Tsuki no Youkai by Hallie Faust

The Girl Who Overcame Time

"At last, Tetsusaiga is within my grasp." The youkai in white clutched a spherical jewel. He stood at the base of a giant tree in the hanyou's domain. Said half-breed lay face-down just yards away. The white of the full moon peaked between the canopy, its light enhancing the glow of gold in the darkness.

Suddenly he heard a murmur of words. The priestess, hands aglow, fell towards him from the tree. His eyes widened only to see darkness.

The priestess huffed, kneeling before the sacred tree. The demon was sealed, an etched crescent moon the only proof of his presence. There was a green glow beneath the roots of the tree as the dog demon tried to escape. It flashed once, twice, then vanished.

"K-kikyo . . ." Her head whipped around.

"Inuyasha!" She cried and crawled towards him. He was managing to rise on his hands and knees at least. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live." He chuckled beneath his breath before he glanced toward the tree, "At least that bastard is gone for good."

"His power was too great, though. I could only seal him away, not purify him." She sighed. "What about the jewel though?" She held the orb in her palms, contemplative.

"He is the only one who knew how to open the gateway. We should just protect it so that no other demon can get to it."

Fifty years later, Inuyasha could see a light coming from the village. He could smell the smoke and burning flesh. He could hear the prayers of the villagers. Sitting on the limb of a tree. He watched the embers of his beloved ascend to the heavens. As his tears flowed, he knew, with certainty, that at least his father's heirloom was safe forever.

"Jigoku no wha?"

"Jigoku no tama, my girl."

"You don't think tourists are going to buy these dumb charms, are you?" the girl held the open box in her palms, staring at the silver crystal resting on the plush cloth inside.

"That is not just a charm. That jewel inside is a replica of an ancient jewel which . . ."

The girl gasped suddenly at the old man, "You do remember it's my birthday tomorrow right?"

"And you won't get anything if you keep interrupting! Ahem, as I was saying, it's a replica of an ancient jewel that allows a family to send prayers to their ancestors and loved ones . . ."

The girl looked at him with sparkly eyes and he sighed, "I had planned to wait another day . . ."

"So you did get something! Hand it over!"

"That my dear is an authentic mummified hand of a kappa youkai which stalked a young lord all his life before the lord caught him and had him killed." The old man realized too late that the pet feline of the shrine had already made off with the antique.

"Replica this, authentic that. Here, everything's got a story. The thousand year-old sacred tree. Legend of the hidden well. I've heard the stories of the demon sealed on these grounds all my life and I've never believed a word of it."

The young girl left the house that morning to find her little brother stopped beside the well house. She was going down to retrieve Buyo for her scaredy-cat brother, when suddenly something behind her pulled her down. "Oh to be alive once more! I can feel my body again! You have it don't you!"

She found herself huffing on the ground. "The Jewel of Hell? What?" She looked up to see the sky above her, "The sky? Did I bump my head or something?" A few minutes later, she found her answer, but definitely not the one she was hoping for!

"Whu-where am I?!" Kagome looked about, startled and fascinated by the life around her. After calling for her family for some time, she noticed it, and dashed for it. If the tree's here, then I'm definitely home!

For the first time in her life, she saw the moon scar on her family's beloved tree. "What?!" she yelled, enraged. "Who would dare violate the tree? 'Bunch of punks. How mean." She climbed up the roots to get a closer look. After analyzing the perfect crescent shape, she sighed, "Well, whoever did this sure has good workmanship." As she reached to touch it, her foot slipped and she tumbled. She couldn't believe what she found however. Beneath the tree . . . was a white dog. It looked asleep, but the branches told her the hound must have been there for quite some time. "Poor thing." She crawled down so that she was underneath the roots now, nearly underneath the base of the tree itself. She noticed something on the dog's head, "Is that a . . . a crescent?"

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

As if the yell hadn't surprised her enough, she was suddenly thrown back out from underneath the tree. Her head pounded, "Did I actually bump my head this time?" and as her vision faded, all she could see was red . . . . . . . .

The girl shot up from her slumber with a gasp. "Be calm, child."

