Winter's Storm

Guide for Reading:

"Spoken words"

'Thoughts'


Chapter 1: The Beginning

This is my winter song to you

The storm is coming soon

It rolls in from the sea

My voice a beacon in the night

My words will be your light

To carry you to me

Is love alive?

Is love alive?

Is love…

- Winter Song by Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

Modern Day Japan, November 26, 2016 Evening

Kagome had just returned back to the modern era to collect supplies when she found her mother and grandfather unloading boxes from the storage shed outside. They were wearing their fall outerwear now, and the trees were all left bare and ready for winter.

"Mom! Gramps! I'm back," Kagome enthusiastically waved as she closed the door to the bone eater's shed and jogged over to her family. Rei Higurashi looked over to her daughter and replied with a warm smile. Kagome hugged her mother tightly. Rei returned the embrace with equal enthusiasm. "Why hello dear. How were your travels with Inuyasha?"

Stepping back from the embrace Kagome rubbed her hands together for some much needed warmth, while thinking back to the last couple of days and how Inuyasha was more on edge because of the recent night of the new moon. All she could think about was his complaining for them to stop taking so many breaks to get warmed up, and that the group was dragging their feet and falling behind. Now that it is the end of November, the temperature is starting to drop faster during the day, which makes it harder to walk when you're feeling numb in the toes.

Brushing aside these thoughts, Kagome answered with, "we found a couple more shards in the past couple of days, but it's getting colder and the nights are growing dark so we are finding that we have to call it a day earlier."

This is when Kagome's grandfather decided to peep out from the shed whilst holding some sort of dried, scaly claw. Gramps had that look on his face when he was going to start his usual tirade. "Ah Kagome, good to see you home again! I was waiting to give you this gift. You should take this with you when you go back to the feudal era. It's an ancient relic passed down from your great, great grandfather. It's known to have medicinal—"

Without having to say anything, Kagome gave her mother a look and quickly escaped her grandfather's sales pitch to drop off her things in the house.

"She's already gone, Dad. Why don't we bring the rest of the Christmas décor boxes into the house," Rei giggled at her daughter's abrupt exit. Gramps muttered something about kids being ungrateful these days. "With everything I do for her she should be over-joyed when I give her gifts from our ancestors."

"I'm sure over-joyed might be stretching it a bit, Dad," Rei picked up a box and started making her way to the front door. "It's getting cold, I'll go make some tea and dinner for us."

Things just never changed around here, but she was sure glad her daughter was back from her travels. Gramps was almost through the whole encyclopaedia of ailments to excuse her absence from school.

Inside, Kagome had already hugged Souta and was in her room changing out of her school uniform. She was growing a bit more these past few months, and realized she needed to buy some new clothes for the colder weather. She couldn't keep wearing her old middle-school uniform when it barely fit her in the chest and torso.

"Oh ya! Tomorrow is Saturday, maybe I'll call up Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi to go shopping." With a smile she grabbed her cell phone from her desk drawer and was overwhelmed to see so many messages. Her friends were not going to be thrilled that she was answering days-old messages. Yuka is going to go on a rant about her not replying in a timely fashion. Just the thought of that conversation made her exhausted.

'I'll never hear the end of it.' Kagome started unpacking her bag and dumped her clothes in the hamper for cleaning. She would have to buy a larger bag now that she had to pack warmer, and bulkier clothing. With the rips and tears this bag endured on her travels, it's surprising it was still useable.

'I'm only supposed to stay for one night, but it won't hurt to stay an extra day.' Kagome looked out the window and watched a bird fly away from its perch on the tree. Inuyasha told her to return as soon as she restocked her bag.

'Besides we had a rather good week for finding jewel shards…and it would be nice to sleep in a warm bed, and have a nice bath. We haven't even seen Naraku in a while, so things are calm now.'

