Chapter Text
Act 1: Inuyasha and Sesshomaru
It was just another normal day in Tokyo, Japan. Four ninth grade girls were hanging out at their favorite fast food restaurant. They were dressed in green and white sailor uniforms.
Yuka smiled. She had really short, hair and brown eyes. "At last, we finally get to spend some time together."
Eri nodded. Her hair reached her shoulders, and she wore a yellow headband. "I know." She sipped on her soda, her hazel eyes narrowed at the girl across from her. "Kagome's always so sick all the time. We rarely get to hang out like this."
Kagome looked away from them. "Well, you know." She sighed, her bangs casting a shadow over her face.
Ayumi put a hand on her shoulder. "Either way, I'm glad you're feeling better." Her hair was really long and wavy. She smiled, her big, dark brown eyes lighting up.
Yuka took a bit out of her burger. "Yeah, and you came back just in time."
Kagome looked up. "What do you mean?"
Eri laughed. "Oh, that's right. Isn't your cousin coming from England today, Yuka?"
Yuka grinned. "That's right."
"Oh really." Kagome looked at Yuka. "Who is she?"
Yuka folded her arms. "Her name is Kim. She just graduated from high school and managed to get into Tokyo University. We're really close, and I haven't seen her in five years."
Ayumi's eyes widened. "Wow, she was able to transfer over seas? She must be really smart."
"Barely. She always gets into fights and almost got expelled from school. She managed to skim her grade requirements. If it wasn't for her athletic scholarship, she wouldn't have been able to come here at all." Yuka smirked. "If anything, she puts Kagome's bad boy to shame."
Kagome blinked. "You mean Inuyasha?"
Yuka nodded. "Yeah. If he ever gives you any trouble, I could always bring Kim to straighten him out."
Kagome held up her hands and chuckled. "No really, that's okay. Inuyasha isn't like that."
Looking at her watch, Yuka placed a hand on her face. "Oh my gosh, I didn't realize how late it was getting. I'd better get home; Kim's supposed to show up at five." She quickly stood up and slid out of the booth. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
The others waved goodbye, and Yuka rushed outside to catch the bus. She made it to her house at four fifty-five.
"Thank goodness. I'm not late." Yuka opened the door and stepped inside. "Mom, dad, I'm home!"
She was met with silence.
Yuka frowned. "That's strange…mom and dad should have picked her up an hour ago." She headed into the kitchen and dropped her backpack on the ground. Feeling someone tackle her from behind, Yuka yelped.
"It's about time you bloody showed up. I was starting to get worried."
Rolling her eyes, Yuka pushed her cousin off of her. "Very funny, Kim." She dusted herself off and stood up. "Must you always scare me like that?"
Kim put her hands on her hips and laughed. She brushed a few stray strands of blonde hair from her face. "Well, someone's got to keep you on your toes."
Yuka shook her head and smiled. She hugged Kim. "It's good to see you."
"You too." Kim broke the embrace. "Now, enough mushy stuff. I'm starving."
Yuka looked at Kim's clothes. "Um, you should probably get cleaned up first."
Kim glanced down at herself. She was wearing a white shirt that had the sleeves ripped off, and a pair of faded baggy jeans. She shrugged. "This is what I always wear at home."
The two of them fixed a short meal together and were eating in the dining room.
Yuka looked at Kim. "So mom and dad left to do errands?"
Kim nodded. "Yes, they should be back in a few hours." She looked at the bowl of ramen in front of her. "Mmm. This looks delicious." She smiled. "Tuck in."
Yuka placed her hands together. "Yes, let's eat."
"So…." Kim looked out of the window. She twirled her chopsticks in her bowl. "How are things going here? You doing well in school?"
Yuka shrugged. "As fair as it could get. The exams we have to take to get into high school are killers." She glanced up from her food. "What about you? You're not going to stir up trouble at the University, are you? I'd hate to see you get kicked out."
Running a hand through her hair, Kim scoffed. "Mum and dad straightened me out well enough. I had to promise not to get into any fights and bring my grades up during senior year. Luckily, I got all C's."
