Manami sighed happily, "Finally, I've been waiting for this little camping trip all week."
Emiko grinned at her, "I know me too, an entire weekend to ourselves, just us and the wilderness."
They walked most of the day before they got to the perfect spot to set up camp. By sunset they had everything settled and were just sitting together talking. Emiko soon got bored though.
"Why don't we just check out the surrounding area a bit before the sun goes down, like you know see if there's a river nearby or something."
Manami laughed, "Alright, I guess so… just uh, bring your bow and arrows… I'd rather be safe than sorry."
"Ah good idea."
They headed out, taking in every detail they could about their surroundings and making mental notes of ways to get back to their camp.
"Hey! Look what's that over there?" Emiko took off running in the direction of what looked to be a square rock. Manami groaned and ran after her.
"Emi, come on it's just a… a… a well? What in the world is a well doing all the way out here?"
Emiko shook her head, "I dunno…" she looked around, "Hmm… um Manami… do you see that tree over there?"
"Yea? What about it? It's just a tree; I'm more interested in the well…"
"I know, but… there's something… I don't know… off about it… like that scar on it… and it's almost like it's-."
"AH EMIKO!"
Emiko turned to see Manami falling into the well. The wood siding had given way. Emiko quickly bent over and grabbed Manami's arm. She was afraid to lean on the well though, and she was having a hard time keeping her grip on Manami.
"Good going Manami… now what?"
"Hey, it's not my fault this well is like a hundred years old and rotting! Just pull me out!"
"I don't know if I can… I don't have a good enough grip! Wait… what is that?"
A purplish light began to shine from the bottom of the well. The more Manami slipped in Emiko's grasp, the brighter it got. Suddenly, Emiko lost her footing and went flying into the well, both of them falling into the light. They screamed until they realized that they weren't hitting the ground.
"Whoa… this is trippy… what in the world is going on? You alright Manami?"
"Yea I'm fine but… what is this?"
"Like I'm supposed to know…"
Then they were being flipped. They shut their eyes tight and held on to each other. When they felt soft dirt underneath them, they slowly opened their eyes. They were in the bottom of the well.
They looked at each other uneasily, "We… we couldn't have imagined that… could we?"
Manami shook her head, "I have no idea, but I'm getting out of here."
Emiko nodded and together they struggled and fought their way up out of the well. Once out they took a quick look around. They were still surrounded by forest and everything seemed the same…
Emiko gasped, "Manami look! The tree!" She took off for the tree, Manami scrambling after her. When they stood in front of it they both gasped.
"What the-?" Manami blinked, and then rubbed her eyes.
Emiko took a step towards the tree, "Ow…" pinned to the tree by an arrow in his chest was a boy, who seemed about their age, with long white hair, a red kimono and… two white, dog-like ears.
"I wonder how he got up there… Manami… do you think he's dead?"
"Well yea, he's got an arrow in his chest, pinning him to the tree… what do you think?"
Vines had begun to grow over the boy and Emiko, mesmerized, used them to climb up to the boy.
"Emiko! What are you doing?"
"The poor thing… he's so cute… who would do something like this? Hmm I wonder what's with the ears though…" She tugged on one, "AH! They're real! Manami, his dog ears are real!"
Manami bit her lip, "Um… maybe you should get down from there… I'm getting the feeling we're not alone."
Emiko looked at the arrow, "Hmm, I wonder if I could pull it out, I'm sure people don't wanna walk around the woods and see a dead body up here… we could bury it… and maybe he'll be at peace then too."
"You're out of your mind! Just leave him!"
Emiko tentatively reached across the boy's chest and slowly wrapped her fingers around the arrow. As soon as she tugged it, the arrow pulsed in her hand and the boy stirred. She yelped and let go of the arrow.
"Who goes there?" an elderly woman with a patch over her eye stepped out of the woods, with a bow and arrow in hand. Emiko jumped and fell from the tree.
"What are ye two girls doin' out here?"
Manami spoke first before Emiko said something stupid and got them in trouble, "Well… we don't know… we're lost… you see, we fell into that well over there and now-."
"Ye came through the well?"
"Yes ma'am."
"And why were ye messing with InuYasha?"
"Who?"
"That half-demon there on the tree, InuYasha."
Emiko looked back at the tree, "InuYasha…" she noticed him stir once again.
Manami gulped, "Um right well…" the woman cut her off.
"Ye have awoken the spirit of InuYasha! Whatever ye do, ye must not remove the arrow! 50 years ago my sister, Priestess Kikyo, used her sacred arrow to seal InuYasha to this tree, forever."
Emiko frowned, "Why? Why would she do something like that?"
"InuYasha, as I mentioned already, is a half-demon, his wish was to become a full demon. In order to grant that wish InuYasha needed the Sacred Shikon Jewel, which was under my sister's protection. He attacked our town and stole it from the shrine where it was kept. Before he could get far though, Kikyo shot him with a sacred arrow, sealing him to this tree… this sacred tree. Only moments after, Kikyo herself died from wounds she had suffered in the battle."
Emiko and Manami blinked, "Oh… yikes."
"So um… whatever happened to the jewel?"
"No one is really sure; it disappeared after we cremated Kikyo."
"Hmmm…"
Manami noticed the old woman studying them. When the old lady saw her watching her, she spoke once more.
"My name is Lady Kaede. I don't mean to be rude, but ye two are a very strange pair… how is it that ye came through the well?"
"Nice to meet you, I'm Manami, and that's Emiko. We sort of just fell in…"
Emiko laughed, "Well she fell in, and then dragged me down with her."
Kaede frowned, "It's very strange indeed… tell me, when are ye from?"
"When? Um… 2011… why?"
"Oh my… years and years into the future…"
Emiko jumped up, "AH! Don't tell me, we… when we went through that well we traveled back in time to feudal Japan! That would explain the clothes… and… well yea."
Kaede nodded, "Come back to the village with me and we shall discuss it more."
