Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha and Co. The original characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, I only use them for my own twisted amusement.

Ownage: I own any character that I create (I will say any that I make up at the end of each chapter). I don't care if you use them for your own sick pleasure, but I would like to be warned.

Summary: Pretty much the same as the manga/anime, except with my own plot devices.
InuYasha escapes from the tree to save Kagome because she is his destined Mate. But everything seems to be conspiring against them as trouble looms in the eminent future. What happens when his fathers' past enemies come to take their revenge, when a dark enemy surfaces…or when Kagome leaves for her home world?

0…0…0

Chapter One - To Fall Through Time

Destiny will lead you on.

0…0…0

Sengoku Jidai

How stupid can I get! Believing Kikyo could love me…. The thoughts raced through the hanyou's mind as he leapt into the trees, a small round jewel clutched in his clawed hand. I will never be that stupid again. She wasn't even my damn Mate! How the hell could I be so stupid….

He sped through the forest as if he could escape the sadness, the betrayal welling within him. He had truly thought that he and Kikyo could be happy together, that they could have had something. But, instead, she'd been planning to kill him the whole time. She'd only been toying with him! How could he have fallen for such a farce? What kind of demon was he, anyways?

As he moved swiftly and silently, he suddenly felt eyes on him. He turned his head just in time to see Kikyo shooting an arrow directly at his heart.

He could only watch in astonishment as it hit him, slamming him back into the Goshinboku. He felt the arrow push through him into the bark of the tree, pinning him to the ancient wood. The jewel fell from his hand, rolling out of his reach. He weakly held out one arm as he felt unconsciousness trying to overcome him. He looked back at Kikyo and felt true hatred, true fury.

When the darkness finally overtook him, he promised himself he would bring those emotions straight to Hell with him.

0…0…0

Present Day

Kagome Higurashi left her home, waving to her mother happily. It was finally her fifteenth birthday! Who wouldn't be happy?

She walked towards the road absently, so used to the path that she didn't even have to look up. Everything about her home was routine. Waking up, she changed into her school uniform, then went downstairs to eat her favorite cereal. Then, her mother would tell her that she was going to be late if she didn't leave right that minute and hand her the lunch she had packed. On the way to school, Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka--her best friends--would meet up with her in front of Ayumi's family's store, which was on the way to school. They would walk and talk about the cute guys in their class--mostly Houjo, though Kagome only thought of him as a friend, really.

Sighing, the schoolgirl continued towards the stairs leading to the street when she heard her brother, Souta, call out to her.

"Hey, Sis! Buyo is in the wellhouse!" he shouted, waving at her energetically, as though she didn't know where the wellhouse was on their property.

Rolling her eyes, she walked over to him, crouching down. "Why don't you go get him then?"

"W-well…I don't know where he went in there!"

She stood, holding back the urge to call him a baby, and stepped onto the rickety stairs carefully, testing them to see if they would fall apart.

Noting that they didn't give way, she walked down them, still cautious. She could hear the meow of her cat as she reached the bottom and tried to pinpoint where the noise had come from. But a faint scratching from the old well kept reaching her ears, making her wonder if somehow the cat had gotten in there. When she looked at the well, she realized he couldn't have fallen in; it was covered with planks to prevent anyone from falling.

Frightened, she screamed when Buyo rubbed against her leg, which made her brother yell as well.

"What'd ya do that for?!" he shouted. A blush crept across his face tellingly. "It was only Buyo!" he added as she picked the fat cat up.

"Souta--" She turned on him, beginning her rant, when she felt a sudden whoosh of air behind her. The young boy screamed her name just as she felt cold, clammy hands surround her neck to pull her backwards.

She shrieked as she fell into the well, hearing her brother's footsteps scurrying off to get help, stumbling along the way.

"Ah, my power…I can feel it returning…." A dark, but feminine voice floated along the air into Kagome's mind as she was turned so she would land on her stomach. Kagome watched in horror as the woman's long, insect-like tongue flicked out and over her cheek. "You have it, don't you? The Shikon no Tama…. Give it to me!"

Screaming in disgust, the school girl's hand shot out towards the creature's face. "Stop it!" she shrieked.

