Summary - Karei Higurashi is the younger twin of Kagome, but she couldn't be anymore different. Still, much like her sister, her destiny lies within the time of The Fedual Era, but her path is intertwined with that of a certain Demon Lord.
Disclaimer - I Do Not Own Inuyasha.
Lounging comfortably against the wooden pole that stood at the top of the many shrine steps, 15 year old girl had a large open pad resting against the bent knees, a slender hand holding a pencil that was going across the paper skillfully: a blossom tree was slowly forming on the paper.
Raven hair fell down to just below her small shoulders loosely, her fringe was pulled over to the right and fell down to just below her cheekbone, her eyes were bi-coloured: one a stunning sapphire, the other a sterling silver, and she had a soft oval face.
Her name was Rei Higurashi, and today she had turned 15. Although, she was not the only person in the Higurashi house-hold to turn 15; her twin Kagome had aswell.
Kagome Higurashi was older than her by ten minutes, as their mother had told them, and she had also seemed to get the nicer personality of the twins. While she was happy, out-going, bubbly and friendly.
Rei was not. She was more reserved, not so much that it was worrying, she was quiet and she did not have many friends. She could also draw very good, while Kagome could not even draw a stick person correctly.
The young teen sighed and looked up at the sky, wondering what time it was, since she was sure she had been out here a while, and she knew that she had come out at about 8:00am.
" Rei-chan! " called a soft feminine voice from behind her, in the direction of the house part of the shrine.
Looking to her side, in the direction of the voice, Rei saw her kind-faced mother standing at the door of the shrine, that permanent warm and motherly smile on her lips. " Hai? " she said, her voice soft and slightly bell-like.
" Can you go and find your sister? " said Kita Higurashi, " she went to find Buyo and she has to leave for school in...ten minutes! "
Sighing, Rei stood up, brushing herself off with one hand, since the other held her drawing pad and pencil, before she walked over to the mother. " Buyo is a cat, and cats like to explore, why can't she leave him alone? " Honestly, maybe the cat was going for a jog, Kami know's that the fat cat needed it.
Kita smiled in a gentle sort of amusement, " you know your sister, if Buyo is not in the house eating or sleeping, she automatically thinks that he's lost or stuck somewhere. "
" In the Well House again? " Rei said knowingly, handing the drawing pad to her mother, " I'll be back in a couple of minutes, kaa-san. " With that, she began the ever so familiar trek to the well house.
The reason that it was only Kagome that attended school was because that Rei had left just a little over a year ago, due to the fact that she got terrible headaches, almost migranes, from being in a crowded place. Instead, she was now home-schooled, with her mother setting her work for the day; she would only return to school when it was time for the exams.
Yawning, she decided that when she had found Kagome, she was going to go back to bed. She had only got up this early because the tree she had been drawing, one that was in the front garden of someone on the street, looked the best in the morning light.
Just as she neared the small wooden building that contained the well, she paused, feeling a familiar tingle run through her, one that she had always called her ' Twin Senses ' tingle.
Then a scream came.
Rei broke into a run, her trainer clad feet thumping against the floor, and as soon as she reached the door, she threw it open, and she froze.
Kagome was on the inside of the well, grasping tightly at the stone edge, and her face was an expression of pure fright and confusion. " Rei-chan! " she shouted in a panic.
Throwing caution to the wind, even though she felt a certain danger coming from inside that well, Rei ran over to the well, immediately clamping her hands around her sister's wrists. " Just give me a minute, Kagome, " she said, trying to pull her sister up.
The drop in the well was not high, but it was at least a good ten feet, a fall that would most certainly break one or two of Kagome's bones.
Taking a risky peek into the well, bi-coloured eyes widened in absolute shock when they saw a large catterpillar like body wrapped around Kagome's waist, many legs flaying angrily.
" Nani? " Rei said, giving an extra tug, but the hold the strange and unusually large catterpillar body had on her sister's waist seemed to be unbreakable. " Kuso! "
It was then that the catterpillar body gave a sharp tug on Kagome's waist, which made the older twin let go of the side of the well, but she grasped desparately at her sister's smaller hands, " help me, Rei-chan! "
The strength of the two was not enough, and the strange thing pulled Kagome, causing the girl to scream as she was pulled into the darkness of the well.
Slightly wide-eyed, Rei only managed a quiet gasp as she realized that she was still holding Kagome's hands, and that meant only one thing...she did not have the chance to grab anything as she too was pulled into darkness.
It was maybe two seconds later that Kagome and Rei noticed that they were no longer in the well house, but they were also not inside of the well, as Rei had been expecting a rather painful landing on the floor.
Instead, the two seemed to be floating in what could only be described as a huge mass of darkness, one that was lit up by two small lights on either side of them.
It was then that Rei saw what had pulled her and her sister into this darkness.
It was a large bug, or so it looked like it, with a large centipede body, but strangely enough, it's upper body resembled that of a human female.
" Rei-chan, " Kagome said, making a grab at her sister's hand, and she was successful as she pulled her younger twin to her side. She may be scared, but she was the older sister, and it was an older sibling's duty to protect the younger.
The centipede/woman snarled at the two, " I am Mistress Centipede, and I require that pretty little jewel you have! "
Rei's eyes widened; had that thing just spoke?
" We don't have a jewel! " Kagome squeaked, her sapphire orbs wide in shock.
Mistress Centipede let loose a furious snarl. " You lie, human! you dare lie to Mistress Centipede? "
" I'm not lying! " Kagome said, shaking her head violently. " I don't have a jewel! "
Rei's eyes narrowed, glaring at the strange bug/woman.
