Chapter Twelve

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"Did you get behind your ears?" I ask with a frown, standing behind Shippo in knee deep water. My pants were rolled up over my knees, but even so I ended up getting a little wet from Shippo's splashing. The boy in question groans in exasperation, clearly pouting as he crosses his arms over his naked chest.

"I don't see the point in bathing!" He grumbles, and I laugh softly, reaching down to scrub behind his ears myself.

"Clearly." I reply dryly. "With the way you smelled you would have scared away any chance of finding more jewel shards." I tease him, finishing with one ear before moving to the other.

"My nose couldn't take it much longer." Inuyasha agreed from where he sat by the small fire he had made on the riverbank. It was late afternoon, and we had decided this was as good a place as any to stop for the night.

Especially with the way Shippo stank.

"Alright, there. I release you!" I exclaim melodramatically then, raising my hands up in the air from his ears. Shippo didn't even hesitate, running from the water butt naked to the towel I had waiting for him. He wrapped himself up in it, sitting down at the fire then to stay warm. I sigh, looking back around towards the river for a moment as the sun hung low in the sky.

'It really is beautiful here.' I can't help thinking, the trees rustling softly in the background. It had been over a week since we had run into the Thunder Brothers, and we were on our way back to the village to restock. Inuyasha had said it was probably just another day's worth of walking away. 'It'll be good to get back to the village again.' I can't help thinking, turning and stepping out of the river. I roll down my pant legs, once again grimacing at the hair that was growing wild now. 'What I wouldn't give for a razor!'

"Hey! Quit staring at your feet and lets get dinner going!" Inuyasha gripes, and I blink coming back to the present. I refrain from rolling my eyes, before moving to our bags and unpacking the small pot. Hard to believe this was the same guy from a week ago, the guy who hadn't wanted to let either myself or Shippo out of his sight. That had lasted for a few days after the battle.

'He had even almost barged in on me peeing.' I blush a little at the memory from a few days ago, having heard him riffling around the bushes to try and find me. Luckily I had been smart enough to yell at him I was doing my business, cause he backed right off after that.

Inuyasha began setting up our makeshift tripod as I went to the river to fill the pot with water. Shippo was getting dressed now he was fully dried off, and he was looking exhausted from the day. I heave the pot up, before freezing as I feel a hand on my shoulder. Looking to Inuyasha in question, my eyes widen slightly as he wordlessly takes the pot of water from me. I'm jealous as I watch him walk effortlessly back, as if the pot weighed nothing in his hands.

'He's been so…nice lately.' I can't help thinking, watching as he hang the pot on the tripod made of sticks, hanging it just above the flames. This was only one of the kind gestures he had silently been making for the past week. He had even warmed up to Shippo more.

Though honestly those two still argued like cats and dogs more often than not.

I come back to the fire and prepare the rice, adding some spices to give it some flavor. That was one downside to traveling in feudal Japan-the same food day in a day out. I would kill for a good hamburger right about now.

Supper was soon finished and cleaned in the same comfortably silent manner as dinner had taken place in, small talk being made only once in a while.

"Hey, Yua?" Shippo asks as I tuck him into my bedroll just after sundown. I usually joined him later on, not typically tired so early in the evening.

"Yeah?" I ask lightly, tucking the blanket around him.

"Can you tell me a story?" He asks hopefully, his expression so innocent that I could hardly deny him.

"Fairy-tales are for babies." Inuyasha states teasingly, and I know he's hoping to get a rise out of Shippo. I roll my eyes, looking over at him with a frown.

"He's just a kid, don't ruin this for him." I reply firmly, before looking back to Shippo. "If you promise to go right to sleep afterwards, I will." I agree, though honestly I'm blown for what kind of story to tell him. My mind races through all the stories I could possibly think of, especially one where a male character was the protagonist.

Somehow The Hobbit came to my mind.

I had loved the series growing up by J.R.R. Tolkien, and The Hobbit had been the first novel to really spark my imagination. I was so obsessed that I was sure I could remember the first lines of the book perfectly.

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort…" The words roll off of my tongue seamlessly as I lay down on my side on the blanket beside Shippo. Resting my head on my hand I start into the story as best I can remember. Bilbo the Hobbit, Gandalf the Grey, and Thorin and his company. I only make it to just after the meeting in Bilbo's house, after the contract for the quest was read and the tale of the Lonely Mountain told, before Shippo is fast asleep beside me. I lay my head down, looking at his peaceful face with a soft smile on my own. The warmth of the nearby fire washes over us, and I glance towards Inuyasha as he leans back on a nearby tree, his arms crossed and eyes closed. The only tell-tale that he had actually been listening to the story was the way his ears had been twitching. Smugly I close my eyes, figuring I would rest them for just a moment before going down to the river to wash up myself.

