Okay, this is a record for me. Never in my fanfiction writing career (if you can even call it that) has a chapter flowed so readily onto the computer screen. And yes, I did give Kagome's mother a name. It's Chitose, after the landlady in 'Chobits'! She also makes an appearance in Clamp's 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle' as one of the creators of Ôto, a virtual reality game world.

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it. Although I do wish I could have Kouga…or Miroku…or Inuyasha…or Sesshoumaru…I'm not real picky.

Last Time: Inuyasha shifted restlessly on his bed. Kagome had been gone all afternoon so far with no sign of returning any time soon. He growled to himself and rolled over to stare at the wall. Why should he care if the stupid girl went and got herself lost in the city?

He sat up suddenly.

'That baka still has the Shikon no kakera with her!'

This Time:

Inuyasha paused at the door of the well house where he had followed Kagome's scent trail. His eyes quickly made the adjustment to the gloom. Kagome's clothing seemed to glow as a single point of color inside the dust-covered room.

'Why would she leave her clothing here?' he thought, thoroughly confused at this point.

He made a quick inspection of the entire shack, but found only what he assumed to be his and Kagome's footprints and smelled nothing but a faint hint of the missing girl among the decades of dust. With a muttered curse, and an inward prayer, Inuyasha hesitantly peered into the well.

Nothing.

He was both frustrated and relieved at not finding her at the bottom of the pit. Something white caught his attention in the corner. His mind flashed briefly to the white hair ribbon he had seen Kagome rubbing between her fingers on occasion. Inuyasha looked at the door, then back down to the ribbon in a short moment of indecision.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered to himself.

Silver hair flowed out behind him as he jumped into the well.

"But I've been telling you the truth since midday!" Kagome nearly shouted to her disbelieving family, "When I fell down the old well in the forest the other day, I came out in the future; hundreds of years in the future!"

"She's telling the truth, Okaasan!" Souta protested from his place behind Kagome, "I saw nee-chan fall down that well, but when I looked in, nothing was there!"

Higurashi-san looked doubtfully at her two children, then at Ojiisan, who was nodding thoughtfully. Their family had been shrine keepers for longer than any of them could remember, and the old man took it especially to heart. He had insisted that their family had so-called 'holy powers' in their blood, but none showed any such thing.

Until Kagome's tale.

Youkai and miko and magical wells? Chitose loved her daughter very much, but it was so hard to believe something so far-fetched. Nodding her head decisively, she resolved to worry about supper before any more magical tales.

Kagome sighed from her seat by the door of her family's shrine house.

'The shrine isn't nearly so large in this time,' she mused idly, 'Must have been expanded by my children's children, or something like that.'

She winced at the thought of children. Whose children would they be? There were a couple suitors, including the overly enthusiastic and slightly dense Houjo, but none of them really appealed to her. Fifteen years old and nearly an old maid, Kagome had been set for a future living the life of a shrine maiden. Never marrying or having children, living alone and dying alone.

Somehow, being a shrine maiden didn't seem like such a fulfilling life. She was going to have a husband and children, by the Kami, but not Houjo or any other stupid boy from her village. Kagome smiled to herself, eyes unfocused as she dreamed of her future. As the oldest, female or not, she was going to inherit the shrine and, as such, live there with her own family.

A cozy place for her to make into a home, her mother staying nearby at their current hut, and children… She thought hard on that for a moment, then decided.

'Six is a rather nice number, I think,' Kagome decided, 'Nice and even, and not too many.'

But what would her children look like? They would inherit some of her features, but what about their Otousan? As she was systematically going through possibilities in her head, an unbidden image appeared. A baby in her arms, with ebony hair, deep blue eyes and…inu ears? She concentrated harder on the mental picture, hoping to make it clearer.

'Are those flecks of amber in the eyes?'

But the only person she knew of with those particular…odd traits was-

"Oi, who said you could go home?"

