It has been a very long time since I started this story. Since then I have had a computer break, all my email accounts hacked, and the same for my Fanfiction accounts. Still, I always intended to finish this story…eventually. I have even started an entirely new account in order to post it. At this moment, I am starting the final chapter and hope to have it posted very soon. I doubt any of my original readers will see this, but it was important for me to get this story done.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha; this is a work of fanfiction

Prologue: The Crack of a Twig

Smoke was rising. A fearsome laugh could be heard rising along with the smoke. People poured from the flaming houses of the village. Screams and shouts rung in the air. Chaos reigned. A single figure fled from the chaos, the origin of the laughter. His bright crimson clothes flashing in the smoky sunlight. He held a single necklace within his crushing grip, the prize of his efforts.

He made for the forest outside the village, seeming to fly along the grassy field. His silver hair billowed out behind him, and his loose clothing ruffled in the wind of his movement. Bare feet padded through the green blades of grass towards the looming forest before him. Dog-like ears twitched atop his head, held high in victory. A smile of terrible glee was plastered across his face, making his eyes shine dangerously.

After so much time, after so much effort, the jewel was finally his. He had longed for this day with all of his heart. A slight twinge of sadness rattled in his mind, but he shook it off, his anger flaming up to devour any regrets. They had deserved it. She deserved it. He would never be such a fool again. He would never allow such a weakness to take him again. He would be powerful...Now he would be more powerful than he had ever been.

A growl escaped from the figure as his thoughts strayed again to his weakness, no matter how momentary. He had nearly been killed by her deception. He had been fooled utterly. He would not allow himself to be killed so easily. He would never forgive her for her deed. A wicked smile took his face. Perhaps when he was stronger, he would return to visit her. This thought set him back into his previously pleased mood. Musing of how he would gain his vengeance, he didn't sense the one in the forest.

Flying through the forest, the thief heard a slight crack, the breaking of a twig beneath a sandaled foot. He spun about as the thrumming of a bowstring reached his ears. His eyes widened as he saw the missile racing towards him. A voice yelled out to him. "Inuyasha!"

But he had been forewarned by the snapping of the twig. The figure Inuyasha dodged aside just in time to prevent the arrow from piercing his heart...just as the archer had. The arrow sliced through his out-flung hand, causing him to jerk away in a spasm of pain. The arrow continued on into a giant tree behind Inuyasha, where it lodged, humming cruelly.

The archer stood, bow upraised, ready to fire another arrow. Inuyasha snarled in a rage. His wounded hand closed upon emptiness. He had dropped the jewel. Inuyasha screamed in a wordless fury, before fleeing into the forest. Safety. His scream echoed through the trees.

The archer fell to her knees, blood pooling before her. The thick liquid flowed freely from several slashes to her shoulder and breast. Her raven hair fell about her pain-wracked face in a chaotic tangle. She gave a soft moan.

"Sister!" A young girl ran up to the side of the wounded archer. "Sister Kikyou! We must take care of these wounds."

Kikyou gasped in pain. Several villagers had reached her now, fearing for her. "I am dying. I can not be helped. You must find the jewel. Inuyasha must not be allowed to take it for himself. I will not be able to kill that accursed hanyou, myself, but you must not let him win...you must not let him use the power of the Shikon no Tama." A shudder ran through the archer. Her eyes glazed and she slumped forward, never to rise again.

A wicked smile. A dark man grinned cruelly down upon the morning villagers, took pleasure in the wailing of the little girl. He had savoured the archer's last breath, had tasted her death. It had been exquisite. It had not been enough, but he had enjoyed it thoroughly. His hand held a jewel, shining inkily. Evil came off of it in waves. Evil to match the one holding it. The world would quake at his name...once his jewel had become pretty enough. Once the sorrow and cruelty of the jewel was strong enough, he would name himself to the world, as its master.

Chapter One: Union

Episode One: The Many Arms of Destiny

A tapping came from the covered well. Kagome tried to ignore the frantic beating of her heart. She wasn't going to let the dark scare her into imagining things. It was her brother's fault that she was down her, anyways. If he hadn't been such a coward...

