Cause and Effect
Junna: The Introduction
Froggeh12
Summary: Naraku is dead and gone, and both couples of the Inuyasha group - Miroku and Sango and Inuyasha and Kagome - are happily married with kids. Inuyasha and Kagome live in Kagome's time, frequently visiting the feudal era, along with their 12-year-old daughter, Junna. Junna starts having really awful recurring nightmares a few weeks before her 13th birthday. Just before she wakes up every night, she always hears the same thing. "Undo that which was never meant to be done."
A/N: Re-written 2 years later! Alright, well, this is rated Teen for violence and language, as well as some unnerving concepts. If there's any time at the fic where you think it should be rated higher, please let me know. I would not be happy if this got taken off. And now, let's get started with the fic. :D Nothing too much is going to happen in this chapter; it's pretty much just to get you caught up with what's going on right now, and introduce you to new characters Keep in mind that this fanfic is NOT only about new characters, it relates very deeply to the actual Inuyasha plot you know and love. Please review if you read!
It was only four weeks and three days until Junna Higurashi's thirteenth birthday, and her parents still hadn't given in to the one present she wanted more than anything - a gorgeous piano she had seen at the old shop across from school. Unfortunately, it was a bit pricey for a birthday present…1,000,000 yen pricey, to be exact. But she needed that piano. It was something to practice on, other than her stupid cousin's hand-me-down keyboard.
"Junna, forget it. It's out of the question," Junna's mother, Kagome Higurashi, said blandly. She barely glanced up from her task of throwing freshly sliced tomatoes into a boiling soup for tonight's meal. They had company over - Junna's uncle Souta and his family - so there was no WacDonalds, no matter how much Junna had begged to go with her two best friends after school. "There's no reason for you to eat two dinners," her mother had reprimanded simply.
She needed that piano. Her latest dream-big fantasy was to become a famous pianist who would join super cool American rock bands and add a bit of that unique, classical touch. She'd speak perfect English by then, of course, and be like Pete Wentz – more recognized than the lead singer! She'd have really cute, choppy, multi-colored pigtails, ripped jeans and black miniskirts with fishnet stockings and black leather boots… it was the perfect career. She sighed in frustration and tried a different approach. "Mommy, I love you very much."
"I love you too, honey," Kagome said simply, as though that was obviously the response Junna wanted. She would not give in. Junna would be over this little fantasy in about a month, give or take a day, anyway.
Junna scowled, defeated (for now), and walked over to her father, who was sitting on the couch staring at the TV, waiting for the commercials to end and the game to start. The living room and kitchen shared the same open spaced room. "Daddy…" she began sweetly.
"Junna, we are not getting you a grand piano for your birthday," her father, Inuyasha Higurashi, said gruffly. There had been countless times where he had given in easily, only to face a pissy Kagome, and Inuyasha knew that Kagome could hold a grudge worse than anyone he had ever met.
This reaction led to a renewed scowl. "But, Dad!" she protested angrily. She was his little girl! Why couldn't he see that this was her one true calling in life!?
"Don't be a brat," her cousin Eiko sighed from his seat on the couch. He was sitting between her father and his own father, Souta.
"I'm not! What's so bad about wanting to fulfill my lifelong ambition of becoming a famous pianist?"
"Everything, 'cause you've been playing for what, half a week?"
Souta hit Eiko lightly upside the head without his eyes ever leaving the screen. "Be nice to your little cousin."
"She's only 'little' by two years."
"I'm still younger than you!" Junna taunted, sticking her tongue out at Eiko.
"That's for sure," Eiko snorted. God she could be a brat. But Junna was basically his kid sister, and he loved her to death… though he was positive he would be unable to stand her from an outsider's point of view.
Junna hated being younger than Eiko, but loved the benefits that it brought. Her uncle Souta and aunt Kimiko were always scolding Eiko for teasing her, even if she had bothered him first. Junna had no other siblings or cousins, unless you counted her father's half-brother, Sesshomaru, and his "almost-daughter" Rin, so she was the baby of the family - even for Eiko, whose cousins on Kimiko's side were all older.
She gave a smirk and plopped down to the right of her father, who had his eyes glued to the sports game now that it had started. "Who's winning?"
"Mmf," he replied intelligibly, staring intently at the screen.
"Oh, right. Mmf was the favorite, after all," Junna said with a straight face.
Inuyasha's ear twitched and he turned to face his daughter. "You're a smartass, you know that?" he said teasingly, giving her a tug on the ear.
"Stop," she said shortly, self-consciously rubbing her pointed ear. She hated it whenever people happened to comment on her ears, and didn't encourage any extra attention to them.
With her mother being human and her father being a hanyou, she didn't have very much demon in her. She was somewhere in between hanyou and human with all of her features. She had human ears, like her mother, but they were ever so slightly pointed like an elf's. Her teeth were simply teeth, but they were just a bit sharper than usual. Her fingernails were a little tougher and a lot less blunt than normal human nails.
Junna took mostly after Kagome when it came to appearances. She had a small figure, like her mother. Her shoulder-length hair was black, but once in a while she'd find a few silvery strands of hair, which she hoped against hope was her father's demon blood in her and not a sign of early aging. Unlike her mother's hair, however, Junna's hair was completely straight and sleek. Her eyes were light brown, but had a few amber specks in them. She had the same sort of docile features her mother had, but with perhaps a sharper face shape.
Something Junna herself was famous for, however, was starting things and then never finishing them; this was partially the reason her fairly well-off parents had refused to buy the piano. She had only been practicing for about two months, after all.
"Junna, come help in the kitchen!" Kagome yelled from her place at the stove, snapping Junna out of her daze.
