Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to anything within Inuyasha. That will unfortunately remain true throughout the entirety of this story.

A/N: For any of you following my other stories, I apologize for the delay. Between life and my wayward brain things have been moving slowly. I have decided to work on what I have running through my brain though in the hopes that I will be able to get passed my current block. This is one of those things that have been haunting me for weeks now. I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 1

Sumiko sat near the back of the train car and stared out the window in slight awe. She hadn't been sure what to expect of her first trip to Japan, since her family had conflicting ideas, but so far, she was pleased. As a Japanese American visiting Japan, she was sometimes looked at a little funny, but everyone she spoke with had been polite so far. That was good enough for her. She was here to soak up the history anyway.

It was a dream trip for her, since her mother had distanced their family from their Japanese heritage, mostly at her father's insistence. Sumiko was close to her grandmother though, and she had filled her head and heart with stories since she was little. Now that she was out of college, she still made it a point to visit her grandmother as often as possible, and when Sumiko had let her grandmother know she wanted to visit Japan, the older woman had been thrilled. No one in their family had been back for generations, so it made her happy that the girl she had helped raise was interested in finding her roots.

As the train came to a stop, Sumiko jumped up and grabbed her things. It wasn't too crowded at this time of day, but she didn't want to miss the stop. As she accidentally bumped another passenger, she gave a polite apology and tried to keep her face from heating. She needed to remember this wasn't the U.S. and she needed to be more mindful of her surroundings. The young woman she had bumped gave her a smile in return and she sent up thanks once again for her grandmother's lessons. At least she could speak the language passably well. Having been around it and speaking nothing but Japanese for the last week also helped. It gave her the chance to remember things she thought she had forgotten.

By the time she gathered her bag she was the last one off, but at least she had made it. The last of the small crowd of people were already heading out of the terminal. She was just glad she would be able to find the place she was looking for in relative peace. The hectic pace of Tokyo was a big shift for her, even compared to college. Her hometown wasn't small, but there weren't many places that could compare to the capital of Japan.

Once she was out of the terminal, it only took her a few moments to arrange her bag across her shoulders and locate the street she needed. She was thankful for the GPS on her phone, as it made the whole trip much easier. It was about a 15-minute walk to the shrine she was looking for. When she turned to pass under the torii the sounds from the street immediately lessened. She noted the stone walls of the pathway made for good insulators.

When she reached the courtyard, she didn't see anyone else around, so she went to the temizuya and quickly rinsed her hands. Once she put the ladle back, she took the opportunity to look around and couldn't hold back a smile. It was peaceful. She was sure that fact was helped by it being empty as well, but it was still nice. She hadn't realized how stressed the city had been making her until it started easing as she slowly walked around the courtyard.

Her gaze was caught by a giant shimboku and she started to head to it, but her attention was caught by a smaller building to the side of the largest shrine building. It looked out of place for some reason. She knew she might not be allowed in it, but she couldn't tell from where she was standing. When she reached it, she noticed a small plaque that read 'Bone-Eater's Well'. She nearly laughed at the overdramatic name, but her attention was drawn by a voice. She couldn't hear it well enough to understand what was being said, but it seemed to be coming from the small building. She looked around once again to make sure it wasn't marked as off limits and when she didn't see anything she moved forward. However, before she made it far, she was caught off guard by a hand on her shoulder. She nearly screamed when she turned quickly, but her surprise was for a new reason when she saw the girl she had bumped into on the train. "I apologize again! I didn't mean to run into you twice."

To her relief the girl smiled at her. "It's my fault for surprising you. I apologize. I live here though, and I thought I might be able to help you. Was there something you needed?"

Sumiko's mind blanked out for just a moment at the girl's question since several things tried to push to the front at the same time. When she spoke, it wasn't what she had expected to say. "I heard a voice from this building. If there really is a well in there, do you think you should check to make sure no one is hurt?"

The girl's eyes widened in shock and she stepped passed Sumiko and towards the building. She didn't make it far before she turned and grabbed Sumiko's arm. "Come with me. I'll get my mother and grandfather and we'll check it out."

They had almost made it to the house on the other side of the shrine before the girl spoke up again. "I apologize for dragging you like that. My name is Higurashi Kagome, by the way. Was there a reason you picked this shrine? It's kind of out of the way."

Sumiko had tensed at Kagome's actions, but it was obvious that she was trying to put her back at ease. She couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something about the well house, but she tried not to worry about it. Instead she tried to keep calm as well. "My name is Su- I mean Tompkins Sumiko. I was told I should visit this shrine by my grandmother. She wasn't sure if it was still in operation, so she asked if I would check."

Kagome gave her a funny look and it seemed as if she wanted to say something, but before she could an older man came out of the house with a shocked expression. "Kagome, you didn't tell me we had guests. She looks awfully familiar too." He paused and got very close to Sumiko. She bit back on the urge to step back before he spoke again. "Do I know you?"

She gave him a polite smile. "I'm certain you don't sir, as this is my first time in Japan. I have been told that I look like my great-grandmother though, and I believe she spent time at this shrine before she left for America."

