Summary: Kagome heads to Forks when her cousin Bella needs her most. However, doing so places her life in irreversible peril. The Volturi has developed an interest in her. A fascination that grows stronger with each passing day. What use does a priestess have to vampires?

Pairing: Undecided.

Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.

Chapter Three

The following day, Kagome was walking down the school hallways alongside Bella. She could tell that the older girl had something she wanted to talk about, but she hadn't brought it up yet. It was something that'd been on her mind ever since the conversation she had with Charlie about Sesshoumaru. Frankly, Kagome was about fed up with waiting for her to broach the topic. However, the second she turned to finally ask, Bella beat her to speaking.

"So who's Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome nearly paused, blinking owlishly at the question. Bella didn't look at her, and she could tell that she was trying to be causal about it all. A few seconds ticked by before she shook her head.

"He's a friend," she responded, but she could tell that wasn't what Bella had been looking for. "Well, I guess he's a little more than that," she admitted after a brief pause. "He's kind of more like a brother, I guess?" she mused out loud to herself. "He's really protective, too," she said then. "That's why he came all the way out here. I didn't really tell him I was leaving home, so he wanted to be sure I was okay."

Bella nodded, and a tense silence built up between them. Kagome glanced at Bella from the corner of her eyes with a mild pout on her face when it seemed there was still more bothering her. "Sorry…-" Bella spoke suddenly, looking at her. Her hand had a tight grip on the bag over her shoulder, and Kagome could spot the way her knuckles had lightened several shades. "Dad…" Bella paused for a second, glancing down before looking for her gaze once more. "He said that he had gold eyes…?"

Kagome frowned when she seemed to latch onto that detail the most. "Yeah…?" she responded. "What about it?" Why would she let that thought lurk in her mind so much, and why did it bother her so much…?

Bella was quick to shake her head. "N-Nothing," she responded just as quickly. "It's just…" she trailed off, and Kagome knew she was struggling for an excuse to give- something that sounded believable. "Not a common eye color is all," she eventually said, and Kagome nodded slowly, looking away and pretending to be oblivious to it all. Bella didn't notice that her reactions weren't genuine, and Kagome felt the relief that flooded her aura.

"I guess so," Kagome responded. "I guess I never thought anything about it," she continued.

Bella nodded her head slowly at Kagome's statement. "Yeah…?" She paused and shook her head. "Just…" she began, only to fall silent when her eyes met the blue of Kagome's. "Just be careful, you know?" she forced out. Kagome could only nod as a small smile broke across her face.

"I will, don't worry about me," she responded.

"I'll do my best," Bella responded, letting a small, quiet laugh free as they parted ways to go to class.

"Do you want to come with me to Jake's today?" Bella asked as they got in her truck. Before she could respond, a foul aura in the distance completely changed her answer in a heartbeat.

It wasn't anything like the ones she'd been feeling ever since she arrived in Forks. No, this one was familiar, if only a little. It was an aura that belonged to a demon. She couldn't just allow it to hang around. If she did, then there was no telling what trouble it'd cause to the humans and wildlife…

"Actually, I'm starting to fall behind on homework," Kagome responded. "It might be better if I stick this time out," she added.

Bella nodded, but she could feel the slight disappointment that plagued her aura. "Yeah, I get it," she responded. Kagome frowned, but she didn't alter her decision.

"I'll come next time," she said, "promise."

Bella looked at her and nodded. "It's okay," she assured. "I'm starting to feel like a bad influence," she added with a laugh. Kagome shook her head and mirrored her laugh.

Truth was, she wasn't behind on anything, but what Bella didn't know wouldn't hurt her. She shifted her focus to the window at her side, eyes automatically straying to the trees.

The demon would be drawn to her because of the jewel. She'd rather just deal with it now as opposed to waiting for it to come to her. If she did that, then there was no telling who might end up getting pulled into the fight, and she'd sooner just avoid any possibility.

000

She was dropped off at home, and, after giving Bella a wave, she watched as the other girl drove off. Charlie wasn't home yet, so she didn't have to worry about explaining anything as she ran inside and up to her room. She dropped her bag on the dining table as she went by it, climbing the stairs with ease.

