Tell me...if you were a phantom thief in search of a magical jewel, what would you do if you heard tell of a beautiful necklace set with a glittering pinkish stone that is rumored to have some great power--especially if that jewel is said to sometimes posess a strange, eerie glow?

Well, duh.

It's not a big jewel--barely the size of a fingernail--but so what? I just couldn't resist this one. So I planned the heist and took it.

It gets more fun every time! 'Specially since they only got about half my riddle, and were three steps behind me the whole evening. Inspector Nakamori taught me two new swear words tonight--man, the guy's a genius. I wouldn't have known--they weren't even in the dictionary.

But, sadly, my time's running out; I've got school tomorrow and Aoko will kill me if I'm not back in time to take her home. So I bid a cheery "Good evening!" to the officers chasing me and proceed to vanish into the night. Disappearing into a blind alley--that'll keep 'em guessing for a while.

What's Aoko got to do with this? Damned if I know why I Agreed to let her come and watch. Stupid girl, stupid idea...but she gets this look in her eyes that's got nothing to do with reaching for a mop, and all of a sudden I go to moosh inside and give in. Don't ask me why; probably has something to do with the couch and the kisses and a very drunk--and resultingly very hungover--kitsune hanyou.

Surprised the hell outta me when she asked to come see me in action, though; with how much she goes off on me about Kid and stealing and all that, you'd think she wouldn't touch a heist with a ten-foot pole. But she's about four blocks away from me right now, perched on a high building rooftop with a pair of binoculars and her favorite mop. I still can't tell why I let her come. Or why she wanted to come.

That leaves me with the problem of getting her back home before her father. Hopefully he's still cussing me out back at the bank.

Three blocks away. I'm roof-hopping it, less visible than my glider--and tonight I don't feel like taking any chances on my getaway. Not only would it put Aoko in danger, but she'd probably kill me too.

I'm only one block away from Aoko's position and making a clean leap across the last street when a voice slices through the night with more rage and intensity than I've ever heard from Nakamori.

"Gimme that shard, youkai!"

No time to think--not much more than What the--? anyway--before I sense more than see something coming straight at me. In the middle of my leap, I roll with a half-twist midair as that something flashes by beneath me, barely missing my current position--a blur of red and white that crashes through the space I had just occupied. My landing at the next building isn't so hot, hitting the broad veranda ledge and skidding on my knees rather than anything remotely associated with the term "graceful," but since I just narrowly avoided a potentially vicious attack, I think it's good enough.

Whatever-it-was landed on the story below me, a couple doors down. The hairs from the back of my neck all the way down my spine are standing on end--even my scalp feels prickly. "Bristling," Dad called it--an instinctive response to threat and danger. Great--but what the hell was that?

Something is growling.

The sound makes me feel shivery from head to toe. So with a gulp I peer over the ledge at whatever had launched itself at me--

--and immediately throw myself over backwards, that flash of red-and-white going inches past my nose with a jaggedly loud riiiip! of cloth. I roll with my fall, trying to regain my feet as I realize those are pieces of my hat and shirtfront floating down around me. I don't want to know how close that came to my face; I just want to get back to my knees and maybe my feet and get the hell outta--

"Hand it over, youkai!" growls that same voice again, as I turn to see who it is. Huh, weirdo--youkai is such an outdated word, doesn't he know...?

It's just a guy my age.

He's dressed in some old-fashioned getup, hakama and all colored a deep red. His hair is long and white--almost glowing in the moonlight--and his eyes are the most intense gold I've ever seen. More golden than the necklace in my pocket. His ears...

Holy flappin' mackerel, his ears...!

They're just like mine.

This guy's a youko? A careful sniff gives me a few answers--yup, a youko, and young too. And, if my nose is reading him right, he's half human.

A hanyou.

Like me.

Hanyou--one birth in a million. Somewhere, somewhen, a human and a youko fell in love and had him. I guess the surprise must show on my face; he looks madder. "Quit stalling and give me the shard, fox. Now."

"Who...who the hell...?" Okay, so I'm not being particularly articulate. What I really want to know is how this hanyou even knows I'm a kitsune. I take pride in my shapeshifting; my father was the best, and I learned from the best. If he can see through it somehow... "Who are you?" I'm getting my act back together now; back on my feet too. "What shard? What are you talking about?"

Again with the snarl. Sheesh, I didn't know a hanyou could sound like that. "The one you just took from that metal building. I know you have it!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." His hand is tightening on that sword; not good. "I'm just an ordinary--"

"Do you think I can't tell, fox?" he shouts angrily. "Yeah, that's right, kitsune! You can't hide it from me--I smell you, and the blood on that damn shard! Hand it over!"

He could see through my disguise by scent? It takes a damn fine nose to even tell I'm in a shapeshift, and even then not what's beneath. Or else what's the point of having magic meant to fool even other youko? How on earth did he...?

"So you know I'm a kitsune," I say, trying to keep my voice level. "Then I guess the disguise is useless."

His eyes only narrow when I drop the shapeshifting spell. My hat's gone, and I'm sure he didn't miss the tail. I'm a white kitsune--white as the suit I wear, impossible to miss even at night. Mom says I seem to glow under the moon, just like Dad did.

He's not impressed, apparently. I don't like that vicious smile, either. "Che!" he snorts. "I thought I smelled ningen on you. Just half a kitsune--this'll be even easier."

That is enough to make me frown. He's a hanyou too--where's he get off scoffing me like that? What kind of--?

Wait a sec. I've got a nose too, and I'm no slouch. I could already tell he's a hanyou, but I should've thought to check what his other half is! He's no kitsune, parading around in his true form like that--and he wouldn't be using his nose so well if he were neko, and with ears like that--

"If you won't give it to me, then I'll take it from you!"

Oi, this could hurt. But he's already coming at me and my reaction is automatic: Run like hell.

Because I know. This guy is inu. And for some reason that scares the crap outta me.

