DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own "InuYasha" or 'Avatar: The Last Airbender". InuYasha characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and ATLA belongs to Nickelodion.

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS CUSSING!

AGES:

Kagome: 16

InuYasha: 19

*In this story, InuYasha is not 200 years old, he lives at the rate of human years*

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Romance, Drama, and Friendship.

Rating: T (Teen)

A/N: I'd like to start off by saying Thank You to all of you who have read my first 2 chapters, and that everyone's favorite dog-boy is FINALLY being introduced to the story! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and remember leave a comment! Constructive criticism is always welcomed!

Book One: The Jewel of Water

Chapter Two: Water Meets Fire

Kagome and Buyo raced across the frozen land that was the South Pole with great haste. Clutched in the water-bender's fist rested the Jewel of Water, given to her by the long-since deceased Avatar Midoriko only moments before. Shortly after Midoriko's spirit dropped the bomb that Kagome was the next Avatar, the entity had thrust the half-broken jewel into Kagome's still blue and transparent hands and insisted that Kagome's duty, as the next Avatar, was to go search for the remaining pieces of the jewel as soon as dawn broke over the horizon, and to begin mastering the other elements as she continued through her quest. Before Kagome could ask anymore questions, Midoriko's spirit evaporated and the teen was sucked out of the Avatar State like a vacuum and was thrust back into her body. Not a second after that, Buyo was at her side, scooping up her petite body onto his back and dashing out of there like no tomorrow. Abruptly broken from her thoughts at a particular rough jump made by her demon cat, Kagome finally came back to the present when she registered the steadily approaching dwellings of the Southern Water Tribe. The first dwelling just so happened to be the one where she and Kaede lived.

Squinting her sky-blue eyes slightly, Kagome could just barely make out the outline of a hunched-over body pacing the outside of the entrance and cringed when she realized she didn't make it back by dinner like she promised.

Kaede was just about ready send out a search party when her one good eye spotted an incoming speck coming closer in the distance. Relief washed over the elder as her shoulders sagged, before her features turned stoic and her lips formed a grim line once the girl and her companion moved closer. When Kagome got about ten feet away from her gaurdian, she had the good graces to look sheepish by awkwardly scratching the back of her neck as she laughed nervously.

"Er...Hi, Master Kaede. Uh...How was dinner...?" was the young woman's hesitant greeting.

Kaede was having none of it.

"Kagome Higurashi. What. Is. The. Meaning. Of. This,"

Kagome flinched at the underlining anger in each word, mentally preparing herself for the incoming blow-out that was about to commence.

"Um...Well you see, I uh...There was this light in a cave and I-" a wrinkled hand rose in a silencing motion and immediately the water-bender stilled her words.

Kaede threw the teen a stern grimace before slowly making her way towards the duo and stopping once she reached Buyo's left side to stare up at her pupil. Swallowing the lump at her mentor's furrowed brows, Kagome was shocked when the older woman moved her gaze down to her closed fist, took the appendage into her hands, unclasped it, and picked up the softly glowing jewel. For a moment, the teen watched as various emotions crossed through her adoptive-grandmother's one good eye with bated breath. First, came confusion, then realization, until finally a regretful acceptance claimed homage to Kaede's features as she stared at the half-completed jewel. After what felt like an eternity, Kaede looked back up at her student and sighed, gesturing with her unoccupied hand for Kagome and Buyo to go inside the dwelling. Confused, the two friends obeyed and entered the warm home, Kagome settling down while Buyo transformed into his smaller form and situating himself on his mistress's lap.

Not a minute later, the old healer re-entered her home and sat across from Kagome. The two women stared at each other from across the fire before Kaede held up the jewel by the string.

"Where did ye receive this, Kagome?" she asked.

Still unnerved, Kagome responded with, "In a...In a cave...a little ways from here,"

Kaede hummed, not looking at the girl as she adjusted the wood in the fire with a metal rod.

"It was the cave with all of those statues of past Avatars, I presume?" was Kaede's reply, her tone knowing and straight to the point.

Kagome's mouth dropped and Buyo perked up his ears in surprise. Kagome jumped to her feet, startling the demon cat and pointing an accusing finger at her guardian with a comical expression plastered on her face.

"HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT!?" Kagome winced at the utterly disrespectful tone, but was thrown for a loop when her master simply chuckled.

"I know, child, because I was the one who put it there,"

Again, the young water-bender couldn't keep the dumbfounded look off of her face, trying to understand what the heck was happening.

