Unexpected

An Inu Yasha Fan Fiction by Caitlin M.

Moogleheadgirl@cs.com

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha or anything associated with it. So don't sic any lawyers on me.

Chapter 5: What Are Friends For?

The train ride home was quiet. Part of me wanted to apologize to Hideaki for being so completely devoted to a guy who had rejected me years ago. Another part wanted to kiss him for being so understanding.

He held my hand and simply stared out the window as the train bumped along the track. It was grey, drizzling, and in general one of the most depressing sights I had experienced. So I stared at my lap instead.

I hadn't been home in months. I wondered how much bigger Souta was. He had been growing like a weed the last few years. He'd already outgrown me.

Only Mum and Grandpa were home, however. I'd have to wait to see my no-longer-little brother.

"Kagome, Hideaki. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Mum asked as we walked in. Translation: Why haven't I seen you in over three months? Instantly I felt guilty for forgetting about my family…again.

"Kagome hasn't been feeling well and I thought…"

Hideaki and Mum continued to chat, but I found myself wandering through the house. The living room, immaculately kept, as usual. Souta's room was a sty…no surprise there. My room was exactly as I left it, with the exception of the pile of dirty laundry I had left in the hamper. Mum had apparently sneaked in to wash it and put it away. I made a mental note to stop leaving extra work for her, especially when I wasn't even living there anymore.

Eventually I made my way outside and, inevitably, to the well. It looked so innocuous, just an old well in an old shrine. I leaned on one side and looked down. I could just barely see the bottom in the gloom. The overcast sky didn't help.

The well house darkened momentarily as Hideaki stepped through the doorway.

"So this is it?" he asked after a moment, moving beside me. "This is the bridge between the past and the present?" He sounded incredulous, and I didn't blame him. If I hadn't lived it, I wouldn't have believed it.

"Yeah. But it doesn't work now. Inu Yasha sealed it up. So I'm sorry if you think you've been dating a mental case. There's no way to prove my story."

I must have looked cold. Hideaki took off his jacket and draped it around my shoulders. It was much too big to fit properly, but I pulled it all the way on. It was still warm from having been on him.

"Why would he seal it?"

"Because he hates my guts. Would you want anything to do with me after what I did?" I rested more of my weight on the well wall.

"I really think you should stop beating yourself up over this. What's done is done. There's nothing you can do about the past. Why waste the energy?"

"Because I screwed it all up! I'm so stupid and selfish and…and…I'm just horrible, OK? I ditched the one person who meant anything to me, and for what? I could have waited for school. It wasn't going anywhere." Something in me tried to sniffle pathetically, but I stopped myself.

"You did what you thought was best," he said quietly, putting his hand on my back. He's so great to put up with me when I'm like this. Had the roles been reversed, I would have slapped me by now.

We were both quiet for a moment. Then I murmured, "Yeah, well…that's all the past now." Cue heavy sigh.

"I completely agree. It's about time you made amends. Give my regards to Inu Yasha." Hideaki gave me a cheerful smile and a pat (read as: shove) on the back hard enough to throw off my balance and send me flying face-first down the well.

Shoot. He believed me. Bet he'll feel pretty stupid when he looks down and I'm sprawled out on the bottom of the well.

Only after landing (on my face) and brushing myself off, I realized something was amiss. There was sunlight making it's way down the well shaft.

No. NO. I am in a decrepit well in a creepy well house on my family's property in the city of Tokyo. I am not in a slightly-less-decrepit well in the middle of a forest in the feudal era. Not, not, not. I kept repeating that in my head, hoping that, although the trick had never worked in the past, it would now.

Only there was most definitely sunlight.

During, shall we say, happier times, we had put a rope ladder down the side of the well to make my comings and goings a little easier. I was alarmed to note that it was still there, albeit in disrepair. I spent a moment wondering if I dared climb it, until I remembered that:

I would need to climb out and then hop back in to go home The feudal area is home to many large, creepy insects, who like dark, damp places…not entirely unlike the well

Which helped me make up my mind considerably quicker.

I was not expecting was to climb up and run straight into Sango, almost literally. I felt a twinge of satisfaction when it became apparent that she had not been expecting to find me, either.

To Be Continued….

Author's note:

Despite what you may think, no, I don't hate you guys. I am just really, really lazy. Thanks to the people who sent me what can only be described as threatening letters, "requesting" that I update. You guys helped me get out of my funk and get my rear in gear. The next chapter will arrive in a more timely fashion, I promise. Possibly longer, too. Feel free to email me. And not just about the story. I like hearing from people. You can tell me what you think of …er…homemade strawberry preserves on buttered toast, if you want. On a completely unrelated note, you'll never guess what I'm eating for a snack. ::Laughs::

Ok. Catch you later, hep cats.