Warning: Stalking, physical violence, and blatant overtones of Naraku being a manipulative creep and being abusive towards women (don't worry- I hate him too).

Summary: {AU} Kagome Higurashi's imaginary friend as a child turns out to be not so imaginary. Youko/Kagome

- 15 Years Ago -

"Gam'pa!" A little girl no older than five tugged insistently on the hem of her grandfather's sleeve, pointing towards the woods where the pretty animal had disappeared. "Gam'pa, look! Look!"

Her grandfather followed the path of her chubby finger, frowning. "Look at what, Kagome?"

The little girl's eyes were as wide and as filled with wonder as her smile was. "Doggy!"

THE KEEPER OF THE SHRINE

01. THE RED-EYED DEMON

- Present Day -

Kagome Higurashi pushed into corner cafe and felt the tension immediately go out of her shoulders, taking in the welcoming, bright atmosphere. Sweetie Tooth Cafe was popular among the university students as it was conveniently located between the East and West campus. Large windows took up two entire sides of the first and second floor, books, house plants, and other knick knacks from her boss' travels on the third, and the bar filled with gleaming machines and canisters as well as the door leading to the storage room on the last. The insides were painted soft yellow and all of the furniture made of dark wood and shades of brown or green. It was familiar, crowded, and, most importantly, it was safe.

Her best friend grinned and waved from behind the cash register. "Hey, you're early! Did you get through the chapters yet, or..." Sango trailed off as she got a better look at her expression. "What's wrong?"

Kagome waited until she was behind the counter and had her back facing the windows before she answered. "I think there's someone following me."

"What? Where?" Sango immediately began to look over her shoulder. Kagome stopped her before she even realized her hand was moving.

"I don't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing they're getting to me," she said in a low voice, feeling somewhat silly now that she was trying to translate what her gut feeling were telling her into words. "I haven't actually seen anyone, just...I just can't shake the feeling that something's wrong."

Sango frowned at her, obviously restraining herself from turning a death glare towards the window. Sango had trained in several forms of martial arts since she was a preschooler and Kagome knew from experience that she wouldn't hesitate to put that knowledge to use when it came to protecting her friends. "All bets are off if he tries to follow you inside," she conceded, looking annoyed and concerned all at once. "How long?"

"Since my shift ended yesterday. I felt eyes on me, and.. " Kagome trailed off. She had been waiting at the crosswalk when all of sudden if felt like someone was breathing hard on the back of her neck, making her hair stand on end just as something cold and slimy had slid across her forearm. She had screamed, shaking it off her arm and whirled around to give some creep a piece of her mind, only to find herself standing alone on the curb. It sounded crazy even to her. But she had spent the better part of the past thirty-six hours on edge, constantly glancing over her shoulder and flinching at any sudden contact or loud noises.

"And?"

Kagome shook her head, pushing the disturbing thoughts away. "I went to lunch with Miroku after that, so we could get some studying for microbiology out of the way, but -"

Sango interrupted. "Wait. You met up with the monk? Alone?"

Kagome, despite how shaken up she was feeling, could barely suppress a grin when she saw the way her best friend had tensed and looked ready to raise hell on her behalf.

"He doesn't grope me," she teased. "He knows you'll kill him if he tries."

Sango rolled her eyes. "And yet he doesn't get the hint to stop groping me. Maybe you were right, maybe I hit him one too many times and knocked something important loose." She paused. "You don't think he'll make me pay for therapy, do you?"

Kagome giggled. "Pay? No, he would probably give you big, dopey eyes and convince you to come to all the sessions with him. Then, you know, suggest horizontal therapies are more effective."

Sango snorted, cheeks turning pink despite a fierce scowl. "He would say something like that," she mumbled irritably.

"Before you ask, it's not him. I could feel someone watching us throughout lunch - Even Miroku picked up on it. Said his 'monk senses' were tingling," she said with amused look. Miroku, despite being the biggest pervert that she had ever met and a completely unrepentant opportunist, was still her friend. He intuitively knew the unknown stalker had been getting to her, so he had tried to cheer her up by pressing his fingers in to his temples and overstraining his features as he muttered about disturbances in the force.

"So why didn't the monk walk you home yesterday, then?" Sango asked as she watched her clock in and wash her hands. She, too, knew Miroku was good guy and wasn't as bad as she sometimes made him out to be.

"He had work. He offered to call in sick," and a few other choice offers, the pervert, but, choosing not to relay that information to the martial artist, continued, "but I told him not to worry. I booked it here today, though," she mumbled sheepishly. She wasn't tough like Sango, but she was no pushover either; this creep was just really getting to her. She almost wished he would just show himself so she could confront what was scaring her so much and be done with it. Fighting against the unknown was far more intimidating than knowing exactly what she was up against.

