A/N: yeah, haven't been here in a while… but I felt like writing something Inuyasha-ish

A/N: yeah, haven't been here in a while… but I felt like writing something Inuyasha-ish. So here I am!! To the people who had been reading Once Again, I'm sorry I haven't updated, and I can't promise you I will any time soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

XXXX

Darkness.

Darkness surrounded her, swallowed her, drowned her. No matter where she looked, no matter where she walked, Darkness was there. It was her personal stalker. It went wherever she went, hiding the world from her. A lump formed in her throat as she strained her eyes to see past the darkness. It was all in vain.

Tears swelled up and threatened to overflow from her blue eyes. Reaching out a hand in front of her, she groped for something, though she didn't know what. Her hand caught nothing but air. She opened her mouth, trying to call out to someone. Her throat constricted—no noise bubbled past her lips. She closed her eyes.

Darkness was still there.

Inuyasha.

XXXX

Kagome sat up, her chest heaving, and covered in a cold sweat. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table.

3:30 A.M.

Sighing, she ran a trembling hand through her ebony hair. A bitter laugh escaped her from her lips as her fingers reached no hair to run through eight inches from her scalp.

That's because you cut it, you idiot.

Shoving her sheets off of her, she stood up and shuffled towards the hallway. Upon entering the hallway, she heard something clatter downstairs. Flicking the stairway light on, she rolled her eyes and started down them.

This is either one really bad burglar or….

She turned into the kitchen and switched the lights on.

Souta.

"Wow, Souta, you could at least be a bit quieter when you try to sneak back in at three-thirty in the morning," she scoffed, crossing her arms. Souta smiled sheepishly at his sister.

"Sorry-sis," he slurred.

"Why the hell were you out, anyway? You're only thirteen," she reprimanded, her sisterly instincts finally kicking in.

"There was this awesome party, and everyone was going!" Souta said in a now stoned voice, holding up the rock sign.

"You really suck at acting stoned and drunk, Souta. Cut the crap and tell me the truth," she demanded, smirking when her brother dropped his drunken façade and looked at her with guilt etched into every pore of his face. Her smirk slipped into an open-mouthed look of disbelief when she realized just exactly what his expression meant.

He had tried to do it again.

"Souta, I told you that it was impossible," she hissed, grabbing her brother by the collar of his shirt. "The well's sealed and there's no changing that."

"Sis, you know that you need to go back. Even Sess—." He was cut off by his sister's burning glare.

"Don't you ever mention his name, Souta," she growled in a dangerously low voice.

"Stop being so stubborn, Kagome, and just go back," Souta argued, prying his sister's fingers off his shit with a strength she wasn't aware he possessed.

Kagome faltered, stepping back and staring at her little brother in shock. He had called her Kagome, not sis. Her eyes registered him in a new light.

He was taller than her now, almost six-two. His face was no longer round and innocent—it was squared and manly. The word repulsed her. Her baby brother was manly. She shuddered, closing her eyes.

It wasn't until Souta wiped away her tears and pulled her into a hug, did she realize that she was crying. No, sobbing was more like it. She couldn't even really figure why, either.

"It's okay, sis," Souta whispered, rubbing her back soothingly. "It's okay. You'll be okay."

She couldn't help but to disagree. She knew that she wouldn't be okay.

But at least they'll be.

XXXX

"You need to open the well," he stated simply, reclining back in his giant leather chair. Kagome rolled her eyes at the demon. She had heard him say this about a billion times and each time she had told him a simple two letter reply. And still he couldn't get it through his thick skull.

"You know, Sesshoumaru, I really don't care what you tell me to do, because it's not going to happen," she answered, glaring at him with hard eyes.

"Kagome, your life depends on it," he tried and she shook her head. Sighing he tried a different approach, "My life." She shook her head again, a smug smile creeping onto her soft features. "Inuyasha's life."

"Hardly," Kagome snorted, relaxing into the armchair she was seated in.

"You're so, unbelievably, stubborn," the demon sighed, playing with the ring on his third finger that kept him concealed from the humans in this era.

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment," he corrected, staring at her exasperatedly.

"How's Rin?" she asked, directing their conversation away from her and to his adopted daughter.

"Engaged," he sighed.

"To whom?" she inquired, leaning onto his desk with interest.

"I'll tell you if you open the well."

"I hate you," she hissed, frowning at him.

"When did you ever not?"

XXXX

Sesshoumaru watched Kagome disappear through the doors of his office. He ran his fingers through his short brown hair, the illusion created by his ring. Gazing down at the ring he examined it with mild interest. It was a simple gold band that doubled as his wedding band. Courtesy of Kagome.

She just didn't know it yet.

A soft knock sounded from the door, breaking him out of his trance. He beckoned the person in before straightening in his chair, expecting someone important to enter. Upon seeing who it was that graced him with their presence, he relaxed back into the chair.

"Hello, Sango," he greeted the woman.

"You need to fill out some paperwork on the Tanaka merger for me, and then you need to give me a copy of the contract with the Nakamura's to read over," she said, not bothering to stop to say 'hello'.

"Please, no talk of work, Sango," he begged, letting his head fall back onto his seat.

Crossing her arms, she pursed her lips and sat on the corner of his desk, waiting for his to speak. Realizing that he just needed a few moments to think, she straightened her black pencil skirt and crossed her ankles. Looking down at her hands in her lap, she waited in silence for what was bothering her boss.

"Dear God, Sesshoumaru, tell me what's bugging you," she demanded.

"Kagome's still not opening the well, and we're running out of time," he explained, still not looking at her. Sango's hazel eyes softened and she reached over to pat him sympathetically on the shoulder.

"She'll come around, Sesshoumaru. I'm proof," she offered, he snorted. "And if you really get anxious, you can always send me to talk to her," she joked.

"She's not expecting you to be alive, Sango."

"I don't blame her. I still don't believe I'm still alive," she laughed, causing a smirk to form on her boss's face.

XXXX

A/N: okay so that's the first chapter. Yes, I'm aware it's a bit of a stretch to say that Sango and Kohaku are still alive, but I have an idea that I think will make it work.

This is just a bit of background info that I don't want people nagging me on:

Present day Japan will be in 2008 not in the late 1990's, just because it's easier to keep track of incase I need to put in tiny details (i.e.: cars and such)

It's been 1-2 years since Naraku's defeat (I'm still deciding exactly how long)

Kagome's 18

Souta's 13

The rest of the gang is obviously going to make an entrance along with some new character's that are mine, even though they might be a tad bit Mary Sue-ish.

I would appreciate it if some of you comment, telling me what you like and dislike. Feel free to give me some constructive criticism on my writing style too.