Chapter Four:

While Kagome was busy taking the longest and most satisfying bath she'd ever had in her entire life, her family gathered in the dining room to discuss the matter. They were of varying opinions, to say the least.

'Come now, don't tell me you believe her story?' asked Mom.

'But it is true,' said Sota 'Kagome fell down the well and then a monster came up and kidnapped her!'

'There is a legend regarding the bone eaters well,' said Grandpa thoughtfully. 'since ancient days, whatever's inside has consumed the corpses of monsters. But what if the continuum of time space itself is disrupted.' He arose in a sudden and new resolve, his heart determined to find a solution. Sota and his daughter looked at him in a new light, while Buyo yawned to one side.

Grandpa grabbed a number of boards and nails, and began boarding up the old well. He then set many arcane seals and wards upon it. Then he smiled. 'That'll stop ya!' he said, before making his way back.

At the dinner table, Kagome was blow drying her hair with a look of pure bliss. Then she processed what her Grandfather had said. 'You closed it off?' she asked.

'Yes,' said Grandfather 'we needn't worry about any more visitors from there.' He raised his tea cup to his lips. 'I used special spirit wards just in case.'

Kagome felt a surge of disappointment somehow at those words. It hadn't been a pleasant experience, but at the same time it had filled her heart with resolve. She'd felt like she really mattered for once in her life, that she was more than just a schoolgirl. Only now that it was over did she realize that she hadn't found it entirely bad.

Inuyasha surged through the trees, halting every so often to sniff the ground for Kagome's scent. It was like Kikyo's but without the oceans of demon blood that he had come to associate with Kikyo. He hadn't noticed it at first because they were so similar. 'Ah, its her alright,' he said to himself. 'I'd know her anywhere.'

He stood and approached the old well which stood abandoned and examined it. Her scent was everywhere, and he whistled despite himself. 'She did it, she went back to her own world.' He looked deep into the Bone Eaters well. 'Through here was it?' And with that he leaped down into it.

Later Kagome lounged upon pleasant pillows, taking in the soft sensation with a breathless sigh. 'Ah, its so good to be home in my own bed…' She paused, as everything she had experienced now seemed like a dream. 'Was I really there? In that weird feudal Japan?'

Her mind returned to the shattering of the sacred jewel, of Kaede's words, setting her upon a mythic quest. It had seemed so utterly foreign, happening so quickly that Kagome scarcely had time to think about anything. Back then all she could think about was getting home. Now all she could think about was the place she had left.

'And what about that girl?' Kagome asked of Buyo. 'The one with the hair? What did she want? Duh, the jewel of course!' She pulled herself to her knees. 'What if she won't give it back? I can already hear Inuyasha.'

'I never asked for your help, go home.' said her mental projection of Inuyasha. 'You only slow me down anyway.'

'Oh,' she said 'thats right. What am I worrying about him for?' She slapped her hands together. 'Thats it then, chapter closed. As far as I'm concerned it was just a fairytale.'

'Kagome!' called her Mother 'Its dinner time! Plus your friends on the phone!'

'Coming!' cried Kagome happily, before rushing downstairs. No more adventures. She wouldn't ever have to go back!

As they waited for Kagome, Sota looked to Grandfather in concern. 'Granpa, those wards will stay on, right?'

'Of course they will,' said Grandfather 'have a little faith, will you? If there is one thing I know its spirits.'

'Ah!' cried Kagome as she sat down. 'Real food! Real food! Real food! Real food!'

'I'll defend you to my last breath, Kagome.' said Granfather 'So don't you worry.'

'Real food! Real food! Real food! Real food!'

'I don't think she heard you.' said Sota.

Grandpa tried not to break into tears.

'Ah, what a wonderful time to be alive.' thought Kagome, snatching up her chopsticks. 'Ah, I can't wait to-'

The door behind her slid open and Inuyasha walked into the dining room. There was a long, awkward silence as everyone stared at the half demon, who met their gaze with his own. Kagome finished her bite quickly and looked up nervously. 'In… Inuyasha…?'

