DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha characters. It's the property of Rumiko Takahashi.

The day was cloudy. A small crowd had gathered in the cremation ground. People dressed in black, sobbing and wailing watched over funeral flames as they sent plumes of smoke heavenward. At the forefront of this gathering, stood a young woman, in her mid twenties. She surveyed the scene impassively from behind her raven bangs, her brown eyes reflectively watching the body dissolve to ash. An even younger girl clung to the older one's bosom, weeping bitterly, possessing the same hair and eyes as of her sister's. The elder one held her protectively, letting her cry and dampen the black kimono she wore over her normal clothes. A tear streamed down her own pale cheek, which she brushed off angrily. It was okay for Kaede to cry if she wished so, but for Kikyou to weep, would be ridiculous. Kaede had always been closer to their mother and stayed with her after their parents' separation. Kikyou, on the other hand was affiliated with her father, a naturalist. He was alive, although glaringly absent in his wife's funeral.

Kikyou patted her younger sister's head, trying to comfort her. Kaede was 14 now, nearly 10 years younger to her and needed all her support to help her sail through this loss. She was barely a year old when they had broken apart, although Kikyou kept visiting her from time to time and they both had spent their vacation with their maternal aunt and cousin Kagome.

'I'll protect you Kaede. Don't worry.' Kikyou vowed silently as she watched the fires burn low and die out, leaving nothing but dark grey ash.

Kikyou let out a tired yawn as she pored over her accounts. She was a CA in an esteemed company and had plenty of work to complete. It was two weeks after her mother's death and Kaede had moved in with her in her tiny rented flat in the heart of the city. It was 1:00am and Kikyou arose from her seat, wanting a quick cup of coffee. She walked toward the kitchen to make herself one when she glimpsed Kaede, sitting up in her bed staring out of the window. Kikyou quietly entered the girl's room and said gently, "Kaede? Why are you still awake? Go to bed, it's a school night." The dark haired girl stared at her sister and whispered, "I miss Mom." Kikyou sighed. She watched the girl for a while, slid onto her bed and replied, smoothening her hair, "I know that dear…but what can be done about it? Mom isn't going to come back. Come on, go to bed."

Kaede lowered her eyes, nodded slightly and lay back. Kikyou tucked her in, kissed the top of her forehead and turned out the light, shutting the door softly behind her. 'Poor kid…' She reflected as she set about making her coffee. Kaede needed time. It would take a long time for her to heal from this blow. Kikyou yawned and stretched as the coffee boiled, when her eye caught on to the sheaf of papers on her kitchen counter. She skimmed through them. Many of them were letters or postcards, condoling the death of her mother. She did not know her own mother very well and although she did grieve at her death she recovered quickly than the most. It was her nature, not to brood on anything for too long. The last one was a letter from a lawyer. Feeling a little uneasy, she tore open the registered letter. It read:

It is to inform Ms. Kikyou Fukuyako concerning her share of the property.

Mrs. Akiko Fukuyako(nee Higurashi) has willed her abovementioned daughter as well as her second daughter Kaede Fukuyako the Higurashi Shrine, which is her ancestral property.

This is to immediately inform the concerned parties about the appropriation of the shrine and grounds which contain a bungalow as well as an outhouse and its registration under their names. Please come and meet me on Saturday, 25th June at 10:00am.

Signed,

S. Deguchi

Kikyou blinked and pondered over the news that the letter carried. Her mother owned a shrine and grounds? She vaguely recalled her mother had talked about a shrine when she was younger, although she had never visited it. It was supposed to be abandoned since her grandparents' death. For some reason, Kikyou did not look forward to the possession of the property. It would be hard work, keeping the shrine and its grounds in perfect condition and she would not be able to manage it with her strenuous job. However, her inner voice urged,

'Come on Kikyou. Even if you just inherit it in name, you can still sell it and mint money. An ancient Shinto shrine is no joke. It will fetch a good price in the market. Anyway, auntie and Kagome were always dying to possess a shrine. After all, Kagome's father was your mother's younger brother… You can just give it to them free. Moreover, who knows? It may be a good place to sit quietly and write.'

Kikyou had a passion for writing and dreaming up stories. She had always wanted to write and publish a book but never had the spare time for it. She wrote a little on weekends, sometimes typed out useless plots or ideas or some unique incident she observed on her smartphone. However, this dream was far from being realized. She wanted to relax a bit, find a more spacious place than this tiny apartment of hers. Maybe then, she would actually be able to take up her writing projects seriously.

A little fresh mountain air wouldn't do any harm. Besides, Kaede needed some breakaway. Having spent all her life in small spaces, her mind had grown one track. The poor thing had no eyes or head for anything except school and homework these days. Kaede had stopped going out, contacting her friends or doing anything at all. Kikyou was worried about her little sister. Kaede was a laughing healthy child before, but now she had grown withdrawn. She spent most of time in her room finishing her homework or doodling idly in her notebook. All her time was filled with silence. Perhaps, a larger and spacious environment would give her some energy…not make her feel as a dot in the world, with no one to bother about her. Kikyou weighed her options. The maintenance of the shrine was definitely going to cut into her expenses. But would it matter much before her sister's smiling visage?

Kikyou pursed her lips slightly as she poured herself a cup of coffee. A shrine could not be that bad. Did it not contain a bungalow? They could surely move in for good. Also, did shrines not have an archery ground? Kaede had always wanted to learn and practice archery. Maybe she could practice there. It was going to be good. Her mother's inheritance was a godsend. Kikyou sipped her coffee and went back to her work.

She had already decided to contact Mr. Deguchi.

A/N: How was it, guys? Can't believe that I'm going to write another novel! :O

Feed backs are welcome!

And let me warn you…it is going to be creepy…very very creepy! (as if the genre didn't suggest that already :P)

Anyway, have a nice day and wait for my next update! :)