"Souta! You know that you're not supposed to go into the well-house."

"I know that...but the cat, it's in there."

They slid the door open and peered into the gloomy dark that hid the covered well. The cat was nowhere to be seen. A rustling had caused Souta to yelp in fright. It was obvious that he would be no help. Kagome had gone down to retrieve the errant feline. The tapping that came from the well frightened her, but she put it down to her imagination.'

A rubbing against her leg made Kagome cry out. She tried to calm her racing heart. It was only the cat. She scooped the cat into her arms and turned walk from the well. A loud crack filled the air, and Kagome could feel something rising up behind her.

"Kagome!" Souta cried out as arms wrapped around Kagome, pulling her down into the black depths of the well.

Kagome found herself falling with a woman...no a monster! It held the upper form of a woman, but its body trailed on, like an insect, like the skeleton of a centipede.

Kagome stared into those dead eyes and was surprised when the thing's mouth opened to speak. "Give me your power! I can feel it. I can feel the power coursing through you. I must have it!" The ghostly voice chilled Kagome with its obvious hunger.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Kagome felt something blaze to life in her. She struck at the hands gripping her and a brilliant light flashed in the darkness. The monster's arms were blasted from her by this strange energy, sending her spiraling off into the darkness.

"I will have your power! I must have it..." The voice faded into nothing as Kagome felt the world steady around her. She looked around her to find light filtering down into the well. She sat upon the bottom staring up into the bright sunlight.

Any thoughts about it having were quickly dispelled as she found one of the monster's arms lying beside her. Kagome shivered. She had to get out of this well. Kagome quickly climbed up the vines that clung to the inside of the walls. As she reached the top Kagome gasped.

She found herself in a clearing, open to the world. There was no well-house, no temple, no house. There wasn't even a city that she could see. What was going on? Kagome stumbled numbly from the dark well. Where was she?

Kagome found herself wandering in the direction of the sacred tree. She knew where it was. She could always find her way from it. She walked through a cluster of trees and found herself looking upon the sacred tree. A single arrow lay imbedded in its trunk. The arrow was obviously very old. What was it doing there? Kagome didn't remember there being an arrow in the sacred tree.

Kagome jumped as voices called out behind her. "You! What are you doing in this forest?" "This forest is forbidden to strangers!"

Kagome turned to find two men holding bows threateningly pointed at her. "I...I didn't mean..." The men would hear none of her speech, though. The grabbed her roughly and tied her hands behind her back. Kagome's mind raced. What was going on? What were they going to do with her?

The carried her to a village not too distant from where she had been. The villagers watched her in curiosity, noting her strange attire. Kagome couldn't help but stare back. All of these people dressed like it was the feudal era! That was impossible!

A bent old woman came before Kagome, dressed in the clothes of a priestess. One of her eyes was covered by a black patch, causing her face look even more serious. The woman grabbed Kagome's face in her hands and studied it intently. What was she looking for?

The old woman finally spoke, nearly startling Kagome. "Hmmm. Your face...It's the image of my older sister." Seeing the obvious confusion on Kagome's face, the woman ordered her untied and took her into a hut.

"I must apologize for your treatment...but these are troubled times."

Kagome began to feel more confident. The woman didn't seem to be dangerous. "You said I looked like someone...your sister..."

"Yes. Kikyou was the priestess here before me. She was its protector...and the protector of the Jewel. She died fifty years ago, defending it. It has been lost ever since."

"She died protecting this jewel? Why? Who killed her?"

The sadness that had filled the woman's voice turned to anger and hatred. "An evil demon. He killed my sister to get the jewel. He got his prize and left. His greed for power was greater than we had believed. He gained the trust of my sister and betrayed her, taking the jewel for himself. He is most despised of demons! Forever will this village curse the name, Inuyasha!"

Episode Two: Fated Meeting

Kagome sat, silenced with her own thoughts. Kaede, so the old woman named herself, had said that some evil demon had stolen the Shikon no Tama from this very village. He had murdered the priestess Kikyou and fled into the forest. Why did she get the strange feeling that there was more to the story?

