Seriously, I don't own Inu-Yasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. (Hope I spelled her name right.)

SPOILERS. (There, I warned you.)

I'm going to write his name and the names of weapons, etc. the way they were originally presented in volume 1, not the way it's currently presented (I'm on 51). The sudden change about twenty volumes ago (and by default in the anime) disturbed me.

Kagome's eyes are gray. That's the color they were on the cover of volume 1. I'm sticking to it.

Oh, yeah... Sesshy's not in this story. Sorry!

And so we begin.

Down the Well Again

She had left in the morning.

That in itself was unusual, but Kagome woke with a feeling she couldn't shake, as though Naraku himself had laid spiderwebs over her body. Something bad's happened at home, she thought, and the idea of Sota being hurt was enough to speed her return from the Feudal Era.

"Be careful, Kagome," Sango told her, as always. She hoisted Hirai-Kotsu higher. "We'll be waiting here as usual."

Miroku kissed the high-schooler's hand (Sango pretended not to notice). He had been really quiet the last few days. Shippo nodded her way and fidgeted. He too, she knew, didn't want her to go.

At last she turned to he whom it was hardest to say good-bye to—even if only for a little while. Things had been waxing steadily better between them since Kikyo's death, yet every so often there were moments where neither of them said anything at all to the other.

It's his fault, really, for making me feel so guilty all the time, Kagome mused, rather rebelliously. He follows me when I go home, and makes such a big deal about me leaving in the first place...

He doesn't have to be such a baby about it. And anyway, before he still had Kikyo when I left...

That thought brought her back to the present. Kagome stared into the golden eyes and summoned up every bit of courage she had. This was going to be hard, as always.

"Inu-Yasha..."

The half-demon huffed out a "feh". She knew that meant for her to hurry up and say what she was going to say. Fine, then.

"I'll be back as soon as I've made sure my family's all right. In the meantime..." Kagome hesitated. "Just... take care of Kikyo's grave for me?"

Inu-Yasha flinched. He jumped up from his semi-relaxed sulking position and stared fully at her, eyes wide. "Kagome..."

Miroku, Sango and Shippo all muttered something about needing to talk to Kaede and evaporated.

Kagome felt her face flush. Nervous as she was about being alone with him, she began to stammer very quickly. "Er, well, like I said, I'll be back, so don't wait up if Naraku shows up or recruits some more demons... Tell Koga I said hi..."

Ouch. That was tactless.

"...stay away from Sesshomaru..."

And that was just stupid.

Inu-Yasha reached out and gestured in frustration. "Kagome, I need to tell you—I..."

"Need me to come back soon, right? Don't worry, I'll barely be gone and then I'll be back."

"Kagome!"

"Well... see you soon."

Kagome jumped into the well and didn't look back. The next thing she knew, Sota's worried face shone down from above her head.

Inu-Yasha was alone faster than his demon senses could process it. Already Kagome's scent, so like Kikyo's and yet still unique, was fading from his nose.

He hated it when she left, though he would never admit it.

I shouldn't take it personally... but every time I look up, she's leaving! Damn girl... and of all days to leave...!

Inu-Yasha held up a strand of silver hair and groaned. The end was turning black.

"Don't go, Kagome," he whispered, too late, as the sun set behind the well.

Kagome had barely made it home when Sota was pulling her to the hospital. Their grandfather had thrown out his back the day before, and was recovering in his stubborn way.

"Grandpa?"

"Ahhh, Kagome... I knew you would be coming. You see—"

The girl huffed impatiently. Another story. "Yes, Grandpa, I know. ...Now, are you all right?"

"Why, yes... I could have told you I'd be all right. Why didn't Sota tell you that? I'll be out and about by...tomorrow..."

He stopped, looking at his granddaughter closely. Was she...?

Kagome glared at them both, momentarily struck speechless. But only momentarily.

"You... both... I was so worried! And you're telling me you'll be just fine NOW? I mean, honestly...!"

Sota bent down to whisper to his grandfather: "You made her mad. I TOLD you you'd make her mad. At least I didn't have to tell her..."

Kagome cut her little brother off with a loud, irate huff. "This is just the kind of thing Inu-Yasha would do!"

And she stomped out of the hospital room, feeling out of place and quite unsatisfied in the bargain.

Sango whispered to Miroku: "Inu-Yasha hasn't spoken since Kagome left."

Miroku nodded and then said nothing for a time. Then, out of nowhere: "I do agree that Lady Kagome is the primary reason he's suffering... along with Lady Kikyo being... no longer with us. However... I don't think that's the only thing on his mind tonight."

The both of them had the grace to flinch, and remember that whispers carried in the quiet darkness, when Inu-Yasha turned and glared at them with round human eyes.

Dinner was a quieter affair than it usually was. Kagome hadn't realized what a presence her grandfather had until the rest of the Higurashis ate without him.

Sota chattered on to fill the approaching silences—mostly news about how Grandpa was anxious to come home. Kagome was still so annoyed with them both for tricking her into such worry that she spoke little—as was her wont, anyway, since discovering the Feudal Era. It was just so difficult to explain people like Sango, Shippo, Miroku, Sesshomaru, Kohaku and Rin, Kagura, Naraku, Kikyo... Inu-Yasha.

Sota was still talking.

"Grandpa says he wants you to bring him home 'this minute', Mom, because apparently it's bad luck to be in less-than-great health on the night of a new moon."

In horror, Kagome dropped her chopsticks and they went nose-first into the mountain of ramen in her bowl, never to be retrieved or seen again.

Oh my god, oh my god, OH MY GOD!

"The new moon's tonight?" she shrieked.

"Um... Kagome, are you okay?"

