Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Inuyasha show. Rumiko Takahashi is the one who owns them. This fan fiction is not a commercial project, and I am not making any money from writing it.

Warnings: M/F – Sesshomaru/Kagome, Yaoi (male x male) OC/OC.

Summary: A teen searches for Kagome. Who is he? What does he want? What is he hiding? And why the hell does he want to go to the feudal Japan?!

A/N 1: Naoe looks like 17 year old boy.

A/N 2: I will be using a few Japanese words like:

          Hanyou – half-breed

          Youki – demonic power

          Youkai – demon

          Shikon no Tama – Well as all of you already know it’s a sacred jewel that Kagome has broken.

A/N 3: Sorry for the mistakes. I am not a native speaker, so please bear with it.

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Chapter 1 Meeting

A soft knock echoed and a tall teenager with long white hair could be seen standing in front of the normal-sized house, waiting for a response. When there was none, he knocked one more time and, again, there was nothing but silence. But as soon as he thought about leaving, soft footsteps could be heard behind his back and a soft female voice asked if there was anything she could help him with. He turned around and saw a woman, with short brown hair, standing with a questioning look on her face. Looking kind of unsure the teen greeted the woman.

“Good afternoon. Ummm… is…is Kagome at home?”

“Oh, so you’re looking for my daughter! Unfortunately she’s not at home right now. Maybe I can help you somehow?”

“Ummm… no, thank you.” The boy turned to leave but stopped in the mid-step. “But on the other hand… Do you know when she is coming back?”

“Well, she went to the shop at about an hour ago…” The woman drawled out. “She might be back any minute now.”

“Thank you for the information.” The teen bowed slightly and continued.  “Then I’ll come again after a few hours. I need to talk to Kagome about something.” Once again he slightly bowed to the woman and resumed his walking.

“If you want to, you can stay here and wait for her.” Kagome’s mother suggested stopping the teen.

“Really? I can wait for her?” The guy’s face lit up with hope and relief. He turned around and faced the woman. She is a very kind person, the boy thought and smiled to the woman standing in front of him.

“Yes, why not.” She smiled back and moved towards the house. “Come with me.” She motioned towards the door with her hand and started rummaging through her bag, searching for the key. When she found it and unlocked the door she stepped aside holding the handle and inviting the boy to come in.

“Would you like some tea? Or maybe coffee?”  She asked when they got inside the house.

“Oh, coffee would be nice. Thank you.” The teenager answered and smiled to the woman, who was already rushing towards the kitchen.

She set the kettle to boil the water, opened the fridge and started taking out the necessary things for the sandwiches. When the boy entered the kitchen he found the woman already making the snacks. The woman noticed him come in and motioned towards the chair beside the table.

“Please, take a seat, ah, but maybe we should go to the sitting-room, I’ll…”

“No! No, it’s ok. Do not worry about me. It’s ok. There is no need to go to the sitting-room.” The teen fidgeted a little and sat down on the offered chair. “Can I help you somehow?” The boy asked the woman who was now slicing the cheese.

“Thank you, you can put these on the bread.” She pushed the sliced cheese towards the white haired teen and saw the boy fidget again. “Oh my, you are being way too nervous and there is no need to be so formal. Relax and feel like at home.” The brown haired woman waved her hand dismissively. “Or is there something that bothers you?”

“No, everything is fine. I just want to talk with Kagome, that’s all. I feel a bit nervous but otherwise I’m fine. There is no need to be worried.” The teen sensing a hint of worry in her voice hurried to ensure the woman.

“Oh, I see.” The woman smiled and the teen noticed a spark of curiosity pass her eyes. “Are you Kagome’s friend?”

The teen tensed a little from her words but tried to stay calm. “Err, no, I… I just want to talk to her…” He noticed that he was repeating this phrase for quite some time but he couldn’t help it. He just couldn’t tell Kagome’s mother why he was here and what exactly he wanted from her daughter.

“Hmmm…” The woman drew the sound… “Could it be that you want to confess your love to her?”

At these words the teen blushed furiously and the slice of cheese that he was holding in his hand fell on the table. “I…”, the boy stammered and swallowed hard. “I’m… I’m not, I just… That’s… That’s not it!” He was about to say something more to defend himself but he was interrupted by the woman’s laugh.

“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.” She chuckled.  “So, what’s your name, young one?” Brown-haired woman asked while reaching for the cups from the shelf.

“Oh, I am sorry. It was rude of me to not introduce myself. My name is…”

Exactly at that time there was a sound of the door opening and a happy voice echoed in the house announcing Kagome’s return.

“Yes, honey, I’m in the kitchen.” Kagome’s mother answered and turned off the kettle. “A young man wants to see you. He is here, with me, waiting for you.” She said and went to take tea and coffee.

“Oh?” It was the only word Kagome said and a slight interest was noticeable in her voice. The soft footsteps headed towards the kitchen and after a few moments the girl was standing in the doorway; her eyes searching for the one, her mother was speaking about. When her brown orbs met the golden ones she stiffened.

“Mom?” She called her mother without breaking the eye contact with the teen.

“Yes, honey?” The woman raised her eyes from the cups that were sitting on the table ready to be filled with boiled water.

“Did you know that he’s a demon?” Kagome carefully asked her mother, her eyes still on the demon before her.

“Hmmm? What are you talking about, honey?”

“Um, never mind.” Kagome nervously smiled to her mother and headed towards the confused demon. When she was standing just a few feet away from him she told him to follow her, grabbed him by his wrist and dragged the confused demon out of the kitchen.

“How about your coffee, young man?” Kagome’s mother shouted after the baffled guy.

“Ah, thank you but I… Thank you!” He couldn’t say much more because he was pulled out of the room. The boy was really confused. The girl dragged him out of the kitchen and then out of the house.

“Get out of here.” Kagome showed him out of her house.

“I… I just need to talk to you. You’re Kagome, right?” The teen was looking at her almost pleadingly.

“Yes, I am Kagome and I have no desire to talk with you.”

“Please, I really need your help. I need to go to the feudal era.”

“Then go there by yourself. Why are you here, in my house?” Kagome was getting impatient. What the hell is wrong with this guy?! What does he want from her? And his being a demon didn’t help him at all…

“I can’t get there without your help.” The words sounded like a soft sigh from his mouth.

Now that Kagome took a better look at the teen she noticed that he was tired, confused and somewhat nervous. It wasn’t a behavior of a demon and not the one she was used to seeing… Strange…

“So? What is it that you want from me?” She was getting interested in this man standing before her.

“I need to talk to you, Kagome.”

“Then you may speak.” The girl gave the permission to the youth, while the smile was tugging at the corners of her lips. She didn’t know why but the guy didn’t seem very dangerous. He was amusing. Yes, for some reason she found the guy amusing… She could even call him cute. Of course she knew perfectly well that the appearance could be deceiving so she held her ground. However, she decided to at least listen to the guy so she crossed her arms on the chest and leaned on the doorframe. “Well, what do you want to talk about?”

“Not here.” He looked behind her then around the yard he was standing in and finally focusing on the girl again. “I have to talk to you in private.”

She arched an eyebrow. The guy was being mysterious. What was it he wanted to talk about and how the hell did he come here, to her time? Wait... If he came here on his own then he can go back on his own as well. So that means he is lying to her. And yet, for some reason she wanted to know more about this guy. She knew that she may be in trouble and she understood that it was a good thing that Inuyasha wasn’t here. He would have started fighting and then...  Oh God... She didn’t want to know what would have happened next. At last she snapped out of her thoughts and sighed with defeat.

“Ok. Let’s go to my room then.” She turned to go into the house but stopped when the thought struck her. “That’s right; I still do not know your name.”

He nodded and followed Kagome back into the house and then up the stairs.

“My name is Naoe.” He introduced himself and followed her without a second word, afraid that she might change her mind. Now she was walking in front of him and he took the opportunity to examine the girl: she was not very tall and her ebony hair reached the middle of her back, she was wearing blue jeans and a pink blouse. He also noticed that her scent was very pleasant. No it wasn’t because of the perfume she was wearing… Her natural scent was really attracting and somewhat nostalgic. The boy inhaled a bit more and noted that she smelt of vanilla and fresh air. He closed his eyes for a moment and once again inhaled the sweet scent. When he opened his eyes he was staring at the questioning eyes in front of him…

 “What are you staring at?”  Kagome was standing at the top of the stairs, her hand on her hip and her head tipped a little to the side. Her stare that was directed at the boy didn’t promise anything good.

White-haired teen suddenly realized that he was still staring at her with a dreamy gaze on his face. Oh God… He was misunderstood. The boy couldn’t help the blush that found its way to his face. He lowered his eyes and fixed them on the stairs.

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare at you. And… And I wasn’t staring at you because… Well because… I just thought that you smell very good, and…” He looked up at her once again and winced. “Sorry, I… Oh God… I am not that kind of guy! Besides I am younger than you are and…” 

“Are you implying that I am old?” Kagome couldn’t help but tease the poor teen in front of her. His reaction was just too cute.

