Chapter 4 – Exploring

(Two  Weeks Later)

Kagome and Souta had gone to school. Higurashi-san had to go to work. Rafe had unexpectedly gotten a call from an old colleague and had gone off to see him. Jii-chan had sent Clay on some errand and had taken Raven with him. Jii-chan was then able to take tourist around the shrine and Kameko with nothing to do. Higurashi-san and Jii-chan had told her that she could have a look around, so long as she didn't get into any trouble.

Kameko smiled slyly as she walked around the grounds. 'Me? Trouble? Never!'

Things had changed little in the seven years since her last visit. Still it would be nice to refresh her memory. 'Now where is that tree?' she thought. Kameko had scared Kagome when they were eight deciding to climb the tree. Kagome was sure that the American girl was going to get in deep trouble with their parents. After climbing half way up the God Tree Kameko fell. Everyone thought she had at least broken her arm, but didn't take her to the doctors till the next day. Not a scratch was found on her.

'Told her I'd be ok,' Kameko thought as she stared at the tree.

It was so old. The wind gently blew the braches. A few leaves fell, but not many. She sat and crossed her legs. "I wonder." Kameko had a brief idea of trying to climb it again. "Nah, don't want to worry everyone. With my luck Jii-chan will catch me and I'll be shipped off back to Nana."

She got back up and looked around. First day of vacation in Japan and she was bored. Great. "Wait," she said looking at small shrine. "Haven't been in there before." She remembered Kagome being extra frightened of this. After the incident with the tree she hadn't dare go in there. Kameko had no wish of scaring her friend again.

Kameko slid the door to the side and looked around. Nothing was in here, except a well.

She walked down the steps to peer inside. She picked up a rock from the ground and dropped it down the well.

"Nothing," she said as she heard it thunk on the ground. A dry well. Where was the fun in that? "I don't see why Kagome was scared of this. Its just a dry, old, well."

The sly smile came to face again. She walked back up the steps, closed the door, and walked back to the well. "Might as well make the best of it," she said before she hopped down the Bone Eater's Well.

*~*~*~*

"That's not going to make her come back any sooner," Miroku said, coming up to the hanyou.

Inuyasha was perched in his tree, sulking – no matter how much he denied it. "Who says I was wishing her back. She can stay there as long as she likes."

Miroku nodded. "That's before you go and get here, right?"

"Shut up, you stupid monk!" he snapped.

"Someone is having a bad day," Sango said, Shippou at her heels.

"When is he not?" Shippou asked.

"Hey, I didn't give you permission to discuss my life!"

"He's much better behaved when Kagome is around," Miroku said ignoring Inuyasha.

"What did I tell you monk-"

"Oh yes, I agree," Sango said, taking Miroku's cue.

They carried on like this, much to Inuyasha's dislike. Shippou was laughing at it all.

He was yelling at Sango when he smelled something in the air. Sniff, Sniff. It smelt, familiar.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said after deciding whom it belong to. Yet there was something different about it. Without warning he was off to the well.

"Hey!" Shippou cried, going after him. Miroku and Sango not far behind.

Inuyasha was at the well first. He could hear her climb up.

'If she doesn't hurry, I'm going to pull her up,' he thought.

A head of black hair popped up looking very much like Kagome's, but the arms that came up were darker, very darker, than Kagome's.

The she said something he couldn't understand, as if in a different language.

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Something she probably learned at that "school" of hers.

"Hurry up Kagome, I don't have all day," he said when she got out of the well, her back still to him. She pun around and said something again in that strange language.

This wasn't Kagome! Inuyasha stared in shock. 'Who the hell is this?'

The girls gave a nervous laugh. "Japanese. Should have guessed you spoke Japanese."

"Who is this?" Miroku said, coming with Sango and Shippou. He should have guessed the leach would know when a girl was near.

"Kagome?" Shippou asked coming up to the girl.

She backed up slightly from the kitsune youkai.

