A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating, I received a PM from a reviewer and they inspired me to write! I didn't actually realize so much time had gone by since I had last updated. Honestly I thought it had only been a few months and then I looked and was like JANUARY! Anyway, school was a major factor as to why I did not update, but school is almost out! I hope I haven't lost too many reviewers. Since it's been so long since I last updated I will have a recap for you all, so here it is…

Recap: InuYasha pushed Kagome and himself down the well, to avoid being pinned by one of Kikyo's sacred arrows. The two found themselves farther in the past and Kagome headed into the nearby village to try and get answers about the Bone Eaters well. The village priest, Taro, told Kagome that the lord of the west might be able to offer them more help. So, Kagome and InuYasha started their journey to the castle. Soon a beetle demon comes across the duo and tells them about a duck demon who knows a short cut to the castle. The duck demon told them the short cut and then asked them to play a riddle game. For every riddle they got right he said he would tell them about a danger that lurked on the short cut; however part way through the game he got scared off. InuYasha and Kagome then head to the short cut. They soon come across mysterious badgers and see dead bodies floating in the stream! As for Sango and Miroku they decided it was time to try and find Kagome and InuYasha so they attempted to jump down the well and for some reason this time the well actually does transport them to Kagome's time. Kaede, Shippo and Kilala have gone off in search of Kikyo, but we don't hear from this chapter.

Chapter 7 Meetings

"Down there InuYasha! I think that might be the monument!" Kagome said excitedly.

"Where?" asked the half demon.

"On the left side of the river near the forest edge," she said pointing even though he couldn't see because she was on his back.

InuYasha hopped down to the ground just in front of the monument. The object was about 10 feet high and 5 feet wide. There were some symbols scrawled onto the face of the monument, but they were no longer readable, if they were letters at all.

"I wonder what it used to say," Kagome said squinting at the writing.

"Whatever I'm sure it's not important," InuYasha said shrugging it off.

"Hmmm, we're supposed to head straight into the woods from here, and if we keep a straight path we should run right into the lord's castle. According to the old duck demon anyway," Kagome said recalling what the elder had said to them.

"Well let's get going already," InuYasha said stomping into the woods.

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Sango and Miroku were now standing in a courtyard.

"Should we head over to that house?" Sango asked.

"I suppose so," said Miroku.

The two went over to the home and opened the sliding door. "Hello?" called Miroku.

"Yes?" they heard a voice respond. Soon an elderly man with gray hair and the garbs of a priest came to the door.

"Oh are you traveling performers?" asked the priest.

"No, we're actually looking for friends of ours Kagome and InuYasha do you know them?" asked Miroku.

"Why yes! You mean to tell me you're from that era?" asked the man.

"Uh, if by that era you mean from the other side of the well, then yes," said Sango.

"Oh my!" the man said and his eyes began to sparkle.

"Are you alright old man priest?" asked Miroku referring to Kagome's grandpa as old man since he had yet to introduce himself.

"Priest, Me! Me? You mean me!" asked the old man wide eyed.

"Uh, yes aren't you a priest?" Miroku asked confused. The old man began to chuckle lightly and then the chuckle turned into a sort of maniacal laugh.

"Why yes! Yes my dear boy, I am a priest! The best in these parts too!" he said puffing his chest outward and deepening his voice.

"Grandpa what are you doing?" asked a young boy who was coming from behind the old man.

"Grandpa…ha ha. Child you surely mean priest Grandpa!" The old man said in the same, fake, deepened voice.

"Oh Gramps you shouldn't brag like that!" chided a woman who came from behind Sango and Miroku. The woman was carrying a bag of groceries.

"You two must be friends of Kagome's, please come inside," the woman invited.

Sango and Miroku exchanged a confused glance, but followed the woman indoors. The woman made her way into a room with strange furniture. "Take a seat at the table," the woman said as she began to unpack her bag of food.

The old man and boy sat at the table and Miroku and Sango soon did the same.

"What is this room?" Sango at last asked in awe.

"The kitchen," laughed the woman. "Now I'm Kagome's mother and that's Kagome's Grandpa, and that's Souta, Kagome's brother," Kagome's mom introduced.

"I'm Miroku and this is Sango, we're friends of Kagome," he explained.

"Well will you be staying for supper then?" asked Kagome's mom.

"Uh well…"Sango began and trailed off as the woman began taking out cooking pots and food.

"Will InuYasha and Kagome be along soon? Should I cook enough for them too?" asked Kagome's mother.

"You mean you haven't seen them lately?" asked Miroku.

"No…." She answered slowly, "has something happened?"

"Well we aren't sure. We thought they came down the well a few days ago…but I guess we were mistaken," Sango said trying to relieve the mother of her fears.

"Oh my! Well no I haven't seen them, have either of you?" she asked Grandpa and Souta.

"Nope," Souta said as he shook his head.

"No not at all…oh my look at the time I'm missing my late afternoon soap opera," said grandpa as he hurried from the room.

"That was odd," Kagome's mom said.

"Gramps is always odd," said Souta.

"Now Souta be nice," the mom said with a sigh, "he does worry me sometimes though," she confessed.

"Is it possible the two have been here and none of you have seen them?" Miroku asked returning the conversation to that of Kagome and InuYasha.

"Well perhaps, Kagome might have spent the night at some friend's house. She is always so far behind in her studies maybe she stayed over to get extra help. InuYasha may have stayed around the home too to keep an eye on Kagome. However, it's not like Kagome not to let me know when she's home," the mother said.

