A/N
This account is a secondary account. I will be revamping and uploading stories to this site, however please check Quotev for more stories by me I am unable to upload to this site.
Please enjoy
"Wait- what?" Yuuki snapped her head towards her friend looking almost offended, her lavender eyes blinking in bewilderment. "You can't be serious."
Her friend, Eri, blinked back at her innocently. "What do you mean?" She asked confused. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed."
Yuuki responded with a guilty silence. Her body went stiff with discomfort at both the topic of discussion and at the present company. Her eyes darted around the cramped city transit at the passengers, ranging from men in business suits to old women in their seats to students such as themselves, all of them staring out the windows or at their feet. Perhaps they were lost in their own worlds, or perhaps they were eavesdropping, overhearing just how oblivious she was at... romance.
Kagome Higurashi was Yuuki's childhood friend, and as such Yuuki convinced her to join her acrobatics club. Yet with illnesses keeping her home, Yuuki was forced to find someone else to fill her spot, and her best choice was Eri. She wasn't regretting it until now. Thinking that, she eyed Eri in annoyance as the girl shook her head helplessly with a condescending smile. "I haven't known anybody as clued out as you when it comes to these things."
With Yuuki's increased annoyance and embarrassment, her face easily flushed red with heat rising to it. "Well I apologize, Eri, for being focused on studies rather than the latest gossip." She turned back to the window next to her stubbornly, hoping to hide her blush.
"Oh, don't be like that!" Eri slapped Yuuki's shoulder rather hard, earning her a sharp glare, yet was wildly unaffected by it. Shows how often she earned that look. "No need to be embarrassed. Even though it's so obvious; one look tells it all!" Yuuki narrowed her eyes threateningly at Eri's sly and mischievous sideways smile. "Which reminds me on another obvious couple..."
Yuuki's eyes brows twitched together ever so slightly, revealing her confusion, her mind racing through the number of people she knew, trying to find the missing piece. Eri, meanwhile, sweat-dropped as she could practically see the gears frantically turning in her friends head based off her intense expression. "Um, Yuuki?" She tilted her head to try and catch her attention. "I'm talking about Yuka and Seiji..."
"What!?" That snapped Yuuki back at attention, but she couldn't hide her shock.
Eri watched her concerned. "No need to get so upset about it, Yuuki."
Yuuki's frown only deepened as her blush became more intense. Glaring back out the window she said, "I don't see why everyone is going steady. They're only in junior high."
"Oh, get real, would ya?" Eri shook her head helplessly again and a tick mark sprung up on Yuuki's head. She tried to ignore her as she continued speaking, "Already in junior high is more like it. It's hardly unusual; plenty of girls already have boyfriends! I mean, just last week Masaomi came up to me-" Yuuki closed her eyes and focused on the noise of traffic to drown her friend out. Romance, boyfriends- she didn't care. She didn't care about everyone's love lives and especially didn't care about someone pointing out to her that she was mediocre at the subject. It wasn't important!
That's when Eri's disheartened sigh reached her ears. "Poor Kagome, if she keeps being sick like this then she won't be able to get together with Hojo..."
The bristles fell away as Yuuki glanced at her worried friend. Eri stared out the window as she was lost in thought. A small sigh slipped through Yuuki's nose. Of course Eri was just being her harmless self. Closing her eyes she replied, "I wouldn't worry too much about Kagome and Hojo." Kagome was as interested in Hojo as Yuuki was about the topic it seemed. At least Kagome never seemed interested. Yuuki's brows knitted in conflict. Perhaps she was just oblivious... then did Kagome really like him? Yuuki began thinking to hard.
Eri smiled at her. "Well, if you're saying that then maybe there's hope for them yet!"
Yuuki shot her a suspicious glance. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Ignoring her question, Eri looked to the ceiling as she counted on her fingers. "Let's see, there's Anri, Yuka, Koko- oh, even Benio!"
Benio- Benio from the club? Again Yuuki's mind was working frantically to figure out what she was missing. She didn't have classes with the girl, only the club, and in the club there was- Yuuki's eyes snapped open. "Rokuro." That loud boy that seemed popular and always paired with Benio in the club.
Eri stared at her, slightly startled at her deep tone. "Did it just click for you?"
Yuuki's grip on the handlebar tightened as she stared back out the window, her face feeling hot with frustration. "It's not my job to keep track of school gossip. What matters to me is grades, the acrobatics club, and my family's shrine. I don't have time for anything outside of those things."
Eri stared at her not believing a word of it. Then she broke into a mischievous smirk and invaded Yuuki's personal bubble. "I heard Ryuji has an eye for you," she sang. Yuuki refused to flinch, glaring adamantly out the window, however her body betrayed her as her blush grew. Eri leaned back and laughed. "You blush so easily, Yuuki! It's hilarious!"
Yuuki groaned from annoyance. "Quit pointing that out."
"I can't help it!" Eri smiled, "You're adorable when you do that!"
"Yeah, well, adorable wasn't the image I was going for."
Eri leaned back against the window and looked up to the ceiling thoughtfully. "For someone as clueless as you, you sure do have a lot of admirers. Ryuji, that boy from 2-B-" she then suddenly gasped when she remembered, "And that upperclassman Kurosawa! He's so dreamy!" Yuuki only groaned.
Right on cue, the tone came on over the bus speakers. "Fujiwara Shrine, Fujiwara Shrine. Please ring the bell if you want to get off." Sighing in relief, Yuuki jabbed the button with bruising force. Freedom.
The bus slowed to a stop in front of the short stone staircase that led to the shrine. Passengers glanced out the windows to see a direct view of the giant wisteria tree that stood tall in front of Yuuki's home planted in the courtyard. Eri pouted at her, "Why don't you ever invite me over?"
"Gee I wonder." Eri stuck her tongue out after her as she hurried off the bus.
After the bus closed its doors and drove away, Yuuki heard a crowd of voices, children's laughter and gleeful screams. A lot of people, she thought as she hurried up the stairs. Full view of the courtyard, the large property was overrun with small vendors and stands from local shops. People flooded the courtyard, taking pictures of the wisteria tree, dressed in kimonos and yukatas, carrying wooden dolls with them. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, her family's Doll Festival was a hit this year.
