Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or its characters. I do own, however, the original characters: Alden, Cora, and Setsuko. Using my original characters in your own stories is not permitted, unless with my consent. Thank you.
Chapter 2
Wanderers from the Well
"Come on, let's go, already!" Inuyasha nagged Kagome. "There's jewel shards out there just waited to be taken!"
"Alright, Inuyasha! Hold on! Geez, patience is a virtue you know!"
They were preparing to leave Kaede's village in search of more jewel shards. They had just stopped off at the village to rest for a while, but nonetheless, Inuyasha's attention span was waning. Shippo and Kilala were running around and playing, while Sango was trying to escape the perverted hand of Miroku. She countered his persistent behavior with a direct slap to the cheek.
"Hands off, monk! Restrain yourself!" Sango cried. "You are a monk, are you not? Then act with nobleness!"
Kagome gathered up her monstrous backpack, the jewel shards within clattering against her math books.
"Okay, let's go."
The channel appeared very suddenly, crashing and thrashing like a terrifying tempest, regurgitating the stunned Alden and Cora. They had been transported to the bowels of the Bone Eater's Well, where they stood looking around.
"Huh?" Alden looked around, circumnavigating the entire well. "What happened? Where are we?"
Cora's eyes gave off a mixture of bewilderment and intrigue. She merely gawked for a moment.
"I don't understand. We were just about to get in the car, out from the rain. And now we're here. Wherever here is."
Cora looked up. She saw a blue sky from the depths of the well.
"Look," she pointed with her index finger.
Alden looked up as well.
"Huh? Is this Limbo or something? Did we get struck by a lightning bolt?" Alden thought.
"Where are we, Alden?" Cora asked, her intrigued eyes captivated by the beautiful sky above. "How did we get here?"
"I don't know, Cora. But it looks like we're inside some kind of chamber. And that's outside, I'm sure," he looked up. "We must be down inside something. Maybe a dried up well."
They both looked up at the sky again.
"Let's climb," Alden said. "Grab hold of me."
Climbing out of the well proved to be an arduous task. Cora had her immensely bulky backpack, and Alden couldn't climb and clutch his sister's hand at the same time. She just had to climb by herself, clasping a hand to her brother's side. Alden used the large umbrella to assist him. They soon managed to clamber out, brushing themselves off, and then stood gazing. Their eyes were opened to a new perspective, a new beauty. They beheld a new world, a new horizon. Cora's eyes gleamed with a shine of awe and curiosity.
"Where are we, Alden?" she asked. "Is this heaven?"
Alden looked around at the grassy plains and the invigorating blueness of the sky. They felt a friendly wind brush by across their cheeks, an atmosphere that was serene and pure.
"I don't know, Cora," Alden said, entranced.
Kagome and the others began walking again, in hopes of another successful jewel shard hunt. They left the outskirts of the village, Kagome trying to keep her sense acute and focused.
"There's no jewel shards nearby," she said. "We pretty much have no clue where to look next."
"Oh, that's just great," Inuyasha said in a very biting, sarcastic tone. "We're just sitting ducks now, meanwhile Naraku probably has collected more."
He began to sniff the ground for any unusual scents or clues.
"I asked the villagers if anything unusual has been going on. If there were any shards or demons around, but they said nothing strange has been happening," Shippo said.
Inuyasha persisted in sniffing the earth in a vigorous manner.
Alden and Cora took in the new scenery, felt the atmosphere.
"What happened?" Alden kept thinking. "Where are we?"
"Let's go, Alden," Cora said. "Let's explore and look around. Find out where we are."
They walked around, observing the whispering grass blades and the satiating sky. They didn't see a soul, so they only could walk in a random direction. Nothing appeared to be around, only the endless lush plains.
A cacophonous rustle was suddenly heard, scattering the comfortable whispers of the grass. It was a repeating thumping noise, disturbing the serenity. Alden turned around startled.
"Holy shit!" Alden cried.
Cora turned around also, disturbed by her brother's distress. She let out a yelp as her eyes enlarged in horror. It was an opossum-like demon, darting around haphazardly. It was about the size of an intimidating wolf, its pale eyes just detecting Alden and Cora. It bore its putrid teeth and let out a freakish hiss. Cora's eyes swirled quickly, along with the fast beating of her heart.
Inuyasha was becoming irritated by their lack of information.
"We don't even know where to look!" he said. "Kagome can't sense any jewel shards, we don't know where Naraku is, and none of the villagers have even heard anything related to the jewel shards! We're....."
"Wait!" Kagome interrupted. "I sense a jewel shard nearby. Come on, this way!"
Kagome hurried, with the others following behind.
"I smell demon," Inuyasha thought.
She led them to the area near the Bone Eater's Well, where they saw Alden and Cora fleeing from the demon. Inuyasha reacted immediately, with a lightning-quick reflex, slashing the hideous opossum-like demon to shreds with his claws. Entrails and demon flesh were strewn across the quieted grass, revealing no jewel shard from within.
Alden and Cora witnessed the demise of the demon. Cora's eyes widened as she observed Inuyasha's bloody claws.
"Hmph. No shard," Inuyasha grunted.
After an uncomforting silence of confusion, Alden spoke.
"Um. Thank you."
Kagome scrutinized Alden and Cora's clothes. She looked at Cora's backpack and Alden clutching the large umbrella. Her eyes opened and she realized.
"They must be from my time," Kagome thought.
Cora stood closely beside her brother, her eyes very attentive but still quite frightened.
"Hi," Kagome said. "My name is Kagome. What happened here? Are you okay?"
"Yes, thank you," Alden said. "Excuse me, but can you tell me where we are?"
