Disclaimer: This story was written by Heather and Bryan Weber , not Inuyasha Adventures. This story is an entry for the Spring '05 Fan Fiction contest. If you would like to vote on this story to win the contest or any other entry, please use the link on the profile page. Thank you, InuGirlTeen.

Come In Happiness!

by Heather and Bryan Weber

With a purposeful stride, Inu-Yasha tramped to the bone-eater's well, angry. He was not in the mood to hear why Kagome was late. "She's been there for three days, what's keeping her?" he grumbled, and pushed up his sleeves. Shippo had trailed along, waiting by the well, but the others were slowly coming up behind. Inu-Yasha was ready for his jump, but he wanted to clear before he landed either in the future or the bottom of the well. Still, he gripped the edge, swung over, and was in.

"I'm heading out!" Kagome called. She hefted the big bag one more time, and got ready to jump down the well with a padded break. She knew it was only a matter of time before Inu-Yasha would come to drag her back to the Warring States Era, and she wanted to beat him to the punch this time. Her brother Sota, her mother, and Grandpa were ready to wave her off. Grandpa reminded quickly that she needed to be back by the next day…

"Sure Grandpa, I wouldn't miss Setsubun!"

She then jumped in.

It's true that Kagome and Inu-Yasha had butted heads before, but never quite this literally. Somewhere in time and space, between now and then, the two of them met in the passage between each others' eras, and it was not a gentle meeting. In fact, both rather wondered why they were seeing stars, since that had never happened before. Seconds later, they found themselves back on their own side of the well, rubbing very sore heads.

Inu-Yasha was climbing out of the well, and Sango glanced over, "Well, that was fast."

"INU-YASHA!" Kagome yelled further down the well as she was climbing out, "SIT!"

Inu-Yasha suddenly felt the beads around his neck grow heavy once again, and he slipped back down the well, landing hard on the floor of the well in Kagome's era.

"What'd you do that for, ya stupid girl?"

"That hurt, you know!" Kagome said, still wincing.

"That's my line!"

"Hurry up and get back to the other side, or I'm not going anywhere." With that said, she sat on the edge of the well, leaning back towards where she was hearing him.

"Stupid, brainless, mean girl, " Inu-Yasha muttered.

"Oh, Inu-Yasha," Kagome's tone was dangerously sing-song, and then, casually, "sit."

"Will you stop that!"

"Oh, Kagome, that was quick," Her mother's voice trailed down the well with a rather cheery inflection. "You weren't needed?'

"Hmph, not exactly…"

"That's not funny! I would like to climb out, now, if it's all the same to you!" Inu-Yasha's voice howled back up. He gripped the ladder for a boost.

"Hello again, Inu-Yasha," her mother returned, then smiled in the direction of her daughter, " I guess we'll have an extra visitor this year."

"This year? For what?" Inu-Yasha popped his head finally out of the well.

And just as Inu-Yasha was finally got his question asked, the others at the well were pondering another. The four stared down the well with looks of contemplation.

"So why do you think that we can get to Kagome's time? I didn't make it when Kagome didn't have the jewel shards."

"Maybe that was the reason. Maybe it's like a spell that only works when certain elements are there."

It was then they realized their friends were taking their time coming back.

"What just happened?" Sango asked.

"I think Inu-Yasha just got told to sit," Shippo said.

"Well, should we go after him?" Miroku suggested.

"Go after him?" Sango looked confused.

"Maybe Kagome told him to sit, maybe she didn't," Miroku said evenly, "But we owe it to him to ensure his safety, as he has done for us so many times before."

"Face it, Miroku," Shippo said dourly, "You're just hoping that the girls from Kagome's time wear kimonos as short as hers."

Miroku gave his goofiest of goofy smiles, "Nonsense, Shippo. C'mon."

And with that, Miroku jumped into the well.

"C'mon, Shippo," Sango said, grabbing her Hiraikotsu, "We owe it to future generations to spare the ladies of Kagome's time from that perverted monk's lechery."

