A/N: sorry this took so long. I was having a bit of writer's block and was swamped with school assignments. Then I managed to get sick on top of everything else, and I only just started to feel better. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. From here on is where the real story begins, so I hope you all enjoy this journey as much as I will. I made this chapter a little short because I just wanted to get something out since it's been a while. As always, reviews are much appreciated as they help me know what is liked and how I can improve the story and my writing skills.

wwejackass: thanks for being my first review! I truly appreciate it! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. I agree there aren't enough Inuyasha/OC-centered fanfics on here, and I would love to contribute to that. We still have a bit to go before feelings genuinely start to show, so I think I'll still leave it open for now. Still, it is a powerful candidate for this story, mainly because I think their dynamic will end up being my favorite. As for her son, well, you'll have to read the chapter to find out! ;)

Chapter 3: Choosing The Right Path

Despite being in the Feudal Era for only a few days, going from taking a cold wash in a river to a steaming hot shower felt weird to Asami. She'd never admit it, but the fact that it felt strange bothered her more than she let on. While she was happy to be reunited with her family and, most importantly, her son, she couldn't help but feel like something was missing. After regaling the last few days to their family, her grandfather immediately went to the well. He sealed it shut with brand new seals. Asami didn't say it to him, knowing how sensitive he could be, but she had a feeling that those seals wouldn't stop anything from getting through that well if they wanted to. As everyone slept, Asami instead lay tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable on the soft mattress. Letting out a soft sigh, she looked over to the sleeping form of Takeshi, a small smile pulling at her lips as she watched him. She brushed back some of his hair from his face and placed a soft kiss on his head before getting out of bed to go downstairs. A few minutes later, she sat at the kitchen table with a steaming cup of tea, though it remained untouched. Her mind was in scrambles, there was a part of her that knew she had a duty, but a more significant part of her was terrified. "Asami?" Her head snapped to the entrance of the kitchen to see her mother standing there, face scrunched in concern. "What are you doing up, sweetie?" Asami forced a smile on her lips and gave a nonchalant shrug as she turned back to her tea. "I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to wake up Takeshi, so I figured some tea might be a good idea."

Her mother nodded before walking into the kitchen and making herself a cup of tea as well. The two women sat in silence as the elder let Asami gather her thoughts. "I suppose I should be saying goodbye?" Asami looked at her mother strangely, a confused chuckle escaping her before she could stop it. "I'm sorry? Goodbye to who?" Mrs. Higurashi took a sip from her cup before answering. "You're my daughter Asami. I know you well enough to know what's bothering you. You haven't been the same. We both know you need to go back." Asami quickly shook her head, her hands tightening around her cup. "No. I just got back. I can't abandon you all." Mrs. Higurashi reached across the table and took her daughter's hands into her own.

"Sweetheart, there is no way we could ever think you were abandoning us. But if what this Kaede woman said is true, then you have a new responsibility that's just as important." Asami's eyes widened as she stared at her mother. "You mean you believe us?" Mrs. Higurashi chuckled and nodded, patting Asami's hands before returning to her tea, causing Asami to smile softly. "You're both my daughters, of course, I believe you. But I always knew you were meant for something more, Asami. You were always a special girl, and now you've become an even more special woman and mother."

Asami's smile fell at the mention of being a mother, a heavy sigh leaving her as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Takeshi. What am I going to do about him? I can't just leave him on you guys. We have no idea how long gathering shards will take." Mrs. Higurashi nodded as Asami took a sip from her cup. "So take him with you." Asami almost choked on her tea, looking at her mother incredulously. "Please tell me you're joking. Mom, Kagome, and I almost died five times in less than seventy-two hours. There is no way in hell I'm going to put my son in that kind of danger willingly. He's only four." The older Higurashi woman sighed and patted Asami's hands. "I know that. But I also know you well enough to know that if you leave him here because you think it's safer, you'll never be fully focused on collecting those shards." Asami sat with her lips turned into a frown, shaking her head once again in defiance. It was moments like this that Mrs. Higurashi remembered that despite her maturity and the fact that she's a mother, Asami was still only a mere twenty years old. "Asami...think about it. How often do you think you'll be able to come back to check on Takeshi? And how much will that delay your journey each time? If it truly becomes too dangerous to have him around, then you can bring him back. Or perhaps he can stay in the village you found."

