02. Who's the Scariest of Them All?

In her young, nineteen years of life, Asami never thought that she would be staring death in the face, and that it would be a strange man wielding a sword that seemed like it belonged in a damn movie. The sword's wielder glared down at her with oddly colored, golden slitted eyes. He had long white hair that reached his knees and a threatening scowl upon his face as he glowered down at her. Behind him, an assortment of people wandered into the clearing from the brush, tense and ready to fight, but the woman only focused at the enormous blade that was currently pointed at her face. Near the hilt was fur, and the blade was enormous. For a fraction of a second, she wondered how he could hold the blade with one hand, but another feature of the stranger's appearance caught her eyes. Atop of his head were two white ears like that of a dog, and Asami blinked in surprised. What the hell was going on?

"Who the hell are you?"

Well, Asami thought as she frowned, someone is a tad bit rude.

"Answer me!" he demanded.

A scowl crossed her face as Asami huffed, "Hate to break it to you, but you would get a better response out of someone if you weren't, I don't know, shoving a sword in their face?" The man blinked at her, and Asami took the chance to scoot herself back and away from his blade. She bit her tongue as she looked past him, examining the trio behind him. All three had black hair and brown eyes, but there was one male and two females. The male was a monk, clad in dark blue robes, and beside him stood a woman in a pink kimono with a green apron. The other woman held what seemed to be a strange child in her arms with orange hair and elf ears, but what Asami recognized about this woman was that she was wearing a typical school uniform. One that she had once attended a few years back.

"Inuyasha," the monk called, snapping Asami out of her thoughts. Brilliant, smoldering blue eyes turned to look at the dark-haired male as he stepped forward. "The lady is quite right. You will never find the answers you're looking for like that."

Relief washed through her and she sighed, "At least someone—"

A sharp intake of breath cut her off as the monk moved to kneel in front of her, his face serious. Reaching out, he gripped at her left hand and stroked it gently. "Miss, your beauty is unrivaled," he murmured. "Would you do me the honor of bearing my—"

Asami blinked and pulled her hand away, kicking out a foot. The monk's sentence cut off and he fell back with a hard cough. Her heart hammered in her chest as she slid herself farther back. Something about the glare of the woman in the pink kimono made her react and Asami was grateful that his sentence had not been completed, "Uhh… look. Where I'm from, guys don't just go touching on women that they just met, so if you could not just… touch me?" Her voice trailed off with a fearful quiver as the white-haired male glared at her, "Who are you?" he demanded once more, pointing the blade at her again.

"A-Asami!" she squeaked, "My name is Asami! Now, would you please put the sword away?! I have exams coming up and would love to not be impaled beforehand!"

The woman in the school uniform stepped forward and reached out to the male, gently forcing him to lower his weapon. Golden eyes darted from Asami to his companion, and a gentle smile made her pale lips curve as she nodded to Asami. "Forgive him. Inuyasha has no idea how much exams mean to girls like us," she said with a light laugh. "I'm sorry if we scared you. I'm Kagome. Kagome Higurashi. This is Inuyasha," she said motioning to the red clad male with the strange ears, "and the one you kicked is Miroku."

"I'm Shippo!" the child in her arms exclaimed. "Are you from Kagome's world?!"

World? Asami's eyes narrowed in confusion as she looked to Kagome for an explanation. A nervous chuckle escaped the middle schooler and she gave Asami a shrug, "I… uh… I should explain."

"We're not explaining anything until she fesses up!" the male introduced as Inuyasha barked. "She reeks of Naraku's scent!"

The clearing went silent and the monk, who had found his way back to his feet, shifted to stand in front of the woman in the pink kimono. Asami looked around, her eyes wide as they landed on Kagome, "Wh-Who?"

"Inuyasha," the younger woman said. Her tone was akin to that of Asami's mother when she was warning her daughter to shut her damned mouth, and the nineteen-year-old grimaced.

"Talk!" he pressed.

"Who is Naraku?" Asami managed. Her stomach was churning, yet felt knotted. Names were being thrown at her, without so much as an explanation, and the darkening sky only made the college student even more anxious. If she did not get home by midnight, her mother would freak out!

"Don't play stupid!"

"INUYASHA! SIT!"

Asami shrieked as the necklace around his neck shone a bright lilac hue before the one named Inuyasha landed face first in the ground. Panic settled in on Asami as she threw herself backwards, wide eyes darting to the scowling middle schooler. "Okay!" Asami finally shouted, finding her voice once more. "Can someone tell me where I am, and what the hell is going on?!"