And Shippo had the last comment as he jumped in after the last of them, "Why are you sure this will woooooooorrrrrrrkkkkkkkkkkk!"

It was dark when they realized that even though the well was deep between times, it still had a floor. A very hard floor at that. And they had landed in a heap.

"So did we make it?" Shippo grunted.

"What's that noise?" Someone's voice asked. It was then that The familiar faces of Kagome and Inu-Yasha leaned back over.

"Hey, you guys made it!" Inu-Yasha sounded even surprised. And they reached down to help their friends out of the well.

"What? More demons?" Grandpa said, looking high and low for sutras. It must have been obvious that he was looking.

"Here," Miroku said, pulling a sutra from his robes. At that, Grandpa flipped it back and forth. So finally things were calming down, but it did not last long. After all, it was February second.

"Dinner is served," Kagome's mother smiled. As the udon was set down, the others paused for a call of "Itadakamasu!" Then the food was set upon.

" Could you pass the soy sauce, Shippo?" Kagome asked.

"Oh no, I forgot the fish heads!" Kagome's mother suddenly chirped. She was look on the list she had on the table.

Kagome sighed. "Well, that's one thing that can wait."

"Fish Heads?"

"Fish heads…"

Kagome put down her chopsticks, then turned to Shippo, " Decorations, and there's the cleaning for the shrine… In a way, I'm grateful that you all could be here. My friend's had gotten busy with other plans for Setsubun and it usually takes a long time for Sota, Grandpa and I to get ready."

"Well, that's what we get for living at the shrine, Oniichan…" Sota interjected, but then Grandpa gave a glare. Sota tilted his bowl towards him, hoping to ignore the look.

Miroku put down his bowl for a minute. "Well, we be glad to help…what are some of the things you need done?"

The scrapping sound of the broom was rather soothing in a way. Kagome noticed there was a counterpoint to the water from the bucket she was spreading, while Inu-Yasha brushed the leaves off the cement. He had the bandanna tied around his ears, and seemed to be thinking himself. Sango, Shippo, and Miroku were helping on cleaning the rails and floors with wiping cloths. In fact, Miroku and Shippo were racing each other for fun while pushing the cloths along the floor. Sango, however, while cleaning vigorously, seemed lost in thought.

"Is something the matter, Sango?" Kagome asked, "You look pretty distracted."

"It's just…I haven't done anything like this since my village…Well, for a moment I felt like I was with my own family again."

"Kagome, I finally got them," Her mother called to them. She held a package out for them. Inu-Yasha paused by her as the package was handed off, but after he sniffed twice, he went back to sweeping even harder than before. He also had a green pallor to his cheeks. A faint grunt and he had no farther comment.

The ones that could stand smell went to the sacred tree.

"Phew! Why are these used for decorations again?" Shippo asked, then covered his nose.

"They keep away Oni!" Grandpa called from the main shrine.

Sango pinched her nose shut for a moment. "Shueeee, they'd keep ANYTHING away…" But then she noticed that a certain two-tail began sneaking up in the fish head.

"Don't…Well, they'd keep away almost anything…"

"Grandpa, we're done!" Kagome hollered. Sota had finally came out of the house wearing a mask.

"What's that?" Shippo asked.

Sota handed one to the Kitsune. It was red and had rather a funny expression, and Shippo had to hold back a giggle. But as they started to leave the shrine to go around the district, Kagome literally skipped down the steps. When though the group got down the steps, it was then they realized an aspect of the holiday that the ones from the past had been not sure about.

"Ow! Hey!" Inu-Yasha felt the projectiles suddenly hit his face. They really didn't sting all that much, but the surprise of objects is what made him reach for his sword. It took a minute for him to realize that it was just a group of kids playing a prank.

Or so it seemed.

"Hey, we aren't year-men, this year…" Kagome started. "Well, my older friends aren't. Sota aren't these your friends?"

"Yeah…but the Mame Maki isn't until later!"

"What's that?" Inu-Yasha turned toward Kagome with a little confusion.

