Hi everyone! Vira's here! Looks like it's time for another update, ne? Hope you all had a nice Valentine's Day/President's Day/weekend/whatever you celebrate in your culture. Lol. A/N:

1) Nope, don't own Inuyasha—but I'll find some ways...I find some ways dammit!!! *shakes fist*

2) Alrighty, I have to go to a tournament tomorrow, so unfortunately I don't have time to update my website. I'll do that later—and don't worry for now at least, nothing in this chapter is edited anyways.

3) I'm encountering a weird problem with my chapters. I can't seem to double space in the text. Does anyone know why? This has never happened before and I can't explain it (but I'm thinking it's on FF.net's end…). I wish it were fixed so everything would be less cluttered! ^_^

~~~***~~~

I hurried back as fast as I could to the castle. It was lunchtime, and I was definitely hungry. Various guards glared at me, clearly wondering where I had been. I ignored them as best as I could and hopped on my seat in the diningroom.

I thought more about what Kaede had explained to me earlier. War was about to break out here, and I was supposed to prevent it? How? I didn't know anything about that sort of thing! It certainly didn't help that I never really did pay any attention during History and various talks about war and politics. How boring is that!? It was impossible to stay awake in that class! On the other hand, maybe the humans really did want to go to war. Maybe they were tired of fighting and Naraku, and just wanted it to be over with. The old Sesshoumaru certainly had wanted to be rid of Naraku. In my heart, though, I knew the humans would lose in any fight with the demons. We're just not that strong.

After the meal I was led into another room for a very boring meeting. The guy talked about some sort of problem with the rain for farmers or something. The solution was to build more irrigation waterways. Anyways, after that I was so tired from the droning that I decided to lie down for awhile. A quick catnap. Soon I was dreaming…

~~~***~~~

We ran down the street as quickly as possible. "I hope that's all you need, Sota!" I shouted to him from behind.

He ran up to me, practically out of breath. "YES, Kagome. For the last time, I'm finished with everything—you can go jump in that well of yours and do whatever you do it there…"

I debated whether or not to give him a good smack on the head for that, but in the end I decided it didn't matter. Besides, it would just waste time. I HAD to hurry up in order to catch them—perhaps Kaede would be able to tell me which way they went. Boy, Inuyasha would SURE be mad at me…or maybe worried? No, of course not…probably just annoyed. After all, they couldn't look for the jewel shards without me, right? We had no time to waste, but between my brother and the store it sure looked like I was.

"Mom, we're home!" I yelled as I flew past the kitchen. Sota followed me, grumbling about this and that.

"HOLD IT!" She cried to me. I froze. "Before you go off somewhere, did you finish all of your homework, young lady?"

I gulped. No, of course I hadn't…but I wasn't telling HER that! "Yep! Finished it all!"

She smiled. "Good. In that case, you can leave."

I nodded, and ran up to my room to begin packing a little for whatever was ahead. It took me a few minutes to find my flashlight, but once I found it I started heading out to the well. At last!

I looked around carefully and peered cautiously in it. Nobody here? Good. With one last look around in the modern age, I slowly jumped down into it and began to move through time.

~~~***~~~

"Wake up, Mommy! Wake up!!" I looked Rin lazily in the eye as I saw her jumped up and down on me. "C'mon Mommy! Time to get up!"

I sat up and stared at her curiously. "What's the matter, Rin? Do I need to go somewhere or something…?"

Before she could reply, Jaken stepped in. "…She's been trying to wake you up for five minutes now. And I. Had. To. Endure. It."

Rin giggled. "Can Mommy take a walk with us? Please?"

I laughed. "Um, sure, why not…" Jaken was making squeaky protests, but a small reminder of what Sesshoumaru might do to him if he didn't cooperate shut him up fairly quickly. In the end, Jaken silently followed.

~~~***~~~

I was wiser than I had been in the past, and informed my guards exactly where we planned to go. Hopefully now, I reasoned, there wouldn't be mass chaos if I had happened to leave for an hour or two longer than expected. After that, we began down the road.