My eyes open what feels like moments later, but it's clear that it has been hours. Something heavy is laying over me, the sent of pine and musk washing over my senses. 'Inuyasha.' I think, confirming it was his kimono that laid over me as I propped myself up slightly to look. The fire is still flickering, though it's not as bright as it had been before I had fallen asleep. I hold his warm kimono to me as I sit up fully, making sure that Shippo wasn't disturbed by my moving. Seeing he was in a deep sleep I slowly stand, closing Inuyasha's fire rat kimono around me to keep the warmth in. Looking around I frown, realizing said half demon wasn't anywhere to be seen. I step out towards the edge of camp, mist surrounding us. Suddenly the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stands on end.

Something was out there.

"Inuyasha?" I whisper out, trying not to wake Shippo. When I got no response I swallowed thickly, glancing back towards the sleeping fox, before looking back out into the mist. I wouldn't go far, just enough to prove my mind was playing tricks on me. I take a tentative step, then another, and soon enough I find myself swallowed by the fog. "Inuyasha?!" I call a little louder this time, figuring I was far enough away from the camp to not wake Shippo. The mist clears slightly, and I can see a hunched shadow ahead, relief washing over me. "You had me worried for a second." I comment lightly, approaching. The figure stands, but I can instantly tell it's taller than Inuyasha. I freeze in my tracks, the mist finally completely disappearing as I see an all too familiar pelt of white fur.

"Inuyasha isn't here, little girl." The voice replies, low and gravelly. I can see it in my mind before he even turns around, that same baboon face from earlier covering his real face.

"Who are you?" I demand, this time able to talk. "Why do you keep on coming to me in my dreams?! I don't even know you!"

"What makes you think this is a dream?" The man asks evenly, and my eyes snap open wide. Heart racing, I try to discern if this wasn't a dream, or if my mind was playing tricks on me. "You'll know my name soon enough, when I chose to reveal it." The man dressed as the baboon slowly approaches me, and I find myself frozen on the spot. "All that you need to remember for now is that you are mine, not that dog's." He snarls, jealousy dripping from his voice. "I will not lose you to him again."

"I'm not Mayumi!" I frown, finally able to take a step back. When he had claimed me again like that, told me I was his, it had made me nauseous. "And she wasn't your's either!" I snap. A tense silence falls between us, and somehow without seeing his face, I know I've pissed him off.

"You will learn your place soon enough, and it won't be at my side." He growls before suddenly rushing in. He places his head directly beside mine, his mask lifting just enough to reveal his nose and mouth. "It will be beneath me." His promise causes cold fear to course through me, and there was no denying what he meant.

"Yua?"

As if it had never happened, the figure in the baboon pelt was suddenly gone along with the mist. Inuyasha now stood in front of me with a concerned look on his face. "Hey, you alright?" He asks seriously. I find I can't answer as my feet move of their own accord, and I'm running right into his arms as they open for me. I grip onto the back of his white kimono top tightly, burying my face against his strong chest. "You're trembling." He notes with a frown as his arms hold me tightly, his warmth quickly seeping into me. It's only then that I notice he's right, but it quickly begins to subside as I stay close to him. He rubs his hand over my back through the doubled layer his kimono top and my own.

"It was just a dream." I murmur to myself out loud, and Inuyasha takes his other hand, his claws gently stroking along my scalp and running through my hair. It must have come out of my ponytail in my sleep. He rests his chin on top of my head, making me feel like the whole world was blocked out around me.

"Just a dream." He confirms softly, his chest rumbling lowly against my face. I take a shaking breath, slowly pulling back from him and looking up into his face. His amber eyes regarded me softly, the light from the stars and moon the only thing illuminating either of us right now. Inuyasha opens his mouth, like he wants to say something, before hesitating and stopping as the lightly guarded expression comes back. "You okay now?" He asks, and I am a bit taken aback. Nodding I let him go, feeling an embarrassed blush rush onto me cheeks.

Why had I done that? Why had I ran into his arms? Made him comfort me?

Putting much needed space between us I fight down the blush, gently removing his kimono from my shoulders. "Here, I'm sorry for attacking you like that." I offer nervously, and he gently takes his kimono back. "Thank you for looking after me when I fell asleep."

"We can't have you getting sick." He replies easily, shrugging his top back on. "Not when we need to continue looking for the jewel shards."

The jewel shards, right. The reason I'm around.

I try not to feel too hurt, knowing I shouldn't expect anything more and should honestly just be grateful that was enough to have him treating me like a human being. That he finally valued me, even if for that reason alone. I was projecting my own feelings too much into this.

