Kagome woke up very slowly. She was so warm and comfortable, she didn't remember what happened. A bell chimed, and she rolled over.
"Five more minutes, Mama. Just tell Inuyasha to wait." It wasn't until the ninth chime that she sat up, realizing she wasn't at home.
"Nine o'clock!" A voice from fairly far away called out in English. "Open the gates for nine o'clock!"
Kagome was in a large bedroom, in a queen sized canopy bed. Beautiful white curtains surrounded the bed, embroidered with green vines and pink flowers. The sheets were pure white and softer then silk. A warm, powder pink comforter, stuffed with feathers, was tucked snugly around her. She was still wearing her school uniform, and she was fairly sure it wasn't a dream. She slipped out of the luxurious bed and looked around the room.
Kagome was in a castle. Not just any castle, but a big, medieval European castle. The stone floor had a thick forest green carpet on it, and three walls were wood painted white with small peacock feathers carved around the ceiling. The fourth wall was stone, with a big window overlooking the courtyard of the castle. A large empty fireplace was directly opposite the window. A wardrobe, a bookshelf, an armchair, a few tables, a desk, a fainting couch, and two elegant doors finished out the room. Hanging on the outside of the wardrobe was an elegant medieval dress. Pink and lavender satin with a princess cut, the dress was exactly Kagome's size. The bell sleeves and smooth lines were just Kagome's style, and not a piece of frilly lace in sight. A note lay on the table nearest the dress.
"Put it on and get comfortable. A servant will come to fetch you for lunch. Relax, read a book, or watch the people in the court below. The bathroom is the door with vines carved in it. The door with the family crest leads into the hallway. Please stay in your personal rooms until called for. Lord Jonathan Higarashi"
Kagome read the signature twice, looked around, and read the note again. 'If I'm in Europe, why is this in Japanese? No, better question: Why am I in Europe? Where is Inuyasha?' Kagome put on the dress, amazed at the craftsmanship. When no other ideas came to mind, she decided it was best if she did as the note said. The books were a mix of Japanese and English, with a few devoted to translation. Remembering that she was quite behind at school, she took a translation book and started reading.
The book was very easy to understand, and soon the only thing Kagome was wondering was 'Why can't my textbooks explain things like this? If they did I wouldn't have any trouble in English class.' Just after the clock chimed ten, she came upon a chapter describing warriors, knights and the vocabulary associated with them. Her thoughts instantly turned back to Inuyasha. 'Where is he? Is he alright? Is he tearing through the castle looking for a way out? No, if he tried to escape, and I know he would, I would have heard the commotion by now. He'd have followed my scent here a long time ago. Is he chained up? Is he in the dungeon like a criminal, or did they think he was some kind of monster?'
Kagome put the book down on the desk and went to the window to see if she could spot any explosions or an angry hanyou in a bright red haori. There was quite a bit of bright red, but there wasn't an angry hanyou anywhere. Kagome tried to go back to reading, but every Knight she read about turned into Inuyasha.
Finally there was a knock on the door, and a servant girl announced that Kagome was to follow her to the dining hall. Kagome tried to speak with her, but her reply was puzzling.
"The princess should not waste her energy speaking to me, as I know little of her language and am unimportant."
The dining hall was decorated in red and gold, and if Kagome had any doubts that a very wealthy family lived here, they were swept aside by the elegance of everything in sight. Beautiful arched windows covered one wall, overlooking a garden and vegetable patch. Everything was decorated with a stylized, interlocking peacock feather design. The same peacock fan and dagger family crest was etched into the doors. There was a tall man sitting at the end of a large table. The only other place set was on the side of the table to his right.
"Welcome, I take it you've rested well. I would have gotten to you sooner but I had a little bit of business to handle this morning and I thought you would appreciate the time alone. You must still be in shock after what your mother said."
