A/N: Hello and welcome back! It's been a bit and life has been such a pain. I apologize for the wait and hopefully, everyone enjoys the chapter! The next chapter will be delayed until most likely around fall due to starting a new job and moving.

Anyway, I don't own the Inugang, only Kaya.

It felt as though she were floating rather than falling. She felt like Alice going down the rabbit hole. However, when she opened her eyes, Alice's rabbit hole wasn't what was around her. It was light, blue light to be exact. This confused her. Magic had been extinct for centuries.

Her brow furrowed in confusion at this.

Before she could truly think about it, her knees were touching the earthy ground and she was surrounded by the dirt walls of the well again. Her violet eyes looked around and she frowned, standing up. She turned up towards the ceiling of the wellhouse and was shocked to find a blue sky greeting her.

"What on earth is this?"

Kaya wasn't sure where she was right now but she felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and she wanted to say that they weren't in Kansas anymore. She didn't know if she had traveled through dimensions or through time. But she knew she needed to find out.

With a huff, she reached over and started her attempt to climb up the side of the well, wanting to get out. Kaya soon found herself back on the ground, sitting on her butt and glaring up at the mouth of the well. Today had been the worst day to wear her wedges and attempt to climb out of something in them.

She pushed herself up, dusted off her backside, and grumbled to herself about how dumb this was and how she shouldn't be there.

"Hello?!" Yeah, like someone would hear her. There's no way. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she stared up at the sky, wishing that someone could help her out of the hole she was in.

After a few minutes, she heard some voices and she perked up, looking back up toward the mouth of the well.

"You can't go home! You just got back here!"

"It's been three weeks, Inuyasha! We're low on supplies and we clearly need them."

Arching a brow, Kaya stood there quietly and listened to them argue, rolling her eyes. They sounded like a married couple who were trying to figure out where to go next on their vacation.

"Kagome!" She yelled out, hoping that the young woman would hear her. The arguing stopped and Kagome peered over the lip of the well, quickly becoming surprised at who was down there.

Kagome's eyes widened in shock. "Kaya?! What are you - How did you get here?"

"Who?" There was another face that looked down the well and he seemed highly displeased with the situation. In fact, he seemed almost angry.

"I, uh… Fell into the well and ended up here." Kaya was quickly pulled out of the well with the help of Kagome and let out a long sigh once her feet were on the ground once again. "It's been a long time, cousin."

"Cousin?!" Huddled together in Kaede's hut, the rest of the lively group seemed shocked at this revelation. Kaede, on the other hand, was listening but focusing on her task at hand, grinding up herbs for a sick child that lie in the village. She had seen the strange young woman come in but she wasn't sure what to make of her. Strange hair and oddly colored eyes were usually signs of an upper-class demon, not someone who resembled a human. Yet, this woman gave her no indication, or feeling, that she was a demon. She was curious to know the secret this young woman was hiding.

"She doesn't even look like you."

"Inuyasha, that was rude!" Kagome beckoned Kaya to sit down next to her and looked at her group of friends, their curious faces had questions all over them. "She's a distant cousin. We were raised together though."

Shippo was the one to pipe up after a moment, looking between the two across from him curiously. "But why is her hair white? Isn't she human?"

Before Kagome could speak, Kaya took over to save them from any further confusion. "My hair is from my mother's family. And yes, I'm human." A little white lie won't hurt them but she could see the suspicion on Inuyasha's face from where he was sitting in the corner. He could see right through her but the little fox demon seemed content with her answers. "My name is Kaya. I am a relative of Kagome's but a rather distant one. We spent a lot of time together as children."

Inuyasha wasn't convinced but the rest of the group seemed to be which eased Kaya's nerves some. Introductions went around, and everything quickly became more relaxed. To Kaya, these people seemed humble, kind, and full of life. Something she appreciated immensely. However, she could see that they were still wary of her which she didn't blame them for. Though, the group was odd. A monk, demon slayer, fox demon, feline demon, and a half-demon are all traveling together with a teenage girl from the future. This baffled her. How did Kagome, sweet little Kagome, manage to get herself wrapped up in this sort of situation? She couldn't figure it out.