Naoe’s eyes widened. “No! Of course not! I just…” He sighed and lowered his eyes to the ground again. The fading blush returned the full force as he continued. “I was just thinking that you have a nice scent. From the demon point of view it’s like a compliment, you know. I am not some kind of pervert.”

Kagome sighed but inside she was giggling. The boy was so amusing. He was easy to embarrass. She put on an annoyed expression on her face and turned towards her room resuming her walking. “So, what is it that you want to tell me?”

Naoe sighed with relief when the girl turned away from him. He thought he was going to die from the embarrassment. Now once again following the girl, he straightened his back and when she opened her bedroom door to let him inside, he nodded and slipped past her.

“As I’ve already told you, my name is Naoe and I’m from the future.”

“Future?!” Kagome looked stunned and the hand she was holding the door-handle froze. Now her eyes were wide and she was carefully examining the boy. It didn’t seem that he was lying.

“Yes, I’m from the future.  My home is not here, in your era or in the feudal era for that matter. I live a hundred years in the future from this moment.”

“Whoa, I wasn’t expecting that.” The miko was looking at the demon with a distrustful gaze but now there was a sparkle of some other emotion. She came out of her daze and closed the door. She swiftly moved towards the chair that was standing behind her desk and sat down. “So why are you here?” Now she looked kind of interested. “Did something happen in your time?”

“Yes.” Naoe fidgeted uncomfortably and headed towards the made bed that was covered with a blue cover. He touched the blue material in an absentminded manner and seated himself there. He looked around the room and smiled inwardly. Yeah, it was definitely a girl’s room. Now he lowered his head a little and fixed his gaze on the carpet. “However, I cannot tell you what had happened or why I am here.”  He whispered and lifted his head once again. When his eyes met Kagome’s he saw a hint of worry pass her features.  “No, no, there is no need to be worried.” Naoe reassured Kagome and then sighed. “Please, all I need is to get to the feudal era.”

“Well, I… Why should I trust you? Is it really true what you are saying? Are you really from the future? What if you are lying?” There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

“It’s your choice whether to believe me or not. I do not have any proof to prove my words.” Naoe sighed and buried his face in his hands. He didn’t plan to deal with Kagome at first. All he had thought about was how to get in here, to this era, meet Kagome and ask her to help him to go to the feudal era. He had never thought that she will be so mistrustful. ‘I was naïve.’ He thought sarcastically.

Kagome noticed that the teen was very tired. His eyes were clouded as if he had been without sleep for quite some time now, his shoulders were slumped forward and this posture didn’t fit him at all. ‘He must have had a long journey till he got here’ – she thought.  She didn’t trust him. He was a demon, and she didn’t trust demons. She felt reluctant… She didn’t want to let him go to the feudal era and yet she was curious… She was interested in this guy. Yes, he could be some spy who was sent to kill her and her family, he could be sent by that half-breed Naraku to kill the inu-gang… She shuddered from the last thought. Yes, she hated that sly half-demon, while at the same time she was terribly afraid of him. That horrible half-bread always got in the way of the shard hunting and almost every time they met the guy, Inuyasha would get hurt. She was afraid that one day Naraku will succeed and kill them all… Kagome shook her head to get rid of the unnecessary thoughts and once again focused on the teen who was still sitting with his face cradled in his palms.  He could be a spy or whatever… but, for some unknown reason, she wanted to trust this teenager. Finally she sighed and addressed the reflective demon in front of her.

“I think you should rest for a while, you look very tired.”

His head jerked up and his golden pools met the brown ones. “Umm… No, I… I’m fine. However, a cup of coffee would be…” He didn’t finish the sentence because of a soft knock on the door that startled them both.

“Come in.” Kagome recognized her mother’s knock and invited her to the room. The door opened and revealed the brown-haired woman with a tray in her hands.

“Hi once again.” The woman smiled and headed towards the table. “When I heard that the two of you come back, I decided to come and give the young man his coffee.” Kagome’s mother put a cup of coffee on the table in front of the teen and a cup of herbal tea in front of Kagome. “I thought you might like some tea as well.” She winked to her daughter, put the sandwiches on the table and turned to leave.

“Thank you.” Naoe was really grateful. Coffee smelled really nice and filled the room with its soft aroma. “By the way, I didn’t have the opportunity to introduce myself in the kitchen. I’m Naoe.” The demon smiled.

“Nice to meet you, Naoe. I’m Kira, Kagome’s mother as you already know.” She smiled and left the room.

“Your mother is a very nice person.” The boy smiled and Kagome couldn’t turn her eyes away from him. He was handsome. No, he could even be called gorgeous.

“Yeah, she really is.” She answered and smiled back.

They both took their cups from the table and began sipping the hot liquid. Kagome was lost in thought, battling with herself. If he was lying to her, then why didn’t he kill her or her mother when he had a chance? She shuddered at the thought. Is it really true that all he wants is to get to the feudal era? She was confused… She secretly took a glance at the youth, who was sitting on her bed, his face cradled in his palms, the cup with coffee already standing on the table. She didn’t think that he was a person who could kill without a reason. But then again… Five years of traveling with Inuyasha in search of the shikon no tama jewel shards and seeing various types of demons can be very tiring while on the other hand it can be very helpful. She learned a lot about demons and half-demons. Now she know for certain that even the cutest demon can be dangerous as hell. But why was it that she wanted to trust this demon?  Why did she want to help him? She knew that something bad happened that he was trying to fix it. She wanted to help but before that she wanted to know more about the teen.

“Let’s say, that I’ll agree to help you.” She said and watched the boy jerk up.

“Really?” Naoe looked at her with puppy eyes, filled with happiness that she almost laughed. The hope and plea were also noticeable in his voice. Kagome smiled. The teen was really naïve, in a good way. The boy was honest. His feelings were. His eyes somehow showed all the emotions he felt at the moment.

“Yes, thus I need to know what you are going to do when you get to the feudal era.”

“Well, I’m going to search for someone.”

“Search for someone?” Kagome repeated his words and felt her interest perk up once again. “And who it might be?” She asked carefully.

The white-haired youth smiled. The smile wasn’t a pleasant one. It was a devilish smile, which meant nothing good; a smile filled with hatred; the one that promised death. Kagome shuddered. She didn’t like the smile one bit. She even started having second thoughts about her decision. She gulped down the lump that was stuck in her throat and patiently waited for an answer. Could it be that the person he is searching for is that same infamous half-demon and their eternal enemy Naraku?

“I think you know him quite well.” Naoe said bitterly.

“Is that so?” Kagome noted to herself that it might be Naraku indeed because the pronoun the boy used indicated a male character.

“It’s Naraku. Are you familiar with the name?” The teen was now looking directly into her eyes and searching for the confirmation even though he knew very well that Kagome knew the half-demon.

“Just as I thought…” Kagome nodded, tension leaving her body. “What did he do?” The boy was so mysterious. His visit was a mystery itself. So, why was he so reluctant to tell her what was going on?

“He did something I cannot forgive him for.”

“Oh? And what did he do?” Kagome spurred him on. “Do you want to kill him? Or maybe you want to trick me and befriend him?”

“No! I am not trying to trick you! I’m telling the truth! He did something horrible and I will punish him for doing it!” The teen was so furious now that his hands that were clenched into fists were trembling. Kagome also noticed that a trickle of blood started to form in the place where the claws sank into the soft flesh. She winced.

“So you are really planning to kill him?” She asked him to be sure.

“Well, we could phrase it like that. However, I cannot tell you why I want to take revenge on Naraku. So please, do not ask why.” The teen now relaxed his hands and it seemed that only now did he realize how hard he was clenching his fists… A look of slight surprise graced his features and his head tipped a little to the side in silent wonder.

“Why do you have to be so mysterious?” Kagome almost pouted. She wanted to know the reason why he came here from the future, she wanted to know more about the teenager who was sitting before her, and she wanted to know if she could trust him, she wanted to know oh so many things about the mysterious demon that she was almost dying. Just moments ago she was shooing him out of her house and now she wanted him to stay and tell her more. Yes, she still didn’t trust him but now she was prepared to help him. Their enemy was the same so any help is welcomed.

The youth lifted his golden pools from his injured palms and focused them on the girl. When he saw a pout that was forming on her lips he couldn’t stop a soft smile that escaped his lips.

“You see, were I to tell you what will happen in the future, you may try and alter it. You can be dissatisfied with some minor thing and try to change it. Even that smallest detail can cause a huge change that will alter all the future I know. Well, in other words, the future might be changed by the people who know it, for example, you, if I chose to tell you. However, I won’t do it because I do not have the desire to change it at all.”

“But you are changing it by being here, aren’t you?” Kagome protested.

“Yes, I am. That’s why I do not want to change it even more.” The teen said matter-of-factly and added: “If it’s possible.”

“Oh.” Kagome finally realized what the teen meant and didn’t question him any further. The silence stretched.

“So, ummm…” The young demon straightened his back and picked up the forgotten cup of coffee that was sitting in the same place he left it in. The boy took a sip and grimaced. The liquid was just slightly warm and the taste was not as good as it was when it was hot. He took one more sip and put the cup back on the table. The teen sat there with a thoughtful look on his face and from time to time poked the lug of the still cup on the table. “Will you show me how to get to the feudal era now?” Naoe asked the girl and finished all coffee that was left in the cup.

