A Paradoxal Mistake

Summary: When Kagome's three friends Eri, Ayumi and Yuka come to visit and study with her at the shrine, one of them takes a peculiar interest in the small jar of pink jewel shards on Kagome's computer desk.

A/N: Meh, I'm not quite sure what I'm doing with this, was just an idea to play with. Chapter length may vary, but expect short ones – so perhaps a drabble.

Chapter One: Discover.

It was falling into the late afternoon on a particularly lazy day. It was the day after one of their major examinations in math studies, leaving Kagome some amount of time in the future. She had requested her usual three days off, one to study, one to take the exam, and one to see her friends and restock on medicinal supply and ninja food for her feudal friends. Currently she was on day three and the sun was beginning to stray low in the sky, cascading all shades of yellow and orange across the concrete pathways of the ancient shrine that her family lived in.

"Was that math exam hard or what?" Yuka groaned, tossing her head back and running her fingertips through her hair making sure to use her fingernails on her scalp. Releasing a pleasurable sigh after wards, she replaced her disarrayed yellow headband and shot a glance towards Kagome. As per usual one sat on the bed, one in the chair at the desk and two upon the tatami flooring.

"Yeah," chimed in two of three remaining girls, the silent one tilting her head and arching a curious brow at her friends.

"You guys thought it was hard?" Ayumi asked a little dumb founded, as though the exam had been the easiest test in the whole of all examinations.

Kagome's face blanched at her intelligent female comrade and she shook her head, truly wishing that exams came to her so easily. Being in the feudal era for the majority of her days and feigning illness to her friends really had lowered her education standards. If she passed this exam with a mildly satisfactory grade she would jump for joy, however with the questions that she barely understood yesterday it was likely that that was not going to be the case. In order to change the subject, Kagome stood from her place on her computer chair and clapped her hands together cheerfully. "I will get tea before you have to leave." With that she vanished out of her incredibly pink bedroom.

Yuka raised both eyebrows and frowned. "Y'think Kagome did well on that exam even with all of her sicknesses this month?" She gossiped, taking a good hard look around the room to avoid the looks her friends would give her for predicting Kagome's bad grade. Her risen eyebrows lowered and furrowed at the sight of something glimmering in the fading sunlight on the desk to her right. The sun caught and reflected off of the small corked jar which held four small pieces of the Shikon no Tama, making Yuka stare curiously.

"I think she will do fine! Being ill gives her a lot of time to lay in her bed and study." Ayumi said defensively, rolling her eyes at her negative friend whilst Eri simply gave a light giggle at the situation transpiring between the two of them. Yuka just sighed and crawled from her Indian-style sitting position on to the computer chair, nosily plucking the small jar of shards up from the desk and looking at them while Eri and Ayumi distracted themselves into a conversation.

"Wonder what these are…" Yuka mumbled to herself quietly, using one of her fingernails to tug the miniscule cork out of the small jar. She shook one of the shards into the palm of her hand and set the jar back down, peering at the tiny thing.

"Aiiiieeeee! You guys! Could someone open the door, this tray needs two hands!" Came Kagome's distressed cry from the other side of the bedroom door. Quickly going to Kagome's aid were Eri and Ayumi, while Yuka flushed and shoved the shard into her pocket, barely having enough time to toss the cork back into the jar and set it aside before Kagome emerged with four cups of steamy green tea and a small plate of home-made cookies.

"Arigato for the tea, Kagome-chan!" Yuka said, smiling cheerfully.

Word Count: 654.