.Chapter Two

...

The sun had just begun to rise over feudal Japan, though the air still remained quite cool. The forest began to come alive with the many different creatures that dwelled within it. Morning had come a little too soon for the weary travelers. Nonetheless, they awoke and began a small fire to prepare breakfast with the various foods Kagome had brought from her time.

It was a fairly typical morning for the group. Kagome and Sango were delighted when they discovered a hot spring nearby and decided that they would soak for a while before heading out for the day. It had been several weeks since they had camped near a hot spring so the girls simply couldn't pass up the opportunity for a relaxing bath. Of course, it wasn't long until Inuyasha and Shippo had gotten into an argument over who would have the pleasure of eating the last bit of beef jerky. Unfortunately, both canine demons held a deep adoration for the taste of meat.

"No, that's mine Inuyasha, give it back!" Shippo squealed.

"No way ya little runt, I saw it first!"

"But Kagome said I could have it before you even saw it!"

"Heh, you think I give a hell what Kagome said? I saw it first so it's mine!" Inuyasha yelled followed by delivering a swift bop to the young demon's head. Shippo's eyes welled with tears from the throbbing pain.

"Now, now, play nice you two. Inuyasha, Shippo is just a child, why not let him have the treat?" Miroku reprimanded while sipping some tea.

"Screw that, I'm hungry as heck. And I do all the work around here anyways, I deserve it! Kagome has other stuff in there to eat right? The little pipsqueak can get somethin' outta there." Inuyasha was about to toss the meat into his mouth when a blur of orange and blue zipped past him and snatched the beef jerky away.

"Huh? What the…?" He blinked a few times, dumbfounded.

Shippo ran off into the forest like the Devil himself was at his heels, and indeed the Devil was. That Devil's name was Inuyasha. Miroku sighed; it was always the same with them.

"Well… since those two are occupied, I think that I should pay a visit to Kagome and Sango, just to ensure their well-being. After all, they are all alone in that hot spring and danger could be lurking anywhere. I best make sure they're okay" Miroku thought to himself with false sense of concern and a lecherous smirk plastered on his face. Setting down his cup of tea, he wandered off into the forest.

He carefully made his way through the bushes nestled around the hot spring where the two women chatted. Miroku, who was very careful not to make any noises, kneeled to the damp ground and peered through the bushes. His eyes widened slightly at what he saw.

Kagome was sitting in the water with her back to him but Sango stood facing him about waist deep, giving him a perfect view of her body. His jaw dropped slightly as he eyed her and took in every detail, every curve of her body. Sango had been washing her hair and laughing at something Kagome said but Miroku paid that no mind. He was enchanted by the display of sheer beauty before him. Her long raven hair cascaded down her shoulders as she ran her fingers through it. It tumbled around her supple breasts, framing them almost flawlessly. Miroku's eyes drifted downwards and lingered on her pink nipples that had become erect as a result of the cool breeze wafting around the area. He wanted so much to just take each of them and nibble on them tenderly…teasing, while softly caressing her in very secret places. If only Sango would let him, he would. Just the thought of it caused a throbbing beneath his robes. But unfortunately for him, Miroku's peep show didn't last very long.

"Kaaaagooooomeee!"

Shippo leaped out of the bushes and straight into Kagome's arms which instinctively wrapped around the little fox.

"Shippo, what's going on? What are you doing here?" Kagome eyed him curiously as he quickly gobbled up the beef jerky in his tiny hands.

"Inuyasha's coming!" he screamed with a mouth full of food. Neither of the women quite understood what he said until they saw a flash of red and white. Then they got a pretty damn good idea of where this was going. Their suspicions were only confirmed when they heard:

"Damn it Shippo! I'm gonna kill you!" Inuyasha came charging through the bushes in a blind rage but he didn't notice an uplifted tree root and he tripped. Shippo became frightened when he saw the hanyou so he leaped out of Kagome's arms, leaving Inuyasha to fall and land with his face planted right in between her breasts. It took Inuyasha a second to actually realize where he was and when he did, he blushed brightly. Kagome, who was taken aback by everything that just happened, shoved Inuyasha away from her and did the only thing she could think to do at the moment.

"INUYASHA, SIT BOY!"