Asami knew her mother made a good point. It was her paranoia that was stopping her from bringing Takeshi. She remained silent for a few minutes before sighing heavily, giving in. "I suppose we can always have Kagome come back and forth for supplies and things we need." Her frown turned into a sad smile as she looked across the table at her mother. "I'm so proud of you, Asami. And I know you're father would be too." Hearing those words almost brought tears to Asami's eyes, but she blinked them away and cleared her throat, forcing a smile on her face as she heard footsteps moving quickly down the hall. Expecting to see the sleepy front of her son, she was surprised to see the scowling face of Inuyasha instead. She promptly stood up, shock evident on her face. "Inu-Inuyasha. How did you get here?" He turned and looked at her like she had five heads. "The well, of course. How else? I thought you were going to talk to her, not disappear." Mrs. Higurashi stood up before Asami could say a word and stood in front of Inuyasha, who looked at her warily before letting out a yelp as she grabbed his ear. "Now, I don't know how you got past those wards, but I won't stand for you talking to my daughter like that, you hear me?" Asami covered her mouth to hide her smile as Inuyasha sheepishly nodded. "Mom, go easy on him. His words are rough, but Inuyasha means well...most of the time." Her chuckle died on her lips as her frown returned. "But how did you get past those wards?"

Inuyasha rubbed his ear and glared at her before pulling out a strip of paper from his sleeve. "You mean these stupid things? They're just scraps of paper. Like that could stop me." Asami sighed, knowing her grandfather would be disappointed to hear such words. A glimmer of light caught her attention, and she walked over to Inuyasha. "What- is that...hair?" As she picked up what seemed like a strand of hair from Inuyasha's shoulder, the strand tightened suddenly, causing a slice to appear on her finger. Wincing, she quickly pulled away and looked at the blood that coated the strand as Inuyasha watched her curiously. "So you can see them too?" Asami looked up at him. "Of course I can see it. Can't you?" As he shook his head, a loud crash came from the direction of the well. Ignoring her mother's cry, she ran out of the house, Inuyasha close behind her before they reached the hut, only to see monstrous strands of hair flowing out. She immediately turned towards Inuyasha and hit his arm, causing him to make a noise of surprise at her action. "You idiot! You brought it here with you! Now my family is in danger because of you." As she yelled at him, she noticed the rest of her family come out of the house, all with varying degrees of worry and confusion on their faces. She looked between the hut and her family for a moment before groaning. Turning towards her family, she started to walk back towards the hut. "Stay here. I'll be right back." Her siblings protested but were held back by their grandfather, who shook his head, letting Asami go. Turning back to the hut, she ran in and closed the door as soon as Inuyasha was inside.

She ran to the side of the well, ready to jump in but found herself hesitating. She knew that going back would solidify her decision, a decision she still wasn't entirely sure she wanted to make. As her mind raced, she was brought out of them when she felt heaviness on her head. Looking up to see nothing but red, she turned to look at Inuyasha curiously, noticing his robe was gone. He refused to look at her, looking down into the well instead. "It's made from the fur of the Fire Rat. It'll offer some protection at least." She smiled softly and nodded, placing her hand on his arm, waiting until he finally looked at her.

"Thank you." He stared at her for a moment before looking away again. "Whatever. You ready?" She let out a small yelp of surprise when he grabbed her waist, not waiting for her reply as he jumped into the well. They had barely touched the ground when Inuyasha jumped again, quickly getting them out of the well. The contrast to her time was still a surprise to Asami, but she had no time to ponder it this time as she noticed the bundles of hair all around them. "She already took the jewel. What more could she want?" She felt more than heard a growl come from Inuyasha beside her. "She took what?" Asami shrugged and adjusted the robe so it wouldn't fall off and cover more of her body, as she realized late that she had run off still in her pajamas.

"I was a little preoccupied with trying to save my sister, okay? I can't be in two places at once." She ignored the double meaning of her words as she glanced at the well before clearing her throat and looking around the forest at the hair. "She has to be controlling the hair somehow...if I can just...there!" She pointed towards a strand of hair that glowed brighter than the others. "That strand should lead us straight to the demon, Yura." Inuyasha nodded and bent down, allowing Asami barely enough time to climb on before taking off in the direction she had pointed in. They didn't stop until they reached a campfire site, Inuyasha setting her down as he looked around. "Their heads..." Inuyasha looked over a body, giving her a grunt of acknowledgment. "They must have gotten caught in the hair. They didn't stand a chance." Asami looked around the campsite with a frown, wondering if any men had families they'd never see again. Shaking her head from those thoughts, she spotted a bow and quiver, gathering extra arrows she found as she made her way back to Inuyasha's side. "Please tell me you're a better shot than that other girl."

