I know it's been two years since my last update. And seriously, I was going to discontinue this story but I still have some ideas where I want to go. So I'm going to give writing a chance and see the direction the muse takes me. Sorry beforehand about bad grammar and spelling, especially with the characters' names. Enjoy.

The Magic Council Elite Squad members had found a saddened blunette girl sitting on her knees. A crumpled paper was lying a few inches from her. She looked lost and alone.

One of the members, a raven head walked toward her and hefted her petite form with ease. He noticed that past the six months she had lost weight. Her blue hair had grown longer passing her shoulders. Her eyes were darker, especially under them. He wondered if she was getting enough sleep.

Not once did she glance at him as he gently picked her up bridal style and carried her out. He refused to handcuff her and growled at the other members who approached them with the intention to bind the girl.

Levy was a strong mage in her own right but facing the Elite members alone, she didn't stand a fighting chance. Besides, Gajeel would've subdued her before the others could seriously injure her. As for his mission, he and the other Elites were simply to capture and detain the girl. She was being held in question for betraying the Magic Council.

Originally, Gajeel worried that if Levy discovered he worked for the Magic Council the past six months she would be pissed at him. But seeing her unfocused disturbed him. Levy couldn't be the one to betray the Magic Council. She didn't have a bone in her body to turn her back on her friends. He knew that first hand from his dark dealings with her during the Phantom incident.

"Did you get the note?" Gajeel asked the spiky blond man who appeared next to him.

"Yeah, and I left them a fake one," his partner replied.

"Good, we can't have them making accusations without enough evidence." Just because Gajeel was abiding by the orders given to him by the higher ups didn't mean he was going to blindly follow them. If anyone wanted to frame Levy for wrong doings, Gajeel was going to find the bastard and beat the shit out of him.

"I can't help but be curious. Why is the Magic Council after her?"

"They said she leaked private information to an outside source," the iron dragon slayer growled back.

"Well, I heard that a curvaceous blond girl visited her a couple days ago and she's the famous celestial mage from Fairy Tail." Gajeel knew who his friend, Akira, was speaking about. The iron dragon slayer made sure to keep tabs on the script mage as much as possible.

"I wouldn't consider bunny girl an outsider."

"Oh right," the man's fisted hand hit against his other open hand. "She was a part of your magical guild." And then his friend gave him an inquisitive look. "Bunny girl?"

"She was there before me and the name sort of stuck when she dressed in her bunny costume," he growled, feeling irritated but Akira was accustomed to his mood swings. The blond had been his assigned partner when he first joined the Magic Council Elite Squad. And being a member meant that he was tasked with completing missions the Wizard Saints couldn't get to.

"Boy, I would love to meet her."

"Good luck trying to get past her teammates."

Akira blinked at him. "Were they really that bad?"

"Bunny girl had a way to inspire loyalty around her. She reminds me of…" He didn't have to complete his sentence. Gajeel knew his friend understood his train of thought.

"If we're taking your girlfriend in, we better do it the right way," Akira warned, his mood turning serious. Once Levy was in the council's hands, who knew what she was going to endure. He didn't want to hand her to them, but he and Akira were playing double agents. In order for the council not to be on to them, they had to play by the rules.

He growled unappreciatively at the sight of a magical van pulling in front of Levy's building. Bystanders gathered from all over to see the commotion. He tried his best not to give them a dark look as Levy was dragged out of his arms by another Elite member. Again, she didn't look at him or the others as she easily complied to their wishes. Moving on her own, she stepped into the van, the doors closing behind her.

"Good job," a higher up commanded the whole Elite team. They all raised their fist in the air and then scattered when the van pulled away. Gajeel and Akira went their own separate way.

As they moved through a lively street, Gajeel overheard his next friend's words. "Now we wait for further instructions."

