I don't own Inuyasha or Ouran High School Host Club. If I did, I'd be tempted to name the show something other then Inuyasha (after all, I don't think it's fair for Takahashi to keep naming the series after the main male character-Ranma, Inuyasha, come on!) and I'd give Ouran High School Host Club a shorter name, if only because I get tired of typing it over and over. On the other hand…my fic names can get a bit lengthy sometimes…I am a hypocrite.
Yeah, another story! It's good, though, I promise!
Oh! By the way, credit for the name of this story goes to Jerry Lee Lewis, who sung a song titled this. I thought it seemed oddly appropriate for this fanfic.
Also, due to the nature of this fic, I've needed to do some research into different customs of Shinto shrines. I've done my best to make sure all the information is correct, and any questions you have, please refer to the notes at the bottom. Any readers who have studied this, or know something I've forgot to mention or mentioned incorrectly, please let me know. I've definitely never actually been to a Shinto shrine, so all my information is second hand through the internet.
Another Place, Another Time
Chapter One
Kagome skidded across the ground, clutching the finally completed Shikon no Tama to her chest as she closed her eyes and braced herself for impact. She hit something hard, a tree or the well maybe, and her air flew out of her lungs. She desperately tried to get air back in her lungs as she stuffed the jewel in her bra (her school uniform really didn't come with pockets and it was about to fall apart anyways.) She looked up, almost expecting to see one of Naraku's tentacle things coming at her, and her mouth fell open in shock.
"Shit!" she said, and leapt up. She was back in the courtyard of her home shrine, leaning against the wall. She ran for the well house-the battle was going on on the other side-she must of hit the well or something, and it malfunctioned. She really hoped it would get her back and-
"Miss Higurashi," what might normally be stated as a question was stated as more of a fact as someone held onto her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks. Kagome felt a wave of embarrassment as she realized what the stranger must be seeing. She had been wearing her uniform on her way home when Naraku had attacked. It had gotten badly torn, and she was filthy from the fighting. It was likely he could see her undergarments.
"Yes?" Kagome asked, trying to keep her tone firm.
"If you would turn around," this time more of a demand then a question. The guy was obviously filled with self-importance.
"My clothes are not in the best condition. I'd rather not," Kagome said, "And I'm in a bit of a hurry." She needed to make sure she could get back to the feudal era.
"It's nothing I haven't seen before, I'm sure. Now, if you'll show me what exactly you just stuffed down your bra." Once again, arrogant and commanding.
That was it. Indecent, ruined clothing and scraggly looks aside, Kagome absolutely loathed when someone acted condescending to her. She whipped around, prepared to give a scathing retort, and stopped, finger paused mid-air. The businessman standing tall in front of her looked exactly like what she'd imagined a human Sesshoumaru might. At least, a modern day one. He had short black hair, light brown eyes, and those same sparse, aristocratic features.
His appearance threw her for a loop for a moment, but Kagome's ire was not to be stopped by a feeble mortal concern. "Excuse me, but I will not show you what I stuffed down my bra, because it is absolutely none of your business, you poorly-stuffed imitation of a cod. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm rather in the middle of a crisis and I have to go. Good day!" Kagome whipped back around and was about to stomp off, when her shoulder was once more caught and held, this time the grip so fierce it seemed almost…inhuman…
"I said," the man's voice was not so amused, "that you will show me what you just stuffed down your bra, or I will dispose of you where you stand."
Kagome could feel claws digging into her shoulder. She gulped, and wished her bow and arrows were a few centuries closer. She should have learned more from Keade about her priestess powers, but there was never any time! Oh well, when in trouble, the best thing to do was bluff. "I could purify you where you stand, demon," Kagome said, trying her best to sound like Kikyou. Emulating Kikyou was not something she normally did, but Kikyou was good at intimidation, you had to give her that.
"One last chance, miko, or you're dead where you stand," the man's cold voice whispered.
