Author's Notes: Welcome back to the world of Inuyasha. I hope you enjoy this new spin on our favorite hanyou's tale, which was inspired by a movie of the same name.

Be warned, some of our characters may seem OOC in the beginning. If that is a deal breaker, then this is not the story for you. However, if you bare with me, I think we can come to an accord.

If you've come for lemony wish fulfillment, well, this isn't that kind of story.

But, if you enjoy substance and a different spin on a wonderful story, then buckle up.

Will there be drama? Maybe. Will there be angst? Yet to be seen. Will there be romance? I sure as hell hope so. (That's why it's rated "M" for Mature). Humor? I don't know if I'm as funny as I think I am.

Before I cut you loose, please know that I appreciate your reviews. If you can, drop a few lines in that box at the bottom before the next button.

Enjoy!

Summary:

After his mother died, he was taken in by a kind denizen of his late mother's estate. Only, the perceived kindness is just a guise used by a cruel, selfish man who only thinks to profit from the young hanyou's loss and subsequent exile. So, Inuyasha has been raised as a dog. A dog that hunts, a dog that fights and kills for his master.

Years later, Kagome falls into this world and must do her duty to protect the Jewel after she unleashes it upon the world. Will she be able to protect it from all who are drawn to the power that the jewel offers? What will she do once faced with a remorseless demon who must follow the instructions of its master? A master who craves the power of the jewel and is not known to leave any witnesses alive?

Chapter One: Death and Discovery

Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

His mother was ill, or at least Inuyasha thought that was what was wrong. He was too young to really comprehend that she was anything more than sick like he had seen others around the estate from time to time.

She had grown weak and could no longer move without aid. At first, she would lose her breath easily on their walks around the estate or into the woods to gather herbs and other fauna. As the days became colder it was as if her strength were being leached from her. There was not much that he could do to help her to get from place to place. While he was strong for his age, he was not yet tall enough to be of much assistance to help her move around easily. He was quick, though, and was able to fetch any item for her that she requested.

Her family refused to venture near the rooms they shared and the servants, what was left of them, would not venture near while he was around. He did his best to care for her during those final days. Before she had become too weak to walk, she had taught him how to make some medicine and now he would venture out alone to find the herbs necessary to make the medicinal draught for his ailing mother. It would have been easier to go and buy the medicine needed to make his mother better, but that cost money. Even if he had money, no one would sell to him because of what he was. A half-breed. Hanyou. Kasu. Those were some of the choice words he heard the servants or family members say under their breaths when they dared to venture close enough; which was not very often, but Inuyasha's hearing was better than anyone he knew so he often heard things that people thought he could not hear. He remembered telling his mother what he had heard them saying, but she would only reassure him that he was none of those things and then the offending servant would be careful not to come within yards of them for days.

Today, his mother slept. He could hear the shallow breaths that she took in slumber and he glanced at her face as it was covered in a sheen of sweat. She would be in pain today, he could tell now. He knew he should hurry before she woke in agony without him by her side. She said her agony was only the worst when he was off without her, where she could not protect him from her callous relatives and bigoted servants.

It was early, the birds had not yet started their morning songs and the shuffling feet of the few servants that remained at the impoverished estate had not begun. It was the perfect time for little Inuyasha to venture out unseen. He had a couple of hours before the daily routines would begin to be carried out.

Woes him if he were caught without his mother. On a good day, all the servants or odd relative would do is speak about him under their breath to each other and throw things at him when he was not looking. On a bad day, they would not wait until his back was turned and he was lucky if it was only a small, stray pebble. His tormentors had taken to carrying large items, such as rotten fruit, with them at all times for the opportunity to catch him alone. He knew he was unwelcome, but now he felt a new anxiety pulling at him...that he was on borrowed time.

He quickly stole out into the wooded area that lay near the estate in search of the herbs his mother had shown him. They seemed to ease her pain so that she did not make those loud awful noises. He couldn't stand when she did that. She would always apologize after one of her fits, which made Inuyasha feel even worse. All she did anymore was sleep and moan in pain. Even one as young as he could tell that her end was near. It frightened him to think of it too much.

He had gotten better at finding the herbs, now that he knew where to look. He often wondered if he would be able to collect and sell any excess herbs to the locals and use the income to bring a healer to his mother, but he quickly shook the thought from his mind. Not only would everyone refuse to buy from him, they would also refuse to see his mother because of him.

