Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

Kenma looked through his bag, making sure he had his textbooks and assignments that he was going to need that day. He and Kagome had tests in Math, History and Modern Japanese next week, so this study session would be great way to see how well they work together as study partners. Pulling out his phone to look at the address she sent him last night, he saw that she actually didn't live that far from his house. He figured that it would take him about a 15-minute walk to get there. Going into the kitchen to eat breakfast, he waved goodbye to his parents as he headed out the door.

As he had suspected, it did not take him long to reach the street that Kagome lived on, but that was the least of his problems. Looking up at the large red torii gate that was marked 'Higurashi Shrine,' he could see what looked like a small mountain of stairs. Glancing down at the address Kagome sent him again, hoping that he was in the wrong place and that name was mere coincidence. He could feel the cold sweat form on the back of his neck when the address didn't magically change. Kenma took a deep breath with a grimace and began the climb, he just hoped that he didn't collapse on the way up.

Soft rhythmic scraping sounds broke the stillness of the morning as Kagome swept the walkways on the shrine grounds. As she fell into the well-practiced motions of her chores, her mind drifted to what needed to be done that day. She already prepared snacks for her study session with Kenma, and he should be arriving shortly. Coming to the top of the stairs and marking the end of her sweeping, she glanced down and saw a familiar head of black hair climbing the last ten steps.

"Ah, Good Morning Kenma!" She greeted with a smile.

Looking up at her with his golden eyes, and a little out of breath. "Good Morning, Kagome."

"I see you found us ok." She said while stepping aside slightly for him, "Sorry, I forgot to warn you about the stairs."

Taking a couple deep breaths with his hands on his knees before straightening up. "It was actually not as bad as I thought it would be." Maybe all the extra laps that the third years made him do actually helped somewhat, though he would still prefer that they didn't target him the way that they did.

Kagome gave him a gentle smile, and motioned him to follow her further onto the grounds. "The house is back this way. I just need to drop off this broom in the storage shed along the way."

Trailing half a step behind her, Kenma looked around the shine and felt like he just stepped back in time. There was something about the area, a feeling that he was having trouble naming. He's been to shrines and temples before, but this was different somehow. There was an agelessness that echoed around him, and he felt safe instead of overwhelmed. "It feels peaceful here."

Smiling back at him, Kagome hummed in agreement. "This shrine has been in my family's care for about 500 years." She pointed up ahead at the giant tree with a thick hemp rope around it and across the courtyard there was a shack that had an almost eerie air about it. "That tree is the Goshinboku, and the small building there is the well house where the Bone-Eaters Well resides. Both have been on the grounds since before the shrine was built. The Goshinboku has been said to be about 1,000 years old, though that isn't for certain. The Bone-Eaters Well is a dry well and is closed off to visitors because it can be dangerous and we don't want anyone to accidently fall in."

Stopping outside the storage shed, Kenma couldn't help but think that this might be one of the reasons why Kagome seemed to excel in History. "Ano, Kagome? Why is the well called the 'Bone-Eaters Well'?"

Kagome paused while opening the door to the shed and looked at him with a smirk, "That would be because in the past, people would throw the bones of youkai into the well and the bones would disappear." Then with that unnerving note, she disappeared into the shed.

Kenma's eyes widened a bit and looked warily over at the shack thinking that that definitely explained the name. "So, you're the study partner that Kagome-nee-san said was coming over." Kenma blinked in surprise at the sudden voice, and slowly looked down at the boy that appeared near him.

Kagome finished placing the broom back in its place and made sure that it wouldn't topple over and cause a mess. Hearing Souta voice from outside, she turned towards the door of the shed and headed outside just in time to hear, "Wanna go play some video games?" Finding that the two boys hadn't noticed her return; she saw a grin stretch across her little brother's face and a glint of interest in Kenma's eyes that she'd never seen. Seeing that she now had not just one video game enthusiast on her hands but two, she knew that she needed to stop them before they made their escape.

"And where do you two think you are going?" Looking at the frozen looks on their faces forced her to fight to keep the stern look on her face. She raised an eyebrow at the two, "Kenma you and I need to study. Souta, go get your homework and bring it down. If Mama finds out that you played your video games without finishing your work, she'll skin you alive and then make you clean up the mess."

Biting the inside of her cheek at the disappointed and pale faces before her, she finally relented and gave into the smile she was holding back. "After we all finish our schoolwork, then the two of you can run off into gamer-land." Receiving dual looks of excitement, the trio heading into the house to tackle their studies.

Kenma and Kagome worked diligently on reviewing for their tests until they were both confident in the subjects. They then discussed a game plan for studying during the week up to the day of the exams. It would be hard for them to meet after school with Kenma's club obligations, so they figured it would be best for them to review more during homeroom and lunch. Kagome then checked on Souta's progress with his assignments, and confirmed that he was finished.

She paused for a few moments while glancing at the hopeful duo, "Ok, you two are free." Releasing the giggles that had built up in her chest as she watched the boys scurried off to Souta's room. She stood up while shaking her head and started straightening up the table, "I hope they remember to blink occasionally."