Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

A/N: Well, here is the next chapter!

Chapter 4: Home again

A demon jumped out of the well at Inuyasha, preparing to bury it's fangs into the young hanyou. Inuyasha readied himself to retaliate, expecting the demon to attack head on. Instead, the demon turned at the last second and encircled Inuyasha and Kagome, pulling them into the well. Inuyasha was so surprised that he didn't react until the blue light surrounded them. Upon landing at the bottom of the well, Inuyasha slayed the demon and looked around him. The well, it seemed different than before, and the blue light…could it be? Could he really have returned? Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome. She was shaking with fear and seemed utterly confused.

"I-Inuyasha…..w-what…..just h-happened?"

Inuyasha gazed at the vines covering the walls of the well and the little white butterflies that fluttered about. Kagome was a little taken aback when she saw an air of happiness in Inuyasha's expression as he stated in a mere whisper,

"I'm not sure, but if my hunch is correct, I have returned to my world."

"Y-your world…what do you mean?" asked a now doubly confused Kagome, sitting down and staring in deep concentration at the dirt floor of the well.

Inuyasha rested his eyes on Kagome, trying to think of a good way to explain the situation.

"Kagome….haven't you ever wondered where I came from, why I have these ears, and these claws?" questioned Inuyasha, raising up one clawed hand to lightly finger one of his furry ears. Kagome raised her head to look at him.

"Well…You've been living at the shrine for as long as I can remember, so I never really thought about that."

Inuyasha sighed and sat down next to her, absently twirling a leaf in his fingers that he had found lying on the floor of the well.

"When I was five years old" he began, "The village where my mom and I lived was attacked."

Kagome could see him wincing slightly at the memory, but remained silent.

"My mother had told me before that I shouldn't come near this well. But when I was running away, I just came to this place…I, don't know…why I did. I managed to evade the demon by jumping in the well, but when I landed on the bottom, I was in your world. It was your mom who finally found me."

Kagome was at a loss for words. She never thought that her mysterious friend had such a miserable past.

"Come." said Inuyasha, standing up abruptly, his expression suddenly hardening as he stared intently at the light pouring in from outside of the well.

He lifted Kagome onto his back and leaped out of the well with ease.

~*~*~*

Mrs. Higurashi was shocked when she got a call from the school informing her that both Inuyasha and Kagome were missing from school.

"I wonder where they could possibly be. I know that they wouldn't miss school on purpose!"

She would have gotten overly worried, but she knew that Inuyasha could take care of Kagome and himself quite well. He had always done a good job of it in the past, she recalled, dwelling on past memories for a minute.

~*~*~*flashback~*~*~*

A seven-year-old Kagome walked along the side of the road, a shopping bag swinging lightly in her hand. Seeing her home, she looks both ways and starts to cautiously cross the street. Seemingly out of nowhere, a car pulls out of a driveway nearby and starts to head towards Kagome, the driver busy fiddling with the CD player, completely unaware of the situation. Kagome notices and starts to run, but instead trips and watches in horror the oncoming car. A streak of silver could be seen exiting the vicinity of some tall trees, and at the last second, Kagome is pulled out of the way. A nine-year-old Inuyasha lands expertly on the other side of the road, setting Kagome down carefully as a younger Mrs. Higurashi runs down the steps of the shrine, pulling them both into a bear hug.

~*~*~*end flashback~*~*~*

Kagome's mom smiled at the memory. She had nothing to worry about as long as Kagome stayed with Inuyasha.

~*~*~*

"What is this place?" questioned Kagome, climbing off of Inuyasha's back and looking around her in awe. Little birds chirped out joyful little tunes from the tops of the surrounding trees. The lush green undergrowth rustled with the sounds of small animals, curious as to whom these new visitors were. But Kagome had only seconds to admire the beautiful scenery before Inuyasha pulled her back onto him and bounded off into the thick forest, slicing through brush and small trees along the way.

"Where are we going Inuyasha?" Kagome asked from her place on his back, trying without much luck to keep his hair out of her face.

"We're going to my village." he replied shortly, focusing his attention back onto the way they were traveling.

'He looks so serious.' thought Kagome, peeking over his shoulder to get another glimpse of his golden eyes. 'I wonder what he could be thinking.'

Inuyasha came to a stop right at the edge of the forest.

"We can walk now." he said, looking back at Kagome and managing a small smile.

Kagome nodded and followed him out of the forest. The remains of a small village lay before them. Kagome was only confused until she looked over to Inuyasha and saw the expression on his face. This was his village. The place his mother was supposed to be waiting at for him.

Inuyasha sank to his knees in disbelief. What had happened? Why was his village in ruins, utterly deserted? What if-….no…she had said it herself. He remembered quite clearly the words that persuaded him to leave those many years before.

"I'll be fine"

She had to have escaped. She would never lie to him. But in his heart he knew he was lying to himself.

Kagome walked over to Inuyasha and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Inuyasha. I'm sure she's in a wonderful place right now. And don't forget, you'll always have me."

Inuyasha looked up at Kagome with a bright smile on his face as he recalled some of his mother's other words,

"I promise you, one day you will meet someone that will love you regardless, just like I do."

"Thanks Kagome" Inuyasha said as his hair blew about lightly in the breeze. "It really means a lot."

A/N: Awwwwwww! *glomps Inuyasha* A perfect ending to the story if I do say so myself. Well, please review and tell me what you think, if you want a sequel, any other stuff you want to mention, and I'll see if I can do something about it. I hope you enjoyed the story, Ja ne everyone!

-Shizuka ame