Fushigi Yuugi, Inuyasha 1. Stressful Day

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or Fushigi Yuugi.

**Note:** Kagome is a demon in this story.

**Pairing:** Hotohori/Tamahome/Kagome/Nuriko

**Summary:** Kagome is finally done with the past. She was ready to stay in the Feudal Era with Inuyasha until he made a devastating choice. A choice that broke Kagomes heart. As a result Kagome leaves the past behind her and starts to have a normal life in her era. But Kagome can never stay away from the supernatural for long. And thus she is starting a new journey in the book of the universe of the four gods as the priestess of Suzaku. But is she ready to deal with new challenges or to leave the memory of Inuyasha behind for a chance at a greater love?

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><p>"Bye mom! I'll be home later tonight. I'm going to the library to catch up on what I missed in school." Kagome called from the front door about to walk out of the house.<p>

"Alright Kagome but don't be too late. You know how dangerous it can be at night." Warned a mother concerned about her daughters wellbeing.

"Don't worry, I won't be gone too long. I just want to pick up some books for a project." Were the departing words her mother received as Kagome closed the door behind her. She started to walk toward the stairs of the shrine knowing that she would be home within the hour because the library was only a ten minute walk from here. She didn't know why her mother always got so worried about her. Especially since she did much more dangerous things in the Feudal Era. But she would never tell her mother that, of course.

Kagome gave a sad sigh as she walked down the shrine steps. Her days in the Feudal Era were over. It took three years to do, but they finally defeated Naraku and completed the Sacred Jewel. The battle was a hard one to fight, like all battles are, but, luckily for them no one died. But they did suffer some major damage though. Sango was not only hurt physically but also mentally, because she had to slay her own brother, and suffered from a few broken bones in her hand and leg. Miroku was free from his wind tunnel, but he suffered major blood loss and he was also poisoned by Naraku's poisonous insects. Thankfully Shippo had stayed at Kaede's village during the battle, so he did not have to suffer from seeing all of the gore and fighting.

Koga and Ayame showed up with their wolves, but they didn't get too injured because they focused mostly on the low level demons. Because of an alliance, Sesshomaru also came to help out, and he escaped with only a few cuts and bruises that would heal in only a few hours. Inuyasha sported a whole in the middle of his chest from one of Naraku's tentacles, as well as cuts all along his body and a broken arm. But, by far, Kagome was the one who had the worst injuries. She had fought on every level. Helping fight through the low level demons, taking on some of Naraku's detachments, helping take down Kagura and Kanna, and dealing the death blow to Naraku himself. She had numerous lacerations running along both of her arms from demons claws, her right arm was dislocated, several of her ribs were broken, and she had suffered from a punctured lung.

Kagome winced as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She remembered how much pain she was in. That was not a fun day, but it did have a good ending.

Once the fight was over there was a moment of complete silence, and everyone turned to where they all knew Naraku was to be. But only found a pile of ash and a sacred arrow imbedded in the ground next to the sacred jewel. Then all heads turned to the pained groan as shocked faces turned into ones of horror as they saw Kagome collapse to the ground, bow still in hand. She was dying. Everyone knew it.

Sesshomaru came forward intent of healing her with Tenseiga. But it wouldn't work. No one on the once battle field knew why Tenseiga would not work for someone who obviously does not deserve to die. Everyone gathered around her slowly dying form with tears in their eyes. Then one by one they realized that there was nothing they could do to save the miko they all cared so deeply for.

Until an idea struck Sesshomaru. He knelt down and ignored a growling Inuyasha as he cradled Kagome's head in his lap, and said. "I shall give you my gift now, miko."

Kagome's eyes widened not believing that he would do that for her, but she slowly nodded with a happy smile on her face knowing what he was going to do. "I'm happy you accept me, and consider me part of your own."

Sesshomaru nodded and touched her arm, but a growling Inuyasha tried to slash at his hand. Miroku, noticing that Sesshomaru was trying to help Kagome, caught the lords eye and nodded. Then slowly went behind Inuyasha while he was distracted with Sesshomaru. Miroku took his staff and smacked it hard against Inuyasha's skull, effectively knocking him unconscious.

With Inuyasha out of the way, Sesshomaru continued what he was doing and grabbed the mikos right arm first. He then raised his demonic aura and surrounded Kagome and himself with it, while everyone else was forced to step away from the large aura. The aura surrounded them so completely that no one could see inside of it.

Kagome gave a pained gasp as Sesshomaru bit down on her wrist, right under her palm, to mix a little amount of his poison in her blood. Grabbing the other hand he repeated the process. Then leaning over her, he licked the very center of her forehead so his healing saliva could absorb into her skin at that exact spot. And he finished by gathering more of his aura and pressed it into Kagome.