"Yuuki!" A young boy's familiar voice called out to her and she turned.
She smiled, "Souta." Kagome's younger brother ran up to her and hugged her around the waist without hesitation. She hugged him back and commented, "You're all dressed up!"
"Yeah, well," he pulled back and blushed lightly, scratching his cheek bashfully. "I had it lying around and I had some time, so I thought why not get ready, you know?"
"Souta had us buy it for him the other day," his mother replied as she walked up.
"Mom!"
Yuuki turned and smiled at her and Kagome's grandfather as they approached. "Mr. and Ms. Higurashi," she bowed.
"No need to be so formal!" The grandfather laughed.
Standing straight, she perked up and asked, "Is Kagome here?"
Ms. Higurashi smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry, dear, but she's still sick" Yuuki's smiled faded. "But she had a message for you, she misses you and wish she could be here. She also said she would be sure to make it up to you, she knows how important this festival is to your family."
Yuuki shook her head, "No, tell her it's fine," she waved it off. She didn't feel the festival had great importance, she didn't know much about its origins. At the Doll Festival, people came to purchase wooden dolls. They would scribble the names of the ones they wished to see again onto the doll and then burn them in a large bonfire. As the smoke rose her father the Priest would send the messages to the heavens. That's all she understood about it. Other than that, she was only here to assist. "Tell her I hope she gets well soon."
"Of course," she nodded.
"Please excuse me," she bowed to them again and set her hand on Souta's head before running off, Souta blushing. Holding onto her backpack straps, she maneuvered though the crowd towards the back of the courtyard. Behind the wisteria tree, her parents were dressed in their shrine attire.
Sensing her, as a customer walked away with a wooden doll, her father looked over and frowned. Head and facial hair jet black, heavy brows and striking lavender eyes, he was an intimidating man. "You're late."
Her mother then spun around, her hair long and wild, brown light her daughters, though her eyes were a warm brown as well. She smiled at her, "Yuuki, welcome home!"
"Sorry, sir," Yuuki bowed to her father as her mother pouted. "I had practice today for my club." She turned, "I'll go change right away-"
"Before you go," she waited as her father brought a key out form his pocket and handed it to her. "Go around to the shed and bring me some more amulets, please. Your mother and I can handle things here."
Yuuki nodded as she accepted the key, "Yes, sir."
"She's so strict like you," her mother pouted as Yuuki ran off around the shrine.
Hurrying past the wisteria tree and around her home, she reached the locked storage house. She walked up to the wooden doors and lifted the heavy padlock. Twisting the key inside, it unlocked with a heavy click. The doors were heavy set and slow to open as she pulled them outward, orange light from the sunset flooding in. She should have brought a flashlight, she thought as the light only reached so far back. She frowned to herself with a sigh, "They should be in the far back on the left..." She wandered inside, stretching her arms out and taking cautious steps as it got darker further in. She took a light step that seemed safe, but when she went to take another the wood broke and she yelped, her leg falling through. She landed on her knee hard, causing her to wince, but she then sighed in relief. Frowning down at the broken floor she said, "Damn, no wonder he wanted me to come in here. He probably would have fallen straight through." Gently she pulled her leg back out. "No matter what I do the floor is just rotted. I need father to replace it soon before someone gets hurt. Now…" She squinted her eyes as she peered at the top shelves and took another step, only to break through the floor a second time.
She gasped and tried to grab onto something, but wood continued to break and she lost all footing. Her eyes widened as she realized she was falling, and there was nothing catching her. Where was the ground? Her lavender eyes widened in fear as she stared up at the hole she fell through, moving too quickly for her to process, her heart hammering in her chest. Scream- scream for help, she thought desperately, but her throat closed up as she reached up. The hole in the floor became nothing but a spec and she was swallowed in the abyss.
"Lady Kinya, Lady Kinya!"
A priestess with long black hair paused and turned. She smiled at the little girls that ran up to her, "Hello, you two. What is it you need?"
"Can you help us with the herb garden?" One of them asked. "We're not sure what we're looking for and grandpa will just get cranky again!"
Lady Kinya chuckled, "Very well, I'll meet you there."
"Thanks, Lady Kinya!" The girl said as they ran off.
A woman also in Shrine Maiden attire turned to the priestess and frowned. "M'lady, you're busy today. I don't believe you'll have time..."
Kinya turned to the younger woman and smiled, "It's fine, I need to spend more time in my village. I won't take very long."
"Yes, M'lady," the woman bowed and shuffled off.
Once Kinya was left alone, she felt it. A sensation from far away, a foreign one that was brought into this world by force. She frowned at eyed the distance, her silver eyes narrowing. Worn on display around her neck, a blue pearl shone and voices flooded her head. "Yes, I know." She reached up and fiddled with the jewel to quell the voices. "Something is not right..." She could sense evil making its move.
Yuuki groaned as she tried to open her eyes. There was a harsh and blinding light that made her flinch away. Lifting her heavy arm to shield her face, she peeked her eyes open to realize it was the midday sun beating down on her.
Noon...?
Adrenaline surged through her veins and she sat up in a heartbeat. Heart pounding, she took in her surroundings with wide eyes. "What's... What's going on?" Whipping her head around, she saw no sign of her home or the storage house. She was lying on a beaten path that cut through a forest. She didn't hear a crowd of voices, or traffic from the road. She only heard birds and the wind shaking the leaves.
"Where..." Where am I? She felt herself begin to tremble as her eyes darted around. She swallowed hard and pressed her hands to her chest, trying to steady her heart. "Breathe," she whispered to herself. "Breathe, calm down..." She took a deep breath.
She fell through the floorboards of the storage house. It was evening then. How long was she unconscious for? How did she end up here? She closed her eyes tight and tried to find logic in the situation. A tunnel underneath the storage house? Never mind that, she got to her feet and dusted her green school skirt off. From the pocket she pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open. On instinct she speed dialed her home phone and waited, but received a dead dial tone. She pulled the phone back to see she didn't have any signal. She glared, "Dammit." Snapping it shut, she then hollered, "Mom!? Dad!?" She waited. "Souta!? Anyone!?" A bird was startled from its branch, other than that there was no response.
