Chapter 1: The Calling
A 17 year old Kagome Higurashi walked around a crowded room filled with relatives and friends of all sorts. Crisp chats and laughing could be heard, filling the room with an undistinguishable static noise.
It was Kagome's graduation party. Her life up to this point had been normal and relatively surprise free. She lived a simple life with her mother, grandfather and younger brother Souta, but today, was her last day as a simple teenager. Within the next few weeks she would be headed to the states to start her new life, she had been accepted to Harvard University and it was not an opportunity that her family was willing to pass up. So hours and hours of hard work and tears later, she had finally manage to scrounge up enough money to last her through the first semester, and hopefully that would be enough time to get some grants or merits to make it through to her Folklore and Mythology degree.
She wandered around the room, smiling and shaking hands, excepting the praises and the tears. This is how it had been for the prodigies entire life, she had done more than most, acing entrance exams and managing to make into Harvard on her first attempt. People envied her, and to be quite honest she hated it. She didn't enjoy the endless admiration over what she had accomplished she did what she did because she enjoyed it, not because she thought it would please anyone. Her mother had always pushed her to peruse what she wanted to do, not to follow what everyone else wanted her to do. Her mother was her rock in everything that she did, and was her greatest role model. It was because of her mother that she selected her rather unethical degree field.
Kagome enjoyed mythology and all things that were associated with it, the tales of dragons and demons along with gods and deities excited her. Growing up on a shrine made her treasure these tales, and they fueled her want to study them.
After a while walking around the crowded room started to put a strain on Kagome, whom quickly left, silently stepping out of the building for some much needed fresh air. The cool early spring breeze ghosted along her skin, bringing goose bumps to her arms. She absentmindedly rubbed them away smiling at the, for once, clear Tokyo sky. The crowded city drew away from the peace that she desperately wished for, the streets filled with people, rushing to get to their destination, taking no time to look around them and to enjoy the subtle beauty that was Tokyo during spring.
"Hurry up and wait," Kagome stated in a hushed mumble to no one in particular. She sighed before smiling, ignoring the cluttered city for a few minutes longer, not wanting to have to go back into an even more crowded area. A small pulse warmed her cold bones as she was about to enter the building again, keeping her from opening the heavy door.
Kagome glanced up at the once blue sky that was now slowly going grey with what looked like storm clouds, the sun too covered to warm her up in the way the pulse did. The pulse wasn't anything that she had felt before. It was like the gentle brush of her mother's hand against her cheek, pulling her attention to it. It was warm, and very, instinctually, and something deep insider of her was dancing along with the subtle warmth, as if telling her to follow the odd energy. The wind picked up slightly and those on the streets picked up their paces to get out of the shifting weather.
She was hit with another pulse, this one stronger than before drawing her attention sharply to her left, like someone was calling out for help, begging to be rescued. The change made her flinch, her body reflexively turning slightly towards the odd feeling. Kagome released the handle in the next instant, walking down the stairs and towards whatever was drawing her in, her instincts telling her that someone was in danger, that someone needed her help. She had never been one to sit silent while someone was being hurt, and that fact often got her into fights she shouldn't be a part of, but it was in her nature to stand up for people, to care for people.
She could be far too trusting sometimes.
She continued to walk towards the ever growing pulse, the weather continuing to worsen as she walked. It gradually grew from a soft drizzle to a hard down poor. The rain was harsh and freezing, pelting her as she paced towards her goal. She could absentmindedly feel people occasionally bump into her, muttering insincere apologies before scurrying on their way, trying to find shelter from the surprise storm.
She came to a stop at the base of long set of familiar stairs. The grand set leading up to her home, to the shrine. The pulse was louder here than anywhere else, and she knew her destination was just out of reach. For a moment she hesitated, such an odd thing that whatever was drawing her in would lead her to her home. She didn't take the first step up the long flight of stairs, but instead stated planted at the bottom, betraying her heart by not investigating the increasingly devastated pulses. A spark rose up inside her, ancient and pure, something that she did not realize was there until it had nearly slapped her in the face, an ancient power that was calling out to the one in need.
'This is ridiculous, everyone is going to question where I am if I don't go back soon,' she though agitatedly, her body swaying to turn in the other direction. She heard it then, the thunderous crack of someone's spirit, the pure emotion of the pulse bringing her to her knees. Something was terribly wrong. Whatever was inside of her bound up, pushing her almost as hard as the pulse did, it wanted to help as much as she did. Her instincts wanted to help, and Kagome had learned to listen to them.
Kagome didn't even glance in the direction of her party as she bound up to her feet, gliding up the stairs in long strides. The wet steps added to her already unfortunate clumsiness causing her to fall forwards as she reached the top, scraping the palms of her hands as well as her knees on the impact. She continued going, jumping to her feet, practically flying towards the source of her madness. In front of the bone eaters well is where she found herself stopped, the normally locked doors slammed open, hitting the sides of the shrine roughly from the hard wind.
Her breathing was heavy as she hesitantly walked forward and down the stairs of the well house until she was standing directly in front of the very open (to her surprise) well. The holy seals that her grandfather had placed were burned to a crisp, some hanging off of the edge of the well, barely holding on. The cover was nowhere to be seen. Her hand reached out and touched the rim of the well, and the pulsing stopped replaced by a soft hum, like an encouragement of some sort. She narrowed her eyes in confusion, questioning why she had been brought here of all places. She went to remover her hand but the well reacted in an almost violent matter, the sheer energy of it holding her to it.
"What do you want me to do?" She asked, not expecting the answer she received, or any answer for that matter. But the well spoke, in a way, in persuaded her to sit on its rim with gentle pulls on her limbs, her legs facing inward towards the center of the well. The message it had been trying to send now quite clear.
Jump.
Kagome sat in shock, unable to comprehend what was happening, how she had gone from completely normal to being dragged around by and inanimate object like she was the new favorite toy. The well pulsed urgently, advising her to continue moving, whatever it wanted her to do had to be done soon. She could feel the distress of not only it, but whatever was awaiting her at the bottom of this well. It called to her, to whatever was inside of her, begging to be rescued. In that moment her mind was set.
"Please don't let this all be a dream. Dying at the bottom of a sadistic well is not how I imagine myself passing on." She murmured to herself before closing her eyes. Her hands gripped the aged wood as she leaned forward just enough to see down the well through slightly cracked eyes, complete darkness awaited her. She gulped back her fears, slamming her eyes shut once again before settling her resolve, and jumping into the darkness.
Authors Note: So, I have been gone a long time, like a really long time, and I know this. I'm sorry to have kept you guys waiting for so long (2 years….) I just haven't had the time or motivation to write. That is, until this fantastic idea came to me. I know I still have a story to finish (as well as revamp the others that I have made as they are atrocious) and that will all come in due time. Please be patient with me, I promise I will get to all of that eventually. For now however, I hope you enjoy this new fic, as well as a slightly updated writing style. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks guys!
ShatteredEffect