"Only C's?" Yuka sighed. "You do realize you'll have to keep that up and more just to stay in school, right?"
Kim grinned. "So? The only class I care about is gym, which I got all A's." She continued eating. "Anyway, how are your friends?"
"Eri and Ayumi are doing fine. But then…Kagome…." Yuki bit her lip.
Kim noticed her concerned expression. "Kagome? Is there something wrong with this friend of yours?"
"Well…it's just…." Yuka sighed. "You see, the thing is, Kagome's been hanging around with this bad boy outside of school. But from what she said about him, he's seems like a total nut-job that's gonna hurt her. Eri, Ayumi, and I are worried sick about Kagome. She claims everything is fine, but I just don't know."
Kim put a hand on Yuka's shoulder. "In that case, then why don't you guys help her? If this boyfriend is that bad, you should get her out of the relationship before she sinks too low."
Yuka furrowed her brow. "Are you sure?"
"Trust me. I've been through high school. I've seen the results of innocent girls falling for horrible prats." Kim folded her arms. "Hmm. Have you seen this boyfriend of hers?"
Yuka shook her head. "No."
Kim thought to herself for minute. "Then maybe you should convince Kagome to let you meet him. That way you can set your worries at ease."
"Uh-huh." Yuka slowly nodded to herself. She smiled. "You're right. Kagome is one of my best friends, and she needs me."
"Good." Kim folded her arms. "And I'll come with you."
Yuka jumped up from her seat. "What? Why do you need to come?"
"Just in case this bloke tries something." A smirk grew on Kim's face. She gripped her fists together. "I'm pretty sure I can handle him. Besides, I wouldn't want to see my baby cousin get hurt."
"No way! You can't get into another fight when you've just got here!" Yuka frowned. "Honestly, why do you always have to act so rash?"
Kim stood and met her gaze. "Rubbish. I'll meet up with you guys after my orientation tomorrow. Then we can fix Kagome's problem."
"Fine, if you say so." Yuka mentally groaned.
….
Kim had just finished her orientation at Tokyo University and made a quick stop at home to change her clothes.
Now let's see. Yuka's school is supposed to be in this direction. Kim sighed while she stood amongst the large crowds of people going to and fro to his or her set destinations. It's been so long since I've been to Japan. I can't remember where everything is. Turning a corner, she noticed a group of girls in school uniforms. Those look like the same kind Yuka was wearing. Kim approached the group and spotted her cousin. "Oi! Yuka!" She rushed over to them.
Yuka turned at the sound of her name being called. She waved. "Kim!"
"Glad I finally found you." Kim smiled. "I'm still getting used to this city."
Eri walked over to her. "Oh. Yuka, is this your cousin?"
Yuka nodded. "Yes." She gestured to her friends. "Kim, this is Eri, Ayumi, and Kagome. Guys, this is my cousin, Kim."
Eri waved. "Hi."
Ayumi grinned. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Kim noticed Kagome was silent. She was glancing in another direction, her gaze distant. "You're Kagome, right?"
Kagome blinked. "Yeah, sorry. I was just…a little distracted by something. It's nice to meet you, Kim."
Eri looked at Kim. "You're from Europe?"
Kim nodded. "Yes. London to be precise. I've lived there most of my life, and I've only visited Japan a few times."
"What brought you back?" Ayumi adjusted her backpack. "Yuka told us you were doing bad in school."
"Really…she told you all that…." Kim gave her cousin an unnerving glare.
Yuka smiled and chuckled. "Oh come on. I tell you about them all the time."
Kim shrugged. "Any who…I came to Japan to get my degree in physical fitness. I'm into martial arts, and I hope to have my own dojo someday."
"Wow, that's cool. I hope you succeed," Eri said.
"Thank you." Kim smiled. She noticed Kagome staring off into space again. "Oi, Kagome, what's got your mind in a fog?"
"I don't know." Yuka sighed. "She's been like this all day."
Kagome shook her head. "It's nothing you guys. I'm perfectly fine."
Ayumi frowned. "You're not getting sick again, are you? You've just gotten back to school."
Eri nodded. "Yeah, and we got exams coming up."
