"Kagome? Kagome dear! Where are you?" Ms. Higurashi asked for her daughter.
"I'm in here mom!" Kagome called from the washroom.
"Guess what Kagome… you remember you cousin Leigh from America?"
"Yes… what about her?"
"Well she's coming here to live with us! Won't that be nice? It'll be like having a twin sister!"
"What?" Kagome said pushing open the bathroom door frantically.
"Kagome dear what's wrong? I thought you'd be happy! You've always loved your cousin Leigh!"
"I do mom but are you forgetting the little problem of oh I don't know explaining to her why I disappear so often!"
"Oh… don't worry about that I'm sure we'll work something out! Besides I can't send her back now! She's arriving tomorrow morning!"
"Mmoomm!" Kagome said exasperatedly.
"Sorry dear but she really has no where else to go!"
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked confused.
"Well her father… he got remarried and his new wife doesn't like Leigh so much and wanted her gone. And since her mom passed away when she was born we were the logical choice to send her to!"
"Oh… mom I'm sorry! I'm so selfish! Of course we can work this out. I'm just going to get dressed and pop back to the feudal era and explain to Inuyasha and the gang that I'll be away for a little while."
"Ok dear! You go right ahead and do that!"
Half an hour later Kagome was dried and dressed and heading off to the well. Two seconds later she was in the feudal era.
"What the hell took you so long?" Came a familiar and angry voice.
"I'm sorry but I've got some news." Kagome said looking up into Inuyasha's amber eyes and sliver hair.
"So spill it!" he impatiently said.
"My cousin is moving in with us and so I won't be able to come back for a few days. That's all I came here to say now I'll be on my way back home."
"What? Wait Kagome!" Inuyasha called.
"What?"
"How long will you be?" he asked a hint of disappointment laced in his voice.
"A few days. Just until she gets settled. Don't worry I'll be back before you know it." Kagome turned to leave again.
Inuyasha grabbed her hand, "So long as you come back." He whispered in her ear.
Smiling to herself she jumped back through the well.
"Kagome! Sota! Grandpa! Auntie!"
"Leigh!"
"Oh it is so good to see you all!" Cried a young, beautiful girl with long dark ebony hair and vibrant blue eyes. She looked much like Kagome but with slight differences, namely the colour of her eyes.
"Oh Leigh! It is so good to see you again!" Kagome said hugging her cousin.
"Kagome, you look absolutely stunning!" Leigh said stepping back to look at her.
"Me! What about you! Your so thin!"
"Oh please its only because I run so much." Leigh said laughing.
"Come on dear let's get you belongings and head back to the shrine."
'There's something strange about Leigh.' Kagome thought, 'I never noticed it before but it's almost like she has some sort of power.'
Once they arrived at the shrine and moved Leigh into the spare bedroom the two girls headed out to tour the town.
"Wow! I haven't been here in so long! So much has changed!" Leigh said as she looked around.
"Yah well it was bound to!"
"I'm a little nervous about starting school tomorrow! You promise you won't ditch me to hang out with your boyfriend!"
"Ha! Hardly likely to happen since I don't have a boyfriend!"
"What? You're kidding! I would have for sure thought you would have had one already!"
"Nope. How about you?"
"Oh please all the boys in America are only interested in your body not your mind!"
"Hmmm, not to disappoint you but they're the same here!"
"Hmmm, maybe its just boys our age!" Leigh said laughing.
That night after dinner Leigh went to explore the shrine. Automatically she walked straight to the Sacred Tree. Something about it drew her to it. She traced her hand over the scar in the centre and something shocked her. She drew her hand away quickly, it stung a little but it was familiar. 'There's something so familiar and inviting out this spot and this tree. But I don't know what it is!' Leigh thought to herself. Slowly she turned away and headed towards the well. She entered the hut and walked towards the well its self. Running her hand over the edge she walked the full radius of it. Then she peered down into it. Suddenly something inside her began to pulse. Frightened she drew away and hurriedly left the hut and went back to her room. 'It was almost like it wanted me to go down in it. And it was like I wanted to. What is going on?'
"Come on Kagome! I don't want to be late for my first day of school!" Leigh called from the front door.
"I'm coming! Geez!" Kagome said a little joking and a little flustered that she was late again.
"Ok, have a good day at school you two!"
"We will!" Kagome called to her mother from the doorway.
"Oh… there are so many people!" Leigh said nervously.
"Don't worry! You'll be fine! Besides you have me!" Kagome said clapping her on the back.
"Thanks."
"Alright here we go!" Kagome said leading her into the crowd.
"Everyone please can I have your attention! Please… hello! Thank you! Now then we have a new student among us! She comes all the way from America so let us welcome our new student. Please come up here and introduce yourself." Kagome's math teacher said.
Slowly Leigh stood and walked to the front of the class, "Um… hi. My name is Leigh Higurashi. And I'm from America. And um yah that's about it. Oh except my cousin is Kagome Higurashi but I bet you already figured that out." She finished sheepishly, while tucking a lock of her long dark ebony hair behind her ear.
The rest of the day dragged on forever. And for the next three days it was the same way. Until finally Friday came. Kagome had made up her mind that she would slip away to the feudal era that day after school and tell Leigh that she was spending the weekend with some friends like they always did.
The hours at school seemed to torturously tick by until finally school was over.
"Hey where's Kagome?" Leigh asked only 10 minutes after she had slipped away to the feudal era.
"Oh she's um gone to the city with some friends for the weekend. She's really sorry but they were long standing plans." Explained Ms. Higurashi.
"Oh that's ok! I totally understand! I mean I wouldn't want to spend all my time with myself either!" Leigh said laughing, "I think I'll take a walk around the shrine."
"Ok dear."
Slowly she stepped outside into the cool breeze. Some how her walk took her back to the well. Slowly and fearfully she looked in to it again. This time the pulsing was stronger. This time it actually drew her into the well. Falling head first, Leigh screamed at the top of her lungs.
A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed! Please don't forget to review!