So I know I shouldn't be putting out a new story, considering I'm not updating so much on my other… But here ya go! I wrote this months ago when a friend and I were rewatching Inuyasha on DVD. There's not much of a timeline for you to go off of. Since the anime/manga drags FOREVER, and all that jazz. Anyway, I would really like some feedback if you could. I want to know how this will sell. I'll post the first 2 chaps up so y'all get more than just the "standard" sample.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks.
Enter the Second Girl in the Well
Kagome shrieked again at her mother for having to share a room that was no where as roomy and neat as a freakin' hotel room. She pointed to the black haired, purple eyed, lightly tanned, seventeen-year old girl sitting at her dinning table with a condescending, overconfident, and utterly evil smirk gracing full lips.
"She's family, Kagome" her mother answered – again.
"But why my room? Why now? She didn't even give us any notice!" My cousin yelled – again.
"Of course my sister called us a week ago and told us she would be coming to visit. You just weren't here. And you never sit down and actually talk to your family anymore." My aunt answered, her voice rising – again.
"She's going to cause me problems!"
"Kagome! Everything is not always about you!"
And then my other little cousin interrupted, "Just admit that ever since you fell down the magic well, that's all you've been thinking." Ah, Sota, such a cute little intruder. Probably got it from my side of the family – sort of.
"Sota! Don't say such silly things." Kagome smacked a hand over her brother's mouth while she glared ice daggers at me. What a drama queen.
"Calm down, Kagome." I said with a shrug as I turned the smirk down. "I'm not interested in your magic well."
Though her glare was still hard, I could feel her defenses shift. "Y-you're not?"
"No. I told you that I'm here to brush up on my Japanese during the summer." I looked away just to irritate her with nonchalance. She flinched. Point: Me.
"Did you get bored living in America or what?" Sota struggled and bit his sister, she cried out and for the moment I was invisible again. She was always so easy to manipulate. Not in an evil way, mind you. Don't get the wrong idea between Kagome and I, we don't hate each other. We've just always been polar opposites. We can never agree on anything. And I've always been able to get out of the finest of troubles.
I believe it is my God-given talent to lie with such ease. Now, again, I must remind you that I am not evil. I strictly use my powers for the greater good. If the greater good just so happens to involve my well-being and not Kagome's, then that's just the way of it.
Of course the worst of our disagreement is the fact that I don't believe in fate while Kagome does.
And worst still, she stopped believing in it and started agreeing with me.
We haven't been able to get along with each other since.
Now, while I spend the summer here in Japan and my parents take a three month long cruise I must suffer through the horrible fact that the two of us will be sharing a room and spend all of those three months together. Preferably not in that tiny room, somewhere else entirely; say, another time altogether, if you could.
The fact that her little brother mentioned a magic well is of no interest to me. None at all. Not in anyway, form, or fashion.
Nope, doesn't peak my curiosity one bit.
EntertheSecondGirlintheWell
"This is it?" I stare at the old well. The runes our grandpa put on it were torn and looked burned, but it was the only part of the stone well that appeared mysterious and wonderful. Really, it looked like an old, dried-up well. There was a ladder that led to the bottom that I could very-well see and the plants growing along the sides of it seemed reluctant to grow past the lip. Strange, but not exciting.
"I swear! It is magic." Kagome huffed at me. She had insisted, just as I had planned, that she'd show me the well. My nonchalance bothered her so much she claimed she'd prove to me that she was not making the whole thing up.
Of course I already knew she didn't make it up, even her fool-hearted brother believed in the well. He also mentioned some white-haired demon that could come out of it. Magic wells were one thing, demons were another altogether. And a boy like Sota did not just believe in magic and demons for no reason at all.
"If you say so, Kagome. Now can we please get some breakfast, this is not how I want to be spending my entire summer." I turned to leave her and, just as I knew she would, Kagome grabbed hold of my shoulder. What I did not expect was for her to throw the both of us down her stupid well! Kagome could past through it with no problems; Sota had explained it to me. But that did not mean that just because she was touching me I would be unharmed in this foolhardiness!
It took all the mental power I had not to scream – not to grab her neck and pull her under me. But the second before I knew the well's bottom could meet us, I felt the slightest breeze and watched as Kagome and I slowed our decent as if gravity decided it didn't want to squish us.