"I'm perfectly well. Trust me." Kagome managed a smile.
Kim ran a hand through her hair. "So where are we headed?"
Yuka started headed down the sidewalk. "We were going to Kagome's house to help her study."
Kim nodded. "Nice, I'll come too."
Yuka raised an eyebrow. "Why? With your C average, you won't be much help."
Kim glared at her. "I still graduated, didn't I?
….
Yuka, Kim, Kagome, Eri, and Ayumi reached Kagome's home, which was also known as The Higirashi Shrine. They made it to the bottom of a long set of stairs that led up to the shrine. Kagome stopped dead in her tracks.
Yuka furrowed her brow. "Something wrong, Kagome?"
Kagome opened her mouth, but didn't speak. She looked at everyone. "Actually, I was wondering if we could reschedule our study group."
Eri walked in front of her. "What? Why the sudden change?"
"Nothing." Kagome glanced away. "I just remembered there was something else I needed to do."
Kim tilted her head to the side. She narrowed her eyes at Kagome. "This doesn't have anything to do with your slimy git of a boyfriend, does it?"
Kagome froze on the spot. She stared at Yuka and sighed. "No, it's…."
A silver and red blur fell through the air and landed on the stairs in front of the group.
"Hey, Kagome. Where have you been?"
Kim, Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi looked up at the new person. Kagome's eyes widened and beads of sweat ran down her forehead.
It was a teenaged boy. He was dressed in a red kimono. His long hair was white, almost silver, and he had gold colored eyes. There was also a red and black baseball cap on his head, which seemed odd since it didn't match the rest of his clothes.
Who is that guy? Kim blinked. That couldn't be….
Yuka gasped.
Kagome gulped.
"Kagome, did you hear me?" The boy approached them.
Eri shifted her gaze between the boy and her friend. "Kagome, this isn't your boyfriend, is it?"
The only response she got was Kagome shaking. In one swift motion, Kagome snatched the boy by the arm and dragged him up the stairs. The boy complained, but she ignored him.
When Kagome made it halfway up the stairs, she briefly turned around. "I'm sorry, but I'm busy. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow!"
Kagome continued her way up the stairs, leaving Yuka, Kim, Ayumi, and Eri wide-eyed.
Kim raised an eyebrow. "What…"
Yuka blinked. "…Was that…."
"…All…" Eri frowned.
Ayumi shook her head. "…About?"
Kim put her hands on her hips. "I suppose that solves the mystery. But…should we go after her?"
Yuka sighed. "No. It would be rude to just barge into the house like that. We'll wait until tomorrow to interrogate Kagome."
Eri nodded. "Yes, that would be best."
"I'm still worried though." Ayumi sighed.
The four of them nodded to each other and decided to go home. Yuka and Kim took the train back to their block and headed inside the house.
"At last, a chance to rest." Kim snuggled into the pillows on her bed.
Yuka stood in the doorway. "You're turning in already?"
Kim let out a huge yawn. "I can't help it. I'm still suffering from jet lag."
Yuka nodded. "Very well. Goodnight." She left the room.
"Goodnight." Kim's words were partially muffled by her pillow. She rolled over on her back. "Come on, Kim. Get it together. You start classes tomorrow. You can't have anything destroying your chances at getting your degree."
Kim turned on her side and glanced out the window. Her room was on the bottom level of the house, so the window had a door leading out to the patio. Kim noticed something lying outside on the patio floor. She wasn't sure what it was, but it had a pinkish glow to it.
Strange…. Kim shrugged. She glanced back at the patio. The light had gotten brighter. She frowned. "Where is that coming from?"
Kim stood up from her bed and headed over to the window. She slid open the patio door. As she did, the glow vanished.
Kim raised an eyebrow. She stepped outside. "Okay…." She shook her head. "I really need to be getting more sleep."
However, when she turned to head back into the house, the floor beneath her disappeared. Her body slowly fell backward, and she plummeted down into a void of black.
What…what's going on? Kim felt her heart beat faster. What's happening to me? Am I sleeping? Dreaming?
Before Kim could formulate a conclusion, she slipped into unconsciousness and floated further into the abyss.