Disclaimer: Nope, don't own him.
A/N: Hi! I know, I've been starting a lot of new stories lately, but don't worry, I'm not giving up on A Whole New World, but this plot has been bugging me for a long time. AWNW will be the next story to get an update. As for this fic, I need some advice. Give me your preference: This fic, or A Slice of Life? Whichever one you choose, the other is going on Hiatus until AWNW is finished.
Before you start reading this, realize that A. not all chapters will be this short, and B. there's more to this then meets the eye. This isn't your usual tale of hanyou prejudice, this is something much worse and more vile. Oh, and contrary to what you see here, Kikyo is actually good in this story, or at least she's not evil. She's a bit like she is in the anime actually...
VERY IMPORTANT: I searched this up to see if anybody else had a similar idea to this, and I found that someone had made a fic about gangs in a school called Black and White. I'd just like you to know now that I'm not plagiarizing that fic in any way, the plotlines couldn't be more different (for one, this has nothing to do with school). Then, as I was writing this, I remembered that Rozefire also wrote a fic with Hanyou as black and Human as white, and again, this fic. has nothing to do with that one either. The mention of the prophecy is sheer coincidence, you'll see as the plot goes on that the stories couldn't be more different (for one, hanyous and demons aren't discriminated against, people judge on something different and much more stupid).
Chapter One
Acceptance
The brilliant rays of the sun filtered through the enormous green leaves resting peacefully atop the magnificent giants of the forest. A hummingbird could barely be seen flitting about in the background, chirping to an invisible beat that only it could make out as it shared its melody with natural world. A calm seemed to envelop the scene as a whole, as he rushing waters of a narrow creek slid silently through the trees, making their way toward lands beyond that she'd always wanted to follow. The sounds of the forest interrupted the peace every so often, but in actuality they were more reassuring then pure silence. It was an absolutely breathtaking day, the sort of day you only have the pleasure of seeing in fairy tales.
She wasn't in a fairy tale, but she would've given everything she had to participate in one. Life here was just too cruel, too unfair, and much too prejudiced for anybody's good. The old woman sighed and rested her weary head on calloused fingers, breathing in the crisp scent of the morning air. She'd left earlier that morning to escape from the constant bickering that was sure to ensue at least a few times during the course of the day. It was almost routine now, why should today be any different? Life here was so tedious and petty, why did so few just try to forgive and forget? Why would something that occurred so long ago feel the need to affect people even today? Why wouldn't anybody just understand that it was all in the past, let it go, and move on with their lives?
'They're brainwashed,' she thought dismally, pulling her legs up onto a hollow log so she was laying face up on its surprisingly smooth surface, staring in rapture at the unique cloud formations above her. She was sure she'd never seen these particular swirling patters, and she couldn't help but wonder if they were trying to communicate with her.
"Oh, that's it, I've had enough," she scowled darkly, burrowing her head into the fragrant petals that lay crushed in her smooth hand. "This has all gone on for FAR too long," she mustered up a very miniscule bit of strength and pulled herself to her frail feet, her long blue dress billowing behind her as she swept around to face the golden rays of the sun, shielding her eyes from its glare with the back of her hand.
"After all these years, all these centuries where Black and White have loathed one another, somebody needs to make them see. Somebody needs to bring them back to their senses, make them understand how ridiculous it's all been from the start".
She pushed a fragile hand up her voluminous sleeve, pulling out a simple golden mirror with a delicate golden trim dancing across its silver rim. The glass, which seemed to be tinted in blue, swirled for a moment before revealing the picture of a group of girls, girls unlike anything she'd ever laid eyes on. They were all clothed in the same fashion, and their uniforms looked a bit like sailor suits. She couldn't help but chuckle, for seeing such things was quite rare in her immediate environment. The girls were ensnared in a fit of laughter, grins apparent on all their faces and brown eyes crinkled in humor.
