The trip to Kagome's was uneventful.

They walked in the door of the house and Kagome immediately started yelling "MOM! We're back! And we have a visitor."

Kagome's mother rushed in and gave Kagome a hug. "It's sp good to see you home safe! We were starting to get worried about you! And who's your friend?" She stood up straight and finally looked at Rei. "Oh my…" She said with a hand slightly over her mouth. "You're Rei aren't you?"

Rei bowed slightly. "Yes ma'am."

Before Rei could straighten to her full height, she had been wrapped in a hug by the older woman. "I'm so glad to finally meet you! Come in! Come in! We've lots to talk about!" Her voice dropped to a mumble as she took Rei by the hand and started to drag her toward the dining room. "And I've lots to explain."

As the two women traveled down the hall, InuYasha looked at Kagome. "You're mom seems to be a little excited at meeting your twin…"

"Yeah… And I've got a few questions for her… like why she made me think she's my mother when my mother is apparently supposed to be dead………"

The family (Plus InuYasha) congregated around the dinig rook table.

"Hey Mom, who's the chick?" Kagome's little brother asked.

"Now Sota, be nice to your cousin."

"Cousin?!" Kagome squeaked, almost dropping her dumpling. "Ok…. Now back up a little but here…" She made small circular motions with her hands. "Rei's grandfather already explained to us that she and I are twins… So… does that then mean that you're my aunt?"

"Technically, yes… But I am still your mother."

"Hoooooow exactly does that work?"

"Simply. After my sister dies and your father dropped you off here… We legally adopted you. Not long after everything was final, your brother was born and my husband had his accident."

"Ok… you just answered a couple of questions at once. Thank you."

"You're welcome dear."

The rest of the snack passed in relative silence with a bit of small talk thrown into the mix from time to time.

Finally Kagome spoke up"….Mom…. we're going to take Rei to the feudal era if she can make it through the well."

"Are you sure that's a good idea dear? Wouldn't you rather just stay here for awhile and get to know your sister in a safe environment?"

"We would love to do that." InuYasha weaseled his way into the conversation. "But we have to go back to my time. It's a matter of great importance."

"Well… I guess as long as you bring my niece back in one piece so that I may get to know her as well, then I supposed I have no right to stand in your way."'

Rei sat quietly, shaking her head.

The three friends stood around the well that would take them back to the feudal era.

Rei stuck her head over the side wall of the well and looked down into it. "And what is this supposed to do exactly?"

"Well…" Kagome hesitated, knowing how odd she was about to sound. "You go down into the well and when you climb out you'll be in the feudal era."

Rei looked back into the well. "I guess I've seen stranger things." She straightened up to look at InuYasha. "You go first."

InuYasha sighed. He then climbed onto the wall of the well and dropped down into it. Rei listened intently but never heard him hit bottom.

"Is this some kind of bottomless pit?"

"No… There is a bottom… But once you hit it, you are no longer in this time period. Come on now. I already argued with InuYasha about not killing you. Why should I lead you into a trap after that?"

"You've got a point Sis." She took a deep breath. "Well, here goes I guess." She vaulted over the side and dropped down before she could think about it again.

She seemed to fall for at least two minutes before touching the ground but as her feet landed on the bottom of the well, a rope appeared in front of her.

She stared at it blankly for a moment before reaching out and tugging on it a few times. After determining that it was secure, she started using it to climb out of the well.

As she reached the top she was greeted by a brown haired boy with a large fluffy tail. She looked over at InuYasha who was holding the rope. "Who's the squirrel?"

The child floated in the air, waving his arms in fury. "I am not a squirrel! I'm a fox demon and for your information my name is Shippo!"

"Just hurry up and get out of there…. I can feel Kagome on the end of the rope." She popped her head over the edge a few minutes later.

"Kagome! Glad you're back!"

"Hey Shippo. Glad to be back. Where is everyone else?"

"They're back in town. Come on! Let's go!"

They were greeted at the village by a squat old woman with long grey hair and a cloth covering her right eye who was wearing the garb of a priestess.

"Kaede!" Kagome ran over to give the old woman a hug.

"No bag of stuff from the future this time Kagome?"

"Not this time. But I brought something more interesting. "She extended her hand toward Rei and pulled her over to stand in from of the old woman. "Kaede, this is my twin sister, Rei."

Kaede looked from one woman to the other a few times to finally settle on looking back at Kagome. "Why have ye not mentioned before that ye have a twin?"

"Because I didn't know until today myself. I sensed her while I was searching for jewel shards."

Kaede took a closer look at Rei. She gave Kaede a hesitant, "Hi."

"So this young lady possesses a jewel shard?"

"No, I don't think that she has a shard. I think that she has a second jewel."

"A second sacred jewel? That's impossible! Ye saw with ye own eyes at the village of the demon slayers how the sacred jewel was created. There is no way for that situation to be duplicated."

Sometime in the course of the conversation, InuYasha and Shippo had snuck off to join Miroku.

"Then maybe she has a jewel of similar power. I can sense it inside her. It sits in the same place that the Shikon Jewel was inside of me."

Kaede took a step closer to Rei and looked directly into her eyes. Rei stood her ground as the older woman seemed to reach into the depths of her soul with that searching look.

After a few moments, Kaede's eye widened and she took a step back/

"I-It's the Crimson Crystal."

Rei raised a brow. "The Crimson Crystal?"

"Yes. Even in this time it is an item of Legend, though the knowledge of the power it possesses has become lost to the generations."

Kagome raised a brow. "So how do we retrieve it without killing Rei?"

"To receive the information ye seek, ye will need to travel to the far north and visit the Sage of Ice Mountain."

Rei tilted her head to one side and raised a brow. "The Sage of Ice Mountain?" She looked at Kagome. "It almost sounds like a bad slasher movie."

Kagome chuckled softly.

"The Sage is not someone to be laughed at. He is the only surviving person that has any knowledge of the Crimson Crystal. He is the only one who can help ye in retrieving it."

Kagome pulled the jar of jewel shards out of her pocket and looked at them thoughtfully, then looked at Rei. "You up for an adventure?"