Kagome sat on her bed. She was still in her pajamas, and she had only gotten about 4 hours of sleep the night before. Her long black hair was frizzed from the summer heat. But now, she looked out the window and saw fluffy white snowflakes falling. It had suddenly become winter. She wondered about InuYasha, was he okay? What had become of Miroku and Sango after that fateful battle? Had they survived? She grabbed up her brush and began to madly comb her hair. She shouldn't be worrying so much! The Shikon Jewel was complete once more. InuYasha had probably forgotten her already. But on the contrary he hadn't.

Shippo glanced over at the white haired demon that he had befriended. "Why don't you go and talk to her?" The snow seemed to blanket his friend's hair, of course, he knew that it didn't.

"Shippo," InuYasha glanced over at him. "She's…she's probably already forgotten us…" The half demon stood. "That's…that's just the way people in the future work. I'm going back to Kaede's. You can stay here and mope all day if you like…" he said before bounding off through the forest. The small kitsune stared after him.

"Well, he would know…" Shippo muttered before getting up and walking back quietly, through the softly falling snow, to Kaede's house.

Kagome stared down at Sota. He had been rather quiet these days. After she'd come home for good, he'd asked only once about InuYasha, and it had been a week and a half since then.

"Well, he would know…" Shippo muttered before getting up and walking back quietly, through the softly falling snow, to Kaede's house.

"Sota?" she called through her open window. Sota looked up.

"Yeah?" He had barely spoken at all, except at meals and when he was with his friends. Kagome frowned.

"I'll go see him today, okay?" Kagome gestured at the well. Sota's face changed drastically from expressionless, to Finally-I-was-wondering-when-you-were-gunna-say-that happiness.

Kagome laughed as Sota jumped around smiling and laughing. When Kagome reached the main floor, Sota ran over and hugged her. Kagome smiled. "Let go, so I can get to the well!" she laughed. They both ran to the well.

A bright light came suddenly from behind the closed doors. Both Sota and Kagome stood their ground and waited. The light suddenly got brighter and they had to shield their eyes. Then all was normal. "What was that?" Sota asked. Kagome could only shrug.

The well house doors slid open and from the darkness emerged a figure well known to both Kagome, and Sota. "INUYASHA!" They both yelled and ran over and hugged him. InuYasha fell over with the weight of their hugs.

He laughed. "Hey Kagome, hey Sota!" He said hugging them back. Kagome then realized that she was on top of him. Her face went red. Sota kneeled beside him. "Get off me Kagome," he smiled and pushed her off. Kagome laughed.

"Kagome was just about to come and see you…" Sota said still smiling like an over eccentric mother. Mrs. Higurashi came out holding a pan of cookies, fresh from the oven.

"InuYasha, how nice to see you" she smiled. InuYasha got up and waved.

"G'morning" he said. He brushed the snow from his pants. He was wearing a red T-shirt and blue jeans. Kagome had given them to him last year at Christmas. His necklace glinted in the suns glare.

"Did you have breakfast yet?" Mrs. Higurashi asked. Her cookie pan was now on a railing, cooling in the cold winter like air. InuYasha smiled.

"No," He said Kagome stole three cookies from he pan when her mother wasn't looking. She gave one to Sota, and one to InuYasha. "But, I can wait 'til lunch." He finished.

Mrs. Higurashi nodded and walked back inside with her cookie pan. She just smiled when she saw that three cookies had gone missing. "So? You, were about to come through the well, eh?" Kagome laughed at InuYasha's logic and nodded.

"Yep, but I guess you stopped me." She smiled at him. He touched the Shikon Jewel around his neck, he turned into his human form, and his hair was in a messy braid.

"Sota, tell mum we're going for a walk." Kagome nudged he brother. Sota nodded and ran inside. After he told her, he'd probably phone his friends. "So…" Kagome said her brown eyes looking from the house to the sky. They walked hand in hand down the long stairs. "Did, Sango and Miroku…" she paused.

"They're fine," InuYasha said before she could continue. He looked up too. "Kohaku is helping them rebuild the Demon Slayers village. They're nearly done." He looked back at Kagome and smiled.

Kagome smiled too. "Kri, Akira and Yuki have been calling, asking where you've been, they're so used to seeing you hanging out at the school when the bell rings. They miss you." Kagome giggled. "You have a lot of fans InuYasha." She added.

InuYasha sighed. "Great," he said "Let's go surprise'em then!" Kagome agreed happily to this and they ran towards the park. Knowing that they'd be there sitting on a bench, or on the ground, or in a tree, talking.

