Hello everyone. Welcome new and old readers alike. If you have read one of my stories before, you will again see my own character acting one of the leads. I love her so much, even though what I put her through probably doesn't show it. This will be a somewhat dark fic. Still, I hope you all will enjoy the story.

Warning: Lemons, violence, rape, foul language, death. Discretion is advised.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Inu yasha characters; this is merely a fans portrayal. However, a few of the characters in the story are my own creations.

"What the fuck?" Mel mumbled as she forced herself to sit up. Touching the back of her head, she winced. Definitely a bruise. Stone walls rose high off the dirt floor, making it impossible to see what was around. Using her hands in place of sight, the young brunette tried to feel around the place. A sigh of relief escaped when her hands brushed across rough fabric. Her military surplus pack. In an instant, her memories came back. Her grandfather died in the hospital last week. Two days ago she met with the lawyers. He had left her everything in the will. But she was only 16, much too young to be given such an estate without guidance. Or so they said. They wanted to appoint her a caretaker. Her grandfather's 2nd cousin offered to take her in. The man was shifty to say the least. When it became apparent how sick her grandfather was, he came from out of town. It was obvious he was hoping for some money. He had been so angry when the will was read. But he kept his temper in check, offered his services as a temporary warden. The previous night, she caught him trying to watch her change. She said nothing, didn't let him know he was caught. Just packed her things and took off at first light. Sent an email to the lawyer that she was going to visit a friend and for him to continue to act as the estate manager. He was an old friend of her grandfathers, someone she could trust. She was planning on taking a bit of a vacation, and trying to find a way out of this crap. More memories started flooding in.

She had been passing by an old time temple. Some little boy came out crying that his sister had fell down the well and hadn't come back yet. Her heart went out to the child. Even at her age, everyone always said her maternal instincts were kicked into overdrive. She could not ignore a crying child or baby, and she never failed to sooth them. They had gone into the building that housed the well. Peering in, there was nothing but darkness. As she tried to lean in further, a pink light began to glow from within the hole. It felt as if something was pulling her in. She must have grabbed her bag when she tried to keep herself from falling. The place was tiny, and Mel was sure she was alone. For an instant she felt anger to the child. What kind of sick joke was this? The anger vanished a moment later. The fear and worry wasn't fake. She had trouble reading adults sometimes, but never children. His sister was probably the one playing the joke. Probably laughing her head off, not even aware her worried little brother had recruited help. But if she wasn't in the well, there had to be a way out. Maybe a secret passage?

Mel stood up slowly. Laying hands flat on the stone surface, she tried to find the exit. Nothing but solid stone and vines passed under her palms. Strange. Hadn't there been a ladder here only moments before?

"Hello?" She called up. No answer. She tried again, then again. After the fourth time, she shook her head and sighed. The girl had probably convinced the poor boy that there was a monster in the well. He probably ran off screaming when she didn't say anything for a few minutes. Another sigh escaped her lips. There were two choices. She could wait for help from the terrified little boy, or his unaware prankster sister. But that could take hours. Maybe longer. Or she could get out the hard way. Not wanting to spend the night in the dark pit, she selected the latter option. Slipping the ruck onto her back, she looked for some handle and footholds. The stones were quite uneven and some poked out decently enough for part of her feet, after a few experimental tugs, the vines seemed more than capable of holding her weight. Setting her foot on a stone low in the wall and grabbing a vine, she hoisted herself up. Bit by bit she worked her climbing skills. Finally she pulled herself over the lip of the well. She pulled her arms out of the shoulder straps and just lay flat in the grass, catching her breath. Wait, grass? Mel shot up. When the hell had she gotten outside? Her stomach dropped as her brain tried to process what was going on. It made no sense.

Some leaves seemed to rustle in the trees surrounding her. Goosebumps started forming and the hair on the back her neck stood on end. Forcing herself up, she grabbed her backpack and headed for the trees on the other side. Not a moment after she had hidden herself, a small group of men emerged. They looked strange, with hairstyles and clothes she had only seen in history plays. She strained to hear what they were saying.

"But boss, I swear I heard something over here." The one in the gray cloth said.