'Idiot!' snapped Inuyasha 'Who told you you could go home!'

'Well you did…' began Kagome.

'Irrelevant,' said Inuyasha.

'How did you-'

'I came through the well.' said Inuyasha.

'The well…' said Kagome 'but the well is-'

'You lie!' cried Granfather 'I made those spirit wards myself! There is no way you could have-'

'Well I hate to break it to you,' said Inuyasha 'but these things don't work on high ranking demons, let alone high ranking half demons.' Then he grabbed Kagome by the arm. 'Come on you, we're leaving!'

'No!' cried Kagome 'And you can't make me!'

'Stay right there!' cried Ms Higurashi and they stopped.

'Now what?' asked Inuyasha as he looked up to see her approaching.

'Mom I…' began Kagome, before Ms Higurashi reached forward and took hold of Inuyasha's ears.

'Your ears,' said Ms Higurashi 'are they real?'

'Me next! Me next!' cried Sota.

'Erm, Mom,' said Kagome 'thats not really cool… well I did it too but…' Then she heard a sound like nails on a chalkboard, and looked up to see a thread of hair on Inuyasha's shoulder. 'Inuyasha do you see that?'

'I don't see nothing.' said Inuyasha.

'A hair, on your shoulder see.' said Kagome, before taking hold of it. Suddenly the hair constricted around her hand, and hurt her. Blood dripped down from her hand as she quickly pulled it off. 'It moved…'

'Kagome, your hand!' said Grandpa 'What is it?'

'Its here!' cried Kagome raising the hair. Yet no one could see it. 'Only I can see it!' She realized. Yet seeing alone wasn't enough. 'That girl with the hair, Yura! Oh no!'

She turned and raced out the door and back to the shrine, opening it and looking down at the well. Within many tendrils of hair were wavering, and groping around the shrine walls. 'Hair! Lots and lots of it!'

'The old crone was right.' said Inuyasha 'You do have the sight.'

'You did it!' snapped Kagome 'The hair followed you so it came here!'

'Kagome, are you okay?' cried her Grandfather, and he her mother and Sota arrived.

'Don't come in!' said Kagome, before shutting the door.

Even as she did so the hair surged forward, and Kagome stepped aside to see the hair crash against the wall. It then went for Inuyasha. 'In front of you!' cried Kagome.

'Where?' asked Inuyasha 'Here?!' And he slashed with one claw. Yet the hair pulled away before he could slash it. His ears twitched as the hair turned and went after him again, and he leaped away just in time. Yet the hair followed him and grabbed him by his legs and one arm.

'Open the door now!' cried Grandfather.

'Kagome!' cried her Mother.

Inuyasha lashed out, tearing through the hair with his claws. Yet when it fell, it arose and reformed again. 'It regrows even when cut!' she cried from the doorway. 'Plus there is so much of it!'

A dark vortex of hair formed and gripped Inuyasha by the arm. A thought suddenly occurred to Kagome as she looked at the well. There was a single thread of hair stretching out of the well, gleaming there. 'Thats it…' she said 'that one strand of hair controls it all!' She stepped forward and pointed to it. 'Here, do you see it! Come this way! Cut this one!'

'Which one?!' asked Inuyasha as he flailed. 'This one?!'

'Inuyasha can't see it,' she realized aloud. 'I'll have to help.' She gripped the hair in her hands and pulled it down, wincing at the noise it made. 'Like this!'

'I see it!' cried Inuyasha, before slashing with one claw.

Instantly the hair slackened and fell limp upon the floor, before decaying to dust.

'It pulled back in.' said Inuyasha.

'Thats not good,' thought Kagome as she nursed her hands. 'Yura's already got my part of the jewel. So why did she do this? Unless its me and Inuyasha she's after.' For the sake of her family, she had to deal with this. 'Lets go, right now.'

