Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, names or characters. All rights to Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise studios, and VIZ.

This chapter is dedicated to Mizu the Water Goddess, who kept telling me to write this story all the months I didn't. Thanks Mizu-chan!

In The Rain

Secret of the Higurashi Shrine

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A golden orb shot through the sky so quickly, that if you blinked, you would miss seeing it. The orb continued going east and then north, heading for the central part of the island. Those who saw this golden orb streaking through the sky, pointed up at it and wondered what it was. Was it a kami? Was it an oni? No one knew. At last the orb reached its destination; the Inuyasha forest, and the village people who saw the orb knew it must be a youkai for only youkai's went there. The villagers knew not to follow the path the golden orb took.

When Sesshoumaru landed, he chose to land in the clearing where the well was. The golden light that encircled him and his beloved, started to fall away and Sesshoumaru looked down at his beloved Kagome, who still clung on to his armor. Kagome was in a world of her own, her mind replayed Kikyo's death and Inuyasha's hurtful words like a broken record, saying, over and over again in a voice that haunted her mind, 'She's mine, she is Kikyo!'

Tears started to well in Kagome's eyes, and Sesshoumaru seeing that, gently held Kagome by the back of her head and said, "Kagome."

His voice that was as deep as the deepest ocean, woke Kagome up from her little world, to notice that she had unshed tears in her eyes, Kagome stepped back, making Sesshoumaru release his gentle hold on her, while she blinked and rubbed her eyes, saying "Oh… where are we?"

"Where," said Sesshoumaru, calmly, "I presumed you wished to be."

Kagome looked about her surroundings and found herself in the Inuyasha forest and, not just at any part of the forest, but by the Bone Eaters Well, where she and Sesshoumaru first kissed. She turned her gaze back at Sesshoumaru and softened her features at him. Sesshoumaru blinked almost emotionlessly at her, and asked, "Is this place not where you wished to be?"

"No," said Kagome, as she gave him a grateful smile, "This is where I wished to come."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, looking at peace and then opened them, revealing golden orbs that gazed tenderly at her. He stepped closer to Kagome and wrapped his hands around her waist and, said, "My beloved, I know I can not at this moment heal the wounds that my brother has inflicted on you, but I shall wait here if you wish to return to your family."

Kagome was stunned by the gentleness of his words and of his unparalleled understanding of her situation. She looked up to see him only gazing down lovingly at her. "Oh Sesshoumaru," said Kagome, who then rested her head onto his furry tail, "thank you."

"Was I loving enough?" Sesshoumaru asked in his all calm and composed tone, so that his question seemed rather odd. But Kagome remembered that all these were new to him and, she did promise to teach Sesshoumaru about loving someone but, so far he hasn't set a foot wrong.

"Yes, Koiishi," Kagome replied softly, as she nuzzled into his soft white fur, "you are very loving. Thank you."

"Do itashimashite… my love," Sesshoumaru spoke tenderly. He then pulled away from Kagome, and said, "Go… there is no reason for you to linger here. I only ask to know when you shall return."

Kagome looked down and thought about his question before she answered, "Tomorrow morning. I wish to speak to my mother, and… I know Inuyasha will be able to make it here by then… I have to prepare myself to face him… and I know, I know I can not do it now."

Sesshoumaru then pulled Kagome to him and, bent down, and placed a kiss on her forehead. Kagome closed her eyes as she relished the feel of his lips on her forehead but, as he pulled away, Kagome reached up, and placed her hands around his neck, and pulled him down and kissed him. Sesshoumaru was surprised by her actions, but smiled as he kissed her back and held her tightly to his body and felt Kagome deepening their kiss. After a while, she let Sesshoumaru go and they stepped away, both with rather becoming blushes on their cheeks.

"Well," said Kagome timidly. "I'll take my leave now. I'll see you tomorrow, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru nodded his head at her, and Kagome turns around and walked to the well. Sitting down on the lip of the well, Kagome suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling that something bad was going to happen. She looked down at the bottom of the well and felt a chill run up her spine. She turned back to look at Sesshoumaru and saw him give her a rare kind smile. Kagome thought that all she was feeling were just jitters that she was finally going home after such a long stay in this time period.

