Occult Passage

Kagome opened her eyes, and saw the edge of the well. She looked up and grinned; it was a beautiful sunny sky, not the dark roof of the Bone Eater's well house. More vines had grown down there too, and it was much easier to climb up.

~*~

Inuyasha sat down on a limb of some tree and leaned down on the trunk. It had been years and years since he had seen Kagome—he missed her deeply. But once Inuyasha had the courage to go to her time and see her again, her mother—Ms. Higurashi was her name?—told Inuyasha that she had moved away.

That had broken his heart. He was fully convinced that Kagome didn't want to see him anymore—she probably had a better husband and five or six beautiful children.

Miroku walked into the scene and looked up at Inuyasha. He rolled his eyes.

"Stop sulking!" he yelled. "Sango and I can't get all the herbs for Kaede ourselves, you know. We need your nose."

Inuyasha glared at the monk. "Feh. Is that all I'm good for?"

Miroku shook his head and walked away. He found Sango examining some leaves. She held some up to him.

"Is this mint? Or basil?" she asked, cocking her head.

He shrugged. "Take them both—Kaede would know which of them they are." Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha is being depressed again. Sometimes I wonder when he'll get over her. It's been—what—two decades?"

Sango glared at him. "One and a half. And you know that he loved her! It'll probably take much longer than this for him to 'get over' Kagome. I myself haven't fully accepted her vacancy. She was my best friend."

But before Miroku could say anything else, someone from the village came running up to them, panting. He looked frightened.

"Where is Inuyasha?" he panted. "It's urgent!"

"Over in a tree over there," answered Miroku, pointing. "Why? What's happened?"

"It's Kikyo!" the villager yelled, running to where the monk directed. "She has returned!"

~*~

Inuyasha looked very aggravated while he sat in Kaede's hut, across from Miroku and Sango. He was the farthest away from the door; Sango was making sure he didn't leave to find Kikyo. They were worried about him—Kikyo would've come back once she was sure she was strong enough to kill Inuyasha.

"Kikyo could've destroyed half the village by now!" he yelled.

Miroku peeked out. "Nope, still there."

Inuyasha growled. "This is stupid… Why don't you hide me once we actually see her? It could've been just a prank—or someone dressing up as her!"

Kaede suddenly walked in. "Did ye get the herbs I asked for?" she asked, looking at them.

"Most of them," answered Sango, with an evil glance at Inuyasha. She picked up a basket and handed it to her.

"Ahh—all the essential ones, good." Kaede smiled at her and Miroku.

"Kaede, did you see Kikyo?" demanded Inuyasha.

She looked at him, frowning slightly. "No I didn't. But I did feel an alien presence around here, an hour or two ago maybe? What makes me think that it is Kikyo's presence is that I have felt it before—it was very familiar a while ago."

But before anyone could respond, the hanyou gasped. He smelled/sensed something he never thought he'd sense again; Kagome was in trouble. This meant only one thing then!

He jumped up. "Kikyo kidnapped Kagome!" he suddenly blurted out.

There was a maddening pause, then Sango spoke quietly and thoughtfully. "Inuyasha… what makes you think this? Kagome's gone. Kikyo would never have found her."

"B-but I smell her, and she's in trouble!" Inuyasha said, his eyes darting to the door (or whatever it is… ehh…). "We have to save her!"

"I don't know, Inuyasha," said Miroku slyly, "this could be a trick, you know."

"I'm serious!" The hanyou crossed his arms, glaring daggers at him and Sango. "I could blast you all to pieces right here and now, you know. Get out of my way."

"And if Kagome was actually here, what would she say?" demanded Sango, also standing up and crossing her arms.

"She wouldn't say anything cause Kikyo would've killed her by now!" he yelled.

Kaede held up a hand, and they silenced and looked at her. "Let Inuyasha find Kikyo. He may have a point."

~*~

Kagome looked up at the Sacred Tree. It seemed only yesterday that she found Inuyasha pinned there, by Kikyou's arrow. (AN: notice how I go from Kikyo to Kikyou, I don't know how to spell it lol) She smiled and closed her eyes, imaging how Inuyasha will react when he sees her; or how she'll react when she sees him.

She felt an arrow whiz by her ear.

"What are you doing here?" she heard someone snarl.

Kagome whirled around, her eyes wide open. Five to six men stood behind her, with bows already loaded.

"Why are you here, Kikyou?" one of them demanded.

"Kikyou?" she whispered. "No, you're wrong! I'm not Kikyo! I'm Kagome!"

"Sure you are…"

Maybe this was a mistake…Must people always mistake me as Kikyou?

~*~

The next thing Kagome knew, her hands and feet were tied together and she was sitting on a mat, with a whole bunch of the familiar (though older) villagers looking at her and whispering to each other. This was the same thing that happened to her the first time she came… maybe Kaede, if still alive, will still show up and tell everyone that this is a mistake.

But it wasn't Kaede that showed up. The villagers parted, after about fifteen minutes, to reveal Inuyasha. He didn't look any different than he did when she left… The same silver hair, golden eyes, and that big red coat thing (I don't know what it's called, and I didn't want to call it a kimono lol).

He walked up to her; the whispering stopped; tears swelled in Kagome's eyes. "You're not Kikyou," he said.

Kagome smiled, trying not to cry. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, then kneeled down and hugged her. She would've hugged him back, but her hands were tied. But after a moment, someone untied them, and she brought her arms around her neck.

Kagome couldn't hold it in anymore… She started to cry on his shoulder. "Oh, Inuyasha!" she wailed.

~*~

AN: I've FINALLY updated! Sorry it took so long. I'm such a procrastinator. Well tell me how you like it, it was kind of short and corny but I tried. ^_^ and it's better than nothing, I suppose.