"But I-you-and the cave...what?" was her stuttered reply.

laughing softly once more, Kaede got up and navigated through their living space to retrieve various foods and meat, fur skinned blankets, lighter clothing in Kagome's size, a few water-bending scrolls, and a map of all five nations.

"Ye remember the story I told ye of ye're birth, child?"

Not sure where her mentor was going with this, Kagome spoke uncertainly, "Y-Yes. My mother died soon after I was born. You told me this," Kagome couldn't stop the sorrowful hitch in her tone when she thought about her dearly departed mother, feeling melancholy at the fact that she never got to know the woman that gave her life. Scenting her sorrow, Buyo rubbed his head against his friend's boot-clad leg affectionately, to which Kagome smiled in gratitude.

"What does that have to do with anything, though?"

Kaede closed her good eye briefly, prepping her next words that would soon change their lives forever.

"There was something from that day, child, that I have kept hidden from ye for sixteen years. Now, however, I believe that ye are mature enough to understand,"

Kagome, reluctantly, nodded her head in understanding.

"I had hoped and prayed that I was wrong when I first connected the dots, but now I see it is unavoidable," Kaede continued.

the water-bender gulped.

"Ye're mother was not native to our tribe, child. And she was not from our sister tribe, either. She was brought to us in mid-labor with ye. How she came to such a dangerous region like ours in her condition I still cannot say. All I do know is that she was alone and all she had in her possession were her cloths and this very jewel," the elder turned away from her task of tying the scrolls together to hold the aforementioned object to emphasize her point. She was only greeted by silence.

The raven-haired girl couldn't breath; it was too much. Too much, too soon. It was as if her whole identity of who she was shattered right before her eyes. Her mother...wasn't apart of the either of the water tribes? Did that mean that she wasn't apart of them as well? If so, then...where did she come from? Where was her homeland, and...where were her people, if she had any?

Unbeknownst to her, Kagome started shaking, her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles white. Buyo meowed in concern while Kaede stared at her adopted-granddaughter in sympathy. She had hoped she had been wrong the moment the girl's dying mother placed the partially completed jewel in her hand all those years ago, but fate had made it's choice, and it chose Kagome. Walking slowly over to the still shaking teen, Kaede raised the jewel over her student's head until it rested over Kagome's chest. Placing her wrinkled palm on the young girl's cheek, Kaede moved Kagome's face upward to reveal tears pooling out of the youth's crystal-blue orbs and flushed cheeks. A barely concealed sob left the girl's lips.

"I-is th-that why I-I d-don't fit i-in here? W-why the h-head-m-men a-and everybody e-else h-hates m-me...?"

Kaede didn't answer, but she didn't have to; the single tear that rolled down her own cheek was answer enough for Kagome. She had never seen her teacher cry. It just wasn't something that happened with Kaede, so seeing her strong, hard-as-stone guardian shed tears was all she needed confirm the truth; Kagome Higurashi was not one of the Southern Water Tribe. That was why she acted differently from everyone else. Why she disagreed with the limitations placed on her. That was why she was seen as an outsider in the eyes of the chief, and even the whole tribe! It was because she didn't belong there in the first place.

"I guess Kaapo was right..." Kagome thought bitterly,"I don't know my place, 'cause my place isn't here,"

"Kagome, I understand that ye feel betrayed that I kept this from ye, but I thought that if I kept the jewel and the truth of ye're birth hidden from ye, then perhaps..."

"Perhaps what, Master?" Kagome urged.

"Then perhaps ye wouldn't realize ye're destiny as the next Avatar, and leave the South Pole,"

Kagome's eyes stared at her master in shock at the confession.

"You-you knew?" she asked, shell-shocked.

"I had my suspicions until now. I am sorry, my dear child. For not telling ye sooner. I just..." Kaede trailed off, silently asking for Kagome to understand.

Kagome's eyes dawned in realization.

"You were worried about me. You were worried that I'd leave and then somehow get into trouble, or...or was it because you were afraid I'd leave and decide to never come back...?" she inquired, already knowing she was right.

Kaede's head lowered in shame. Not even a second later, the old woman's head snapped up when she was suddenly pulled into a warm embrace by her student, immediately wrapping her own arms around the girl and hugged her for all she was worth.