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome jumped to her feet, flushing crimson at seeing the very boy she had just imagined having children with.

"W-what brings you here?" she looked around nervously, avoiding looking at Inuyasha completely.

"Baka," he growled at her, "We have to look for those damn Shikon no kakera, remember? Do you even realize just how bad it could get if someone with truly evil intent got that thing?"

"Er…No I can't?"

"Imagine the worst that could happen. Got that in your head?"

"Yeah…"

"It'll be ten times worse."

Silence ensued as Inuyasha glared at Kagome, who was looking at the dirt at her feet as if it was the most fascinating thing she had ever bore witness to in her life. Souta came running out of the hut at full speed, nearly running straight into Kagome's back.

"Nee-chan! Okaasan says it's time for sup…per?" He peered cautiously at Inuyasha ears, which were twitching spastically in every direction.

"So this is him?" he asked, "That guy who let you stay with him?"

Inuyasha crouched down to the boy's level.

"You're her otouto? How old are you, kid?"

The little boy straightened proudly.

"I'm nine springs, but I'll be ten pretty soon," he proudly displayed all ten fingers, "Say, how old are you? You look nee-chan's age."

"I'm 150 winters old, in human years," Inuyasha grinned as Souta stared worshipfully at the older boy, "That makes me fifteen youkai years."

"Kagome nee-chan is fifteen autumns old. That makes you just one season older!"

Inuyasha ruffled his hair gently.

"Nice figuring, kid, but I don't think I've been born quite yet…" he turned to Kagome, "This is Edo, right?"

"Yup," she nodded at him, "Musashi, to be more specific."

"And have people begun bringing guns and machines from across the ocean?"

"Guns…" Kagome thought on the word for a moment, "Oh! Those weapons that fire the little metal balls, right?" At Inuyasha's nod, she continued on, "And machina too… stupid noisy things they are."

Inuyasha straightened up again.

"Thought so. This should be the Sengoku Jidai then. About 350 or so years before I'm going to be born."

"Sugoi…" Souta was entranced.

Kagome looked away. In his time, she had been dead for almost 500 years. In her time, he wasn't going to be born for about another 350 years.

"Kagome! Souta! Supper is going to get cold if you don't hurry!"

Souta ran off back into the hut as fast as his legs could carry him, leaving the two teens still standing outside. Inuyasha's ears perked up at the voice and he looked to Kagome.

"Okaasan," she told him reassuringly, "I think she'll like you."

"B-but I-"

"I am now officially inviting you to supper, Inuyasha, let's go."

He followed weakly, sputtering half-formed protests as Kagome led him into her home by the death-grip on his sleeve. It didn't look like he was getting out of this one anytime soon.

"Okaasan!" Kagome called out cheerfully as they entered, "We have a guest."

"Very nice dear," Chitose replied without turning away from the fire pit where she was serving stew into bowls, "Go get another bowl then."

Kagome did as told, leaving Inuyasha standing awkwardly in the doorway. As she took the bowl from her daughter, Chitose spoke to him.

"How much would you like…?"

"Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha-san?" she turned fully to look at him and let out a slightly startled gasp, "Oh. So you're Inuyasha."

Kagome's Ojiisan, who had until now ignored the guest in their home, looked up suddenly. He took in the boy's odd clothing, silver hair and golden eyes, inu ears, and…where those claws on his fingers?

Inuyasha looked sheepishly at the old man, Ojiisan looked back.

"Er…hi?"

And all hell broke loose.

I feel so enlightened. It only took me about one hour to write this chapter! And the day after I just finished and posted another chapter, too! Hee, I feel special.

Japanese words used: (in order of use)

Otousan: Father, polite.

Sengoku Jidai: Feudal Era.

Musashi: The region where Edo was.

Fwee.

Review and tell me what you think, and others if you like it! Miji loves for her stories to get publicity…especially if it's good!

Much love,

Miji