Kagome almost stumbled as she was turning the corner at the end of the block. Though it hurt like hell, Sesshomaru saved her life that day. Not only did he give her her life back, but he also made her a dog demon like him and adopted her into his family as his little sister. After the events of that day, it all seemed like a blur. They all went back to Kaedes village and celebrated, Inuyasha asked Kagome to be his mate, Sango and Miroku finally married, Koga went back to the mountains with Ayame and started a family, Sesshomaru stayed around since Shippo and Rin were practically inseparateable. But most importantly there was peace.

Kagome sighed sadly as she remembered the last part of her past while nearing the library that was in sight. She had been with Sesshomaru the past week learning how to be a demon and to get used to her body and she had decided to say goodbye to her family for good, so she could stay in the past with the one she loved. But on the way to the well she smelled Inuyasha nearby thanks to her enhanced senses. Though something was wrong with his scent. She never smelled the certain spice that was added to it before and wondered what he was doing to change his scent so drastically.

She followed her nose and found him rutting with not one but TWO of the women from the village. She was so shocked she just stood there frozen like a deer in head lights, as the group continued with their passions oblivious to her presence. She couldn't believe what she was seeing! They were going to mate under the full moon at the end of the month! How could he do this? A light growl from her right finally broke her from her trance and she bolted in that direction. She flew through the trees without even looking where she was going and ended up in a pair of strong arms as she held on to the shirt that was in front of her like it was a life line.

Sesshomaru growled softly when he heard Kagomes slight sobs and felt his shirt start to get wet. "Kagome." He whispered softly as he stroked her hair, trying to comfort her as best he could.

"Sesshomaru. I... I can't stay here any longer. I need to go back to my time... forever." Kagome hiccupped as she felt Sesshomaru's arms tighten around her.

What felt like an eternity Sesshomaru finally let go and gave a deep sigh. "I understand, and I will not stop you. Just know that I will try to find you in your time." Kagome gave a very light growl that could be mistaken for a purr when Sesshomaru kissed the maroon crescent moon on her forehead.

"Don't worry brother, we'll see each other again. I'm sure of it." With tears in her eyes Kagome hugged Sesshomaru with all she was worth, and they both headed for the well.

In the library scanning the shelves, Kagome smiled sadly as she remembered her last few moments in the Feudal Era. It had only been a week since she came back, and Inuyasha's betrayal was still just as fresh and deep on her heart. It was so hard to let someone that you loved for so long, go. The date that she was so excited and giddy about now brought on feelings of sadness and depression. It was the date they were to be mated.

Feeling like she was going to start crying, Kagome headed to the upper levels of the library that not very many people went to. While walking down a hallway a few tears slipped down her cheeks and landed on the floor. Kagome just stood there while her tears continued to fall. Until she heard voices approaching from in front of her. Panicking Kagome quickly entered a side door, completely ignoring the 'RESTRICTED' sign hanging on the front of the door.

She quickly walked to the far side of the room and slumped to the ground against a bookshelf. With the force that Kagome put on the bookshelf from leaning against it caused a single book to fall from it place. But its presence was ignored by the heavily crying girl. _'What's wrong with me? Can I not go anywhere without thinking about him?'_ Kagome started to sob a little louder, but had to muffle it, in case anyone overheard her. _'Look what I'm reduced to. This is pathetic.'_

After ten minutes Kagome settled down long enough to notice the book that was lying next to her. _'What is this?'_ She read the title. _'Hm. I've never heard of the universe of the four gods before.'_ Then slowly Kagome opened the book. "'Thereby the girl of legend opened the door which led to another world.' What the..." Suddenly Kagome felt herself being pulled into the book! "... HELL!" Kagome screamed as she was sucked into the book. She was about to start a new adventure that would either bring her up or take her down. She just didn't know it yet.

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><p>"Ow... What the hell." Kagome mumbled as she rubbed her head with her eyes closed. "What the heck happened?" Slowly she opened her eyes and had to wince because the sun was so strong. Once her eyes adjusted she looked around. She was on a hill top that overlooked an entire city with what looked like a palace in the middle of it all. But what caught Kagome's attention was the style of the houses. They were definitely not modern in their architecture. It reminded Kagome of the Feudal Era, except it seemed more advanced. Like it was in the middle of her era and the Feudal Era. "Where am I?"<p>

Slowly Kagome stood up and dusted herself off. "Well the only way to find out is to ask." Then making sure her glamour was still in place she headed off into the city. She didn't want to scare any people away with her markings or her extra body parts.

After entering she tried numerous times to ask people where she was, but they just either ignored her or just walked away casting accusing glances. _'Well some people can be just plain rude!'_ When she heard what some citizens were whispering about her she finally understood. _'Of course! I look different than they do with my modern clothing.'_ The people around her were all wearing a type of kimono or other old form of clothes, while she was wearing her blue jeans and a black sweater.