She turned her head to find a one-eyed elderly woman stirring a pot above a fire. She quickly realized she was in a house. The high schooler couldn't find the words as she looked about frantically, terrified. Where am I now?

"I must apologize for my friend's brashness. It has been a long time since he has dealt with humans."

She looked at the old woman again, clearly still confused. The old miko smiled softly, "I am known as Lady Kaede. What am I to call ye?"

"Oh. I'm Kagome." Shivering, she shrugged out from beneath the blankets, and edged towards the fire. Kagome found a small wooden bucket of water with a cloth draped on the edge. The miko nodded towards it, "We were not sure if ye were in pain, Kagome."

She put a hand to her head, combing fingers through her hair. "I'm pretty sure I've bumped my head twice today, but I feel fine now . . . oh that smells divine!"

"I'm glad ye are well enough to have an appetite." Kaede chuckled, "I hope you two save some for me."

Kagome frowned. The miko kept mentioning someone else, but no one else was in the hut . . . "Ah, speak of the devil."

"Hey Kaede! I'm starved!" The reed mat was lifted back. Kagome realized it was night outside and worried about how long she may have been asleep. As the boy stepped through the door, he continued, "Is dinner ready ye-" He stopped. His ears flicked toward the girl at his feet. Ears? LIKE DOG EARS!?

She didn't realize she was openly staring and he lowered to a squat before her, "Hey, how's your head?" But she didn't hear him, didn't even realize he spoke as she reached up and barely brushed one of the appendages before it flicked at her fingers in response. Suddenly he was a few feet away, "Hey! No touching!"

Her eyes were wide with shock, "I'm-m sorry."

Kagome swore he blushed, but he recovered, "Keh! It's nothing."

Kaede chose that moment to step in, "Kagome, this is Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is Kagome."

They looked at each other and Kagome realized his attire for the first time and it struck her. "Hey! You were the one who knocked me out in the woods!" She accused.

Her eyes sparkling with hidden mirth, Kaede gasped, "Inuyasha! Ye took advantage of this young lass?"

"Whu- I- What- NO! I would never do that! I'm not THAT disloyal, YE know!"

The room saddened. Kaede sighed and looked back to her broth, "Aye. I don't suppose you are." He caught what she meant and sat down finally.

Kagome bore the silence until it just got to her, "I'm sorry. Did I miss something?"

The miko looked surprised but her expression was slight and disinterested even, "Where are ye from that ye have not heard of the late Lady Kikyo's passing?"

Some understanding finally registered, "We really aren't in Tokyo anymore are we?" Kagome asked as she accepted a bowl of soup.

"To-Kee-Oh?" The two said at once, equally lost. "Inuyasha, have you ever heard of such a place in your travels?"

He crossed his arms and thought for a minute, Kagome's hopes rising, but then replied, "No."

Kagome sipped her food silently. Kaede peered at her, "Come to think of it, you actually resemble my sister very much."

Kagome looked up, "Your sister?"

"Aye. Lady Kikyo was my sister, a powerful priestess." Oh great. Maybe I'm in Grandpa's dream or something.

The dog-eared boy shot up, his ears swiveling, nose twitching. "What is it Inuyasha-"

"I smell a demon. Stay inside!" He was out the door like a whirlwind. Moments of silence passed. A sudden shriek and Kagome was up on her feet. She peeked out the door and rushed back, grabbing Kaede by the arm, "It's barreling toward us! Come on!"

The two were barely outside before the house was smashed to bits. Animals shrieked in their pens at the chaos. Kagome pointed, "It's that thing!"

Amidst the ruckus of people running about, there was a center of calm where the "demon" and Inuyasha faced off. Kagome gasped as long white hair whipped about as the boy leaped up high and aimed his bear hands at the demon. She cried out for his demise, but then a flash of yellow and the centipede demon yelped. But as it leaned back, since it's body was holding it up, her face upside down, she caught sight of Kagome. When the demon took too long to put her attention back on him, Inuyasha looked to find the girl within the demon's line of sight. "Run Kagome!"