A bright light seemed to erupt from her hand and into the female features, causing the centipede-woman to fly away, still shouting about the "Shikon no Tama."

Suddenly, Kagome could feel solid ground under her palms and knees, telling her that she was now back in the well.

Looking up, she wondered if it could have been a dream, if she had hit her head on the sides of the well.

A glance to her left told her that she hadn't been dreaming.

A severed arm lay there, fingers twitching.

With a small squeak, she stammered, "S-Souta! Get Grampa!" No response. "Souta!" She held out the last syllable, beginning to believe her brother had run off.

Her hand moved around the side of the well, feeling for anything that she could use to climb out. Her hand snared a vine she was sure shouldn't have been there and hauled herself up, limbs aching after a little while. A lot like the rope in gym. Couldn't do that, either.

She continued berating herself for not trying very hard in her physical education class, deciding she would get more exercise from then on.

As she pulled herself over the edge of the well, she was surprised to see that there was no building around it. In fact, it was in the middle of a clearing, trees blocking out any sight of the shrine she might have had. Frightened, she quickly climbed out and walked into the trees, looking around frantically for her home. Where could it be?! And where had all these trees come from?!

Then she spotted something that she recognized: the Goshinboku. She could find her way home from there!

She sprinted for it, a smile on her face. She'd never been unable to find her way home from the Sacred Tree; she would be back with her family to share her spectacular story within minutes.

But when she entered the small treeless area around the Goshinboku, which was easily the largest tree in the forest, she came to an abrupt stop. Was that a…boy on the tree?

She took a moment to take in what she saw. There was no sign of her house, or even of the Sunset Shrine. No, there was just more trees and plant life, no little inkling that there had ever even been a house near the area. Vines climbed up the Goshinboku, around the boy there. She thought maybe he just had his eyes closed in a daydream; he looked so peaceful. He gave no reaction when she moved closer, which she couldn't help but wonder about.

"Uh…hello? Are you awake?" she asked timidly, inching nearer to his relaxed form. "Hello!"

Then she saw the arrow protruding from him and flinched back with a gasp. He was…shot…by an arrow?! What was going on?!

She moved courageously closer to the dead boy, walking up the large vines to get a better look at him.

It was obvious he hadn't been there long; he was still warm when she touched his face. But how could the vines have grown around him so quickly?

Kagome looked him over, seeing that he wore very outdated clothes. There was a tie at his waist for his haori and hakama, making her blink. She'd never met anyone who wore their clothes that way.

His hair, she noted, was inhuman silver white and what was that on his head…. Dog ears?! What was going on?!

Suddenly there were shouts behind her. She twisted around, unintentionally blocking the boy's body with her own. "W-who are you?" she called, not yet seeing anyone.

A barrage of arrows came at her then, making her cringe and prepare herself for impact. Instead of puncturing her, they hit the wood around her, caging her in front of the boy.

An old woman came through the trees, aiming one last arrow at her. "Are ye a demon?" she asked raggedly, glaring with one eye at Kagome. "If ye are, prepare for death. No one enters InuYasha's forest." She brought her bowstring back a little farther. "Answer me!"

Four men came out of the trees, also holding bows, though they didn't seem in a hurry to fire. They surrounded the old, one-eyed woman protectively, like she wasn't the one about to kill someone else.

"I…. A demon? Me?" Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. Demons? Were they crazy? Since when were there demons?

"Aye, are ye?"

She blinked. Aye? Ye? When had that become normal? "N-no. I'm not a demon. I just fell into the dry well at my shrine--"

"The dry well?" one of the men interjected. "Ye mean the Bone Eater's Well?"

She nodded her head quickly, happy to be making some leeway. "Yes. You see, there was this large…creature that grabbed me and pulled me in. I don't know what happened, but I didn't come back out to my home."

"Ye lie."

The voice was the old woman's, full of suspicion and disbelief. Kagome brought her gaze back to her, surprised--though she shouldn't have been--that the woman didn't believe her. Weren't they the ones talking about demons and shooting arrows at random people? Not to mention the fact that they wore waist knots, also. Maybe it was some cult that Kagome didn't know of.

"Nothing has ever gone into the dry well and come back out."

