A/N: I do not own neither Inuyasha or Goblin: the Lonely and Great God

Chapter One

It did not take much for Kagome to fall into a residual schedule of repetition. In fact, it took her much much shorter than she had expected. Every morning she awoke, stumbled off the edge of her bed, tried to forget the feeling of what waking up to the touch of grass beneath her feet felt like, and wandered to the bathroom to wash up for the day. She would dress herself, eat the food her mother prepared for breakfast, and the head out for school with all her friends. It was so provincial, it physically hurt her.

Pavement.

Cars.

The high glassy buildings that so well defined Tokyo-and not Edo.

These things that used to interest her, that used to make her feel as though everything in the world was fine and dandy because the world was developed, it all felt like some sort of lie now. She had seen the world in a new light. She had loved that world too.

But now it was gone from her.

Two years ago, the Bone-Eater's Well had sealed when she made the wish on the Shikon, a wish for that damned piece of crystal to be destroyed from the earth forever. And with the very reason she traveled five hundred years into the past gone, it seemed as though the streams of time no longer had need for her there. Everyone, everyone she cared for, she hadn't been able to give a farewell...she could still see Inuyasha's face as he was pulled away from her, pushed away by the well's magic back to the time in which he belonged. It was so unfair.

So, so unfair.

"Kagome, it's almost time for school, sweetie!" her mother's voice lilted up the stairs from the kitchen and into her room.

A soft sigh of frustration escaped the miko's lips and she winced. Every day it became a little more difficult to find a reason to continue her never ending cycle of wake-school-home-sleep. She just wanted to stay beneath the sheets, enjoy the warmth and comfort that they had to offer...surely that could not have been too much to ask at least that.

"Kagome?" Her mother's voice, just as sweet but if anything a little more firm. "Are you up dear?"

For a moment, Kagome closed her eyes, and returned to the world of Edo, Japan. Trees danced in the wind, and a song of youkai played a haunting tune. Her friends wave at her from a hilltop that overlooked the well, and they called out to her. Inuyasha leapt into the air, a smile on his face to meet his best friend. Shippou even followed him, his little kitsune feet eagerly flying over the ground to meet her. Both Sango and Miroku waited patiently, amused smiles on their faces as they watched on with almost parent-like expressions. As she was greeted by her loved ones, the familiar youki of another Inu, a dragon, and an imp brushed against her reiki and told her that she most certainly was in the Sengoku period—Sesshomaru watching his western lands with care.

The silence that hung in her room only lasted a moment before she opened her eyes and sat up, her palm resting against her forehead.

"Yes mama, I'm up," she called back.

And her schedule thus began.

By the time she rushed down the stairs, tugging her blazer over her sweater in a most unceremonious manner, Mrs. Higurashi already held a bento box neatly wrapped and stood by the door patiently. Giving her mother a sheepish look, Kagome walked over to the door and slipped on her school shoes, shouldering her backpack before reaching for her lunch.

"Packed you a little extra something, since you didn't make it in time for breakfast," the older woman smiled gently and placed a light kiss on her daughter's cheek. "You know what they say, breakfast is the most important meal of any day."

"You don't think that's just silly nonsense, do you, mama?" Kagome laughed, her head shaking as she took her meal.

"I just want you to do the best you can dear, so if breakfast helps, breakfast it is." Mrs. Higurashi tilted her head and placed her finger on her cheek. "Oh dear, I just remembered, do you mind picking up Sota from school this afternoon? He said he wanted to go shopping for that little girl he likes so. Will you go with him? Pick up some groceries for me while you're out, the fridge is running awfully low."

With a small, loving sigh, Kagome could not help but nod and return her mother's kiss on the cheek. "Of course, mama."

"Excellent."

With a wave goodbye and a rush out the door, the miko set out on her way. Her legs ran as fast as they could down the stairs—skipping a step every now and then to gain a bit more speed. When she sped away like such, if she pretended, it almost felt like she and her hanyou were hurrying through the forest. And while it was more the concrete jungle than the Inuyasha Forest she so loved, it was still such. That thought alone made her day that much more bearable.

Cars zoomed along on the street parallel to the sidewalk, students and ordinary work folk walked alongside with her-the mundane start of her day began. Chatter and squabble surrounded her ears, and honking and ignition to car engines did too. Her head tilted down and she once again tried to remember the serene quiet of the Edo period.

She started, suddenly, her reiki flaring violent for a moment. Youki brushed past her in a rough, coarse manner, as if the owner of the aura did not realize she was there. Her eyes frantically searched the area, swearing she saw the disappearance a figure with white hair disappear into a book shop. Immediately Kagome swerved off track and rushed into the store, looking around for any sign. The desk clerk looked at her in confusion, and when the girl blinked and realized she must have been imagining things, she offered a quick apology and stepped out of the shop. A person may be easy to mistake, but she could have sworn she felt a demonic energy—and that was much harder to feign. When she began to truly question what had left her miko powers in such disarray, the first school bell echoed from four blocks ahead. All thought on the matter dropped as she took off and raced toward school, white hair and demon might momentarily forgotten.

A/N: At this point it's been so long since I've written fanfiction, it's a little bit difficult for me to get back into the swing of things (adapting character personalities and the like) so please have patience on this little college student3

As always, takk fyrir, my lovelies!

feel free to leave review! they make me happy:)