"I'll see you tomorrow," said Kagome to Sesshoumaru, and to answer her, he gently inclined his head to her.

Kagome turned around and took a deep breath; then she pushed her self from the lip of the well and into it. She fell into darkness that faded as a blue glow encircled her and Kagome knew in just a short while; she would be seeing her family again.

But just as a smile came to her face, Kikyo's voice spoke in her head, 'Whatever you do, even if Inuyasha begs you, do not bring me back to life.' 'It is impossible for you and I to be alive in the same time period.' 'Do not bring me back to life, if you do, you will die in this era and you will never be born again.'

"Perhaps…" said Kagome as she felt tears welling up in her eyes, "Inuyasha would have been happier if I brought Kikyo back and I died instead." The shikon no tama drifted up in front of Kagome, and as she saw her own warped image on it, she shook her head and said, "No… he wouldn't, either way… one of us dies, and Kikyo choose to go, but at least this time she did all that she wanted to before going. Not many people get to do that." Kagome reached out for the jewel with both hands and brought it close to her chest. But just as she did, she heard Inuyasha's voice echoing in her head, saying, 'She's mine, she is Kikyo!' Then the last word she heard Inuyasha call her, 'KIKYO!'

Kagome closed her eyes in pain and as silent tears rolled down her cheek, she said, "Through all the painful words he has uttered in the past… that was the most painful to hear," more tears started to pour from her eyes as the muscles in her neck started to tighten and she started to sob. "In the end…" Kagome wept, "to him… I'll always be… Kikyo's shadow."

Kagome felt her feet touch the floor of the bone eaters well in her time, and she fell to her knees and leaned against the cold stone wall of the well and cried. She sobbed so hard that she was shaking. She wished just then that she didn't leave Sesshoumaru and wished that he was here to hold and comfort her. However Kagome found no one to comfort her at the bottom of the Bone Eater's Well. She cried hard and long and once she could cry no more, Kagome stood up and wiped her face dry on her sleeve. After making sure that she at least appeared to be her normal cheerful self, Kagome started to climb up the well. Once she got to the top, she noticed that the door was closed on the well house. Usually when ever she got back, the door would always be open. Kagome guessed that she's been away for far too long. Maybe her family thought that she had decided to live in the Sengoku Jidai and was never coming back.

Kagome walked up the stairs and went to the door and slid it open. The air that greeted her smelt oddly of smoke and tinged with fumes. Oh yeah, she was back in her own polluted time. It's was a good thing she couldn't bring Sesshoumaru over, or the poor guy would probably be very sick right now, considering his heighten senses as a pure Youkai. She walked out of the well house and stretched, it sure was good to be back in her own time and as she held her arms down to her side, she heard a familiar voice call out, "Kagome!"

Kagome turned around and saw her grandfather standing in the distance with a broom in his hand. "Jii-chan!" Kagome called out gladly. Her heart really longed to see her family and before she knew it, Kagome ran towards her grandfather and when she reached him, she fell to her knees and hugged him around the middle, saying, "Jii-chan, I missed you so much!"

"Oooooh, I missed you too, Kagome!" said her grandfather hugging her back. "I'm so happy to see that you have returned Kagome!" said Jii-chan, "You've been gone for so long that we all thought that you had decided to stay there."

"No, jii-chan," said Kagome, willing herself not to cry again, "no… this is my home, this is where I belong, I haven't decided if I want to stay there or not!"

All of the sudden, Souta's voice called out saying, "Jii-chan… Mama's asking if you want to have leek soup tonight. Hey, who's that hugging you?"

Jii-chan moved to the side as he turned around, and as Kagome's hands fell away from her grandfather, she saw her little brother Souta, standing at the top of the steps. Kagome gasped, she really had been away for a long time, because when she wasn't here, Souta had become taller.

"Aaah!" Souta cried out as he saw Kagome, "nee-chan!" he called out as he ran down the steps. Kagome got quickly to her feet and ran to her brother, and when they met, Souta hugged his elder sister so violently that the siblings landed on the floor. "I can't belief it," said Souta, as he hugged Kagome fiercely, "you're back!"

"Of course I'm back," said Kagome softly, as she held Souta's head closer to her and leaned her chin into his hair, "this is where I belong."