Kagome opened her mouth to speak but closed it with a soft snap. Yes, she will take him to the feudal era but not now. He was way too tired. Even if he was a demon, he still needed some rest. She smiled to herself. He is so stubborn. Even though he is terribly tired he didn’t mention it at all. He must be thinking that it’s alright. That she wouldn’t notice it and that he would be ok. Now that she thought about it she had already mentioned once that he was tired and that he should take some rest and what did he say? He said that he was fine. Now the girl chuckled inwardly. He reminded her of Inuyasha. Wait, no, not Inuyasha, but… but Sesshomaru?! She was so stunned at the revelation, that she whispered it out loud.

The demon didn’t expect such a statement and was a little shocked but at the same time somewhat pleased.

“Really?” His cheeks reddened a little. “You think so?”

“Yes.” Kagome smiled at the flushed teen in front of her. “You look just like Sesshomaru, minus magenta stripes and crescent moon on your forehe… Wait! Do you know Sesshomaru?!”  Now Kagome was looking at him wide eyed.

“Well… I…You know…” Naoe stammered and the blush deepened while he was struggling for an answer. “Yeah, I know him; I mean I do know all of you. Well not all. I do not really remember Sango or Miroku because they died when I was little. You know, humans die much sooner than demons do… I mean I do know Inuyasha,” Now Naoe smiled a bit. “He had always been like a big child, pouting and screaming.” He chuckled after the last phrase. “Shippo, well he grew into a nice guy I must say. He found a girl and lives a peaceful life. Sesshomaru works in a…” Suddenly he realized that he was talking too much. The boy gave a slight cough, lowered his head and remained silent.

Kagome was listening to him with disbelieve. He knew about them! He knows all Inu gang! And he was about to say something about Sesshomaru too. Did he know Sesshomaru that well? Kagome was really stunned. For some reason she didn’t expect that coming and now she felt rather strange. “What were you trying to say about Sesshomaru? Something about his work?” Kagome asked curiously.

“I’m sorry; I wasn’t supposed to say what I said. And I’m not going to… I’m sorry…”

“Ok. I get it. I’m not going to ask you if you do not want to. And…” She emphasized. “I won’t do it because I know that your answer might change the future.” Kagome winked and gave a small smile to the demon boy. The teen sighed with relief when he realized that he didn’t have to explain it all. Kagome stood up from the comfortable chair and went towards the wall where the switch was. “It’s getting dark in here.” She said and turned the light on.

Naoe looked around the room. He hadn’t noticed that it was so late. He understood that he shouldn’t be too pushy and just let it go for now. The boy knew that one way or another he was going to reach the feudal era. With these thoughts the young demon stood up and headed towards the door.

Kagome was still standing near the wall thinking when she noticed the teen stand up and turn towards the door. When the boy was about to say that he’d better go she swirled around to face him. Kagome held out her finger in a “that’s it!” manner and wickedly smiled to the dumbfounded demon, who was now standing with his mouth slightly ajar as if he was cut in the mid sentence. She watched him close his mouth and start anew.

“I… I think I should go now and I hope that you haven’t changed your mind.” He said with a meaningful look in his eyes.

“Yes, I will help you.” Kagome nodded and added: “…and where do you think you are going?”

“Huh?” The boy arched a thin, silver eyebrow in question.

Kagome once again compared Naoe with Sesshomaru. Could it be that they are related somehow? Nah… That’s not possible she thought dismissively and waved the thought off.

“You can stay here if you want to. I’ll show you to the guest room. Come.” Kagome reached the door in a few fluent movements and now stood face to face with the demon. “Well?” She inquired the boy.

“Really? I… I can stay here?” The teen was once again thankful for the hospitality Kagome and her mother were showing.

“Sure. Or are you staying somewhere else?”

“Well, no, I…”

“Then it’s decided. Come with me.” She pushed the still unmoving demon aside and opened the door. Once outside the room she twirled around and motioned for the guy to follow.

The boy wasted no time and followed the girl closing the door after him. He was not sure if the idea was such a good one. He was a bit reluctant and a little voice at the back of his mind was screaming to refuse the girl’s invitation. He sighed and looked at the girl in front of him. Suddenly he felt the blush coming up his cheeks and quickly turned his eyes away. ‘I wasn’t staring at her back then… I really wasn’t…’ He defended himself while remembering how Kagome was accusing him of staring at her.

Kagome started walking down the stairs and once they were on the first floor, she opened the door leading to the guest room motioning for Naoe to come in.

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TBC...

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Inuyasha show. Rumiko Takahashi is the one who owns them. I do not own Inuyasha fandom either (strange isn’t it?). This fan fiction is not a commercial project, and I am not making any money from writing it.

Warnings: M/F – Sesshomaru/Kagome, Yaoi (male x male) OC/OC.

Summary: A teen searches for Kagome. Who is he? What does he want? What is he hiding? And why the hell does he look like Sesshomaru?!

A/N 1: Naoe looks like 17 year old boy.

A/N 2: Sorry for making Inuyasha a fool.... I do not know why I wanted to make him so grumpy and stupid most of the time but he is cute in his own way.

A/N 3: I will be using a few Japanese words like:

          Hanyou – half-breed

          Youki – demonic power

          Youkai – demon

          Shikon no Tama – Well as all of you already know it’s a sacred jewel that Kagome has broken.

A/N 4: Sorry for the mistakes. I am not a native speaker, so please bear with it.

---

 

Chapter 2 On, to the Feudal Era…

 

“Naoe… Naoe, wake up.” Kagome tried to wake the soundly sleeping demon.

 

“Hn…” The youth stirred in the bed and his forehead furrowed a little. Then he sniffed the air as if checking for danger and when he made sure that everything is ok he turned to the other side, took the pillow he was lying on and put atop his head as if trying to stop the noises.

 

“Naoe, it’s time to get up.” Kagome stifled the giggle that was threatening to escape from her mouth.

 

The scene displayed before her eyes was truly a sight to behold. The teen was sprawled out on the narrow bed, his limbs entangled in the rumpled sheets and the pillow recklessly placed atop his head, making him headless. White strands of his silky hair spilled all over his torso, some even brushing the floor.  One hand was awkwardly thrown on the bed, while the other was bent at the elbow allowing his fingertips to just touch the floor. His legs were also in the most awkward positions Kagome had ever seen. All in all, the demon boy was a mess. Kagome noticed that Naoe was acting like a little, pampered kid. She even compared him with Sota, her brother.

 

“Naoe, do you hear me?” Kagome tried once again, smile playing across her lips.

 

“Not now… Give me five more minutes…” Naoe mumbled under his nose, the muffled sound coming from under the pillow.

 

‘Why the hell do I have to get up?’ Naoe thought angrily and pressed the pillow that was lying atop his head tighter in order to keep the noises away. ‘Wait. This voice belongs to a woman. Since when is there a woman in our house? Did father find a woman for himself?’ At the last thought Naoe shoot up in the bed, the pillow flying away from his face and with a soft thump landing on the wooden floor. The disoriented teen blinked a few times in order to adjust to the light that was flowing through the window and focused his sleepy eyes on Kagome.

 

“I thought you wanted a few more minutes.” The same voice reached Naoe’s ears but this time with a hint of sarcasm in it.

 

“Kagome?” Finally Naoe remembered where he was and what was going on. His cheeks heated up a notch. “I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean to be a bother.”

 

“There is no need to apologize. You were tired and you needed a good rest.” Kagome smiled to the still sleepy guy who was now trying to entangle himself from the grip of the sheets that were restraining his movements. When he finished fumbling with the annoying material he stole a glance at the clock that was standing on the table and jumped out of the bed. “It’s already a quarter past one in the afternoon! Why didn’t you wake me earlier?!” The teen almost screamed, the sleep already gone from his eyes.

 

“Why?” Kagome asked him in a calm voice not paying any attention to the panicking boy. “I didn’t want to wake you up at all, but you know… to sleep until this hour… you surprised me.” The girl smiled and the teen flushed pink.

 

“I… I guess you are right. I must have been really tired…” The boy admitted and fidgeted from the embarrassment.

 

“Well, now that you are up, go and take a shower. When you are finished, come to the kitchen. I’ll make you something to eat.” Kagome winked to the demon teen and turned to leave. “Do you remember where the bathroom is?” When the guy nodded his head yes, she continued. “There you’ll find a towel, clothes that I left for you and everything else you might need.” When the instructions were given, she opened the door and left the room.

 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

 

Half an hour later, Naoe walked into the kitchen.

 

“Mmmm… Something smells really nice.” He smiled to Kagome, who was humming a happy tune that only she knew.

 

“Sit down, please.” She cast a glance at the youth who was standing halfway in the kitchen: his hair was tied into a braid that was a little damp from the recent shower he took. It hung down his back like a limp tail of a cat and Kagome almost giggled. His golden eyes were shining with happiness and something that was unknown to her. The teen was smiling in a relaxed and content way. The clothes the boy was wearing were brought from the feudal era and the robe really suited him. It was a dark blue, one-piece garment that was decorated with tiny sakura blossoms. Yes, Kagome had to admit that the outer kimono looked really stunning on the young demon. Under the outer robe he was wearing a sky blue inner robe, which made a perfect contrast with the outer one. To sum it all up, the demon looked stunning and when he suddenly grinned, the girl snapped out of her thoughts. “What? Did I say something wrong?” Kagome asked him.