Kagome sighed, since no one that was in the upper level of the city was willing to talk to her, she was going to have to talk to the lower level people. She didn't have any problems with that, only that in the lower levels there was always a hint of danger. It reminded her of the Feudal Era cities they went to, always finding trouble in the lower levels of the city.

While she was walking in one of the numerous alleys in the city, Kagome realized that she was lost. Sighing again for the millionth time that day, Kagome continued to wander the lower levels trying to find someone that would help her.

"Hey girlie, you looking for some fun?"

"Yeah come on over. We'll show you a good time."

Kagome turned around to see two men were approaching her with sneers on their faces. Knowing that there were only two of them, Kagome knew she could take them. "I think not. Now just go back to the rat hole you crawled out of." Disgusted, Kagome was about to turn around when she felt two arms encircle her holding her arms down, while another pair held her legs. From where she was she could see that three diffrent men had jumped her from behind to restrain her while she was distracted by the two in front of her. Whom where fast approaching.

Quickly before anyone would notice, she lowered her head and bit the one who was holding her arms to her sides with her elongated fangs. The man cried in pain and stepped back in surprise. But Kagome couldn't take advantage of the situation because the third man that was standing next to her quickly grabbed her hands and held them in place. Then when the other two got closer they stuffed a piece of cloth into her mouth making her gag.

Now Kagome was starting to panic. Each man was holding either one of her legs or one of her arms, so she couldn't move them. Sure she was a dog demon, but she wasn't even a month old in her new body. To get the amount of power that Sesshomaru had took years upon years of training. So basically her power level was equivalent to that of a newborn pup. She couldn't even use her holy powers because they were human! So that left only one option.

While Kagome was busy planning her escape, the man that she bit got up from the ground and stood in front of her. And because her legs were held by two different men, that left her legs spread wide open with the man standing in between them. "You're going to regret ever biting me bitch! I was going to go easy on you and let you enjoy it, but now I'll make sure that I'm extra rough." Kagome froze and gasped as she felt his hand slide up her thigh to her crotch. She tried to close her legs, but it was useless. Her body just wasn't strong enough to take on five adult males on her own.

Just as the man was putting his hand under her jeans, Kagome put her plan into action.

A silver light incased Kagome, and when the men felt her arms start to shorten they let go in shock. The five men watched in fascination as her body started to shrink and change in shape. When the light died down, there was only a small puppy where the girl once was.

Then before anyone knew what was happening the puppy bolted away from them. The men, enraged, chased after her, sure that they would make a hefty sum for the girl that could change into a dog.

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><p>Kagome ran and ran, but she couldn't lose the men that wanted her. She was starting to get tired and the men were catching up fast. Then as she was turning a corner Kagome ran into a leg. She was disoriented for a little bit but shook it off and looked up into the grayish eyes of a man that had dark blue hair tied in a low pony tail. And when their eyes met, Kagome knew he would protect her. She didn't know how, it was just a tug on her senses to stay by his side and he would protect her.<p>

"Hey there girl. What are you doing running so fast?" The man asked Kagome and all she could do was give a cute whine as a reply. "Well aren't you cute." That comment was rewarded with another cute whine. But their little interaction was cut short as the men that were chasing Kagome finally caught up.

"Hey their stranger. You found my dog. I have been looking everywhere for it. Thank you for finding it." One of the men told Tamahome as he held out his arms, waiting for him to put the dog in them.

"Oh. This is your dog?" Tamahome looked down at the dog who was shaking her head, as if to tell him 'no'. Tamahome thought that was pretty weird, dogs couldn't understand what people said after all. "Such a shame. She's such a cute thing too. I was going to keep her."

Tamahome reached out his hand to give the man Kagome but what shocked him when she bit him. It wasn't enough to draw blood but it got his attention. And since he wasn't expecting the bite he accidently dropped Kagome from the shock of it. When he was about to bend down to pick her up again, he was stopped by a silver light. Then instead of a puppy there was a girl staring back at him.

"Please help me. Those men are after me. And I can't even say what they want. But it's nothing good!" Pleaded Kagome to Tamahome, who was shocked at what he just saw. Then he turned back to the men that were after her and had to quickly catch a punch that was directed at his face.

"Ah. I see now. So you think that you can just take advantage of a helpless girl?" Tamahome questioned the men as his hand tightened on the man's fist. He quickly punched the man in the gut and as he doubled over in pain Tamahome hit him in the head, knocking him unconscious. The other four men who saw how easily the man took down one of their friends backed away and turned tail and ran away.

Once the men were gone Tamahome turned his attention to the girl that he had recently believed was a dog. Tamahome stumbled back a few steps because the Kagome was standing so close to him and staring at him very intently. "Hey! What's that look for?"

