I guess the title pretty much gives this chapter away. (maybe) anyway, i would appreciate if you (rude) people didnt send me anymore hate reviews. Yeah, i got one. Read it if you like and then check out what this person says. Investigate and tell me what you think. Anyway, enjoy this chapter. I wont be writing any more for about two weeks due to a trip but the third chap. should be out before the end of the month. Enjoy! {R&R plz}

Aside from the warm bath of bubbles and exfoliating salts she just took, Kagome was greatly appreciating all the modern ways of staying cool and relaxing like laying in her bed under the cool breeze of the fan that sat in the window to the left.

Up until this point, Kagome spent the first five weeks or so of her vacation on the beach with her friends and Hojo. She evidently spent more time outside than she did in the shade because the sun gave her a slight tan and a few sunburns on her back. She took special care as she bathed on that area and rested on her stomach now to prevent from aggravating the burn.

Her summer plan was to spend the entire time home and out with her friends but she called it off suddenly when she got sick. "It must be that flu I had from last month." She said. "I guess it's still got me." Hojo was understanding and was even nice enough to drive her back home.

"I hope you feel better." He said as she stepped out from his small car. A drop-top convertible that he got for his birthday just after the school year ended.

"Thank you." She said calmly and walked away and into her house but Kagome was a bad actor. She wasn't sick at all and Ayumi, Eri and Yuka knew that. Fortunately though, they played along.

The truth was Hojo took the liberty of the good time they were having to make a move on Kagome. The group had been on the beach at the time. It was early in the morning and they were all watching a dazzling sunrise. The sky lit up a bright orange and mixed beautifully with the dark sky from the night before. There was a warm breeze out and the sea was at rest. A very romantic scene; Hojo noticed that as well.

At the time Ayumi and Eri were playing in the water by the shore and Yuka was just sitting in the sand, enjoying the peace. And Hojo and Kagome were standing together by the boardwalk. Kagome made the remark about how lovely the scene was; mentally recalling a moment she had with Inuyasha and Hojo took that as a sign. Kagome turned her head and gave Hojo a tempting smile, a smile he couldn't refuse so he went in and tried for a kiss. Kagome was pretty much shocked he'd even try that, so shocked that she didn't move and let him kiss her. She instantly pulled back and turned away.

"What's wrong?" Hojo asked.

"Nothing." Kagome answered. "I'm just a little shocked." But she was more than shocked and even from where they were sitting, Kagome's girlfriends could see the rejecting expression she carried on her face. Later that morning is where her sick act started. She felt awkward after that and didn't want to be there anymore. Ayumi, Eri and Yuka would have left with her but they didn't want to make Hojo think something was wrong with him, he being the only one not knowing what was really going on and all.

"We'll call you later." They said and so now Kagome is sitting and waiting for that call.

←₪→

After a while, Kagome got bored and fell asleep. For her, it was a very good rest. Unlike the nights she spent in the feudal era, she was comfortable and warm and on a real bed. While she didn't mind the nights under the starts with Inuyasha, she did mind the sleepless nights she'd often have from nightmares about demons she had seen during the previous day.

After a few minutes of her sleep though, the phone rang. It was her friends and their mouths were loaded with questions.

"Kagome...it's me, Ayumi."

"Don't hog the phone." Someone said. You then were able to hear a lout thump and someone screech in the background. "Heya Kagome." Eri yelled. The trio was apparently fighting over the phone.

"Hi guys." Kagome said calmly while giggling to herself slightly. She sad up and leaned against the wall her bed sat by, cringing slightly as she had just aggravated the sunburns on her back. Moving away some, she gently added a pillow to the mix to ease the pressure on her back.

"So, you going to tell us what happened?" Another thump came and Ayumi regained control over the phone.

"Yeah." The single word she was able to get out before she was tackled away. The phone went silent—as to say, Ayumi and Eri wrestled on the floor, loudly and nobody picked up. After a moment though, Yuka picked up the phone, laughing at the fighters on the floor before her. But not to long after, Yuka herself was pulled down and caught up in the tangle.

Kagome laughed to herself on the other side of the line, listening to them playfully fight and argue. "Why don't you just turn on the speaker?" She said with a laugh and apparently they heard that and realized how stupid they were for not thinking of that earlier—a long silence.

So after they came to terms and turned the speaker on, the group had a nice long talk. "You okay Kagome?"

"Yeah. I can't believe you bailed on Hojo like that." Ayumi said. For some reason, Kagome thought about that kiss and blushed a little.

