"How dare you!" I cry, running from that hateful man.

"Kagome wait! I didn't mean—LOOK OUT!" he yelled.

I looked up & saw that one of Naraku's incarnations Kagura was only a few feet away, holding rope & a gag.

"Ahhhh!" I shrieked as she grabbed me, yanking me up & quickly tying the ropes, "INUYASH- UMF!" I tried to scream, but Kagura had gagged me, flying away to Naraku's castle.

"This is so they can't follow," Kagura murmured, "DANCE OF THE DRAGON!"

"Moooo!" I tried to scream, as large tornado shaped wind tunnels shot towards my friends.

"Shut it you, or would you rather I just knock you out? Hmm? How would you like that miko?" Kagura sneered, holding her fan up.

I glared defiantly, "Ah! S'if you wold tosh me!"

"Ooo, wrong answer miko," she said, hitting me in the head with her fan, instead of me passing out, I fell off the feather.

"MMMMMNGG!" I tried to scream as Kagura made no move to catch me.

I twisted around & saw the ground approaching horrifyingly fast.

I couldn't scream, the pain was too much to do anything more than gasp, & writhe.

Before I hit the ground, I had fallen into the top branches of trees; it had slowed me down, but not enough to avoid getting seriously hurt.

My head snapped up, I heard growling in the nearby bushes. My eyes widened in terror as a large wolf stepped out of the bushes.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I scream, as I realize that the gag had slipped.

The great wolf paused, "Child, you smell vaguely of the Prince Koga," it said, its deep voice scaring me.

"Y-yes I do, he's a friend of mine," I say, trying to sit up.

"You know Master Koga?" it asked excitedly.

"Unfortunately, he keeps saying I'm his woman when I made no agreement whatsoever. It really makes me mad when he dragged poor Ayame into this…" I sighed; I was having a conversation with something that's probably going to eat me…

"Do not try to sit up dear, your wounds are far greater than you think, if you try to move your right leg then might never be able to walk again." It said, concerned for me.

I frowned, "Why do you care? Aren't you going to eat me?" I ask, puzzled.

"My child, you are betrothed to the Prince of the Eastern Wolf Tribe, if I killed you, then I would be killed too, plus, you seem very kind. Don't be alarmed, but I shall carry you back to my home where we can have a good look at your injuries & get them looked after." it explained, loping closer.

It opened its jaws & brought it down on my back, I prepared to bite back a scream, but it was very gentle, I didn't feel its teeth around my gut.

It half dragged, half carried me to its den. It set me down & stood at the entrance, "Wolves! I have the mate of a member of our tribes wounded, she must be tended to!" it called in a very commanding voice.

Immediately humanoid wolf demons swarmed me, the few females gasped & carried me inside, gently lying me out on soft brown furs.

"Elder, where did you find her? How can you be sure she has a mate? She's a pathetic human! Only wolves from the Eastern pack would take humans!" a girl complained.

"Silence Nay, do as I have ordered, & send our fastest runners to get Master Koga. This is his bride." The elder declared, silencing the cave.

I gulped, deciding not to inform them that I had no intention of marrying him.

"Sorry miss, this is going to be very painful." A different girl said, a much kinder face than that of Nay.

"Here, bite this," another girl said, trying to hand me some rolled up leather, "Huh? Don't you want it?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm bound, I can't move my hands." I apologized, looking down embarrassed.

"Oh no, who did this to you?" she asked, cutting the rope.

"A wind demon named Kagura, she's an incarnation of the evil demon Naraku. She tried to kidnap me on his orders, but I wouldn't shut up, so she hit me & I fell off her feather, landing from, oh about taller than the entrance to this cave." I explained, looking away.

"Oh no, Koga must be so worried! To have you taken from him like that!"

"What? Koga? What are you talking about? I wasn't with him when this happened; I was with my friends, InuYasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, & Kirara. Koga stops by sometimes to check on me, but InuYasha always ends up nearly beating him up." I explain.

She looked puzzled, "But if you're going to be Koga's mate, then you need to be with him all the time so that he can take care of you! If you had been with him then, then this wouldn't have happened." She told me, a frown on her face.

"Are you done talking Seiko? Sorry, but her wounds need urgent care." The one that told me how painful it was going to be said.

"Yes sorry, here's the leather." Seiko said leaving to go sit with a woman I assumed was her mom.