That made Kagome start to wonder about these people's sanities. They didn't believe that something could come back out of a well but believed that a young girl only wanting to go to school was a demon. They couldn't be entirely rational!

"Well, this centipede…thing just came out of nowhere then and yanked me in there. I don't know how I got here, but if you could turn me to the direction of the Sunset Shrine, I'd be so grateful!" She smiled, hoping that it would make the other woman stop aiming at her heart. When no one relaxed even slightly, she began to walk towards them slowly, hands up in surrender. "I'm not trying to do anything to hurt you guys. I'm just trying to find my way back home, that's all."

Before she knew what was happening, the men rushed her, grabbing her arms and pulling them behind her back, tying her in that position. She kicked at them blindly, uncaring when she heard their grunts of pain or when she felt the burning sensation in her wrists.

She heard something…a snarl…. Who was it? No one else seemed to notice, she saw, when she stopped thrashing. Had they not heard it?

Fight them, she heard in her head. Don't let them fucking touch you.

She was astonished by the voice, the rough words. It sounded like the owner was furious, ready to attack whatever was out there, though it wasn't tangible. But she felt empowered by it. She would fight because it told her to. Whoever's it was, they didn't want these people to touch her anymore than she wanted them to.

Goddamnit, girl! Fight dirty! Don't let them fucking hurt you! At least not until I can get to you…. The voice drifted off into oblivion as the blood began to pound with the adrenaline in her body.

When a man's wrist came close to her mouth, she bit him, clenching down as hard as she could on the tendons, ignoring his livid shouts and his attempts to yank it out of the bear trap. She dug her teeth in more, listening to the sound of the voice's happiness in her head. It encouraged her to fight harder, to lash out with whatever she could. Legs, teeth, head…it didn't care.

Suddenly, she felt as though it was too hard to keep her teeth clenched on the man. She was breathing something…something that was making her so tired…. She let go of the man and began falling.

Don't faint on me! Wait until I can fucking get there for you! Just hold out a little longer….

She tried to do as the voice said, but her head was becoming too heavy, too full. She could feel the people rushing about her, their footsteps falling heavily.

Then she felt something hard strike her head and darkness began to invade her vision.

I'll kill 'em! I'll kill all of 'em! Damnit, if it weren't for this damn arrow….

She fell to the ground, hoping the voice would quiet down so she could get some sleep. Her whole body felt so…heavy and…leaden. She wanted nothing more than to sleep until she woke back in her bed.

Kagome was out before the woman even ordered the men to bring her back to their village.

0…0…0

He tried to force himself to wake up, to go find whoever had hurt her and kill them. It was natural, considering his youkai instincts. She was the one, the one he had once hoped to find in Kikyo. But now…he could smell her, hear her voice.

Her scent was so close to Kikyo's, so similar…yet so different. Only the strongest of noses would detect the subtle difference, but it was there.

He had also smelt the men that had surrounded her, along with one other woman's. He had felt her pain, the rope across her wrists, marking her skin brutally. They had believed she was a demon? He had smelt that she was a human. And her voice had been so sincere, so frightened, that he had felt himself stirring for the first time in so long. He had felt the arrow piercing him, the tree's bark at his back. He'd heard the rustle of leaves in the breeze and smelt the dewy grass.

He'd also felt one emotion rip through him that he'd never felt before: possession. How dare those damn humans touch her like that! He would rip them to shreds just for thinking about what they'd done. It was the last thing they would do.

If he could only get loose from the tree….

0…0…0

"Where are ye from?" Kaede asked Kagome, sitting on the floor of the old miko's home. Both held the bowls that held their soup.

"Tokyo," the younger girl answered absently, thinking of how she would get there. She didn't know how she'd gotten to this place; how was she going to figure out her way back to her family's shrine? There were no leads to go on except the well. And that wasn't a good idea. Kaede had made it clear that whatever was in that well ate everything that went into that well, from bones to humans.

"Toe-key-oh? I have never heard of it." Kaede set down her bowl. "Ye look much like my late sister, Kikyo."

