Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Inuyasha. I do not profit from this story. This is written for entertainment only and should only be used as such. This is strictly fanfiction and nothing more.

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Chapter One

Birth of a Guardian

Inuyasha stood in front of the Bart Station scanning the crowd for one particular person. He watched as several shuttles passed by, dropping off and picking up commuters and the million buses that came and went. They had been sent to the city to find one special person they were suppose to protect. San Francisco, California appeared to the eye of the beholder as a small island surrounded by water, but it wasn't. It was a peninsula packed with millions of people all crammed onto one tiny bit of land. It made his job even more difficult.

"Are you sure she's in this area? We've been here for four hours," Shippou his partner and closest friend asked.

"Kaede ain't never wrong when locating others," Inuyasha replied.

"Maybe you missed her. There's a lot of people here and you're getting old, Grandpa. Your senses aren't as sharp as they use to be," Shippou teased.

Inuyasha glanced at his young student who was more like a brother than a partner to him. "Watch your mouth. You aint too young to get your ass whipped in front of these people," he threatened half-heartedly.

Shippou gave him a sarcastic look and walked away to stand on the other side of the street just in case Inuyasha really decided to do it. He'd been worried about his friend lately. He looked up to him as an older brother and his mentor in life, but lately Inuyasha had begun to change. Every year his heart was growing colder and his spirit was becoming darker. Inuyasha had been through a lot throughout his long life. He'd live through unimaginable evil and now that evil seem to be slowly seeping into his spirit. They weren't saints, but they were not evil either. However, far too many of their kind had been swallowed by darkness; some of them weren't strong enough to resist.

Inuyasha smirked while he watched Shippou walk away and took out a cigarette. In human years, he was 24 and Shippou was 18. Their kind was not rare; they had existed for as long as earth had existed. Youkai and other supernatural creatures walked through the streets of the city, they managed to disguise themselves as regular human beings, only humans with special abilities were able to see their true form. Every 1000 years, a guardian of life was born and within the body of the guardian was the shikon no tama, the very orb that sustained life's energy on earth. This particular guardian had the power to nourish life on earth to its fullest potential or destroy it.

Inuyasha and Shippou were appointed by Kaede to protect the new guardian. He was a youkai, half human and half dog demon, he had no clue why Kaede had given this important assignment to him. He was bound to screw it up. The old woman had more faith in him than he had in himself. Nevertheless, he was sworn to obey her; after all, she was the oldest woman in the world, a watcher of time itself. Kaede had lived for centuries watching the world change from one period to the next and constantly on the lookout for the next guardian.

Now if they could only find this guardian before the others did; the darker ones that wanted to destroy life. Kaede knew the moment the guardian powers had surfaced, but neither Inuyasha or Shippou knew what she looked liked or what species she was, only that she was a female, had just turned 21 and was somewhere in the vicinity of where they were standing. An intense feeling of warmth and purity suddenly washed over Inuyasha startling him from his thoughts. Caught off guard, he quickly scanned the crowd. She had finally arrived.

"Shippou, can you feel her?" he asked telepathically.

"Feel her?" Shippou replied in a daze. "I think I've died and gone to heaven. She's so beautiful," he heard Shippou's dazed voice in his head.

"Get a hold of yourself," Inuyasha scolded, although he had to admit he was feeling the same way as he watched the girl pass right by him. For a moment, all he could do was watch her. His body seemed to be too overwhelmed to do anything else. Inuyasha had seen a lot of beautiful women in his lifetime, but never one that touched his soul like this one. She was a natural beauty of perfection. She wore a beige coat with a long scarf wrapped around her neck. Her long straight black hair was the color of midnight and fell loosely around her shoulders. The wind lifted it back as she walked exposing her delicate features; her pale skin seemed too soft and fragile to touch as if the slightest breeze could bruise it, exquisite high cheek bones and dark, soulful eyes made her look exotic. She wore no make-up, jewelry, no perfume, yet his enhance sense could smell the sweet feminine scent that was purely her, that was purely... his nose twitched at the undeniable scent...that was purely human!

"What the fuck?" he yelled in his head and mentally reached out to Kaede, but Shippou interrupted him.

"Inuyasha, what is she?" He was still wrapped up in her spell.

"She's a fucking human that's what she is," Inuyasha told him angrily. He reached out for Kaede, he knew the old bitch could hear him.

"KAEDE! We found your precious guardian; you didn't bother to tell us she's a fucking human!"

"What difference does it make Inuyasha, you still have to protect her," the old woman's feeble voice whispered in his head.

"You knew I would have never taken this job if I'd known she was a human. They are weak, vulnerable creatures that need to be constantly looked after, they die too easily. I thought she would be a youkai like me or some other creature, but not a weak ass human!"

"Inuyasha, I chose you to protect her because you are half human are you not? Any other creature would never be able to relate to her human ways. You are also half dog demon and dog demons would make the best protectors for a human."

"Are you kidding me? Is this a sick joke? You know I detest my human side as well as I detest humans and you make me protector of one? I swear I will come up there and kill you if I knew where you were hiding. I do not want this job. Give it to Sesshoumaru; he's a whole lot better at this stuff than I am."

"Your older brother is a full blooded youkai, he would never understand the human ways, no you are the best protector for the guardian. You cannot turn your back on your destiny, Inuyasha. The human is yours."

"Then why drag Shippou into this mess? I thought this would be an easy job. Shippou is still in training, this will be a difficult job for him as well."

"Shippou is there to balance your aggressive and impulsive nature with his peaceful one. She will not be frightened of Shippou. Guard her well, Inuyasha, protect her with your life, and teach her how to use her powers. If she falls into the wrong hands, the world will be doomed." The connection with Kaede suddenly ended and Inuyasha was left with a burden he did not want to carry. The fate of the world was on his shoulder and it was through a human. The last time he heard of a human guardian was before he was born, she hadn't lasted long, the orb was too powerful for her body and had eventually destroyed her, would the same fate happen to this one?