Kagome sank further into her chair, eyes wide. "Oh no... the new moon's right now... Inu-Yasha's..."

Human.

Without thinking about it much, she leapt up and made a rush for the door, taking only Kikyo's sacred bow and arrows—she never left those anywhere she wouldn't be. Right now, all Kagome could think of was getting to that arrogant, annoying dog-demon as soon as was humanly possible. She hadn't been counting the days... after Kikyo's death she had lost track...

Oh, no... if something's happened to him...

The well waited for her, patiently and silently, and she thought of nothing but half-demons and their damned secrecy as she leapt back in.

Kagome spun and twisted, but by now she was used to the accompanying dizzy feelings. And when she finally climbed out of the well, groaning with the weight of the bow and quiver, Inu-Yasha was waiting for her.

And as she had thought, he was human.

"Inu-Yasha!"

She leapt into his arms.

He staggered back, but did not push her away or hold her closer. He only let out a sigh, whispering the obvious: "...You're back."

"Oh, Inu-Yasha... I'm so sorry I left you like that! I was stupid... I didn't even realize..."

"That's new." He was unnerved; she was almost crying, and he hadn't had to deal with that in a long time. "You never say sorry."

Kagome took one of his hands (his human hands!) and held it in her own. "It's the new moon tonight," she said sadly. "The one time when you're vulnerable. I've never been away from you during the new moon before... not since I found out."

Inu-Yasha snorted and turned away, so that she could not see his troubled eyes. "No, you haven't."

Kagome let out a sigh. She sat on the edge of the well.

Something raged inside of Inu-Yasha—he made to storm off, to find some half-hearted company in Miroku and Sango, but Kagome's scent was suddenly right behind him, and he conveniently forgot how to breathe.

She was still shorter than him, but not by much now. His human ears twitched as she murmured his name.

"I'm very sorry."

Inu-Yasha's nose twitched too. Once, Kagome had smelled deceptively like Kikyo—but now, with Kikyo gone for good (he winced at the idea), Kagome smelled...

Different. New.

He turned to face her.

"I know you didn't mean it," he said quietly. It was as close as the prideful half-demon would ever come to an apology.

Kagome shook her head vigorously. Her gray eyes were beautiful. "This won't happen again. Ever."

"Huh?"

In one swift movement, Kagome stood, moved to Inu-Yasha's side, and took one of his hands again—ignoring the sudden sharp prick in the palm of her hand.

"I promise, Inu-Yasha. I won't leave you so insensitively again."

Inu-Yasha blinked at her, pondering her promise. When he at last moved, he was equally swift and ten times as surprising—he pulled his hand free and used both hands to pick her up. Kagome squealed, out of a surprise that was partly pleased as well as annoyed.

"Whoa! I... I... !"

Inu-Yasha shifted, so that he and Kagome's noses were touching. His eyes, she realized joyfully, were brightening from steel gray to the familiar gold.

"Say that again."

"I won't leave you again, Inu-Yasha."

A gigantic smirk came over his face, highlighting the angular cheekbones she was so fond of.

"See that you don't."

Dawn came and sealed the human girl's promise, while adding in a gift of its own—Inu-Yasha's hair went silvery-white again.

"HEY!"

"Be back soon!"

"YOU LIAR!"

"I'll be back, okay?"

"'Back'? Kagome, you were just gone!"

Kagome leapt up to the edge of the well, face flushed. "Of course I was, Inu-Yasha, but when I realized what night it was, I rushed back here without grabbing any food!"

"There's plenty of food here!" Inu-Yasha stormed. "And you promised—"

"I know, I know," she moaned, feigning a pitiful look his way. (Not that hard to manage for a human, he thought, but then pushed the insulting idea away.) "But honestly—you don't want me to starve, do you?"

Inu-Yasha had been ready for every question except one like that. He started to flush and stammer about broken promises and annoying girls and fake tears and "always leaving", threatening to cover the precious well with everything from his fire-proof coat to boulders and even demon trees.

Kagome huffed in frustration rivaling his. "You are so unreasonable sometimes, Inu-Yasha!"

And then an idea struck her brain head-on.

She grinned.

Quick as a fox, she rushed to Inu-Yasha; he braced, perhaps expecting her to try and tackle him, or hug him again. But instead, when Kagome was so close that her nose was once again touching his, as closely as the night before, she only lifted one of his fluffy white ears.

"I will be back, Inu-Yasha," she murmured in a sweet, low tone. "Didn't I promise you that I'd never leave you the way I did the night before?"

"And what do you call THIS?" he pouted.

Kagome kissed his cheek, so quickly that he didn't have time to fully register it, go blood-red in the face, and see her suddenly-devious expression all one after the other.

"Now, be a good boy," she purred, "and—SIT!"

Magic sent Inu-Yasha plunging into the dirt beside the well, with no willpower to stop or dig back out of the hole he was making. He growled and even gave muffled yells, all while swearing (not for the first time) that Kaede would pay for the stupid beaded necklace he wore a hundred times over.

Ouch. No, a thousand times.

Kagome stood with her hands on her hips, triumph subtle but surely present in every little motion she made. She squatted down, so that they were at eye level, and spoke playfully, teasingly. "See you soon, Inu-Yasha!"

And Kagome disappeared down the well yet again.

Many minutes passed. After a final loud grunt and heave, Inu-Yasha pushed himself out of the dirt and perched on the wooden edge of the well. The side of his cheek that Kagome's lips had greeted still burned like flame.

With a silly grin that no one saw, he curled one long-fingered hand into a fist.

"I'll be waiting to get you back, Kagome," he called down, and the mischief in his voice echoed around that magic well and to another time. "See you soon, all right."