Eventually Rin squealed in delight and pointed to a flowing river down below. I had never noticed it before, but there was a first for everything, right? Before I could say anything, Rin jumped into the river happily and began swimming around. I shook my head in disbelief and sat down. I looked over at Jaken and saw that he had sat down on the ground as well and took a stick, making swirls in the dirt with it. I chuckled a little and walked over to him, sitting down. "…What's on your mind, Jaken?"

He sighed at the ground. "I don't think you'd understand…"

I frowned. "Is something troubling you?" He nodded, but said nothing. "Well, would you like to tell me? Get if off your chest? I won't laugh, promise."

"Well, it's just that…no one pays any attention to me. To everybody I'm just a small green demon with no real power. I'm stamped upon and ignored day after day…and now, I'm the babysitter for the King and Queen's human child…the ultimate humiliation in the demon world." He cringed a little.

"Oh." I said. Yes, I suppose I could see Jaken's position. Most demons hate the humans, after all. And yet, here he was, watching over the daughter of the human King And Queen carefully. The demons must be laughed at him back home, I thought. Poor thing.

"I'm a joke for all demons." He said sadly. "A disgrace."

"Now don't be like that…"

Jaken shifted a little. "I'm quite sure I would never be welcome back over there ever again. Emperor Naraku must be terribly mad at me for my failed mission…"

Yes, that was right. "How did Naraku recruit you to steal our Shikon jewel half, anyways? You never really explained it…"

"Well…" He looked around. "My father was a hero among the demons. And he was…taller. Ahem. Er, we were once known for our vast knowledge in the wonders of the world. My family was full of scholars, believe it or not. We were very wise and gave good advise for anyone in trouble. Or at least…we did."

I bit my lip. Did his family…?

"Though we were intelligent, we were extremely weak, as you can see." Jaken looked down at himself irritably. "Ravenous demons came one day and killed all but one—me. I panicked and fled deeper into the demon land, where it was no longer safe for a small demon like me. For three years I lived alone, outsmarting my enemies and constantly moving from one place to another. And then, one day…Emperor Naraku happened to be passing by while I was fleeing yet again. He immediately recognized me for who I was—the son of the most intelligent demon to ever live. I think from that moment on he began to devise a plan. He ordered me to slip into this kingdom and bring your Shikon jewel half to the demon land."

Ah, that explained it then.

"He saw my ability for quick-thinking and my, ahem…relatively small mass—perfect for sneaking around. At first, I refused. I did not want to become mixed up in an event of this scale. However, when he calmly threatened death upon me, well, I was easily persuaded. And so, before I knew it, I was traveling over here with the idea to steal your Shikon jewel half. I knew I was doomed to fail, and I think Emperor Naraku knew this as well."

"If he knew that then why send you over…?"

Jaken shrugged. "Perhaps he did not trust me, in the end. This was simply a way of…getting rid of the final member in my family." Jaken sighed with a heavy sigh.

What a sad story, I thought. I also wondered how much of it was actually true. His family, a group of scholars!? The smartest demons in the land!? Not likely! I chuckled a little, which caused him to turn his head sharply at me, and then turn away again in annoyance. "Um, Jaken…" Began gently. "Do you like it here? Do you mind everything? Or do you miss the demon kingdom?"

He shook his head. "Now, I have nothing left there. Nothing! No family…everyday, living in fear…"

I frowned, but then a thought occurred to me. "Hey, maybe a demon like you is still living there! Maybe…a small, green, demoness…eh Jaken?" I elbowed him and laughed a little.

He looked at me in annoyance and blushed a little. "No!" He glanced at Rin, who was still swimming around happily. "I've seen more than enough of women in my lifetime!"

"Heh heh, alright, alright, but Rin's still a sweetie."

