Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha! Forgot to add that on my last chapter, but figured

Chapter 1

This future maybe hard to adjust to, but you have to admit, they have some really handy things available Tora's beast mused. It had been two weeks since Tora had shown up in the future, from poking around she found out that she was 500 years in the future from where she originated.

She also found out that there were many things that were at the ready, like food and baths. In those two weeks she, despite trying to keep her distance, had actually grown fond of Kagome. The girl seemed to chatter non-stop but she had a good heart and good intention, when they were together it usually went with Kagome talking and Tora just listening with a small smile of amusement.

They do Tora agreed with her beast as she got dressed, today would be her first day going to 'school' as Kagome put it, they had let her adjust to this new life for two weeks before saying she needed to go to school, much to Tora's dislike. She and her beast both agreed that the school uniform was designed for boys to peak up a girl's skirt, they were to short in her opinion, even for this time.

Grabbing the bag that Kagome had called a backpack, Tora made her way out of the room that had become hers in the past two weeks, it had previously been used for just random storage, but Kagome, Souta, Grandpa, and Kagome's Mother had helped her with moving the boxes and other items to another unused room. They then set up a makeshift bed until they were able to get a hold of an actual bed.

The bed as they called it, had confused Tora as she was used to sleeping on futons, but she wasn't one to complain, as it was comfortable, and plus she had to appear as if she knew what these things were, and so far she was managing to do so, even going to the point where she read the books that Kagome had put into her backpack. Most of the stuff she grasped easily, others not so much.

Tora shook her thoughts away as she slipped into the kitchen, her black hair swinging from it's usually ponytail with the bangs framing her face. Kagome looked up as she entered, her eyes brightening as she smiled at Tora "morning" Kagome said before turning back to her breakfast. Tora couldn't help but smile softly before sitting down as well and digging into the plate that had been set out for her.

The two of them ate in relative quiet until they were both done, then Kagome hummed as she stood up and went to retrieve her backpack "you coming Tora?" She asked over her shoulder. Tora let out a sigh before picking up her own backpack and following her friend, after thanking Kagome's Mother for the food and then exiting the building behind Kagome. And the torture begins She thought sourly to her beast who only hummed in response.

Kagome, like usual, chatted the entire way to the school, only stopping when a group of girls came running up screaming her name in happiness. "Kagome-" One of them started before stopping when they noticed Tora beside their friend. Immediately suspicion came into their eyes "whose this?" one of them piped up. Kagome huffed "this is Tora, she's staying with me" she said with a smile on her face while her friends continued to eye Tora.

Rolling her eyes Tora huffed "I'll see you later Kagome, going to get my schedule" she told her before brushing past her friends roughly "but Tora-" Kagome started before her friends interrupted "who is she? Why is she staying with you?" Tora stopped at the entrance, realizing she didn't know where the office was and huffed again before leaning against the wall, waiting for Kagome to show up.

Unknown to the girls Tora heard everything they were asking as they continued to ask questions about her, but unlike others she was used to people talking about her, being a demon and all, but she still wasn't expecting the next question she heard. "What's wrong with her?" That seemed to set Kagome off as her own voice rose in pitch and was laced with anger. "There is nothing wrong with her!" Kagome snapped at her friends "she is just suffering from losing her family, she is staying with me because her home is gone, and she is a friend of mine!" she growled.

Tora heard one of the girls huff out an irritated breath "but what's with her hair? I haven't seem someone with hair down to their but in a long time. Not to mention the style" her friend asked, not paying attention to the fact that she was pissing her normally cheery friend off, Tora hid her smirk as she heard Kagome huff out a breath of her own as she waited till they stopped talking to then answer the questions with her own answer.

Kagome practically growled at her friends "there is nothing wrong with her hair! Now assuming your done interrogating me about my new friend, I think I'll go help her find the office." Kagome spat at her friends before pushing past them and making her way to Tora, noticing that Tora seemed relax as she gazed around the school grounds, her head tilted. Tora spoke, making sure her voice was even "they were talking about me weren't they?" She asked without a hint of surprise in her voice.

