This Story Belongs To Blazing-Assasin, I just Shared It With You Here. She Is Not On Fanfiction, but DeviantArt.

Disclaimer: Neither me or Blazing-Assasin own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does.

Kaede leaned gently on the wooden beam keeping up the drawn out roof and gazed out without focus at the scenery blown with some fog. She cast her gaze upwards to the tops of the farther trees and watched as the pouring rain continued to descend from the petals of leaves and onto the ground. Her thoughts entangled with one another, she hadn't noticed Shippou calling her from her right. The thunderous sounds of the collapsing droplets also deafened her hearing to his repetitive hollers, until finally, he decided to tap her lightly on the shoulder. Or at least, that's what he should have done besides what he actually did do... shake her forcefully. After his constant juddering halted, she couldn't resist smacking him across the head and narrowing her eyes down at him.

"What the hell was that for!?"

She screamed as her brain tried to recuperate from the constant rattling her deep entrancing thoughts had received a moment ago. As he rub his throbbing head, he chuckled inwardly then collapsed onto the ground underneath the roof which protected him from the liquid drawing from the
cotton like clouds that were drenched with grey. Kaede took a seat as well, while drawing her gaze back to the scenery, but this time, Shippou made sure to let his words slip out before her thoughts took hold of her once again.

"So what have you been up to while I was gone?" He heard her scoff lightly after his words took to the air and travelled to her precise hearing.

"The better question is what have you been up to?"

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry I was gone for so long,"

"Good. You should be sorry. You were only gone for like a thousand years!"

"That's being quite melodramatic, don't you agree?"

"Well you were gone for a long time. Last time I saw you, I was nine!"

"That's not that long...only a four years,"

She was starting to become annoyed with his lull tone, which embarrassed her of the rash squabbling she was chewing into him. She relaxed her tense shoulders suddenly to relieve her sadness that she had conjured up into anger, instead. She had missed him so much for the previous four years of her life that she was forced to live on without him. He was such a big part of her. He was like a real brother who was always looking out for her, always there to keep her safe from other villagers who disowned her presence. The day he had left, for who knew what intentions he had at the time, struck her dumb...

Kaede squeezed her fist with a clump of thin white sheets clenched within her palm as she stretched out from tucked in her futon. She arched her back, stretching out her spine as she peered around sleepily to the bustling around her ear's had picked up on, waking her from her slumber. It took her a good five minutes to realize that she was awake and not still in the realm of her dreams. She stood up and wobbled out of the room in search of the shifting and shuffling. She round the corner and stopped dead in her tracks as she watched the sliding door slide shut, with her only getting a glimpse of him, Shippou. Kaede couldn't help but wonder why the kitsune had left so early in the morning and decided to let her curiosity get the better of her. She tiptoed to the shoji and pulled it back a crack, letting her lazy brown eye wander through the slit. She glared Shippou down, who was steadily making his way towards the forest. She glanced down at his small sack with numerous things tucked away inside which he carried in his right hand, and knew instantly that he was leaving. She quickly and forcefully pulled back the door and stumbled out into the colourless powder built up on the frigid ground in an effort to stop him. As she lost her footing in the desperate situation, she collapsed and tumbled in the cold substance. She peeled open her eyes which were gazing up to Shippou who soared through the soft whipping winter winds.

"Come back," She called woefully in a smooth whisper that only rested on her ears alone. It was useless. He was gone. She sat up slowly and brushed the snow from her arms and some that remained, glittering, on her silky strands of ebony hair. She considered chasing after him, but at that time, his speed was too rapid for her taste and besides, she was wasting time thinking about the possibility of catching up to him with every gasping breath she took. So hopelessly, she stood and a wave of shivers vibrated throughout her body as her skin tensed up into goose-bumps. She rubbed her arms which were bare because of her loose tank-top she had worn to bed, which she cursed herself for even thinking to wear such summer-like pajamas in winter. Dragging her freezing feet through the powder as they turned a rosy tint, she headed for the entrance to her family's hut, looking back in gloom...

"Why did you leave?" Kaede asked solemnly with her voice keeping it's steady tone. Shippou looked away from her brown eyes which seemed to make his heart bleed in guilty sorrow.

"It had nothing to do with you. I just needed to start living on my own...start training,"

"Training? With who?"