They weren't kidding me when they said it was painful, I bit hard into the rolled up leather, tears escaping my eyes as Suki cleaned out my leg wound. Not only was my leg broken beyond repair (here at least) but I had ripped off a lot of skin.

"I'm so sorry miss," Suki said over & over.

"Please, call me Kagome," I said when she had paused to make more disinfectant.

Suki smiled, "Yes Kagome,"

After she was done, I was laid down on a small bed of furs. Suki bent down & covered me with another one, & smiled, walking to her own bed by her mom.

I woke up, & panicked, not remembering how I had gotten here. I tried to sit up & nearly screamed from the pain it caused me.

"Ah little one, why must you punish yourself so? Do you have the habit of not knowing where you are when you wake up? Oh well, a messenger as informed us that Master Koga shall arrive here by dinnertime. Do you need anything?" he asked kindly.

"Umm, well I do but…" I hesitated; I didn't want to tell him I needed to change my underwear because I'd started my period.

He sniffed the air, "Oh I see, then let me take you to bathe." He said, understanding & stepping forward, picking me up just like yesterday.

He carried me a ways outside the den & we entered a clearing that had a large hot spring in the middle surrounded by rocks.

"Oh wow, it's so beautiful!" I cry, looking around at the steamy water.

"Yes it is Kagome. Renka! I'd like you to bathe Kagome here, Kagome, don't be afraid to tell her what you need.

A wolf girl walked up & bowed.

"You shall have to carry her, her leg is broken, be very gentle." He commanded, setting me down at Renka's feet.

She nodded & bowed again, swinging me up in her arms, as gentle as the elder, "Kagome? Would you like me to wash your hair?" she asks, stripping m down in front of the elder, I blush & try to cover myself.

"Ack! Not in front of him!" I exclaim, curling up & hissing from the pain.

"Don't worry Kagome, I am no pervert, I am here so that when are finished I can take you back." He explained, sitting down near the waters edge.

I uncurled & let Renka undress me & slide me in the steamy water, "Oh, & yes I'd like it very much if you could wash my hair." I replied, finally remembering Renka's question.

She nodded, "What fragrance?"

"Umm, something that complements my natural scent," I said, thinking about how InuYasha complained about the shampoo wrecking my scent.

Renka nodded again & took out a pot filled with lavender scented soap. She stuck her hands in & brought them to my hair & began to lather, getting deep in the roots.

I sighed; it felt good to have my hair washed.

"Kagome, how are you here? I mean, how did you get hurt like this?" Renka asked.

"Well, I was fighting with my friend InuYasha, & when he hurt my feelings I turned & ran, he tried to call me back, then he told me to watch out, I looked ahead & saw an evil demon I knew, she kidnapped me. I tried to scream for help, but she gagged me. Then when I kept at it she tried to knock me out, & instead knocked me off her flying feather,"

"Flying feather? Was this demon called Kagura?" she interrupted.

"Yea, I saw the ground approaching & then I hit. I was up higher than the top of the entrance to the den, it's a miracle I didn't die, or have worse injuries. Then the elder found me & took me here." I finished explaining, Renka kept rubbing my hair.

"Why? I mean, why did Kagura kidnap you?" she asked.

"She probably didn't, but I'm willing to bet that she was under orders from Naraku. Why he wanted me is a mystery, maybe it was Kagura's intention to knock my off the feather… but then why kidnap me at all? It doesn't make sense to me either Renka. But the reason why Naraku would want me in the first place is clear, I can see Shikon no Tama shards. He would use me to find them, so that he can repair the jewel himself." I explained.

"Oh my, you can see the shards of the Shikon no Tama? How is that possible?" she asked excited.

"I can see them because I am the reincarnation of the priestess that first guarded the jewel, she could see them too." I said, a bitter note in my voice when I mentioned Kikyo.

"Huh? Why do you sound bitter? Who was the priestess?" Renka asked confused.

"Her name is Kikyo. 'Is' not 'was', she's dead, but still walking the earth." I said, closing my eyes.

"Kikyo? I know that bitch! But, you two are nothing alike, how can you be her reincarnation, especially since it takes hundreds of years for one to show up?" she asked, rinsing out my scented hair.

"We aren't alike, because she isn't supposed to be here, & you're right, reincarnations do come hundreds of years apart. I'm from 500 years into the future. I fell into a well at my family's shrine, & landed in this time." I explained.

Renka stopped moving, "W-what? H-how are y-you-? Of course! You're a very powerful priestess! What is it like in the future? How many demons do you know? Can anyone else come with you? How big is the wolf demon territory?" she asked eagerly.