"Oh, Master...Can't you see? It doesn't matter how far I am or where I go. It doesn't matter if I am the next Avatar. It doesn't matter if I find my homeland or not because, to me, I will always come back to you. You were the one that raised me. You were the one who taught me everything I know about water-bending. It's you who accepts me for who I am and supports me in my decisions. To me, your my Master, my friend, my...grandmother. That will never change,"

The two women were full-on crying at that point, clinging to each other for comfort and understanding. Not wanting to be left out of the embrace, Buyo squeezed in-between both teacher and student and meowed, causing a mix between laughs and sobs to escape both woman's lips. Eventually, the trio broke the hug and Kaede whipped away Kagome's lingering tears with her thumb, grinning fondly at the beautiful young woman she had the honor of raising.

"Ye are correct, one again, child. I can tell ye that I couldn't be more proud to call ye my granddaughter, and I know that shall never change either. You will make this dark world we live in better, even without the title of Avatar," Kaede praised, meaning every word. Kagome smiled appreciatively, but then frowned worriedly.

"I just...What if I'm not cut out for this, Master? I mean, being an Avatar is such a huge responsibility and there's just so much to learn and-" a withered finger ceased her tirade.

"If there is anybody in this world that is most suited for this grand task, it is ye, child. Ye know I do not lie, Kagome. If I had any doubts, I'd tell ye, but I can not think of anybody else who has enough of the skill, the spirit, or the heart like ye do for this. Yes, it will be hard. Yes, it will take time. And yes, it will be dangerous, but I have faith in ye, child, and as soon as that sun rises...your journey shall take flight," Kaede finished.

Kagome was still concerned, but Kaede's faith in her was endearing and helped to quench her doubts...for now.

"Now, off to bed with ye! Ye have a long day ahead of ye as soon as dawn comes!" Kaede pushed the teenager over to her cot, making the said teenager to giggle inspite of herself and salute good-naturedly.

"Aye, Aye, Master!"

A few hours later, just as the rays of the sun were peaking over the horizon, Kagome, Buyo, and Kaede stood outside their dwelling, Kagome's things packed and rolled up onto Buyo's large back. Kagome hugged her master tightly, knowing that they wouldn't meet again for a long while. Kaede hugged back, just as tightly.

"Are you sure you can't come with us? There's still so much I haven't learned from you yet!" Kagome asked in a hopeful tone.

Kaede shook her head.

"I'm afraid I can not make the journey with ye, child. These old bones aren't what they used to be and I am still the village healer. Besides, somebody has to explain ye're sudden disappearance once the headman come's looking for ye,"

Kagome cringed at the reminder, but nodded nonetheless.

"I understand, Master," Kagome stepped away from the hug and bowed in respect, to which Kaede bowed her head, as she could not bow properly with her hunched back.

"Be sure to keep that jewel around ye're neck at all times! Water-based demons will be able to sense it's presence from miles away," Kaede warned as Kagome hopped up onto her Ice-Cat's back.

"I will!"

"If ye head up north ye'll reach the Earth Kingdom. That would be a good place to start training while ye're searching for the shards. Try not to break any noses with ye're boot," Kaede spoke that last part in a teasing manner.

Kagome snorted, "Ha, Ha, Ha. Very funny, Kaede," was her sarcastic remark.

"Oh, and Kagome...?"

Kagome turned her head at her guardian's serious tone.

Kaede smiled softly, "Happy Birthday, child," she said.

Kagome smiled and bowed her head to her adoptive-grandmother.

"Thank you, Master Kaede. I'll make you proud!" with those final words, Kagome and Buyo took off, knowing that their lives would never be the same.

Kaede watched, her hands behind her back and a serene smile upon her face, as her granddaughter's form got smaller and smaller, until she could no longer be seen at all.

"I know ye will,"

Kagome was getting frustrated. No, scratch that. She was getting beyond angry at that point! Looking at the map of the five nations again, the water-bending teen couldn't understand what the heck she was missing. It had been a two weeks since she and Buyo left the South Pole, and they had finally reached land yesterday. It was a real relief, too; Kagome was getting tired of running across the ocean surface, courtesy of her trusty ice companion, and was just about ready to head in a different direction when she and Buyo finally spotted bamboo trees in the distance (A/N: Okay, I don't remember if bamboo trees are even featured in ATLA, but I can't help but picture this scene with them in it, so let's just go with it.) In a show of excitement and relief, Kagome had urged her demonic friend to high-tail it over to the piece of land as fast as he could. Buyo had no qualms about abiding his mistress's command, as he was just as ready to get off of his continuous trail of ice as her. They had spent every waking moment on the ice; eating and sleeping on top of it, which of course resulted in Kagome nearly freezing to death in her sleep, even with all the skinned furs and Buyo there to keep her warm.