She located her bow hidden in her closet. Her quiver lacked any arrows, and she knew she should stock up on some soon. For now, all she needed was her bow, after all. She could materialize arrows far easier than she could a bow.

Once she had everything she needed, she made her way back downstairs and out of the house, being sure to lock the door behind her. She spared a quick glance down both sides of the road before darting across it and into the tree line. There wasn't a trail to follow, but that didn't sway her as she easily navigated over rocks and fallen branches and trunks.

She was quick, moving through the greenery with more ease than other people would have, her history of fighting and running through forests in the past serving as excellent training.

After several minutes of running, she slowly came to a halt. The entire forest around her was silent. It was far too quiet compared to how it should've been. The birds didn't make a sound, and nothing seemed to be acting as it should. Kagome frowned and focused, hunting for the demon's aura. When it hit her senses, she turned and pursued that direction.

It didn't take long for her to note that it was quickly closing the distance. It had picked up on her scent, and it was coming her way much faster than she could move. Before she had realized it, it'd closed the distance fully. She had only a split second to react, throwing both arms up to shield her face as she was knocked off her feet. She was knocked into the tree at her side, hitting the trunk hard enough to injure her ribs.

Kagome pushed herself back up onto her feet, the pain fading rapidly as the injury was automatically healed. The trees around her acted as an easy hiding ground for it. She could feel it, but, by now, its aura had completely saturated the space. When she felt it lurch for her, she reacted instantly. A pristine, pink barrier formed around her. As soon as it made contact with it, the demon let out a low hiss in pain as her energy burned it. It retreated the following second, but it was already too late. Her energy left a mark for her to follow, and she pursued it automatically.

She followed it deeper into the woods, coming to a halt by a small river that led down a mini ravine. She was lunged at a second time, getting knocked back onto the slippery rocks, but she kept her balance. Sharp claws dug into the skin of her leg, leaving a deep cut that wept crimson. She utilized her bow to shove the demon away, but when it attacked her again, her bow was knocked from her hands. She brushed her surprise off and let a powerful burst of energy free from her palm. With the demon too close, it had no chance or time to escape.

It sizzled until nothing of it remained, the beastly cry it made echoing out through the forest until it faded to nothing. Seconds later, the sounds of the birds returned. Kagome let out a sigh, about to move from the slick stones she stood upon to go recover and check the condition of her bow until something different collided against her senses. She froze, looking around for the unfamiliar source. Not even a full second later, she was forced to stumble back as she was knocked from the small cliffside she stood on. A barrier shielded her, a different hiss echoing through her mind as whatever lunged at her got burned.

She fell to the lower level, landing on the stone below. As her head hit the ground hard, her vision ran dark.

000

A low whine came from her as she slowly moved. A few seconds passed before she sat up, blue eyes looking around at her surroundings. Night had started to fall, and shadows cast along the ground all around her. She was silent as she sat there, a light ache in her head. She lifted a hand, but all she felt was dried blood. The wound had already healed, even in her unconscious state. It was a few seconds before she recalled the wound she received on her leg, and she looked down.

The skin around the injury had turned a sickly purplish-black as it healed slowly. Dealing with demons was nothing new, especially for her, but the potent types of poison they sometimes could possess were often a brand new learning experience. She wasn't familiar with this one, given the way her body was reacting to it. If she were to encounter a similar type later, then her body would be able to purify it in an instant. It still hurt, and the ache traveled throughout her entire body, to the point where her fingers had started to go numb.

"... at least it was dealt with…" Kagome sighed softly. She didn't want to imagine how the poison would have affected a normal human. That just sounded like an awful lot of trouble.

As she sat there, Kagome couldn't stop herself from thinking back to right before she was knocked from the cliff's edge, and her eyes narrowed. Something had attacked her before being harmed by her spiritual powers. They'd fled the following second after getting burned.

She shook her head after pondering on it for a few seconds. If it hadn't been another demon, then it felt obvious as to what it'd been.