'But I thought you didn't want to go back?' asked Inuyasha.

'I don't,' said Kagome 'but I have to. Mom, Granpa, Sota, if I stay they'll be in danger.' Suddenly something warm and heavy was set over her head and shoulders and she looked up to see Inuyasha had set a red cloak around her. Now he was wearing a white undershirt in place of the upper part of his robe.

'Its made from hair of the fire rat,' said Inuyasha 'you'll have some protection at least.'

'Thank you.' said Kagome despite herself. She was afraid, terribly afraid, but she was going to go anyway.

'Yeah well, if you weren't so weird looking you wouldn't even need it.' said Inuyasha,

'You should talk, dog boy!' snapped Kagome, as Inuyasha leaped to stand atop the well.

'Yeah, yeah whatever,' he said 'you ready?'

'Mmmhmm,' said Kagome. Then she realized she had to step forward. It was the biggest decision Kagome had ever made there and then, and she'd be lying if she said she made it lightly. Whatever happened afterwards, Kagome would later reflect that she fought the real battle in that little shrine, safe and far from danger, but choosing to go into danger. The protect her family. She took her place by Inuyasha's side.

Together they descended into the darkness, and back out into the Feudal Era.

From where she was lounging atop a bed of skulls, Yura reflected how much fun sending that hair after them had been. She could have probably have taken them both out by going straight for Kagome, but it had been fun she was after. She'd already decided that she'd rather cut Inuyasha to tiny pieces herself.

'They'll be back any minute.' she said 'Only we won't let them run away this time will we?'

The crescent moon loomed overhead, as Kaede stared upon it, well hidden and alone. She only hoped that it was not too well hidden, for she had been here for hours now. 'Hear me, Inuyasha. Kagome is truly Kikyo reborn, but that will aid ye but little if she knows not her own power! Help her, Inuyasha, to find herself.

Ye need Kagome, as Kagome needs ye. Forget ye differences, and be as one.' There was a long silence. 'I'm very lonely.' realized Kaede suddenly.

As they scaled up the well, Kagome kept her eyes out. 'Be careful,' she said 'there is hair in here too.'

'So what you're saying,' said Inuyasha as he emerged over the top. 'is that what Yura is really after is just us. That is not surprising.'

'Well duh,' said Kagome 'why else if she already has my piece of the sacred jewel?'

'Your piece of the… not again?!'

Kagome looked into the forest, gazing intently. 'I can see a lot of hair in there, but all we have to worry about is the main one. If we follow it, it'll lead straight to the source.' She pointed. 'There!'

Kagome got onto Inuyasha's back, and he leaped through the trees, and up a hill until suddenly he came within sight of a light. 'A bonfire,' he realized as he approached.

Yet as they drew closer they realized that those who had been enjoying it were dead. They had been shot with arrows, or hung from trees. And they were all headless.

'Where are their heads?' asked Kagome, horror in her tone.

Inuyasha stood with a sigh. 'Their guys from the village. From the looks of things their tops came clean off.'

Kagome realized that the outfit of one of the bodies was the same one of the hunter she had borrowed a bow and arrow from. She looked in shock, for she realized he was dead. He had ceased to be, he was no more.

'Yet another half a dozen corpses in my wake.' said Inuyasha 'Nothing new about that. Lets go. Or is this the part where you want to go home?'

It almost was. But Kagome found she could not abandon the course now that she had set out. It wasn't in her nature. 'Actually,' she picked up a bow and arrow. The same bow and arrows she had borrowed before. 'I thought I'd borrow these.' If Yura wasn't stopped now, even more would die. A grim determination was now growing within Kagome, to see the task through to its finish. No matter the cost.

Their eyes met, in silent acknowledgement of her decision.

As Inuyasha bound up into the hills with Kagome on his back, Inuyasha glanced up to her. 'You know you aren't going to hit. Why bother?'

