Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha
CHAPTER NINE - The Girl From the Other Side of the Well
Kagome and Inuyasha were sitting beside the fire, enjoying a rare, quiet moment. It didn't happen often but the children were all outside, practicing their sword fighting skills, and they had the house to themselves. They could sit back and just enjoy the silence, without having to listen to the three boys constantly fighting.
"This is nice," Kagome said softly, placing her hand on top of Inuyasha's.
Inuyasha nodded, in complete agreement with his wife. "We haven't had this much peace and quiet since we had children."
Suddenly their peaceful thoughts were interrupted by the shouts of the group of children they'd thought were far away from the house. Before Inuyasha and Kagome even had time to lament the fact that their words seemed to have doomed their peace and quiet Kyo and Karanosuke rushed into the hut carrying Suichi between them. Each boy gripped one of Suichi's arms, supporting the semi conscious boy between them. Suichi's eyes were partially open and he had blood dripping from a cut on his forehead.
Kagome jumped to her feet. "What happened?"
"We started out training but ended up in one big free for all," Kyo explained quickly. "Karan and I were fighting each other and Suichi was making fun of us when Kira and Kisa tackled him. He was knocked off balance by the attack and he tumbled down an embankment. That's how he received his injuries."
"I see," Kagome said. "Take him and lay him down."
Kyo and Karan nodded and took Suichi into the room that the three boys shared. They placed him down on the pallet of blankets and waited for Kagome.
When Kagome entered the room she wore a grim expression on her face. "Kyo, I need for you to do me a favor."
"What do you need Mother?" Kyo asked.
"I need for you to travel through the well and pick up some first aid supplies for me," Kagome said. "Between you boys and your father I seem to have exhausted my supply."
Kyo nodded and stood up. "I'll be back soon."
Kyo left the hut and quickly walked through the forest to the well. He donned a baseball cap that his mother had purchased for him and then jumped into the well. Kyo traveled through the well and landed at the bottom on the other side. He quickly leaped from the well and exited the well house.
When he exited the well house he ran into his uncle, his mother's brother Sota.
"Hello Kyo," Sota said. "What brings you here?"
"Mother sent me after first aid supplies," Kyo informed him. "She would have come herself but she had to stay and tend to Suichi."
"You guys go through more medical supplies than anyone I've ever seen," Sota commented.
Kyo nodded. "I know. Runs in the family."
"Oh Kyo," Sota said quietly, leaning closer to his nephew. "There are a couple of young ladies at the shrine today so be careful not to loose your hat or anything like that. Okay?"
"Sure," Kyo said. "I don't plan on hanging around anyway. I'm just gonna run to the store, grab the supplies that Mother asked for, and then I'm going home."
Sota nodded. "Well, I'll see you later kid."
Kyo nodded and walked toward the exit of the shrine. He left the shrine and walked to the drug store, picked up the supplies that his mother had told him to pick up and then he hurried back to the shrine.
As he entered the shrine Kyo gazed around, making sure that no one would see him enter the well house. He knew that if his Uncle Sota's friends saw him enter the well house and not exit they might become suspicious and that wouldn't be an easy thing to explain. Seeing no one, Kyo entered the well house and jumped inside the well.
A few minutes after Kyo jumped into the well, the door to the well house opened and a young girl entered. She gazed around, searching for the strange young boy that she had glimpsed from across the shrine.
"Where did that odd boy go?" the girl asked herself. "There's something about him that just doesn't seem quite human and yet I can't figure out what it is."
After a quick search of the small well house, which took only a matter of seconds, the girl came to stand in front of the well. "How did he do that? I know I saw him come in here and yet he isn't here. Where could he have gone?"
The girl stood next to the well, a thoughtful expression on her face, when she noticed two ropes going into the well. "What's up with that?" She glanced over the side of the well and saw that the two ropes were actually a ladder, leading down into the bottom of the well.
"Well this is weird," she said. "I wonder why they need a ladder leading into the well."
Curiosity overwhelmed her and she suddenly climbed over the edge of the well and began to descend the ladder. As she climbed down she felt this weird sensation that she was floating. After a few seconds she reached the bottom of the well and that's when she noticed that something was not right about the situation.
The bottom of the well was covered in vines and when she glanced up she saw blue sky and puffy white clouds. "What the heck is going on here?"
The girl glanced around the well and much to her dismay she discovered that there was no longer a ladder leading out of the well. "Well this is just great. Now how the heck am I gonna get out of here?"
The girl glanced around the inside of the well and examined the big vines that were growing in the well. "This may prove to be advantageous." She grabbed one of the largest vines and began to climb toward the top of the well.
"Darn," she groaned as she struggled to pull herself up the vines. "I really need to exercise more."