Kagome brushed the thought away as she let her attention focus on her injury. It was quiet around her as she grabbed her shirt and quickly tore the bottom off of it. The following second, she wrapped it around the wound and tied it tight enough so it wouldn't unravel. Once she was sure it was secure, she tore a bit more off and wet it in the water at her side before using it to wipe away the dried blood from her skin and hair. Once she felt no more blood caked to her skin, she stuffed the makeshift rag into her pocket.

After all that'd been handled, she pushed herself up onto her feet, frowning as she gazed up at the cliffside. Now how to get back up? It wasn't too far of a distance to climb, but there didn't appear to be any good grabbing points that she could see in the darkness.

"Kagome!"

Before she could move to try and ascend up the side on her own, a voice calling her name in the distance caught her attention. She paused, waiting to see if she'd hear it again, or if it'd only been her imagination.

"Kagome!"

It came a second time, and it sounded closer the second time. The voice, while not familiar, gave her a feeling of comfort. She didn't understand why, and she ignored the feeling for the time being. She stepped back enough to get a clear view of the top of the cliffside before calling out, "over here!"

That seemed to do the trick, as, a few seconds later, a figure was at the ledge looking down for her. When he spotted her, she initially assumed he'd toss a rope down for her to climb up, but she was taken aback when he very easily maneuvered down to join her in the mini ravine.

"Are you all right?"

Kagome was stunned out of her silence by the simple question. She nodded quickly, but, the closer he was, she could feel the unusual aura clinging to him. It was one of the ones she'd been feeling ever since she arrived! So, did that mean…? She looked up, tilting her head back as she met his gaze. Physically, she didn't even recognize him. He kept space in between them, almost as if there was an invisible line that separated them.

"I'm okay," she eventually said.

"Good," he responded. She didn't miss the way he'd glanced down at her makeshift bandage, and she backtracked a step when he looked back at her face. He didn't have to say anything, but she knew what he was thinking.

"I cut my leg when I fell," she quickly said. "It's okay, though," she added. "I've had worse and I know how to handle things like this."

"If you're sure," he eventually responded, and Kagome nodded.

"I am," she stated. The following second, she glanced back to where he'd come from. "So, how are we gonna get out of here?" she asked, recalling the same thing she'd noticed when she'd been plotting a way out minutes ago. She paused for a moment as a different, yet equally important, question struck her. "Wait… What's your name?"

"It'll be easy," he responded, much to her surprise. He looked to meet her gaze as he held a hand out for her to take. "Sam," he said then. "Sam Uley." He didn't step closer to her, maintaining the same distance as before until she moved. She stepped closer after a few seconds, letting her hand land on his much larger one. The moment she touched him, she was surprised by the intense warmth he radiated. As she stepped closer, that wasn't the only thing she noticed about him.

He was much taller than her five-foot-tall frame, making her feel even smaller than she already was. Even from a distance, his height compared to her own had been clear to her. Now that she was only an inch or two away from him, it was impossible to ignore, as she only barely came up to his chest even at her full height. He turned to crouch a bit, and she understood well what he was telling her to do. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around his muscular shoulders as he lifted her up on his back as if she were a doll. His arms went around her legs briefly as she wrapped them around his back.

"Secure?" he asked, and she nodded.

"As good as I can be…" she trailed off. Before she could ask what he was going to do, he jumped, hands moving to grip the stone wall. He maneuvered himself up the cliffside easily, even with her strapped to his back. He'd scaled the cliffside in a matter of seconds, and, before she knew it, they were back on the upper level. Kagome was stunned into silence.

She eventually fell out of her stupor as she looked around. It was seconds later before her eyes landed on her bow. The sight of it made her spirits dampen, and she lowered her head.

It was snapped in half with nothing but the drawstring holding the two halves together.

"What's wrong?"

Kagome shook her head at his question. "It's nothing," she said as she rested her head on his shoulder. At the same time, she refixed her grip around his neck so she didn't fall. She was quiet following her response, and he didn't push her to speak. He did, however, let his gaze scan over the area for whatever might've caused her shift in mood. It didn't take long for his attention to land on the broken bow that was saturated with her scent.

He kept it in mind as he began to move, trekking through the darkened woods he knew well.