Releasing a heavy breath, she pressed her phone to her forehead. "First rule of survival, remain where you are until someone finds you." However, she began to have the distinct feeling she wasn't anywhere near home, and no one was finding her anytime soon. She pocketed her phone and looked around her surroundings again. Spotting her backpack that had fallen away from her, she picked it up and dusted it off before shouldering it.
Yuuki steeled her nerves and gained composure. Taking a breath, she schooled her features to her normal indifference and began walking. "I have to still be in Japan at least," she murmured to herself.
Yuuki walked for about an hour and the path led her deeper into the forest. Coming up on a fork in the road, a voice of a man caught her attention. "...my daughter!"
She gasped in relief and broke out into a sprint. She turned on the fork and rounded a corner, but stopped short when she came upon three people. Two men, one of them on in years, and a woman. They were dressed in older rustic clothing, and they seemed distraught, angry even. Yuuki froze in place, wondering if she should approach. "E-Excuse me..." Something didn't feel right, her nerves were on edge.
The man spun around and glared right at her. Her eyes widened at the sight of his rage filled ones. He seemed close to snapping. "There it is!" He bellowed, jabbing a finger at her. The other two noticed her, and when they raised their rustic katanas, Yuuki realized they were all on the verge of insanity.
"W-wait-" she put her hands up in peace, but took a step back. "Please, I'm lost, I-"
"Filthy demon!" The woman spat at her, tears welling in her eyes. "Watch for its forked tongue!"
Not good. This was not good. This was a very dangerous situation. "Demon," the man growled, "where have you taken my daughter!?"
Yuuki tried to speak calmly, "I am not a demon, please, I'm lost-"
"Capture it!" The woman shouted. "Make it talk!"
"Kill it!" The elder man chimed in. It was a lost cause. Worried for her own safety, Yuuki turned and bolted in the opposite direction. "Don't let it get away! Catch it!"
This wasn't right. This was too bizarre. This was insane! Yuuki huffed as she tore down the path, leaving the old man and woman in the dust. The other man was fit and had a foot on her and tailed her for a while, screaming and hollering in rage, threatening to tear her apart and feed her to the dogs. Insane, these people are insane, she thought as she huffed and ran. She pushed her body to its limit and outran the man. She didn't stop until she couldn't see or hear him anymore. When it was finally safe, she slowed to a stop and looked back, breathing hard, sweat running down her face. There wasn't any sign of them. "I lost them..." She breathed in relief and bend forward, resting her hands on her knees.
This must be a twisted version of Alice in Wonderland, Yuuki thought as she caught her breath. The only people she had found called her a demon and had every intention of killing her. Where ever she was, this place was dangerous. She couldn't just approach random people, she'd have to scope to make sure it was safe. She wiped her forehead with her sleeve, and once her nerves were steeled again she continued walking the trail away from the lunatics.
After walking for a while more, she came across a lush patch of grass dotted with small white flowers. She decided to rest there and took a seat. She pulled her backpack around and dug through it, finding her water bottle and took a drink. She still had leftovers from lunch and wondered if it was still good, depending on how long she was unconscious for. She sat there for a while, taking in her surroundings. A frown tugged at her mouth. She pulled her knees up and rested her forehead against them. "Don't lose composure now, Yuuki... Don't lose it..."
There was a crack and she jumped, her adrenaline spiking. "Who's there?" She demanded, scrambling to her feet. Her heart pounded as her eyes scanned the thicket of trees, searching for the three people that were chasing her. There was another crack and she stared in front of her. There were heavy steps, and her blood ran cold. Coming from the shade of the trees was a creature- a monster over six feet tall with deep purple scaly skin, staring at her with three yellow eyes. She opened her mouth to scream, but her throat closed up. "What... what the hell..."
"I thought I smelled something tasty." It spoke like a human. It opened its mouth in a grin showing rows of sharp jagged teeth, saliva falling freely. She trembled. Was this real? Was this reality? She bared her teeth and glared in defiance, unable to believe what she was seeing. No. No this can't be real. "I was just getting hungry, too. How convenient!"
"Don't come near me!" She barked back threateningly. Her voice sounded stronger than she felt. "What are you!?" She took a step back and the demon laughed.
"You think you can get away from me!?" It charged.
It was faster than she anticipated. Her chest suddenly felt hot as she was seized with panic, holding her hands up to fend it away. In fear she screamed, "Get away!" The heat from her chest transferred to her hands and a blinding light exploded, causing both her and the demon to scream.
"Stupid Kagome. Stupid old hag!" Inuyasha jumped with inhuman speed from tree to tree, fuming and alone to sulk. "I try to help out and what do I get? Lectures! Feh, let them handle it on their own. Don't come cryin' to me!"
He came to a stop on a tree branch and sniffed the air. "Oh yeah, demon is around here somewhere." Unfortunately for it he was in a bad mood. He sniffed the air again to locate the demon, but then caught the strong whiff of wisteria flowers. He blinked confused, "Flowers?" He sniffed more intensely. "No way, that's a human scent!" Without hesitation Inuyasha broke into a sprint towards the scents.
It wasn't long before he was on the scene of Yuuki and the demon. Inuyasha's eyes widened as the girl wearing Kagome's clothing threw her hands up and summoned a powerful light at the demon. She screamed and the demon itself screamed as it stumbled back swinging its arm. The massive arm knocked Yuuki in the stomach and sent her flying back into a tree. Inuyasha got his claws ready and jumped down at the demon. "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" His claws tore through the demon and rendered it into bloody strips. Inuyasha huffed unimpressed and shook his hand to rid it of the blood.
Inuyasha then turned his attention to Yuuki. The girl laid on the ground most likely unconscious. Crossing his arms, he walked up to her and crouched down, sniffing as he inspected her. "She's wearing the same cloths as Kagome..." Now that he thought about it, Kagome's other friends in her time had the same clothes. They were... Middle school students? Inuyasha frowned, "We're nowhere near the Bone Eater's Well. Aside from that, no one else should be able to traverse it besides me and Kagome."
Still, she smelled like a normal human. He didn't think it was a demon in disguise. "Hey," he said, "You awake yet?"
Yuuki's eyes tightened as she stirred. They slowly opened and he saw lavender. She still seemed dazed as she stared at him for a moment, blinking a couple times. "... Dog ears...?"
