Lessons Learned

Author Shortey 83

Chapter 1: Have a nice trip! See you next fall!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own InuYasha or Skyrim! I only borrow ideas because trying to drill them out of my head with power tools doesn't work! ^.^

Summary: Set after Naraku's defeat, the Bone Eaters Well has brought another girl through, only this time it won't allow her to go home. What's a modern day girl to do 500 years in the past with only the few things she carried over.

Authors Note: Alright people I'm using ideas and lore from my favorite video game of all time! Skyrim (Which I do NOT own either) For those of you who don't know what it is it is an epic game in the elder scrolls series. While the story may have been on my mind for a while, certain elements hadn't pieced together until recently. Hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing it!

This story is one that has been PLAUGING my mind since before, My Dog, Sesshomaru, and I have finally set down to write it, but fear not! I'm am still writing for Heirlooms as well as My Dog, Sesshomaru.

Story Start: It had been a few days since she last spoke with her father and since then, Takara had been trying desperately to locate the proper shrine. Tokyo was a big place with an abundance of shrines to say that she had her work cut out for her wouldn't be in accurate. "Let's hope this one is lucky number 21" she mumbled, trudging up the stair case.

For the past few days, she had been looking for a particular shrine to "make something disappear" as her father had put it, she just needed the one with an old well. However, she was fearing that her poor old father was going senile. Poor guy thought that throwing their family's old bow down the well would solve a bunch of problems; money problems, problems with bad luck, and more recently marriage problems. The marriage problems were hers though. Takara had been convinced that she lived in the modern age, but with all of the marriage proposals she was hearing about through her father, an arranged marriage had her feeling like she was living in the distant past.

"Arranged marriage? I mean really? Who does that anymore?" Takara mumbled as she reached the top of the stairs. Apparently the deal she had made with her father was that if she were to find the well and dispose of the bow, he wouldn't arrange a marriage between her and another but simply allow her out on her own. That promise is the only thing that kept her traveling from shrine to shrine.

At the top of the stairs, and elderly man was sweeping the courtyard of the shrine, humming a little tune to himself. "Excuse me," Takara interrupted his song "Would you happen to the keeper of this particular shrine?" The old man looked up to her and gave a wide smile "I would be indeed, young lady. How may I be of assistance?"

Takara kept her voice down and motioned the old man to lean closer. It seemed ridiculous to keep their conversation as hush hush as her father had warned her to, but she did as he told her. Giving her a strange look, the old man leaned in closer.

"I was told to ask about a well that you may have. A well that can…get rid of something for me…Make it disappear?" Takara whispered. To her surprise, the old man gave her a shocked look before asking "What is it that needs to vanish?" Takara hesitated. Every other shrine owner had just informed her that there were no wells on the grounds and asked her to leave.

"An old heirloom; My family's old bow and it's arrows." She whispered to the old man who looked around making sure there were no other visitors, and, to her vast relief, nodded. "Bring it up quickly, and into that building" He motioned to a little shack on the perimeter of the shrine. Without any hesitation, Takara hurried back down the stairs and to her car to grab the weapon. Waiting in her car as well was her best friend and constant companion, Kaos. His black head hung out the window of her car, and though he may have appeared board, his tail could be seen banging up and down against the back seat of the car.

"I think we may have hit the jackpot" Takara excitedly whispered, rubbing her hands behind his big ears before she opened the door to let him out. Finally she picked up the large bag that held the bow and its arrows, and placed her backpack on her back before she trudged back up the staircase. The weapon was bug and bulky but it seemed that it became lighter as she trudged up the stairs with it. Must be gaining some extra muscles she thought, after all she had done this almost two dozen times over the past few days.

However, once she reached the top of the staircase, the weapon felt as if it were no more than a couple of pounds. Strange… she thought as she hurried over to the building with Kaos hot on her heels. The old shrine keeper was standing at the door to the shrine which he had slid open. "This is the Bone Eaters well" he whispered "Legend has it that when the bones of demons where thrown into the well they would disappear." He eyed Takara, "I'm assuming your bow is indeed made of bone in order for you to be going through such trouble to trust a legend." Takara nodded, the bow was indeed made up of bones as were the arrowheads.

Slowly she entered the old building, not out of fear for how foreboding it may have seemed, but because it looked like it could collapse on her head at any minute. Carefully she made her way down the creaky old stairs and peeked into the dark edges of the well. It didn't appear to be anything more than a dry, old well. Perhaps this shrine keeper and her father were in cahoots with one another. "Proud members of the Senile Gentleman's Club…" she whispered, as she moved the bow to hold it over the well. Before she could release it, though the old man yelled something.

