It was Nighttime in the Hikawa residence. Grams and Atsuko gathered around the living room table.

"Grams, is Reiko's story true?" Atsuko said.

Grams grunted and folded her arms.

"As the legend of our shrine goes… There is something in the "bone-devouring well" that takes the corpses of evil spirits and makes them disappear somewhere." Grams said. "And if this "somewhere" is in the time dimension… Well, we must do something."

Atsuko looked at Grams, puzzled.

xxx

Grams finished nailing several planks on mouth of the well. She attached a lot of paper oracles/charms all over the well.

"There!" Grams laughed smugly to herself.

Xxx

Reiko woke, very sore and suddenly aware of a stark empty feeling that she had never felt before in her entire life. Being a twin, she had never, not in her entire life, felt alone. Her mind was connected to her sisters; heck, even their spirits were connected. They felt each others' pain, and there had never been a moment when she couldn't feel her sister's heart beating.

But now…everything was eerily silent. She could hear no thoughts, no emotions, no whisper of a breath. Was Reiko truly alone in the world? Was Kuri dead?

No! Reiko insisted to herself. Kuri is fine! She won't die so easily! Inuyasha will save her! And…I-I just can't give up! There has to be something…

She climbed out of the well and noticed immediately that the storm had cleared, leaving the afternoon cool and dry. She went into the house and caught little Kit in her hands.

"Hey there," she said softly. "Were you lonely? I guess you had to fend for yourself while Sis and I were away on our adventure."

Reiko grinned and put food and water in front of Kit.

After busying herself with that, she began packing a bag. She grabbed a first aid kit and filled it with their entire medicine cabinet. Considering their mother, Atsuko, had been a nurse, both sisters were well trained in medicine.

She then went into her sister's room and got some of her real swords that she had collected over the years. The last thing she got was her bow and arrows from Archery Class at school.

She walked over to the well and set the bag down. She knelt next to the well and stared down. Reiko strained her mind as it began to get dark. But still there was no sense of her sister. No sense of the Shikon no Tama.

Reiko spoke to Grams who was drinking tea calmly. "Huh? Sealed?"

"Yes… With written oracles to ward off evil spirits and seal off the entry to the netherworld. The well will never be opened again." Grams said

Grams picked up her tea cup. Reiko paused for a while, looking concerned.

xxx

In the Feudal Era, Inuyasha was sprinting across a dark forest. He stopped near the well and sniffed the ground.

"No mistaking the smell of that girl…" Inuyasha noticed the pile of Reiko's school uniform next to the well. "Her clothing… Damn! She really did go home…" Inuyasha jumped into the well. "In here!"

xxx

Reiko scoffed. "Yes… Inuyasha can manage without me." Reiko clapped, determined. "All right, I'll forget him! Besides, I can never return to that world again."

"Reiko, Mana is on the phone. And it's also dinnertime!" Atsuko said.

Reiko was cheerful. "Okay!" Reiko got out of bed.

At the dinner table, a hotpot was simmering. Reiko and Grams were talking.

"Grams… Will the seals on the well ever come off?" Reiko said.

"Never. Each seal contains powerful words of magic that can't be broken. No matter what kind of evil spirit, it will be impossible." Grams said.

Reiko knelt down at the table, happily. "It's hot pot for dinner!"

"So you can rest assured, Reiko." Grams aid.

"Hot pot! Hot pot! Hot pot!" Reiko said.

"She's not listening." Atsuko laughed.

Reiko gave a blissful sigh, thinking. "It's such a glorious age!"

Reiko grabbed a pair of chopsticks.

"Let's dig in!" Reiko said.

Xxx

Reiko stood, her jeans covered in mud because of the previous day's rain. Her senses seemed to be pointing her in the direction of the front yard. She went into the front yard and walked over to the tree in between the two houses.

That tree…it was the same tree that Inuyasha had been pinned to. Reiko was sure of it. She placed a hand on it, and felt a pulse of energy shift into her body.

Her mind was taken back to the half demon holding the shikon no tama. She felt herself shoot an arrow, pin him to a tree. She saw the betrayal in his eyes.

"M-Midoriko…"

That name...

And then she was back in the present. Someone was shaking her awake.

"Reiko?" Inuyasha said, poking her. "Reiko who told you you could leave us back there?!"

Reiko sat up shakily. "I didn't leave you. I fell in. But how did you get back?"

"Through the well!" he replied, as if it was obvious.

Reiko eyed him warily, checking for injuries, and then she saw it. A hair, and it was moving!

"I-Inu-" she began, but it was too late.

The hair had latched itself around his neck. Kiana gasped, choking. Reiko had nothing sharp to cut with.

Then she eyed his claws. Maybe...she did.

She grabbed his hand and used it to snap the controlling hair, causing the line to fall slack.

Then she attempted to let go, but he caught her chin in his hands. "Y-You..."

Reiko pulled back swiftly. "My sister."

"Yes of course." Kiana said.

And with those words they were back down the well.

Reiko could happily feel her sister again as she and Kiana emerged from the well.