Asami rolled her eyes as she put the quiver over her back. "Her name is Kagome. And I've been taking lessons since I was eight, so I'd like to say I have some confidence. Though I've never actually had targets that moved and fought back...well, there's a first time for everything. How hard can it be?" He didn't look convinced but still chose not to say anything as he knelt so she could get on his back again. As they traveled in the direction Asami would point to, she noticed the hair start to thicken. Suddenly, bundles of hair came straight for them, grabbing Inuyasha by his wrists and causing Asami to fall off his back. She landed on the ground with a grunt and rolled before looking up to see Inuyasha held in the air. "Such fine hair. I must add it to my collection." Yura appeared seemingly out of thin air, landing on strands of hair like a tightrope. "You're the one they call Inuyasha, aren't you?" Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the demon, wrestling against his restraints. "And you're Yura. How the fuck do you know me?"

Yura tsked as she walked closer to him. "Such language against a lady. I heard a half-demon was playing pet to a shrine maiden to help her protect the Shikon no Tama." Asami rolled her eyes as Inuyasha scoffed, uselessly pulling at the hair around his wrists. "I ain't nobody's fucking pet, you hear me?" Yura ignored him and pulled out the pouch that held the fragment of the jewel, causing Inuyasha to growl furiously and Asami to tighten her grip on her bow, quietly pulling out an arrow and notching it. "To think you turned the jewel into this. In any case, I'll deal with you and go look for the other fragments myself." She looked around the area, thankful that Inuyasha was distracting the demon, albeit without realizing it, so she could try to find her weakness. It wasn't until she happened to see Yura go after him with a sword that she fired her arrow, intent on getting the demon's attention. With her eyes narrowed, she notched another arrow and aimed at Yura. "That was a warning shot. Next time I won't miss. Release Inuyasha." Yura looked between the two curiously, as if pondering an unasked question. "You idiot! Forget about me and get away from here." Asami turned her narrowed eyes towards Inuyasha, keeping her arrow aimed at Yura. "Like hell, I'm leaving without you." Yura chuckled as she looked down at her blade, giving Asami a chance to communicate with Inuyasha. Seeing his nod, she hid a smile as she focused on Yura once again.

"It's not as pretty, but I think I'll take your hair too." Asami rolled her eyes and aimed with her bow and arrow. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not looking for a haircut just yet." Releasing the arrow, the demon laughed as the arrow flew right by her. "I thought you said you wouldn't miss?" Asami let a smirk pull at her lips as she lowered her bow. "I didn't." The arrow hit a giant ball of hair behind Yura with a glow, creating a hole that caused several skulls to start to spill out. Asami made a face of disgust as Yura made a sound of protest. "My victims, you'll pay for that!" Asami didn't have much time to react before a ball of fire came straight for her. Instinctively, she curled to the floor as the fire engulfed her, waiting for the undeniable pain of the fire to consume her. She could hear nothing but the crackle of the flames but became confused when the pain never came. As the flames finally died out, she was surprised to see that save for a piece of her pajamas that had been outside the protection of the robe. She was otherwise unscathed. She looked at the robe in wonder, sliding a hand across it as it didn't even feel warm, as if the fire never existed. Looking up to see that Inuyasha had broken free and was engaged in battle with Yura, Asami used the welcome distraction to make her way towards the giant ball of hair.

With newfound determination and confidence in her abilities, Asami started to climb, looking for anything that seemed out of place. "Shit." She slipped for a moment and let out a yelp but was luckily able to grab some hair to prevent her from falling back to the ground. She took a moment to gather herself before starting to climb again. "Asami!" She glanced behind her just in time to see a sword come straight for her. Instinctively, she closed her eyes as she waited for the impact, but when none came, she opened her eyes. She silently thanked Inuyasha as she started to climb again, only to come face to face with Yura herself. "You seem like a human, so why don't you bleed?" Asami didn't have time to ponder the question nor its answer when suddenly strands of hair wrapped tightly around her neck, causing her to wince. She struggled to keep her balance as she felt her sight begin to darken, only to be allowed a breath of air when she felt the hair slacken. She wasted no time in pulling the hair away just as Inuyasha grabbed her and jumped. When they reached the ground, Yura attacked again. Asami was the target once again. Still, Inuyasha stepped in just in time to get hit with the sword instead. "Inuyasha..."

He didn't look at her, but she knew that even he had to be feeling pain. She needed to end this now. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and slammed it into a bright red skull she had managed to snatch before Inuyasha grabbed her. "Why you-" Asami looked up to see Yura ready to attack again and slammed the arrow into the skull harder, finally breaking it. Within seconds, Yura disintegrated, and all that was left were her clothes and sword. Asami let out a sigh of relief before walking over to pick up the pouch, checking that the shard of the jewel was inside before putting it around her neck. She stared at the sword for a moment before reaching out to take it. Her hand glowed blue as she grabbed it, the glow quickly spreading towards the rest of the blade. It was only once the glow disappeared that she walked away, content with what had just happened. She looked down at the red skull, noticing a red comb within it, and picked it up to inspect it curiously. "So...Yura was a comb?" She found it hard to believe that a comb had given them so much trouble. "I ain't surprised. It was probably used to comb the hair of the dead and got its power. It was controlling her more than she controlled it."