Kagome blinked a few times as if she were getting out of a trance. "Oh. Sorry. I guess I was just thinking is all." Kagome played it off lightly. But really she was trying to determine why the man before her felt so strange compared to the others around the city. It almost felt like they were connected in some way. "Thank you for saving me." Kagome said as she and the man started to walk away from the deserted street and to a more populated area.

"Oh. No problem. Ya know, you were pretty lucky that you ran into me instead of someone else."

"Yeah I know, but I was just trying to get away from those men. I wasn't really thinking where I was going. I was just following my instincts."

"Instincts, huh? Hey! Wait a minute! How come you changed from a dog to a human?" Tamahome asked while pointing a finger at her. The action was so sudden that Kagome stepped back in surprise, thanking the stars that no one was around to hear the statement just said.

"Well... You see..." Kagome paused in her explanation. She didn't want to scare him away, especially when she finally found someone to talk to her. And though she knew she could trust him, it didn't mean that he would understand and not be afraid of her. She sighed and just spit it out. "I'm a dog demon." There she said it, and she closed her eyes not wanting to see the reaction that he had. Now she was expecting that he would run away and shout that she was crazy or something. But she didn't expect him to put his hand on her head and ruffle her hair, which resulted in her ears to stick up.

Tamahome couldn't help what he was doing. She was just so cute! And when he saw her silver dog like ears, he just lost it and started to pet them. He wondered how he didn't notice them before and just counted it to them blending in with her hair when they were down. After all, her bangs were white and the rest of her hair was black. So at any angle the ears didn't stick out as long as they laid down on her bangs.

Tamahome was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a purr like sound. Looking around and seeing no one, he looked down at the content looking Kagome. He couldn't help but give a small smile at how cute she looked. Though it was a shock that she was a demon, she didn't seem to be the bad kind.

When Kagome felt the fingers that were rubbing her ears stop, she looked up into amused gray eyes. With a blush Kagome looked everywhere but him. "So you're not afraid of me?" She tentatively asked, not wanting to test her luck and have him run away.

"Now why would I be scared of a little puppy?" Tamahome teased.

Kagome froze, shocked that he didn't fear her. Then the shock turned to happiness because he wasn't running away. Then happiness turned to anger when it finally registered what he said. "Hey! I can totally take you on, ya know! You should be scared!"

Tamahome couldn't help but laugh. "Of course you can. I'm scared right now." But the way he said it made Kagome flush with anger as he started to walk away, leaving her there in the street.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Called Kagome as she ran to catch up with his long strides. "Whats your name anyway?" She asked when she caught her breath.

He smirked as he looked down at her. "It's Tamahome. What's yours?" His smirk grew even bigger as he saw her blush again.

"It's Ka-"

"Hey you two! Halt!" Interrupted a voice as it screamed. Tamahome and Kagome both stopped their strides and turned around to where the yell had originated from. They then saw ten guards headed in their direction. Knowing this was nothing but trouble for them, Tamahome grabbed Kagomes hand and started to run in the opposite direction but was stopped when he saw ten more guards close in on their location.

"Well shit."

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><p>I hope you like my story<p>

Please Read and Review


	2. New Responsabilities

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or Fushigi Yuugi.

**Note:** Kagome is a demon in this story.

**Pairing:** Hotohori/Tamahome/Kagome/Nuriko

**Summary:** Kagome is finally done with the past. She was ready to stay in the Feudal Era with Inuyasha until he made a devastating choice. A choice that broke Kagomes heart. As a result Kagome leaves the past behind her and starts to have a normal life in her era. But Kagome can never stay away from the supernatural for long. And thus she is starting a new journey in the book of the universe of the four gods as the priestess of Suzaku.

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><p>"Ow, my head." Groaned Kagome as she slowly started to wake up from her forced slumber. The first thing she noticed was how cold she was despite what felt like a blanket that was draped over her. Then when she tried to move she noticed how her joints wanted to protest the movement because she had been sleeping on the hard ground. Slowly she opened her eyes. It was very dark and gloomy, but there were torches in the room that allowed her to see, not that she needed them. She took a survey of the room and noticed that she was in a cell. Gasping and starting to panic, Kagome bolted straight upright.<p>

She hated to be caged. Ever since she turned into a dog demon, she has had a slight phobia of small closed off spaces. It made her feel trapped and she hated it. Kagome looked around all around the room in a frenzy trying to find a way out. But she couldn't. All she could see were three plain walls and the bars of a cell that caged her, and kept her in. She slowly started to back away from the bars in fright until she bumped against the far stone wall, where she slid to the ground and made whimper like sounds as she closed her eyes, too afraid to look anywhere else.