Lucy blinked her eyes at the weird looking people. The moment she woke up to a little fox with humanoid body hovering over her, Lucy couldn't help but scream at him. Now, she felt remorse. The little fox was nothing more than a child. He might be different in appearance, but he was still a child and he was hiding behind a tall girl with a frightened expression.

"I'm sorry about him," the dark-haired girl said in between her uncomfortable laughter. "He's very curious about you."

A tall silver-haired man dressed in red hopped down from a tree branch to land next to the pair. He had a scary look on his face, which made Lucy stumble back.

"Inuyasha," the dark-haired girl warned him. "You promised to behave."

He bristled and then sat on the ground, removing something at his side and placing it next to him. He crossed his arms over his chest. There was a childish pout on his face. Lucy would have laughed but she noticed he removed the sheathed sword to put it within reach as he sat down.

"Oh, she's awake," another masculine tone said from next to her. Whipping her head to the side, she saw a male wearing long purple robes. There was a female standing beside him wearing a black traditional kimono.

"You don't happen to remember what happened before you blacked out?" the first female asked her. The celestial mage turned her attention to her but she kept the others within her peripheral vision.

What could she remember?

There was a well, a piece of the stone of light, a monster and then seeing the very same people standing in front of her.

"You're Kagome," the blond pointed out.

A full smile blossomed on the priestess' face. Encouraged, Lucy continued. "You're Inuyasha, Shippo, Miroku, Sango." She stopped and frowned. Wasn't there an over grown cat with them? She heard a little mewl, and turning her head to the sound, she saw such a cute and small feline. If the others weren't around, she would've hugged the animal to her.

"That's Kirara. She can transform into a bigger version." That explained why the creature looked familiar.

"Oh, thanks."

The girl wearing a school uniform smiled before she went to her bag. The small child followed closely after her. Lucy promised to apologize to the him later.

"How about we have some breakfast?" the other beautiful woman asked her.

"Sure," the blond answered. Everyone gathered by the fire while Kagome made breakfast. By the time Lucy ate her fill, Kagome passed her a bundle of clothes. "I thought you will like to change into a clean set of clothes."

Not one to decline such an offer, the celestial mage gratefully took the clothes. "But we better find a safe place to change. There are some are perverts here." Kagome's eyes motioned to a particular male dressed in a long purple robe.

"I see, thanks for the warning."

"We girls have to look out for each other." Kagome, the beautiful warrior named Sango and her walked away from the males. Upon finding a secluded area, both females turned their backs to Lucy, giving her privacy. Quickly, she shed her dirty clothes to put on a blue t-shirt that fit too snuggly on her skin due to her busty chest and sweatpants that could barely fit on her hips. She cleared her throat to let the others know she finished.

"They might be a little tight," the priestess observed.

"Perhaps when you return home, you can bring back clothes to fit her," the other dark-haired girl suggested.

"Good one!" the other girl exclaimed.

"You don't have to. I can get clothes from one of my celestial spirits," Lucy instantly said. The group were kind to make her feel like one of them. She didn't want to inconvenience them anymore.

"Celestial spirits?" the female warrior questioned.

"How can I explain? You see I have magic that allows me to summon spirits from the celestial world. I just need my keys so I can unlock their gates." She patted her hips in search of her keys and slightly shook her head when she realized she didn't have them on her. She reached for her tattered jeans, checking the pockets to come across nothing. Her eyes widened.

"Is something wrong, Lucy?" Kagome asked her with uncertainty.

"My keys, I don't have them. Did you by any chance see any gold or silver keys on the ground?"

Both girls shook their head.

Her shoulders slumped as she bowed her head. Without her keys, she was helpless.

"Maybe Inuyasha and the others saw them," Kagome pointed out, causing Lucy to look up at her. The blond couldn't help react to her positivism. A small spread across her face.

"Right."

All three girls made their way back to the campsite to see that everything was packed. "So what are we going to do?" Lucy questioned them. It was the priestess who answered her question.