Now though, it seemed that they were lost in the seemingly endless bamboo forest, and Kagome was just about ready to blow a casket. She supposed, in hindsight, it was her own fault for assuming there would be a town or village that would immediately be there to greet her, but so far she hadn't spotted any signs of civilization whatsoever! Walking beside Buyo while still glaring down at the map with the dark promise of ripping the damn thing to shreds, Kagome wasn't watching where she was going and ended up tripping over a bamboo stump in her path.

"Woah!" she exclaimed, flaring her arms around wildly for a few seconds until gravity won over and she plummeted, face first, into a puddle of mud. Pushing her upper body upwards, Kagome spit out some of the earthy substance in distaste. Looking over at the map that was still clutched in her grip, the young girl's mood only darkened when she saw mud splattered all over the nations, and that there were many rips and pieces of paper missing.

That was the last straw.

"AAAAHHHH!" Kagome shrieked, causing Buyo to jump back and dart away to a nearby bolder and hide, poking his head out as he witnessed his mistress let loss her pent up frustration from weeks of travel. The water-bender, needing an outlet, started tearing and ripping the already damaged map not with her hands, but with the water she took from the puddle. Slicing through the unfortunate paper with the dirty liquid, Kagome showed no mercy as she carried out her task.

"Take-" Water-Slice,"-that, you-"Water-Whip,"-stupid thing!" and she finished it off with a Water-Spear straight through the center.

Once the former map was successfully obliterated, Kagome heaved ragged breaths into her lungs as she began to calm down. Realizing what she'd just done, Kagome groaned and went to beat her head on a bamboo tree before sighing in resignation and turning to see Buyo step out of his hiding place.

"What do you say we take a break, huh, buddy?" she suggested tiredly, and Buyo readily agreed.

An hour later, the duo had just finished eating lunch and were in the process of packing up when something unexpected happened.

*BOOM!*

The two friends jumped, startled at the sudden explosion. Turning her head in the direction of the sound, Kagome's eyes widened in horror when she made out thick, black smoke rising over the bamboo tops. Panic overtook her being as the young woman faintly heard the cries of men coming from the same direction as the blast. Instinct took a hold of her and she knew what she had to do. Whether or not it was her Avatar senses kicking in or not, Kagome couldn't say. All she knew was that someone was in trouble and needed her help!

"Buyo! Now!" she commanded.

Not wasting a second, the three-tailed cat plopped the water-bender onto his back and sprinted in the direction of the blast, determination sweeping through girl and demon like a wildfire!

When they reached their destination, Kagome's jaw dropped at the sight in the clearing. A fleet of fire-bender soldiers were in the midst of a battle with what appeared to be bandits, some human, while others were demons.

"Fire-benders..." Kagome thought in awe.

Kagome remembered when she studied the Fire Nation and it's fire-benders. She was so fascinated by the different techniques involved and on how the fire-benders learned from dragons. She remembered always wanting to meet one and trying it out for herself, but knowing that her wishes would never come to pass.

"Well, I suppose I can learn it now," Kagome thought ruefully.

Jolting back to the present when Buyo pounced out of the path of an incoming fireball, Kagome came back to herself, looking to the clearing to assess the situation. Looking over to where she saw the smoke from the blast, Kagome spotted a burning shed or hut of some kind over on the right side, where Fire Nation flags hung proudly onto tents, drawing the conclusion that it was supposed to be a campsite. Assuming that the bandits came from the left direction, since it was kind of hard to tell with all the soldiers and bandits scattered around fighting each other, Kagome frantically wondered what to do. Save for a few one-on-one fights against Kaapo and his gang, Kagome had never been in an all out battle before, let alone a battle with reckless bandits and ruthless fire-benders!

Cries of agony rang out through the clearing and Kagome knew she had to interfere. She knew, that while fire-bendering soldiers were strict about not allowing outside assistance from anyone who didn't fire-bend, that they needed help, whether they liked it or not.

"Go, Buyo!"

With that, the demon Ice-Cat sprang into the air, soaring over soldiers and bandits alike. Meanwhile, Kagome materialized water from thin air to her command, the liquid swirling around her arms until the cool substance encased her arms completely. Landing in the very core of the fray, the sight of the water-bender and feline demon catching men from both sides off guard, Kagome jumped from her partner's back and with a swoosh of her arms and hands, she effectively distinguished the flames from the soldiers and froze the weapons and upper bodies of the bandits. She made sure not to freeze the soldiers since they were disarmed easily by her water blast. Outraged yelps and curses were the immediate reaction.