"Well after I left, I searched for a den to dwell in. Then, I realized I would need all the help I could get to train physically to defend myself at all costs. Before you were born and even before the jewel was broken so long ago, I was dependant on my father, and he in return babied me far too much. I always expected everything to be handed to me even when I lived with Kagome before you were born. I just needed to live on my own for a while...get some proper demon living which I should have had since I was a child. So I went to seek out guidance from the best possible example I could. I went to Kouga,"

"Kouga? The one who father despised and fell in love with––,"

"Your mother, Kagome, yes. At the time, he had a son who was a year or two older than you whom he was training, too. I believe his name was Kisho. Anyways, so Kouga agreed to help me and I stayed in their caves for quite a while until I came back to my den and was approached by Sango after so long. She then informed me of her brother, Kohaku, who had been resurrected once again by Naraku whom we presumed dead,"

Kaede frowned as she soaked in this information. She still felt her heart droop from his sudden leave so long ago, but couldn't help but forgive him. She knew that if she hadn't, he would never be the same cheery, loveable brother she had cared for so much. She nodded her head and smiled as he grinned from ear-to-ear.

"Kaede," Kagome called from the warmth of the hut, "You and Shippou come inside before you catch a cold,"

Kaede could hear Shippou's faint snort at her mother's remark and threw him an angry stare. She knew her mother meant well, even though she still hadn't grasped the fact that it was quite difficult next to impossible for demons, including half blooded, to catch colds with their immunity systems. She pushed herself up while Shippou followed-suit, and pulled back the door to the inside. Kaede's eyes darted around the small circle of friends who were huddled around the warmth of the crimson flames. She and Shippou joined the circle and gazed around at the faces which were glowing pigments of warm oranges and were also cast with shadows in the soft indents which formed their features. She could notice the tingling affliction curving Sango's features ever so slightly and only imagined that the previous discussion was about her brother.

"So," Kaede started to say while breaking the tension in the room, "What are we going to do about Naraku?"

There was a light pause to her words, where only the crepitation of the embers in the elemental light were heard. Finally, after letting his pursed lips break free, Miroku replied,

"Yes. Where are we going to start?"

"I really don't care where we start but we have to leave soon...I can't wait to get my hands on him," InuYasha rambled on without hesitation that his plan may be a bit far-fetched. Sango blinked a couple of times before she interjected,

"I sent Kilala to follow Kohaku. He'll probably lead us at least in a direction to where we could find Naraku,"

Kagome set her tea down gently, and focused on a good solid plan of action, but failingly, had nothing. As she continuously thought, she noticed InuYasha's attention-grasping glare at her. She rose a brow at his looks then watched as he repetitively peered from her to her daughter. Finally, Kagome caught onto what the half-demon was implying, and turned to Kaede and offered,

"You look tired, Kaede, you've been through a lot today, I think you should go get some shut-eye,"

Kaede did feel exhausted and wanted more than anything to agree, but knew it would seem too peculiar for her to concur. Besides, she wanted to stay around and discuss what action they were to take.

"It's alright. I'm fine," Kaede insisted while stifling back a yawn at the thought of slumber.

She saw a small glint in her mother's eyes that signified that it was not an option. Kaede frowned then stood and bid her goodnights to everyone. After she sedately pulled back the shoji to her room after she was inside, she rushed anxiously into her futon to capture the illusion of her rest. She didn't want to miss out on the conversation, so she forced herself to stay awake. After about fifteen minutes of unnecessary conversing that she knew were just for show until they had supposed she had fallen into slumber, Kagome discreetly pulled open the door just a smidgen to see if her daughter was asleep. Falling for the trick, she closed it once more then returned back to the conversation. Kaede's eyes peeled open and her ears perked up to eavesdrop on the speaking.

"We can't take Kaede with us. She's the protector of the jewel...Naraku would surely kill her and take the jewel in an instant. Besides she's only a child,"

She couldn't help but grunt in her mind and think,

'I am not just a child! I'm thirteen and I can protect myself,'

She was reverted back to the conversation when she heard her father's rough but steady voice,

"Well, we're sure as hell not leaving her here. We'll just have to leave her in your era with your mother, Kagome,"

Kaede clenched her fists with her father's betrayal towards her. She could feel her face grow hot as she fought back the urge to break down into tears.

'I'm much stronger than that,' she thought of her trapped tears as her lips curved into a grimace look and she loosened her fists before they bled from her long claws. Golden coloured eyes melted into her brown ones, as anger kept her in it's dark pulsing clutch.

"I understand, but you know Kaede. She's worse than you, InuYasha. Stubborn as hell. How will we get her to go?"

"We'll just have to force her. She has no choice in the matter...it's for her own safety,"

"So it's settled then, I guess. We bring Kaede to my era, kill Naraku, then bring her back home,"

'Not if I can help it,' Kaede once again let the anger squeeze her tighter.

She could feel her head begin to pound as she gathered all the scathing details that would be forced upon her, come next morning. She let her frustration drop to a soothing feeling as she heard someone pulling back the sliding door, yet, again. She squeezed her eyelids shut and waited with her breath shortening as she felt their silhouette tower over her. She relaxed as she heard them leave and felt tiny footsteps tip-toe up her covers. She opened one eye to see tiny Kilala meowing happily. She smirked then rubbed the demon-cat's head gently, and thought,

'Who knows...maybe they'll change their minds,'

***

After waking up and getting dressed, Kaede strolled outside to see everyone preparing for their journey. She delicately tossed her ebony locks back behind her and kept her mouth shut for the remainder of the time they took to prepare until she finally asked with suspicion, but did not dare show,

"So, which way are we headed?"

