Disclaimer- Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, but the story is all me.
AN- Holy cow! I had over thirty reviews in my box just from the last chapter alone. And a lot of questions. The predominant one being: What was meant by 'the familiar nothingness of sleep'? All in good time, all in good time. But hopefully I will get to it in this chapter… :-) We'll see.
By the way, it has been a while since I thanked everyone for taking the time to review my story. So, thank you. It brightens my day to hear all your positive comments and encouragement. :-) Thank you, thank you.
Please excuse the lateness of this chapter. I rewrote it about three or four times before deciding it was good enough for my readers (and my own nitpicky self).
A Change of Scenery
She was weightless, floating through a black field of space, surrounded by waves of blue light. Tiny balls of brilliant white-blue light danced around her. She reached out her hand to touch one of them and felt a pleasant tingle on the tips of her fingers. 'What is this? Did I hit my head? Did I…die? Is this Heaven?' Questions flitted across her mind, one after the other. Before she could come up with any reasonable answers though, her surroundings faded away to be replaced by an unfamiliar, but recognizable location.
'I'm at the bottom of the well, but… I'm okay. Actually, for having just fallen almost thirty feet, I'm a lot more than okay.' Kagome glanced down at her body, but couldn't find even a scratch on her. Even her clothes were still clean. 'Inuyasha…'
"Inuyasha! I'm okay! I think I might need some help though…" Kagome looked at the walls around her, hoping to find a ladder. Of course there wasn't one, but she hadn't really had high expectations anyways. With a sigh she tilted her head back to see if she could make out Inuyasha from where she was.
"Uh, I don't remember having a sun roof over the well house." Blinking slightly in the glare from the sun, she gave a small shrug. Maybe she had just forgotten it was there?
"Inuyasha?" Kagome waited for him to answer, wondering where he had gotten to. He had looked so scared when he reached down to grab her. Heck she had been scared witless herself. Maybe he had run off to try and find help. Though the only person who he could possibly be able to get through to would be her mother and she was off shopping in town. 'I guess I'm on my own for now.' Deciding it would be more practical to try climbing out rather than wait for someone, she grabbed onto one of the many vines growing on the inside (How come I never noticed these before?) and began to pull herself up. Unfortunately, the short khaki skirt she was wearing was not made for wall climbing, so it took her a good fifteen minutes before she finally managed to pull herself up over the edge, panting slightly, but silently thanking her gym teacher for forcing her to learn how to climb a rope.
Kagome laid sprawled half over the edge for a minute before finally realizing something was very different about the floor of the well house.
'Grass?' Lifting her head, Kagome let out a started gasp as she took in her surroundings. Not just grass, but a whole field. Flowers, trees, butterflies, birds… everything but her well house. Her stomach began to complain slightly at being squished against the hard wood. Kagome pulled the rest of her body out of the well and plopped down on the edge, silently gaping at the unfamiliar forest around her. Only… it wasn't so very unfamiliar. In fact, she had the nagging suspicion at the back of her head that she had been here before. But when?
Kagome propped her elbows on her knees and rested her head on her upturned palms, trying to remember. She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear the men arrive until they were less than five feet from her. Her head shot up, eyes going wide as she saw at least half a dozen bows and arrows pointed at her. Her brain was slow to catch up and all that came out of her mouth was an intelligent, "Wha…?"
"Silence demon!" one of them shouted, pulling his bowstring back a little more.
Her mouth snapped shut as she went still. Demon? Was he talking to her?
For almost a whole minute they just stood there, staring at one another. Kagome was pondering the risk of saying something when one of the men on the right spoke up.
"She… doesn't look like much of a demon." A couple others murmured in agreement.
"She could be disguising herself,' said another.
"She has to be a demon; I saw her come out of the well. Only demons come around here." This was from the man who had spoken first. She was beginning to not like him.
"Maybe we should take her to see Lady Kaede. She'll know what to do." Kagome silently blessed the man on the right, trying to thank him with her eyes. Unfortunately, he wouldn't look her in the eye, so her effort went unnoticed.