'But which one?' she mused softly, mulling over her choices. She glanced at each of the girls in turn, but for the life of her couldn't choose one from the other. Suddenly her eyes fell upon one she hadn't noticed before, one who seemed to stand out from the others for some unidentifiable reason. Her chocolate brown eyes seemed to sparkle as she laughed, her dark, raven hair flowing in layers over her shoulders as they shook in her mirth. The older woman touched a worn fingertip to the mirror where the girl lay chuckling and she allowed a small smile to grace her dry lips.
"She'll do perfectly. After all this time, I've finally found the one who can complete my quest, even if I'm too old and frail to do so," she collapsed to her knees when she felt the throbbing pain in her side as it threatened to overcome her.
"I don't have much time left, I must," she wheezed, trembling in the weariness of her old age. "I must finish the prophecy. If I don't, all hope of even partial equality will be lost forever, and society is eternally doomed to this life of hate and greed. I must stop it, I MUST finish the prophecy".
~*~
Higurashi Kagome bounded down the staircase with a bright smile upon her rosy cheeks and a lighthearted bounce in her step. Her raven black hair flew behind her as she swooped down to grab her soft yellow schoolbag, and she flung herself into a rickety chair to gobble down her breakfast as quickly as humanly possible. After a few minutes of stuffing corn puffs into her mouth, she glanced at the clock, gasping as she saw that time was catching up to her, and it was way too close for comfort. Stumbling to her feet, she swung her backpack over her back and made to bolt out the doorway when her mother ran softly into the kitchen, urgency written on her face.
"Kagome!" she called. "Wait!"
"Oh, hey mom," Kagome smiled warmly and went to give her mom a quick peck on the cheek before racing back toward the doorway. Her hand reached for the handle, and she was almost thundering down the streets toward her bus stop when her mother's next words made her stop dead in her tracks.
"Your Valiquer School of Arts letter arrived late last night! I didn't want to wake you, but I figured you'd want to know if you got in," her mother trailed off softly, leaving a gaping Kagome to whirl around and dash toward her mother.
"Seriously? Let me see!" she squealed excitedly, but her mother shook her head teasingly.
"Nope, you've got a bus to catch. And you'd better hurry up about it, the bus leaves in about five minutes," her mother admonished, turning Kagome in the direction of the doorway before calmly strolling toward the kitchen table to begin the mind numbing process of folding laundry.
"But mom, it's like the last week of high school!" Kagome whined pleadingly. "Come on, this is much more important!"
"Oh Kagome, nothing's more important then your education," her mother stated matter of factly, before shooing Kagome back toward the direction of her bus. "Now run along".
Kagome sighed before gloomily letting herself through the sliding door, her books thumping against her back. She glanced back at the clock one last time and cursed as she realized there was almost no way she could possibly make it now. She'd have to run, and she'd have to run fast.
She raced down the sidewalk toward the bright yellow school bus that stood honking a couple blocks down her street, and she flung herself through the double doors before the bus had the opportunity to make its departure without her. As the engine roared to life, she skimmed the aisles until she found a seat next to her best friend Yuka. Her eyes lit up and she dove into the seat with a lighthearted grin toward the short- haired beauty.
"Hey Yuka! You won't believe it!" Kagome shouted enthusiastically, trying to suppress her excitement. Yuka, who had been having a very boring week in the gossip section, quickly spun her head toward the obviously ecstatic Kagome.
"What?" she whispered earnestly, expecting to hear all the latest about Kagome's newest boy problems, but lowered her head in disappointment at Kagome's next words.
"The letter to the art school is here! I'll find out by the end of the day if I'm accepted or not! Isn't it great?" she squealed in excitement, unable to bare the anxious agony of waiting for an entire day.
"Oh, yeah it's great," Yuka gave a sickly smile, and Kagome hurriedly turned her ecstasy into concern for her dear friend.
"What's wrong Yuka?" she asked curiously, and Yuka turned to Kagome with a sad smile gracing her full lips.