He was quick for his age. Being part demon assisted in his speed at retrieving the medicinal herbs and allowed him to return within an hour of his departure. Plenty of time for him to avoid the people who despised him so.

He hastily prepared the draught as he had been taught with the tools he had pilfered from around the family estate. He planned on returning the items once he had finished using them. He was not a thief! Even though they called him that and placed the blame on him anytime something went missing. No one was using these particular tools anyway. He had found them in odd places here and there, forgotten by their original owners. Still, he would put them back when he was done.

He could hear movement from outside the room he and his mother shared. Footsteps came to their door and paused outside. He listened closely to hear what they wanted.

"Izayoi-sama," called the voice from outside the room. Inuyasha looked over at his mother's still form. She did not stir. "Izayoi-sama," the voice called again, getting louder. When there was no response from inside the room, the servant or relative - he did not know which - left to carry about his business.

Inuyasha shuffled over to his mother's sleeping form. She looked so peaceful right now that he hated to try and wake her. He whispered and nudged her a little, but she still did not move. He laid his hand upon hers only to draw his back quickly. Cold! Why would she be so cold? Normally she would burn with fever or feel warm to the touch, but never cold. He nudged her again but she still wouldn't respond. Finally, he started to feel a little frantic. Why won't she wake up? "Mama?" he called, still shaking her arm but she would not rise. He could feel wet warmth run down his cheeks. Maybe she was just cold and needed him to warm her up. So he curled up beside her and clutched at her still form.

That was how they found him days later. Each morning, the voice would call out to his mother and usually when she did not respond, they went on their way. This most likely happened because Inuyasha was so diligent at caring for her and they were forbidden to enter the room without her express permission. She still had that much authority. She had been ill for a while now and these last few days she had kept to her rooms. But it had been days since she or her spawn had been seen and they knew her time was near.

He could hear the door slip open and the murmurs of those who stood to gaze in. "Such a shame," one said. "What about her bastard?" the other asked. "it's almost sad the way he clutches onto her. Probably was the one who killed her," another voice said spitefully.

Inuyasha only clutched his mother tighter, fresh tears streaming down his face. It's not that he didn't know what death was. He did know. He wasn't stupid! His mother had taught him many things. But the thought of living in a cruel world where his mother did not exist was too hard to bear.

Normally his mother's family would stay away from him, but he could hear them draw closer. He suddenly felt a sharp poke in the back. Most likely from the broomstick wielded by a servant.

"Let go you little curr. She's dead no thanks to you," the servant said.

A woman's voice could be heard next. "We can finally rid ourselves of the burden Izayoi placed on us."

Inuyasha felt the prodding in his back again. Each time harder than the last. He clutched harder, refusing to let go.

The servant gave up being nice and shoved the broomstick in between Inuyasha and his mother and tried to wedge them apart. "Let go you stupid little bastard, she's dead!"

When wedging did not work, the servant resorted to beating him with the broomstick. It worked well enough that Inuyasha let go of his mother and tried to protect himself from the onslaught of blows. He was chased into a corner of the room while his mother's body was removed.

Once the room had cleared, the servant began to usher Inuyasha outside, swatting him with the broom anytime he moved at a pace deemed too slow. He was taken to the edge of the family's property. "Off with you now," the servant said.

Inuyasha was stunned. "Wha?" he squeaked.

"You heard me. Off with you," the servant said with a swish of the broom for emphasis.

"But," he began and took a step forward...a step within the broomsticks reach and he was immediately cracked on the head.

"Get! You dog!" the servant swung the broom again but Inuyasha fell back before it could connect.

Inuyasha sat, stunned as the servant walked back to the house, every once in a while turning around and yelling for Inuyasha to go away. He watched as his mother's family proceeded with her burial. He tried several times to get close and see her one last time but was run off time and time again.

He cried, not so silently, as they buried her with as little ceremony possible. They were obligated to do that much, but now they were free of her and the shame she had brought upon them.

It was nightfall and growing colder when he felt it was safe to venture on the grounds, close enough to the grave where his mother lay. He had seen other people lay tribute to their departed loved ones, but he had nothing to give. He was chased off with only the clothes on his back and not allowed to bring any of his mother's things. He had been too frightened at the time to think about grabbing a keepsake anyway.

He felt a sharp pain in his leg and turned around. The same servant had returned and was now pelting him with rocks. "I told you to get, you little rabid curr!"