Sango was biting her lip and looking torn. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay? I can study here and we can walk back to the dorms together after closing," she offered, concerned. Kagome forced herself to smile, trying to pretend that the offer wasn't tempting, waving her friend off.

"I'll be okay. You're not getting out of not-date with Miroku that easily. Besides," she said, glancing out the window behind her friend, "your ride's already here."

Sango didn't even have to look. She had already closed her eyes and was letting out a long breath, trying to hold on to her patience. "He's at least wearing clothes this time, right? And there's no banners?" Kagome didn't even bother holding back her laughter this time as her friend slowly turned around and saw Miroku waving from beyond the large windows with a big grin and invitingly holding his arms out with wiggling fingers when he caught her eye. Behind him was his very, very uncool-looking pizza delivery bike.

"If he thinks I'm getting on that, he's crazy," Sango finally said around clenched teeth.

Kagome bit in to her lip hard, grinning. "Probably don't want to keep bringing that up," she reminded, bumping the other girl's shoulder. "You don't want to pay for his therapy, remember?"

"And here I was worried about you," Sango said dryly. Sango pulled off her apron and handed it over, collecting her windbreaker and textbooks before marching past the still-giggling Kagome and straight for the door. "Just remember it wasn't me if the monk goes missing," she warned over her shoulder. Kagome only laughed in reply, waving her off. Sango shoved the heavy door open, bell clanging, and Kagome could hear Miroku sing out her friend's name in two long drawn out, whining syllables and Sango demanding My name is not a damn song, monk - before the heavy door swung shut.

Kagome continued to watch them through the large window - as well as a few giggling customers - before Sango stomped past him at a quick pace, as if hoping to lose him, and Miroku hurrying to wheel his bike after her. She's so far in denial. I almost feel bad for him, she giggled to herself. Sango wasn't in to 'smooth-talking pretty boys' - in those exact words - and Miroku was all that and then some.

But Miroku wouldn't be Miroku if he wasn't trying to sweet talk people into doing things and taking advantage of any and all opportunities; he was easy-going and charming, using it to hide the fact that he was a big softie who had been completely smitten with Sango since they met at their freshman orientation... and since she subsequently knocked him out cold for simultaneously groping her and asking her to bear his children.

And Sango, whose social skills quickly devolved to 'punch first, ask questions later' when put on the spot, obviously liked him too(he could still had full use of all of his extremities, after all), and yet the both of them were failing miserably at wooing each other. When they finally did get together, though, she had a feeling they would be together for good. But until then, Kagome thought with a snicker, those two are way more entertaining than anything on tv.

The cafe had a rush of customers from late afternoon until closing and it wasn't until Kagome was shrugging in to her jacket and her boss shooing her out the door that the feeling of being watched returned. It was past midnight and most of the shops in the area had already closed, their darkened faces eating up the light of the still congested traffic rumbling past.

She took a deep breath and forced it out slowly. She flinched when someone bumped shoulders with her on the crowded sidewalk, the sharp ridges of the keys digging in to her palm as she thrust her hands in to her pockets. All I have to do is scream, she assured herself, following the flow of people across the intersections towards the dormitories.

She counted the remaining blocks as she went, walking fast and eyes alert, breaking off from the crowds as they began to thin out and turned down one of the more residential streets.

It was a shortcut, well-lit, quiet, and with no place a would-be-stalker could hide between the closely built houses.

Even as she was telling herself this, the sharp sound of her phone going off in the silence still made her jump, fumbling to take it out of her back pocket. "Mom?" she said in to the receiver. "Sorry I didn't ca-"

Her mom's voice interrupted her. "Kagome, you have to run! Now!"

Kagome stopped walking. "What's-"

"Go where there's people! He's com-" The call cut out.

"Mom? Mom!"

Kagome pulled the phone away from her ear. A Lost Call message flashed over the screen before the screen went black. She jammed the power button several times, knowing that the battery had still been half-charged not even ten minutes ago, but nothing happened. Unease trickled down her spine and she glanced around, suddenly hyper-alert of her surroundings. She hesitated, then, deciding caution won out over looking like a maniac, took off down the street. The dorms were less than two blocks away and on a busy street. If she could just get there and pass the key-coded entrances -

She was half-way down the street when the street lamp up ahead flickered once, twice, and went out completely. She slowed to a stop as the lights continued to go out in front of her. She turned, intending to backtrack to the main road, but the lamps behind her were going out too, the black-out followed the curve of the street and out of sight. Kagome stood unsure and with her heart in her throat when the light over her head didn't even flicker, a halo of light filtering over the sidewalk.

The feeling was back, leering at her from the sudden darkness.