"I thought I'll never see you again, nee-chan!" said Souta as he pulled away. He then looked to the side and asked, "Where's Inu-no-niichan?"

Kagome winced as Inuyasha's anger ridden face appeared for a brief moment before her eyes, Kagome tried her best to mask her sadness, and said, "Inuyasha didn't come with me this time."

Souta looked up at his sister and said, "Did you two fight again?"

Kagome widened her eyes in surprise at her little brother and thought, 'Okay, just how many times have I returned just because I had a fight with Inuyasha?'

"No," said Kagome, "We didn't… not really… actually," she then pulled out the whole shikon no tama and said, "I came back because it's finally over, what I had to do over there."

"Whoa!" said Souta as he looked at the complete jewel in her hands. "So," said Souta, looking up at Kagome, "does this mean that you're back for good?"

"Yes," Kagome answered with a smile. Jii-chan walked up to Kagome and bent down to her and said, "Uwaaah! So this is the real Shikon no tama?" He tried to touch it, but Kagome slapped his hand away and, said, "No touching, jii-chan! I'm the only one who can touch it and not be affected by its power."

Jii-chan looked at her with pride in his eyes and, said, "I can't belief that my cute granddaughter is the legendary Miko of the Shikon no Tama!"

Kagome sighed at him and, said, "Yes, but that still means no touching."

"Ah-h-h-h, your so mean to me!" said Jii-chan pretending to cry, but his grandchildren ignored him as they got to his feet, with Souta saying, "Mama will be so surprised to see you! Oh, wait a minute this means she gonna send me to the shop to buy more food!"

"Cheer up, Souta," said Kagome, as she gave his back a pat, "it's for a good occasion!"

"Yeah, you can say that again!" said Souta cheerfully.

"Hey!" said Jii-chan getting to his feet, "don't ignore me!"

- - - - - -

On the occasion of Kagome's return, Asami, Kagome's mother cooked an extra special dinner of leek soup, fried chicken (Japanese style) pan fried dumplings, and individual udon casseroles with clams. All of which was amazingly gone by the time they finished talking with one another. After the hearty dinner, Jii-chan whisked Souta from the kitchen, to leave the mother and daughter alone. He knew that Asami had been worrying about Kagome, and that she had been having many sleepless nights.

While Kagome washed the dishes for her mother, Asami stood by her daughter's side as she dried them. "I'm glad that you're back, Kagome," said Asami, gazing lovingly at her precious and only daughter.

Kagome smiled sadly and said, "Mama, I'm sorry I was gone for so long, but a lot of stuff was happening over there."

"But," said Asami understandingly, "you have completed what ever it is you had to do over there, so… what are you going to do now?"

"Umm…" said Kagome, pausing in what she was doing, and stared up at the kitchen ceiling, "I want to go back to school."

Asami smiled at her and said, "Well, Kagome, you will have to wait 7 months to do that."

"WHAT?" said Kagome in disbelieve.

"Oh my, Kagome…" said Asami looking kindly down at her daughter, "have you lost track of how long you've been gone over there?"

"Err…" said Kagome uncertainly, "A couple of weeks?" she asked.

Kagome watched as her mother's eyes widened in surprise at her, and then watched her say, "Kagome… you've been gone for three months."

"T-t-t-three months?" Kagome repeated in horror.

Asami chuckled softly, and then said, "My…. Kagome, you really did lose track of time over on the other side of the well."

Kagome stared at her mother in shock. How could she stand there with a gentle smile on her face and act like what Kagome had done was something funny or silly like accidentally adding salt when you should have used sugar in the recipe. The weight of what she had done, gripped Kagome, as she stepped away from the sink and said, "Mama…" she said sadly, "I'm so sorry, I must have made you worry so much… I… I… don't know what to say. How can you even welcome me back with open arms? You must be so angry at me."

Asami took a step closer to her daughter, and placed her hands on her shoulders, and said, "Kagome, no matter where you go and for long you are gone, I will always welcome you home with open arms. You are my daughter, you are my child, and no matter what happens, a mother will always love her child." Asami then brought Kagome into her embrace and said, "True, I did worry about you, and I prayed everyday that Inuyasha would take care of you and never let you come into harm. And I guess my prayers were answered." Said Asami, as she held her daughter. But Kagome, on hearing what her mother was saying about Inuyasha, could not hold her tears back anymore and started to cry.