'I just need practice.' she said.

'Practice?' asked Inuyasha as he reached the top and bounded to the top of a tree to look out over the crisscrossing hairs. The ones that reached upwards did not seem to be connected to anything. 'Don't you mean learn?'

'I'll do it,' said Kagome 'I really think that I can!' Then she paused. 'Their closer, lots closer.'

Suddenly there was a shrieking noise, and the tree beneath their feet was hewn down by an invisible force! Inuyasha leaped to solid ground, as three massive tentacles of haired surged over the hilltop and towards them! 'Their here!'

Inuyasha leaped away just in time, before the tentacles hit the ground where he had been before. They soon pursued them upwards.

'From the left!' cried Kagome 'From the right!' Following her directives, Inuyasha dodged two more assaults and landed as more and more tentacles arose. 'There are too many, you need to help!'

'Me?!' snapped Inuyasha 'I thought that's why you're here! You're really not good for much, are ya?'

'Left, left!' cried Kagome.

Inuyasha leaped away just in time, once again. And once again Kagome warned him, this time of an assault from behind. Soon they were sliding down a hill of smooth stones. Then all of a sudden a tentacle of hair gripped him by the hand and dragged him away. Kagome fell from his back and landed on the ground, rolling to a halt. 'Inuyasha!' she cried.

Inuyasha was dragged upward, his limbs seized by tentacles as he was pulled into a spread eagle position, before wall appeared to be a gigantic ball of hail. It was Yura's hiding place, Kagome was sure of it. And as if on cue, Yura herself appeared, her arms spread outwards as she soared forward, carried by the hair looped round her hands and directed with her fingers. She landed on a line of hair before Inuyasha and smiled.

'Oh my look at the cute doggie. This is the second time you've followed me home. I really think I should keep you, Inuyasha.'

'God damn it!' snapped Inuyasha 'Why is it that no matter how many times we tangle I always end up tied like this!'

'Well I for one think you look better this way.' said Yura. 'Everyone is talking about how you are playing fetch for the reincarnation of Kikyo, you know.'

'I don't need to justify my actions to you, Yura.' snapped Inuyasha.

'You've both been very naughty, you know.' said Yura, drawing out the sacred jewel shard. 'Just look what you've done to the poor jewel. I was so looking forward to wearing it again.'

'Thats the jewel piece she stole from me.' realized Kagome.

'Once I've finished wrapping both of you up,' said Yura 'I'll go and find the rest for myself.'

'You, take care of me?!' roared Inuyasha 'When this is over you're gonna wish you'd never met me, or ever heard my name!' And he broke the hairs around his limbs with a straining of muscles. All save one, which he used to swing towards Yura, slashing with one hand.

Yet Yura leaped away and drew out a comb, from which vast amounts of hair spewed forth. Once again Inuyasha was bound hand and foot, by even more hair.

'No, not this again!' he snapped.

Yura suddenly came up behind him, and he could feel her warm breath on his ears. Yura suddenly stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's torso, pressing her breasts against his back as she put her face against his hair. 'Such pretty hair, yet you really haven't cared for it very well. Just look at the split ends…'

'Get off of me!' snapped Inuyasha, slashing at her in vain.

Yura fell downwards and landed gracefully upon a length of hair that screeched as it bent with her weight. Yura set one hand to her sword, then leaped upwards, surging towards him from below. Inuyasha cried out as she passed him by, and a vicious red wound of blood appeared on his chest.

'Inuyasha…' said Kagome as she watched.

Yura then made her appearance directly in front of Inuyasha. She giggled girlishly and licked the blood from her blade. 'I'm going to cut you into little pieces…' She said fondly, before surging forward.

Then Kagome took action. Stringing an arrow to her bow she launched it straight at Yura. It missed completely, passing in front of her and instead hit the nest of hair. Yura leaped back on reflex, and looked to where Kagome was standing while crouching on a length of hair in a manner which drew attention to her long legs.