"MY FIRE-JAB IS BURNT OUT!" screeched a bulky fire-bender in shock.

"I CAN'T MOVE MY BODY!" exclaimed a boar demon bandit.

"WHO THE HELL IS THAT WENCH!?" someone shouted.

"MOVE YER ASS OUTTA THE WAY BITCH! BEFORE WE MAKE YOU!" a bandit threatened.

Oddly enough, the water-bender wasn't intimidated in the least by the bandit's threat, and with a flick of her wrist, Kagome conjured an Ice-Block to cover his mouth, making his voice muffled through the cold element.

"Oi, what the fuck do you think your doing, wench?" an angered voice called out. Kagome turned to where it came from.

Her breath hitched in her throat.

The voice belonged to the most handsome man she'd ever seen; long, white hair pulled up in a high pony-tail, the traditional hairstyle for men in the Fire Nation, with adorable little puppy ears protruding from his scalp. His face was young, yet chiseled and hardened into a scowl. His eyes, a rich and vibrant amber color, held so much depth that Kagome could see herself getting lost in them for hours. They reminded her of fire, which was fitting considering he wielded that very element. She didn't know how she knew he was a fire-bender, but something inside her just told her he was. He wore a vibrant red robe that ended at his hips, with a black undershirt and pants. He wore boots that were slightly pointed to a curve at the toe part, but not overly so. Along the sleeves of his undershirt, were strips of gold, and Kagome couldn't help but notice the muscles his arms had. They weren't too buff, but not too skinny either. Given his distinctive features, especially with those ears, it was easy to reach the conclusion that the man was a demon, not that Kagome minded. But, man was he gorgeous! (A/N: Go see my portrait of him over on my deviantart page to get a better visual! You all know this is dog-boy!)

"Oi! Get your head out of the gutter, you stupid bitch, and listen when I talk to you!" ranted the walking heart-stopper.

Those angry and demanding words shattered any fantasies Kagome had and instead fueled her with unbidden outrage. How dare this man act like a complete jerk to her when she freaking just saved his sorry ass when him and the rest of his comrades were getting their butts handed to them!? He should be thanking her, dammit!

The young water-bender crossed her arms and huffed, "Well, sorry, your Majesty-" Kagome emphasized the last word in mock respect, "-but I hope you know I just freaking saved your ungrateful butt from those bandits over there!" Kagome pointed in the general direction of the said bandits.

The dog-eared demon breathed through his nose, causing two puffs of steam to flair out of his nostrils. He snarled, his fangs peeking out of his mouth, which instantly sent shivers down his comrades' spines that had nothing to do with the cold water soaking their cloths.

"Aw man, the bitch is gonna get it, now,"

"I won't be surprised if he fries her to a crisp! Right here, right now!"

"Hehehe...The wench will think twice next time she insults our great Lieutenant InuYasha!"

"I bet he'll throw a Fire-Twister at her!"

"Your on! It's a shame, though. That little ass of hers is rather enticing,"

Kagome shivered in revulsion at the last comment, while Buyo growled in warning and stepped closer to his mistress.

As for the still unresponsive lieutenant, he was busying himself by assessing the strange duo with suspicious amber eyes, taking in the way the three-tailed demon stood protectively beside the petite water-bender with mild fascination. It was also clear to InuYasha that this was the twosome's first time out of their homeland, judging by the fact that they didn't have enough sense to not interfere in a battle involving fire-bender soldiers.

"Only a fool jumps in the center of an on-going battle like that," was the fire-bending demon's silent thought, "The little wench is crazy, but brave. I'll give her that much, considering she had the gale to backtalk me, even though I'm a demon,"

He ignore the voice in the back of his head that said he was only half.

Heaving an aggravated sigh at his fleet's unnecessary and undesirable commentary over the newcomers, InuYasha snarled as he turned to face his men, golden flames manifesting in the palm of his hand warningly as he addressed the soldiers.

"SHUT IT!"

Without fail, all the muttered words of the soldiers ceased all together. As a matter of fact, it was as though all sound had disappeared with that swift command. The lieutenant took a calming breath before pointing to four of his nearby comrades.

"You men, go apprehend the bandits and bring them back to the ship. DO NOT let them escape,"

The four men nodded and went to carry out their orders. The dog demon turned to his remaining officers.

"As for the rest of you, clean up this mess and pack up anything we can still use. We're heading back to the ship. Dismissed,"

One of the soldiers, a short man that didn't wear any headgear , pointed at Kagome and Buyo accusingly, "What're 'bout the lass an' 'er cat, boss!" he asked, his voice deep and thick.

