Chapter 2

Rei landed off-balance in the past and wobbled slightly before catching herself. It was raining this time, she found as she scrambled out of the well. Standing in the downpour, looking into the forest, she realized that she had absolutely no idea what she was doing. She had no clue where she might find Sesshoumaru, who might be wandering in any number of places all across Japan, and she was getting more and more soaked by the minute.

At the moment, she decided, there was no better place to go than to Kaede's hut, if—she thought with trepidation—Kaede was still around. Rei fervently hoped she was. At any rate, it was the best she could come up with, and she wasted no time in tramping through the forest toward the village. Luckily, this time she knew where the village was.

Quickly, it became evident that the rain had made the forest floor muddy and extremely difficult and uncomfortable to walk through.

Ew, there's mud squishing in my shoes. She shivered. This was not warm spring rain. This was cold rainwater pouring down at a dull, constant rate. It was hard to see, and Rei squinted against the water running down her face. Her hair was drenched, streaming water down her shoulders. She tried to run, but the thick shrubbery impeded her path. There was no choice but to slowly and steadily work her way through the underbrush.

Ten minutes later, she found herself standing at the edge of the trees at the top of the hill, overlooking a sleepy, quiet village. Kaede's village. It looked unchanged for the most part. Perhaps a little bigger, a little more crowded, but still warmly familiar. Rei breathed a sigh of relief, happy that her memory had served her well. She was afraid that after three years, she would get lost.

She rushed haphazardly down the gentle slope and picked her way through the quaint huts until she came upon the one she looked for. She knocked on the old wooden door. Apprehensively, she waited to hear any sort of movement from inside.

Nothing. She knocked again, more anxiously this time. Still, she heard no sound in response. Nobody came to answer the door. Rei's heart sank. What am I supposed to do now? she wondered frantically. She looked around, hoping to see someone outside that she could question, but because of the downpour, not a soul wandered the streets.

Either way, she had to get inside, otherwise the exposure to the wet and cold would surely make her come down with a severe case of pneumonia. She noticed a hut slightly larger than Kaede's just to the left that she did not recall seeing last time she was here. It must've been newly built. Desperate, she decided to give it a try, having no better options. Hesitantly, she crept up to the door and glancing around nervously as if people were watching her. She knocked.

This time, she heard definite footsteps coming for the door. She couldn't decide whether to be relieved about this or not, before someone opened the door. It was a man with long, unrestrained black hair, a frown twisted on his features. Rei felt like she recognized him somehow, but her brain wasn't working well with her current state of discomfort, and she couldn't place her finger on it.

But Rei could see the cogs turning in the man's head as his face suddenly lit up and he said, "Rei? Is that you? What are you doing out here? It's raining outside, and you're completely wet!" If the face, framed in black hair, didn't trigger her memory, the voice definitely did.

"Inu-inuyasha!" she sputtered in surprise. "You're here!"

He snorted. "Of course I am. I—we—live here." He turned his head and called back nonchalantly, "Kagome! There's an old friend come to visit us!"

A girl Rei's age came to the door, no longer dressed in the scanty school uniform but traditional garb with an apron tied around her waist, her hair tied back smartly. "Rei!" Kagome said delightedly. "Come in, come in!" she gestured with fluttering hands. She slapped Inuyasha's arm reproachfully. "You let her stand in the rain? Look at her!"

Kagome ushered her in, sat her down, and began bustling around like an expert housewife to make her guest welcome. She brought in a set of her own clothes and a towel and pointed the way to the bathroom, and by the time Rei came out fully dressed, had a cup of hot tea waiting.

Rei sat quietly in her chair, sipping tea, trying to wrap her head around this young Kagome, who was still very much alive and happy in the past. It was an odd sensation, knowing that Rei had personally seen the ashes of her grandmother buried. But Kagome was here, smiling cheerfully in the corner, one arm draped casually over Inuyasha's shoulder. His temper seemed to have mellowed out. He was milder now, grinned easily and didn't raise his voice. They both seemed well suited to the peaceful home life.

