Author's Notes:

So its been a while since I wrote FanFiction. This is a rewrite/restructure of an old fic I took down a while back. I couldn't stop thinking about it, and so here we are, with a new account and me attempting to get back in the rhythm of writing. Hope you like it~

I plan to post once a week on either Monday or Tuesday, since those are my days off for now. It might change if my work schedule changes. I will keep you posted!

Chapter One: Moving Forward.

Staring ahead, his eyes focused upon nothing in particular. Usually, he was not one to simply waste time. His travels may appear to be nonsensical, as if he traveled on a whim.

But everything he did had a purpose. Waste was not something he approved of. He could not afford to stop moving, to stop pushing himself along. The Vagabond Lord, some called him. He cared not for their opinions. They knew his reasons, what had led him to become… this.

Cold, calculated, power hungry. This is what he had become. He willed his demeanor to become like marble, only in order to hide the cracks within. But today, it felt as if those cracks were throbbing within him, like a festering wound. Two hundred and fifty years had passed from that very day which broke him, and his gnarled, shredded spirit could not handle the pain.

So here he sat, wasting time, trying to ignore the ache that will never go away.

But he must keep moving, to become better, stronger than he is. He must prove himself worthy. It's never enough, though. He can never be enough.

Because she was already dead, and he could never bring her back.

"Inuyasha…"

"Don't start, wench."

"Just admit it. We're lost!"

An irritated growl made the others inwardly groan. Here we go again…

Spinning around to confront the girl, the dog-eared Hanyou appeared to almost bristle defensively. "Look who's talking! You were the one that was insisting there were jewel shards this way! We wouldn't be in the middle of nowhere otherwise!"

Stomping forward, a finger was jammed in the Hanyou's face. "You were the one who insisted we go off trail to get through the woods faster! You insistedyou knew what you were doing! And it's not my fault the jewel shards just vanished!"

Before Inuyasha could snap again, another member stepped forward, the monk diplomatically trying to avoid another fight from escalating out of control. "Now, now, no need to fight. We are all just a bit tired from traveling for so long." Turning his attention to the silently pouting girl, he calmly asked, "Kagome, what do you mean the shards vanished? Did they travel out of range?"

Willing herself to calm down, the miko shook her head tiredly. "No, like… one minute I could see it, the next… it was like it was snuffed out. I thought maybe I just lost track of them, but it's been ten minutes and I still haven't found them again."

As the implications settled on them, everyone shared a look. The group's other female, Sango, stepped up, a serious look on her face. "Could this be Naraku?"

"Possibly," Miroku replied, equally as solemn. "He does seem to have the ability to hide shards."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Inuyasha chastised them. "We need to get going!"

He began to take off, heading in a random direction, but before anyone could stop him, a small figure came flying out of the woods with a childish battle cry. Inuyasha stood stunned, having moved to block the attack, to only gain a small girl hanging from his arm, tiny claws digging through his robe.

Silence reigned on the group, all staring in confusion at the tiny child that was very easily noticed to not be human. Or, at least, not fully human... Tiny little animal ears popped through a head of shaggy ebony hair. Violet pupils with catlike slits quickly morphed from victorious pride to abject horror as she realized who she had launched herself at.

Dropping to the ground, she began pleading at a mile a minute, speaking so fast that they could barely understand the apologies and begging not to hurt her. Inuyasha just looked equally as panicked as the little girl began to cry, his head whipping back and forth between the child and Kagome, silently begging the miko for help.

But Kagome was already moving to drop at the little girl's side, quietly crooning and softly assuring her. "Hey, shhh, no its fine, we aren't going to hurt you…" When the little girl's cries melted into soft sniffles, Kagome gave her a brilliant smile. "My name is Kagome, can you tell me your name?..."

Rubbing a tiny fist against her eye, the little girl mumbled, "Its Kita…"

Before Kagome could speak, she felt something swiftly crawling up her back, only to find a familiar little Kitsune perched on her shoulder. "Hiya! My name is Shippo." Grinning mischievously, his tail whipping back and forth in unhindered excitement. "Nice job jumping Inubaka here: the look on his face was hilarious!"

"Oi! Watch it, runt!"

Knowing he was safe so long as he remained perched on the miko's shoulder, he childishly stuck his tongue out at the Hanyou, ignoring the growls before turning his attention back to the little girl who was trying in vain to smother her giggles. The giggles were cut off by a sharp gasp as a small mew came from her side, looking down to see the group's little firecat pressed against her hip, purring softly. Sango grew a wistful smile and chuckled. "Kirara seems to like you."

Carefully placing a hand on top of the cat's head, the girl gently scratched between the firecat's ears. "She's like me…"

Kagome perked up at that. "You are a cat demon?"

Her shoulders stiffened, worry in her eyes, but before she could speak, Inuyasha gruffly announced, "She's hanyou, like me."

And suddenly, all the stiffness left the little girl's shoulders, giving a look of adoration and awe to the rest of the group. Despite his gruffness, Kagome sent him a warm look, happy that he had spoke up. He knew that the girl was nervous about revealing her heritage to humans, and his remark pushed away any concerns she might have about them judging her.

But as the situation began to sink in, Kagome found herself with dozens of questions, weighing them all carefully in her mind. Who was this child? What was she doing in the middle of the woods? As far as the group knew, there were not any other villages nearby…

Unfortunately, she did not get a chance to ask before a figure burst out of the foliage, growling lowly.

"Hands off that child."