Author Note: Yeah...I'm horrible. A whole year since my last update and I'm gonna be honest I did not realize that much time had past. But I am here now with a whole new chapter! I've been getting chapter block recently, where I know what I want in the chapter I'm just not sure how to approach it so it sits there until I think screw it and just start typing. The story writes itself at this point. I've also changed the cover art again. This will probably be the last time as I am immensely happy with it and it shows all the characters in their new looks, so if you are having trouble picturing the characters in the Mirrored world just look at the cover art! Anyway, enjoy the new chapter and look forward to some future updates!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or affiliated with Inuyasha, however this particular story is M-I-N-E! :)

Presently in the Present

"She's been gone an awfully long time," Sango stated pointedly. The group had returned to Sota's village a day prior and were now waiting for Kikyou's return before heading for a new destination.

"I suspect she got distracted with her schooling. She is, after all, a diligent student." Miroku made the idle comment, but Sesshomaru inclined to ignore him for the sake of his own peace. In the corner of his eye, he could see Kagome fidgeting nervously.

After a moment, the taijya spoke again, "Perhaps Sesshomaru-sama should retrieve her so we can continue our journey." While the words themselves were spoken in a calm and even manner, Sesshomaru could clearly hear the thinly veiled frustration behind the comment.

Instead of responding outright, Sesshomaru turned to Kagome and said, "I will not be gone long."

Kagome smiled, "Don't worry, I can handle myself for a few days at least. I'm not that helpless."

Sesshomaru was inclined to disagree, but knew better to state as much. Besides, he trusted Miroku and Sango and knew they would defend the girl with their lives. Still, a part of him was uneasy about leaving.

"Stay in the village and don't wander by yourself," he stated solemnly.

Kagome huffed and raised a slim eyebrow. "It's nice to know you think I'm a child."

"This Sesshomaru has witnessed your involvement in several troubling incidents that give credence to my caution. Do you deny this?"

The look on Kagome's face clearly read that she so very badly wanted to say yes but could not actually do so while being honest. To his surprise, it was incredibly endearing.

"Oh leave her alone, mutt! She doesn't need your codling!" Koga enthused as he stuck his tongue out in a manner he clearly thought was clever.

Sesshomaru shot the pup a look that had Koga instantly hiding behind Kagome's arm. He returned his attention to the woman in question and softened his gaze. He hoped he was conveying his feelings clearly enough.

Please stay safe…

Without another word he glided out of the hut and headed for the well.

XXX

Sota let out a hearty chuckle as soon as Sesshomauru swept out of the hut. Kagome shot him a miffed look, which only seamed to increase his humor.

"Such an overprotective dog. I half expected him to tie you to a chair before he left," Sota said, whipping tears from his eyes.

"He's threated to do so before actually…" Kagome mumbled under her breathe.

"Well, now that he's finally gone to retrieve Kikyou, we can finally set out soon." Miroku sighed in relief.

"While I agree that the sooner we leave the faster we will find the shards, I feel bad dragging Kikyou away from something so important to her." Sango stated sadly, running a gentle hand through Kirrara's fur.

"I dunno. Whenever I go back to school I immediately want to come back here. While I like spending time with my friends there, the stress and anxiety of tests is so not worth it."

"Hmm, your time's approach to widespread education is an amazing feat. One which can only benefit the recipients overall."

"Well, I think it depends on what you're learning. Sure, reading and writing are pretty high up there on need-to-know stuff, with the occasional arithmetic thrown in there. But what am I going to use Algebra for? Or biology for that matter?! I don't want to be a biologist!"

Kagome suddenly blinked, realizing she had gone off on a tangent. She looked over to find Miroku staring at her with that same serene look he always had when she talked about things from her world he had no knowledge about, while Sango just looked plain lost. Koga was looking at her like she sprouted another head.

"Never mind, it's not important," she sighed. "I'm not a big fan of school."

"While I understand your frustrations, I do not believe Kikyou shares them. From what she has disclosed, she attends a very prestigious institute and maintains high marks in all subjects," Miroku shrugged, taking a steaming cup of tea from Sota.

