A/N: All right, here's the best I can come up with. Sessy's going to the future. He has to, for later in the story. hint, hint, wink, wink If you know what I have planned from that then you're a genius, or psychic. So, this is what you get for this chapter:

Chapter 3

The following afternoon the group arrived in Kaeda's village. Kagome rushed off as soon as they got there to speak with Kaeda alone. "Lady Kaeda," she called out, entering the old woman's hut, "We're back."

"Find any new shards?" asked the village shrine maiden. She was sitting by a flat rock and seemed to be preparing some sort of herbal medicine upon the rock. She paused in her task to speak with Kagome.

"Unfortunately, I didn't sense any jewel shards. We also haven't heard any rumors of Naraku's whereabouts. Lady Kaeda..." Kagome trailed of as if unsure how to continue.

"Yes? What do you need, Kagome?"

"Ah...um...well I wondering ...could you maybe...teach me to control my powers better..You know..Train me so that I can make barriers and heal people. Stuff like that."

Kaeda stood up from where she was working and walked over to Kagome, "Why the sudden need to train your powers?" she asked while looking deep into Kagome's eyes-she sensed something was up.

"I just want to become stronger that way Inuyasha doesn't always have to protect me." It was true. Kagome just failed to mention the bit about wanting to leave Inuyasha's company once she was strong enough. However, Kaeda must've not seen the trace of guilt in Kagome's eyes as she stopped critiquing Kagome's intentions and sat down of the floor, beckoning Kagome to sit in front of her facing her.

"Does this mean you'll teach me?" Kagome asked excitedly.

Kaeda nodded and said, "I'll teach you all that I know. My spiritual powers were never great enough to use what I learned as a child from Kikyo, but yours may be enough. It will still be hard work that requires lots of energy and lots of practice. Let's first begin by strengthening your spiritual senses..."

O0o.o0O

"I wonder why we're staying here so long," Sango told Miroku a week later.

"I also wonder that, and why Kagome keeps disappearing with Kaeda. It's rather mysterious," Miroku commented.

Shippo jumped up onto Sango's shoulder nodding, "Kagome usually just returns to her time when we come back here, but she hasn't even gone back yet."

"Bah, who cares?" growled Inuyasha, "Kagome just does what she wants anyway. Why should we worry about it?"

"I think Inuyasha's still mad at Kagome from that fight a while ago. Haven't they made up yet?" whispered Shippo.

"I don't think they have," said Miroku, "They've been avoiding each other for a very long time. Inuyasha should just learn to lighten up on Kagome. She just wants him to..." Miroku finished his sentence with a demonstration- he grabbed Sango's rear. SMACK! "Sango, come on. I was just demonstrating!" pleaded Miroku, his cheek still had Sango's hand print on it.

"Cool it, lecher. That's what you want, not what Kagome wants, or, for that matter, what I want." She gave Miroku a frosty glare. Miroku visibly shivered and Shippo hid behind Kirara.

"She's almost as scary as Kagome when she's angry," whispered the young fox demon.

"Speaking of Kagome, here she comes," announced Miroku, changing the subject quickly, Sango's anger subsided as Kagome approached.

The demon slayer gasped, "Kagome, you look exhausted!" There were deep black circles under Kagome's eyes, along with drooping eyelids. Kagome looked on the verge of passing out.

"Uh...I've been having trouble sleeping," lied Kagome. She was so tired because she had been training with Kaeda and meditating nearly all night and day for the entire week. But she had to make her training a crash course. She knew the group would be moving on soon and she wanted to keep the training a secret for now, until she was truly ready to leave. "Anyway, I'm going home for the night. I'll be back mid-morning tomorrow and we can continue our jewel shard search then.."

"Okay, Kagome. Make sure you get some sleep tonight. And can you bring me one of those sweet sticky things on a stick? Please, Kagome?" begged Shippo.

The little fox demon looked so cute with his puppy-eyed expression, Kagome grabbed him up into a hug. "Of course I will, Shippo!"

With that, she placed Shippo back onto the ground and took her leave, pausing only to pick up her bag, bow, and arrows. Inuyasha silently got up and followed her. Kagome didn't respond to his presence until she reached Inuyasha Forest.

She turned around and said, "Inuyasha, you don't have to come. I'll be fine by myself." She turned without giving him time to argue and began to trot off deeper into the woods. Inuyasha caught her arm, forcing her to face him.

"Kagome," he said almost tenderly, but it didn't quite overpower the rough quality of his speech. "I wanted to talk."

"Do you?" asked Kagome in an I-could-care-less manner.

Inuyasha nodded, a slight blush coming to his cheeks. He had expected Kagome to want to talk to him-she normally never shut up.

"What did you want to talk about?" asked Kagome, placing her hands on her hips and drumming her fingers on her sides after Inuyasha had released her from his grip.

"Er...well...You've just seemed distant lately. I was wondering what was wrong."