A crash outside startled Kagome from her thoughts. She rushed into the night to find the centipede monster terrorizing the village. The men tried to defend the village, but nothing they did seemed to phase the creature. Its jaws opened hungrily at the site of the young girl, defenseless. Its mouth turned up in a cruel smile.

"Come to me my morsel. You are mine. I will have your power for myself! I will devour you!" The creature lunged at Kagome, its monstrous length barreling down upon the small hut.

Kagome let out a small gasp, stumbling away from the onslaught. She found strength that she hadn't known she had and fled, running wildly from the evil pursuing her. Kagome found herself entering the dark of the forest. Maybe the trees would offer some protection from that monster. A crashing through the wood just behind her took away any hopes of sanctuary she might have held. She dashed between two tall trees and found herself again at the sacred tree. But someone was already there.

The dark figure spun about at her noisy entrance, just catching sight of the girl before she rebounded from his strong form. She sprawled in the grass, too winded to speak. The man's eyes narrowed. Kagome gasped. They were a shining golden. Ears flicked atop his mane of silver hair...dog ears. A growl escaped his throat.

The centipede woman came thundering through the trees, straight at the helpless Kagome. Kagome opened her mouth to scream when something dove between her and the monster. Her saviour turned out to be the golden-eyed man. He snarled fiercely and backhanded the centipede into the earth. The monster-woman rose from the dirt. She studied the stranger for some seconds.

A smile grew upon her face. "If it isn't the hanyou...Have you finally decided to leave your exile? You should have stayed in hiding you half-human fool! You are no match for me, hanyou!"

Kagome could not see the smile that crossed the hanyou's face, nor the fury that sparked deep in his eyes, bringing a burning rage upon him. "You intrude upon my territory and have the arrogance to challenge ME? You will wish that you had never laid eyes upon my domain, you half-dead insect!" He let loose a shout of anger as he leapt for the monster.

The Centipede lunged at the strange man just as he came at her. There was a sickly tearing and they exploded into an inky cloud. Dark droplets splattered Kagome's face and clothes. Her stomach twisted as she realized what it was covering the clearing. It was blood.

The man appeared from the black cloud of gore, unscathed, drenched in the blood of the centipede-woman. His silver hair was plastered to his face and neck, sticky with the dark ichor that seemed too much for one monster. His golden eyes shone all the more for the dark that enveloped him. His gaze turned to Kagome, still sitting, motionless upon the ground.

He was a fearsome sight, but Kagome could not feel fear of him. She had seen the look upon his face when she had stumbled upon him. His eyes had been so sad. They had widened in shock at Kagome's appearance, opening him up to her. She had glimpsed his soul, a soul in pain...a lonely soul. But now his eyes showed only hatred. Suddenly, Kagome realized that he was growling, a low rumbling in his throat.

Kagome was frozen, uneasiness washing through her. She had seen the sadness in this man, but now she could see only anger, a blinding rage. Now Kagome began to feel fear. It grew slowly, spiking as he took a step towards her, growl never ceasing. A rustling in the forest and shouts coming towards them sent a wave of relief washing through her. The man seemed not to notice, eyes fixed on Kagome's small form, face contorted in some unknown animosity.

Villagers came bursting from the brush to find the carnage surrounding the sacred tree. There were nearly a dozen men, gripping spears and bows, as well as the old priestess Kaede. They gasped at the sight of the hanyou, some shaking their heads as if to clear a frightening image. Kaede's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in hatred.

"It is YOU! How dare you show your face, you damned villain! How dare you live, Inuyasha!" Kaede's angry shout shocked Kagome. This was Inuyasha, the evil demon who had murdered Kikyou...a vicious fiend...this man?

Episode Three: The Despised Hanyou

Inuyasha's eyes were wide open. Kagome saw the pain that gripped his heart, saw it as if it were shining from his golden irises. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by anger, and anger that twisted his face into something horrendous. She could hardly bear to look upon it. A deep rumbling began in the back of his throat, and he crouched low, lips pulling back as he bared his teeth at the humans. His clawed hands flexed threateningly as his bright eyes fixed upon Kaede. The growl was becoming quite loud by this point, and several of the villagers were growing fearful of the hanyou, edging away while trying to protect the priestess.