"Well, I keep telling you guys I don't like Hojo like that."

"But he's like the most popular guy in school, Kagome." Eri said.

"Yeah, you're like the only girl I know who doesn't want the guy."

Kagome snarled and snapped back sarcastically, "So why don't you take him then?" But the three girls fell into a state of speechlessness—different from silence since their mouths were leaking short shrieks of confusion. Rather odd of these girls.

"Look, you guys." Kagome said finally. "I'm a little tired so I'm just going to take a nap." Truth of it was though; Kagome just didn't want to talk, even though she waited for the phone call.

After a while she fell asleep again out of boredom and it so happened that around that same time Sota, Kagome's young, overly anxious and energetic brother came home from his own day out with his friends. He was about seven years old at the time, however he was smarter than most at his age—a wise guy. His clothes were rugged and slightly dirty; a dark red cap over his matted down black hair. His shirt was yellow and white with a small tear under the left arm. His shorts resembled cut offs since the edges of them dangled torn with blue cloth. His skin too was a little darkened by the dust of the day's play. While he returned home because he was tired of play, he still had enough energy to bug Kagome in his usual fashion.

At his return he strode—rusty clothes, dirt and all—straight up to Kagome's room hoping to catch her by surprise. Maybe jump out at her while she was combing her hair. He recalls how it used to work in the past before Kagome found the well and became hardened by the monsters she seen there on. He stopped silently by her door and peered in seeing her asleep in her bed.

He creped into the room as silently as he had come and moved over to the bed and stood over her, looking down with an evil grin, plotting the terror he could rot upon the sleeping girl. But before he finished his plotting he noticed a small jar of pink shredded jewelry sitting on the counter next to her bed and without consideration he picked the bottle up and proceeded to stick his finger in, sliding one out so he could palm it.

The small jewel he now held let out a strange glow for a second, bright and pink as it flared light back from the sun. The flash didn't have any immediate effect but after a moment or so, Kagome's eyelids began to slowly open before she caught a glance of Sota's have in front of her and she immediately sprung to life.

"You little jerk, what are you doing in here?" She snapped and immediately Sota took the defensive and darted toward the door. Kagome leaped fro the bead and lunged herself at him—to late however since he was out the door well before she even hit the ground.

Sota was down the stairs already straining on finding a place to hide before Kagome made her way out the door and Sota was out of the house long before Kagome got down the stairs. Not the quickest one but she was the wiser. To Kagome, Sota's mind was an easy one to figure out. If he was hiding, he would go one of two places. Either into the kitchen where he could snug himself away in a counter underneath the sink, where he wasn't; or out in the backyard where he would climb up into the tree that overlooked the Well.

Kagome proceeded straight to the yard after checking the kitchen and found Sota standing in front of the Well entrance staring into his hand at the small jewel that lit with a pink glow but this time not from the sun's glare. Unsure of that this meant, Kagome took the move of going to retrieve it. Sota, seeing her come, automatically got nervous and ran into the small chamber where the Well sat. She followed him in. As Kagome entered, Sota ran to the opposite side of the well and put up his defense. "Kagome...." He said in a shiver.

"Sota, what are you doing?" Kagome yelled back.

"I was just looking at it." He answered back

"Okay, now give it back!" Kagome snapped at him. Sota began to make his way around the well, approaching Kagome who put on a peaceful face with all intent to strangle the life out of the small child once he got close enough.

Sota trembled as he got closer. In his mind he didn't know why. The jewel in his hand still glew and he was getting a strange feeling from it. Once he got close enough, he let his head down and held his hand out. Kagome swung her hand and tried to snatch it quickly but with a huge miscalculation; she actually smacked Sota's hand to the side knocking the shard away, sending it plummeting into the Well beside them.

Kagome looked and yelled, "No!" as it fell. Sota watched somewhat as well but got the urge to save it, so he climbed up and jumped in and again Kagome yelled, "Sota, no!" just before he landed safely at the bottom with the jewel at his foot.

"You worry too much." Sota said calmly as he bent over to pick it up.

"Just hurry up and give it to me." Kagome said with bravado but her confident look quickly faded when the jewel began to glow again and a blinding white light game bursting from inside. Kagome fell to her bottom and held her eyes from the flare.

She didn't move until the light had completely subsided. Kagome stood to the well and rubbed her eyes one last time before she looked in. All she saw inside was the dirty red cap Sota was wearing.