Authoress Notes: Come on people! I would have updated sooner if you had reviewed faster! Humph, I've got 5 less reviews than before!
Special Chapter Dedication to: Beautiful Phantom, I hope you had a happy birthday!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King or Inuyasha and claim no rights to them but I DO own this fan fiction story.
Kagome used to thrive to be the perfect, normal girl.
She tried to be as normal as a girl who came from a long line of priests could be...
After moving from the shrine where she grew up until the age thirteen, she moved to a small and seemingly ordinary neighborhood in Tokyo. It was there that she decided that she would start a new life on her own. She would make new friends that would accept her and did not think she was weird. But alas, after a chance encounter with Asakura Yoh and Oyamada Manta, her plans were suddenly changed.
Yoh stopped leaning against the banister that helped hold up the bridge over the river and sighed. Kagome sighed and propped her elbow on the rail, cupping her cheek in one hand. " Manta-kun… You shouldn't be so quick to judge like that…" she stated.
"Eh? What are you talking about? The legend of Ami"-
"Manta-kun… Remember that since I am a miko, I have a strong spiritual connection with God, spirits, and such, just like shamans," Kagome said. "I may not have been trained properly but I can feel it…" she whispered. "Amidamaru-sama was and still is a good person." It was odd. While with Manta and Yoh, she was not afraid to acknowledge her abilities.
Manta argued, "But you said you're not properly trained, so how can you know for sure?"
Yoh turned away from the two that were about to argue. "I guess… I'll have to make him my ally after all. He looks so strong!"
Kagome yelled a loud, "HA!"
Manta pulled at his hair while crying, "Weren't you listening to me at all?! You're just siding with Kagome-chan because she's so cute! That's not fair!"
Yoh looked at Manta and smiled, "Come on… It's only a legend."
"So you won't believe me?!"
Yoh stared off into the distance and explained, "That's not what I'm saying… I think such matters should be ignored. When I became one with him…" The brown haired boy placed his hand over his chest and stated, "It felt somewhat… warm."
"Warm?"
"Yeah," Yoh replied. "You just know those kinds of things… Ne, Kagome-chan?" He asked, looking at Kagome. She nodded enthusiastically and balled up her fist.
"Uh oh… That means Kagome-chan has an idea…" Manta whispered, taking a step back from his female friend with a fiery aura.
"Heh heh, you're sure burning bright all of a sudden," Yoh joked.
Kagome smiled and nodded, "I've decided. I'll be a shaman too."
Without even realizing it, Kagome's goals changed to match her new life with her two new best friends, and they changed to match their goals.
"Yoh-dono…" Amidamaru whispered as he watched the two go. A moment before he began his crossing, the samurai spirit stopped. The girl, Kagome, was still standing there. "Kagome-san…" he asked.
The black haired girl shook her head, smiling, "I want to watch if you don't mind… I want to see you off to the other world Amidamaru-sama." she told him.
"Hai…" the samurai whispered. "Thank you."
S.H.A.M.AN.K.I.N.G.
"No! Yoh-kun! Manta-kun!" Kagome yelled. "Without Amidamaru… Yoh-kun can't win on his own." She looked up at Amidamaru and told him, balling up her fist. "I'm going to help them! Forgive me for not being here to see you off." She bowed quickly, yet deeply. The girl then took off, leaving Amidamaru alone.
She looked over her shoulder and yelled, "Rest in peace, Amidamaru-sama!" She ran down the stairs and gasped when Yoh and Manta fell to her feet. The fiery spirited girl glared up at Ryu and growled lowly.
"What's that?" Ryu asked. "You again? You're not very smart, always hanging around with these two.
"Shut up! How dare you pick on my friends!" Kagome yelled back. "If you were as tough as you act, then you'd pick on someone your own size! You're not a man, you're just a bully!"
Yoh slowly tried to get up. "K-Kagome… chan… Run away, quickly. You can make it without me." Once he was back on his feet, Yoh said, "And take Manta with you."
Kagome went to Yoh's side and helped him stand by wrapping her arm around his shoulder. "Iie, I couldn't leave you." She smiled, "We're friends Yoh-kun. We have to face everything together. It's better that way."
People had always told her she would be someone great, someone special, someone extraordinary... Kagome never really wanted to accepted that. But suddenly, her life and opinions were changing, and she did not even notice.
Kagome went to Yoh's side and helped him stand by wrapping her arm around his shoulder. "Iie, I couldn't leave you." She smiled, "We're friends, Yoh-kun. We have to face everything together. It's better that way."
Ever since she was small she disliked it when people told her how special and different she would. It was probably because she did not- even could not believe that she was different from any other girl.
Kagome used to pretend she did not believe in the supernatural, demons, spirits, or even Kami-sama. She liked cute things, she loved shopping, she enjoyed giggling and gossiping with her friends, and she dreamed of a beautiful marriage to a handsome prince...
She had wanted to liked those things and that's what she had wanted to believe... There always had been a small inkling that she felt at random times... As she grew older, the inkling became strong vibes that she felt. Her friends thought it was odd... So she did not like it. On her thirteenth birthday, she fled from the shrine and all the strange vibes she received-
Now Kagome had two friends that were just as weird as she was… If not weirder…
It did not occur to her that for once in her life. She actually belonged.
Chapter 3: Higurashi Shrine And the Lonely Soul
(Part I)
"… Yoh-kun" Manta stated blandly. The two boys stopped and looked at their surroundings. They just came upon a small clearing within a lush, green area that they had been wandering through for about an hour now. "I think we're lost."