 

“No, I’m just glad that I’m not Inuyasha.”

 

“Huh?” Kagome arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” She was confused at the statement, when the realization hit her. “Ah, I’m trying not to use it very often on him. But, well, he’s so stubborn that I have to.” She answered to the still smiling teen and blushed a soft pink. “I wasn’t even thinking when I offered you to ‘sit’ down. I guess I would have said it even in Inuyasha’s presence. Oh God… He would have surely been angry with me.” Kagome sighed and turned to Naoe once again. “Now, take a seat and eat.” She placed a bowl with rice, a plate with fish and a bowl of salad on the table.

 

When the teen sat down and took the chopsticks, Kagome also took a seat across from him and poured a cup of green tea for herself.

 

 They ate in silence.

 

When Kagome and Naoe finished eating it was already three in the afternoon. They got up from the table and decided to pack for the journey to the feudal era. Half an hour later, the demon boy and the young priestess were standing beside the old well and checking if they had all they needed.

 

“So, I think we took everything that’s necessary. Let’s go.” Kagome said after a short pause and took the green backpack in her right hand. She still couldn’t get used to the green colour of the bag. The old one, which was yellow, was already gone. On one trip to the Tanjō Mountains a demon attacked their traveling group and the poor bag was thrown on the ground in order to avoid the attack. Oh, but that wasn’t the biggest challenge for the bag, no. The demon launched a second attack when the first one didn’t succeed. That was when the backpack got in the way and the lowly demon ripped it with its claws. Of course, Inuyasha defeated the damned enemy and was standing with a satisfied smirk on his face. After seeing her favorite backpack (well at least what was left of it) she whipped the smirk off of Inuyasha’s face by ‘sitting’ the hanyou to the ground.

 

“Ok.” Naoe nodded to the girl and the girl snapped out of her thoughts.

 

Just as they were about to jump into the well, Kagome stopped. “Shit.”

 

Naoe looked at her with wide eyes. ‘My father said she never swore.’ He didn’t say it out loud, of course, but asked her if something was wrong.

 

“Well, yes, there is something very wrong.” Kagome frowned.

 

“What is it?” The teen was looking at her expectantly.

 

“Well, no-one can travel through the well except for me and Inuyasha. I can travel through the well because I have the jewel shards with me and Inuyasha can travel back and forth because he’s a half-demon, whom I released from the seal.” The girl explained to the confused demon.

 

“So?”

 

“You’re a demon. You can’t go through the well.” Kagome was sad. She promised the boy to take him to the feudal era and now she couldn’t keep the promise.’

 

However, she wasn’t expecting a reaction she got from the demon. He actually smiled! “There is no problem at all, Kagome. All you need to do is to give me one jewel shard. That’s all I need.”

 

“A shard?” Kagome stared at the white-haired boy with disbelieve and once again with distrust in her eyes. “You’re a demon! I won’t give it to you.” She frowned slightly and shook her head ‘no’.

 

“So you do not trust me.” Naoe said matter-of-factly but still arched his silver eyebrow in question.

 

“I do!” The phrase escaped her lips even though she was lying. Well, she did believe in him but some quiet voice was still nagging her about him being a demon and therefore not trustful.

 

“No, you don’t.” Naoe dropped his head and exhaled a sigh that he was holding.

 

“Naoe, if I give you the shard you will get obsessed.” Kagome said almost in a motherly tone.

 

“I won’t get obsessed or possessed by it.” The teen grounded.

 

“But I have seen so many times how…”

 

“Are you going to do it or not? Decide, woman.” Naoe snapped. He was so close to going to the feudal era and now Kagome didn’t trust him because of some stupid jewel shard! He was getting annoyed.

 

Kagome was stunned. The tone the boy had used and the expression that was displayed on Naoe’s face was that of annoyance. He even said “woman” and not Kagome. And his voice and tone… One moment Kagome thought she had heard Sesshomaru speaking! How could it be?

 

Naoe breathed in some air, this way calming his nerves, and fixed his golden pools on the girl. “Look, Kagome, all I am asking of you is to trust me. Is it so hard to do?”

 

“No.” She lowered her head and handed him a jewel shard. “Here, take it.” She was angry at herself. She had just given a jewel shard to a demon. If he goes berserk she is going to suffer a lot… When the shard becomes tainted the demon will… Urgh…

 

The boy took the shard from Kagome’s palm and twirled it between his fingers. When Kagome lifted her head she gasped. The shikon no tama shard did not change its color. It was still purified. How could this be?! The shard had to react to his touch. Kagome was still holding her outstretched hand too stunned to notice. Of course she was relieved that the teen didn’t run wild but she was so stunned that her mouth was slightly ajar.

 

“Can we go now?” Naoe smiled to the stunned girl before him.

 

“How?” She breathed at last.

 

“Huh? How what?” The demon asked her even though a little smile bloomed on his lips.

 

“How can you hold it and the shard is still purified?”

 

“Well,” Naoe smiled to Kagome. “This is a secret, which I cannot tell you either.” He winked and headed towards the well. “What now? Do I have to jump down there?”

 

“Yeah.” Kagome recovered from her shock and climbed onto the border of the well.

 

“Let me take this.” Naoe lifted a hand towards her bag.

 

“Thanks.” The girl smiled and handed it to the demon-boy. When he took it, they jumped inside the well and blue light consumed them.

 

While floating in the blue light that was carrying them to the feudal era, Kagome took the opportunity to think about her companion. The boy was strange. No. He was mysterious. All full-blooded demons had their birth markings and he didn’t. Kagome somehow knew that he was an inu-youkai. She didn’t know for sure but her intuition was screaming Inu, and that was it.  But then again… Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were the only Inu demons in the whole world. Could it be that he was Inuyasha’s son? No… She shook her head. Inuyasha is a hanyou and Naoe is a demon. He couldn’t be Inuyasha’s. But what if in the future he had found some demoness and had made her his mate? No! Kagome shook her head. He likes me! Or does he like Kikyo? Ahhhh!!!!! She didn’t want to think about Inuyasha having a mate! Ok… next one... Sesshomaru’s son? Kagome giggled. There was no way the boy was Sesshomaru’s son. She shook her head and dismissed the still nagging thought of Sesshomaru being Naoe’s father.

 

The blue light disappeared and the two figures found themselves on the solid bottom of the bone-eaters well. Kagome looked up and saw blue sky hovering above their heads.

 

 “Welcome to the feudal era, Naoe.” Kagome smiled to the youkai standing beside her.

 

“Yeah.” The boy was standing still; his head was tilted upwards and his golden pools were watching the clear blue sky above.

 

“Naoe?” Kagome called out to the thoughtful demon.

 

“Hn?”

 

“Let’s go up!” She smiled and took the boy by his hand. The teen blushed.

 

“Yeah.” He then scooped the girl in his hands bridal style and effortlessly jumped out of the well.

 

Kagome was so surprised at the sudden move that she only eeped and found herself clinging to the young demon when he flew out of the well.

 

Once they landed on the soft grass Naoe put her down and noticed how the girl scooted a bit further from him. Her cheeks flushed.

 

“Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have…”

 

“No, no! It’s ok… I was just surprised when you moved so fast. And… well, you are a demon and to tell the truth I do not quite trust you yet… ” She ended the sentence almost in a whisper.

 

“Hn…” Was the only sound she heard from the demon.

 

“I like the smell of the forest.” Kagome tried to divert the conversation.

 

“Yeah. I missed it.”

 

“Missed it? What do you mean? I thought you are from the future.” Now kagome was once again wide eyed. Did the boy slip and said something to expose himself?

 

“Yes, I am. However, I was born in the feudal era.”

 

“What?”

 

Naoe smiled. “I’m a demon and I’m about six hundred years old.”

 

“Six hundred?” Kagome shouted in astonishment. “Does that mean you were born in this time? Wait you’ve just said that you were born in the feudal era! How… When…?”

 

“Kagome!” The voice in the distance reached their ears and to Naoes relief interrupted Kagome’s thinking. Damn the girl was thinking too much. He needed to be more careful. “Kagome! Where the hell have you been? It’s been two days since you’ve left!” The red-clad figure emerged from the near bushes and finally noticed that Kagome was not alone. “Eh? Who is this jerk with you?” Inuyasha sniffed the air. Suddenly his expression changed and he reached for the hilt of Tessaiga. “You bastard, get away from Kagome!”

 

Naoe was calmly watching Inuyasha’s change of moods and did nothing. He glanced at the girl beside him and once again fixed his eyes on the angry hanyou in front of him.

 

“Inuyasha, he’s with me. There is no need to be…” Kagome didn’t get the chance to finish the sentence.

 

“That bastard, he’s a demon! He’s going to kill you!” Inuyasha didn’t listen to the word the girl was saying.

 

“Inuyasha, he is not going to kill me.”

