Chapter Two: Ancient Ointment

If you are reading this, then you are a totally awesome person! Three cheers for you! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! Thank you for reading my first chapter, and please review! (For both chapters if you can stand reading another one.)

By the way: this chapter contains information that will be important later on, although it is not especially interesting. Don't worry; I'll try to keep it short. I know it's weird. Bear with me.

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The sun was up in sky. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day, with only a very few scattered clouds, and bright clean rays of sun shining down between the buildings.

Kagome woke up to her brother's shouting.

"Grampa, isn't there any way to clean up all of that ointment we spread around the well? It smells awful---"

"Young man, I'll have you know that that ointment is very special! It has been said that it was created from a magical artifact of great importance! A stone called the …" Is he ever loud, Kagome thought grumpily. She glanced at her clock and gasped, immediately regretting it. But he is right: what a terrible smell! I'm almost glad I have to go take my math test now. Of course, I've already slept through my first class…I just hope I can make it to math!

Kagome ran into the bathroom to wash her face before throwing on her school uniform.

Kagome's mother was in the kitchen when she raced down the stairs.

"Kagome," her mother said. "I just wanted to ask what I should tell Inu-Yasha if he comes today." She hesitated, "the sides of the well are covered in that ancient ointment of Grampa's now…Grampa told Sohta to cover more of the well as soon as he got home last night. He was at a friend's house," she explained, "Sohta got home late, and so he didn't think you were back yet…"

Kagome groaned. "Ugh…well, Inu-Yasha will probably stay away from the well since it smells so bad, but if he does manage to get through, tell him that I will be back in a few days."

Her mother smiled. "I was hoping you would stay a little longer this time. Have a good day at school."

"I will," Kagome shouted back as she raced out the door.

When she reached the street she was surprised to find brightly colored ribbons tied to fences, and many of the people walking past her were sporting similar colors. I didn't know that it was a holiday. Wow, what bright colors!

Kagome enjoyed the people for the first few minutes as she bicycled to school, but after that the people thinned out, and eventually disappeared altogether. It was as though they had never been there. Kagome wasn't too worried about the people. She had a math test to pass.

It didn't go well.

"Uuuhhh," Kagome complained to her friends as they waited for their turn at tennis during P.E. "That was absolutely terrible. I'll have to retake the class for sure. I already had to retake Geometry…if I have to retake Trig as well, I'm doomed." Her friends sympathized with her, but they didn't seem to have had much trouble at all.

"If only you didn't get sick so much Kagome," they told her. "Then you would be fine." They exchanged conspiratorial glances. "Hojo would probably help you if you asked him to."

"Uh huh."

"Or," they persisted. "What about that Inu-Yasha guy? Is he any good at math?"

Kagome almost laughed. "That's ok, I can figure it out." I just need to spend a little less time in the feudal era… she swallowed. I suppose that it will be good to start getting used to spending more time in my own era…we are so close to collecting the final fragments… for some reason, Kagome's eyes were watering.

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Kagome was depressed as she walked along the roads leading to the Higurashi shrine. She was tired, and the beautiful day that had been promised that morning had turned sour and was now a melancholy gray. Therefore, she was surprised to see the brightly clad people still wandering about near the shrine.

That is too weird… she thought skeptically. It's not even a remotely good day for this, and, as far as I know, it's not even a holiday!

When Kagome reached the house, she saw that Sohta had somehow beaten her home, and that her family appeared to be preparing to launch a war against the ancient ointment. They were all decked out in aprons, and old clothes, while each of them carried a large bucket water. Kagome noticed that several sponges were probably tucked into the pockets of each apron, if the several unusual bulges on each were anything to go by.

Before her family could say anything Kagome had already run inside to grab some gear: in her opinion, the sooner the mess was gone, the better.

When she returned, a gentle rain was falling, and only her mother was still waiting for her.

"Come on Kagome," she beckoned. 'Sohta and Grampa have already begun to clean the old well since it is out of the rain. Let's hurry and join them before it starts raining any harder!"

Together they ran into the small building that housed the old well.

Sohta was cleaning several of the top steps leading down to the well, while Grampa was over on the opposite side of the well scraping some of the ointment off the side and pushing it back into a small container.

"…Don't understand how precious it is…obviously did the opposite of what had already occurred and brought her back…just washing it away…such a waste…especially when it is obviously still working…" Grampa continued to mutter as he cleaned.

As his mother began to descend the stairs, Sohta looked up and warned her that they were slippery since he had just washed them. Kagome and her mother tread upon them with caution, and made it safely down the steps.

When she reached it, Kagome began to scrub the bottom of the stairway. As she did this she let her mind wander to the feudal era. She wondered what Inu-Yasha was doing. What Inu-Yasha would be doing. What she would be doing. What was her destiny really, and who was she meant to spend her life with? She just didn't know, and in all honesty, she was scared to find out.

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After half an hour of cleaning, Sohta decided that he would probably be needing some clean water. He stood, and began walking up the stairs, but, forgetting that they were still wet and soapy, he slipped and tumbled backwards into Kagome.

"Ouph," she gasped as she was pushed down the stairs. She tried to stand, but she continued to stumble backwards, her body slightly bent. The back of her legs connected with slippery wood, and she fell, not for the first time, back-first into the well.

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And thus ends chapter two. Well? How do you like it? I promise that it was relevant, if not incredibly entertaining. I will make up for it though…because guess who will be making his first appearance in the next chapter…you guessed it! Sesshomaru! Check back soon, and please review. (Yay for me, I finished the first two chapters in one night!)