Okay, more bluffing. Kagome shrugged and put a light, carefree tone as she dug out the Shikon no Tama. "I think you're being a pervert. I fell, and I saw one of my grandpa's Shikon no Tama key chain baubles on the ground. As you can see, I don't exactly have pockets at the moment, and so decided that I better put it somewhere safe."
Kagome heard a snort from behind her. "Your deviousness knows no bounds, miko. A time-traveler. I never guessed. I should have realized as soon as I saw the new school uniform, but I honestly haven't spared you a thought for centuries."
Kagome's mouth fell open as she turned around. "You can't be Sesshoumaru. You'd have to be what, over at least eight hundred years old!"
"Do not insult me. I'm not a youngster," Sesshoumaru seemed to almost sniff in disdain.
Kagome shook her head. Thinking about it would give her a headache, and there really wasn't time for this. "Okay, well, now you know who I am. I've gotta get back to the feudal era! We're fighting Naraku, alongside you I might add, and I need to help."
"That's not possible. You never return. Inuyasha was acting quite ridiculous for years after you left. Besides, it was much easier to kill that low-life Naraku once the jewel was gone. He was most dismayed when you disappeared," Sesshoumaru said calmly.
"What?! That's not possible!" Kagome yelled, "I'd never just leave Inuyasha like that!"
Sesshoumaru shrugged. "Believe what you will. You're free to attempt to return, if you wish."
Kagome huffed and ran over to the well house, through the doors, down the steps, and jumped into the well. It was only with about a year of experience at falling that saved her from seriously injuring herself. As it was, she was probably going to be walking around with a slight limp for a few days; along with all the bruises she'd gotten from what was apparently the last battle.
Kagome looked up to see human Sesshoumaru staring down at her. "The well? Interesting form of transport. I assume it's made out of the wood of the Goshinboku, correct?" Kagome waited to respond until she'd slowly and painfully climbed back out of the well. She sat on the side and stared down at her shoes.
"Yeah," Kagome said quietly. "I really never go back?" she asked, a slightly hopeless note in her voice.
"It's a good thing you don't. Do you know why I came here today, and by chance discovered who you were?" Sesshoumaru asked.
Kagome's brows furrowed slightly. "Why?"
"Because of your pitiful excuses, the children at my school have been skipping school regularly claiming they're sick. The teachers and office workers have become mockeries of their professions, accepting any and all excuses because all the students have to say is, 'But Higurashi has been missing for two weeks because she's sick. I've been deathly ill and you won't excuse me for two days?' I came on my yearly inspection and was shocked at the state of affairs. I frankly came here to expel you, and make sure you never attended another school again after you confessed to lying about your illnesses. I presume you've been going to the feudal era to collect jewel shards," Sesshoumaru said.
Kagome's shocked eyes meet Sesshoumaru's cool brown ones. "What?! I'm so sorry! It's just my grandfather got it into his head that it was his job to make excuses for me, and he's a bit…eccentric! I've been working really hard, and if I can't go back, I swear I'll be the top student in every class!"
"Miko, the time for excuses has long passed you by. Order will not return to the school until someone has been made an example on, and the excuse of saving the ancient world aside, you are ultimately the one responsible," Sesshoumaru said firmly.
Kagome's head fell back down again, as her heart seemed to contract painfully in her chest. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked.
Sesshoumaru sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. It must have been a bad habit he picked up living around humans for so long. "Considering the circumstances, I have an offer. I have need of an agent in the Bunkyo district of Tokyo. Someone who knows of demons. It is not possible for you to stay in my school. As long as you're there, disciplinary problems will continue. However, if you go to another school, I can keep your true records from being discovered, and as long as you do well on the entrance exam, you should have no trouble. In return for running errands for me, I will provide tuition and a small living expenses budget. On your part, you will do tasks for me, you will do well in the school I send you to, and you will confess to lying to the school and publicly submit to punishment."
Kagome bit her lip at the last part. "But my friends-they'll think I lied to them."