" Do not lie! " Mistress Centipede shrieked, " I can sense it! you have it, human! " Her beady eyes were glaring furiously at Kagome, who flinched back slightly. Her body then whipped around.
The twins hold on eachother's hands was broken as the centipede body came flying at them, and the two jumped apart, just avoiding the body, but Mistress Centipede's upper body came flying at them, and she did something shocking; her face arrived at Kagome's covered side, and razor sharp, glistening teeth, dug into her side, pulling a scream of shock from the girl. The non-human woman ripped back, thick crimson liquid flying, and something glistened within the space of her mouth, before it disappeared with a swallow.
Another swipe had the two of them moving out of the way, but this time, something happened.
Kagome's hands, which had come up to unconsciously shield her face, glowed a bright and pretty blue colour.
Rei's eyes glowed a pure, untainted pink, and the glow soon spread to her body, encasing her like a personal body shield.
Mistress Centipede's eyes widened. " Priestessess! " she shrieked, reeling back in pure horror.
The blue glow from Kagome's hands spread, before the trio were engulfed in the same light, and the darkness evaporated.
Blinking at the sight of the clear, open blue sky, instead of the ceiling of the Well house, Rei felt around her and her fingertips touched what felt like cool stones, and upon inspection, she saw that she was indeed inside the well.
It was impossible, though, unless the ceiling of the Well house had suddenly been removed - which was unlikely - in the time that her and her twin had been unconscious.
Suddenly remembering what had happened, and realizing that it was not some strange dream, Rei looked at her sister, concerned the other girl's safety, and she saw that Kagome was slowly getting to her feet. " Kagome, you're hurt! " she said, her eyes dropping down to the bleeding wound on her sister's hip.
" Hai, " whimpered Kagome, holding a hand to her painful side. It was then that she noticed where they were, " where are we? "
Rei shook her head. " It's the well, but it can't be in the Well house, " she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
" Why? " Kagome said in confusion.
Rei simply pointed up.
Kagome looked up, and blinked. There was no ceiling, where a ceiling should be. " Nani? "
" I thought the same thing, " said the calmer of the twins, and her eyes landed on a thick vine that was crawling up the side of the well, " c'mon. " Looking at the vine, she wedged her foot into a small vine coming off the larger one.
" Wait! " said Kagome, " we don't even know where we are! "
" Which is why, " Rei said, heaving herself onto the massive vine, " it is better that we get out of the well and have a look around, don't you think? and besides, I don't really want to see that woman, bug, thing, again. "
The thought of seeing that strange bug-woman made Kagome hurriedly follow after her sister.
Rei jumped over the edge of the well, her feet thumping against the floor quietly, and she turned around to help Kagome climb out of the well. After she had done that, she turned around to take a look.
The scenerary was beautiful: lush green grass, large oak trees with thick canopies of leaves, and flowers blossomed.
Looking back at the well, she recognised it to be the one that was at her family's shrine, but it somehow looked younger, less worn.
" It's beautiful, " Kagome said in awe, her eyes sweeping the area.
Taking a deep breath, Rei nearly choked at how...clear, the air felt, but a few breaths had her used to it, and she smiled. It was nice here, but something felt, strange.
" What was that thing that attacked us? " Kagome said, looking angry and a bit scared.
Looking over her sister's shoulder, Rei bit her lip. " You mean that thing? " she said lightly.
Kagome turned around, only to see Mistress Centipede looming over them like a giant shadow, " run! "
The two turned and ran as fast as their feet could take them, but Mistress Centipede let out a cackle and followed them.
" Is she bigger? " Rei couldn't help but wonder as she took a glance over her shoulder at the centipede lady, who did indeed look bigger, and she seemed to be getting bigger.
" This is no time to worry about that! " Kagome was sometime jealous of her sister's ability to think straight in some situations, but this time was not one of them.
Rei disagreed; if that centipede lady was growing bigger, then it did not pose a good thing for her and her sister.
The two of them weaved around trees, still hearing the large centipede body slide across the ground, knocking trees down as it went.
After some effort, the two managed to loose Mistress Centipede.
Kagome fell against a tree, her body heaving as she tried to get in large gulps of air.
Rei was less winded, since she had been on the running team at school, but still, she hadn't run like that in over a year, and she bent over, hands on knees, regaining her breath.
Straightening up, Kagome got a glimpse of something that made her freeze.
Half-way up the thick trunk of the tree was a strange, but good looking boy in a red haroi, seemingly pinned to the tree by an arrow. Pure white hair fell from her head, down to his mid-back, and his face was slightly rough looking, but this was not the most strange thing about him; he had two furry white ears on top of his head.
Memorized, she walked towards the tree, and once there, she climbed onto it. " Oh, kawaii, " she whispered, reaching up to the furry little ears.
" Kagome? " Rei said, looking up at her sister, who was now standing at the large tree that looked very familiar to her, like the one she had sat underneath many times growing up.
Still in a kawaii trance, Kagome reached for the ears.
Then, her body tingling, Rei turned around and saw Mistress Centipede sliding in between the trees, pure rage on her face, and she seemed to have grown since they had lost her two minutes ago. " Kagome! " she yelled, ducking behind a tree in an attempt to hide herself.
Whirling around, Kagome's eyes widened, staring at the approaching centipede-woman in horror, and she did not notice the fluffy white ears wiggle behind her. Turning back the boy in the tree, " please help me! " she pleaded, and on impulse, she grasped the arrow and began to pull it.
The arrow gave off some resistance, but with a hard tug, Kagome pulled it from the boy, and it glowed a bright blue.
Eyelids slid open, and wild golden eyes blinked to life.
So, what do you think?
Review please, my darling readers, and make me a very happy writer :P
Phoenix x.