She slapped on a huge secure grin to try to melt their hearts to get them to change their minds, but knew that her performance would go unrewarded. All of them turned to her with weakened eyes, not one of them having the heart to tell her. Finally, Kagome found it even worse if they didn't say anything at all so she spoke up,

"Well, we're going to head west but we have some bad news, Kaede. We-,"

She paused for a worried sigh and continued,

"We can't take you with us. You're going to be staying with obaachan for a while in the modern era. Alright?"

Kaede felt frustrated tears burning her eyes as she shouted,

"So you just want to abandon me!"

Kagome's eyes widened with hearing her daughter's misinterpretation.

"No, no! We just don't want to see you get hurt!" Kagome cried while taking an assuring step towards her daughter but lost her breath in shock as her daughter took a step back away.

Kaede began to rub her nose arch with her thumb and index finger as a headache began to rupture. She muttered something through tears under her breath, as she bounded through the forest and headed for the sacred tree. She jumped up onto one of the limbs and sat with her arms folded against her chest, her heart pounding tenaciously in her chest. The rest of the group followed and stared up at her from the base of the tree. Kagome sighed helplessly. Kaede had always loved the Go-Shimboku. Maybe it was because so much had happened at that very tree between InuYasha and herself that her daughter felt a part of it. There was no true explanation, but it didn't matter. To Kagome, she figured that tree was the base of their whole family.

InuYasha twitched impatiently and shouted,

"Come on! Stop being like that, Kaede, and get down here!"

Kaede turned away from his glare and replied,
"No way! I'll stay up here all day and sit if I must,"

She turned back suddenly when she heard a loud thud. She glanced down to see her father face first down in the saturated ground. She couldn't help but let a small snicker loose as she asked rhetorically,

"What's wrong with you? Can't stand on your own two feet?"

What she was quite unaware of, was the great power she had over her father that her mother had as well. The power of the rosary beads hung around his neck of subjugation. He got up furiously and muttered some cuss words as he leapt up into the tree and plopped himself on the limb to face her.

"Let's go, now," He demanded with a hint of real seriousness to his voice. It sort of weakened her because she knew that he was truly upset. But stubbornly, she stood her ground,

"I already told you, dad. I'm not moving from this very spot where I sit,"

His eyes enlarged as the beads pulled his body to the ground. Kaede couldn't help but feel completely confused...but only for a brief second before she curved her lips into an 'o' while arching a brow as she linked two-and-two together.

"Oh I get it! I can control you by saying sit!"

Once more, InuYasha was forced into the ground. Kagome cried up to Kaede to cease her subjugation as she carefully helped her mate up. Kagome had never told Kaede she would have the same power over her father. In fact, she had lied to her daughter and told her that the beads were worn out and that she no longer had the power over him. Just in case she did have the power as well and would constantly recite the spell. But now that her daughter knew, and now in such a fragile state, who knew how many times she would choose to use it. Kagome finally became sick of this 'waiting-game' and commanded,

"Kaede get your butt down here now,"

She heard her groan, then free-fall from the high branch and in front of her parents. Her father sent her a deathly glare and Kaede gulped guiltily. He stood up straight, brushed the dirt off of him then pointed in the direction of their hut.

***

"Oh, mom, I'm going to miss you so much!" Kaede exclaimed through tears as she held her mother close. Kagome embraced her daughter then backed away in order to stifle back the salty liquid built up in her eyes. Kaede wore one of her 'modern-day' outfits that her mother had bought for her in any case that she had to visit the modern times. She wore a thick white halter top with a pleated blue skirt that used to belong to her mother when she was growing up in modern times. Her attention was grabbed insecurely by Shippou who pointed to the sack of belongings she had chosen to take with her,

"Hey, what's in the bag, Kaede?"

She cautiously stepped in front of the huge heavy bag sitting lazily (what do bags do that is exciting?)in the morning sunlight. She smiled skittishly, as she fiddled with the sacred jewel uneasily. She finally summoned up a fib to what was hidden inside the sack,

"Oh, just some blankets and stuff like that,"

At first, Shippou seemed prying to her anxiety glazed voice, but shrugged off any questioning as she embraced him as a farewell. She nodded towards Miroku and Sango as she grinned half-heartedly, then settled her backside onto the timbered lip of the old bone gobbling well. As Kagome led the rest of the group a ways away, InuYasha accepted the privacy and took a seat beside Kaede. She fixed her gaze on her feet which were surrounded by a pair of white zori and began to drag them on the luscious sprouting grass as she felt her father's eyes pierce into her very soul.