"You did lie to them human, whether with noble intentions or not. Now you must once again lie, in order to restore order to my school. Considering what I am offering in return, you are not getting a bad deal at all. Either way, you will have to stop attending my school. At least you are being given a chance to start again, as well as a chance to work for me. Whatever my enemies do or do not say about me, no one can claim that I treat those under my protection unfairly," Sesshoumaru said.
"Why are you doing this for me?" Kagome asked her voice miserable. All of the lies were catching up to her, and it was only by a lucky chance that Sesshoumaru was offering a way out.
Sesshoumaru's smile was slightly predatory, though Kagome could not see it. "I have my reasons," was all he said.
Kagome sighed. "What do I have to do?" she asked.
The next few weeks were a nightmare for Kagome. She had had to publicly confess, and her friends' reactions had been worse then she imagined. Ayumi and Houjo had looked at her like she'd run over a favored dog. She could barely speak a word to them. Eri and Yuka, on the other hand, had a yelling fit about how they had defended her status, how they'd copied notes and brought her her missed assignments, and how she was a horrible, lying witch.
And the worse part yet was that Kagome couldn't defend herself. She'd never thought she'd be grateful to be kicked out of school. Luckily, it was close to the end, so she didn't miss much. Indeed, most of her time was now spent studying for the entrance exam to her new high school. Sesshoumaru apparently never settled for less-she was enrolled in a school that made her wince every time she heard price tags. It made her worried about what, exactly, Sesshoumaru was planning on having her do since he was doing it, in part, to pay her for whatever the job was.
In addition to studying, she also had to box up most of her room. She was taking some clothes, a few things she refused to leave behind, and her bow. Everything else she had to store in the attic, or her mother was having shipped to the shrine.
She was also getting a few new miko uniforms, because her grandfather had managed to get her in as a caretaker for a shrine. She didn't want to know how he'd managed to arrange for a sixteen year old to take over a shrine, and he didn't tell her. While this was good (because she'd begun to despair about ever finding a decently-priced apartment-this way, she'd receive a salary for taking care of a shrine) it also meant that her grandfather felt the need to constantly be pushing advice down her throat. He was as happy as a clam, even though it wasn't her family shrine she was taking over.
Her mom had seemed relieved to learn that the well was closed, and was even more excited about her opportunity to go to such an exclusive school. Apparently, it was about time that all of her work in the feudal era started paying off in the here and now. Kagome didn't argue with her, since her mother had been very supportive of her going back in time.
Soon enough, she took her tests, and did surprisingly well. She got into the school (Ouran High School) and before she knew it, it was time to board the train. She watched the scenery, thinking about all she had to do before school started in a little over a week. She would need to start setting up her home, along with getting the shrine ready for visitors again. Unfortunately, she couldn't really begin making plans until she looked over the shrine, and saw what needed to be done.
It was over a three hour ride to Bunkyo, including the two times she'd had to change trains. She hailed a taxi, whose driver looked a bit askance at her load. She'd managed to get it down to two big suitcases and her bow and arrows case. Considering how much junk she'd had in her room, she thought she was doing well. It was amazing how things collect over sixteen years.
"Where to?" the taxi driver asked.
"Toshiharu Shrine," Kagome requested.
"You're kidding, right? That place hasn't been open in years," the taxi driver said even as he was pulling into the road.
"Years? I didn't know it had been that long. Anyways, I'm going to be taking over," Kagome explained, "Come over in a week, and I should hopefully have it set up."
The taxi driver burst into laughter. Kagome scowled at him, feeling defensive. "What's so funny about that?"
"Do you know how many people have tried to take over that place? No one lasts pasts the third night. They all run away yelling about monsters and ghosts. The place is cursed. And you come here thinking you're just going to take over. That's hilarious," the guy said, a broad grin on his face.
"Ha ha," Kagome deadpanned.
"Don't get so huffy, it's the truth. I doubt you'll last a week, let alone three days," the taxi driver said.
Kagome snorted. If she couldn't deal with a measly ghost or youkai, or whatever it was, she eat her bow without chewing. Even if she hadn't quite studied up on her miko skills (upon request Sesshoumaru had dug up some miko texts) she could still purify whatever was in less then ten seconds.
