Pavlov's Bell

When the quest was over Inuyasha chose Kikyo. Kagome climbed out of the well and went on with her life. She eventually married Hojo and moved away. Now her mother is gone and she's inherited the shrine. Hojo and Kagome move back to the shrine with their two girls. Kagome is disillusioned with her life and depressed. Hojo doesn't have time for her and all she can do is think back to the well. The adult Inuyasha senses her presence and comes to investigate.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Inuyasha.

One: Voices

Ayumi raced into the room and called out. "MOM! The window in my new room is stuck. It's so hot in here. I'm gonna die."

Kagome sat down the broom and turned to her eldest daughter. "You aren't going to die. The window is probably just stuck. Let's go up there and I'll force it open."

They climbed the old wooden stairs and Kagome stepped into her old room. Layers of dust covered every surface and she sneezed. Mom's been gone five years now, when's the last time we sent someone to clean this place? Her old furniture was gone but the spots where her bed and desk had sat were still worn into the floor.

Kagome walked up to the window and pushed hard on the frame. It was painted shut. She threw her weight behind her hands and it didn't budge. Damn it.

Kagome went down stairs to the kitchen to retrieve her trusty, rubber mallet. She returned to the window and carefully pounded the window loose from the frame. She dropped the mallet and pushed. The old latex paint cracked and the window slid open. Ayumi clapped and Kagome saw the old yellow of her childhood room shining through four layers of white paint. She leaned against the window and looked out over the tiny ledge of a roof.

Inuyasha used to sit up here. This window is perfect for sneaking out after hours…maybe I should move Ayumi to Gramp's old room.

"Ayumi."

"Yeah mom?"

"You know this roof isn't safe. If you climb out here you will break your neck."

Ayumi frowned. "Mom, it's not like I'm gonna sneak out like you used to. I'm not that stupid." She pronounced the word mom as it had three syllables and Kagome wondered when she'd started using this tone.

She knew who Ayumi had been talking to and answered. "You do realize your uncle Souta doesn't know everything right?"

Ayumi laughed and Kagome knew she'd been dismissed. She's only eight! Was I this way when I was eight? I wish Mom were still here to tell me.

Miya burst through the door and began whining. "Mom why does Ayumi get the best room? It's not fair that she gets everything just because she's older!" She clenched her tiny fists and held them at her sides.

Kagome bent down in front of her six year old. "You don't like Souta's old room? He stayed there nineteen years and turned out just fine."

Miya pouted. "It's not fair."

Kagome sighed and stood up. "You're right it's not. But age does come with privileges. I'm the oldest girl in this house and I've got the biggest room."

Miya made a face. "But that's not the same. You have to share your room with dad."

Kagome mussed her short hair. "You should be happy to have your own room. If we hadn't moved here you'd still be in the apartment sharing a room with Ayumi."

"I guess you're right." She allowed and began to dance around the room pretending to be a ballerina. "Can we paint my room pink?"

Ayumi shook her head. "You are such a loser."

Kagome scolded gently. "Don't call your sister names! And there will be no painting until this place is clean so everyone grab a trash bag and get a move on!"

Hojo was in the shrine yard hauling away broken tree limbs and raking leaves. Kagome brought out a cold glass of water. He was grateful and drank deeply while she scanned the yard. Hojo passed her the empty frosty glass and gave her a quick kiss, his lips still chilly from the water.

"Thanks! So are you sure you're up to running a shrine and chasing after the girls?'

Kagome was skeptical but refused to acknowledge it. "I have to. There's no one in the family left and it's been closed far too long. Besides I've already put an in order for those silly Shikon Jewel Key flashlight chains.

Hojo laughed. "Those things are the greatest! I carried one all through school. It was a great excuse to get up here and see you."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Humph. I'll remember that when the girls are older and keep an eye out for over zealous young boys."

"This place is great and so big. I'm grateful the firm agreed to transfer me here." He gestured to the expansive yard. "This will be great for the girls and the schools are better too."

Kagome agreed but she wasn't sure the shrine was safe. But maybe she was just being silly. After all, the place was so peaceful. "Did you get the pad lock from the hardware store?"

Hojo pulled it from his pocket and tossed to Kagome who caught it. "I don't know why you are so worried about that old well house. The girls know better than to play in there and the well is boarded up. They'll be fine."

Kagome put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. "Yeah but I fell down that well when I was a kid and don't want them to get…hurt."

