InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Cry ❯ Into the well ( Prologue )

Chapter 1

Kagome Higarashi lived with her mother her grandfather and her little brother Souta. Kagome was a beautiful girl with long ebony hair that fell past her shoulder to the middle of her back. She was 5ft 6" and slender. Her brown eyes were always full of life and joy and she had a dazzling smile that would make any guys head turn if it happened to be coming their way. Kagome was a kind girl who had lots of friends and took pleasures in the simple things in life. She loved animals bike rides and watching the sun set. But there was something different about this average girl-something that seemed to rise up from the depths of her eyes when she was angry or sad. Something that would make a dog' hackles rise whenever Kagome was upset…but no one knew what it was not even Kagome, until…

Kagome elbowed her way through the crowd that surrounded her family's shrine. Her usually bright eyes were full of concern as she plowed through the people who were blocking her from getting to her house, to her family. As Kagome emerged from the crowd a young police officer grabbed Kagome by the shoulders to stop her from running towards her house which was now engulfed in flames. Fire climbed up the sides of Kagome's two story house smoke thick and black poured out the windows like a snake making its way towards the sky. The police officer was talking to Kagome, distantly she realized this, she wasn't listening, she couldn't hear the sirens blazing in the background she blocked out the startled screams and worried murmurs that ran through the crowd like wild fire. She ignored the hum of the news vans as the reporters filmed her house burning, she couldn't even smell the thick smoke that caught in her lungs, all she cared about was her house and the people who were supposed to be in it.

"Let me go!" Kagome yelled wrenching herself free from the police officers grasp. Kagome ran for all she was worth up the steps to her house which was consumed in flames that rolled off of it and up its sides.

"Kagome over here!" her little brother Souta called to her from to her right. Kagome turned abruptly and nearly collapsed with relief when she saw that her brother and her mother were both standing by the back of an ambulance. Soot was streaked across their pales scared faces and Souta clutched a thick wool blanket around his shoulders as if he was holding onto it for dear life. As Kagome approached she noticed something that made her stomach drop, Souta's eyes were full of concern and worry…a combination that Kagome didn't like to see on her little brothers face.

"Mama! Souta! What happened?" Kagome called as she raced toward them. Kagome's heart leapt into her chest as she saw her mother. Kagome's mother's usual bright cheerful face had streaks of soot on it. Crinkles of worry creased her usually smooth skin and her brown eyes which usually held love and curiosity were full of tears.

"Oh Kagome!" her mother cried as she embraced Kagome in a rib crushing hug. Kagome just stood there shocked. She had no idea what to say, never before had she seen her mother act like this, never before had she seen her mother cry.

"Mama its okay I'm here." Kagome said gently embracing her mother who smelt of smoke and charcoal. Kagome's wept softly into Kagome's shoulder.

"Mama what's wrong? Where's Grandpa?" Kagome's mother pulled away from kagome almost reluctantly. Silent tears fell down her mothers face washing away the soot.

"Grandpa…Grandpa didn't make it out yet." Kagome's mother whispered softly. Kagome stood there stunned, it seemed as if all time had stopped and she was on the outside looking in. `it couldn't be…Grandpa had to pull through he's the strongest of us all.' Kagome thought to herself.

"No…" Kagome whispered softly shaking her head violently side to side. Her thick ebony hair whipped at her face as she backed up slowly.

"No your wrong!" Kagome shouted in disbelief. Tears welled up in her eyes, she refused to believe that her grandfather was actually gone.

"Coming through! We need a doctor!" Two firefighters called, carrying the limp form of Grandpa between them. "He's still alive! Hurry up we need a stretcher." Two medics jumped out of the back of the ambulance. Carrying a stretcher the two men brushed Kagome aside hastily.

"G-Grandpa!" Kagome choked, as she dashed after the medics. Kagome stopped and watched the two medics load Kagome's grandfather onto the stretcher. "Grandpa, Grandpa are you alright?" tears flowed Kagome's eyes as she watched her unconscious grandfather be taken away. As the stretcher was being wheeled past her, Kagome's grandfather's eyes snapped open and he grabbed Kagome's wrist in a surprisingly strong grasp. His eyes were wide and beady and Kagome could sense the panic that filled those eyes. His face was covered in black char, and he had severe burns on his right arm and the whole of his right side.

"Stay AWAY from the well Kagome!" "Beware of the well!" he whispered hoarsely, his eyes searching hers frantically before they closed. His hand fell from Kagome's wrist to hang limply at his side.

