She awoke in the well.
It was as though she had been sleeping standing up, for she came to, completely alert, looking at one of the waalls of the well.
Old stone work, vines.
She blinked, and looked up.
Well, she said I'd wake up in the well, and here I am. Ok. Let's go have a look at what I need to look at. Not that it's going to make any difference.
She grabbed ahold of the vines, and realized she wasn't wearing the clothing from her world she had been when she had fallen asleep. Here he was wearing a light blue haori and black haori. She had small leather shoes on her feet. Her sword was still at her side, and there was a bow over one shoulder. A quiver of arrows hung on her back. For a split second, Kagome was terrified she was dressed as a Priestess, and she raised her hands to her hair.
She sighed, relieved, when she felt her hair was unbound and loose, as she always wore it.
I know it's stupid, she thought, grabbing ahold of the vine and pulling herself up, Dressing like Kikyo doesn't put me in competition with her. But I don't like dressing just like her. I'm not her, so I don't want to look like her!
Kagome blinked, and instantly touched her chest, feeling for the Shikon.
It was gone.
For a brief second, she panicked, then remembered she was asleep. Izumi watched over her. The Shikon was still on her body.
She remembered the day Izumi sat down and explained both to her and the others that Kagome was not Kikyo's reincarnation. The two women were similar in appearance, yes. And they had a tie to the Shikon. A tie that was given both of them by Midoriko. They both had Midoriko's spiritual power. Kagome and Kikyo were two seperate people, two seperate souls.
Grabbing the lip of the well, Kagome dragged herself up and over, perching on the edge.
She blinked.
This wasn't the forest she was used to. It was a forest, yes, but a different one. For starters there was a rather large hill near the well, and there certainly wasn't one normally. Also, the trees were different. They looked more like pines than decidious trees.
I think I'm more north, she thought to herself, standing on the ground, Like...around Yamagata. Certainly not as far as Hokkadio. Huh.
At her feet was the basket she had used earlier, to pick herbs. She picked it up, peering inside. More herbs lay there, different ones than the ones she picked. But the basket was hers, she recognised it.
Kagome started walking, pushing her way through the thicker pine trees, walking in the general direction of Kaede's village, or where it should be.
When she finally got clear of the forest, and walked into a little clearing, she saw there was only more forest down over the hill. Kaede's village certainly wasn't there.
So now what?
A faint trail passed by under her feet, and she looked at it.

Kagome chose at random, turning right, and started walking along it.
Several minutes later, she found herself deep in the forest again, pushing her way through. The bow occasionally got caught on branches, and she was forced to stop from time to time to pull herself clear.
This must be a stupid game trail. I should have gone left.
She managed to break out of the forest, hot, tired, sweaty, and with leaves in her hair. She cursed silently, then fell silent, gazing up wards.
A tall hill rose before her, and on the top of the hill, was an ancient castle. The stone walls surrounding the castle were thick and impressive. It seemed to loom over here, impressive in it's yellows, golds, greens and reds. A long path wove it's way up to the castle, and from where she was standing, she could see the lands belonging to it laid out before her. People worked in fields, moving to and from the castle, carrying goods. People seemed to be everywhere.
"Well..." she spoke to herself, "I guess I'm supposed to go there. It's the only place I can really see."
Tucking her bow back on her shoulder, she got a better grip on her basket of herbs, and started towards the path.

It wasn't too long before Kagome started passing people on the road. Some were on horses, others on carts. A lot walked. They all seemed to be busy at work, carrying things here and there. It was pretty much exactly as Kagome had seen images in her Feudal Japan history books. She had never seen any while in InuYasha's world, just because they had never come across any such large castles.
The first thing she noticed, as she walked, was that some of the people on the roads were demons. And a few were hanyou.
There weren't very many. Not even as many as in the village they were now staying in. But some. Most recieved no hard looks from the humans as they passed. Everyone pretty much just seemed to busy going about their lives.
The second thing she noticed was that there seemed to be a lot of guards walking the roads as well.
