Through the well and back again

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

A/n: I'm going to do my best to at least get a few more chapters up before the 1st of the new month for you guys because I adore writing for this story and every minute I'm (hopefully) working at new job I will be thinking about it almost the whole time, lol. This has been a huge goal for a long time now to finish a story and not delete it because I'm not happy with it and I'm finally happy with this idea and feel like it's one of the easiest stories I've tried writing in a long time, it just comes so naturally and I think that's how it's supposed to be when one writes. :) that's just my opinion though, haha. Again, I'm sorry for the last chapter being an author's note and I hope you all continue to stick with me! :)

Chapter 17:

She wanted to know why he still wasn't back. At first, she wanted to be selfish, but then that wasn't her and didn't even feel like her and she had felt guilty almost instantly for thinking that way. Then, she became worried. Was he hurt? Did he need her help when she was just sitting there in a safe place with Kagome and the others who could protect her? Would he be angry with her if she decided to go out and try finding him? She didn't know but what she also did know was that if she didn't at least try and find out, she would just sit here in the same spot forever and worry until it was possibly too late to do anything.

She didn't want that to rest on her conscious for the rest of her life so, when she finally felt well enough to get out of the cot, she dressed in her fighting gear, pulled her hair up the exact way she was taught and was about to step outside when a voice behind her stopped her.

She froze and was prepared to be talked out of going but instead was pleasantly surprised. It was Inuyasha and he had his arms crossed over his chest and was giving her a knowing, yet defiant look. A look he always seemed to wear and she could see why it annoyed her lord so much.

"I know that you're planning on going to find my moronic brother but before you do, you should take Kirara with you. We'd feel better and hopefully that will stop him from trying to kill us all if something were to happen to you."

Rin couldn't believe it. She grinned and ran up to hug him. It was something she would not normally do, but his actions were so unbelievably sweet and now she could see why Kagome loved him and came over from her world so much just to see him, even if she still used the excuse of finding the sacred jewel shards in order to do so. In Rin's mind, they were lost to them forever and to her, that wasn't such a bad thing. It made humans and demons alike greedy and beyond selfish it broke her heart just to think about it. It turned good people into bad and it made her shudder at the thought of history repeating itself if it were ever completely full again.

Inuyasha didn't shove her away but she could tell he wasn't comfortable with her hugging him, so she backed up and let him go, grinning brightly at him instead, trying to let him know how much this meant to her.

"Thank you, Inuyasha. I know you two don't always see eye to eye but I will bring him back, I promise and when I do, I will send Kirara back to you and Sango and that will be my way of letting you guys know that I've found him. You guys are wonderful friends and tell Kagome... tell her that I had a fun time going back with her to her world and studying and meeting all her friends. I've learned a lot." Rin could feel herself tearing up and she didn't like it.

She didn't like being so sad and miserable and just wanted to be back to her normal, happy go lucky self. She knew that finding her lord safe and well again would help her do that. She just had a gut feeling that something had happened to him and she just hoped that she would be able to bring him back in one piece.

She felt like the night he came into her spare bedroom at Kagome-chan's injured and bleeding had something to do with his sudden disappearance and she didn't like it. Not one bit.

Feeling like she was doing the right thing, she had come to a decision that when she was reunited with her lord, she would return back with him to their time and stay there. She didn't like being in the danger she had been in and she was not going to make him worry if the teacher she had had would harm her if his back was turned and deep down, this decision was what she knew would help keep them going down the right path in the end and she was going to do it and she also knew that she was going to have to break the news to Kagome-chan but felt like her friend would understand.

Rin had been born into this time and it was her home. Her lord had the other piece of her heart that her home did and she knew that now.

Climbing on the huge demon cats back, she ruffled her ears before asking the cat to take flight. For a moment, Rin felt like she was betraying Ah-Un but forced herself to put the thought in the back of her mind.

This had to be done and her lord had to be brought back to them. She also knew how heart broken Jaken would be if she came back and told him that their beloved lord was gone. She just really couldn't live with that.

And for days, Rin traveled and flew on the backside of Kirara. She had needed to slay several demons and received many injuries doing so, a huge gash on her leg being the worst of them and she knew that's what the demons were attracted to: the scent of her blood.

