A/N: So this took longer than I expected and I didn't get as far into the chapter as I wanted to but I reached my page limit.

I really want to get you these chapters which means that I sort of feel like I'm rushing through the story, so this is strictly a set up for chapters that follow…well at least some questions were answered here. Enjoy!

The river gurgled peacefully alongside the duo.

…

And there was a soft and gentle breeze blowing through the trees.

…

And the sun felt warm and nice against Kagome's skin.

…

"Say something!" Kagome shouted, tired of the silence. They had been walking for what felt like hours now and the quiet was starting to bug her.

"How about 'Shut up'?" Inuyasha snapped back, keeping his eyes ahead of him. His arms were crossed over his chest and his face was serious yet placid. His ears quirked and moved to listen to his surroundings.

Kagome let out a loud and dramatic sigh. "You know," she said "Now would be a good time to explain what's going on."

Inuyasha ignored her.

"I mean, I have so many questions. Questions that you said you'd answer once we started moving and we've been moving for a while."

Inuyasha responded by saying nothing and keeping his pace. Kagome was only steps behind his long legs. She decided to take his lack of response as an open invitation.

"For example," she looked up at the sky, pulling up her list of curiosities and counting them off her fingers. "Why do you have those ears? And how did you end up at the bottom of my well? And how come I can't make any wishes? And how come we only have five days? What did you do to get turn--"

"You're really nosy, you know that?" Inuyasha cut her off. His voice was lined with irritation. "How about you just worry about finding your little brat

and do whatever else the hell I say?"

"Don't you know not to answer a question with a question?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha sighed. "What will it take to make you keep your mouth shut?"

"Well if you were answering my questions, I'd be listening and therefore not talking."

Inuyasha stopped. Kagome nearly bumped into him.

Ha! He had been defeated by her irrefutable logic. A grin began to peak on Kagome's lips at her small victory. Inuyasha turned and his golden eyes locked with her brown ones. She felt something jump in her stomach and suddenly her smile faded away.

Wow…

"Let's do it."

Kagome swallowed hard. "Do what?" she breathed. The thing that jumped around in her stomach suddenly cramped up and made her legs feel weak. Those eyes…so intense…

"Ask your questions." Inuyasha scowled. "You get three. Then you have to shut it until nightfall. Yeah?" He gave her a thumbs-up.

Kagome blushed and nodded, touching her thumbs-up to his. How cute…

"Well?"

"Well…"Kagome repeated softly, in a trance. Inuyasha dropped his hand and Kagome snapped out of it, looking away. "Right! Well. Three? Okay." She thought about it carefully. There was so much she wanted to know…

"Why can't I just wish my brother here and get this over with?" she decided.

Inuyasha pointed to the sky. Even in broad daylight the red moon was present. It was slowly starting to wane, as if someone was taking small bites from it.

"Your power is connected to that." Inuyasha explained. "The crimson moon opens up a pathway to other places --"

"You mean like dimensions?" Kagome butt in.

"Is that your second question? No? Then shut it." Inuyasha narrowed her eyes at her. "Dimensions is a good word for it. Anyway, for the next five days it's what's keeping this world connected to yours. It's also giving you your powers and allowing you to be here."

Kagome nodded, mentally writing down more questions.

"Every wish you make is taking power away from that. The bigger it is, the more it takes. Getting your brother here could use up the whole thing. Or maybe just a little. But I don't know for sure. And if it's all used up, we're stuck here. Got it?"

"Yes…"

"Good. Next one."

Kagome noticed one of Inuyasha's ears turn, like a dog listening to some far off noise. She cringed a little, hoping not to offend him. "My grandpa used to talk about you…"

Inuyasha frowned. He remembered the old man and his stock of wine. When your world suddenly consists of a thousand years sitting still in the dark, any type of company was welcome.

"He called you a demon." Kagome watched his face for more reactions. "Is it…"

"I'm a halfling," Inuyasha spat. "You don't have demons in your world?"

Kagome shook her head quickly.

"Well I did in mine." He failed to add that most were killed on sight. "And we have them here." His ear flicked again. He turned his head to the river. Something was off…

"Last one."

Kagome faltered. "Umm…" she had too many to choose from. How did he end up in her well? What was it like being half mythological creature? Who is…

"Inuyasha?"

He turned to face her.

"Who is Kikyo?"