Kri was the first to look up and see Kagome and InuYasha running to greet them. "Hey Akira, Yuki, look! It's InuYasha! And Kagome!" They all jumped off the bench and ran, waving like maniacs.

The three girls tackled InuYasha with hugs. This time, he didn't fall over. Kagome in turn got hugs from her best friends. They hadn't seen each other since the big snow storm. "Where have you been?" Akira asked InuYasha.

InuYasha glanced at Kagome. "I was at home, well, my apartment anyway…" he said. It wasn't a lie; Kagome's Uncle owned the building and had given InuYasha an apartment on the 10th floor for free.

The three girls nodded. Kagome smiled. She was glad to see her friends again. Although there were no clouds, the snowflakes still fell, as though coming from the sun. Even now, in the middle of the summer, it snowed for some reason. It was still warm, but the snow didn't melt. Everyone in Tokyo, though it was pretty amazing. This had never happened before. Kagome grabbed some snow. "Think fast!" he said and threw it at InuYasha; he ducked, so it hit Yuki. InuYasha made a snow ball and fired it at Kri. She ducked and it hit Akira, who threw one at Kagome. Soon they were all soaked with snow from their snowball fight.

Kagome was the first to fall over laughing. After their laughter had subsided and they all lay in the snow, InuYasha was the fist to speak. "Suddenly, it's cold…" he said as a snowflake landed on his nose.

They laughed again. Kri sat up. "We should probably all go and get changed into dry clothes." She said. Everyone agreed as they sat up. They bid each other farewell and went back to their houses or apartments. InuYasha and Kagome went past the Higurashi Shrine and to the apartment building where InuYasha's place was.

"You're right, suddenly it is colder!" Kagome said as he opened the door into the lobby. Quickly they got into the elevator and waited while it rose up to the tenth floor. Then something in Kagome's mind clicked…

InuYasha's acting different, ever since we collected all the shards, he's been treating me like a Princess. Why though? I only help him…He's the one who killed Naraku and saved Kohaku from death…

InuYasha opened the door to his apartment. "It's a lucky thing you have spare clothes here Kagome." He said throwing her a pair of jeans and her favorite shirt. Kagome smiled as she caught the clothes.

"Yeah," she looked down at the shirt InuYasha had gotten her for Christmas; it said 'Why be square…' on the front and on the back 'when you can be Cylindrical!' She changed quickly. InuYasha pulled on a black t-shirt that had a Goomba on the front with the words 'Game over' below it.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You still have that shirt?" she laughed. InuYasha looked at her like; what? He nodded.

"But this one is new," he smiled. Kagome laughed again. "Well it is!" he added as he shut his drawer.

"Yeah, course it is…" Kagome said flopping onto the couch and flicking on the Television. The news reported was standing in front of what looked like one of the five shrines in Tokyo.

"What did the demon look like Miss?"

"It looked like a human nineteen year old teenager, with long braided black hair, and a funny symbol on his head."

Some one started to cry in the background. Flames licked the Shrine behind them.

"He was wearing funny looking amour too-"

The lady was cut off by evil laughter. Bankotsu, one of the Band of Seven, came into the screen. Kagome and InuYasha, who had joined her on the couch, sat bolt upright. "Bankotsu!" they both said, anger, surprise and worry, plagued their voices.

"Stupid mortals!" His voice calm and soothing as normal. "That's what you get for messing with me, Bankotsu!" And that was the last Kagome and InuYasha heard of him before Kagome shut off the T.V.

"How did he get here!" Kagome asked jumping up and running over to the door. InuYasha followed.

"We're about to find out!" he said opening the door and pulling on his shoes at the same time.

Kagome and InuYasha ran down the snow covered sidewalk. At least there was no ice. When they reached the destroyed Shrine they saw Bankotsu running off, his halberd resting slightly on his armored shoulder as he ran. "I hate it when they run…" InuYasha muttered. Kagome nodded and stayed behind to help put out the fire.

Bankotsu stopped when he realized InuYasha was following him. "What do you want half breed?" he pointed his halberd at the demon. InuYasha changed back to his half dog form and pulled out Tetsaiga.

Kagome at that moment came around the corner, bow in hand. She pulled out an arrow and got ready. "Bankotsu, you're going down! All you are is a zombie!" Kagome called as she shot one arrow after another.

InuYasha used the Wind Scar to back up Kagome's arrows. Bankotsu deflected the arrows, but when the Wind Scar came, he just stood. As though wanting death. That's what he got…The Wind Scar hit him, his flesh and muscle turned to ash, and his halberd fell from his lifeless hand. InuYasha quickly changed forms. "Did? Did he die?" InuYasha asked a bit confused as the smoke and dust settle finally.