I sighed in relief and felt more than heard Kagome's smirk as she said, "See, magic." If I wasn't so happy of not being dead, I would have punched her first and asked questions later. But I was still in the well, Kagome got me here, what if she left me here too? Best not to anger the girl right now.
I pushed myself up, knocking Kagome clear off me and onto the ground, earning myself an "oof" of discomfort from her. Upset and irritate, I said nothing about.
"Okay, okay. So you controlled gravity for a second. It doesn't prove that we are where you say we are." I brush the dirt off my shirt and jeans. Even for summer I wear jeans, and layers. It's…simpler for me. So today, because I knew Kagome was an impatient child, I wore a loose dark-wash jean, a black tank top, and a button-down, three-quarter-sleeved over-shirt. Not to mention the light jacket I've got, today it's a lightweight that reaches close to mid-thigh. Don't leave home without a jacket, no matter what the weather's like.
And just as I anticipated, Kagome huffed, "We traveled back in time. I swear! Look, climb out of the well, we'll be in the middle ages of Japan." I shrug a shoulder, made sure nothing – ahem – important had fallen off me and begin to climb up the well. There's no ladder on this side.
The sun is the first witness to Kagome's claim. Her well was in an abandoned shack in the back of her house. This one was in the middle of a clearing, surrounding by lush grass and bright sunlight and the bluest of blue skies. I perch myself on the lip and waited for Kagome to catch up. I didn't want to brag, but I know I'm a better athlete than she is.
Hell's Bells, I should be! What with what I do for a living and all…
Kagome pulled herself up to sit next to me. Huh, faster than I thought. Well, with her constant exposure to demons – as is my conclusion to all the facts I've been presented – it would make sense the girly girl gained some muscle. Or else she'd be dead, right?
She huffed and smirked at me, "See, ma-"
"Magic," I answer with her. Her smirk flickers but remains nonetheless.
"I thought you'd be more resilient, or something."
"How can I be when everything you said is true?" I spread a hand out at the grass and the sun and the sky, "The facts are all here."
Her smirk is blown away by a full-on grin. "So you believe that my well is magic and I travel through time on an everyday basis?"
I smile with no teeth, "Yeah, I believe you." I turn back to the sun and close my eyes to enjoy it.
"Great! Now let's go bac-"
"Hold up!" Quickly I jump off the well, not entirely forgetting her pushing me in. "You have to show me rural Japan before we go back." I can sense her arguments. "Come on, Kagome! It's not everyday that you get to time travel. Just show me what you do here. Introduce me to the natives."
"Why are you so eager to stay?"
"Oh come on! Like you weren't this excited when you first showed up here?" She hesitates. I can feel her warming up to me. "How about a day, just give me a day of your magic. One day, and we can go home." Something comes to her. Something that I know she thinks will get me to stop my persistent banter. It won't be pleasant; I can see it all over her face.
Then it's gone, just in the blink of an eye. If I hadn't focused so intently on her expression so suddenly, I would have missed it. I guess having demon friends made her a bit mischievous too. She smiles with no teeth, closing her eyes, pitching her voice higher. Well, Hell's Bells… What a deviant you've become Kagome.
"Okay, I'll introduce you to my friends." She bounces off the edge of the well, holding her hands behind her back. Did she not know that she did that when she was lying? Inwardly I frown; I don't know what she's lying about, but it won't be good for me.
"How about you wait here, and I'll go get them?"
My smile didn't move an inch. In fact, I let it grow because she let me stay like I wanted her to. "You're going to leave me here all by myself?"
"Don't worry, you'll be just fine." She rushes away, stumbling just slightly in her jittery haste. "I'll be right back! Just don't move from that spot!"
She waves at me when she gets to the trees and I wave back. "You better not leave me here!"
When she disappears, I fold my legs and sit with my back to the well to wait for whatever prank she thinks will crumble my resolve. There's a rock next to me, about the size of my hand, I turn it over and over to pass the time. Kagome isn't hard to read. When we were kids I learned all the little quirks she did. Mother said it had been a test. If I could name all the quirks for all the emotions, then I'd get a treat. Mother was a professional at reading people, it was logical that she'd teach me her trade.
And teach she did. And excelled did I.
So for someone as easy to read as Kagome, even if she had changed in our six years apart, and for someone as educated in reading as I was to be put together it was inevitable for me to know her better than she knew herself. I could anticipate her intentions like I did this morning, and I could even tweak them like I did last night without her knowing of it. It's not magic. Kagome is just gullible and I'm just crafty.
