-----SPOILER ALERT!-----
This story takes place after Chapter 195 of the Bleach manga, in reference to who is currently in the living world and who is not. I don't want to say names for fear of spoiler. Everything ch. 195 and prior has occurred, including the current enemy Ichigo has to face. It is late summer, early fall, at the start of a new school term, but not school year (This is because Japanese school years start in April, after a one or two week break at the end of March, when students go up a grade or graduate. They get only a month off during the dog-days of summer, and go back to continue the same grade after the break. Also, Japanese schools have field trips that are usually a full week long, exploring a city or area and soaking up the culture. End of cultural sidetrack.).
As for the Inuyasha side, it is any time after Miroku and Sango have joined the party (whatever chapter number that is).
Enjoy!
--Raven--
THE FRACTURED SKY
phase 1: trip & fall (oil slick remix)
The last glimmers of sun filtered over the horizon of Tokyo sky, and she watched, bamboo-pole broom in hand, as the lights of the surrounding skyline were being lit. The paper lanterns crisscrossing over the temple grounds where she worked already looked like they were filled with summer fireflies, and the red streamers for the Tsuki-Mi (moon-watching) festival being held on the pavilion of the Tokyo shrine fluttered lightly in the twilight breeze. She was tapped lightly on the left shoulder and spun quickly, the hemline of her red hakama- large, loose, Japanese pants that tie at the waist- twirling with her as she moved. She stood face-to-face with a teenage-looking boy, decked out to look like a traditional Japanese demon. He too, wore a white kimono and red hakama, but also wore a red kimono jacket. His face was covered in a thick white paste with red lines, like a Kabuki actor, and on his head was what seemed to be a massive white wig in loose clumps (done with drugstore hair gel instead of the painful hot wax used in the olden days) with fur-covered, triangular, demon-dog ears sticking out of the mess. In one hand, he held five or six sparklers, and a change-purse was tied into his hakama. A thickset beaded necklace and some paper streamers encircled his neck, and a half grin was on his lips.
"Well, how's the sale, Inuyasha?" she asked him, noticing that the number of fireworks in his hand was considerably less than just ten minutes ago.
He laughed. "I just can't scare anybody. The little kids come up and hug me like I'm some kind of plush toy, and most of those field trip girls just want a photo and my cell phone number," he said, with a sweep of his free hand, pointing to a gaggle of high-school girls, some in uniform, but most in yukata- a light cotton kimono worn at these kind of functions. A majority of them were holding sparklers and giggling, trying to sneak peeks at the boy in period costume. "Actually, those girls are frightening me, Kagome," he added, then ran off in the direction of the storage room to get more sparklers.
Kagome watched him go, chucking to herself. He walked with such a swagger, that Inuyasha, and if people saw him without all that face paint and extra garb, they would probably know why. He looked more on the wimpy side in those loose pieces of clothing, but if he were to roll up his sleeves, he was really nothing but muscle. However, taking such pride in oneself had its downsides.
Like right now.
When Inuyasha wasn't looking, he swaggered headlong into a taller boy from that same field-trip group, smearing the oily, white face paint on the boy's dark red yukata. Kagome's good humor turned to horror as the boy, maroon-haired (what private school allowed kids to dye their hair that color?), looked at her friend in costume, eyebrow twitching with anger. He had tattoos down his face and neck (what private school allowed kids to emblazon tattoos?) and looked as if a vein in his neck would throb open.
"Hey, punk, watch where you're…" the student yelled, stopping in mid-sentence. He sniffed the air, wiped off his clothes, and backed off, letting Inuyasha pass.
Kagome's friend turned, looked at her with a confused face, and went off to get what he needed. She, meanwhile, pulled out a list of schools that were visiting the temple that day.
"Kyoto First Elementary… no, definitely too young. Elementary, middle school, middle school, no, no, they're too old… wait, those guys must be from Karakura. It's the only high school that's visiting today," she said out loud to herself.
"Karakura? Where did they go?" a teenage boy's voce asked. Kagome lowered the list from her eyes to see a kid, way too short to be older than twelve, in a blue yukata standing before her.
"You're from Karakura High?"
"Yeah. You've seen them?"
She raised an eyebrow, but pointed in the direction Inuyasha had gone moments before. It was no wonder he had been separated. The temple was packed to the gills on festival days like this. However, she seriously began to wonder how studious the kids at Karakura were. The boy asking for directions wasn't hard to follow with her eyes as he ran off. He had spiked, bone-white hair.
Again, what private school allowed kids to dye their hair that color?