"It won't be that long, trust me," InuYasha finally spoke with wisdom that went unnoticed as the young girl rejected his reassurance.

"How can I even trust you anymore, dad. You made a promise to me that you would take me on the next big adventure that arose and now, you went back on your word," He could even hear the tears swim beneath her eyes as she fought to keep them at bay. Her untamed sable bangs overcast the upper part of her face as she tried to lock away her sadness and weak contempt. He let out a soft distressed grunt before he uttered,

"I just don't want you to get hurt,"

She couldn't help but smile at his fatherly-protection, and decided that now was not the best of times to carry on her depression when her father had felt obligated to send her to safety. So she leaned on him with her head resting upon his sturdy shoulder and embraced him sideways until he turned and embraced her properly. He wanted her to be in his arms forever without having to leave her.

How he missed holding her in his arms when she was so very young, back when, ironically, the feudal times were to him, a peaceful period when no threats were punctured into their hearts. Unaware, he brought his daughter even closer as he continued to think about the times when she was only an infant and was unfamiliar to the feudal fantasy which was the life she was born into. He had remembered being bathed in the moon's radiance and sun's smooth beams as he recalled distant memories of adventures that he read to her as stories from his own mind. Her eyes, full of wonder and eagerness when such stories were told. As if she yearned for more thrill than he could offer in one simple night or morning. The childish faces she would make at him either to get his attention, or just to be her normal, playful self at times when life seemed dull to him. She was the light in his heart that could never be overcome by loathe for her or any other feeling of hate that he couldn't possibly dish out.

Softly, Kaede pressed off of his chest and smiled the famous mischievous grin she had acquired that had tugged on his heart blissfully since that day she was born. He smirked in return then stood and stepped back from the well as she prepared to jump in. She sought out her bag then gripped it into her left fist then waved goodbye to everyone with her right. She placed a foot onto the rim, then leapt inside as she was devoured by the time-traveling aura and pulled through. InuYasha gently bit the inside of his cheek as he figured that she was still deeply disappointed with him.

***

Kaede let out a deep exasperated sigh as she hopped out from the claustrophobic space and jogged up the creaky wooden boards used in the making of the steps. She pulled back the door and tried desperately to block out the annoying chirping of the birds.

'Well I see the birds still enjoy to press my nerves even in this era,'

She finally came to the house and knocked on the sliding door lightly but loud enough to be heard. Her grandmother carefully pulled back the door and beamed excitingly as her grand-daughter had finally arrived. She invited Kaede in, and blew back a faded lock of ebony hair and showed her to her guest room. Kaede only made a small sarcastic-like grunt when her assumptions of the room she would be staying in before she arrived would in fact be her mother's old room. She had noticed that her mother persisted on leaving Kagome's room the way it was for a guest-room but always reminded Kagome of a sort of 'shrine' to her. This always gave Kagome the shivers but knew that her mother's kind hearted actions were always under no speculation by her own self.

"I'll go make you some ramen. Is that alright?" her obaachan offered as she rubbed her moist hands on her pale yellow apron. Kaede nodded with a grin then hurled her bag onto the bed and collapsed onto the floor as she left the room. She twisted her feet back and forth in sudden boredom, then reached back over her shoulder and took hold of the bag she had carelessly tossed onto the bed. She pulled it in front of herself, and rested it gently on her lap. She pried open the tightened opening and delicately took out what she had placed inside before she had left.

Although her mother had insisted she leave her feudal clothes which would serve no purpose for her in the modern era, she secretly had stashed it away against her wishes. She placed the clothing to the side, then gripped the sheathe which protected her sword, the Tetshiega.

Her sword was very symbolic to her. Much like InuYasha's Tetsusaiga was to himself. It was created from the fangs of both her and her father and took approximately three years to make. It took a lot of pulling of teeth, which lead to a lot of childlike shrieks to form the sword but in the end, it was worth it. It resembled Tetsusaiga in a way, but was a bit thinner and was curved lower near the top. She placed the sword next to the clothing and continued to rummage deeper into the bag. She pulled out her bow and arrows and softly ran her finger's down one of the arrow's wooden spine and through it's bristle feathers then shoved the arrow and the rest of the arrows with the quiver to the side carelessly as she fingered her jewel; a habit she had picked up upon receiving it.

Kaede yanked the necklace from her neck and let a frustrated tear that had been dwelling at the corner of her eye for quite some time break out and land on the circular gem. She gazed down to it as it throbbed with a hazy pink glow. She narrowed her eyes as they reflected the light to see what was being shown to her. She watched as an image of her father ambled steadily away from the well. She scoffed as a hoard of realization of what she had agreed to, came back up on her like bitter vomit to her palette. Foolishly, she whipped the jewel across the room and it slammed against the wall and bounced off of it and onto the tatami floors. Her eyes began to grow out of proportion as she quickly crawled over to the jewel and held it between her slender feminine, yet, demon-like fingers. She sighed and fell on her back when she safely observed that the jewel was still intact.