A couple of the other men agreed and finally the first man (she took him to be the leader) relented. "Very well. Tie her up."
Kagome was grabbed forcefully from the well and turned around. Her hands were pulled behind her back and tightly wound together with some very coarse rope. 'Ow! You don't have to be so violent.' She kept her mouth closed though, just in case they changed their minds. Where the heck was Inuyasha when she needed him?
She was tramped a little ways through the forest until a small village came into view. Again Kagome felt as though she knew it from somewhere, but couldn't figure out why it seemed so familiar. Surely she had never been here before. It all looked so… old fashioned. No not even that. It looked like it was straight out of one of her history books. But that wasn't possible was it? There weren't any places like this still around. Right? But if that were true, then that would mean… Kagome shook her head. It was too weird to think about. Another thought occurred to her suddenly. Inuyasha had said that he was born over five hundred years ago. That would put him back in the feudal era, which she had already ascertained from his clothing. Looking around at the people that were quickly gathering around the men as they paraded her through the village, she began to see that all of them were wearing the same period of clothing as Inuyasha. So…
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as she was shoved roughly to the ground. She landed painfully on her knees and as her teeth jarred together from the impact she couldn't help but protest. "Do you have to be so rough?"
The man's only response was to kneel next to her and begin to tie her ankles together. 'Like I'm really going anywhere with all these people standing around us.' She gave a small sigh and tried to get as comfortable as she could with her ankles tied and her hands behind her back. 'I guess we're waiting for this Lady Kaede to come.' Fortunately she didn't have to wait very long. The crowd suddenly parted and revealed an old woman in priestess attire. Kagome wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but she was pretty sure this wasn't it. 'This is a Lady?' Kagome stared at the stout old woman, taking in her weathered appearance and eye patch. She looked as though she had taken on a few demons herself. As the old priestess approached her, Kagome opened her mouth to try and explain her situation, getting a face and mouthful of salt for her efforts.
Gagging slightly, she heard the old woman say a few nonsense words and wave her hands around a bit. Not wanting to look as though she was insulting the woman by spitting in front of her, Kagome swallowed the salt with a small shudder at the taste.
She cleared her throat, and prepared to speak again. This time she was interrupted by the gravelly voice of the old woman. "Ye are no demon."
Kagome gave a small sigh of relief. "No," she said shaking her head.
Lady Kaede squinted her one good eye at the girl and peered closer at her. "Ye are awfully young to be a spy."
Kagome shook her head again. "I'm not a spy."
The wrinkle face peered closer, almost coming nose to nose with her. "Hmm." She took a few steps to her left and then to her right, looking at Kagome from all angles.
"Hmm."
'What does she keep hmming for?'
The priestess looked her in the eyes now, as if searching for some answer. Not knowing what she was looking for, Kagome just stared back.
Lady Kaede straightened, with a thoughtful look on her face. "Very peculiar." She motioned one of the men over to her. She said something that Kagome couldn't hear and the man turned to her, pulling a knife from his belt.
"Ah! Now wait a minute!" Kagome struggled to free herself from the ropes, the abrasive material cutting into her wrists harshly. "Keep away from me!"
"Calm yourself child. He only means to free your arms and legs."
'Oh.' Kagome blushed a little at her foolishness, holding her arms as far away from her body as she could to let him cut the binds. Once her wrists and feet were free, she picked her self up off the ground, massaging the chaffed flesh.
"Follow me, please." Not waiting for a reply, the old priestess began to walk away, leaving Kagome to either stay behind or follow.
She followed.
He fought. There was nothing to touch or see, but he fought. There was no sound or smell, but still he fought. Sleep pulled at him and he pulled back. Not this time. He wasn't going back to sleep this time. Not if he could help it. Not if she was still alive. And he knew in his heart she was still alive. He could feel it. Down in his soul, he could feel her still out there, tugging in his chest. Calling him to her.
And so he fought.
"So ye fell through a well. But did not end up in the same place. Tis a strange story, but not altogether unbelievable. A mysterious aura surrounds the dry well. We use it to dispose of demon bones, as they disappear after only a few days."