The brown haired teen grinned and laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. He held up the map closer to his face for closer examination. "I guess it isn't wise to use a map Kagome-chan hand drew…"
Manta sweat dropped and mumbled sarcastically, "I could have told you that." He looked up at Yoh and said, "here, let me take a look at it." Yoh nodded and handed the poorly drawn map to Manta. The shorter yet smarter of the two examined the map and took notice of the stick figures and badly scribbled notes on it. Yoh watched curiously as Manta nodded and whispered a few "uh huh"s as he looked at the map from three different angles.
Suddenly the short boy crumpled the useless map into a ball and tossed it over his shoulder. "It's garbage," he stated, annoyed. He looked up at Yoh and told him, "call Kagome-chan on her cell and ask her for better directions." Yoh groaned and Amidamaru appeared to silently chuckle at his partner's expense.
"Can't you do it?" Yoh moaned. "Mou…"
Manta shook his head fiercely from side to side while raising his hands, as to say "no." "That means I'd have to use my cell phone…"
The samurai spirit told them calmly, "I don't see what the problem is. I think the cell phone is a very convenient device."
Manta asked Amidamaru with slanted eyes, "Would you use something like this?" The short boy pulled a small pink cell phone from his pocket. It had a cute white kitten charm attached to it and the cell was adorned by matching white kitten stickers.
"Or this,"Yoh added glumly. He pulled a small sky blue cell from his jean pocket. It had a pink bunny charm attached and was adorned by matching pink bunny stickers. Waterfall tears were pouring from his eyes and his entire body was hunched over… Just having the cell phone out was degradingly… Embarrassing.
The ghost floated backwards with a nervous, half smile on his face as the two boys slowly walked toward him, with the cell phones out, pointing at him. "Do you think," Manta began asking.
"Two boys carrying around these," Yoh continued.
"-Is really that convenient?" Manta and Yoh finished in unison. There was a story behind why they had such embarrassingly cute and girly cell phones… And of course, it dealt with their female friend, Kagome-chan…
(The Afternoon Before)
"We should have known better as to wait for Kagome-chan to arrive to eat…" Manta moaned when his stomach growled for the fifteenth time within the past half-hour. "She's late again… Probably got lost again…" Both were sitting at a booth, but on either sides, at WacDonald's with their heads and arms laying flat against the cold surface of the table… They were starving.
"Yeah but she said she would treat us to lunch…" Yoh replied miserably.
"Since she just got more money from her mother yesterday in the mail…" Manta added. He lifted his head a bit, only to bang it on the table. "But she-!" Before the blond haired boy could complain some more about his friend, his vision went dark when two soft hands covered his eyes.
"Hee hee," a familiar voice giggled in his ear. "Guess who," the voice said cheerfully.
Manta blushed and pulled the hands away from his eyes so he could glare at Kagome, who smiled at him casually. Yoh sighed with a smile on his face, "Ah, speak of the devil."
"Just where have you been?!" Manta asked, raising his voice at Kagome. "Did you get lost, again?"
"Tee hee," Kagome giggled nervously and scratched her reddened cheek. "Actually, there's a logical explanation for me being late today. Here, I'll show you." Yoh and Manta sweat dropped when she magically pulled a sketchpad with horrible yet colorful drawings on it.
"At 10 am I headed out the house so I could make it here at 12..." Kagome told them, holding up the sketchpad. The first page had a colorful picture of chibi-Kagome walking down the street away from her house. Kagome flipped to the next page and continued her story, "I was halfway there when suddenly Godzilla emerged from the subway, tearing up the streets as he went on a rampage." This picture had chibi-Kagome and a crowd of other chibi panicking as Godzilla blew fire on a skyscraper. "That's when I knew what I had to do…" Kagome explained gravely, before flipping the next page. Chibi-Kagome had a serious expression on her face. "There, in front of a hundred people, I transformed into Sailor Mo-!"
"Why were you really late?" Manta asked with a skeptic look.
"…" Kagome had a blank look on her face, as if she was debating on what to say… or wondering why Manta did not believe her. "… I went shopping…" she told them.
"Ha ha," Yoh laughed, "that makes sense!" Then, he collapsed. His head slammed onto the table with dangerously loud THUMP!!
"Ah- Yoh-kun!" Kagome and Manta exclaimed in perfect unison.
The brown haired boy mumbled, "I'm weak… Please feed me…"
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
Kagome walked toward their booth with a tray full of cheap, fast food. Yoh cried tears of joy with a small of relief on his face. Manta shook his head when Yoh clapped as Kagome placed the tray on the table as carefully as possible, without making a single spill. "Here you go, guys," Kagome told them with a proud smile. "I bought extra to apologize for making you wait."
"You're amazing Kagome-chan," Yoh said with a grateful smile. Somehow she managed to carry the tray from the cashier counter to their booth without making a mess or a complete fool of herself. There were nine cheeseburgers, three medium sodas, three medium fries, and three shakes and one strawberry sundae with nuts.
"Yeah," Manta agreed, nodding as Kagome sighed and sat down next to him. "You would think that a klutz like you would not have even made it from counter…" He began his lunch by plucking a single salted French fry from one of three boxes and nibbling on it.
"Do you really think I'm amazing?!" Kagome asked excitedly with stars in her eyes. Without waiting for an answer and said dreamily, "Then I'll definitely become a shaman…"
Yoh licked his fingers after he finished off his first burger. He smiled and said, as if remembering something, "Speaking of shamans…" Yoh reached into his pocket and pulled something out, he sat it on the table. It was a small, black, and-
"Isn't that a mortuary tablet?!" Manta and Kagome asked, gasping in disbelief.
"Those are meant to honor your ancestor's sleeping grounds!" Manta shouted, stating the obvious.
Kagome laughed and imitated Manta by plucking a fry from one of the boxes and placing it between her lips. "I see that Yoh-kun is begging to be cursed."