"Excuse us Miss, please let us through!: The young medic called. Kagome stepped aside wordlessly.

Her eyes were wide with shock as she whispered…

"Grandpa…"

The funeral was a big one people from all over attended. Family and friends and even strangers Kagome had never met before came to pay their respects to Kagome's dead grandfather. They said the funeral service was beautiful, that Grandfather would be honored. But Kagome wouldn't know, she had sat there the whole time replaying the events that had taken place days before. She could still see Grandpa's soot covered face, his panicked eyes and his hoarse cry… "Stay AWAY from the well…" but why had he said that? Kagome couldn't help but wonder. A silent tear trickled down her face as she remembered the way her grandfather used to smile. The jokes that were never funny and the stories he always told. She regretted not listening to him, not spending more time with her grandfather, when she was growing up she was very close to her grandfather but growing up sometimes includes growing away and that's the situation Kagome had found herself in. Now she would never get that time back, never listen to one of his corny jokes.

"Kagome are you alright dear?" her mother's voice whispered softly into her ear as she placed a gentle hand on Kagome's shoulder. Kagome wiped away her tear with the back of her hand.

"Yes I'm fine I-I just need to be alone." Kagome said softly giving her mother a half hearted smile as she got up from the place on her Aunt Rinsi's couch. ( They were staying at her house now because their house was in ruins…Aunt Rinsi only lived two blocks away from their house). Her soft black dress rested just above her knee. It was a V-neck dress with spaghetti straps. Around her neck Kagome wore a silver heart shaped locket that her grandfather had given to her for her 16th birthday instead of the usual mummified something-or-other. She never thought she would have to wear it to his funeral!

Kagome bit her lip to keep from crying as she made her way through the crowd of concerned family and friends. They let her pass without a word of complaint or hindrance.

"There's the granddaughter."

"She's taking this hard."

"One of his favorite she was."

Kagome blocked it out- she didn't want to listen to it anymore. When she reached the

door she flung it open and ran for all she was worth. Tears were beginning to leak out of the corners of her eyes as she ran down the empty street. The sky was black and she used the light of the full moon as her guide. She nearly sprained an ankle in her high heels.

"Don't you cry!" She yelled at herself as she bit her lip. The cool summer breeze combed through her hair as she ran making it flow madly out behind her. She didn't care where she was going; she just needed to run, to be away from those people, to be away from that place. Before she knew it Kagome was standing in front of the charred remains of her house. It jutted out from the ground though there was barely anything left now, the second story had collapsed, debris lay all over the ground, black and ugly.

"Beware of the well…" her grandfather's long gone voice whispered in her ear. Kagome closed her eyes trying to get rid of the image of her grandfather's panicked face and beady eyes. "Beware of the well…" `What well!!" Kagome wanted to scream as she sagged to her knees. She buried her head in her hands and wept into the night. She didn't know how long she had knelt there in front of what used to be her house only that it had been a long time because her knee's had the imprints of the grass and rocks on them. Slowly Kagome got to her feet; she wobbled dangerously on her two unsteady legs. All she wanted was a good memory of her grandfather, something of his that was still intact- not burnt and ugly. She let her gaze sweep over the ruins of her house and knew she would find no memories there…no comfort. Her gaze continued to travel until it came in contact with a small wooden shrine that her grandfather would go to everyday. But she and Souta weren't allowed in it. She always wondered why her grandfather never let her enter.

"Well it looks like I'm going to find out." Kagome mumbled determinedly as she marched across her family's grounds. Kagome stopped just outside the shrine and stared at the three steps that led up to the entrance. In her minds eye she could see her grandfather in his long black priest robes sweeping the steps. His brown eye would sparkle as he shooed the small birds of the railings.

"Not a place for the young." He would say as he shook a crooked old finger. Kagome was smiling at the memory and before she knew it her hand was against the wooden door that blocked entrance to the shine.

"Grandfather…" she whispered softly as she pushed open the door and stepped in, letting

the darkness consume her

Kagome stood in the shrine for the longest time just waiting. She let her eyes adjust to the

darkness. She was able to make out rough shapes in the darkness; there were six wooden steps that led down to a small platform. In the middle of the platform there was what looked to be a large wooden box. Kagome hesitantly took a step forward the boards beneath her feet groaned under the pressure she put on them. Kagome's heart tightened in her chest, she felt like she was doing something wrong by coming in here, something really wrong.