I flexed my muscles while I waited. Kagome would come back for me, leaving me here wasn't her style. She had something planned for me and she would want to see the fruits of her labor. But how long her plan involved was beyond me. She may have me wait here for hours before she brought whatever she had for me.
A growl worked its way from the back of my throat. If that girl left me here I'd hunt her down, break her legs, tie her to a stake, and have her wait for me to bring her a doctor.
"Katsumi!" I look in her direction, keeping my senses open to the area around me. The well should provide protection to something that comes behind me, and I could roll around it if something comes from the sides. A woman in a kimono, like full-on old-school, and a man in a robe are walking slightly behind my cousin. The woman looks from Kagome to me, probably noticing that there aren't many similarities between us, while the man seems irritated by something. His hands are in fists, his steps are hard, and he isn't looking at Kagome or me at all. Well, if that wasn't a warning signal, then I sure was as stupid as my grandpa insisted. "Katsumi!"
I wave back but I don't get up. The demon is missing. Sota swore they traveled together all the time – that he never left her side. He said that this demon protected his sister. If all of that were true, then he should be here with her now.
The wind picks up, but it's from behind me, so the demon has to be somewhere downwind. I throw a glance at the trees. The wind keeps me from seeing any unnatural movements. I scan the roots and trunks all the while calling out to Kagome, teasing her for leaving me here.
There! A blur of red and white zings from one tree trunk to another. He's fast; if I hadn't been looking I wouldn't have spotted him. But I can see him now, and I can predict his movement pattern now too. He'll come from the left. All I can do is wait; I can't keep up with him completely so I can't tell the timing of his attack.
Deep breath, deep breath. I close my eyes and feel his intentions. He's real set on scaring me. He's thinking too hard, not about how he's going to do it – there's almost no thought there. He's merely thinking hard that he's going to do it. His presence grows stronger…
I roll a second before he lands, damn – too soon. But I get to my feet a second later and put the well between us. Then I throw the rock in my hand and it strikes him right between the eyes. He falls back from surprise, his wide eyes too shocked to glare at me. Kagome's jaw looks unhinged. So does the woman's, it's quite comical really. The man looks between the demon and myself. Back and forth, like he can't help himself.
It's so funny I burst out in laughter. The side-splitting kind, the kind of laughter I hadn't found in years!
"What the hell's so funny!" The demon barks. "What the hell was that?"
"Y-your faces!" I shout at them bending over and leaving myself quite vulnerable. If my mother and father could see me they'd be crying in despair!
"She… She… She hit you…" The man pointed at me then at the demon in time with his eyes.
"Yeah, thanks for the obvious deduction." The demon sneers with so much sarcasm the very air around him seems to thicken. "What would we ever do without you?" With the back of his hand he rubs between his eyes. "Dammit," he grumbles, "you said she wouldn't suspect a thing, Kagome!"
"Omigod!" Kagome exclaims. Her shock melts to horror as she tries to shove her jaw back into place. "How did you do that? How did you know Inuyasha was coming? Why would you throw a rock at him? And why are you laughing like that? Katsumi, what happened?"
It takes more effort to remember myself, I forgot how great a laugh like that can make you feel. "I figured you were planning something sneaky to get me to change my mind about this place." I shrug my shoulders lifting my hands with it, just to make her look foolish. "Sota mentioned the demon, so when I didn't see him I got suspicious." On the last word I lean in slightly to her, making her lean backward. I could see the sweat drops forming.
"Dammit, Kagome." The demon growled, "I told you this was stupid. What would make you want me to attack your own cousin for is none of my freaking business, but you even made me look stupid for doing it."
"I believe I was the one who was opposed to this idea, Inuyasha." The man with the pony-tail cleared his throat, stamping his staff in irritation. "And I believe my choice of words held more class than yours."
"Psh. No one was talking to you Miroku." He turned on me with a heated amber glare. I'd seen nastier stuff on Shark Week. "And damn you," he started, "hitting me with a freaking rock as if you weren't about to piss your pants."
"You're about as frightening as a kitten," I quipped.
He bristled, "Who the fuck are you?" He took two steps in my direction, "Barging down Kagome's well and acting all tough?"
