Inuyasha froze immediately. The disturbing sense of chilling cold was descending upon him faster than anything he'd ever known. Rosary beads. What was going on here? This wasn't possible. This wasn't possible! He had never met Kagome in this life! There was no chance in Hell that he'd even seen Kaede after the sealing. The rosary beads shouldn't even be in existence let alone be strung around his neck as they had always been before. Closing his rough fingers around the beads Inuyasha lifted the necklace upwards to eye level and then further still, cursing when he felt that no longer familiar crackling static that made it quite plain that a barrier would make sure that the hanyou would never have the power to remove the enchantment himself. The magic of the beads and the spell in them still worked and it appeared that currently Inuyasha was still under the powerful effects of the fearsome Osuwari. How and why eluded his mind for the moment. According to these new memories that were flooding his mind, no...this new reality, it was truly impossible that these were here now.
The beads tumbled back down to settle on the T-shirt that he was wearing with a soft clicking sound. Inuyasha slid the door to the small well house open slightly just in time to catch a glimpse of Kagome's dark hair head down through the yard and off towards her school. Surprisingly his mind was entirely void of thought. Perhaps because in his mind there was no possible explanation to be found for all of this; no rationalization could be made.
Or...
Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly as Kagome disappeared down the top of the stairs and towards the street below. The Shikon no Tama existed in this time as well, in Kagome and in its own whole form. Something which couldn't possibly happen. It wasn't that it couldn't happen so much as that it was beyond dangerous. The Shikon shards in themselves had the ability to restore life to the dead no matter how small they were, even at a hundredth of the original size they possessed great power. If left in a human being, a living human being...even if they were the reincarnation of the guardian of the Shikon no Tama...it could very possibly mean that not only would that person be entirely incapable of dying but that a serious balance of power had been shifted to one person.
The Shikon no Tama had the ability to grant wishes, to manipulate lives...even to change a persons soul at times...and currently all of that power and the ability to use it belonged to one person. Perhaps she had never really been meant to control that power in the first place. Just as Kikyou's control over the jewel had been cut short by.....certain things.
As quietly as physically possible Inuyasha slid out of the small building and followed the girl.

The day passed with an almost agonizingly slow speed. Inuyasha spent most of it on the roof of the school, thanking whatever gods were in existence that five hundred years of waiting had granted him patience for once. A few more hours and the classes would let out and she would emerge from the school safe and happy. The many, many times in the several past realities that he had come to visit her at her school had assured him that she was in no danger here. She was constantly surrounded by her friends (albeit strange friends, in his opinion) and other than extreme carelessness on every humans part even she wouldn't be able to find trouble here.
Only when the sounds surrounding the building shifted to include the quiet, busy murmuring that could only be the countless students, discussing the mostly trivial things like boyfriends and homework that they considered important, did Inuyasha bother to move from his perch. Luckily for him none of the students had opted to escape to the rooftop at any point during the day. From the lip of the rooftop Inuyasha peered out over the numerous piles of black and brown hair that were quickly populating the sidewalks. Kagome was there somewhere and Inuyasha was determined to follow her. Something was telling him that something would happen. He didn't know what but it seemed important. Perhaps beyond important.
Kagome however was blissfully unaware of his presence though, chatting with her ever present group of friends and heading away from the building. She wasn't all that far from her home distance wise but it still had always seemed to make for an eventful walk every other time Inuyasha had followed her in the past/ At the moment though the girl looked as if she had nothing to worry about in the world. Well, other than homework at least.
Traveling with her friends, the small herd of teenagers was currently heading down the street towards their favorite place to swap gossip and life stories over a cheap burger and some slightly watered down cola. WacDonalds.
Inuyasha had been trailing the girls for a fairly long time now. Keeping a long distance behind them and traveling on top of various buildings to keep an eye on them was very effective in hiding his presence, it would seem. But he stopped the moment that they also stopped, pausing alongside a sidewalk and greeting a new person who was now rolling up to them on a bike. It was a young man with neatly combed brown hair. Golden eyes narrowed at seeing this. Inuyasha knew that boy. That was the boy that had helped Kagome with those "test" things when she was sick a long time ago. He was one of Kagome's friends. Oh, Inuyasha had no issues with that. So long as that human boy kept a respectful distance from Kagome and showed no real interest in her, Inuyasha had no problem with it at all. Really. Of course, this lack of problem didn't stop the hanyou from moving from a rooftop to the alley beside where the girls were standing. Peering around the corner his eyes narrowed further. That boy was smiling brightly at Kagome and offering her something. Inuyasha twitched on reflex Taking a look at Kagome he twitched yet again. She was accepting the gift and smiling back. Telling himself that things were different now Inuyasha tried to reign in his instincts. This wasn't five hundred years in the past. This wasn't his Kagome....then again, had she really ever been? He'd never actually done anything to show that he had intended on keeping her with him after everything was finished, had he? Disturbed by that thought Inuyasha brushed it off to tell himself again that he couldn't interfere with this. This wasn't the Kagome he knew. This was a much different Kagome. No, the same Kagome...just with a different life, if that were possible to understand.
Well, that's what he told himself, but then the human boy just had to reach out and catch one of Kagome's hands with his own. Inuyasha's hands tensed automatically and he moved to step out into plain vi--