"We are looking for the shikon shards." Hearing the word "shikon" from the priestess made the celestial mage halt.

"Oy, we gotta go!" Inuyasha yelled, capturing their attention. Lucy began to trek with them. She stayed by the priestess' side while the monk, the warrior, and the cat traveled behind them. Inuyasha led the way with Shippo on his shoulder.

"The shikon shards?"

The girl started to laugh while she scratched her head awkwardly. "Uhh… when I first met Inuyasha, there was a demoness after me because she wanted the shikon-no-tama. Actually, the same one we faced yesterday was the same one who almost got the shikon jewel."

"Oh."

"Inuyasha saved me but then the story gets complicated because he desires the shikon jewel too."

"Really?" Lucy's lifted her eyebrows.

"Yeah."

"Oy, what's your problem?" He glanced over his shoulder at the slightly amused priestess. "You're the one who shattered the jewel to tiny little pieces and now because of you we have to search for all the pieces."

"It's your fault from the beginning!" The amusement faded from Kagome's face.

"Here we go again," Lucy heard the monk muttered.

Inuyasha pivoted on his feet and glared at her. Shippo took his cue to jump off the male's shoulder. Kagome returned Inuyasha's glare without flinching. A new-found respect for the priestess blossomed in the blond.

"You had terrible aim!"

"You made me drop the shikon jewel!"

"That's because you didn't know how to fight!"

Feeling fumed, Kagome said one word. "Sit!"

As if gravity itself pulled the silver-haired male down into the earth, Lucy couldn't believe what she saw before her. She heard growling and grumbling and again the priestess said the word.

"All she needs to do is say 'sit' and that's what happens to him," Sango said to her.

"Really?"

"Yes, the black beads he wears around his neck is spelled to a simple word."

Lucy didn't want to know how Inuyasha ended with a chain across his neck. He didn't seem like the one to wear fancy jewelry.

"And most of the time when he gets the word put on him, he deserves it," Sango added. The monk nodded his head in agreement.

Kagome turned her back to a grumbling Inuyasha and a smile returned on her lips. It seemed like the priestess can change her mood swings as fast as someone changes clothes. "After the shikon jewel broke into little pieces, we spent our time gathering ones from demons."

"We use to have more," the monk continued. "But the evil Naruku got his hands on the rest of them."

"Naruku?"

"He's malicious. He's the one who's been after the shikon jewel for a long time. Anyone who obtains the jewel will get their heart's desire. For demons, they desire power. And for you, there's seems to be something more," Kagome said as she walked toward the celestial mage. Gently, she grabbed her right hand and spread her uncurled fingers. What Lucy saw caused her mouth to drop. None of the others looked astonished what Kagome showed her. Beneath the skin of her hand, there was a light.

"What the heck?" Lucy began to panic, pulling at her hand from the girl's grasp.

"That's a shard of the shikon jewel, which happened to be embedded in your skin. It healed your wounds. Didn't you notice that you weren't in pain or that you didn't wake with any injuries?"

The pain had slipped her mind. Once she woke up, she felt fine. She was too caught up being around new people, that she didn't think properly. Talking about thinking, her eyes darted to each of them. "Uh…, changing the subject, did any of you find a key ring with gold and silver keys?"

"Why's she changing the subject?" Inuyasha asked.

"They are important to her," Sango answered. The warrior didn't add any more details, which made Lucy take an instant liking to her.

"They have nothing to do with Naruku or the shikon-no-tama."

"You need to take it easy," Kagome admonished him.

He went rigid, his lips slamming shut.

"No," the little child said. The adorable cat mewled, which Lucy took it as a no and the monk shook his head.

She deflated.

After some silence, it was Kagome who talked to her. "May I ask how you came to possess one of the shards?"

"It's quite a long story."

"We don't mind."

Lucy inhaled a deep breath before letting it go. She looked into the sky, observing how slowly the clouds drifted by them.

"Sometime today would be nice," the silver-haired male interrupted the silence.