Walking into the bathroom she began to draw herself a bath. The sound of a knife chopping vigorously against the cutting board downstairs echoed upstairs. Her mom must be cutting up the vegetables for dinner. Dinner would be ready in another hour or so, and she'll get to hear all the things she missed while she was away.

It's been about two years of searching for the shards. She was in high school now and close to preparing for post-secondary enrolment. Since being in the feudal era, she has been exposed to so many life-changing events. Her training as a miko has improved substantially since the earlier days when she first met Inuyasha. Under the tutelage of Kaede, Kagome has come a long way in making antidotes and salves to treat illnesses and mild to severe wounds, which has been particularly useful to her friends while on their travels.

It made sense to her to pursue some sort of career in medicine. It would definitely take the strain off her mother from being the sole provider for the family. Gramps' senior pension covers only a small portion of the bills each month. She can't believe how much they are able to provide for her and Souta, but she is very grateful for their love and hard work. Sometimes she feels guilty for leaving to go to the feudal era so much, when she should be involved more in helping out. Especially when it comes to babysitting Souta and being more involved in his life. If only the feudal era wasn't so dangerous, she'd bring Souta along…if that were even possible for my family to travel time like me. Her mind instantly snapped to Sango and Kohaku.

'No. Even if it were possible, I wouldn't want to show-off my family to my friends. They lost everyone. How irresponsible and insensitive to think of it.' Kagome turned the bathtub taps off, peeled off her dirty clothing, and sunk into the warm, sudsy lavender-scented water.

'Ahhhh. I missed this so much!' She rested against the porcelain surface of the tub as she relaxed all the muscles in her body. It wasn't long until she dozed off into dreamland.

Forty-five minutes later, Souta knocked on the bathroom door, startling her awake. "Dinner is almost ready, Sis. And hurry up! You've been in there for an hour, and I need to pee."

Kagome shook her head softly. "Jeez Souta, I need to use the washroom would have sufficed." The water was definitely cold, and her fingers were all pruney. 'Yup. Time to get out and eat.' When she touched her head she realized she forgot to shampoo her hair. She quickly massaged the shampoo into her hair, drained the tub, and turned the shower on to rinse out the product.

There were footsteps pacing outside the door, and when Kagome wrapped a towel around her body she opened the door to find Souta doing a pee dance. "Aha, sorry Souta. Don't you miss this when I'm not home?" Kagome stepped outside the bathroom as Souta pushed past her and swiftly shut the door.

"Ew, Kagome! You left your bra and underwear in here! I don't want to see that."

Kagome rolled her eyes while walking to her bedroom, and closing the door behind her. "Just go pee, you rushed me out."

"Next time I'll hang it on the shrine post outside so you'll always remember to take it with you," shouted Souta.

"Souta, don't tempt me. I just might make a rosary necklace for you so that you and Inuyasha can match," Kagome loudly taunted. She would never do that to her baby brother. Chanting spells was not her specialty, although Souta didn't know that little detail and sometimes he can be so annoying.

"...yea right. You're bluffing." The disbelief in Souta's voice wavered enough for Kagome to know that her teasing threat was taken seriously.

Grabbing some comfy sweats and a loose t-shirt, she walked out of her bedroom to pick up her discarded clothes in the now empty bathroom. She bundled them and popped them in her laundry basket. Rei took this opportunity to call up to her children to come down for dinner. She could see Kagome make her way towards the top of the stairs when Souta ran out from his room and sped past Kagome to the stairs. "Be careful! Hang on to the hand rail, Souta." Rei's advice didn't make it in time for Souta as he jumped down the stairs two at a time. Kagome could only guess that Souta picked up that characteristic from Inuyasha when her mom had called him down for Ramen one time.

Gramps cheered Souta on, "Thata boy! Your appetite will keep you growing. You'll be a strong priest of this shrine someday."

"Aw Gramps, maybe after I become a pro soccer player." Gramps' eye twitched when he heard this from his grand-son. "Besides, I gotta beat Cristiano Ronaldo first," Souta marched over to his plate at the table and took a seat. Kagome followed suit wondering what had Gramps sulking at his seat. 'Oh yea, this is definitely way better than the feudal era. The smell of mom's cooking, let alone the yummy noodles and fish...'