I looked down, "There aren't demons in the future. They've been written off as 'fiction'. Until I came here I thought they were fiction too… in my time, demons are only wrathful spirits, but most people don't even believe that…" I trailed off, "But did you know? The future can & will always change. I don't think I was meant to come here, but I did, so now the future has changed." I reassured.

"Oh! I didn't know that! So then demons might still exist now that you came here?"

"Yea, it's possible."

"Okay, oh, your hair is down, would you like to get out now?"

"Yes thank you, my scalp feels marvelous! Is this your job? You should get paid to do this Renka!" I said.

She smiled & picked me up, taking me out & sitting me down on a rock, "You'll have to wear these," Renka said, picking up a stack of clothes.

"Umm, where are my panties & bra?" I ask, looking around for my clothes.

"Oh, your strange undergarments? We threw them out, they were too bloody." The elder said, standing up.

I twitched, "What about my bra? How could it have blood on it?"

"You threw it on top of the other cloth & soiled it. You can wear this leather in your 'panties' place." He said, hesitating over the word 'panties'.

He held out an underwear-ish looking strip of cloth. Renka grabbed it & helped me get it on. It was ok, but it felt a lot like a thong. Renka then slipped a soft supple deerskin dress over my head. I slipped my arms in the long kimono-like sleeves, & the dress went to the floor. Renka tied a thin leather belt around my waist to keep my figure. The dress was white, pure doeskin white.

"Oh my god, this is too beautiful, I can't wear it!" I exclaimed, seeing my reflection.

Renka & the elder were staring at me, "What?" I asked.

"You are the exact image of our famous queen, the first humanoid wolf demon. Her name was Ookanashi, she… was murdered by one of her own sons, & since then no king nor queen has ever been elected." The elder explained.

I gasped, "Wow,"

"Elder! Master Koga has arrived!" a messenger cried, running up, out of breath.

"He is much faster than I thought, we will see him, Kagome? Would you rather me or Renka carry you to see him?" the elder asked, walking over.

I blushed, "Umm, would you carry me elder?" I asked, a little embarrassed.

He nodded, & opened his jaws, picking me up in his mouth & carrying me to the den.

"Kagome!" Koga cried, running up to us, "I can take her Elder, thank you so much for finding her," he said, bowing to the wolf.

The elder set me down as gently as he could but I still winced.

Koga swept me up, not being very careful; he jostled my leg & I screamed, clutching close to him & trying to keep my leg from moving.

"Kagome? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Koga asked anxiously.

"Foolish boy! Did no one tell you of her injuries?" the elder exclaimed, balancing my leg so it didn't hurt as much.

"Injuries? No! No one told me she was wounded!" Koga exclaimed, sitting me down as carefully as he could back on the ground, "What happened?"

"I was kidnapped by Kagura, & when she was flying, she knocked me off, & didn't bother to catch me, I fell & hit the ground, & then the elder found me." I explained, "I broke my leg, & a lot of skin was ripped off, & I lost a lot of blood, plus I'm probably going to be covered in bruises. The healers said that my leg can't be repaired, & that I'm lucky to be alive." I said, looking away from his face.

"No," he said, shaking his head, "I'll kill her for this, & InuYasha too! That idiot couldn't protect you! It's the only reason why I let you stay with him! He said he could, & now this happens. That's it, when you can be transported, we're going to our den, & then I'll go & kill Kagura!" Koga swore, punching his fist.

I flinched, "You can't kill InuYasha! It wasn't his fault! We were fighting because he had been with Kikyo… & I ran away… it is his fault, isn't it?" I ask, the realization hitting me, if he hadn't been with Kikyo, then we wouldn't have fought, & then Kagura wouldn't have kidnapped me, & then I wouldn't have gotten hurt… "It's all InuYasha's fault… how could he do this to me?" I cry, burying my head in my hands, tears running down my face.

"Kagome don't cry over that jerk! I'm here to protect you now! He won't ever do that again! You won't leave my care, don't worry, & if you really don't want me to, I won't kill him, Kagome please stop crying!" Koga begged, hugging me tightly.

I sniffled, It feels good for him to hug me; it feels right… & his arms are so warm… I think, my eyelids getting heavy, "Don't, don't leave me Koga…" I whisper, drifting off.

"I won't ever let you go Kagome," he replies, picking me up again.