000

Several silent minutes went by before the familiar shape of Charlie's house appeared in the distance. The closer they got, she could see him outside by his cruiser. She couldn't miss the concern in his aura, even if she tried to block it out. Upon seeing them, he hurried over.

As he closed the distance, Sam let his grip on her legs fall enough for her to slide down his back. Once she was down, she slowly moved to stand beside him. Even from beside him, the warmth he radiated was like a blanket.

"Kagome!"

She looked down at the ground when he reached them. The concern she could feel radiating off of him was heavy. It made her guilt double.

"What were you up to?" Charlie asked as he looked her over to make sure she was alright. When he saw the makeshift bandage and torn shirt, she didn't miss the way he focused on it. "Your things were on the table when I got home, but you were nowhere to be found," he continued. "I called Bella, but she said she dropped you off…" He looked up from her leg and back to her face. "What were you doing in the woods?"

Kagome frowned and shook her head. When she felt the worry leaking off him in waves, she felt even worse. "I'm sorry," she said. She couldn't give him an honest answer, either, and that made her feel worse. "I… I wanted to go for a walk, but it got darker a lot earlier than I thought it would," she said. "I must've gotten lost after taking a wrong turn."

Charlie sighed. "What happened to your leg?" he asked. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Kagome shook her head quickly. "No, it's fine," she said. "I fell," she continued, hoping the man with her wouldn't say anything about how far it'd been down. To her relief, he didn't say a word. "I'll be fine. I just covered it to make sure dirt couldn't get in it. It doesn't even hurt anymore."

It was quiet, and Charlie let out another sigh. "Just… promise me you won't go out in the woods again," he requested. "There's been these huge bear sightings from a lot of people lately, and I don't want to risk you getting hurt by them," he explained. "It's just not safe right now, Kagome."

Kagome was quiet, but she nodded to show she understood his concern. "I'm sorry for making you worry…" she said. It wasn't a promise, but she couldn't promise him anything like that. He seemed to accept her answer either way, and what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. After a few seconds, she pulled herself away from Sam, who, up until then, had kept her braced. As she moved, she noticed how he kept an arm out in case she stumbled. As soon as she moved away from him, the chill in the air crashed down around her. She was shivering a few seconds after leaving his side. She cut her gaze back at him as she felt Charlie wrap an arm around her upper back.

He was shirtless, yet completely unbothered by the colder temperature.

"Thank you, Sam," Charlie said, glancing back at the man with them.

Kagome nodded, looking up to meet his gaze briefly. "Thank you," she said, voice quieter than Charlie's. Sam shook his head.

"I'm glad you're safe," he responded. She couldn't prevent the small smile that spread across her face.

It was the following day, and her mood was still fairly gloomy.

Despite Charlie's worry, she'd ended up heading back into the woods after he and Bella went to bed in an attempt to retrieve her bow. She hadn't said anything earlier when Sam helped her, because she didn't want to deal with the question of why she even had one in the first place. Not from the man in question, and especially not from Charlie if he'd seen her show back up with it.

However, when she made it back to the area, her bow was nowhere to be found. She'd looked everywhere around the area, to no avail. It had just vanished, and it caused her spirits to be lower than normal.

Due to her difficulties at manifesting a bow out of her own energy, she often stuck to using a physical, real one. One that she no longer had...

A knock at her door pulled her out of her thoughts, and she turned just in time to spot Bella opening the door.

"You okay?" she asked. "You sure you're good to head to Jake's?"

There was no school today, so they planned to go over to Jacob's house for the afternoon. Kagome hid her sigh and pushed the thoughts of her lost bow away. She could always go find a replacement- or try to hone the ability to manifest a temporary one.

With those being her options, she quickly followed after Bella.

She'd worry about it later.

C.R: So, Kagome's met Sam. He could definitely pick up Sesshoumaru's scent so he didn't get too close unless she was the one who initiated it. Kagome's also lost her bow… when she went to get it, someone had beaten her to it. Who might it be? (obviously Sam, but she doesn't know that.)
Not only are there vampires and werewolves, but demons as well. At least Kagome is better prepared to handle demons.

Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoyed. Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.

Please remember to review&favorite&follow, thank you!

Bye for now~