"That's what they all say," the taxi driver said, "If I was a dishonest person, I'd make a bet."
"If I was, I would," Kagome retorted.
"Whacha got?" the taxi driver asked.
"What do you want?" Kagome asked.
"A big tip when I drive you back to the train station," the taxi driver said.
"Fine. Because I'm a generous person, I won't ask for much. Just recommendations to my new shrine," Kagome responded.
"If you manage to stay past three nights, you'll deserve good recommendations," the taxi driver said.
The taxi driver, perhaps feeling guilty about getting what he thought was the better deal of the arrangement, actually helped her get her things up the multitude of stairs. Kagome waved goodbye to him then turned to look at the shrine. The purification trough was right by the torii gates which were guarded by a handsome set of Komainu statues, on the left side. Besides the trough a few yards away were the places where you could get ofuda for your house, and omamori, omikuji, and ema for your self or someone else. By that was where you could hang your ema, and the pine tree for tying your bad luck omikuji. It was a beautiful tree, really old with many low hanging branches for tying the omikuji too, but it had been so long since the shrine had any visitors, there weren't any old bad luck omikuji left. They'd all dissolved. There was a really big building in front of her and according to the information provided it was the main hall/offering hall. The courtyard between the entrance and the hall was very generous; at least two or three times the size of her family shrine. There was a stage for performances to her right, and around the courtyard were the shrine grounds. Kagome hadn't known the shrine was so big-her family shrine really didn't have any gardens, but this was like a small forest.
Kagome left her bags where they were and started to explore. At one time this forest had been tended, a forest garden, but everything had grown up. The old paths were overgrown, the benches were covered with leaves and moss, and the bridge that went over the small stream could use a few coats of paint. None of this mattered to Kagome. For the first time since she'd left the feudal era, she felt peace come over her. She spent a few hours wandering, taking in every inch of woodlands. Near the back of the shrine she found her new home. There were two buildings-her house, and a building that had been built up around, miracle of miracles, hot springs! Her house was pretty. It wasn't huge, but it was built in the traditional style unlike her old home. When she entered, she discovered to her delight that it had traditional paper screens. There were a few pieces of old furniture that had been covered over. A low wooden table in what must have been used as a living room at the front of the house. When she slid open panel to the left, she found a bedroom with a futon without a mattress, and a wooden table with a chair. There were two rooms to the back, one, a smaller bedroom with another futon, and the other room was the kitchen. It had a few kitchen appliances, like an old refrigerator, stove, as well as counter space. If you went through the sliding panel to the right of that room, you entered the dining room, which had a beautiful, long low table. It could probably fit quite a few people. And, if you went through a small sliding panel to the right of the living room wall, there was a small bathroom with a toilet and a small shower.
Kagome was quite happy. She would have had to pay a fortune to get an apartment this big, and now all she had to do was take care of a shrine that, while likely requiring a lot of time and effort to get to its previous glory, would be a pleasure to restore. It felt like a little piece of her feudal home.
Now that she knew where everything was, she probably needed to go bring her things to the house, and maybe go shopping for a few things. The house definitely needed new mats for the floor, and a few lamps wouldn't go amiss as well. She also, most definitely, needed cleaning supplies. And she would probably need to pick up some food.
Despite how hectic her life had been for the past few weeks, Kagome was excited. She had her own place (and it had a small forest and hot springs!) and a chance to get her modern life on track. It was still depressing to think that she'd never again be able to see her friends, and that her old friends hated her, but life here couldn't be too bad.
Kagome found her way back to the central courtyard and was surprised to find a delivery man who had just made his way to the top. He didn't look too happy either. He spotted her and scowled. Her boxes from home looked to have arrived, and she didn't really blame him for being put out. Some of them were heavy, and it must have been a pain to haul them up the steps.
"You Higurashi Kagome?" he asked gruffly.
"Yes," Kagome said.
"Sign here. I don't know the whole point of sending everything here, you're just going to be making me haul all this back tomorrow," he growled.