Yoh laughed it off and told them, "It's okay, as long as it's him." Manta paled when Amidamaru suddenly appeared from within the tablet. His eyes were closed and his hands with held together, as if he was praying. "Eat with us, Amidamaru," Yoh told his partner.
"Thank you very much, Yoh-dono, and Kagome-sama," he said respectfully, before opening his eyes.
"Ami… damaru…" Manta mumbled, twitching. Unlike Yoh, he was not used to the ghost yet.
"Ah, Amidamaru-sama," Kagome began with a cheerful smile. "How are you?" she asked.
"I'm doing just fine, Kagome-sama," he replied, looking at the girl. "At this size, I can get around easily, and the tablet is very convenient."
Kagome laughed and nodded, "That's good. It seems like you two are getting along well."
"Hai," Yoh nodded and smiled. "We're not just partners. We're friends, so we like being around each other."
"See?" The ghost and the boy sang in unison, scooting closer to each other, and smiling cutely.
"We should drink the shakes before they melt," Manta suggested, grabbing one and placing it in front of him.
Yoh looked at Amidamaru and placed a shake in front of the samurai spirit. "Here, you can have mine," the boy told him.
"Oh yeah," Manta said out of the blue. "I see you have a shopping bag from the mall, what did you buy?" Kagome gasped, she had almost forgotten. She lightly bonked herself on the head and laughed off her embarrassment. She picked up her bag from under the table and placed it on top of the table. Their lunch tray had been empty a long time ago so Manta returned it to the staff so it could be washed for future use. No one even thought that what they were doing was considered "loitering".
"Here, I bought gifts to celebrate our friendship," she told them cutely. Before either of the two boys could peek at what was inside the bag, Kagome grabbed it and placed it in her lap.
"I hope it wasn't something too expensive," Yoh told her. He was not one who craved expensive, materialistic things. It would be a pity if Kagome bought him something that cost a lot of money, yet he would have no use for.
"Knowing Kagome-chan…" Manta mumbled, sweat dropping. 'It probably is expensive.' He finished mentally.
"Oh don't worry about it, Yoh-kun," Kagome replied. "I got these for a bargain- No, you might as well have called it a steal!" She then pulled out three very girly cell phones and exclaimed excitedly, "Ta Dah!" All three came in one plastic sealing and in bold red letters it read: TRIPLE TOMODACHI PACK!!
"See?" she asked them. "There's one for all three of us! Don't you think they're kawaii?"
Yoh sweat dropped and said, "Yeah… They're… cute… Kagome-chan… But-"
Manta crossed his arms and told her stubbornly, "There's no way I would ever use something like that in my entire life!"
Kagome blinked twice, slowly, as the information processed in her brain… Slowly the smile on her face faded away until her lips formed a pencil straight line. Her blue-gray eyes were now slanted. All in all, Kagome did not look too happy. "So what you're telling me is that you refuse to accept my present?" she asked Manta.
"E-Eh…" Manta tried scooting as far away as possible from her. "That is…" he smiled crookedly. "I don't-"
"You're using it," Kagome told him sternly with a menacing look on her face. "One way or another…"
"Demo-" Manta tried protesting. He looked across the table at Yoh, who was only smiling a cute, nervous smile. "Do something Yoh-kun!"
"There's nothing I can do about it. Gomen, Manta."
"It can't be all that bad, can it?" Kagome asked curiously. "I mean- I thought it would be nice… This way, we could always communicate, even when we're far apart. Ya know?"
Yoh sighed in defeated and smiled, "I guess there's no helping it… Ne, Manta?"
Manta looked away from Yoh and Kagome to hide a blush and a small pout on his face. "As long as no one else sees me using it."
Kagome smiled happily and her eyes sparkled, lighting up her entire face. She practically ripped open the sealing that most people would need scissors to open. She looked at all three of the friendship cell phones and quickly decided which one would go to whom. "Okay," she began. "I get this one." Kagome sat a small, white cell phone that was decorated with brown monkey stickers and a monkey charm in front of herself. Manta's blood ran cold… He was hoping to get the white one. "Yoh-kun," she said before handing him the sky blue cell, "you get this one." Lastly Kagome placed the light pink cell phone in front of Manta and told him with a smile, "And this one is yours."
"Arigato, Kagome-chan," Yoh thanked her with his usual laidback tone.
"Ano…" Manta began. "Doushite…"
"Nani?" Kagome asked back.
"WHY DO I GET THE GIRLIEST ONE?!"
(Present Time)
It turned out that Kagome had spent her entire allowance on the triple friendship cell phone pack and their lunch, which made Yoh feel guilty for a while until she reassured him that it was okay. Amidamaru slowly inched away from his partner and his small friend while remembering their meeting with the young priestess the day before. "… Well," a cold bead of sweat ran down the side of the spirit's face. He wore a nervous smile while staring at the two boys. "You're right," he bowed his head in respect. He gave up. He would never use such a thing in public…
"Anyway," Manta said, looking up at Yoh. "Hurry and call Kagome, it's really hot out here!"
Yoh slumped his shoulder and moaned, "But you have her on speed dial."
"Fine." The short boy sighed in defeat. The heat was killing him, he wanted to hurry and make it to the shrine so he could relax. With the push of only two buttons, his cell phone called Kagome's. It rung several times until Kagome's familiar, feminine voice answered.
"Hello?"
Manta smiled and replied, "Hi Kagome-chan, it's me, Manta."
"Oh hi," Kagome said excitedly and as cheerfully as usual.
"Well, Yoh and I are-" Manta tried to explain their situation but Kagome interrupted him.
"Wait, wait, wait. Before you say anything, I have to tell you-"
"What Kago-?"