Asami at first thought that Kagome was crying because she was feeling guilty, so she held her and patted her head, saying, "There, there… I'm not mad at you, so you don't have a reason to cry." But Kagome started to cry even harder and clutched on to her mother's blouse with a death grip, and Asami knew that her daughter wasn't crying because she was feeling guilty, she was crying because of something else, and that the mentioned of Inuyasha's name had probably triggered it. Asami stood there for sometime until Kagome had calmed down a bit before she had her sit at the table, and Asami went about the kitchen to make tea. Once she came back with a steaming mug of tea, Asami sat down beside her daughter, and said, "What happened over on the other side?"

Kagome looked up at her mother and then down at her hands.

Kagome never acted like this, thought Asami and she knew something serious must have happened to her daughter. So she tried another question, "Did you and Inuyasha have another fight?" Kagome looked up at her mother, and as her eyes fell from her mother's face to the steaming cup of tea, Kagome said, "Kinda… but not really."

Well, thought Asami, at least she got an answer. She may not have understood it, but at least she got Kagome to speak. "Seems complicated," said Asami calmly, "do you want to talk about it."

Kagome reached for the cup and said, "I don't know where to start." Kagome just held the cup and looked at it; she did not pick it up to drink its contents.

"Well," said Asami in a compassionate tone, "if you have completed all that you have done, you should be celebrating… but… something happened between you and Inuyasha? What? I thought that you were in love with him… did he rebuke your feelings? I thought for sure he had some strong feelings for you."

"No," said Kagome, tears welling up in her eyes, "his feelings were not for me, but for the other person he sees in me, the person I'm reincarnated from, Kikyo!"

"Kikyo?" Asami echoed.

Kagome looked up at her mother and told her how she was the reincarnation from the miko that Inuyasha had fallen in love with, and then, how they betrayed each other. Then she told the story of how after Inuyasha was sealed to the Goshinboku for 50 years, she came around and unsealed him. After that, she told her mother how Kikyo came back and how she found out what really happened between them and how they were tricked into betraying each other.

"What a sad story…" said Asami trailing away, as she finally saw Kagome pick up the mug of tea and drank it's now warm contents. "But," Asami continued, "you still fell in love with him and stayed by his side no matter what, even though you said he always went to her. I'm very proud of you Kagome… but I'm rather upset at Inuyasha from treating you so."

"Are you still in love with Inuyasha?" Asami asked her daughter worriedly. She didn't think that Kagome should be stuck in such a one sided and unfair relationship.

"No…" said Kagome kindly, as she remembered how she and Sesshoumaru parted, "no, not anymore. I did love him for a very long time, but my love for him was never requited. However, I fell in love with another person."

"Oh," said Asami, rather relieved and somewhat excited, "so… who is this other person, is he part of your group over there?"

"No…." said Kagome blushing, "Actually… he's… umm… Inuyasha's older brother."

"Huh?" said Asami, completely blown away by shock. Kagome sat there blushing brilliantly at her mother, waiting for her to say something first. Asami calmed herself down and uncertainly asked, "Does he act like Inuyasha?"

Kagome quickly raised her hand and said, "No, no, not at all! Sesshoumaru is Inuyasha's complete opposite!" Asami's eyes widened a little as she said, "Sesshoumaru?" she then turned away and, said, "I think I've heard his name somewhere before."

"Eh… how could you," said Kagome, "I doubt very much that any human in this century could be named Sesshoumaru, it's not a very common name even among us humans."

"You do have a point there, Kagome," said Asami, smiling at her daughter, "So what is this Sesshoumaru like?" For the first time since she started crying, Kagome smiled, and said, "Oh he's very refined, and gentle and kind, but he won't let you see all those qualities unless he accepts you as his equal, and that's not many people, considering Sesshoumaru is a very aristocratic Taiyoukai."

"Eh… he's youkai as well?" Asami asked.

"Err… mama… did you think he was human?" Kagome asked.

