Pain radiated from Heather's chest where the spider demon had ripped out the jewel shard. Her vision blurred, the world tilting sideways until strong arms caught her, holding her with unexpected tenderness.

"Back off!" Piper's voice cut sharp through the darkness. "That's our sister you're-"

"Tch. You couldn't even protect her from one demon." The voice above Heather rumbled with barely contained power. "That spider's stench is still here. Others will come, and they'll be stronger."

Fighting against the fog in her mind, Heather forced her eyes open. The face above her seemed pulled from some ancient legend - fierce golden eyes that gleamed with otherworldly light, silver hair that caught the moonlight like polished steel. Dog ears twitched atop his head, and despite everything, she had to fight the absurd urge to reach up and touch them.

"Inuyasha." His name fell from her lips like a memory she'd never known she had.

His ears swiveled forward, surprise flickering across his features. "You know me?"

Before she could respond, the air shimmered with ethereal light. Cherry blossoms danced on a phantom wind, heralding the appearance of an elderly woman in traditional priestess garb, her weathered face marked by an eye patch and years of wisdom.

"Lady Kaede." Inuyasha's arms tightened protectively around Heather. "Why now?"

"The time has come, Inuyasha." The priestess's remaining eye fixed on Heather with unnerving intensity. "The prophecy reveals itself - a Charmed One whose soul bridges two worlds."

"Hold it right there!" Piper stepped forward, hands raised defensively. "First, who are you people? And second, why was there a magical jewel inside my sister?"

"The Shikon no Tama did not choose her by chance," Kaede said, withdrawing a string of beads that pulsed with inner light. "As it once chose Kikyo, then Kagome. But this time, the jewel's power has merged with something unprecedented - the magic of your bloodline."

Heather tried to sit up, but pain lanced through her chest. Inuyasha's growl vibrated against her side, protective rather than threatening.

"The demon who took the shard was merely the first," Kaede continued, the beads glowing brighter in her grasp. "The veils between your time and the Feudal Era grow thin. Demons from both worlds will hunt you, child. You need protection." She raised the beads meaningfully. "You need him."

Heather glanced up at Inuyasha, who had gone rigid, his eyes fixed on the beads with dawning horror.

"Oh heck no!" He practically sputtered. "Not those darn things again!"

But Kaede had already begun her chant, her voice thrumming with ancient power. The beads burst apart in a flash of purple light, reforming around Inuyasha's neck like a collar of fate.

"What just happened?" Phoebe asked, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes.

"Heather," Kaede's voice carried the weight of centuries, "when his demon blood runs hot, speak the word of binding."

"I don't need binding!" Inuyasha protested, still cradling Heather but now bristling with indignation. "There's something about her that..." He trailed off, color rising in his cheeks.

The word rose in Heather's mind like a half-forgotten lullaby. "Sit, boy."

WHAM!

Inuyasha slammed face-first into the ground, though she noticed he'd somehow managed to set her safely aside first. Horror and guilt washed over her as she reached for him.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't realize-"

"Keh!" He pushed himself up, rubbing his nose but eyeing her with something like respect. "At least you apologize. More than I ever got from Kagome."

"The bond is sealed," Kaede nodded with satisfaction. "Now listen well, Heather Halliwell. The battle for the Shikon shards transcends time itself, and it has chosen your door to knock upon. You will need both your Charmed heritage and Inuyasha's strength for what lies ahead."

Heather looked between her sisters' stunned faces and Inuyasha's intense gaze. That spark of connection flared between them again, stronger than any magical binding. The beads might connect them physically, but something deeper pulled them together - something that defied explanation.

"Well," she managed a shaky smile, "I guess this beats arachnophobia."

Inuyasha's lips quirked upward. "Trust me, spiders are the least of what's coming." His clawed hands helped her up with surprising gentleness. "But you won't face it alone."

The cherry blossoms swirled one final time as Kaede faded from view, leaving Heather with her sisters, a half-demon protector, and the distinct feeling that her life had just veered into territory that even the Charmed Ones hadn't prepared for.

And somehow, that thought thrilled her more than it should.