Okay so like wwtf even is this shit cuz i saw this and started screaming okay okay so fuk this im fixing this shit cuz its not okay cool? cool :)(tweaked Kagmes age btw, so she was 14 when she went into the well so that she is currently 15) Oh and this chapter is lightly inspired by the broken rose so yeah
Darkness. Everywhere she looked, there was darkness, and pain, and blood. Bodies flowed down a river, tinting the water red as the lifeless shells stared up at the angry heavens. Blood and death would sometimes be highlighted by a strike of lightning, one that sometimes ignited flame. Death would be a relief compared to what she had faced, but that was no matter, because she was the Shikon-No-Miko, and here, in this time, duty came before petty things such as feelings or emotions. It didn't matter that she was nothing but a girl from the future, or that she was only 14 when her quest had began, not even the fact that she had no prior knowledge of any sort of fighting deterred those of this era. They gave her a bow, a cookie cutter introduction to her newfound powers, and then shoved her out into the horrors of their world. Yet, despite the ghastly approach, this had served her well in a sense. She was strong, stonger than she ever knew anyone to be before she had fallen down the well and into this oblivion.
No one at home had seen the horrors of this world.
But, thank the gods, that's where she was going, home. Home to warmth, and a loving and empathetic family. Home to where a veteran of war had never been. Home to where there was acceptance. How log had it been since she'd been home? The question struck her, terrified her even as she truly couldn't pick apart one sparse visit from the next amongst her mangled and intertwined memories. How long had it been since she'd been sat down to her mother's tea and worried eyes and loving arms? To her grandfather's outrageous stories and rare sage advice, and her little brothers teasing laughs? Time seemed strange, like she couldn't get a grasp on it, but war did that a person. War did many things to a person.
Taking one last look at the world around her, at the beautiful landscape that had been scarred by war, at the tranquility of silence that was caused by the dead, Kagome closed her eyes in nostalgia. She had spent so much time in this era- more like another world than anything- learning and exploring with her group by her side. She had evolved as an individual, and had met many amazing people in her travels. The encounters she had here were unlike any other in her time, and often times, required her to be attentive and logical, thinking lightning fast and remaining quick on her feet. There were many things she was leaving behind in this world, rotting up not at all unlike the corpses of those she had to kill to survive. Releasing a long, shaky breath, Kagome opened her eyes, and jumped for the last time into oblivion.
A bright light shot forth from the well, dancing in the dust of the well house, before settling into darkness. Out Kagome came, a war torn hero with no one to share the spoils of war with, not that there were many spoils to be shared in the first place. Kagome heaved herself out of the well, and she found herself to be the very essence of pain and blood, not a single inch of her body harmed in some way or the other. She nearly collapsed out of the well, her body swaying from her position on the lip, but she tried onto her feet, the love that awaited her in her home her only driving force. Water nipped her pale skin, and her drained eyes regarded the furious thunderstorm with forced thought. It seemed as though the rain had followed her.
Slowly, Kagome made her way to her home, trembling but not at all cold. Kagome knew she should be alarmed, if anything she was exuding signs of severe blood loss, but at this point her sole focus was to get home, her body numb as lingering adrenaline aided her in her task. When her legs nearly gave out on her, Kagome unsheathed her blood soaked sword, using it as one would a cane. Thick rivulets of blood flowed from every appendage, her life source trailing behind her every step as thick puddles. Dirt trailed down her face from the rain, but when her blood intermingled with it, it made it difficult to see past the layer of grime and see her creamy complexion, her long hair drawn back in a sopping ponytail.
The stained and old sliding door opened smoothly as she entered her home, Kagome allowing her self a moment to appreciate what it felt like to be home at last. Habitually, Kagome kicked off her haggard shoes, slipping on her slippers before stepping into the foyer. Kagome took a breath, a deep calming inhale that transitioned into a soothing exhale. Lifeless blue eyes narrowed with caution. It was too quiet.