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "And just who the hell are you?"
Yuuki blinked, and then processed everything at once. With a gasp she rolled away and sprang to her feet. "Stay back, stranger!" She put her hands up and got into a defensive stance.
Annoyed, Inuyasha only stood upright and faced her calmly with his hands in his sleeves. "Calm down, I'm gonna eat you are anything."
Yuuki glanced around for the other demon, and saw the bloody remains of it on the ground. Her eyes widened with horror. Who else could have done that? She looked back to Inuyasha, there was no other option, it had to be the white haired boy. "I don't believe you."
"What, over that?" He nodded to the shredded corpse. "You have nothing to worry about unless you're on my bad side." Yuuki narrowed her eyes dubiously. "Besides, I should be the one wary of you."
She shook her head, "What?"
"What kind of technique was that?" She stared at him. "You shined a light on that demon. With your hands." She blinked and glanced down at her hands. She remember a light, but not where it came from. Did she do that? Inuyasha saw she was too in thought and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, what's with your clothes?"
Yuuki snapped her attention back to him. This guy- whatever he was, seemed civil and intelligent enough for conversation. She was able to relax a bit. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean they're not normal." He said it with weight and stared her down.
Yuuki stared evenly with him. Where ever she was no one recognized a school uniform. "It's the uniform for my school," she replied carefully, eyeing his red kimono. He was even barefoot. "Have you not seen a school uniform before?"
Inuyasha frowned and his ear twitched. Yuuki saw he was picking his words carefully. "Well, no. Yes." He growled in frustration. "Well my friend wears it, but it's not normal."
Yuuki stared at him confused. How did that make sense? "And who's your friend?"
He frowned again, she could tell he didn't want to give too much away. "Her names Kagome. She's not from around here."
Yuuki's eyes widened at the name. "Kagome?" She dropped her tense stance and it surprised him. "As in Higurashi Kagome?"
"Huh?" It was his turn to be surprised. "You mean you know her?"
"Yes!" Yuuki never thought she'd feel such sweet relief. "Yes, she's my friend!"
Inuyasha looked to the ground. "So you're definitely from the Present then..."
Yuuki's brows knit together. "From the present? What do you mean by that?"
"I mean the Present!" He snapped annoyed. "That's where you're from. The Present! You ask a lot of questions, it's annoying."
Yuuki blinked at him. He might not be a normal human, but he certainly had a bratty attitude. Still, with monsters and murderous humans, he seemed to be the safest thing. "Could you take me to Kagome, please."
He sighed and glared to the side annoyed as he grumbled, "What a hassle." She blushed a little in annoyance at his rudeness. She would want to snap at him if it weren't for his capabilities as tearing her apart. Though fairly civil and intelligent, she still feared him. He then turned his back to her and said, "Yeah, just follow me; I'll take you to her in Kaede's Village, it's not far from here. You can ask her then she can probably explain things."
"That's what I'm counting on," she said to herself with a sigh as she followed him, her blush going away. She followed him in an awkward and tense silence through the forest off the path. She couldn't help but keep staring at the canine ears atop his head. "So... What's your name?"
"My name's Inuyasha," he replied. He glanced over his shoulder at her and asked, "You're Kagome's friend, huh? What's your name?"
"Fujiwara Yuuki," she replied.
"Huh." He turned back around. "Never heard of you." She blushed. "You sure you're her friend?" She blushed even harder and frowned at the ground. This guy was getting on her nerves, but he was deadly, and her best shot at getting home.
Still she mumbled under her breath, "Well she's never mentioned you either..."
Inuyasha suddenly whirled around, startling her. He glared, "You picking a fight!?"
Blushing and caught off guard, she stammered back, "Well, you're the one who started it!" He heard that!? Were his ears real dog ears?
"And I'll finish it!" He raised his hand threateningly.
She glared and barked back, "I call your bluff, dog!"
Inuyasha blinked, caught off guard. Yuuki blinked back at him confused at his behavior. This guy was unpredictable with a short fuse. Does this guy really know Kagome? "How did you know I was a dog?"
She blinked again. "Uh... well..." She meant it as an insult. "Your ears...?"
Inuyasha saw as she examined his features. Calming down, he turned back around and explained, "I'm part dog demon. My other part is human."
"A half-demon?" She said dumbly.
"Yeah." Awkward and tense again, Yuuki fell in silence behind him as he led her through the forest.
Once they had finally emerged from the trees, Yuuki suddenly halted as Inuyasha continued walking down the grassy hill. She stood and stared in awe at the sight of the village below. It was humble, but it was old. Very old. A village that no longer exists. It made her heart pound. Just where the hell was she? She suddenly felt very far away from home, and it frightened her.
"Hurry up, would ya!" Inuyasha yelled, snapping her out of it.
She frowned. She didn't like being ordered around like that by a stranger, but whatever. She hurried down after him and joined him at the dirt roads of the village. As they rounded a house to join the main road, she jumped as a horse was suddenly approaching them. "A-a horse!" She quickly backed up while Inuyasha calmly stepped aside for the horse and carriage of vegetables to pass. The old farmer in rustic clothing nodded in thanks to them.
Inuyasha looked down to see Yuuki staring at them dumbly. He became annoyed, "You can't be scared of a horse."
Yuuki blinked, then eyed him with a similar look as a blush crept to her face. "Of course I'm not scared of a horse. I've just never seen one in person before."
"How could you have not seen one in person before?" He asked in absurdity.
The long mass of curled hair Yuuki had began to puff up as she bristled. "I'm not from around here," she grumbled through her teeth. You should know that! She tried to keep her composure, but he was wearing on her nerves.
And to make her even more annoyed, he seemed to not be paying attention to her anymore. What a jackass, she thought. Inuyasha was staring at the distance intently as his ears twitched. He then frowned, "What- she mad already? Damn it, so annoying..."
Yuuki frowned at him confused. What was he talking about? "Inuyasha! Hey, Inuyasha!" Yuuki's eyes widened. Kagome. That was Kagome's voice!
"Yeah, over here," Inuyasha called back as he walked ahead.
