"I didn't think you'd be here, Higurashi!"

Kagome turned abruptly to face the approaching voice, styrofoam cup of soda sloshing a little as she did so.

"Hojo!"

Her charmingly shy schoolmate sidled his way politely through a few small cliques and made his way up to where she stood, distracting herself in the kitchen of someone's house. He wore a simple blue t-shirt with a black jacket, she could see he had on their class ring.

Her friends had parted ways to separate corners of the party on entry, vowing to reconnect before leaving for the night. Kagome had turned to ask at least one of them to wait, but they were sucked into the crowd on impact. Feeling instantly out of place, she'd decided to seek a quieter area. It seemed after a quick survey that the kitchen was a low traffic intersection, party goers only filtered in and out to refresh drinks or stumble through in passing. It had been easy there to fade into the background, pretending to fixate over which ice to use, the crushed, the cubed – which napkin to grab, the folded or the ones from the box. It was better than making eye contact, or, god forbid, talking, or…

"You feeling okay, Higurashi?" She flicked her eyes upward and noticed that Hojo's smile had dropped; it only occurred to her then that she had totally spaced out while he had been speaking.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Hojo!" She shook her head and smiled, clearing her face instantly- an action she had grown accustomed to doing quickly. "I'm not really used to being at parties, so, you know."

He didn't but shrugged sympathetically, all the while eyeing the outfit that Eri had let her borrow for the evening: some short skirted, low-cut monstrosity of a red dress. Ayumi had curled her hair lightly and sprayed vanilla scented perfume while Kagome coughed in a cosmetic cloud– now she crossed her arms over her chest a little uneasily and cleared her throat. This brought Hojo's eyes back up to her face, and he rubbed the back of his head, continuing:

"I'm sure what with all your illnesses- "

"Oh, no, I'm better now!" Kagome cut him off and waved dismissively, but inside, she groaned, remembering all the horrible issues her Gramps had made up in the years before when she'd been gone fighting in the feudal era.

A part of her felt a pang of nostalgia, wishing more than anything that she had to make up some excuse to get away and go back to the other side… to leave right now.

But that wasn't her life anymore.

I wonder if Inuyasha… wait, stop it Kagome, come on. Pay attention. Remember what he- er, or, you said earlier. You've wanted to go out and feel better so damnit… feel better!

"… so I decided to accept my second offer, long story short!"

Kagome shook her head, tuning in just as Hojo finished speaking. She grappled quickly for a response, fishing his expression for context with wide open eyes, but only came up with,

"Congratulations, Hojo, I'm so happy for you!"

"Well, what do you plan to do?" Hojo asked, elbowing her lightly with a friendly lean forward. As he came closer, she realized she could smell beer on him – it never occurred to her that Hojo would, or could, drink. It wasn't exactly legal for them to do yet – but of course, everyone else at the party was drinking, and it's not like it wasn't expected.

Still, it caught her off guard – not as off guard as his question.

"Um, do?" She hadn't thought about it. Her mother had encouraged her to apply to some schools and so she had, and had received a few acceptances, so she prattled those off. "I haven't decided, though."

This admittance made Hojo raise an eyebrow – everyone knew that selecting a school and studying for entrance exams was a massively important, and timely, decision for most graduates. For sure, all her friends had decided and begun picking out their textbooks already – meanwhile, if she was being honest, the main reason she hadn't picked a school yet was that Kagome couldn't imagine being away from the well for more than a few days.

What if it started working again?

She knew it was sad, pathetic even. To base her whole life around this one short period of time which grew shorter and shorter with each passing year.

Maybe he's moved on.

The thought made her eyes prickle again, she felt tears coming on. Anywhere but here she thought and smiled up at Hojo. She had to get out of this house.

"Hojo, I'm so sorry but I think I'm going to get going." Anxiety crept into her heart; she couldn't have this conversation ten more times with each excited student launching headfirst into their future.

She set her cup down on a table nearby, but Hojo reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Hey, listen." He leaned down so that he could lower his voice, the softness of it stopping her before she could bolt. He still held her wrist but slid his hand slightly so that her fingers became clenched in his own. "Yuka and your friends, they told me a while ago about, you know… that guy. The one who left you."

She felt herself grow pale. If only people would stop saying that. That's not how it happened.

But she had to admit – one of her greatest fears was that he didn't want her, and that's why the well had sealed. Surely if he'd wanted her…

"I don't know what he did to make you not want to date, or you know, go out, but…" Hojo squeezed her fingers, "We're graduating, let's just have some fun, who knows when we'll see each other again?"

Hojo lifted her cup back up and held it out to her with a smile, urging her to take it. Weakly, she smiled back and took the soda, clinking it against his beer in a mock toast to the years finally behind them.

All she could feel was the weight of the years ahead.

XOX

Something was keeping him up tonight.

He couldn't place it. After dinner with Kaede, he had stayed for longer than usual. In an act unlike his usual conduct, he'd helped to clean her hut, even contributing to a little sweeping for the old hag. She'd gone off to sleep leaving him with a welcome to have any leftovers, to come in and sleep in case it rained, and he didn't feel like making the journey back to his own home. Instead, he left the elder snoozing contentedly behind, and bolted to the far reaches of their community to find a suitable tree to rest in. Here he took to watching the outskirts of the village, hoping it would tire him out some.

He lay restlessly with his back to the trunk, peering at the stars through the breaks in the boughs. His heart pulsed with a frantic rhythm. Feh, it can't be the New Moon. He looked over to the moon, full and bright enough to cast decent light below. His heart went on thudding until, having had enough, he leapt to his feet to stand on the bough. Might as well get back, he thought, and readied himself for the trek to the house he'd paid villagers to build over the years. Steadying himself, he let his eyes fix on the ground below. He was about to leap down when almost of their own volition, his ears twitched, alert to a change in the breeze.

Whipping his head to follow the strange energy, he found himself staring blankly in the direction of the well. Jumping from the tree and landing deftly on his feet in a fluid bound, the hanyou lifted his nose upward and breathed in heavily, heart pumping, but for what reason? There was no distinct change in smell, yet he could feel a strong pull – a wave of energy clashing with the regular melee of scents.

"It's good that ye keep coming to the well." Kaede had said earlier; the words resounded in his mind, she had sounded so sure – but what crazy thought had him feeling as though the well itself pulled him toward it, his feet moving independent of his own will – soon he was running full speed through the forest, the same way he once had years before.

Back at the hut, Kaede turned, awake as she lay on her side. She listened to the sound of Inuyasha's retreating footfalls and smiled, as the strength of the wells' time vortex opened once more, responding to, as she understood, a very simple magic.

"But of course, ye ponder, Kaede…" She yawned to herself, feeling the weight of the night set in, and lost the sound of Inuyasha vanishing into the woods.