This could give a whole new meaning to the expression "Dog-Pile on the Bandit."

In one leap I'm heading for the next roof, quick vertical jumps from ledge to ledge; up is good, up is safe, dogs don't climb so well--aw, damn, he's coming after me just fine. This is not good, not good at all--I dunno what's up with this jerk, but he's serious. It's in his eyes--blood-and-death serious. He's like something out of the nightmares I used to have as a little kit, after Dad told me stories of what it was like in the Old Days.

Back when the general public actually knew youko existed. Back when ningen were usually considered a capital main dish. Back when hanyous like me were hunted, hated, feared, and killed. The Old Days that I'm glad I don't live in, even if it means I have to hide half of myself from everyone around me. At least I get to live a nice, safe, peaceful life--Kaitou Kid notwithstanding.

This guy's coming at me with Death in his eyes, and that's got every hair on my body standing on end. I've never fought a youko before--nothing like this, not even tussling with my cousins. Hell, what am I saying? Kitsune aren't warriors, not even in the Old Days.

So far he hasn't pulled out that sword, just slashing at me with his claws. So far, he's missing. I'm faster than he is--just barely. I'm ducking and running across the rooftop, using the structure itself to my advantage to slow the inu hanyou down--ductwork, pipes, and access vents. He's quick enough, though not so nimble as me--but if I screw up, I've seen what his claws can do. They went through the steel pipework like it was paper.

I wonder if I could do that?

"Give it up, dog-boy! You'll never catch me!" I taunt as I backflip over his head, letting him crash into the wall of the roof access. The concrete is riddled with cracks but he jerks around and dashes at me as if he didn't feel a thing.

"Rrrrraaah! Come back here!"

Yipe! Dammit, where's my head? It's gonna be rolling across the rooftop if I don't watch it! I have to dive and tumble aside of his next charge; I can feel the passing of his claws too close to my back. He's no acrobat, but blurringly fast in a straight line. If I couldn't outmaneuver him I'd be spaghetti by now!

I really need to learn to keep my comments to myself.

I can't keep this up forever. Okay, Kaito, think--you're a phantom thief and you've outwitted hundreds of brainless cops; one inu shouldn't be any problem! Now, what do we know about inu?

Not much, except what Dad said. Strong, fast, in most cases smart, with unwavering courage and loyalty that they'll take to their graves. Admirable qualities in a friend, worse in an enemy; from everything Dad told me they're tough as nails and more determined than anything you'll ever meet.

"You never want to get on an inu's bad side, son."

Well, that's just great. I'm already on his bad side, so that doesn't help much. What else, what else? Dodge back from another slash, duck that kick and--whoa! Too close, too close! His claws raise sparks off the air conditioning unit I just hid behind.

I remember--almost--something Dad remarked once, something about the strength of rare white kitsune and it made me feel proud to be one...wait...and he said...

Oh. Oh shit. White inu.

Even more uncommon than white kitsune. Said to be the most powerful of the inu--and even as rare as they are these days, the inu clans are still some of the most feared. I've never had the dubious honor of meeting one--'til now, that is.

Just about every youko knows stories from the Old Days. One of the stories my Dad told me is the one about the white inu youko who used to run the entire western side of Japan as his territory. He defended it even against bakemono and oni who would've claimed it from him. More than a mere youko--a taiyoukai, one of the greatest who ever lived. A white inu.

Shit.

There's not many places left to hide anymore. And I can't hide from him. His ears are as good as mine, his nose is even better--even if I used illusions, he could track me down in a split second. Is he doing this all just for the little jewel I stole?

"Damn you, quit bouncing around like a rabbit!" he snarls, missing me again. I'm keeping ahead of him, but I'm getting tired. I don't ever have to dodge cops like this.

"Then you quit being as slow as a slug!" I toss back. So what if I'm scared spitless? I'm not gonna let him know that.

Whoops. I think I made him mad. If I'm not mistaken, I just lost a few hairs off the end of my tail. "Almost! That was pretty close--come on, wanna try again?"

"You freakin' little fox--!"

I can't let him catch me. I may be faster but I know somehow that he's stronger than me--that if he gets a finger on me it's going to hurt and he could break me in half if he could catch me. So I won't let him touch me.

There are a lot of old stories about the fox outwitting the hound. Many times the dog is even the fox's dupe, or is left to take the heat for the fox's tricks.

But in every one of those stories, if the dog ever gets his paws on the fox, the fox is ripped to pieces.

"What's up with this shard you want?" I ask, leaping over his charge and swinging off the metal poles that support the building's sign. "All I took was a necklace--and it's mine, fair and square!"

"The jewel shard is mine!" He's just standing below me now, glaring up with those golden eyes. They glitter even in the moonlight, and he looks as feral as a wolf. Not like anyone I've ever seen, youko or otherwise. None of the nice friendly youko folk I know are ever like this.

He's almost scarier than my cousin, Shinichi. A Shinigami is death incarnate when he wishes to be--if his power's turned against you, you're just dead, quicker than thought. But this inu is the kind of death that's bloody, violent, and painful.

"Who says?" I challenge, hanging upside-down from the pole just out of arms' reach, ready to bolt. Maybe if I can get him to talk, I can trick him...just maybe.

Now he's grinning, showing long fangs. "It's a shard of the Shikon no Tama--and the Jewel is mine. I'm just picking up the pieces, kitsune."

I almost fall off my pole--can't believe my ears. Shikon no Tama--Jewel of Four Souls--a thing so powerful that every youko alive knew of it--a legend so great and so famous that you'd have to be an idiot from Antarctica not to know what it was--!

Holy shit.

Reflexively, my hand goes to my pocket. I'm holding a piece of that legendary jewel--something that was said to have powers beyond any talisman ever made before or since. Something that had supposedly disappeared centuries ago. Something that gave a gift incredible power--or granted hanyou like me the dream of becoming a true youko. The legends from my ancestor were at least clear on those points.

