Thought it was time I got moving on this story. It keeps rummaging around in my head and I fear I shall never get rid of it, if I don't write it down.

I made a minor change in the second chapter. After a little thought, I figured that people in middle age Japan didn't know when it was their birthday (plus I have an idea for this), Natsuko still does but the average peasant don't. Instead I found another Japanese holiday where they do give presents and used that. Anyway it is a detail, but now you know.

I know this chapter has been missing for along time, and I am sorry for that. I will do my best to try and get this written faster than I have. And of course reviews will speed the process. In fact it was a review that really got me thinking about this again… so please R & R. Thank you.

Ohh well on with the story….

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Natsuko dragged her feet forcing her self to move forward. She didn't know how long it had been since she had been chased from the village. The first long time, fear alone kept her from stopping. Even when she thought she was too tired to move, she pushed herself onward. Their voices still resounded in her head "bakemono, bakemono". Every time she had closed her eyes to try and sleep, the angry faces of the villagers appeared, making her feel like they would catch up any moment. Then she couldn't sleep. Instead she rose to her feet and kept walking; she was too tired to run anymore.

All she could manage was to put one foot in front of the other. She was hungry, tired, her clothing was in rags and bruising was clearly visible where ever skin was uncovered. She had found a few berries and a little fruit to eat and water she had gotten from springs.

Unaware of her surroundings she tripped on a root, she didn't get up. She was exhausted, instead she lay her head down on the ground. Her body refused to move anymore. The long walk and the emotional turmoil had consumed all her energy and she slipped from consciousness.

Natsuko felt someone standing over her as she slowly woke up. She stood up wondering why she didn't feel the pain of her battered body as she thought she would have. In front of her stood her mother. A sad look on her face she just looked at Natsuko with out saying a word. "Mother?" Natsuko cried out. Her mother didn't say anything she only lifted her hand and pointed at a lake to her left. Had that lake been there when she feel asleep? Natsuko wasn't sure, she wasn't sure of anything anymore. This whole thing was confusing, why was her mother suddenly here? And why didn't she say anything? "Natsuko" she heard her mother's voice whisper, but her mothers lips had no moved "look". Natsuko slowly walked over to the lake and looked at the calm surface. She could see her own reflection but nothing else. She looked at her mother again, confused "I don't see anything, mother. It is just my reflection" Her mother didn't move "look" came the whispered response. Natsuko sighed and looked at the surface again. She was just about to say something again, when she suddenly noticed the image changing. Her face became fuller, the forehead smoothed and a mark slowly began to take shape on it, but the mark was blurry, as if she wasn't meant to know what it was yet.

Her ears became pointier and looked nothing like human ears anymore and on her cheeks two pale blue strips appeared. Natsuko looked at her reflection in the lake. She knew all the signs of a youkai but she wasn't one so why would her mother show her this?

"But mother I am not…." Natsuko's voice trailed off as she looked back at her mother. Her mother had changed too. She no longer looked human. Her eyes had changed shape, but the deep blue colour had remained; that colour that looked so much like Natsuko's own eyes. Her hair no longer had the normal black colour. I had changed to a silvery white colour that looked like new fallen snow in the moonlight. And on her forehead the mark of and cold blue ice crystal was clearly visible. Her mother had turned into a beautiful youkai lady.

"So this is how I am different from other humans?" Natsuko asked hesitant. Her mother just nodded the same sad look on her face. "But why do I still look human then?" Her mother pointed back to the lake. Natsuko looked again. Her inner feelings were turmoil after this revelation. Maybe she really was a bakemono then? She had never heard of any youkai that did anything for humans. Either they were uninterested in them or they used their superior strength to kill, steal and wreck havoc among the humans.

Natsuko looked in the water. The first image that came was that of the picnic on her 10th birthday. "It's my birthday" she stated looking up at her mother, who just nodded. Natsuko looked down again. A number appeared in the water. 10 it said. A series of pictures came showing her when she was 10, most of it was normal. Her eating, her playing tag with the other kids. Then the number 13 appeared. "So now I am 13 in the vision?" she asked, her mother nodded. A new series of images was shown. At the time she hadn't thought about it but seeing it now she suddenly realised she was different from the others. Working in the fields she could move larger stones with less effort than they others. The rare times they had let her try to hunt she had always caught something. Somehow she could smell where the animals were.

A new number appeared one more year was shown. Then the next and the next and the next up until now. Every year she could see more signs of her youkai blood showing. She had never thought about it before, perhaps that is why they where so eager to throw her out when they had the chance. She had slowly over the years shown more and more signs that she wasn't just your average human.

A new picture emerged; a male inu youkai with silvery hair in one large ponytail at the back of his head. His eyes were a deep amber colour and on his forehead was the mark of the crescent moon. She could see he was talking with someone. His deep voice echoed through the small scenery like watching the memory of someone else or someone acting a part in a play, but she knew this had really happened. "This spell should keep her youkai powers under control. It should always be maintained by one of you. If not it might weaken and signs of her in heritage might show. But the spell it self should not dissolve completely until on her 18th birthday. Also at the time the spell should give her the needed information to restore it, should she choose to live as a human. Now my friend..."

The voice died away and left a deep silence.

Natsuko looked up at her mother again. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't go live with other humans till her 18th birthday, until then her youkai side would only give her away and she would be chased away again. And if she tried to contact any youkai looking like this they would tear her apart for even speaking to them. "What am I supposed to do now?" was the only thing she could say. Her mother didn't say anything thing. She just turned and walked into the forest. Natsuko got up and ran after her mother. "Okaasan don't leave me? I don't want to be alone" Her mother didn't even turn to look back she just kept walking further away. Natsuko ran all she could after her mother, but seemed no matter how fast she ran her mother always moved just a little bit faster. "Okaasan!" she shouted. "Okaa..." Natsuko was about to shout again when she tripped over something in the grass. Tears ran down her face as she lay on the ground alone. Her own mother had left her. She could see the back of her mother disappearing into the forest. There was no way she would ever catch up with her now. She curled up into a little ball, trying somehow to ease the pain she felt. She was left alone with no where to go. "Don't leave me" was all she could get out in-between sobs. Then her world became black again.

The first thing Natsuko noticed when she woke was the soft feeling of a bed under her.

Slowly she opened her eyes and look around in the room.

It was rich. Tapestries hung on the wall. To her right she could see a small vanity table and at the end of the room was a large closet. The bed she was lying in was huge and she was sure it could easily fit at least one family and they would still have more room than most had in her village. Natsuko felt a pang of pain. She didn't have a village anymore. Her house burned down, they obviously didn't consider her welcome anymore. Natsuko fought back the tears; she didn't want to cry now not when she didn't know where she was. She was about to get out of bed when she heard a knock on the door and a human woman stepped into the room.

She was pretty, with long black hair and brown eyes. Her smile was radiant as she walked over to the vanity table and put down some clothes.

"You are awake" she said cheerily. "I am sure this must all be a bit confusing for you, but you should be okay in no time" she moved over to sit at the bed still smiling, while Natsuko just sat there and stared at her. "You had gotten quite a blow to the head when we found you. But with some rest, food, and proper care you should be back on your feet in no time" She happily said, Natsuko still didn't move. This whole scene seemed so much like a dream she was afraid of moving, what if a movement was all it took for the dream to end. So she just kept starring at this strange woman

"Oh, how terribly rude of me. I haven't introduced myself" The woman extended her hand to Natsuko "I am Kagome, happy to meet you"