"Aww… man," Junna grumbled, getting up. She yelled back, "I've got homework, Mom!" That excuse always worked. Homework came before chores in the Higurashi household.
Junna picked up Kagome's sigh over the roar of the television and chatter of conversation. Her ears weren't as good as her father's, but they were still much better than the average human's.
"Go do your homework then," Kagome said. "And I mean actually do your homework, don't go to your room and instant message your friends."
"Yes, Mom!" Junna called happily, running out of the living room and down the hallway that led to the stairs.
"I'll help, Kagome," Kimiko offered, getting up from her place in the recliner to walk over to the kitchen.
"Oh, it's ok," Kagome said to her sister-in-law, giving a grin. "That always works." And Junna thought she had her mother so fooled with the "I've got homework" excuse.
"Ahh," said Kimiko in understanding, giving Kagome a small wink and turning to go take her seat at the recliner again. The sisters-in-law had become very close over the years, with Kimiko knowing probably more about Sengoku Jidai than Souta did.
Kagome took a seat next to her husband. As soon as Kagome was settled, Inuyasha wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. Kagome smiled, closed her eyes, and snuggled closer to Inuyasha.
A while after Kikyou had passed away, Kagome finally admitted to Inuyasha that she loved him - and he confessed his love for her as well, ready to move on from his first love. They eventually defeated Naraku and completed the jewel shard - including Kohaku's shard. After Rin begged him, Sesshomaru revived Kohaku.
The group continued to stay together, even after the final battle. They all lived in Kaede's village, going after the occasional demon that was causing disruption. Kagome visited almost as frequently as she had when they were still going after Naraku and jewel shards. Inuyasha and Kagome were bound by the promise of marriage, which was eventually fulfilled when Kagome graduated from college at the age of 22.
Inuyasha came to live with Kagome in the future, in a house just a block away from the shrine. Kagome had Junna a year later, at the age of 23. Kohaku grew up to have a wife and two children. He lived very close to his sister, who married Miroku. She had just recently given birth to their ninth child. Shippo lived with Sango, Miroku, and their kids. As he aged very slowly - he was a demon, after all - he had aged about 3 years rather than 21. So he was, in reality, still just a kid and couldn't live on his own.
Kagome was still very close to her brother. Souta had met Kimiko his first year in high school. They were married at the age of 18, and went to the same college. Eiko was born a year later, and was therefore two years older than Junna.
Kagome's grandpa, mom, and even Souta and his family still lived at the shrine. Souta claimed he did it to stay close to his family. While that was true, Kagome knew that the main reason was out of consideration for her as well as Inuyasha and Junna, so that they'd always be able to visit the feudal era. Souta would be around much longer than their mother and grandfather, after all.
Inuyasha, who was very anxious for his food, as always, nudged his wife softly. "Kagome, I think food's done."
Kagome blinked and leaned over to glance at the kitchen. "You're probably right." She got up slowly, stretching her back and arms on the way up.
Exactly how long had she been staring off in space?
"Damn, I can't believe they lost," Souta muttered, leaning back on the couch.
Geez, that long?
"They haven't lost yet, Dad," Eiko insisted. "They're only down by…er, 20…"
Oh, not that long then.
As she headed to the kitchen, she called to Inuyasha, "Could you call Junna and tell her the food is almost ready?" She thought for a second before adding warily, "And make sure she's actually doing homework."
"Sure," Inuyasha replied. Now that food was in the picture, his 5000 yen bet with Souta didn't seem to matter much anymore.
He walked over to the stairs and, ignoring Kagome's last instruction, called up, "Junna! Food!"
He waited a couple of seconds for her to reply. When about half a minute passed and she hadn't answered, he frowned.
"Junna, did you hear me?" Inuyasha said, a little louder. He knew, though, that she should've been able to hear him, even if he had said it softly.
"Junna!" he exclaimed, getting irritated and perhaps a little worried. He started up the stairs, made a right at the landing, and headed down the hall to the third door on the left. He rapped his knuckles against it and said, "Junna, open up."
Inuyasha sighed and let himself in when his daughter didn't. He looked over to her bed to see her twitching slightly in her sleep. She looked like she was in pain.
He knew something was wrong instantly. He dashed to her side, trying to shake her awake. "Junna, wake up!"
Junna jumped and stopped twitching, though now she was trembling. She opened her eyes slowly. "Dad…" she said softly.
"What happened? Bad dream?" he asked nervously, holding his arms out to her.
Junna nodded and burst into tears. She wrapped her arms around her father. "I was so scared…"
Inuyasha held his daughter as she cried, more concerned than he had been in a long time, for reasons he couldn't put his finger on. "What happened, though…?"
"I …don't know," she sobbed. "I don't remember. But…" She pulled away from her father, trying to calm her tears. She gave a sniff. "I'm way too old to be crying about a silly nightmare…"
Inuyasha shook his head. "No… it's alright." He still wasn't the best at this whole "comforting" thing, not even after nearly 13 years of fatherhood.
Junna looked like she was about to say something in reply, before frowning and thinking for a moment. "Hey, Dad… do we know… somebody named Kikyou?"
Inuyasha froze at the name. "Why?"
Junna shook her head. "It's just that…they mentioned a 'Kikyou'… I'm sure of it." She glanced back up at her father. "But I forget the rest."
Inuyasha frowned. Had Kagome went behind his back and told their daughter about Naraku and Kikyou? Or maybe just let the name slip? They had decided that once Junna turned 13, they would tell her, and not a day sooner. They figured that she would be old enough to take it in without getting distressed then.
He shook his head slowly and got off the bed, changing the subject. "Dinner is ready." Though the incident had appeared trivial, something was very wrong.