Gramps froze as he fumbled around in the storage shed, his head whipping around to stare at the well house through the window.
Glancing over at the old scroll that sat on the shelf he started forward, snagging Souta by the arm as he walked passed tossing his soccer ball in the air.
"Go to the well house." Gramps commanded.
"Why, what's going on?" Souta asked.
Grandpa Higurashi glanced back to the wooden structure, the color draining from his face.
"The well house young one!"
"Alright, alright, I'm going." Souta sighed.
Grandpa turned and moved to kneel next to the old chest, rifling through and pulling out the picture with a folded up envelope. He shrugged on his old green vest, tying his headband around his head.
Grabbing his things off the floor he stood and slid the old scroll off of the shelf, making his way out onto the grounds.
Souta swung his ball under his arm, sliding the door to the well house open and walking down to the dirt floor.
"Okay, now what?" he mumbled.
"S-souta."
The younger Higurashi jumped and peered over the lip of the well, his heart hammering in his chest at the appearance of his sister.
"Hang on, let me help you. Hang on…"
Souta moved to climb down, Kagome grunting as she struggled up the ladder, Souta leaning down to help pull her up.
Kagome hissed as she slid over the top of the well, falling to the floor in a bloodied heap.
"Come on… lets get you in the house." Souta said.
His soccer ball lay abandoned at their feet as he knelt down, draping Kagome's arm around his shoulders and pulling her to her feet.
"Souta… when did you get so tall?" Kagome mumbled.
Her brother smirked, "you just now noticed? You're delirium isn't setting in yet?"
Kagome grunted as they trudged forward, a loud crash making both turn to the well house as a red and silver blur shot through the ceiling.
"How'd he get here?" the priestess whispered, despair leaking into her voice.
"Souta! Take your sister, read from this scroll and whatever you do, you don't look back!" Gramps shouted hobbling forward.
'That vest… that headband…' Kagome thought, her brain fogging up on her.
"Gramps, what the hell's going on?" Souta asked taking in his grandfather's appearance.
Grandpa shoved the scroll at Souta, shoving something into his back pocket as he passed.
"Go!"
Reaching into one of the pockets on his vest he pulled out a kunai, the handle rusted slightly, but sharp enough to still get the job finished.
Souta grunted under his breath as he dragged Kagome forward a few steps and paused. "We're not going to get much farther…"
"Go without me… I'll hold him off." Kagome mumbled trying to stumble forward to where grandpa was squaring off with the amused demon.
"Nope, you're not." Souta said holding onto her arm tightly.
Souta cracked the seal of the scroll, unrolling it and glancing over it.
"What the hell is all of this mumbo-jumbo?"
Grandpa glanced over his shoulder before turning back to Inuyasha and sliding his kunai across his arm.
"In a rush old man?" Inuyasha taunted.
"Absolutely." Grandpa smirked.
'I hope this works.' Grandpa thought.
He put his hands together in various signs, confusing the demon in front of him briefly.
A puff of smoke covered Kagome and Souta before fading away.
"Where'd they go?" Inuyasha hissed.
Grandpa smirked and turned the kunai on himself slamming it into his chest.
Inuyasha growled and ran towards the main house, trust Kagome to always have what he was looking for; first he had to take care of Haru.
Souta looked around wildly, the shrine grounds were gone, they were in the woods.
"What the hell—?" he asked.
Kagome blinked and fell back against the trunk of a tree, "we need to move… I don't know what gramps did but… I'm not feeling well."
Souta looked over at Kagome, blood continued to leak from the wound at her side slowly trickling down her body and dripping to the ground.
He nodded slightly and moved her arm around his shoulders once more, carefully stepping forward through the brush.
Voices stopped them, Souta bracing himself to fight whomever was ahead of them.
"Who are you?"
"Why are you so close to Konohagakure?"
"Are you spies?"
Souta looked over at Kagome, her eyelids heavy with blood loss, "she needs a doctor."
The first guard scoffed, "answer us boy."
Souta gritted his teeth, jumping as Kagome's voice floated into the group.
"We need to see Kakashi Hatake… Now."
The two ninja looked at each other before the two in front of them, "oh no… you're going to see the Hokage."
Both ninja guards looked over them once more, resting on the bloodied headband at Kagome's hip and the scroll in Souta's hand.
Souta opened his mouth when Kagome nudged him with her foot, a silent command to remain silent.
The younger Higurashi inhaled deeply as one of the ninja grabbed his sister, the other grabbing him and racing through the town to stop at the Hokage's tower.
"Pardon the intrusion Lady Hokage, we've come across these two in the woods. They seem suspicious."
'I'm half-way to being unconscious… how am I suspicious?' Kagome thought as she was unceremoniously dropped back to her feet.
The blonde at the desk lifted her head, blinking sleep from her eyes as she took in their appearance. "That better come off the floor."
She pointed to the small droplets of blood that fell from Kagomes shorts, the dark haired girl swaying slightly.
"The girl requested Hatake."
The blonde woman jerked up, waving the two guards out of the room.
"So… it seems there may have been a bit of truth to it all after all." She mumbled.
"She needs a doctor." Souta said.
The Hokage stood in front of Souta, noticing the paper sticking out of his back pocket before tugging it out and stepping back as he stepped forward in protest.
Tsunade took in the picture, opening the envelope as familiar script greeted her gaze that she hadn't seen since she was little.
Meeting the gaze of the two in front of her, she called back the two guards and wrote something quickly before handing it over.
"See she gets the best treatment at the hospital… Leave him with me." she demanded.
Souta glared, Tsunade frowning as she stared at him, "Shizune, summon Kakashi, Kurenai, Guy, and Asuma… There seems to be something interesting happening."
Souta gulped as Tsunade sat in her chair and leaned back, eyeing him carefully.