Summary: She stood out from regular bystanders. She had the air of a lit fire around her, she wasn't someone to get walked all over. Fierce and confident, Kagome Higurashi made for quite the influential woman- on and off the court.

Pairing: Undecided

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.

Notice:
Revamped version of Gingerly Guessing. There will be changes- both big and small- to the text.

Chapter One

It had been several months since the well sealed up for good. It put an effective end to her time traveling, and it allowed her to return to the side of her life that had been desperately calling for her attention- her school life. It was a major understatement to say that her grades suffered a few complications when her attention was split between studying and vying for her life in a world ridden with demons. Her poor grades had suffered tremendously during her time of seeking out jewel shards, and reviving them from their utterly appalling state had taken every ounce of her capability.

Whenever she attempted to look back at her final months at Teiko she got struck by a strong wave of sadness. Some of her strongest friendships had died relatively easily, and it was due to her drawing back and away from them. It felt as though a literal wall had been built between her and them, and the guys she would once play basketball with and spoil with treats and goodies had become people she didn't know how to even approach. The girl who she had been then, the girl they had known and became friends with didn't even exist anymore. She had been eradicated by what lurked on the other end of the well. She had become someone else entirely.

She felt bad over how the distance between them continued to grow as she continued to push herself away. The action she had started to do unintentionally only became stronger and more consistent with each passing day. She never gave an explanation as to why she had pushed herself away, and, by now, she felt that any she could give wouldn't be good enough. The longer she mulled over it, she began to consider it to be for the best. If things were this way, then she would never have to worry about spilling her secrets to them.

Maybe it was for the best that they went their separate ways and left those days in the past.

… Even though she thought those words to herself, she couldn't find the strength in her to believe them- not even a single bit. Truth be told, she didn't want to let those bonds slip away like water slipping through her fingers. She was hesitant on reaching out to them again, however. During those last few months, she had countless chances to speak with them, yet she had neglected every single one. They had never come to her, either, and she had taken that as them giving up and allowing their friendship and connection to end. The longer she kept putting it off, the more hesitant she grew of going to see them.

Even if she wanted to repair the damaged bond between them, she wasn't even certain of how to go through with it. It didn't exactly seem easy, after all.

"Perhaps it's better off this way" she kept telling herself on repeat, but her regret sang a different tune completely...

Her high school career was creeping closer and closer, and Kagome was doing everything she could to put herself into the proper mindset. She was forcing herself to let go of her past trips, burying those days deep in her mind so they did not loom over her like an ominous cloud.

It did not surprise her much, but her girlfriends and she had chosen different schools to attend. During their moments together, they each had spoken of the school they had their hearts set on. Yuka had devoted herself to getting into Rakuzan, while Ayumi had decided on Kaijo, and Eri had made her choice with Shutoku. As the starting date of school got closer, they had made a promise to keep in touch so they could exchange details on their ever-changing lives.

She let her eyes roam to land on the figure seated across from her. While he acted like he wasn't paying her any attention, she could tell that he was focused on her, even if he wasn't looking at her direction. He was alert to her actions and noises, and a tiny smile slipped onto her features.

Kagome had answered her friend's questions as to why she had chosen the school she had, and she encouraged her friends that her logic was the same as theirs: She favored the academics and the campus the school had. She knew that was a lie, though. From where she sat now, her crystal blue eyes focused on the long-haired man typing away on his laptop, she knew what her main reasons were. Perhaps it was wrong of her to choose solely based on him being there, but she couldn't find the will to care. A cheeky grin replaced her smile and she drummed her fingertips along the table's surface. His eyes narrowed at the quiet, intrusive sound.

"Ne, Nii-chan," she started, balancing her chin on the back of her sun-kissed hand. His posture tensed at the affectionate nickname she had given him, and, once she knew she had his complete attention, she continued, "to be honest, I never thought of you as the type to teach."

"Hn."

The simple noise was weighed down by annoyance and irritation at her words. She knew that he held conflicted emotions on her nickname for him. She also knew that if he was truly bothered by it, he would have found a way to put an end to it long ago, and that was how she knew that he didn't truly hate hearing it. Their bond had gotten stronger due to their allegiance in the past. He tolerated her more than he did others from then, and she was glad for that.

"When will you cease with that ridiculous nickname?" he asked, closing his eyes and turning his head away from her as her grin got wider.

"If you hate it so much, why don't you just kill me to quiet me?" she asked, a laugh spilling through in her words. A second later he looked at her with a smirk highlighting his usually cold features.

"Believe me, the idea has presented itself to me on numerous occasions," he admitted. "My willpower is exceptional- considering you are still alive and well."

She snickered and lowered her hands so she could intertwine her fingers in her lap.

"However, I imagine I might miss your annoying attitude should I actually get rid of you," he admitted then as an afterthought. A wide grin spread across her face at those words. "I've become far too used to you. It's truly horrifying."

She rolled her eyes then. "Yeah, that happens a lot. I draw everyone to me- it's insane."

"I've noticed that," he said. "Such an entrancing personality is a gift and curse, depending on who you ask."

Much to his surprise, she nodded in agreement as her tone soured a bit. "You're telling me…" she muttered. In her past, she had pulled many people to her, and not all of them were good in the slightest- even in modern time. Just like good people, terrible ones were drawn to her, too.

Making a sound judgement to move on from the subject at hand, Sesshoumaru turned back to her. "I trust you are prepared for the start of the school year?"

"Mm," she nodded her head before holding up her uniform. "I picked up my uniform on the way here." Kagome glanced back at him before cocking her head to the side. "How about you? Are you ready for a new herd of insolent brats?"