"Mame Maki is a tradition of throwing soy beans to chase away evil spirits, though most often it gets associated with Oni, the large ones. Anyway, supposedly Sota is playing the Toshi-Otoko, or what is also called year-man."

"And they throw these beans?" He looked at the soy bean a little closer. The tan bean seemed so harmless now.

"Well, there's supposed to be a saying as well. Oni wa soto; fuku wa uchi."

"Ogres out; happiness in?" Shippo tilted his head.

"Yep, bringing in the luck." Kagome smiled back. By this point, Sota called out, saying that he was going to head off with his friends. Kagome waved him off, telling him that they needed to be back by the celebration time. "There's something else I wanted to do before then…"

With a surprised look, Inu-Yasha sniffed the long sushi roll. Kagome had come from a store very quickly. "That has got to be huge!" he titled his head, "What's it for?"

"Another luck tradition. Face that direction and try to eat it quickly before it breaks!" Kagome started giggling, handing the others the same thing. "It's Nori Maki!"

Miroku looked at it. "Can we eat it in the package?"

"That's cheating."

Inu-Yasha gave a slight smirk. "You guys have no chance on beating me on this."

Shippo took a hold of his and they both began to munch very rapidly. For a moment it seemed they were even, but it the Nori was of a good size.

Shippo suddenly let out a faint yip. It then fell a bit apart.

Inu-Yasha then gave a funny snort and held a hand to his mouth. It made a bulge in his cheeks, and he tried to swallow.

"Hey, he finished it. Good fortune for the year." Shippo said around the mouthful he has swallowed.

"Well, we'll have to head back. Do you want to try and participate in a proper visit?"

When they got back up to the shrine itself, Kagome's mother soon swept by and caught the group. Visitors were starting to come in by then, by several at a time. Some were putting donations in the box, others are doing prayers for fortune in the new year. She hurried them past the visitors, and to get them ready for the shrine's celebration. They needed to be in place even before the year men, playing the Oni for the crowd to pelt.

"Well, I hope this works on hiding your ears while we participate in the Mame Maki…and the others are getting here for their costumes," Kagome smiled, placing one of her grandfather's shrine hats.

"I feel like a dork, " Inu-Yasha muttered. But he did look rather well.

People assembled under the eves of the main shrine building. Kagome and Sango had been passing out packets of soy beans to the crowd. While the boys got the others ready to make the celebration, the actors playing the Oni got on the side of the stage. Grandpa and Inu-Yasha held a basket each of more soy beans. "Welcome everyone!" Grandpa called out to the assembled crowd. And there a was cheer that somehow even made Inu-Yasha grin. But then, this time the pelting would be in the other direction.

Dark was beginning to cover the shrine when the last of the visitors headed for home. Cleanup began on the grounds. By then something came to mind that Miroku figured would make some sense. They smiled as they thought to head back into the well.

"Hey, where's Inu-Yasha?" Shippo looked around with surprised look.

With a pause on the overhang, Inu-Yasha curled into his usual pose. It had been rather fun for a holiday, but he realized that he had no time really to pause and catch a breath. It was a day that will be in his memory…

Still, it just didn't seem right just yet.

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome tilted her head and smiled slightly. She was standing under him. For a moment, he was startled, and turned with a sheepish expression. "Did you have fun today?"

"Yeah…" Still he turned back to the night sky. The stars were a bit dimmer, but the lights of the city were shining as if to replace them. Then he jumped down, and stood next to her.

"So when do you want to go?" Kagome asked.

Inu-Yasha paused. "I'm not sure."

"Not sure."

"Well…"

Suddenly, Kagome gave a quick peck on his cheek. "Well, the others are ready to go, so we're just waiting on you." Then she headed back to the house and made a nod to the others.

Sango then went over to Inu-Yasha. "Hey, what's with you?" She even almost tapped his shoulder.

It took a moment, but then there was the distracted response of, "Nothing."

And the Shippo flicked a soy bean.

Then it was very back to normal. In fact, Shippo shouted that Inu-Yasha wasn't being fair.

"Come in Happiness, indeed…" Sango sighed.