His brow furrowed for a moment before they raised in surprise. "Jun, you remind me of Jun!"

She gave him a nod but before she could respond Kagome cut in. "Not now Grandpa. Tompkins-san said she heard something in the well house. We need to go check it out, now!"

At her words his gaze turned kind of grim with a touch of sadness. He put his hand on Kagome's shoulder and squeezed, but before he could say anything a woman that looked very much like Kagome came out with a towel in her hands. She took in the scene and then gave Sumiko a warm smile. "We have a guest, is that what all the ruckus was about?"

"Mom! It's the well!"

The woman Kagome addressed as 'mom', also gave her a sad look, but it quickly changed into a smile as she spoke. "Well go get your stuff. I'll take care of our guest for now."

Kagome didn't hesitate. She quickly ran into the house. Once she was gone the woman turned to Sumiko. "I apologize that things are so hectic right now. Would you like to come in and have some tea while we get this sorted out?"

Sumiko felt like she had somehow walked in on something she shouldn't have, but the voice from the well house had gotten louder and she couldn't keep ignoring it. "Thank you for the offer, ma'am, but I think someone is trapped in that well. They're getting louder. I still can't understand what they're saying, but I can hear it all the way over here. Don't you think we should go see if we can help them?"

At her request the woman's eyes widened but the old man gave her a contemplative look. "If you're Jun's kin that isn't surprising. I was always told she had a lot of potential, but she left it all to go to America with a man. It's a shame too. There aren't many mikos left."

"Pardon me, but what does that have to do with someone being trapped in the well?"

Her question wasn't answered though as Kagome came running back out with an overstuffed yellow backpack. Sumiko almost laughed at the sight. She thought she had over packed her own bag, but that was ridiculous. Her questions went unanswered as Kagome gave her a look that clearly asked why her family had allowed her to stay. It was a moot point when the old man started crying and grabbed the girl.

Sumiko wanted nothing more than to leave at that point, as they were clearly having a family moment. She tried her best to ignore what was going on with them and made her way back to the well. Whatever was going on with them was obviously momentous and she didn't want to interfere, but the sounds coming from the well were almost frantic. She didn't even think they were using words anymore.

She had barely managed to get the door open when she was nearly knocked off her feet by a strong gust of wind. She had no idea where it came from, but the noise had suddenly died down as well. That didn't make Sumiko less nervous though. Instead she nearly panicked at the thought that whoever it was might have been injured and ended up passing out. She quickly made her way down the stairs and opened the cover. She couldn't see very well so she pulled her phone out. The flashlight helped some, but instead of water or dirt, there seemed to be something else that moved in the depths. She wasn't sure what to make of the stuff and leaned over to see if she could tell what it was any better.

At that point, two things happened at the same time. Kagome's voice called out to her loudly and another gust of wind flew up out of the well. She barely had time to process the fact that the wind came out of the well, before she found herself tumbling over the edge. She braced for impact, but it never happened. Instead the face of the girl that she had just met slowly disappeared into the darkness around her.

It was just as she realized it wasn't completely black that the impact finally happened. It wasn't as harsh as she had expected, but it still knocked her off her feet. She looked up, expecting to see Kagome and her family, but instead she was greeted by a bright blue sky. She had no idea what to think of that. She slowly stood and dusted off her bottom and looked up again. This time, there was a head peaking down at her, but something seemed off. She couldn't quite tell as the face was in shadows. She didn't have to wait long though. She nearly screamed when the man jumped down into the well with her.

She did fall back when he got up in her face and started sniffing. He didn't let her fall though. Instead he grabbed her wrist when she fell back and then got up in her face again. "Where's Kagome! Why do you smell like her, but she's not here? How did you get through the well?"

She was shocked by his actions, but more than that, she had finally seen his ears. They moved so naturally that she was momentarily mesmerized. The strange man made a disgusted noise when he noticed what she was looking at but didn't give her notice before he grabbed her and jumped out of the well in one leap.

Sumiko nearly fainted at that but managed to only scream. He nearly dropped her when she did but managed to hold onto her wrist. She struggled against his grip as soon as he stepped back. Her struggling only got worse when he growled at her. She still had not had time to process everything that had happened in the last few minutes and the strange man with dog ears that was growling at her was not helping. She was barely keeping back the panic. They were both interrupted by the sound of a woman's voice. "Inuyasha, what is going on? I thought you felt the well activate? Who is this?"

Sumiko turned to see a woman in a traditional yukata and a man in robes with a staff on the back of the biggest cat she had ever seen. They both jumped down like it was perfectly natural to ride cats; really, really big cats. She could feel the edges of her vision darkening, but she managed to keep herself focused with the thought that there was no telling what would happen if she passed out.

Both the man and the woman started walking toward them, but suddenly there was a flash of light and there was a small cat standing where the big cat had been. No one else seemed to notice. When the cat immediately walked over to Sumiko, her knees finally gave out. She didn't fall over as the man still had her wrist, but they were all giving her looks of concern.