Brown eyes met her with a hint of sadness and Asami felt the churning in her stomach turn into nausea. Whatever Kagome was thinking about, whatever she was going to tell her, was not something Asami wanted to hear. Asami was ready to ask again when a sliver of black caught her attention on her shoulder. The college student turned her head to find that her once crimson hair was now a deep, jet black and a sharp gasp escaped her as Inuyasha groaned and got to his feet. "B-Black hair?!" she nearly shrieked as she tugged at the strands, a pained expression passing over her face as she whimpered from the sharp tug. "Ow… oh my god. My mother is going to slaughter me!" Her panicked blue eyes turned to the strangers, "Wh—What color are my eyes?!"

Kagome seemed to realize that she was panicking, because the younger woman put her hands up as if she were surrendering to the woman. "Blue, Asami. Your eyes are—"

Asami reached up to touch her cheeks, "Did… Did you say…? Oh no. Oh no. Oh no!" She tried to keep her breathing calm, but the breaths began to come in smaller bursts and much quicker. In the back of her mind, Asami knew that she was hyperventilating, it was something she did often enough when panicked, and she gripped at the sides of her head as she tried to breathe. "Blue… Blue eyes! Like that—"

Her head snapped up as she looked at Kagome once more. "A mirror! Is there a mirror around here with like a gold painted bronze design on the edges?!"

Kagome frowned, "No. I'm afraid not."

"No…? Then… how…?"

Kagome turned to hand Inuyasha the child in her arms before making her way towards Asami against the half demon's wishes. She carefully got down on her knees and reached a gentle hand out to touch the panicking woman's shoulder, "Asami? Why are you asking about a mirror?"

Blue hues blinked up at her, "Because… that's what I last saw… touched? Damn it!" Asami cursed, her breathing becoming more and more tight and short, "I touched a mirror after it changed my reflection… and then I was waking up here. Please," Asami reached out, grabbing at Kagome's outstretched arm like an anchor, "Kagome, where am I?"

The young woman looked at her with pity. Anger flared up in Asami's stomach, but anxiety quenched the flames before they could grow. Ash seemed to dry up her mouth as Kagome replied with a soft, careful voice that seemed to whisper in the gentle afternoon breeze.

"The feudal era. We're in feudal Japan, Asami."

"The… feudal era?" Her voice sounded strained, but Asami could only watch in horror as Kagome nodded. She had felt pain, real pain, when she tugged at her hair, so Asami knew that this was not a dream. Yet, nothing was making sense! She was just in class, cleaning for extra credit, and now this girl was telling her that she had gone through the mirror to an entirely different time period?! Her breathing nearly stopped, and Kagome reached out to grab at her shoulders. "Breathe, Asami!" Kagome gently coached, "It's okay! You're not in danger right now. Just breathe."

"H-How… How are you here then?" Asami whispered, her smoldering blue eyes scanning the rest of Kagome's companions. "If you're from my time, then…?"

"I go through a well," Kagome explained gently. "We can take you there."

"If it doesn't work," the other woman who Asami had yet to learn the name of spoke up. "Then we can search for this mirror you were asking about. We wouldn't leave you out here alone, and if the well doesn't work, then we can at least try and find this mirror." A kind smile crossed the girl's lips as she stepped around the monk and crouched down with an adorable creature in her arms. "I'm Sango," she introduced herself, holding out a hand.

"A-Asami," she repeated with a nod. "Uh, I… Its nice to meet you, Sango. All of you, actually. I'm… I'm just…"

"You're in shock," Kagome finished. "This mirror you came through… was it glowing?"

Asami nodded. "It did after I got closer to it. It… It showed me looking different. I... I had red hair and green eyes! The mirror showed me black hair with weird glowing blue eyes…" Asami's voice trailed off as she gripped the sides of her head. "This is ridiculous! How did a mirror bring me to the Feudal Era?!"

Kagome could only squeeze Asami's shoulder. "I'm not sure, but we're going to find out. Let's try the well, okay?"

Asami nodded and forced herself up onto her feet. Her hands were trembling, and she stuffed them in her jacket pockets with purpose as she looked up at the sky. "Yeah. Yes… Thank you, Kagome."

