Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha. I'm taking the liberties of

A whispered fact, "It... shattered!"
An angry and unbelieving retort, "IT WHAT? YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"
The ever silent forest was awakened in response.

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"WHAT DID YOU FUCKIN' DO TO IT?"

"InuYasha! Would you stop the barking?" an irritated old priestess asked. Politely, for that matter... but InuYasha wouldn't take it.

"Old hag! It's all that stupid kid's fault! He shattered the damn jewel!"

Hojo couldn't handle the guilt and with a lowered chin, he apologized. Well... at least to the old priestess. He had no reason to apologize to that conceited little bitch he now had total control over. Well, at least that's what he'd like to think.

'With only one word...'

"There's no need to apologize, dear boy. It wasn't the arrow itself that caused the jewel to shatter, in fact... I believe it was the demon's own clawed foot."

"Oh yeah! And who, may I ask, had the bright idea of using that damn foot anyway?" InuYasha's voice rang in his ears. It might not have not been his entire fault, buthe knew he had a lot to do with the jewel being broken.

"I apologized already! What else do you want from me, InuYasha?" Hojo asked, starting to get annoyedof the hanyou's attitude.

"Keh!" the silver-haired girl huffed, pouting, folding her arms under her navy blue haori and turning her face away from the glaring kid, chin up in arrogance.

"The demon slayers apologized as well... and said they would try their best to collect as many shards as they can find. Either way... ye two must join forces and collect jewel shards as well... there may be as many as a thousand... but a single shard has as much power as the whole jewel. If it gets into the wrong hands, there's no telling what could happen."

"Haha... old hag... don't ya realize what you're saying? I'm one of those 'wrong hands' you're talking about."

"Oh yes. That I know too well."

'Oh man! When... and how am I going to get back home?'

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He just couldn't take it anymore. It was nauseating... and he hated the fact that he sounded like a girl when he complained to the old priestess about his hair looking dull and greasy, but he just couldn't stand it.

So he stripped off his school-boy uniform and leapt into the freezing waters. THAT... at least he could take... accompanied by a few teeth shattering minutes before finally adjusting to the temperature.

He swam around, taking his time to think over the past few days he had been in this dream... no nightmare. 'C'mon dad! Wake me the fuck up!' he begged.

The old priestess was around the bend, taking care of his dirty laundry.

She'd brought him a set of robes that he bet made him look a lot like a monk, but Hojo didn't care as long as he had some pants to wear under that. She had apologized saying that was all she had... unless he wanted to wear one of her spare priestess's garbs. He said it was fine that way, but he was sure he'd made the wrong decision when he walked out wearing the purple and black set of robes.

The old priestess had been talking to the dog-eared girl when he stepped out from behind the bushes wearing his new monk costume.

'Why is she looking at me that way?'

At first, in her eyes, he found remembrance... longing... and dare he say, sadness... but within a blink of an eye, her stare turned cold and he found himself thinking of only one phrase:

'If looks could kill...'

...but Old Kaede continued babbling on about the many reasons they both had to join forces to collect those cursed shards.

On and on Kaede continued, and still, InuYasha glared daggers at his clothing. A lady interrupted though, and started urging the old priestess about an important matter down in the village. Something having to do with her daughter being suddenly ill... or something along those lines.

Hojo didn't pay attention. He was too busy trying to ignore the glare the hanyou sent his way.

"Uh... what are you looking at?"

"Take those robes off..."

That modern-day, school-boy,dirty mind of his could've thought of a better reaction... but his heart sank... and he blushed.

InuYasha's eyes widened in surprise to his understanding.

"I didn't say get undressed! You dumb kid!"

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A/N: One thing's for sure... you're gonna have to forgive me on one fact. I guess it just slipped my mind when I started writing this out... but you must understand... it was a rare... a very rare... cloth of the fire rat. A navy blue fire-rat... I guess.

Please R&R.