It could just be a coincidence, the odd phone call, the strange power outage, the strange feeling of being watched merely a by-product of the new semester and too little sleep, all coalescing at once. She might even be able to laugh off this strange bout of paranoia later. But all she could hear was the blood pumping in her ears, adrenaline, her mind supplied, and her stomach tightening to knots as she tried to distinguish one shadow from the next. She didn't think it was a coincidence. And she was sure there was someone out there, someone who was enjoying scaring her like this and who might enjoy hurting her even more.

A low masculine laugh sounded from the right and Kagome turned, staring in to the darkness with wide eyes. There was a general shape of a man - broad-shouldered, lean, tall. Big, she thought, much bigger than her. She made to take a step back only to stop herself. She didn't want him to think that she was scared even if, she admitted to herself, that she was terrified. She struggled to keep her shoulders back and hands from shaking.

He stepped in to the lamp light, arms loose and held non-threateningly at his side. The man was attractive and well-dressed, dark hair falling around his shoulders and wearing old money and privilege like a second skin. He wasn't what she expect and Kagome wondered if she had gotten this all wrong for a moment. But, somehow, despite his pleasant expression and clean-cut appearance, he managed to look cruel.

"Miss Higurashi, it's a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face," he said with a smile. "It wasn't very nice of you to make me wait for such a long time. I hope you're prepared to make it up to me."

Unbothered by her lack of response, the man slid his hands in to his slacks - a lazy and non-threatening gesture at first - while making a small, thoughtful sound while she remained silent and tense.

"The women from the Higurashi clan have always been remarkably exquisite and I see that you are no exception," he continued pleasantly, "before most of them died off, of course. I heard it was such a tragedy. A large and powerful clan like yours reduced to a single bloodline. I've never seen a Higurashi woman with blue eyes, however; perhaps it's from your mother's side."

"Are you the one who's been following me?" She demanded, trying not to let his words get to her. He smiled while talking about people dying and changed topics like it was no big deal, discussing how she looked like she was some pedigree pet. She wasn't even sure how he knew so much about her family, but she was more concerned with holding her ground and thinking of a way out of this. "Who are you?"

He arranged his features to appear surprised. "Do you not know who I am?"

She couldn't help it - she glared at him. "Do you think I would ask if I did?" She didn't owe this man anything, especially not politeness.

He didn't seem particularly bothered by it. In fact, he began to laugh. "So spirited. Your mother never told you, I see." He hummed, smiling, but it hardly seemed directed at her. "How odd. She may not be a Higurashi by blood, but she should know by now what she has married in to." He clucked his teeth in admonishment. Her annoyance flared more at the mention of her mother.

Why does he keep mentioning my family..?

"You're crazy," she said, taking a quick step back. "And if you take one step closer, I'll scream."

He looked around them curiously, taking in the closely-spaced houses, but remained unbothered. He smirked. "It won't do you any good, but you are welcome to try."

Kagome cringed further away from him, eyes wide. Forget looking for the right opportunity.

He took a step forward and Kagome took one back. She was at the edge of what little light there was and, just as she made to turn and dash in to the darkness, away from this insane man who made her blood run cold, arms came around her from behind and dragged her into a muscled chest. Her heartbeat sky-rocketed and her mind blanked. She screamed, long and loud, and it echoed down the street. She didn't care; she was kicking and scratching like a wild thing, bucking against its' tight hold. Her teeth sank in to its' forearm and the man holding her wailed, the sound startling and inhuman. Kagome jerked her head to the side and felt her world stop as her eyes landed on the beastly form behind her. It was huge with purple skin stretched thin over bulging muscles. Glowing bulbous red eyes glaring at her while it's horse-like muzzle pulled back in a snarl, revealing sharp and jagged yellow teeth and saliva dripping down its chin.

It wasn't human.

Her heart froze in chest and her mind blanked in terror. Kagome was shaking, staring at the thing then back to the man, and breathing so quickly she could feel herself getting light-headed. They weren't human.

They weren't human.

The dark-haired man followed them in to the shadows, his red eyes becoming more pronounced. "Please don't be difficult, Miss Higurashi," he said, "don't you agree it would be better to not drag anymore innocent people in to your family's mess?" His voice was soothing, but it was threaded with false security and very real threats. Kagome shook her head. No. No. This wasn't possible.

For a moment, Kagome wished she had asked Sango to stay with her after all, as if that would have deterred these things somehow. At his words though, it felt like ice water was being dumped over her and with it came the calm she desperately needed to maybe, possibly, make it out of this situation.

These creatures, whatever they may be, wouldn't have stopped for anything - They would have chose another time or, worse, they would have involved her friend. Kagome wouldn't let that happen, she would rather die than see anyone she loved hurt or killed because of her. At least if she fought them here, if she died here, that would be better than killed slowly or never being found...