Kaya cleared her throat and looked between everyone. "Would you all mind explaining to me why it is you happened to be traveling with Kagome? What brought you together and how?"

"That would take all day to explain and-" Kagome started speaking but Inuyasha quickly interrupted her.

"And we don't have time to explain it! We ended to get moving before the sun sets even further." He didn't seem like the type to be persuaded once he had his mind set on something and that annoyed Kaya. She could practically smell the arrogance from him across the small hut. What happened next, absolutely astounded her. Kagome yelled out a command meant for a dog and the half-demon hit the floor roughly. This. Was. Rich. An amused smirk crossed her face and she had to cover her mouth, coughing lightly to hide her laughter.

"Anyway," The strange young woman turned back to the others, taking in their unsure looks. "Explain what's going on. Perhaps it could help me to understand why I'm here."

Hesitation was thick in the air around everyone except for Kagome. She seemed the most comfortable with feeling like she could speak of the things that transpired between everyone. Though, she herself wasn't sure what to say that wouldn't cause too much suspicion or allow for too many questions to come about. She remembered the stories of the mythical jewel of four souls and how if it got into the wrong hands, it could cause catastrophic events to happen. How on earth did Kagome end up with inside her outside the theory of reincarnation? Was it some horrible trick the fates were playing on her?

"How interesting," Kaya spoke up after a moment, placing her hand on her chin in thought. "My father spoke of the jewel many years ago but I had originally thought it was all myths and legends of old." She could feel the eyes of Kagome's companions on her, curiosity filling them. Well, except for Inuyasha. He was more suspicious than anything. If looks could kill, she knew she'd be on the floor dead thanks to the grumpy half-demon.

Her violet eyes looked toward her cousin. "So you broke it trying to get it back?"

Kagome looked embarrassed and nodded. "Yes, and it was a complete accident."

And now, it's scattered all across the ancient Japanese countryside. How wonderful. Kaya reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose, seeming slightly annoyed. This could've been why her mother gave her such a tired and worried look. The silent plea was more evident to her now than it had been while she was in front of the worn-out Higurashi woman.

"I need time to think about this." The white-haired woman spoke up after a few minutes of awkward silence between everyone. "This is… Quite a lot to take in." They all understood that. It was a lot for each and every one of them when Naraku made his mark. "Though, I might be able to help with your quest." Her eyes drifted around the room and landed on Inuyasha last. "Like some of you, I understand the hardships of war and fighting in one, even if it truly isn't like the wars during this time."

Wars in the modern world were more brutal and much more damaging. In this time period, give a man a sword and he thinks he can fight in a war. It's funny how things evolve and change when it comes to these things.

"Allow me to have the rest of the day and I'll inform you of what I wish to do." Without waiting for an answer, Kaya thanked Kaede for the tea and stood up, walking out of the hut. Sure, they hadn't asked her to join their group but the more allies they had, the better. It had been many, many years since she fought in a battle and she knew she was rusty. And besides, it was her dear cousin that she was looking out for. She couldn't allow her to simply walk head into battle without thinking of the consequences. Modern-day females from families unexposed to war thought they were stronger than they were and it usually ended in a tragedy of some sort.

This wasn't what she wanted for the teenage girl. She didn't need to be exposed to these things but she knew that she couldn't stop it entirely. There was no way to. A sigh escaped her as she sat on the lip of the well, trying to think of what would be the right thing to do. The right thing would truly be to stay and help Kagome but would she cause more damage than good? And what of the timeline? Would she screw that up too? These thoughts circled around in her mind as she sat there, the sun slowly setting into the trees. She had so many unanswered questions and worries overwhelmed her. There was only one thing to do about them.

Kaya stood in front of the group once again, looking at them with a firmness that they hadn't seen earlier. Her hesitation was completely gone. "I'll be helping you with this journey of yours. This jewel needs to be destroyed."