"Me too boss." A giant bear of a man echoed the first ones sentiment.

"Well there's no one here now is there?" The boss asked sarcastically. The two stared at their feet. "Now just shut up and get the girl."

"Yes sir." The bear answered pitifully. Moving away from the others, he reached into the trees. He plucked something from the thicket and easily held it in front of him. Mel bit back her gasp. It was a little girl. No older than ten. Long black hair had leaves stuck in it, and her red kimono was covered in dirt. Her hands were tied and she was gagged.

"Are you sure about this boss?" the big guy asked. The man in red seemed to be the leader.

"Of course. She had these on her." He said pulling something out of his pocket. Mel strained to see, but it was too far away. But the glint of the sun told her precious metals.

"But boss, why do we need the girl when we already got the bracelet and necklace?" Gray clothes said. The leader walked up and smacked him with his free hand. Returning the items to his pocket, he glared at his companion.

"Idiot, these things are mere trinkets. They could get us maybe a week's worth of food and drink tops. But her…" he motioned to the girl. "Her kimono isn't too high quality, so probably the daughter of a mistress or low level merchant. But she's worth at least a hundred times that much in ransom."

"Oh." Gray clothes said a knowing smile on his face. It twisted into an even more disturbing grin as he leered at the girl. "Does she have to be completely intact when we return her?"

"I don't see why she needs to be. She doesn't seem to talk. Just clean up the evidence and no one needs to know." The leader said with a laugh.

"Thanks boss." He said touching the girl's bare shin. She flinched away and Mel had to force herself not to jump. If she went too soon, she would lose the element of surprise. Calculating the perfect time to strike, her thoughts were interrupted when the boss slapped Grey clothes.

"Dumbass, not here. We might draw attention. At least wait until we get back to the hideout." He scolded. Grey clothes looked like a puppy caught chewing on a slipper. Pouting, he mumbled his agreement. The bear of a guy scoped up the girl and tossed her over his shoulders. He clamped his arm around her legs when she tried to kick him. The trio headed off, unaware of their pursuer.

"Worthless fool." Sesshomaru muttered, cursing his servant for the dozenth time. Jaken held back, afraid of what his lord might do. He had never seen him so angry. His voice never rose, but his muscles trembled beneath his flesh, his fangs protruded and his eyes had the tiniest bit of red seeping into them. He had left the previous night to do what ever the hell he did when he was away. Jaken had once again been in trusted with Rin's care. She had insisted on playing hide and seek. Sesshomaru had returned at around dawn, and seemed amused that he still hadn't found the girl. He almost smiled. The girl was a master at the game. She tended to find amazing spots. Usually the game ended when Sesshomaru came home and found her. So her remaining hidden hadn't set off any alarms. At first. But the mirth on his face soon turned to a snarl when he sniffed her trail. Three human males had their scents mixed with hers. Panic and fear was overwhelming in the area. She had been abducted. The few trails of foot prints they found vanished quickly. But it didn't matter. He would know that little girl's scent anywhere.

It was dark by the time the trio arrived at their base camp. It was nothing more than a cave with a few bedrolls in it. The trees were so thick, it looked like the drawings she had seen made centuries earlier. Mel was hesitant to move in. Only one entrance meant a quick escape would be daunting. But she couldn't leave the little girl there. Setting down her bag, she quietly rummaged through it. She had been in such a daze when she packed the most random things had gotten thrown in. A smile graced her lips when she found what she was hoping for. A small pocket knife. It wasn't much, but a few quick strikes and she could take them down. But her best bet would be to get them out in the open, where the trees hid her from few. Sneaking away from her bag, she intentionally snapped a twig. That got their attention. The bear of a man was ordered to check it out. From the way he was slightly trembling, she knew he was afraid. Moving fast, she deliberately shook random branches, leading him farther away from his friends. When there was enough space, she pounced. A few quick hits and his unconscious form lay unmoving in the dirt. She didn't like the thought of killing people, even if they were the worst kind of creeps. The knife would only come into play if need be. Moving back to the edges of the campsite, she heard the remaining two arguing. They noticed how long it had been, and neither wanted to go look for him.