Inuyasha quickly jumped away, out of reach from the servant's range. He lingered on the outskirts of the property for days. He was run off several times after he was caught visiting his mother's grave.

He had nowhere to go. His mother's home was all he had ever known. He had never even been to the small village that butted up against the west side of the property. His mother was not ashamed of him. She told him that often and that he should be proud of who he was, but she never let him leave the property or the secluded woods that encircled the area.

Inuyasha tried visiting the village, but he was received there more poorly than his mother's family. They either screamed or tried to kill him.

He did not know how to hunt, but he was fast and he could pilfer food before he was caught. He was not a thief! He still thought to himself. No one will feed me anymore now that mother is gone. How else am I to eat? He rationalized.

It was during one of these attempts to grab a bite to eat that he met the Stranger. Everyone was a stranger to him, but Inuyasha had heard the man referred to as the Stranger by other villagers. He wondered how the man who lived in the village could be a stranger to his neighbors.

Inuyasha was trying to scavenge quietly when he heard a "pssst."

He quickly jumped away, like a startled animal. Then he heard a low chuckle, "Hey there, hungry boy?"

He peeked out from where he had tried to hide and saw the Stranger motioning him over. He'd fallen for this trick before and gotten a couple of lumps from it. He stayed put, but ready to bolt. The man had crouched down and waved for Inuyasha.

"Come on boy, I won't hurt ya. You look hungry. Come this way," the Stranger beckoned.

Still, Inuyasha stayed down and quiet, hopeful that the man would go away.

The Stranger raised up to his full height and turned to leave but called over his shoulder, "Ok, but I've got a nice bit of pottage that I don't mind sharing if you change yer mind." He left Inuyasha to ponder his words and walked away.

Inuyasha felt his stomach grumble at the thought of cooked food and not trash or cold leftovers he had taken from here and there. It wouldn't hurt at least follow the Stranger at a distance to check things out.

He watched from the shadows as the Stranger made his way home and quietly followed. The Stranger lived on the outskirts of the small village. Inuyasha had remembered seeing it and wondering who lived away from the safety that the village offered. It wasn't unheard of for pillagers or demons to raid villages, so normally only cast-offs or indigent people lived away from the village bounds.

Inuyasha watched as the Stranger went about his way and set to making his pottage. Inuyasha had not noticed that the Stranger had a string of fish slung over his shoulder and was now preparing his catch. Inuyasha watched for over an hour as the man prepared a meal. Once it was done he set a bowl for himself and a bowl for someone else. Where could the other person be? Did the man have a wife or child? The man turned and leaned out his open door. "Hungry?" he called. He couldn't see Inuyasha but he must have known he was there. "Change yer mind did you?"

Inuyasha slowly came out of his hiding place, hesitant for the blow that always followed this type of trickery from the villagers who were more hateful of what he was than scared. But his stomach and nose compelled him to trust the man enough to expose himself to possible mockery, if not a beating. But none came. He took a step forward and the Stranger patiently smiled and waved him inside. It looked warm inside and the food smelled delicious. Ever so slowly he made his way inside the man's modest home. "Go on," the man said. "Eat up."

Inuyasha still felt distrustful of the man, but the other villagers never smiled at him. Only his mother had ever smiled at him. By his innocent logic, the stranger must be good.

He picked up the bowl but was stopped when the stranger's smile disappeared. "You may eat, but dogs eat on the floor." Perplexed, Inuyasha hesitantly sat the bowl on the floor. He looked from the bowl to the man whose smile had reappeared. "Yes, that's right," he said pleased.

His mother would be appalled, and he felt horribly humiliated but his stomach won out. That and the pleased expression on the stranger's face gave him a certain sense of elation. He got down on all fours and began to devour what had laid in front of him. As he ate, the man came over and patted his head. "Good boy," he said.

Inuyasha felt something new that he could not describe and beamed at the attention he had never received from anyone but his mother. There was no disdain or revulsion from this stranger.

Once Inuyasha had finished the bowl, he looked hesitantly at the man. The man smiled at him again. "What's yer name, boy?" the Stranger asked. "Inuyasha," he responded.

"Hmm. I'll just call you Inu for short," the man said, his smile never leaving his face. The name 'Inu' seemed wrong. His mother had always told him that she loved his name because his father had given it to him. But he did not want to upset this kind man who had fed him when no one else would. Inuyasha made to leave, not wanting to overstay his welcome, but was stopped.

