Disclaimer: I do not own IY, nor profit from this fanfiction.

Kagome Higurashi walked carefully down the ship's gangplank and onto a sandy shore. Strands of long, black hair whipped about her face as she looked at the land that would be her home for the next six weeks. The beach was wide, with clean white sand leading up to a lush, green jungle. The ocean roared in her ears with every wave. It was incredibly beautiful, but there was a hint of danger in the darkness of the trees.

""It's amazing!" she exclaimed, turning to look at her grandfather behind her.

"Yes, it certainly is my girl," Tomo Higurashi replied as he stepped up next to her. "Naraku-san has told me that he is certain I shall find a great assortment of new specimens here."

Kagome's grandfather was a great fan of birding, and hoped to add to his journals while they were there. He was a bit eccentric, and had a short attention span, but was dearly loved by his family.

Hana Higurashi joined them then, but unlike Kagome her mother was not so impressed with the view. "I've heard there are youkai in this land. What if they attack us?" She couldn't suppress a shiver.

"Now, now," said Naraku-san, as he leapt from the gangplank with a flourish, "There's nothing to worry about as long as I'm here." His stride was long and sure, and he was practically a walking arsenal with his multitudes of knives, swords and guns strapped to his person. Kagome wondered how he could move with it all. "Our quarters are high off the ground, in an old hut in the trees made by some survivors of a shipwreck. Quite ingenious, really. It'll want for some cleaning," he said, "but it should be acceptable for the time we'll be here."

"Is that where you stayed when Hojo was here with you before?" Kagome asked, speaking of her fiancé. He was the true reason they were there. Nearly a year before, he had disappeared in this area while on an expedition. Kagome had used her meager inheritance from her father, that she'd been saving, to hire Naraku and his crew to help find him. She prayed that Hojo was safe, and they would bring him home.

"No, we stayed on the ship and came ashore every day, but we did notice the treehouse. I am sure it's perfectly safe. It seemed well built when I investigated it once," Naraku told her. His gaze lingered on Kagome as it often did, and he stood much closer to her than usual. His regard gave her some discomfort, because he was much older than she. It wasn't the same way Hojo had looked at her— with tenderness and affection. There was something…disturbing about Naraku's gaze, something maybe even dangerous.

Suddenly, her grandfather cried out and rushed across the beach and into the dim jungle, calling out something about a rare blue-tailed something or other. Hana gasped. "He'll get lost running off like that!"

Kagome smiled at her mother. "I'll get him, mama."

She stepped away from Naraku, glad of the distance. She loved the feel of the soft beach sand and couldn't wait to get barefoot. Perhaps later she could even do some swimming; she had made sure to pack her best swimsuit. It seemed safe enough. After all, who was here to see her in this vast, remote place?

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High above the beach, and carefully hidden with his tanned, muscular arm wrapped easily around the smooth trunk of a tree, a man looked down at the people as they disembarked from the boat that sat floating in the ocean. It had been a long time since he'd seen others that looked remotely like himself come from the ocean.

There were many who lived deep in the jungle, both animal and youkai. But these were different. They were like the people in the picture books back in the house in the trees. He watched the short, older round man with golden skin and sparse white hair as he tripped and nearly fell in his rush to the jungle. There was another man, taller and middle aged, perhaps. He carried an assortment of long and short metal objects that gleamed in the sunlight.

There were two others also, both female. One was older, with short dark hair and a nervous manner. But it the other that captured his true attention. She was young, slender and lithe with long, shining hair like midnight. But what stopped his breath were her eyes. They were the color of the sky, or of the shallow waters amidst the shoals further down the beach. The watcher in the trees was immediately fascinated by this second woman. He wondered if her skin was as soft as it looked, and he longed to breathe in her scent.

He gave only a cursory glance at the other people, men, who were scurrying up and down the wooden bridge to the ship. They were unloading boxes, bags and crates onto the beach, but were otherwise unremarkable. As the young girl set out after the old man, and the remaining two followed he did the same, easily and silently, high in the treetops, following the group of people as they made their way along the beach. The young girl had returned, tugging her grandfather behind her.

They spoke to each other in some language that sounded vaguely familiar to him. The meanings remained just beyond his grasp, however. So he stopped listening and simply followed them as they made their way to the hut in the trees… the place where he'd lived with his mother so long ago.

He perched high above, still hidden and he watched as they made their way into the small dwelling. He was glad he'd removed all of the interesting items over the years, tucking them away in his own nest that had been fashioned similarly to this one. They were his treasures, and he didn't want anyone seeing them. Not even the woman with the strange blue eyes.

Again, he longed to touch her. His hand opened and closed involuntarily. He knew better than to approach her now, however. He would wait. The time would come. Night wasn't far off.

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So, how's that for a start? Want more? Give me a holler and let me know!