"Aw, Kag. It's just that you're going to that old art school, and I wanted you and ME to go to college together. If you're accepted, then we'll probably never see each other again! Do you really want that?" Yuka mumbled somberly before turning to the window and crossing her arms underneath her in a fit of gloom. Kagome blinked a few times before taking a deep breath and doing her best to be honest with her friend, but choosing the route with the least possible consequences.
"Of COURSE I don't want that Yuka," Kagome consoled her reassuringly. "But I DO want to make something of myself in this world, and this school can put me on the right track. I can be an artist, you know that's what I've always wanted!" she cooed happily, before hurriedly straightening up when she realized how much this was affecting her best friend. "But I can still visit during the holidays, and I promise to write and take my laptop everywhere I go," she smiled warmly at Yuka. "If our friendship is strong enough, then distance isn't all that important".
Yuka looked at Kagome through teary eyes and gave a sad smile before wiping away the tiny droplets that clouded her cheeks. "Yes, you're right of course. We'll still be as close as ever," she tucked her pleated hair behind her ears before enveloping Kagome in a small hug, which Kagome quickly returned. The two embraced for a few moments before the bus pulled to the front of Tama High with a rather undignified snort, and the students raced for the exits with glee. After all, their very last day of high school was only a week away from arrival.
~*~
"Y-you," she snarled angrily, pushing her injured body to weary feet, her entire being shaking with anger and sorrow. "How COULD you?" she pointed an accusing finger at him. "HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME?" she wailed, barely keeping her balance.
"K-kikyo, I'm sorry, I never meant to betray you. It's just that I really cared about you, and I knew that if you figured out the truth then you'd want nothing to do with me. I was being selfish, and I'm sorry," he hung his head dejectedly. "But I thought you'd understand now, I thought you'd changed! I thought we both had!" he cried out desperately, clinging to the single hope that she'd understand, that she'd find it in her heart to forgive him and they could put it behind them and move on with their lives together.
No such luck.
"SILENCE! HOW DARE YOU SOIL ME WITH YOUR FILTHY HANDS!" she roared, her long, thick raven hair flinging tears in every direction. "I trusted you Inuyasha, I truly did. How could you?" she seethed, finding it difficult to yell through her tears. Inuyasha saw this and reached out a tender hand for her shoulder, but she batted it away with a yelp.
"DON'T TOUCH ME, FOOL!" she screamed in anguish, collapsing to her knees in a fit of weary anger. "Just- just stay away from me," she whispered quietly, and Inuyasha turned a shade of white as the dreaded words began to sink in.
"Why, Kikyo? Why does it matter so much?" he asked tenderly, reaching a clawed hand toward her to pull her to her feet, but she didn't even acknowledge the gesture.
"Fool. You know as much as I do that we cannot be. We are not MEANT to be, we are two entirely separate races. It cannot work. And before you say that it may, I do not intend to condone such a vile act either. You BETRAYED me Inuyasha, and I can never forgive you for it," she pulled herself up to shaky legs, letting her hands rest on the scratchy wooden bark of a nearby tree to steady herself. With a final glance back at the hanyou that stood in obvious confusion behind her, his bangs covering his eyes in severe depression, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret for her actions, but she knew it was for the best. She couldn't back down, people were counting on her to make the right decisions. She would never fail them.
'No, no I must. My people have always come first in my eyes, and this is no different. I will not betray them this way'.
~*~
"Kagome!" Souta stated the obvious as the paper thin door to the shrine slid into place behind them, revealing an anxious raven haired girl. She walked over with a giggle and ruffled the boy's hair a bit, before piping up as to what had plagued her mind for the better part of the day.
"Hey Souta, is mom home yet?" she asked earnestly. "I want to open my letter to the art school! Oh gods, I hope I got in," she unconsciously raised her hand to her lip, biting on her nails in anxiety. "Oh Souta, what will I do if I didn't?" she wailed unhappily, and Souta couldn't help but let out a chortle at his sister's predictable antics.