Kagome rolled her eyes. She'd heard that from the old woman at least a thousand times in the afternoon she'd been there and it was starting to wear on her. "I believe you might have mentioned that before," she said blandly, trying not to be rude. Her mother had taught her respect, but her patience only went so far. Everyone in the village had steered clear of her, whispering behind their hands at her inappropriate clothing and her resemblance to this "Kikyo" person.

"Kagome," the older woman began with a sigh. "Ye need to know something--"

She was cut off by the distinct thud of something very heavy hitting the ground close to the hut, followed by so many screams, Kagome couldn't distinguish male from female.

"Lade Kaede!" someone shouted before there was a loud screech.

Kagome and Kaede raced outside the hut and saw a horse lying just before them, its rib bones visible through the gap in its side. The villagers were running around, the men grabbing spears and bows while the woman brought the children inside their homes.

"The jewel! You have it, miko! Bring it to me!" an all too familiar voice screamed, coming from just to Kagome's left.

She turned her head just in time to jump out of the way of the monster's savage looking teeth. Its large body flew past her and swiftly twisted and rose off the ground. Kagome's eyes widened in horror as the thing opened its overly large mouth once more, its lips pulling back over suddenly longer and sharper teeth.

"Give me the jewel!" It raced towards her without hesitation.

Screaming, Kagome began running, searching frantically for any way to safety.

That was when the light caught her eye. She swung her head to see what it was.

The forest is…shining? That's where I'll have to go! There has to be someone out there who can help me! The thought flashed through her mind quickly, and she changed her direction so that she was heading towards the forest Kaede had told her to stay out of.

"Kagome! Where are ye going?!" the aforementioned priestess shouted.

"I'm going to the light, Kaede!" she yelled in return over her shoulder. "Maybe the people can help us!" She heard the creature's shrieks and continued on faster, adding, "I'll be back with help, don't worry!"

"But, child, that's InuYasha's forest! There won't be any humans out there!"

"Kaede, I can see the light from their camp! They'll help us, I know it!" Then she was off, leaving the stunned village leader to call for horses and men to fight.

Child, ye are special. That is not light from a camp, but one that only few people can see. I hope ye find something to help us, regardless.

0…0…0

He could smell her. She was so damn close. In a matter of moments, she would be there, just feet in front of him, and he wouldn't even be able to go to her.

Then he caught the odor of a demon on the hunt. With the scent came the sound, forcing him to fight mercilessly against the spell that bound him to the tree, the one thing that was keeping him from her. If he couldn't get to her before the damn youkai, he would never again find her. He had one Mate for eternity; he wouldn't lose her now.

He felt his eyes burst open for the first time in what felt like so long, his eyes adjusting to the different colors.

Once he regained his equilibrium, he attempted to move from his spot, to rush to the aid of his Mate. But before he could leap to the ground, a jolt of electricity flowed through him, shocking him into looking down at the arrow protruding from his chest.

He had forgotten about that. He damned Kikyo a thousand times for the extra obstacle he had to get rid of to help the woman coming at him. Damnit, once I get my hands on you, you stupid bitch, I'm going to skin you alive for this!

He brought his hand to the shaft of the arrow, determined to rip it out quickly so he could get the girl before the demon. The odor of the thing was close to overpowering the girl's now, telling him not only that it was closing in on her, but that it was a centipede, too. They weren't known for patience.

Roaring his outrage, he ignored the pain of touching the arrow and began to pull it from the tree and his heart. He could feel the spell trying to stop him, to keep the arrowhead in the tree, slowing his escape down. He could barely feel the agony of the purification powers coursing through him, allowing his demon side to fight against it on its own. He needed a human's determination if he wanted to save his Mate.

Just as the spell began to loosen its hold, a girl in quite…revealing clothing broke through the trees, breathing heavily and stumbling slightly. He knew instantly that this was the girl that the gods had given him for all eternity, the one that was meant for only him. Her scent—the beautiful aroma that was floral and soft and innocent—intoxicated him, almost making him forget about getting to her.

The demon coming after her swiftly stopped any thoughts of doing that.

"Give me the jewel, you wretched human!" she screeched, about to catch the girl. "I will kill you for it!"

He snarled at that, catching both the girl's and the youkai's attention. "Get away from her, hag!" he ordered, his voice growing louder and darker with the last word.

