Inu-Yasha and Kagome made their way on a thin, fading path, cutting through a dense forest. The bright afternoon sun filtered through the crowded tree branches, and crawled it's way across the damp, forest floor. Both of them were as quiet as the forest was, neither of them speaking to each other. Kagome opened her mouth slightly to say something, but before any sound could come from her mouth, Inu-Yasha raised his left arm to the side, blocking her way, and slightly shaking his head. They both stopped walking, as Inu-Yasha's ears twitched sensitively, and he spoke quietly under his breath. ''There's something out there. I can smell it.'' He sniffed the air in front of them, as someone walked out from behind the shadows of the trees. ''So, I finally found you. The half demon Inu-Yasha, and the Priestess Kagome.'' The young girl said, watching them intently, her eyes gleaming. Kagome pushed Inu-Yasha's arm away, and took a single step forward, tilting her head slightly to one side. ''Who are you?'' She asked, wondering how this girl knew her name. The girl grinned at Kagome. A grin that seemed all too familliar. ''My name...'' She began, reaching into the front of her Kimono, and pulling out a small pouch with the tips of her fingers. Inu-Yasha and Kagome watched, as she slowly turned the pouch upside down, and emptied it's contents onto the palm of her hand. She held out her hand to show them two glowing Shikon Shards, and finished what she had began. ''...Is Karasu.''

''Are you a fool?'' Inu-Yasha asked Karasu harshly. ''Do you wish to fight me for those shards?'' Karasu grinned again, ever so slightly. The glowing light from the Shikon Shards illuminated her face, giving her an erie look. ''I do not wish to fight you, but if you have any of the other shards, it might be wise to hand them over now.'' Inu-Yasha raised his hand in front of his face, showing off his sharp claws to Karasu. He grinned, his grin quite simillar to hers. ''Don't make me laugh, girl. Do you think I would just give you my Shikon Shards just because you ask me too?'' He flexed his claws, as if to warn her. Kagome started to speak again, but was again cut off by a sharp look Inu-Yasha gave her from the corner of his eye. ''But it might make this a little easier if you give me yours, so I don't have to stain my hands with your pathetic human blood.'' Karasu immidiately stopped smiling, and closed her hand around the two shards, dimmimg her face into shadows again. She sighed, and turned her gaze to the ground. ''You don't understand. I need the Shikon No Tama. I cannot tell you why, but it is of great importance to my future.'' Inu-Yasha laughed evily, quite amused by what she said. ''Of course you need that damned jewel. You and every other demon around here.'' Kagome looked from Inu-Yasha to Karasu, finding a striking resembelence in their faces. Then, finally she found her chance to speak. ''We need the Shikon No Tama too. Because after we gather all of the shards it will be destroyed, so no demon or man can get their hands on it, and do evil on this world. And after that is over, I am going home, and putting all of this behind me.'' She crossed her arms tightly across her chest, and threw a slight glance at Inu-Yasha. ''That's right. so hand over your shards, or I will have to force them from you!'' He jumped up at her, his claws outstretched, ready to attack.

''Sit Inu-Yasha!!'' Kagome yelled, before He could do any damage. The beaded necklace around his neck, glowed a dark pink color, and he was forced to the ground, falling face first into the dirt. Karasu made a noise, which sounded much like a muffled laugh, as Inu-Yasha looked up at Kagome angrily, his face streaked with dirt and grass. ''Damn you, witch...'' He said through a mouth full of dirt. Kagome ignored Inu-Yasha's rude comment, and walked over to Karasu. Karasu placed the two Shikon Shards back into her pouch, and dropped the pouch back into the front of her Kimono, as Kagome studied her. ''Are you..uhh...a demon? Or human?'' she asked finally. Karasu didn't look much like a demon. She had long black hair tied back into a thick, loose braid. Her eyes were deep brown, and she had no claws, nor fangs, such as Inu-Yasha did. She looked at Kagome, her face showing little _expression. ''No. I am not a demon. Though I can understand why you might think I am one.'' She said after a long pause. She looked over at Inu-Yasha, who was dusting the front of his shirt off. ''Do you mind if I come with you if I so disired?'' Kogome nodded and smiled, to Inu-Yasha's displeasure. Karasu returned her smile, but unlike the other times she did had smiled. This smile was happy and thankful. ''Fine. I choose to go with you. I might be of assistance on a certain night.'' Inu-Yasha stood up, and made a sickening cracking sound with his hand, glaring hatefully at Karasu. Kagome shot him an angry look, the word sit on the tip of her tongue, although she did not say it. Inu-Yasha ignored her stare, and lead the way unwillingly down the path, as Kagome and Karasu followed.

