Chapter 1

School Fair (Temp. Title)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's orginal characters, settings or plots.

She sighed for what must've been the millionth time- at least. Okay, so that was an exaggeration. But it must have been twenty times or more! It seemed that for the past few days, there had been a permanent scowl etched onto her face, and for good reason.

It was her mom's fault, really. But no, that wasn't being fair. If she had been in a more reasonable mood she would've realized that her mother had no other option, seeing their present financial status.

They lived in a world that revolved around money after all. And what's worse, that's exactly what they had none of. Actually, her family was well into the negative zone by now. Her grandfather's operation had put them pretty good into debt, as it had cost way beyond their budget line. But they had no choice in the matter, unless they were willing to let the elderly man move on to the next world a few years early. Suffice to say, her family was quite against that decision, so debt was the only way to keep her mother's dad alive.

And this brings us back to the cause for the young girl's continued sighs. They were moving; again. She should've seen it coming. It wasn't the first time they'd had to relocate because of getting kicked out. Her family simple did not have the means to be able to pay their bills on time, let alone any extras. Therefore, yesterday she had said a mournful goodbye to her three best friends, and packed her bags. They had lived in Osaka for three years, and she had almost hoped that they would finally have a place to call home. But she had hoped in vain.

Her mother regretfully informed her that they didn't have enough to pay for moving vans, or rent a truck, so they had to pack sparingly. The only room they had was what they could fit into the old Honda her mother had bought off a used car dealership a couple of years ago. Apparently her mom had a friend where they were moving that would give them some old furniture. Kagome bid farewell to her comfy bed, and sniffed disdainfully at the rolled up futons in the backseat. .

That's right, her name was Kagome. Higurashi, Kagome to be exact. She had just finished her 11th year at Osaka Highschool, and had celebrated her 18th birthday on March 11th. The year 2007 hadn't been a kind one, but it hadn't been the worst either. She was sure that there were more friends to make in the next city.

Of course, that city just had to be Tokyo. Of all the places to choose, she had no idea why her mother had picked the capital. She would think that living would be more expensive in the big city, but perhaps she was wrong.

Right at this moment, they were entering the borders of Japan's capital, and Kagome wished she were back at their little house on the outskirts of Osaka. Of course, she had never gotten what she wished for. Perhaps it was karma. She was always particularly nasty to that annoying girl that sat behind her in Chemistry...

Kagome turned a sullen gaze outside the window and watched the cars race by. As far as she good tell, the city was loud, noisy, and extremely polluted. Just looking at the crammed streets made her thankful that she wasn't claustraphobic. Of course, Osaka hadn't exactly been a town either, but it was nothing compared to this. Having only been in Tokyo twice before, Kagome was glad she hadn't had to live here earlier. What a headache.

Ten minutes later, she heard her mother's forceful cheery voice reach to the back. "We're here, sweetheart! It's at the end of this street here. Look ahead!"

Said girl reluctantly turned her head, which was currently pressed against the window, and levelled a flat gaze at a tall... "You're joking, right mom? I don't see any houses at the end of the street. Only some ugly looking shrine. That is a shrine, right?"

Her mother let out a strained chuckle, before waving her hand nervously in the air, before placing it on the steering wheel again. "I know, it's a bit odd but I worked out a deal with the landowner. They were in desparate need for someone who would constantly take care of the shrine, and perhaps run it in the tourist season. It was such cheap living, I couldn't pass it by."

Kagome gave her mother in incredulous look, her mouth half open. "But it's a shrine! They're for freaks who believe in all those crazy stories that grandpa tell, not to live in! We have no idea how to run a shrine!"

Again, her mother let out another chuckle, this one more strained then the last, and looked her her daughter through the rear view mirror. "Look honey, I know we'll have to adjust but it'll be okay! Just think of all the new things you'll learn about that involves the history of the shrine. See that big tree in the front yard? It's said to be over 500 years old! Just think of all the legends around this place. Please, Kagome. Just co-operate and help me unpack our bags. All those stairs are bound to be good exercise over the coming weeks."

The teenager sighed wearily, and opened the car door. She looked beside at her sleeping younger brother, Souta, and decided against waking him. He'd had a rough night as well. In the front, her grandpa dozed as well, a trail of drool hanging out of his mouth. Gross.

Grabbing her futon that had now taken over her previous seat, Kagome attempted to drag it out of the car. No such luck. Growling under her breath, she grasped the stubborn thing again, and pulled harder, wiggling it from side to side. The stubborn bedding refused to move.

Finally, she decided the hell with it, she'd just unpack the suitcases first. The futons could come out last. It's not like they were going to sleep right away; It was only 3 o'clock in the afternoon. With that thought firmly in mind, Kagome marched to the trunk, and deftly pulled out her two suitcases.

What she hadn't predicted was the long hike up to the shrine entrance. Let's just say that afterwards, she was in an even more foul mood than before. Exercise indeed...

A/N: Yes, it's short. It was only an introduction. Um...I was bored and had nothing better to do. I promise to make the next one longer. It's always hard to start off stories, especially when you're brain isn't quite up to par. Anyways, R&R! I'm not quite sure where this will go yet, but I hope by the end, it'll have a decent enough plot. xD