"It's too late to stop now…" Kagome shuddered as she forced herself to take another step forward, then another one. All too soon Kagome found herself at the bottom of the steps. She felt the hard packed earth beneath her feet and paused. She didn't want to go near that box like structure in the middle of the room, but it was as if it was calling her. As if it was beckoning her to come and look. Kagome reluctantly obliged and stepped towards the wooden box. As she neared she noticed that the thing in the center of the room wasn't a box at all but in fact it was a…well.

"Beware of the well!" Kagome gasped and took a involuntary step backward. Her hand flew to her mouth and she stared in silent horror at the well as if expecting something to pop out and grab her. Kagome stood there for quite some time staring at the well, the sun was just rising over the horizon as Kagome took a tentative step towards it. Kagome stopped. Nothing happened. She scowled at her own folly.

"It's as if I'm expecting something bad to happen." Kagome growled to her self. With a sudden boldness she stepped right up to the well and peered down into its murky depths. It was pitch black down there, but that was the only creepy thing about the ordinary well. Kagome laid a hand on the wooden ridge of the well and peered down into its darkness trying to make out shapes…but there was none. As Kagome was peering down the well her locket snapped and plummeted into the well. Kagome flinched waiting to hear the small splash of something solid hitting water. All she heard was a small thud.

"A dry well?" Kagome questioned scrunching her brow in confusion. `Why should I be afraid of a dry well?' Kagome thought remembering her grandfather's last words to her. Maybe he meant another well, Kagome sighed. She needed to get the locket back, it was one of the only things she had to remind her of her grandfather, and she was NOT leaving here without it. Kagome stood there for a while, hoping for an idea to come to her sleep ridden head… none came. Kagome sighed and strattled the well and swung her leg over the edge so she was sitting on the well and looking down. Kagome slipped her heels of and let them fall to the bottom. She heard the soft *thunk* of her shoes hitting the bottom and guessed that it was only about a 15 foot drop maybe even 20 ft. but she could take it, she had had worse falls in her life. Kagome took a deep breath and pushed off from the well, the sun had now risen and flickered its golden rays through the small shrine, just catching a glimpse of Kagome's head as it disappeared into the well...

As Kagome fell a blue light shone around her body and she felt like she was falling through water, so slowly that Kagome thought she might have fallen and died…this just wasn't natural. It seemed like an eternity as Kagome fell, she felt the pull of centuries as she floated, there in the well. Kagome tried to yell for help but no sound came from her mouth, it was as if her voice had died. A shiver of fear crawled up Kagome's spine.

"Beware of the well!" so this was what her grandfather was talking about,

Kagome thought absently as she saw the bottom of the well appear before her. Kagome cringed awaiting the impact of her hitting the solid ground. But instead the floating sensation continued and she landed gracefully on her hands and knee's on the bottom of the well.

Kagome felt the soft earth beneath her fingers and reveled in it never before had she thought the ground could feel so good. Kagome stared at the rocky ground as she felt the golden rays of warmth and light shine down on her head. `Wait a second…the shrine has a roof over it…' Kagome thought absently as she leaned back to kneel on the ground. Kagome tilted her head up to squint into the direct sunlight that shined down on her.

"What the…" Kagome thought as she placed a hand on the side of the well for support. Kagome stood on shaky legs to glare up into the sunlight.

"This is impossible." Kagome choked out. How could the roof just disappear? This definitely classified as freaky! Kagome looked up at the well. It was made out of gray stone slabs that were starting to crumble at the edges. Vines crept down the length of the well and in between the cracks. Kagome squinted up out of the well and could just make out a tree line.

"Tree's?" Kagome gasped. There were no trees on her property because the fire had burnt everything to the ground. "Dear god, no..." Kagome whispered as she leaned against the cold stone slabs. Kagome bent down and saw her locket half covered in dirt lying on the ground. Gingerly she reached and picked it up with fingers that shook.

"Where am I?" Kagome asked as her fist closed over the locket. Kagome took a deep

breath and clasped the locket around her neck. With a determined sigh Kagome reached for a vine and gave it a tug, testing her weight. The vine held.

"I am not going to rot down here!" Kagome said determinedly as she began the 20 foot climb up the well.

Kagome's hands gripped the edge of the well as she pulled herself up. What she saw took her breath away. Kagome was surrounded by trees. Birds chirped endlessly into the morning air and soared through the sky. A small wind blew through the tree's and the long grass swayed as the breeze tickled it. Kagome pulled herself completely out of the well and sank to her knees on the soft earth. Everything was gone, her family's grounds, the burnt house…Tokyo.