"Inuyasha, that's not wise," Miroku tried to advise his friend.

Lucy sighed and then proceeded to tell them everything that happened to her before coming into their world. By the time she was done telling them her tale, each of them looked lost in their thoughts.

"So you're from a different world, Fiore to be exact?" the monk questioned her.

The blond nodded her head.

"And the shikon shard was located in your home?"

Again, the blond nodded her head.

"I won't be surprised that you'll need the shikon jewel to defeat evil. The jewel is powerful enough to grant power," the priestess said.

"But none of you are saying the right thing. The jewel grants power to demons, it doesn't do anything for humans," Inuyasha reminded everyone.

"This jewel is different. It's said to have holy powers that came from a celestial spirit named Lyrah. This holy power can defeat Zeref," Lucy replied.

"Zeref?" asked Inuyasha.

"He's the malevolent one from my home."

"Well, sorry." The silver-head crossed his arms over his chest. "We can't help you. We're too busy trying to find all the shards before that bastard Naruku gets his dirty hands on it."

The blond opened her hand and examined the shard that was shining under her healed skin. Then she faced the palm toward him. "Good luck trying to get this out."

"Oy, I'll take it out." Inuyasha's reached for his sword.

"No, Inuyasha," the priestess warned him. The silver-haired male bristled at the tone of her voice.

"We should all give this good thought," the monk said out of nowhere. "If you appear here with a shikon shard then the jewel is also connected to your world."

"You are like Kagome," the female warrior included. "Because she too appeared here with the jewel."

"Really?" Lucy looked toward the priestess. She did notice that the dark-haired girl lugged around a yellow backpack and she dressed differently from her friends.

But if both girls were alike -both originated from a different world- then Lucy wasn't alone with searching for a way to return.

"Yes," Kagome answered, "And if you're here like me and our worlds are connected then this jewel plays a bigger role in something that is far from our understanding."

"Is there anyone we can consult with?" the monk asked. "Anyone who knows the origins of the shikon-no-tama?"

"We already checked my villiage," Sango answered part of his question.

"And I filled in what I know about the jewel from my world," the blond responded. There was a slight pause. "If only I had my keys."

"For what?" Inuyasha growled.

"One of my spirits would have gladly answered the question. His knowledge comes from the celestial world."

"That's amazing," Kagome remarked. "I will like to meet your spirits."

"Spirits?" the males questioned in unison.

"That's another long story," the celestial mage added in. "I don't know if you have enough time to listen to that one."

"Wait!" the little child exclaimed. There was a big grin on his face. "I know someone we can ask."

"Who?" Everyone asked at the same time.

His grin turned wider as he looked toward the male dressed in red. "How about your brother?"

"Not that arrogant asshole!" Inuyasha denied. "What the hell does he know about the shikon jewel?" He waited for the others to agree with him but was shocked when everybody was staring at each other quietly.

"See? What can I tell you?" The little fox sounded proud of himself.

"Yes, you made a good point," the priestess beamed at the youngest member of their group. "Just for that I'll bring you back some extra candies and crayons."

The boy cheered while running to hug the dark-haired girl.

"No!" Inuyasha vehemently protested. "That jerk won't listen to reason!"

"The only person who won't listen to reason is you," Sango remarked.

"Inuyasha," the priestess said with a firm voice, catching the now wary male's attention. "We are going to see Lord Sesshomaru and that is final."

Inuyasha instantly deflated and he walked away, leaving the others to follow his lead.

Being in the other world without her keys made Lucy feel vulnerable. And she was beginning to learn Edo was not safe. She learned from short discussions with each party member that demons existed and that each of them were equipped to fight them.

"So you're a priest?" Lucy asked the monk. She made sure to keep her distance from his roaming hand and was grateful to Sango who traveled in between them.

"Yes," he answered.

"And you're a priestess or miko?" She craned her neck over her shoulder to the dark-haired girl walking behind them.