'I need these feelings to go away. Hopefully they will in time.' I think to myself as I turn and return to camp, sliding into the bedroll carefully with Shippo. I pull him in gently into my chest as I rest on my side, looking over his head to see Inuyasha return to the camp as well. He's watching us intently as he sit down against the tree. Our eyes lock once more, before I close mine, stomach twisting horribly in embarrassment.

I needed to get a hold of myself, and fast, before I ruined how far we had come.

And I really needed to stop having those dreams!


Waking up the next morning wasn't easy, but regardless I helped with packing and we were on our way. We reached the village by midday, Kaede welcoming us with open arms.

"I see that ye have a new friend." She had commented lightly about Shippo. I ruffle his hair as he sits beside me on the floor.

"He's a welcome addition." I reply, Shippo fixing his hair.

"I don't know if Inuyasha feels that way." Shippo replies, smirking deviously. I roll my eyes.

"Well, maybe if you stopped playing tricks on him for a couple of days, he might warm up to you more." Shippo had taken to constantly pranking Inuyasha with a new illusion almost every day of the trip. By the time we reached the village his patience really was wearing thin. I honestly couldn't blame him for it either.

"Alright…" Shippo huffs, producing his now famed spin top from in his sleeve. "I was going to use this today, but I guess I'll give him a break."

"I think that might be wise." I agree.

"Where is Inuyasha?" Kaede asks, the dog demon having split off from Shippo and I on the road in. I had a sneaking suspicion where he was, but I didn't want to reveal it. He had obviously wanted to keep the hut he had built for himself and Mayumi a secret before.

Besides, inwardly I was enjoying knowing something about Inuyasha that few others did.

"He said he would return before nightfall." I answer simply. Looking over to my arrows I frown as I see the numbers are dwindling, having lost many of them during the fight with the Thunder Brothers. I glance down to Shippo. "Hey, I need to go and make some more arrows. Did you want to come with me?" I ask him, and he nods eagerly.

"Just be sure to be back before the sun is down. Things have been strange as of late." Kaede forwarns, and I frown in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"There have been rumors of weird sightings in the forest. No one can confirm anything to be true, but I would be cautious all the same." She advises, and I nod in agreement.

"Alright, we'll just be gone for a half hour or so. Long enough to collect the wood I need." I stand, grabbing my bow and the few arrows I have left. There was no point in chancing going into the forest unarmed. "Let's go, Shippo." I nod towards the doorway and he scoots out. Smiling, I shake my head, before following him as he walks down the road slightly ahead of me. He was adjusting surprisingly well to everything, but he still had nightmares on occasion about his Father and the Thunder Brothers. There were a couple of nights in a row he'd wake up crying out for his Dad, and my heart broke when each time the realization that he was gone took place and his little face crumpled in grief. Hopefully, with time, the distraction of being with Inuyasha and I would help lessen the hurt for him. I also couldn't help wondering that he never mentioned his Mother, but it didn't feel right to push that topic on him right now.

Looking up at the large trees as we entered the Forest Of Inuyasha I felt a sense of being home. This had been where I had entered after all. 'I wonder what they must think of me? Did they think I had ungratefully ran off? Were they worried?' I frown slightly as I think about my family while walking up to the Sacred Tree, the smooth spot ever present where Inuyasha had been pinned.

"This is it, isn't it?" Shippo asks then as he looks up at the tree with wonder. During our travels the discussion had, of course, come up on how Inuyasha and I had met, and where I came into the picture. Shippo had been very receptive to the idea of time travel, and the fact I wasn't from this era.

"I mean, I can kinda smell it on you, to be honest." Shippo said as his nose wrinkled slightly. "No offense, but under your nice smell there is a strange scent. A dirty scent. I can't explain it."

Well I could, and it was called pollution.

"It's not as strong as when you first got here, don't worry. It's wearing away." Inuyasha had stepped in surprisingly.

"Yeah. This was where Inuyasha had been pinned with an arrow fifty years ago." I answer, frowning as I walk up to the tree. "Seems like so long ago since I freed him." I whisper softly, reaching up as my fingers just barely brush against the smooth part of the tree.

A kissing noise interrupts my thoughts, and looking to the side I confirmed that it was coming from Shippo. I snatch my hand back, turning sharply and playfully glaring at the little guy as he smooched his lips at me.

"You want to kiss him, don't you?" Shippo grins widely, a childlike innocence in his statement amplified by the look on his face. I roll my eyes, scoffing slightly.

"Shippo…" I trail off in warning, telling him without another word to drop it. He does and we get to the task of finding proper branches that I could whittle down into arrow shafts. We have a good amount picked up, before a gush of wind rushes through the clearing. Standing up straight I feel a tingling sensation start from the base of my skull and work down my back.