Kagome nodded at this. "The Bone Eater's well. My grandfather's told me about it. I never really believed those stories though…"
"It would explain why such a young girl would be found alone in the Inuyasha forest. Tis a dangerous place to be by one's self."
Kagome went still at the woman's words, a memory brushing across her mind. "Did…did you say, Inuyasha?
"Aye, Inuyasha forest. The home of many fearsome demons and beasts."
Her heart was beating steadily faster. The memory pushed itself to the front of her brain. An arrow… a younger priestess. "Why is it called…Inuyasha forest?" She knew what was coming, but her heart still raced in anticipation of the woman's next reply.
"That would be because of Inuyasha, the cursed hanyou. Fifty years ago, my sister placed an eternal spell on him and sealed him to a tree. He lays there still, undisturbed by other demons and people."
Kagome was having a hard time breathing as she listened to Kaede. "Eternal…"
"Aye, my sister was a very powerful priestess."
A name came to her, unbidden. "Kikyo…"
Kaede narrowed her good eye and nodded. "Yes, that was her name. How would ye know that though?"
Kagome looked at the old priestess, confusion in her eyes, as if she wasn't sure herself. "I… I think I've been having dreams about her. She… she died…that day. Didn't she?"
Again Kaede nodded, a look coming into her eyes that Kagome could only describe as confirmation. As if she had said something to prove her right. "I thought it was too much of a coincidence."
Kagome blinked in puzzlement. "What do you mean?"
"You child. I believe ye may be the reincarnation of my sister. I can feel a strong aura of power around ye, just as she had. Ye dream of her and that can only mean that I am correct in assuming this. It was not just happenstance that ye look so much like her."
"A reincarnation? I… you can't be sure though. Just from a resemblance and a few dreams."
"And that ye are here now."
"Er… yeah and that."
"I do not believe I am mistaken."
Kagome ran a hand through her hair, trying to collect her thoughts. What was happening here? She had been pulled through a magic well, to be transported five hundred years in the past, to the same place where Inuyasha had been killed…no, he wasn't dead. He was cursed. And to top things off she looked like the woman who had cursed him. A thought occurred to her suddenly. 'I wonder if that's why he disliked me so much before. It would make sense.' Her heart sank a little when she thought this. How much must it have hurt him when he saw the person he was supposed to guard looked so much like the woman who had put him in that position in the first place?
But could there be a reason for all this? The old woman had said he was still in the forest, undisturbed after all these years. Fifty years… Hadn't Inuyasha said that was how long he was awake? The rest of the time he was asleep, but for fifty years he had been a Guardian. Fifty years asleep here. Fifty years awake as a Guardian. It couldn't be a coincidence that he had traveled through five hundred years and found her, only for her to travel five hundred years backwards to find him. It just couldn't be.
"Lady Kaede?"
The priestess looked up from the pot she had been stirring. "Yes child?"
"Can you take me to see Inuyasha?"
Kaede's face registered surprise at her request. "Why on earth would ye want to see the Inuyasha?"
Kagome pursed her lips slightly, wondering if she should tell the woman what she knew off him. After a minute, Kagome inwardly debating while Kaede sat patiently waiting, she finally decided she could probably trust the woman. Taking a deep breath, Kagome told the old priestess everything she knew about her hanyou guardian. From the first time she met him, to the dreams she had about him (though her recollection of these were patchy at best), and everything he had told her about being a Guardian.
Kaede listened attentively, taking in everything she said; though Kagome got the impression a few of the references from her time went over the older woman's head. When she finished, she waited in turn for Kaede to reply.