Kagome nodded as she caught the jewel shards in her hand. "Perhaps he can destroy buildings, this side of the well, but maybe he can't attack." Kagome thought as she put the newly purified jewel shards into place on the jewel. InuYasha smiled, he guessed at how many they had left.

"How many now? Two?" He said putting the nearly complete jewel around his neck. Kagome shrugged. She obviously wanted to get away from the skeleton. "C'mon, your mom's probably worried…" he said holding his hand out. Kagome nodded and took his hand.

Mrs. Higurashi greeted them when the came through the door. Both of them had icicles and frost in their hair. "Oh, you're home good. Did you see the news?" InuYasha nodded.

"It was Bankotsu." InuYasha said as he dried his now melting icicle and frost covered hair. Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "We took care of him though," InuYasha added and smiled.

"InuYasha, you got rid of him, not me." Kagome said nudging him. This made Mrs. Higurashi laugh slightly.

"Sota is watching a movie, his friends are over. Oh, and Kagome," Kagome looked up from her book. "Grandpa wants your help, InuYasha you may as well go to." She finished. "I'll have dinner ready in about half an hour."

Kagome and InuYasha headed out to the shed. They could hear Grandpa talking to himself half way there. "Mum said you needed help Gramps." Kagome answered as she pushed the door open slightly, letting more light into the small shed.

"Ah yes," Grandpa said. He didn't look up to see InuYasha standing just behind his granddaughter. "All of those scrolls over there, they need to be moved." He looked up finally. "Ah! InuYasha! How nice to see you." He pretended to be happy. Really though, he had been glad to have the Half-Demon gone and to have Kagome back and going to school.

InuYasha nodded. "Hello" he said helping Kagome pick up some of the rather big scrolls.

"Gramps, where do want these to go?" Kagome asked as she re-adjusted them in her arms. Grandpa looked over his shoulder.

"Take them to the well house; we're going to put them on the walls." He said going back to re-organizing the jars and jars of herbs and spices.

"Okay…" Kagome said. She didn't think it was a good idea. Once outside and far out of the earshot of her grandfather, she spoke her worry. "What if these things purify it? You only might be able to come through on the new moon or when you're human then…" she said as InuYasha opened the sliding doors to the well house.

"I guess," he paused and set down the scrolls. "We'll just have to take a chance now…" he muttered as they walked out. Kagome closed the doors. Her eyes clouded.

"InuYasha, if that's the case…Then…"Before she could continue they heard laughing again. InuYasha glanced up, Bankotsu was back.

"Heh, nice attempt to destroy me!" He laughed. He jumped from the roof of the house. "Out of my way Half-Breed! The girls mine!" Kagome gave a small scream as Bankotsu hit InuYasha out of the way with his halberd.

"Gah! Damn you! Kagome isn't yours!" InuYasha jumped, transformed, and took out Tetsaiga all at once. Kagome squirmed in Bankotsu's arms. He let go of her with one so he could take up his halberd and hold it at arms length to threaten InuYasha.

"You bastard! You're no match for me! Even with out my jewel shards!" He spun the halberd and was lifted from the ground, and a barrier surrounded them and they disappeared.

InuYasha fell to his knees. The Shikon Jewel let out a faint light, and Sango and Miroku appeared in the well house. All at once they knew where they were. Sango was first out of the well house. She ran over to him and cradled his head in her arms. "We saw what happened…"she said quietly. "Kaede, she gave us a mirror like Kanna's," Sango stopped.

InuYasha's hands were trembling, and he let go of the Tetsaiga. "Sango, she's gone, and I couldn't stop him." He looked up at the demon slayer. Sango smiled. He got up and put Tetsaiga back in its sheath.

Miroku smiled as Mrs. Higurashi came out. Kagome had told her about them already, and Miroku knew better than to go after Kagome's mom. "Mrs. Higurashi," he didn't know how to put it. So Sango told her instead.

"Kagome's been kidnapped by, Bankotsu. It seems that InuYasha was not able to destroy him completely." InuYasha glared at the ground. He had already transformed back into a human.

Miroku nodded. "Well," Mrs. Higurashi said. "You best go find her then." Mrs. Higurashi went inside and brought out a bag. It had some food in it. "Take this. There's enough for three days." Sango took the bag.

"Thank you." She said bowing to Mrs. Higurashi. InuYasha and Miroku had opened the well house. The three of them waved and jumped through the well. InuYasha kept glaring at the swirling shades blue and purple as they fell.

None of them had any idea what they were in for. They weren't prepared to see what Bankotsu had done to Kagome. Or what he had done in the short time they had been in Kagome's era. Never again, would they see something like this in the entire lives. Never, would they see some one, so upset.