Hojo said. "I remember that. You were seventeen and drunk. You broke your ankle and it took the whole fire department to get you out."

Kagome blushed at the memory. "Before then when I was younger, I fell down and it took Mom and Grandpa three days to find me." Well it sorta happened like that…didn't it? I'm just leaving out a few of the essentials.

Hojo picked up the rake. "This is the first I've heard of that. Maybe you should lock it then, just for your own safety."

Kagome lightly punched his arm. "Funny, funny man."

Hojo rolled his eyes. "I've told everyone I'm a battered husband but no one will believe me. Hey, isn't that the well Souta had dedicated some obscure guardian? What was his name…Inu yokai?"

Kagome answered without thought, "Inuyasha. And Souta never completed that, mom got sick and we dropped everything."

"Inuyasha, so what'd he do?"

Kagome felt the early autumn chill on her face. "He pursued the Shikon no tama but then became its protector." My protector. "As such it gives him a place of honor here at the shrine."

Hojo shrugged, "If you say so. I don't know how you keep all of that lore straight. Sometimes I think you lived there in a past life."

Kagome smiled. "You never know."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You're tough but I can't imagine you, as you are now, living five hundred years ago. You love modern conveniences too much for that."

Kagome shot back. "Maybe that's why I love modern convenience; I know what it's like to do without it." I don't think Hojo's slept a day on the ground in his life.

Hojo looked at Kagome and shook his head. He'd never fully understand her. When he first met her, he was attracted to the mystery. Everyday he was able to spend with her was like winning the scratch off instant lotto or finding two 1000 yen notes in the bottom of his washing machine. He never knew what to expect and even though he tried to find a new girl, no one was ever as interesting as his Kagome. Now she was just strange but he still loved her even when she made his head hurt.

Kagome saw the expression on his face and huffed. "I hate it when you give me that patronizing look."

"I was merely thinking how lucky I am to have you." lied Hojo.

"Yeah I am SO sure that's it."

He pulled her against his chest in a bear hug. "Why do you always doubt me?"

Kagome reassured him. "I was just kidding." But she wasn't. She loved Hojo but always believed something was missing. It was unfair to him to explore the feeling so she shoved it down into the pit of her belly and ignored it.

Hojo released her and returned to raking. "I want to have everything ready for the moving van when it gets here next week. I don't want you to be stuck unpacking all those boxes and moving the furniture by yourself."

Kagome nodded. "We should have all the painting and cleaning done by then and we can concentrate on moving in."

"I hate to go on such a long trip after we've just got here but you know how it is… If we want to live here, I'll have to travel a bit more often."

Kagome bit her lip. "I know but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"We couldn't keep the girls in the old neighborhood. It was too crowded and the crime rate was going up. This will be worth the sacrifice. You'll be so busy with the shrine you won't have time to miss me."

She doubted this but nodded anyway. Only a fool would turn down a free house. Now that they had no mortgage payment they had a chance to save money for the girls' futures and pay off all their bills.

A week later…

Kagome stood on the ladder diligently gliding the paint roller over the wall in front of her. She loved the smell of fresh paint but after painting every room in the shrine she could go the rest of her life without ever smelling it again. Her arm ached as she reached up higher covering the wall up to the ceiling with a fresh lemon yellow.

Miya leaned in through the open living room window. "MOM!" she yelled.

Kagome winced. Why are the girls always yelling? Do they think I'm deaf?

"What?" she asked without turning around.

"Ayumi's hurt."

Kagome tossed the roller to the plastic sheet covering the floor and jumped down from the ladder. "Where is she?" Her mind filled with a thousand horrible possibilities.

Miya led her to the locked well house. The lock hung open and the door was ajar. Kagome was filled with a quick fear. She found Ayumi holding her arm and crying. She was seated on the boards covering the entrance to the well. Inuyasha's well.

"Baby, let me see your arm."

Ayumi held it out and Kagome saw a small jagged cut across the inside of her arm. The boards were covered in spatters of her young daughter's blood.

Kagome clicked her tongue. "Looks like we might need to get you some stitches but you'll live." Ayumi burst into a fresh round of tears and Kagome walked her out of the well house back towards the main residence.

Kagome sat Ayumi on the kitchen counter then proceeded to clean the wound. She was happy to discover it was shallow and decided to use a butterfly bandage instead of going the hospital. She carefully dabbed Neosporin on the wound and covered it in tiny Scooby Doo band-aides. "Okay kiddo you are as good as new. Thank goodness you've had your tetanus shot last month for school."