"So you do know of it," the inu growls, his cruel grin widening. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll hand it over before I get serious."

Serious? Don't tell me he's been playing with me the whole time...! "So I know a little about it. Why should I just give it to you? It's a part of my heist, you know. I'm only doing this to scare them--I'm going to give it back...tomorrow..."

Wait a second. Is he...laughing at me?

He is, dammit. Guffawing, leaning against one of the vertical poles, holding his sides. I frown and glare at him, but he doesn't even notice. He's too busy trying to speak.

"A hanyou...who knows of the Jewel...and you're just gonna give it back...?" He finally looks up at me, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Don't you know what that thing does? It can make a hanyou into a full youkai--or a human."

That gives me a jolt. I'd never heard that before; a youkai or a human?

Before I realize it, I've got the necklace out of my pocket and I'm staring at it like I've never seen it before. Just a simple gold chain with a leaf-like motif on the metal the shard is set into. It's glowing faintly in the full moon light, just like the Pandora Gem I've been searching for.

But in its own way, this Jewel is more.

I could be a real youko, like my father. No more living by half measure in two worlds--no more covert stares and disapproving glances and whispered mutterings from Dad's side of the family. I could be a true white kitsune, with all his powers and abilities. I could take that damn Organization head-on and win.

But then...

I could be human, too. I could be an ordinary boy, never having to hide ears and tail and powers--I'd have to give up Kid though, since a human could never manage that--but I'd be just like Aoko and she'd never have to be afraid to be with me...

"Oi. Don't be getting any ideas, fox," the inu growls at me. "It's mine."

My eyes are narrowing. "Why should I give it to someone like you?"

I can smell it now too--the blood on the shard.

It reeks of an old death, the coppery tang of blood and the blackish stench of hatred. There's evil in this thing too. It pulls at me, and repulses me as well. It's entrancing...and disgusting.

Why should I give it to someone as bloody as this inu?

I'm just about to tell him that when the roof access door flies open with a bang! Both of us whirl--and I almost fall off my pole again when I see who's standing there, weapon in hand.

Aoko.

"No! Aoko! Go back!" The words fly from my throat before I even realize I've spoken. The inu is turning to face her, golden eyes unreadable; my heart is lurching into my throat--I've seen what his claws can do to steel and I know what they could do to her--

"Kaito?' She's already stepping through the door, already raising her mop. She looks scared, but determined--damn that courage of hers! She must've seen us from the next roof with her binoculars and come running to save my tail--but she's only gonna get herself hurt!

The inu's weight shifts infinitesimally--and that's enough.

I use both muscle and gravity to propel myself toward a spot between his shoulder blades--and land there with all four limbs and everything I've got. With a harsh yell he topples forward to crash to the roof, cursing and rolling over to strike back at me--but I'm not sticking around for that. In one more pounce I'm at Aoko's side, shielding her, panting and shaking. I can hardly believe I actually just attacked him.

"Kaito--!" Aoko grabs my arm with her free hand and shakes me, frightened and angry and demanding. "What's going on? Who is that...?"

"Stay back--you gotta run--he's youko--!"

"You damn kitsune...!" the inu hanyou snarls.

Oh, crap. Now he's mad. I barely have time to turn before he moves. His battle cry is half yell, half roar--Aoko freezes like a startled deer beside me, too shocked to move. In an instant I shove her away from me and turn to dart the other direction, but the inu is faster than before--and pushing Aoko out of harm's way cost me one precious second.

Throwing up one arm, I manage to deflect his reaching hands so that he misses his first grab at me; my other arm swings out as I step aside, and somehow when I shove him it's hard enough to knock him off of his original course. Still gripping my sleeve, he spins me around with him as he hits the roof access wall again, this time with his shoulder--and as luck would have it his grip is jarred loose. I slide free of his claws, already gathering myself to jump clear, but I haven't even made it off the ground yet and he rebounds off the wall after me.

I feel his hand close around the end of my tail, and the abrupt stop jolts up my spine like lightning and makes me yelp sharply. He drags me back with a harsh yank and I can barely manage to keep my feet; instinct makes me react to the pain in my tail by whirling at him. His golden eyes flash surprise for just an instant. This time, terror takes over and I really hit him--and to my shock it slams him clean over sideways and away from Aoko and I. My tail is finally free of his bruising grip.

In the corner of my eye I see him twist as he lands, already pushing up from the ground to launch himself back at me; one side of his face is now marked by four crimson slashes--and he's on top of me before I can take a step. He slams into me like a truck and we hit the ground--the last thing I can clearly see is my father's monocle bouncing away across the roof. The last word I hear is Aoko screaming my name.

To say I'm terrified would be an understatement.

His roaring growl is filling my ears like thunder, and there's another sound above it--a horrible snarling yowling noise that rises in shrill echoes up to the stars as I struggle to get him away from me. I can vaguely tell that he's not trying to kill me yet--he's trying to reach the necklace locked in my fist, and his claws are scoring my hand and arm, digging deep. He's way too strong and I can't tell what's where, or which way is up. I can't think anymore.

"Give it up! Ow! Just give me the damn shard you stupid little fox!"

My throat is getting raw. It's somehow a shock to realize I'm the one making that awful sound.

I'm panicking. I've never fought a youko before. Never. This doesn't happen anymore--this is like a nightmare from the Old Days where youko fought each other tooth and nail for anything, and everything was blood and death--it's not supposed to be like this! We aren't like this any more!

I have no idea how, but I got enough leverage to pull my legs up and use them against him. As I kick out his claws rip across my upper arm, torn loose from their grip. One of his hands closes again on my other shoulder with a grip of bruising force and the hot jabs of claws.

He's going to kill me!

For this shard of the Jewel of Four Souls, he's going to kill me. And when I'm dead, Aoko will be all alone and he'll kill her too--

No.