Yuuki didn't know why, but she could only stare as Inuyasha went ahead towards Kagome's voice. Her body felt heavy, and she watched in a daze as her friend came from a side road to meet him. "Where have you been?" Kagome frowned up at him. "There was a demon outside the village and we could've used your help to defeat it." She was holding a quiver of arrows and a bow on her shoulder. "You're never around when we need you."
"Need me?" He snapped back. "You said I was just in your way!"
Kagome sighed exasperated. "That's not what I was saying!"
"Well whatever," he looked away stubbornly in a pout. "I already took care of the demons in the outskirts, so a thanks would be nice."
"Kagome..."
"Eh?" Kagome and Inuyasha both turned to stare at Yuuki. Inuyasha completely forgot about her for a second. Kagome stared at her, recognizing her, and then went wide eyed. "Y-Yuuki!? What are you doing here!?"
Yuuki blinked, coming out of a daze. "I... I don't know."
Kagome turned to Inuyasha and asked, "Did you find her?" He nodded. "Where!?"
"Outside of the village," he replied and tucked his arms away. He smiled proudly, sticking out his chest and said, "In fact I saved her from one of the demons."
Kagome ignored him and ran to her. "Yuuki!" Kagome just about tackled her in a tight hug, catching her by surprise. "Yuuki, you shouldn't be here!" Though that was true and it didn't make sense that she was there, Kagome was still overwhelmingly happy to see her lifelong friend.
Inuyasha watched in surprise at the emotions washing over Yuuki's face. She was dazed, her eyes watered up. He could physically see the relief in the girl as she hugged Kagome back and rested her head on her shoulder. Still, he glared as his ears twitched. He didn't like the closeness.
"I'm so happy to see you," Yuuki muffled in Kagome's shoulder. Once she had herself composed, she pulled back to look her in the face. "Kagome... just what the hell is going on?"
Kagome frowned sympathetically, wishing there was a simple answer. "Yuuki, first tell me how you got here. Was it through my well?"
"Your well?" Yuuki shook her head. "No, I was at my house. Actually I was in the storage house of my family's shrine to get some amulets. I fell through the floor boards and found myself in the woods." Taking a step back, she looked around and took in her surroundings. "This place... Where are we?"
Kagome smiled proudly at her friend. Though she's obviously surprised, she thought, she's still taking it all in with a calmness and level head. She's so cool like that. Kagome then frowned slightly, "Listen, Yuuki... This is going to sound strange, but you're in Japan's Feudal Era."
Yuuki stared at her. "Feudal Era..." Kagome nodded and watched her face closely. Yuuki blinked as she thought back to her textbooks. "When guns first came to Japan, and Oda Nobunaga... but what about those monsters in the woods?" She asked confused, and pointed at Inuyasha. "What about him?"
"What about me?" He snapped back annoyed.
Dropping her arm she replied, "Demons don't exist."
"They do here," Kagome said.
Yuuki frowned, eyeing Inuyasha up and down. It was difficult to digest, but between him, the monster in the woods, and those villagers accusing her of being a demon, it was impossible to argue. From her senses she could tell this was all real. Yuuki went lost in thought, and Inuyasha's annoyance only increased. "What's with the look!?"
His yelling brought her back, but she ignored him and turned to Kagome. "Well, I guess I can't argue..."
Kagome smiled with a nod. "I know, it isn't easy. Did Inuyasha give you a hard time coming here?"
"Whaddya mean!?" He shouted, drawing attention from wandering villagers. "Give her a hard time? I saved her from a demon that attacked her!"
"Oh," concerned, Kagome quickly looked her over. "Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine."
"Yeah, she was fine," Inuyasha added and both girls gave him a tired glance. He grumbled to himself, "Unlike someone else I know who cries all the time."
Kagome frowned at him offended. "What do you mean by that? You're the one who's always mad."
"Me? Always mad? Yeah, right," he huffed and turned away from them.
Yuuki watched in silent curiosity while Kagome put her hands on her hips. "See? You're mad right now!" She sighed and crossed her arms. "You're so short tempered…"
"You're the one that's so touchy," Inuyasha retorted, pointing at her. "You're always losing your temper."
Yuuki's brows knit together as she observed their exchange. Inuyasha's behavior... for some reason it was familiar. "Kagome?"
Their nose-to-nose glare-down was broken and they turned to her. "Yeah?"
Yuuki pointed to Inuyasha feeling unsure. "Is he... Is he your so-called boyfriend we talk about?"
Inuyasha's eye twitched feeling insulted. "So-called?"
"Ah, yes," Kagome smiled and nodded. Though she frantically corrected, "Well- he's not my actual boyfriend, we're- we're friends! It's just difficult to explain the situation, ya'know?"
"Yes, clearly," Yuuki replied, looking Inuyasha up and down again. She saw just how well the two of them were getting along in the flesh.
"What's that?" Inuyasha growled threateningly, thoroughly insulted by her. Geez, what is his problem?
Yuuki stared at him blankly, but Kagome was quick to reprimand him. "Inuyasha, be nice to her! She's my friend."
"Never mind, don't you need to go back to the well?" He questioned Yuuki annoyed.
Yuuki's brows knit together again and she felt herself becoming annoyed by his vague questions. "The well?" she questioned.
"Oh, that's right!" Kagome dropped her fist in her palm in realization. "Yuuki, remember the well in my families shrine? Well, behind this village in the eastern outskirts is the same well which they call the Bone-Eater's Well. It's actually how I travel to and from this time to the Present."
Yuuki stared at her for a moment, processing the information. Though it hardly made sense, she was still relieved to hear of a way home. She smiled, surprising Inuyasha, but it was tired. "That's wonderful to hear. I should get back as soon as I can, I've been missing for nearly two hours- if not longer."
"All right, then just follow me," Kagome said as she took her hand.
Inuyasha followed behind them, staring at their holding hands annoyed as he began feeling jealous. Yuuki smirked lightly at Kagome and asked, "So, this is the truth behind the plethora of diseases you've contracted."
Kagome smiled guiltily, rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand. "Yeah, it's been a little rough leaving it to my grandpa to make the excuses for why I wasn't going to school for weeks on end."
