Souta Higurashi could not remove his eyes from the burial plot in front of him, many of the other people who attended his mother's modest funeral had already left hours ago but he could not bring himself to be one of them. Souta's whole world was buried six feet underneath the ground, and he had no idea where to even begin building it back up. It was times like this Souta wished his grandfather was still alive, despite the old man's oddities he was the rock that held the family together after Kagome left.

Kagome.

Kagome, the thought of his sister caused his fist to clench and brought up a confusing mix of emotions. There was definitely anger and betrayal, but there was also longing to be with his big sister especially now. Souta wished she would be there to comfort him, to reassure him that everything would be okay. Yet, she was nowhere to be found, she was lost to history, Souta had searched every ancient legend and myth for any mention of what may have happened to her and came up empty.

Empty.

That is what he felt currently, empty and alone as the sky opened up and poured over him and he still could not tear himself away from the gravesite located at the back of the family shrine. Souta stayed there another hour or maybe more, he stayed until his body was drenched and his fingers had become numb with the cold.

Mechanically he took the short walk back to the house, he completed his nightly routine as if nothing changed.

The next morning he awoke to a bleak sky and could not muster up the motivation to get out of bed. Souta ignored the knocks on the door, no doubt more people bringing over food and expressing their condolences. He did not want to hear their apologies, apart of him didn't think he deserved it. He wished he had walked his mother to the store that day like he usually did, but he was so caught up in some stupid new game that he had gotten earlier that week he hadn't noticed she was gone. Not until hours later when the police showed up asking him to identify the body.

Souta's mom was found in an alleyway still alive but badly beaten, bleeding from a stab wound in her stomach. She died on the way to the hospital. The police claimed she was the victim of a mugging, luckily his fears had not been confirmed and she experienced no other kind of humiliation. She had fought back, the police said, and Souta could believe it, his mother possessed a spunkiness that he did not inherit, a bravery that he always admired in her and his sister. Guilt kept him bedbound for another three days.

When Souta managed to get up it was because he could no longer stand the hunger panes. He went to the freezer and pulled out one of the meals his mother had frozen, meant to be served during winter when the Shrine tourist slowed down and money was tight. Money, that was another thing he had to worry about, his grandfather was a big drinker and was easily persuaded by his less than reputable friends to join in on get-rich-quick schemes. Souta's grandfather was able to remember to hide it until his death a few months after Kagome left, and his mother took on a second job, and Souta at eleven started working odd jobs until he found a stable one when he was sixteen. He had been working ever since, helping his mom wherever he could, even missing out on his higher education.

education

Souta could remember the sorrow on his mother's face when she told him she could not afford to send him to a university. Souta never minded, of course, preferring to work with his hands at the local construction company, and he assured her of such. Not that she listened of course.

It looked like now at nineteen he would have to get a second job on top of his first and his duties on the Shrine. The funeral for both his grandfather and mom pushed the debt close to its original amount.

Souta felt himself shake as the first sob escapes his body, he hunches over hugging himself as the tears drip into his meal. He felt so lost and unsure, wondering what he could have done in a past life that cursed him to this life.

Souta allowed himself another day of self-pity before reluctantly getting dressed in clothes that were not pajamas and headed out to hopefully find work. Most places he visited said they'll keep him in mind but were not hiring and others simply told him that he did not have enough qualifications. By the end of the day, the rain had started back up and Souta unfolded his umbrella, heading home feeling even less hopeful than before, a feat he did not think was possible.

About midway through his trek, he notices a small hunched figure leaning against the wall of a closed thrift store. He wanted to ignore whoever it was and continue walking, but something compels him to stop.

"Are you okay?" Souta asks before he could stop himself.

"Hm?" The figure looked up and Souta was dumbfounded by the expressive brown eyes that inhabited such a wrinkled and ancient face.

"Oh my umbrella was swept away in the wind-" the old woman's voice was also more youthful than he expected "- but I wouldn't want to trouble you."

Sota gave her a kind smile, " It would be no trouble at all." He spoke softly a bit ashamed that he had almost passed her by. " You can share mine and I can walk you to where you need to go. These streets are not the nicest after dark and I would hate for anything to happen to you."

"You are too kind…" She trails off looking at him expectantly.