"But…" Jaken continued. "I wouldn't mind going over there and looking around…once, just once. I could see my old home…"

I nodded. "I understand, Jaken."

"…I could confront Emperor Naraku, even…"

I stood up. "Well hey, we could go now! I know where the border is! We can look down from the watchtower!"

Jaken stared at me, and then began to sputter a little. "Lady Kagome-! But-but…!"

"Well that settles it then. C'mon Rin!" I called.

She looked at me with disappointment for a moment, then skipped over to us. "Are we going somewhere Mommy?"

I nodded. "Yes Rin. We're going over to the watchtowers to look over the demon land down below for Jaken. It should be safe."

"Yay!" She exclaimed in a carefree way. Jaken shuddered.

"Um, Lady Kagome, it's really not necessary…"

"Don't worry, Jaken!" At least he could still see his homeland. I had nothing at the moment…nothing at all. Except, of course, my memories, which really didn't help me very much.

He sighed in defeat. "I hope Lord Sesshoumaru won't become angry with me for this…" Jaken shrunk down a little at the mere thought.

"Nah, I don't think so. We'll be back soon enough."

I tried my best to dry Rin off, and then we started out for the boundary between the human and demon land. Something told me that I would have a good chance of meeting someone I knew from the other world. It wasn't too likely, but I was hopeful nonetheless.

~~~***~~~

As we came closer and closer to the border Rin became more and more scared. She knew well that it was the same place her father was injured not too long ago. "Don't WORRY, Rin." I reassured her, giving her a little pat. "You don't HAVE to come up with us. You can stay here…"

She looked at me. "B-But what about you, Mommy?"

I smiled. "Oh, I'm sure the guards will take good care of me…I'll be careful, okay?"

She nodded quickly and stood against a nearby tree.

I clapped my hands. "Alright, Jaken! Let's go on up!" He looked like her was about to protest again, but I paid no attention and began to approach the guarded gate between the border.

The guards there slowly began to notice me. "Lady Kagome!? What're you doing here!?"

"Um…" I mumbled. "Um…just wanted to…inspect…things…"

"My Lady, this is a VERY dangerous area!"

I shrugged and decided that it was time to show them who's the boss around here. "Well, I order you to allow Jaken and I up here." I said in a strong voice. "Or…else." I eyed them carefully. Okay, so that last part wasn't as strong, but they moved aside anyways.

Jaken and I slowly stepped up the ladder. I waved to Rin, and turned to face the other kingdom. Just like before, the area was dark in front of me. A bleak shadow loomed over the land. It appeared to be forever night over there, and the air almost seemed to be poisonous. "Home sweet home…" I murmured. Why would anyone miss this?

But Jaken was smiling. "Look over there…see, Lady Kagome?" He pointed to the left. Past some of the tree tops, a large and tall hill could be seen. "That's where my family had once lived." Jaken explained sadly.

"Oh." Poor guy! "Well, maybe you could come back some day and see it again…?" Didn't everyone want to return to their home?

He shook his head. "I would not want to see Naraku…ever again. Besides, I would not be able to hold my head up in that place…disgraceful…"

"Well, we'll just have to beat Naraku, won't we?"

He scoffed. "…Unlikely."

I paid no attention to his remark. "I suppose we should be getting back now, Jaken…"

He nodded, and carefully we climbed back down the ladder. The guards were glaring at me, but said nothing. I smiled. We began to walk back with Rin out of their sights. Little did they or we know, a demon, who had seen me earlier, was using his amazing jumping skills to quietly leap over the gate…

~~~***~~~

For a few minutes Jaken was fidgeting a little as we walked. Finally he said, "thank you for allowing me to see my home."

I smiled happily. Jaken wasn't one to be polite! "You're welcome. Glad you liked it."

He nodded a blushed a little—it was NOT his nature to thank humans! "Now maybe I can finally be happier here than I was before. I can be…at peace." Suddenly, Jaken stiffened. He stopped.

I noticed this. "Er…something wrong…?"