His answer came in the form of multiple Fire-Daggers coming right for him! Gasping in terror, the soldier backed away a few paces, only for the fire-infused daggers to snag the exposed fabric underneath his armor and pin him to a nearby bamboo tree that was oddly very wide.

"KYYAAAHHH!" he screamed in shock upon seeing himself pinned by daggers that were threatening to burn his skin at any moment, frantically trying to break free from the bamboo.

InuYasha stood up from his crouched position as he glared at the frantic man with boiling anger in his eyes from being questioned for his actions, "I'll handle it. Dis-missed," was his response, clearly stressing his last statement in a deadly tone. The surrounding soldiers shrunk back in fear of their lieutenant.

Someone else, however, wasn't so submissive.

"Hey! What the heck do you think your doing?!" Kagome cried in indignation as she rushed to the still pinned soldier, quickly dousing the flamed daggers with her water-bending and unpinning the poor man from the tree. Catching him in her arms, the sixteen-year-old could have sworn she heard a mumbled, "Thank You", before two other soldiers came over and looped his arms around their shoulders, carrying him off. The lieutenant scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Keh! I was teaching the fool a lesson for questioning my authority. It's beyond me why you defended him, considering his insinuation of what I intended to do to you!"

Kagome, her face red in anger, stomped her booted-feet over to the abrasive fire-bender. When she stopped in front of him, Kagome was appalled by how tall he was in comparison to her short self. Her head reached to about his chest, forcing Kagome to pull her head up in order to look directly into his face. If she had to guess, Kagome would say he was about 6'9, which was a major difference compared to her height of 5'1.

"I guess it's an affect of his demon blood,"

Unperturbed despite his more intimidating stature, Kagome faced him head-on, glowering up at him and poking a forefinger in his hard chest.

"Look here, buddy! You may be a lieutenant, but your also a huge jerk who clearly doesn't give a crap about your own men! Quite frankly, it's disgusting how you treat them! I don't care who put you in your position, 'cause they clearly made a huge mistake in doing so!" the girl proclaimed, causing many shocked gasps to ring out throughout the clearing from the remaining fire-bender's who were still cleaning up.

Yet, none of them were as dumbfounded as the object of all her fury.

InuYasha stared down at the little spitfire before him, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape in astonishment. Sure, the girl's first words to him were just as expressive and harsh as these words, but she had said them at a safe distance, unlike now. Now, she was right in front of him, a demon who just so happened to fire-bend, and yet showed no signs of fear. He took a sniff, and immediately picked up her aroma. As much as he hated to admit it, he had to say that this girl's scent was amazing. She smelled like the ocean breeze with a hint of pine trees, which made sense considering she was a water-bender. Although, given her temper, it was a wander she wasn't a fire-bender. Vaguely, InuYasha thought she looked familiar in some way, but he brushed it off. The little wench just humiliated him in front of his whole fleet, dammit! He'd make her pay.

"Too bad, bitch! Like it or not, I was given this position, and I'll run it any way I want! You have no power over me, anyway! I earned my place as lieutenant, while you are just some little water-bending foreigner who has no business in the Fire Nation!" Inu-Yasha declared.

"Wait...what? I'm in the Fire Nation!? How the heck did that happen? *Sigh* I guess that explains all the fire-benders," Kagome thought to herself, metaphorically smacking her head for her poor directional skills.

The teenager groaned in frustration as she, this time literally, smacked her palm to her forehead and started pacing back and forth, cursing under her breath for her stupidity.

InuYasha, still glaring, observed the girl as she paced, his keen ears twitching as they caught snippets of what she said. He couldn't keep the nasty smirk from his face as he heard her say things like, "Can't believe I'm lost," and "Stupid map, leading me to this chunk of literal, steaming ball of Hell," and various other disgruntled claims.

Deciding to mess with the young woman just for the Hell of it, the fire-bending demon sauntered over to the water-bender, a superior expression plastered upon his face. InuYasha stepped directly into Kagome's path and didn't so much as flinch when the petite female, still rambling and not paying attention to her surroundings, bumped into him and fell on her bottom a second later.

Kagome, again, glared up at her 'offender', "What is it now, jerk?"

Said offender frowned, getting irritated with the girl's attitude.