"Dammit! Inukoro, wake up and fight me like you mean it!" Inuyasha's eyes flew open just in time to dodge the extremely heavy punch that had been thrown at him by one very angry wolf youkai. Kouga turned on one heel and slammed his right foot into Inuyasha's stomach when the hanyou made no move to attack, stunning him slightly.
What the Hell?
Recovering as best he could Inuyasha threw a swift strike of his own, punching the armor-covered shoulder with enough force to send Kouga spinning. Cursing heavily Kouga tossed himself into the air towards Inuyasha with little effort and came down kicking with a fury that sent the hanyou flying a few yards into the distance.
Moving to defend automatically Inuyasha's mind was racing. This wasn't possible. Just like the rosary beads, it wasn't possible. What had happened? Just a minute ago he'd been watching Kagome and her friends with that human boy in their time. Kouga wasn't even alive any more for crying out loud! The stupid wolf had been dead for the better part of three centuries, unless preventing Kagome from ever coming through the well had somehow changed that too. Then he knew. This was the fight to get Kouga's shards back, after the last time Kagome had died. Had he dreamed the rest of it or something?
Inuyasha jumped just in time to avoid being kicked once more by the wolfs powerful legs and in turn snaked out one arm to grab hold of one of Kouga's ankles. Not giving him a single chance to respond in such short a period of time he twisted and slammed his opponent into the ground. Jumping out of the way just in time to avoid a backlash of furious kicks as Kouga made a quick recovery Inuyasha half shouted, half growled, "Just give me the shards, wolf!"
"Like Hell! I think I'd rather just kill you." Responded the wolf readily, not missing a beat and trying to grab a handhold on Inuyasha's clothing for an altered repeat of the last move that had been used on himself. Thinking quickly Inuyasha balled a hard fist at the motion, ducked and pushed all of his strength behind a punch that nearly crushed the left leg of his opponent. Shocked by the sudden intense pain Kouga tumbled haplessly to the ground, a small pink shard tumbling out of the gash in his leg and into a pool of blood that had started to form when Inuyasha had turned the fist into an open handed grab for whatever he could catch. His sharp claws had easily shredded through muscle; like a knife through butter.
Now flat on his back and unable to use his left leg at all Kouga propped himself up on his hands, dark hair tumbling down over his shoulders. Unwilling to give up he flipped himself over with a grunt so that he was resting on the palm of his left hand and the ball of his right foot as well as his knee. Glaring up with disgust at the not-quite-equally battered hanyou he spat "You haven't won yet, bastard. You'll pay for what you did to her."
With an amazing bust of speed so fast that Inuyasha could barely see him move the wolf youkai had managed to throw himself onto his remaining foot and launched himself in an attack against Inuyasha. Inuyasha balled another fist and prepared to remove the other shard from the stubborn youkai's other leg when he heard something. And froze.
"Inuyasha?"
Kagome's voice! But it couldn't be...she was dead. Ignoring that fact in the face of something much stronger than death Inuyasha's concentration wavered as he looked around the entire area, searching for the source of the voice. Completely oblivious to anything around him except the sound of that voice. But she wasn't there. Of course she wasn't. Stupid.
"Keep your eyes on who you're fighting, mutt!"
Thump. Inuyasha felt a blinding pain against the back of his head and sank into a cool darkness.