Kagome was drawn away from her thoughts as Souta began asking questions about Inuyasha. The silver-haired half demon, was still his usual self. Although, with Kiko still around Kagome continued to feel the burn of his two-timing tendencies. He'd be nice to her, then turn into a brute to hide his soft side before anyone notices. As soon as Kagome thought she was moving further into Inuyasha's heart, Kikyo would show up and trample her efforts. All it took was just the glimpse of her soul collectors and he'd jump away without a second to spare. She didn't know how much she could take of this cyclical problem. There was no way to remove Kikyo from the picture, but those moments she shared with Inuyasha...every time she felt like giving up, something would happen between them and she'd get sucked back into loving him. 'I promise to stay by your side.' It felt like ages when she said that to him. It was something she wish would be true, but if goes to hell with Kikyo. She would not follow.

After finishing dinner, Kagome helped clean the dishes and decided to go back to her room to lie down.

'He has to choose at some point,' Kagome looked up at her ceiling while hugging a plush, pink pillow to her chest. 'Although maybe it's better to just forget about it. I know it wouldn't be me.' Taking in a big yawn, Kagome turned off her light and tucked herself underneath the covers. 'I shouldn't be so caught up in this, but I love him...those soft adorable ears, and his piercing amber eyes that make her heart beat quicken in pace.' With these thoughts, her eyelids began to droop. Soon she found herself sleeping soundly in the safety of her house.


Next Day November 27 - 10 AM

Kagome woke up to voices in the house. She could hear her mom and brother talking animately about his upcoming indoor soccer match next weekend.

She didn't want to get up, honestly she didn't get many chances to sleep in when Inuyasha was nipping at their feet to get their butts out of bed.

Kagome looked at the clock beside her bed, and remembered what she had planned to do today. She wanted to spend time shopping with her friends. As she pushed herself up, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched her body. That bath really helped her feel less tense and stiff.

Picking up her phone she dialed Eri's number. The phone didn't get to the 4th ring, as Eri picked up and responded excitedly to the call. "Kagome! Hi!" Kagome smiled warmly at the greeting. "How are you? Do you still have that toe fungus? Your Gramps told me you wouldn't be in school this week because it was painful for you to walk!" Kagome just about fell over after Eri addressed this new piece of information her Gramps failed to mention. "We wanted to come visit, but your Gramps mentioned it was contagious and we had to wear some sort of special socks that can only be found in Switzerland..." Kagome softly slapped her forehead in disbelief.

"Oh, yeah! What a nasty experience that was..." Kagome tried her best to lie. "It hurt to walk anywhere in the house. I was bedridden for days. But I'm better now.." Kagome laughed a little too much at the end. She was never the best at lying.

"Oh well, that's great to hear! So I'll see you back at school tomorrow, right?" You could hear the hopeful tone in Eri's voice, and Kagome remembered that she was supposed to be back in the feudal era soon. Whatever, she was going to enjoy her day. She doesn't get to be a normal teenager anymore. Might as well take advantage of this peaceful time while it lasted.

Kagome confirmed. "Of course. Do you, Yuka, and Ayumi want to meet at our spot before school starts?"

Eri replied, "Absolutely. We need to catch up. There have been rumours of a new kid joining the school. I'm told he's one of the famous business tycoon's sons. Not sure who he is exactly."

Kagome pondered this piece of news. "Oh, really? Tokyo is filled with suits and wealthy CEOs, I guess we shouldn't be too surprised."

Eri giggled. "Maybe we should find out more about this guy, and maybe hook him up with you...you know to get you away from your two-timer." Kagome blushed at this remark. Of course her friends would try to make her love life more challenging.