She finally reached the top of the well and was amazed at the scene that unfolded before her. The well house was gone, as were the shrine and the entire city of Tokyo.
"Okay," the girl said as she climbed out of the well. "This is seriously weirding me out. This is definitely not where I started out."
The young girl sat down on the edge of the well, in order to catch her breath after her struggle to climb up the vine, and thought about her situation. She now found herself in a strange place and she didn't know how she'd gotten there and more importantly she had no idea how to get back.
"I'm in big trouble," the girl mumbled to herself.
She sat on the edge of the well for a few minutes before deciding that this wasn't getting her anywhere. "Well, I suppose I should probably attempt to find some signs of life."
The girl jumped to her feet. "I suppose that path is a likely place to begin my search."
So the girl began to follow the path. She followed the path through the forest and eventually came upon a small village. The girl gazed at the village in utter amazement. "Where the heck am I? And for that matter, when?"
Suddenly the girl saw a young boy walking toward the village. The boy had the same silver hair as the one she'd been following at the shrine and to her amazement she saw that he had dog ears.
"Well that's not normal."
The girl ran up to the strange young boy and grabbed him by the sleeve. "Hey you. Can you tell me where exactly we are?"
The boy whirled to face the girl when he felt her touch and she immediately knew that he wasn't the same boy that she'd been following, although they did look eerily similar.
"Who the heck are you?" the girl exclaimed.
Karanosuke glared at this strange young girl. "I think that I should be the one asking that question."
"My name's Aiya," the girl told him.
"Okay," Karanosuke said. "So why are you here?"
"I have no idea," the girl called Aiya said. "I didn't exactly come here on purpose. I was following this boy, who looked a lot like you actually, when I found myself here, where ever the heck here is."
"Kyo," Karanosuke said.
"Huh?"
"That's who you were following," Karanosuke told her. "Although why you would want to follow him is beyond me. However if you really want to find him, I can tell you exactly where he is."
Aiya shook her head. "No thank you. I've lost interest in him. I was only following him because I sensed something different about him but now I've seen you and I KNOW you're not normal."
Karanosuke arched an eyebrow. "Thanks a lot."
"I didn't mean that in a bad way," Aiya said quickly.
"Whatever," Karanosuke said, shrugging. "I could care less what you think about me."
Karanosuke turned away from this strange newcomer and began to walk away. The girl quickly ran up and fell into step beside him.
"Exactly where the hell do you think you're going?"
"Where ever you're going," Aiya replies. "Because I don't even know where I am and I sure as heck don't wanna be alone." She gazed up at Karanosuke and saw one of his dog ears twitching.
Aiya had noticed his dog ears when she first saw him and now that the initial panic she had felt at having found herself in a strange place had worn off she found herself wondering what his ears felt like. She felt strangely compelled to touch one and without even thinking she raised her hand and grabbed one of his ears, her fingers gently caressing it's velvety softness.
"You have the cutest ears!"
"Get your hands off me!" Karanosuke growled in a low, threatening voice, beginning to lose patience with his unwanted companion. He jerked his head to one side, pulling his ear free from her grip. "Go the hell away. I'm getting tired of you."
Aiya stared defiantly at the boy. "Well that's just too damn bad. I have no intentions of going anywhere."
Karanosuke whirled around to face the young girl and cracked his knuckles. "If you don't go away and leave me the hell alone, you're going to regret ever meeting me."
Aiya's eyes grew large and round. "You wouldn't really hurt me, would you?"
"Try me," Karanosuke growled.
Aiya was somewhat frightened by Karanosuke's threat but she held her ground and refused to go away, after all she didn't know where she was or what was going on. Where could she go?
Karanosuke took a couple of steps toward her, his right hand held up menacingly, and a ray of light glinted off of his sharp claws.
Aiya noticed a menacing glint in the boy's amber eyes as he stared at her. Aiya wasn't sure whether or not this strange youth actually intended to harm her, however she couldn't stop her legs from shaking. She stared in horror as the boy took a few steps toward her and suddenly the pendant that she wore around her neck began to glow bright red.
The pendant that she wore was in the shape of a tiny red and white fan and had been passed down in Aiya's family for generations, however she did not know it's origins. All she knew was that the pendant had been passed down from mother to daughter in her family for generations.
As Aiya stared down at the glowing fan it suddenly broke from the chain that had held it around her neck and grew to several times it's original size. The large fan fell into Aiya's hands and she instinctively opened the fan and swung it toward Karanosuke. The movement of the fan caused a fierce wind to blow in the direction of Karanosuke and the boy was knocked off balance.
