Chapter I -- Into the Well
Kagome sighed contently as she flopped back on her bed. She had spent the day with her friends, helped around the house and the weather had been wonderful. Everything seemed perfect. It had been three months since she had last thought of the feudal era and convinced herself that her life would be much better without that little part. By now, she had actually come to believe that. It was almost as if the last couple years she had spent traveling in the past had never happened, that they had been nothing more than a dream inspired by a fairy tale. Smiling up at the ceiling, Kagome wondered what the next day would bring. Minutes later, she was asleep.
"What is this power that awakens me from my slumber?" a deep voice asked, sounding slightly confused. Red eyes opened in the pit of the well. "It is not something I have felt before…" Inky black shadows began to crawl up the sides of the well and into the building that surrounded it. They felt around the walls before finding the door. Slowly, they moved across that yard and towards they nearby house.
Inside, Kagome's eyes slowly opened. They were still clouded by sleep, she had not awoken. Sitting up, she slid off the bed and walked towards the window as if in a trance. Reaching out, she touched it at the same time the darkness did from the outside. The window pane seemed to vanish as the two powers touched. Reaching through, the darkness wrapped around the girl and lifted her from her feet.
"Is this it?"
Slowly, Kagome's mind returned to wakefulness, but when it did, it did not take long for her to realize something wasn't right. She remembered falling asleep on her bed, her nice soft bed. Wherever she was laying now was not soft. As soon as this registered in her brain, she was instantly awake and sitting upright. There were four walls of dirt surrounding her and a grey sky above. "Where…?" It took another couple moments for her to remember that she had seen this view many, many times. Standing, she grabbed the vines that had grown on the wall and climbed out of the well.
"Why am I here?" She asked herself quietly as she looked around at the scenery. It was exactly the same as she had left it. Sitting on the lip of the well, she turned back around and dropped back down with every intention of returning to her own time. Looking up, she frowned. She was still the feudal era.
Frustrated and confused, Kagome climbed to the top of the well once again. Looking around, then down, she could find nothing else out of the ordinary. A light breeze brought the scent of rain, unmistakable even to a human. Banishing all traces of sleep from her mind, she found the path that led to the village and followed it. Maybe Kaede could help her find the reason why the well hadn't allowed her to pass through.
The walk took a scant thirty minutes to complete, and when she arrived at the hill before the village, she was met with a sight she could possibly never forget. The village had been destroyed; long enough that any who could have still been alive had passed on but not so long that the aura of whatever had done it still hung heavy in the air. The force of it took her breath away as she stood on the hill. Slowly, she entered the village, heading to Kaede's house. She knew what she would find, but she hoped that this would be some dream and she would wake up by the time she got there. She didn't, and she found the miko's body lying inside the remains of her hut.
Kagome was about to climb over the remnants of the doorframe when something in the mud caught her eye. A pink glint, half buried and covered in a thick coat of grime, but that did not obscure it enough to keep the girl from recognizing in. Bending down, she gently pulled the Shikon no Tama from the earth and wiped it off with her hand. The last time she had seen it, she had made her wish and it had vanished in a flash of power and light. "Their happiness," she whispered what she had wished for under her breath. As soon as they knew, if they didn't already, it would seem as though that wish would have no meaning.
Slipping the chain of the jewel around her neck, she stood and looked around her. There was no way she could give everyone a proper burial, she wouldn't even be able to manage one for Kaede alone. Placing her hand over the jewel, she wondered what she was going to do. As she stood there, the weather prompted her to hurry up; the clouds opened up and it began raining on her. Kagome headed back into the village, trying to remember where the storage shed was. Once she found it, she was relieved to see that it was mostly intact. Inside, she searched until she found spare robes for a miko that would fit her. Quickly changing from her now wet and muddy pajamas and into the dry, clean and warmer outfit before looking back outside. She couldn't stay here; but she couldn't travel if she didn't have supplies or a weapon.
Looking around again, she figured she could find the basics in here. First was a bow and arrows, easy enough. Those down, she found a length of cloth to wrap her things in and carry on her back. Onto the cloth went a knife, flint and tinder, extra clothes, dried meat and a container to carry water in. Once she figured she had everything she could find and put to use, she sighed and looked out at the rain. Sitting, she decided to wait it out.