"Which by the way-" Eri was caught off abruptly, as Kagome took this time to change the subject, "You know, I actually wanted to ask you if you would like to take a trip to Lala Port with me today? We don't have any homework since the school has been on strike for the past week and a half. What do you think?"

Kagome knew Eri couldn't resist a good ol' trip to the mall. Ever since she could remember the girl was enthused about fashion and makeup. Anything to do with beauty and trends, Eri's the expert.

"I'd love to! I don't have any plans, but it sure beats staying around the house today." Kagome beamed, she would be able to get out of the house and enjoy a day out.

"Sweet! Do you want to meet at Toyasu station for 1 o'clock?" After finalizing all the details on their transportation, Kagome bid Eri a farewell for the moment and ended the call. Kagome rummaged through her closet and pulled out a pair of distressed jeans and a creamy white sweater with large horizontal army green stripes. Once dressing herself, she skipped down the stairs to grab some breakfast. 'I have an urge to get a leisurely book from the library. All this school strike stuff is revving up my relaxing mood. Perhaps I'll get more than one so those long trips in the feudal era will be a bit more bearable.'

She could see her mother through the kitchen window raking the leaves in the yard. She was lucky that her mom was forgiving and easy-going. Her constant trips back and forth wouldn't fly if her mother were more strict. She recalled a time when her mother told her the story of her childhood. It was quite appalling to learn that Rei Higurashi had left her own family home at the age of 20 to avoid an arranged marriage. She traded in a life of wealth and loneliness for a life of freedom and love. Even with the loss of her partner, she didn't regret her choice in running away all those years ago.

It was because of this, Kagome and Souta were born into her life, she didn't want to force any lifestyle or preconceived ideology on them. Their life was completely their own to lead, and she didn't want to restrict their choices because of her selfish wishes. She had to trust that they knew what was best for them. After all, she just wanted them to be happy.

When it was time to leave, Kagome grabbed a granola bar and started on her way towards the bus stop a couple blocks down from the shrine. She still had money left over from her seventeenth birthday. Her mom and gramps gave her 45000 yen for her hard work in keeping up with school even though she spent most of her time in the feudal era. She was going to put that money to good use in getting some new clothes and a sturdier backpack. Although, first things first. It was time to get some books.

Kagome reached the library in record time, it was packed with people of all ages. Tokyo's public library was one of the largest libraries in Japan. It had every genre you could think of, and even some e-readers available for rent. Public programs for children, youth, and adults, and seniors catered to many different subjects for continued learning in a social and fun environment. It was truly a community place. Hell there were even treadmills built so that you could set a book down and read while you ran. Not to mention the programmable audio books for iPods so you could hit the tracks or do circuit training in the library's gym.

Kagome went right for the adventure section on the second floor. There were bookshelves upon bookshelves scaling the length of the library on each floor. She managed to pick up The Hunger Games, and the Cursed Child. With books in hand she left the section and decided to sit up on a higher floor to read through the first couple pages of the Cursed Child.

The third floor didn't have as many people perusing the shelves, but some librarians were pushing their book carts to return books to their proper places. Flipping another page over, Kagome checked her watch. It was almost time to leave to go meet Eri at the train station. She closed the book, and stacked it on top of the other novel she picked up. As she was walking away a crash echoed a little ways down from where she stood. Kagome turned to look behind, wondering what could have caused the disturbance. A tower of books had fallen off a nearby cart wedged in between two book shelves. Kagome jogged over to the fallen stack, and didn't see anyone near. 'It must have been stacked too high, and fell on its own..' Kagome, being the good person she is, stooped down to pick up the books. When she got to the last one, she paused. It was a brown, and ratty book that looked like it collected quite the dust over the years, maybe even decades. The title and author's name had chipped golden lettering, but what made her stop in her tracks was the title. 'Feudal Era Myths and Battles of the 16th Century by K. S. Takeda'

Carefully, Kagome peeled open the hard cover to reveal a title page with a loose leaf, typed letter addressed to someone called S. L. Takeda.