Something was off.

"Shippo, I think we should head back to the village. We have enough." I try to stay calm, not wanting to alarm the little guy. It's no use, though, because I can see him with his back hunched up and his tail fluffed out. He had sensed it too.

"Come on, Yua, let's g-" Shippo stops short as he turns around, and I turn with him to see what had him stop mid-sentence. I frown, a man standing in front of us on covered in a black cloak the far end of the clearing, a white mask on his face. The mask itself looks incredibly realistic, a scar running down from above it's lips to it's chin. The mask was creepy to say the least.

Then I feel it. The energy of the Shikon Jewel.

"What do you want?" I ask, stepping in front of Shippo as he holds onto the back of my leg. The person in the mask doesn't move, doesn't utter a single word. All they do is stare. I frown, eyes narrowing as I grab at my bow, taking it in my left hand and grabbing one of my few arrows left with my right. "Listen, we don't want trouble. Why don't you get on your way and we will be on ours?" Still no response. The person was eerily calm. 'I can feel the power of the Shikon Jewel, but I can't see it.' I frown deeply, raising my arrow then and drawing my bow back when the person didn't move.

"What's this guy's problem?" Shippo asks from behind me, his blue eyes glaring at the stranger.

Suddenly it launches itself towards us.

I use it because there was no way in hell a human could move like this thing! It comes racing across the clearing face first, the black cloak billowing out behind it as it seemingly floats over the grass. "Run, Shippo!" I shout, letting the arrow loose, before following Shippo away from the clearing. Without looking I already knew I had missed, the masked being catching me so off-guard that it had caused me to jump as I released the arrow. As we run I can hear the sound of the rustling fabric behind me, knowing it was catching up to us.

'Shippo has to go and find Inuyasha while I try to hold this thing off.' I think, turning sharply and throwing my arms out, forcing my energy outwards. The creature gets locked in my aura, unable to move with the cage I had created around it using my energy.

"Woah, now that's a cool move! Think you could stick Inuyasha in a cage if he's a bad boy?" Shippo asks humorously, and I probably would have laughed had the situation not been calling for my focus.

"Go and get Inuyasha, Shippo." I look up over the canopy of trees, seeing the sun was coming to set. "He'll be heading back to the village any time now."

"What? Leave you here alone with that?" Shippo asks in disbelief, pointing at the mask as it remains still in my cage. Maybe Shippo could sense it just as I could-my powers wouldn't last that much longer.

"Yes! I can handle it, Shippo! Do I as say!" I snap at him, momentarily regretting the tone I used. However, it worked, and Shippo bounded off without another word towards the village. I frown, arms shaking as I look at our surroundings, trying to think of a plan. It's only then that I notice where we are.

The Bone Eater's Well.

My eyes widen momentarily as I see it behind me, but that's all the distraction it takes as the creature suddenly explodes with energy and breaks apart my cage. Before I can react the mask rushes me, and I'm thrown back with it. I groan as I land hard on the grass, barely managing in time to grab an arrow and stab upwards into the mask. The tip digs in just above the eye, the purple glow of my aura emitting from the arrow head and along the crack as it works it's way down the side of the mask's face. The creature lets out a supernatural howl, stumbling back from me as hands seem to appear, almost liquid in form, pulling at the arrow until it comes loose. 'It's body isn't solid?' I think in disbelief as I take in the scar is left over the right eye and down to just above the mouth on the mask's face. Having landed near the well I use it to get up, feeling like I might get the upper-hand in this fight.

"Yua!" Inuyasha shouts out, and I look over to see Inuyasha bounding into the clearing with Shippo on his shoulder. Relief floods me.

Until a feeling of weightlessness takes over as the masked creature suddenly lunges and shoves me over the edge of the well.

"YUA!"

"NO!"


'No, no, no, no.' I think as I look down at the floor beneath me, eyes wide and breathing heavily. The vortex, just like before, had sucked me through and I didn't need to look up to know I was back in my time. It was dark in the well, whereas there should have been some light from the still setting sun back in the feudal era.

That, and Grandpa was above me somewhere chanting a bunch of nonsense.

'Kaede, Shippo…Inuyasha.' I think, swallowing thickly as my fingernails dig into the dirt. I feel a tremendous sense of longing in that moment, tears burning my eyes.

Would I ever be able to get back?

Looking up I see a ladder, frowning curiously. That hadn't been there before. I look down at the ground once more, and in a last fit of frustration and sadness I slam my fist on the ground.

Nothing. Not even a spark.

I look over towards the ladder, swallowing thickly before crawling over to it. "I guess there really isn't any other choice." I say to myself quietly, before making my way up.

Only to get soaked with sake when I reach the top.

