Disclaimer: Sadly enough, I do not own Sesshoumaru or any other Inuyasha related characters. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi. But I did come up with Yumiko and a few other characters that will crop up later. This disclaimer goes for the whole story 'cause otherwise I'd keep forgetting.

Prologue:

Her mother held her close while they ran through the forest, but she could feel the inu-yokais gaining on them. Then her mother tripped on an unseen root, sending the child flying through the air. She landed on her feet, thanks to her neko-yokai heritage, in time to hear her mother's last words to her. "Run, Yumiko, and remember not to-" but before she could finish, the inu-yokais were upon them, and Yumiko had to run for her life.

She heard the older inu-yokai speak as she ran. "Go after the child, Sesshoumaru, I'll take care of the mother." She didn't look back, but she heard him chasing her, getting closer by the second. Then, just as her mother had before her, she tripped on a root. She curled up into a ball as the footsteps neared and slowed. The girl tensed, expecting the fatal blow that was sure to come. When nothing happened, she dared a look. What she saw made her freeze.

The young inu-yokai, Sesshoumaru if she'd heard the name right, was kneeling next to her, and when she had looked up, their eyes locked. Green met gold. Fear met hesitation. After a moment a slight whimpering started. It took Yumiko a moment to realize she was the one whimpering, but by the time she stopped, the inu-yokai had gotten up and ran back the way he had come.

Yumiko waited a moment, expecting him to come back at any moment, before scrambling to her feet and taking off in the opposite direction. She didn't stop running for hours, until she reached a clearing with a small waterfall in it. Once there she crumpled into a small heap crying. She looked at the ring her mother had given her the day before, when they had first felt the presence of the inu-yokais. It was silver with a small, perfectly round, blue stone set in a tear drop shape band of silver.

She knew what would happen if she used it to protect herself, but she didn't care. Barely four years of age and she had already lost anyone who'd ever showed her kindness, no one would want that life. Making up her mind, Yumiko clasped the ring in her hand and said the incantation she had learned months ago. A soft blue light filled the clearing, unnoticed by most as everything was already swathed in blue from the moon, and the young neko-yokai disappeared.

Fifty years later:

A seven year old human boy ran through the woods with out a fear. He'd done a sloppy job on his chores, but he didn't care. He was free until they could find him , free until they could tell him to redo his chores, free until-

He stopped when he noticed a soft blue light filling the clearing ahead. More cautious now, he slowly approached the waterfall clearing. He peeked around a tree, not quite sure what to expect, and gasped. A young human girl with reddish brown hair and ripped, dirty clothes was curled up next to the waterfall, apparently sleeping.

He ran back to his house calling his mother and father to tell them what he'd found.

Japanese Glossary:

Inu-yokai : dog demon