Kaede had her eye closed as she took in all the girl had told her. A few minutes passed before she opened her eye again and looked at Kagome. "I know of the curse that was placed upon him. It is simply named the Guardian curse. It is reserved for demons, as a normal man would not feel its effect upon him. I myself have never performed this curse, as it is energy consuming and truth be told, it is cruel. For Kikyo to have placed this curse upon the Inuyasha… I cannot say why. It binds the demon to an eternity of servitude to a human. It is their protector until they die and then they are bound to another until that person dies. They have no sense of anything other than their human. Sound and sight are limited, and taste, touch and smell are removed permanently. They will be neither seen nor heard and have no power over anything other than that to protect their charge. It is strange what ye have told me. It should not be so that he can move from one human to another without them having died and that he is able to sense things as if he were alive. He should not be able to do many of the things ye have described. Perhaps… perhaps it is because of his human side that this is so. As I said, this curse was not intended for humans. That my sister would try it at all on him…"
Kagome waited for her to continued, but she did not. She could figure out the rest of her sentence though. Kikyo must have hated Inuyasha very much to have wanted him to suffer so much. Kagome thought about what the old woman had told her. Such a fate…It was scary. She gave a small shudder, incredibly thankful that Inuyasha seemed to have gotten around some of the crueler aspects of the curse. The thought of him wandering around for all time, unable to sense anything, made her heart clench in sympathy. She had to do something for him.
"Please…" Kagome turned pleading eyes to the Lady Kaede. "Will you bring me to him?"
The woman sighed and shook her head, making Kagome's heart sink once more. "Child, what ye ask is not practical. Ye cannot hope to remove his curse. My sister died placing it on him, so it is all the stronger for it. It would be dangerous to even try."
Kagome could feel tears of frustration forming in her eyes. She didn't care if it was dangerous! She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't even try. She owed him that much at least. If only for the fact that he was her friend. Her mind set, she stood up and gave a polite bow to the priestess. "I thank you for your time Lady Kaede." She turned to leave.
"Where will ye go child?"
Kagome knew the woman would try to stop her if she told her she was going to look for Inuyasha. Sending a small prayer of forgiveness, she prepared a lie for the old woman. "I think I would like to look around the village if that's okay."
Kaede gave a small nod. "Very well. Come back here when ye are tired. Ye may stay here until we can return ye home. And do not stray too far; there are many dangers for a young girl aside from demons."
'Your time and mine Lady Kaede.' "Thank you." Kagome threw her a smile before lifting the wicker mat that served as a door and stepping outside.
He could feel her presence like a comforting glow surrounding him. Her warmth seeped into his very soul and he imagined he could almost breathe in her scent. No…it wasn't his imagination. He could smell her. The refreshing clean soap and berry smells that he recognized from when she took her bath. And underneath that, the smell of Kagome. Like sunshine and water. Like warmth and light. If any of those had a sent, it would be this one. Comforting and energizing. Just like her. He struggled even more against the heavy weight that would force him back into the dark recesses of nothingness. He wouldn't go. Not now. Not when she was so close….
Kagome stared up at the sleeping hanyou. It was just like her dream. The only thing different was the obvious passage of time, marked by the thick vines and ivy that grew around him. 'Oh, Inuyasha…' She could feel her eyes start to sting with tears. He looked so peaceful… But she knew what a horrible lie it was. Kagome climbed onto the tree roots and then to one of the thicker vines that put her almost face to face with him.
"Inuyasha…"
His heart sped up as he heard her voice. It sounded so far away… But he could feel that she was very close now. If he could just wake up!
Kagome ripped away all the ivy that clung around his face and body, tearing the plants mercilessly, suddenly angry at the sight of them. She pulled uselessly at the vines that pressed him against the tree. They were to strong for her to break, but she kept pulling, tears streaming down her cheeks as she took out her frustrations on the uncaring plant life surrounding her Guardian. She yanked and wrenched at the vines until she was finally too exhausted to do anything but lean against his body and breathe heavily. Her tears had dried up, along with her anger. She now only felt a small sense of despair. She wasn't strong at all. How was she supposed to be able to free him from this curse? Turning her head to the side she saw the arrow from her dreams, still embedded in his chest. She hadn't wanted to touch it for fear of hurting him, but now… Maybe it was worth a try. He would surely forgive her for the pain if she could free him.