The centipede woman looked away from him. "You are only the half-demon that was so weak as to be brought down by a mere arrow. You shouldn't even be alive, you filthy creature."

He ignored the jab about his heritage when she turned back on the girl, knowing he only had moments to save her.

The arrow seemed to be disintegrating in his hand under the pressure he put on it.

But it wasn't enough.

The demon was lurching towards the girl, who had tripped and fallen on the ground, twisting onto her back in time for the centipede to bite the fragile skin of her hip. The girl cried out, shrinking away from the cause of the pain. She put her hand on the youkai's head and pushed, with all her might. A resounding purple light flashed from her hand into the demon, causing its jaw to unclench and drop her. The girl hit the ground, obviously in pain, and he knew she fought for consciousness as she began groping the ground, searching for something that he hadn't seen.

"So, you hid the Shikon no Tama within your body? How very clever of you, priestess. But not clever enough. Now, I will just have to take it from you."

He howled furiously, hoping to catch her attention for the brief second he needed to pull the arrow from his chest.

She didn't mind him. Instead, she threw herself towards the girl, who's right hand was clenched so tightly, her knuckles were as white as snow. The youkai grabbed the girl and held her as she brought her body as high as most of the treetops, before shaking her brutally.

"Drop it, you worthless mortal! Give me the Shikon no Tama!"

Though the name registered in his mind, he couldn't focus on anything but saving his Mate from the monster slowly killing her. Finally, he overpowered the spell and heard the distinct sound of horses' hooves galloping through the forest towards them. So, the villagers wanted their prisoner back? He'd kill them as well as the youkai.

He launched himself at the centipede in time for her to drop the girl, who hit the ground, obviously no longer cognizant. But still her hand clutched the object in her hand.

"I'll kill you!" he shouted, jumping to the female centipede's face. He raised his hand and shouted, "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!"

He cut easily through the demon, taking perverted pleasure in the sounds of her dying screams. When he landed, he turned to the girl.

And saw a group of men and one woman surrounding her, lifting her from the ground onto a horse.

"Don't fucking touch her!" he yelled, leaping to them. Their scents were familiar; they had been the ones to hurt her before. He wouldn't let them do it again.

Forcefully, he grabbed her from the man holding her, careful of her injuries. The old woman gasped his name, warning the men not to go after him. He jumped onto a tree, snarling at them.

"How…how are ye off the tree, InuYasha?" the old woman breathed, stepping too close for his comfort.

Growling, he pushed off the branch into a higher one, one they could not see as easily in the dark. "Don't get any fucking closer, hag. I'll be damned before I let you hurt her again."

She seemed confused, her one eye glazing slightly. "Why would I hurt her, InuYasha?" she asked. "I just want to help her." She seemed to gather herself. "And ye have still not answered my question. How are ye off the Goshinboku?"

He snapped his teeth at her. "Sure, you just want to fucking help. That's why you allowed your men there to tie her up and toss her around like she wasn't anything more than a god damned sack of herbs, huh? Get the fuck out of here."

"We thought she was a spy for another village."

He roared. "That doesn't give you the fucking right to hurt her! She's just a woman; what shitty village would send a woman to spy?"

"One that doesn't want to get caught. We also thought she might be a kitsune in disguise."

Looking down at the woman in his arms, he decided that it was plausible. Few women had her beauty and wandered around without their husband or father. It was dangerous for women, he knew. But kitsunes could only hold their shape for so long, and never when they were hurt. They would transform back to their smaller forms when they were tied and run away. So why hurt her after they had figured out she wasn't one?

"Doesn't matter. You shouldn't have hurt my Mate," he decided loudly.

"We do what we have to protect our families, InuYasha, though you may not." She paused, taking in all that he had said. "Your…Mate?" She seemed a bit shocked.

Her bullshit was beginning to rub him the wrong way. "You don't fucking know me, you old hag. So don't talk like you fucking do."

The girl in his arms began waking, her body tensing against him. He held her a bit tighter to him, hoping the humans wouldn't be able to see her silhouette moving in the darkness.

Unfortunately, the gods had blessed him all they would today.