" Gomen-nasai, I am Higurashi, Souta." He interduces himself giving her a respectful bow.

Her eyes seem to brighten even further " And I am Aki." She offered no family name and Souta thought it would be impolite to ask.

Souta looped her arm in his but allowed her to lead him. Souta struggled to find something to say to the lady, he was never particularly good with people, which did not help his chances at finding work.

" What is a handsome young man like yourself doing out so late?" Aki asks startling him out of his depressing thoughts. "Not sneaking through the window of some poor girl, now are we?" Aki spoke coly.

"Not quite-" he gave a small laugh, girls did not look twice at him "- I'm looking for work."

"Ah! Looking to support a family soon?" The old women prods.

"I'm only nineteen!" Souta exclaims.

"Back in my day, you would be on your second child." She waggles her free finger at him. "Nowadays you wait much too long to have kids, cannot even play with them because your knees have already started to ache," she complains goodhearted.

For a moment Souta allows himself to picture a future, a pretty wife who would scold Souta for coming home late but would user him in with a homecooked meal. He imagined tucking in his kids, lulling them to sleep with stories of a half-human half-dog demon defeating evil. Souta could get a cat or two, and bring home a paycheck that would provide for them and then some. However, this fantasy was short lived when his rational side reared its ugly head. He would never get a wife, always tongue-tied around any attractive person, male or female. He would never be able to get a good enough job to provide for a family without a degree.

Souta's somber thoughts kept him quiet for the rest of the walk.

Aki stops him at a modest but slightly unkept house not too far from his original destination.

"Osoreirimasu!" Aki thanks him cheerfully and Souta blushed at the overly formal term.

"It's absolutely no problem! No need to thank me!" He says hastily as they walked to her door.

" Oh, I would disagree not many younger folk these days would go to all the trouble of walking a little old woman to her house," Aki sighs "How I miss the days of manners!" Aki fusses with the purse at her hip and for a moment Souta feared-and secretly hoped that she was trying to compensate him. Instead, she pulls out a small tinkling object.

" Here." Aki grabs his hand and drops a small object into his hand.

"You don't have to give me anything." Souta protests but was quickly cut off.

"Nonsense. This has been in my family for generations, I am the last of my family line, my children have all died before they could have children. I would rest easier knowing such a precious heirloom would be in the hands of such kind stranger." Aki reassures him.

"If you insist," Souta says awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Aki gives him a smile before opening her door.

"Perhaps it will bring you luck on your coming journey." And with that puzzling statement, she disappears into her house closing the door.

Souta unfolds his hand and takes a look a the object, it was a bell, tarnished with some sort of intricate writing he could not make out in the fading light. He shrugs and puts the bell into the pocket of his jacket before making his way back home.

The wind picks up tossing debris into the air, Souta picks up his pace knowing he was bound to get a cold if he kept getting caught in the rain. He wasn't paying to much attention as he takes the steps of the Shrine two at a time when he was younger Kagome use to race him up the stairs, she had always won, her legs being much longer than his chubby child ones. Souta smirked he bet he could beat her now. Years of working hard labor had toned him up nicely, while not incredibly built, he did have stamina.

Kami, Souta misses her but Kagome's memory is tainted with a bitterness that he couldn't quite dispell no matter how hard he tried.

When Souta looked up he expected to see his front door but instead, he had somehow managed to walk to The Bone-Eater's Well, he supposes he must have unconsciously walked due to his train of thought. Souta hadn't been by for years, when he was younger and full of hope he use to wait for hours, praying for Kagome to pop back up with a smile on her face.

Souta didn't want to be here. He made a move to walk away but found that he was stuck as if someone had put superglue on the bottom of his shoes while he was lost in thought.

"What the-" He grunts pulling at his leg.

All of a sudden he was lurched forward by his jacket as if someone took ahold of his pocket and was pulling him. A supernatural wind blew open the doors that had been chained and spelled shut, the rain began to pour down in heavy sheets blocking his vision temporarily. He could feel himself being pulled forward his feet sliding on the rough ground.

Souta's heart pounded in his chest like thunder when he notices where he was being led to.

The well.

"No! What's going on?!" He panics, looking around wildly for something to grab ahold of, but there was nothing and within a few seconds he had vanished within the well in a flash of magenta light.

The rain outside stopped.