Blanket Disclaimer:

This work is my own, but I am in no way shape or form am getting profit from writing this. Inuyasha belongs to its creator and publisher. I am merely a fan who enjoys imagining other situations with the beloved characters. Please do not copy and pass it off as your own.

Thank you, and enjoy the ride…


Large amber eyes danced a mere inch from in front of her face. They were like fire, glowing with an intensity that was utterly hypnotizing, despite being so utterly terrifying. The effect was much like how the light of an angler fish dazes its prey before the kill. Kagome found that she was paralyzed with fear, unable to even take a breath. Nothing in her experience could have prepared her for this singular moment. This was true terror. This was the equivalent to watching a tidal wave crest just above one's head. This was seeing the trigger of a gun, aimed straight at one's heart being pulled. These were the eyes of the one that would kill her. This would be the last thing she would glimpse before the end. This…

…was not how things should have gone… it was supposed to be a parlor trick… a show, and nothing more. A joke. Harmless. Funny. Proof that she wasn't as timid as her friends thought she was.

The thing, her executioner's mouth turned upwards in a smile, revealing fangs. Its hot breath made the soft, tiny hairs on her neck flutter, causing her to shudder. Once the tremor started, she found that her body wouldn't stop shaking in pure fright. The flaming eyes started to fade as the darkness of the room started consume her vision. The black candles she had lit extinguished in a soft, yet icy breeze. She could feel herself blacking out. The sensation of weightlessness… falling over backwards. The firmness of a female chest. Her name being called by a familiar voice.


"Kagome!"

The teenager turned upon hearing her name being called from behind her. Curious, she looked for the source of the voice in the crowd of departing students. School had ended roughly ten minutes ago, so the amount of foot-traffic in the area was high. Squinting, she was able to scan the sea of faces for the familiar visage of her friend, Eri. However, she didn't need to look for long; a girl with a bobbed haircut and smile was purposefully jogging towards her.

"Hey!" Kagome yelled back with an answering smile blossoming from her cheeks. "What's up?" The friend laughed and locked her elbow around the girl; both spun from the recoil, laughing more. Their friendship was effortless. Eri was a pragmatist, and prone to spontaneity. Kagome on the other hand was much more passive, but always supportive. Often more than not, Eri would initiate an exciting adventure with her trusty, but quite sidekick friend. Despite only knowing each other for only about two and a half years, they were the best of friends.

"How do you think you did on that math quiz?" Eri chuckled, nudging the girl in the side playfully.

"I hope I did okay… I spent a good three hours last night studying but-" Kagome sighed only to be interrupted.

"By that, you mean staring at the same page for so long, the numbers become squiggles and you fall asleep?" the short haired girl laughed knowingly.

"…shut up. You know me too well. Anyway… What I was saying was that it felt like the material that he told us to study was completely different than what was actually on the test…" Kagome again sighed, though it was with more dramatics and humor.

"You better have done well, because I totally cheated off of you on the second page…"

"Eri!" she whispered angrily, pushing her friend off her arm.

"What can I say? It was totally impossible…" Eri laughed as she skipped a few paces ahead, out of reach from the wrath of her friend. However, Kagome had predicted her escape, and started to run after the lovable traitor. Her prey turned around to face her, sticking out her tongue as she ran backwards—

-and backed into a poor student. In a tumble of books and loose papers, the two high school girls stumbled and hit the ground. When Kagome caught up, she was glad to note that no skin had been torn on the pavement.

"Eri, I swear, you need to look where you're going for once." She said with the loving scorn of a worried mother.

"You know I don't like to think and plan ahead…" Eri laughed, but it was tinged with regret. "Uh… hey, s-sorry about that." She muttered, turning to the other girl who was the unfortunate victim of her energetic personality.

"…It's fine." She replied in an extremely quiet voice. Despite the fact that it was the summer semester, she was wearing the long sleeved winter version of their school's uniform. Curiously, Kagome couldn't place a name on the girl, either, which was a very strange thing. Although their school was large, Kagome's memory for recalling names was notable. Combined with the fact that this stranger wasn't dressed as the rest of the students….

"…..are you new to this school?" she said, voicing her thoughts as she bent down to help her collect the dropped items. The girl nodded, causing inky black locks to fall in front of her face. All in all, she was pretty adorable in a sort of grown-up way. Her hair was cut in a hime style, with the straight bangs and short forelocks, yet the main body of it cascaded down her back gracefully. With a bit of a pout, Kagome noted that her bust was much fuller than hers, despite being thinner and leaner than herself.

All three of them proceeded to pick up the books in an awkward silence, until Eri, being the hyper girl she was, overcame that nervousness and broke the barrier.

"Say, why don't we take you out somewhere nice as an apology, since you're new and stuff. We could show you one of our haunts and induct you into our little group?"

"Group?" Kagome echoed with curiosity. "It's really just us two … and Yuka and Ayumi occasionally, if they're not off with their boyfriends…." She frowned. The two absent girls had hit the boy-crazy stage, unfortunately. While Yuka had a different boy every week, Ayumi had found a nice guy and had been going stead for roughly half a year now – that half a year being the beginning of the current school year, that is.