Asami noted that this Inuyasha fellow stayed behind her, probably because he did not trust her, and she kept pace with Kagome. How this girl could find her way out of the forest was a skill Asami was astounded by. The tree line thinned until they breached the forest's edge and crested a hill. Asami stopped and gasped. Tokyo held no natural beauty to it. Everything in the city was steel and concrete, filled with loud noises and people, but the scene before her took her breath away. Paddy fields and rolling green hills gave way to a village. Little huts of brown, likely wood and hide, were strategically placed to form a path and between the small huts were dark dots which Asami took to be people hanging about. She stepped closer to the ledge, her blue eyes glued to the natural beauty of the land around her. The green of the hills was awash with the sunset, casting an orange hue against the foliage of the earth and Asami turned. Even the forest's edge seemed to bristle with life. Birds were chirping once more in the early evening sun, and she closed her eyes to listen.

"What are you doing?"

Asami gasped, the peaceful illusion broken as Inuyasha poked at her back. She looked over her shoulder at him, stepping back and away while eyeing the sheath upon his hip. Confusion bubbled up in her. The sword that he had pulled out on her had been rather large, at least four or five times bigger than that of the sheath, yet the hilt was situated perfectly in the wood.

"S-Sorry. I just… You don't see nature like this in Tokyo," she admitted with her eyes falling down to her feet. Her black sneakers were dotted with loose grass and she cleared her throat before turning away from him. "I'm sorry to hold you up, I uh… I'm okay." The lame statement was followed by her jogging after Kagome. She had wasted enough time gawking at the scenery and as she fell into step behind the shorter woman with trepidation. This well seemed to be her only source of hope, but even then, would anyone have believed her? If she returned to her time, how would she find Kagome's home? Would she have believed herself?

It took the group a little bit of time to reach the well. The sky had bled away from blue to orange, streaked with lavenders and greys as night approached. The well was nothing like she had been expecting, but Asami stepped closer as Kagome turned to her with a smile. "This is it," she said. "I normally jump in and end up landing back on the other side. The well is connected to my home in the modern world, so…"

"So, I just jump in?" Asami said. "Easy enough."

She sat on the edge and swung her legs over. Peering into the darkened well, Asami could make out vines that were climbing up out of the darkness and even some strange shapes at the bottom, but nothing identifying. She took a deep breath and pushed herself from the side. She had expected another strange light. She had expected to land on the other side of the well and be back home. She had expected to even wake up and realize that she had just fallen asleep in class, but Asami's feet hit the ground and she tumbled forward, landing face first in the dirt. Pain rocketed through her left leg and her right ankle throbbed from the impact. A shout of her name came from above her, and Asami pushed herself onto her hands and knees with a cough. Dirt and dust had kicked up in her fall and she coughed repeatedly.

"Asami!?" Kagome called down, leaning over the mouth of the well. "Are you still there?!"

"Y-Yeah! Am I supposed to do anything specific?!" she coughed up, wiping at her dirt covered cheeks.

"No," Kagome called back down. "Hold on! Inuyasha is going to come get you!"

"Oh great, because he totally—"

Vermillion flashed in her vision and Asami felt the ground disappear from beneath her feet as someone grabbed her. A fearful shriek left her, and she clutched at the red fabric until she felt her feet touch the ground once more. Inuyasha snickered as Asami pried herself from him, clutching at her chest.

"What was that?" he asked, innocently.

"N-Nothing…!" Asami squeaked.

Inuyasha threw his head back and laughed. The well hadn't worked, though, and Asami frowned as she looked at the wooden well with a sigh. So, it seemed that she had to look for the mirror. If Kagome was able to travel through this well back and forth from her time to the feudal era, then perhaps Asami would be able to return home with the mirror. She pondered the circumstances of her predicament until the group led her into the village that she had seen earlier. Even in the early evening light, Asami was taken with the village. The people were friendly, calling out to Kagome and her companions as they passed, and Asami made sure to duck her head down to avoid being noticed. With eyes as strange as she saw in that mirror earlier today, she sure as hell did not want to scare anyone. She was already so far from home, and she did not want to make things worse.

It was not long before they entered a hut with Kagome calling out to the older woman who inhabited it. A gentle smile crossed the woman's face and Asami introduced herself with a deep bow. Her clothes were dirtied from the fall and as she entered the abode, she took off her sneakers. She sat near the fire as the group dissolved into chatter and a sigh escaped Asami as she leaned against the wall, staring into the flickering flames. She slipped her hands into her jacket pocket again as a gently breeze blew into the hut and she shivered. Her fingers brushed against the rigid plastic of her phone case and she pulled it out, eyeing the device. It still had nearly a full battery, and she sighed as she popped open the camera, turning it to look at her. The sound that left Asami's lips made everyone turn.