It was strange. Both Rei and Kagome had aged three years. Rei no longer felt resentful and argumentative toward Inuyasha. Instead, she was civil to him, even friendly, glad to see him. They chatted pleasantly, the three of them, for a few minutes about trivial things. Kaede was simply on some excursion, Kagome explained, attending to a small child who was sick with fever. Yes, Inuyasha had built the house himself, a humble little place, but cozy. They had married soon after Rei left last time and had been living together blissfully ever since. Rei blushed and asked if there were children.

They laughed, but it was a laugh full of contentment and good cheer. "No," said Kagome, "but we hope they will come soon. I want a little boy. And Inuyasha here," she kissed his cheek, "wants a baby girl."

Rei tried to fight off the overwhelming sense of sadness at seeing the two of them so happy together. They fit snugly with each other, easily adopting the role of a married couple, like two puzzle pieces. This is the way it should be. But it wouldn't last. It couldn't last, could it? The image of Kagome's gravesite flashed across Rei's mind like a warning. She pushed it off impatiently, drinking in the sight of Kagome's rosy joy. This is the way it is now, she reminded herself.

"You came back," Kagome said, broaching the topic of Rei's sudden appearance at last. "We thought you never would. Is something the matter?"

Somehow, Rei found it impossible to say the real reason she had come back. It seemed too personal, and it seemed like admitting she had been living a lie for three years. "Nothing's the matter," she shrugged, "I missed everyone."

Inuyasha shook his head disbelievingly. "Rei, you disappeared for three years with not a single word to anyone, and now you just show up and say you missed us? I don't even believe that, and I especially don't believe that you missed me," he said with a crooked grin.

Kagome nodded her head sagely and said, "Did you change your mind, dear?" her matronly tone shining through, making Rei feel like a child again. As she sat there, trying to battle with her tongue, deciding or not whether to spill all, Kagome nodded sagely and stood up. "I think I'm going to brew up some more tea, and maybe look for something edible in the kitchen."

Now, it was Rei and Inuyasha sitting in the room, staring at each other awkwardly. "So," Rei ventured, "what's it like being human finally? Gotten used to it yet?"

He chuckled and said, "Almost. I feel like a weakling, and Kagome finds it hilarious. The first time I caught a cold, I panicked and thought I was going to die. But she has a stash of medicine from your time, and it works wonders. Being human is a lot more frustrating that I thought it would be, but I'm getting better at it." His face melted into a scowl. "But Tetsusaiga doesn't work now because I'm not half-demon anymore, and that is inconvenient." He sat back and looked resigned. "It's worth it though. This is all I could have ever wished for."

Rei couldn't help but giggle. It was funny, imagining Inuyasha trying to manage his new human body. But perhaps it was good for him, learning to work through things slowly, no longer having to prove anything.

"And the best part," he said, his expression softening, "is fitting in." He lifted his hands and shrugged with a grin. "I look the same as everyone else."

There was a tapping at the door. "I'll get it," Inuyasha volunteered. The door swung open to reveal a squat, short old woman, looking tired.

"Kaede!"

Kaede peered around Inuyasha, thoroughly surprised. "Child, what are you doing here?" Before she could say anything else, she found Rei's arms around her neck.

"Be careful," Inuyasha warned good-naturedly, "Old woman isn't what she used to be. Don't break her neck."

"What's all the commotion?" Kagome walked in, wiping her hands on her apron. "Oh! Wonderful. Everyone's here. I suppose it wouldn't be too early to start dinner. Want to give me a hand, Kaede?"

xXx

Kagome could really cook a meal. Everyone sat back, satisfied, having eaten their fill. Rei felt like she had never eaten so well in her life. She wondered fleetingly why Kagome didn't cook at home. She had no idea her grandmother even knew how to use a pot or pan, not to mention how to slice vegetables without taking her fingers off.

"So how have your three years back home been?" asked Kagome.

"Er, pretty good. You know, graduated from high school, attending the University of Tokyo."

Kagome smiled. "That's farther than I ever got. Sometimes," she said wistfully, "I wish I could have gone to college. I always thought I would, but…well, situations change."