"I have missed your call. This is Kagome, leave me a message." Kagome's voice finished.
Yoh stared at Manta with a curious look. "What's up, Manta?" The short boy was stuck in stunned mode… And so was his face. "What did she say?" Yoh asked. "Manta?" After a few moments his right eye twitched with annoyance.
"Damn it," Manta cursed, raising his voice and calling Kagome again. After a few rings, Kagome's voice answered.
"H-Hello," her voice was shaky, unlike her voice-mail's. Manta sighed with relief; it was the real Kagome.
"Hey Kagome-chan," Manta replied.
"Oh…" Kagome said, not surprised. She did not sound too happy. "Ma-Manta… kun…" she stated. Manta blinked, wondering what was going on. "I can feel you…" she told him. "You and Yoh-kun are close… Look for a huge set of stairs." With that said, she hung up without saying goodbye.
"Is there something wrong, Manta?" Amidamaru asked. It was the same question Yoh was going to ask.
Manta stuffed his phone into pants pocket and narrowed his eyes, in worry and not angry, "she told me to look for a big set of stairs… And that's all."
"Hmmm," Amidamaru hummed. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms as if he was going to think deeply or meditate. "That is pretty vague." Manta nodded a couple times, agreeing with the samurai spirit.
"Not really," Yoh told them with a small smile. "We're standing right in front of a large staircase."
"Nani?!" Manta asked with disbelief. All he saw was more forest and greenery in front of them… and all around them for that matter. "What are you talking about, Yoh-kun?"
Amidamaru looked in the direction that Yoh was looking and suddenly he blinked, and saw it. "I see! How very clever." He marveled at something that Manta could not see.
"I'm definitely missing something," Manta stated to himself.
Yoh turned Manta in the direction of the invisible stairs and told him, "Manta, I know you'll be able to see it. They're only two yards away. Look pass the forest… Look beyond what you see."
Manta sweat dropped at Yoh's instructions and mumbled, "Just because you're a shaman, doesn't mean you have to speak in metaphors."
"It is not a metaphor," Amidamaru told him. Manta sighed and frowned, he began concentrating. He squinted a bit for a moment… There was something weird but he still could not see anything…
"Wait-!" The image of the forest disappeared in a flash and was replaced with a very large, stone staircase. "Whoa," Manta fell back on his buttocks in surprised. He could see them! "They just appeared out of no where!" He exclaimed, completely amazed.
"They didn't appear of no where," Yoh said. "The stairs were here all along, the image of the forest past this point is just a mere illusion."
"Wow," Manta said. "Who knew that a slacker like you would know so much?"
Yoh blushed a bit and scratched his cheek, replying sheepishly, "well thanks I guess."
"That wasn't a compliment."
Yoh and his partner laughed a bit at this. "Alright, shall we go then?" The brown haired boy asked. Manta and Amidamaru nodded in unison. The three started up the stairs. It was typical that there was so many stairs. It was a shrine after all…
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
Both Yoh and Manta were panting heavily when they finally made it to the top of the stairs and to the entrance to the shrine. Amidamaru was floating beside them and he said, "The trip up the stairs took longer than expected."
"It was no problem for you," Manta replied. His throat was dry and burning for a cool drink. Just breathing the air made it even drier. Yoh was in no better condition. Before anyone could suggest looking around, a woman in her mid thirties slowly walked toward them. They looked at the woman in awe. She looked a lot like Kagome. Her skin was a bit paler, but it was most likely because she got less sun than Kagome. Her eyes were also a chocolate brown color, yet Kagome's were an unusual blue-grey. She was carrying two glasses of red liquid on a silver tray.
"Why hello there," she greeted them warmly. She was wearing a white apron over her brown dress and matching white slippers. "Are your names are Yoh and Manta?" The boys looked at each other then nodded.
"But how did you know?" Manta questioned.
The woman laughed and answered, "I'm Kagome's mother, Higurashi Kun-Loon. She's told me a lot about you, and that you'd be visiting today."
"Well it's nice to meet you," Yoh stated with a friendly smile.
Kun-Loon smiled and nodded then said, "I'm sure your trip up the stairs made you hot and thirsty. I brought you some nice, cold cranberry-juice. Please, have some." Yoh smiled gratefully and took both glasses. He handed one to Manta, and they both drank the juice. "Come, follow me, Kagome is with her cousins and grandmother right now. I'll take you to her."
Manta looked around as he slowly drank his juice. It was bitter, but he liked the taste. Yoh did not enjoy favor the flavor as much as Manta did, but it was not bad. The shrine grounds were the size of a normal shrine's, which meant it was pretty big. To the left was a house, to the right was a huge tree, farther down to the right was a well house, and straight down the middle was the temple. The group of four walked down the paved sidewalk towards the temple as Kagome's mother held a mostly one-sided conversation with them.
"The moment I saw you, I knew exactly who you were," Kun-Loon said. "Kagome calls me everyday to tell me about everything you do together. She talks for an hour nonstop, all about you." The warm-hearted woman laughed lightly. She continued talking as she led them around the temple towards the back of it. "The first day she became friends with you, she said…
"Mom! Guess what? I made two friends already! They're weird, but they're still cool. Manta-kun is extremely short and he has the weirdest sandy brown hair! He's so smart but so stubborn and determined at the same time. And Yoh-kun is so cool and he's a shaman! I don't get how someone so lazy, can be so strong. You should have seen how he and Amidamaru defeated Ryu, a gangster!"
Manta blinked, it seemed like Kun-Loon had took the words right out of Kagome's mouth. It sounded like something Kagome would say. "I'm glad you three became friends with my Kagome," Kun-Loon told them. "She tried hiding it, but she used to be so depressed…" Before anyone could ask Kun-Loon anything about her statement, they came to the back of the temple, where they could see Kagome was with three other people.