Kagome's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she frowned. "That won't be necessary."
"Ha! You're the twenty-seventh person to say that since I started working this route. From the looks of you I give you a day," the man said.
"Really? Well, I'm planning on staying here for awhile, so don't get your hopes up," Kagome said.
The man turned his back and started back down the steps, grumbling. "I won't. I'm dreading hauling these boxes back down. You'd think after the reputation this shrine's got the people coming here would think, 'Maybe I should try it out before settling all my stuff in.' but of course not! They all want to break my back."
Though Kagome felt slightly insulted, she couldn't help the small grin that came over her face. She'd probably be a bit grumpy too having to haul people's boxes up and down the stairs for several years too. She didn't really look like someone who could take on haunts either. She'd just have to prove herself.
She turned, and humming slightly, started hauling things towards the back of the property. Carrying that humongous bag for a year actually had its benefits.
She spent the day happily setting up her new home and making plans. She ran by a few stores and picked up a few things, and had some more things that would be delivered within the next few days. The utilities were already on (the Shrine-keepers Organization took care of that) and she'd made great progress in cleaning the house. Luckily, with so little furniture, and the fact that every few months or so someone new had probably stopped by in hopes that this would be their new shrine and cleaned up, this wasn't too difficult. It was rather dusty, and had needed a really good cleaning, but the house, while not really set up, was now at least clean.
Kagome set up her sleeping bag that night, since while she'd ordered a couple of futon mattresses, they wouldn't be getting there until tomorrow at the earliest. She placed her bow and arrows besides her, in case whatever was scaring off shrine-keepers showed up, and finally, at a rather late hour, went to sleep.
While Kagome usually wasn't such a deep sleeper, she'd had a long day's work. Thusly, when a large shadow appeared, a rather alarming one with dripping fangs and an alarming profile, to run its fingers down Kagome arm and hiss in her ear, she didn't wake up. In her sleep she dreamed that she was back in the feudal era, with Shippou in her arms as she slept. When she felt something touched her she dismissed it as Shippou's tail, and so the haunt was rather annoyed and disappointed when it roused no response. It tried a loud and booming command to awaken and view the horror it was. In her sleep, she thought she heard Inuyasha yelling about something or other again, probably ramen, and muttered a quiet, "Osuwari!"
The haunt, after a few more attempts to terrify the new resident of Toshiharu Shrine, seemed to shrink in size, and walked away, shoulders slumped, to the laughs of its fellow haunts. It was a competition to see who could do the best job scaring the newcomer away, and it had just failed.
The next day Kagome was able to do some unpacking. She didn't have too many things, just a few boxes that her mom had sent with her old set of plates, cups, and kitchen utensils, and some blankets. She was surprised that her mother had snuck in a vase that she'd always loved, and put it on the living room table with a few flowers in it. Around the middle of the day she heard a gong from a distance, and hurried towards the main buildings. A delivery man was there with her futon mattresses and a few other things she'd ordered, and he didn't look especially pleased to have had to wait, even though she gotten there as soon as she could. She spent some time putting down her new mats and putting sheets and blankets on her futons. She was able to spend the end of her day cleaning out the buildings in the main courtyard and getting them swept.
By the time she was ready to return, it was a bit dark out, and she still had to walk home. The second haunt decided to strike while she was awake (since the haunt's sibling had had so little success waking the human girl up the night before. It started with a rustling in the leaves. A touch at the back of a shoulder. The haunt added in a few moans and distant cries. A chilling touch to the back of her bare leg.
This newest haunt had much more success then the previous one. The girl was a bit spooked. However, instead of freaking out, she grabbed a big branch for defense. The haunt decided to step it up a notch. "Go…leave…only death awaits you here…" The final touch was a silhouette of some giant being that seemed to rise from the leaves.
And this is where the second haunt's plan fell apart. The human girl, instead of running away in terror, ran towards the giant thing, brandishing her long stick of wood. She swept it in front of her, only to discover that it was a large bush. She heard a yelp-her improvised club must have caught something, and the sound of something running away. She was curious as to how, exactly, the bush had appeared so suddenly, but passed it of as a trick of the eye, and continued on, keeping her slightly glowing stick with her the rest of the way home.
