CHAPTER ONE:

Back Through the Bone Eater's Well

Kagome sighed heavily. Once again, she asked herself why she had to bring so much stuff into the Sengoku Jidai. 'I do it because I travel with Shippo. And Inuyasha. The crayons and ramen added pounds to her already strained backpack, but the general pleasantness of her journey increased as well. Shippo's excitement was priceless. And it was nice when Inuyasha was happy. 'Happier...'

As she biked the short distance from her house to the mini-shrine, she thought about where she was going. 'I wonder how many girls my age can say they've been to the Feudal Era. Probably not many.' Even after two years of traveling to the Sengoku Jidai, the weirdness of a magical well that sent her 500 years into the past hadn't quite worn off yet.

Despite the abnormality, skipping school and fighting demons were now second nature to her. They were just part of her life as a normal Japanese school girl turned miko-in-training and shard detector to a half demon. In the Feudal Era, no less.

Kagome had reached the well house by now. It took her several minutes of pushing and lifting and dragging, but she finally managed to get her new red bicycle and bulky yellow backpack down the well. Before jumping in, she allowed herself a moment to catch her breath. Then, she sat up on the edge of the well and turned around before pushing herself off that wall and into the time continuum.

She floated through past, present, and future, the harmony of the Bone Eaters Well momentarily captivating and ruling her spirit. But only for brief seconds. She landed on the well bottom, crouching to maintain her balance. She rose, and looked up to see Inuyasha blinking down at her.

His face shifted, the innocent, wide-eyed blink becoming a glare. "You stupid girl!" he called down, by way of a greeting. "What took you so long?!"

I DO have a life in MY time, ya know!!!" she shouted back up the well. "You gonna help me with this stuff or not?"

"Feh." He jumped down, a blur of bright red haori and silver hair. Inuyasha picked up the bike and the backpack with ease. "There. I got your precious junk. Happy?"

"Uh huh."

"Just don't expect your own ride up." He leapt out of the well, smirking and looking smug.

Kagome heard him land at the top of the well. She counted each of his steps as he walked a way from her. 'One, two, three...'

"Inuyasha. SIT!" Kagome smiled grimly at the cursing and resounding thud that followed.

"Ah Inuyasha," a light male voice carried down to Kagome fromt eh forest around the well. "You really ought to be more polite. It's better for your own well being."

Sango appeared at the mouth of the well, smiling. "Would you like help getting up?" she called down, her voice echoing slightly.

Suddenly Sango's face developed a reddish tinge. "Just a moment." Her head disappeared briefly, and familiar sounds filled the air. "HENTAI!!!" A crash to rival Inuyasha's fall could be heard as Miroku's "...my apologies, Lady Sango..." drifted down the well to Kagome's ears.

Following the momentary chaos was Sango's beckoning hand, just returned from swift contact with Miroku's cheek.

"Sango? Do ya think you could help me up now?"

"Sure. Sorry about the delay. The houshi's hands were starting to wander."

"Kagome sighed happily as her demon exterminator friend helped pull her out of the well. 'At least things are normal HERE.' She was thinking about breakfast this morning in the Higurashi household.

***/|\***

It was Sota's birthday, and their ancient-history-obsessed grandfather had presented him with another oddball gift. It was a legendary demon fang. Supposedly. Kagome saw through that in an instant. After all, she had almost daily contact with legendary demons. None of them had fangs that size.

"IT'S TOO SMALL!" she had shouted for half and hour. "UNLESS IT'S A FANG FROM A DEMON CHILD!! LIKE A RAT DEMON CHILD!!!"

Grandpa had huffed about the fang for a while as Kagome and her mother shook their heads and cleaned up breakfast, and Sota stared at the half-inch long tooth, absolutely transfixed.

Birthdays in the home of the Higurashi family were always weird. Kagome rolled her eyes, thinking about the "mummified kappa hand" she'd received the day before her fifteenth birthday. 'The day Mistriss Centipede pulled me into the well for the first time...'

***/|\***

"Kagome?" Sango's voice pulled here back to the present. Past. 'Wherever I am.'

"Absolutely! So, what's up?"

Shippo has been showing us the pictures he drew with those crayons you brought him from your time; Miroku's been poring over that disgusting magazine you gave him; and Inuyasha's been a total grump for the two days you were gone."

The last comment brought a grin to Kagome's face. Inuyasha, through all his grudges and bristles, was still cute when he was upset or impatient.

Sango and Kagome walked to the nearby village, chatting happily to no real purpose or point. When they reached Kaede's hut, they found the red bicycle outside, leaning against the wall, the yellow backpack in the room Kagome and Sango shared during visits to the village, and the male members of thier group in the main room.

