PLEASE READ THIS! Alright, if you've followed the story thus far you've read my many promises that I'd update once a week. I was fully intenting to keep this promise, but I have moved.I do not have internet access at home, and the library computers do not allow floppy disks, USB drives, or CDs. This means I cannot upload ANYTHING. I do not know when I will be able to do so, so please forgive me. In the meantime... just, uh, stare at the wall and giggle to yourself.

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this fic. Not even a single original character. Now that's just sad... but I hate original characters, so meep.

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SOMETHING OR OTHER
Chapter One: All For A Bath
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She needed a break.

She deserved it too, after all, being dragged around by a hanyou in need of anger management therapy all day was hardly what classified as relaxing. The problem was that said hanyou was not too keen on letting her go, as if she would elope to Africa – did he even know what Africa was? - the second she was out of his sight. The result being that she had not bathed in days (with me now everyone: EW), and she could practically feel her brain slip behind everyone else's back in her own time. There goes all hopes for my future, she thought glumly. I doubt I'll land a job at this rate, even with 'has been transported 500 years into the past and kicked bad-guy butt and therefore probably saved all human kind' on my resume.

"Please, Inu-Yasha?" she begged for the eighth time. Kagome was on her knees, her hands locked together as if in prayer. They were currently taking a break to eat one of the few lunches Kagome had left over from her last trip back home by the edge of the old priestess Kaede's village. Oh yeah, and she was also about to win the National Run-on Sentence Championship any day now. Yay for grammar.

"Keh," The hanyou snorted and looked away, his arms akimbo and his legs crossed in his usual arrogant pose. "Not a chance."

The miko sighed, exasperated. "But-!"

"We've got work to do!" Inu-Yasha retorted. "There's no time to lose on those… examation things or whatever they are that you keep nagging me about."

"For your information, it's examination, and-" Kagome would have elaborated on where she was going to shove her foot and his examations when a certain lecher cut her off before she did any more damage to her chances.

"Please reconsider," said Miroku sagely, leaning nonchalantly against a tree. "We have not come across any youkai in a few days. I believe it is safe to give Kagome-san a chance to catch up with things back in her own time."

Kagome was grateful, but Inu-Yasha glared at the monk. "Butt out, bouzu."

Miroku would've replied with a few choice words, probably including his staff and Inu-Yasha's own behind, but Inu-Yasha cut in. "No seriously, stop rubbing Sango's butt."

The demon slayer in question glared at Miroku in agreement. When the monk failed to follow up on Inu-Yasha's command, she took matters into her own hands by whacking her hiraikotsu across his skull. Keeping his poker face, Miroku retrieved his offending hand and folded his arms into his robes as he smiled innocently at Sango.

Kagome was not about to be thrown off track by a few petty interruptions. "Inu-Yasha…" she said softly.

The hanyou snorted again. Whatever. Didn't that girl ever give up?

"Kagoooome," whined a small voice. "Inu-Yasha's being a jerk again." Shippou emerged from Kagome's over-sized sack – hey, demands had to be met - with treats overflowing from his small arms. He somehow managed to scurry up Kagome's own arm and settled himself on her shoulder to munch on the stolen goods.

I noticed, she thought darkly. Well, if he wants to play that way… The young miko rose from her position and stalked away angrily.

"OI!" The hanyou stood up to follow her. "Just where do you think you're going!"

Kagome's eye twitched with fury and her hair started to float around her eerily, as if by their own accord. The rest of the group, minus Inu-Yasha, sighed.

"He never learns," Sango muttered and resumed cleaning her boomerang. Sensing disaster approaching, Shippou hurriedly climbed down from his perch on Kagome. Miroku unfolded his arms and took some last few hopeful bites of the remaining food.

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome turned and asked sweetly. The dark and ominous aura surrounding the campsite suddenly intensified with the innocent word, if his name could be counted as one. Her anger flickered for a nano-second as the half-demon's ears twitched, but her irritation soon took its place once again.