Their friend, who usually wore cute outfits out of school, sported tradition priestess garbs. Her long hair, that was usually worn straight back, was up in a slightly messy ponytail. She wore a plain, white kimono top, red hakamas, white split-toed socks with sandals. All in all, Kagome's body did not quite fill out the outfit so well. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground with her hands up in some kind of hand-sign. Her face, which usually had on a happy or cheerful expression, was peaceful and serene with her eyes closed.
The other three people were two girls that were around Kagome's age and a very old woman. Those three also had on priestess outfits. The old woman's outfit was the same as Kagome's, while the two girls' were different. One girl had long dark hair that had a bluish tint to it, much like Kagome's, except this girl's hair was lighter in color. She wore a white and light blue priestess outfit. The other girl had short reddish-brown hair and a red version of the other girl's outfit. The two girls and the old woman slowly looked in their direction, sensing their presences, but not feeling threatened.
"Um, hi, we're here to see Kagome-chan," Manta greeted a bit nervously. It seemed like he, Yoh, and Amidamaru were interrupting something serious. The two girls had been standing on one side of Kagome while the old woman stood on another. Hearing Manta's voice, Kagome's eyes-lids struggled to stay closed. She was losing concentration…
The dark haired girl in blue told the old woman, "Do not worry, Kaede-baasan. We'll take care of these intruders." The red haired girl nodded in agreement, and the two soon began moving in perfect unison. They stepped forward and turned their attention to Yoh and the others.
Kun-Loon smiled behind her hand and whispered, "oh my, I think something is going happen. I should get more juice… Excuse me." She bowed and walked away, taking her tray and Yoh and Manta's empty glasses.
The dark haired girl summoned an ordinary staff to her hand as the red haired one did. "I am Higurashi Momiji," the red haired girl announced.
"And I am Higurashi Botan," the dark haired girl said. They held up their staffs in a defensive position and said in unison, "We will not allow you to distract Higurashi Kagome from her training!!"
Manta unconsciously stepped back with one foot and trembled a bit, "We're not intruders, we're friends!"
Yoh stepped forward and explained calmly, "we're not here to cause trouble. Kagome-chan invited us over today to tour the shrine."
Amidamaru floated beside Yoh and added, "Yoh-dono is telling the truth, so lower your weapons."
The two priestesses looked at each other after glancing at the spirit. They nodded at each other, knowing the others' thoughts. Botan glared at Amidamaru and said, "As priestesses, we will not allow a spirit to freely roam the Earth!"
Momiji's right hand then began to glow a pale purple color. "Prepare to be put to eternal rest," she shouted before charging at Amidamaru. Yoh and Amidamaru stood as still as statues as Momiji, with her swift speed, ran at them with a staff glowing menacingly in her hands.
"HHHHHHaaaaaaa," she shouted, leaping in the air. "Be gone from this world!" She swung her staff down over her head and-
"NANI?!" Momiji and Botan yelled outrageously.
Yoh had stepped in front of Amidamaru and caught Momiji's staff between his hands. Momiji pressed down and pushed as hard as she could. Slowly the glow on her staff faded away and she jumped back a couple of feet. "What's up with that, Momiji?!" Botan screamed.
"Like we said, we're friends of Kagome." Yoh told them. "We're not intruders. And Amidamaru here," the boy jabbed his thumb behind him at his partner, "is my partner, not a restless spirit."
Botan ran up beside Momiji and lifted her staff, despite what Yoh said. Momiji looked at Yoh's face and said, "It seems like this boy is not an ordinary human. He's a shaman." She lowered her head so that her bangs could hide a blush that spread on face, from one cheek to another. "A pretty powerful one, for someone his age."
Manta nodded and said, "That's right. Yoh's a shaman, and I'm Manta, just a human. Didn't Kagome tell you we were coming today?"
Kagome's eyelids fluttered even more until her concentration completely shattered. "Sha… man…" she whispered slowly. Her mind was just registering all the voices and the conversation that she had heard. "Yoh… kun…" she said. "And… Manta-kun…" she added. Kaede narrowed the eye that was not covered by an eye patch in frustration when Kagome's blue-grey eyes slowly opened. She blinked a few times to clear the fog away from her vision…
"You see!" Momiji yelled, pointing at Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru, "this is all your fault!"
"That's right!" Botan added. "Kagome has, once again, failed at creating a basic barrier!"
"Wait a minute!" Kagome interjected quickly. She stood up and looked from her friends to her cousins then back to her friends. "Obaa-san!" she cried angrily. "Just when did they get here?!" she asked. "You promised to let me give them a tour of the shrine when they arrived! Why didn't you tell me?!"
Kaede closed her eyes calmly and answered, "You were so close to creating a barrier that I did not want to disturb you. I could feel your energy solidifying around you."
"That's no excuse!" Kagome yelled back.
Momiji and Botan turned to Kagome angrily and yelled at her in unison, "Do not raise your voice at Kaede-baasan! Show some respect for your superiors!"
Kagome stomped up the two and gave them a glare that made Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru shudder. "Who asked YOU?!"
Amidamaru chuckled nervously and said, "I see a bad temper runs in the family."
"More like a big mouth," Manta replied.
"And they're supposed to be shrine maidens," Yoh joked. "They're the most interesting ones I've ever seen."
Momiji blushed at what Yoh had said then smiled proudly, placing her hands on her hips, "I see that Yoh-kun has good taste."
Botan flipped her hair and smiled cutely, "Momiji, as a priestess, you should be more humble. A great shaman like him, deserves only the best…" Momiji and Kagome's eye twitched at her next statement. "For instance, like me."