As she lay there with not a sudden care in the world, the sweet scent of ramen curled into her nostrils from the kitchen where it was being made. Her lips twisted into a delighted smirk as her grandmother bellowed for her to come and eat. She sat up slowly and attached the Shikon no Tama back around her neck. She helped herself up and pressed on towards the kitchen.

***

About a month and a half had already gone by, and Kaede was already starting to get antsy. Helping out around the house for her obaachan, and helping with petty things around the shrine for her daisofu-sama had really started to become an irritating habit. She never hesitated to help when needed, but hated how everything she did, became a routine that kept repeating it's self almost every day. She had entertained herself at times; training with her weapons when no one was around, exploring the grounds, and many other pointless activities she had spent wasting as many hours, minutes, and seconds that she could. Her ojiki had made it a habit of taking her to restaurants and other sight-seeing-places, as he called them, many of times before in his sleek black Honda. When she rode in his car for the first time, she had speculated after her first ride, though, that it was more a ferocious demon than any 'normal car' that he had assured her of. He found it rather peculiar, and amusing that she could take to the sky at high speeds but couldn't take a small harmful car that traveled at minimum speeds (depending on the limits, of course).

She continued to sweep the shrine steps, until she heard a loud screech. She immediately dropped the ancient, but still intact, broom and raced towards the house in search of the cry. She stopped in her tracks and grimaced as she watched her uncle swing his returning girlfriend, Takara, in his muscular arms. Takara finally noticed the young girl and she smiled widely as she gave her boyfriend's niece a friendly embrace. Since the very first day Takara had been introduced to Kaede, she had always treated her like a little sister. Normally, Kaede would be annoyed with this, but surprisingly Takara had a warm feeling to her that had always kept Kaede's aggressive opinions and restlessness to herself. As if she were embarrassed to have a fit in her presence. Takara wasn't the most gorgeous thing Kaede had ever seen but she still had a certain unique beauty to her that she had sensed, when gone out to with her before, women envied. She had long copper colored hair the had black streaks running through and parted to her left a ways before her center part. She had big glistening brown eyes and spiky mascara coated lashes. She had a slender nose which was small even till the ball of her nose, and thick black eyebrows which were always shaped perfectly in a feminist way. Her lips were always left bare, since she had figured they were too small to spend a thought on. She had large ears which evened out on each side, but were the hated body part to Takara.

'Maybe,' Kaede thought, 'that's why Takara always keeps her hair down...to hide her ears,'

She didn't wear too much makeup, but it wasn't like she needed to. She was one of the few people who although were keen on plastering on makeup, never really needed it because of their natural fairness. Her fashion sense was always a classic style, with a sense of creativity that she would take time to put into her clothing. Today, Kaede observed her clothes and approved of the apparel. She wore a fitting black tank top with a loose turtle-neck which was part of the shirt, and a caramel leather jacket that shimmered every once in a while in the remaining sunlight. On her lower half, she had worn a regular slit brown mini skirt and long velvet black boots which reached up to her knees. Her makeup complemented her clothes as well including the odd jewelry here and there; a diamond minute sized nose ring, a pair of brown feathered earrings which dangled from her lobes, and a few golden bracelets.

Takara had just came back from visiting some relatives in China, where her father was born, and dropped by to be welcomed back. Kaede smirked as Takara babbled on about some useless information to Souta, and quietly exited the room. With the pattering of her light footsteps following her, Kaede returned to the outdoors to see her grandmother continuing Kaede's left chore. She finally noticed her grand-daughter standing a couple of feet away, and began to grin as she slowed down her sweeping to a stop. Kaede smiled then gently took the broom from her soft, slightly wrinkled hands and began to pick up where she had left off. The older woman smiled softly and began to say through the scratching noise of the broom's straw thistles rubbing against the ground,

"I have some good news for you,"

Her black dog ears twitched as she set her hearing on her obaachan's words.

"I talked to a friend of mine who's a principal at the local elementary school near by, and she says she would be able to work something out so that you can go there for a while. At least until your mother and father return,"

Kaede halted her actions and tightened her hold on the broom as she glanced to the side. She heard her obaachan gasp softly and heard her whisper her apologies. She knew how sensitive Kaede had become about being reminisced about the adventure her parents and friends had embarked on without her. Kaede nodded, accepting her apology and replied as she walked towards the house,

"Don't worry about it,"

She felt as if she was being cruel to her obaachan at the moment, but couldn't help but focus on herself at that time. She was just too wrapped up in everything to even think twice about it. She dragged her feet up the stairs and to the her guest bedroom, then collapsed onto the bed. She sunk her head into the pillow, and listened to the muffled conversation going on downstairs between Takara and her grandmother. With her eyes, she watched as the dust particles danced in the air through the gleaming sun beams which cast down into the bedroom. She made her way over to the window and ducked her head out to see two little children running around the shrine grounds, playing together. She snickered as her great-grandfather peeled the two children who began to throw tiny fists at one another apart.