The strangled gasp that had erupted from her was accompanied with tears. Her long crimson locks had darkened and become jet black, yet were still soft as she ran her fingers through them. Her emerald green eyes had brightened to a blazing ethereal blue, as if it were a glowing light in the distance on a cold winter morning and the splash of freckles which now dotted her cheeks, while light, were still a pleasant surprise. She stared at her image in the camera and even as tears rolled down her cheeks, she found herself… happy. Her whole life she had felt out of place with her bright hair, and to have it become a more natural hue, and one that matched her mother's perfectly, Asami could not help the tears of joy that cascaded down her hot cheeks.

"A-Asami?" Kagome asked, shuffling over. "Are you okay?"

Asami wanted to answer, but all she could manage was a nod as she covered her mouth to stifle the sob that was caught in her throat. Her lips curved into a grateful smile as she clicked the button for a picture and wiped at her eyes. She turned the screen to Kagome and laughed. "This… is incredible," she whispered as she flipped between an old picture and the new one. "That… That is what I looked like before the mirror."

Kagome blinked at the picture and then turned to look at Asami, "Well… I like the black better." Asami only giggled as Kagome stated her opinion. Yes, she was beginning to like the middle schooler beside her. "Me too!" she told Kagome, then flipped the pictures to one of her mother. "This… is my mom. You can see why I didn't like my red hair. Parent teacher conferences were awful."

Kagome laughed with her and the two girls fell into idle chatter as the raven-haired woman turned off her phone. There would be no signal or service in the feudal era, and Asami wanted to save as much battery as she could for when she would return home. Her change of appearance was accepted so easily that Asami wondered if Kagome saw things like this every day since she had started venturing to this world. Speaking of which…

"So… Inuyasha?" she started tentatively. The ivory locks swayed ever so slightly as his golden eyes found her. He arched a brow at her. "May I… uh… ask?" Asami sighed as she cursed her tied tongue. A moment passed before she finally managed to force out her question. "So, what's with the ears?"

Inuyasha blinked at her. "I'm a half-demon," he replied, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Asami's brows rose in surprise and she blinked at him as Kagome chuckled nervously, elbowing her companion in the side. "Uh... yeah. I… I should have warned you about that. Surprisingly, the myths about demons aren't as—"

"Did… Did you say demon?" Asami asked.

"I did," Inuyasha replied with a nod. "You got a problem with it?"

Asami's hands flew up to her hair, the darkened device in her hand tangling with her long hair. "Oh this is just great!" Her eyes turned to Kagome, wide and wild like a trapped animal, "And you just happen to wander around with demons?!"

Kagome raised her hands with a nervous chuckle as Asami turned to look at the others in the group. So, Inuyasha was obvious. Sure, but what about the monk? The woman named Sango? The child?! Asami's eyes locked onto the small child from earlier and her eyes widened. While he had auburn hair tied up in a rather short ponytail, Asami's smoldering gaze lingered on the boy's ears. They were pointed like an elf from fantasy stories, but he had legs and feet like a fox with a big, bushy light brown tail. While she was surprised that demons were real, this child was just so darn cute that Asami could not find a reason to fear him.

"Huh? Are there no demons in your world Kagome?" Shippo asked.

Asami shook her head. She was about to answer when the sound of whistling winds suddenly picked up and Inuyasha visibly tensed. Her hands released her raven locks and Asami tucked her phone safely into her pocket before looking around at every one. Miroku shook his head as Sango rolled her eyes. The cat in Sango's arms hardly moved and Shippo groaned as Inuyasha scoffed and got to his feet.

"G-Guys?" Asami started. "What's going on?"

"NARAKU!" a voice called from outside just seconds before the hide was pushed aside and a male stormed in. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Inuyasha groaned. Of course, Koga would appear. He smelled the same scent that he did earlier. He scoffed and opened his mouth to speak when the wolf turned his angry eyes to Asami. The woman moved a bit closer to Kagome in fear and the demon snarled. "Back away from her or I'll—"

White and green flashed in front of her right as the stranger lunged at her. A yelp of fear escaped Asami as she cowered, covering her head with her arms as she readied herself for a blow. However, Kagome had jumped up and placed herself firmly between Koga and Asami, her brown eyes glaring daggers at the wolf. He stopped short in time to growl. "Kagome! Move! That's one of Naraku's—"

"Cool it, ya' puny wolf. She ain't one of Naraku's puppets," Inuyasha spoke up.