"Oh yeah," said Asami, "with a name like Sesshoumaru, how could I think that he would be human," said Asami sounding a little embarrassed. "But," she asked her daughter, "why then are you crying? Oh dear… did a rift between the brothers occur because…" Asami didn't get to finish her sentence, because Kagome cut through, saying, "Since time in definite, there has always been a rift between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha… but that's not what's bothering me."

"Then," said her mother kindly, "what is troubling you, Kagome? You have found a new love, you have accomplished what it is you had to do there… oh don't tell me… he treats you the same as his younger brother?"

"No," said Kagome, blushing, "Sesshoumaru, as I've said is Inuyasha's opposite. Sesshoumaru is very loving, he loves me and he doesn't just say it, he shows it… but I'm troubled by what happened at the final battle."

Asami looked on with concern at her daughter and, asked, "Kagome… what happened?"

Kagome looked up in to her mother's eyes, and said, "Kikyo died… right after the end of the battle."

"Oh…" said Asami, "and how is Inuyasha taking her loss?"

"Not good," said Kagome. "He begged me to bring her back to life… but it was something Kikyo made me promise not to do." Kagome saw the look on her mother's face and saw her open her mouth to speak, but before she could, Kagome said, "Kikyo told me not to because if I did, I would be the one to die instead, as she and I can't be alive in the same time zone… and now that I think about it, she's right. I am her reincarnation, so that mean's we have the same soul, but that doesn't make us the same person. However, that's something Sesshoumaru was able to see and what Inuyasha can't… not even now."

"In the end," said Asami, "Kikyo was a good person wasn't she?"

"Yeah, she was." Kagome answered, and continued, "She even said I made a good choice with Sesshoumaru. When she told me not to bring her back to life, I could see the worry she had in her eyes for me. I know I used to hate Kikyo in the past, but just then, when we spoke together for the last time, all my previous dislike of her just melted away. I kinda wished that I took sometime to get to know her, I think I would have liked her if I wasn't so crazy over Inuyasha."

Asami chuckled and said, "Yes, sometimes being in love makes us blind. But Kagome, I want to know… how did Inuyasha react when you said you couldn't bring Kikyo back?"

Kagome's features were filled with pain as she said, "He got very angry… I think if Sesshoumaru didn't step in, Inuyasha… would have hurt me." Before Kagome knew it, she had began to cry again, but she still continued, "He told Sesshoumaru that I was his, because I was Kikyo and when Sesshoumaru took me and left the battlefield, Inuyasha started to chase after us and he kept calling me Kikyo!" Kagome ended up sobbing into her hands.

Asami closed her eyes now that she knew what pained her daughter. However, Asami had to admit that if Inuyasha were right in front of her, she would give him a slap and set him straight. Asami made a mental note to do that the next time the hanyou came over, after all, no one caused this much pain to her daughter and got away with it scot-free.

"Kagome," said Asami sternly, "the first thing you have to do is too stop crying, I know what he did and said was painful, but you have to put that pain aside." Kagome's tears stopped at once, as she heard her mother speak to her. "You are stronger then this, I know you can get over the pain, but the next thing you have to do is go back tomorrow and see Inuyasha." Kagome's head shot up, but before she could say anything, her mother said, "You can't keep running away from him, you'll have to face him one day and sooner the better. Now Kagome… the reason why you came back was because you were running away from him, wasn't it?" Kagome stared at her mother in surprise. Though Kagome herself was unwilling to admit it to herself, she had indeed returned home to runaway from all the pain on the other side, and Inuyasha.

Kagome's closed her eyes and answered, "Yes… one of the reasons why I came back was to run away from that place."

"What about Sesshoumaru?" Asami asked, "How do you think he's feeling through all this?" Kagome's eyes opened wide, she never once thought about how Sesshoumaru felt. "Oh kami!" said Kagome as she pushed her fringe up, "he must think me weak!"

"Kagome!" said her mother, sounding a little like Sesshoumaru when he got angry, "Don't you go putting yourself down! How did he treat you during all this? Did he try to cheer you up?"

"Yes, he did," Kagome answered, "he cheered me up and even held me and he brought me back all the way to the well and… right now… he's… waiting patiently… near the well… waiting for my return…" Kagome trailed off, realizing how selfish her actions were to Sesshoumaru. "Mama," Kagome began, her voice back to its usual strength, "tomorrow… I'm going back to Sesshoumaru and, to set things straight with Inuyasha."

