Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. I am not making any money from this.

Summary: A butterfly flaps its wings and a tornado occurs on the opposite side of the world. One difference causes a ripple effect, changing everything. What difference can a small change make? What if Inuyasha didn't arrive at Kikyou's village for several weeks? What difference would a little bit of time make? What if he arrived in time to save Kaede from the demons but was mistakenly blamed by Kikyou? What if he never heard of the Shikon no Tama, never had any type of relationship with Kikyou? How would this affect his meeting with Kagome?

Author's Note: This plot bunny hit me after watching the anime episode "The Tragic Love Song of Destiny". I thought what if he hadn't met Kikyou but still ended up sealed and Kagome still released him. Since no one seems to be reading my story "Kagome's Curse" I haven't been inspired to work on it too much and decided to write this story instead. Please let me know what you think.

I know that in the episode there was only one youkai that tried to kidnap Kaede but I decided to make it a group of weak youkai working together.

Kaede ran through the forest, dodging trees and rocks as she gasped for breath. She didn't dare look behind her to see how close her pursuers were. She trembled from the effort as she continued to run as fast as she could. She knew she wouldn't be able to outrun them but she could not give up. One hand clutched at what remained of her right eye while the other pushed branches out of her way. Her thoughts were focused on reaching the village and her sister. She knew if she could just reach Kikyou then everything would be alright.

Suddenly, her foot caught on a raised tree root and she fell to the ground. Even as she pushed herself back up to continue her escape she knew it was too late. As she rose to her knees she felt a clawed hand grab her and knew she was caught. She tried to pull away but the grip was too strong.

"Got you now you little brat. No chance for escape now. Your only hope is if your sister decides to cooperate and hand over the Shikon no Tama in exchange for your life." The youkai laughed as he lifted his catch and made his way to where the other youkai were waiting. "Maybe if you're lucky and that miko decides to cooperate we'll make your death quick and painless."

Kaede felt hopelessness well up inside her. Looking around she recognized that she was in the clearing of the Goshinboku. 'So close. I was so close.' She thought with despair. She knew Kikyou couldn't give them the jewel. Her only hope was that Kikyou would be able to defeat them before they killed her but there were too many of them, even for a miko as powerful as her sister. Tears welled in her remaining eye from both the pain of her injury and her feelings of despair. 'I'm sorry Kikyou, I was too slow.' A flash of red in the trees above her caught her attention and she glanced up as she was thrown onto the ground in the circle of youkai.

"Oi, what a bunch of weaklings." A voice called from the treetops. Everyone in the clearing looked up to see a young man with long silver hair dressed in a flowing red outfit balanced on one of the branches.

"Who are you calling weak, you filthy hanyou?!" the youkai jeered at the youth. "You're the weak one, I can smell the human in you, you pathetic half-breed."

The silver-haired youth cracked his knuckles as he replied. "Keh. It takes all of you to catch one little human brat. Definitely weaklings. Not worth my time at all."

"Why you little!" The youkai were enraged at his words and attacked. The silver haired hanyou was easily able to dodge their clumsy movements and retaliated, slashing at them with his claws and yelling "Sankon Tessou!"

After a few moments the youkai were all dead and the only ones still in the clearing were Kaede and her unlikely savior. The hanyou snorted. "Keh. Bunch of weaklings just like I thought." He glanced at Kaede where she was huddled on the ground. "Oi brat, are you alright?"

Kaede just stared at him with her good eye as she continued to sit on the ground in shock. Now that he was on the ground she good easily see his claws and fangs, as well as his golden eyes and the dog ears on top of his head. This boy was obviously youkai and yet he had saved her and was asking if she was alright. Kaede was feeling lightheaded from the blood loss and this strange turn of events was not helping her. She blurted out "Who are you?" before she could stop herself.

The boy, 'Youkai' she told herself, turned to face her completely. Spotting her injury he came closer and crouched before her. "Name's Inuyasha. Are you from the nearby village?" he asked as he assessed her injuries with his eyes. She could only nod.

Inuyasha looked the girl over. She would never be able to make it back to the village by herself. He dug his claws into the palms of his hands as he fought with himself. He sighed. "Can't leave you here, too many youkai around. Come on, I'll bring you back to your people." He stood and extended a clawed hand in her direction.

The twang of an arrow caught both of their attention and then Inuyasha was hurled into trunk of the Goshinboku, an arrow shaft sticking out of his chest. He looked up and saw a glimpse of a woman dressed in the red and white attire of a miko, her long black hair tied back from her face as she regarded him with cold, unemotional, assessing eyes. The wind carried her scent to him, incense and medicinal herbs, with the scent of bell-flowers. "W-why?" he gasped before the world went dark.

"Kikyou-oneesan! Why did you do that?!" Kaede cried as she stared in shock at the boy pinned to the tree.

Kikyou was taken aback by her sister's question. She had learned of the plan to kidnap her sister and ransom her for the Shikon no Tama. She had fought many lesser youkai this day as she searched for her, depleting her arrows. When she finally finds her, she is huddled on the ground, obviously wounded with blood streaming down her face and a youkai standing over her with his bloody claws extended in her direction. Kikyou had taken her last arrow, a sealing arrow and fired it before Kaede was further injured. And now her sister acted like she had done something wrong.

Kikyou quickly knelt next to her younger sister and began to take care of her wounds. As she worked she questioned her. "What do you mean Kaede? He was attacking you."

"No oneesan, he wasn't. He saved me from the other youkai. He was offering to bring me back to the village when..." she trailed off and gestured to Kikyou's bow.

Kikyou was shocked by her sister's answer. A youkai saved her from other youkai? She shook her head. "It was probably a trick. He is a youkai, they are all evil. He probably decided why work with the others when he could use you to get the Shikon no Tama for himself."

Kaede shook her head. "No, he wasn't like that. He could have easily left me but he stopped to see if I was alright. Please, Kikyou-oneesan, won't you release him? He's different from other youkai. Please, oneesan, please release him."

"No Kaede. I will not release a youkai to attack humans."

"But-"

"No. This discussion is over. Come let us get you back to the village. That eye needs tending to." As Kikyou stood she glanced at the form pinned to the Goshinboku. His ears caught her attention. She peered closer at him and extended her miko senses. 'He feels part human?' "He's a hanyou?" she spoke aloud.

Kaede glanced at her. "That is what the other youkai called him. What does it mean?"

"That he is half youkai. One of his parents was likely a human." Kikyou glanced back at the hanyou one last time before turning away. "Perhaps he is different after all. I will have to meditate and reflect on this before I decide what to do." She stared at him and fingered the Shikon no Tama around her neck as a thought occurred to her. 'Yes I must meditate and consider this further.' She took her sister's hand and began the short walk back to the village. Kaede was happy to learn that her sister would consider releasing the hanyou from his seal and happily followed.

However, it was not to be. A few days later youkai that would be known as Naraku mortally wounded Kikyou in his attempt to claim the Shikon no Tama. Kikyou managed to wound him and drive him off before collapsing from her injuries. She instructed the villagers to burn the Shikon no Tama with her body so that it would not fall into the wrong hands. Kaede followed her wishes and the Shikon no Tama traveled to the other world with Kikyou. Kaede became the village miko in Kikyou's place but always regretted the fate of the hanyou sealed to the Goshinboku. She would occasionally wander into the forest, now known as Inuyasha's Forest, to look upon the hanyou still preserved against the trunk of the Tree of Ages, and wonder about what might have been.