"Oh please Kagome, I'm sure you'll get in. You're a brilliant artist!" Souta exclaimed cheerfully, patting his sister's scrawny arm in reassurance.
"Thanks Souta," she ruffled his hair again. "But I'm wondering if you're saying that because you REALLY think me to be a brilliant artist or because you saw those chocolate chip cookies I was carrying home yesterday," she laughed at the guilty look on Souta's face and gestured to a nearby kitchen cabinet.
"I put them in there, help yourself. I'm much too excited to eat anyhow," she couldn't help but grin as the boy squealed with glee before raiding the cabinet of every last cookie crumb it held.
'He's so easy to please,' she shook her head with a laugh, then left the boy to ravenously gobble down his food in exchange for a more pressing activity.
"Mom?" Kagome ran toward her mother's bedroom door, flinging it open only to find that, to her disappointment, the only thing absent from the room was mother dearest herself.
"MOM!" Kagome cried out anxiously. "UGH! Where is she?" she pouted angrily. "Just when I need her too-,".
"Did you want something darling?" a knowing voice piped up behind her, and Kagome's customary good mood was instantly slid back into place as she turned to face her mother apprehensively.
"WELL?" Kagome asked excitedly, her heart thudding loudly in her chest as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, her smile turning to a scowl when her mother feigned a confused look.
"Well what?" she asked in fake curiosity, and Kagome rolled her eyes in agitation.
"MOM!" she wailed nervously, switching her weight from one foot to the other upon the solid wooden floor, and her mother couldn't help but giggle.
"KAGOME!" she shouted back with just as much vigor, giggling harder when she saw her beloved daughter roll her eyes a second time.
"Oh come on mom, please? I've been waiting all day," she gave her mother an irresistible puppy eyed look which nobody had ever been able to defy, her mother included. Conceding to her daughter's request, she reached into her the pocket of her dusty blue jeans before pulling out a slightly crumpled envelope.
"Sorry about that," her mother expressed a half-hearted apology, at the moment much more interested in the contents of the letter. "I guess I got caught up in my spring cleaning," she trailed off, looking at the letter in earnest and then back at her trembling daughter, who seemed to be chewing on her lip in her anxiety.
"I dunno, mom, should I?" she asked worriedly, and her mother nodded with a laugh.
"If you don't then there's no way you can attend that school of yours. Open it!" she urged profusely. "The suspense is killing me!"
With shaking hands, Kagome's delicate fingers trimmed the fold of the envelope until the letter was sitting in her immediate reach, but she just couldn't bring herself to lift it out of its imprisonment. Shaking her head, she held out the envelope to her mom.
"You do it mom, please?" she begged, and while normally her mother would have refused and said this was a job for Kagome herself, she was getting too curious about the contents of the letter to let it remain secret for even a second more. She snatched the envelope out of her daughter's hands and ripped the letter from the envelope with such a speed that it was a wonder the thing hadn't split in two. Seeing her daughter's reproving look, she carefully unfolded the letter, skimming its contents with a slight smile gracing her cheeks.
"Ooh, this looks bad hun," she grimaced, causing Kagome's face to fall in disappointment.
"O-oh," she whispered quietly, her voice shaking a bit. "I didn't get in?" she looked up at her mother with a tear resting on the corner of her eyelid. Oh, how she had wanted this...
"No, no it's not that. The tuition is incredibly expensive, and term starts in only two weeks," her mother scoffed. "Not much of a summer break then, is it?"
The cloud around Kagome's face seemed to dissipate in mere moments as she turned a gaze of wonderment and awe toward her mother. Could she really dare to hope?
"You, you mean I," she trailed off, not wanting to dash her hopes completely by finishing the sentence and making it concrete.
"Yes Kagome," her mother laughed joyfully at the enlightened look upon her daughter's face. "YOU'RE IN!"
A/N: So, what do you think? Review please, I have a lot of ideas for this story, and I want to know if I should continue.