Straightening herself up, she reached out a hand to grasp the shaft of the arrow. As her hand came with in inches of it, she suddenly felt a tingling sensation. Unlike the balls of light in the well however, this tingling was unpleasant, like an electrical currant steadily streaming up her fingers. She hesitated. She could tell it would be painful to try, and probably dangerous, just as Kaede had said.
'But…I have to try. He would do it for me.' Her mind made up, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She quickly grasped the arrow, wrapping her fingers around the smooth wood.
As she predicted, it hurt, though that was a bit of an understatement. She imagined this is what it would feel like if she were to take hold of a live power line. Jolts of pure energy streamed through her body, shaking her body in painful spasms. Her mind cried out to her to let go, and if she could properly control her body at that time, she probably would have. As it was, she couldn't pry her fingers from the arrow's shaft. Bursts of light began to go off behind her closed eyes, always a bad sign. Her lungs contracted sharply and air was a hard time coming. With her last ounce of energy she forced open her hand, feeling the flesh of her palm tear as the burnt skin stuck to the arrow. As she fell to the ground, she briefly opened her eyes and her hazy mind was still active enough to take in the fact that Inuyasha was still as peaceful looking as ever. And then she slipped into her own little world of peace.
He could feel her pain. That in itself was not surprising, as it was the same with everyone else. They got hurt, he felt pain. Such was the price of neglecting your duty. This time though, he was too far gone to actually feel what she was feeling, a small blessing he didn't know of. He could still feel that she was in pain though and his mind cried out for him to do something. But he was trying. He was fighting harder than he ever thought possible, but this was not battle of strength. It was a battle of will and determination. And he knew he could win if he tried hard enough and fought long enough. He would go back to her. It was only a matter of time. Unfortunately, as he suddenly felt her pain end and her warmth slip away, it didn't seem like time was on his side.
Kagome slowly woke to the sound of a crackling fire and the smell off food. Sitting up suddenly, she let out a small groan as her body protested loudly to her action.
"Ah good, ye are up."
Kagome looked across the fire to see the old priestess watching her with a concerned expression. "How do ye feel?"
Kagome swallowed, her throat feeling scratchy and raw as though he had been shouting for hours. "Like I've just run ten miles in five minutes." Her voice came out as a hoarse croak. She shifted herself to sit cross-legged, her body responding sluggishly to her minds orders. Why did everything hurt so much?
"I would say that I am surprised ye are not dead, but I suppose that I really am not. I was right to say ye have a very powerful aura. A normal person would not even have been able to get close to the tree. Ye truly must be the reincarnation of my sister to have been able to touch the arrow so freely."
"I would hardly call what I did, 'touching it freely'." Kagome winced at the memory of what had happened.
Kaede studied the girl in front of her with a keen eye. It was possible, maybe…
"Child, I believe I may have been wrong."
Kagome frowned slightly. "About what?"
"You may yet be able to lift the curse after all."
Kagome blinked owlishly, wondering if she had heard correctly. "I… I could? But, that thing nearly killed me!" She looked down at the hand that had grasped the arrow. It was covered in a thick cloth and smelled strongly of herbs. It was throbbing fiercely.
"Nay, I do not think it would have killed ye."
Kagome let her words sink in for a minute. She blamed her recent quasi-electrocution for her slowness. "You're saying…I could free him?"
"Aye. But not now. Ye are too green with your power. If I were to properly train ye, it would be possible I think. Because of the nature of this curse, only the one who placed it can lift it, but if what I believe is true, and you really are my sister reincarnated, you could be able to lift it as well."
Kagome could hardly believe her ears. If what the priestess said was true, then she would be able to set him free after all! "Then teach me!"
Kaede chuckled at the girl's enthusiasm. "Not now child, ye are too weak at the moment. Ye need to rest. I have thought about your appearance here and I think perhaps if ye were to return to the well, it would take ye home just as it brought ye here."
Kagome's eyes lit up. "Really?" Her enthusiasm faded a bit as she gave it a little more thought. "But what if I can't come back?"
Kaede shook her head. "I do not think that would be a problem. From what ye have told me, it would seem the well and your God Tree are connected to this world somehow. I believe ye will be able to return without trouble."