Yuuki frowned in silence for a moment, observing the villagers, then scanning the tree line. Everything seemed peaceful here in the old civilization, however the danger here was out of old folklore. "Kagome…" She looked to her friend concerned. "This place is... interesting, I suppose. But you're really falling behind on studies. This place is certainly exciting-for lack of a better word- if not stressful, but why are you here all the time? How did you even end up here?"
Kagome sighed and then turned to the sky as she recalled the memory. "Well… I was looking for my cat in the shrine when a centipede attacked me though the well. It pulled me through and ripped a jewel called the Shikon no Tama out from my side. Somehow it had formed inside me, and here I met Inuyasha. He helped me fight the demon and I got the jewel, but…" Yuuki watched as her expression turned guilty. "I broke it. Hundreds of shards are scattered around here and when a demon possess them they become stronger. It became my responsibility, and it was too dangerous to leave alone. So I teamed up with Inuyasha to get all the fragments back before this place is destroyed by demons."
Yuuki looked to the ground. "I see..." Shikon no Tama, Yuuki remembered those were the trinkets Kagome's grandfather sold at her shrine. A jewel that was supposed to grant wishes. "So it's all real," she murmured to herself.
Kagome watched her friends sideways, seeing all the information sink in. She hoped she wouldn't be overwhelmed. To lighten the mood, Kagome smiled and said, "I'm surprised you're not chewing me out for skipping school! You always hated going without me."
Inuyasha put his hands behind his head bored. "What's so great about school?" He asked skeptically behind them.
Yuuki glanced back as Kagome looked back at him and explained for her, "It's important to study in our time. Everyone is required to attend school." She smiled at her friend and added, "Yuuki here is especially serious about her studies. She's a busy bee; you can always find her either at school or attending her shrine."
Inuyasha looked over at her surprised. "Wait, so you're a priestess, too?"
She looked forward and replied, "Oh, not at all. I'm just a Shrine Maiden and help my father who's the Priest. I'm usually just cleaning up the place." They came to a stop when they reached a clearing with a massive tree and a decrepit well. "Poor thing is dying," she said as she stared at it.
"This is the Bone-Eater's Well," Kagome confirmed as they approached it.
Yuuki leaned over the side of the rotting frame, staring at the dank darkness and smelling mold. Moss and small vines clung to the sides of the well. "Yes, I can certainly see demons crawling out of this thing."
"Well, they do use it to toss dead demons in," Inuyasha said nonchalantly, tucking his arms away.
Yuuki went slightly blue in the face. Was there rotting flesh mixed in the soil below? Did she have to pass through that? Kagome frowned over at him, "Inuyasha, don't say that!"
"What?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow clueless. "The demons are dead anyways."
"You know what I mean, Inuyasha," she said and then turned from him, crossing her arms. "You're so insensitive…" She then smiled apologetically at Yuuki and said, "Sorry, Yuuki."
"It's no problem, really," she replied, stepping away from the well. She then mumbled, "though I highly doubt he gets the point."
"What was that?" Inuyasha asked dangerously and Yuuki only rolled her eyes.
"So, do I just go in?" She asked, ignoring him to his aggravation.
"Yeah," Kagome replied with a nod. "Just jump in and you'll find yourself in the well at my house in our time."
"Sounds easy enough," Yuuki said to herself as she stood up on the edge of the well. She tested it first, and it surprising held. She stared down at the bottom. Was it really that deep or was she just imagining it? She shook her head. She needed to focus. "All right. One… Two…" She closed her eyes and braced herself.
Leave at once.
Someone else's words echoed through her and she suddenly froze. Who's voice...?
"Three, right?" Yuuki blinked and felt someone push her.
She yelped and fell to the bottom. Inuyasha looked over the edge and watched as she hit the bottom rather hard. Kagome gasped as she heard her friend shout angrily, "OW!"
"Inuyasha!" Kagome chastised, glaring at the innocent looking Inuyasha. "What did you do that for!?" He backed up as she hurried over and stared down at Yuuki in worry. "Are you okay?"
Yuuki groaned in annoyance as she rubbed her legs, pain shooting through her ankles. "Besides the fact I'm not in my time and my ass hurts, yeah, I'm fine."
Kagome glared over at Inuyasha again and repeated, "What did you do that for, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha blushed lightly from embarrassment, knowing he made a mistake. "I couldn't help it!"
"What if she got hurt?" She insisted.
"Shut up!" He glared back at her. "I was just helpin' out."
"What!? How's that?" She asked skeptically.
While the two were bickering, Yuuki was left to climbing out herself. She scaled the side of the well quickly, not wanting to sit in dirt and rotting demon flesh. With a grunt of effort, she got her arm hooked around the edge and hefted herself up. Kagome and Inuyasha were nose-to-nose glaring until Yuuki cleared her throat loudly. They looked over at her flat glare. "Oh, don't mind me, please continue while I crawl out of rotting demon flesh and bones."
"Sorry," Kagome said guiltily as she helped her out. As Yuuki dusted herself off Kagome furrowed her brows, bringing a hand to her chin. "I don't know why, but for some reason you can't get through…"
"Well you can't be that surprised," Inuyasha said and they looked at him. "You and I are the only ones able to pass through the well. It wouldn't make sense for her to be able to."
Yuuki crossed her arms, "Well it doesn't make sense for me to be here at all."
He frowned at her. "Could you quit the sass?"
She blinked at him, feeling innocent. "Well could you?" He glared, but she was just being honest.
Kagome ignored his sour mood and decided, "I'm going to take you to Lady Kaede. She was able to help me when I first arrived her, she might have an idea for us."
"Kaede," Yuuki repeated as they began walking back, Inuyasha following them again. "Is she the head of the village?"
Kagome shook her head. "The village is so small there's not really a head, but she's the oldest and wisest. She's the village Priestess as well, so everyone generally turns to her when there's trouble."
Yuuki nodded, "Sounds like a reliable person," she said respectfully. With how highly Kagome spoke of her, it gave Yuuki some relief that they'd find a solution to her problem.
"Yeah, but she's always nagging me," Inuyasha complained.
Kagome smiled at him in amusement. "Only because you're always getting into trouble," she teased.
Inuyasha grumbled something, but fell silent. That's when Yuuki asked, "You said Kaede was able to help you when you first arrived. Does that mean you had troubles returning to our time?"