Kagome saw it. His eyes got wide and his face ever so slightly paled. She noticed his hands ball up into fists.

"She's…" Inuyasha struggled for words. "I…" his mind brought up a blurry image of her face. His heart quickened and squeezed painfully. "She's none of your damn business!"

In the moments after that Kagome only remembered three things.

The first was that the river seemed to explode and she was being showered with water. This sudden burst of liquid scared her and she shut her eyes and covered her head for protection.

The second was the sound. It was like a roar mixed with a screech and the cracking of what sounded like bone.

The last thing Kagome remembered was that when she opened her eyes, she was suddenly wet and very very alone.

Inuyasha broke his wrist when he was a little boy.

No…that wasn't quite right…

Once, when Inuyasha was a little boy, he broke his wrist.

Almost…

The day Inuyasha was captured by villagers and was chained to a post while they went to prepare the bonfire to burn him on, Inuyasha broke his own wrist so that he could escape.

He was seven.

The memory flowed back into him, filling his chest, flooding his lungs, making itself part of him again. He remembered these and many others. He felt them being unlocked from the doors in his head. The bad ones, the good ones, the favorite ones. All the doors opened for Inuyasha as he remembered who he was and where he had been.

Except one…

He stood in front of that charred and ugly door again, head bowed and face hidden. The voice of his mind said:

IT IS HER DAMN BUSINESS.

Inuyasha clenched his fists. He remembered that his mother used bundle up with him under the covers and tell him stories in which he was the hero.

"Not until I say it is!" he shouted. "You want her to know so badly, you tell me first! Then I'll decide whose damn business it really is!"

The time he stole a spring roll from the kitchens of his father's citadel came back so strong, Inuyasha could taste it on his lips.

YOU ARE NOT READY FOR EVERYTHING. YOU KNOW THIS.

Inuyasha screamed in frustration. "I don't know what I know!" He pounded his fists on the door. Each touch burned him but he didn't care.

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU THINK, said his mind. THAT WILL SUFFICE FOR NOW.

The moment he recalled who banished him to the wastelands of Naraku's domain, Inuyasha chose to regain consciousness.

He remembered that he never liked thinking about Sesshomaru.

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome had gone frantic. She'd be screaming his name for the past few minutes. She scanned the river for him, thinking he had fallen in but it didn't look that deep to her and the current was too slow for him to have disappeared like that.

She heard a sound behind her and turned quickly. Kagome realized she was vulnerable out here. There were demons like the centipede woman just waiting to devour her. She had to be alert.

A small golden colored ball rolled out from the bushes and stopped at her feet. It glinted in the sunlight and shined prettily.

Kagome was transfixed.

Golden…like the color of Inuyasha's eyes.

She reached down to touch it.

It was beautiful…

"NO!"

"Huh?" Kagome looked up and saw a young man running towards her. His hand was outstretched and he was screaming something. His eyes were looking past her.

Kagome turned—

How did she not see it! The demon was huge! It had blood red eyes and long white teeth that looked sharp enough to slice atoms. When it drooled onto the grass, the flowers sizzled and burned.

"GET DOWN!"

Kagome didn't have to be told twice. Mostly because he legs had lost all feeling and they gave from beneath her.

The sky darkened as the demon blotted out the sun.

The wind picked up.

The demon roared viciously and posed to strike down at Kagome.

She closed her eyes. This was it!

…

There was an incredible gust of wind and a swoooooooop sound.

…

Long moments passed. Kagome, completely undevoured, opened one eye. Then the other. The sky was once again bright and sunny. The demon was…

Gone.

"Um," Kagome breathed out. Her heart was doing cartwheels. "Not that I'm complaining this time," she said to no one in particular "But I really need these demons to stop suddenly disappearing whenever I close my eyes."

"Sorry," said a voice behind her. "I would bring it back but I'm afraid it doesn't quite work that way."

Kagome spun around and met with a pair of legs. A hand reached down to offer her help.

It had large purple beads wrapped around it.

Other than that it looked relatively human. As Kagome put her hands in his, she looked up and met eyes with a smiling young man.

"Hi," he said. "My name is Miroku. How would you like to bear my children?"

There…

Inuyasha breathed it in.

Kagome's scent was like a small light in a dark room. It stood out, making itself known as something unique to be noticed.

It smelled like…Inuyasha couldn't describe it but it was special. He closed his eyes and focused on its lingering trail.