"FINE! I'll go you pathetic worm!" The leader yelled disgustedly at Gray clothes before storming off. The same tricks were reused. Unfortunately she stepped too soon, gave away her cover. He turned to the now revealed girl. Yet the fright in his eyes seemed to get worse.

"GET AWAY FOUL SPECTER!" He screamed. Apparently with his fear clouded mind, he assumed she was some monster playing in the forest. The disappearance of his subordinate must have played terribly on his nerves. It was to her advantage. She didn't even have to touch the guy. Simply approaching in a slow menacing manner caused him to feint. Biting back a laugh, she paused for a moment. These guys were pathetic. No wonder they resorted to kidnapping a child. The thought halted her laughter and a pit of ice settled into her stomach. The last remaining member of the group still had the girl. Panic filled her and she ran back to the hide out. He was there, leaning over the girl, whispering something to her. Her eyes were wide in fright. When his hand touched her leg, time was up. He was the smallest member, and looked rather weak. Surprise wasn't that important anymore. Charging out of the forest, she ran straight for him. He seemed shocked at the intrusion, made no attempts to stop her. A kick to the side of his head and he practically went flying. His head smashed into a tree and he crumbled to the ground. Mel approached the girl slowly. The poor thing was terrified.

"It's ok. I'm here to help." She whispered softly taking small deliberate steps. The girl seemed to relax. "I'm going to untie you know honey. Ok?" The girl nodded and Mel went to work. The binding of her hands was difficult. After a few futile attempts, she brought out the pocket knife. It took a minute to calm the girl down when she saw the weapon. Finally the rope fell to the ground. The little girl pulled down the gag and took a deep breath. Mel asked a few quick questions, and found the girl was ok. Despite talking little and having a few bruises, the girl seemed healthy. Perhaps this girl would be able to answer some of her questions. "Do you know where we are?"

"I…" The little girl stopped, her eyes growing wide. Mel turned around, and felt the knife drop from her hand.

"Damn this is fucking annoying." The creature hissed in a garbled voice. Grey clothes was up again. But that wasn't what had frightened them. His neck was bent at an unnatural angle, and a green liquid was seeping out of a gash on his forehead. It pulled the pale flesh away, like taking off a costume. Green scales were revealed as it peeled its human "outfit" off. What had once been a small man, now stood as a giant lizard. It towered at over six feet tall, long tail flapped around as glowing eyes glared at the girls. "Well I suppose I should thank you. That thing is quite stifling. If it wasn't for the chance of tasty morsels, I wouldn't put up with it." Mel began to snicker. It glared at her. The glare turned to shock as the laughter grew.

"I'm in a coma." Mel laughed. The lizard man and the young girl looked at her as she continued to laugh. "I fell down the well, hit my head, and knocked my ass out. Any minute someone's gonna try to wake me. This is all just a weird damn dream." It started to make sense. The change in scenery. Her backpack containing exactly what she needed. Even the guys being so easy to take down. This was all a figment of her imagination. A smile formed on the creature's face.

"I'm afraid this is no dream girl. When I finish ridding myself of your nuisance, I will treat myself to the tasty little delicacy cowering behind you." He answered. Mel smiled at him. This was a dream, nothing more. You don't fall down a well, only to reemerge in a different landscape. Giant lizards did not wear human costumes. You don't just go back in time. She moved away from the girl, but still keeping herself between the creature and his intended snake. Even if it was a dream, she could never just let a child be hurt. The creature lunged. She juked to the side, easily dodging. The thing smiled at her, and it took her a moment to realize what happened. She was no longer the barrier in front of the little girl. It turned and ran after its food. Mel raced after, jumping on its back. Her arms wrapped around its throat. The momentum sent it off balance. It twisted and snarled, trying to shake her lose. Pain enveloped her senses as something slammed into her side. It knocked her off. Trying to sit up, her side felt like it was on fire. She winced as her hand touched the area. Pulling it away, she noticed the drops of red falling from her fingertips. Blood. Looking down, a nasty laceration was on her right side. Blood trickled down. This was definitely no dream.

Hopefully you guys like this so far. Review if you feel like it. Until next time.