The group of five had walked to one of the stations that would take them up to Mt. Takao. Along the way Brent had gotten some strange looks from some people, and it had made him a little uneasy, which hadn't gone unnoticed by Kagome.

"Hey, don't worry so much, many people here don't regularly see Americans."

            Looking down at her and her soft smile eased things up as he smiled back. "Thanks...Just have to adjust here I guess."

"Just have fun! It should be the only thing you have to worry about!" Kagome smiles and pats his upper arm.

"You'll really like this festival Brent! They put on a great show!" Sota chimes in.

            Brent's eyes still showed his uneasiness, but he smiled anyway. The train they had taken in particular wouldn't take them all the way to the top, but would stop short to let passengers off who wanted to walk the rest of the way up along one of the many trails that wound their way up the mountain.

            "We'll be walking the rest of the way, so I hope you have on comfortable shoes!" Ms. Higurashi said when the doors opened up. "It takes about thirty minutes to walk up to the top."

            "Well fortunately I wore my favorite sneakers." Brent looked down at his black and white Nike's.

            "I can't believe you're going to make an old man climb this mountain." Grandpa scowled.

            "Oh Grandpa, you've climbed the trails many times. Settle down." Ms. Higurashi says.

            "That's not the point!"

            "Well I want our guest to see the beauty of our home, take the lift if you like Grandpa." Ms. Higurashi smiled as she led the way.

            "Well fine! I'll be waiting."

            With that, the eldest member of the family left and headed for the lift leading right to the top. Ms. Higurashi continued to lead the way as they walked across the well cared for path. As they begin their ascent, Brent stopped at the posted sign, showing the name of the trail.

            "So we're taking the-Inar-Inariy-OK I'm not going to try and say it, because I'm just going to sound like a moron." Brent shook his head.

            Both Kagome and Sota laughed as Sota walked up to the sign and pointed at the name. "It's the Inariyama Trail!" The young boy said.

            "Well, now I know how to pronounce it. Thanks to you, I won't make myself look stupid." Brent tussles the young boy's hair as they start up the trail.

The trail that they were on was one of many, but this one was the most scenic. On the horizon, the sun was setting, and casting a brilliant orange glow over everything. Many lilies and hydrangea's lined the trail as they ascended it, but had not blossomed yet. But there was still a beauty to them with the setting sun painting them orange, and it had made Brent wish he'd brought a camera. Upon reaching a specific point of the trail, Kagome's mother stopped and pointed toward the city.

            "This is one of the best views of our city Brent. Look!" She smiled at him as he stopped next to her.

            The family waited for his reaction as his gaze met the Tokyo Skyline, and it made them smile. His eyes widened, his jaw slowly dropped, and he took a couple steps forward. Slowly his head turned back and forth as he went to take in the scene completely. All the skyscrapers had lights on in various rooms, part of the countryside could be seen of to the side, and Brent even thought he could see the Higurashi's home. The sunset blazed off in the distance, with the sun halfway gone, the orange glow claiming everything that it possibly could. It was the type of scene you would see in a painting; each stroke perfectly placed.

            "This...This is beautiful! I..." His words had failed him at that point as he tried to search for what to say.

            That was when he heard a click, followed by a small cranking sound. He looked over to see Ms. Higurashi holding a disposable camera.

            "I took the liberty to snap some pictures for you! So you can always remember your trip."

            "Wow...Thank you! I uh-I don't know what else to say!" Brent replied as the biggest smile the Higurashi's had seen, appeared on his face.

            "Come on, we still have a bit of a walk ahead of us!" Kagome said as she went ahead.

            Before they continued up the trail, Brent took one last glance, trying to store all the details in his mind. Sota turned around and waved for Brent, who turned and started to run up after them in order to catch up. By the time they reached the top, the preparations for the festival had finished; torches were lit, crowds had gathered, and the people performing for the festival were getting into place. After finding Grandpa, who was sitting on a bench nearby, they found a good spot to watch.

            "You guys never told me what this-are those...coals?" Brent looked over to where all the action will be, and noticed the burning coals.

            "This is Hiwatari-sai! The Fire-Walking Festival!" Kagome replied, eager for things to start.

            "Fire-Walking?" The American responded with wide eyes.

            "Yes, those are the Yamabushi monks. They walk through the fire, so to speak, and chant prayers. They practice Shugendo and-"Ms. Higurashi went on to explain the festival while they watched.

            Brent leaned slightly towards her so he could listen, but his eyes never left the spectacle before him. The Monks walked and danced around on the coals, and none of them seemed to be in pain. It was quite the experience, even for the native watchers. Everyone watched intently, and some of them even chanted with the Monks, which further heightened the experience. Brent was enjoying himself, seeing these brave men literally playing with fire. While performing their prayers upon the flaming bed, the sun slowly set, disappearing from sight. With the area now cast in darkness, only the torches and bed of coals provided any light, and after what seemed to be hours of watching these men, they all finally walked off the coals and bowed. Their performance was met with thunderous applause, after which they walked off in a single-file line. That was when an official came out and started speaking in Japanese and proceeded to walk off without a second thought about interpreting what he said into English.

