The Best of Times
Disclaimer: I no more own these people than I am Spongebob's second cousin three times removed on his nephew's in-law's side. (Just so you wonder…) The plot, however, is under the protection of Steve the Goblin, a personal friend of mine. Careful, he bites! (Well, not really.)
Summary: A Tale of Two Cities? How about a tale of Two Centuries! The magic that keeps the portal in the well open is beginning to expand and consume more than just the well house, bringing both worlds crashing into one another whether they like it or not! Of course, where there's a disaster, there's bound to be sarcasm, helping hands, and Naraku. Not necessarily in the order.
Chapter One
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It was the age of enlightenment; it was the age of reason. More specifically, it was the age of the burnt out flashlight that was the reason for Kagome's current, eh, predicament.
"Yes, it shines," the ebony haired girl mumbled to herself as she picked her way along the woods. "That doesn't mean you have to take it apart to find the stupid 'spirit' in it!"
The 'spirit', better known as a pair of double A Batteries, were somewhere back on the path. The spring-loaded batteries had shot out at a surprised dog demon and had been swept into the next stratosphere. As to why she was in the middle of the woods without the others to the point where she could barely see the flickering of the campfire….
Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go.
She couldn't help a small smile creeping up her face though. He looked like Shippou after the small fox had been in the candy, trying to hide the remainder of the flashlight behind his back and stuttering half-hearted insults in an attempt to distract her. Okay, the last part wasn't much like Shippou, she admitted, but it was still kind of cute.
In a he's-going-to-die kind of way.
Ever the almost-gentleman, he'd offered to go with her to make sure she didn't "fall down a mine shaft" as he'd put it. The offer had been just as gracefully declined. (A/N: i.e. No grace involved)
A few minutes later she was headed back to camp, grateful for the immediate offer of a warm fire and the comfort of friends. Silently she glanced up at the sky. Astronomy had never been one of her strong points. She could sometimes find one or two at home, but here everything seemed bigger. Larger than life. Even the stars were surreal. Once in a while she would wonder how her life could possibly exist outside of a fairy tale.
Then Inuyasha would yell for her to hurry up and she'd note that none of the fair tales she'd heard as a child included words quite that bad. Nope. Inuyasha, at least, was as real as they came.
"Ahh! I didn't do it!" A fuzzy cannon ball launched itself at Kagome as soon as she was in sight.
"You did too, you little brat!" Inuyasha swiped at the kit's fur. Something splattered Kagome and she made a face. Then she saw Inuyasha and she lost interest. He was covered in the ramen she'd brought from home, limp noodles that had when she left been simmering over the fire were hanging off his ears, nose, and just about every other part of him. When he'd swiped for the kit, broth had splatter off him.
"I didn't think I packed that much f-food," Kagome said, or at least tried to say, thwarted by an attack of laughter. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Miroku and Sango hanging off each other, laughing to hard to stand on their own.
"Grrr, it's not funny!" Inuyasha said, torn between getting revenge on the bundle in Kagome's arms and picking the noodles and bits of food out of his hair. Glaring at the kit who was braving a look after finding he was still alive five minutes later, the dog demon sat down on a stump, trying to find all the food he was wearing.
"Don't be silly, Inuyasha, it's hilarious," said a grinning monk after he managed to catch his breath. "If it were shippou you'd be laughing."
"If it were shippou, you wouldn't be in danger of having your tongue ripped out," Inuyasha growled, clearly unamused, though he did look a little cheered up by the mental image of reversed roles.
"Inuyasha, calm down," Kagome said, struggling to keep the grin tucked away for the sake of her companion's pride. "You can go clean up and-"
"Even after I wash I can smell it," he complained. "You know it's not going to go away for a while, splashed on everything like that." He almost looked pitiful for a moment.
Kagome blinked. "I thought you liked the smell," she said.
"Imagine if you had to smell your favorite dish for week without being able to eat it, Kagome," Sango pointed out. "Inuyasha obviously didn't get a chance to eat much before their, uh, mishap."
"'Mishap' my-"
"Inuyasha…" Kagome warned. He went back to sulking. She turned down to the small demon in her arms. Sensing the spotlight was back on him, Shippou looked up at her with his most winning smile.
Kagome wasn't buying.
"Shippou, that was dinner," she scolded. "You're going to owe Inuyasha your share of the ramen next time."
"But!" the kit whined.
"No buts," she said sternly. Inuyasha quickly got over his bad mood at the prospect of double portions in the near future. He smirked at Shippou who took Inuyasha's place as the group's sulking member.
"Kind of like having a brother here too, huh?" Sango smiled, sitting next to Kagome. She laughed in agreement.
"A bit sometimes…" Kagome said, thinking of the little brother she left at home. She'd been noticing lately, when she went home…it was hard to talk to Sota anymore. She didn't know his friends except for a few faces, she was missing his soccer matches, something her mother had said he'd gotten rather good at…
"Lady Kagome?" Miroku prompted her.
"Huh?" Kagome looked around at the small circle of faces looking at her.
"We've been trying to get your attention for the past few moments," Sango explained.
"Oh, sorry," Kagome rubbed the back of her neck embarrassedly. "Guess I'm a little sleepy."
"You looked sick," the ever blunt Inuyasha pointed out.
Not really flattering, Kagome rolled her eyes, but pushed the thought away. "I was just thinking about home. I know we have a lot to do here," she said quickly before Inuyasha could rebuke her, "but I do have a life back there. Did. I don't know. I just kind of wish I could be in two places at once."
"I know what you mean," Sango said, giving her friend a small hug. "But you still get a pretty good deal. Who else can exist in two times and with two families?"
"I guess you're right," Kagome admitted. "I am pretty lucky. Well, the jewel smashing wasn't what I'd call luck-"
"Yeah, that was pure clumsy," Inuyasha interjected.
"But it turned out all right." She finished, ignoring him.
As they got ready for bed, Kagome laying back in her sleeping bag, she looked up at the sky again. It could definitely be worse, she decided. She had two groups of people who loved her and watched out for her. Not for the first time, she wished she could bring Miroku, Sango, and Shippou home with her. Sango was so close to a sister, it was odd sometimes to realize she and her mother had never met.
"Just as long as Miroku didn't influence Sota," she grinned as she fell asleep.
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Well? Like? Hate? Confused? Comments are welcome, encouraged and I guarantee they will hasten the next chapter. Even flames tell me people are at least reading this. Oh, and if there's someone you'd like to crossover to the other time accidentally first, let me know. Personally I favor Kaede, (I think she could cause some major havoc if she wanted) but if anyone has a better idea, let me know.
Until next time,
Dreamer