Kaede cleared her throat. She looked so much different. Three years can really age a person, Rei thought sadly. Her hair was almost all white, and her wrinkles had deepened. Her movements were slower, her speech more restrained. But her eyes still sparkled with as much wisdom and life as ever. She spoke. "Rei, you still haven't told us why you've returned." She fixed her eyes on a cringing Rei skeptically. "You must have some concrete reason. Perhaps we can help."

Rei stared at her lap like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. "It's kind of complicated," she said in a small voice. It was amazing how she was nineteen now, but felt like she was still twelve and getting caught for something stupid. "I just—damn it—I realized that maybe I made a mistake when I went home last time."

"What mistake?" Inuyasha eyed her with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I miss Sesshoumaru." Her tongue stumbled in her mouth, and her face flushed crimson.

Everyone fell silent. "You do?" said Kagome, her face painful. "Rei, it's been three years."

"Better late than never, right?"

"Not exactly," said Inuyasha. He ran his hand through his hair and expelled a puff of air. "I was hoping this wasn't the reason you came back."

"I'm sorry, honey," Kagome said, reaching a comforting hand to touch Rei's arm.

What is going on? Rei felt panic rise through her throat thickly like bile. "Why? What happened?"

"Well," said Kagome as she tried to mask her sympathy in a cheering smile, but only succeeded in making it look like she was suffering from a toothache. "We haven't seen him at all since the day you left. He stomped back to Kaede's hut, didn't say a word, collected Rin and took off. That was it. He's never shown up since."

Suddenly, Rei felt extremely foolish.

"But that doesn't mean anything!" Kagome was quick to reassure, "I mean, he never was terribly fond of us. I don't think he would visit us no matter what. No, he's probably just avoiding us, keeping to himself these days."

Everyone around the table was staring intently at Rei, eying her apprehensively. Inuyasha especially looked like a curious mixture of being terrified and sick, clearly afraid that Rei would collapse into tears.

Luckily, she had no intention of doing such. She was angry and mortified at the same time. "But he's still around. Just nowhere to be found at the moment." Pausing, she took a deep, steadying breath. "Do you—do you think he might know that I'm here now? I mean, is it possible that he might…sense my presence?"

"To be honest," said Inuyasha, "it's pretty doubtful. Sesshoumaru has one hell of a nose, but even I don't believe that he can pick you out. And he most likely isn't looking to pick out your scent. Not to mention that humans in general have a bland, undistinguished scent, and the lot of them smell alike. Sorry, Rei. I don't know what to tell you."

The thick quietness in the little kitchen was unbearable, stifling.

"Well, that's that then, I guess!" Rei said brightly, trying desperately not to entirely fall apart. "It was nice seeing you all. I did miss you," she said with a true note of sincerity. "Now I can go back and know that it really is over." Her voice trembled on the last word.

At this, Inuyasha immediately jumped out of his chair. "Ah, uh, it was great seeing you too, I need to go. I do. Seriously." The one thing Inuyasha hated most in the whole world was seeing people cry and being in the unenviable position of having to offer comfort. He practically ran away.

Across the table, Kagome put her face in her hands. "I'm really, really sorry, Rei. If there was any way I can help, I would. Right now, I'm going to look for my cowardly husband, if you don't mind." She rose. "It's late now. We have room. You should stay the night," she added before walking out the room too.

Now, it was just two people in the room. Rei was fighting back tears, and it was another reason for her to be furious. She didn't like to cry; she hated it. What's more, she hated crying over Sesshoumaru, and she was doing it again, only this time, there wasn't even a valid reason for it. Sesshoumaru was gone, and Rei would never be able to find him. The story was over a long time ago, and I was too stupid to see it. My God, I was stupid. I was thinking like a hopeful, naïve sixteen-year-old, and here I am at nineteen, practically a woman. I shouldn't have let myself do this. I knew it. That one lapse of self-control, and the wounds have opened again.