            "Uhhh...So what was he saying?" Brent asked with a confused look and a raised brow.

            "That, if anyone wishes to, they may walk across the coals themselves. There are officers watching to ensure safety." Kagome says.

            "Go do it Brent! Come on!" Sota excitedly glanced up at him.

            "Whoa-ho-ho-ho! I don't feel like burning my toes off, I need them for balance! Plus I just got here!" Brent holds up his hands and takes a step back.

            "Don't worry, the coals are just warm enough to walk on. See? Plenty of others are doing it!" Kagome points toward the people removing their shoes and gently stepping onto the flimsy coals.

            "Soooo I'm supposed to jump off a bridge if they do so too?"

            "Oh come on! You need to live a little!"

            The teenage schoolgirl grabbed his wrist and dragged him over the where the coals started. Already there were about ten people walking around, all of them smiling and laughing. Sota ran up, excited to see their guest try a little bit of fire-walking.

            "Kagome, I'm not so sure-"

            "Go on, take your shoes off! You are here to experience new things and this will set things off! Come on!" Kagome hurried him with a smile.

            Brent may have only met Kagome today, but he could tell she was not the kind of person to back down after making up her mind. With great reluctance dropped down on one knee, and started to untie his shoes. Setting his black Nike's and his socks off to the side, he stood back up, and took a step towards the coals.

            Before going any further, he removed the sports jacket and handed it to Sota. "Hold that for me, if I die it's yours."

            "Oh stop it! You'll be fine, now go on!" Kagome patted him on the back and smiles up at him encouragingly.

            Brent gave her half of an awkward smile, and then turned to face the sea of low temperature ashes and embers. With great reluctance, he lifted his right foot up, and slowly eased it towards the fragile coals. He grimaced, expecting a searing sensation on the heel of his foot, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the coals were only mildly warm. As the entirety of his weight pressed down, and created ash, he smiled slightly and laughed nervously.

            "Heh heh...This isn't too bad!"

            "Go on Brent! Walk further out!" Sota watches, thrilled to see him venture out.

            Brent slowly became bolder and ventured out futher, taking his time with each deliberate step. Ashes, and still glowing embers, puffed up into the air around him with each step, and the faint glow from the orange specks allowed the Higurashi family to spot him easily, since the sun had disappeared long ago. The warm, powdery ground was actually rather soothing on the soles of his feet. He was glad Kagome had urged him to go through with being a bit adventurous and he was nearly on the other side after some careful treading.

            "Way to go Brent," Kagome and Sota cheered, the former giving a small jump of joy, "You did it!"

"Hey, that wasn't so bad!" Brent yells back at them.

            The cheers and smiles disappeared suddenly, as a massive burst of flames shot up from the embers right behind him. Brent disappeared from their sight and the family panicked as they ran around the bed of coals to where Brent was. Officers had run over, and urged the rest of the walkers off of the embers. As the Higurashi's reached the other side, they spotted Brent being helped up by some of the policemen, smiling. The officers were frantically looking over him while he just shrugged everything off.

            "Brent, are you ok?!" Kagome asked, reaching him first.

            He turned to her and laughed. "I'm fine! I jumped out of the way when I saw the flame come up. Could you help me with these guys? I can't understand a word they're saying."

            That's when Ms. Higurashi and grandpa rushed up and assured the officers the Brent was fine.

"Son you gave us quite a scare there!" Grandpa said as Ms. Higurashi talked to the officials.

            "That was crazy! Can you do it again?!" Sota asked, seemingly unfazed by the event.

            "You know, I think that's enough excitement today buddy. Wait...Do I still have my eyebrows?" Brent rubbed where his eyebrows were, and he sighed in relief, making the Higurashi siblings laugh.

            With Hiwatari-sai over, and the fireball incident behind them, the Higurashis and Brent headed back to the cable car to begin the ride back home. Kagome's mother couldn't help but apologize for what had happened, but Brent kept reassuring her everything was fine, and wasn't her fault. Sota couldn't stop talking about the show, not only put on by the monks, but by Brent as well, while Kagome stared out the window, lost in her own thoughts.

            "Kagome, everything all right?" Brent asked.

            "Huh? Oh yeah, I was just thinking about tomorrow."

            "I'm guessing you have something else planned? Hopefully something less flammable." Brent chuckled.

            "It's actually about some friends of mine I have to meet up with." She smiled, albeit a bit akwardly.

            "Well, don't stay out too long. I want to explore more of Tokyo with you!"