"Um… excuse me but I haven't spoken to my mother is a few days." Kagome was beginning to wonder if she was being mistaken for another girl the way she had been for Kikyou.
"What? How did… Oh, dear me you must have stumbled upon it without knowing what it was. Please, come here and sit. Tara, tell the cook to take his time. We won't be ready to eat for a while yet." Kagome sat in the high-backed chair while the man cleared his thought and prepared himself for the explanation she was dieing to hear.
"Kagome, you are my daughter. I came through a portal much like the one you fell into to come here, ending up at the bottom of a dry well. It took me quite by surprise, since it was during a battle. Your mother was just a young girl then, no older then yourself. When she heard my calls, she removed the boards that covered it and helped me up and into her living room. I was a mess, a nasty gash on my arm from my opponent's sword and an arrow in my leg from some dishonorable supporter of his. She cleaned me up and showed me around. I'm good with languages, and studied the great island of Japan for a while as a very young boy, so that was no barrier. We fell in love, your mother would tell this story so much better then I. I accepted that I would live out my days in another world, and forget my noble blood, my throne, and my duty, since I had no way to return. I had a beautiful baby girl, and four years later was blessed with a strong son."
"I worked in business, a large trade company to be precise, and brought home plenty of money to add to the shrine's income. Your mother saved almost all of it. Some went into my education, I have a degree in science and linguistics, and some paid for repairs that your grandfather had been meaning to do for years. We lived very comfortably, until the day the portal reopened."
"I had to come back, Kagome. I didn't want to leave the four of you, I loved you all too much to abandon my family, but the kingdom was a wreck without me. Thousands of people depend on the judgment of the man who sits on the throne, and my disappearance left my father without an heir. The bloodshed and chaos that followed as greedy men worked to secure their place on the throne brought this great land to its knees. I could see it happening in my dreams, and it had been troubling me for weeks before the portal reopened. When it finally did, it held for a month. I passed back and forth, going through the well house wall into my study then back through a small cave into the bottom of the well."
"The portal started to shrink, and on this side I called out the most powerful witches and wizards to examine it. It faded, but not before I said one last goodbye to you all. It was late at night, so you were asleep, but I did it all the same. Recently I've discovered the secret of the portal, and I returned to your mother just a week ago. I told her I would not be able to live even part time in your world, but would have rooms prepared for when and if you ever wanted to visit me. I will have the portal stable in a few days, but it has to be moved for some odd reason. I don't know why but the well itself refuses to accept travelers. I've decided to move it to another of the shrine buildings. The back room of the prayer house seems spiritually charged enough, and your mother agreed. I asked her to take you to one open end of the portal and send you through. You tend to pass out the first two or three trips, so I was ready to put you to bed; however, you arrived a little earlier then expected and I'm not sure how long you were laying in my study before I found you."
"That's quite the story." Kagome said quietly, still taking it all in. She hadn't wanted to stop him or slow him down so she remained quiet all the way through. "I remember you, a little bit. I think it is you, and I'd like to believe that it is, but this is so sudden. I do want to ask, what happened to Inuyasha?"
"Who is Inuyasha?"
"He is a friend of mine. He was right behind me, and tried to stop me from going near the portal."
"That portal was as temporary and specific as they come. The instant you touched it, it started to degrade. I set it up a day in advance to be sure it was stable enough that you wouldn't get lost."
"Lost? What do you mean? What would have happened to Inuyasha?"
"Calm down. He most likely didn't have anything happen to him. That portal was set to transport the person who touched it to their father's home, with a variable set in for the time change. It also degraded quickly, so he might have hit his head on the wall when he grabbed for you. Your mother will explain things to him I'm sure. Now, how about some lunch? I'll give you a tour when we've finished. I intend on teaching you as much as you can learn about my family's magic abilities. I'm no ordinary person myself you know!" With that Jonathan waved his hand, and tiny flames flew out of his hand light the candles on the table.
"Well, Papa, I can't argue with that."