"Yes," the young teenager also answered her.

"You're a demon warrior or exterminator." She pointed to Sango before pointing to the child kitsune and feline cat. "Both of you are demons."

Lastly, she turned her attention on the one leading the group. "Then what are you?"

Miroku began laughing before it transformed into a severe cough due to the glare the silver head sent him over his shoulder.

Even Sango and Kagome had amusement twinkling in their dark eyes. It was Kagome who answered her question, though. "Inuyasha is a part human and demon."

"He's a hybrid?" Lucy questioned.

"Well, yeah, technically speaking he's a hybrid but here we call him a hanyou."

At the reference, Lucy noticed how his triangular ears drooped down.

Sango moved a little closer to her. "In this place either you are demon or human. Being both means you are an outcast."

"Oh," the blond whispered. The reason for the silver head male's behavior or lack of it was becoming clear. As if the members of the group, excluding the one leading, read her facial expression they continued.

"He was alone for a long time until Kagome found him. Together, they began their journey to gather the shikon jewels."

"His mom?"

"Was a human."

"And his father?"

"Was a famous a demon."

Sango would say more but the hanyou interrupted them. "Stop speaking about me like I'm not here!"

"I'm sorry," Lucy apologized. "I just wanted to know a little bit more about this world."

Inuyasha paused, making everyone else stop. From the way his hands tightened to fists at his sides, Lucy gathered that he had something he wanted to express but then his fists unclenched. He growled lowly in his chest, the sound inhuman. Then, he went back to walking again. The others followed him without uttering another word.

The night around the campfire, everyone snuggled together to keep warm. It was a particularly cool night, colder than what the members were used to. Kagome was kind to lend Lucy a blanket to drape around her shoulders. However, the celestial mage was unable to sleep like the rest of them. Despite the long road to the western lands as they called it, the blond couldn't find a single tired bone in her body to rest. Her mind was too preoccupied with what could be happening in her world. She left a single note to Levy about her whereabouts and her keys -her only form of defense- was still missing.

She missed her spirits. They were her constant companions and without them, she felt so alienated.

A hand went to her mouth to stifle a sob. With her other hand, she wiped the tears from her face.

"Having a sleepless night?" a masculine tone disturbed her.

She whipped her head to the newcomer. Astonished at seeing Inuyasha, she didn't respond when he took a seat next to her.

Lucy's head moved in the direction away from him and she took the brief silence to compose herself. She was appreciative that he didn't call her out for her sudden weakness.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" she questioned him after a while. Her voice still sounded hoarse after trying to suppress her cries.

"No," he replied. "Someone has to keep an eye out for danger."

She blinked at him. "Then how are you able to upkeep your strength all day on such little sleep?"

His lips curved upward on his handsome face, now that Lucy was getting the time to observe him. He seemed to have an unnatural beauty as his silver hair gleamed in the firelight. "I'm part demon and being such takes out the weakness that you humans have for sleep."

She glowered, her respect for him dimming. "Well excuse me for being a human."

"Humans aren't all that bad. I'm part one."

"Yeah, you're only half," she retorted while rolling her eyes.

His lips blossomed into a full smile that only brought out more of his handsome facial features. If this silver-haired male was a half-demon and he was this good-looking then she could imagine him being a full-demon.

"You should try to rest. We have a long day of walking ahead of us."

The blond sighed. "That's easier said than done."

"At least try. We won't have time to lug around your limp body if you faint on us."

"I'm not going to faint," she answered, staring at him seriously. "The last time I fainted was unexpected."

He laughed, his whole form shaking from mirth. "And it will happen again as expected of humans."

"You act like you never fainted."

He stopped laughing. "You're dead right."

"Well, there's always a first time for everything."

"Yes, there's a chance that you're going to sleep."

Her gaze narrowed on him. "I didn't say that."