            Kagome smiled again as her gaze went back out the window; it had been about a week since she had traveled back into the Feudal Era to see Inuyasha and the others. On the one hand, she wanted to see them, and continue the search for the Shikon Jewel shards; a lot of progress had been made in the recent months, which meant their end goal was that much closer. But then there was Brent; she wanted to show him around, and make sure his stay in Tokyo was memorable. It wouldn't reflect well on her for disappearing, especially with how long she stayed away sometimes. Inuyasha and the others knew what she was doing while she was gone, though Inuyasha didn't seem too thrilled when she explained everything and told him about their guest coming to visit. They would just have to wait, she decided; she couldn't just ditch her guest. Besides, she was enjoying his company; he knew how to make people laugh.

            Once they were all home, Ms. Higurashi went to heat up the meal she had prepared earlier in the day. It was Butajiru, a Miso Soup with pork in it and the smell was incredibly intoxicating, nearly making Brent drool; once Ms. Higurashia filled all the bowls, she had a seat herself and they all began eating and talking about the night's events. The meal was finished rather quickly, since everyone was tired from the excitement of the festival. Grandpa was the first to go to bed, he said a quick good night to everyone, and practically ran off-more  than likely he didn't want to risk the chance of losing his room. Ms. Higurashi did some quick cleaning in the kitchen with Kagome's help, and then she was off to bed herself, and Sota ran upstairs to brush his teeth after he wished everyone a good night before going to sleep. And Brent went to the bathroom to rinse his feet off, as well as change his socks.

            Just as Kagome was stepping into the bathroom to clean up, she turned to Brent as he was heading downstairs. "Aren't you going to bed?"

            "Yeah, just need a glass of water. Good night Kagome."

            "Good night Brent."

            The door to the bathroom shut, and Kagome's guest made his way down to the kitchen. Brent had seen where Ms. Higurashi pulled the glasses from earlier, so he reached into the cabinet, grabbing a plastic cup. As he filled the cup from the tap, a white light gently flashed from the backyard. Brent looked up and through the window in the kitchen, and saw nothing. He shrugged it off and took a swig from the cup; right as the flash occured again. This time he saw where it had come from; the old shed in the backyard.

            "What the...That is no camera flash...what is that?"

            The cup of water found a new resting place on the counter as Brent grabbed his shoes and headed straight for the shed once his Nikes were secure. As another flash went off, he began to feel a little strange, almost as if something were pulling him toward the shed. With a quick shake of his head he continued forth; the moment he reached the sliding door of the shed, another flash lit up the area. This time, something within Brent surged, causing him to stumble momentarily. He shook his head for a second time while his senses returned to him, hand resting on the door as he leant into it.

            "What in the hell..." His internal alarm, telling him he shouldn't be there, was going haywire. Yet something was pulling him, almost beckoning him into enter the decrepit building. He slid the door open carefully, and entered the unused home of the dried up well.

            Kagome had only just gotten out of the shower, and had changed into her pajamas in her room, when her room filled with a white light. She almost panicked, fearing someone had taken a picture, but then she saw the light disappear into the shed, and the door sliding shut.

            "Huh? Inuyasha?" She waited for a moment to see if he would come bounding up to the second floor, but that moment never came.

            Inside the shed, Brent was slowly descending the stairs, the moonlight casting a faint bluish-white glow through the windowed sliding doors. He could only barely see the walkway that went around the walls inside, along with the square wooden well that was only steps away from him. His heart was racing, he knew he should, but something made him stay. Putting his hands on the side of the well, he peered down into the pitch-black emptiness, wondering if the light was somehow coming from down below. Another flash bursts from the well, only Brent didn't see it. Instead he felt a pulse permeate his body. His senses were instantly dulled and he began to feel faint. That was when his arms gave out, along with the rest of body; he passed out, and fell forward into the darkness of the well. Not a sound came from the bottom, because for him there was no bottom; Brent had passed through the very same path Kagome used to enter the Feudal Era of Japan.

            The very same burst of light that had sent Brent spiraling into the well, had an effect on Kagome, and had caused a sense of urgency within her. Something wasn't right, she knew that much, and she quickly put on her slippers, and ran downstairs.

            "Brent? Brent!"

            The kitchen was where she visited first. Over by the sink, she saw the cup of water he had poured, barely touched. Where was he?

            "Brent are you down here?"

            As she looked around, her eye caught the front door where all the shoes were, specifically, the spot where Brent's shoe's previously sat. They were gone.

            "Oh no..." She was becoming increasingly worried with each second that passed.

Grabbing a flashlight she ran out to the shed, dirtying her slippers along the way. As she ran, she saw shoeprints leading all the way to well shed, with no second set coming from it, they had to belong to Brent, she just knew it... But why would he come out here?

Upon entering the well shed, she shined the flashlight everywhere, until she spotted more prints directly in front of the old wooden structure. She ran down the steps, and pointed the flashlight down the well; there was absolutely nothing at the bottom. If this was the case, then why did she feel like something was off?

            "He couldn't have gone through...Only Inuyasha and I can! Ohhhhh! I can't risk it!" Kagome took off back towards the house in a sprint. She would need to change and grab her pack, just in case.