In another part of a shrine, the second haunt had to deal with the other haunts' laughter, and the last haunt's firm declaration that this coming night, it would show the other two how it was done.
The next day, instead of getting right to work, Kagome spent a little time reading in the miko texts about shields. She was surprised to discover that shimenawa rope, in addition to its traditional uses, was a good basis for a permanent barrier. She wouldn't be able to set up anything right away, since she would first need to get some shimenawa, and bless it and put it up, but it was nice to know that she'd be able to within the next couple of days. Kagome spent the rest of the day tiding up the visitors' area, cleaning out the purification trough and getting it running again, and making sure everything was spotless. She made sure to keep her bow and arrows within reaching distance, and left for home before it got too dark. She made it home safely and ate dinner, wondering about what would happen tonight, and wondering why nothing had happened to first night.
It was quiet as she lay in bed, a light blanket thrown over her bow and arrows. She wasn't going to let some paltry little ghost or whatever it was get the best of her.
This last attack started with moans and groans and clattering of chains. Kagome's grip tightened as she listened. She could hear indistinct voices crying out, and talking between themselves. Then she heard large footsteps coming through her house, and the sliding of panels as whatever it was seemed to search for her. Kagome quietly slid from the bed, and readied her bow and arrows, aiming towards the door. Soon she could begin to make out words.
"Tasty human flesh. I hear a terrified heart beat. My prey waits for me. What to start with? The delicate little fingers with the bones crunching in my mouth? An eyeball to suck the juices from? A bloody tongue? Oh, it all sounds so good! A feast tonight! I've been so hungry! Haven't feed in months…need food…"
Talk about seriously disgusting. Finally, the haunt opened the door of Kagome's bedroom (the one to the left of the living room). It was huge, filling the entire doorway. It looked like a raw, bloody thing that dripped blood. Its red eyes that seemed to cry tears of blood gleamed in the darkness. Its mouth opened in a grin, but before it could take another step, Kagome stood up, aimed, and shot it through the heart with a glowing arrow.
The monster burst into pieces as a shriek of terror filled the air. Kagome thought she heard small footsteps scurrying away, but passed it off as her imagination. She turned on the lights to see no mess of the floor. That was one good thing to say about purification-no mess to clean up. Kagome gave a smile that was only slightly gloating, slid her door shut, climbed into bed, and slept throughout the rest of the night.
In another part of the shrine, the last haunt was trembling where it stood. "It was horrible. It's a monster! A miko! She shot an arrow through the heart of my illusion and I'm lucky she didn't realize I was a bit lower, controlling it! I could have been killed!"
The other haunts looked at the third disdainfully. "Miko are a myth. They died out ages ago. Stop pulling our legs. Just admit you lost like we did."
"It's the truth!" the third one protested.
"Whatever. Let's just go home. This place is a bust," the first one said, "We need to make a report."
The next day Kagome woke up smiling. She'd lasted the third night. She'd won. She'd broken the curse. The rest of the week was spent finishing her work. She made all the things a shrine would need for visitors, set up shimenawa, partially for the shrine, and also so her low-level barrier would be set up. She spent as much of her time as she could getting the grounds into shape. By the end of the week, the shrine, while not yet at its former state of glory, was at least of a condition to entertain visitors.
While researching shields, Kagome found an interesting entry in her miko texts about shikigami. She'd known those two young miko that Tsubaki had tricked into helping her employed them, but she'd never thought about making her own. She spent a couple hours every night working on making shikigami. The highest level shikigami could resemble humans, be given a small amount of miko energy, and had enough intelligence that without spiritual powers, you wouldn't know they weren't real. If she could figure it out, instead of only being able to keep the shrine open during the hours when she wasn't at school or doing whatever Sesshoumaru was going to have her doing, she'd be able to leave one or two in charge while she was in school, and have them help her take care of the shrine. So far, the biggest she'd been able to make was a small dog, but according to the texts, all she had to keep doing was trying to make bigger and more complex shikigami until she could make human-like companions. When she got more advanced, she could make all sorts of creatures. It was actually fascinating.