A/N: Hi! I know, I've been starting a lot of new stories lately, but don't worry, I'm not giving up on A Whole New World, but this plot has been bugging me for a long time. AWNW will be the next story to get an update. As for this fic, I need some advice. Give me your preference: This fic, or A Slice of Life? Whichever one you choose, the other is going on Hiatus until AWNW is finished.
Before you start reading this, realize that A. not all chapters will be this short, and B. there's more to this then meets the eye. This isn't your usual tale of hanyou prejudice, this is something much worse and more vile. Oh, and contrary to what you see here, Kikyo is actually good in this story, or at least she's not evil. She's a bit like she is in the anime actually...
VERY IMPORTANT: I searched this up to see if anybody else had a similar idea to this, and I found that someone had made a fic about gangs in a school called Black and White. I'd just like you to know now that I'm not plagiarizing that fic in any way, the plotlines couldn't be more different (for one, this has nothing to do with school). Then, as I was writing this, I remembered that Rozefire also wrote a fic with Hanyou as black and Human as white, and again, this fic. has nothing to do with that one either. The mention of the prophecy is sheer coincidence, you'll see as the plot goes on that the stories couldn't be more different (for one, hanyous and demons aren't discriminated against, people judge on something different and much more stupid).
Chapter One
Acceptance
The brilliant rays of the sun filtered through the enormous green leaves resting peacefully atop the magnificent giants of the forest. A hummingbird could barely be seen flitting about in the background, chirping to an invisible beat that only it could make out as it shared its melody with natural world. A calm seemed to envelop the scene as a whole, as he rushing waters of a narrow creek slid silently through the trees, making their way toward lands beyond that she'd always wanted to follow. The sounds of the forest interrupted the peace every so often, but in actuality they were more reassuring then pure silence. It was an absolutely breathtaking day, the sort of day you only have the pleasure of seeing in fairy tales.
She wasn't in a fairy tale, but she would've given everything she had to participate in one. Life here was just too cruel, too unfair, and much too prejudiced for anybody's good. The old woman sighed and rested her weary head on calloused fingers, breathing in the crisp scent of the morning air. She'd left earlier that morning to escape from the constant bickering that was sure to ensue at least a few times during the course of the day. It was almost routine now, why should today be any different? Life here was so tedious and petty, why did so few just try to forgive and forget? Why would something that occurred so long ago feel the need to affect people even today? Why wouldn't anybody just understand that it was all in the past, let it go, and move on with their lives?
'They're brainwashed,' she thought dismally, pulling her legs up onto a hollow log so she was laying face up on its surprisingly smooth surface, staring in rapture at the unique cloud formations above her. She was sure she'd never seen these particular swirling patters, and she couldn't help but wonder if they were trying to communicate with her.
"Oh, that's it, I've had enough," she scowled darkly, burrowing her head into the fragrant petals that lay crushed in her smooth hand. "This has all gone on for FAR too long," she mustered up a very miniscule bit of strength and pulled herself to her frail feet, her long blue dress billowing behind her as she swept around to face the golden rays of the sun, shielding her eyes from its glare with the back of her hand.
"After all these years, all these centuries where Black and White have loathed one another, somebody needs to make them see. Somebody needs to bring them back to their senses, make them understand how ridiculous it's all been from the start".
She pushed a fragile hand up her voluminous sleeve, pulling out a simple golden mirror with a delicate golden trim dancing across its silver rim. The glass, which seemed to be tinted in blue, swirled for a moment before revealing the picture of a group of girls, girls unlike anything she'd ever laid eyes on. They were all clothed in the same fashion, and their uniforms looked a bit like sailor suits. She couldn't help but chuckle, for seeing such things was quite rare in her immediate environment. The girls were ensnared in a fit of laughter, grins apparent on all their faces and brown eyes crinkled in humor.
