Chapter Three

(updated January 2021)

"Why, Inu-Yasha? Why would you push Rin down the well?" Kagome cried.

"What do you mean? We agreed to see if she was the reincarnation of that girl. I figured the best way to discover the truth was to see if anything from my world would trigger her memory. You were the one who told me to figure it out."

"SIT!" Kagome screamed, activating his necklace, crushing his face into the ground. "Rin doesn't have the jewel to get into your time! She could be at the bottom with a broken neck or worst…"

Inu-Yasha grumbled, picking himself off the ground, "Well, if you're that worried about her, let's go down and see. And if she ain't down there, then we know it worked, and that's the end of that."

"If she isn't down there, we'll have a bigger problem trying to find her. She'll be lost in an unknown world. We need to find her, return her to this world, and figure it out from there." she sighed, jumping into the well and hoping she wouldn't find her best friend's body at the bottom.

|oOoOo|

Rin groaned, already feeling the knot that was growing from hitting her head. She felt nauseous but slowly pushed herself to her feet. 'I can't believe that guy pushed me…' she thought, looking up towards the sky. Her body ached as she stretched her arms out, finding small slots along the well's wall, and made her climb towards the top. Pulling herself out, she gasped when she caught a glance of the Secret Tree.

"Where's the shrine? That man? What's going on?" Rin whispered, taking in the sights. She recognized the tree but the world around her was not the same. The shrine, buildings, even the sounds of traffic, was gone and replaced with nature. Trees and bushes stretched as far as she could see, Rin staring in awe.

"Hello? Kagome? Sota? Anyone?" she called, walking towards the tree. She touched, rubbing her hand along the base. She would sit under this tree for hours with Kagome, so she was confident she wasn't mistaken. This was the same tree from the Higurashi shrine.

"What's going on!?" she screamed, falling to her knees.

"Enough with all that racket, stupid girl." A voice suddenly called out. Rin jumped to her feet and looked around. Suddenly, a long staff appeared from the bushes, displaying sets of heads.

"Are those heads? Stay away from me," Rin cried, pushing back against the tree.

A small frog-like creature suddenly emerged from the bushes, slowly approaching her. The creature's little eyes widen in shock as it stared into Rni's horrified ones. "My Lord!" he yelled suddenly. "You stay here, girl!" the creature demanded, running off.

Rin stared in shock, trying to find her voice. "A frogman just spoke to me. A frogman with a staff of heads… human heads… spoke to me. I need to get out of her," she cried, making a run for it. She had no idea what happened to the world but knew she couldn't stay for the frogman to return.

Without warning, a large dog-like animal appeared on her path, causing her to jerk to the side. Rin felt the fabric of her dress under her foot, causing her to lose her traction. She struggled to keep her balance as she tensed her body, prepared for a harsh landing on the ground. Strong arms suddenly engulfed her, pulling her off the ground and against his chest. Surprised, her body relaxed against his, her head resting on his chest.

"Welcome back, mate," a deep voice greeted, tightening his arms around her.

|oOoOo|

"Inu-Yasha, slow down!" Kagome yelled as the half-demon jumped between the trees. They had just arrived in the feudal era, and Inu-Yasha had caught Rin's scent. However, ten minutes into the search, her smell disappeared, and traveling through the trees made it difficult for Kagome to find clues on the ground.

Annoyed by Kagome's complaining, Inu-Yasha dropped from the trees, pushing Kagome off his back. "I thought you wanted to find Rin. Make up your mind, woman."

"I do, but it's difficult finding any clues with you jumping through the trees. You lost Rin's scent, so where are we even going?" Kagome yelled back.

"Clearly, following your orders, all day hasn't been that great for me. I'm so tired of your – oh, wait… you're not going to cry, are you?" Inu-Yasha stopped, shocked to see the tears in Kagome's eyes.

"It was horrible, Inu-Yasha," she cried suddenly. "They tried to force Rin into an engagement at her party; you should have seen her face. Her father collapsed when she left, and I have no way of telling her. It's my fault she's in this world unprepared. I should have told her when we first had our suspicions, and now… she could be hurt. She's lost in this strange world and has no idea what's going on. I'm a horrible friend."

Inu-Yasha's eyes softened as he pulled the crying girl in his arms. "It's not your fault Kagome. We will find her, I promise." He whispered.

Kagome blushed and whispered a thank you in embarrassment. Realizing he still held her in his arms, Inu-Yasha pushed her away. "Anyway, I have an idea. It's possible Sesshomaru already found Rin, and that would explain why her scent suddenly disappeared. They are likely traveling by sky. Restoring her memory is his number one priority, so we should travel to his part of the forest."

Kagome nodded, impressed by his plan, and smiled. "Thanks, Inu-Yasha. Let's get going!"

|oOoOo|

Story Changes - I confess, I was super annoyed with my past self writing this chapter because I kept switching between first and third-person perspectives. Ahh - it wasn't enjoyable. When I started Chapters 1 and 2, I wrote them in the first person, but it changed by Chapter 3 and onward. So I had to go back and re-write the first two chapters, which changed the story's feel. I also needed to combine a few chapters to give more context and length. It's been such a task, but I hope the flow is much better. I hope you enjoyed this newest chapter!

Glumps and Love,

L. Starr