Chapter 30

Back to the modern times




Kagome climbed out of the well and helped Mai out.

"Kagome…" began Mai staring at her friend, baffled. She couldn't believe, that she actually managed to escape from the feudal era and Sesshomaru, but above all, what the hell was Kagome doing there?

The girl narrowed her eyes and glared at the other schoolgirl. "Kagome, I think you have some explaining to do."

Kagome smiled sheepishly and motioned Mai to sit on the stairs.

"You see… that's quite a long story, it began about two years ago, when I fell into the well and met Inuyasha…"

"Inuyasha? Sesshomaru's brother?" asked Mai, quickly linking some facts in her mind – the picture of Kagome's boyfriend, who looked like the hanyou, Kagome landing in the feudal era two years ago…
Wait, two years ago? Mai looked at her friend suspiciously. "Don't tell me, that you are going on the trips to the feudal era through that freaky well when you're absent from school!"

Kagome shifted uncomfortably under Mai's stare and nodded.

"Kind of… yes." She answered. "The first time was an accident, but then I had to keep coming to help gather the jewel shards."

"Jewel shards?" Mai kept questioning her friend.

"The shards of Shikon no Tama." Explained Kagome. "Shikon no Tama is…"

"I know what it is." Mai interrupted her. Kagome gave her a surprised look. The girl sighed and decided to enlighten her friend. "I found one shard, but Sesshomaru told me to throw it away. Anyway, you're collecting those shards and chasing Naraku, right?"

Kagome only nodded, startled, that her friend managed to gather that much information during two months. The raven-haired girl cleared her throat and was about to start questioning the other girl, but she met Mai's angry glare.

"So, you was going on the trips with your hanyou boyfriend and you didn't happen to find me earlier?" she snapped at Kagome. The girl in a school uniform tried to say something, but Mai wouldn't let her.

"Do you have an idea, what I went through?! I had to pose as some damn princess, then got kidnapped by a demon. A DEMON! And that demon just tried to kill me!" the girl yelled, as her eyes started to fill with tears.

"Mai…" began Kagome, reaching her hands to her friend. "We got you as soon as we could. I know, that you were scared, but it's over now."

Kagome hugged the girl, who started sobbing. Mai broke in tears and hugged Kagome back. She stayed like this for a while, letting the friend comfort her, till all accumulated anxiety and uncertainty subsided a bit. She pulled herself back and wiped the tear with the back of her hand.

"Thanks." She whispered. Kagome smiled at her.

"You're welcome."



Both girls sat in silence for quite a long time. When Mai's face dried, she looked at her friend. Kagome was sitting still as a statue and staring at the well. She was biting her lip, as though something worried her. Mai cursed herself inwardly for her own stupidity. On the other side of the well Kagome's boyfriend and Sesshomaru were probably still fighting. When the girls left, Inuyasha was still alive, but seriously wounded – the demon pierced him with his clawed hand right through the chest. Normally, a person would be dead after something like that, but Sesshomaru was looking very much alive when Mai stabbed him with the knife. So maybe there was a chance for the hanyou as well.

She didn't know how much time passed till they heard a groan coming from the well. Both girls stood up abruptly. Mai looked at Kagome, unsure what to do – should they run or what? Her friend, however, ran towards the well.

"Inuyasha!" called Kagome, as she bent over the edge of the well. She reached her hand and pulled the red-clad hanyou out. Mai noticed, that the young man was in a terrible state – his clothing was literally soaked with blood, a large gushing wound was visible on his chest. Kagome motioned nearly unconscious Inuyasha to sit down. He looked at the raven-haired girl and smiled with relief.

"Kagome, you're safe." He whispered, closing his eyes, and his body went limp.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called the hanyou's name, shaking him slightly. Mai came closer, worried about her savior. Kagome pressed her fingers to the artery on Inuyasha's neck and sighed.

"Mai." She said, turning to her friend. "Give me the first-aid kit. It's in the corner."

Mai nodded quickly, surprised how calm her friend was in the situation like this. She ran to the corner of the well house and found the box. She grabbed it and went to pass it to Kagome.

Her friend already removed Inuyasha's haori. Mai gasped at the horrible sight – the chest was pierced right under the heart. He should be dead, having his lungs ripped to shreds, but the hanyou's chest was rising as he inhaled the air. Kagome expertly disinfected the large wound and started dressing it.

"Mai, hold it here." The black-haired girl said, taking Mai's hand and pressing it to the gauze, that covered the wound. She nodded and held it, as Kagome wrapped the bandage around Inuyasha's torso.

"Will he be okay?" Mai asked, feeling guilty that Kagome's boyfriend ended like that because of her.

Her friend tied the ends of the bandage and smiled at her.

"In a day or two there won't be even a sign left. It isn't a first to him." She said.

"Oh." Mai muttered. "So your trips are actually quite dangerous." The girl stated, thankful, that she was relatively safe during her stay in the feudal era. Aside being kidnapped by Sesshomaru and nearly killed just a while ago, the demon always managed to save her in time. Mai thought, that it was quite ironic – the youkai was her protector and the greatest enemy in one. Well, now she left everything behind and was back home, so there wasn't any point in sparing him any more thought.

"Your turn." Kagome said, tugging Mai's sleeve.

"What?" asked confused Mai, but her friend only sighed and with one swift move ripped her sleeve off.

