Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Bleach, or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Violence

Prologue

"Shippo, watch out!"

A girl dove into a small, quivering boy. Just as she reached him, the man's blade reached its targeted area.

The girl let out a scream as her leg was cut, the feeling of her skin giving way under the sword's edge horrific. But, her kit was safe, albeit terrified, and she was alive.

The second that the creature's blade left her leg, she rolled over, arrow notching on a taut bow faster than thought. Before it could react, she fired, and the air was filled with a crackling wave of glowing silver energy as the arrow soared.

It met the monster's chest and a loud, gurgled scream filled the air as it fell to its knees.

Slowly, she rose, weight staying off of her damaged leg. She crept towards the creature, next arrow being drawn as she went.

"You think to kill me!" it snarled, voice echoing in a strange metallic rumble.

"You're Naraku's biggest abomination to date. All of them are dead because of you!" the girl snarled.

"Yes. And whose fault is it for not killing me?" the man sneered.

Without a word, she fired the arrow into its back. Light exploded through his body, and when he stopped moving, she retrieved the small bundle of black shards from his mid-back.

As soon as they made contact with the girl's skin, they flashed into a pearly white shade, and she stared down at the creature with a mixture of horror and disgust.

But it was a short-lived feeling. Because, as she was staring down at it, a black shimmer of energy enveloped it. And then, it was gone, a wave of concussive black flames flaring in an unholy halo around it.

As it hit her, she went backwards, tumbling knee-first into the lip of an ancient wooden well. Before she began to fall, a loud squeak assaulted her ears and a pair of small, warm arms engulfed her chest. And then, there was brilliant light, and nothingness engulfed her the same time her head hit the cold, wooden bottom of a well…

Kagome came to with a groan, head swimming and a dull, throbbing ache making itself known on the back of her head.

When she tried to rise, two small arms pressed firmly on her shoulder, holding her down. Her eyes opened to find a pair of wide, round eyes the color of trees in spring staring at her own. It took her disconnected mind a few seconds to connect the face hovering over her with a name, and then she pulled the small body to her chest.

"Shippo, good morning!"

"Mama!" he cried, burying his head in her chest.

She felt the telltale lump of warmth pressing into her, and looked down to find the half-finished Shikon hanging from a chain around her kit's throat. Slowly, Kagome took stock of her surroundings, and a frown filled her lips. The air smelled somewhat stale, and whatever she was lying on was much softer than what she was used to.

"Shippo, where are we?" she finally asked, frustrated at her confusion.

"We're on the other side of the well, mama," he said, eyes shining and averted.

"That can't be. You're here, silly," she admonished, kissing his forehead.

"The jewel let me through, I think," he said sadly. "I refused to let you go, and then there was this big light, and then the air changed how it smelled."

And then, the memories came back, and tears began to fill her eyes.

"Oh, kami!"

A light knock came at the door, and then her mother was in the doorway. She moved to Kagome's side the second she saw her tears, and gently began caressing her face.

"Sweety, how are you feeling?"

Kagome began to shake, pressing Shippo tighter to her neck.

"I… I don't think I can go back to the Sengoku Jidai, mama," Kagome said, voice weak.

Shippo's eyes widened, but he made no comment, and her mother simply nodded.

"Something tragic must have happened. The cut on your leg was quite deep, and the bone was broken in three places. The burns weren't too bad though. You won't be able to go back until you're healed," she sighed.

"My leg's broken in three places!" she asked, staring down at her blanket-covered leg. She didn't feel a thing.

"The doctor gave you some powerful pain medicine. They said that the surgery was best done as quickly as possible."

"I was in a hospital! How long have I been unconscious!"

"It's been four days, Kagome. The doctor said that you were physically fine, besides the leg, and let me bring you home this morning."

Kagome went through the horrors that she'd witnessed what felt mere hours ago, and the tears slowly trickled to a halt.

"So how long will I be in recovery?" she asked, nuzzling Shippo's neck for comfort.

"They said you should be able to move around again in a month, if the surgery works and you rest."

Kagome nodded, eyes wide.

"Well, this is a hell of a 19th birthday present," she said sullenly. "But anyways, have you met Shippo, mama?" she asked, distracting herself.

At that, her mother beamed, petting Shippo's head.

"Yes, I have. He's a wonderful grandson," she said, smiling happily. "At least I got to meet him as a result of… whatever kind of trauma happened on the other side of the well."

"I suppose so… Well, I might as well help out with the shrine while I'm here. I might even apply to college ahead of time, mama," Kagome said, forcing herself to see the silver lining on what had become a black cloud that she could call her outlook on her future now.

"That's wonderful, Kagome!"

Shortly after, her mother left her, and Kagome found that she was thinking of her future in a whole new light. She really couldn't go back to the past. Eventually, she would have to, to slay Naraku and finish the Shikon, but she didn't know how safe it would be to come out on the other side.

A sudden, burning anger flooded her as she realized that the horrors that had befallen her wouldn't have happened if Inuyasha and Kikyo had been there to help. The incarnation had attacked only an hour after they'd left to search for any stray jewel shards.

And now, the Shikon was the only thing keeping her tied to the past, with the ruins that her village there had become and Shippo being on this side. Tears beginning anew, Kagome fell asleep, her kit the only comfort to her right then.

Her last thought before she fell asleep was a soul-deep dread. With something so horrific happening so quickly, it was surely a sign of things to come. Something big was on the horizon, and she didn't know whether she was up to the challenge…

A/N:

Sengoku Jidai- The Warring States Era of Japan

So, this is my new fanfic! For those of you who've read my previous works of New Life and Mayakashi, this is a little different, with a plot that I made from some ideas I had that never made it into those fics and a different kind of characterization of the characters. And for new readers, welcome, and I hope you enjoy the ride! See you next time!