My cousin surprised me when she interrupted out smack talk, "Inuyasha, sit boy."
It is going down as one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen with my own two eyes. They way two words from my scrawny, little cousin could take down an arrogant, hot-shot, barely-out-of-training demon I pray never leaves my memories. Such a sight to see… And his face! Oh, his face when he realizes how much I enjoyed watching Kagome seduce him… Deserves to be on one of those MasterCard commercials: Priceless.
"I'm sorry," the woman spoke up as she stood only a handful of centimeters from me. I nearly jumped back in alarm. But only because I have a personal bubble the size of a small moon, not because this woman was sending any alarms my way. "I'm Sango," she put a small hand to her sternum. "That is Miroku," she gestured to the man, "He's a monk." I nodded as if she made complete sense. Why would I care if he was a monk? Her next words told me why, "But don't let that fool you, he's a total womanizer."
"Sango! What a rude thing to say to a first acquaintance." He seemed to look put out, but he looked to the left, away from Sango and I with his eyes closed. She was telling the truth about him, he had not denied her words.
"And this is Inuyasha, the half-breed demon." Sango gestured again with the hand that wasn't gripping mine.
Inuyasha scoffed, "Did you really have to tell her I'm only half demon?" he struggles to sit up, like its almost killing him inside and sits with crossed arms and frowning with lots of fang, the command seeming to ware off in short time, how disappointing. "Not like this stupid, human girl would understand the difference between a half and full demon anyway," he muttered more to himself.
"Exactly, which is why I said it." Sango answered.
I nearly ripped my hands out hers to get them back. A half demon! Only a half demon! I strode to him until I was standing right in front of him. He seemed just as uncomfortable as I was by the position. I reached with lightning fast reflexes and rubbed both of his furry animal ears that poked out of his wild mane of silver hair.
"H-hey!" He didn't attack like I thought he would have, instead the half demon blushed at my action and slapped my hands away. I wasn't blind to the fact that he took care to avoid me with his claws. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Hell's Bells!" I cursed. He was only a half demon. I sighed in relief. Kagome was hanging out with a half demon! Ha! Leave it to her to befriend a half demon, maybe the only one for miles, for eons! I could feel another side-sticking laugh coming but I squelched it before it became audible. Who knows, one day I might need it.
When I looked back at Inuyasha I realized that we both had moved back to a more comfortable space. Huh, a freakin' half-breed. Go figure. Guess it ain't all that bad. Kagome could've gotten into worse company. A future girl, a perverted monk, a pretty little demon-hunter, and a half-breed.
"Hey! Hey! Kagome, can I come out now?" A little creature was already perched on my cousin's shoulder before the question was completely finished. He was about the size of my full-grown, Maine Coon house cat. Actually, Proxy would have eaten this guy for breakfast.
"Hi!" The thing said; I watched its tail twitch several times before I realized it was his tail. A little boy with a fluffy tail, hanging onto Kagome's shoulder like he's done it before, with a tiny bit of fang at the edge of his smile, waved at me like I was his newfound friend. Okaaaaay, so Kagome got attached to a demon after all.
Still the optimist, I reflected that it was a baby demon at least.
"I'm Shippo! I'm going to be a great fox demon someday and protect your cousin Kagome!" He smiled full of innocence like human children do, which left me feeling somewhat ill. I don't handle children well. I dislike them, really. Apparently demon kids are the same.
"Why won't she say anything to me, Kagome?" Shippo whined, with – Oh Damn it all! – actual tears in his eyes.
"You surprised her, that's all Shippo." She rubbed Shippo's ear and smiled with all that tender mush her own mother gave her. "Katsumi, this is Shippo, a fox demon." When she turned to smile at me, it had grown cold and the mischievousness glint was back in her eye.
Another challenge issued and accepted.
I gathered myself again, and bent ever so slightly to get closer to the demon. Kagome was taller only by a smidge. "Hi, Shippo." I offered my hand as I gave him a closed-mouth smile. His face brightened immediately, so fox demons have crocodile tears too… He took my hand in both of his and pumped it vigorously.
"What's your name?"
Without a fault I said, "Katsumi."
But the kid seemed to be on a one track while he continued to pump my hand. "Hi, Katsumi! It's so nice to meet someone of Kagome's family. She never brings her family here."