"Of course she would," Kagome groaned, placing her head in her hand.

She even lives MY life better than me! Must she always be so practically perfect in every way?

"Too bad I won't get to see Sesshomaru in the modern era. Something tells me it would be quite an interesting sight to witness."

"Hmm, he is not very forthcoming with his interactions there. I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to paint a clear picture for you," Miroku said thoughtfully.

Sango let out an unexpected giggle. "I'm sure Kikyou could. Every time they come back she looks weary and beside herself. Something tells me Sesshomaru is more trouble than he realizes."

Great, now there's something else I'm jealous of Kikyou for...Kagome pouted from the thought. No, that's not fair to this Kikyou. She's never done anything to hurt me and has only ever been nice, except for our initial meeting I guess, and that was all a big misunderstanding anyway.

Again, Kagome found herself wondering if her world's Kikyou had been like this before...well that. She shook her head of the too familiar events that transpired between Inuyasha and his beloved. The last thing she needed was to dwell on those thoughts.

"How in the world would Sesshomaru be any...actually, never mind. I could see him causing a lot of trouble from just his ego alone." Sesshomaru's pride was his biggest flaw that he had no intention of overcoming any time soon, or at all really.

"Hmph! You got that right! That mangy mutt's so stubborn he would try to outshine the sun if he thought he could!" Koga snorted playfully. Without said hanyo there he could be more bold with his insults.

"Now now Koga, while you're probably right, his...ah...strong-willed nature has given us support more often than not." Miroku said solemnly, ever the peace-keeper.

Sango snorted, "Strong-willed, more like obstinate."

Kagome giggled as a sly grin stole onto her face. "I think a better term would be dogged."

Miroku choked on his tea while Koga and Sango laughed out right. Even Kirrara was shaking with silent mirth. Sota was the picture of calm, except for the slight twitching at the corner of his mouth that betrayed him.

Miroku took a second to compose himself before speaking. "Kagome, for the safety of everyone in this room...this conversation never happened."

That earned another laugh out of everyone. The giggles were just starting to recede when all of a sudden, a bright flash of red burst through the flap of the hut. When the dust cleared, none other than Shippo the kitsune prince stood before them, a look of panic on his face. He fell to his knees and grabbed Kagome's hand.

"Please! You have to help me!"

XXX

Kikyou scanned the search results on the old computer for something that looked like it could relate to Kagome's mysterious mirror. Unfortunately, she didn't have a lot to go on as said mirror didn't have a title or name that was mentioned in her textbook. Searching "magic mirror" was no help as the only things that seemed to pop up were shopping adds for Amazon and wiki pages for Snow White. Kikyou let out a frustrated sigh, just as someone behind her cleared their throat.

"Well, fancy meeting you here Higurashi-san."

Kikyou whipped around in her chair and immediately had to suppress a groan. The absolute last person she wanted to see was standing inches behind her, way to close for comfort and bordering on inappropriate.

She sat up straighter and fixed the intruder with a cool stare. "What brings you here, Onigumo-san?" she added just a touch of ice to the last syllable, hoping he would get the message and leave her alone. She'd known the creep since grade school and even went to the same high school now. People were easily charmed by his good looks. With his short curly dark hair and piercing hazel eyes, it was easy to see how. Everyone thought it was cute that he liked her and encouraged his advances. She found it utterly revolting.

"Oh, I was just here to pick up some study materials. I guess I'm just lucky I ran into you." He leered at her.

Oh I bet you do... Kikyou narrowed her eyes. Her friends knew she was stopping by here after school. They must have told him she'd be here in hopes of setting them up.

"Well then, I won't keep you. I'm busy myself," she promptly turned back around without further explanation and re-focused on the screen before her.

Undeterred, Onigumo leaned forward close to her ear and asked peering at the screen, "What are you searching for?" His hand came up and gripped the chair, his fingers barely brushing her shoulder.