"I know what you said." He rose swiftly to his feet while patting at his clothes. "It was hard for Kagome the first time too."

"Excuse me." Lucy had to tilt her head far back to look at the hanyou.

"When Kagome came here, it was hard for her being here. She put up a brave face to anyone who asked her what was wrong but at night I heard and saw her sadness."

"Why are you sharing this with me?" Lucy suddenly asked him. From what she observed from the hanyou's behavior, it was unlike him to show kindness toward her, especially since he spent half the day making threats to leave her sorry ass behind if she couldn't keep up with the group.

"Because you're not alone," that was all he said before leaving her alone. Lucy shook her head. He seemed to be a walking contradiction. One minute he wanted to kill her and the next minute he was consoling her. She just didn't know what to think of him.

But his words did comfort her. The celestial mage laid flat out on the ground, wrapping the large blanket around her frame. She shifted into the most comfortable position one could get sleeping on the ground. Her eyes closed as his words played in her mind. He was right in a sense, she wasn't alone.

The next day Kagome and the others were traveling toward the western lands. However, peace was not amongst them. Every second, she could hear Inuyasha's guttural growls and see the slump in his shoulders.

"Is something wrong?" the priestess asked the hanyou.

"No," he muttered. At least he was being wise not to get her upset. She knew how he felt seeing his half-brother. When Inuyasha and her first met the taiyoukai, his half-brother tried to kill them. Ever since the encounter, Inuyasha harbored feelings of anger and hate.

But lately, the taiyoukai changed. Kagome couldn't put a finger on what changed but when he met them, he no longer lashed out at Inuyasha with harsh words. A couple of times he assisted them and even went as far as saving her life. The truth in the matter was she didn't view Sesshomaru as the enemy. However, she couldn't admit that to Inuyasha because she didn't want to hear him ranting away about her betraying him. He already had a tough life and getting him to trust her wasn't easy.

"Don't worry," Kagome tried to reassure him, "He'll listen to reason."

"No," Inuyasha shook his head. "That bastard won't think twice about killing us."

"That's why we have you," Kagome pitched in. "You'll protect us." She skipped to his side and hugged his arm. "You'll protect me," she said for only him to hear.

His cheeks heated with her admission and she laughed out loud.

"Kagome," he growled. He playfully pulled at his arm but she didn't let go. And then a smirk flickered on his lips.

The others didn't say a word as they observed the couple.

Then Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks, causing Kagome to halt. The other members of their party pulled out their weapons while the Kirara and Shippo moved to defend their newest member.

Inyuasha's hand reached for the sword at his waist. Automatically, he pulled his other arm from Kagome's grasp and pushed her behind him. Kagome watched in the direction his eyes narrowed and was instantly greeted by the person they were searching for.

The tall form gracefully moved away from the trees as the wind caused his long silver hair to sway around his beautifully masculine form. "Inuyasha and the priestess," he said stoically. He didn't refer to the others and she believed it had to with them not earning his respect.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she greeted while bowing low to him.

Inuyasha seethed in anger but he didn't recklessly attack his brother.

"To what do I owe this visit?" So he observed they came seeking him.

"We have questions and we believe you know how to help us," Kagome answered him as she raised her head to look up at him.

The charismatic taiyoukai remained quiet as his amber eyes slowly took in each of them. His stare was bold enough to see straight into their souls. Then his eyes landed on a particular person and Kagome could assume the girl of interest.

"You have a new member," he observed.

"Yes," Kagome said. "And we sought you out because she's the one who has questions."

He simply nodded his head in understanding and the priestess let out a long breath she wasn't aware of holding.

"Come," he commanded. He turned his back to them and started to walk away.

Inuyasha was about to say a stupid remark, but the dark-haired girl grabbed his arm and shook her head at him. Her blue eyes pleaded with him not to worsen the situation. Inuyasha sighed. He removed his hand on the hilt of his sword and began to follow his half-brother. The members tagged along behind him.