To my dearest friend,

If you are reading this, there is a chance I did not survive.

Over the years I completed this memoir to document our endeavours.

Inside is the reason why I left all those years ago, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive an old bird.

I dedicate my life's work to you for your knowledge, and to remember me by...

Until we meet again, dear friend.

With love,

K.T.

Flipping the page over again, there was a broad historic overview of the Sengoku period in Japan. The next page started off with a sketch of a man pinned to a tree. Kagome's eyes flew out of her head. The sketch looked just like Inuyasha, with his billowing hakamas, and long hair. His head was limp to the left side, and eyes peacefully closed. Roots of the tree were supporting the base of the Goshinboku tree in its grand weight and height. Turning another page, the book detailed the introduction of a young girl coming to the aid of the hanyou named Inuyasha.

Kagome looked up from the book and quickly shut it. She had to be seeing things now. There was no way she was reading history, and her past. Taking a deep breath she opened the book, and skipped a hundred pages forward. The title was something that made her heart jump down to her stomach. 'Midoriko's Will'

As Kagome read, her hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes absorbing every word the book had to offer. After the first paragraph there were lyrics from a song that she felt was oddly familiar but she couldn't place who had initially sung it. She made a mental note to ask Kaede about it later. A drawing in the corner showed the Yin and Yang symbol, and a handwritten note said, "evil cannot exist without good, and good cannot exist without evil."

On the other side of the page, there was detailed summary of Midoriko's Will and a combination of documented factual stories. Kagome began to read the first paragraph.

"If you have heard of the original story of Midoriko, many civilians of Sengoku believed that when you made a wish upon the Shikon no Tama your wish would come true and the jewel would vanish and release Midoriko from her eternal imprisonment. Although this didn't occur in the Final Battle of 1517 when a human had the completed jewel in their possession, they made a selfish wish in trying to save humanity. The human had asked the jewel to exterminate evil demons and to disappear forever. In the aftermath of this wish, the consequences were severe to the entire world.

The jewel could not rid the world of evil, as every soul that is birthed into the world has the opportunity for darkness. As a result of this natural order, the world could not survive without positive and negative energies. For instance, the idea of Yin and Yang comes to mind in keeping the world in balance. Without evil in the world, we would not know the true meaning of good and it would become obsolete in its meaning over time. It's the same in reverse.

Since the Shikon no Tama had to in a sense eliminate the word "evil" from the wish, the remaining wish turned into the extermination of demons and that the jewel must disappear forever. This was known as the Great Tragedy of Edo, and later referred to as the Feudal Myth of 1517 and the Extermination of Demons. The reason the name changed was because the traces of demons had vanished, so there was no actual historical proof that demons had existed in the 1500s and prior to that era. For centuries, the story had become an old wives tale to reassure children that no monsters dwelled in this world.

It has been documented that when this wish had been granted, a spiritual figure appeared before the human and cursed him for eternity to serve their punishment inside the Jewel with the infamous demon, Naraku.

Midoriko had initially trapped herself and her enemy inside the jewel to wage battle for eons until the correct wish was made on the jewel. In the following excerpts, villagers who watched Midoriko fight Magatsuhi claimed that before her death, she had mouthed an incantation that was lost on human ears. No one knows what she had said, and just before she disappeared she had mouthed the words again and a bright white light exploded where she had been, and when the light dissipated, she and Magatsuhi were gone. The Chief Demon-Slayer of the village, Kotaku Taijiya, was the first to walk into the battlefield and in the place where the Great Warrior Priestess stood, lay a pink and lustrous jewel known as the Shikon no Tama.

