It had been a year. 365 days. Since she wasn't allowed in. She had wept, sobbed, seethed, yelled, snarled and prayed but to no avail. No matter how hard she tried, it refused to give her passage. But why? There was no apparent reason, it just happened. There was no dramatic event that eliminated the link or some enormous burst of power that closed the passage. No, sometimes, things just happen. And after that fateful day, she kept visiting. Waiting and waiting, for at least one of her friends to jump up and yell "Surprise!' And they both would have a good laugh and then go back to where her real life was. Where it all started. Sometimes, she would sit on the edge. Sometimes she would jump down and sit at the bottom, ready for that enveloping, weightless feeling she felt whenever she crossed the borders of time.
It never came.
Most of all, she would wait for him. Wait for his graceful form to leap out of the abyss and greet her with that cocky smile. She wanted to feel the heat of those amber gold orbs piercing her gaze and to feel secure in his presence. She wanted to be comforted by him, be told that it was all a horrible dream and that he was still there with her. To be by her side. To love her. The teenager desired to be with him endless times, she wanted the ache in her heart to be put at ease. To feel whole once more. But nothing happened. Despite all the times she visited and waited. And she wondered, is he thinking of me? Does he even care? Will I ever see him again?
Eventually the ache dulled and the visits were less frequent. The teenager realized that she needed to get back in touch with reality. After all, the past is the past. And she was currently living in the present. So, her grades rose in school once more and her social life flourished. She had several boyfriends and made the Honor Roll for a few subjects. And though, she still felt the need for her former double life, she accepted the fact that she would never see her friends in the feudal era again.
Ever.
Junior year. Grade Eleven. That was the year Kagome was entering and a new school. Her Mom told her over the summer that Private school fees had risen and with the shrine and its lack of tourist sales lately, the family wouldn't be able to afford both of her students going to private school. Kagome willingly offered to go to Public school for Sota had become recently attached to his girlfriend of two years. The uniform that Kagome had worn to school was hung up in the closet as a memoir of her past years at school. Her friends discovered the new direction Kagome was heading in and promised sincerely that they would visit as often as possible, at school and out of school.
Now, Kagome felt awful. It was her first day at her new school and she was already running late. At the end of the summer, Kagome was able to purchase a vast wardrobe of new clothing that she would be able to wear for school. Today Kagome wore a white miniskirt, a green tight fitting shirt and a heart-shaped pendant.
"Shoot, I'm late!" The teenager whimpered worriedly as she raced through the crowded streets to her destination. Raven locks with a tint of blue billowed behind the teenager as she sprinted wildly to race the clock. Rushing past irritated businessmen and concerned women, she finally reached the school.
Kakera No Ai.
Shards of love? Weird name...Kagome thought absently as she stepped inside. The hallways were filled with a dank smell of old foundation and dust. The girl trotted quietly through the narrow path, her shoes clipping loudly in the empty hall. Out of her yellow bag, the teen pulled out a piece of paper with an organized table sketched across it. Chocolate eyes focused on the sheet in front of her, drinking in the information, Kagome turned in the direction in which her first class was in.
"Room 108? Where is that?" The girl asked herself. She glanced up. "Right in front of me." Kagome reached for the doorknob and hesitated, fingers brushing the metal sphere lightly. She sighed and took a deep breath, holding her head high with determination. "You can do this Kagome."
Kagome opened the wooden door. Inside, most of the desks were filled. Curious, sneering eyes peered at her. Each one with its own unique set of thoughts. All of the desks were graffiti by various students in the school. Two white boards were placed on the North and South side of the wall. Glass paned windows on one side shone brilliantly with early morning sunlight. A jay's chirp could be heard clearly from one of the open windows. Standing at one of the white boards was-
Menomaru! What is he doing here in my time?! (The antagonist in the first movie)
Kagome instinctively reached for an arrow and gripped an imaginary bow. Old habits die hard...Still, what is he doing here? The teenager glanced over at her vanquished enemy, gripping her backpack for support. "Menomaru..." She muttered bitterly.
"Yes, that's me. And you are?" He asked politely. His right hand reached up and adjusted his spectacles perched delicately on his pointed nose. He was almost the same as Kagome remembered him. Menomaru still had his relatively pale complexion and the same body structure. His ears were still slightly pointed, his eyes still retained their reddish hue and his hair was black. His long hair was pulled back in a long ponytail and it's ends were dyed light blue. He wore a nicely cut black business suit and pants. A moth tattoo was placed on the back of his neck. "Excuse me, miss?" His appearance was the same but his demeanor was quite different.
"Sorry," Kagome blushed and gazed down at her shoes. "My name is Kagome Higurashi and I'm new here."
Menomaru's expression lightened. "Of course. You're our other new student in this class."
"If you don't mind me asking, what class is this?"
"Advanced history. You're resume states that you excelled in history last year which is why you were placed in the advanced class this year."
"Yeah, that's right." Kagome replied.
"Excellent. And is there a problem Miss Kagome? You look a bit out of the weather." Menomaru said, truly concerned.
"No. Thank you for asking Mr. Menomaru." Kagome assured the professor. Th-This is so weird. I feel like I'm looking at the same man who tried to kill Inuyasha and I. The one who tried to take over the land with his army of moths and demons. I remember it was so hard to foil his plan; he was nearly unstoppable at that point. I'm sure I might warm up to this teacher but it's gonna feel so weird having the enemy be my teacher! Perhaps he is Menomaru's reincarnation, as I am Kikyo's. That would make a load of sense. Even though we look alike, our personalities contrast. This is probably a similar case. That thought made the schoolgirl feel much better and she smiled warmly at Menomaru.
"Oh, yes. I forgot. I would like to introduce you to our other new student here at Kakera No Ai. Her name is Sango."
"You've got to be kidding me!"