UNEXPECTED GUESTS
"Don't tell me that's the runt," Inuyasha asked looking over at him.
"That's Yumi, my son," Miroku said protectively.
Yumi glared at the half-breed he had heard countless stories about. Inuyasha's eyes changed when he saw the girl standing beside Yumi, "Who's that?"
"Her name's Melina," Miroku answered turning his gaze toward her.
Inuyasha walked toward her and kneeled, looking into her eyes; he saw the resemblance too.
"Puppy!" she said as she touched one of his ears. Inuyasha's face showed his confusion completely.
"She looks just like-" he thought to himself, "No, it's impossible..."
He sat there looking at Melina for a moment before standing up and turning, "Miroku, a word?"
Miroku nodded and walked with Inuyasha out of the childrens' earshot.
"Who the heck is she??" Inuyasha asked, the fact that he was upset was very apparent.
"I'm not sure," Miroku replied.
They walked through the woods toward Miroku's home to try and figure this out.
"Do you know any tricks, Mr. Puppy?" Melina asked from atop Miroku's shoulders.
"I'm not a puppy...!" Inuyasha said through clenched teeth.
"Roll over!" she continued, and Miroku couldn't help but smile.
"I'm not a puppy...!"
"Shake hands!"
"I'm not a puppy!"
"Sit boy!"
A loud thump and Melina's giggles caused Miroku to whip around. Inuyasha was sprawled out on the ground, face first.
"Kagome!!!" Inuyasha yelled and his face changed at the realization of what he'd just said.
Miroku and Inuyasha both looked surprize, but Inuyasha had pain in his eyes too.
"Hey, how do you know my mommy's name?" Melina's innocent voice asked, peeking around Miroku's back as he let her down off his shoulders.
"Your...'mommy'?" Inuyasha asked in a disbelieving tone.
"Uh huh!" Melina replied, nodding her head.
The Present
Kagome answered the phone to meet the voice of a frantic-sounding woman, "She-was-playing-and-her-coloring-book-She-wanted-to-go-outside-I-told-her-not-to-leave-your-yard-a-teddy-bear!-"
"Mrs. Kaja!" Kagome interupted, "I can't understand a word you're saying...Please, slow down and breath."
"Melina-She's gone!!!" she sobbed.
Kagome's eyes widdened, "What-do-you-mean?-Did-she-say-something?-Where-did-she-go?-I-can't-believe-she-would-run-off-I-mean-" she stopped herself and grabbed her coat.
"I'll be right over," Kagome stated quickly and hung up.
"Nanna, I hate to do this, but I have to go," Kagome stated to her co-worker and began to explain.
Kagome was rushing home when she passed the well.
She stopped as she saw the door leading to the well was open, "Oh, dear god..."
She ran in to find the seal had been broken, and the shiki kami were scattered over the floor with colorful lines drawn on them. Thoughts started racing through her mind as she stared down the dark hole.
"She could be hurt or worse..." she thought to herself as she ran to her home.
"I know where she is," she shouted down the stairs to Mrs. Kaja as she gathered her things, "I'm going to go get her."
She walked down the stairs to her, "Why are you taking a bag?" Mrs. Kaja asked in utter confusion.
"I don't have time to explain, but you have got to trust me..."
Mrs. Kaja hesitated for a moment, but Kagome had always been a level-headed, reasonable young woman; she nodded. Kagome ran out and headed back toward the well. She hesitated as she looked into the well, thinking about what she looked into the well, thinking about what she would have to face once she was there. She took a deep breath and jumped in.
The Feudal Era
Inuyasha and Miroku were left alone in one of the rooms of Miroku and Sango's home as the children went outside with Sango.
"Miroku..." Inuyasha asked, carefully choosing his words; he was sitting in indian style across from him as they ate, "...What happened to us? I mean...what happened to our friendship?"
Miroku sighed and, setting down his bowl, he began, "Well, I was trying to locate you about two and a half years ago to tell you that Sango was pregnant, and when I found you, you were staying in a cabin up north. When I went to tell you, I found you with-"
"Kikyo..." Inuyasha finished solemnly.
Sango, who had walked in seconds before could no longer contain her anger anymore.
"How could you do that, Inuyasha?!" Sango stalked over, "She...She tried to kill Kagome!!!"
"I-" Inuyasha began but stopped suddenly, and his head shot up toward the door.
"What is it?" Miroku spoke up.
Inuyasha jumped up and ran out.
"Inuyasha!!!" Sango called after him.
Miroku yelled for the kids to come inside and ran after him with Sango only a few steps ahead. The two practically ran into Inuyasha who was frozen in his place. Before them was an old woman talking to a young woman with long black hair and strange clothes. Her back was to them, so they couldn't see her face. The old woman pointed in their direction, and the young woman turned to look at them. The bag she was holding dropped from her hand and there were tears in her eyes. Miroku looked over at Inuyasha to see a look pure shock, amazement, disbelief, happiness, sadness still lingering from before, and worry of this all being a dream or his imagination or something; all of these emotions were hitting him at once.
"Kagome?" Sango and Miroku both asked at once.