"Uh-" the stranger began to say, only to be cut off by Eri.

"Oh HEY!" she exclaimed, before starting to giggle. "Here I am making plans, and I don't even know your name!"

"S-Sango…." The beautiful girl muttered, slightly startled by Eri's seemingly endless enthusiasm.

"Great! Now that we know your name, we should go to Micky Dee's and get some burgers together. My treat, naturally." She said, grinning as she stood.

Kagome only sighed, a smile on her lips. How typical. She extended a hand out to Sango and gave her back the papers she had collected. Eri followed suit, and returned the book to the new girl, all the while looking expectantly at her.

"…um… sure." She answered the (demand)… offer to hang out together as she traded the materials back into her messenger bag for a cell-phone. "Let me just, ah, tell my guardian…"

"…you get used to it." Kagome laughed. Eri was fun, but it was somewhat stressful if you weren't used to her go-to-it attitude.

"I heard that." The energetic girl pouted, only to have her face morph into one of insight and glee. "I'll call up Yuka and Ayumi in the meantime to see if they can go. The more the merrier!"

Kagome smiled as the two girls carried on their conversations on their respective phones.

Tonight was looking like it would be fun.


Roughly twenty minutes later, Sango, Kagome, Eri, Ayumi and her boyfriend, Hojo, arrived at the closest Mc Donald's. It was a fun place to go, cheap American food, fun atmosphere, and fast service. For a casual hangout after school, it was the ideal place to go and just sit and talk.

"So then I ran into her, (quite literally), and now she's part of the group!" Eri smiled, nudging the shoulder of the blushing girl next to her.

"H-hi." Sango said, looking at the couple across the booth from her. Kagome had opted in pulling up a chair so that they could all sit together without having three to a bench and being squished.

Ayumi frowned at her shyness. "Eri. You scaring the poor girl." She chuckled with gentleness in her voice. Hojo echoed the laugh and shook his head in the humor of it all. "So are you new to Tokyo? Your dialect seems a bit more formal than what we're used to."

"Ah.. yes, actually." Sango replied, the tint in her cheeks fading to an adorable shade of pink that elegantly matched her eye-shadow. "But my, um, formality comes from my father… and, well, because it's the first time I have spoken with you all."

Eri put her arm around the new girl. "We don't mind or anything!" she giggled. "It's so damned –cute- to listen to, anyway." It may have seemed odd to be so physically affectionate to the newcomer, but it was just like Eri to be so forward. She wasn't one to half-ass anything, really. "So!" she exclaimed, "I have a shit ton of work to do tonight, but seeing as it's Friday… do you guys want to have a sleepover tomorrow night? We could go shopping Sunday togeth-Oh! How about the Ten-Nine? SANGO. Oh!" Eri yipped, grabbing the girl next to her by the shoulders. "We have to take you out shopping now. I mean, Shibuya is the spot for fashion!"

Hojo outright laughed at the woman's antics. "Count me out… on both accounts. No makeover-sleepover nail painting parties and shop-till you drop days for me. Besides, I think my mom wanted me to run some errands for her this weekend."

Eri shot him a look, but then stuck her tongue out in a very childish manner. "Well, we don't want any icky boys anyway, right Sango dear?" she said as she played with her new friend's long hair.

Said new friend looked over at Kagome with fear in her eyes that clearly said: "Help me."

"Hey, I got the treatment too." Kagome replied to the unspoken plea with a bit of a chuckle, holding up her hands in surrender. "She'll calm down after a few days, but until then, you're going to be pampered like a hime-sama."

"Well… fuck." Sango attempted to pout, but there was a trace of a grin in her face.

"Fuck? Fuck?" Eri jumped slightly, aghast that such a word came out of the pretty girl, causing the whole table to erupt in giggles yet again.

..this is the life, Kagome thought as giggles seeped through her system.

"Ano… speaking of shopping, would you all like to visit my guardian's boutique? It's a pretty strange place, if you ask me, but I think you all would enjoy it." Sango shyly suggested once the laughter died down.

"Sure!" Ayumi smiled warmly. "Where is it?"

"Not too far from here, actually." Sango answered happily.

"Well, we'll sleep over Yuka's apartment. It's closer, and probably bigger than anyone else's place… no offense, but her mom's loaded! Plus, since she skipped out this time, it's the least she can do to host another girls' night. I mean, it's not like she dislikes doing it either – her and her mom love pampering and relaxing."

"She's loaded?" Sango questioned. It wasn't out of jealousy or any other ill intent, but rather just simple curiosity.

"Yup!" Eri answered, even though it wasn't directed to her. "You know how the Gap's Japanese headquarters is here?"

"N-no?"

"Welp, she's one of the main designer slash ambassador of sorts for them who reps Japan… y'know, penthouse, trips to San Francisco for meetings…"

"It's not as glorious as you make it out to be, Eri…" Ayumi blushed, feeling slightly weird about talking about someone who wasn't there.

