Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha or any of its characters so please don't sue me. This idea is mine so please don't steal it. Suya also belongs to me.

Author's Note: As of 1/29/08 this story is undergoing extensive rewrite to bring it up to par with some of my newer stories. Please reread this story as several things have changed and will change over the next few weeks. Thank you and enjoy.

A strange new beginning
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Ch. 1: A New Protector

The sun was shining. A warm breeze cools the heated summer day. All in all a perfectly normal day in feudal Japan.

"SIT!" BAM! "SIT!" BAM!

Well as normal as it can be with the people who live there. Then again this was normal for the searchers of the Shikkon Jewel. Everyone was used to the crashes and curses after almost three years of hearing them daily. After all the miko from the future and the hanyou of the feudal age argue almost constantly. As time has gone on they have grown to respect each other, but that doesn't stop them from arguing.

Through harsh words, and multiple times being subdued by the beads, they'd grown closer. Of course, this fight was something bigger than that, even bigger than what those that knew them would be able to prevent. Kagome was no longer safe in her own world.

(Kagome)

Kagome ran as fast as she could. Inu-Yasha really was a mongrel. He couldn't even give her some sign of concern when something horrible happened. She'd never thought she'd have to live through something like this, even less that she'd have to do it without Inu-Yasha. She had managed to get away, but the trauma of the event was still there, still fresh in her mind. And he had dismissed her!

Flashback

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome called shakily as she neared the hanyou's tree.

"Whatya want, wench?" Came the almost instant reply from the irritable hanyou.

Kagome fought back tears. She had hoped he'd be understanding, that he'd be smart enough to realize that something was wrong. She had been mugged and nearly raped on her way home from school today. She'd come to Inu-Yasha directly after the attack, wanting to be near her hanyou protector and knowing he'd be there for her. She hadn't gotten her bag or even told her mom goodbye, she'd been too scared and she was still scared. The muggers had chased her up until she reached the well house. She hadn't waited for them to find her, hadn't wanted to try and fight them off without any sort of way to defend herself. So she'd gone over the lip of the well and into the past.

She said, "Inu-Yasha, please come down here."

The hanyou was in front of her in an instant. Kagome rarely said please to him. When she did she was either in trouble or she wanted something. He hoped it was the latter because when she was in trouble she was really in a heap of trouble. Last time she had been being chased by some weird frog demon with an unnatural crush on her. As soon as the hanyou stopped moving Kagome rushed over to him and hugged him, clinging to him desperately as the tears finally started falling.

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(Inu-Yasha)

Inu-Yasha went rigid and his face turned red. He quickly fought off the embarrassment and looked down at the top of the miko's head, wondering what could have put her in this sort of mood. He'd hugged her before, and she him, but never like this. Never with this amount of desperation.

"What is your problem, wench?"

He regretted his words as soon as he had said them when Kagome looked up at him with tears in her eyes. He lifted one clawed hand up and brushed it across her damp face gently. Kagome never cried, not unless someone was really hurt or something terrible had happened.

Concern filtered into his expressive gold eyes, chasing away the usual look of irritation they had. "Kagome, what's wrong? What happened?"

He'd been traveling with her for too long to not know her different moods and how to react to them. She'd taught him to be considerate of other people, to show compassion to those that really needed it. Especially with her, he could be gentle. Only for her would he show this level of concern.

Kagome wiped her eyes repeatedly as she said, "I need your help."

Inu-Yasha let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't in trouble, though she had scared him so much that he had thought that perhaps she was. She was so going to get it for this one, scaring him like that.

"Keh. Why should I bother with your petty problems?"

He knew he was about to be sat when Kagome looked up at him with a look of cold fury in her eyes and said, "P-petty problems?"

She backed away from the hanyou as she continued, "For your information, Inu-baka, I came to you because I was mugged and nearly raped."

He'd screwed up, he realized. Something like that, and he wasn't there to protect her. It made him angry, but there was more at stake here than just his incompetence as a protector. She wasn't happy with him, and he deserved it. She'd explained to him that there were some dangers in her world that had nothing to do with demons. He knew what rape was, and she'd explained to him what it meant to be mugged. Someone had assaulted her, had stolen whatever belongings she'd had while she'd been traveling. Just like bandits in this time.

Her voice began to rise as she continued speaking, "I was a fool to think you'd give a damn about me. After all, I'm just a substitute for Kikyou, right?" Her words were bitter and she looked like she was hurting inside.

Inu-Yasha felt his chest tightening a little more with each of her pained words. He was just now starting to take in the miko's disheveled appearance. Her blouse was torn from the neckline down, revealing her bra under it. Her skirt had large holes in it and a large portion of it was burnt. He took off his fire rat coat and tried to hand it to her to put on, but she just slapped it out of his hand.

"Don't touch me!"

He reached out to pull her into his arms again as he tried again. "Kagome...please don't...I'm sorry, okay?"

He was stopped abruptly when Kagome said, "SIT!"

BAM! He hit the ground with enough force to leave a small crater. Immediately he tried to get up, knowing he couldn't just leave things like this. He rolled his eyes up so that he could see her, but was still so close to face down in the dirt that he couldn't get any words to come out.