I've never really used it before--not like this. Barely in practice, hardly ever in the field--and never against another person. But I've got nothing else left. Nothing but the one gift of my father's blood that isn't deceit and illusion.

I feel it pull deep inside, hot but not painful, bright but not blinding. It gathers like snow in an avalanche, like a reactor hitting critical mass; an explosion of light and sound, a cry of surprise from the inu as silver-blue flames the color of the moon envelop him in a burst of heat and power that leaves me drained--but flings him halfway across the roof to skid to a stop on the tiles.

I'm panting like I've just run a dozen kilometers. Feels like it too--didn't think I'd get so dizzy, but then I used more than I ever have before.

Kitsune-bi doesn't come easy. Because it's more than just illusion, it takes that much more out of me.

Aoko's looking at me--that same look she had the first night, when she first learned the truth; the night when everything balanced on what she chose. I've frightened her again, haven't I? Just like I do every time I do something youko-ish that she's never seen before...

"Foxfire, huh?" says the inu's voice, rough and almost coughing. "So you can do more than just dodge me after all."

He's still standing?

My knees are shaking so hard I can barely make it to my feet. My left arm is both numb and burning, but my fist is still clenched tight around the necklace and the small jewel it carries. I'm relieved to note the inu's a little worse for wear--smudged by flame, marked by deep, bleeding scratches on his arms and face. I didn't think my claws could be that sharp. At least I know I can damage him when it comes down to it, but I can't take much more of this. I'm no fighter.

Kitsune aren't fighters. We're not warriors, not particularly brave or strong. We're tricksters--lovers of harmless pranks and good fun where everyone can laugh. Even in the Old Days we never hurt anyone--not really. Humans and youko alike--we just wanted to play. Eat, drink, and be merry; live and let live. Play a trick, get tricked, and everybody laughs and we all forgive...

But Dad said...sometimes...not everyone forgives. It wasn't always a game in the Old Days. Other youko were selfish, hungry, violent, cruel...and sometimes we had to fight back. To protect our families, our loved ones. That's where Foxfire came from.

"...When the cards are down and you're all out of tricks--that's the moment, son. That's when you have to stand your ground and fight back..."

Kitsune can fight. And when we have to, we will. I will. That inu hanyou can underestimate me as a harmless little fox, but that's where he's wrong.

I've got to get Aoko out of here. We've both got to get out of here. But even if I don't make it, she has to. I'll die before I let him touch her, shard or no shard. I may be just a kitsune, but I'll fight him to my last breath...

How can I be thinking like this? Am I in shock? Maybe. Probably. I've never fought another youko before. It's...horrible. It's wrong. This shouldn't be happening--not in my world. Why is he doing this? All for a stupid legend. He's doing all this just to find the jewel...

"You can't win, fox. Just hand me the jewel and go home."

He's coming again. Walking forward. More wary this time, but his eyes are nothing but confident. I can do Kitsune-bi again, but I'm already drained.

My view is suddenly blocked by Aoko's back--she's put herself between me and him, mop raised in defense. I can smell her fear--and if I can, so can he.

"Aoko, get back!" I hiss, grabbing her shoulder to try to pull her away--but to my horror she shrugs out of my grip and charges forward.

The inu is barely six steps away by now, and he hardly moves as she attacks. I yell at her to stop--all I can see is Aoko dashing into Death's door. And I'm going in right behind her--I've got to stop her, shield her, save her--!

A loud thwack! echoes over the roof--and everything stops. The inu doesn't even flinch when the mop breaks over his head.

Shit, she just hit him. Aoko hit the inu hanyou and now he's going to tear her to shreds--!

Before she can respond I pull her back, forcing her bodily behind me, broken mop and all. The inu just glares at us with eyes that are growing more angry by the second.

I can feel every hair standing up; my tail must look like a bottlebrush, and I don't think I could unpin my ears if I tried. I didn't know I could snarl like this but I am, loudly, shaking like a leaf all over. I've got to protect her somehow, maybe hold him off until she can run...

"Oi, wench, get out of the way!" the inu growls, giving Aoko an indignant glare. "If you're so worried about your stupid fox, tell him to give me that shard!"

"Don't you hurt him any more!" Aoko snaps, shoving in front of me once more, arms outstretched as if she could somehow shield me. I try to drag her back but she won't let me. "You...you big jerk! What are you doing all this for, huh? What are you supposed to be anyway? Kaito told me the youko people are friendly! You baka! Leave us alone!"

The inu looks as mad as he ever did against me, but...he's not attacking. His hands are flexing, his fangs are bared, and his eyes are practically glowing, but he's not attacking.

"Look, you," he rumbles, fingers curling into claws. "I'm only gonna ask nicely one more time." He takes a step forward, his voice rising to a shout of demand. "You give me that damn shard or I'll rip your hearts out!"

"Inuyasha..."

The soft voice barely reaches across the rooftop to where we stand, yet every syllable is crystal clear. The inu freezes, golden eyes going wide and suddenly alarmed--but more like a kid caught in a cooke jar than a youko surprised by an enemy. His eyes flick aside toward the roof door, and his expression slides into something very akin to "Oh shit!"

"K-Ka--Kago--!"

"...osuwari."

I've never seen anything like it. One word and the inu hanyou is kissing dirt. Bam. As if some giant hand from the heavens has just pancaked him into the roof. He just lays there face-down, gasping for air, claws scratching on the tiles, ears gone flat.

Both Aoko and I turn slowly and carefully to see the wielder of this great and terrible power...

And see a girl our own age, barely taller than Aoko, wearing a green and white school uniform I don't recognize. She glares down at the inu for a few moments more, then turns to Aoko and I with an apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry about this," the girl says, sympathy shading her tones. "Are you okay? Inuyasha's not very diplomatic about things, and when I saw you steal that shard and run off, well...he took off without listening."

I can hear Aoko gulp. "So...he's a...friend of yours?"