Kagome watched Tora with slightly sympathy, knowing that lying wouldn't help "yes, they were, but don't worry about them. Let's get your schedule" she said, hoping to get Tora's mind off of the girls, thinking that Tora was just hiding her sadness behind a relaxed facade. Tora hummed and followed Kagome, her mind wandering to questions and thoughts about what school is like. Guess we'll find out her beast commented dryly almost making Tora chuckle.

By the time the two of them reached the office Tora had managed to bring herself to the present and stop talking to her beast in order to smile at the principle and get her schedule. The principle gave Kagome a note, allowing her to show Tora her classes and then head to her own. As they walked through the school Tora looked around, her head tilted in wonder, something that Kagome caught on to. "Have you never seen a school before?" She asked, surprise in her voice.

Tora flushed at getting caught but answered smoothly "my home town was extremely small so we didn't really have a school. We were either taught by our parents or met together in one of the unused buildings to be taught there." she told Kagome, thanking the gods that she hadn't told her about her school life before. Kagome blinked but nodded and accepted the explanation. That was close her beast warned her gruffly.

The day passed quickly and slowly at the same time, but what Tora noticed was that most of the girls in the school seemed to stare at her in distrust because of her hair style, huffing Tora ran a hand through her hair, it was held in a ponytail by a white ribbon near the base of her skull, most of it that is. It went down to her butt, swaying with each step. Her bangs went from being short, resting above her eyes, to extremely long, stopping at her breasts, framing her face.

She knew that her type of hair style wasn't common but she didn't care enough about others opinions to change her hairstyle, and she didn't want to just to fit in with some stuck up snobs. When lunch came around Tora was outside, sitting alone next to a tree, no one seemed to want to come up to her, not that she minded. Humming softly to herself Tora ate the lunch that Mrs. Higurashi had packed for her; she jumped as someone plopped down next to her "feeling lonely?" Tora had to laugh at Kagome's voice "maybe" she teased as she smiled at the hyper girl.

The two of them talked and laughed for about half the lunch before Kagome looked down "I know you want to avoid the topic… but I've seen the way you look at Souta, did you have a younger brother?" she asked Tora. Tora sighed and set her lunch down as she brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. "Yes I do-did. His name was Akai. He was the sweetest boy you could meet, unless you messed with his family" she said with a small smile.

Kagome listened without interruption, feeling slight tears at the description of the boy. "He came to my chest, tall for his age but not many noticed, what they did notice was his hair, his hair was black with white streaks, although I think it was just light blonde but he said they were white so I let him say that. His hair went to about his chin, but unlike other's it actually complimented him. His eyes were a light, sky blue color that seemed to light up in happiness whenever something caught his eye."

Tora felt tears well up and brushed them away "he was such a sweet boy… I don't know what happened, all I know is that I came home to find them dead and then someone attacked me. He didn't deserve to die, he didn't deserve what happened to him" she whispered, sadness lacing her voice. She felt Kagome wrap her arms around her in comfort and didn't shake off the arms, she normally would do so but she didn't want to at this moment, remembering her brother's scared eyes as Ankoku held him in his grasp.

After a few moments Tora took a shaky breath and wiped away the tears "thank you Kagome" she whispered softly as she looked at the girl beside her. Kagome smiled at her "I'll always be here if you need me Tora" she told her. Tora nodded and looked around as she heard a bell ring across the yard. Sighing she picked up her backpack and grabbed the remains of her lunch to throw it away, she had eaten the lunch although she didn't need it, considering she was a demon.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and soon enough Tora was waiting at the entrance to the school for Kagome, she spotted the hyper girl making her way through the students when she was once again crowded with her friends, Tora turned her head away to cover her face with her hair as she heard one of the girls speak "Kagome, I don't think you should hang out with that Tora girl, she seems a bit unstable if you get my meaning"

Tora heard Kagome's intake of breath before her reply came, her voice low and deadly "I've had enough, you don't decide who my friends are, I'm friends with Tora, if you don't like it then too bad. I'm sorry to disappoint you but you can stop trying to dissuade me. Oh, and if you insinuate that Tora is insane again or insult her again then you can say goodbye to our friendship" she hissed at her friends.