Kagome stepped off the bus prepared for another long boring day at work. She was grateful for having such a good job. It paid well, she had good benefits, but it was boring. Sitting behind her cubicle in the back wall surrounded by dusty boxes of files everyday was not something she looked forward to. She shook her head and stared up at the gray sky. No matter where she went, different states, different places, she always found herself in isolation from other people. It seemed as if she was destined to live the life a hermit no matter how much she tried to get close to people. The only highlight of her lonely life was being out in public. Unlike others, she didn't mind the crowded city. She felt safe and happy surrounded by people. They made her feel as if she was a part of something. She pretended the strangers on the streets were her family and the tourists were old friends she hadn't seen in a long time. They were constantly asking her for help and making conversations with her about the city. It wasn't as if she anti-social, she was quite friendly to everyone. The people at her job liked her, but never really tried to get to know her personally. She'd lived in the Bay Area for two years now and was still very lonely. A life of isolation was something she detested, but was forced to live. She could never understand why. She was a good person, never used, manipulated, or harmed another human being in her entire life so why did she suffer so much? It was a question she'd asked a million times with never an answer.

A strange feeling suddenly zapped through her as she walked through a group of doves feeding on the sidewalk. It was as if something was invading her mind, her body, looking deep into her soul. The feeling was overwhelmingly strong and nearly knocked the breath of out of her. She turned around quickly. The birds must have sensed her fright. They took off suddenly and flew through the air. The sound of flapping wings cut off her hearing and white feathers falling around her blocked her view. She couldn't move. She wanted to run, the feeling of danger was surrounding her, but she couldn't. She saw him then, a magnificent man walking through the feathers lingering in the air. She had to admit to herself that he was unlike any man she'd ever seen. For a moment, she thought she saw long white wings towering behind his body. Was he an angel? His hair was impossibly long for his masculine features and what was more disturbing was the strange, yet beautiful color, pure white, like snow. He wore a dark red trench coat that contrasted strongly against his white hair. The closer he got, the taller he seemed to get. There was an aura of power surrounding him and it got stronger with each step until she felt she would explode with it when he finally stood in front of her. She stared up at the creature towering above her; somehow, she knew that he was not human. Perhaps it was the strange golden eyes that stared so harshly into hers as if he was deliberately holding her in his grip or perhaps it was the strange cat like ears on top of his head...

Another younger looking man appeared beside him wearing jeans and a short jacket. This one didn't look dangerous or intimidating at all. She would have thought he was cute, had she not been so freaked out from the shockingly orange hair that was kept in a ponytail or the bushy orange tail behind him. This one gave her a tentative smile that nearly made her think all this was normal.

Shippou felt like punching Inuyasha in the stomach. "Stop forcing your power over her, you're going to frighten her to death!" he yelled in his head. Shippou could hear the loud beating of her heart. It was beating so fast, he thought she might have a heart attack.

Inuyasha ignored him. He could also hear the terrified beating of her heart, but he didn't know any other way to confront the woman except to be himself. He had locked her in place to keep her from escaping and reached deep into her to see what sort of person he had to deal with. No use of protecting someone he didn't know anything about. Besides he didn't have the patience for pleasantries, he didn't even want this job. The sooner he knew her personality, the easier it would be for him to protect her.

Her name was Kagome Higurashi. She'd grown up in a foster home and had been transferred from one family to the next. She had never been shown love. She was mentally, emotionally and physically abused by the different families she had stayed with and had been kicked into the streets when she turned 18. She had never known love or happiness and yet, nothing but innocence and goodness flowed through her. She was truly the most purest person he'd ever met. How could she be after everything that was done to her? It seemed as if the others, "the dark ones" had tried to turn her to their side even before Kaede knew she existed, even before her powers had awaken. This one was strong, so very strong and she was only human. To survive such a harsh life and not fall victim to it was more than he could say for himself. This beautiful woman had been through hell and back and now she was about to go through a different type of hell if the dark ones got her. Inuyasha grudgingly began to respect her, deep down he was amazed, he had thought all humans were weak, and yet this fragile girl was the strongest one he'd ever met.

Guardians were very powerful creatures in their own way. At their maximum powers, they could cast out any evil, heal the sick, even bring living creatures back to life, but guardians could also be turned to the dark side. They were not immune towards the lust for power. The only difference with a Guardian that turned bad was that they became completely evil and more powerful than ever. They would have the power to destroy the entire earth with a just a thought which was why the dark ones were always after them. His thoughts were interrupted by a wave of power that washed over him. Something was slowly breaking his hold on her. He could feel his power tearing away. He looked at Kagome in surprise. Was she doing this?

"Move, move, mooove," Kagome thought as she slowly began to turn her body. She didn't know what was causing her to be frozen in place, but her will power was stronger. She wanted to get the hell away from the creepy guy and his equally creepy friend as soon as possible.

Inuyasha watched the power he used to hold her, shatter in front of his eyes like broken glass. She frowned at him and quickly disappeared in the crowd.

"I can't believe she did that," Shippou said.

"She's using her powers and doesn't even know it," Inuyasha crossed his arms and smirked. "I'm impressed."

"So what do we do now? We just let her walk away?" Shippou asked turning to look at him.

"We follow her for awhile, watch over her. I doubt she would want to meet me now. Let her think she imagined the entire event. So when we do meet again, her defenses won't be up."

"In other words, we stalk her," Shippou said dryly.

"Yep," Inuyasha walked away. Shippou followed behind him shaking his head.