 

“Does he have a shard?”

 

One moment Kagome was speechless.

 

“Yes, he does. I…”

 

“Where is it?!” The half-breed growled out.

 

“Umm…” Kagome looked at now pretty much confused demon who twirled the jewel shard between his fingers. “In his hand… But I ga-…”

 

“Ok!” Inuyasha lunged forward, ready to attack Naoe. He was still the same Inuyasha Naoe remembered.

 

“Inuyasha, SIT!”

 

There was a loud BOOM and a deep hole appeared on the ground with Inuyasha inside of it. After a few seconds an angry voice reached Kagome’s ears.

 

“What was that for?” Sputtering the dirt from his mouth Inuyasha barked out at the girl.

 

“It’s because you’re not listening to what I am saying!” Kagome grounded. “Inuyasha, this is Naoe.” She introduced the demon boy to her companion. “He is a demon and he came from the future. He is not from my time. He is from even more distant future.” Kagome patiently told to the now sitting Inuyasha and glaring daggers at the demon.

 

 “Keh! I don’t give a damn what his name is or where he had come from.”

 

“Inuyasha! Be polite!” Kagome crossed her hands on her chest.

 

“Keh!”

 

“Inuyasha, do you want to hear it again?”

 

“Stupid wench, He is a demon, he can kill yo-…”

 

“Sit! Sit! SIT!” A few more boom’s and Inuyasha was helplessly twitching in a deep hole his own body had made. “Urgh… You are so stubborn, Inuyasha!”

 

“Well, let’s go, Naoe.” Kagome turned to the guy, who was standing rooted to the spot, not moving an inch, and smiled. “Do not mind him; he is always like that…” Kagome sighed. “He will get used to you one day. He just needs some time.”

 

“Um… Yeah, I just pity him a little.” He said still looking at the poor guy lying deep inside a hole. “So where are we going?” He finally lifted his eyes back to the girl and noticed her showing to one direction.

 

“There is a village we are staying in with my friends. So we will go there and meet with them.”

 

“Oh, you mean Kaede’s village?”

 

“Yes.” Kagome smiled and the curiosity rose once again. “So you do know about the village too. You are an interesting guy. The more I learn about you, the more confused I get.”

 

“Hn…” The teen fidgeted a little and started walking towards the direction Kagome had shown. “I think your friends are coming to greet you.” After a moment of silent walking Naoe informed the girl.

 

Just as he said those words a small creature emerged from the bushes shouting Kagome’s name and jumped on her shoulder.

 

“Kagome!!! I missed you!”

 

“Shippo… I missed you too.” She smiled to the small fox demon and turned to the same direction Shippo had come from. She then saw Miroku and Sango coming towards them.

 

“Kagome-sama, you’re back.” Monk’s voice reached the girl’s ears. “And who is your companion?” He was curiously eying the unknown demon standing beside Kagome. The monk was cautious and didn’t let his guard down.

 

“My name is Naoe.” The boy introduced himself and bowed to the monk. “It’s nice to meet you, Miroku.”

 

“You’re a demon, right?” The man asked the boy even though he knew the answer. “And how do you know my name?”

 

“Yes, I am.” Came a soft replay to the first question and before he could answer the second one Kagome spoke first.

 

“He’s from the future.”

 

“I see…” Now there was a confused look on Miroku’s face. “I thought you said that there were no demons in your era.” Now Miroku and Sango were standing near the pair from the future and curiously eying the demon.

 

“Well, it seems that there are… Maybe…” She looked up at Naoe when a strange thought came to her mind. “Naoe, are there demons in my time? If you are from the future that is even further from mine so there must be, right?”

 

The boy tilted his head and some silver strands slipped from behind his pointed ear. The soft breeze caught them and started playing with the unruly locks. “Yes.” The teen caught the naughty strands that were now dancing in front of his face, and tucked them back in place. “The ones who are left are hiding their youki, so it’s very hard to notice them. They are living among the humans, masking their presence.”

 

“Oh… But why didn’t Inuyasha feel their youki?” Kagome questioned the boy further.

 

“Well, as I have told you before, the demons have learned how to hide their youki. Now even some demons can’t detect their own kin. I guess it was impossible for a half-demon to sniff them out.”

 

“Oh…” Kagome repeated the word and a thoughtful look appeared on her face.

 

“Well, speaking of Inuyasha, where is he? I thought he went to meet you?” Miroku interrupted the silence that was now stretching into a long one.  

 

“Ugh… He was just like always… And when he saw that Naoe was with me…” The girl shook her head. “Well, you can imagine what happened next…”

 

“Oh.” A knowing expression appeared on the faces.

 

Exactly at that time there was a soft rustle of leaves behind them and the red dressed figure entered the area where the small group was standing. His eyes narrowed at the demon, known as Naoe, but he said nothing; just a small growl escaped his lips.

 

“Come on, Inuyasha, he’s not an enemy. Yes, he is a demon and I’m still unsure about all the things but he is not a bad guy here.” Kagome tried to console the still huffing half-demon, who was now dusting his red robe.

 

“Keh, whatever”

 

Naoe was standing a little bit further from the ‘family’ and wondering how Kagome was able to cope with Inuyasha, when all of a sudden he tensed. This slight movement attracted the attention of the small group.

 

“Is something wrong, Naoe?” Kagome frowned in concern. The boy was alert for some reason and she knew that something was wrong.

 

“Fath-…” Suddenly Naoe stopped, his eyes slightly widening, face becoming red.

 

“What?” Kagome asked not sure what the boy had just said.

 

“I mean… I wanted to say…” Naoe stammered. “Far away… Well, not far away… The demon is coming towards us.” He finished in a rush. God, that was a close call, he will have to be more careful from now on.

 

“Sesshomaru!” At last Inuyasha smelled his half-brother and leaped to his fighting stance a low growl forming in his throat.

 

“What?” Kagome panicked a little, eyes going wide. She scooted to where Sango was standing and took the bow and arrows the demon slayer had brought her.

 

“That bastard! What does he want?” Inuyasha put his clawed hand on the hilt of Tessaiga and waited for the demon Lord to show up.

 

A few seconds later, a ball of bright energy appeared in front of the small group and a tall figure formed out of it.

 

“Sesshomaru, what do you want?” Inuyasha growled almost immediately.

 

“My, my, Inuyasha, aren’t you too hasty?” Sesshomaru’s cold voice sent shivers down the spines.

 

“Keh!”

 

“Sadly, I’m not here to fight you, Inuyasha.” His gaze slid towards Naoe and the boy gulped.  “I felt a strong aura that I have never felt before, so came to investigate.” His gaze did not leave the teenager standing at the back of Inuyasha’s group. “Who are you?” An icy voice inquired the demon boy.

 

“My Lord,” Naoe bowed to the stoic demon and went to stand in front of the group. “My name is Naoe.” He introduced himself locking his golden pools with a pair matching his. “I mean no harm. I came here from the future.”

 

Kagome and the others watched the exchange between the two demons. Even Inuyasha looked a bit intrigued by the interaction that was happening in front of him.

 

“Future? What is your purpose here?” The demon lord inquired. His face betrayed no emotion, even though he was shocked to learn that the boy before him was from the future.

 

“Yes. I came here in order to take care of some things. In my opinion they are necessary to be handled.” The teenager told Sesshomaru his purpose without lowering his eyes. “I came here so I can do what I need to do. I can assure you, that my appearance will not affect your time, at lest not in a bad way. I have the same enemy as you do and I’m going to kill him. It’s Naraku and he must pay for the evil deeds he had done.”

 

“Hn… I see. There is one more question.”

 

“Yes, my lord?”

 

“How come you are an inu-demon? Inuyasha and I are the last ones from the Inu clan.”

 

The whole group fell silent looking from one demon to the other in a silent wonder. Kagome held her breath while waiting for an answer and her face was glowing with the Ha! I knew it! expression.

 

“Ah! Enough of this! I’m bored here!” Inuyasha couldn’t stand the conversation any longer and lunged at his half-brother. However, before he could reach his target he heard Kagome’s angry voice.

 

“Sit!” The boy plunged into the ground. Kagome couldn’t believe that the hanyou was so stupid… At such an important moment, to suddenly lounge at Sesshomaru… She shook her head.

 

“I’m really sorry, my lord, I cannot answer your question.” Naoe finally answered Sesshomaru’s question. “If I do, I can affect the future.” Naoe bowed politely and waited for the response.

 

“I see.” Sesshomaru nodded his head. If he couldn’t tell him the reason, that meant that he was somehow connected to him or Inuyasha. “One more question: are you staying with them?” The demon lord eyed the small, indicating what he meant by them.

 

“Yes, I am planning to.” Naoe stole a glance at Kagome and her friends as if asking for their permission to stay. When he saw Kagome smile encouragingly he nodded. “Yes, I am staying with them.”

 

“I see…” Was the short reply from Sesshomaru.

 

“No, you are not!” Finally Inuyasha looked up from the crater and narrowed his eyes at the youth.

 

“Inuyasha!” Kagome snapped at the angry hanyou.

 

“What?! He is not coming with us!” Inuyasha turned to face Kagome.