Kagome peered around the house, looking for any signs of a disturbance, yet found none. Not a single thing was out of place, except for the fact that her family wasn't home and there was no note to speak of in the kitchen. Kagome held off her long awaited shower as she continued to inspect the shrine, going as far as to check outside her house and onto the shrine's grounds. Finally, she came upon her Jii-chans shed that held the many false Shikon's, only to find that they were all cracked or crushed, powder hanging in the air as the broken gems littered the floor of the shed as though someone had gone on a rampage. Dread filled Kagome's heart as her nose caught a scent that should've been long dead. Her blue eyes tore through the room until they located a single white piece of paper, a wax seal keeping it closed. Kagome snatched it up, and her eyes tore at the note:
Dearest Kagome,
It seems that you believed me to be dead. I'm hurt. Did you think your feeble attempts to kill me actually worked? I guess my attack toward your family wasn't so feeble. I'm keeping the young one, Souta. He'll be quite the helper. I've needed a good replacement since you took Kohaku away. Which reminds me, I like that cousin of yours – Haruhi was it? She'd be a lovely pet. I look forward to the look on her face when I break her innocent little heart. The sounds of her screams as I destroy her. Your brother will have to do until I take her. Well, I'm off my little bird, shall you forever be trapped in my cage.
Naraku
It was like she had been hit by a truck, all squelching breaks and screaming metal as her head ricocheted off of the windshield. Her breathing halted and her chest constricted, the air pulled from her lungs like it had been stolen. Kagome's stomach churned as unbridled emotions attacked her, each piercing through her skin before attacking her soul as her mind reeled at the information she had just obtained. A scream tore against her throat as she collapsed to the earth. Home was forever lost. Not only had she lost her feudal family, now she'd lost her blood one as well. It was too much for her to cope with, for her to handle in such a short matter of time.
Lightning struck the Goshinboku, and it alit with flame, the tree as old as time unprotected against the fire's rath. Kagome heaved herself to her feet, as thunder rumbled dangerously above. Kagome vowed to save her brother from Naraku's web, and protect Haruhi from his darkness, even if it meant her life. She would avenge her family's death, even if that meant another war to fight.
Home was not yet lost.
Three days later, Kagome had been the one to find her mother's and grandfather's bodies, soggy and fresh, their innards displayed around them in a rather grotesque depiction of what was a spider. The tree had survived the fire but hadn't come out unscathed, damaged but alive. If it hadn't been for her quik thinking, Souta would have been filed as a missing person. Kagome had deceived the police into thinking he was overseas at a family friends. It would be of no help to her for others to be aware that her brother currently had unknown whereabouts. The police had also been told that Kagome had been attacked and kidnapped by the attacker early that day as well, hence the trail of blood throughout the grounds, but had been freed only for her to come home to her family gone without a trace. She had provided them with a fair amount of evidence that was intertwined with believable lies- like how she hadn't been reported as missing because she told her mother she was going to a friends house that day and so forth. True, she did end up hiding certain things, such as her sword and the letter, and the police only believed her family to be the unfortunate victims of a terrible killer. In fact, she had even asked the information to be withheld from the public as to not attract attention while she mourned, which the police readily agreed to. Kagome was grateful for their understanding. Since Kagome was the next in line to be of ownership of the shrine, as it had been clearly stated in her grandfathers will that had been created two years before, the government had essentially frozen the property until she was of age to inherit it, and she was shipped off to her closest relatives- The Fujioka's.
Ryoji had been distraught by the news of his family's deaths but had been delighted to find out of Kagome's newest housing conditions. He welcomed the change with open arms as he cared deeply for his newly orphaned niece. Kagome was a sweet, headstrong girl who had protected his daughter when he could not, yet after their first meeting after her family's deaths, he was surprised to find her intense and cold. But to him, it was no matter. The girl was bound to have changed after what she had been through, though he didn't know the half of it, Ryoji was certain that she was still a compassionate girl at heart.
In fact, Ryoji had been so excited to have his niece joining Haruhi and himself that he forced Kagome to take the entrance exams to the same high school that Haruhi had been accepted into earlier that break. The man had tortured Kagome by making her finish her missed tests due to her ill health, and study for the Ouran entrance exam at the same time. It had been rather strenuous but had kept Kagome's mind off of the darker things, and Ryoji and even shoved Haruhi into the deal so that she could give Kagome some at home tutoring. All of these events were done in less than two weeks. Ryoji was a do-er, and if he was a do-er that meant that everyone around him became one too (or was at least forced to comply to his wishes so that he could get things done).