It was Momiji's turn to glare to Botan. "And what makes you think that you're the best, sister?" she asked.
"Wweeellll," Botan almost sang the word. "For one, priestesses are supposed to be young, beautiful maidens. Kagome is a month and two days older than us, and you're the older twin by four minutes. Second, I am much more advanced than you two are in almost everything…"
Kagome blanked out Botan's list and Momiji's face was flushed and yelling as she sighed and walked toward her friends. "Sorry guys…" she smiled sheepishly. "I was in the middle of some priestess training. I came here in the morning to get ready and somehow I ended up being dragged into training sessions with Kaede-baasan and those two!"
Yoh smiled and replied, "It's fine, Kagome-chan. It turns out that your family is really interesting."
Manta nodded and added, "Besides, no one got hurt. And I never got to see a real, live priestess before. I've only seen pictures in the books I've read about them."
Kagome placed her hands on her hips and glared down at Manta. "What do you mean you've never seen a real, live priestess before? How long have we've been friends?"
Realizing his mistake, Manta raised his hands in a defensive way and said, "Gomen ne, Kagome-chan. I didn't mean it that way! I mean, it's easier to picture you as a priestess when you wear that outfit!"
"You look really cute in your miko garbs by the way." Amidamaru said with a genuine smile on his face.
Kagome blushed and smiled, "Well thanks, Amidamaru-sama." She tugged at the large top and said absentmindedly, "They're a little too big for me…"
"Well, let's get going." Yoh said cheerfully.
"Oh yeah, let's," Kagome agreed and nodded. First she grabbed Manta's small hand then took Yoh's hand with her other hand and began dragging them away from her sighing grandmother and her bickering cousins. "And don't let Momiji and Botan bother you." she said. "They're twin sisters, and they're only priestesses in training, like me. They trained a lot more than me though."
"They're kinda weird…" Manta admitted. "One minute they're so in synch that they can read each other's thoughts, and the next they're arguing over nothing!"
"Ha ha," Kagome laughed. "Yeah, they get along perfectly most of the time… Until a cute boy comes along, then they bicker over who's the better twin."
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
The day had flown by as Kagome showed her friends around the entire Higurashi property. She had showed them around her house. She explained the legend of the Goshinboku, or God Tree. She showed them inside the well house. She even told them all the legends her grandfather told her and her family history as she showed them around the temple. Kagome lit a few candles as she unlocked the door to the dark storage room. Manta, Amidamaru, and Yoh followed behind her through the door and entered the long yet narrow spaced room.
There were shelves with thousands of scrolls, antiques, and ancient weapons on both sides of the room. They had to walk in a single file line because there was hardly any space between the shelves. "This room holds all the things past down from generation to generation in my family…" Kagome explained. "I'm sure there are plenty of scrolls about shamans in here, Manta-kun… Just look around." She carefully placed a candle on each shelf to light up the room.
With that said, everyone looked around at the things on the shelves. Yoh and Amidamaru admired the weapons that were placed in cases on the top shelves. Kagome helped Manta by handing him the scrolls that were too high for him to reach. She then opened a random scroll and began to reading the words in faded ink… It seemed interesting. There was an intricate painting of a beautiful, silver-haired man dressed in elegant yet armored clothing.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
I, Higurashi Ran, will record the story of the Great Dog Demon Sesshomaru and my younger sister Higurashi Rin to inform future generations of a tragedy in the family.
We were only children when we were orphaned with no other living relatives. I was thirteen years old and Rin was nine years old when a horde of demons raided our village and attacked our shrine. Our father was a priest and he fought the demons as much as he could. Our mother, however, married into the family, and had no powers to fight. She was killed mercilessly…
Alone, and unwanted by the villagers that survived the attacks, we took off into the darkness the next night. We traveled long and far until we could not walk another step… We were weary, exhausted, starving, and heartbroken… "I am sorry little sister," I told Rin when both collapsed onto the forest floor. "I am your older sister, yet I can not take care of you. I can not go on from this point…"
Rin, who had lost voice from the horrific events of the demon raid, only shook her head, crying… Her silent tears broke my heart even more… I knew that she did not blame me for her starvation and evitable death. We lied next to each other, and I grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
"Let us meet again in the next life…" I told her. She nodded wordlessly and closed her eyes… And died…
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
Kagome eyes widened and she gasped softly… She paused and re-read the last two words. "And died…" she whispered. "And died… She died…" She shook her head. There was more to read.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
I did not die. But just lied there for days, next to the corpse of my younger sister. Just as I felt my last drop of energy leave my body, a sudden flash of warm, white light washed over Rin and me. I felt energized; I sat up and saw Rin opening her eyes. A beautiful demon with long silver and gold eyes had revived us with his sword, which is known as Tenseiga.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
Kagome quietly read the scroll from start to finish… The story was interesting. At first, it turned out that this Sesshomaru guy had revived the Higurashi sisters just to test out the abilities of his sword. Both Ran and Rin became his servants, but the demon lord favored Rin for some reason… But one day, a group of demon bandits launched a surprise attack on Sesshomaru during Rin's eleventh birthday celebration. Just after Sesshomaru was giving Tenseiga to Rin as a gift, it was stolen from her, and she was slain… Sesshomaru soon killed all the bandits and recovered Tenseiga…
But for some reason, Rin's spirit departed from her body quickly. Although a funeral was held for her safe departure to the next world, Ran and Sesshomaru sensed that Rin's spirit was still wandering the world of the living. Sesshomaru took Tenseiga and set out to find Rin… But he never returned…
'Hmmm…' Kagome thought to herself. 'That guy… Sesshomaru… I remember seeing him from somewhere… but where?'