I stared at Kagome while she blushed. "Well, it is dangerous here, Shippo," she said. "What with all the demons hanging around." I gave a meaningful glare at my cousin before I ripped my hand from the kid's, still smiling all the while.
"Oh, yeah." His face fell. "The demons. I forgot. But she brought you!" He perked up. "So you must be pretty strong right, Katsumi?"
I smirked, pretty strong in the middle ages of Japan, where demons parade around like it's a freaking amusement park?
"I suppose. I hit Inuyasha, didn't I?" The fox laughed, nearly falling off of Kagome's shoulder, she caught him just in time. Avoiding eye-contact with me and blushing a fierce plum color she righted him and cleared her throat. I could hear Inuyasha's cursing all the while.
"You owe me breakfast." I said. When she turned to me I met her eyes full on. "Breakfast, Kagome. You owe me."
She nodded, as if her shame couldn't bare the thought of owing me anything. "There's a village near here where I stay. It's also where I found Inuyasha."
The half demon grumbled under his breath, but followed behind Kagome almost blindly. Sango and Miroku followed suit behind me, whispering theories and secrets as we went. Apparently, Sango thought our dissimilarities was worth more thinking about than whether I was single, which was what Miroku was thinking about. Did Kagome travel with these guys all the time? I probably would have snapped if I were her.
EntertheSecondGirlintheWell
I stared at the old woman wondering desperately if there was some way I had missed waking up this morning and this whole thing was a dream. After feeding us I only merely asked her about her connections to my cousin. Somehow it turned into a serious discussion about Kagome being a reincarnation of this old woman's older sister who died because Inuyasha – her lover at the time – had betrayed her.
This brought about Inuyasha's tirade of some demon name Naraku who impersonated Inuyasha and attacked Kikyo, who he then turned into to trick Inuyasha into doing something he shouldn't have. And he went on about his vow of avenging Kikyo's wrongful death.
And though I have no idea why, Miroku and Sanga had to share their stories of how they met Kagome and swore to work together to put together a sacred jewel that gave demons a super sense of power and destruction.
A jewel that my own cousin had also sworn to put back together. Of course it was all her fault the rock broke in the first place. She also went on about how she couldn't allow Naraku to continue destroying the world like he was.
I'm not sure how demon matters are her concern and require her involvement, but there you go.
So, with all of their life stories out on the table I stared at them with a mixture of horror and apprehension. The old woman kept looking at me like a puzzle she wanted to solve. Inuyasha was thoroughly ignoring me – something I actually preferred. Sango kept swiping glances between Kagome and me, probably still trying to figure out how we could look so different. Miroku the monk insisted on sitting next to me, and I could feel his intense desire to do something I'll probably kill him for. The fox Shippo was curled up in my cousin's lap fast asleep.
If I took off for the well right now, without looking back, would I be able to face my reflection in the mirror tomorrow?
"T-that's one heck of a story. You know, Kagome, you should make a book of this. I'm sure everyone would want to read it. At least sell the idea to a manga company and have them turn it into a graphic novel."
My cousin smirked, "I'm not going to tell anybody about this, ever!"
I shook my head and let it go. I only needed to release some nervous tension, that's why I offered the stupid idea. It was too farfetched for the public anyway.
"So now that's she's here, what're you gonna do with her?" Inuyasha asked, his arm behind his head and looking as comfortable as a cat in front of a fireplace. His eyebrows were furrowed though, so he had to be irritated by something.
"Well-"
"I'm staying." I announced shocking everyone, including Kagome. She should have known I wouldn't just hop back into the well and pretend the whole thing never happened and go about my life for the rest of the summer all whimsical-like. Silly girl, maybe she doesn't know me at all.
"Katsumi, I don't think that's a good idea." Sango started.
I brushed her off, "It'll be fun, and I'm not going to be a burden. Besides, I'd like to see Kagome in action. It's a rare occasion indeed to see her so heroic." I felt the girl bristle at my remark.
"If you think I'm just going to let you-"
I was surprised Inuyasha cut Kagome off. "Just let her do what she wants, Kagome. If she's apart of your family I doubt we can change her mind."
"And what's that suppose to mean, Inuyasha?"
But he went on as if she hadn't said anything, "Plus wouldn't you love to see her scream at what you face with everyday?"
I stiffened at his words but I saw Kagome blush. She was more upset with me being here than I thought. "I'm not a screamer," I said.