 

“He is!” The girl protested. “I was the one who decided to take him with me to the feudal era! I’m responsible for him and I will take care of him!” Kagome frowned at the red-clad figure, which was becoming even grumpier.

 

“Keh! You say you will take care of him?! YOU?” The half-demon emphasized the last word. “You are not even capable to take care of yourself and now you say you will protect this whelp?!” He lifted his index finger to point at the young demon.

 

“What?!” Kagome was left speechless.

 

“You heard what I said!” Inuyasha huffed and crossed his arms on his chest.

 

“Are you saying that I can’t defend myself?” Now Kagome’s eyes were sparkling with anger.

 

“Yes! You are…”

 

Naoe sweat dropped. God, are they always like that?

 

The rest of the group was thinking something according those lines as well, just it was formed not as a question but was stated as a yes, they are at it again. The only one, who was standing without any expression, except for bored one, was Sesshomaru, the cold lord of the West.

 

“You are a suspicious character” Sesshomaru interrupted everyone’s thoughts by addressing Naoe, and now the whole group’s attention was focused on him once again. “If you are staying with the half-breed’s group, then this Sesshomaru will stay as well.”

 

Naoe was startled by this statement and his heart skipped a beat. Miroku, Sango and Shippo were all wide eyed at the declaration and the two that were fighting with their words, now stopped in the middle of the sentence and was staring at the Lord of the West as if he had grown a second head.

 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why all of a sudden you want to join my group?” Inuyasha spat to his half brother.

 

“I do not have to explain myself, hanyou.” An icy glare fell on the half-breed.

 

“Keh! No-one is going to join my group! NO-ONE!” Inuyasha readied his sword and positioned himself in a fighting stance and glared daggers at the two demons who wanted to join the group. He growled and was about to pounce on Sesshomaru when he was ‘sat’ to the ground.

 

“Well, what can I say… Welcome to our group.” Kagome giggled nervously and bowed to the demon lord who accepted the greeting with almost unnoticeable nod.

 

“Our small group is certainly becoming a big one.” Sango smiled at her friends her eyes lingering on the new members of the pack.

 

“Well, let’s go shard hunting!” Kagome announced and started walking towards the forest.

 

When no-one saw, Sesshomaru smirked at the young priestess and started walking after her. The rest of the group following. The only one, who stayed behind, was the red-dressed figure lying on the ground and cursing…

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TBC...

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Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Inuyasha show. Rumiko Takahashi is the one who owns them. I do not own Inuyasha fandom either (strange isn’t it?). This fan fiction is not a commercial project, and I am not making any money from writing it.

Warnings: M/F – Sesshomaru/Kagome, Yaoi (male x male) OC/OC.

Summary: A teen searches for Kagome. Who is he? What does he want? What is he hiding? And why the hell does he look like Sesshomaru?!

A/N 1: Naoe looks like 17 year old boy.

A/N 2: Sorry for making Inuyasha a fool.... I do not know why I wanted to make him so grumpy and stupid most of the time but he is cute in his own way.

A/N 3: I will be using a few Japanese words like:

            Hanyou – half-breed

            Youki – demonic power

            Youkai – demon

            Taiyoukai – demon Lord

            Shikon no Tama – Well as all of you already know it’s a sacred jewel that Kagome has broken.

A/N 4: Sorry for the mistakes. I am not a native speaker, so please bear with it.

 

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Chapter 3 Parentage and a New Enemy

 

 

It was a late evening and the group of travelers was sitting around the fireplace. The fire was crackling happily in the air, illuminating the faces of the people sitting around it. Just a few hours ago they had been fighting some demons (unfortunately, the youkai didn’t have any jewel shards and were not related to Naraku) and the group was feeling a little exhausted. It’s been three days since Sesshomaru and Naoe joined the group. Kagome took a quick glance at the solemn figure, sitting quietly a little further from the group, and suddenly turned away when his golden eyes met brown ones.

 

“I still can’t get used to having him around,” Kagome muttered and shivered a little.

 

Naoe, who was sitting on Kagome’s right, smiled, “He is not as evil as you think,” He tried to console the girl.

 

“Well yeah, maybe, but still… He is so cold towards us. I just do not know how to act around him.” The girl shrugged and spread her hands to the sides as if wanting to emphasize her words. “Sometimes I even think that if I do some wrong movement or say something that doesn’t suit his tastes he will chop my head off…”

 

Naoe chuckled, “I don’t think he would do that.” The teen glanced at the white-clad figure and lowered his head. “He’s just… It’s his character. He is very stubborn and strict, and he’s too honorable to do something like that. He is prideful and… Well, when you get used to it, it’ll become much easier to talk to him.”

 

“Hmmm…” Kagome took a small branch that was lying on the ground, not far from her feet and tossed it into the fire. “Still, he should be more sociable.” She pouted. “When you are trying to speak to him, he either snarls at you or ignores you like you are some insignificant bug.” The girl wrinkled her nose in distaste.

 

Naoe smiled but said nothing. The others were quietly listening to their conversation, while Shippo and Kirara were soundly sleeping on the ground. Inuyasha keh’ed in his tree and turned his head away as if not interested. Two white triangular ears atop Inuyasha’s head twitched and lightly turned to the group, betraying his curiosity.

 

“I think we should call it a night. It’s getting late and tomorrow we’ll have to get up early.” Miroku interrupted the uncomfortable silence and yawned.

 

“Yes, we should.” Kagome smiled and scrambled to her feet. She stretched like a cat and turned to go to her backpack, when suddenly she eeped.

 

Right in front of her, just a few feet away stood Sesshomaru.

 

“Aaaah… You scared me…” She nervously giggled and took a step back. “Ummm, would you like some tea?” She asked and mentally slapped herself on the forehead. Yeah, as if the stoic Lord of the West was the type to sit down and sip the tea…

 

“Naoe,” Sesshomaru ignored the girl and turned towards the young demon.

 

The addressed boy lifted his eyes up from the fire and concentrated on the tall taiyoukai.

 

“I need to speak with you. In private,” Sesshomaru added when the teen opened his mouth to say something.

 

“Alright,” Naoe stood up and smiled at the worried miko. “I’ll be right back,” He told her and followed Sesshomaru, who was already walking away.

 

The pair entered the forest and disappeared from the sight. Kagome glanced at Sango and Miroku, who exchanged a similar, confused, look and shrugged.

 

“They are both demons. I doubt that Sesshomaru wants to kill him or hurt him.” Sango tried to console the miko.

 

“Yeah…” She brightened a little and once again turned towards her backpack.

 

“Must be some demon talk. Well, you know, like girls talk…” Miroku grinned, earning a glare from Sango.

 

=====================================================

 

Once in the forest and away from the hearing range, Sesshomaru stopped and turned around, startling the teenager. His golden eyes landed on the young demon and squinted a little. Naoe gulped.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“As I have already told you, my Lord, I am…”

 

“I have heard you, when you introduced yourself the first time.” Sesshomaru didn’t let him finish the sentence. “This Sesshomaru’s sense of smell is very good.” The taiyoukai said and his golden eyes bore into the young demon, demanding a truthful answer.

 

“I do not know what you mean by tha-…”

 

“Do not try my patience, pup.” The taiyoukai snarled and Naoe cringed, struggling for an answer. The boy didn’t quite get it, what the taiyoukai meant by all that ‘smelling’ thing. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the realization hit him.

 

“I cannot tell you. I…” Now Naoe couldn’t look him in the eye. He lowered his head and tried to somehow cover up the truth. “I can’t. If I tell you, the future will…”

 

Suddenly the air was knocked out of his lungs and Naoe found himself pinned to a tree, a strong clawed hand gripping him by the throat.

 

“You are an Inu demon. You are my kin,” Sesshomaru snarled his breath tickling Naoe’s sensitive ear, which twitched in protest. “I smell my blood in you.” The demon gripped the boy’s neck tighter. “You are my son!” The taiyoukai growled out, his eyes glinting dangerously. His face was now in front of Naoe’s. It was so close that their noses were almost touching. The teen paled.

 

“I…”

 

A low growl interrupted the younger demon and the teen’s eyes went wide. Naoe knew that growl. It was a growl that was meant to admonish a troublesome child. Before he knew it, Naoe whined in a submissive way and lowered his head. He couldn’t object. The growl was effective. It was a growl from his father and he had to act accordingly if he didn’t want to be punished. He felt how the grip on his throat loosened and the dangerous claws finally let him go entirely. Naoe was afraid to look Sesshomaru in the eye.

 

“I’m sorry…” It was all the younger male could muster. The teen felt how week and how ineffective his whispered answer were. He could feel anger radiating from his father-to-be in waves. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for a response. He heard a sharp intake of air and after a few seconds a soft sigh.

 

“Why are you apologizing?”

 

“Eh?” The boy looked up a little startled.

 

On his right, Sesshomaru was leaning on a tree, looking somewhat casual. The older demon’s head was inclined to the side, his eyes fixed on something in front of him. “You have nothing to apologize for.” The taiyoukai turned away from the owl that was sitting in a tree and his golden pools concentrated on the boy. Sesshomaru’s face was emotionless but his eyes were sparkling. “Who would have thought that one day I will take a human mate?” He said with a snort. It was more like a rhetorical question and Naoe remained silent, mulling over what his father was saying.