"Of course, of course," Sesshoumaru grumbled under his breath. "I already know you're going to be one of them." He huffed in agitation at the thought of having the stubborn miko as one of his students. The thought alone was enough for him to consider quitting his job at the school right then and there. "Are there any clubs you are anticipating on joining?"

Kagome fell silent at that question before she gave a quick shrug of her shoulders. "I… don't know. Maybe something simple like cooking. Archery is always an option, too, if they even have a club for it. You know, play to my natural strengths." Her tone was sullen as she said those words, and it attracted his attention instantly.

He looked her posture over before meeting her eyes again. "It's my opinion that you should think about stepping out of that comfort zone you have. At the very least, it will serve to make things much more interesting for us both." Sesshoumaru shut his laptop before standing and looking down at the curious girl still sitting at the white metal cafe table. "I will be seeing you around, Miko."

Her curious expression slipped away as she watched his departing figure. Before long, a cold glare appeared on her face. She stood up from the table and grabbed her bag before turning on her heel and marching away from the cafe she had been at.

Sometimes she really hated Sesshoumaru for all that he was worth- which, incidentally, was quite a bit, but she couldn't say that the feeling was always there. Most days she felt a sense of peace with him. He was one of the only people remaining from her past that she knew was still around. He had told her that Shippo and Koga were still around, as well, but they were often busy elsewhere, and that they didn't have time for her.

She suspected that to be a massive lie on his part, and that he just refused to give in and tell the two where she was. She anticipated seeing them soon, though, as they would eventually come to meet up with her again, and she was happy to think she would be able to see them again after time had changed them so much.

She made her way down the sidewalk, the bag holding her school uniform draped over one arm. It was still early in the day, but she had settled on heading back home due to her lack of things to do. She crossed the street at a crosswalk and took a shortcut to avoid the crowd of people still out and about.

She had only been walking for a minute or two before something hard collided with the top of her head. A loud yelp came from her in a mix of surprise and pain, and she began a search for what had hit her. Her expression went blank at spotting the orange ball setting against a vending machine. The mere sight of it brought back a herd of memories, and her heart panged in her chest at the wave of them. It didn't last long before the look on her face soon twisted into an annoyed scowl at recalling how she had gotten hit on the head by it. She scooped the ball up and took to looking for where it had come from. She didn't have to look for long before she came across a basketball court that had a few guys on it near her in age. They seemed to be looking for something, and she bet it was the ball now held in her hands.

Kagome came to a halt at the entrance and called out to the trio.

"Oi!" Her voice was loud, and it rang clear through the area. It caught their attention, and, one-by-one, they turned to face her. She held the ball up, silently questioning if it was theirs with the single action. One held his hands up and waited for her to toss it at him, but, in that instance, she was struck by a different idea altogether.

Sure- it had been a long time since she had last participated in the sport, but there was something she wanted to test.

She neglected giving them the ball as they seemed to think she would do, and she instead dribbled it a few times before fixing her posture into one fit for shooting. She focused on the net with an accurate eye. When she finally released the ball, it sailed through the air and fell through the net with flawless precision. A genuine smile lifted her lips at hearing the surprised cries of the boys on the court.

It was interesting, she had to say. The stance she had used was arguably similar to the stance she would take when firing arrows at targets, though just slightly modified for shooting a basketball. She found it neat, honestly. She turned her attention back to the three watching her before shrugging and combing her fingers through her long hair.

"Keep better track of that thing," she called out to them, letting her smile drip off her face and get replaced by a small scowl. "I got hit on the head by it." She bent forward just enough to pick her bag back up and drape it back over her arm. Before she left, she looked back at them, winking at them as she finally dashed away before any of them could approach her.

Even as they called out to her, she didn't slow her pace any and she had soon gotten far away from them.

A content smile appeared on her features as she walked. It had been so long since she had shot a basketball- the last time being in the Teiko gymnasium as she played with her old friends. She missed it, admittedly. Not just playing with them, but playing in general. She had to completely put it behind her once she started diving into the past as her priorities shone through her pastimes.

Her thoughts slowly went back to Sesshoumaru's parting words to her, and a scowl replaced her smile.

What was the point in investing yourself in something new when you already had a good idea at what your strengths were?

She could cook and she was good at archery- granted that was solely due to her getting pulled down the well. She probably would have never bothered with it otherwise.

Kagome let out a sigh as she finally made it back to the shrine, starting up the steps as she continued to mull over his words. She tried to shake them off, but she found herself unable to do so. As she got to the final step she forcefully shook her head to clear her mind of it.

As she got closer to the front door, a familiar aura caused her to stutter in her steps. Her expression went blank as she opened the door and stepped in. The faint voices in the distance could be heard, and Kagome placed the bag holding her uniform on the table closest to her.

"I'm home!" she called out as she set her shoes next to the others. Before she could take another step, a figure she hadn't seen in a while peeked his head in to look for her.

"Kawaii-chan! About time you got home."

Her cheeks tinged pink at the affection-laced nickname, but she made her way towards him without waiting.

"Reo," she smiled up at him, only to let out a quiet squeak when her cousin tugged her against his chest. "I had no idea you were coming for a visit," she managed out afterward.

"I wanted to surprise you, so I told Auntie not to say anything," he said, pulling away and looking at her with a broad smile on his face. "You're as cute as ever!" Their eyes met, blue clashing against green as she stumbled over something to say in response.

She had nothing, and she let out a mute sigh after thinking over it for so long.

At least this was a nice surprise...

C.R: A new chapter for this is in the works. I'm not sure how long it'll be before I post it, but it's being worked on.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed!

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Bye for now~