'But which one?' she mused softly, mulling over her choices. She glanced at each of the girls in turn, but for the life of her couldn't choose one from the other. Suddenly her eyes fell upon one she hadn't noticed before, one who seemed to stand out from the others for some unidentifiable reason. Her chocolate brown eyes seemed to sparkle as she laughed, her dark, raven hair flowing in layers over her shoulders as they shook in her mirth. The older woman touched a worn fingertip to the mirror where the girl lay chuckling and she allowed a small smile to grace her dry lips.
"She'll do perfectly. After all this time, I've finally found the one who can complete my quest, even if I'm too old and frail to do so," she collapsed to her knees when she felt the throbbing pain in her side as it threatened to overcome her.
"I don't have much time left, I must," she wheezed, trembling in the weariness of her old age. "I must finish the prophecy. If I don't, all hope of even partial equality will be lost forever, and society is eternally doomed to this life of hate and greed. I must stop it, I MUST finish the prophecy".
~*~
Higurashi Kagome bounded down the staircase with a bright smile upon her rosy cheeks and a lighthearted bounce in her step. Her raven black hair flew behind her as she swooped down to grab her soft yellow schoolbag, and she flung herself into a rickety chair to gobble down her breakfast as quickly as humanly possible. After a few minutes of stuffing corn puffs into her mouth, she glanced at the clock, gasping as she saw that time was catching up to her, and it was way too close for comfort. Stumbling to her feet, she swung her backpack over her back and made to bolt out the doorway when her mother ran softly into the kitchen, urgency written on her face.
"Kagome!" she called. "Wait!"
"Oh, hey mom," Kagome smiled warmly and went to give her mom a quick peck on the cheek before racing back toward the doorway. Her hand reached for the handle, and she was almost thundering down the streets toward her bus stop when her mother's next words made her stop dead in her tracks.
"Your Valiquer School of Arts letter arrived late last night! I didn't want to wake you, but I figured you'd want to know if you got in," her mother trailed off softly, leaving a gaping Kagome to whirl around and dash toward her mother.
"Seriously? Let me see!" she squealed excitedly, but her mother shook her head teasingly.
"Nope, you've got a bus to catch. And you'd better hurry up about it, the bus leaves in about five minutes," her mother admonished, turning Kagome in the direction of the doorway before calmly strolling toward the kitchen table to begin the mind numbing process of folding laundry.
"But mom, it's like the last week of high school!" Kagome whined pleadingly. "Come on, this is much more important!"
"Oh Kagome, nothing's more important then your education," her mother stated matter of factly, before shooing Kagome back toward the direction of her bus. "Now run along".
Kagome sighed before gloomily letting herself through the sliding door, her books thumping against her back. She glanced back at the clock one last time and cursed as she realized there was almost no way she could possibly make it now. She'd have to run, and she'd have to run fast.
She raced down the sidewalk toward the bright yellow school bus that stood honking a couple blocks down her street, and she flung herself through the double doors before the bus had the opportunity to make its departure without her. As the engine roared to life, she skimmed the aisles until she found a seat next to her best friend Yuka. Her eyes lit up and she dove into the seat with a lighthearted grin toward the short- haired beauty.
"Hey Yuka! You won't believe it!" Kagome shouted enthusiastically, trying to suppress her excitement. Yuka, who had been having a very boring week in the gossip section, quickly spun her head toward the obviously ecstatic Kagome.
"What?" she whispered earnestly, expecting to hear all the latest about Kagome's newest boy problems, but lowered her head in disappointment at Kagome's next words.
"The letter to the art school is here! I'll find out by the end of the day if I'm accepted or not! Isn't it great?" she squealed in excitement, unable to bare the anxious agony of waiting for an entire day.
"Oh, yeah it's great," Yuka gave a sickly smile, and Kagome hurriedly turned her ecstasy into concern for her dear friend.
"What's wrong Yuka?" she asked curiously, and Yuka turned to Kagome with a sad smile gracing her full lips.
