PROLOGUE

When Kagome was five years old, an odd pulse from the sealed well had awoken her from her sleep. The child had trotted downstairs, feeling the calling and had quietly left the safety of her house. She had made her way to the well house and had been confused to see the door wide open when normally it was locked.

She had approached the well and fearlessly clambered to the rim to see the beautiful glowing lights. And she had fallen in.

2000 years in the past, a powerful daiyoukai had been travelling when a child's frightened cry had made him pause. He had changed direction and made his way towards the bone eaters well from where the cries originated from. Children were meant to protected, not harmed. However, finding a tiny ningen girl in the well, with teary blue eyes had not been what he had anticipated.

When her scent had hit him, he froze and his beast went wild.

That scent!

The girl had been overly terrified when his eyes had started bleeding red. Where once she had clung to him, she wiggled out letting out a scared cry.

"Mine!"

"Momma!" The girl's shrill cry had brought him out of his daze. That addictive scent had become tainted with fear.

"Hush, child."

She had stopped crying, but did not cease her movements.

When he had snarled at her, getting frustrated by her continuous wiggling, she had stilled.

"Demon."

He had stilled at that scared word from her. He was no demon.

He released her from his grip and put her onto the ground.

He looked down at her, trying to control his instincts, "I am no demon. I am a daiyoukai."

She stared up at him, no longer scared and whispered ominously, with a dead stare, "Demon."

He grit his teeth and growled at her, "This one is not a demon."

Apparently, the child had realized that calling him that annoyed him so she very gleefully declared, "Demon."

He snarled but her fear of him had disappeared. He was so pretty. So, she tugged at his hakama, "You're pretty."

At least, she wasn't calling him a demon anymore. He allowed her to pull him down, so that they were face to face. Curiously, she put her hands on his cheeks and traced the two stripes there. Those tiny hands on his face made his heart clench. She was so small.

"Pretty."

He didn't say anything, letting her satisfy her curiosity.

"What is your name, little one?"

"K'gome."

He smiled at her, "That is a beautiful name."

She gave him a toothed smile, obviously pleased at his compliment.

He ran a hand over her hair, gently, "Why are you so far out here? There is no village nearby."

She looked at him and then proceeded to ignore his question as she tugged at the two spiked rims on his armor.

"Are you lost, Kagome?"

She looked at him when he rumbled in his throat, and shook her head and pointed towards the well, "I came from there."

He blinked, a little confused, "The ancient well?"

"I fell down the well."

He had heard stories about this well but youkai dared not approach it, its power was so immense. He looked down at the tiny child in his arms as she tried to pull off the spiked rim to no avail. Despite his puzzled confusion, he felt a moment's amusement as she kept tugging and failing.

So determined.

He breathed in his scent and his beast became more agitated. It wanted out.

She scented like a mate but she was too young. How could a tiny ningen be his mate?

'Mine!'

He watched as she yawned and then made a face at how hard his armor was. So now she tried to pull at the armor, "Off!"

He released it and settled on the ground with the child who clambered all over him and settled in his lap. His eyes narrowed in thought and he making a split second decision, he let his aura wash over him. Kagome stiffened and made a fearful mewling sound at the feeling of danger and her aura burned pink and her reiki flared.

He quickly retracted his youki and stared at the frightened child as she started wailing.

A miko. Such a powerful miko.

"Hush, little one. You are safe."

He nuzzled her face, startling her enough to stop crying. She giggled as his nose touched hers and pushed his face away, laughing.

Her brilliant smile sealed his fate and his heart.

He would protect her, he decided. And when she was old enough then he would court her. Inuyoukai could recognize their mates with ease and although she was too young, her scent riled his beast up and his beast immediately acknowledged who she was to him.

He let the girl stand on his lap and winced when she very nearly stepped on a very delicate part of his body. "Careful, little one."

Like usual, she ignored him and put her arms around his neck in what he thought was a hug but only pulled back, his tied hair in her hands.

And then without warning, she clamped down on his hair.

He stared at her.

She stared back, her mouth moving as she tried to chew his hair.

Holding her away from him, he shook his head, "That is incredibly rude, little one." His admonishing tone had no effect on her as she reached for his hair again.