Two days later, Kagome was aimlessly wandering the countryside. She had no where to go, did not know where anyone she knew was and had no real purpose. The only reason she had come to the feudal era before was to fix the jewel she had broken, which had also led her to fighting Naraku. Both tasks had been completed. The one she had loved had found another. Without a destination in mind, she simply followed the road she had started out on. Whenever she came to a split, she would go whichever way came to mind first. It was that afternoon when everything changed.
Kagome had paused by a stream to get a drink of water when a youkai's aura washed over her. Shocked, she rose to her feet and put and arrow to her ever-present bow, looking for the creature that startled her. She was unable to pinpoint its location, but it was coming towards her fast. Whatever it was, it was fast and powerful. As it drew close, she could finally tell the direction it was coming form and raised her bow, determined to fire as soon as she saw it. When the dark form materialized from the underbrush, Kagome released the arrow.
The creature stopped, looking down at the arrow now imbedded in its chest. Kagome strung an arrow, taking half a step back as she tried to figure out why it hadn't been purified on the spot. She fired again when it reached down and pulled the arrow from where it was lodged; hitting it in the arm.
"Are you the one?" it asked. "Did you awaken me?"
"What?" The language it had spoken sounded completely foreign to her, and yet she understood the strange words.
Dropping the first arrow, it pulled out the second and dropped it too. Moving towards Kagome, it raised its hand as if to strike her. She fired a third shot, packing as much power into it as she could and hitting it between the eyes. Again, it had no effect. The creature's hand continued on its path and struck the side of her head. There was a sickening crack as Kagome fell to the ground, her neck had been broken. As suddenly as it had come, the creature turned and left.
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"Sesshomaru-sama!" a little girl shrieked when she reached the river. "Sesshomaru-sama!"
"What is it, you stupid girl?" Jaken demanded as he walked over. "Sesshomaru-sama has no time for you're insolence! Hmm, what's this?" Leaning forward, he looked at what had startled the girl. "If it isn't that hanyou's wench."
"Sesshomaru-sama, please help Kagome-chan!" Rin begged when the taiyoukai entered the clearing. The silver haired one frowned as he looked from the dead girl to the pleading one. All his instincts were telling him that she was a miko and he should have nothing to do with her let alone reviving her. She was also human, and he despised them. Rin must have given him a soft spot; he had trouble denying her pleading eyes. The little girl had turned back to the other, so he let himself pull his lips back in a snarl before drawing the Tenseiga. It pulsed once, letting him see the creatures of the dead. Swinging it close to the miko's body, he destroyed them, healing and brining the girl back to life at the same time.
"Oh, thank you, Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed when Kagome began breathing again. When brown eyes opened, she spoke again. "Kagome-chan, are you alright?"
Confused, Kagome looked around. There was a fading pain in neck. First, she saw Rin, followed by an annoyed Jaken and something white. Following it up, she found herself looking at the mighty Lord of the Western Lands. "Se-Sesshomaru…?"
"Come, Rin, we are going now." Turning, he began to walk away. Rin, with a last look at Kagome, hurried to follow with Jaken close behind.
Kagome forced herself to sit up. "Wait! Please."
Halting, Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder. "Why should I listen to a human?"
Her mind raced. She knew that would probably happen again, and she had been lucky Rin had found her. Sesshomaru would probably not revive her the next time. She hoped there wouldn't be a next time. "Can I…" Oh, she did not want to have to ask him. She was supposed to hate and fear the taiyoukai. "Can I go with you?" She so did not want to ask him of all people, but she did not want to continue wandering as she had been. She figured it would be best to take the first opportunity of protection and being able to direct her energies at something other than wandering aimlessly.
"Why are you not with the hanyou? If you had been with him that would not have happened." He watched in amazement as her eyes turned from pleading to hard and angry in less time than the blink of an eye.