'Who knows, maybe this 'school' thing will be a good way to get my mind off of everything,'

***

Kaede arrived at the new school and slouched to one side. It was a large building, with human children scattered around the yard around the school which made her tense. She adjusted her navy blue bandana, and trudged forward towards the crowds. She stopped dead in her tracks and twitched her right eye in irritation. She watched as a huge line formed in front of the school and constant chattering could be heard. She resisted the urge jump over the crowd and to the front of the line, remembering that she had to cover up most of her hanyou self. So hesitatingly, she joined at the back and kept quiet. Kaede wasn't quite sure of what to do next. Everyone sort of branched off while she was left standing dumbfounded in the middle of the hallway. She cursed herself silently.

'Baka! Why couldn't I have just put my 'cocky-self' aside, and taken the time to listen to what obaachan and ojiki said!'

That morning, while her grandmother and uncle tried desperately to inform her of the important notes she needed to be aware of when she arrived at school, Kaede had blocked them out and insisted that she wasn't 'that stupid' to know about school. 'Besides,' she had thought, 'Mom got through this 'school' just fine, so will I,' She was definitely wrong. She was too used to the feudal era, and knew only little of the modern times. Suddenly, she became a loner no more. At the end of the hall, she watched as a boy about a year younger held a clip-board and had a thin pen resting above his ear.

"And why aren't you in class?" He asked as if he really didn't care for the reason. He glared down at her, looking for a deceptive gleam in her eyes. She smiled, not noticing his glares, and replied innocently,

"I don't know where my class is, actually. You see, it's my first day and I–,"

"I really don't care! You get a slip for detention,"

Kaede cringed as he popped the pen open and pressed it's point to the paper attached to the clip-board.

"Oh and don't get in detention! That's a spooky place, with evil demons!" Souta had warned Kaede with much over-dramatic gestures. She remembered blinking a couple of times as he had kept his steady gaze on her as if trying to lead her to believe that.

Even if it did seem all nonsense at the time, and she figured he was just making up such foolish remarks because he was trying to scare her, she still felt a wave of uneasiness curl over her. She scowled at the boy and ran in front of him in a mere second. She grabbed him by the front of the shirt and watched him cower in fear. She assumed her eyes had turned amber due to her frustration, as he stared blankly into her orbs.

"Now listen here," she began to threaten in a soft yet strong tone. She could sense the blood in his body pick up speed as her grip tightened the slightest, unnoticeable to her, bit. She couldn't help but smirk as he swallowed the saliva in his mouth in total fear.

"You are going to help me get to my class, right?" She smirked a toothy grin, bearing her canine fangs and felt him squirm beneath her grasp. He nodded and shrugged her off. He spun on his heel and briskly led her down the hall.

"By the way," she started to say in a kind voice, trying to relieve him of her latter demand and cruelty, "My name is Kaede,"

He glanced over his shoulder and said nothing. She snarled as they pressed on.

Finally, they reached a room, and Kaede stepped inside. She bit her lip nervously as dozens of eyes, including the teacher's, burned into her like fire. She quickly decided to take a step toward the teacher and quietly inform her of what had happened and of who she was. The teacher smiled warmly and nodded as she introduced her to the class,

"Class, this is Kaede. She will be joining us for a bit. Kaede,"

She paused and glanced over to the girl,

"I'm Mrs. Hamasaki,"

Kaede lent out her soothing tiny smile, which she only used for show at times, and followed the teacher's hand gestures which signaled to a seat near the back of the class. She nodded and walked through the aisle of desks, refusing the student's glares. She pulled herself into the seat, and waited for Mrs. Hamasaki to resume her lesson. As she turned her back to the students to continue writing a note they were to copy on the black-board, Kaede glanced near her right side to see a group of girls snickering under their breath as they looked her over. She especially noticed the one girl who had curly locks of brown hair and small girlish blue eyes. She glared into her with her nose up in the air like she owned the place.

'Anywhere but here, I'd put her in her rightful spot,' Kaede thought as she played a tiny scene of her pulling the girls delicate twisted hair and punching her in her snobbish little face. She looked over to the other girl who sat directly in front of the snobby girl. She had long black hair that was tied up in a tight ponytail, with her uneven bangs protruding inwards. She had deep brown eyes which seemed to reveal her summed-up life; a depressed teen always looking fake with happiness and always in the shadows of her best friend's beauty. Kaede then noticed the meek girl who was also laughing, yet, looked in dire need to be punished for such an act. It was like she was the only one of the trio who actually realized that ridiculing others for whatever reason, was wrong. She had short black hair with huge eyes that were tinted baby blue. Kaede was becoming annoyed with their snickers and decided to focus on her nails.