She assumed they were guards. They looked like soldiers, wearing swords and armor. A few were demon or hanyou. Kagome saw nothing that looked close to the armor of a samurai, so she assumed they were more the rank-and-file owned by whoever lived in the castle.
As she walked, she fell into step with an older woman who was walking slowly along the path. She tried to keep to the side so as not to get in anyone's way. Kagome fell into step with her, noticing the old woman seemed to be limping slightly.
"Excuse me, are you ok?" Kagome asked.
The old woman peered up at her, "Eh? Oh. My, yes, just age, but thank you for asking, my lady."
"Can you tell me who-"
Suddenly, a strange sound started up all around them. To Kagome it sounded weirdly like some sort of siren. All around her, the people froze in place, and then started running. Most left the road altogether, heading back towards the small villages that dotted the ground below.
The guards drew their swords, storming past, eyes and faces intent.
"What's going on?" Kagome asked, "What is that? Is that a siren?"
"We're being attacked!" the old woman cried, terrified, "They're attacking again!"
"Who's attacking!? What's going on?"
The old woman grabbed Kagome's arm with a vice-like grip, and started pulling her away from the road, "Come with me, young woman! If they see a lovely young thing like you, they'll take you for sure!"
"Who are you talking about?" Kagome yelled, surprised at the strength in the old woman's arms.
There was a loud screech, and Kagome turned, shocked, to see what looked like several demons swarming up the road towards her. They looked like a strange combination of bug and monkey. Green skin covered with brown fur, bulging eyes, twisting tails, they ran swiftly.
The people behind her, those who hadn't been able to get off the road, screamed, and turned, trying to bolt back up the twisting path. People were being knocked over, pushed aside, as everyone panicked.
Somewhere, a child started to cry, screaming for her mother.
Kagome dropped her basket of herbs, and drew her bow. Grabbing an arrow from her quiver, she lined up, drew, and released within seconds. A second arrow was on the string before the first one struck.
The lead demon screamed in shock, it's cry cutting short as the arrowhead embedded between it's eyes pierced it's brain, killing it. It fell backwards, silent, tripping one of the other demons behind it, slowing it down.
Kagome's second arrow struck the second demon in it's chest, sinking deep. The demon let out a ear-splitting screech, staggering backwards.
The third demon kept coming, and had closed the distance between it and the young woman.
Useless, Kagome let the bow fall to the ground, and drew her sword.
She remembered InuYasha telling her she was never to face a demon with her sword, alone. She could probably go head-to-head against a human who didn't have a lot of training, but a demon would always be too powerful for her. He only let her use her sword if he was there beside her, to make sure things never got out of control.
Well, I don't have a lot of choice right now! she thought, and raised her blade.
The demon she had injured with the arrow hung back, watching, spitting curses and blood. The third one, however, was uninjured, and it swung at her.
Kagome blocked the hit with her sword, but the impact travelled up the blade and into her arm, almost numbing her arm and hand instantly.
Well, I'm not going to find out much, I guess, she thought ruefully, Because I'm about to get killed.
Another hit, and her arm went numb.
Kagome tried to keep her blade up, to defend herself. She couldn't feel her arm, but could still see it, so maybe she could still use it to protect herself.
The demon gathered itself to attack, but suddenly cries and shouts went up from Kagome's right. Keeping her face turned to the demon, her eyes on it - InuYasha told her never to take her eyes off her attacker for more than a split-second - Kagome cast her gaze to the side, just long enough to see a handful of guards come barrelling down, swords out, screaming a battle cry.
The demon facing Kagome hissed at her in fury, then turned to attack the new threat.
Kagome backed up several feet, putting more distance between the demon and herself, and lowered her numb, weak arm with a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
It took three tries before she was able to sheath her sword.
The old woman was still crouched on the ground, but was staring at Kagome with wide eyes.
Kagome knelt beside her, "Are you ok, were you hurt?"
The old woman blinked at her, and then spoke, "You attacked that demon! You shot them with arrows, and then attacked them!"
Kagome weakly laughed, "Well...sort of. I'm just glad the guards came. Are you ok?"