"He does not want me around, he has Kikyou instead." This gave him an idea. If nothing else, he could use her to get at his half-brother. Maybe even get his hands on the Tetsusaiga, not that he still wanted it or anything. Not to mention she could stay with Rin and possibly even teach her some of what any child should know. Kagome looked at the ground as he studied her thinking that he would surely refuse and it had been a bad idea in the first place.
"Very well, but there will be one condition. If you cannot fulfill that condition, I will not hesitate to kill you." Kagome looked up, shocked. "You will be a mentor to Rin and when Jaken cannot, you will watch over her as well." In some ways, that was much better than simply being a shard detector, and she would be able to say she accomplished something by watching over the girl.
"Thank you," she said quietly. Sesshomaru had already turned back and started walking again.
"Come on, Kagome-chan!" Rin exclaimed, rushing over and grabbing Kagome's hand, hauling her to her feet and leading her after the taiyoukai. Kagome, after a brief word to Rin, retrieved her bow and arrows before following. She watched the taiyoukai's back as he walked, trying to figure out why he had let her come. Somehow, simply watching Rin did not seem like reason enough for him. This also brought the question of why the monster – was it a youkai? –that had attacked her hadn't taken the Shikon no Tama. After several minutes, she forced it out of her mind.
By that afternoon, she was smiling and conversing with Rin.
"Rin," Sesshomaru said, stopping for the first time since Kagome had joined them, "there is a village just beyond that rise. Go get yourself some food. Human-" as he addressed her, Kagome interrupted him. She would rather make it seem as if she volunteered to do something than to be ordered outright to do it.
"I'll go with her."
Hand in hand, the two human females followed the path to the small rise that lay before them. Reaching the top, Rin pulled away and raced down to the village. Kagome hurried to keep up.
"Why, hello there," one woman greeted the small girl. "What are you doing here? Are you lost?"
Rin shook her head and smiled brightly. "Rin would like some food, please."
"Rin!" Kagome called, catching up. "Please forgive her," she said to the woman, giving a small bow.
"Oh, don't worry; nothing would be too much trouble for a miko and her friend." The woman smiled in a friendly way and led them into the village. Kagome was thankful for the miko robes she wore, even if she didn't exactly like them. Asking them to wait just inside the door of her small hut, the woman set about getting together a small bundle of food and a couple other items. "Here you go, there's also a new set of clothes for her," she said, handing it to Kagome.
"You didn't need to trouble yourself," Kagome interjected.
"Nonsense, I would never turn away a miko such as you or one of her companions lacking anything. I trust you are just traveling through?"
"Yes."
"My blessings then, I hope your trip is swift and safe."
"Thank you," Kagome said with a small bow. That had gone a lot better than she had expected, she mused as she and Rin left the village. They received numerous other blessings from the villagers they passed. Maybe someday it would be nice to settle down in a place like this, learn about her powers and help people. That would be a nice way to live.
"Well?" a voice asked, bringing her back to reality.
"We have enough for a few days, I think, and Rin has some new clothes." Sesshomaru nodded in approval before turning and walking away.
"Don't worry," Rin whispered to her, "Sesshomaru is often like that to Rin. Rin thinks it is because there are so many other people nearby." Kagome nodded as the two followed them. Jaken's mutterings drifted back to them. Nothing different between now and any of the other times she had seen him, always complaining about humans.
Roughly an hour later, the sun was setting and Sesshomaru halted once more. Rin seemed to know what to do without being told. She set about gathering small sticks and piling them up for a fire. Kagome stepped forward and lit them with her flint, sparking it off her knife's blade. When the flame had lit, a hand entered her vision, offering her a small loaf of bread and some dried meat.
That night, as Kagome drifted off to sleep with Rin in her arms, she found it strange how two days could change your life so much. Twice now, her life had been turned upside down within 48 hours. The first time, she had been dragged down the Bone Eater's Well by the giant centipede, met Inuyasha, learned about the Shikon no Tama, broke it and found herself helping to find the shards to fix it. This time, she had gone through the well, again it wasn't of her own accord, found the village destroyed, been killed, brought back and joined Sesshomaru's group. Sometimes it's strange how fast what was once normal can become that which is not.