Chapter 3- The Well Allows Another Passage

"No! You can't leave me! Please don't leave Kagome!" Kenshin begged her a few days later as she prepared to go through to her time. He looked at her in fear, his eyes wide and beseeching.

"I have something I have to do, Kenshin. I promise to never leave you again if you'll just let me go this once, ok?" she asked, trying to reason with the distraught child. Inuyasha snorted.

Never leave him again, huh? What a joke. You always run back to your own time for those stupid 'test' things of yours. You can hardly make a promise like that. It would mean giving up your friends, your family, and those precious tests! he thought silently to himself as she tried to calm the child. Suddenly, her distressed gaze looked to him, begging him to do something, and for a moment it was as though he could read her thoughts.

Please, Inuyasha, I'm begging here! Take care of him until I come back, please! You're the only other person in this group that he'll trust! I know you hate me right now, but if I've ever done anything for you, please return the favor now!

He strode forward and picked the near-tears child up, holding him tightly. Kenshin's head shot up, his fearful garnet orbs showing even more distress that only lessened a very little bit when he noticed that it was Inuyasha. He looked back to Kagome, the tears welling up even further. She didn't want to see him cry, but… this was something that even Inuyasha would be proud of her for doing.

Kagome planted a quick kiss on his forehead and tweaked one of his ears, and then threw her silver-haired haninu a thankful glance before jumping down the well and disappearing into the multi-colored lights of the time portal. At this, Kenshin's tears began to fall. He huddled in closer to Inuyasha, his small hand fisting in the fire-rat haori. The small child's golden hair seemed to reflect his mood, for the normally bright metallic hue was now only a dull yellow that had no luminescence at all. The older boy's ears drooped.

"Inuyasha? Houshi-sama, Shippou and I are going back to the village, alright?" Sango asked quietly of the teen. Nodding vaguely, they took their leave. He walked silently to the Goshinboku and perched himself among the foliage, still holding the child tightly to his chest. The afternoon seemed to reflect his mood as well. Rain was misting softly, and thunder was rumbling in the distance, but they were safe beneath the leaves of the Sacred Tree. Kenshin's sobs softened after awhile to give way into occasional hiccups until his breathing calmed into a fitful slumber. Inuyasha couldn't help but stare at the child's face that remained contorted in sadness before he, too, drifted off into dreams and nightmares.

Kenshin awakened to find himself in a deeply-sleeping Inuyasha's lap. He was surprised for a moment, if not a touch scared, before he calmed himself down and slid surreptitiously from the elder half-dog's lap. His feet made only the softest of sounds as he jumped from the perch and made his way through the misting rain to the old Bone-Eater's well. Kagome had jumped in there, and no one had told him why, but he was going after her. No one was there to stop him.

He took a final glance around, and then leapt.

Tendrils of multi-colored lights reached up and greeted him, much to his surprise, and they pulled at him gently. The dimension was dark, save for the beautiful lights that seemed to flow about like threads, or small streams. Only moments later, though, he felt his feet touch the ground and watched as the walls of the well returned. It was a surprise to him when he looked up and could not see the trees or sky. And then… an absolutely revolting smell met his nose. He couldn't tell what it was, but it was making him want to hurl. (A/N: For those of you who can't guess, it's the city's carbon monoxide.)

He noticed the ladder against the wall, and he made use of it. The room above was dark with only a few wisps of violet and pink showing from the setting sun. He slid the door open and followed Kagome's scent. She had left in the morning, and it was sunset now; no wonder the trail was old. Her sweet ginger and sakura scent, though, was leading him towards a huge building not too far away. It was daunting, but he followed her trail despite his fears. He entered that door too, and a delicious scent of food met his nose, and his stomach growled. Needless to say… ahem… a detour was made. He followed it to a room in the place that was full of strange objects, and also in the room was a woman with a scent like Kagome's, but it wasn't her! Kenshin stepped through the door timidly.

"Excuse me-" he started, but was cut off when the woman turned around and gasped in surprise. She stared at him for a moment as he continued on, "but would you happen to know where Kagome is?" The woman continued to stare at him for a moment before walking forward, as someone in a daze, and petted his ear in soft wonderment.

He couldn't help himself as a light, pleasurable growl flowed from deep within his chest and he leaned into the caress. She rubbed harder. His thoughts, what was remaining of them, told him that she was awfully nice, and that whatever that substance was that she was cooking smelled like heaven.

"Tadaima!" he vaguely heard someone call over the doggie purr. But as soon as the dog-child had registered the tone, his eyes ripped open and his feet were swift as he searched after the woman who had saved his life. The strange lady that had given him such a wonderful, but quiet, welcome gasped as he ripped away from her and in the direction of Kagome's voice. He charged down the hallway quickly. She gasped the moment she saw him. "Kenshin! What are you doing here?"

"Please don't make me go back! I want to stay with you!" he begged her shamelessly. He wrapped his arms around her leg in a death-hold, and she nearly toppled over from him throwing off her balance.

"Kenshin…" she started, kneeling down to be eye-level with him, "I'm not mad at you for coming, I'm just… surprised that you were able to come at all!"

The boy looked at her curiously. If had been quite easy to follow her, so why was she so surprised? At that moment, the woman who had greeted him emerged from the room in which he had left her, and looked at Kagome in a questioning manner.

"Kagome? Who is he?" she asked gently. Kenshin glanced back at the woman, but still refused to let go of Kagome. His arms had since relocated to clasp her around her waist, and his small hands were balled up in her blouse tightly. She blushed.

"Mama, this is Kenshin."

AN: Yay for the fortune-telling bone-eater's well. REVIEW!