Surprised by what Kagome said, Tora quickly covered her reaction as Kagome approached "hey Tora" Kagome said brightly. Tora couldn't help but smile at her "hey Kagome, ready?" She asked her. Kagome hummed as they started walking, talking about this or that, not really talking about anything in particular, both agreeing to avoid the subject of Tora's family after her small break down at lunch.

Mrs. Higurashi greeted them from the kitchen "how was school?" She asked the two of them. Kagome sighed "my 'friends' seem to think that Tora is a little off her rocker" Kagome said, tossing her backpack onto the floor by the door. Tora snorted "I could say the same about them" she muttered under her breath as she set her own backpack down. Kagome grinned at her as Mrs. Higurashi sighed "teenage girls are always like that when they see someone who doesn't dress the same as them." She said simply.

Kagome chuckled "that they are" she agreed before she opened her backpack to grab whatever homework was thrust upon her that day. Tora sighed and did the same, both girls sitting down at the table and going over their homework. Tora struggled to understand the concept of the class known as Math, along with Science, but with quick help from Kagome she managed to grasp it despite not taking any prior math classes in her lifetime. This is surprisingly easy Tora mused, her beast only huffing out air, not bothering to reply to her.

Once homework was done Kagome stretched "hey Tora, want to go shopping?" She asked the black haired girl who was putting her stuff away. Tora didn't have a clue as to what she was talking about but decided to just go with it; it would probably mean learning more about this future era. "Sure" she replied "should we change out of our school uniforms?" She asked, hoping Kagome would say yes. Kagome laughed "ya, I'll meet you at the front in ten minutes" she told her.

Tora nodded and walked to her room, she slipped inside and went through the small amount of clothes she had. She picked up a pair of black shorts that ended about mid thigh, along with a white tank top. Humming she put on some shoes and made her way to the front door "bye Mrs. Higurashi" Tora called as she exited the building, hearing a faint "have fun" from inside. Tora spotted Kagome in a pair of blue jeans and a red shirt and made her way over. "Ready?" Kagome asked her, Tora nodded affirmative.

The two of them made their way away from the shrine where the Higurashi family resided and towards town, Kagome chatting the entire time they were walking, only stopping when Tora answered a question. The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon going through stores, Tora learning what was what and who this was. They both managed to get a new outfit and a new pair of shoes. Tora hummed softly as her thoughts drifted you know, I have never spent this much time with another girl She thought in surprise, her beast chuckling in agreement well where we come from, the other female demons want to kill us her beast put in.

Good point Tora agreed before focusing on what Kagome was talking about now, which seemed to be along the lines of ramen.

A few days later Tora was getting ready for school and walked into the kitchen, stopping when she noticed that Kagome was nowhere to be seen. Mrs. Higurashi noticed her hesitation and spoke up "Kagome's not feeling well so she's staying home" she said with a sweet smile. Tora nodded and grabbed her backpack, still feeling a bit uneasy about all this; Kagome hadn't shown any signs of illness the day before.

Shaking away the feeling Tora made her way to school, not caring that others stared at her or talked about her. Once inside her first class she sat back and stared out the window, wondering how in the world she was going to get home when she didn't even know how she got here in the first place. Like always the day passed slowly and quickly at the same time, the classes went by fast but walking through the halls seemed like an eternity with all the students watching her.

By the time she got back 'home' she was a bit irritated, as she had heard every comment about her. She normally didn't care but when there are comments coming from left and right it tends to get under your skin eventually. Tora opened the door and slipped into the living room, she unconsciously scented the air, her eyes narrowing as she realized that Kagome's scent was fading slightly, like she wasn't even in the house. Isn't she supposed to be sick? Her beast rumbled, just as confused as she was.

