Disclaimer: Inuyasha ain't mine.

OOO

"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried out as one of Naraku's tentacles threatened to drive her through. With minimal effort, Kagome drew back the bowstring, released it, and purified the awful thing. It burned up into ashes, no longer able to reform. She sighed in relief, but it was short lived. Another came rushing toward her, and she was too slow to even think about getting another arrow. Luckily, Inuyasha came to her rescue.

"Idiot! What are you thinking?" Kagome just shook her head.

It was bad. Miroku had been poisoned, and Sango was bleeding through many orifices, some made by Naraku. Kirara stayed by her side, fending off all the minor demons away. Even Shippou had been injured. The fox kit was groaning in pain on the ground. Kagome's lower lip trembled as she and Inuyasha looked at the scene. The wolf tribe, Sesshomaru, and other various demons and humans were participating in this battle, but they were still losing. Badly.

Naraku only needed one more shard before the jewel was complete.

Kagome looked up to Inuyasha. There was some foreign emotion present in his eyes. Guilt? Fear? It scared her to no end. She knew it was only so long now before they could no longer be optimistic. That point was coming soon. Setting her jaw in determination, Kagome stood up and aimed an arrow to the middle of the disgusting demon's body. She released it, and it hit right on the mark. However, it barely had any effect on the demon, and he roared with laughter. Inuyasha grabbed the bow and arrows away from Kagome. "Stop that!" he snapped.

Kagome felt the urge to say the "s" word, but she knew now was not the time. "No, we can't just let him win!" she retorted, reaching for her weapon again. Slapping her hands away, Inuyasha's face contorted in grief.

"No, Kagome. We have to give up. You're not safe here."

Kagome gasped. "Inuyasha, no..." He looked at her straight in the eyes, then to the last jewel shard remaining, the one hanging around her neck. He snatched it off roughly. Kagome looked at him angrily. "What are you doing?"

"You're going back home, and you're not coming back."

Indignant, she protested. Her arms flailed out, trying to take back what was rightfully hers. However, she lost her balance, and Inuyasha saw his opportunity. He gave her chest one firm push, and she fell with a cry. The last words she heard before the world went black were "Goodbye, Kagome."

OOO

As the world came into focus once more, Kagome realized that the awful, salty liquid called tears was running down her face. She rubbed her eyes and saw her cat, Buyo, staring down at her. A little more than upset, she glared at her cat. "You were the one who started this," she muttered, climbing up the ladder to the surface. She scratched her cat's ears, and he purred appreciatively, leading to Kagome withdrawing her hand. She sighed sadly, throwing her head back, closing her eyes, and trying to hold back those traitorous tears. Ultimately, she failed.

Walking out of the well house, she spared a glance at the Goshinboku. What a magnificent tree...This was its fault too. Stupid Inuyasha. She could have stayed to help with the fighting. She just felt useless and unworthy now. Weak.

She took off her shoes as she entered the shrine, not even bothering to announce her presence. However, Souta came to greet her. "Kagome!" he gasped. "You're hurt! Mom! Kagome's back!" Kagome closed her eyes in pain, her little brother's voice grating on her ears. She unconsciously put a hand to her head, finding that there was blood there. Ah. So this was what Souta had been so afraid of. Kagome's mother came skipping down the stairs along with Souta.

"Kagome," she said, warm, motherly concern laced through her voice. It was just too much for Kagome to bare.

She gasped shakily as fell to the floor, the whole world disappearing for a while.

OOO

A year had passed. Life had gone on painfully. Kagome always looked out the window while at school, wondering what had happened to her friends in the Feudal Era. Were they dead? Well, by now that was a given. No human could survive for five hundred years, but demons could. Still, she had not sensed a demon presence in this world for a long time.

The bell rang.

Kagome stood up, dusted off her uniform, and gathered up her books. She frowned slightly while perusing her high-school uniform. The skirt was extremely short, very revealing, but then again, the junior high ones had been really short, too. Sometimes, Kagome would catch boys at her school (even teachers!) staring at her legs, and she wished that she had an Inuyasha to protect her; she didn't so she had to make do.

"Kagome!" Eri called out. "You coming to McDonald's to study with us?" Kagome smiled.

"Mm!"

OOO

"So Kagome..." Yuka said slyly. "How's your two-timing boyfriend doing?"

"No, no!" Ayumi chirped. "The platonic one. Get it right!"

Kagome sighed. "I already told you guys. I'm not seeing him anymore." More like I can't.

Ayumi gasped while Yuka and Eri shared astonished looks on their faces. Eri tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for Kagome to continue. She finally gave up and asked.

"Who initiated it?"

"He did," Kagome muttered sadly. It's more like he had no choice...

Ayumi sniffled. "Poor Kagome-chan!"

Kagome laughed and dramatically put the backside of her hand on her forehead. "Woe is me."

The girls all laughed together, albeit halfheartedly.

OOO

After that long day, Kagome wanted nothing more than to do lay down and sleep. So she did. Without changing clothes, without taking a bath, without eating dinner. She was just so exhausted that none of that seemed to matter anymore.

However, her peaceful slumber was interrupted by the pulsing of something she had not felt in a long time. She immediately shot up in her bed, her disarrayed, long hair falling into place.

"Shikon no Tama?" she whispered to herself, trembling slightly.

It was coming from the well.

She lifted her bed covers and slipped her feet onto the floor. She grabbed the nearest jacket and put on a pair of mismatching socks. Scaling the stairs, she looked back up once. It would only be for a little while... She'd come straight back after checking it out. It was probably nothing, anyway. A false alarm. While unlocking the door, she tapped her shoes on, too excited to even think if they were sensible or not.

Kagome couldn't help herself. She ran to the well house, overjoyed at the feel of the jewel shards for once. Slamming the door open, she ran down the steps and opened the well covers, peering into the seemingly endless darkness. Noting that there was no ladder, she draped it over the side of the well for climbing back up.

Then Kagome jumped.

That familiar, blue warmth enveloped her, tickling her senses. She giggled childishly, relishing in the feel of the time skip. The well was working again. Then the glow stopped.

Kagome hit water.

She panicked. There hadn't been any water in the well a year ago. She struggled to wade up to the top, her lungs burning for air. Once she reached the surface, she gasped and breathed unevenly, too shaken by the event to think otherwise.

Kagome started to observe her surroundings. There were significantly less trees, the greenery more like brownery. She could not hear the chirping of birds or any other animals. The whole place was...

Dead.

Yes, dead was the word. Everything was so ugly. It hadn't been that way a year ago. Quickly, Kagome searched for her favorite tree. To her dismay, she couldn't find it for quite some time, but eventually it turned up.

It had been cut to a stump.

That was impossible! It still existed in the present day so why wasn't it standing now? It didn't make sense.

Kagome felt the blood drain out of her face. Maybe more had changed since she had been away.

Maybe...she wasn't in the right time.

OOO

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