Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all character © Rumiko Takahashi
Welcome to Spirit's Cove. What an odd name for a small ocean-side town. Kagome watched the sign whip by, as they flew down the highway, and she sighed wistfully. This was it. She was really going to meet her grandfather. Up until two days ago she didn't even know she had one, but her mother had confronted her with the news rather suddenly one afternoon when she'd returned home from school.
"Now, Kagome dear, don't fuss. I was going to tell you eventually." That was what her mother had said. So this was her excuse for keeping something this important from her own daughter for fifteen years? Kagome huffed, and shot the rear-view mirror a heated glance.
Souta was excited at least. Maybe he was too young to understand how horrible it was for mother to lie to them.
"Are you still sulking Kagome?" Her mother questioned. She sounded tired, and defeated. Kagome's constant sulking must have been taking its toll on her.
"No." Kagome mumbled. Her tone of voice wasn't at all convincing.
"Look, we're almost there. I want you to smile for your grandfather. He hasn't seen you since you were very little, and I'm sure he'd want you to be a happy young girl." She smiled at Kagome from her spot behind the wheel, "That goes for you as well Souta. I want to see you both smiling for as long as you'll be staying."
"I can't smile all day for a month mom." She grumbled.
"Two months." Her mother cut in, "Maybe more." This caught Kagome off guard, and she sat straighter in her seat. She fixated her mother with an incredulous glare.
"Two months! I promised Eri and Yuka we'd go to the beach when I got back! This isn't fair!" Her mother tried not to hear the distaste in her daughter's voice, and responded with another well-meaning smile.
"Kagome dear, I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you we'd be staying longer…" She trailed off as if she had more to say, but she shook her head and opted to concentrate on the road.
"I don't believe this!" Kagome cried in exasperation. "Am I going to have to spend my entire summer with a stuffy old man? I won't get to go to the beach now."
"Don't be silly dear, this is a beach town."
Kagome fumed silently, and turned forcefully to stare out the window once more. She used to have a good relationship with her mother, but that was before all of this. Lately she'd felt nothing but bitter resentment. How could someone she trusted so readily betray her like this?
"Here we are!" Her mother said cheerfully. She turned into a long dirt driveway and Kagome re-directed her gaze at the house before them. House was perhaps the wrong word for it. It was more along the lines of a miniature mansion. Figures, she thought, He's rich too.
She felt bitter again, but she had to admit the sprawling estate, although old, was truly a sight to behold. There had to be at least ten rooms from what she could tell. There was a neatly kept garden surrounding the wrap around porch, and the lawn was lush and freshly cut. Kagome however was determined to keep a sour outlook, and silently convinced herself that the inside would be full of musty furniture, and smell strongly of old man.
Reasonably satisfied with her assumption she was preparing herself for the worst when out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of white. She whipped around to stare out the back window. A barefoot boy stepped onto the drive behind them, a boy with snow white hair, and a solemn expression. He adjusted the bandana atop his head, and watched them as he grew smaller in the distance. A chill rippled down Kagome's back, and she turned to face the front.
"Who was that?" She said in hushed tones, as if the boy could have heard her. Her mother said nothing pulling up in front of the house, and turning off the car.
"Why don't we go meet your grandfather?" She stated. Although she smiled her eyes remained emotionless. Kagome realized than that something about her whole demeanor was off.
"Wake Souta for me would you?" Her mother asked as she got out of the car. Kagome hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep. She glanced back at the sleeping boy, before shaking herself mentally and opening her door. Something was beginning to feel very off about this place. She glanced down the drive. The white-haired boy was gone.
"Kagome dear, please hurry. We're expected." Kagome sighed and climbed into the back of the car. She shook Souta's shoulder lightly and he groaned and began to stir.
"Kagome?" He asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Are we there yet?"
She nodded. The ten year old boy sat up, and the two of them slid out of the car. Souta stopped dead in his tracks staring up at the villa.
"I know… amazing isn't it?" She sighed and closed the car door. Their mother had already disappeared inside leaving the two outside with the suitcases. Funny, there were only two suitcases sitting on the porch.