"Yes." The girl smiles, guileless and real. "My name's Higurashi Kagome. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm...Nakamori Aoko..." I don't think I've seen Aoko look quite this dazed before. "And this is...um..."

"I heard you call him Kaito, right?" The girl, Kagome, asks. She looks at me, curious and interested and not a bit afraid. "You're a kitsune, right? A hanyou, like Inuyasha?"

"Yeah...that's right."

Aoko's eyes flick to me and then to the inu behind us, wide and surprised. I'm pretty sure she doesn't know how to pick out a hanyou on sight. I'll have to teach her to recognize the earmarks...argh. Bad pun, especially where dog-boy there is concerned--I don't relish the fact that our hanyou features are so similar.

"Wow! That's so neat!" Kagome smiles again. "I've never met a grown-up kitsune before--only Shippo-chan, and he's just a little boy. Oh, what a pretty tail! I wonder if Shippo-chan will look like you when he grows up--well, I mean...um, maybe not, because he's a full youkai, so I'm not sure..."

Gingerly cradling my left arm, I can't help but blink at her. She's not frightened of me in the least--and more, she's actually elated to have seen me?

"Kagome...!"

Aoko and I jolt around. The inu--Inuyasha is back on his feet. And glaring murderously.

"And as for you...!" Kagome rounds on Inuyasha without the slightest hesitation. "What's the matter with you, attacking poor Kaito-kun like that? Couldn't you have had the decency to ask first?"

I'm surprised to see the inu has the decency to look slightly abashed. "I did ask," he growls rebelliously. "But I'm not going to just sit around and wait when a youkai has a shard!"

"You did not ask!" I find myself blurting angrily. "You just jumped out at me!"

"Inuyasha! How could you?" Kagome abruptly turns her back on him, looking at my left arm with concern. "Are you okay? I've got a first-aid kit in my backpack, if you--"

"Do you? Get it out quick! I'll help!" Aoko's hurried words surprise me too--I've never heard her sound like that.

I can see why she might be so worried; I must look a fright with these torn clothes and numerous scrapes, scratches, and bruises everywhere from being chased and pounced on by an angry inu. My right shoulder's got a hefty set of gouges in it, and the many wounds on my left arm are rather deep and bleeding heavily, especially on my wrist and forearm. On a ningen this would be cause for considerable concern--if Aoko were cut up like this she'd be unconscious and I'd be an explosively panicking kitsune all over the roof. But I'm half youko, and therefore a little more...hardy.

"Uh, actually, I don't--" I try to say, but Kagome's already leading Aoko back toward the door. Part of me doesn't want to look weak in front of the inu; part of me is glad and relieved she's so concerned. Just because it won't kill me doesn't mean I don't feel it. My arm hurts--enough to make me feel queasy and unsteady.

"Now then," Inuyasha rumbles, taking a step toward me, "about that shard..."

"Osuwari!" Kagome's voice cracks out like a whip.

"Arrgh!"

Faceplant again. Whew, but that's a handy little spell. I take this opportunity to back a few steps away from the fallen hanyou.

"Now you just be quiet!" Kagome scolds him, carrying the first-aid kit back with Aoko at her side. "Here, Kaito-kun, why don't you sit down and relax? Don't worry about the shard, we'll talk it over."

"But...is he...?" I gulp as I seat myself what feels like a relatively safe distance from Inuyasha's reach--but probably isn't.

Kagome giggles. "Oh, don't worry about this baka. He wouldn't hurt a human, not ever. Aoko-chan wasn't in any danger. He may look ferocious, but he's really just a big puppy dog." She ruffles the hair between the inu's ears--and if I'm not mistaken, there's a definite affection in her gentle touch. Even when he growls at her, she's not afraid.

Aoko smiles too, looking down at me, and to my surprise she gives me the same treatment as she kneels at my side, her fingers tickling my ears. "Kaito's just the same way--a fluffy teddy bear who pretends to be a mysterious and clever thief."

"Hey! Who says I pretend?"

The girls are giggling and giving each other knowing looks. I hate that--women are telepathic or something. That "Girl Thing" they always talk about. Inuyasha stays where he is, chin resting on his hand, looking equally perplexed and disgusted.

Kagome opens up the first-aid kit, and as Aoko carefully touches my left arm I flinch--but her gentle fingers coax my hand open, and I can finally get my aching fingers to unclench. The necklace falls to the tiles, and the inu's ears perk up.

"Don't you dare," Kagome says flatly, not even glancing at him.

"Feh." Inuyasha sits up, folds his arms, and glares at all of us.

"I'm terribly sorry about all this," Kagome says as she gently swabs the slashes on my arm--I don't want to fuss in front of strangers but whatever she's using stings like hell!

"Owowow...!" I hiss--and get a cuff from Aoko, a much milder one than usual.

"Don't complain, baka! And hold still."

"Oh, sorry!" Kagome looks grieved by my winces, but continues. "This'll just take a second. I really am sorry--Inuyasha shouldn't have attacked you like this."

"And what's wrong with it, eh?" Inuyasha demands abruptly, snorting. "I held back, didn't I? He's not dead or anything!"

"Still!" Kagome turns to snap at him. "He's not like the youkai we know--he lives in this time, doesn't he? Look at him! Couldn't you tell he's not like that--?"

"That's right--he's not!" Aoko adds heatedly, her angry glare getting a look of surprise from the inu as she rounds on him. "He's just a normal boy! So what if he's half kitsune? He goes to school with me and he lives with his mom and he doesn't hurt anyone!"

Inuyasha's ears pin back, and he glances at me with the first glimmers of hesitation that I've ever seen in him. But they disappear quickly when he snorts and looks away.

"I..." His voice is rough but so soft I can barely hear it. "I wouldn't have attacked him...but...he had the shard and...he's a hanyou. I thought he could take it. I was gonna rough him up a little and make him give me the shard."

"You were just trying to scare him?" Aoko stops wrapping my arm and stares at him. "But...then...why did you hurt him--?"