As all three of them made there way out of the darkening forest, Inu-Yasha suddenly stopped, his ears twitching, as he breifly sniffed the air. Just as Inu-Yasha turned around, somone wrapped their arms loosely around Kagome's waist. Kagome's ear pearcing scream rang out throughout the forest's edge, causing a few birds to fly from the trees surrounding them. Inu-Yasha clamped his hands over his sensitive ears, and Karasu barely flinched. Kagome turned swiftly around, and stared into the grinning face of Miroku. He smiled insanely, as Kagome's face turned a very dark shade of red. She quickly backed up, shock with surprise, and backed straight into Inu-Yasha. He and Kagome both fell to the ground, but not before Inu-Yasha grabbed Karasu's Kimono sleeve, pulling her down along with them. Miroku laughed aloud, seeing Inu-Yasha fall sharply onto his back, and Karasu and Kagome fall right on top of him. Miroku waved at them, snickering. ''Hey. Couldn't pass up the chance to catch Kagome off guard.'' Kagome moaned, rolling off of Inu-Yasha, and rubbing her back side. Inu-Yasha pushed Karasu off of him violently, and looked at Miroku, with a glare that could kill. ''What the hell do you think you were doing, you bastard?!'' He yelled angrily, hopping to his feet. Miroku couldn't help but notice the unfamilliar girl looking up at him from the ground. He ignored Inu-Yasha's question, and bent down, helping Karasu to her feet. ''Well, I believe I've never met you before. Who might you be?'' Karasu glanced at him quickly, dusting herself off. She didn't look back up at him as she spoke. ''I am Karasu. And you are Miroku? Am I correct?'' Miroku looked at her admiringly, and took her hand into his. ''Well, you already know about me and my cursed hand?'' Her gaze flew to the light blue beads wrapped around his right arm. ''So...I am young, and I might not live much longer...and my only dream is to have a son, and let that little part of me live on...'' His voice seemed sad, as did his _expression, but Kagome knew better. She rolled her eyes annoyedly. ''Here we go again.'' Inu-Yasha glared at Miroku, as if he were jelouse. He reached for Karasu's face, but before he could touch her, she swung her hand around, and struck him hard accross the face. She had no claws, but her fingernails must have been sharp, for she left four long thin gashes on his cheek. Blood ran down the side of his face, as Karasu glared at him, her eyes seeming to flash yellow, and then back to brown. Miroku reached up and touched his own cheek. He looked at the blood that now stained the tip of his fingers. Karasu turned slowly around, without saying a word, and walked toward Inu-Yasha, to whisper is his right ear. ''The night when the moon is not in the sky is tonight. I will return, when I am needed.'' At that, she ran swiftly into the trees, with Inu-Yasha staring, in wonder.

As evening settled, and the sun began to sink under the horizon, turning the sky gold and pink, slowly fading into black, Inu-Yasha, Kagome, and Miroku sat under a group of large trees. Inu-Yasha kept looking nervously up at the fading golden sky, apparently waiting for something. Inu-Yasha looked over at Kagome, she was asleep. Her head slid down, for she was sitting up. Her head leaned on Inu-Yasha's shoulder, and Inu-Yasha's cheeks turned slightly pink, as Miroku watched them, laughing to himself. Inu-Yasha stared out over the open field, that rolled out in front of them, deep in thought. He made no attempt to push Kagome away, and made no sign that he was annoyed. His ears twitched softly, as he leaned his head onto hers, and closed his eyes slowly, as sleep overcame him.

Inu-Yasha woke suddenly to a faint sound, his ears twitching madly. He must not of slept for very long, for the sun was not yet fully set. Miroku was on his feet, his left hand clutching the beads on his right. Something moved in the darkening shadows. Inu-Yasha stood up, causing Kagome to fall onto the ground, without the support of him. She opened her eyes slowly, sitting up, dazed and confused with sleep. ''Wha- What's going on?'' She yawned tiredly. Inu-Yasha and Miroku looked into the deep shadows, ready for anything that was to come, as the last of the sun's light dissapeared into the oncoming darkness. All three of them watched tensely as a small kitten walked out from the dark trees, shaking dropletts water from it's small paws. Miroku laughed casually, and Inu-Yasha hoped he didn't look as stupid as he felt. The kitten meowed, and sat down on the flowing grass. It's glowing red eyes watched them, as if it was looking for them all along. Kagome was still too confused with sleep, to know what was going on. Miroku sat back down on the ground, laughing at himself, and Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha turned away from the red eyes watching him, and looked down at Kagome, who was still sitting on the ground. The cat moved, and slowly started to change. No one seemed to notice at first, as it's paws became clawed human hands and feet. It grew taller, and it now had a human nose, with whiskers extending from each side of it's cheeks. The hair on it's head grew until it reached the cat's knees. It still kept it's ears, and tail, but it's features were human. It was obviously a female. Kagome screamed, and Miroku lept up, both of them finally noticing the cat's shocking transformation. Inu-Yasha turned swiftly around, just in time to see the cat demon advance on them. Miroku ran in front of Inu-Yasha, and began to unwind the beads around his hand. The cat demon pushed him violently aside, and he fell to the ground hitting his head on a sharp rock. Blood ran slowly down the rock and soaked up into the ground, as the cat demon jumped up onto Inu-Yasha.