Kagome stood over him, the look in her eyes one he'd never wanted to see from her. It was the look the villagers and most demons gave him when they saw that he was only a half demon. Contempt, hate. These things laced her next words and tore his world apart.

"I hate you! I hate you! SIT!"

She turned and ran, though he couldn't see her. She ran from him, from their journey, from their friends, from everything. He'd lost her, and if he didn't do something soon, that would be the end of things for them.

End Flashback

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(Kagome)

She picked up her pace as her thoughts faded back to the present, bringing her further and further away from the safety of Inu-Yasha's forest. She was past being furious with him, she had no wish to ever see him again. Let him find the stupid shards on his own!

As she ran she ranted loudly to the world, "Stupid Inu-Yasha! I'll never speak to him again! I-ulp!" Her foot had caught on a tree root, effectively knocking her to the ground and stopping her tirade of insults.

After a few minutes she rolled over onto her back and sat up, staring blearily up at the darkening sky. She waited for her lungs to start working properly again after having the wind knocked out of her before sitting up and dusting herself off. She moved to stand only to be send straight back to the ground as she was assaulted with immense pain up through her right leg. She slowly rotated her body until she could get a good view of her injured leg. Blood coated her leg from the knee down from a gash deep enough that she knew she'd need stitches for it. It was beginning to swell already, meaning that it was probably broken. It meant she'd have to return to the village, had to face Inu-Yasha again even if she didn't want to.

Kagome sighed, took a deep breath, and started calling, "Sango! Miroku! Shippou! Somebody, help me!"

Her senses sparked to life, alerting her to the presence of an approaching youkai. The vibrant flames that touched across the edge of her miko senses told her that it was a powerful demon, and one that she didn't want to meet.

'Please let it be Inu-Yasha. Please let it be Inu-Yasha.' She chanted mentally, even though she knew it couldn't be her hanyou protector. The aura was of a pure demon, not the half demon she knew and trusted.

As the aura drew nearer to her she closed her eyes, praying it would pass her by. She was in no shape to be fighting demons, since she hadn't brought her bow with her and the loss of blood was beginning to make her dizzy. A sudden rustling in the bushes nearby announced the imminent arrival of the demon.

Then a cheery voice said, "What ho? Why tis a vixen! And a very lovely one at that! What could such a beauty be doing out here all alone? And dressed so inappropriately?"

She opened her eyes. 'What the…? Vixen?'

There, standing before her, was a fox demon. He stood at about six feet with bushy reddish orange hair/fur and mischievous green eyes. His tail swayed behind him playfully as he stood there watching her. He tilted his head at her curiously, seeming more interested in watching her than in hurting her.

'He looks like an adult version of Shippou.' She thought, feeling a slight pain at the thought of the young kit she'd practically adopted. What would happen to him if she never came back?

Slowly, but with little caution, the fox youkai bounded over to her and knelt down next to her. Kagome shrank back from his touch, knowing full well that most demons would kill a miko on sight. He made a slight chirping sound at her and continued to give her a thorough examination

After he had done what he could for her injuries he spoke again, "Who dares handle a vixen so harshly?"

He sniffed at Kagome, causing her to flinch away from him again, then growled and said, "Twas the mongrel Inu-Yasha who did this?! Hath he no sense of honor? I shall slay him for you, my lady, but first I must bring you to m'lord. Surely he will know how to treat such a fair vixen as yourself."

Kagome stared at the youkai for a moment then said, "Who are you?"

The fox's eyes widened as he hit himself upside the head and said, "Ah! Forgive my rudeness, vixen. I am Takechi Suya of the Western regions, loyal retainer to the lord of the Western Lands. Oh but enough of my chatter, vixen. Thou aren't in any condition to be left out here alone. Shall I carry you, vixen, or can you walk?"

Kagome tried to stand again, but the pain in her leg sent her back down fast.

She said, "I think you'll have to carry me. And my name is Kagome. Ka-go-me. Got it?"

Suya nodded then said, "Very well, vixen, you are now in my care. I shall guard thee well until we reach m'lord's castle."

"It's Kagome, not vixen! Arg! Why are you helping me anyway? Don't demons usually not like humans?" She asked, still wary of the fox demon even though her senses told her that he wasn't a bad demon.

Suya offered her a bright smile. "I am a knight first and foremost, lady vixen, and it is my sworn duty to aid any maiden in distress, even if she be a human. Truthfully, as fair as you are I would wager you are mistaken for some form of demon yourself."

She snorted. "Hardly. I'm just a weak little human with a little bit of talent for shooting off sacred arrows."

He grinned at her again, turning his head to the side again. "A vixen is a vixen, no matter her standing or the manner of her creation. Demoness or human, a vixen is to always be treated with respect and dignity."

Kagome sighed and threw her hands up, finished trying to get him to say her name right. 'I give up!'

She let out a loud squeak when she suddenly found herself hoisted into the arms of her strange new protector. Who knew what trials awaited her at the lord's castle? Especially, if that lord was the tayoukai she thought he was.

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Again, this story is going through an extreme rewrite.