Asami nodded her head proudly and said, "I know you'll do well tomorrow. Inuyasha has just lost someone he loves dearly, remember that… and if you can… try and bring Sesshoumaru back so I can meet him!"

"Err…" said Kagome staring at shock at her mother. Somehow she thought bringing Sesshoumaru to the future was a bad idea, imagine what an intelligent fellow like him from that era could learn from hers! Asami saw the look of mixed horror and shock on her daughter's face and, chuckled at her and patted her shoulder, saying, "You don't have to bring him tomorrow, you can bring him when you're comfortable to do so."

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, as she said, "Thank's Mama… for a while there you really had me stunned."

Asami got up and smiled at her daughter and, just before she turned to finish washing the dishes, Asami said, "Kagome remember one thing… remind Inuyasha, that even though you are not Kikyo and that you love Sesshoumaru, you are still his friend. And… a friend is what he needs the most right now."

Kagome stood from the table and said, "I will Mama, thank you."

That night, as Kagome went to bed, she snuggled in between her covers and relished the feel of her bed and thought that she would want to wear something special for Sesshoumaru. But that no matter what, she was going to get through to Inuyasha's stubborn head and make sure that he never mistook her for Kikyo again.

- - - - - -

The next morning, after seeing Souta off to school, Kagome went right up to her bedroom and rummage around her closet until she found a deep red kimono that had no patterns on it. It was just left plain, throwing the kimono on the bed, she then made a racquet looking for the juban and obi that she had in mind. Asami went up to Kagome's room wondering what all the racquet was about. When she stepped in Kagome's room, she looked about all the clothes strewn on the floor and said, "Kagome, what are you doing?"

Without looking up from what she was doing, Kagome answered, "I'm looking for that pure black juban, with the black lace on the collar and the sleeves… AH! Found it!" said Kagome victoriously as she pulled it out of her closet and then bent down and pulled a pure black obi from the closet.

"Err… yes," said Asami, as she looked about the room and said, "but I repeat Kagome… what are you doing." Kagome then blushed and said, "I want to surprise Sesshoumaru."

"Oh I see," said Asami smiling, she then left the room, saying, "okay, but make sure you clean up this mess you created."

"Yes mama," Asami heard her daughter answer, as she closed the door on the room.

When Kagome was done, she looked absolutely stunning in the kimono. The black lace brought out the deep red of the kimono, and the pre-tied obi that was pure black, gave her an exotic look; and behind, the bow was crested in lace, and its tails that hung down to her knees, were also edged with black lace.

"I hope Sesshoumaru likes this," said Kagome as she twirled in front of the mirror, looking for any creases on her kimono that she needed to straighten out. Once she found everything satisfactory, Kagome left her room and went down the stairs. When she reached the landing, Kagome called out, "Mama, I'm leaving now to meet Sesshoumaru!"

"Oh," said Asami, replying from the kitchen, "let me walk you to the well." When Asami came out of the kitchen, she saw Kagome and said, "My goodness Kagome, you look very beautiful in that."

Kagome blushed at her mother and said, "Thank you."

The mother and daughter then left the house and walked to the well house together, talking animatedly to each other. Jii-chan was sweeping dry leaves just outside the well house and when he saw his daughter in-law and granddaughter coming in his direction, he stopped what he was doing and walked up to them saying, "Oh Kagome, you look stunning in that Kimono, but where are you two going?"

Asami answered him, saying, "Kagome's going back there to see her boyfriend." Kagome, however, turned a bright shade of magenta at once.

"WHAT?" Jii-chan cried out, "Boyfriend? So you and Inuyasha are finally getting somewhere?" Kagome's blush disappeared at once and she looked uncomfortable, while Asami held her daughter's shoulder and, said, "No, jii-chan, Inuyasha is not Kagome's boyfriend."

"Eh? What… I thought for sure that those two would…" Jii-chan didn't get to finish his sentence because Kagome finally spoke up, saying, "I'm sorry Jii-chan, but things didn't work out between him and me… and I moved on to someone else."

"Oh well," said Jii-chan looking down at his broom, "it's his lost then… so who's this new guy?"