The demon pinned Inu-Yasha to the ground, her clawed hands around his neck, her knees pushing on his chest. ''Give me the shards, half demon puppy!'' she demanded in a high pitched voice, pushing her sharp claws deep into his neck. He tried to push her off, but it was no use. He felt his strength deminish, and knew what was happening. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to fight the pain at his throte. Blood ran from the punctures on his neck, from the cat demon's claws, as his hair slowly changed from white to black. His claws and fangs shrank to a normal size, as did his ears. When he opened his eyes back up, they were not yellow anymore, they were brown. He looked up at the sky, helplessly. No moon. He was human.

Inu-Yasha almost gave up, when something, or someone, flipped down from the trees, and tackled the demon off of him. The girl that saved him, turned to him, and helped him to his feet. He looked at her, breathing heavily. She had long grey hair, pulled back into a thick, loose braid. Her eyes were yellow, and full of concern. Blood ran heavily from her clawed hands, probably blood from the cat demon. Two sharp fangs stuck out from inside her mouth. And something that really caught Inu-Yasha's attention, were the two ears, exactly like his were, stood up on her head, twitching impatiently. Then he realized it, he could see it in her face. ''Karasu?'' His mouth sputtered blood as he spoke, and he leaned over onto his knees, staining the grass red. His throte throbbed painfully, as the warm blood ran down it, soaking the colar of his shirt. Then, when no one was excpecting it, the cat demon lunged at Karasu, tackling her to the ground. Karasu pushed her off ferosiously, slashing her claws at the demon's face. The cat demon pounced, pushed her into a tree, slamming Karasu's head, and pinning her there, her cat claws at her throte. A little stream of blood ran down Karasu's face, and into her mouth, turning her fangs red. The demon arched her arm back, and lunged her clawed hand forward, at Karasu's throte.

Miroku tackled Karasu out of the way, both of them rolling into the trees, into the dark shadows. The cat demon's claws hit the tree, getting them stuck there. She screeched, full of anger and rage, trying to pull her hand free. Miroku helped Karasu to her feet. She got ready to go back, and fight to save Kagome and Inu-Yasha, but before she could, Miroku grabbed her Kimomo sleeve, to keep her from going anywhere. ''Who are you?'' He asked, his voice seeming rather weak, as blood ran down the side of his face, as she struggled to get her sleeve free, trying to ignore his question. ''Tell me who you are, and I will let you go.'' She continued to struggle, not speaking. Refusing to talk. Miroku wrapped the sleeve around his hand to get a firmer grip, and pulled her toward him, making her face him. ''Tell me, now.'' Karasu sighed deeply. ''Fine. But you have to promise me you will not to tell anyone. Especially Inu-Yasha and Kagome.'' Miroku hesitantly let go of her sleeve. ''Promise.'' She pleaded. Miroku looked at her suspiciously, and finally agreed after a long, suspenceful pause. ''I promise.'' She sighed again and leaned against a tree, folding her arms, and looking out into the shadows. ''My name is not Karasu. My real name his Tamashii. I come from eighteen years in the future. I've come for the Shikon No Tama, so I may have enough strength to take revenge on my father's death. And that I might prevent his death, and alter the future of my world.'' She shuddered. Miroku looked at her questioningly. ''Who is your father, and how did you get here?'' She studied the ground between her feet, as if debating to tell him, or not to. Then she answered. ''I came through the Bone Eater's Well. Both my mother and my father can travle through it, so I am able to.'' She looked at him, and as if she was reading his mind, then continued. ''My mother is a well respected priestess...Kagome. And my father is...'' Her voice shook as she spoke, but managed to finish her sentence. ''...Is Inu-Yasha.''