"Hm?" Kagome glanced back at her and then stared at the sky thoughtfully. "Mmm… Thinking back… No, I didn't have troubles falling through and back to the present," she replied and then gave her a rueful smile. "Don't worry, Yuuki, I'm sure we'll figure out a way to get you back; one way or another."
Yuuki sighed, "I hope so. Between homework and the Doll Festival going on-"
Kagome's gasp caught her off guard. "The Doll Festival!" They were forced to stop and Kagome turned to friend sadly. "Yuuki, I'm so sorry! I was supposed to be there for that!"
Yuuki sweat-dropped, thinking back to her mother's message. Guess she completely forgot. She waved it off with a smile, "Really, Kagome, it's fine-"
"Doll festival?" Inuyasha asked.
Kagome explained for her, "Its a festival her family holds at her shrine. People get wooden dolls and engrave names of their passed away loved ones and burn them in a pit. Her father the Priest waves the smoke and blesses it as it goes to the sky."
"It's meant to pass on the wishes of seeing each other again to the heavens," Yuuki explained.
Inuyasha blinked at her. "Why does your shrine do that?"
She raised a shoulder. "No clue."
He frowned at her, "You're a pretty lousy shrine maiden if you don't even know why you do what your shrine does."
Kagome became a little nervous as Yuuki frowned back at him. "And you're a pretty lousy dog for being half of one."
Her comment stunned Inuyasha for a moment, catching him off guard. Kagome acted faster than he could retort and grabbed her hand, pulling her along. "Off to Kaede's hut! It's not far away! Come on, Inuyasha!"
Inuyasha marched after them mumbling and grumbling under his breath a string of things he could say back to her, but never did. Kagome led them through the village to the west side of the square, approaching a hut that looked the same as the rest. "This is Lady Kaede's house," Kagome explained as she pulled back the heady straw door flap.
She turned to call into the hut, but froze, looking surprised as a second Kagome walked out. Yuuki took a step back, visibly caught off guard, and looked to Inuyasha and Kagome in confirmation to believe she was seeing. Wait- was this a dream after all!? Inuyasha was unsurprised while Kagome merely smiled. "It's all right, Yuuki, you aren't crazy," she said. She gestured to the second Kagome, "This is Shippo!"
"Shippo, behave yourself," Inuyasha scolded.
Second Kagome frowned before becoming engulfed in a sudden cloud of smoke. As it cleared away, Yuuki's eyes trailed down until she spotted the small child with pointed ears and a brown fluffy tail. "Oh, a child," she blinked. A demon...? Is he a half one as well?
"Hey, I'm not a kid anymore!" Shippo quickly corrected, staring up at her upset. "I'm a respectable adult!"
She couldn't help but smile and knelt down to his level. She inspected him over and asked, "How were you able to look like Kagome?"
"I was using the art of transformation!" He replied proudly, sticking out his chest. "Fox demons like me are especially good at using the art of transformation to trick people! Hey," he approached her and examined her up and down in return. "Uhh, who are you anyway? You're wearing the same clothes as Kagome. Are you from the Present?"
"Yes, I am," she nodded. "My name is Fujiwara Yuuki, I'm a friend of Kagome's. I need to find a way to get back home," she explained. She concluded that this fox demon was still a child.
She smiled in amusement as he visibly wracked his brain for an idea, and then perked up. "Ah-ha! I know!" Raising up a finger he said, "You can go through the well!"
"We already tried that!" Inuyasha snapped in annoyance.
"You don't gotta yell!" Shippo yelled back.
Yuuki quickly stood up and frowned at Inuyasha with a cold stare. "Inuyasha, I suggest you take your own advice and behave yourself. Shippo was just trying to be helpful."
Inuyasha shrunk back a little blinking at her. "Yeah, well..."
While Yuuki went back to inspecting Shippo, which was a little weird to him, Kagome hurried to Inuyasha's side and whispered to him, "Don't take it personally." Inuyasha's ear twitched as he glanced at her. "Yuuki's actually a fan of children."
"I'm not a child!" Shippo shouted up at them suddenly, catching Yuuki off guard.
"Oh, don't be such a smart-aleck," Inuyasha replied turning away from him.
Shippo glared up at him, shaking his fist. "What did you say, Inuyasha?" He questioned dangerously.
He then suddenly yelped in a jump and they quickly looked to him. Yuuki recoiled her hand from his fluffy tail she had tugged on, "Oh, sorry!" Shippo guarded his tail from her and eyed her with watery eyes, not trusting her.
Taking the opportunity Kagome gestured to the hut, "Well, shall we go inside now?"
Shippo hurried in first, holding his tail, followed by Kagome and Inuyasha. Yuuki went inside last, peeking her head in first and inspecting the area. It wasn't very large, there were pots of water and herbs, a cooking pot burning in the center, futons rolled up on the sides. It was very rustic. Yuuki cautiously let the flap close behind her as she stepped in, staying close to Inuyasha's back as an old woman spoke, "So, Inuyasha, ye have returned."
"Yeah, and I brought someone back with me." He stepped out of the way for her and Yuuki stared at the old, hunched over woman wearing a priestess' garments with an eye patch.
The woman stared back at her in surprise and asked, "Oh, who might ye be?"
"G-good afternoon," Yuuki quickly bowed respectfully to the woman. The other's went and made themselves comfortable around the cooking pot. "My name is Fujiwara Yuuki."
"What's with her?" Inuyasha whispered to Kagome as they sat down. "She's all sweet with Shippo and nice to Kaede, why's she so mean towards me?"
"Probably because you frustrated her?" She whispered back.
"From the look of your clothes, I guess ye came from the same place as Kagome," Kaede said as Yuuki stood upright again, folding her hands in front of her. Yuuki nodded in confirmation and Kaede smiled at her. "Well, ye can relax here. Tell me, what brings ye to our time?"
Yuuki was grateful for how calm and accepting the old woman was with the situation. "Well, I was in the storehouse of my family's shrine when I fell through the floor boards," she explained. "I must have blacked out at some point, but when I awoke I was in the forest here. I'm trying to find a way home, but the Bone-Eaters Well won't allow me to pass through, and Kagome spoke so highly of you and how you've assisted her in the past, I was hoping you'd have a way or an idea for me to get back to my time."