Grandpa and Sota are there, both of them screaming and leaping backwards at the sight of me. It takes them a moment I think to recognize me, and to get over the shock I had actually come from the well.

"What are you guys doing in here?" I ask then as I lift a leg over, before lifting the other and sitting on the edge.

"Us?! What about you?!" Sota bursts out then, his eyes wide. "You've been missing for weeks! We had no idea where you had gone!" He pauses then, looking me over weirdly. "And what are you wearing? You look like a girl version of Grandpa."

Grandpa, meanwhile, was still frozen in wide-eyed shock.

I felt my throat closing up in emotion as I think about Inuyasha, about everything that I had been through the past few weeks.

"U-um," My voice is unsteady, tears burning in my eyes once more, "i-it's a long story. Can we talk in the house?" I ask softly, and Sota nods, frowning at the obvious sadness in my voice.

"Yeah, sure." He replies, his voice now sounding a little unsure.

After we finally relieve Grandpa of his shock we make our way back up to the house where there is more of the same. Shock, questions being whipped at me faster than I can answer, and finally an awkward silence from the entire family after they've given me time to explain.

"Uh…are you sure you didn't hit your head too hard when you fell in the well?" Sota asks, and I roll my eyes.

"Where do you think I've been all this time? Why do you think I suddenly appeared in the well like I did?" I frown at all their dubious faces. I wasn't crazy!

Was I?

A flicker of doubt hits me, but I brush it away quickly. No. There was no way that everything that had happened from the moment Mistress Centipede pulled me into the well hadn't actually transpired.

Suddenly I'm hit with an idea.

I reach into my shirt, pulling out the silk sack that still contained the Shikon Jewels we had collected thus far. I pour them out into the palm of my hand, before turning to Grandpa.

"Does this look fake to you?" I ask him as I dump the shards into his now outstretched hand. He looks down at the purple slivers with wide eyes, and I can see the goosebumps appearing along his arms as he no doubt feels just how real these shards are. "Everything you've said about the history of this Shrine is true Grandpa, right down to the Sacred Tree and the Shikon no Tama. It's real." I emphasis, Grandpa look at the shards astounded, before looking towards me with equally wide eyes.

"You mean…I'm not an insane old coot?" He asks in disbelief.

"You're old, Grandpa, but you're not insane." I laugh some, before gently taking back the Sacred Jewel shards. "That's why I have to get back to the feudal era as quickly as I can. If the wrong hands get a hold of the jewel shards, it could alter life as we know it now." I frown deeply, dumping the shards back into the silk back and placing it back around my neck.

"We'll look into it first thing in the morning." Grandpa nods in agreement, Kagoma, Sota, and Aunt Miyu all still looking absolutely lost.

"This is crazy!" Kagome suddenly spews out, wide eyed. "Gramps, how can you believe a story like that?!"

"There have always been myths surrounding the well. Time travel does happen to be one of them, and I'm one hundred percent certain of what I felt just moments ago holding those jewel shards. Yua is telling the truth, and I've been right all along!" He adds the last bit happily, looking entirely proud of himself.

"What?! Gran-"

"Why don't we settle in for tonight then. We'll make sure to pack you some clothes and food for when you leave next." Aunt Miyu interrupts, sending Kagome a look. Oh no, I know that look.

She didn't believe it either.

Aunt Miyu was just saying that to pacify both Grandpa and I. Well so be it. If the end result is that I get back to the feudal era, she can believe I'm having a mental breakdown, or that I'm on some type of drugs.

I'd prove her wrong tomorrow.

"I think I"m going to go and lay down. It's been a long day." I gently excuse myself, sliding back from the table and heading back to the room I shared with Kagome. Everything was just how I had left it, even my futon on the floor. I get down into it, curling up in my blankets and turning to stare out the window at the Sacred Tree. I grip onto my pillow, tears burning in my eyes once more as I thought about Inuyasha. The longing hits me hard as I think about both he and Shippo, wondering if they were okay. As I close my eyes I feel determination take over the sadness.

I was going to get back to them, and nothing could stop me.


So Aunt Miyu had played her part, and had actually packed me food, clothes, and even some toiletries in a large backpack to go back with me to the feudal era. Her forced smile was still enough to tell me that she wasn't convinced, and was one incident away from calling the hospital to come and get me.

So be it. She'll see.

I had a shower in the morning, quickly finding my razor and shaving EVERYTHING! The result, of course, I actually had to pick up hair from the drain cause it was clogging so badly.

I told you I was a hairy beast.

Shortly after breakfast Grandpa and I went out to the shed covering the Bone Eater's well and knelt before it. Both of us were in traditional garb, as I had donned my newly washed kimono from Kaede. After a quick lesson on how to pray, the chant and everything, he and I began to go to work.