The young girl sighed in relief, willing to believe the priestess' words. "I think I would like to go home then." She glanced out the window of the hut. The sun was beginning to hang low in the sky. How long had she been unconscious? "My family will be getting worried about me."
Kaede got to her feet and leaned over to help Kagome to her feet. "If ye are up to the walk, I will escort ye."
"Thank you, Lady Kaede."
He was nearly there. Consciousness was only a breath away. Just a moment longer and he would be on the earth once more. He could feel it. With a final mighty push of wil, he broke through the barrier of sleep and opened his eyes.
"What the hell?"
Why was he laying at the bottom of a well? Inuyasha sat up. Then immediately laid back down as his vision swam and his head threatened to implode. 'That didn't feel so good.' From his flat position, he could see the roof of the well house, though not much more. The sight nonetheless made his heart leap in happiness.
'I did it.' Inuyasha closed his eyes and gave a shout of joy, reveling in his achievement. He stayed on the dirt floor for a minute longer before beginning to wonder where Kagome was. Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha pulled him self into a sitting position and looked to his left and right. Nope. Not there.
"Kagome?"
No answer from her. His heart gave a loud thump in his chest and he began to worry. Why couldn't he feel himself being pulled to her? If he felt nothing, that should mean she was next to him. Right?
"Kagome!"
He remembered her being in a lot of pain before he lost track of her presence and he desperately hoped that nothing was wrong with her. And even more desperately, he hoped the reason he couldn't feel her wasn't because she was dead. Surely he hadn't fought his way back only to find her… No! He refused to believe something so stupid. She was fine. He just needed to get his ass out of this damn pit and go yell at her for being so dense as to climb on top of a dilapidated old well hole and fall through. She was fine…
Inuyasha moved to a kneeling position and prepared to stand, ignoring the stabbing pain that was coming from directly behind his eyeballs. He had to go find her. Halfway to his feet he was momentarily blinded by another flash of blue light. Not at all helping the stabbing pain. He gave a soft exclamation and covered his eyes, falling back to his knees. Suddenly he was knocked over onto his back once more and surrounded by a familiar and welcome scent.
"Oof!"
"Aaah!" Kagome gave a startled scream as she came to a landing at the bottom of the well and promptly tripped over a body. As she landed in a slightly jumbled heap atop the unfortunate person, she pushed herself up with her good hand and brushed her hair out of her eyes with the other.
"Inuyasha!" She couldn't keep the goofy, happy grin off her face as she stared down at the hanyou below her. With mild surprise, she saw he was grinning at her the same way. It only lasted for a moment though, before it was replaced by an incredulous expression.
"Did you just fall down the well again?" he asked in disbelief.
AN- Whew, that was longer than I thought. I was going to cut it off earlier and leave you with another cliffy, but I thought I would be nice and leave on a nicer note. By the way, my triple-o choco-chunk cookie was very yummy. Thankee agent doo.
Q and A (this could take a while)
Q. crazy07- So does Inuyasha go into the past with her?
A. No, I thought it would be a little too complicated having Inuyasha there with her as she tried to free him from the tree. Something about the time space continuum and the laws of physics being broken, matter in space being unable to contain more than one of itself in the same place, yadda, yadda, yadda. You get the point don't you? Er… what was it again?
Q. InU-DragoN-GirL-Will Inuyasha know where they are because he's from there?
A. He won't go with her through the well, so he has no ides where she's been as of now. She will tell him later though. Hmm, I wonder how he will take it. Oh wait, I already know. Hehe.
Q. Sarah- Will Kagome meet Kikyo inside the well at some point and will they have a face off over Inu if they do?
A. They definitely won't meet in the well. They might meet outside the well though. :-) I'm not sure what will happen in that situation, but I don't see Kagome as the cat fighting type. I could be wrong however.
Q. SailorKagome- "The familiar nothingness of sleep." Does this mean that Inuyasha will become someone else's Guardian?
A. I'm not that cruel. Though I admit the thought had crossed my mind… LoL Just teasing. It's not going to happen.
Q/A. Inuyasha-craver- (Hands up in surrender) Okay, to answer previous questions as to when they will hook up… I don't know. :-( But hopefully it will get a bit more interesting at least. That's the best I can do right now. It's slow going, but Inuyasha is pretty thick, so we have to cut him a little slack.