"Where are you going Inu? I don't mind if you stay here. I'm sure you can be of some use, being a half-breed and all," the stranger asked. The man scratched his chin and nodded at Inu in approval. Inu's heart lifted at the prospect of a home and someone who would be kind to him. "Yes, I am sure we can get along just fine," the man said.

Inu watched as the man set up a pallet by the entrance of his abode. "You will sleep here," the man said. Inuyasha looked hesitantly at the pallet. "Well," the man motioned, "Go on." He moved over to the pallet that had been made for him. "Sit," the man instructed. Inu sat. "Lie down," the man said. Inu laid down. "Good boy," the man said.

The man watched Inuyasha through the corner of his eye as he cleaned up and readied himself for sleep. Once he was done, he walked and stood over the small hanyou before kneeling down and patting him on the head.

Inu tried to raise his head a bit, but the man gently pushed his head back down. "What shall I call you?" Inu asked tentatively.

"Boss...you can call me Boss," the man said. He reached over and pat Inuyasha's head again. "Good boy."

Many years have passed and life has flourished for Boss. He has finally found the edge he needs to get by in the world and it all came in the form of a small hanyou child. He had heard of the child begotten by a demon on the local lord's daughter. It was quite the gossip around the estate and the adjoining village. Word had even made it to surrounding villages and that is where Boss had overheard about the beautiful lady and how she was seduced by a powerful dog demon.

Boss was quite taken with the story so he packed up his meager belongings and traveled to the rumored town to see if it was true. It took many days, but he did finally catch a glimpse of the half-demon child. He couldn't really put a finger on why he was so intrigued by the story, or why he felt drawn to see if it was true, but when he saw the child with his mother, an idea formed. The woman looked pale and worn, though she put on a lively enough appearance for her child. The man could tell this was just a mask to cover her pain. He had seen this type of sickness before and he also knew that the woman was not long for this world. So, he decided to plan and wait until the time was right.

The child played into his hand just as he had expected. Having been mistreated all his life by everyone aside from his mother, it was not difficult to gain his trust. And with that, their relationship flourished. He trained the child, that he had dubbed 'Inu', to be a loyal enforcer. At first with kindness, and later, when the kindness had played out its usefulness, with subjugation.

In the early days, he had sought out a priest to create for him a collar. Every dog needed to be leashed so that it could be properly trained. The same was true for Inu. A collar had been crafted to which the priest advised that all Boss had to do was utter an incantation and the demon would be subjugated. Boss placed the collar on Inu's neck, patting his head as he did so. "Good boy," he said. The collar had come in handy in the boy's training.

Boss had accumulated much since the day he had lured the hanyou into his home. Now he was one of the most feared and respected men in the area. No one really knew for sure how Boss had amassed his notoriety, but his rivals had heard tell of the Boss's dog. Rumors told that Boss would unleash his dog upon any who crossed or displeased him, but no one had ever seen such a dog. That was because Boss never left any witnesses.

Today was such a day that Boss had to utilize his most prized tool. There was a young lord who had moved into the area; the Lord had been allotted land and planned to evict locals so that he could build a small castle for himself. Unfortunately for him, this was the area where Boss had set up his residence. Boss was comfortable here and treated as if he were royalty. He offered "protection" to the locals and was given tribute in the form of anything he could ever ask for and he had no mind to move.

Boss had tried to be cordial. Part of amassing his wealth and status had relied on his discretion; meaning that the fewer people who knew of Inu, the better his odds were of retaining all he had gained. He had brokered a meeting with the young lord. It had not gone well. The young man was haughty and high handed, refusing any terms but his own. Boss offered his terms one last time.

"Are you threatening me, peasant?" the Lord asked.

Boss sighed. The lord had brought a small envoy with him. At first, the lord had denied meeting with Boss, but the lord had been told it would be in his best interests to meet with the local man.

Boss whistled and a figure appeared from the shadows. The figure had long silver hair and stepped close to his master, waiting for instruction. Boss whispered into Inu's ear and the silver-haired man looked impassively forward.

The young lord staggered back into the arms of one of his envoy, taken aback by the sight of a demon. He began to stutter something, but it was too late and Inu strode purposely forward to eliminate the threat to his master.

Once his task was complete he walked back to his master and knelt down. Boss stroked Inu's blood-soaked head. "Good boy," he said.

Until next time….