She helped the old woman back up to her feet.
"I am fine. What is your name, young one?"
"I'm Kagome."
"Kagome. Well, I'm in your debt, Kagome. I owe you my life, as do, I suspect, a number of the people here on this road."
"Oh, no, I just...I only slowed them down."
"You killed one directly! You shot it right between the eyes!" came the voice of a woman standing on the side.
Kagome looked up to see there was a little crowd starting to gather, now that the demons had been slain.
"Did you see it?" one man asked another, "That woman, right there! She used her arrows, and killed a demon! Then drew a sword, a real sword, and attacked!"
"I didn't attack!" Kagome said, trying to set the matter straight, "I defended! There's a big difference! The soldiers attacked!"
"Miss."
Kagome turned to see a man walking towards her. His armor was different, a little brighter, yet had more dents. As he approached, he removed his helmet to reveal a man about 30 or 40. He had a rather long mustache, black as his hair, but with a few greys starting to show up. His face was leathery, testimony to long years in the sun.
"Uh...yes sir?" Kagome bowed to the stranger.
"Please come with me."
Kagome took a faltering step backwards, "Wh-what? Why?"
"Just come with me. The Lord will wish to speak to you."
"I didn't do anything!" Kagome said in a rush, uneasy, "I didn't hurt anyone!"
The man's face softened slightly, "You aren't in trouble, my lady. But I do think my Lord would like to talk to you. Please, come with me."
"Don't be afraid," the old woman said kindly, patting Kagome on the arm, "The Lord and Lady of the castle are good people, fair and kind. You don't need to be afraid of them."
"I...ok." She said weakly. Kagome bent down and picked up her basket of herbs...not entirely sure why...and then followed the man back up the path, towards the looming castle.
The other guards fell into step behind her. For a moment Kagome was frightened she was being arrested for something, until she realized it was more of a protective guard surrounding her than anything else.
They called me "my lady", she thought, They must think I'm some noblewoman or something. Maybe that's why I'm being taken up there. Oh no, I hope I don't get into trouble when they find out I'm not a noblewoman, I'd just be a "commoner" here in this time.

It took a little while to get to the top, where they passed through the massive gates of the castle. Kagome could see the gates were well oiled, and the locking mechanism was in place. Apparently they were used to having to defend the castle.
They had passed through three separate gates on their way up here, each one attached to walls that surrounded sections of the land. Kagome could see how, if an army invaded, the people could be called in, and the gates closed. In this way, the majority of the land, and the people, were protected.
This place must get attacked a lot.
Inside the main gates, the yard was paved with brick and cobblestone, swept clean. The walls looked somewhat fresh, as if only painted several months ago. Lanterns stood on poles, waiting to be lit. There was a lot of color and decoration everywhere. It was obviously a rather well-to-do place. Clean, well tended.
As they walked, they passed a pool in the middle, water flowers blooming in the middle. Stone benches stood here and there, allowing people to sit and admire the beauty.
All the people there, Kagome saw, looked happy. While they didn't walk around beaming like idiots, they spoke to each other as they passed, everyone on rather good terms with everyone else. Everyone wore lovely clothing, clean. Even those Kagome could tell were the servants of the place, seemed in good health, clean, and content.
The man she had been following, the man she was coming to think of as "The General" for no real reason, turned and looked at her.
"You carry medicinal herbs. Are you a healer, then?"
"I...sort of."
"Sort of?"
"I'm..." Kagome searched for an answer, and ended up with, "I'm apprenticed. To a healer named Kaede."
"Ah, in training then. Good. Follow me."
He led her to a small building, the back of the building attached to one of the outter walls. There was a large trellis outside, with many herbs tied to it, in various stages of drying. Plants grew outside here as well, planted in large pots that were well watered. There were a lot of stone benches there, and even a few things that looked to Kagome like stone beds. She suddenly realized she was looking at what was basically a clinic. Herbs, medicines, and places for ill people to rest while waiting for treatment.
I've never seen anything like this in any history book, she thought.
The General motioned to one of the benches, "Put your basket there. As well as your weapons."