For nothing.

I couldn't even feel a glimmer of hope as the well remained silent, and both of us finally took a break for our sanity's sake. So this is where I found myself now, standing before the Sacred Tree and looking up at it wistfully. After a moment I step over the boundary, coming to the base of the trunk and reaching up on my tippy toes so my fingers could run over the smoothed area in the bark.

Electricity charges through me the minute my hand touches it.

Stumbling back I look down at my hand wide eyed, before looking back to the tree. It was the same pulse I had felt before all this had every started.

"Inuyasha?" I ask softly, feeling my chest ache. 'Mayumi, are you still with me?' I can't help reaching out for the first time I had since being back. So far I stopped myself from doing so, afraid of the answer I would receive. Or the lack of for that matter. Warmth resonates through me so suddenly that I have to lean forward, my hands pressed against the rough bark of the Scared Tree.

She was there, but she couldn't communicate with me.

I wasn't crazy. Everything hadn't been a dream. I needed to get back!

"FIRE!" Grandpa's panicked voice suddenly shouts through the courtyard. My gaze snaps over to where I can see the smoke billowing out from the storehouse attached to the shrine. Racing towards it I can already see the door flung open, no doubt Grandpa already inside trying to investigate what was happening. I cover my mouth against the smoke with my sleeve as I run in, seeing Grandpa staring ahead, frozen in place. Where he was staring there were flames, things seeming to self combust right before my eyes.

Then I see it.

My arm drops in shock as I see the familiar white mask, the scar I had created running from it's forehead to it's chin on the right side.

"H-how…" I gasp, choking on the smoke as I do. Looking towards Grandpa I know I have to get him out of here and away from that thing! I rush forward, grabbing him by the arm and tugging him back to me.

"I-it's the Noh Mask! It has broken through the sacred seals that have kept it imprisoned for centuries!" Grandpa starts to cough, clearly unable to handle the smoke any longer. My eyes widened in realization.

"Jewel shards…give me…the jewel shards…" The mask breathes out, its voice raspy.

'It must have gotten away from Inuyasha back in the feudal era and went in hiding, knowing that this is where it would find me eventually with the shards.' I think as I look down at the mask. It raises up in the air, looking directly at my Grandpa.

"Must have a body…" It goes on, and I note that it is missing that liquid body that I had seen it with before. It must need to attach to a human to be able to conjure a physical form.

"Run, Grandpa!" I shout at him then, shoving him towards the door.

"What about you?!" He shouts in return, even as I shove him once again towards the door.

"I"ve seen this thing before! I've got this!" I exclaim, before turning towards the mask. "Now GO. Call the fire department before this whole shrine burns down!" 'And I'll get rid of this thing before it can be seen.' Grandpa leaves wordlessly after that, my hands clenching tightly into fists.

Would my powers even work in this era?

"Give me the jewel shards!" It hisses at me once more, and I smirk.

"I don't think so." I reply simply, before digging deep, trying to feel my energy. A few moments pass, and I can feel something, but it's definitely not the same as before. I throw out my hand towards the mask, forcing what little energy I had outwards. It takes the hit full-on, breaking the wall as it slams against it and creating a large hole. I run out of it, breathing heavily as I grip onto the wood hard in an effort to keep upright. Using my powers hadn't exhausted me like that since I first used them with Mayumi. Looking around my stomach drops, realizing that the mask was gone. Looking over the city beyond, I feel disappointment in myself surge through me.

"What have I done?" I ask myself with regret. I had just unleashed an ancient evil power on the city.

And I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stop it.


"It was called the Flesh-Eating Mask, and was rumored to have evil, malignant powers." Grandpa's voice was solemn as he spoke of the history of the mask later that night, revealing that our ancestors had actually been the first to lock the mask away.

'So it did plan to find me in this era.' I think, Grandpa's story all but confirming it. I sipped at my tea, the others all in the other room watching t.v. Grandpa and I had somehow both silently agreed it would be best to keep them out of it for now, since they obviously wouldn't believe either of us in the first place. He told the firefighters that it was an incense that had been accidentally left burning, and that had been the end of that.

"It uses the flesh of humans to create a physical body for itself, just as you suspected yourself earlier." Grandpa nodded. I had told him my suspicions before when we had been outside alone as the fire crew worked. Luckily Kagome and Sota had both been in school, and Aunt Miyu had been at work. "We'll have to keep an eye out for any strange occurrences coming from the city." He adds as he finishes his tea. I frown, lowering my head as the disappointment rears up inside of me again.

"Hey, I'm going to get some fresh air. I won't be long." Standing I go over to the front door.

"Alright, just stay close." Grandpa advises, and I nod in agreement.