"Arrgh!" Inuyasha couldn't have prepared himself for the amount of water he'd swallow when he sank to the bottom of the spring. He ranted on and on in his mind with all sorts of obscenities regarding the young kitsune and what he'd do to the little runt when he got his claws on him.

Miroku sighed. 'All good things must come to an end I suppose. Now I had best take my leave..'But what Miroku heard next caused him to freeze dead in his tracks.

"Oh hey there Miroku! Have you come to take a bath too?" Shippo piped happily, unknowingly giving Miroku a sure death sentence. The monk's eyes widened and he froze. Kagome and Sango turned venomous gazes towards the bushes where he hid. Just great, now the lustful monk had been spying on them too. Perfect.

'Thanks a lot Shippo; you seem to be putting everyone in awkward situations today'Well, Miroku decided that he had best try to redeem himself, though he had a pretty strong feeling he couldnt. He stood up from his spot in the bushes and was met by two very angry glares from Kagome and Sango, who had already covered their bodies and were out of the spring by now.

"Well Shippo, I figured that I should check up on Sango and Kagome, just to be sure they were okay and really, I didn't mean to-" He was cut short by a large rock that Sango had hurdled at his face, leaving a purple bruise under his eye and cheek.

"Ugh just save it you perverted monk" she spat out.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha who had just gotten over the subjugation spell and was shaking himself dry. "Inuyasha, what the hell is going on here? Why must you make it so difficult for me and Sango to enjoy a nice morning bath?"

"Hey! Don't blame me! Blame that little maggot over there that took my beef jerky and ran off with it!" Inuyasha bellowed. "If he didn't steal it from me in the first place then none of this would've ever happened! So there, it wasn't even my fault!" Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and glared back at Kagome with the same intensity as she did.

"Oh god, Inuyasha I can't believe you chased Shippo like that over a stupid piece of meat! He's just a kid, you should know better than that!" Kagome rubbed her temples. 'He can be so impossible to reason with, it's actually amazing what I have to put up with.'

"Hey! It's not even me you should be mad at! What about Miroku? He was the one spyin' on you guys the whole time! Not like I meant to barge in on your stupid bath!"

Miroku raised his hands in defense. "No, no, I assure you, I didn't-" He was cut off by the angry glares Kagome and Sango shot back at him. "Never mind…" he mumbled before he turned and headed back to camp.

Yes, indeed it was a typical morning for the jewel hunting group.

…

Naraku toyed with a small sack that sat in the palm of his hand, allowing the strings to dangle between his fingers. He smirked as he clutched it in his fist. It was just about time now. His plan would be well underway quite soon. In time, he would be rid of that wench, Kagome and her jewel seeing capabilities; Inuyasha and the others would be rendered helpless. "Takeo!"

Within seconds, a tall man clad in navy blue robes emerged from the shadows and bowed respectfully to Naraku. His silky jet black hair closely resembled that of his Master's, but was kept in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. His stoic pale grey eyes were kept trained to the floor as he bowed.

"Yes Naraku, what is it?" Naraku did not turn to face his newest incarnation but kept his eyes focused on Kanna's mirror.

"I think that it is about time I put my plan into action" he watched as the mirror revealed a very angry Kagome storming through the forest near Kaede's village, heading towards the well. A menacing smile played upon his lips. Naraku tossed the sack over his shoulder carelessly. His incarnation caught it easily and examined the sack for a moment before turning his attention back towards his master.

"You know exactly what to do with that Takeo."

"Yes Naraku." And with that, he dissolved into the dense shadows of the castle.

…

Inuyasha sat fuming as he had just lost yet another battle with Kagome. After the hot spring incident, she decided that she wanted to take a day or two to go home to "clear her head". Inuyasha of course didn't think she had a sensible reason for going home. She was just wasting precious time. 'I need to stock up on supplies for us anyways', she had said. Heh, well she was just looking for an excuse to run home. As usual. Inuyasha always hated when Kagome went back to her time. They lost precious jewel hunting time while they waiting around in Kaede's village for her to come back. So he was stuck hanging around with pretty much nothing to do, just his luck. Of course he had tried to stop Kagome but after a few snide and hurtful remarks from him, it didn't end quite well for him at all.

"Damn it Kagome, I don't have time for this."