Sky blue eyes turned to the half-demon. "Are you shitting me? Is your nose broken, mutt?! She—"

"Smells like him." Inuyasha finished. "Yeah, she does. But she's not one of his puppets, you stupid wolf."

"He's right," Asami heard Kagome speak up. Her calm, but firm tone reassured Asami that she would not be losing her head. Yet. "She's not from here Koga, and Naraku doesn't exist in my time."

"Time?" he questioned.

Kagome nodded. "Yes, time." There was a long, exasperated sigh. "I'm not from this world Koga, and neither is Asami."

Silence stretched between the people in the hut and Asami forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat that had been her fear. Leaning to the side, her brilliant blue hues landed on the male in the doorway and she shrunk back as he glared at her. Sky blue eyes were narrowed at her and his lips were curled back in a sneer, showing sharpened canines. His skin was tanned, and he had black hair that was tied high up in a ponytail. A silver and black cuirass adorned his torso with shoulder plates that seemed to be made of brown wolf fur. Around his waist was a loincloth made of the same fur and he wore a headband that matched both the loincloth and shin guards he wore. His feet were wrapped in what appeared to be bandages, and on his hip was a sword. Asami grimaced as he crossed his arms and glared down at her, "Well, if she ain't Naraku's puppet then why the hell does she smell like him?"

"K-Kagome?" Asami chirped, her voice quivering. "Who is—"

She fell silent as the male tensed, and she gasped as she saw a brown tail swish behind him. His ears were like Shippo's; pointed like an elf's and Kagome turned to give her a kind smile. "This?" she tried to finish for the frightened woman. Asami shrugged at her with her left shoulder. "Well… yes? I was going to ask who Naraku was…"

"Hear that, wolf?" Inuyasha grumbled. Koga turned with a furious glare, "Are you kidding me?! The kid says she doesn't know Naraku, so you ignore your damn nose?!"

Asami frowned, "Look I—"

"She smells like she's been all over him!" Koga continued as he jabbed a finger in her direction. "You want me to believe that she has no idea who he is?"

"But I don't!" Asami shouted. "I have no idea who this Naraku guy is!" Asami paused for a moment as she pinched the shoulder of her jacket and sniffed. The only scents that she could pick up were that of her laundry detergent, deodorant, and shampoo. A frown creased her features as she looked up at the group bewildered. "And what do you mean I smell like him? All I smell is my shampoo."

Kagome sighed and shook her head as two voices echoed outside. The priestess waited until Koga's two companions entered the abode before turning her angered gaze onto the wolf leader. "Koga, if you would be so kind as to sit down then we can discuss this like rational adults. If you're just going to be loud and wake up my villagers," she requested, the threat evident in her voice. "then I suggest leaving."

The two behind him immediately took a seat, but Koga blinked at her. He was floored. Never had Kagome, his sweet and precious Kagome, spoken to him like that. It was a tone she often heard used with the mutt, but never directed at him. His tension bristled as he saw the wench behind her shift, but beneath the sickening scent that had drawn him here was a tinge of fear. The girl was afraid of him, and Koga grunted as he took a seat by the fire. At least the woman had enough sense to fear him. He kept his mistrustful gaze upon her even as Kagome took a seat and the old woman sighed before handing out bowls of food. He watched her as she bowed to the old woman, Kaede as Kagome called her, and she seemed to inspect the contents. The silence was broken as Shippo tilted his head to the side in thought.

"So… what's shampoo?" he asked.

Asami's face finally brightened with a soft laugh as she smiled at the young fox. "It's something from our… world."

"Is it common?" he asked, his emerald eyes wide in wonder. "Kagome never says much about her world!"

Asami felt herself relax a bit. "It is," she said. "I'll answer any question you have, if you'd like. At least what I know for sure."

Shippo grinned, "Oh! In that case, I was wondering about the pink thing that Kagome rides around on! It's big and has a basket and…"

Asami giggled softly as she sipped at the stew in her bowl. Maybe Kagome had not offered such information because curious minds were bound to ask questions… and boy, was Shippo full of them. At least he was friendly. All the other demons so far were far more scarier, and Asami feared that whoever they were looking for was going to be much worse.