Hi everyone! And now, I present Chapter 2 of Shattered! This is where you get to meet my original character. Well, one of them, at least. ^^

Enjoy!


Chapter 2: Madison

Meanwhile, in the present era, Kagome was sitting at the bottom of the well, knees clutched to her chest. She still didn't completely understand why Inuyasha had done what he had done, but she couldn't lie to herself: She had sort of guessed that this was going to happen. But deep down, she had sort of hoped that maybe Inuyasha would change his mind and pick her, rather than Kikyo.

What had she been thinking? Kagome had known all along that he would pick Kikyo over her. Where else could he disappear to in the evenings, if he wasn't with Kikyo?

Swallowing hard, Kagome picked herself up off the ground and began climbing up the rusty ladder, taking with her the yellow backpack and the pink bicycle. Half an hour later, she was finally out and began to walk towards the place where her house stood.

"Kagome!" her mother greeted when she entered. "You're back! How's-?" She stopped short when she saw her daughter's tear-stained face. "Darling," she asked with a worried expression. "What's wrong?"

Kagome bit her lip and said nothing.

Understanding what must have happened, Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "It's alright, dear." she said. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Kagome nodded stiffly. "Thanks, mom."

"Oh!" cried her mother suddenly. "Before I forget, Madison called while you were away." The woman smiled. "She said she had something really exciting to tell you."

Kagome perked up. It wasn't very often that she got the chance to talk to Madison, because of the fact that she lived in England while Kagome lived in Japan. Due to the long distance, the girls could only talk on the phone about once a month.

When they were younger, Madison had been Kagome's very best friend. She had been born in London, but moved to Tokyo when she was seven because of her dad's job. However, in her and Kagome's fourth year of elementary school, Madison had been forced to move back to England- also because of her father's job. By then, though, she was already friends with Kagome and the two would exchange emails often. Every now and again, usually in the summertime, Madison would get on an airplane and fly over to Japan to pay her friend a visit. When this happened, she and Kagome would spend every waking moment together, always at one another's side.

"Thank you," Kagome said to her mom. "I'll be sure to call her back." And with that, she turned around and went upstairs to her room. Once there, the schoolgirl sighed and flopped down onto her bed. The thought of talking to her friend brightened her mood somewhat, but she still couldn't get over her unhappiness at what had just happened.

Lifting herself off the bed, Kagome walked out into the hallway. She decided to return her friend's call now rather than later, or else it might be a long time before Madison got any response whatsoever. Like clockwork, she punched Madison's number into the telephone and waited silently for someone to pick up.

Two rings later, a little girl's voice, light and airy, greeted her. "Hello?"

"Hi Lily, this is Kagome." Kagome said to the girl, Madison's six-year-old sister. "Is your sister there?"

"Yep!" Lily replied joyfully. "Just a second!" Kagome smiled to herself when she heard the child set down the phone, her tiny feet scampering off to find her big sister. A few minutes later, another girl's voice came on the line. This one was different from the first one; it was much thinner, with just a hint of a British accent.

"Hello?"

Kagome's grin widened. "Hi Madison, this is Kagome."

"Kagome!" cried Madison on the other end. "It's you! Wow, I haven't heard from you in so long! How are you doing?"

"Honestly," frowned Kagome. "Not so well."

"Why?" Madison furrowed her brow as she spoke. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Yes." Kagome sighed unhappily.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Madison said sympathetically. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know." sighed Kagome.

"Are you sure?" asked the English girl as she toyed with a lock of her short blonde hair. "I don't mind at all."

"Well…" For a moment, Kagome was hesitant to talk about Inuyasha and Kikyo being together. In no time, however, she soon found herself pouring out the entire story, trying desperately to fight the tears she knew were coming.

"So," said Madison when Kagome had finished talking. "He left you for that dead priestess girl? No wonder you seem so upset!"

Kagome didn't say anything, but only responded with a single, quiet sniff. "It was pretty bad," she finally admitted.

Madison frowned angrily as her mind began to race. "Well," she said at last. "When I had spoken to you before, you mentioned that you and Inuyasha had been having some problems with your relationship recently. Is that true?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah," she said, recalling the time she had told her friend all about her adventures in the Feudal Era and her silver-haired boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend now. she thought glumly.

"Forget him, Kagome." Madison declared fiercely. "You deserve a much better man than that bastard, got it?"

"Alright," replied Kagome. "You're right, he…" She swallowed hard. "He doesn't deserve me."

Madison grinned. "That's the spirit!" she encouraged. "Now then, let's forget about him, and move on to happier topics, shall we? You will never guess what I am about to tell you! Go on, guess!"

Kagome pondered for a moment. "You're getting a pet?" she deduced.

Madison shook her head. "Nope. Try again."

"You're going on a trip?" Kagome speculated.

Madison giggled. "You're getting warmer."

"Hmm…" Kagome wracked her brains for a moment, before finally responding. "You're coming here?" she asked.

"Yes!" came Madison's excited reply. "But it's not for a vacation. I'm going to be going to school!" Her smile widened. "Your school!"

"Really?" Kagome's face broke into a smile. "That's great, Madison! Where are you going to be staying?"

"With you!" Madison shrieked joyfully. "Our mums have talked it over, and yours said that it was just fine! If you don't mind, that is."

"Of course I don't mind!" cried Kagome. "Not at all! When are you coming?"

"About two weeks from now," came Madison's reply. "I can't wait!"

"Two weeks?" asked Kagome. "Wow…" she said quietly, for it seemed like a very short time away. Then, a thought flashed through her mind. "Maybe when you come, you might be able to meet the others."

"You mean your friends from the Feudal Era?" questioned Madison. "I'd love to! But," she raised an eyebrow. "I thought that only you were able to go there."

"I know," Kagome exhaled silently. "But I think they'd really like you. I'll find a way."

"Okay then," replied Madison. She then heard a familiar voice call out her name. "I have to go now, Kagome." said the blonde girl. "Mum wants me to finish packing."

"All right," answered Kagome. "See you when you come!"

"Bye, Kagome." Madison said, before hanging up the phone in her bedroom.

In her own house, Kagome went back to her room and smiled happily to herself.

I can't wait until Madison comes! she thought. Gee, I wonder what the others will think of her…?


So, what do you guys think of Madison so far? Do you like her? Please tell me what you think, reviews are greatly appreciated. :)

Ja ne peoples!

~BlueSilverPandas