Karanosuke recovered his balance quickly but he did not attack. He stood and stared at the strange young girl, who's once dark eyes were now red. His sensitive nose picked up a new scent and he gasped. This girl had demon blood coursing through her veins. True it was merely a trace amount however it was definately there and yet she seemed not to know how to use her own powers.
After the attack Aiya held up the fan and stared at it, totally confused. The fan had once been a pendant that she'd worn on a chain around her neck and yet now it seemed to be some kind of weapon.
"This is so weird," Aiya muttered, examining the fan. "And yet, useful." She held up the fan and grinned at Karanosuke. "So, are you gonna behave yourself now or do I have to give you another dose?"
"Feh," Karanosuke said. "I saw the surprised look on your face girl. You don't even know how you did that."
Aiya flipped open the fan once more. "I can learn. And I know the perfect guinea pig for my experiments."
Karanosuke was about to threaten Aiya with bodily harm, when he suddenly felt someone grab him by the ear. He whirled around, jerking his ear free from Kyo's grip. "Knock it off Kyo-Kyo. What do you want anyway?"
"I came to find you," Kyo replied, chosing to completely ignore the annoyed tone in Karanosuke's voice. "Mother wanted to know what happened to you, so she sent me in search of you."
"Is that a fact?" Karanosuke said, feeling what little patience he had left slipping away. If these people didn't leave him alone he was going to cause serious, bodily harm to one or both of them.
Kyo nodded then suddenly noticed the young girl standing a few steps away from Karanosuke. "Who are you?"
"It's you," Aiya said, seeming not to have heard the question posed to her by the strange boy. "You're the reason I'm here."
"Huh?" Kyo said, a confused expression on his face.
"I followed you into the well house at the Higerashi shrine," Aiya told him. "And when I couldn't find you inside I climbed a ladder down into the well and the next thing I knew I was here. Where ever the heck here is."
Kyo had rid himself of the annoying baseball cap he'd worn to his mother's time as soon as he returned to the feudal era and his dog ears twitched as he listened to Aiya's ranting.
"You have dog ears too," Aiya said in surprise. "I knew you weren't human. But how did I know that?"
Kyo and Karanosuke were no longer listening to the young girl. They had heard all they needed to hear and they knew that the girl's presence in their time was a bad thing.
"Dammit," Kyo swore. "This isn't good."
"She followed you from your Mother's time didn't she?"
Kyo nodded. "But what I want to know is how she was able to travel through the well."
"You're such an idiot Kyo. Haven't you noticed the scent yet?" Karanosuke said. "The girl has trace amounts of demon blood."
"You're kidding?" Kyo said, staring at the strange girl.
Karanosuke shook his head. "We fought, sort of. And when she felt threatened by me this pendant that she wore around her neck suddenly transformed into a fan and with this fan she was able to harness the power of the wind and use it as an attack. During this attack her eyes turned red and I picked up the scent of her demon blood."
Aiya stared at the two boys in disbelief. "What the heck are you talking about? Demon blood? Me? I think you're crazy."
"We need to go and talk to Mother," Kyo said. "She'll know what to do. She always does."
Karanosuke nodded. He turned to the girl and grabbed her by the arm. "Come with us."
"Wait a minute," Aiya said, pulling her arm free of Karanosuke's grip. "First you didn't want me anywhere near you, you even went so far as to threaten to hurt me if I didn't go away, and now you're ordering me to come with you. There's something seriously wrong with this picture. I'm not sure I wanna come with you anymore."
"What!?"
"Calm down Karan." Kyo turned his attention to the young girl. "Listen, I don't know what Karanosuke said or did to upset you but I apologize for him. I think we can help you figure out how you got here and how to get back home. But in order to do that we have to go and speak to my Mother."
"You mean there's a way for me to get home?"
"I think so," Kyo said. "But we won't know for sure until we speak with my Mother. So please come with me."
Aiya thought about her situation for a few moments and then decided that she really didn't have any other choice except to follow these two strange boys. They had said that they might be able to help her and considering the fact that she had no other clues as to how exactly she could get home she decided to seek the help of this unknown woman.
"Fine," Aiya said finally. "I'll come with you."
Kyo turned to Karanosuke. "See Karan. A little diplomacy can do wonders."
"Shut up."
Aiya fell into step behind the two boys, who led her into the village. She followed them to a hut off to one side of the village, but hesitated when they walked inside.
"Come on," Kyo said. "No one inside will bite."
Karanosuke smiled evilly. "At least not to hard."
Aiya gulped and followed the two boys into the hut. As her eyes adjusted to the light she saw a man and a woman sitting around a fire. And to her great surprise she saw that the man also had dog ears.
"What exactly are these people?" she wondered to herself.