It took everything in Kikyou's power not to turn around and swing the keyboard into his face. Sometimes I wished I permanently lived in the feudal era. I wouldn't have to worry about assault charges there.

As his other hand came up and reached forward, Kikyou was beginning to think screw the consequences, when said hand unexpectedly reached past her and picked up the textbook that had been left on the table with the open page regarding the mirror.

Kikyo turned back around and realized he wasn't really paying attention to her as his eyes were focused on the page. He seemed to be mumbling something to himself before realizing she was still there.

"Why are you looking for information on this mirror?" he asked without the usual lewdness to his voice.

"I-uh...It's for a school project." She said quickly.

He gave her an unconvinced look but dropped the subject. "I highly doubt you'll find anything useful on that horrid machine. If I'm not mistaken..." He trailed off looking at some shelves off in a far back corner. "Give me a moment," he spoke, already headed in the direction he was looking.

Kikyou sat there confused. While this would be the perfect opportunity to slip away from the guy she wholly despised, her curiosity won over her discomfort.

A few moments later, he came back into view skimming over the pages of a book titled, "Lost Artifacts of the Sengoku Jidai."

"Ah, here we are." He handed the book over to Kikyou, who took it wearily. She glanced down and her eyes widened as the familiar picture from the textbook came into view.

"This is it!" she exclaimed in awe, happy to have finally found something that might help Kagome and their group get some answers. She glanced back up at Onigumo. "How did you know where to find this?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I'm interested in historical artifacts. Particularly ones that were claimed to be of a magical nature. Call it a hobby of mine," he preened, before that all too familiar tone returned. "Why don't I help you with your project? I could be a very...helpful resource," he purred inching closer.

Kikyou gripped the book preparing to smack it into his smug face, when a cool voice made them both freeze.

XXX

"That won't be necessary." Sesshomaru glided through the room and smoothly stepped between the two of them, positioning himself directly in front of Kikyou.

"Sesshomaru..." Kikyou sighed in relief and lowered the book. Sesshomaru gave her a cursory glance before turning his attention back to the unwanted male. He'd smelled Kikyo's discomfort the moment he had walked into the building and quickly assessed the situation. He glared down at the man conveying a clear threat with his eyes.

The man looked as though he wanted to say something, his eyes glancing between him and Kikyou. The subtle sound of Sesshomaru's knuckles cracking brought the man's attention back. He glared at Sesshomaru, but grabbed his books and swiftly headed towards the door. As he passed Kikyou he grumbled, "I'll see you at school Higurashi-san," inflicting the same icy tone Kikyou had used earlier.

Sesshomaru started to let out a low growl when Kikyou put a hand on his arm. "It's fine. I'm fine..." she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "I'm used to his nonsense, but I am glad you got here when you did."

Sesshomaru glanced at Kikyou, but decided not to press things. Kikyou was practical about asking for help when she needed it, and she was used to handling the modern world before she ever met him. Still, he wasn't happy leaving the situation as it was.

"I came to bring you back. Is there anything else you need to do while you're here?" Sesshomaru got straight to the point.

"Actually, I have a very important test coming up tomorrow and I cannot miss it," she looked at him imploringly, practically begging him to let her stay with just her eyes. Sesshomaru let out a long-suffering sigh, but before he could comment on her school activities, she piped up, "The good news is I think I have something that might help Kagome though!" She eagerly held up the book.

Sesshomaru glanced at the book and nodded solemnly. He knew that any information that might help Kagome get home would make her happy, he just couldn't find himself sharing that same joy or enthusiasm. After all, once she returned home, it was likely he would never see her again.

Kikyou seemed to notice his disheartened state and slowly lowered the book. She made no comment, but instead gave him a sad smile. "I promise we will leave as soon as my test is over. I can probably miss the last couple of periods without too many people noticing."

Sesshomaru nodded but kept quiet. He was too lost in his thoughts to have a conversation at the moment. Kikyou quickly gathered her things then walked side-by-side with him out the door and into the busy Tokyo streets.