 

Suddenly, Naoe started to panic. His heart started beating faster and soon it was ready to jump out of his chest any moment given. He knew… His father knew that he was his son and who his mother was… What if they… what if they won’t… No! No! No! What has he done?! He should have listened to his father back home and stayed in the future. Naoe was petrified now. If his parents didn't get together, he would not be born.

 

Sesshomaru’s sensitive hearing picked up Naoe’s increasing heartbeat. The teen was breathing erratically, eyes wide with fear. The taiyoukai wanted to sigh and close his eyes but he didn’t.

 

“I won’t tell anyone.”

 

Naoe looked up at Sesshomaru, fear shadowing his eyes. “Y-yeah… Thanks.” The young demon whispered. “A-are you… Well… My mother and you… I mean…”

 

“Stop stammering,” Sesshomaru huffed in annoyance. What was wrong with this pup? He was way too emotional. He couldn’t believe that the pup in front of him was his son. “I do not guarantee that this Sesshomaru will mate with her.” The answer struck the teen like a whip on his bare skin.

 

Naoe’s breath hitched.

 

“The future will show us what is fated to happen and what time has in store for us.” Sesshomaru pushed away from the tree he was leaning on and started walking towards the small camp. “You should calm yourself before joining the group.”

 

Naoe nodded in agreement and watched Sesshomaru leave, his silver hair swaying lightly to the sides.

 

=====================================================

 

Kagome noticed that after his return, Naoe was acting strange. She didn’t know what had happened but she felt that something was not right. She knew that it was Sesshomaru who upset the teen. Must have been something he said, she decided, because the young demon didn’t look like he had been beaten. She huffed. As if the great demon lord was willing to dirty his hands with a kid.  Naoe was pale. She noticed it when the teen came near the fireplace and dropped some dry wood into the crackling fire. He dusted his hands and headed towards his sleeping bag.

 

A minute later Naoe was standing near Kagome with his bedroll in his hands. “Can I settle here?” He pointed towards the spot on Kagome’s left.

 

“Yes, of course,” the girl answered and the teen started unpacking his ‘bed’.

 

Kagome was lying on her back and eying the boy from the corner of her eye. He swiftly unrolled the sleeping bag and placed it near the tree. After tucking something under the mattress he stood up and headed towards his backpack. He rummaged there for some time and came back to the laid bedroll. The teen didn’t bother undressing or changing into his sleeping robes. He simply shrugged off the outer kimono and slid into the sleeping bag. After shifting and tossing for a few minutes Naoe settled on his right side, facing Kagome.

 

When the rustling ceased, the silence settled in. From time to time it was interrupted by grasshoppers chirping in the high grass. Minutes tickled by and Kagome was getting restless. She wanted to know. She was curious and worried at the same time. What if Sesshomaru was threatening the boy? Threatening? The girl thought about the possibility and then shook her head ‘no’. Sesshomaru wouldn’t do it. But why did Naoe look so troubled? And Sesshomaru? What did he look like when he came back? Kagome turned to her left and glanced at the white figure sitting on the ground and leaning on the very same tree Inuyasha was perched on. She made a face. The brothers had been fighting each other at any given moment but now they were calmly sitting nearly on the same tree. She lowered her eyes and they landed on Naoe. The boy was lying on his right, facing her. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even. Once again Kagome wanted to know the reason behind his uneasiness.

 

“Naoe, are you asleep?” Kagome whispered.

 

“No.” A soft reply came.

 

“W-what did you talk about with Sesshomaru?”

 

“Hn… Nothing important.”

 

“Oh… Then why are you so… So troubled?”

 

“No reason.” The boy didn’t even bother to open his eyes. The fire crackled and a tongue of fire shot up with a pop into the night sky.

 

“Ok… If you do not want to talk, I won’t force you.” Kagome frowned a little but otherwise didn’t show any signs of disappointment.

 

“I miss my mp3 player.” The young demon was trying to change the topic.

 

“Wha-”

 

“In the evenings like this one it would be a welcomed distraction.” Naoe cracked one eye open and caught a smile playing on Kagome’s lips.

 

“I thought demons didn’t like these ‘noise machines’ like Inuyasha called them?”

 

“Well, I must be an exception then.” He smiled back.

 

=====================================================

 

At the same time, about 10 kilometers further from the small campsite, a dark shadow was moving swiftly between the trees. The fallen leaves rustled under the feet as they touched the ground in between the graceful jumps. Suddenly the figure came to a halt and sniffed the air. Nodding, the figure turned to the left, resuming the run. 3 minutes later it stopped in a clearing with a waterfall. The water was shimmering in the moonlight and the ripples from the fall spread throughout the little pool at the base of it.

 

The man stood in the calm area not moving. The moonlight did not reach him thus he was hidden in shadows. The man raised his head a little and sniffed the air as if searching for any sign of danger. A second later he lowered his head and scanned the area he was in with cautious eyes. For a short moment, when passing the small pool, his eyes caught the light reflected from water and they sparkled like two emeralds. Detecting no danger, the figure carefully moved towards the river.

 

“Ouch!”

 

The word echoed in the clearing. It was deflected by the rocky mountain and it sounded like a thunder on a silent night. The demon winced, both from the sound and from the pain that shoot through his leg.

 

“The fuck?” He looked down and spotted a stone that dared to bump into his foot. He glared at the insolent stone and kicked it. “Ow, ow, ow! Darn!” The man was now jumping up and down on one leg, while holding the injured one in his hands. “Damn fuckin’ rock!” He growled out, glaring daggers at the stone that didn’t even budge from its original place. “A-ah…” He finally sighed, the scowl easing a little. “This time I’ll forgive ye.” He scoffed and turned his head upwards.

 

With one last glance at the stone he resumed his walk towards the river. When the man was on the bank, he squatted down and looked at the water. It shimmered a little and the reflection of his face was blurred.

 

“Arara… Ye look terrible, babe,” He said to his own reflection and dropped his hand, palm down, into the river, splashing water to all four directions. “I don’t wanna see ye right now.” He scowled and plopped onto his butt, not caring if his clothes became even dirtier. Her leaned forward and straightened his legs. A minute later, his both legs were submerged in cold water and a satisfied sigh escaped his lips. The man sat there, quiet and still. The only sound that was heard in the clearing was that of water hitting water. A light shiver ran down his body and the demon pulled his legs out from the river. He bent them and pulling them closer to his body, positioning his chin on his knees. He hugged his cold legs and sighed. Suddenly, there was a rustle of leaves on his left and the demon shot up from his sitting position, a light growl escaping his lips. Green eyes darted to the place where the sound had come from. There, a few feet from the demon, was a small fox standing in the clearing. Their eyes met. The fox stiffened and after a second darted back into the dark forest.

 

The tense demon relaxed his muscles and smirked slapping himself on the forehead. “Yer so brave that ye almost got a heart attack…” He mocked himself concentrating his gaze back on the river. “Yep, ye need some swimmin’ in this cold water to cool yerself.” The guy undressed his battered clothes and shivered. “Darn… I’ll regret this later, I know.” He took a lungful of air and held his breath before jumping into the river and ducking under water.

 

A minute passed but he still hadn’t emerged from the water. Another minute passed but there was no sign of the man… At the end of the third minute the demon emerged from under the water sputtering and trembling like a leaf.

 

“Damn, damn, damn…” He rushed to the shore and grabbed his clothes. His eyebrows furrowed in dissatisfaction. “Damn, damn, damn…” He repeated the word and started trembling even more. His clothes were torn, dirty and smelly… Why the hell did he even bother to undress?

 

His eyebrows furrowed, the demon dressed and wrung his longish hair from the excess of water. He tied them up and left a long braid dangling behind his back. He was still shivering. He needed some dry wood, and fast. He turned towards the forest and stopped dead on his tracks. There, near the end of the forest, stood another man, a demon, to be exact.

 

“Who are ye?” The wet man growled at the intruder.

 

“My, my… You do not look too good, young man.” The man replied chuckling.

 

“I’ve asked ye a question!”

 

“You are being harassed by your own family, aren’t you? Poor thing… You need power, don’t you? You do not want to be a disgrace for your own kin, now do you? I can help you.”

 

The younger demon, still shivering from the cool air that was caressing his skin frowned even more, if that was possible, and growled out, “Who are ye?” Repeating himself for the third time.

 

The man in front of him moved forward. He reached out and took something from his blue kimono. When he was a few feet from the green eyed demon he stretched his hand out and revealed a twinkling shard of the pinkish jewel on his palm. “I’m called Naraku.” The man chuckled and raised his red eyes to meet the green ones.

 

=====================================================

 

The morning was like any other. The small group of travelers packed their things, gathered some wood for the almost dead fire, prepared their food and chattered about the oncoming day.

 

Naoe was done with his bath in the nearby hot spring and entered the bustling camp. Inuyasha was still perched in the highest tree and Sesshomaru was nowhere in sight, the boy noted to himself. Kagome, Sango and Shippo were preparing breakfast, while Kirara was still soundly sleeping on Sango’s lap. He heard a twig snap and turned around to see Miroku coming from the hot spring as well.

