and she glanced over, spying Inu-Yasha hopping up an old oak tree. She laughed softly and tromped through the exotic colors of autumn leaves, finally coming to a stop at the base of the trunk. Bending down, she swiped away the leaves surrounding the trunk and sat down, closing her eyes.

She had always thought that Inu-Yasha was an interesting child. He did not speak, yet she understood how he felt. It seemed that he spoke through his eyes, and only she could understand what those golden disks were saying. He was like a dog, she supposed. Hence the name? His presence always shrouded her, like a protection, even if he wasn't there. Kagome just knew that if he was there, she would be safe, and no harm could come of her. But her mind insisted on being logical and continuously probed her about her "safe" feelings when Inu-Yasha was around. How was it possible that he could protect her when he's a mere child? Her mind kept asking her. I wonder if he really is… Kagome chuckled to herself at the thought of Inu-Yasha suddenly shooting up to her size and protecting her from a giant caterpillar. She shook her head. How ridiculous…

A human shadow befell her and her head shot up, only to find a young girl standing in front of her. Kagome smiled nervously at her and muttered a "hi", then quickly got up and straightened her shirt, dusting the leaves off. There was no response from the girl; in fact, she hadn't even heard her coming. Kagome glanced warily at her, noting her purple kimono and long, black hair. Why was she wearing a kimono on a Saturday? There was something else about the girl that puzzled her. She had what seemed like a giant boomerang slung across her back and was staring steadily at her. Kagome gave a start when she heard a thump beside her, calming down only when she realized it was Inu-Yasha. Her eyes darted towards him, surprised to find a look of recognition on his face. He nodded curtly to her and cocked his head to one side.

The girl smiled. "Nice to see you again, Inu-Yasha."

Kagome cocked an eyebrow. This girl obviously knew the child. She wondered if she was his mother. It seemed unlikely though, for the girl was quite young of age. In fact, she seemed as if she was Kagome's age, around seventeen or eighteen. She cleared her throat and caught the girl's attention. A flush crept up her cheeks and she stammered, "Excuse me, but what is your name?"

She got no response but only looked at Inu-Yasha. He shook his head deftly and frowned. The girl sighed softly and looked back at Kagome. "My name is Sango. I see Inu-Yasha hasn't done much progress, has he?"

Kagome took a step back as another wave of feelings overcame her. Sango took a step forward to steady her, holding her by the shoulders. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to startle you…"

"No, no, it's all right, really." Kagome tried to smile. "I've been doing that a lot lately." She trailed off.

The girl chuckled to herself.

"What's so funny?" Kagome giggled with her.

"No, it's nothing." Sango looked once again at Kagome and Inu-Yasha, then shrugged nonchalantly, earning herself a glare from the white-haired boy.

"Do you guys know each other?" Kagome probed, interested in the strange relationship between Sango and Inu-Yasha.

"I wouldn't really say that." She shot daggers at Inu-Yasha, who whimpered and clutched Kagome's hand. "It's not like you have that much time, hanyou. When are you going to get to work?"

There was a grunt from Inu-Yasha and he detached himself from Kagome's hand, hopping once again up the tree.

Kagome looked at the scene silently, lips parted in wonder. She didn't understand what Sango was talking about, but she felt as if she'd known Sango for a long time, so she supposed she could open up to her a bit, couldn't she? Of course, she supposed. Once again, Sango started talking, "I should go now, Kagome. Perhaps we'll meet again sometime?"

Kagome snapped out of her trance. "Of course! It's great talking to you, he never talks." She pointed up the tree where they could see his arm dangling through the leaves.

There was only a laugh from Sango and when Kagome turned around, she had disappeared. She sighed and realized she had forgotten to ask her something. How did she know her name? It seemed like Kagome wasn't the only one who could understand how Inu-Yasha talks. Sango understood it as well. "Talk about a strange encounter in the woods. It's lucky I didn't meet aliens." She rolled her eyes and plopped down on the leaves. She didn't remember when she fell asleep, didn't even know that she had, but was rudely awakened by a jab in her left ear. Kagome snapped up, eyes wide, clutching her ear in agony. Whirling around, she jabbed a finger at the young boy who was standing in front of her, grinning from ear to ear.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, trying to stab my god forsaken ear?!" She panted as his ears twitched at the echo that was sounding throughout the woods. Scattered sounds of wings and feathers sounded behind them and Kagome chuckled inwardly. Her voice never ceased to amaze her.

There was only a shrug from Inu-Yasha, and his ears twitched again. Turning around slowly, he started strolling back, dry leaves crunching beneath his feet.

"Wait a minute…" Kagome stared at his ears. "What did Sango call you? A hanyou?"

He stopped dead and stiffened, not uttering a sound.

"Isn't a hanyou… like… a half demon?" She tried to stare holes through his back. There was another moment of silence and twitching of ears, then a curt nod from the child.

Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "So what are you… a dog demon that's a half demon, which means you're a hybrid, which means one of your parents wasn't a demon, which makes them a human, which- mmph!" Stumbling backwards from the force Inu-Yasha exerted on her, she fell against the tree. "You just wait till I catch you, you little- little… THING!"

Only a snicker was heard as the child hanyou disappeared among the trees, apparently scuttling back to her house.

Comments? Love you guys! I want to know how I'm doing, so please leave a review. I don't tolerate flames… suggestions are always welcome though. :D