The person in question blinked, oblivious to the danger signs and confused by Kagome's behaviour. "If it's about going back to your time again, it's still n-"

"SIT!"

"Gh-!" gasped the hanyou as he was dragged downwards, getting a mouthful of grass and dirt. The miko took her chance and ran to the forest, towards the Bone Eater's well. Inu-Yasha remained still for a few seconds – which was more than what could be said of his foul mouth - until the spell wore off, then quickly got up and bounded angrily after her, spitting out blades of grass.

Miroku put down his food regretfully and picked up his staff.

"Tell me you didn't see that coming," The demon exterminator sighed as she gathered her things to follow them. The monk responded by squeezing her behind.

In the woods, Kagome ran through the trees blindly, hoping against hope that Inu-Yasha would not catch up. Fate mocked her as she hastily glimpsed the hanyou running behind her. Life was just one cruel joke lately. All she wanted was a nice warm bath! Okay, and her bed. And maybe her cat. And a change of clothes. Some chocolate wouldn't hurt either -

"Get back here you little…!" the hanyou growled, gaining on Kagome. She put an extra burst of speed - just think of the chocolate, Kag, chocolate is your friend - as she saw the well through the tree trunks in her way. Just keep your eye on the prize - one hot bath!

You'd think this little chase was a bit extreme, but it was quickly becoming a daily occurrence. This was, what, her fourth try this week?

Sigh.

Kagome's misery multiplied tenfold with a cry of dismay as Inu-Yasha reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her from jumping off the well's edge at the last second. Every single frickin' time…!

A little farther back, The remaining members of the gang hurriedly dismounted off their ride (The Kirara Express, faithfully serving the slayers since 1497!). Sango ran ahead, leading them, as she saw Inu-Yasha suddenly stop. It was impossible for the slayer to do the same now that her body was already in motion – she had acquired too much velocity running towards Inu-Yasha and Kagome. Echoing the miko's cry of distress, she plowed on and crashed into the hanyou's back.

It would require an idiot with an amazing lack of grey matter not be able to guess at what happened next. One by one, the group slammed into each other, ultimately falling into the well and banging a few heads – and other body parts, much to Miroku's short-lived delight, that will not be mentioned. There was a brilliant flash of light as Kagome hit the bottom, and the next second, she was gone.

Only so was everyone else.

- - - - - -

"…And that's how everyone got here." Kagome sighed as she sipped on her tea. Her mother was seated in front of her at their kitchen table, listening to her daughter's story nervously. Not that Kagome could blame her – Miroku was eyeing her with a distressing amount of interest. I knew my mother was good looking back in her day, but for goodness sakes!

"Pardon me, ma'am, but would you do me the honour of –" the monk began, sinking to his knees.

Kagome's fiery glare, Sango's hiraikotsu, and Inu-Yasha's fist prevented him from getting any further.

"…telling me where you relieve yourselves…?" Miroku finished lamely.

Kagome winced inwardly at the prospect of introducing her friends to modern plumage. Oooh, the excitement that awaits us, she though dryly. This was going to be a long day, and it wasn't even Monday yet.

"Kagoooome!" cried Shippou. "Your cat thinks I'm hiding catnip in my tail!"

Come to the dark side, Kagome thought lamely. We've got cookies.

…Gosh I love bumper stickers, she added as an afterthought.

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A/N: Salut mes amis! This is my first Inu-Yasha fic, so please excuse me if I get anything wrong. It's short, my apologies. How is it so far? Please feel free to be as brutal and honest as you like in your reviews – hint hint – so that I can get better.

Not last nor least, don't ask how Shippou knows what catnip is or how Kagome knows that bumper sticker. It's magic. Wooooosh.

On the other hand, if anyone mentions that I misspelled 'humour', 'honour' or anything else with 'u' in it, I will cry. There is such a thing as British spelling, guys. This fic's not going to be a 60-chapter epic, believe me - maybe ten, maximum.