She had no idea what to do when the two-tailed cat came up to her and bumped its head against her arm. It took her a moment to gather her wits enough to even close her mouth. Her attention was drawn to the woman when she knelt in front of her and spoke. "Well, if Kirara likes you I doubt you're an enemy. She doesn't take to strangers. Who are you?"

"My name is Sumiko."

That was all she was able to get out before they were interrupted by a loud voice. "Inuyasha!"

The man holding her suddenly let go and jumped back into the well. Sumiko still had no idea what was going on, but when she realized the voice was the girl Kagome, she suddenly felt a little better. Even though she didn't know the girl, she associated her presence with 'normal' in this weird place, so it was good to hear her.

All of the gathered people swarmed around Kagome when the man jumped out of the well with her. It was obvious they knew each other and had not seen the girl in some time if their actions were anything to go by. They were all speaking at once so Sumiko had a hard time understanding it all, but she gathered enough to know that this meeting was personal. She tried to stand but her legs were still shaky. She sat back for the moment and the cat jumped into her lap. She smiled at the action. She had always loved cats and even though this one was strange, she was beautiful and friendly. Something that she really needed at the moment. She allowed her mind to relax as she pet the cat and tried to get things to fall into a pattern that made sense to her.

She was so absorbed in trying to figure things out that it took her a moment to realize that all talking had stopped. She looked up to see all four of the others looking at her in disbelief. Kagome was the first to step forward. "Sumiko? Are you alright? I didn't know what to think when you fell down the well. What were you doing anyway?"

She was finally calm enough that her legs had stopped shaking so she gently put the cat down and stood. She was sure her face was red when she answered as she had come to realize that she had interrupted something monumental. Kagome wasn't phased by their surroundings at all, so the girl must be used to the strange circumstances. She felt even more out of place when she realized it. She still managed to find her voice. "I apologize. I'm fine, if a little confused. I didn't mean to cause problems, but the voice from the well house was so loud I was worried that someone had been hurt. I had no idea that I was interrupting something."

Kagome gave her a smile at that and shook her head. "I'm sure this is all strange to you, it was to me the first time it happened, but you aren't alone. I heard Grandpa say you are a miko, so that might explain why you heard the well calling you. I'm just surprised it acted that way. I didn't think anyone besides Inuyasha and I could get through."

Sumiko frowned slightly. "The voice was the well?"

Kagome shrugged slightly. "There were no youkai in the well house, so I am assuming it was the well."

"Youkai!? But… they aren't real?" She knew her voice sounded like a question even though it should have been a statement, but between the cat that changed sizes and the ears on the man that still stood close to Kagome, she found she wasn't as sure about that fact as she once had been.

It was the man next to Kagome that answered her. "Keh, I guess that shows that you really are from the same time as Kagome. They're real enough to kill you if you aren't careful."

Sumiko felt her legs start shaking again, but Kirara had started twining around them again. She looked down and felt a little better. It felt like the little cat was trying to help ease her fear. When she looked back up the woman wearing the yukata was looking at the cat with confusion. She looked back up to Sumiko before she spoke. "I have never seen Kirara act like that. She is obviously trying to help you, but I don't understand why."

With a little mew the cat bumped her head against Sumiko's legs once more before she leapt up onto the woman's shoulder. Sumiko smiled at the action before she spoke. "I have no idea what's going on here in the slightest. Would you be able to explain first, please, and then we can figure out why your cat likes me?"

She knew her tone was less than polite, but if she didn't figure something out soon, she knew she was going to break down again and that would be bad under the circumstances. Her rudeness didn't seem to affect any of the others though. Kagome stepped forward and held out her hand. "The well is inactive again, so we can't get you back right away, but I'm sure we'll figure something out. Why don't you walk with us back to the village and we can try to explain on the way?"

Sumiko felt a chill wash over her at the news that the way she came to be here wasn't currently working, but if she could get answers then that would be the next best thing. She took the girl's offered hand and allowed herself to be pulled towards the woods where a small path was. The other woman fell into step on her other side as the girl started trying to explain what the well was, where they were and a little bit about her own adventures in the past. To say that Sumiko was in disbelief was an understatement, but she didn't have the opportunity to ask about it. By the time the girl was finished they had already reached the village.

When she saw the small wooden buildings, it struck her that she really was in the past. Even the fake villages she had seen in parks didn't have the work worn people. These were not actors. They looked to be mostly content, but it was easy to see they worked hard for everything they had. She tried not to stare too much as many of them had paused to call out to their group. They had all fallen silent when they caught sight of Sumiko though. She kept her head down and tried to be as unnoticeable as possible.

By the time they made it to their destination, whispers could be heard behind them. There was a woman waiting for them in the doorway and she was wearing traditional hakama. Sumiko was glad that she gave them a warm smile as they walked up. She was already worried about where and when she was, and worrying about her reception as well, was almost too much. She smiled when Kagome gave her hand a squeeze before she let go and gave the older woman a hug. At least she wasn't left to the circumstances alone.