She put up some flyers announcing the opening of Toshiharu Shrine from about 4-8 Monday night. Her uniform for the school had been delivered a few days ago, and a letter from the principal requested that she come early to talk to him. She was also sent a map, and the school grounds looked huge. What was the point of having such an enormous school? Rich people could be so ridiculous sometimes. This was partially evidenced by the ridiculous uniform she was to wear. She still had no idea why Sesshoumaru choose this school. She hadn't been able to get a hold of him with the number she'd been given. Stupid Sesshoumaru. Only showing up when he wished.
All too soon, it was Monday morning, Kagome was dressed in the new (and uncomfortable) uniform, and on her way to school. She stopped at the entrance way to the school, gaping slightly at the size. It really was way too big. She looked around, glad that no one was really here yet since it was so early, and made her way to the office. She had a major case of nerves (after all, what were a few demons compared to peer pressure? At least it was possible to purify demons, but you couldn't do anything about other teens). It was with a large gulp she stepped into the office of the high school principal. She did not have a good feeling about this.
End Chapter One.
Before going to my research notes, I'd like to thank wikipedia, , and a few other sites I can't currently remember the names of for having this information available. I'd also like to note that I am not sure whether there is an actual Shrine-keepers Organization that provides funding and help makes sure that shrine across Japan are staffed and running properly, but I think it makes sense that there would be some sort of an organization for that type of thing.
Note 1: Ouran High School Host Club takes place in Bunkyo, one of twenty-three special wards of Tokyo. Basically, a special ward is like a mini-city within the larger city, with its own mayor and everything. Also, Tokyo covers more then the twenty-three special wards. So, while Kagome never technically moves from Tokyo, from what I understand, it is quite possible for Kagome to be living quite some distance from her former home. For further information, please consult wikipedia, which is where I got my information from.
Note 2: I have trouble looking up Japanese words other then baby names, so the closest thing I could get to a name was Toshiharu, which the baby name website defined as "Genius Peace." Whether that's right or not, at the time I was tired and just wanted to go ahead and pick out a name. If any have a more accurate shrine name that means peace, please let me know and I'll consider it.
Note 3: Torri gates are the gates marking an entrance to a shrine. Komainu are the stone guardians at the entrance, usually dogs but occasionally foxes. A purification trough is kind of like how you go into a Catholic church and there is blessed water which you dip your hands in and cross yourself. However, with a purification trough you take a ladle, dip water, and rinse your hands to purify them. Traditionally, you also pour some water into your hands and clean your mouth out, spitting the water out to the side, but most people don't do that anymore. I'm not really surprised.
Note 4: Ofuda, which are used for banishing demons in Inuyasha, are actually traditionally used to bless houses-for instance, depending on what you get, attract or deflect certain things. Omamori are like mini ofuda that are kept in an unopened bag, and are more of a one person, rather then a dwelling, thing. Omikuji are papers that have fortunes that range from basically really good luck to really bad luck. Bad luck/curses are tied onto a shrine tree, and good fortunes are kept. Ema are generally wooden plates with a picture that you write your request on, and hang up on a rack at the shrine. They are generally available at a shrine, however from what I understand you can also bring your own and hang it. It is believed best if the picture corresponds to your wish. Shimenawa are the ropes with the squiggly pieces of paper hanging from them that marks the boundary to a sacred place as well as being used to show something is sacred, like being tied around a special tree or rock.
I have a question for anyone who might know. What do shrine-keepers do with monetary offering to the shrine's kami? I'm going to guess that it goes towards shrine-upkeep, and the shrine-keeper has to keep records and everything, but if anyone knows for sure, please let me know!
Okay. Now that all that is over, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Unfortunately, it was mostly set up. We'll start to get more into the actual story next chapter, so I hope to see you again then. As always, reviews are appreciated and lovingly saved.