 

“Oh, breakfast,” He smiled at the demon boy standing in front of him and headed to the fireplace, where the girls were happily chatting.

 

Naoe watched the monk go, his golden eyes becoming warm. The man was a good addition to the group. He was smart and he was helpful in a battle. Also, Inuyasha seemed to rely on him, which proved that the monk was considered a dear friend.

 

Naoe was about to follow the purple dressed human, when Sesshomaru emerged from the forest. The demon Lord was not alone. Behind him was a huge two-headed demon, a little green toad and a human girl. So that’s Rin…Naoe thought as he watched the girl tagging after the tall inu-youkai. Jaken was mumbling something incoherent once again and the big demon was trudging silently, as it could manage, behind the small pack.

 

“Oh no! You won’t!” Inuyasha jumped down from his tree and angrily marched towards his half-brother. “They are not staying with us!” He pointed at the beings behind Sesshomaru’s back.

 

Rin hearing such an angry tone hid behind Jaken’s small figure and peeked from under his shoulder. The little toad feeling uncomfortable, started mussing, “Rin, step back from me! Get lost, you human child!” Now he was trying to push the girl away with his green talons, the two-headed staff still in one of his hands.

 

“No! Jaken-sama, I’m scared. Inuyasha-sama is scary!”

 

“Rin, Jaken, stop it this instant,” Sesshomaru’s calm voice reached the two and the pair quieted down. “Inuyasha, you will not tell me what to do. Rin and Jaken will…”

 

“Keh! I won’t tolerate those two in my group!” He glared at the two small creatures totally ignoring the big dragon youkai.

 

“Useless hanyou,” Sesshomaru hissed at his younger half-brother, his eyes narrowing. “You are making me repeat myself. Rin and Jaken will not stay. They will leave on short notice.” He finished and resumed his walking towards the tree he was sitting by in the early morning.

 

Inuyasha humpf’ed satisfied with the answer and sniffed the air. Something smelled nice and he turned to the chatting girls and a monk. He took a few steps towards the fireplace but then turned to Naoe.

 

“What are you doing there? Aren’t you joining us?” He motioned with his head towards the small group and resumed his walking.

 

“Ah, yeah…” Naoe cast one last glance at his father, who was now talking with his retainer, and stepped towards the fireplace.

 

The group ate breakfast and about an hour later set off. After half an hour of traveling, the pack parted ways with Jaken, Rin and Ah-Un.  For three hours they were walking/running without any disturbances. Kagome and Shippo were riding Inuyasha, Sango – Kirara, while Miroku, Naoe and Sesshomaru were walking or running on their own. All this monotony lasted until Kagome’s voice broke it.

 

“I sense a jewel shard!”

 

=====================================================

 

It was about two in the afternoon, when the small group showed up. The pack consisted of four men (one human, one half-breed and two demons), two women, a fire cat and a kit. The observing man looked askance at the group as they neared the place, he was hiding in. One girl was riding a fire cat, while the other one was riding on the half-breed’s back. The monk was jogging near the fire cat and the young demon was keeping near the red clad figure that was carrying the girl on his back. The white dressed demon, however, looked like he didn't belong to this group. The man was too silent and… hostile? Was that the word? From time to time the demon even sent some glares and small annoyed huffs towards the other members of the pack.

 

Finally, deciding that it was the group he needed, the lurking demon gave a sign to attack. The lowly demons started pouring out from everywhere – sky, forest and even ground.

 

The hanyou stopped and let the girl go. Growling, he drew his sword and the small rustled blade formed into a large fang. The half-breed swung the sword once and half of the demons vanished from the sight. At the same time, the young demon flung himself forward and moving swiftly between the pawns he had sent, sliced them apart without the slightest effort. The stoic youkai, however, stood there with an indifferent expression on his face not even lifting a finger to help. The human monk was fighting demons with his staff, only once in a while throwing a few sutras to kill the demons and the demon slayer, flying on her fire cat, was successfully exterminating the lowly youkai without anyone’s help.

 

The group wasn’t weak. On the contrary – it was strong. It was way stronger than he had anticipated them to be. Every one of them knew what they needed to do. If one member of the pack was in danger, the other one rushed to his or her aid.

 

The figure in the hiding smiled a sinister smile. There… His green eyes focused on a girl with a weird kimono. She was the weakest one in the group. The evil glint in emerald eyes disappeared for a split second but then it came back full force. The demon raised his hand and gave yet another sign for the second group of demons to attack. He chuckled. It was getting interesting. He looked down at his arm and grinned. The shard was there, inside his right arm, pulsing with power and promising victory.

 

=====================================================

 

Inuyasha scowled when the attack of lowly demons didn’t cease. A new wave of stronger and more intelligent youkai emerged from the forest. The half-demon cursed. He whirled around and his honey eyes sought out his half-brother, who was lazily slicing demons that dared to came near him, with his poisonous whip. The hanyou growled.

 

“Oi, Sesshomaru! Get your ass over here and…” Inuyasha sliced a bunch of demons that charged his way and readied his sword for another attack. “…and fight!” He finished the sentence already chopping an ugly head off of a lowly scum.

 

“Are you implying that you need help from this Sesshomaru?” A monotonous voice of the demon Lord reached the triangular ears, making them twitch.

 

“Keh! I don’t need anyone’s help! I’ll kill them all by myself,” the hanyou ran to Kagome’s side and sliced a snake youkai that was about to bite the unsuspecting girl. “I just thought that you might loose your form if you slack off for too long!” Inuyasha shouted to his half-brother.

 

“Thanks,” Kagome breathed out and squeezed out a little smile at her friend.

 

Not saying a word Inuyasha leaped to the side and used Wind Scar to defeat a group of demons that were coming their way. At the same time, a demon with a sword sneaked up on Inuyasha and managed to scratch his left arm. The half-demon turned around and was about to strike a fatal blow, when right in front of his eyes the demon was split in two.

 

Sesshomaru’s whip returned to his glowing fingertips and a smirk appeared on his face. “Inuyasha, you are pathetic,” He moved with his demonic speed and in a blink of an eye was standing in front of his half-brother. Being taller than the half-demon, Sesshomaru glared down at his younger sibling for about ten seconds and finally snorted with disgust. “A half-breed is still a half-breed,” Without turning away from Inuyasha the taiyoukai stretched his arm to the side and let his poison drip. There was a sickening scream and a corpse of a demon slumped to the ground. “You cannot even protect yourself,” Sesshomaru roughly grabbed Inuyasha’s injured arm, his claws sinking in the soft flesh, and tugged him closer. “You are in my way,” The demon Lord hissed and flung the irritable hanyou to the side and out of his way.

 

Inuyasha was angry beyond himself. The pathetic excuse of his half-brother was treating him like a trash. Not that it was something new to the hanyou, no. And still, it pissed him off. Angry and huffing Inuyasha resumed his fighting stance.

 

Kagome watched the exchange between the two brothers and sighed. She shook her head. They were always like that. Ever since Sesshomaru joined the group Inuyasha was waiting for an opportunity to nag at his brother. Of course, each and every time it was Inuyasha and his big mouth's fault. She cast a glance at Inuyasha, who had already readied himself for another round of attacks and concentrated on the battle herself. She drew an arrow from the arrow holder on her back and readied her bow. She calmed herself and shoot a purifying arrow at the demon that was charging towards Sango. The arrow hit its mark and the poor lowly demon crumpled to ashes. A satisfied smile graced her lips. She was about to draw another arrow, when she finally noticed that the taiyoukai was standing by her side. Kagome glanced his way and saw him glaring at her. Hahaha, right… What do I do now? She nervously laughed in her head and readied her bow. She needed to concentrate and ignore the overwhelming presence on her right.

 

“Where is the shard?” The cold voice of the demon Lord reached her ears.

 

“Huh?” She was startled by the question and looked up at Sesshomaru. His eyebrow rose in question. “Oh, the shard, right…” The girl looked around the battlefield. “There!” She pointed towards the forest. “Eh? What’s that? I sense two jewel shards but they are not in one place, which means that there are two demons with shards. One is over there, while the other one is…”

 

Kagome was about to show the location where the second enemy lurked, when she noticed that the demon Lord was no longer by her side. She scanned the field in search of a white-clad figure and spotted him heading towards the edge of the forest. Kagome sighed. They both, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were way too headstrong in their decisions…

 

“No! Kagome!” Inuyasha screamed while blocking a sword attack.

 

Sesshomaru swirled around to see the human girl standing in the clearing totally unguarded. Foolish woman. He thought and resumed his run towards the forest line.

 

“KAGOME!!!!!!!!” Inuyasha’s voice ripped through the battle cries and this time reached the girl.

 

The miko heard Inuyasha’s scream and turned to the side his voice was coming from. Exactly at that time she heard a growl and saw a blood thirsty youkai attacking her. She instinctively closed her eyes and waited for the blow that never came. When she cracked one eye open she saw a blur of white. Inuyasha! … was the thought that came to her mind first.

 

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TBC...

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