"Listen here, girl; either you pipe down that defiance or else-," a ball of golden flames erupted from the lieutenant's right palm, the tips dancing merrily at the top, "-you'll be so scarred that not even your mother won't recognize you!,"

An outraged yowl was heard a little ways from InuYasha, and he barely got a chance to glance over before the giant ice cat careened into him, the force of the impact so strong that it flung the dog demon into a patch of nearby bamboo trees. Stunned and panicked cries from his men were heard as they rushed to InuYasha's side, helping the dazed fire-bender up to his feet. Or at least they tried to until the young man pushed them away in anger. Glaring at the three-tailed demon cat, who stood poised for battle with a nasty snarl directed his way, InuYasha tensed when the feline's mistress approached the demon, expecting her to order the beast to attack.

But that never happened.

Instead, Kagome placed her small hand atop Buyo's head and shushed him, cooing softly to him with soothing words. Once the feline was appeased a considerable amount, the sixteen-year-old's soft features hardened once more when she looked to the white-haired boy, but did not engage. She just stood there, until:

"I'm not looking for a fight,"

With that declaration, Kagome visibly sagged, weeks of travel and frustration weighing down upon her. Heaving a sigh, Kagome walked to InuYasha, who eyed her suspiciously, and stuck out her hand. The lieutenant lost his glare only to replace it with an incredulous expression.

"Look, can we just start this all over again? Like this: Hi, I'm Kagome Higurashi of the Southern Water Tribe. And you are?" she introduced, her arm still stretched to the still dumbfounded demon expectantly, while the remaining soldiers waited with bated breath.

InuYasha contemplated for a minute, snorted, and reluctantly reached out his hand for the girl to shake. His claw-tips were just centimeters away when Kagome retracted her hand with a startled "Oh!" and slapped her previously outstretched palm to her cheek. Looking down, the water-bender watched as a flattened flee demon floated down back onto her open hand and with a *pop!*, retained his small, rounded shape. InuYasha rolled his cat-like eyes in annoyance and huffed. Still disoriented from literally being squashed flat by the girl's smooth palm, the miniature demon bowed clumsily as he waited for the world to stop spinning.

"G-good e-evening, my lady! It is I, Myouga the Flee! Please excuse my sampling of your blood, but a fine young maiden such as yourself was bound to possess a satisfying drink for little old me! You understand, yes?" the old bug, now known as Myouga, explained.

Kagome wasn't sure whether or not to be flattered, or disturbed by that logic, so she instead gave a shaky smile and nod in understanding.

"Myouga! Where the Hell did you run off to!? I turn my back for a second and your nowhere to be found! Keh! Guess I shouldn't be surprised; you always turn tail and run right when the going gets rough!" the temporarily forgotten navy lieutenant barked, anger and irritation obvious in his words.

The little demon held up his four arms up in defense, hastily going to explain himself, "M-My lord! You have me all wrong; I wasn't running away! On the contrary, I was busying myself to obtaining this-!" the miniature vassal pulled out the Jewel of Water from his cloths- though it was unclear how he was even able to manage that considering the jewel was two inches larger than his own body- and presented it to InuYasha.

Kagome's aqua-blue eyes widened in alarm and she raised her hands into her thick coat, frantically feeling around for the precious cargo that was supposed to be there. Sure enough, the jewel was no longer around her neck.

"HEY! Give that back, you little bug! That doesn't belong to you!" the water-bender accused loudly, pointing a finger at the demon, who cowered behind the lieutenant's shoulder, only to peek his head out a second later.

As for InuYasha, he stood staring down at the artifact in question, his bangs shadowing his eyes and his expression blank. His mind was reeling from a cluster of thoughts, feelings, and questions.

"How the Hell is the jewel here!? I've been fucking searching for it for three damn years, looking from the north pole, all the way to the south, and we still could never find it! So how the Hell could this little wench find it so effortlessly, when I have a whole fucking fleet at my beck-and-call!?"

"Can you please tell your friend to give me back my necklace right now? I need that jewel and Buyo and I need to get to the Earth Kingdom as soon as possible," Kagome's words beckoned the dog-eared man back to the reality of the situation. Looking to the girl who's palm was outstretched and a kind, yet expectant look on her face, he quickly got a reign on himself.

Fisting the broken jewel into a white-knuckled grip, the fire-bender snarled threateningly at the girl, causing her to step back in shock at the sudden hostility aimed towards her. It also had to do when the navy lieutenant's features themselves started to alter faintly. It was only for a split second, but Kagome could've sworn that the dog-demon's eyes bled a light red and that he adopted purple, jagged markings on his cheekbones. but when she blinked, it was gone. InuYasha placed the mystical object into one of his inner pockets on his chest, hiding it from view.