Inuyasha's bark makes her jump. "He's a hanyou, you twit--just like me! If he's tough enough to fight me off like that, he'll be fine by tomorrow! Those little cuts are nothing!"

Oookay, was I hallucinating or did he just...compliment me?

Aoko's mad again. "You think this is nothing...?"

"Inuyasha's not from our time," Kagome explains softly, interrupting. "He comes from the past--from about five hundred years ago, as near as I can guess. We haven't had much contact with youkai in this time, so neither of us know how much things have changed. I'm pretty sure things are very different from where Inuyasha comes from. Most youkai we've ever met have been pretty bad, and fighting is pretty much his way of life..."

I gasp--then wince as my jump makes my arm twinge. "No kidding--he's actually from the Old Days--?"

Something slides into place for me--the reason why this inu seems so different from the youko I know. He's wild--fierce and savage and untouched by the safe, domesticated world I live in now. It's like looking through a portal into history, into the Old Days where every day was life and death and hanyou were persecuted by youko and hated by ningen. It's almost like looking into a mirror of what I might have been.

And it scares me. If I had been born then, I would probably be like him--driven by my circumstances to be the same kind of creature he is, fighting for my life every step of the way. I could have been just as wild, just as vicious, just as frightening.

Someone Aoko could never love.

Or could she?

I think...maybe...this Kagome girl loves Inuyasha. Despite everything he is--and isn't--I think she loves him.

"Oi, what are you looking at, fox?"

"N-nothing." Hmph. So what if the girl likes him? He's still a jerk.

Aoko finishes wrapping my arm, tying off the bandage just right--not too tight, not too loose. "That's really good, Aoko," Kagome compliments.

"My dad's a policeman, you know," Aoko replies. "It's obvious I should know a little first aid. Oh, Kaito--how's your shoulder?"

"Ah--it's fine!" I've already lost enough clothing to this inu's claws; I don't feel like stripping down the rest of the way so she can attend to a few scratches. Okay, so my shoulder's a little worse than that--but still. "My arm was the worst--the rest is fine."

"Are you sure?"

I nod. Much as I hate to admit it, Inuyasha's right. Bad as they are, most of these cuts will be gone without a trace tomorrow. Even the deeper, more severe wounds in my forearm will heal without a single scar in a couple of days--one of the benefits of being a hanyou. It's only a guess, but I could probably get shot a couple times and still walk away from it. Wonderful stuff, youko healing.

"Kagome. Get the stupid shard and let's go," Inuyasha growls, glaring at me again. "No more wasting time."

"Oh, that's right..." Kagome turns to me. "Say, Kaito-kun, how did you manage to get that shard?"

"Easy," I reply, flinching a bit as I experimentally flex my hand. "I'm a phantom thief--I steal things flamboyantly and I send them back if they're not what I'm looking for..." I catch the inu's puzzled look and sigh. "Eh...it's a long story."

Kagome looks slightly confused. "Why would you be...?"

"I'm just looking for this one a special gem that's supposed to grant immortality." It always makes me angry to remember--it makes my hackles bristle every time I think of it. "Someone killed my father for it...so I want to make sure they never get it--I want to make them pay. I thought this one might be it, because of all the rumors and legends about this necklace."

"You were so sure this time," Aoko whispers. "Because of the rumors and the glow..."

"Yeah, but it's not Pandora," I half-chuckle. "It's even worse."

"I hate to ask you after all this, and I know you have your reasons, but..." Kagome looks rather sad, her pale blue eyes deep with sympathy. "We really need that shard, Kaito-kun. We're trying to restore the Shikon Jewel, so we need every piece we can get--"

"And you don't want to have that thing in your pocket the next time someone comes looking for it," Inuyasha adds gruffly. "Most other youkai wouldn't be so nice about it."

I shiver and look down. Would the other youko of my time do so much for this thing? At the promise of the power the Jewel holds, would they revert to the savage killers they used to be--just to posess this one shard?

If it's going to draw trouble that way, I don't want it. It's worse than the Pandora Gem--at least then it's just humans that I can deal with. If that fight was Inuyasha holding back, I don't want to know what a real battle would be like--I'd thought I was fighting for my life when he never even had any intention of killing me!

How little I really know about youko. Everything is so nice now, living side by side with humans, peaceful and friendly. I've never seen anyone like Inuyasha--and he's not even really a bad guy. It's shocking--a wake-up call--to catch a glimpse of how terrible youko can really be. How terrible I could really be...

And if this shard can do that to us--can make youko go mad for its power like the legends say, and turn peaceful times into a bloodbath of war as the stories told--then I don't want anything to do with it.

Even if I could be youko--or human...but then...I'd lose part of what makes me me. I know I'd regret losing whatever side I might give up...and I think it would make Aoko sad too--she likes me the way I am. I have to appreciate my hanyou blood--I can live in her world as a half-ningen, and I can protect her as a half-youko.

I look up at Kagome and Inuyasha--and I meet the inu hanyou's eyes without flinching. "First of all, we're not called youkai anymore--that's a really old word. It's youko now. Second, if I give you this shard, what are you going to do with it?"

"We're gonna put together the Jewel and then I'm gonna--"

"We're going to put an end to its cycle of bloodshed," Kagome interrupts Inuyasha's explanation. "I can use my miko powers to purify it. Once it's whole, we're going to make it so no one can ever use it again. In the past, where we're fighting...it's awful. And I want to stop all of it."

"I see..." So that's the truth behind legend of how the Shikon disappeared. My dad told me stories of an ancestor of ours who was involved in that legend--but even our family doesn't know all that much about it. Centuries ago, a band of ningen and youko warriors fought a bloody battle to bring peace to the land...and were some of the first to show that the two races could live side by side--the precursors to the peace we have now...

Wait a second. The kitsune that Kagome mentioned--that Shippo kit--could he be...my ancestor? A red kitsune who knew more illusions than any in our family's history, who was stronger than any kitsune in any legends told, who battled a thousand enemies without a scratch--could he be the one from the stories my father's family keeps?