"Oh," said Kagome smirking, "no one you might know, but back there he is a powerful taiyoukai." Kagome then climbed up the steps of the well house and opened the door.

"Tai… tai… tai… tai-you… youkai?" said jii-chan in shock.

Kagome giggled as she went into the house with her mother following and rolling her eyes at her daughter. Once they were inside, Asami softly said, "Kagome, you're absolutely mean to tease jii-chan like that."

With a smile on her face, Kagome turned around to her mother and said, "I'm sorry but I couldn't help myself." Asami shook her head at Kagome and then asked, "So, when will you be back?"

Kagome looked up at the ceiling of the well house and said, "I'm not sure… probably in the evening. I don't know when I'll be able to see Inuyasha, and… I don't know how long it will take for me to speak to him… considering the mood he's in."

"Take your time with Inuyasha," said Asami, compassionately to her daughter. "Don't forget at the moment, Inuyasha's whole world has just come crashing down and right now, he's in hell."

Kagome stared at her mother with eyes full of understanding and sympathy. If anyone could understand what Inuyasha was going through, it was her mother. After all, her mother went through one heck of a period of grief and mourning when her father was killed in the airline crash. Kagome was too young to remember much, but what she could remember of that dark period in her life was that her mother cried a lot.

"Thanks Mama," said Kagome, "I will." She then walked up to the well and sat down on its lip. Now being in a kimono made it harder for Kagome to turn about, so she had to hitch up the skirt of her kimono up to her knees, and moved them over into the well as she turned around, and when she accomplished that, Kagome gave her mother a smile and said, "See you later," with that, Kagome pushed herself into the well and fell… fast into darkness. The usual blue glow did not appear, and as Kagome watched the walls of the well pass her by in a blink, she landed hard at the bottom of the well and fell to her knees and gave an eep of pain, as she landed heavily on her knees and scrapped the palm of her hand on the rough surface of the wall to stop herself from hitting her head on it.

Before Kagome could compute what had happened, she heard her mother's voice from above call out, "Kagome?"

Kagome looked up and saw her mother's face looking down at her with worry. "I… didn't go through…" said Kagome in a low whisper to herself. Her heart began to beat fast against her chest, as she looked down at the dusty floor of the well and thought, 'Something must have happened on the other side!'

"Inuyasha…" said Kagome realizing that Inuyasha must have come back to the well and blocked it like the time before. Though her palm stung, Kagome forced herself to climb up the well to try once again. When she reached the top, she saw her mother looking worriedly at her. Kagome climbed up of the well and said, "I think something must be happening on the other side," said Kagome in a voice that threatened to break. "I have a bad feeling about this," said Kagome, as she turned around to face the well.

Kagome bent down and pulled the fold of her kimono skirt apart to loosen its hold around her to give her more mobility. She then climbed up to the well lip and standing on it, she said, "I'm going to give it another try."

'Please let me through,' Kagome prayed in her mind, 'Please, well… let me go back to him… please let me go back and speak to Inuyasha.' Kagome then jumped, but once again she fell quickly down the well into darkness. Knowing she hadn't gone through, she readied herself for the impact and this time, landed more smoothly at the bottom. When Kagome stood up, she saw her mother looking down at her. Again Kagome climbed up the well and this time, her hand really stung, as she went up and it even started to feel wet, Kagome knew then that her hand was bleeding. When she reached the top, she sat on the lip of the well and looked at her stinging palm. It was indeed bleeding from a nasty scratch that started from the bottom of her palm all the way up to the start of her fingers.

"Damn," she whispered.

Asami came to her daughter and saw the wound on her hand. She pulled a clean handkerchief from her pocket and wrapped it around Kagome's bleeding palm. Kagome looked up at her mother and said, "I'm worried, Mama… I'm worried that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru will hurt each other." Then fear crept into Kagome's heart. She remembered how bad their injuries were when both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha seriously battled each other. The first time, Sesshoumaru ended losing his left arm. The second time, Inuyasha was wounded badly by Sesshoumaru. The third time, Sesshoumaru almost lost his life when Inuyasha managed to master the Kaze no Kizu. Kagome feared, if the two brothers fought again and seriously… they might end up killing each other this time.