Tamahome who was watching all this was a little curious as to why she was acting like this. It reminded him of a caged animal. And then it donned on him. Since she was a dog demon, then the cell they were in must be acting like a cage to an animal. So that's why she was so scared. So slowly crawling from his spot he made his way over to the trembling girl. He was careful not to get too close, because he knew never to approach an animal when they feel they were trapped and have no other place to go.

When Kagome heard someone moving around, her eyes opened instantly looking for any threats. They were searching when they came across Tamahome who was nearing her at a slow pace on the ground. Then instantly a low threatening growl broke from her throat while her canines elongated and formed more threatening fangs warning him to stay back or else.

Tamahome froze when he heard the growl, and so did the guard that was standing outside of the cell who was peering in to see what was making the noise. And seeing Kagome's ears point to the back of her head signifying she was mad and the tail that was twitching nervously beside her, made the guard panic and run out of the prison while accidently leaving his keys near the door of the cell.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Tamahome spoke in soothing tones trying to calm the terrified girl. Then very slowly he stretched out his hand, palm facing up, where she could see it and slowly started to move toward her.

Kagome was still growling low for the man to back off. But it slowly died down when he spoke to her, and somewhere in her frazzled mind Kagome knew she could trust him. But she was just so scared at the moment, she didn't know what to do. Then suddenly her instincts were basically shouting at her to do something, and it took a moment for her to understand it. And though she didn't want to at the moment, she always followed her instincts.

Tamahome was surprised that the girl he was about to touch suddenly throw her whole body at him and start to whimper pathetically in his tight embrace. "Shhhh. It's going to be okay. I'm going to get you out of here." That seemed to do the trick as she slowly looked up at him with her tear filled eyes and nodded. Then careful not to startle her, he hefted both of them up and walked toward the front of the cell. Only pausing a moment when another whimper tore from the girls throat.

Then Tamahome noticed that the guard was gone and he left his keys. Thinking this was his lucky day, he swiped the keys and unlocked the door. When they were finally out of the cell did Kagome start to come back to herself. "I'm sorry about that. I'm not usually like that. It's just when I'm in such a closed off space, I just..." She trailed off not knowing how to explain it.

"Hey, it's okay. I get it. You don't like being caged. I can understand that." Tamahome said as he ruffled her hair, and Kagome could only blush in response. "Hey you know what? You never gave me your name."

Kagome smiled and replied, "It's Kagome."

They then made it to the entrance of the prison. When they opened the door of the prison they were greeted with bright sunlight. "Come on, I think we should go this way." Tamahome said as he grabbed Kagomes hand and started headed in a random direction. And since Kagome was horrible with directions she only nodded and followed him.

They made their way to a storage shed near a courtyard. "Damn. There are too many guards. You're going to have to wait here while I go and make a distraction somewhere else. Once the coast is clear make your way to the front of the city and I'll meet you there, okay?"

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? You shouldn't have to sacrifice yourself for my sake." Kagome's attempt to persuade Tamahome only made him chuckle.

He ruffled her hair again and said, "It's okay. They won't be able to hold me for long. Now stay here and I'll meet you at the front of the city." And without another word Tamahome quickly left, leaving Kagome all alone.

While Kagome was waiting, she started to feel that strange pull again. It was the exact same feeling as Tamahome. She glanced out to see if anyone was around, and seeing that the coast was clear Kagome headed for the courtyard where the feeling was, which was the opposite direction she was supposed to go.

As she was turning the corner Kagome froze as a voice spoke up.

"What are you doing here?"

Turning to where the voice was located she noticed what appeared to be a woman sitting on the railing of the walk way of the palace. But what confused Kagome was the fact that when she smelled his scent, it was pure man. He had long flowing green tinted hair and a slender build. That made Kagome wonder why a man would look so much like a woman. Though she couldn't quite call it strange since there were plenty of feminine males in the Feudal Era.

"Um... Well, you see... I was just passing... Through?" _'Wow. Smooth, Kagome, smooth.'_ She mentally scolded herself. She never was a good liar.

"Oh. Is that so?" He asked while jumping off of the railing to land gracefully on the ground. He slowly strode up to Kagome and said, "Well you better be careful, because a man and a woman have just escaped the prison for crimes of being thieves. Apparently they were so violent that they knocked an innocent man unconscious, stole from his body, and left him there in the middle of the street." When he finished his eyes were fixated on her form to see her reaction. It was obvious after all who this woman was. But he wasn't sure if she would honestly do what she was accused of doing.

"WHAT!" Well that was a reaction that Hotohori was not expecting. "That never happened!" Kagome screamed, but when she realized what she did, her hands flew to her mouth to stop her from saying anything more. "Uh... What I meant was... Uh..."