Just...a little kit?

Holy cow! And that youko with the mighty blade, son of the western lord and the most powerful warrior in youko history, who won the war against darkness for all of us...!

Was he really just a grumpy young inu hanyou with a miko-girl from the present as a sidekick?

Could it be?

If that's true, then I just went head-on with the son of that legendary white inu lord--!

"Well? Are you gonna give it to me?" Inuyasha's voice breaks through my shocked thoughts as he leans forward, showing his fangs. "Or you wanna go another round?"

"Inuyasha..." Kagome's voice has a warning tone to it, and the inu backs off.

I pick up the shard-necklace from its spot beside me and heave to my feet. Inuyasha's up so fast I could barely tell he moved.

"You better not--!"

"Inuyasha, hush!" Kagome frowns and jumps up to hold on to his sleeve; he growls but doesn't pull against her.

Aoko's at my side in a moment, looking really worried. "Kaito...?"

"What about next time?" I ask the other pair. "What about the next time I happen to find one of these? Would youko still come to kill for it?"

"Maybe," Kagome says, her eyes pinching. "I know things are different now but it still...seems to drive youkai--youko...pretty crazy."

Aoko looks scared again. "What about...Kaito...?"

"Keh! They'll rip his fuzzy head off," Inuyasha snorts. "I had him running scared and I wasn't even trying. If some nasty youkai comes along, he's gonna be sashimi."

Duh, dog-boy--I've already thought of that. So if anyone knew of a Shikon shard, they'd likely go through any humans in their way to get it--or me, if I happened to get there first. And Inuyasha's done a damn fine job of showing me I've got no clue when it comes to what youko can really do.

"Look me up at the Sunset Shrine," Kagome says, stepping forward. "If you bring any shards you find to us, Inuyasha and I will do everything we can to help you. Right, Inuyasha?"

"Feh."

Kagome smiles. "He means 'yes.'"

"I want to give it to you..." I take a deep breath and look down at the necklace in my hand. "But I also have to give it back to them. It's not Pandora--I can't keep it."

"Then just take the damn jewel out of the necklace, baka!" Inuyasha growls impatiently. "Stupid fox. We don't need the whole thing, just the shard."

I blink up at the inu, his rough words causing an idea to spring to the front of my mind. Relieved, I study the necklace and start to pull at the mountings that hold the shard--carefully, to avoid damaging the rest of the beautiful piece; gold is a fairly soft metal, and with youko strength it's pretty easy to pry it loose. In a few moments, the pearl-pink, faintly-glowing shard is resting in the palm of my hand.

Now I can feel it. throughmming against my skin. Trying to seep into my bones. The whispering edges of seductive power, dripping with blackness and blood. It makes me shiver, makes my fur stand up all over. Even if I did want power, I wouldn't want it like this. This is...wrong.

"This bloody thing...you can have it. I don't want anything to do with it." I step forward and hold it out to Kagome; she smiles at me again and takes it graciously.

"Thank you very much, Kaito-kun."

It's like a weight has been taken off my shoulders. I take a deep, clean breath for the first time in what feels like hours--but it's been only about five minutes. From the moment Aoko appeared and Inuyasha really attacked me, the scuffle lasted only a handful of moments; I think the whole encounter was a few minutes, at best. Getting me patched up took longer.

"I wish you and Aoko-chan the best of luck," Kagome says, closing her hand around the glowing chip of jewel. "And I hope you never have to deal with any more shards."

"Me too," I say honestly. Kagome offers one more sad smile and goes over to pick up her backpack at the door; strangely, Aoko follows her, speaking just softly enough I can't make it out--and I 'm not sure I want to pry. I take a step to lean over and pick up my father's monocle, putting it in my pocket along with the now-empty gold necklace.

"You..." The inu's rough voice makes me jump a little. "You're different from other youkai I've met."

"Youko, baka," I sigh, then regret my choice of words when he bares a fang at me. "Er...uh...things have changed quite a lot since your time. Most youko are just...ordinary people now. We live in houses, we have families...we go to school with other kids..." I glance at Aoko, feeling the inu's eyes boring into me. "I guess not all youko now are good people, but most of us are."

"Feh. Really."

"Yes, really. There's my father for example, and his whole family--and my cousin, and his girlfriend, and this couple from Osaka, and my neighbors down the street, and one of the teachers at my school..."

His eyebrows are high. "How the hell did all this happen?" he asks, his voice still barkingly rough but genuinely puzzled. "How could the world change so much?"

"I dunno..." If the legends are true...maybe it's because of you, Inuyasha. Even if you're a jerk...

"Keh!" He looks away, toward the girls talking quietly near the door. "Still...if you pick up any more of those shards...watch yourself."

Is he...actually...concerned...? I can't help but stare at him, startled by the change. Just a few minutes ago I could've sworn he was going to tear me to shreds.

He whips back around to glare at me. "Don't look at me like that! You may be a stupid fox but that fire of yours has a helluva lot more kick to it than Shippo's--and you're freaking fast to boot." He gingerly touches the four deep cuts that mark the side of his face, scowling. "You hit me pretty damn hard. You could take care of yourself and that girl if you had to."

That's got my jaw on the ground. One moment he's calling me no challenge, nothing at all--next he's complimenting my strength and telling me I could actually fight?

I stare. "I...I see..."

He turns to gaze at the girls again. "I could tell--you got stronger when you were fighting for her," he mutters softly. "You'd be surprised what you can do when you really have to protect someone."

He's looking at Kagome--right at her, and there's something in his eyes, behind the roughness and the ferocity. And that's when it clicks; Kagome is his Aoko--she's his everything. Kagome is the girl he'll fight to the death to protect. Because he loves her.