"You're in the Feudal Era of Japan," Kagome told him, aware of a gist of their predicament. "You must of came from the well, didn't you?"
Alden and Cora's eyes turned to the Bone Eater's Well, and then returned to meet Kagome's.
"Yes, we did," Alden replied. "But I don't know what happened. I was picking my sister up from school, when all of a sudden, a blinding light appeared in front of us, and we were sucked in. We landed here."
"Where are you from?"
"The United States. In Florida."
"Oh! That explains those school uniforms. They're so different."
"Feh. Let's go, Kagome. No jewel shards here," Inuyasha said.
"Wait, Inuyasha!" Kagome said. "This is weird. How these two were transported here by the well. What are your names?"
"Oh. I'm Alden, and this is my sister, Cora," Alden said.
Kagome looked at the shaken girl and sympathized with her. She walked over to Cora, squatted down so their eyes were level with each other, and consoled her.
"Hey, it's okay, Cora," Kagome said to her. "I remember when I was first transported here. I was really scared."
Kagome told her story. Everyone listened with empathetic ears. She told them about how she met Inuyasha, how they were in search of the Shikon jewel shards, and how they were all on a quest to defeat Naraku. She introduced the others, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kilala. Cora's eyes were clear with interest and curiosity. Alden seemed to be having a difficult time absorbing all of the new bizarre information.
"I thought those Japanese stories were only old made-up myths," Alden said. "It's absolutely incredible."
Inuyasha's patience faded a while ago, but Kagome kept shooting him glares that immediately ceased his boredom. The others, however, were much engaged in the conversation, telling of their pasts and reminiscence. Cora remained uncomfortable and very quiet. Her and her brother still couldn't comprehend nor believe what had happened to them.
After an hour or so, the group decided to stay at the village for a while once again. Kagome insisted that Alden and Cora come with them.
"After all, where would you go?" she said. "You'd be completely lost. Stick with us."
"Thanks, Kagome," Alden said.
The group headed back for the village. On the short walk, Alden mused, thinking about what had happened today.
"Please tell me this is just another one of my nightmares," he thought to himself. "I can't believe all of this. But no, it's not a nightmare. It's real. I can tell. In my nightmares, I'm always absolutely horrified. Here, it's weird. I feel almost comfortable. But I still can't comprehend this. The Feudal Era of Japan! How can this be? How did this all happen?"
Kagome thought to herself also about her uncanny sense of a jewel shard.
"Hm. That was weird. I could've sworn I sensed a jewel shard nearby. Actually, it was really strong. Like it was pulling me towards it like a magnet. But instead of finding a jewel shard, we found Alden and Cora. And the demon didn't have a jewel shard in it either. That was really strange. And now, I don't sense anything. Like the shard's aura just turned off or something."
They arrived at Kaede's village, where they were greeted. Kaede wondered why they had come back. Kagome told her what had happened today, how they found Alden and Cora being attacked by a demon, and how they said they were transported from their time to here by means of the Bone Eater's Well. Kaede was perplexed, but was immediately interrupted by the wandering Myoga.
"Myoga?" Kagome wondered. "Where have you been?"
"Ah! A bug! Alden, kill it!" Cora yelped.
"No, wait, don't!"
Alden squashed Myoga with this palm.
"Ugh....." Myoga mumbled in pain. "Ugh."
"Myoga, are you alright?" Shippo asked.
"Ugh."
Myoga recovered and stood up.
"Ah! It's still alive! Get it, Alden!" Cora yelped again.
"No, wait stop! That's Myoga the flea!" Kagome stopped Alden.
"Myoga, the cowardly bug," Inuyasha said. "No wait, go ahead. Squash him."
"You know this bug, as a friend?" Alden asked, conspicuously befuddled.
"Yeah, he's Myoga the flea demon," Kagome said. "He's good in providing us with information about the jewel shards."
"Oh, I see. Sorry about that," Alden apologized, his confusion and disbelief becoming stronger.
"Wait, Myoga might know something about this happening," Sango said. "About how Alden and Cora were mysteriously transported here."
"Hey, yeah," Kagome concurred. "Myoga, these two are Alden and Cora. They are from my time, from a different country. There were transported here somehow from the well. Do you know anything about this?"
"Hm. Yes, I figured something like that, judging by their peculiar garments. You say they came from the well, Lady Kagome?"
"Yes. They were transported here by it. But it's strange, since they did not enter the well from their time. They were just randomly transported by a light, they said."
"Hm. Very interesting. Peculiar," Myoga said. "This is very strange indeed."
Myoga thought it over.
"Hm," he said. "This is only a hunch, since I could only make a guess from this, but perhaps someone, maybe a demon is causing the Bone Eater's Well's magic to distort. And, in turn, causing Master Alden and Lady Cora to get transported here randomly from their own time."
"Hm. It is possible," Miroku said.
"Yes, and if I am correct, this could be very dangerous. Very dangerous indeed," Myoga said. "If the well's magic has become distorted, there is no telling who or what will be transported here next! Anything could happen."
"It could even be Naraku," Miroku said, scrutinizing his hand with the wind tunnel in it.
Inuyasha's blood surged with anger and hatred. At that moment, he decided that he would be the one to find out who was behind the well's distortion, if that was what was happening. He was determined to find out if Naraku was behind all of it, and he was determined to destroy him.
After a day of bizarre ideas and conversation, everyone decided to relax and go to sleep. Cora was obviously restless, but still remained quite silent, as Alden watched her turn over with her eyes still open. He was worried about her, realizing that traversing to another world was unbelievable to her, and to him. He thought that maybe she would go into a panic, knowing that she could get very emotional over significant, and especially, unbelievable things like this. He turned back hesitantly however, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.