Kagome sat there for the longest time in silent wonder. It was beautiful but at the same time so scary it sent shivers up her spine. With a grunt Kagome got to her feet. She needed to talk to someone, to see some sign of civilization in this …this strange place. Kagome looked down at her feet and realized she was barefoot. Her high heels never made it through the well. Kagome sighed and wiggled her toes. Hopefully they wont get to scratched…Kagome thought absently as she made her way through the dense tree's.

Kagome had been walking for what seemed to be an eternity. Her feet ached and her lack of sleep was catching up with her. Well, any ones feet would be sore if they happened to be walking barefoot through a forest which had an unusual amount of sharp twigs lying on the ground. Kagome stopped by a nearby stream and let her feet dangle in the cool water.

" So tired…." Kagome groaned as she crawled over to the base of a large tree that over looked the stream. "I'll just rest my eyes for a few minutes…" Kagome yawned as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Kagome awoke to the sound of hushed voices. She opened her eyes that were blurry from sleep. It was now dark and the moon shone down on the forest, it's light played across the small stream. All was eerily silent. The moon hung in the sky like a pearl lost in an ocean of black murky water. Kagome shivered and sat up as the cool night air tickled her skin. Again Kagome heard the sound of voices arguing distantly and she got slowly to her feet. Kagome followed the voices as they gradually got louder and louder, the signs of a heated argument reached Kagome's ears. Kagome paused behind a large tree just outside a clearing. Breathing deeply Kagome turned to peer out at the other side of the clearing. What she saw took her breath away.

There were two men standing facing each other. But they weren't ordinary men. As a matter of fact Kagome didn't think they were men at all.

One of the men had long silver hair that flowed over his shoulder and down his back. His ears were long and pointed and he his face was the perfect picture of grace. Kagome squinted her eyes, `Does h-he have…GOLD eyes!' Kagome gaped. There were two he had two red strips on either side of his face and a blue crescent moon hung in the middle of his forehead. `Please tell me those are tattoo's' Kagome pleaded with herself. The man wore a white and red Kimono with what looked like, Kagome gulped, to be a tail that was so long it draped over his shoulder like a boa. `God he's handsome.' Kagome thought in wide eyed wonder. The man had a cool aura about him and his face showed little emotion as he stared at the man across from him.

The man that stood across of him was much his opposite. Although he was equally handsome, he had black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. His brown eyes shown with fierce determination and he like the other across of him had long pointy ears. He had a long black tail that wrapped around his waist. On his arms and legs he wore light brown cuffs ( AN : I have no idea what they're called…what color's his tail?) . Kagome thought he resembled a wolf.

"I see no point in trying to talk to a savage." The man with the silver hair said coolly. His golden eyes seemed dull and uninterested. Kagome craned her neck and listened with all her might to hear the other man's response. Oh BOY did he respond. The young man yelled his answer at the silver haired man his eyes glowing with rage. Kagome's eyes widened with shock…Did he just shout that in English?

On Kagome's 15th birthday, her family had let her go to America to become an exchange student for a year. It was a great experience for her, she met new friends learned the country's history and perfected her skills at speaking the language…although she still had a slight accent. At first it was so difficult to understand what everyone was saying, they were speaking to fast, but it was either learn to cope with it or fail because you didn't understand a damn thing they were saying. As it was Kagome got all A's on her report card in America.

"Hmph! Waste of my time!" the silver haired man said as he turned on his heel and stalked away. His silver hair billowing in the wind.

"Feh! There will never be an alliance between the West and the South!" The dark haired man shouted at the silver haired man's retreating form. As he shouted this Kagome saw the unmistakable glimmer of fangs.

Kagome gasped and took a surprised step backwards. As she stepped backwards a small twig snapped beneath her foot. The snap seemed to echo throughout the woodlands filling her and the others around her. The silver haired man stopped dead in his tracks and turned slowly to stare in her direction. The dark haired young man growled and turned, staring directly at her.

Kagome's eyes bulged. She had been caught. `Crap' Kagome swore inwardly as she turned and ran as fast as she could away from the two…whatever they were.

The silver haired man gave the other man a glance and walked slowly towards him. The young man understood and gave a curt nod, then headed right after kagome into the woods.

"This should be interesting." The silver haired man sighed as he waited patiently for the other to return.

Okay wuddya guys think huh? And sorry for ne grammatical mistakes im kinda bad with stuff like that ^__^ ne who …Yea so tell me how u guys thought it was! K! I really wanna kno! Thanks! ---------Sarah

(Oo0o0o bye the way when Kouga talks its in English k? And Sesshoumaru talks in Japanese)