Kagome had placed her basket where he told her, but blinked at him, "My weapons?"
He nodded, "No one may go armed in the presence of my Lord. I am sorry, my Lady, but those are the rules. I am sure you understand."
"I...yes." She said simply. It was a common rule. And if she couldn't be injured, then there was no reason to insist she remain armed. She removed her bow, quiver, and sword, and placed them near her basket. She could almost hear InuYasha now, telling her she was an idiot for putting aside her weapons.
Kagome turned, and followed The General. She noticed the other soldiers had all vanished, leaving to go back to guard duty, perhaps.
The General led her through some more gates, and then up a small stairway, and into a large building.
The minute they were inside, Kagome realized she was going to be presented before the Lord and Lady of the castle. The place suddenly became more opulant, a faint scent of flowers and inscence in the air. The colors in here were bolder, and brighter. Gold leaf brought medallions on walls out brilliantly. Exotic flowers stood in large pots against the walls.
They approached a large door, with two guards standing on either side of it. The door was open, and the two guards saluted as The General and Kagome walked through.
Kagome only caught sight of two tall chairs back against one wall before she lowered her eyes, as would be expected of a commoner in the presence of royalty. Keeping her eyes on the feet of The General, she stopped behind him, and prepared to kneel. She had no problems showing obesiance to the Lord and Lady - it didn't demean her in any way, and she had to act like she belonged there.
But The General was already talking, "Here is the one you heard about, my Lord. The woman who defended several of our people from the demon attack."
There was a long silence, and Kagome kept looking at her feet, not sure what she was supposed to do. No one said anything, and she started to figit.
"Lift your head," came a male voice, "Don't lower your eyes, you have nothing to fear here."
Kagome paused for a second, and then looked up.
For a second, for a split second, she thought Sesshomaru was sitting on the chair before her. The silver hair, golden eyes, aristocratic face. She blinked at him in confusion for a minute, before she realized who she was looking at.
That's InuYasha's father!
"She looks shocked," spoke the woman at his side, and Kagome almost gasped to realize it was Izayoi.
It...it's...
"Don't be scared," Izayoi said, her voice soft and gentle. Kagome looked at her in utter shock. A small, detached part of her mind noticed that Izayoi and Izumi did indeed resemble each other, and she understood now why InuYasha had been so upset when he had first seen Izumi, and thought it was his mother.
"Is it true?" InuTashio spoke, his voice shockingly deep and smooth. Kagome realized just how much Sesshomaru took after his father.
"Is...uh.."
"Is it true that you defended some of my people from the demon attack? I heard you killed one with an arrow, wounded a second, then drew a sword against a third."
"I..." she swallowed hard, "Uh...yes. My Lord. I did." She just now realized InuTashio was wearing the crimson haori she was so used to seeing on InuYasha, though his hakama were black. Red embraoidery at the ankles set off the haori even more.
"Interesting." He smiled.
Kagome found herself flinching. When Sesshomaru smiled, it usually meant someone was about to be disemboweled.
"She is a healer's apprentice," The General spoke.
"Is she now?" Izayoi said, suddenly smiling as well. Like Izumi, it lit up her whole face, "Who are you apprenticed to, miss?"
"Uh...her name is Kaede."
"Kaede?" Izayoi frowned slightly, "I don't know that name."
"She's not from around here," Kagome found herself saying, "That is, I'm not from here."
"Where are you from, then? And what is your name?"
"I...my name is Kagome, my lady. And I live...really far away," she finished lamely.
"And does this far away place have a name?" InuTashio said, bemused.
"It's...uh...called...Miyazaki." Kagome reached for one of the most southern provinces in Japan, trying to remember what Miyazaki was even called during the Feudal periods.
"Miyazaki," InuTashio said, leaning back in his chair, "Mmm. I have never heard of this place."
Kagome metally sighed in relief, "Well, as I said my lord, it's very very far away."
"And why are you here, then?"
Kagome froze, "Uh..."
At that moment, a side door to the throne room opened, and InuYasha walked in.