Haruhi had been distraught after learning of the deaths of her family, but too became uplifted upon hearing of Kagome's new living arrangements. Unlike her father, she had noticed more about Kagome than he had, noting all the things that seemed off about her cousin. True, he wasn't as close as they were, and he obviously was at a disadvantage concerning their differing sexes, but this gave Haruhi all the more advantage to observe things of her newly orphaned cousin. Kagome seemed different, and held this aura of mysteriousness and a deep something that was constantly hidden beneath her icy exterior. And the scars, oh my gods the scars. The scars were terrifying to Haruhi, and she'd nearly screamed when she first saw them. Her eyes had been wide and spinning, and she'd nearly vomited on the spot.
Kagome's flesh had been deformed in ways unimaginable, and from Haruhi's glimpse, it looked as though she had been tortured. Burn marks, cut marks, holes and just disfigured skin stretched over Kagome's body, some marks red and new while others were faded with time. Kagome had immediately noticed when Haruhi took note of her scars, as she had released a whimper of shock at the sight. Kagome had instantly thrown on her long-sleeved shirt, told Haruhi to not say a word, and left the room with her hair whipping behind her.
They hadn't changed together since.
Finally, the first day of school had arrived. Kagome and Haruhi had traveled in a relaxed silence, rather enjoying the peace of one another's company instead of talking as many would. It wasn't until the grand castle of a school came into view did they begin to comprehend just what they had gotten themselves into. In fact, the substantial amounts of limousines parked before the school didn't help. Haruhi was rocked by the grandeur of the school, the torrent of students only further shaking her as they walked with perfect form, a sense of regality in the air. It hit her that each of the children that passed by were leading privileged lives, and probably instantly taking her and Kagome and finding them to be nothing more than the dirt beneath their feet.
Haruhi, feeling as though a million eyes were trained on her, self-consciously looked at her once maroon sweater that had faded to a tinted brown, her three sizes too large slacks that pooled at her ankles, and out of fashion glasses. Her hair was tousled, and quite unlike that of the perfectly styled hair of the other females, or any of the other individuals at Ouran for that matter. As if to emphasize her point, the other students began to notice them and stare openly, whispering and gesturing as they passed.
Haruhi clung to her younger, but a bit taller, cousins arm as she strolled into Ouran's main entrance hallway. It was then that Haruhi took note of Kagome's outfit, that consisted of ripped black skinny jeans that seemed strangely mobile, a red and black plaid flannel, and a black t-shirt of some band that she couldn't recognize, or understand. Haruhi cursed the fact that Kagome had always been proficient in English; the girl had been so good that she had been placed into the advanced placement classes, and had even been shipped off to America once for a class trip. It was rather interesting for her cousin to explain the details of her stay, and her eyes lit up as she described to Haruhi some american rock bands that Haruhi could never get into. Haruhi then took note that her cousin's considerable bust was lacking, to the point that it appeared as though she hadn't even a semblance of breast visible. Haruhi just dismissed it, thinking back to earlier that morning when Kagome had gone to change in the bathroom. Her mind wandered to when she had witnessed her cousin's scars, and she shivered at the thought.
"You okay, Haruhi?" Kagome asked, concerned over her cousin's wellbeing.
"Y-yeah. Just nervous is all."
Kagome nodded in understanding, already anticipating the response. It would be hard not to notice the many stares they were attracting, and what they were wearing didn't help. They stuck out like a sore thumb against the pristine order that Ouran prided itself in. Kagome had also noticed some students eyeing her hair as she and Haruhi had passed, regarding it with shock, and one girl held a rather blasphemous look on her face as though Kagome had committed a sin against the gods. Her knee-length hair had been braided courtesy of Haruhi, the girl always had enjoyed playing with others hair, and her bangs were long to the point where they touched the tip of her nose, having grown out extremely long, with only a slight undertone of the side bangs they had once been. This particular hairstyle helped obscure her face from prying eyes, after all, she had a rather nasty scar that ran from beneath her left eye to her chin. The only reason she had bound her chest was due to the still healing wounds she had sustained, ones that she predicted would take a two and a half weeks to fully heal because she had reopened the wound earlier that week, and had actually made it worse if possible.