"I will." I murmur, before heading outside. My feet carry me over to the shed containing the well, walking in and down the familiar wooden steps. I kneel beside the well again, as I had this past afternoon before the fire. Leaning forward I lay my arms one over the other on the wooden edge, looking down longingly into the well.

As much as I hated to admit it Inuyasha would know what to do right about now.

The longing hits harder than before, and this time I can't stop the tears as they come streaming down my cheeks. They fall into the well below, and I can hear them splattering against the dirt on the bottom.

"Inuyasha…I need you."

What feels like hours pass, but in reality it's only minutes. Outside all I can hear is the trees moving in the slight wind, the crickets chirping even after the sun had long set.

"Would you stop that crying?"

My eyes shoot open as I sit up, looking down into the well wide eyed. A red and silver blur leaps up from the well, landing crouched on the ledge opposite to me. I blink once, twice, and then a third time to make sure the amber eyes I was currently locked onto were real.

"Y-you…how did you…?" I can't even ask a full question, my entire body pulsing with electricity as I stand from where I had been kneeling.

Inuyasha. Inuyasha was standing right there in front of me. Was he real?

My breathing gets heavy, almost to the borderline of hyperventilating. I knew I hadn't made up the past few weeks! I knew the loneliness I had felt deep in my chest was real and for a real person. Inuyasha frowns then, the teasing smirk quickly wiping off of his face. He jumps from where he stood on the far side of the well, landing beside me and placing his hands on either side of my face.

Warmth. That was the first thing I registered as I finally felt his skin against my own.

He's real.

"Seriously, enough with the tears. I haven't seen you this upset…ever." He admits, his thumbs wiping away my tears, being careful not to scratch my skin with his claws. The uncomfortable look on his face, even as he makes such a tender gesture, truly solidifies that it's him. I just barely hold back from throwing myself into his arms, instead content to let him cup my face.

"How did you get here?" I finally ask an actual question, my voice filled with wonder as he gently lets his hands drop seeing I'm calm.

"I heard you calling for me." Inuyasha frowned then, looking down in my eyes. "I could hear you from the village, and I could tell you were upset. I ran as quick as I could to the well, and it opened up for me." He frowned then, tilting his head back as his nose twitches. He smells something.

"It's here!" He growls then, brows furrowed, grabbing my wrist as he runs with me up from the well to the courtyard of the Shrine.

"What do you mean?" I ask sharply, looking around the area for any sign of the mask.

Then I hear the sound of something big coming crashing into the Shrine.

"It's a firetruck!" I exclaim, seeing the right red vehicle as it smashes into one of the outer buildings.

"A fire-what?"" Inuyasha asks, but there is hardly time to explain. The ladder on the firetruck suddenly extends, launching across the small yard and directly towards Kagome's window.

"NO!" I shout in horror, raising my hands up then. My aura bursts forth, the ladder glowing purple with it as I use my energy to grind the ladder to a stop. Breathing heavily I can feel sweat dripping down my forehead. Inuyasha frowns as he looks from the ladder to me.

"You're weak here." He states, an I know he doesn't mean it as an insult. It's a fact. "You can't draw on your powers like you can back during our time."

Our time?

I quickly brush that off, looking towards the cab to have my suspicions confirmed. There was the Noh Mash, it's body fully regenerated as it leaks from the driver's side door and onto the ground. I can feel the shards shaking against my chest, the mask obviously calling to them.

"It wants the shards!" I exclaim, placing my hand over my chest where they lay hidden under my shirt. "We have to get this thing away from my family!" I add as I see Grandpa rush out, his eyes wide as he sees the Noh Mask. Kagome, Sota, and Aunt Miyu follow close behind, her mouths all falling open in disbelief at what they were seeing.

Then they look to me.

'Yep, see? Told ya.' I can't help a small amount of gloating, before my gaze snaps back to the monster. "HEY! Cyclops!" I shout out, referring to the fact it now only had one undamaged eye. I reach for the string around my neck, pulling the silk sack out from under my shirt. "Yeah, you! Are you looking for these?!" I shout at it, dangling the silk bag in front of my face. "Well come and get them!" Turning I race for the steps of the Shrine.

"Are you crazy?!" Inuyasha calls out after me. I feel his hand as it grabs me by my wrist again, throwing me over and onto his back like I weighed nothing before tearing off down the steps. "Did you really think you'd be able to outrun that thing?!" He demands angrily, and I look over my shoulder. The Noh Mask was following us. Good.

"I knew you'd have my back." I reply simply, to which Inuyasha gives no answer. "What happened to my bow and arrows?" I ask then frowning, realizing he hadn't brought it with him.