Kagome quickly stood up and said, "Sesshoumaru…"

Asami held her daughter back, and said, "But you said Sesshoumaru was a taiyoukai… so he can hold his own against Inuyasha… can't he?"

"Yes, he can…" said Kagome, "But… I've seen Inuyasha take down very powerful youkais… Menomaru… Kaguya-hime… Souunga… Ryuukotsusei… Moryuumaru… Meiojuu… and even more... I'm worried, he has become very strong and to tell the truth, the brothers, while different in person and in temper, are equals when it comes to fighting, even though Inuyasha is only hanyou."

"Kagome…" said Asami.

"I have to go… please let me through," said Kagome down to the well, "I have to go to Sesshoumaru!"

"Sesshoumaru?" said Jii-chan's voice all of the sudden in the well house.

Both mother and daughter turned to the old man, who stood at the doors of the well house. "Did you say Sesshoumaru?" said Jii-chan again.

Asami took a step away from her daughter and asked, "Jii-chan… do you know the name Sesshoumaru?" The old man walked away from the well house and grumbled, "Of course I do, how can I call myself the proprietor of this shrine if I did not."

Asami gasped, and said, "Of course… I have heard of Sesshoumaru's name before," when she ended her sentence, Asami ran up the steps of the well house to the door, leaving Kagome, standing in side the well house, feeling her blood running cold. "Why," said Kagome "…does jii-chan know Sesshoumaru's name?" Slowly, Kagome came out of the well house holding her hands close to her chest. She saw that her mother had caught up to her grandfather and that they were talking in front of the shrine.

"Jii-chan," Kagome heard her mother speak to her grandfather, "how do you know the name of Kagome's boyfriend?"

"Huh?" said Jii-chan, in surprise, "That guy is Kagome's boyfriend?" But then his eyes came to rest on his granddaughter who was walking towards him with a nervous look on her face.

"Kagome…" said Jii-chan with a sad look on his face.

"Jii-chan..." said Kagome softly, "what did you mean when you said that you wouldn't be the proprietor of this shrine if you didn't know Sesshoumaru's name?"

Jii-chan stared down at the ground and asked, "Your boyfriend… his name is really Sesshoumaru is it?"

"Yes," Kagome answered, as her heat beat faster and faster.

"And," said Jii-chan, "he really is a taiyoukai, a powerful one?"

"Yes…" Kagome answered again with fear and dread drowing her senses with all of Jii-chan's questions.

"Does he have a younger half-brother?" Jii-chan asked.

"Yes," Kagome answered, "its Inuyasha." She saw jii-chan close his eyes slowly and asked, "Do you know a Buddhist monk over on the other side?"

"Yes," said Kagome, panic sounding in her voice, "but why are you asking me all this questions?"

"Honestly," said Jii-chan, sounding tired, "the two of you live at this shrine, and you don't know what is enshrined in this building here!" Asami gasped, while Kagome looked at Jii-chan in disbelief.

"Jii-chan…" said Kagome slowly.

"Kagome," said Jii-chan, finally looking up at her, "our Higurashi jinja enshrines the remains of a powerful youkai lord who was defeated by his younger half-brother in a battle that lasted seven days. His name was Sesshoumaru, and in seven days time, we will celebrate the anniversary of his death."

Kagome's eyes went wide with horror as she looked from her grandfather and up at her family shrine, "This shrine…" said Kagome, "this shrine… is… Se… is Ses… Sesshoumaru's…." As she continued to stare up at the shrine in horror, her eyes welled up with tears. "Sesshoumaru… is… d…" Kagome saw her whole world spin before her eyes, and then she was overcome by a sudden bout of dizziness.

"Sesshoumaru…" said Kagome, as she felt herself fall backwards and suddenly everything turned black as Kagome heard her mother and grandfather's voices call out to her and then… there was silence as darkness took her.

To be continued….

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to Advi's cliffhanger endings! Don't worry, don't worry, there's still one more chapter to go! Yup after that its Sayonara, as it will finally be the end of this story. But, oh my-my… what will happen to Kagome? And what is happening back in the Sengoku Jidai?

Find out in the next and final chapter of In The Rain!

Please review if you loved the chapter… but err… no flames please and thank you.

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