'Wow...they're really long,' She thought aimlessly as she rubbed one nail with another fingertip, failing to pay attention to the class lesson.

As the day went on, and Kaede was filled with total boredom, a subject came around which caught her hearing.

"Ok, class, it's time for history. Now today, we're going to be reading into the fictional part of our history. Feudal fairy tales, for a lack of a better word," Mrs. Hamasaki cooed as she wrote a title on the board once again. Kaede peered up from her quiet digging she had done into the desk with her fingernails to spell out her name from weariness.

She read the title carefully and listened as the teacher read it out loud,

"The Tale of the Demon and the Priestess,"

Kaede shifted in her seat as she listened intently to the story,

"Long ago, back in feudal times, there is a myth of a powerful stone formed that could grant both demons and humans their greatest desires. After being passed down through years and years in the hands of both evil and good, finally, a powerful priestess became the true protector of this sacred jewel. She was a solemn woman, who was bound to a life of servitude to the jewel to protect it with her life. Because of her duties as the protector of the jewel, she was banned from love. Though many men adored her for her beauty and power, she had never returned such a romantic feeling until one day, a demon had come to steal the jewel from the priestess but instead, ended up falling in love with her. She in return was secretly infatuated with him and they both agreed on using the jewel to turn the demon human so that her duties to protect the jewel would be shattered, and she would be able to be together with him. But the day they were to use the jewel, they were both full of hate towards one another and both killed each other. The jewel disappeared with the priestess's body, and was lost, with their love, forever. Only to be rekindled in the after life where they would spend eternity together,"

Kaede slammed her fists on the desk and stood. She was enraged at how this story was far from the truth when it came to important parts. Her mind was pulling her back in regret of the words that may slip from her mouth, but her heart wouldn't allow such a story to be left told wrongly. Mrs. Hamasaki and the students all looked up to her in wonder as she explained in anger,

"Wrong, wrong, wrong! First off, he was a half-demon, not a full demon. Second, true, they were pinned against one another, but not just for the heck of it! It was because of Naraku who tricked them both into thinking they hated each other! And Naraku had injured the priestess in the process of the trickery and the half demon was sealed to a tree! And thirdly, and most importantly, the jewel was burned with her body and reborn into her reincarnation and it was she who brought the half demon back from eternal slumber and they fell in love!"

She exhaled in sharp breathes as the class sat staring with mouths a gape, including the teacher, as she had gone on with the explanation. Kaede relaxed and nervously took a seat, nodding to represent her apologies of disruption. The woman shook off the student's rambling and began again,

"Well, now that, that's settled, let's move on, shall we?"

'Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid...' Kaede thought as she bit her lip and lowered her head. Finally, the grief had hit her; her family had come up to haunt her, yet, again. She inhaled deeply then kept her mouth shut for the rest of the lesson.

***

Finally, the end of the day had come, and Kaede was the first one to get out of that school and out onto the yard. She looked around longingly for Souta, but figured he was running late to pick her up. She collapsed under one of the trees and pulled out her diary to pass the time. Takara had given it to her as a gift, and Kaede enjoyed writing in it. It was a way to focus her emotions instead of showing them physically. Her sunlight rudely blocked, she gazed up from her writing to see the three girls standing in front of her with the curly haired one standing as the ring-leader. She snatched the book from the unsuspecting half demon, and pranced away with it. Kaede desperately tried to get it back, but found it useless. It was too late as the girl flipped through the pages and announced,

"Oh! Here's her most recent entry!"

A crowd of girls and boys formed as the girl began to read out loud,

"Dear Diary,

I don't think I can take much more of this modern era. It's driving me crazy! The feudal era is much better. Fighting demons is way more exciting than sitting around all day doing nothing like these boring human children do. I'm glad mom lives with us in the Sengoku Jidai. I've realized from hearing about Kikyo's dedication to the jewel, that protecting the Shikon no Tama is my duty, now,"

All the children stepped away from Kaede as the girl stopped her reading. Kaede could hear bits and pieces of their chatter such as, "Is she an alien?", "Did she just say she lives in the Sengoku Jidai?!", "Demons? What demons?!". Coming up behind her, the curly haired foe exclaimed viciously before yanking the bandana off of her head,

"Maybe it's got something to do with this stupid bandana!"

Everyone gasped in shock as Kaede's black dog ears tweaked. The girl backed up cautiously and screamed,

"What a freak!"

These words pierced Kaede's heart like a blade. Her eyes turned golden from deep embarrassment. She grabbed her diary and leapt into the air and landed on the school roof. She didn't care anymore. They had seen so much all ready that it didn't matter. She jumped from the roof and continued to run and glide through the air all the way home.