Even through time and space, even if we're from two completely different worlds--maybe we're not so different, Inuyasha and I. A pair of hanyous who'd do anything for the girls we love. Even if one of us is a surly jerk and the other is just a "stupid fox."

For some reason, I'm starting to smile.

Kagome and Aoko are coming back over, and Aoko's got a funny little smile on her face. "Oi, what was that all about?" Inuyasha asks, glowering at Kagome.

"Nothing," she replies. "Shall we head home, Inuyasha? I'm sure Shippo will just love to hear how a kitsune gave you so much trouble!"

"What the hell--? That stupid fox didn't give me any trouble! Feh! I thought I told you I took it easy on him, so what's the big idea..." Still muttering in growly tones, Inuyasha heads for the edge of the roof.

"Thanks for the shard, Kaito-kun," Kagome pauses to say. "It was nice meeting you and Aoko-chan. See you!"

She hurries after Inuyasha, climbing on his back as he crouches for her. Once she's on he hops to the edge of the roof--and glances back at me with a fangy grin and a faint nod. My hand moves, barely a wave--and then he's gone, leaping from the roof edge and out of sight. A moment later I see them again, scaling the next building in huge, easy leaps that make me slightly envious. In a few seconds they're gone in the distance, and I shake my head in admiration of his speed.

It's all over. Now I'm left with the task of replacing the lost Shikon shard with a shard of something else--perhaps glass--and casting an illusion over it so that it'll appear as the original when I send the necklace back where it belongs. I learned from the best, after all; perhaps by the time the illusion slowly wears off, those ningen will have forgotten that it ever glowed at all...

To my surprise, Aoko takes my good hand and holds it tight, standing close beside me. She takes a deep breath and leans against my shoulder, looking tired and relieved.

"So...uh...what were you girls talking about?" I ask. I'm feeling a bit nervous--this is not typical Aoko behavior. Well...a little less atypical since the couch...

"Nothing. Girl stuff," she replies.

"Oh, really?" I'm not gonna believe that for a second. She can never look me in the eye when she's fibbing to me.

She fidgets for a moment, then shrugs. "I just had to ask her what it's like, being...friends...with a hanyou."

"And...what did she say?" For some reason, I feel like I'm hanging on her answer.

"She said..." Aoko takes another deep breath. "...it's very different from anything else she's known. Sometimes it's happy. Sometimes it's pretty funny. Sometimes it's absolutely amazing. Sometimes...it's really scary...and it hurts."

"Oh..." Her words make me flinch inside. Somehow, I get the feeling that it's not just Kagome's answer.

"But she doesn't regret meeting him, she said. She doesn't regret knowing him, or all the time she's spent with him. She's glad."

Something in her voice has changed. She's looking up at me now, looking into my eyes. "I don't regret either...not a minute of it. I'm very glad I know you, Kuroba Kaito." She smiles at me, and I can't say anything. It's too much for words. Her voice drops to a whisper as her cheeks blush red. "I love you, Kaito--crazy kitsune tricks and all, ears and tail included."

There's that something inside me again, jumping up and down and turning pirouettes of sheer joy, all because she loves me--me, a silly little hanyou who pretends to be a great youko magician. For all my skills and tricks and illusions, the look in her eyes can still render me completely speechless and paste a ridiculous grin across my face.

She's blushing--probably because of said grin, but I can't help it. I try to talk, but my brain's not connecting real well with my tongue. "I...I..."

"Oh, shut up," she says, flushing even redder. "Let's go home and get you to bed. I don't care what you say; that arm's got to hurt--and you shouldn't be parading around in your costume when there's cops out all over the place tonight..."

I don't have to tell her that a simple illusion could easily cover the tatters of my Kid outfit--I couldn't talk if I wanted to. I can only smile and cast the spell as I let her pull me toward the roof access door; she's hiding her embarassment with brisk words and threats of a thorough mopping if I don't stay in bed until she's sure I'm healed.

Thank you, Aoko--for caring about me, for standing with me...for loving me. I wish I could say that the right way to her...maybe I'll find the words and the courage to do it, and without the help of alcohol. But...she knows, too. She knows I love her.

And I'll always be with her. I'll protect her with my life, even if we stumble across another one of those terrible shards. I don't think I'll ever forget what that inu hanyou told me.

"You'd be surprised what you can do when you really have to protect someone."

"I'll always protect you, Aoko..." I find myself whispering. It echoes faintly in the stairwell of the building, making Aoko glance back at me, her cheeks still red.

"What did you say?"

"N-nothing!" Blushing and hoping she can't see it, I paste a hasty grin on my face. "Just...let's hurry and get home, huh? I hope your father doesn't find out you've been gone. And I don't want to see what kind of monster you're going to be tomorrow from staying up so late."

"Ooooooh--!" Her blush is gone--now she's fuming. Still beautiful, though, even with her fist raised threateningly. "If you weren't hurt I'd...I'd...!"

With a laugh, I skip away from her, bounding down the stairs. Truth be told, my arm doesn't hurt so much anymore--it hasn't for a while. She calls my name, runs after me, and if she had a mop I'd really be in trouble.

But she doesn't--and she's laughing too. As we race out the exit and dash away down the sidewalk, I'm filled with a strange giddiness despite what happened; I think Aoko feels it too. Maybe it's because we survived--even if I came to find out Inuyasha wasn't really going to kill either of us. Maybe it's because of what Aoko said--and how glad I am that she accepts all of me. Maybe it's because I know now that we're not the only hanyou-and-ningen couple in the world; just knowing that there's another half-youko boy and ordinary human girl together somewhere makes me feel better somehow.

Aoko's growing breathless from our race, so I slow down enough for her to reach me; our hands touch, and clasp, and almost before we know it we're walking slowly again, close enough to feel each other's warmth.

She loves me, and I love her; jewels and battles and youko and ningen don't matter. Not right now. We're together on this beautful, silvery, starry night--just us.

Side by side, hand in hand, we walk home together under the light of a silver-blue moon.

Fin.