"It's quite alright. I had my suspicions about you when I first saw you. But you seem to be no threat, so I promise that I will not call the guards on you." Kagome gave a sigh of relief and thanked him. "Now please tell me your side of the story, since I believe that the first one may have been false."

Kagome thought for a second. Should she really tell this man what has happened up till now? When she was about to answer as a negative, there was a persistent tugging that she felt from Tamahome. Except this time, it was coming from the man in front of her. And that just answered the unasked question. She could trust him. So she told him everything that had happened from entering this world to finally meeting him. She, of course, excluded the parts of her being a dog demon, and she was thankful that her tail was wrapped around her waist so it looked like an accessory and her ears where pinned back so no one would notice them.

"Ah. I see now. So where are you really from?" Hotohori asked her.

"Huh?" Kagome didn't know what he was talking about.

"I can tell you were not born here. So where did you come from? You seemed to have left it out of your story."

"Oh well... You see... I'm from..." -sigh- "Okay. I'm from a different world. Though I'm sure you won't believe me." Stated a sullen Kagome. The last thing she needed was someone thinking that she was crazy.

"Wow! Another world? That's fantastic." Said an enthused emperor.

"You mean, you believe me?" Asked a very hesitant Kagome.

"Well of course. Who could possibly come up with such a story if it was not in fact true?" He stated with a slight smile on his face. He liked this girl. She was interesting to say the least.

After hearing this Kagome was really happy that someone else believed her story. It made her feel accepted. "Thank you... Oh! How rude of me I forgot to ask for your name." Kagome smiled at him. For some reason the longer she was with this man the more she wanted to trust him.

Hotohori chuckled. Never before had he met such a woman. One whom does not bow at the mere sight of him. It was rather quite refreshing. "I go by many names, but you may call me Hotohori. Now may I ask the name of such a cute young girl?"

Kagome blushed at the comment. _'He thinks I'm cute?'_ Hotohori noticing her blush smirked. _'Wait! Is he flirting with me? Oh my, I think he is!'_ "It-It's Kagome." Dang it, she couldn't get the stutter out of her voice.

"Kagome. What a beautiful name." Hotohori glanced down at the blushing girl and noticed something strange about her. The fluffy looking belt that she was wearing was moving. It was only a slight movement, but it was there. He narrowed his eyes on the odd girl in front of him who refused to meet his gaze, looking everywhere but at him. So since she wasn't going to look at him so he could ask his question, he would take it upon himself to figure out what the belt was.

Without further thoughts Hotohori reached his hand out while the girl was staring intently at a leaf and grabbed the 'belt' and started to stroke the fur. Kagome froze. That was one of the most sensitive parts of her body, and if handled correctly it could cause either great pleasure or unbearable pain. When she started to feel the stroking motion on her tale her eyes closed in bliss. It felt soooo good! Basically like getting a really nice massage. And without her knowing it Kagome's ears that were pinned back pointed upward and flopped forward in her content. Then she let out a most fitful purr.

Hotohori was shocked to say the least. This girl had animal attributes. "My you are a strange girl, aren't you." He stated as his other hand came up to touch her more prominent ears.

Though Kagome had heard him, her mind had officially left her as Hotohori continued to rub her tail and ears. The only response she could give was to purr even louder and lean into his touch while closing her eyes in pure bliss.

The moment that they were sharing was interrupted by the harsh stomping of feet heading in their direction. Hotohori immediately stopped his little attack on Kagome and turned to the source of the noise and realized that it was his armed guard approaching them. He then turned to Kagome who still seemed to be in her own little world at the moment, and gently touched her shoulder to shake her out of her stupor.

"Quickly! You must hide. The guards are coming."

Hearing his voice, Kagome snapped her attention to where he was trying to direct her. She nodded her head and followed him around the corner, but she stopped when she heard Tamahome's voice coming from behind her, where Hotohori said all of the guards were. _'Oh no! Tamahome has been captured again!'_ Thought Kagome panicking. _'I can't just leave him to be put back in that horrible cell again.'_ So making up her mind, Kagome stepped out of Hotohori's reach and ran to where she heard Tamahome.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Kagome shouted at the guards, her ears laid back and her tail thrashing behind her in her anger. Well suffice to say, that certainly got the guards attention with her sudden appearance. Tamahome shouted at her to run, but his plea fell on deaf ears, because Kagome refused to leave a friend in need.

A few of the guards that were walking by Tamahome quickly left him to the care of the other guards as they went after the girl. But they did hesitate slightly because of the odd features she had. But none the less they tried to restrain her.