"No… Kagome…?" Souta voice sounded strained. "This house was in my dreams." Kagome started, and looked at the boy. Her heart was beating faster now.
"What are you on about?" She murmured. Souta repeated himself.
"I don't like it here." He cast Kagome an uneasy glance. She had to agree with him on that point. Something about this whole place threw her off.
"Why... don't we go inside?" She offered. Souta seemed a bit hesitant, but nodded. Mother had gone in hadn't she? She was probably just imagining this place gave her the creeps, as one last desperate attempt to make herself miserable this trip. She was going to be here most of the summer, she might as well at least try to enjoy herself.
She led Souta to the porch. It was pristine. The white floor boards had been swept and scrubbed to perfection. A table set was arranged just so beneath a painfully clean window and flower box. How anyone managed to keep something outside so clean was a mystery to Kagome. She almost felt guilty for the dirt she and Souta had tracked onto the first few steps.
She stopped beside her suitcase, and attempted to lift it. It was heavy. She never was one to pack light. At least no one expected her to carry in Souta, and mother's suitcases. Where was mother's suitcase? Kagome half-heartedly assumed that her mother had already taken it inside.
"Kagome dear, let the help take care of that." She glanced up at the sound of her mother's voice to see the woman emerge from the large front door, fake smile plastered all over her face. She certainly was acting strange. Maybe it was for her grandfather's sake. Her mother glanced over her shoulder, and stiffened the slightest bit.
"Quick dears, he's coming. Be sure to keep smiling okay?" There was a touch of urgency in her voice. Souta began fidgeting in anticipation, and Kagome was fixated on the door. She wanted to see who would emerge. What kind of man was her grandfather? What would he look like? Her mother stepped aside, and a tall thin man stepped out beside her. He was dressed in brisk grey suit, and he had a no nonsense look on face. His hair had grayed long ago, and he had a bit of a beard tufting off his chin. He glanced at the dirt covered steps with distaste, and again Kagome felt a pang of guilt.
"Would these be the children Emiko?" His voice sounded exactly how Kagome suspected it might, deep and to the point. There would be no foolishness around this man. Her mother nodded, glancing between the two with smile fixated in place.
"This is Kagome and Souta." She moved toward them, but stopped when he cast her look.
"They don't seem very happy." He stated.
"Oh, yes of course. They are very happy. They've just had a very long trip. I'm sure you understand how children can get." She laughed a nervous tittering little laugh, though the old man did not seem amused. She fell silent.
"Very well." He said finally. "Inuyasha, bring in their bags, and set them in the foyer. Emiko you may take your leave."
It took Kagome a moment to register those words. Even as the white-haired boy pushed past her with a grunt, and seized her bags she was still grappling with the meaning behind them.
"Mama?" She inquired, but her mother would not meet her gaze. Instead she nodded to the old man, and they exchanged a few hushed words before she turned back to face her stunned children.
"Now you two be good, and remember to smile" She prompted. She gave them both a quick peck on the forehead, and was on her way before kagome could so much as speak another word.
"Mama…" She whispered. Her grandfather drew the children's attention by clearing his throat.
"As I'm sure you children are aware, there will be rules. You will follow them without question. If you abide by the rules than you will live very peacefully here. The first is that you must be on time for every meal, and you must be dressed for the occasion. The second is that you never leave the property without obtaining my permission. Bed time will be at ten o'clock sharp, and you will wake for breakfast at six. And lastly you have free roam of the entire house excluding the third room on the second floor. This room is locked, and you must never enter it." He finished, and stared at the two youths for a moment.
"I suggest you arrange your belongings how you'd like them to be." And with that he turned and disappeared into the house.
The moment they were alone Souta grabbed her hand, and she squeezed it reassuringly. She saw a flash of white out of the corner of her eye and glanced over to find the white-haired boy staring at them from the window. He looked upon them for only a moment, his expression resembling something like mild pity, but it was short lived. His scowl returned as soon as he realized she was watching, and he stepped away from the window leaving the two siblings on the porch alone and confused.
Well that would be Chapter one. Feel free to review it.