"KAGOME!!!" The teenager looked down, just in time to see Shippo, the kitsune kit who saw her as a sort of surrogate mother, launch himself at her.

As she hugged the bouyant little fox, Kagome saw Inuyasha roll his eyes. He was such a grouch. He was against any type of affection, besides his lamenting for Kikyo, and it annoyed her. Seeing him alternate between scoffing and sighing, tore at her heart, making it ache and pound angrily.

***/|\***

The old priestess Kaede returned from a village healing call to find Kagome preparing dinner, Inuyasha watching the ramen water boil intently. Sango and Miroku conversed quietly in a corner, absent mindedly watching Shippo draw.

"Ah, so ye all have returned once again to my home."

"Yah. What of it, ya old hag?" Inuyasha spared teh priestess no politeness, all his attention focuse wholey on the boiling water.

"Inuyasha, are ye really so fascinated by Kagome's cooking that ye can't pay any mind to an old woman?"

"Feh. I'm hungry, okay?"

"Inuyahsa," scolded Kagome as she began to pour hot water into the ramen cups. "Listen to Kaede."

"Just give me some food, wench."

Everyone but Kagome and Inuyasha shook their heads and braced themselves. They knew what was coming...

"Sit boy!"

As the dog hanyou crashed to the floor, Kagome calmly handed ramen to Shippo, Miroku, Sango and Kaede. Inuyasha got one too, as soon as he could manage to get back up into a sitting position, scowling.

For the next few minutes, the only sounds to be heard were the slurps and sloshes of six people eating ramen. Finally, the last noodles were swallowed, and everyone was ready to listen to Kaede, some more grudgingly than others.

"So, what did you wish to tell us, Lady Kaede?" asked Miroku, prompting her.

"There has been a recent disturbance in the forest's power balance. I know but little and must ask ye to go investigate for me."

"What kind of power disturbance?"

"Oh don't get all worked up Kagome. It's probably just an unusually strong collection of demons after the jewel shards. NOthing I can't handle."

"Ye are wrong, Inuyasha," Kaede interjected. "The powers that once ruled the forest are slowly receding. There has been a decreasing amount of both miko power and youki. I believe that the something maybe after the two of ye, for purposes we have yet to discover."

"Whatever it is, it can't be as bad as Naraku, so," a familiar scent drifted across the hanyou's nostrils. "I'll be back in a bit."

Before anyone could react, he was out the sliding door. As the wind blew in, all their eyes focused on the opening.

"Inuyasha..."

***/|\***

His silver hair waved behind him as he streaked across the landscape, following that familiar scent, leading him to...

Inuyasha landed in a section of the forest, somewhat near the center. He slowly shifted into a fighting stance. Claws ready, he glared across the clearing.

"Sesshomaru."

"It is good to see you as well, little brother. I see that I was correct. You are the source of this power corruption. That is all I needed to know."

The handsome inu youkai turned and began to calmly stride into the forest.

"D'you honestly think that I'm gonna let you leave like this?" Inuyasha's imlied challenge stopped his half-brother in his tracks.

"What? You dare to challenge me again? You really are a fool." Sesshomaru's elegant emotionless voice was a stronger challenge than any battle cry.

"Stop trying to psyche me out, it ain't gonna work this time," Inuyasha loved the thrill before a fight. He smiled recklessly, his hand resting on the hilt of the tetsusaiga. Or at least, where it should have been. The transforming fang was back in Kaede's hut. "Huh?"

"Well well. Now how can you ever hope to survive?"

Inuyasha's face kept its taunting grin while his heart slowly sank. As Sesshomaru shifted into his own battle stance, his worry increased. 'Damn. Without the tetsusaiga, I've got no way to beat him, much less defend myself.'

And Sesshomaru was running towards him, claws raised and ready to strike. His only hope was dodgeing, and so the hanyou was repeatedly leaping and swerving and running to avoid contact with his demon brother's calm face and sharp, ready claws.

"Inuyasha!"

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A/N: So here it is, my first attempt at an Inuyasha fic...hope you like it. Incase you were confused, here's a glossary and some other stuff:

"blah":talking, physical speech

'blah': thoughts, mental speech

***/|\***: scene change or flashback or time change

Sengoku Jidai: the Japanese Fuedal Era, about 500 years ago

haori: Inuyasha's fire-rat robe (the shirt)

hentai: pervert/lecher

houshi: monk

kappa: water demon

kitsune: fox or fox demon

hanyou: half demon

youkai: demon

youki: a demon's power or signature

I think that's all...if you have any questions, review...and if you don't have any questions, review anyway!!!

--*Elyndewen Startree*