"I left them safely back at Kaede's." Inuyasha replies as he moves down the street, leaping from car to car as we head towards the outskirts of the city. "It'll be there for you when we get back!" He adds. I grin as what he says really settles in.

I can't wait to get back.

"Look, over there! Head for that large building with no walls!" I call to him, pointing to what looked to be a construction site for a new skyscraper. There wouldn't be anybody there to get hurt, and I realized that Inuyasha would have to take over this one. I was useless without my powers or my bow. Inuyasha diverts sharply towards the building, jumping high to land on on the sixth floor. He lets me slide down his back, before looking over his shoulder at me seriously.

"You need to sit this one out, Yua. You won't be able to defend yourself. Not this time." His amber eyes lock onto my green ones. "Promise me you'll stay out of it." I hesitated, hating the feeling of being no use, before nodding knowing he is right. "Good. Go and find someplace to hunker down with the jewels. I'll take care of this mess."

"Just be careful, okay?" I ask softly in return. He looks at me strangely, before a small handsome smile comes over his face. Nodding he turns back towards the side of the building that faced the highway, and I moved back behind a steel pillar. It wasn't much, but it was the only thing I could really put between myself and the Noh Mask if it got past him. No sooner had I chosen my spot then the masked thing appears, starring down Inuyasha from the other side of the empty building.

"Who dares to attack me?!" The mask hisses out, it's voice sounding much more solid than it had before. How many people had it attacked before it had made it to the Shrine? I could sense it's power, and it has grown exponentially since the fire. My eyes narrow as I survey the mask closely, before finally catching sight of it.

"The shard is in the forehead!" I exclaim to Inuyasha. He doesn't nod, but I know he heard me.

"I am the Flesh Eating Mask. Centuries ago I was carved from a giant tree, which had a fragment of the Shikon Jewel embedded in it. Since my creation I have craved human flesh and devoured my victims. Now I wish to having a living body so as not to rot, and for that I require more power from the Sacred Jewel!" My eyes widen in realization. It was all coming together. "I encountered you, girl, for the first time two days ago, back in the feudal era. I escaped, just barely, after you fell through the well, and I waited. How long I waited! Until finally the day came when I could once again face you and retrieve the other jewel shards for myself!"

"I don't know how many humans you've eaten so far, but it's time to lose some weight!" Inuyasha exclaims, charging forth and delivering a hard right hook to the center of the Mask's face. My mouth falls open in shock as I see the Mask divide itself down the middle, revealing rows of teeth that catch Inuyasha's fist between them. "What the-?!"

"You fell into my trap." The Mask replies happily. "Now you shall never escape me!" The Mask then pulls him into it's liquid matter, his body disappearing. I feel terror grip me as I see him struggling, but the Mask lifts from it's liquid body. Leaving it behind it flies towards me. I just barely manage to get my hand out in time to catch it before it reaches my face, stumbling backwards and falling hard onto the cement floor.

All of a sudden Inuyasha leaps free of the Mask's hold, Tessaiga in hand as he gives the mask a deadly glare. I give one big shove upwards, the Mask flying away from me high enough that Inuyasha could cut it down. It shatters right in half, before disappearing as the jewel shard it possessed falls to the ground. I wince as I get up onto my hands and knees, reaching over for it and picking it up between my index finger and thumb. If that thing could cause as much havoc as it did with a single jewel shard, I couldn't imagine the chaos that could have happened if it had gotten the ones we possessed as well.

"You alright?" Inuyasha asks then as he stands above me, the large back of Tessaiga resting against his right shoulder. I nod, feeling warmth rush through me realizing he had actually come through the well because I had needed him. He reaches down with his left hand, helping me up to my feet. "Where are the rest of the jewel shards? Are they still safe?" He demands then, and I feel my stomach plummet.

Oh yeah…that's why he came for me.

I quickly stomp down the depressing feeling as it washes over me, smiling instead and pulling the silk sack from under my shirt to show him. I place the shard back in, tying it tight then. "Safe and sound!" I exclaim, but even I can tell my voice sounds fake. His right ear twitches, a look of confusion sweeping over his face before it's gone and replaced with that same cocky smirk.

"Well let's head back. It's about time you returned home." He sheaths Tessaiga, turning with his back towards me and wordlessly waiting for me to climb on.

Home.

I climb onto his back, that one word helping to wash away the feelings from moments ago.

Shippo, Kaede…I'll be back soon.


And there we have it! Another chapter! I would really like to see this chapter get me up to 80 reviews! I know I've gotten a little slower in updating, only doing so once a week basically now. How about this? If we reach 80 reviews before the next weekend I will publish the next chapter whenever we hit the 80 (be it tomorrow, Monday...Tuesday...you get the drift :) ). If not, then expect an update the same time next week!

Until then!

T.O.T.