Just as Takara turned, a small furry ball came flying at her with a hiss as Kaos leapt after it. A cat! That was just her luck! Kaos hated cats! The cat landed, claws extended on her backpack, pushing her towards the well, before it used her as a springboard to fling itself away from Kaos' snapping jaws. Then both her and Kaos were falling headfirst into the well. With a scream, Takara braced for impact, but it never came as a bright purple light surrounded both herself, and Kaos, whose collar she had managed to grab on the way down. It was then as if they were both gently set down. Takara took a minute then to attempt to calm her fast beating heart. However, when she looked up and her eyes met bright sky instead of dingy roof, a bad feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.

She had never heard the cracking of the roof, so there was no way it had fallen down. She would have heard that over her own screams… at least that was what she thought. Kaos however, seemed unfazed by the turn of events. He was still trying to find the cat that had knocked them down here in the first place. Either way she had to get out of the well. She didn't do very good with small, dark places. The vine covered walls were already starting to close in on her. She paused. There most certainly hadn't been any vines in the well when she first fell in. With her panic rising, she didn't ponder that anymore as she began to climb. She still had to figure a way to get Kaos out of the well.

Once she struggled over the rim of the well she was positive something had indeed happened. There was no shrine, no buildings, and way too many trees. She was most certainly not in the same place anymore. Regardless, she needed to figure out a way to get Kaos out of the well. She searched the small clearing for something to pull him out with or help him climb up but to no avail. By now he was starting to whine. He was beginning to figure out that he was stuck.

"Easy boy," she crooned to him as she peeked into the well. "I'll get you out, somehow…" She just wasn't sure how she was going to do that. Her mind racing, she hurried over to the nearby trees and tore some of the long vines from them. She sat on the edge of the well so he could see her and so she could talk to him. He calmed and laid his big head on his paws, waiting for her to get him out.

She took three long strands of vine and braided them together, making a makeshift rope out of them, trying to make them long enough to reach down into the well. It took her about an hour to weave the vines together and get two halfway decent ropes out of them. Swallowing her fears, Takara swung her other leg down and climbed down into the well. She was in a near panic by the time she reached the bottom. Being claustrophobic was not in her favor at present as her hands trembled trying to loop one rope through metal loop in Kaos' collar and tied another one just in front of his back legs so as not to choke him while pulling him out of the well.

"Stay" she commanded, holding her hand up to show him that he wasn't to move as she tied the other ends of the ropes to her belt loops and scrambled up the well. The ropes weren't quite long enough and she had to stretch to grip the lip of the well. It wasn't easy hauling herself and Kaos' weight up, but once she made her way across the wells brim, she gripped the ropes and pulled.

She loved her dog, she really did. Takara hand managed to pull him to the very top of the well, and what was he doing? ; looking at her with his tail wagging. Happy-go-lucky was the very definition of his nature at times. She almost laughed at how silly he looked in the situation he was in, but she focused on hauling him over the side. "I must report to Captain Ahab. I think I just hauled in Moby Dick's brother…" she panted as she fell over on her back, trying to catch her breath from the exertion.

She closed her eyes to the bright sun high overhead, only to be assaulted by a long wet tongue in her face. She pushed Kaos and his tongue away and sat up to untie him from the vines, with the exception of the one around his collar, just to be sure there were no more cats around for him to chase. Not too far off in the distance a loud crash echoed in the trees followed by a few loud voices. Picking up the bag with the bow in it, she slung it over her shoulder and headed towards the sound of the crash.

After a few minutes the voices became more distinct; a man and a woman arguing, but she couldn't quite make out the words. She advanced once the voiced lowered and peeked through some bushes. Whoever they were, they knew she was there because they were starring right were she was hiding. The woman seemed to be around her age with dark hair and eyes, dressed in an old timing priestess' clothing with a bow and arrows strapped to her back.

While she was truly surprising to see it was the man she had been arguing with that surprised her. His kimono was a shocking red color all over that made his silver white hair stand out. He narrowed his eyes at her direction, his beautiful amber eyes, but what tested her sanity were his two dog like ears on top of his head.

"We know you're there." He yelled in her direction, "You might as well come out" Takara wasn't so sure it was a good idea, but once they drew their weapons, she didn't really see much of a choice. Holding Kaos' makeshift leash behind her, Takara stepped out to meet these two strangely dressed people.

She saw both of their eyes widen as she stepped out of the clearing with her dog and gave them a weak smile. Before she even had a chance to greet them, the woman spoke "You're from my time!"

From her TIME?... That didn't sound good to Takara. What have I gotten myself into?