…

"I can't believe that pig headed Inuyasha! Who does he think he is? He can't stop me from going home if I want to. 'Jewel shards', is that all he cares about?" Kagome ranted to no one in particular as she made her way towards the well. Even though she was angry, Kagome still couldn't help but still feel somewhat embarrassed by her and Inuyasha's encounter in the spring earlier that day. She wasn't even sure if she was more upset by the fact that Inuyasha had just seen her naked or if it was the way he tried to tell her what she could or couldn't do.

"Inuyasha's never seen me naked before, and come to think of it, no guy ever has. Yet he, of all people, had to be the one who ended up with a face full of my boobs…" she folded her arms to her chest as she blushed at the memory. "Oh gods, I wonder what he thinks about what happened? Is he as embarrassed about it as I am? If he is, he sure does as good job at hiding it. Well, it's probably nothing he hasn't seen before right? I mean, he was with Kikyo for a good while, maybe they…" Kagome stopped in mid-thought. Where did that thought come from? "Gah get it together Kagome! Let's not think about things like that!"

Before she knew it, Kagome had arrived at the well and with one quick motion, she leaped over the edge. She smiled as the familiar glow of the well's magic surrounded her; it was good to be home. She looked up to see the familiar wooden roof of the Higurashi shrine. Climbing the ladder, she hoisted herself over the rim and sighed in relief. She opened the sliding doors of the shrine that housed the well and revealed the world she knew all too well. It was about evening time in modern Japan as Kagome jogged towards her home. She knew her family would be having diner about this time so she hurried in to see if she could catch a bite to eat.

"Kagome you're back!" Kagome's mom got up from her spot on the couch and embraced her daughter. Kagome returned her hug, squeezing her mother tight. "Hey mom, I missed you. Where are grandpa and Souta?"

"Oh your brother is upstairs doing his homework and your grandfather just went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. We just finished dinner, but would you like me to make you something to eat?"

"Sure mom, but can you bring it to my room? I'm feeling super tired and I want to lay down for a while"

Kagome's mom smiled warmly. "Sure, I'll make your favorite for you" And with that she turned her back and headed towards the kitchen.

Kagome climbed up the stairs and took a left, towards her room. As she stepped inside, she tossed her bag down on the floor and collapsed on her bed immediately. She let out a heavy sigh. 'God, I never imagined my bed could feel so heavenly…So much better than sleeping on the cold, hard ground…' But then again, she actually didn't mind sleeping on the ground one bit if it meant she'd be surrounded by her friends from the feudal era, especially Inuyasha.

'Ugh, why would I be thinking about that jerk right now?'Kagome sighed again as she rolled over onto her back to stare at the ceiling above her, the events of that morning still replaying in her mind. She couldn't help but blush at how close Inuyasha had gotten to her. "Oh gods that was so embarrassing! I can't even get over it!" Kagome shouted to no one in particular.

Kagome's mom stepped in with a tray in her hands. "Honey, are you alright? I heard you saying something just now." Kagome looked over to her mom as she placed the tray on her desk. "No, just talking to myself, that's all. Thanks for the dinner, mom" Kagome's mother smiled, nodded and left the room.

She sat up and went over to her desk to enjoy her warm meal. She noticed one of her textbooks sitting on the desk and her thoughts instantly drifted to her abandoned schoolwork. 'I've been so occupied with collecting jewel shards lately, I'm sure I'm starting to fail in school again. At this rate, I might have to drop out…but it's my senior year. If I drop out now, what sort of future would I have? I certainly won't stay in the feudal era; I won't have any reason to…"

Kagome needed to face the reality that after they defeated Naraku, there wouldn't be any real reason for her to stay in feudal Japan anymore. Miroku and Sango would probably settle down together. Inuyasha and Kikyo…well of course they would settle down together too if there was a way to provide a living body for her. And she knew Inuyasha would move mountains to find a way to do that for Kikyo. She knew Inuyasha didn't love her the way she loved him. She guessed that he may love her as a friend...but that was not the way that Kagome loved him. Kagome loved him with everything she had within her; but he loved Kikyo and would therefore choose to be with her in the end. She had come to accept that a long time and had decided to remain at his side regardless. How could she possibly compare to Kikyo anyways? It was so overbearing to think about all these things at once so instead she decided: Tomorrow, she would go to school and try to salvage her grades…and her future.