Kagome flinched as the red-eyed man brushed his cold thumb along her cheek, smirking down at her and taking his time perusing her face. "Such a shame that Higurashis always insist on following the accepted path instead of making their own. They have been blinded by their sense of what is right without examining why what is presumably wrong is self-serving and intolerable. Ambition is a trait you seem to have in spades, Ka-go-me. I've seen your transcripts, your list of recommendations and achievements. Surely you are not as blinded by righteousness as your ancestors?"

"Stay the hell away from me," she breathed, making herself loud, forcing her nerves outwards instead of sinking into herself in fear like she wanted to, and shifted back, weight centered and, in what little room she had to work with, shoving a fist in to her pocket. The key was still there. She withdrew her hand and, in a quick downward motion, stabbed her keys deep into one thick thigh and in to the artery that ran along the inside of it, then yanked upwards as far the awkward angle of her arm allowed. Hot blood spurted across her clothes and gushed over her fist, making it hard to hold on to the metal as the creature thrashed with a terrible screech, its weight giving out and taking Kagome with it. The air went out of her on impact and she wheezed, leaving her keys, and rolling away from the beast who, realizing its' mistake, clawed after her with one hand while the other clutched tightly at its' thigh. She struggled to her feet and stumbled away from the dark haired man who was laughing, arms crossed over his stomach, and watching her hungrily.

"Oh, how exciting you are turning out to be. Much better than the last one." He purred, stepping closer. Kagome limped back, blood-slicked hands clutched her aching side and breath coming in quick pants. The... thing had squeezed hard and each breath shot needles of pain through her chest. She had dropped her phone when the beast had grabbed her and now she didn't even have anything to protect herself with.

"Tell me, do you know what I love most about Higurashi women?"

He moved quickly and, for a moment, Kagome lost sight of him. Something struck her, hard, and Kagome skidded in to the ground, rolling and clutching at her stomach with a cry as his shadow grew large over her. She shuddered, terror clamoring over every last of her senses as he knelt at her side, pushing her on to her back and she stared up at him through blurry eyes as he wrapped one, long-fingered hand around her throat. The pinpricks of his sharp nails dragged over her fluttering pulse and utter terror shuddered through her. She squeezed her eyes shut, hot tears leaking from the corner of her eyes. The pressure of his hold increased, cutting off her air supply in a sudden tight grip. She gripped at his wrist with both hands, trying to pull him away, her fingernails drawing blood and she raked them over and over again across his forearm. He only laughed, squeezing the life out of her with one hand while the other was tenderly brushing the hair from her forehead.

"They fight even when they know they cannot win. Up until their very last breath, there's always fingernails buried in my skin and fire in their eyes and whatever weak manifestation of their power stutters forth. Always so stubborn. It's a shame we're on a schedule, Higurashi, I would have liked to take my time slowly breaking you and those blue eyes apart. Though, I suppose, we might have enough time for a little indulgence."

Kagome was scared, feeling light-headed and her throat burning and aching as she tried to take in air. She could barely register what he was saying, could barely register the face looming over hers or the press of something against her nose and lips. She squeezed her eyes close again, trying to work as much air in to lungs as she could, but it wasn't enough. Nothing was coming in. Not like this. Her internal voice was getting louder, frantic, hysterical. Not like this!

Warmth was flooding over her and she wasn't sure if it was the lack of oxygen, though warmth was not one of the symptoms of suffocation, some distant, clinical part of her knew, but it was comforting and powerful and overwhelming all at once. She welcomed it, feeling it enliven the tips of her numb fingers and numb lips, and it was only growing stronger. It burned at her skin.

Kagome wanted to shout, to cry, but her mouth wasn't cooperating. The warmth became fire, surging through her, and overcoming her like a firestorm. Kagome's mouth fell open in silent agony as it burned through her, outwards, scorching everything it touched and all she saw was blue fire consuming the darkness of the night, the vacuum of the inferno stealing all sounds and then in to nothing at all.

A/N: I was inspired to pick up this story again after a trip to Fukuoka earlier this month. Our bus happened to pass by an abandoned-looking shrine surrounded by mist and dense woods that it instantly took me back to this story I began to write (but never finished) three years ago and I decided it was one that I'd really like to see through to the end. The first few chapters are very Kagome-centric as she discovers this whole other world wrapped up in her own - But no worries! Our favorite fox will make his appearance somewhere around the 3rd or 4th chapter and it'll be pretty hard to get rid of him after that, haha.

Also, I'm in need of a beta! You know, if anyone wants to volunteer haha.

Please let me know what you think.^^

Disclaimer: (Most of) these characters belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.