Suddenly, he let out a cry and knelt to the ground. "Inuyasha...you got hurt because you gave me your robe." He winced and shook his head, his hand over his chest as he took a breath. "It's nothing." Asami shook her head and untied the robe, kneeling as she put it over his shoulders and waited for him to look at her. "You protected me. Thank you" Inuyasha quickly looked away, trying not to wince as he put his robe on properly. "Whatever. Let's go, Asami." She stayed where she was and couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips, knowing he was finally warming up to her. He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow at her smile. "What?" She shook her head, still smiling. "You said Asami." He looked at her strangely as she finally stood up. "It's your name, isn't it?" Asami chuckled and nodded, brushing off her clothes. "I just didn't think you knew my name, that's all." She patted his back with a grin, only to frown when he let out a cry. "You are injured...we should get it looked at quickly." Inuyasha waved her off and shook his head. "I'm not full human remember? I'll be fine." She continued to frown before sighing, giving in. "Fine. Well, now that this is over. It's time for me to go back home."

Inuyasha stared at her like she was crazy. "You're shitting me, right?" Asami raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest. "I can't very well travel across the lands in a nightgown, now can I?" She gestured over her outfit, looking down and missing the blush that erupted on Inuyasha's cheeks as he looked over her form. "I suppose not." Asami nodded and looked up at him, hesitating for a moment before sighing. "Look. The truth is, we don't know how long collecting these shards will take. If I'm going to be staying here, there are some things I need to prepare. Not to mention I need to bring my son." Inuyasha surprised her by nodding in understanding. "I didn't think you'd want to keep doing this because of him." Asami ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "I don't want to...but I need to because of my son. I can't abandon him and going back and forth between my time, and this one will only delay our collecting of the shards. And if I never do it, who knows what it will do to my future, or if I'll even have one. At least this way, I know I'm securing my son's future."

Inuyasha nodded and started to walk away. "Let's go then." Asami had been surprised by him more than once already, but this took the cake. "What do you mean?" He stopped to look back at her, his arms slipping into his sleeves as he began to look annoyed. "Do I have to spell out everything? I'm gonna help ya. Do you really think you can carry enough for yourself and another human, plus said, human? I don't think so, so let's go before I change my mind." Turning back around, he didn't wait for her as he started to walk again, and Asami let a small smile pull at her lips. She wasn't sure exactly when, but somehow, while fighting together Inuyasha started to warm up to her. She could tell that wasn't something he did easily, so she felt a sense of pride at being able to do so when someone like Kagome, who everyone seemed to like with little effort on her part, hadn't managed to make him budge. Before she knew it, she was back in modern times, Inuyasha by her side as she walked back to her house.

She wasn't surprised to see her family gathered together in the living room, seemingly waiting for her to return. Quickly recounting the fight's results, she sent Inuyasha with her mother to start collecting her belongings while she took a shower and changed. As much as she wanted to take her time and savor the last hot shower she would have in a long time, Asami also knew that Inuyasha was an impatient guy and wouldn't appreciate her delaying them for a luxury. The next few hours were filled with packing a large traveling backpack with clothes and essentials for herself and Takeshi. Asami had already decided that she would ask Kaede to teach her how to make kimonos and apply that knowledge to make more clothes for Takeshi as needed, and perhaps even for herself. By the time the sun was starting to set, Asami had everything she felt she needed and made her way back down to her family. Kagome already had tears in her eyes as she begged her sister not to leave, and Asami almost gave in. But they both knew that it was the right thing, so instead, both sisters stood in a tight embrace with whispered promises to visit.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Inuyasha holding several bags, his face set in a scowl, but when she looked at his eyes, they told a different story. They told of barely hidden loneliness and a hint of what Asami could have sworn was jealousy. For his sake, she made quick work of saying goodbye to the rest of her family and knelt in front of her son, who looked confused. "Sweetie, remember when mommy said one day we'd go do a lot of traveling and see lots of people?" The small boy nodded, looking between her and Inuyasha. Asami smiled at him. "Well, we're going to go on that trip now. We're going to come back and see everybody soon, okay?" His eyes shone with unshed tears as he looked at the others, but after a few sniffles, he nodded slowly and latched on to his mother. She let out a small sigh of relief and held him tightly. Giving her family one more goodbye, she walked with Inuyasha to the hut that had the Bone Eater's Well. She looked back at her home one more time, tightened her hold on her son, and with the help of Inuyasha, all three jumped into the well that transported them to the feudal era.