"I have to bandage you too, silly." Kagome answered pointing to Mai's arm, which was covered in blood seeping from the wound made by sharp claws. The girl hissed from pain, as her friend disinfected the wound.

"It's not that serious." Kagome muttered, placing a gauze over the wound
.
"You act like a paramedic." Mai said and Kagome laughed, bandaging the arm.

"I do it quite often in the feudal era." She answered and tied the bandage, patting Mai's arm. "It's all done."



Mai was about to ask Kagome more about adventures, but she heard voices outside the well house.
"Kagome! Kagome!" female voices were calling, oddly familiar ones. Kagome froze, mortified, and stared at the unconscious hanyou, then at disheveled Mai. The voices were nearing. Then Mai recognized them – they belonged to the gossiping trio – Eri, Yuka and Ayumi, her classmates.

"Why now?" Kagome whimpered, standing up. She narrowed her eyes at Mai. "Mai, stay here with Inuyasha."

"Wha… Why?" the girl protested, but Kagome was already at the door. Mai looked down and saw, that she still wore the kimono, once white, now covered in blood and mud, rather a rag now, than a piece of clothing – she couldn't show herself to other people in such state. She made an irritated sound and nodded, folding her eyes.

"Don't go out." Kagome told her and shut the door.



Mai sighed and pulled her knees to the chest. Somehow she felt relieved – now everything will be back to normal. She will go to school every day, read books, sleep in a real bed under a roof, spend time with her friend… Thinking of which, Mai gritted her teeth as she realized, that Kagome was hiding the truth from her all along. Didn't she trust Mai enough to tell her the secret?

"Kagome!" Mai yelped, as she heard a male voice suddenly. She took a deep breath to calm herself and looked at Inuyasha. The hanyou opened his eyes slowly and glared at Mai. The girl noticed, that his eyes were the same color as Sesshomaru's. Inuyasha furrowed his brows.

"Where's Kagome?" he demanded harshly. Mai glared back at him, irritated by how rude he was, but bit her tongue. She decided, that she shouldn't insult her savior right away.

"She's gone to her friends." Mai replied. The hanyou gritted his teeth and hissed from pain, as he tried to sit up.

"You should keep laying! You're seriously injured!" The girl scolded him and pushed him back to the ground. Inuyasha snarled at her, what made Mai sit back.

"I know!" said the half-demon angrily. Mai sighed.

"I was only trying to help you." The girl said, equally annoyed. "By the way, thank you for the rescue. If you didn't come in time, I would be dead."

The hanyou looked at her for a while and turned his head.
"Feh!"

Mai narrowed her eyes and folded the arms. What with that attitude? She expected Inuyasha to be more… hero-like, instead of being a rude… half-demon.

"Listen, I thanked you. Be more polite!" she raised her voice, as she couldn't control her anger anymore. Hearing her, Inuyasha sat up abruptly, cursing, as he pressed his hand against his wound, and narrowed his eyes.

"Look, who's talking!" he said loudly, pointing at her with his clawed finger. "You should thank me on your knees for risking my life for you!" Mai gritted her teeth. God, is there something wrong with all dog demons?

"Like the hell I would!" she shouted at the hanyou. Inuyasha wasn't the one to give up in this argument. He smiled triumphantly, showing his fangs.

"Maybe I shouldn't have saved you!" he said smugly, folding his arms. Mai clenched her fists.
"There was no need! I was doing just fine!" she answered.

"Feh! A human like you couldn't even scratch Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha kept mocking her. The girl started trembling with fury at the human-crap.

"Never underestimate a human! I stabbed him with a knife!" she shouted at the hanyou. Then, silence fell. Mai was breathing heavily, trying to calm down and Inuyasha was staring at her with wide-opened eyes.

"What?" the girl asked finally, to break the uncomfortable silence. The half-demon tilted his head and kept staring. Finally, he spoke.

"It was you?" he asked. Mai slowly nodded and Inuyasha burst in laughter. The hanyou kept laughing, clutching both his stomach and the dressed wound on the chest.

"Seriously?" he managed to utter between the laughter-attacks. "A human girl stabbed Sesshomaru? Serves the bastard well!"

Mai stared at the chuckling half-demon and arched her eyebrow. The two of them must really have tough family issues, but she couldn't help but notice the similarities – above all the insufferably annoying attitude.

"Ugh." She muttered, rolling her eyes. "You and your brother really are the same."
Inuyasha abruptly stopped laughing and glared at her. His glare was, however not icy-cold like Sesshomaru's, but rather reminded Mai of an inferno. The hanyou started to emit a low growl, something really familiar to the girl.

"Don't you dare to compare me to that bastard Sesshomaru!" he yelled suddenly, getting up. "We're not!"

"You are!" Mai yelled back, feeling a little bit childish, arguing with him like that. She got on her feet as well.

"We're not!" Inuyasha repeated, baring his fangs. Mai was too stubborn to give up. She folded her arms and smiled at the hanyou smugly.

"Of course you are. The two of you have the same temper. You must have gotten it from your father."
Surprisingly, Inuyasha's angry expression softened and he fell silent, turning away. Mai felt a stab of guilt, as she felt, that she said something she shouldn't. She was about to apologize, but both of them jumped, as the door flew open loudly.



In the door stood Kagome and was eying Mai and Inuyasha angrily.
"Both of you!" she said in a dangerously raised voice. "You just couldn't be louder, could you?! After me!"