…

A figure watched the girl climb into the well from the shadows of the surrounding forest. She was rather pretty, he thought absently. Though, he was quite surprised that she couldn't detect his presence, given her spiritual abilities. His master had done a fine job in giving him the ability to disguise himself so thoroughly. Now that the girl was gone, Takeo emerged from the shadows and approached the well silently. His long, navy blue robes trailed behind him as he moved gracefully across the grass towards the lip of the well. Reaching into his clothing, he revealed a small sack and began undoing the strings that kept it closed.

Once open, he emptied its contents over the rim over the well. A purple powder tumbled out of the sack and scattered all around the well before dissipating. The demon then stretched both of his clawed hands out over the well and chanted an incantation. A lavender glow surrounded The Bone Eater's Well and as quickly as it came, it was gone. He peered down into the well to ensure that his job was done. He could sense that the well's primordial energy had faded and he knew immediately that he had done well. Perfect. Naraku would definitely be pleased.

…

Kagome was met almost immediately by her three friends Eri, Yuki and Ayumi in the school yard the following morning. They excitedly ran to greet her. "Kagome!" they all chimed in unison. Kagome gave them a warm smile and hugged each of them.

"Oh Kagome, your grandfather told us all about your terrible case of leprosy! You poor girl, are you feeling okay? We've really missed you a lot ya know!" Ayumi asked in concern as they walked with Kagome towards the main building. She gave a wry smile. 'Oh boy, leprosy? Yeah, thanks for turning me into a leper grandpa.'

"Oh uh yea, I went to see this amazing doctor. He, uh, prescribed something that really did the trick!" Was Kagome's terrible lie.

"That's wonderful Kagome! Come on, we have so much to tell you before school starts!" And with that, she was dragged off by her three overenthusiastic friends.

School that day was stressful. Kagome had no idea that she had missed out on so much material. By the end of the day, her bag was overflowing with textbooks and assignments she'd need to complete in order to have a chance at graduating this year. She had no idea how she'd ever be able to catch up on all this work if she'd be heading back through the well in a few days. Kagome could feel a massive headache coming on at the thought of tackling the pile of assignments she needed to do. She had been in countless battles against some of the most deadly demons in all of feudal Japan, but high school was definitely fiercer than any demon she'd ever faced. How would she ever make it through this battle?

The sun began to set before she approached the steps that led up to the Higurashi shrine and began the tiring trek up them. When she finally arrived at her home, she could already smell the diner her mother was preparing. If there was one thing she could always look forward to, it was her mother's cooking. Kagome had really enjoyed diner that night. It had been a while since she had gotten the chance to spend time with her family and just chat like they used to do before she began jewel hunting. After clearing her plate, she reluctantly headed up to her room to tackle the mountain of school work waiting for her.

…

Kagome crammed and jammed several packs of ramen noodles into her large yellow backpack. After a few more minutes of stuffing, she was finally able to close the top of her bag. Next, she packed a small pack of brand new coloring crayons for Shippo and some body wash and shampoo for her and Sango. She stood up and inspected the overstuffed bag closely. Deciding that she was pleased with it, she hoisted it up over her shoulder and jogged down the stairs, and into the kitchen where her mom was washing a few dishes. Kagome gave her a kiss on the cheek and hugged her grandfather, who was sitting at the kitchen table reading the morning newspaper.

"Alright, I'll see you guys whenever, I'm off!"

"Already Kagome? You just got here two days ago; must you leave again so soon?" She knew her mom worried about her all the time like all mothers tend do, but her mom actually had a really good reason to worry indeed.

"I know mom but Inuyasha and the others are probably a bit irritable because we've taken a break from shard hunting. So I gotta get back as soon as I can"

Kagome's mother understood that perfectly. "Alright dear, just be safe"

Kagome opened the sliding doors of the Higurashi shrine. She took one last look behind her at the home before walking into the shrine and closing the doors behind her.

"Well, here I go" she climbed over the rim of the well and leaped into the darkness. Kagome waited for the familiar soft light to surround her, but it never came. Instead, her body collided with cold earth rather ungracefully. Her eyes widened as she realized she hadn't been whisked away to another time. She looked up to see the roof of the shrine still above her head.

'What's going on? This is…odd. Maybe I should try again' She climbed out of the well and repeated the process only to collide with the earth again. She couldn't travel back to the feudal era? Something was definitely wrong.

…