Monks and priestesses across Japan congregated in a general meeting to discuss the jewel. It was later affirmed that the jewel would be kept in Midoriko's sanctuary located in a cave outside the West fortified wall. Kodaku Taijiya, stated that Midoriko was a pleasant and peaceful priestess that trained in the art of sword fighting and spiritual reiki manipulation. There were rumours that she would leave her sanctuary at night to venture into the forest in the West. One night Kotaku Taijiya's wife, Sara followed the great priestess into the woods and discovered her sitting down cordially with the Great Dog General, Inu no Taisho. Sara speculated that it was a romantic meeting, but through a reputable source and dear friend of Midoriko and Inu no Taisho, it was later corrected that the two were merely friends and educated each other on their own species.

Through these meetings, Midoriko began to establish a sense of empathy for peaceful demons, while exceptionally reserving her hatred for evil demons. Another speculation was that later she acquired a demon neko companion, but there are no sources to prove this theory yet.

As for the words whispered by Midoriko before her death, Midoriko and Inu no Taisho's trusted source confirmed that she had made her last will in those final moments. The human villagers could not hear it with their restrictive hearing abilities, but this source could hear her message and he delivered it to his lordship Inu no Taisho. A will that would intertwine with the Shikon no Tama's magic. When the correct wish was made her final will would be granted simultaneously. There is a very probable chance that the human who made the incorrect wish, actually made it impossible for Midoriko's will to be granted. Which would explain why Midoriko herself would curse the human with an eternal imprisonment battling Naraku. This would mean that her actual will was to create a new world where demons and humans could coexist harmoniously.

Throughout the 1300s and 1400s, Inu no Taisho made it his duty to achieve peace throughout the lives of demons and humans alike. It was no easy task for him. Especially when humans were faced with tragedies caused by evil demons, which would then darken their perception of all demons good and bad. In Inu no Taisho's endeavours he came across a human noblewoman of a Western village named, Izayoi. The two fell in love, and had an inu hanyou child together. The child's name was Inuyasha. Inu no Taisho died shortly after the birth while battling against Izayoi's evil guardsman, Takemaru. Before Inu no Taisho perished, he had succeeded in changing the views of a majority of humans and demons in the Western lands. After his death, his eldest son, Sesshomaru, took power and bitterly reversed the work his father had accomplished."

As for Inuyasha, discussed in earlier chapters of this memoir, he lived a life of loneliness after his mother passed away when he was younger. His hanyou blood neither accepted of understood by most humans and demons, caused him to harbour a self-loathing for his heritage. This mentality cultivated a rugged, brutish and resilient personality that would help him survive in this prejudiced world. One day, thanks to the human girl that released him from his eternal slumber he will learn of the reasons his parents fell in love. He would come to realize that he is the actual key to Midoriko's will.

The last piece of Midoriko's will actually had more to do with her reincarnation. The reincarnation was said to be a girl of fifteen who was born with the Shikon no Tama in her body after Lady Kikyo had cremated it along with her body. It was believed that this exceptional girl was the reincarnation of Kikyo, but because Kagome (last name unknown) was never Kikyo's reincarnation, Urasue's plan to revive Lady Kikyo never fully revived the woman into a living human. Instead she remained an undead corpse composed of bone, ash and clay. Midoriko beckoned her soul to be reincarnated before she was imprisoned in the Shikon no Tama. When the jewel was in the newborn Kagome, it was said the girl was from 2014. The evidence founding this statement goes back to the 1984 discovery of a box of Japanese made crayons that were found in an old reliquary wooden box circa 1540, and later put on display in the Osaka museum as part of its permanent collection.

Kagome, was a central figure in the mystery surrounding the Jewel. She was the official protector of the sacred jewel before she plunged a sacred arrow through it, and effectively breaking it into hundred of shards scattered across the expanse of feudal Japan. Kagome; although not as strong in sword fighting or reiki manipulation as her ancestor, Midoriko, was a formidable foe who worked as a team with Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippo. It wasn't Midoriko's intention to bring chaos back to the feudal era. She had hoped that the reincarnation process would give Kagome the ability to retain former memories of Midoriko's will. Unfortunately, this lack of information was the downfall of Midoriko's plan, and lead to hundreds of deaths as the jewel shards wrecked havoc in 1514. The reintroduction of the jewel in the feudal era was indeed in part the greatest mistake of Midoriko's will, but if it weren't for Kagome, Inuyasha would never have been able to gain the strength needed to defeat Naraku.