"Pssht. Glorious or not, I want to be that fucking glamorous when I am an adult, that's fer sure." Eri giggled. "Whether I have to climb a ton of stairs to get there, or of I just have to marry rich, I don't really care."

Hojo suddenly turned and tapped his girlfriend on the shoulder. "Are we going shopping today or tomorrow? You have to watch over your little brother tonight."

"Auugh! You're right. Why don't you guys go on ahead to your folks shop today, and we'll do the Ten-Nine center tomorrow?"

Eri stroked her chin dramatically, earning a giggle from Kagome. "….hnn….. fine. Just, uh, can you call Yuka for me and arrange for tomorrow night's little outing and shit?"

"Sure thing." Ayumi smiled, pulling out her cell phone.

"Allllrighty then." Kagome said as she began to gather their trash and stand up. "Are we off, then?" she asked.

"Sure, sure. I'll lead the way." Sango smiled.

….this seemed like it could be the start of a beautiful friendship.


The store was a lot more hip and stylish than Eri had originally thought. When Sango said, "Antique", she had pictured dusty vases, moth eaten kimonos, and old punch telephones that you had to spin the dial in order to enter a number. She hadn't thought it would be like… this. The ceiling lights were of the hanging type, and pretty ornate, too. They were encased with ornate blue glass that shaded the direct light from the bulb, in order to create interesting patterns on the tiled slate floor. They sold a variety of clothing, artifacts, and decorative items. Blouses modeled after traditional clan patterns were displayed next to a very modern and stylish kimono that was paired with a rather austere style of obi. All in all, the place was an upscale decorating boutique for those who had an eye for traditional Japanese beauty. The cheaper trinkets they did have were of the gift-y kind. Fun voodoo kits that included a history of mythology revolving around magic that used pieces of someone to inflict good or evil. A "how to style bonsai" book. A collection of artful photographs of Japan's coastline.

"Wow." Was all Eri could say.

"I hope that means you like it…" Sango blushed. After having such a wonderful time together at the restaurant, she wanted to make them smile.

"Like it? I love it. Not quite my style, 'cause I'm more into the new-age stuff, but this place is absolutely sweet. Like, if my mom ever makes me go shopping for traditional wear ever again, I'm definitely coming here. I hated those dusty, old, stiff-and-formal places. This is much more up my alley… and great location, too."

Sango beamed at the praise.

Meanwhile, Kagome had taken to wandering the store with interest. Due to the fact that her family was born and raised into tending the Meiji Shrine for generations, she had quite an eye for the traditional. If only she wasn't stuck wearing miko garbs all the time, she would totally not mind sporting that cute, navy blue yukata over there…

"May I help you, miss?" an older, male voice called from behind a nearby counter.

"Hn? Oh. I'm just browsing. Sango brought us here." Kagome bowed politely to the elder man.

"Ahhh… see anything you like? I know it doesn't seem like the usual place for teenagers…" He trailed off, looking clearly distraught about his shop. It was a risky move to put a place so rooted in the 'old', in a setting so focused on the 'now'.

"Oh! No, no. I actually love this sort of stuff; my grandfather, mother, and I all sort of work at Meiji Shrine so…" Kagome said with a polite smile. The man in fact reminded her much of her grandfather. Same Confucius-style mustache, same hunched over stance.

"Is that so?" He brightened visibly, relieved to know that the younger generation found his venue interesting. She nodded, and went back to ambling about the store. A book caught her eye, "Incantations for a Girls' Night".

….Well I'll say…

Upon skimming it, the little instruction book seemed like the perfect thing for the get-together the next night. Some of the chapters were titled, "How to Summon the Dead, (Not really)", and were all about party tricks or scary stories to frighten and entertain others. It was a joke book, but the "spells" seemed pretty hilarious. "Spin thrice in a circle. If this doesn't make you dizzy, spin more. If you can't get dizzy, simply get the friend drunk first. This trick relies the sensation of falling…"

Knowing how much of a closet scaredy-cat Eri was….. she just had to get it.

"Find an old thing… it can be anything from a rusted pocket watch to an old pipe to even a hairbrush, and claim it to be the belonging of someone who is dead. Place it in the center of the ring of guests and repeat this phrase, each time making different hand motions. TIP: if you cannot come up with believable hand signs, simply act as if you were drawing the first few basic katakana you learned, or even the American alphabet."

Looking up from her book, she happened to gaze upon a rather tattered looking katana that appeared roughly five hundred or so years old, judging from the style of the hand guard. Hm. The price tag was surprisingly cheap, considering how nice the sheath looked to be. Upon pulling it out, though, she found the blade to be nearly rusted into oblivion. So that was why it was so inexpensive.

"...old thing…"

"…it can be anything…."

"…belonging of someone who is dead…"

Although she wasn't known for being the conniving, evil type, Kagome's mind was planning a very mischievous little plan. When the night ended, she could always give the sword to her grandfather as he, (as Eri would put it), "ate that shit up" whenever he found anything that looked old.

With the two items in hand, she made her way over to the elderly man, a Cheshire cat-like grin adorning her features.

…this was going to be fun.