I claim no ownership!

Chapter 1

Things felt so peaceful now, and it made her feel so happy. That night following his demise had invoked a celebration of sorts. For the first time in so long, there was no fear brought by his presence in the world, and it felt so nice.

The stars painted the sky in a glittering canvas, and she was entranced by them. Almost so much so that she failed to notice the figure approaching from behind her. She realized he was there only when he settled down beside her. She nearly jumped when he sank down so suddenly, but she brushed it off with a laugh.

"I can't believe you're still around," she admitted with a faint giggle. "I assumed you would've left the first chance you got!"

Kagome let her gaze land on the usually stoic demon. His silver hair practically shone in the lunar light. It was stunning, to say the least. He matched her gaze, molten gold lingering to catch expressive sapphire. The next moment, he looked away, and Kagome held back on her desire to roll her eyes.

"Not that I'm bothered by you being here," she said as she let her gaze travel back up to the sky. "You like to act all cold and distant, but, deep down, you're actually a pretty okay guy, Sesshomaru."

"You're horribly naive," was all he offered in response, and she stifled a laugh.

After all the hoops he went through just to protect Rin, there was no way he could deny her accusation, and he knew it. She shook her head and shimmed closer to him as it got colder, inviting herself to his warmth. He didn't offer a word of complaint as she leaned into him. Then again, he never seemed to. As the night continued on, she was content and comfortably warm as she fell asleep tucked against his larger frame.

She was no longer herself. It'd been hard to accept, especially since she didn't really look any different. The differences were inside her. Something inside her had changed- mutated, perhaps.

Waking up at the bottom of the well, days after the dust of the final stand against Naraku had settled, she was painfully aware of the differences she could feel sourcing from within her own body. It wasn't a sort of darkness, not exactly, but it was heavy. Heavy, and impossible to try and ignore. It was unwelcome, unwanted… unavoidable.

It didn't take her long to piece together what it was, however. A wide range of emotions coursed through her, and not a single one of them was good. Realization washed over her like a drowning wave, and she was left stranded all on her own with no way to undo what'd been done without her permission.

She'd been turned into a vessel for the jewel.

Truly, it was as horrific as it sounded. More so since she didn't even have a choice in the matter at all. It'd been decided for her- just like falling into the past and being forced to leave had been. She'd wished for the jewel to vanish, but it was obvious that her wish had only fallen on deaf ears, and, instead, the jewel was thrust back onto her shoulders in the worst possible way.

Sure, while it now lacked a physical form, that did nothing to drain out its awful, sickening aura. That, she knew, was just as powerful as ever. Her heart was heavy, for more than one reason.

The presence of the jewel definitely did its part, but so did the way she'd been forced to return back to the modern era. After all, it wasn't like she had anything to return to here. Her family had died in an accident, and, because of that, she'd been intending to remain in the past with the people who'd become a second family to her, but…

Of course, she couldn't have a say in that, either.

They- fate and Midoriko- didn't want the jewel to remain in the past, and since she was now its new vessel, that meant she could no longer remain there. Now, she and the Shikon no Tama were one and the same.

What an awful thing that was!

She was struggling to get used to her new lot in life, and, probably rightfully so, she was surprised when a stranger showed up at the shrine she cared for. He didn't come without any reason. Instead, he'd come in search of her. Well, actually the jewel, but… yeah.

"Wait, you're telling me the jewel is actually inside you now?"

Kagome nodded quietly as she occupied the other side of the dining table. Her school books were spread out on the hardwood on her side. She'd been studying when he showed up. "Well, back inside me," she commented, gesturing to her chest- where the jewel now lurked. "Long story short, I was born with it inside me, and a couple of months ago it got ripped out of my body. Now it's back inside me again."

He nodded, but she could feel his confusion. She didn't blame him any for it. After all, her past of time-traveling wasn't an ordinary topic. "It was never noticed until a few months ago," he said, and Kagome nodded.

"Right," she said. "For the most part, it was dormant while it was inside me, and when I got pulled down the well, that all changed." Her gaze darkened some, and she furled her fingers onto her shirt. "Now it's back inside me, but it won't go back to its prior state."

Normally, she wouldn't be so brave about speaking of her past adventures, but, then again, this man had come up and asked about the jewel. Considering he seemed to be aware of it, she knew beating around the bush and feeding him lies wouldn't work in her favor. So, she told him the story of her past couple of months.

He'd called himself a SHIELD agent, whatever that was. His name? Clint Barton. First and foremost, he'd reassured her he meant her no harm, and she could tell that he hadn't lied to her. He'd been honest, and perhaps that'd been what allowed her to be more lenient and trust him easier. The jewel, according to him, was a safety concern. Really, she couldn't fault him for that sort of thinking.

Really, it was a massive cause of concern, even with it back in her body.

"So, I hope you understand why I can't just hand it over to you, Agent Barton," she said, tone soft. "I tried to get rid of it myself, but it only ended up returning to my body in this state." She met his stormy blue eyes with her own sapphire ones before she looked back down at the books spread out before her. "Believe me, if I could, I would in a heartbeat, but…" she sighed and shook her head. "It's just my burden to carry."

Clint nodded and mirrored her actions of looking down at the books. "You in high school yet?" he asked, and Kagome shook her head.

"No, last year of middle school," she responded. "Between you and me, I'm not sure if I want to stay here much longer."

"Why not?"

Kagome shrugged. "It's just me here, in case you haven't noticed," she stated. "I was going to stay in the past, but that didn't exactly go as planned, either."

"Got any plans on where you wanna go?" he asked, and Kagome shook her head with a mild laugh.

"No," she admitted, and she looked up to meet his gaze again. "Why?"

"How about you come back with me?" he asked, and Kagome couldn't conceal the surprise that flashed across her face. Her eyes widened, and she blinked owlishly.

"H-Huh?! Are you serious?" she asked, not expecting the offer. When he nodded, her surprise still didn't subside. "How come?" she asked before her expression shifted into a mild glare. "... is this just a way to keep tabs on me easier…?"

Clint shook his head with a faint laugh. "No, but good on you for being cautious," he said. "I'm actually looking for an apprentice, and you'd make a good fit," he stated.

"Me?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "You've got a bit of experience with a bow, but not much," he said before continuing, "that prior knowledge is handy."

"But what about…-" the jewel, she wanted to say, only to cut herself off. Wouldn't she be seen as a problem because of its presence?

"You're worried about the jewel, aren't you?" he asked, seeming to pick up on what her concern was, and she nodded. "Don't be," he said a second later. "You're a good kid- definitely not what we were worried about."

She remained silent as he said those words, letting them sink in. A few minutes passed, and he stood up, holding a hand out to her.

"So, what do you say, Kid?"

Kagome looked up at him, contemplating what she'd say. Eventually, a smile broke out across her face, and she accepted his hand with a nod of her head.

"Okay!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes lighting up. "I'll do it! I'll be your apprentice."

Penguin: Hello everyone! I've been working on this one for a little while. I'm still operating without a partner, but I might expand and find another one soon! This is a little new for me, considering it'll be a Sesshomaru and Kagome pairing for a crossover story, so I'm excited to see how it goes.I can't wait to expand on how Kagome and Clint's relationship will be- plus how he reacts to Sesshomaru stepping in.

See you all next update! Remember, feedback is greatly appreciated!