Kagome looked up at the sound of the group entering the hut and her gaze immediately focused on Aiya. "I see you brought a friend with you today."
"Not exactly," Karanosuke said. "We have a problem."
"What kind of problem?" Kagome asked.
Kyo spoke up, looking slightly sheepish. "This girl, Aiya, followed me through the well."
Kagome gasped and stared at the young girl. 'You came through the well?"
Aiya nodded.
"Amazing. So how exactly was she able to travel through the well?"
"She has demon blood," Inuyasha said.
"I wish people would quit saying that!" Aiya exclaimed, growing impatient with these strange people. "That's preposterous. I can't have demon blood."
"You can and you do," Inuyasha said. "You can deny it all you want but my nose picked up the scent of the demon blood as soon as you walked into the hut."
Aiya stared at the strange man.
"Don't sweat it," Kyo said. "Being part demon has it's perks."
"Speaking from personal experiences?"
Kyo nodded. "Dad, Karanosuke, Suichi and I all have demon blood. And for the most part, our demon blood is an asset. But there's something I don't understand. I saw you at the shrine and I couldn't detect your demon blood then. I wonder why that is."
"I think I can help you out with that one," Karanosuke said. "My guess is that she has only trace amounts of demon blood and it was awakened by our little fight. It was somehow triggered by that fan in her hand. She felt threatened by me and this caused the trace amount of demon blood to awaken and cause a transformation in that pendant she wore around her neck."
The group stared at the fan that Aiya still held in her hand.
"This thing did it?" Aiya stared at the fan, flipping it open.
Inuyasha and Kagome gasped when they saw the design on the red and white fan that Aiya held.
"It couldn't be." Inuyasha whispered under his breath.
"I think it is," Kagome said. "After all we never really discovered what happened to the incarnations after the final battle."
The children stared at the two adults, confused expressions on their faces. Neither of them had any idea what Kagome and Inuyasha were talking about.
"What is it?"
Kagome quickly smiled at her son. "It's nothing Kyo. Don't worry about it. So, Aiya was it?"
Aiya nodded.
"Well Aiya I think that it will be easy for you to return to your own time. Since you have demon blood, even though it's only a trace amount, you should be able to travel back through the well with no problem."
"Really?"
Kagome nodded, smiling softly at the girl. "Now that your demon blood has been awakened it should be fairly easy for you to travel through the well and return to your own era."
"That's wonderful," Aiya said. She stood up and bowed. "Thank you very much."
"Boys," Kagome said, her attention returning to Karanosuke and Kyo. "Why don't you escort Aiya back through the well. Make sure she gets there safely."
Karanosuke scowled and started to protest but Kyo grabbed him by the arm. "Come on Karan. None of your back talk now."
"Shut up," Karanosuke growled, however he allowed himself to be led from the hut by Kyo.
Aiya bowed again and fell into step behind the two boys.
Once the children were outside Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "So what exactly do you think is going on?"
"Apparently the incarnations weren't destroyed when we defeated Naraku," Inuyasha said. "This girl must be a descendant of Kagura. That's the only explanation that I can come up with."
"I agree," Kagome said. "So why do you think she appeared in this world?"
"She followed Kyo through the well," Inuyasha said. "She told us that much herself."
"I know that," Kagome said in an exasperated voice. "However I also know that there must be an important reason why she's here. Just like there was an important reason for me to be here."
"I think you're reading to much into this Kagome," Inuyasha said. "She's here because we didn't track down those filthy incarnations after we killed Naraku and one of them went off and had kids."
Aiya gasped as she listened to the words of these two strange adults. Their conversation had begun as soon as she'd exited the hut and she couldn't help but over hear their words. She didn't understand everything that they were talking about but it was obvious to her that they viewed this person she was supposedly descended from as evil. Someone that should have been tracked down and killed.
"Does this mean I'm evil too?"
"Hey Aiya," Kyo yelled from across the village. "What are you waiting for? Get a move on or you'll have to find your own way back to the well."
"Coming," Aiya called.
Kyo, Karanosuke and Aiya left the village and walked through the forest to the well that connected Aiya's world with Feudal Japan.
"Well," Kyo said when they reached the well. "This is your stop."
Aiya nodded. "So, now what?"
"Just jump into the well," Kyo said. "You should be transported back to your time."
"Are you sure?"
Kyo nodded.
"Okay. If you say so."
Aiya walked over to the well and, after taking a deep breath, she jumped in. Kyo and Karanosuke looked over the side of the well and saw that it was empty.
"It worked," Kyo said. "She's back in her own time now."
"Good riddance."
"That's not nice Karan."
"Feh."
A/N- and thus ends another chapter of Karan's story. Hope you enjoyed, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.