"Hey! What do you think your doing! I need that!" Kagome exclaimed furiously, reaching her hand out, but InuYasha beat her to it and grabbed both of her wrists in an almost bone-crushing grip. Kagome yelped in surprise. Buyo, seeing the action, went to save her, but was stopped when several thick ropes were thrown around his neck, legs, and even tails by the remaining navy soldiers. The ice-cat easily broke free of the ropes, even managing to toss a couple men away from him when they tried to advance. Just when Buyo was free, he barely stalked a few feet before various tranquilizer darts were injected into his thick coat, causing a beast-like yowl to rip from the feline's throat before he transformed into his smaller form and fell in a furry heap on the ground.

Kagome, seeing all of this, was thrashing about, trying to break free from her captor's iron-like grip to get to be beloved friend, tears freely streaming from her eyes as she cried Buyo's name.

"BUYO! OH MY GOD! BUYO! BUYO! BUYO!" she howled in a panic. InuYasha restrained her, though he had to admit that it was a lot harder than he would have expected. Who would have thought that such a petite, human woman could give him this much trouble?

"He's fine, you stupid bitch! Now, fucking tell me where you got the jewel and why you have it or I'll-AH!" InuYasha's sentence was cut off quite suddenly when Kagome, using her tears, sliced a deep cut across the bridge of his nose with a Water-Dagger. Stumbling back more from surprise than from pain, holding the bridge if his nose as his few remaining men stopped what they were doing and went to see if he was alright.

Kagome used that time to sprint to her best friend and scooped him up in her arms and clutched him to her chest, relieved to see him simply sleeping. Carefully retracting the offending darts from Buyo's fur, the teenager rubbed her cheek against the top of the small cat's head as a sign of comfort, whether for his sake or hers, she wasn't sure. None the less, Buyo began emanating a content purring sound, even in sleep. Despite the situation, Kagome smiled softly.

"Alright, bitch. Here's what's gonna happen; you and your little beast are gonna come with us back to our ship. When we get there, you are gonna explain just what you were doing with a jewel that is clearly too valuable and dangerous for a little wench like you to be carrying around so carelessly. If you resist, then we'll take you there by force as our prisoner. Get it?" InuYasha said, in a deadly calm voice as he approached the young girl, his eyes piecing and his scowl dark with his arms crossed. the cut on his nose had stopped bleeding and was already healing. Sometimes it really paid to have demon abilities.

The soldiers chuckled darkly behind their leader, grim excitement etched into their features.

Teary-blue eyes glared up at fiery amber, anger and scorn written within both sets of eyes. Kagome thought about revolting, unleashing Hell with everything she had, but thought better of it. She knew she couldn't take down the arrogant lieutenant that towered over her, let alone a fleet of fire-bending soldiers, and even if she could, she could not risk anything happening to the unconscious ice-demon in her arms. She couldn't allow him to get hurt. Not again. Then there's the issue with the jewel; Kagome promised her Master and Avatar Midoriko that she'd do everything she could to restore it to it's original state, and she'd be damned if she went back on that promise, Avatar business be damned.

Rising to her feet, head bowed and shoulders slumped in defeat, the sixteen-year-old shot a heated look to the dog-demon, before walking off as if she were being sent to her demise and mumbled, just loud enough for InuYasha to catch it with his keen ears,

"Well then, what are we waiting for?"

InuYasha was shocked and more then a little baffled at the fiery and spirited girl's non-resistant reply, as was the other men, who were more or less disappointed in the lack of revolt by the girl. He figured it out though when he saw the teen cuddle the demon-cat in her arms. Though still unconscious, one of the feline's tails wagged slightly while it hanged down limply from her arm.

"She doesn't want to fight, cause she doesn't want the cat-demon to get hurt..."

It was a thought that brought about a feeling of newfound respect for the strange water tribe girl. It was very rare to see a human willingly give up a fight so easily for a demon, much less cuddle that demon and have it as a companion. His majesty of the Fire Nation and soldiers respected him, but only because he was a valuable asset to them. A pawn. After all, who would pass up the chance to get a fire-bending demon on your side?

InuYasha shook his head and gestured in the direction of Kagome was walking to his men.

"Come on, men! Let's head out!"

To Be Continued...

A/N: I AM SOOOOO SOOORRRRYYYY FOR TAKING SO LONG! I was dealing with some major writers block, and I'm still not completely over it. Even so, I figured it was high-time I finished this chapter cause lord knows it needed to get finished. I'll try to upload the next chapter much sooner, but it might take a while. Please bare with me.