'Get him down right now!' snapped Kagome 'Next time I won't miss, I promise!'

'The girl who fell down the well?' mused Yura, not seeming at all worried. Then she looked to Inuyasha. 'Mmmm, I think she wants you back Inuyasha, What a sweet widdle doggy you must be.'

'I told you to hide, not draw attention to yourself!' snapped Inuyasha.

Yura was in her own little world by now. 'Of course her hairs not quite so pretty as yours Inuyasha, but then, waste not want not.'

'Not so pretty as his huh?!' snapped Kagome 'What would you know about it?! You live in a world where they don't even have shampoo!' Then she unleashed an arrow, and into that arrow she poured her anger her hatred, and her love of hair products. It shot forth, and would have plunged into Inuyasha's eye had he not ducked.

'Would you watch where you are aiming that thing, please?!' snarled Inuyasha.

The arrow meanwhile plunged into the hair nest, and shone with violet light. The light spread across the hair nest, until all the world seemed consumed in its radiant beams. There was a sound like screaming, and the hair nest began to fall apart. Countless tons of hair fell downwards, and wrapped within it were many skulls and other mangled bones.

'Oh no, what have you done?!' cried Yura, cupping her cheeks.

'Those guys we saw from the village…' said Inuyasha.

'I'll be putting you in here too,' snapped Yura 'once I separate that pretty head from your body. Its wasted on you anyway.' She lowered herself on the threads and raised a comb. 'One thing first… that women over there has to die!' Swinging the blood red comb, she sent a surge of fire along the lengths of her hair.

Kagome fell to the ground and cowered as the inferno overtook her in moments, writing the entire area she stood in fire so that nothing could be seen of her.

'There,' said Yura 'hot enough for you? You'll feel the heat right down to your bones.'

'Help me…' said Kagome.

Inuyasha wasn't concerned. If the robe of the fire rat hadn't been capable of saving her, then Kagome would be screaming a lot louder. As it was she wasn't screaming at all.

'Oh,' said Yura as she turned her back to Inuyasha. 'thats for damaging my lair. Pity there will be nothing left but ash.' Then she glanced back to Inuyasha. 'Poor thing, I'd almost forgot. Pets ought never be allowed to outlive their masters!' And she drew her sword once again.

Inuyasha dug his fingers into his wound, and coated them in blood. Then he swung his hand. 'Blades of blood!' he cried, and the droplets of blood he hurled transformed into red energy blades.

'Oh no!' cried Yura, surging to one side. Yet she was not quick enough, and one of her hands was sliced clean off by a blade of blood. The hair around Inuyasha's arms and legs loosened as the hand was stopped mid fall. 'Thats no fair!'

'There, how'd ya like that?!' snapped Inuyasha.

'I do wish you would use some restraint when addressing a Lady!' cried Yura 'Were you brought up in a dog house?' As she spoke the skulls behind her began to laugh with a low, sick tone. Yura dragged out many more swaths of hair. 'Heads up!' she cried aloud

The skulls surged at Inuyasha, who smashed them with his hands to drive them away. At the same time Yura's blade hand was brought round like a marionette, and nearly beheaded him. 'Stay still,' said Yura, batting her eyes flirtatiously. 'its much more difficult to hit when you move.'

'Yeah, I'll just bet it is!' He hurled another bout of blades of blood, but the skulls and hair got in the way, absorbing the attack with a great pillar.

Then the blade came back round and drove itself into Inuyasha's back. He yowled in pain, as the hair dragged him down and slammed him against the ground. The hair released tied him down, as Yura's hand returned to her bloodless wrist and reattached itself with a low screech. 'Half demon,' she said 'half power. I should have known.'

'Laugh it up, bitch…' snarled Inuyasha, eyes flashing red.