Gritting her teeth, she did everything Kagome-chan had taught her in order to try and heal herself and stop the bleeding. Realizing that the bleeding wouldn't completely stop, she had to travel in order to find a healing herb that would at last get it to stop and that took her even longer.

At this point, she prayed that her lord was still alive. She was very disheartened and didn't know what to do and wondered if she was in way over her head.

When week three rolled around Rin was found in the middle of a field in exhausted tears, hungry and very scared and depressed. She wasn't sure what to do anymore when a figure walked in and placed a soft, gentle hand on her shoulder and pulled her up.

It was Inuyasha's human mother. Well, the ghost of his human mother. Rin couldn't fathom why she was there but she was willing to hear her out, especially if it would help her find her lord and she had a gut feeling that it would.

"Please stop the tears my dear. They don't become you at all and lord Sesshoumaru would think so, too." She gave Rin a smile that almost instantly made her feel better. It even somewhat encouraged her to keep going.

So, because of this Rin wiped away her tears and bowed her respect for the other woman. She could see why Inuyasha loved and missed her so much.

"D-do you know where he is?" Rin sniffled, unable to completely wipe away all her lost feelings at once.

Izayoi nodded, looking very serious and worried.

"Yes, my dear. I've been watching over him, even though he does not know it. He is trapped in the land of the afterlife and needs your help to bring him back. There is a way to do that, even though it sounds impossible he isn't dead yet but is trapped by long lost fears by the witch who tried taking your unborn first born. What you guys did in order to see the past was not natural and the witch had felt you two both needed to be punished. Her way of doing so was taking your beloved away from you and trapping him in his past and most deepest fears and hatreds."

Hearing all of this made Rin feel sick and angered all at once. How dare someone try hurting her lord? It saddened her that so many misunderstood him and tried taking away the power that he was born with.

He was so sweet and caring beyond the barrier that he put up for the rest of the world to see and she knew why he did. Because he was hurt in the past, just as she had been and she knew that this was why they bonded so well. Because they both knew what it was like to be hurt by the world and people around them.

"What can I do to save him?" Rin demanded, wishing she could grasp the other woman's hand and hold on for dear life and the support that she felt like she needed.

Izayoi smiled at her once more: it was like she was all smiles for a girl- no woman she didn't even know and that felt almost odd to Rin but she took it and waited for the older woman to tell her what she needed to do.

Izayoi stretched out her arms and handed Rin a unique looking flower that glowed like the sun and was a light as a feather in her small hands.

She gave the other woman a confused look, frowning. What did this mean?

Izayoi chuckled quietly and Rin knew that if she could wrap her up in her arms, she would. The thought made her happy. Izayoi was like the mom Rin never got the chance to have because of fate and burglars. It almost made her want to start crying again.

"This flower will help you get to the land your beloved lord is in and it will also help the two of you return when you are successful. Be warned, though you must never part from this flower so keep it close to you at all times for if you lose it, the two of you may never return to the land of the living again."

Rin nodded and felt the pressure more than ever but was very determined to bring her lover back to her. She wanted them to have the chance to fully be able to court each other the proper way and maybe even be able to be mated together and later on maybe married and have a family of their own.

That was her life long dream and Rin knew that lord Sesshoumaru would never let their children be put in the path of danger like she had been and this thought made her incredibly happy.

So, with these thoughts in mind Rin closed her eyes and allowed the flower to transport her to the awful place her lord was trapped in. Would she be able to bring him back? This, she didn't know but how could she do something if she didn't try?

Because of this, she would do her damn best in order to save him and she was going to save him. Returning without him wasn't an option and she knew this was true, deep down in her fragile, yet strong heart.

A/n: Yay! Chapter 17 is now up and oh boy do I feel great about it! :) I love where this story is going and keep in mind, even Kagome herself when she was traveling back and forth between times spent a good chunk of her time in Inuyasha's world and so I'm trying to have Rin do the same thing. :) I'm thinking of maybe having Rin go back one more time to Kagome's world before making her final choice of where she wants to be and I think this chapter is the turning point for that. :)

Anyways, thank you all again and thank you for all the support! It's really helping and I appreciate it so much. :D After this chapter I think this will be one of the last author notes I will be making because I don't want them all through the story. This will be kind of hard because I love to talk to you guys but I can also do that through pm messages as well. :) Lol. Thank you all again! Muah! xoxo.

:)