"Aw, Kag. It's just that you're going to that old art school, and I wanted you and ME to go to college together. If you're accepted, then we'll probably never see each other again! Do you really want that?" Yuka mumbled somberly before turning to the window and crossing her arms underneath her in a fit of gloom. Kagome blinked a few times before taking a deep breath and doing her best to be honest with her friend, but choosing the route with the least possible consequences.
"Of COURSE I don't want that Yuka," Kagome consoled her reassuringly. "But I DO want to make something of myself in this world, and this school can put me on the right track. I can be an artist, you know that's what I've always wanted!" she cooed happily, before hurriedly straightening up when she realized how much this was affecting her best friend. "But I can still visit during the holidays, and I promise to write and take my laptop everywhere I go," she smiled warmly at Yuka. "If our friendship is strong enough, then distance isn't all that important".
Yuka looked at Kagome through teary eyes and gave a sad smile before wiping away the tiny droplets that clouded her cheeks. "Yes, you're right of course. We'll still be as close as ever," she tucked her pleated hair behind her ears before enveloping Kagome in a small hug, which Kagome quickly returned. The two embraced for a few moments before the bus pulled to the front of Tama High with a rather undignified snort, and the students raced for the exits with glee. After all, their very last day of high school was only a week away from arrival.
~*~
"Y-you," she snarled angrily, pushing her injured body to weary feet, her entire being shaking with anger and sorrow. "How COULD you?" she pointed an accusing finger at him. "HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME?" she wailed, barely keeping her balance.
"K-kikyo, I'm sorry, I never meant to betray you. It's just that I really cared about you, and I knew that if you figured out the truth then you'd want nothing to do with me. I was being selfish, and I'm sorry," he hung his head dejectedly. "But I thought you'd understand now, I thought you'd changed! I thought we both had!" he cried out desperately, clinging to the single hope that she'd understand, that she'd find it in her heart to forgive him and they could put it behind them and move on with their lives together.
No such luck.
"SILENCE! HOW DARE YOU SOIL ME WITH YOUR FILTHY HANDS!" she roared, her long, thick raven hair flinging tears in every direction. "I trusted you Inuyasha, I truly did. How could you?" she seethed, finding it difficult to yell through her tears. Inuyasha saw this and reached out a tender hand for her shoulder, but she batted it away with a yelp.
"DON'T TOUCH ME, FOOL!" she screamed in anguish, collapsing to her knees in a fit of weary anger. "Just- just stay away from me," she whispered quietly, and Inuyasha turned a shade of white as the dreaded words began to sink in.
"Why, Kikyo? Why does it matter so much?" he asked tenderly, reaching a clawed hand toward her to pull her to her feet, but she didn't even acknowledge the gesture.
"Fool. You know as much as I do that we cannot be. We are not MEANT to be, we are two entirely separate races. It cannot work. And before you say that it may, I do not intend to condone such a vile act either. You BETRAYED me Inuyasha, and I can never forgive you for it," she pulled herself up to shaky legs, letting her hands rest on the scratchy wooden bark of a nearby tree to steady herself. With a final glance back at the hanyou that stood in obvious confusion behind her, his bangs covering his eyes in severe depression, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret for her actions, but she knew it was for the best. She couldn't back down, people were counting on her to make the right decisions. She would never fail them.
'No, no I must. My people have always come first in my eyes, and this is no different. I will not betray them this way'.
~*~
"Kagome!" Souta stated the obvious as the paper thin door to the shrine slid into place behind them, revealing an anxious raven haired girl. She walked over with a giggle and ruffled the boy's hair a bit, before piping up as to what had plagued her mind for the better part of the day.
"Hey Souta, is mom home yet?" she asked earnestly. "I want to open my letter to the art school! Oh gods, I hope I got in," she unconsciously raised her hand to her lip, biting on her nails in anxiety. "Oh Souta, what will I do if I didn't?" she wailed unhappily, and Souta couldn't help but let out a chortle at his sister's predictable antics.