"Kagome-chan!!" Manta yelled suddenly, causing Kagome to jump a foot in the air. She panted heavily with her hand placed over her heart.
"What is it?" she asked, her heart racing inside her chest.
Yoh laughed lightly and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's gotten dark quite a while ago, Manta thought we should wrap things up."
Kagome blinked and then asked disappointed, "whhhaaatt? Really? It's dark already?!"
Manta nodded, his arms were full of old, dusty scrolls. "Hai, I think it's about seven o'clock. You talked the whole day away."
Kagome sweat dropped and smiled weirdly, "I don't remember doing that." Her smiled widened then she said, "alright, alright. I'll let you go. Sorry… I probably got the whole 'talk people's ears off' thing from my grandpa."
Yoh yawned loudly and stretched as much as he could in the cramped room. "I almost don't wanna go home. I'm totally beat."
An imaginary light bulb lit above Kagome's head. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "I've got an idea! How about you guys spend the night over here tonight?"
"I don't know… I'd have to make a few calls to home…" Manta said.
"Well I like the sound of that." Yoh stated.
"You're just too lazy to go back home, Yoh-kun," Kagome laughed.
"That's probably right," Manta added, laughing along with her.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
"Wow!" Momiji and Botan squealed in unison. "A sleepover! It sounds fun!" Kagome sweat dropped at her cousins' excitement and sudden change in character. She could not blame them though. It was cute how serious they were about their duties and training as priestesses, yet how young and immature they were at heart.
"I know," Souta, Kagome's seven-year-old little brother said. "Yoh-niisan is cool! I never met a shaman before! And did you see his ghost, Amidamaru?! He looks so strong!!" Kagome giggled at Souta's words. "And Manta-niisan is smart too! He promised to help me with my homework!"
"Wait a minute…" Kagome whispered. "I'm here, why didn't you just ask me?!"
"Heh heh," Souta laughed nervously. "Where are they anyway?" He asked to change the subject. He, Kagome, Momiji, and Botan were sitting in Kagome's room. Souta was sitting cross-legged on the cream-colored carpeted floor, Kagome was sitting in her rolling-chair in front of her study desk, and the twins conquered her twin-sized bed.
"Taking a bath and changing into night clothes," Kagome replied. "You know how mom is when we have company. She wants everyone washed up and changed before dinner."
"Aunt Kun-Loon has strange ways," Botan said nonchalantly.
Kagome's eye twitched and replied bluntly, "You're one to talk. Your mom does not allow anyone to eat breakfast until we run five laps around your shrine."
"I still don't know why, either," Momiji said, leaning back against the wall lazily.
"Thanks to you Kagome, I don't have to worry about training to be a priest!" Souta cheered.
Before Kagome could throw a pillow at her younger brother, the door to her room opened and in stepped, Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru. For a moment, the girls and Souta only gawked. Manta was wearing Souta's old pair of pajamas, which included a long sleeved green top and green bottoms striped with white lines. Yoh was wearing a pair of plain black jogging pants and was shirtless.
"Uh, we're done…" Manta told them nervously. Why did he not like the looks he and Yoh were receiving?
"Wow, Yoh-kun!" Kagome exclaimed. "I knew those pants were a bit too big for me, but I didn't think that they'd fit you so perfectly!" She stood up and walked toward her friends to get a better look, but was run over by her two cousins.
Momiji blushed while staring at Yoh with starry eyes, "Yoh-sama! Even though you're wearing that Kagome-chan's clothing, you still look great as ever!"
Botan had scooped Manta in her arms and was rubbing her cheek against his. "You're so adorable, Manta-san! Your pathetically inadequate height never ceases to amaze me!"
"Uh," Yoh blushed, scratching the back of his head and smiling. "Thanks Momiji."
"Will you put me down?" Manta asked with an annoyed tone. "I'm not a kid ya know!" The priestess continued to swing Manta around, laughing merrily, in an odd state of bliss. "Botan! Let go of me!"
Botan suddenly dropped Manta onto the floor. "Hey!" He exclaimed. "What the hell is your pro-?!" He paused when he saw Botan and Momiji step back in unison. They joined their hands together and squealed in unison. They both had identical blushes and starry eyes.
"He called me by my first name!" the twins exclaimed excitedly.
Amidamaru decided to discreetly stand by Kagome so the twins would not start marveling over him. He watched quietly as Momiji and Botan began chatting with his partner and Manta about just about everything! He peered at Kagome from the corner of his eye. She was sitting on the floor, watching her friends and cousins interact with an unknown emotion on her face.
"Kagome-sama," Amidamaru said. He quickly snapped her out of her daze and she turned her head in his direction. "Is something bothering you?"
Kagome smiled and shook her head from side to side. "No, I'm fine… It's… nice… To see my cousins and friends get along so well." Amidamaru did not buy it, but he remained quiet, not wanting to press on and feeling the wrath of Kagome's fury.
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
Tonight's dinner turned out to be oden, Kagome's favorite. "So if you're two priestesses in training too," Manta began saying between bites. "That means that you live at a shrine too."
"That is correct, you are smart," Botan cooed at Manta from across the table.
"So why are you here, if you don't me asking," the short boy asked curiously.
Momiji replied with a smile, "that's easy. Unlike Kagome, we've been training for years. We were born twins, without any other siblings. So naturally, we're more experienced than Kagome. She started her training two years ago because Kaede-baasan did not think Kagome would need training…" She paused and her eyes darkened noticeably. "Until it happened."
Botan, who was sitting next to her twin, glared at Momiji and nudged her in the side. "Alright, that's enough. You can't just go and tell total strangers our family business!"
Momiji's face flushed and she mumbled, "total strangers, huh? Just a while ago, you were so gaga over Manta-san."