It's unfortunate that Midoriko's will wasn't passed down directly to Kagome before she entered the feudal era the first time. So many deaths and wars would have been avoided, Naraku would not have gained so much strength, and the demon exterminator of 1517 would have never had access to the complete Shikon no Tama at the fall of Naraku.

THE JEWEL MUST BE DESTROYED!" - This is the correct wish!

Kagome fell back into the bookcase behind her. It was her fault. She never realized this, never thought that her actions had so many repercussions. It made sense why Kikyo loathed her presence in the feudal era. She truly did not belong in the era, and this proved it further for her.

'The extermination though...I have to stop that. I need to fix my mistake, even if it costs my life. Or else, Shippo, Inuyasha, Kirara, Jinenji, Koga and his tribe, Sesshomaru, Myoga, Totosai, every demon will perish for no reason.' Checking her watch, Kagome had twenty minutes to spare to leave the library before she had to meet up with Eri for their shopping spree. She closed the future-telling history book, and piled it on top of the other two books she was carrying previously. Looking at the bookshelf category where she found the book, it was near the Japanese folk tale section of the library. She mentally noted to keep that in her memory in case she ever needed that information. Kagome quickly made her way down the library steps to the main floor to check out her books.

The library clerk behind the check-out desk took each book from her hands, scanning the more popular novels first. When the clerk noticed the last book, she pondered why it didn't have a library tag on the back cover. "Did you get this here?" The clerk asked, pushing up her glasses on her nose.

Kagome nodded, unsure why it wouldn't be from here. "I picked it off a cart on the third floor near the Japanese folk tale section."

"It doesn't have a registered barcode from this library," the librarian checked through the pages and flipped the book over from side to side. "In fact, it doesn't have a barcode from any library. If it was donated or left here, it must have been overlooked."

"Does that mean I can't borrow it?" Kagome was actually panicking now. This book was the answer to everything in the feudal era, she couldn't very well leave it here for it to be lost in the stacks or picked up by someone else.

"Well, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to unless it was left here by accident. Let me just see what the head manager says about this." The clerk left the desk, and walked away to the back door where the manager's office was located. The manager stepped out and looked very old and educated.

"Hello, my name is Mr. Takasuma, I am the managing director of this library. I see we have an abandoned book here." Mr. Takasuma took his glasses out of his pocket and brought his hand to his chin in contemplation. "I'm guessing you have a history report on the Sengoku era. Well, this book seems very old and I don't really get a lot of people interested in folk tales of the Sengoku era...I'll tell you what, you can have it for free. I can't ask anything in exchange for it since it's not registered, and if someone comes looking for it, then I will just say we didn't see anything." Kagome's eye twitched, but smiled in thanks. This man just gave it away and didn't want any trouble. Heck it's a library and community building. He's probably happy that students are using it for their homework.

"Sir, are you sure that's ok. We have a policy-" The clerk was sweating about breaking the rules so lightly.

"Tell me Nara, have you come across someone who's lost a book about Sengoku Japan in the time that you've been here. Also how many people actually check out books on that topic? Not very many." Mr. Takasuma gestured towards Kagome. "One book gone from that section isn't going to cripple us."

"No, I suppose that's true. Very well, sir." Nara looked back at Kagome and smiled sheepishly, "I've checked out the other books for you, they are due in two weeks. Would you like a receipt?"

"Yes, please. Thank you for your help and generosity." Kagome took the receipt and picked up the books from the counter. With a bow to Mr. Takasuma and Nara, she left.

'Well that was a stroke of luck, but now I need to rush to get to the train station.' Kagome looked down at her books, particularly the older one. 'Too bad I can't dive into more of the stories. This is going to be on my mind all day.'