"Oh please Kagome, I'm sure you'll get in. You're a brilliant artist!" Souta exclaimed cheerfully, patting his sister's scrawny arm in reassurance.
"Thanks Souta," she ruffled his hair again. "But I'm wondering if you're saying that because you REALLY think me to be a brilliant artist or because you saw those chocolate chip cookies I was carrying home yesterday," she laughed at the guilty look on Souta's face and gestured to a nearby kitchen cabinet.
"I put them in there, help yourself. I'm much too excited to eat anyhow," she couldn't help but grin as the boy squealed with glee before raiding the cabinet of every last cookie crumb it held.
'He's so easy to please,' she shook her head with a laugh, then left the boy to ravenously gobble down his food in exchange for a more pressing activity.
"Mom?" Kagome ran toward her mother's bedroom door, flinging it open only to find that, to her disappointment, the only thing absent from the room was mother dearest herself.
"MOM!" Kagome cried out anxiously. "UGH! Where is she?" she pouted angrily. "Just when I need her too-,".
"Did you want something darling?" a knowing voice piped up behind her, and Kagome's customary good mood was instantly slid back into place as she turned to face her mother apprehensively.
"WELL?" Kagome asked excitedly, her heart thudding loudly in her chest as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, her smile turning to a scowl when her mother feigned a confused look.
"Well what?" she asked in fake curiosity, and Kagome rolled her eyes in agitation.
"MOM!" she wailed nervously, switching her weight from one foot to the other upon the solid wooden floor, and her mother couldn't help but giggle.
"KAGOME!" she shouted back with just as much vigor, giggling harder when she saw her beloved daughter roll her eyes a second time.
"Oh come on mom, please? I've been waiting all day," she gave her mother an irresistible puppy eyed look which nobody had ever been able to defy, her mother included. Conceding to her daughter's request, she reached into her the pocket of her dusty blue jeans before pulling out a slightly crumpled envelope.
"Sorry about that," her mother expressed a half-hearted apology, at the moment much more interested in the contents of the letter. "I guess I got caught up in my spring cleaning," she trailed off, looking at the letter in earnest and then back at her trembling daughter, who seemed to be chewing on her lip in her anxiety.
"I dunno, mom, should I?" she asked worriedly, and her mother nodded with a laugh.
"If you don't then there's no way you can attend that school of yours. Open it!" she urged profusely. "The suspense is killing me!"
With shaking hands, Kagome's delicate fingers trimmed the fold of the envelope until the letter was sitting in her immediate reach, but she just couldn't bring herself to lift it out of its imprisonment. Shaking her head, she held out the envelope to her mom.
"You do it mom, please?" she begged, and while normally her mother would have refused and said this was a job for Kagome herself, she was getting too curious about the contents of the letter to let it remain secret for even a second more. She snatched the envelope out of her daughter's hands and ripped the letter from the envelope with such a speed that it was a wonder the thing hadn't split in two. Seeing her daughter's reproving look, she carefully unfolded the letter, skimming its contents with a slight smile gracing her cheeks.
"Ooh, this looks bad hun," she grimaced, causing Kagome's face to fall in disappointment.
"O-oh," she whispered quietly, her voice shaking a bit. "I didn't get in?" she looked up at her mother with a tear resting on the corner of her eyelid. Oh, how she had wanted this...
"No, no it's not that. The tuition is incredibly expensive, and term starts in only two weeks," her mother scoffed. "Not much of a summer break then, is it?"
The cloud around Kagome's face seemed to dissipate in mere moments as she turned a gaze of wonderment and awe toward her mother. Could she really dare to hope?
"You, you mean I," she trailed off, not wanting to dash her hopes completely by finishing the sentence and making it concrete.
"Yes Kagome," her mother laughed joyfully at the enlightened look upon her daughter's face. "YOU'RE IN!"
A/N: So, what do you think? Review please, I have a lot of ideas for this story, and I want to know if I should continue.