The Best Laid Plans... by Jenn

Prologue

This story is in response to Mlmonty's challenge posted on A Single Spark August 1, 2007.

"A seduction takes time and patience. I'd like to see where Sess does just that and seduces Kags. Nothing fumbling or quick but truly demonstrating the art of

seduction. Though having Kags seduce Sess wouldn't be bad either.

Just remember that it needs to be slow. Seduction isn't about cornering someone and

forcing attention on them. It's attracting their interest and decretly showing them you're interested as well."

Before we get to the story, there are a few things I need to make clear. This is an Alternate Reality, which is very similar to the magna / anime. I have no clue how the final battle with Naraku will turn out in the magna, however for this story I am posting a prologue which will contain the final battle.

Also...this *will* be a sess/kag story, though kag doesn't realize this at first. Sess will make his initial appearance in chapter 4...I know that's awhile away, but I want to take my time and make things clear within the story. There is a decent amount of focus on Kagome and her powers, my reasoning for this will become clear the further I go into the story.

Please be patient with me, and I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it!

So, without further ado...here's the prologue:

Prologue

The fight wasn't turning out as everyone had hoped. Naraku continued calling forth more demons to block any progress, even Sesshoumaru's Bakusaiga was having trouble keeping the area demon-free. The group of weary travelers had been joined by Sesshoumaru early this morning, with the sole intent of defeating Naraku once and for all. Kagome could see the whole jewel in Naraku's chest; its aura had grown darker and was quickly overpowering the point of light Kikyo had placed in it weeks ago.

Kohaku lay dead at Naraku's feet; his small body torn and bloody from his final stand against Naraku. He had fought valiantly, but in the end his love for his sister had caused him to make a fatal mistake. He had taken his eyes off Naraku briefly when she had cried out in pain from a demon's attack; in that moment, Naraku had swiftly removed the jewel shard from his shoulder and completed the jewel.

Sango had watched as her brother's body fell to the ground, lifeless. Her face tear-stained, she had vowed to see Naraku die this day, or she herself would die in the attempt to kill him. Miroku, still weak from sucking part of Magatsuhi's humanoid form into his wind tunnel, stood bravely at her side. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were fighting together, attempting to clear a path to Naraku; seemingly going nowhere.

As her eyes settled on the jewel, Kagome's powers - still sealed from Magatsuhi's attack on her - suddenly flared to life as if they had never left her. Her skin tingled, her awareness tripled. 'If I allow it get any darker, there will be no way to save it. This is the only chance I have.' She allowed herself to rip through 3 of the barriers she had placed over her powers during meditation a few weeks ago, and took aim for the jewel. The power coursed through her body as she released the arrow, its purification power clearing a path straight for Naraku; doing what Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru combined had failed to do. A bright flash of light engulfed the battlefield as the arrow struck.

Inuyasha was shocked, to put things simply. The waves of purification should have burned him, killing him from the proximity. What he felt, though, was warmth, calmness, and serenity. It seems that subconsinsly, Kagome had enough control over her powers to make sure they didn't hurt him. Speaking of which, when did Kagome get her powers back? And when did she get so strong? And, as he watched the jewel shards streak across the sky he thought 'What the hell...why did she have to go and shatter the jewel, again?!?!'

Sesshoumaru saw the miko release an arrow, immediately pulling Tenseiga closer to him for protection. Never had he seen or felt power this strong, much less from a human. He could feel the tingling of the purification against his skin, tickling his senses and, oddly enough, giving him a warm, peaceful feeling. Shock poured through his brain as he realized she had accomplished, in mere moments, what he and his brother had been attempting for the past hours. As the bright light engulfed the battlefield, he turned to see as the miko fall to the ground. It seemed that though she was able to call forth so much raw purification energy, and wield it in some fashion; she was still undeniably human, unable to withstand so much power. Such a shame, if she could learn to control and withstand her powers, she might be useful to one such as himself.

Naraku was dead.

However the jewel, once again, was shattered; the shards spread throughout Japan. Kagome, for her part, lay on the ground, her body cold and seemingly lifeless.

2 years later...

"Inuyasha, I have to return to my time! My final exams are this week, and I haven't studied nearly enough as it is!" Kagome screamed, livid. Inuyasha, for his part, was red in the face from yelling at her.

"You can't go! We have jewel shards to find, and you know it! Who cares about your exams, they only get in the way!" He screamed at her again.

"Sit Boy!" At these words, a loud crash was heard throughout the clearing, followed by a loud groan. "Inuyasha, stay here. You can come get me in a week, but if you step foot into the well before then I'll have you so far into the ground it'll take a week to climb out." She turned to her friends and smiled weakly. "Make sure he listens please guys. I'll see you all next week." With that said, she turned and jumped into the well, a familiar blue light surrounding her and transporting her 500 years into the future.