Haruhi found comfort in the girl she thought of as a sister, and allowed her thoughts to wander as she allowed Kagome to guide her through the halls. What happened to her cousin since she'd seen her last? Her family's deaths were a large factor to her sudden change in behavior, yet there was a hidden truth in the scars she had seen that held a mystery she didn't know. Whether Haruhi wanted to know the truth behind them, was a question that she herself couldn't answer. But if anything, Haruhi knew that all she wanted was for Kagome to be happy again.
Together, Haruhi and Kagome silently trudged to classroom 1-A, all the while doing their best to ignore the strange habits of their peers. Girls squealed and drooled, acting like the most uncivilized of individuals despite their high upbringing. Kagome groveled in anger as they approached the door, and allowed herself a moment of calm before she shoved the door open, having grown irritated by all the shrieks and cries and the flighty attempts at conversation. A light crack filled the air, and Kagome realized that her strength was no match for anything in this time, having already cracked the wood of the door despite withholding her strength. Ignoring the attention she had attracted, Kagome forced Haruhi in front of the teacher as she stood irritatedly before the ever observant class.
"Ah! You two must be the new students joining us at Ouran! Please, do introduce yourselves so that we can begin class," an undertone of irritation was laced in the teachers voice, as if they were an inconvenience already, an almost sarcastic tone at the forefront of his words. Kagome's indifference for the man plummeted to that of dislike within the first few words he spoke.
"H-h-hi, I'm Fujioka Haruhi, nice to meet you," Haruhi's voice was soft spoken and she wrung her hands with a mixture of shyness and nervousness, and she slightly cowered into herself, giving a curt bow as she introduced herself. Kagome looked at her cousin with concern, before she remembered that Haruhi was slightly awkward and shy at first once she met new people, but she was fairly open once she warmed up to others.
"I'm Higurashi Kagome." Kagome's voice was slightly rough, and her voice was a note deeper than that of Haruhi's. Screaming from torture, and to warn her comrades had roughened her voice, and it had grown a tad deeper than it had before, but despite that, it still held the honey tone it always had. It appeared as though the yellow clad females enjoyed her curt greeting as some squealed in response, hearts springing from their eyes. It then became evident to Kagome that they regarded her as a male, and if anything, Haruhi as one too. Her irate mood skyrocketed. The females here were more love-sick buffoons than humans. How she cursed puberty at times.
Scanning the classroom, Kagome found that nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, each aura seemed fairly uniform with faint splashes of individuality. It seemed that the people here were more like one another than she had originally thought, but her attention was torn to the twins that sat in front of her three rows down. Their auras screamed with uniqueness, so unique that they were nearly the complete opposites of one another's. One's was a soothing turquoise, while the others was a brazen tangerine, each full of childlike energy and curiosity. They both seemed to be distractedly intrigued, slightly interested in the two students in front of the classroom, but far too enveloped in their own world to truly care.
The teacher's forced grin was still apparent as he instructed Haruhi and Kagome to their seats, too disinterested to care to ask for more information about their personal life, which was nearly mandatory when dealing with new students. This left a hint of curiosity in the air, but all was forgotten as the teacher began in his fast paced lesson. Kagome regarded the teacher with mild interest, taking sparse notes as she absorbed the information and allowed it to sink into her brain with a few key points activating the right pieces of information. Throughout the lesson, her irate state lessened to that of a focused one as she carefully adhered to all his instructions. Lunch was a blur and suddenly she was right back at her seat, taking more notes as she listened to her teachers every word.
Finally, the bell rang signaling the end of school. Kagome shoved her things into her black messenger bag that was complete with a few spikes and safety pins, before aiding Haruhi in organizing her things into her filing binder in an orderly manner. With her cousins routine complete, they headed out into the hall's in search of a library to review what they had learned. They were scholarship students, so they needed to uphold their grades if they wanted to stay in that school. Kagome blew out a puff of air at the thought.
How troublesome.