Prologue

The sun was slipping through the sky, a massive orange ball of flames and lanterns. The thin golden rays highlighting the silver sheen of the boy's hair. He sat, high in the Sacred Tree, silver tresses blowing about in a shivering breeze. At the base of the tree sat a girl, her raven hair tousled and untidy, yet neat and kempt at the same time. She was sitting with her knees drawn to her chest, her chin resting there. Her silver-hazel eyes were fixed on the boy, whom she calmly ignored.
" Keh." The boy snorted. " I know you're watching me."

' I can't help it.' the girl thought, but she only said, " So what if I am?"

" It bothers me."

" Well, if you would just listen to me…"

" What is it now?" the boy snapped. The girl was on her feet in an instant, her pretty face contorted in both fear and anger.

" My friends from the states…" She started with a snarl, then broke off, shaking her head, and went on in a gentler tone.

" My friends from the states have won a school trip."

" And that means what to me?" the boy spat back.

" You baka! They won a trip here, and they want to see me!" The raven-haired girl snapped angrily.

" Oh…" The silver-haired boy trailed off. " What're they like?"

" Normal girls. A little on the fearful side, not too bad." The girl shrugged.

" Keh. Pretty nice thing to say about a human. Tolerating you and Sango is all I can handle."

" You're so rude."

" Thanks."

" Learn the meaning of the word insult."

" You're stupid."

" What's that got to do with anything?"

" Just proving that I know the meaning of an insult, Kagome."

" You know what, Inuyasha? Just shut up and SIT!" Kagome bellowed the last word into the dusky sky, sending Inuyasha plunging to the ground. Whirling, Kagome came face-to-face with the lecherous monk Miroku.

" I'm sure these girls will be a pleasure to have around. When will they be here?"

" Don't get any ideas, you perverted son of a…" Sango began.

" Cheesecake?" Kagome filled in for her. Sango shrugged.

" Yeah." Sango gave Miroku a death glare and then turned to Kagome.

" Near the end of the month. It'll be on March twenty-fifth," continued Kagome.

" So are you going to bring these two girls here?" She asked her friend.

" She shouldn't." Inuyasha grumbled, getting to his feet.

" Why not?" Kagome snapped, turning on him. Inuyasha dropped his head, keeping his silence. He couldn't tell Kagome about the last time he had visited her era; she had been at school, so he had gotten on her computer. He had ended up talking to the girls through something called Instant Messaging. He had found out their names; Renee and Andrea. And he liked them. Not in that way, but he thought they seemed tough.

" Well, why not?" Kagome insisted.

" I…It wouldn't be good if they got hurt." Inuyasha finally sighed. Kagome, to his relief, laughed heartily.

" I wouldn't bring them here, silly! My main problem was I would be leaving you big babies for a week or so." Kagome teased, pulling all of them into a hug. Shippo sprang up and down on her shoulder, laughing, while neko demon Kirara purred and wound around their ankles.

Miroku gasped after Kagome released them from the hug, looking a bit dejected at Kagome's decision. Kagome looked thoughtful. "Hmm… Maybe I will try to bring them here as long as Miroku behaves himself! They might be able to pass through the well if we go through at the same time!" Kagome thought to herself with a grin.

" Just keep them away from here. We don't need two more whiny human girls running around getting in the way!" Inuyasha scoffed, but his relief tainted his voice. Kagome growled at him as she approached the bone eater's well.

" Are you saying I'm whiny?" She snapped suddenly.

" Uh…" Inuyasha trailed off. Kagome sat on the lip of the well, looking back.

" Well, bye, guys! And Inuyasha…" Kagome's grin spread. Inuyasha instinctively latched onto the nearest young tree.

" Kagome!" He pleaded, but her dark grin said she wouldn't let it alone.

" Bye, Inuyasha! Be a good boy and SIT!"

" EEEEEYYYYIIIIPPPPEEEE!"

Crash.

Kagome disappeared down the well as Shippo, Sango, and Miroku stared at the crater where the tree…and Inuyasha…had once stood.