Ayumi's lower lip trembled. Kagome pulled up a chair and set across from her at eye level. "Now, what were you doing in the well house?"

"I wanted to see it…"

Kagome raised a brow. "And you didn't get a good enough look the other day when I showed it to you and told you to stay out of it?"

Ayumi shook her head and her dark chin length hair moved with her. "I was curious."

Kagome sighed. "Why would you be curious about a dangerous, dusty, moldy, old well house?"

She answered slowly. "I don't know but it's just interesting."

"Have you been talking with Souta again?"

Ayumi cocked her head to one side and Kagome saw the ideas forming. "No, but would he know more about the well?"

"Ayumi there isn't anything special about that well. It's just a good way to get hurt. If you fall down there I don't know what I will do."

She frowned. "Mom I was careful, I wouldn't fall in."

Kagome pushed her hair back from her face. "I've fallen in twice. The first time it took them THREE days to find me. And I'm your perfect mom, how can I trust that you wouldn't make the same mistake?"

"What were you doing when you fell in?"

Kagome smirked. That's the question of a lifetime isn't it? "I was cleaning the well house and slipped in a puddle of water."

"That must've been a bad slip." answered Ayumi her voice heavy with skepticism. "I thought you were talking to the boy."

Kagome's heart leapt from her chest into her throat. "What boy?"

"The boy in the well." Ayumi looked at Kagome as though she was stupid.

"Does he talk to you? Have you seen him?"

Ayumi studied her shoes. "I've heard his voice. I don't think he can get out. He sounds so… small."

Kagome tipped Ayumi's chin up with her forefinger. "Is he a child?'

She nodded.

"What does he say to you?"

"He sings but I don't know the song."

Kagome was perplexed. Her first thought was of Shippo but surely he'd be an adult by now and he couldn't cross over the well. Ever since they purified and burned the jewel she hadn't been able to return. Kagome didn't know how they did it. She had to leave before it was done. But when she jumped down the well the next morning her feet hit solid dirt and had every other time since. What the hell is calling to my daughter?

"That's it? You've just heard singing?"

She nodded again.

"Ayumi are you sure the singing was coming from the well?" Kagome knew her daughter was gifted with a great imagination.

"Yeah, Miya heard it too." She pushed down on the edges of the bright green band aide.

Kagome stood up and put her hands on her hips as she gazed out the window over the sink at the seemingly innocent well house.

I wonder if we just have an ordinary run of the mill ghost? But her gut knew better. Something is in the damned well, again. God I hope it doesn't have a hundred legs. Oh well, guess there's no point in scaring the kids with it. This can wait until after bedtime. I hope Hojo gets home soon.

Hojo called fifteen minutes later. He was stuck at work finishing up a proposal for their new client. His boss wanted it to be done by the morning and all of the engineers had resolved to pull an all nighter. Kagome sighed.

"That's okay? Are you coming home at all tonight?"

A voice called out in the distance on the other side of the phone. Hojo answered hurriedly, "After midnight for a couple hours of sleep and a quick shower. I gotta run but Babe, I love you."

"I love you too," whispered Kagome and heard the click as he disconnected. Her red headed husband was out to save the world by building a better, faster, smaller widget or microchip. When did I stop saving the world? Funny thing, I guess it just decided to stay saved this last time.

The sun set and Kagome dragged her girls off to the sleeping bags she'd laid out in their rooms. She couldn't wait for the moving van to arrive in the morning. The house was sparsely furnished as her mother had moved most of her furniture into storage. Kagome wanted to go through it all but thought it was best for the girls if they used the furniture from the apartment because it would make the shrine feel more like home.

Kagome walked down the darkened hall. It felt odd to be back in her childhood home. She imagined she heard Gramps yelling about something or Souta calling her name. But there was nothing there but dust and cobwebs. Actually she'd dusted and now everything smelled of fresh paint but in the dark the cobwebs still seemed visible.

Kagome pulled a heavy flash light from the kitchen cupboard and searched in vain for something that could pass as a weapon. Sadly the only thing she found was a shovel but it would do. She took a drink of cold, stale coffee and gathered her nerve to approach the well house.

Notes:

This is a short story maybe five or six chapters long. Enjoy! Update coming soon.