"I see could we speak with her friends?" asked Sango.

"Yes, Souta could take you to them tomorrow when school is in session. That way you could see them all at once, and you wouldn't have to travel all over town to meet them." said Kagome's mom.

"In the mean time you guys can spend the night here!" said Souta excitedly.

"Sango you can sleep in Kagome's room and Miroku you can share my room!" Souta said jumping up and running to the stairs. Miroku took it as their cue to follow the boy.

"Something tells me that kid is going to be hanging off of us tonight," Miroku said sounding less than thrilled.

"I think it's cute," Sango said smiling. She didn't mind the boy's excitement it reminded her of her own brother Kohaku when he was Souta's age.

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"Do you think we're going straight?" asked Kagome as she and InuYasha walked around the trunk of a giant tree.

"Hard to say, "InuYasha said gazing up towards the sun. Then without warning he jumped upwards grabbing a tree branch above. He climbed higher and higher until he was at the top of the tree. Kagome had now stopped and was waiting at the bottom of the tree.

"I see the castle from here, if we make a straight path like the old duck man said we should make it there just after supper," InuYasha called down to Kagome.

"Good I'm sick of walking," Kagome complained.

"We should keep our eyes open we haven't run into any real danger since starting this short cut and the old man said we would," InuYasha said to Kagome once he was back on the ground with her.

"I agree. Those dead bodies back there, InuYasha do you really think it was those little baby badgers' parents who did that?" asked Kagome.

"Yeah I wouldn't be surprised," InuYasha nodded his head affirmatively.

"Do you think when the old man ran away from us during his game it was because he sensed the badger demon parents coming near his hut? I mean he seemed pretty scared,"

"Yeah it's possible," InuYasha agreed.

"Well in any case let's speed it up I really don't want to run into any trouble," Kagome said quickening her pace.

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"So, are these really the clothes people wear in Kagome's time?" asked Miroku.

He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans that were a little too long and wide for him. Souta handed him a brown leather belt.

"Here put this belt through the loops around the waist, it'll help keep those pants on," he instructed. Next Miroku was given a green t-shirt with a thick tan stripe across the chest. Miroku and Souta then made their way downstairs for some breakfast.

"Oh it fits so well!" said Kagome's mother when she saw Miroku downstairs.

"What will I do for shoes?" asked Miroku.

"Oh your sandals will do fine," she said to the monk.

"I knew keeping some of my late husbands clothes would pay off one day, she said as she scrambled some eggs for breakfast.

Soon after Souta and Miroku took their seats Sango came downstairs. She was wearing a pair of khaki capris with a white short sleeve blouse on top.

"It's actually not a bad fit," Sango commented when she came into the room.

"Yes, you and Kagome aren't the exact same size, but that outfit doesn't fit badly at all," Kagome's mother said.

The woman began to place helpings of her scrambled eggs around the table and the young adults and Souta dug in immediately.

"Where's Grandpa?" asked Mrs. Higurashi.

"He went out for a walk," Souta said through a mouthful of eggs.

"A walk this early? Normally he doesn't go out until nearly ten," she said aloud. She soon shrugged the thought off, and went back to serving breakfast.

"We have to get going soon, if I'm gonna take you to Kagome's school. If not I'll be late for my own school," Souta informed Miroku and Sango. The two foreigners nodded in understanding.

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"Whew, man at least the sun's gone behind some clouds, it was getting hot," Kagome said. InuYasha nodded in response. Then without warning InuYasha stopped and stuck his arm out as a barrier to stop Kagome.

"Hey!" she said, while looking over to him with a confused look on her face

"Someone's up ahead," he whispered as he stalked forward stealthily. Kagome followed close behind trying to make little noise.

"Oh, what a beautiful bouquet these will make, don't you agree Yurine?" asked a woman who was dressed in an expensive kimono.

"Yes m'lady," the servant girl answered. InuYasha felt his throat begin to close up and his lungs seemed unable to process air. He felt as though he were suffocating.

'Can it really be you?….mother…' his mind silently asked.

"Hold it right there demon!" growled a man. InuYasha felt the tip of sword being pressed to the base of his neck. Judging by the yelp Kagome made she was also being held hostage by a sharp object.

InuYasha inwardly cursed he had been so focused on his mother that he hadn't even heard the guards coming up behind him and Kagome. Two more guards rushed forward towards InuYasha's mother.

"This way lady Izayoi," the guards said as they began to usher Izayoi away from InuYasha and Kagome.

"Now don't get any idea's demon!" The guard behind InuYasha said firmly. The guards were not demons that much InuYasha could tell, but they weren't ordinary humans either.

InuYasha could sense some spiritual power in them perhaps they were ex-monks or former priests.

"What's going on?" InuYasha heard his mother ask.

"No need to be alarmed m'lady a demon was just spotted near you and for your safety we're returning you to the castle," he heard a guard reply to his mother.

"Oh my!" InuYasha heard her exclaim.

"Hey Kagome?" InuYasha asked.

"Be quiet demon!" commanded the guard.

"Yes," she said in a barely audible tone.

"RUN!" InuYasha shouted.

A/N: A BIG thanks goes out to everyone who reviewed! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I apologize for any grammar mistakes I made and please do point my mistakes out to me so I can fix them. I didn't spend much time editing this chapter because I really wanted to get this chapter out.

Please review! If I get a bunch I may just update again this month!