North…

He leaped, picking up his pace. His rib was cracked and he had a gash above his eye. Whatever leaped out from the water and sent him flying, really put some effort into it.

He had woken up against a tree that had cracked due to his impact and a long trail of dirt that had slowed his landing somewhat. It took him a few minutes for his vision to focus again and to force the pain in his head and side into the background.

That was nothing to him. He knew pain.

There was a knot of worry in his stomach, like a weight that pulled at him.

This was something that he couldn't ignore. He knew that too.

She was probably scared, or hurt, or worse. He pushed those thoughts out of his mind as best he could. She was okay.

She was okay and when he found her, he'd make sure she kept being okay.

Inuyasha took in the scent again. It was still faint but getting stronger. He hadn't been knocked very far.

He inhaled her in. The peculiar thing was that…he sniffed again…it was…yes, it was just her scent.

Where was the demon? Did it decide to just knock the hell out of him and keep moving, leaving Kagome unharmed? Unlikely.

The sense of power Kagome emitted made her a moving target.

He heard a scream.

He heard her scream.

Inuyasha became a red blur, moving through the forest so fast he barely touched anything around him.

"It has a mind of its own!" Miroku explained, one hand cradling the spreading red mark on his face.

Kagome was so livid she could barely speak. "H-h-how d-d-dare-"

Miroku cringed. "It's actually a compliment, if you think about it."

"K-k-kill-"

"I think we'd make beautiful babies--"

Kagome made Miroku see stars. The painful way.

One vicious beating later, Miroku was on his knees, face and hands planted firmly to the ground as he repeated his apology over and over again. Kagome stood in front of him, arms crossed, her angry little foot tapping.

"You're forgiven," Kagome said finally. Miroku sat up with a handsome lopsided smile and put a hand on his back.

"Thank you," he replied. "I think my spine was starting to give out."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him. "And the only reason you're forgiven is because you saved me from that demon. Otherwise I'd have Inuyasha rip a hole through your chest!"

"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked. "The Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha.

How could she have forgotten? Kagome kneeled down to Miroku's height and grabbed her hands in his own. "You have to help me find him!" she begged. "He's my friend and he disappeared as soon as that thing showed up!"

It took Kagome a quick second to realize that she was actually holding his hands. If it wasn't for the perverted look on his face, and the way his fingers twitched, she probably wouldn't have noticed.

Kagome snatched her hands back and composed herself. She didn't even know this person. First he saved her life and then he tried to feel her up. Who was she to suddenly beg him for help?

Wait…what did he mean by the Inuyasha?

"Stand up," Kagome said firmly as she picked herself up from the ground. He was a few feet taller than her. "Now explain yourself."

Miroku smiled nervously. "I can't help it," he said sheepishly. "My hand sees something pretty and it just moves. You see I have--"

"Not that," Kagome waved the subject away with the flip of her hand. "How do you know Inuyasha?"

"Oh him?" Miroku said casually. ""He's a legend in this place. Everybody knows about Inuyasha."

"I don't!" Kagome stomped her foot childishly.

"I thought he was dead. Are you sure we're talking about the same one?"

"Half demon, dog ears, wears red, charming personality of an angry wasps nest?"

"That's the one," Miroku said nonchalantly. "He's back then, is he? You say he's your friend?"

"Yes." Kagome confirmed. What else could she call him? Bodyguard didn't seem to quite fit… "And I lost him."

"Not to worry fair lady. I'm more than happy to assist you."

"My name is Kagome."

"A name so sweet angels don't dare but only whisper it," her hand was suddenly back in Miroku's. "Such a pretty name to suit such a pretty girl--"

Kagome grabbed his nose and pulled. He yelled and let go of her hand, submitting to her grasp. "Ow ow ow ow,"

"You lay it on pretty thick, you pervert." Kagome let go and he fell back, cradling his wounded face. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"Gnes," agreed Miroku through a swollen nose. He scrunched it up and down and then gave her another smile. "Apologies, Miss Kagome. I just can't control myself."

"You can make it up to me by telling me about that legend," she replied. She hesitated and then returned a small smile of her own. "Please and thank you."

"Fair enough," Miroku said quite amicably. "Firstly though, if I may ask, what brings you to this place?"

Kagome frowned and told him.

I think you'll be pleased with chapter 8 ^_^