Ch 1: The Broken Well

"Inuyasha please, would you just let me go home for once without you trying to stop me?" asked Kagome pleadingly, "The shards will still be here when I get back."

"Feh, why do you need to go home now?" questioned Inuyasha.

"You jerk, it's been over two weeks since I've been home and I want to see my family!" Kagome angrily replied while trying to get around Inuyasha and into the bone-eater's well, "Besides, I need to get more supplies and any new homework that I have."

"I don't see why you worry about this 'school' so much; we need you here to find the jewel shards." Said Inuyasha, while stepping in front of Kagome as she tried to evade him once again.

"Is that all I am to you? A shard detector!?" yelled a now very mad and very tired Kagome.

Inuyasha winced when Kagome yelled these words. He stood there as if contemplating the question.

"Well?" Kagome asked with tears brimming in her eyes.

"Feh." Inuyasha said as he crossed his arms and looked away from Kagome. 'Damn it, I've done it again.' He thought, mentally kicking himself.

"I see." said Kagome, barely fighting back tears. She turned and walked to the well.

"Wait Kagome." Inuyasha started, but he was cut off by Kagome.

"Inuyasha, SIT!" Kagome half yelled, half sobbed over her shoulder, unable to hold her tears back any longer.

Inuyasha hit the ground hard as the prayer beads glowed to life and pulled him down quickly.

"Damn you wench!" he yelled from the ground, "I was trying to apologize!"

But Kagome didn't hear the last part his statement, because she had already jumped into the well. Neither Kagome nor Inuyasha noticed that the well had glowed a slightly different color from normal as it returned Kagome to her time.

As Kagome returned to her time she let herself fall to the bottom of the well. She sat there crying for a long time. As her tears dried up she climbed out of the well. She left the well house and went and sat on the front steps of her house watching the sunset.

"That jackass! Even after all this time I'm nothing more than a jewel detector to him!" Kagome yelled to no one.

'But you know that isn't true,' came the little voice in the back of Kagome's mind, 'He does care about you.'

"No way," she grumbled, "He cares more about Kikyo. I'm just her reincarnation."

'No you are not just her reincarnation you are your own person, and if he cares more about her then why does he travel with you and the others and not her?'

Kagome had no reply to this thought.

'Also, how many times has he come to save you despite knowing it was a trap?'

"A great many times."

'He does care he just doesn't know how to express it.'

"But still, he doesn't have to be such an ass about me coming home."

'Do you think it might be possible that he is lonely?'

"He has been alone for a long time." Kagome said contemplating this question and making herself a little depressed for Inuyasha.

"But he has you now." came a voice from behind Kagome.

Kagome jumped to her feet and turned around, startled by the voice. "Mom, don't do that! You scared me!"

"Sorry dear, but I couldn't help but hear you from inside," said Mrs. Higurashi, "I take it you had another fight with Inuyasha about something?"

"What? How did you know?"

Mrs. Higurashi just smiled and wiped a dried tear off of Kagome's cheek. "I'm a mother. I just do."

"Oh Mom," said Kagome, hugging her mother and beginning to cry again, "He's just such a jerk sometimes, and I just don't think I can take him not caring anymore."

"Shh." calmed Mrs. Higurashi, "It'll be alright. Just come inside and we can talk more after you get a nice hot bath and a warm meal. Just bring me your dirty things and I'll take care of them."

"Oh no!" Kagome's eyes widened at her realization, "I left my backpack in the Feudal Era again."

"You can leave it there for a few days. I'm sure Inuyasha will watch it for you." Said Mrs. Higurashi.

"I can't Mom!" yelled Kagome.

"What? Why?"

"It has all of my homework in it."

"Oh, well you can go get it then, it'll give me a little time to run your bath for you."

"Mom, Inuyasha will try to stop me again." Said Kagome, 'Plus I don't really want to see him right now.'

"Just tell him that I want you to come right back, it's the truth anyways plus he listens to me." Replied Mrs. Higurashi.

"Alright mother." Kagome answered sadly as she turned and slowly walked toward the well house.

Kagome weakly opened the door and walked inside to the well.

I really don't want to see Inuyasha right now.' Thought Kagome as she sat on the edge of the well to hop in, 'But I have to get my stuff.'

With that thought Kagome slid off the edge of the well and fell to the bottom with a loud thud.

"Oww. That hurt," mumbled Kagome, "I've never landed that hard before."

Kagome stood up and rubbed her sore bottom. Dusting herself off, she looked up to see the ceiling of the well house and gasped.

"What!? I'm still in my time?"