Q. Auxana- Did Inuyasha fall back asleep because Kagome fell through the well and technically ceased to exist in that time and was basically 'dead'? And if she releases him in the past he won't be there in the future will he, unless it's because he's a hanyou and can live a long time and she told him when she originally fell through the well?
A. Wow, and I was paraphrasing… To answer the first question, you are correct and kudos on your perception. That is almost exactly as I had it figured in my head. I would like clear up though (in case there is any confusion), that Inuyasha brought himself back from the sleep he was in and it wasn't the return of Kagome that pulled him from it. I'll make it clearer in future chapters about that. To the next question, if she does release him in the past, he will cease to exist as her Guardian in the future, as the curse will have been broken. And finally…huh? Talk about breaking the laws of physics… I can assure you, that particular scenario will not occur, as my tiny brain cannot comprehend the sheer magnitude of its strangeness…
Q. NekoYasha101- Didn't she just go down the well and what did you mean by Inuyasha going to sleep? Does that mean he is leaving her and going to the next person?
A. Aaah! Don't cry! He's not going anywhere yet. Yes, Kagome went down the well and he went to sleep in her absence, but do you think a little thing like an eternal curse of sleep and servitude would keep or favorite dog-eared hero from Kagome? Not in this Fic. ;-)
Q. NBKitty- Did you really have to end it there?
A. Yes. Yes I did.
Q. PippetJimmy- She went to the feudal era didn't she?
A. I know this is probably a rhetorical question, but those little ?'s compel me… So yes, she went to the feudal era. And she'll keep going back until she gets it right, darn it!
Q. Inu-chan's-luver- What's gonna happen now?
A. This is probably also rhetorical, but…so many… question marks… Er… wait, what was the question again? Oh right. Uh…magic and mayhem! Yes… that'll do nicely…
Q. Raku-Onna- Will the Shikon be shattered again? Will Mistress Centipede and Yura of the hair make their appearances?
A. Hmm, to shatter or not to shatter. To be honest I've been thinking about that myself. I think I will follow the story line in that aspect, but I'm not sure if I will bring those two into it. Perhaps Mistress Centipede, but maybe not Yura. I just don't like her very much.
Q. galaxy guardian- If Inuyasha is now in "the familiar nothingness of sleep" does that mean that he's back in his time and pinned to the tree?
A. Yes it does. He doesn't know it though. As he sleeps he isn't really aware of anything. When he senses Kagome in this chapter, she is the only thing he can feel, so he doesn't realize she is standing next to him in his own time.
Q. inuyasha4ever1- Does this mean the next time she will find Inuyasha on the tree and free him?
A. Well, she found him. And she did try to free him… that counts right?
Q. katie12321- When you said you're going by the Japanese school year, are you doing the five and a half days of school in a week (Mon-Fri and half day on Sat)?
A. No. Almost all of the public schools in Japan now go by the American five day school week. At the beginning of the new year (April) of '02, they officially did away with mandatory half days on Saturday. During the mid 90's they had started with one Saturday off a month, which gradually changed to two a month, and then finally all of them off. Some schools (mostly private) still have half days on Saturdays, but fortunately, Kagome's isn't one of them.
Q. anonymous- Is Inuyasha back in some kind of sleep between guardian jobs with Kagome in another time or does that just mean one or both of them is unconscious? Will Kagome get to meet up with him before he was made a guardian? Will she find him pinned to a tree in the past?
A. Rhetorical or not, I'll answer your questions. As you read above, he was indeed forced back into sleepy land, but was fortunately too stubborn to go fully unconscious. Kagome did meet him, (his dozing body anyways) but not before his Guardianship. As she sees him now is after the curse is well in place. And he's stuck to that darned tree tighter than the lid on the Un-opened Pickle Jar. And I'm glad I haven't disappointed yet. :-)