Finally, Kaede scooted her chair over next to Rei's and put her arms around her. Rei was relieved at last to be able to hide her face in someone's shoulder. After a few moments, Kaede said softly, "Now you see, it is not so easy, is it? To rewind time? To fix a mistake?"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Rei muttered resentfully.

Kaede laughed. "No. It is supposed to make you wiser. Things will get better, you'll see. I know it is hard now, but one day, you'll go outside and the sun will be shining as wonderfully as ever. You will be surprised to see it, but it is always there. Even when you feel at your lowest."

"But that's just it. What if it never gets better? Last time, I thought it would, and three years didn't make it better. The pain was muted, dormant, but it was always ready to flare up again."

The old woman stroked her hair gently. "Sometimes, it takes longer than three years. But I admire your courage. Nobody can say you didn't try. You came back."

Rei could feel the hot tears soaking into Kaede's shirt. "Yes, and I was an idiot enough to think that things could be the same. That I could start over, and Sesshoumaru would be standing right by the well, waiting to take me back. You know, I always thought he would be in love with me forever. He wasn't. He moved on." She sniffled. "I'm glad. He's smarter than I am."

"Silly girl," said Kaede affectionately. "This is too much for one day. Go to sleep, child. Everything looks better in the morning. I promise."

xXx

The morning dawned gray and cloudy, and when Rei woke up, things did not look better. In fact, things looked a lot worse. She had rushed from the future leaving no logical explanation except a love-struck note scrawled hastily on a sheet of torn-out notebook paper. Then she as good as dove head first into the past, trekked at least twenty minutes in the muddy rain, imposed herself thoughtlessly into Kagome and Inuyasha's home, discovered that her entire plan was moot since her ex-flame was now tangibly more "ex" than "flame," and then cried herself out and passed out on the couch. And to top it all off, the new day had greeted her with the news that she definitely had a cold. She felt justified in putting yesterday on the top of her list of "Worst Days of My Life."

As such, she had absolutely no desire to eat breakfast. There were two kinds of people in the world. The first included people who tended to "eat their feelings" and binge whenever depression hit them. The second was people who had distinct sensations of nausea at the thought of eating when unhappy, and Rei placed herself solidly in that group. Plus, misery sucked the life out of her, making eating seem like an endeavor that took too much energy.

Rei made a conscious decision to avoid everyone for as long as possible. When she had gotten control of her raging, unstable emotions, she would say goodbye and go back home. For good.

She put on a set of clothes that Kagome had generously left out for her, she grabbed one of the swords hanging on the wall—she felt incredibly guilty about this, but even she was careful enough to know that it was foolhardy to wander about in the wilderness without some form of protection from bandits and demons—crept out of the house and escaped into the woods. The sky was a dull slate gray, but it showed no indications of rain today, for which Rei was grateful. This meant she could stay out for a while, clearing her mind.

She sat down and leaned against the trunk of a stately oak tree. It was peaceful. The clamor of the village in the mornings gave her a headache. Rei closed her eyes.

There was a rustle from a thick tangle of undergrowth nearby.

Her eyes snapped open, her adrenaline flooding through her veins. She stood up and unsheathed the sword, glad that she had thought to bring it with her.

The disturbance grew louder, and she could hear a disgruntled voice floating out from the bushes. It was definitely coming toward her.

--

A/N: You guys are fantastical, splendiforous, and altogether too good to be true. I was both surprised and ecstatic to see so many people show such interest in both "Fairytale" and this. When I get a review, it makes me want to get on Microsoft Word and write my heart out. Which is what I do, thus explaining why it is 3:00 in the morning but I feel utterly thrilled to have sacrificed sleep for the sake of the story. On a worse note, I've been having a minor flame problem lately, but I expect it to stay just the way it is: minor. Constructive criticism I love, but insults that aren't spelled correctly and don't make sense...not so much. None of this is obviously any of my loyal readers' fault, just some random creeps who stumble on by and maliciously leave comments because they have no self-esteem, and clearly no life. But I won't let a few stupid people get in the way of my appreciation for the whole. For everyone that has ever read or ever taken their time to write a review: You make this story happen. This chapter is dedicated to you all.