"Inuyasha," she said, looking at the half-demon, who was pacing in front of the well. "Kuri is being used as a power source. In the middle of a hairball."

"Right," he said, placing his Robe of the Fire Rat on her. "Don't worry, I'll get your sister back. Just don't get in the way!"

xxx

Kuri came to slowly, aware that she was being drained and kept immobile. Straining her powers, Kuri felt Inuyasha, Kiana and Reiko closing in on Mana's lair.

Mana came close to Kuri, caressing her hair and sifting it through her fingers. "I have never seen this on anyone before. What do you call this?"

"Curls," Kuri hissed, frustrated at her lack of mobility and diluted powers.

Mana pouted. "It's too bad I can't have them. But I can't kill the Shikon no Tama. At least...not until I figure out how to get the jewel out of you."

She stroked Kuri's cheek and pressed with a nail until she winced as blood trickled down her cheek. Kuri cried out in pain.

xxx

"Watch out! There's hair all over the well, too!" Reiko said.

Inuyasha climbed out of the well. "Are you saying that this Mana with the combed Hair is after us?"

Reiko followed. "Yes. Look, she took Kuri, yet she still comes after us!"

"Hold it! Did you say she took it?!" Inuyasha said.

Reiko ignored and looked into the forest. "I can see several glowing strands of hair there. There's the main strand that's been bewitching the others. That means if we follow the main strand, we'll find Mana!" Reiko pointed in a direction. "That way!"

"Alright!" Inuyasha said.

Inuyasha leapt across a pond, piggybacking Reiko. They ran through a forest, and reached an campfire site. Corpses of warriors struck down with arrows surrounded a campfire.

"A bonfire…" Inuyasha said.

"Their heads are gone!" Reiko said.

Inuyasha let Reiko off his back and examined the corpses. "They're fallen warriors. They must've gotten tangled in the hair strands. Such bad luck." Inuyasha turned around to look at Reiko. "Stop looking so depressed! And don't start whining about wanting to go home."

Reiko picked up a bow and a quiver of arrows. "I…thought I'd borrow this! We must destroy Mana quickly or many innocent people will die."

Inuyasha looked at Reiko intently. They resumed their journey. Inuyasha hopped up a cliff surface, piggybacking Reiko.

"The arrows you shoot probably won't hit their targets." Inuyasha said.

"How rude! If I practice, maybe…!" Reiko said.

Inuyasha leapt onto a tree trunk. "Practice? Did you practice?"

"From now on! Just watch me! I'm going to improve!" Reiko was determined and clenched her fist.

Huh?! This girl… She's hopeless, but I gotta admit, she's gutsy. Inuyasha thought

"The main lines are gathering. She's close!" Reiko said.

Many strands of taut hair surrounded the trees in the forest. They tightened suddenly, slicing off the trunk that they were standing on. They leapt off. Bundles of hair surged towards them.

"They're coming!" Reiko said.

Inuyasha leapt into the air.

"From the left! The right, too!" Reiko said.

Inuyasha somersaulted. More bundles of hair appeared.

"Too many! Use your instincts to evade them!" Reiko said.

"Whhaa-?! What a useless woman! I thought you came to fight?!" Inuyasha said.

"There! Before you!" Reiko said.

Inuyasha leapt onto a rock. "The rear, too?!" Inuyasha leapt to another rock.

Inuyasha slid down a slope while piggybacking Kuri. A bundle of hair suddenly coiled around Inuyasha wrist and pulled him into the air. Reiko fell off and landed face down on the slope.

Reiko got up. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha was hoisted in the air among a web of hair which surrounded a giant sphere of hair.

Mana was carving a mark of blood into the cheek of Kuri.

Get your filthy hands off her!" Inuyasha yelled.

Mana laughed a little. "I knew you'd come running back if I hurt her. You want the Jewel to be a full demon, don't you?"

Kuri heard the growl in his voice as he ran forward to attack her. "Kuri!"

The sound of him saying her name and the knowledge that he had returned for her gave Kuri strength. The bonds slowly began to give way.

At that moment Reiko's arrow pierced Mana's nest. The mess of skulls and hair fell to the ground.

"You little bitch!" she yelled, pulling Reiko up in the same position Kuri was in. But somehow, Reiko wasn't cut as easily by the hair.

Inuyasha freed himself used his Blades of Blood to attack Mana. While they were fighting Kuri snapped herself free.

Kuri's mind slowly became sharper as she began to located the source of all the trouble. She ran forward and gripped the skull just as Mana went to attack Inuyasha again. She crushed the skull with my hands, snapping the comb inside.

"I-Inuyasha…" Kuri muttered, dropping to the ground and panting for air.

Reiko and Inuyasha were suddenly next to Kuri.

Mana's eyes cleared and she vanished into the trees.

Kuri walked off, pissed.

Xxx

Reiko shook her head at her sister as Kuri walked ahead of them.

"What the heck does she mean?" Inuyasha asked. "Why is she running off?"

"My sister's jealous," Reiko said simply. "And you're an idiot! Koibito!"

Inuyasha was forced to the ground.

Kiana chuckled.