'Disappointed?' asked Yura as she descended, drawing the sacred jewel out of her cleavage. 'I'll bet you were hoping to use this to become all demon.'

'You have no idea why I want the jewel.' said Inuyasha flatly. 'You would never understand.'

Yura landed. 'No, I suppose not.' She drew up her sword, a smile on her face. 'now stay still. If I don't get a clean cut, your blood will stain that pretty silver hair of yours…'

She brought down her sword in a swift motion.

Inuyasha arose in a sudden roar that echoed across the land as he plunged his hand straight through her chest, a vicious smile on his face. Yura's eyes widened as he drew it out, and slashed her across the throat, sending her reeling backwards. The jewel shard fell from her, and landed at his feet and Inuyasha surged down to grasp it.

As he did so Yura stepped on his hand with one foot. The pain brought him back, and he looked up. 'You are a forward little doggy, aren't you? I'm going to enjoy watching the light leave your eyes, Inuyasha.' Then she kneeled down, giving him an ample view of her significant cleavage, and the gaping wound he had inflicted which even now was healing. 'Plus there is the fact that you stole my jewel!' She wrested the jewel from him. 'Now I have become cross…'

'How the hell am I supposed to kill this girl?' he asked himself.

Then Yura's attention was drawn elsewhere, to where Kagome was scaling the pillars of hair for an unknown purpose. Hauling on the strings, Yura sent the pillar vibrating and nearly threw off Kagome to her death. Inuyasha thought quickly and snatched up Yura's sword from where it had fallen.

'You shouldn't have looked away!' he cried, before hacking her from shoulder to hip. There was a screeching noise as tendrils of hair surged before her, and then the wound was gone. What should have cut her in half had done nothing.

'Alright,' said Yura 'that does it!' And she turned around, mustering her hair. Inuyasha was hauled back, the hair's grip on him tightening as his arms and legs were pulled into a tight spread eagle position.

'When I took your hand, it was as if you broke a nail.' said Inuyasha 'But now your fighting for real. What are you hiding that you are so worried about?'

Yura for the first time, was suddenly very afraid. Her memories shot back to her previous encounter with Kikyo. In a single burst of holy energy, she had been badly wounded, so badly wounded that it had taken her months to regain physical form, and years to gain back her old power. Now the reincarnation of Kikyo was scaling closer to her lifeline. Did she know?

'Inuyasha!' cried Kagome 'Its that red skull up there! Concentrate on that!'

She knew. Yura was not by nature the sort who worried overmuch about the future, but things were going south here. She'd come close enough to death before, she wasn't going to risk the real thing. Surging back towards Kagome, she snatched up her sword.

'Oh no you don't!' cried Inuyasha, tearing out of the hair.

'Stop pulling my hair!' cried Yura as she dragged the pillar of hair upwards to try to dislodge Kagome from it. Even so Kagome began to pull out skulls. 'You're tangling it up!' She sent her blade surging towards Kagome, and it caught her in the arm 'Got you!'

Yet instead of dying, Kagome instead fell backwards towards the ground with a scream, unharmed by the blade. Yura caught her by the arms were her hair, and pulled her to attention before her. 'What are you?!' snapped Yura 'Why won't you bleed?!'

Kagome looked just as confused about the whole thing as her, and Yura found that infuriating. Why wasn't she burned?! Why wouldn't she die?! Yura surged in close, calming herself.

'Inuyasha…' said the girl.

'Even from here you look mortal enough to me.' noted Yura, crossing her arms. She stepped back. 'Lets put you to the test!' And she sent some of her hairs to surround the girls neck, and begin to constrict around it. Yura laughed to herself, feeling more at ease as she enjoyed the girls final struggles before the hairs would cut her throat.

'Blades of blood!' came the call.

Then Yura felt pain as red energy attacks slashed her, cutting her hairs and sending her falling away. She felt her whole form waver, as the girl was freed. 'Inuyasha…' said Kagome, or Kikyo, or whatever he name was.