"Inuyasha? Are you awake? Please wake up..."
The first things Inuyasha registered as he opened his eyes were a familiar ceiling and the sound of a long missed voice. Jolting awake finally he lay very still where he was for a moment as he tried to get his bearings. Blinking once or twice to clear the last effects of sleep from his eyes he used one arm to raise himself up to a sitting position...and stopped. Sitting less than a foot away at his side, a worried expression on her face as she stared right back at him was Kagome. Inuyasha reached out with both hands and pulled her to him, nearly crushing her smaller frame against him.
"Inuyasha?" she asked, returning the embrace questioningly and still with a hint of worry to her voice. "Are you all right?"
Unable to say much of anything at the moment Inuyasha just held on to her even tighter. It was almost impossible for him to believe that she was here. That she was alive. Had it all been a dream? It didn't matter. Kagome was here. Kagome was fine. For the moment that was all that mattered, though he doubted he'd believe it had all been a dream even if he lived another five hundred years. Not noticing that the others had come into the hut Inuyasha started when he heard Miroku's voice announcing to Sango and Shippou that he was awake.
"Mou, we keep telling him that we need to take more breaks while we're traveling." Sango commented as she came into the small building, "Are you all right?"
Inuyasha just nodded rather blankly, releasing his hold on Kagome and feeling rather disappointed as she pulled away to right her posture. "What happened?"
"You don't remember?" asked Miroku, frowning darkly when Inuyasha shook his head in response. It was quite disturbing, Inuyasha. You just fell over. It was as if you had passed out and were it anyone but you that would have been an acceptable explanation, but..."
"That's what walking so long without rest will do to you. I'm going to go find Kaede." Sango said, raising herself up to her feet and exiting.

And like that it had ended. It seemed like it had happened ages ago though in truth it had only been a little over a week. Inuyasha still had trouble absorbing the fact that whatever the weird spell of unconsciousness was and whatever things he had seen while he was out were just a dream. They had been so real that it seemed beyond his comprehension how something like that could be just a little piece of overactive imagination. The dreams did have their lasting effects though. Inuyasha had not let Kagome out of his site for more than an instant, much to her annoyance, since he had woken up. Everyone expected the now grumpy hanyou to lighten up after a few days. He didn't.
Now he was sitting beside the well with his back leaned up against it. His fingers were running over and over the beads on the rosary fastened around his neck. He hadn't tried to see if he could remove it; he didn't want to remove it any more. It's reappearance even after the last time in the dream had instilled in his mind a sort of odd belief that in some way Kagome (and symbolically the rosary) were meant to be in his life and there was no way that he would want to remove them now, was there? Kagome herself was there with him, checking over her heavy hiking pack as she prepared for another trip back to the modern world. Heavens forbid she forget a text book, after all.
Kneeling down beside him Kagome smiled apologetically. "Are you still mad? I said I was sorry."
The incident in question involved Inuyasha's more than adamant demands that she not leave his sight when ever possible while in the Feudal era. It had resulted in a rather powerful version of the sit spell and Inuyasha's instant bad mood for most of the afternoon.
"I said I'm not angry." He sighed in response. He hated her leaving again. He knew he could always follow her through the well but there was some part of his mind that told him that he should stay here for once and let her taste her normal life for a while. Avoiding her eyes as best he could he turned to look off into the distance instead of facing her. Kagome smiled again and then went back to packing her back before lifting it up onto the lip of the well. Then, stopping, she turned to face Inuyasha.
"Ne, Inuyasha. You know how last week you asked how I first fell through the well? Why did you want to know?"

End.
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Authors Note: Well, I'm dead tired. Literally. So tired that I can barely comprehend the words I'm typing so I'll make this short. Honestly, lately I've really started to hate this story which explains why this final chapter is so short. This story is unimaginative, plain and boring in my opinion and well below what I can do. In a few months I may or may not rewrite this, make it more detailed and more interesting but until then it will remain up in this form. If you have been interested enough to read through to the end then I ask that you please leave some feed back. Tell me it sucked or tell me you loved it, I don't care. I just want to know your opinion. Also, please check out my other stories. I'll be adding a few more stories which may be of interest to you within the near future. Thank you for reading Time and Again, I hope you enjoyed the story.

And after formatting the story for upload, I must say that I have fallen in love with spell check and will be running away with it to get married a week after I release my next story.