A Mother Knows Best: Prologue

Disclaimer: `Inuyasha' belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. While this plot and any additional characters belong to me, everything else is hers. I make no profit off this story, and am writing it only for my own enjoyment.

PROLOGUE

Yoko Higuarshi has always believed strongly in fate. She believed it was fate that she was born into a shrine family. She believed it was fate that she met her beloved husband and had two beautiful children with him. When he was killed in that horrible car crash she was devastated, but she held strong to her faith that it was what was meant to be and that fate had a plan for everyone.

When her daughter fell down the well that day three years ago, only to emerge a few days later telling stories of time travel and demons, only to be followed shortly then after by an Inu Hanyou, she believed it was fate. When Kagome continued to travel into the past with Inuyasha, she believed that was fate. When it became clear to Yoko that her daughter was falling in love with Inuyasha and he with her, she KNEW it was fate and rejoiced that fate deemed fit to bless her with what would almost certainly be cute little doggy-eared grandchildren.

However, it appeared that her daughter and her not-so-secret love disagreed. For three years now Yoko had watched the two of them go back and forth through the well, getting closer but never admitting how they really felt. Getting into pointless fight after pointless fight. Hearing her daughter continue to deny that Inuyasha had any real feelings for her when a blind man could see it, forever running away and hiding behind the whole `he loves Kikyo' defence. Inuyasha's actions towards her daughter weren't much better from what Yoko had seen either.

More than anything, Yoko wanted to do what she had she done when Kagome was a little girl, and step in to solve all her problems for her. After all, Yoko was sure she couldn't do any worse that Kagome and Inuyasha were evidently doing on their own. The problem was, she couldn't. Kagome and Inuyasha spent most of their time these days on the other side of the Well. That was where most of their troubles lay and it was there that Yoko could not follow. She did what she could when they came home to see her, but seeing as that was for maybe ten days a month at best, there was only so much she could do during that time. It seemed like the only option Yoko had was to wait and hope that Kagome and Inuyasha would eventually get over their stubborn natures and get together, but after three years Yoko was really getting tired of waiting. She wanted her doggier-eared grandchildren already, but it looked like she would be forced to continue waiting a long time for this.

That is, until the day Yoko herself had fallen down the well.

The day started out as normal as any other day in the Higurashi household these days. Kagome and Inuyasha arguing all morning about when Kagome would be coming back, ending with a very annoyed Kagome stomping off to the Well house, with a recently sat Inuyasha following her while yelling loudly. Shortly after the two left the house, Yoko realised that the pair had forgotten the lunch boxes she had made for them and their friends on the other side, and she hurried after them hoping to catch them before they jumped in the Well. Unfortunately, she reached the Well house just as the light from their journey into the past was fading.

Yoko had sighed in disappointment that she had missed them and prepared to leave the well house when it happened. Buyo came running in as if the hounds of hell were right on his tail. What had scared him Yoko never had time to find out, as the cat's unexpected entry startled Yoko enough that she jumped backwards slightly, forgetting that the steps leading down into the well house were right behind her. Yoko had fallen, only to find herself suddenly weightless and surrounded by blue light. The next thing she had known, she was at the bottom of the well (although how she managed to end up so far back was anyone's guess), wondering where the roof went.

Well, it didn't take Yoko long really to figure out that she had somehow been transported to the feudal era, nor did it take long for Inuyasha's nose to realise she was there. However, when Yoko tried to go along with the Hanyou's and the her daughter's request that she return home for her own safety, they were all meet with a surprise to discover that she couldn't go back. Even giving her a jewel shard or having her hold onto both Inuyasha and Kagome as they jumped didn't work.

After they ran out of ideas to try, the small group headed down to the village to ask their friends there if they had any ideas. In the end the only thing they could think of was that maybe it was fate that Yoko was brought back and that she might need to do something in the feudal era before she could return to the future.

Yoko agreed with this sentiment, and thanked the kami for this opportunity. Clearly she was here to help give fate a push and get Kagome and Inuyasha to face up to their destiny. She knew better than to say so out loud of course, but privately as her daughter, Inuyasha and their friends were talking, Yoko was devising a `To Do List' in her mind.

1) Get Kagome to admit her feeling for Inuyasha to the hanyou.

2) Get Inuyasha to admit his feelings for Kagome to her daughter.

3) Get Kagome and Inuyasha married in a big, romantic ceremony planned by yours truly.

4) Get lots of cute doggie-eared grandchildren and spoil them rotten.

She couldn't wait to get started.