Yura's control was slipping, her lair was collapsing in on itself, fading into the winds as the girl fell downwards only to be caught by Inuyasha. Her skull? Where was her skull?! A great mound of the other skulls fell out onto the ground, as the hairs disappeared, and Yura landed. She looked up and saw the two enemies landing. Hurling her sword, she cast it into Inuyasha's chest. Then standing on the top of the mound, she withdrew her sword.

'You again…' said Inuyasha.

'You forget!' cried Yura 'I'm immortal!'

Then she saw the red skull, saw Kagome approaching it with an arrow. A sudden panic overtook Yura, and she surged forward faster than she had ever moved in her life. Suddenly she no longer cared about getting more hair, no longer cared about killing these too. All that mattered was that she survive!

She struck Kagome across the face, sending her crashing to the ground and grabbed her red skull. She looked around, and realized she was at a disadvantage. Her hairs were ruined, and now Inuyasha and Kagome knew her weakness. So Yura did the only thing she could do.

She made a run for it, slipping away into the shadows while Inuyasha was still pulling himself up. It was by no means her finest hour. Her lair had been destroyed, her beautiful skull collection ruined, and the sacred jewel was gone. It must have fallen from her as she rushed Kagome. Even so, she was alive. And that was what mattered.

There was silence as Inuyasha staggered up.

'So that was what she was hiding. It must be her phylactery.'

'Her what?' asked Kagome.

'Its sort of a place you hide your soul,' said Inuyasha 'in order to avoid death. Yura must have been keeping herself alive using it.' He paused 'With all that you've seen so far, is it really a surprise?' Then he fell to one knee, wincing at the pain.

'Inuyasha,' said Kagome 'those wounds only happened to you because I was wearing your kimono.'

'You've got a real talent for stating the obvious, you know that.' said Inuyasha. 'This is nothing. Compared to some of the games Jakotsu played when I lost a fight to him, its practically tame.'

'Wait, I thought Jakotsu was your friend.' said Kagome.

'Its a long story.' said Inuyasha. 'What happened to the sacred jewel?'

Kagome raised the bag. 'I managed to get it off her when she attacked me. She nearly cut my head off, actually.' She looked at it in surprise. 'I wonder how long it will take to find the rest of it.'

'One hundred and ninety three weeks,' said Inuyasha in an unsteady tone. 'or eight seasons.'

'What makes you say that?' asked Kagome.

'I'm delirious from blood loss!' roared Inuyasha. Then he stood up. 'Kagome, lets go,' Kagome stood up and looked at him in shock. 'What?'

'You never said my name before.' she said.

'Yeah, what of it?'

'Its just that I think you like me more now, is all.'

'My first interaction with my two best friends was being tortured into submission.' said Inuyasha in deadpan. 'I have extremely low standards. I wouldn't get too excited about meeting them.'

'Remind me next time not to save you!' snapped Kagome, before slapping him across the back. The pain was excruciating, and Inuyasha fell over with a low whimper. 'If it hurts so much you should have said something!'

'I DID!'

Meanwhile, Kaede was still talking to herself. 'Inuyasha, only by working together will ye triumph.' She brushed away some fallen leaves. 'Also, don't ye dare forget where ye have buried me.' Then she sneezed, sending the leaves flowing around her.

Authors Note:

Well here we have chapter four. And what do you know? Yura of the Hair survived. I suppose the only question is what will happen to her, and how long she'll last. The reason I did this is because I feel that Yura of the Hair should have been a returning villain. Many of the villains of the week that Inuyasha and Kagome face early on are fully realized characters, who are killed off just as they are becoming interesting.

To be perfectly honest, I'm winging this thing.

Also sorry this thing is a bit late. Keeping a daily update schedule is about as hard as it sounds. The only reason I can manage it is because I have lots of free time. Lots more than I should anyway.