The hatred in Kaede's face stole her senses. She stood her ground before the increasingly obviously dangerous hanyou. She saw only the murderer of her sister, the thief who had stolen the Shikon no Tama. Inuyasha's growl had slowly risen to such a volume that even Kaede blinked at it. She suddenly regained her senses and found herself facing her death. She saw it in his face. He would not spare a single one of them. She had but one surprised thought before his growl cut into a snarl as he leapt for her. What reason did HE have to be so furious?

"No!" Kagome let out a cry as she saw Inuyasha tense and leap at Kaede. His scarlet form blanched at the sound of her voice and halted his claw before the throat of the priestess. The throat he had been about to tear out. His narrow gaze came upon Kagome once again. He let out a small growl at the sight of her. His fingers twitched, drawing a small amount of blood from Kaede's vulnerable neck. He smiled a cruel smile.

Inuyasha truly did look sinister as Kagome looked upon him. His face was full of anger and hatred. His grin promised cruelty. His hair still dripped the dark blood of the centipede down his face. Had she not seen the pain in him, Kagome would have been terrified. But she could not bring herself to be. She was afraid, certainly, but not terrified. He had seemed so vulnerable, so alone...so HUMAN. How could she be terrified of that?

Inuyasha blinked at the girl, confused. The look upon her face was so very strange...almost pity...no it was compassion. The smile slipped from his face, his hands drawing back from the priestess' throat subconsciously. He stared. Compassion? No, it couldn't be. No one had looked at him in such a way since...Inuyasha was frozen, he could do nothing, nothing but stare at the girl who was so different. His attention was so fixed upon Kagome that he did not notice Kaede draw something from her clothing and slip it over his head until it was too late.

The moment was shattered. His furious gaze focused on Kaede once again, his hand coming to the object about his neck, some sort of bead necklace. "What the hell do you think you're doing, old woman? I was going to kill you before, but now I'm going to punish you for a while first. You've just sealed your fate...and the fate of your village." Inuyasha grinned to himself. He knew that that threat would certainly shake the old hag.

The grin slipped though, when she didn't even blink. Her cool gaze rested upon him for a second, weighing. She turned her head to the girl still sitting upon the ground. "Young one, you must use your powers to subdue this unruly spirit. That rosary will bind him. You but need to speak the word to invoke the spell."

Inuyasha's eyes widened just as Kagome's. His eyes widened in a slight panic. He swung to the young girl, lunging for her in haste. Kagome was speechless. A word to bind the hanyou? How would she know the right word? Her eyes locked upon his as he lunged for her. Desperation. She saw his panic at the priestess' words. As she looked into those golden eyes, she found the word, felt it. A heartbeat passed.

"Sit!"

There was a glow from about the hanyou's neck. His eyes widened in complete surprise as his face was dragged down into the mud with a solid thud. He lay mere, feet from the shocked girl, shoulders heaving in disbelief. Kagome's own gasping breath echoed the sentiment. Kaede studied the scene before deciding. One of the villagers, seemingly overcoming his previous fear of the half-demon, went as if to strike him. Kaede's sharp rebuke brought surprise from the villagers.

She stared at the hanyou for another long moment. "We will all go back to the village, bring him, but do not harm him." The villagers looked at her, uncomprehending, and received an angry glare. The hurried to gather up the stunned Inuyasha before he could regain his senses. Kaede helped Kagome to her feet and turned towards the village. There was a puzzle here. Things were not as they seemed...and she would find out what was wrong.

Episode Four: Twisting Strings of Fate

Kagome and Kaede sat within the priestess' hut, casting uneasy glances at the obviously disgruntled hanyou they had brought back to the village. Inuyasha's dark glares had not stopped, but his furious assaults had ceased, mostly from shock. He had been collared...leashed like a dog. A petty human girl was the one to hold his leash. That was the real stinger. He had been collared by a girl.