" Baka." Sango murmured. Kirara mewled her agreement and followed her friends away.

The sun was slipping through the sky, a massive orange ball of flames and lanterns. I admired the brightness of it as it reflected on the mirror behind the teacher's back. I glanced up at the clock, but could barely read it past the sheen of the sunlight. The classroom door banged open, rattling the clock so that I could see it was two thirty in the afternoon…nearly time to go home. Then I turned my eyes to the young boy standing in the doorway.

The boy's face was round and splashed in red freckles. His green eyes looked even brighter against his mop of red curls. The teacher waited patiently as the boy hurried to her desk with a sheaf of papers. He handed them to the teacher and they exchanged a few words. I leaned back in my chair and watched with half-lidded eyes as the boy scampered away. The teacher laid the papers on her desk and eyed us all severely before she spoke in a tone sharper than an eagle's talons.

" Class, the principal has organized a school trip." She began.

" Tell me it's not some stupid camping trip again!" I moaned quietly. I still hadn't gotten over standing waist-deep in mud in the freezing rain waiting for the bus to take us away.

" This year, class, the school trip will be to Japan." I noticed a glimmer of excitement in the teacher's voice, but her words were met by dead silence, wide-eyes, stunned faces. I looked over my shoulder to see my friend, Andrea, gazing at the front of the room as though the teacher had just donned a tutu and performed ballet with underwear on her head singing "These are a few of my favorite things" In Spanish.

I figured I was looking at her the same way.

At that precise moment, the bell rang. Cramming my crap together, I ran up to grab one of the paper slips from the teacher and bolted out the door.
Tides of students were pouring from classrooms, howling and shrieking, caught up in the excitement of Friday afternoon. I felt a hand tap my shoulder and turned to look into the face of my friend Holly.

" See ya, Padfoot!" She hollered as she was swept away by the throng of students. I laughed as I threw my backpack into the yawning jaws of my crammed locker and bolted over to Andrea's locker to meet up with her.

" Hey!" I gasped.

" Hey. What took you so long?" Andrea asked, gazing at me owlishly from behind her glasses. I shrugged, moving my dirty-blonde ponytail to the side and stretching.

" Traffic." I joked. Andrea socked my arm as we bolted out front to wait for her mom to pick us up.
It was March fifteenth, and Andrea was finally having her sweet sixteenth party that night. Then she and I would be camping in Sandy Hills the next day, I reflected, as we clambered into her mom's car.

" Hey, mom!" Andrea greeted her mother, sliding into the front seat.

" Hello, girls." Andrea's mother murmured absently. I realized she had a cell phone tucked under her ear. From phrases I overheard, it sounded like she was arranging last-minute details for Andrea's party.

We drove to the mall and parked.
Andrea and I leaped out, and, laughing and chattering, made our way into the store where we had prepaid for two stunning dresses. And there they were, hanging behind the front counter…hers, silver, not too loose, not too tight, ankle length dress, with no shoulder straps, and with a tiara to match. And mine, flowing aqua blue, also ankle length, with thin, spaghetti thin straps and a diamond-studded necklace to match. Andrea and I stared, transfixed, at our dresses until it was time to pick up the cake.

Andrea and I had to sit this one out in the backseat; the cake was a surprise. But then, that gave us time to talk, and we were never short on words.

" This is gonna be so much fun!" I relished in the thought, relaxing in my seat.

" Yeah!" Andrea agreed. " Then we have your sweet sixteen next month, don't forget!" I smiled, closing my eyes.
" Uh-huh." I moaned.

" Well, I know I can't wait to get my hair done!" Andrea muttered, pulling at one lock of her shoulder-length red hair. " I'm gonna love it when this hair is long enough that I can do something with it!"

" I know." I said, but none more could be spoken, because the cake had just been crammed into the front seat. We rode in solemn silence for a while. Then, without warning, I leaned over and hugged Andrea.

" Andrea," I murmured, " This will be a night to remember."

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