One of the men walked up to Kagome thinking that she would be easy to apprehend. But unlucky for him, he quickly learned his lesson the hard way as he was thrown back with a swift punch from the female. The remaining men who saw this all decided to rush her at once. Then, because she was so focused on deflecting hits, Kagome didn't notice a hand from one the men harshly grab her tail. Kagome gave a pained cry as she started to collapse to the ground. This then opened her up to her other attackers, who quickly restrained her arms and legs by holding on to her.

Tears started to gather in Kagome's eyes at the harsh treatment of her tail. And in Kagome's pained filled mind she vaguely heard Tamahome shouting at her to transform. And trusting her instincts to listen to him, she did as he said.

There was a bright silver light and the next thing the guards knew was that the girl they once held in their hands was now gone. What they saw in her place was a small dog. Thinking this was some trickery two of the guards chased after Kagome. Unfortunately for Kagome she was still suffering from the effects of having her tail so harshly pulled and was a bit slow. This resulted in the guards catching her easily. And Kagome gave a pained whimper as the scruff of her neck was forcibly grabbed in a painful grip.

"Let...Her...GO!" The snapping of ropes filled the air as Tamahome broke the bonds that were holding him. The ogre symbol on his forehead started to glow a deep red as his anger rose. From where he stood Tamahome could still hear Kagome's pain filled whimpers. Now that he could fully see her, his anger rose to a whole new level. Her tail was tucked up underneath her and touching her stomach, while her ears were pinned back to the back of her head, and she was crying as the rest of her body was frozen as the man continued his painful grip. "I'm going to kick your ASS!" Tamahome shouted as he started to run forward, but he was quickly stopped as more guards got in the way.

"Let her go!" Shouted a voice from a small distance away. The guard who was holding Kagome instantly dropped her as he realized who ordered him to do it. Kagome, upon feeling the ground underneath her paws instantly ran away and straight to Tamahome, who was kneeling down ready to accept her in his open arms. When she reached him, she openly whimpered from the pain that she could still feel, not caring if it made her seem weak in front of Tamahome.

Tamahome glared at all the guards that surrounded him as he petted Kagome's fur, from the top of her head to the bottom of her tail. He was trying his best to comfort the hurt female in the only way he knew how while she was in the form she was residing in. Feeling the gentle contact, Kagome burrowed even deeper into his arms feeling a lot safer there than anywhere she has ever been before.

"Do not harm them. From now on they are under my protection and as long as they are within these walls no harm shall come to them." Thundered an angered voice. The same voice, Tamahome noted, that had shouted earlier. Tamahome then tore his glaring eyes from the guards in front of him to the person that was approaching them.

Hotohori made his way through the guards who stepped back and bowed at his advance. When he arrived in front of Tamahome, he cast sad eyes on Kagomes trembling form. He had seen everything that had happened to her and was shocked when she had transformed in front of his eyes into a small puppy. He reached his hand out to stroke her fur in his own way of comfort but was stopped by Tamahome who grabbed his hand with his free one.

"Don't touch her." Tamahome snarled in an aggressive voice. He didn't trust this man. He didn't know him and if the guards that did this to Kagome were showing him such respect, then he could only be bad news.

Seeing the hostility in Tamahome's eyes, Hotohori sighed and lowered his hand back to his side. "Please accept my sincerest apologies. I did not want anything harmful to happen to Kagome."

Something in Hotohori's eyes caused Tamahome to hesitate. His pure sincerity caught him off guard, and he couldn't help but ask. "Who are you? And how do you know Kagome?" It was a simple question, but Tamahome never expected that he would receive such a shocking answer.

"My name is Hotohori, and I am the emperor of Konan. I had just recently met Kagome before she tried to help free you."

Tamahome's eyes bulged. _'He's the emperor?'_

Kagome who had been whimpering in pain in the safe haven of Tamahome's arms was beginning to quiet as the pain started to recede. While she was laying there she couldn't help but to sniff Tamahome's scent. He smelled like the musky scent of evergreens and pine. It was a peculiar smell, but it fit him just perfectly. She was about to doze off in the comfort of his arms as the last of her pain was finally fading, but she caught the last of the conversation that was going on between the two men and her head snapped up. Well it shouldn't really have been a surprise to her since he did have this air of regality and grace.

Feeling Kagome start fidgeting in his arms, Tamahome looked down to see what was wrong with her. And instead of expecting to see a still trembling Kagome, he saw her staring intently at Hotohori as if a great mystery has just been solved.

Hotohori, who was the person under such a scrutinizing gaze, could only blink his eyes. Then suddenly Kagome gave a small bark. As if she was trying to tell him something. So taking that as an invitation, he reached out with his hand for the second time intent on petting her sleek fur. But when Kagome leaned away from him he froze his hand where it was in the air and let her make the next move. Then slowly as if shy she sniffed his hand and had a thoughtful look adorn her cute puppy face, as if she was determining if she like the smell of him or not. Finally after a few moments she raised her head to where it touched Hotohori's hand, allowing him to pet her.

