Chapter 1: All in Due Time

Kagome lived a quiet, simple life. At least in the eyes of everyone around her. After (barely) graduating high school and with no real chance at getting into a good university she settled for the occupation of caregiving. Mostly living out of a suitcase she worked as an in-residence caregiver, living in the house of her client and being available 24/7. It was mostly elderly people with the ability to pay and without family to help.

This day she was heading into the office, for the first time in six months. Mrs. Matsumoto Kumiko for whom she had been caring for, for the past 3 years had died at the age of 86 and now Kagome need to hand in the final paperwork and receive a new assignment.

She was still grieving but life had its way of moving on even when you weren't ready for it. She had grown so close to Kumiko. Anything else was impossible when you lived with and cared for someone for so long. There had been no one else, no family, all the old friends had died. Kumiko was the last one left. Just like Kagome. They had bonded due to it.

Kagome had even ended up telling the truth one late eve over a cup of tea. It had spilled forth as the dam burst. How she had travelled to the past. how she had adventures she hadn't dared dream of. How she had laughed and loved.

Oh, and how she had cried.

When she finally looked up from her cup, she had been met with kind eyes and a soft incredulous chuckle. She could so clearly remember how she had held her breath at the realization of what she had just shared. Mrs. Kumiko had just told her that nothing could truly surprise her anymore.

Then they had continued to talk, theorizing. The stronger demon should certainly have been able to survive for so long. Maybe they had learned to hide? They were not easy to kill. Maybe they had been hit with a disease that only harmed demon. Maybe the overpopulation of humans was what killed them off.

No matter what; Kagome was not willing to give up. She had already given up on going back to the feudal era. She knew the well had closed. She could feel it. The comforting hum it emitted was gone.

A year after returning from the well Kagome had begun training her reiki. The well was not going to open on its own. She had studied every book, visited old mikos and attempted to put it into practice. And it had worked. She had better control of her powers than ever. And so, she had returned to the well. There was no remnant of the reiki that had been woven into the wooden structure. And sending her own reiki into had done nothing.

This left Kagome with only the option to search for survivors.

Kumiko had understood her better than others, what it was like to be the only one left with what was once shared memories.

And now she too was gone.

It had been almost two weeks since Kumiko passed in her sleep. Little more than a week since her wake. She had overseen it all. Stood in for the family she didn't have. Kneeling there on the floor for what felt like hours in her mothers' black kimono and white pearl necklace had almost torn her soul apart. Hardly anyone shoved up; only the neighbors, the caregiver that had been there before Kagome and the owner of the little grocery shop who remembered her, though she hadn't been by for years. Kagome's family had also come by to pay their respects.

Now everything was done, and her home for the past three years had been packed up, everything given to charity.

Kumiko had joked about putting Kagome in her will, but Kagome just refused repeatedly. She had only accepted a old porcelain figurine of a dancing geisha.

She exited the elevator on her supervisor's floor, passing by cubicles where a group of girls had gathered. She wasn't truly paying attention to what they were gossiping about, but something caught her attention.

"Did you hear Asano returned from number 4? After just meeting the butler, she was back in her car, racing away!"

"You know, Yuki didn't even reach the end of the driveway before she turned around and bailed!"

"I heard she felt this ominous aura. Do you think the place is haunted?"

Kagome froze, automatically pulling out her phone pretending to be checking something. After looking through local newspapers for years without stumbling over those words, she now heard them through cubicle gossip. Ominous aura, haunted. Word that could suggest demons. A powerful one if what they said was true. Possibly dangerous, with youki being felt so far from the source. The girls didn't mention many more details. An old man living in an old house up on a mountain, only another old man working for him.

Heart thumping in her chest she continued on her way.

The conversation with her supervisor went as expected. They went over the details concerning Kumiko, going over the report she had written. Her heart that just started calming down went at it again as the meeting turned to the subject of a new assignment.

"Now I know, Kagome, that you are one of our less experienced employees as you've only handled one client, but we have a bit of an odd one. Two of our girls have already attem.."

"I'll take it!" Kagome barely stopped herself from slapping a hand over her mouth, her hands clenching into fists in her lap. Patience. All in due time. Words Kumiko had used echoed in her mind. Her supervisor Harue just gave her an amused look,

Kagome sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "I overheard the other girls talking" she offered as an explanation.

"I see. Well, you've always seemed like a tough girl, and how you've handled the end of your first case is very commendable." Harues kind eyes almost started the waterworks she had been holding in for the past two weeks. How she missed Kumiko.

"I hope that at least you will be able to give some answers then. Even if you come back, refusing to take the case."

A/N:

So that was the end of the first chapter (more like prologue really)

I'm SO sorry if you came to read a happy story, and you got this! It was just the beginning! It will become a cheerful and a bit silly story from the next chapter :)

If you're interested there will probably be a lot of song references in chapter titles (and the title of the story... uuh spoilers). For this chapter it's All in Due Time by Trevor Hall

I think the feel of the song (and text) goes well with the chapter.

And no, I won't be writing the chapters after songs. The songs come after, the only thing they might influence is the title of the chapter.