"It's shiny."

However, his hair was out of her reach and she scowled, "I want to look."

He let the corner of his lip lift, "No, you may not eat my hair."

"I just want to look." Her eyes filled with tears.

He tried to resist. Mate or no mate, he could not allow such blatant disrespect of his person. However, a few mere seconds later, she had his hair in her hands. This time, she did not attempt to eat it, simply stroking it and making small cooing noises.

As he studied her form, he felt more than a little confused. She was his. However, he had travelled this area many a time and had never felt her scent before. His eyes moved towards the ancient well, unwillingly as a thought struck him.

Surely, it could not be.

If she had fallen down the well, like she claimed, did that mean - He studied her odd clothing for a few moments. She could not be from here. Did she belong to some other land? Her blue eyes were like no other.

"Kagome." As she looked up at him, obediently, he swirled some of his youki around her, watching her eyes widen. When her reiki reacted, he let it burn him till the pain stopped. He allowed her reiki to surround his youki and then turn a soft purple before retracting.

He smiled inwardly.

He had been accepted.

"Would you like to see something?"

At her nod, he put her down and allowed his beast freedom. Where the man had stood, was now a magnificent Inu, it's eyes red. Scenting Kagome's fear, he lay down, his head on his paws, willing her to overcome her sudden shock and fear. She inched towards him, warily and he closed his eyes, not wanted her to be frightened of his red eyes.

She put her hand on his fur. It was so soft! She stroked some more and he rumbled in his throat. His mate's scent was surrounding him. Since she was so young, she only roused his protective urges. His eyes opened as he felt her try to climb up his nose. He blinked as she watched her sit on his face, trying to climb onto his head. It was very amusing as the determined child pulled at his fur as a grip.

He nudged her with his nose till she managed to sit on him.

His beast purred, contented. After so many centuries of wandering, of boredom, he had finally found his mate who was a curiosity in herself.

As she tumbled off his back and then tried to climb back up, he shook his head, in amused resignation and changed into his humanoid self. She looked so disappointed that for a moment he wanted to laugh.

However, his attention was suddenly aimed at the glowing well. A few feet away, it's glow was becoming brighter and brighter. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kagome get up and make her way towards it.

As realization struck him, he howled in denial, "NO!"

Before Kagome could blink, she was in his safe arms, held to him.

She patted his cheeks, noting his desperation, "I have to go home. Momma's waiting."

"No."

She patted his cheeks again, smiling that dazzling smile, "I'll come back and play again, 'kay? Don't be sad."

He closed his eyes, his beast howling in rage and pain.

"Let her go, Great Lord."

He whirled around to see a glowing figure sitting on the rim of the well. He could not make out the features or gender, but it had feminine quality to its voice.

He growled, warningly, "Who are you?"

"It matters not. Release the girl. She will be returned to you in due time."

"She is mine."

"Yes. Which is why I sent her to you. But only so that you could be assured of her existence."

Whoever this was, he or she was a being of great power and he knew that he was no match for it.

"This is not her time, Great Lord. Her presence in her time is necessary. You have my word that she will be returned when the time is right. Now release her."

There was power infused in those last three words, almost making it a command.

She had been sent here by this being?

"Why should this one trust you?"

His question was answered by a flare of power so great that he felt almost insignificant. 'I am this girl's guardian. And I ask as a courtesy. I can simply take her.'

The inuyoukai felt the truth in the words and knew he could not interfere in the will of the kami. Looking down at the girl in his arms who clung on to him, he knelt down to put her on the ground and the raised his right hand and let his youki shape a small weapon. The dagger was small, bejeweled and held great power.

He handed the dagger and it's sheath to Kagome and whispered, "Keep it with you forever, little one. This will protect you."

"Why are you sad? I'll come back tomorrow."

He shook his head and smiled, a very rare smile, "I hope so."

He watched with grief stricken eyes as the girl walked towards the glowing well and clambered over and waved before jumping in.

His howl of pain and rage could be heard for miles.

A.N: I know I write a lot of fics like these and I was really hesitant when writing this but this idea spoke to me and I just really wanted to write this.