"Oh, so now that Inuyasha feels lonely because someone else is being distant towards him, he recognizes how painful it is. You see what you've been putting me through. Inuyasha, I gave you a decision to make. Me or Kikyo. We both know you didn't choose me!" Kagome started to walk off again.

"Kagome, wait! Don't leave yet!" He grabbed her wrist this time and swung her into his embrace. "I'm serious Kagome. I don't want to lose you." His lips started to move towards Kagome's. Kagome's breath caught in her chest. This is what she had wanted Inuyasha to do for so long, but right now, it felt so wrong. He didn't love her, he loved Kikyo. He was just trying to make her stay. "He always does something like this. He knows how to make you crawl back to him, Kagome. Don't believe he's sincere. He's controlling you," thought Kagome. Their lips were about to connect. She did the only thing she could and turned her head so that he could only kiss her cheek.

"Kagome?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha. You've waited too long. I don't love you anymore." Kagome tore herself from Inuyasha's grasp and starting walking towards the well.

Inuyasha just stared after her in shock. He had lost Kagome. "Kagome! Are you coming back?"

"Yes Inuyasha, but only for Sango's, Shippo's, and Miroku's sake. Not yours."

Inuyasha backed into a tree trunk and slid to the ground. For the third time in his adult life, he cried, tears falling silently down his cheeks.

"I don't think we should've followed them. That was a nasty break-up," whispered Miroku who was hiding behind some bushes next to Sango and Shippo.

"Kagome had every reason to. A girl can only wait so long for a guy," whispered Sango.

"At least she'll keep traveling with us," said Shippo, looking towards the sunny side of the two's argument.

"That's going to be awkward," both Miroku and Sango said.

They retreated from the crying figure without a noise. No need for Inuyasha to know that they had seen him crying.

Kagome hadn't shed a tear. She had been embracing the idea that she and Inuyasha would break-up for a while, that is, if you could break something that was never truly together. She had just reached the well and was peering into the thing that had started it all. She smiled when she felt a familiar presence behind her.

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd accuse you of stalking me," said Kagome, not even turning around.

"I see you took my advice and started to train your priestess powers." It was Sesshomaru..again, his cold and serious usual self.

Kagome turned around to face him, nodding, "Yes, Lady Kaeda was able to help me train my sensing powers. She also taught me the basics of healing and how to produce a barrier, though both those powers aren't very strong yet. I have to meditate to make them stronger and speak with stronger priestesses to learn more. But I can now sense demonic auras a lot better."

Sesshomaru appeared emotionless as always, yet there seemed to be a certain gleam in his eye- curiosity, maybe, "woman, why are you about to jump into that well?" He really wanted to know the secret to this well.

'Oh, I was just about to go home."

"You live in a well, woman?"

'No, I don't," a little outraged at the accusation, "and stop calling me 'woman' all the time! I have a name, you know. Or maybe you don't. We've never been properly introduced. I'm Kagome Higurashi." Kagome bowed to the demon lord, which Sesshomaru returned with the slightest of a nod. He had known the girl's name from his eavesdropping on her...no, eavesdropping on Inuyasha's group, not just her, he corrected himself. He hadn't called her by her name so far because then he'd have to admit to this eavesdropping.

"Tell me," Sesshomaru said, still as cold and serious as ever, "does everyone who lives in a well talk as much as you do? Or dress as strangely?"

Kagome stamped her foot in frustration, "I told you I don't live in a well. And someone here has to talk enough to make up for your silence. And hey! What's wrong with my clothes?"

"They make you look like a harlot," answered Sesshomaru calmly.

"How rude!" exclaimed Kagome with a blush, "This happens to be my school uniform!"

"Women are allowed to go to school in your village?"

"Not in my village, but in my time. I'm from the future, five centuries to be exact," Kagome explained, embarrassed because she knew he would think her crazy.

"And you live in a well in the future?" asked Sesshomaru. He was still expressionless, but Kagome had the feeling that this was his attempt at humor.

Kagome sighed deeply, tired of explaining the confusing concept. "I got it," she announced suddenly, "I'll just show you."

And with that, and without a second thought to the fact of whom she was doing it to, she grabbed Sesshomaru's hand and dragged him to the edge of the well and jumped in. Sesshomaru didn't resist and unconsciously gripped her hand tighter.

It was a weird sensation for the demon lord. He was both amazed and confused at the same time. He was amazed that he was being led to the future by this strange girl, but was confused at the fact that he had to admit he was enjoying the touch of her hand. He was grateful it was dark on the other side of the well, for he felt that unfamiliar heat come to his cheeks again. They must've been in a building, for it had been only late afternoon when they had left the feudal era.

Sesshomaru released Kagome's hand and jumped out of the well, Kagome climbing up behind him. He looked around- he was in a shed-like building. Kagome brushed passed him on her way to the door.

"You coming?" she asked as she opened the door. He began following her, taking his first steps in the future along side this human.

A/N: It's hard to be original when taking Sesshomaru to the future, so the next chaps gonna be a bit cliché. Again, that whole leftover refried beans deal.