He startled her from her paralyzed state of the demon's gaze and she spun around and darted away. "Don't stop Kagome! I'll kill it, just keep running!"

She didn't know anything about demons. She didn't know anything about this world. Without knowing, she was heading for the forest. There was a howl in the wind but she couldn't hear it between the beats of her heart echoing through her ears. The demon struck the ground and Kagome jumped. She slid on her belly and when she finally came to a stop, she heard a sharp biting voice. "Priestess!"

"Huh?" She couldn't seem to catch her breath before she was blinded by a green light. When it dimmed, she shifted her arm and fell backward in shock.

Inches away, a set of giant pearly fangs gleamed. Hot breath shot from black nostrils. Kagome shrieked and scooted away to see a giant white dog stuffed within the roots of the tree, acting as a sort of cage. A cage that was way too small as tufts of fur fluffed out well past the width of the roots. She stared wide-eyed at the magenta stripes and blue crescent and . . . golden eyes . . . Giant. Furious. Demon-Slitted Eyes!

The earth shook, reverberated beneath her and she sat stock still. It took her a moment to realize that the thing had growled. It took a giant sniff and smiled maliciously, revealing even more of its razor-sharp demonic teeth. Kagome swore she could see hints of green steam rise from within its jaws.

A shout was all it took to rip her attention away to the sound of Inuyasha falling above her. Landing in the branches of the sacred tree with a loud crack, he groaned and lay still. The centipede paused, making sure he was down for good, then turned her attention to Kagome, noticing the giant dog beneath the tree for the first time. "Hah! Two worthless, helpless mutts in one day! What are the odds!"

The centipede ignored the growl and the eyes that shot up to her. As more words were spoken from the gangly centipede, Kagome had been quietly slipping away to hide, before a voice rung in her head. Save him! Save them both! The seal on the tree! Go!

Her head pounding once again, the groan she let loose gave away her position. "There you are!" She was suddenly hit in the gut, lifted from the ground and slammed against her back. Seconds later, she heard a thump and found Inuyasha on the ground, facing the mistress. "I see you're awake brother." A growl, harsher, louder than before, shook the earth and Kagome had to snap to attention to regain her balance on the roots of the tree. The seal. Hurry!

Kagome put a hand to her head, eyes closed tight in pain. "Wha?" She mumbled, "Seal?"

Despite not being very loud, Inuyasha whipped around, "Don't you dare touch the se-" The centipede wrapped its body around him in coils, squeezing so fast he couldn't finish. Kagome looked everywhere, anywhere, for anything that could help. Her eyes landed on the carved moon.

She screamed. The demon had bit into her side and flung her up in the air. She landed and barely registered the object that fell beside her. Inuyasha gasped, "The jewel!" Then there was a roar. Kagome recovered quickly thanks to the end of the voice in her head but not quick enough before the demon's three left arms pushed her away as she ate the jewel.

Kagome stood, determined, "That's it!" I'm done with getting thrown around. She darted up the tree, not that the centipede cared. I'm tired of getting treated like I'm crazy. She glared at the stupid moon. I'm not going to die! Not here, and not to a demon! She closed her eyes and slammed her palm on the moon scar. Realizing that perhaps she just made the biggest mistake of her life, she opened her eyes to find the crescent glowing. Giant pulses began beneath her feet and she watched as a light blinded everyone. Kagome couldn't see the dog demon anymore. Sesshomaru.

The light swooshed up to the sky, an orb of light. It dissipated to reveal a young man, floating before the full moon.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru spat.

The struggling boy in red glared up at him.

"How pathetic of you. All it took was one weak demon to distract you and a human to release me." His eyes narrowed. With an alarming speed, he appeared before the centipede's face. "Disgusting filth," his deep voice echoed as a green light whipped around the centipede. It had a moment to scream in pain before the whip tightened and the demon was reduced to chunks of flesh. Sesshomaru landed on the ground next to Inuyasha, smiling at the remains of the demon.

Kagome breathed, "So I was saved." Sesshomaru glared, his deadly smirk long gone, "As if I'd save you, pathetic girl."

What? He didn't save me when I saved him?