"Bring Kagome down," the aged priestess said. "She will need something for the pain."

He growled, but knew she was right. Humans didn't heal as quickly as demons; he wouldn't let her be in pain.

The girl awoke in degrees, looking up into his face for a moment before horror contorted it. He saw her mouth open the scream, but no sound came out as he cautiously brought them back down to the ground, walking up to the miko.

One of the men tried to take "Kagome" from the cradle of his arms, and he clicked his teeth, flexing his fingers a little. "I'll carry her, ningen," he snarled.

"InuYasha, ye cannot come into the village," the woman said with authority, though he didn't care. "I will not have ye harming anyone."

He pushed past her. "I'll go where I damn well please. And if I wanted to hurt them, do you think I'd listen to your little 'warning' anyways?"

"You…you have to put me down."

The frail voice shocked him, making him look down at the girl struggling past the pain to get out of his arms. His eyes narrowed and he allowed his claws to scrap against her bare leg, one of his fangs showing on his lip. "No, I don't, Mate. You need to get some help." She seemed to relax a little at that, though she was still a bit stiff. "Then, you're coming with me."

She yelped and flailed her limbs, catching him in the face with her hand.

Since he couldn't see the path in front of him, the hand blocking his view caused him to trip over a small fallen log, unable to catch himself. They went down, the girl gasping when she hit her injured hip on the ground and his full body weight crashed down on her. She grimaced in pain, but continued to try to wiggle away from him.

He growled deep in his chest, lifting himself on stiffened arms to keep the pressure off her. "Damnit, bitch, stop fucking squirming!" He knew that his youkai side was too close to the surface after fight was over, adrenaline powering it. And she was so close. He could smell everything that had touched her that day, from the faint scent of the soap she must have used to bathe to the overpowering scent of the centipede that had clutched her. If he allowed himself to lose control, he would end up taking her on the ground like an animal, hurting her more than she already was.

She was surprised into silence, her cerulean eyes widening before promptly leaving his.

He took a moment to take in her—all of her—and couldn't believe how incredibly lucky he was.

She looked a bit like Kikyo, this Kagome. He could dimly see it, but her innocence, her warmth, overpowered any resemblance. Her eyes were a beautiful blue he had never seen on a human before, brought out by the dark line of her eyelashes. Her hair wasn't terribly long but was blue-black even in the dark. Her lips were full and dark pink, very kissable. He wondered what she would taste like. Her nose was small, perfectly aligned with her cheekbones, its end slightly upturned. Her neck was elegant and slender, leading to shoulders of equal fragility. Her clothing was odd, but did nothing to cover the curves he saw. Her breasts weren't large, nor were they small, but perfect for his hands. Her waist was slim and toned, like she spent a lot of her time keeping it that way. Her hips flared suddenly, emphasizing her waist. Her legs were long and muscled, as well, making his mouth almost begin to water as he took in all that was his.

He moved his gaze back to hers.

"We'd better get going before the humans trample us with those damn horses," he rumbled, his voice husky with anticipation. "C'mon."

He lifted her, but she seemed set on walking herself.

He caught her easily when she almost fell after putting weight on her injury, swinging her into his arms despite her fear.

0…0…0

All right, I'm trying my hand at a riff (or whatever it's called). Give me your input, good, bad, or ugly. Just don't post a review that's rude and totally uncalled for like "You suck at writing" or "Get a life, you idiot." Those will not be appreciated and will end up getting you reported for abuse, or whatever it is FanFiction does to kick people off. Don't cross me on this subject.

Also, if you would please rate each chapter with stars (even if you don't plan giving any constructive criticism or compliments), that'd be great. One is lowest, five is highest. I ask only for that at the end of each chapter, so I know how my future faithful readers like their stories to go. You don't have to type "I love this story!" or "OMG, what's going to happen?!" I just want to know how each person feels about the chapters that I post so I know what I need to do better.

If you see any mistakes, please let me know. I'm very picky about my writing, so if you see any contradictions, misspellings, misuse of words, I'd like to know so I can fix it. I can't get a Beta because of how randomly I post and my own impatience. Unless someone volunteers for the job, I'm not going to put someone in that position.

Thanks for reading.
SS98