A smile adorned Hotohori's face as he heard Kagome give off a loud purr as he ran his fingers through her soft fur.

Tamahome was watching this with a careful eye. Even though the man in front of him was the emperor, that didn't mean that he wouldn't stop him if he decided to hurt Kagome. But seeing how gentle he was being with her small frame, and how Kagome was reacting to him, he knew Hotohori wasn't going to be a threat. So he pulled Kagome away from his body and held her out for the emperor to hold himself. "Here. I'm pretty sure Kagome will let you hold her now."

Hotohori was a little shocked as Kagome was offered to him, and automatically he held out his hands to receive her small body to hold against his own much larger form. Hotohori cradled her to his chest with one hand as the other continued to pet her fur. Kagome liking all the attention she was getting continued to purr and started to rub her head against his chest more like a cat than a dog. "Kagome, I apologize for the cruelties that have been done to you today. And I can only hope that I can repay you someday in any way that I can." Kagome only licked his hand in response as if she as saying that she accepted his apology.

"You are dismissed." Hotohori's authoritative voice boomed around them as he directed his command at the guards that still surrounded them. And quickly, as if the hounds of hell were at their heels, each guard went back to their proper post in the palace. "Come. We have much we must discuss." Setting Kagome on the ground so she could walk with them, he led the way into the palace leaving Tamahome and Kagome to follow after him.

Tamahome and, a now humanoid, Kagome were both sitting in a very extravagant looking hall that was apparently a throne room listening to Hotohori, who was telling them about the country's current power problem with one of their neighboring countries called Kuto. Kuto was ruled by an evil, power hungry, and greedy emperor. It was an extravagant and powerful land, and it's military power far exceeded that of Konan. And recently there had been several outbreaks of violence in the villages bordering the two countries.

If these feuds continued than the three would be a full out war between the two empires, which would result in relentless killing and massacre and would ultimately lead to Konans fall. Because they could not beat Kuto in a military setting, there armies were much larger than Konans.

So this left only one choice...

"So you see I have reason to believe that you, Kagome, are the Priestess of Suzaku. The prophecy said that the girl who would come from another world and have a connection with dogs would save the empire. And after what I saw today, there is no doubt in my mind that you are indeed the priestess we have been waiting for."

Kagome didn't know what to say. She was rooted to her spot repeating the emperor's words over and over in her head to see if she had indeed heard him right. _'Just my luck to get roped into another adventure. And so close to the end of my last one too!'_ It was completely unfair in Kagome's opinion. She just wanted some free time to herself to just relax and not worry about evil demons and now power hungry emperors. _'Life is so not fair.'_

"But I don't think I'm ready for this yet." And truthfully she wasn't. After her adventure in the Feudal Era, she wasn't sure if she could make it without feeling so lonely and helpless without the friends she left back then. An image of Inuyasha flashed through her mind and she winced internally. She didn't know if the friends she did make would actually stand by her or betray her like he did.

"Kagome, please reconsider. I, as well as all of my people, need you." Hotohori honestly didn't see why Kagome was refusing to help them. Especially since she was the honored priestess of legend. He didn't know how many imposters there had been in the past trying to take the title of the Priestess of Suzaku for themselves. And now when they finally find her, she doesn't want anything to do with it. It was very perplexing to him. "The future of our empire rests solely with you."

"But... I can't." There was a tremble in her voice and Tamahome picked up on it immediately. He could see her hands clench at her sides and her hair had fallen over her face shadowing her eyes. Tamahome took a glance at Hotohori and he could tell that the emperor also noticed the change in her as well. Then slowly a tear slowly made its way down her face and landed on the floor.

Kagome bolted upright with wide eyes. She couldn't believe she was actually crying in front of the emperor like this. It was a slight blow to her dignity as she also noticed Tamahome staring at her as well. _'Great. Just great. Now they probably think I'm some weak, worthless, little girl. Just like Inuyasha...'_ Without finishing that thought she could already feel more tears come to her eyes.

Hotohori noticed how emotional Kagome was becoming and was horrified when he saw the tear slip past her lashes. Now he fealt utterly horrible. He didn't mean to make her cry. "Kagome." He said in such a sweet and gentle voice. But he was startled when suddenly and unexpectedly Kagome shot up from her sitting position and ran for the main door.

"Kagome!" Shouted two voices at the same time. But this did not stop Kagome. She continued to run away. She was in mental turmoil by remembering everything in the Feudal Era and now what just happened only added stress to her mind. And because of all the stress and turmoil, Kagome started to glow a bright silver and then in front of their very eyes Kagome turned into a tiny little puppy.

Then before the two could get up to chase after her, she was already out the door.

Thats it for now

Please Read and Review


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