He looked around wildly and apparently saw nothing. Then, he looked above in the sky. "Lady Kagome! Behind you!" He cried.

But it was too late. It was only a blur, but I immediately recognized the black hair, the fur clothes, and the…blue eyes.

"Ha HA! The mighty Sesshoumaru can't protect you NOW, eh Kagome?" He chuckled pleasantly at his capture and began to leap away.

"MOMMY!" Rin shrieked.

"Jaken!" I cried to him. I didn't bother fighting back—I knew it would be useless. "Jaken, go tell Sesshoumaru! Tell him to follow my scent into the demon land! Hurry! Go find Sesshoumaru!!" He nodded quickly and hurried away with Rin crying to me.

"Loyal to HIM till the end, hm? Well I'll fix that!" He laughed and jumped over the gate.

"Lady Kagome!!" My guards cried when they saw him leap over.

"Pathetic fools." He murmured.

"Go to hell!" I shouted at him.

He laughed again. "If I'm going then so are you!" I would've said something in return but I ducked and barely avoided an arrow shot by one of the guards. Several more came whizzing through the air.

"Lady Kagome! Stop, demon!" They shouted again.

He knocked the arrows away from him with ease. I wanted to kick him, punch him, anything, but I knew it was hopeless.

He blocked one last arrow and suddenly trees were all around us. "Welcome to your new home, Kagome!" I would've given him a slap but suddenly I felt something strike my lower head, and I was immediately knocked unconscious.

Review Responses:

bloodbunny: Uh oh…evil and kawaii are truly a mixture to be feared when it comes to bunnies trying to take over the world…*avoids their cuteness, runs and hides*

Skitzoflame: Thanks! ^___^ Hope you can read the update!

Rabid-Inu-Girl: Lol, no problem! Glad you enjoyed it!

Sapphire-StarLight: *snuggles with teh fur* So soft…^______^ yay

Killer Potatos: Lol, it wasn't a fast update, you just saw the story and reviewed days after it was updated. =D

Tsuki Yume: o_O Well that's…uh…interesting I guess! Rest assured, this story isn't based off anything…so um, I have no idea what you're talking about. Lol.

sakurapetal13: Haha, actually my main concern with that last chappy is if it DID make sense…glad to hear it wasn't confusing, yay.

Hoshi-chan1: A woman of few words ^___^ well here ya go then.

My DeathWish: Teh happiness, glad you like it!

tellu444: You poor thing!!! =( yeah strep throat is a killer, I've had it before myself…nearly impossible to swallow ANYTHING, you really have to try…um, but maybe I'm making things worse, lol…well here's a nice update for you to pass the time, and I hope you feel better. ^_^

zeddy200: heh heh, yeah it is pretty cool isn't it?

Vegetas4Life: Heh, Vegeta's a badass………but sometimes he's just an ass. =D Say, is there a Chibi version of Roger? Hmm, I wonder…

Guardiun Angel15: lol, well hopefully I can write some more at the tournament. Glad to hear that you're feeling better! Hope you like the update!

Teru04: Arigato! Here ya go then.

Satu-Chan: How long have they been married?…………That's up for the reader to decide. ;) Hehe.

mandyfanforer: ……Bah!! BAH!! *shakes fist at her* NEVAH! _

Kagome-Ann-Saturn: Wow lol, that was kinda deep…well if I wrote longer chappies, then I have to have longer gaps in the updates =(

battousia–crazy64: *teh sad* hey, it's not supposed to be funny…I thought that last chapter was rather serious, especially towards the end!

battousia-crazy64 (again): *confused* I didn't think I left you hanging THAT much…I mean, Kaede's story ended after all!

Cali1043: Yeah, I'll explain how Rin was adopted, but not for a very, very, very long time.

Okay, that should be all! Hehe, I left you with a cliffy. How evile of me. ^_______^ Anyways, hope you liked this chappy! More to come soon enough! Arigato! Ja ne! ^___^