Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Time is a Strange Thing ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Time is a Strange Thing

Kagome huffed at InuYasha’s arrogance as she headed for the well and home. How dare that hanyou tell her that she couldn’t leave. She had every damn right to!
“Baka, InuYasha!” she screamed into the forest. Birds scattered to the air as her voice reverberated throughout the trees.
Kagome’s hands clenched at her sides as she wound her way down the well worn path that led to the bone eaters well. She knew that she was fuming, her aura frightening off any who might come near. Inuyasha had always been a thorn in her side since the moment she’d met him. Since the moment she’d freed him from Kikyo’s arrow. Then circumstance beyond her control bound through the rosary and the shattering of the Shikon Jewel. Such an obnoxious and childish brute that she’d found herself stuck with. Kagome stopped then, pausing at the thought. Was Inuyasha really such an awful companion? Not in reality, in fact most times she enjoyed his company. She did not always enjoy his bullish attitude towards things however. But all that aside, she was still angry with his inconsiderate, even selfish words. And that’s why I’m leaving, she thought to herself.
She knew that he’d likely be waiting for her at the well, trying to convince her to stay, but she’d made up her mind. Resuming her walk with less fervor, she closed the distance to the clearing rather quickly, anxious to get the confrontation over so that she could go home and for a change sleep on a bed with a mattress. Entering into the clearing of the bone eaters well, Kagome’s hands clenched once again. Just as expected, sitting there on the lip of the well, arms crossed, was InuYasha.
“Nani?!” Kagome hollered at him, irritated.
“I told you, I’m not gonna let you leave.” The hanyou stated bluntly.
Balling her hands into fists and raising them to her hips,” Well, I don’t care cause I’m leaving. I told you I have an important test to take.”
“Always you and your testsss!” He grumbled. “I swear woman, we’ll never get all the Shikon shards if you’re always running off to do things in your time.”
Getting angrier by the second, Kagome stomped to where the Hanyou sat, and looked him squarely in the eyes. “InuYasha,”  she said. ”Osuwari!”
The rosary growing heavy, InuYasha felt his body being pulled from the edge of the well as the ground came up to meet him.
Walking around him and hopping onto the rim of the well, Kagome looked down briefly at the half dog demon, head still buried in the ground. ”Serves you right,” she stated, then jumped in.
InuYasha lay there, his face in the grass and growled, “Chikusho wench! When this wears off your gonna pay!”

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Kagome pulled the straps of her backpack tighter as she climbed the makeshift ladder out of the well. Nearing the top, she froze as she realized something was wrong. There was sky above her. She was not inside the well house where she should have been.
“Inuyasha?” she called out, but there was no reply. The first twinges of fear started creeping into her thoughts. “InuYasha?”, she called again. Still no answer.
Slowly, she climbed to the top of the well and peered out. There was the temple, and Goshinboku, but nothing else. Climbing back down toward the bottom of the well, she dropped back to the ground, expecting the warm light of the time portal to envelope her, but nothing happened. Climbing halfway up, she tried again, but to no avail. The rift wouldn’t open. Kagome could feel her heart starting to race as she began to ponder the worst. Taking the heavy pack off her back, she leaned against the cool walls of the well, trying to focus. Breath, she told herself. Just breath. Think this through. Something must’ve happened. I’m not in my present, but I’m also not in the Sengoku Jidai. So….where am I?.......... Somewhere in-between? And if so,…why?
Realizing that staying in the well wouldn’t accomplish anything, she decided it best to check out the world above. Once again going up the ladder, she quietly climbed out of the well and took in her surroundings. As she’d spied before, the temple and the Goshinboku were both present, but nothing more. Walking further out near the steps to the temple, her breath caught in her throat. Below her, lay a sprawling village, early Meiji era if she was to take a guess. The first signs of foreign influence were evident by many of the buildings lining the streets. Men in suits as well as traditional hakama. Women in Kimono as well as Victorian dress. It was a sight to behold, if not a disconcerting one.
Kagome looked down at her school girl uniform, deciding it best to change into her Miko clothes, should she venture below. Climbing back into the well, then changing, she figured it best to leave her pack in its depths for safe keeping. Exiting the well once again, she looked to the sky. It was about mid-afternoon by the angle of the sun. Taking a deep breath and making sure the Shikon shards were secured, she ventured out into to strange world below.

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Walking down the street, straw twirling from the corner of his mouth, all he could think was that he was starving. Hunching over, he figured he’d hit up the dojo again for some grub. The witch would probably tell him to take a hike, but what was a beggar to do, he thought with a sly grin. Wandering down an alley shortcut, he wondered if anything new and exciting was coming his way. Always a man for adventure, times lately had been rough. The sheer boredom of it all was exhausting. Coming around a corner onto the main road, he had just enough time to react before the woman backed into him.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” She stated quickly. A somewhat frantic look on her face.
He did a quick once over of her, and decided she might need his help.
“Is everything okay little lady?”
“Yes!” she said much too quickly, then, “no. I just think that someone’s been following me. I’ll be fine,” she said as her hand raised and seemed to clutch something under her shirt.
The hair on the back of his neck seemed to rise with the tingle of a bad omen, and he knew that from that moment on, he would do whatever he had to do to help this girl.
She looked at him absently, “thank you, but I have somewhere I need to go.” She started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm.
Whipping back around with almost feral look in her eyes, he was taken aback. He let his grip loosen, but didn’t let go. Something about this girl held him enraptured. He couldn’t explain it, only that it was a force beyond his understanding. He had to help her. From whatever darkness had its grip on her. Without thinking, he spoke. “I know someone who can help. Do you trust me to introduce you?”
She looked first at his hand on her wrist, then at his face, the feral façade softening slightly. “Why should I trust you?” she asked quietly.
“Because I just want to help. I can tell there’s something bothering you, and I believe that my friends and I can help.”
He watched as she lowered her eyes,” you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I wouldn’t believe it myself it it hadn’t already happened once before.”
Determined that she believe him, he continued, “I can believe a lot of things. Just give me a chance to hear you out.” He paused, “ by the way, my names Sanosuke. Sanosuke Sagara.”
She met his eyes. “Kagome.”