"Uh, no. She's at school. I'm a friend, uh, of hers."

Miroku smiled, "A friend? Well, any friend of Kagome's if a friend of mine. Let me introduce myself. I am Miroku." He came forward but the girl backed even farther away from him.

"N-nice to meet you. Look, I should be going. Higurashi-san or Higurashi-sensei may be looking for me. Heaven knows with my luck." She turned back to go down the well, but Inuyasha jumped on the rim in front of her.

"You're not going anywhere. I can smell there's something different about you, but you have Kagome's sent on you. Who are you! What you do with her?" He demanded, looking very intimidating and grabbed her arm.

"She's at school! I swear! My family is visiting the Higurashi's. I was . . . exploring and went down this well." Tears where ready to fall.

"Inuyasha, stop this. You're scaring her," Sango said, coming to the girl's side.

"Inuyasha?" the girl whispered. "I've heard that name before."

The group looked at her. "What?" the hanyou said he let go of her arm.

"Last night. Kagome and I were having a girl talk. She mentioned you."

Inuyasha blushed slightly. "About me? Kagome has no right to be talking about me to anyone."

The girl rolled her eyes. "If you must know, it wasn't all that bad. Sure she said you were violent and fowl mouthed, but she said some nice things about you."

"You really do know Kagome, don't you?" Shippou asked, looking at her.

She nodded. "Yes, I've known her since I was five. This is the first time I've been to her since I was eight."

Miroku smiled at her. "Has she said anything about me?"

The girl looked at him. "I don't even know you. Besides, what's with you guys' outfits?" She reached up and touched Inuyasha's ears. "Its not Halloween in Japan is it? 'Course, I'm not sure if I'm in Japan any more after that strange thingy in the well."

Inuyasha took her hands off his ears. "Halloween?" Then he gave his head a mental shake. "Wait, you came through the well by yourself?"

"No, I also took along Alice and the White Rabbit," she replied sarcastically.

Alice and the White Rabbit? "That's not what I meant, idiot. I mean, did you have any piece of the Jewel on you?"

"Jewel? What Jewel?" She gave him a confused look. "I don't know what you're talking about." She looked at Sango. "If they're not dressed up, I don't see how you can stand him," her thumb pointing and Inuyasha, "dressed up like a cat and him," this time at Shippou, "cross dressed as some girl in as some unknown animal."

"Hey!" Inuyasha and Shippou said together. Sango and Miroku could barely keep their faces straight.

"I'm not a girl! I'm a fox demon!" Shippou said to defend himself.

"Who are you calling a cat? I'm not a cat!" Inuyasha said, face red with embarrassment and anger.

She laughed. "You sure do look like one though. Those ears, the eyes, by the way cool contacts, and the nails! The nails just top it off! Awesome acrylics."

"Uh," Sango said, biting her lip to keep from laughing. "They're telling the truth. Shippou is a kitsune youkai, and Inuyasha is a, well half, dog demon." She couldn't help but think what this girl would call Kirara if she were around.

The girl gave them all strange looks. "Ok then. Since I'm not in Wonderland, I think I'll just be leaving now. I've spent too much time here. Clay and Raven are probably back already." She turned away from them and looked thoughtful. "Maybe one of them will find me and wake me up soon."

"Wait! What's your name?" Miroku asked as the girl ran to the other side of the well.

She put her legs over the rim. "Kameko. I think I owe you dream people that much. Adios!" Kameko was down the well before anyone could stop her.

Miroku looked off distantly. "Kameko," he sighed. "I think I'm in love."

This earned him a smack from a certain taiji.

A/N: Well, how is it so far? Good? Bad? Ugly? Tell me! Read and Review! I hope I don't have to tell what "Adios" means (Good-bye) in Spanish. BTW, Kameko was talking in English when Inuyasha came upon her. I wasn't too sure how to put it, since I am writing this in English. Toodles!