That's what her mother said Tora agreed before placing her backpack down and sitting down as well to do the homework. Mrs. Higurashi came inside, blinking as she spotted Tora "hey Tora how was school?" She asked the young girl. Tora shrugged "it was okay" she replied, not mentioning about all the insults, as she wasn't supposed to be able to hear them, any normal human would have just seen people talking in groups like normal.

Mrs. Higurashi hummed "well school is school" she said with a small shrug as she made her way towards the kitchen. Tora went through her homework quickly and then went out in search of Kagome, she found out that her scent wasn't coming from her room; the most recent scent was leading towards the shrine where the well resided. Furrowing her brow in confusion Tora studied the well before sighing and making her way back towards her room, deciding to just laze around for the rest of the day and hope that Kagome showed up soon.

Never realized how boring this world actually is She grumbled, her beast huffed out a breath that's because you've had that human girl to occupy your time her beast replied back in a matter-of-fact tone. Tora wanted to growl but figured that would just scare the family in the home so she just sighed but didn't comment; knowing that what her beast said was completely true. After about half an hour she sat up there isn't' anything to do She thought with a huff.

You could try and sniff around for a way to get back to our era Her beast said, Tora could practically see her beast raising an eyebrow. Your right, okay, happy now? She asked her beast with a silent growl before she stood up and changed out of her school uniform. She slipped out of her room "I'm heading to the library" she told Mrs. Higurashi before slipping out of the house. She thanked whatever gods there were that Kagome had showed her the library and the internet.

Although Tora had been careful to not seem like she didn't know how to work the internet, but she surmised that she knew enough of how it works to accomplish what she wanted. Making her way towards the library that was just down the street from the shrine, Tora hummed a tune that her own mother used to hum to her all the time. Tora stopped walking next to a small pond and looked down into the water, staring at her reflection; she could practically see the tiger that lay within.

Tears threatened to spill as Tora remembered the first time she ever shifted to her demon form…

"Momma! Momma!" The wail of a small child rang throughout the trees, a tall woman with white hair bolted towards the sound, her eyes wide with fear. She came upon a small child with black hair and brown eyes. "What is it my sweet child?" The woman asked. The young girl bit her bottom lip "I- I think there's something wrong with me!" she wailed. Her mother automatically soothed her and picked up her daughter. "Now why would you think that?" she asked her daughter.

The young girl whimpered "because, I was staring into the lake and I saw a tiger instead!" She whimpered. The mother hummed "my dear Tora, that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you. It means that your starting to grow up" The girl, Tora, blinked at her mother in surprise "you-you sure?" she asked her mother. The woman smiled softly "I'm sure, you're a demon Tora, a powerful one like your parents, and every demon like us has a human form and their natural form. Your natural form is that of a tiger" she explained.

Tora listened with a tilted head. "Do- do you think I could…" she trailed off, not knowing what to say, but her mother understood, she set her daughter down and crouched down. "Just picture that tiger you saw the in lake in your mind and will yourself to become that tiger" Her mother explained. Tora nodded and closed her eyes, once again seeing the white tiger that had stared back at her in the water, and then she tried to become the tiger.

After a few moments she felt her body shifting, her bone structure changing and her skin itched where fur started growing out. After a few moments she opened her eyes to see her mother watching her with pride in her eyes "why look at you, you beautiful girl" her mother whispered. Tora purred softly and spotted a puddle, she looked into the puddle to see a white tiger staring back at her, the same exact one at the lake, except she noticed that there seemed to be blue flames going down her spine and covering her tail, along with on her paws and shoulders.

Tora looked at her flank to see the black stripes going down her flank, she grinned, showing off her white fangs before she looked at her mother. Her mother hummed and shifted to her own tiger form, but, instead of white tiger her mother was a brilliant silver tiger with black flames on her body. Tora smiled and bolted over to rub against her mother's front paw, her eyes shining with love…

Tora blinked away the memory, closing her eyes as she pushed away the tears, her mother had died years ago, protecting her cubs from an extremely powerful dog demon. Tora huffed and continued walking, her mood darkening with the memory as she slipped into the library. Let the research begin Her beast grumbled, just as depressed as she was by the unexpected memory.