Kaede hummed as she frowned thoughtfully, closing her eye. Yuuki held her breath in hopefulness as the others watched the old woman turn the gears in her head. "I'm afraid I don't know why," she replied, looking at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Yuuki, but I don't know how I can help ye. Whatever magic brought ye to our time is unknown to me."
Yuuki blinked at her mystified. "Oh... I see..."
Shippo stared at her sadly and said, "Wow, I feel for you." Kagome chewed the inside of her cheek, already anticipating this.
Yuuki looked to the ground feeling light headed, and Kaede looked to her sympathetically. "I am sorry, dear. How about ye sit down for a moment, have some tea."
"No, no it's fine," Yuuki said quietly, though her ears were ringing. Whatever magic brought her here was unknown? Then how the hell was she brought here? Her eyes fluttered as she felt dizzy. Am I going to faint? Her heart began to race in her chest, her breath coming short. Am I having a panic attack?
Inuyasha eyed Yuuki for a moment. "How irritating." Kagome watched him worried as he stood up. "Why are you so upset?" He demanded loudly, catching Yuuki's attention.
She looked at him and blinked, feeling her eyes had gotten watery. "Why...?" Her body felt oddly numb, and his attitude wasn't improving her own.
He just crossed his arms and frowned at her. "It's not like you're gonna die if you can't get home."
His rudeness snapped something inside her and her face suddenly flushed red. "And how would you feel if you were in my situation!" She yelled at him, her eyes tearing up. "I'm thrown into an entirely new world and I don't even know where to start to grasp all of this! My family is beyond my reach and I am currently stuck with no way of returning to them!"
"And what, you're just gonna give up?" He yelled back at her. "You're more of a crybaby that Kagome was when she first came here." Yuuki bit her tongue as she stared angrily at him. "Look," he approached her calmly and she didn't budge, only glared up at him in defiance. He spoke much calmer, "The well didn't work and the old woman didn't have a backup plan, oh well. Big deal. That just means we find another way, all right?"
Yuuki was quiet for a moment, refusing her eyes to waver from his. Despite him being loud and rude, his words were somehow assuring. As she calmed down, she looked to the ground instead and wiped her eyes. "All right."
"There, that's better." He stepped back from her and said, "We're not gonna get anywhere by sitting around here."
Yuuki then sighed, the red of her face receding. "But there aren't any clues," she argued. "There's no where to start."
"I suggest ye going back to the place ye woke up," Kaede suggested. "Perhaps there's a clue ye missed, a passage akin to the Bone Eater's Well that allowed ye to come here."
Yuuki looked to the ground guiltily. "I don't exactly remember where that was. I was walking for hours before Inuyasha found me."
"If someone had been with you at the time, we could ask them," Shippo piped up. "Were you alone at the time?"
She looked at him and replied, "Well… I did run into some villagers, but I ran away from them because they thought I was a demon-"
"Scardy-cat," Inuyasha teased.
"-and they had weapons," she finished hotly, glaring at him with a blush. "Would you quit provoking me?"
He only stared at her and commented, "You blush a lot."
Yuuki immediately bristled, blush intensifying. "Don't point that out," she growled, her long mass of hair flaring a bit. "Anyways," she continued as a tick mark throbbed on her forehead. "They were searching for something, and they were obviously desperate."
Inuyasha said, "All right, no more sitting around and flapping our mouths. Let's go find those villagers." They all watched as he suddenly left the hut.
Yuuki sighed as Kagome and Shippo stood, "Well his enthusiasm leaves me a bit hopeful I suppose."
"Don't worry, Yuuki," Kagome placed a hand on her shoulder. "One way or another we'll help you get back home, okay?"
"In the meantime," Kaede added, "ye are welcomed to stay here as long as need be."
Yuuki smiled at her in relief, and bowed again. "Thank you, Lady Kaede."
Inuyasha was waiting impatiently when the girls and Shippo came out. The four of them wandered around the village searching for the three Yuuki encountered earlier, but to no avail. After they searched the entire village they met up in the town square again empty handed. "We've looked through the whole village now," Shippo said disheartened.
Yuuki sighed for the umpteenth time, pressing the heel of her palm to her forehead. "Yes, I know, but I haven't found anyone that looks like the three I ran into earlier." The lack of turn out made her frustrated.
"All I can think of is, maybe, the next village, Akebi Village," Kagome said. "It's not that far, but…" She turned nervous and Yuuki only raised an eyebrow, putting her hand on her hip.
"But it's crawling with demons!" Shippo finished as he jumped up onto Yuuki's shoulder and she looked at him. He got in her face, making her blink, and explained in a dire voice, "demons come after you even if you're only a little ways from the village!" Inuyasha swung his fist and punched him in the head, forming a very large lump.
Shippo's eyes filled with tears and Yuuki shouted at Inuyasha angrily, "Inuyasha!"
"Inuyasha, sit, boy!" Kagome commanded. Yuuki blinked as the beads around Inuyasha's neck glowed before dragging him into the ground, slamming him so hard that his body left an indent.
"Oh… Wow," Yuuki looked at her surprised. "What was that?"
"That was the power of Lade Kaede," she replied smiling back. "She placed the subjugation beads around him and I set the command word. So whenever he misbehaves I can just correct him."
"He's just all brawn and no brains," Shippo insulted. He then stuck his tongue out at Inuyasha as he struggled to lift his head from the ground.
"I'll… Get you…! Shippo…!"
Yuuki looked Inuyasha over, feeling much better all around after seeing him in that state. "Hm... Sit."
Nothing happened, only Inuyasha looked up at her in disbelief. "You damn brat!"
"Unfortunately it only works when I say it," Kagome explained.
Yuuki frowned a little while Shippo laughed. "Oh well. Come on, let's head out to Akebi Village."
Right as she turned to walk away, Kagome asked, "Are you sure you want to head out now, Yuuki? It'll long be dark by the time we make it back here."
She only shrugged, "I'm a bit more confident now, and I'm desperate to get home. It shouldn't be too big of a problem, right?"
"Not at all," Kagome smiled and they walked over together, "Come on, Inuyasha," she said sweetly.
Inuyasha reached out for them and called, "Wait for me…!"