He gave an especially menacing grimace to the girl before turning his dark expression back to the priestess. She was studying him with a disconcerting intensity. He knew who she was. She was that woman's sister. He could smell the blood...could smell their connection. It made his blood boil, but he could do nothing, not while that little girl held him. Inuyasha was held by another force though. Confusion and curiosity. Why had the priestess not killed him when she had had the chance? She had purposely spared him. What did she have waiting for him?

Kagome glanced back and forth between the two. They obviously were not well disposed towards each other, yet Kaede had ordered the villagers to let him live. If he had indeed slain Kikyou, then why had Kaede not had him killed? Why had she brought a dangerous murderer to the village?

"Inuyasha...it has been a long time since I saw you last. I did not believe the rumors that you were still haunting that forest. I had thought you would be long gone, relishing in your newfound power." Inuyasha grimaced, but covered it with a scowl directed at the woman.

"I hardly need answer to you, hag. I will do as I please...and that forest is mine. I will visit it when I will."

Kaede gave Inuyasha a humoring look. "Oh, truly? You are VISITING the region where you are most despised? Where the villagers would recognize you in an instant? That hardly seems the most reasonable of vacations."

Inuyasha growled softly. "I hardly need fear some petty human village. I have no fear of your village's revenge." Kagome watched carefully. Inuyasha was telling the truth, at least partly, but he was hiding something.

Kaede smiled. "True. You needn't fear petty humans, not with the Shikon no Tama." Kagome definitely saw Inuyasha flinch this time. Kaede saw it as well. "But...perhaps you do not have the jewel? You appear to be nothing more than a hanyou. Were you not planning to become a youkai with the jewel's power? I doubt you would wait fifty years to do so...What happened to the jewel, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha feigned indifference, but Kaede's intense stare was unnerving him. He looked up to see the girl looking at him, questions in her eyes. Great, now she would get to interrogate him, too? Inuyasha surged to his feet, suddenly angry. "Listen hag, I don't know where the jewel is! I haven't seen the damned thing for fifty years. And believe me, I've looked!"

Kaede looked up at the red-faced hanyou, calm and unruffled. "What do you mean, Inuyasha? You had the jewel that day fifty years ago. How did you lose it? I can hardly believe you would part with it gently...not after what you did to gain it."

Inuyasha didn't notice the heat in Kaede's voice as she ended. "Feh. A few buildings destroyed. I would have done much more to gain that jewel. I dropped the damned thing when SHE shot me with that arrow." The sentence was punctuated with a rumbling growl. "I've been looking for it for years...I have pretty much given up, but I can't seem to draw myself away from this place."

Now Kaede was taken aback. "You have been here the entire time? For fifty years?"

Inuyasha gave her an odd look. "Yes...I want that jewel...but it doesn't seem to be here. Nonetheless, I can't just leave."

Kaede's face was unreadable. Kagome, however, had a thought come to her that made her forget about Kaede. Inuyasha had destroyed a few buildings to gain the jewel. Was that all? Had he forgotten Kikyou? Had he forgotten that he had murdered her and stolen the jewel? He didn't seem to be covering anything. Did he not know?

Kaede interrupted her thoughts suddenly. "If you do not have the jewel, Inuyasha, then where has it been for these past fifty years? Who has it now? We must find out...we can not let the jewel go unchecked in the world."

Kaede seemed not to notice the surprise on Inuyasha's face. "What do you mean, WE, old woman? Do you expect me to help YOU? Feh!"

Kaede smiled, this time as cruelly as Inuyasha ever had. "Oh yes, you will help us, Inuyasha. You will help us because you have no choice. This girl holds your leash...besides, we both know that you will never rest until you know what has happened to the jewel." She gave him that unreadable look again. "I should love to know what truly DID happen that day. It seems that nothing is what it seemed at the time."

End of Chapter One

Briefly, I'd like to note that the story begins to deviate from the original plot more and more as it goes on. Chapter three is where it really begins to set its own tone.

-Chevalier