Yoh looked at Kagome from across the table, noticing that she was extremely quiet. "Kagome-chan…" he said, just loud enough for her to hear. She looked up from her lap and at Yoh. She blushed at the worry expression on his face. "Your mom said oden is your favorite, but you haven't eaten a bite… Are you okay?"
Kagome looked around the dining room from person to person until her gaze settled on Yoh again. She nodded wordlessly and stood up quickly, excusing herself. She placed her bowl, which was full of oden, into the refrigerator. "I'm not hungry," she mumbled, no one really heard her. She scurried out of the dining room like frightened mouse.
"Yoh-kun," Manta said. "Is it just me, or is Kagome-chan acting a bit strangely?"
"Yeah. Stranger than normal."
S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.
"I see!" Momiji and Botan said. "You were changing the living room into our sleepover room while everyone ate! You're pretty thoughtful, Kagome!" Kagome nodded and smiled at her handiwork. She knew her room would have been too small to hold all five of the teenagers and Souta so she decided to borrow the living room for the night.
The long couch would serve as a bed for two people, one laying on each side. One person could sleep on the loveseat. Kagome had created a few pallets with the sheets, blankets, and pillows from her and Souta's room. She also found some extra pillows and blankets and put them on the couch and loveseat. "I did a pretty good job," Kagome said, patting her self on the back.
"Yeah, you did great," Yoh and Manta praised Kagome in unison. Yoh patted her on the head, and she blushed, laughing from embarrassment.
"Well, anyway," Kagome said. "I'm tired from all the training and touring today." Yoh stretched and yawned his agreement.
"Nani?!" Momiji, Botan, and Souta asked outrageously. "Who actually sleeps at a sleepover?!"
Chapter 3: Higurashi Shrine and the Lonely Soul (Part I)
(!ENDS!)
Authoress Notes: Err… Okay, so Kagome didn't get her primary spirit in this chapter after all… And Ren did not appear… Heh, heh. Turns out that I split the chapter in half cause there's so much going on! But I promise it'll happen in part two. The poll for Kagome's primary spirit is pretty much closed… The results are kinda obvious. But I'll still allow votes up until the next chapter. (shrugs) Who knows, maybe the results will change… Though I doubt it.
Results for Kagome's primary spirit (so far):
1) Kikyou - 2 (Wow… Still no love.)
2) Midoriko - 11 (Pretty good)
3) Sesshomaru - 26 (He's pretty darn popular Oo)
4) Multi - 2 (Yeah… not so popular --')
For the pairing poll, when people reviewed and said they wanted a harem and they also said who they wanted in it, I marked it down as a harem and one for whoever they said they wanted in the harem. I'm also including the results for the poll I posted. You can vote there too. Okay? Here are the results for the pairings (so far):
1) Hao/Kagome- 8 votes (Kyah! . Okay)
2) Kagome/Male Harem- 17 (Wtf? OO You guess like that I guess)
3) Yoh/Kagome- 13 votes (I like this pair too)
4) Ren/Kagome- 7 votes (Right behind Hao)
5) Faust/Kagome- 3 votes (O...Okay…)
6) Sesshomaru/Kagome- 2 ('Bout to talk about this one)
7) Horo Horo/Kagome- 1 (Woah… Really people?)
Alright, I have to address a few things about the pairings.
#1) It looks like the harem is winning. More than one person said they don't like harems because it makes the main character look sluttish and fickle. Well for one thing, just because it is a harem, does not mean the main character likes every single person in the harem back. It's kinda harsh, but it's true.
For example, I would say that the REAL Kagome in the actual Inuyasha anime and manga has a harem going on because Inuyasha, Kouga, Houjo-kun, and Akitoki Houjo, and much more has feelings for her. But she only has special feelings for Inuyasha. In the story, if the harem wins, she will not going around kissing every single guy in her harem… Depending on which individual who has the most votes, I will decide who Kagome's main interests will be.
For example, look at the results so far. If I stopped the poll here, Yoh would be Kagome's main love interest. Then she'd also have feelings for Hao. And she'd also have a strong (friend-like) relationship with Ren, but she would not be aware of his special feelings for her…
I understand, it's kinda bogus. But that's the way it'll go. I'm sorry if anyone becomes uninterested because they don't get to see the pairing they want. If you really like the story but not the pairing, then if you ask, I might make another special little story just for you. (smiles) Cause I'll write just about anything, and I like when people enjoy my writing.
#2) I was not expecting anyone to vote for Faust/Kagome, but I really don't mind that… However, the pairing that can not, and will not, happen is Sesshomaru/Kagome if he turns out to be her primary spirit… That does disturb me to think about it. I could rant a million reasons why I will not write in this pairing, but then again, I bet fans of this pairing can rant a million reasons why I should write this pairing. I'm sorry to be blunt but- No. It will not happen. Not in this story. Not if he's her primary spirit.
Alright, that's enough about pairings. I have another issue to address. You guys hurt my feelings. I received 5 less reviews for chapter 2 than I got for chapter 1. Sure, chapter 1 had 111 more words but… Jeez, guys. That was a putdown. So, I have a new goal to reach before I start writing again. I want at least 25 reviews for this chapter, so I should have at least 72 reviews before I start writing again. My writing spirit and inspiration feeds off of your reviews so help me here! This chapter was little longer than the other two, so don't let me down!! T-T
Anyway, I do hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter. I would have had it up faster but I had to go back and delete a (ahem) romantic scene… Then I had to write more to make up for the missing scene. Ugh, like eleven pages!! --'
PS. If you ever went to
Beautiful Phantom's deviant site, you'd notice that couple of her arts had several scenes from this. That's how I got my ideas from.