She burst through the kitchen and up the stairs to her mother's old room, where she collapsed onto the bed and began to cry into her pillow. After her sobs had shortened, and her tears had dried, she lifted her head with a smug look. Traces of tears made paths on her cheeks and made her eyes puffy red. She slid her hand under the bed and yanked out the bag she had brought when she first came to the time period. She quickly got dressed and slung her quiver and bow over her shoulder. She attached her sheathe with her sword protected by it under her sash. She tip-toed down the stairs and wrote a quick note for her grandmother, great-grandfather, uncle, and Takara,

Dear obaachan, daisofu-sama, ojiki, and Takara,

I'm sorry, but I had to leave. I need to go find the ones who have forgotten about me. Please do not worry about me, I'll be fine. I can protect myself. I'll try to get in touch with you when our journey is over. Thank you so much for letting me stay with you, and for putting up with me for so long. Love,

Kaede

She knew that Takara wouldn't understand, so she left it in her family's hands to decide whether or not to inform her, or not tell her at all of the letter. She slowly crept out the back door and onto the shrine grounds where she continued to inch towards the time traveling well. She silently pulled open and closed the door, then came to the side of the old well. She glanced down, it's own darkness eating up the darkness stored in the shack and stopped suddenly when a wave of hesitation came over her.

'What if I'm making a mistake?' She thought as she stared blindly at the cracks in the darkened well-house. The twinkling thread from the spider web fanned out at the corner of the hut caught her attention as she continued to be entranced in deep thought. Finally, she stashed away any wavering conceptions, and jumped down into the dark well, where the mystical aura and shadowed well gobbled up her entire being.

As she safely reached the bottom of what seemed to her at times, bottomless, she leapt out into the frigid temperatures of winter.

'Time has gone fast,' she thought as she trudged through the heavy snow build. She took in a large whiff of air, with any foolish notions of catching a faint scent of her family on the waves of air blowing around her. She had lost track of how long she had been gone, which frustrated her as she stepped lightly through the snow towards the forest in search of civilization.

***

Dark shadows gloomed in every corner of the ominous room, as if feasting on any traces of light to be found. The floor reeked with corpses and blood stains carpeted the wooden walking ground. At the dimmest corner, where only the glow of his silhouette throbbed, Naraku sat in silence. His face lit briefly as the mirror before him reflected the subdued light upon the his right side. His red, heartless, gaze softened as he was entranced in the demonic child's lifeless black stare. Her pale features gave the illusion of her fragileness, as if struck, would break into thousands of pieces. Her delicate palms held the mirror that matched her complection, and her demon creator, Naraku, glared into what was being shown. Kaede, walking through the snow from the well was dancing in the mirror's reflection.

"That girl..." He began to ponder out loud to himself, "She's just a mere child...she is no threat,"

Peculiarly, she saw a small shake in Kana's entrancing endless eyes that he could not escape even if he tried. He had never misjudged Kana, even for the slightest reasons. In a way, she was an advisor. He choked back a small grunting laugh and retaliated,

"Well, then. According to your fiendish judgement on this girl, I'll send a demon to kill her, anyway, just in case,"

With this, the demonic limbs scattered around the castle for no just cause began to shake as Naraku's amended orders were called out, and the ground beneath the fields just outside the gloomy reeking castle began to swirl with the colliding winds which revolved around one specific spot. And a creature rose from the sequestered grave.

***

Kaede shivered as the cold began to reach temperatures that began to blow her mind. The pale skies which cried frosty tears, began to turn baleful greys with thick darkened clouds. She slowly reached for her sword's handle and took a tight grip on it, as she braced herself for what was ahead. She gazed towards the area of land in front of her and began to back up cautiously as a low rumbling was vibrating the earth beneath her feet. She was hurled backwards as swirling winds thrust towards the area where she peered upon, and watched as the smokes settled. She felt the wet snow melt below her finger tips as she pushed herself up out of the snow. She observed the demon standing before her.

He was a tall demon, very large actually with a type of mythical helmet on with golden lining. Two demonic horns curled out from it's head through the helmet which made Kaede's fingers twitch in anticipation. His glowing red eyes, which were the only visible feature to his face, kept it's lustful glare for blood focused on her golden ones which were filled with both detest and sheer fright. The pungent aroma of blood reeked on his claws. Like a permanent stain that could not be washed away. As if it had clashed with it's natural, intoxicating scent which stung her sense of smell. She observed his weaponry choice, and found it very odd...at least for a demon of his characteristics and size. Slung over his shoulder, was a thick black bow and black arrows that were grouped into the dark quiver that looked as if even it could attack. Kaede flexed her claws and smirked. The battle was ready to begin.