"Ah, I wish Friday would hurry up and get here," Sumiko griped as she changed her shoes. "Summer break can't come soon enough if you ask me."
"Not me," Keiko chimed in as she swept past. "Later you guys, I'm going walking with Kenma-kun!"
"Bye," Sumiko called out. "At least she's finally getting some exercise," she softly grumbled.
"I like school," Kinuka replied as she waited patiently for Sumiko to finish.
"Well, I don't exactly hate it," Sumiko admitted as she snatched up her bag and headed towards the door. "I just have a few projects I'd like to work on." She frowned. "We should definitely plan on meeting up some this summer though. I'll miss you guys."
"I'll have to ask," Kinuka replied. She blinked as they stepped outside into the bright afternoon light. "Are you going on any trips?"
"I'm sure I'll go somewhere with my family," Sumiko sighed. "I always get kind of bored at those fancy resorts though."
Kinuka suddenly stiffened and glanced around with a quizzical expression on her face. "What was that?"
Sumiko glanced up. "What was what?"
The white-haired girl shook her head irritably. "I'll see you tomorrow," she promised as she took off running towards the front gate.
As Kinuka ran, she wondered what was causing the uneasy feeling in the back of her mind. It felt like there was a familiar presence somewhere nearby.
Kinuka made it out to the street just in time to see a red-clad teenage boy go bounding down the street and disappear around the corner. She skidded to an abrupt stop, startled by his appearance. As he had passed, she had gotten a good look at his long silvery-white hair. Years of being teased for her hair color had made her very aware of how unique it was. Even in her family it was unheard of.
The decision to follow him was an easy one. She had to know who he was. Kinuka immediately took off down the street in the direction he had gone, hoping that she would be able to catch up. She sped around the corner where she had last seen him, but he already was nowhere in sight.
She kept running, looking frantically in every alleyway and side street for him. No matter how fast he was, he couldn't have just disappeared that quickly.
She finally slowed to a stop, realizing that she would never find him this way. She had been able to clearly sense him a few minutes ago. Perhaps if she tried she would be able to do so again.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. After a moment she was able to feel his presence again, only it was much weaker this time. He had to be fairly far away by now. However now she knew which direction he was going.
For nearly an hour Kinuka carefully chased after him. Before long she had left the familiar streets of Tomobiki, but she kept going. At this point she was determined not to lose him no matter how far he ran.
The boy was certainly fast; even with knowing which way to go she never even caught another glimpse of him. However she could sense that she wasn't falling any further behind now. It seemed like he wasn't moving in a straight line, but was instead taking a complex path across the city.
At last it felt like she was getting steadily closer. Though she was getting tired from running so long, Kinuka forced herself to quicken her pace even more. There was no telling when he might start moving again.
When she finally came to a stop, to her surprise she was in front of a Shinto shrine that looked much like her own. A small sign at the base of the stairs announced that she had arrived at the Higurashi Shrine. The name wasn't familiar, but then again she couldn't remember having visited this neighborhood before.
At this range Kinuka could sense the boy's presence very strongly. There was no doubt in her mind that he was somewhere within. She started up the stairs slowly, worrying what she was going to say when she met him. It would be sound weird to say she had followed him just because they had the same color hair.
Just as she reached the top, she heard a pair of voices raised in anger, followed by the sound of a door being slammed shut. It sounded like this wasn't a good time to confront the boy.
The voices suddenly got louder. Kinuka's usual timidity took over as she quickly ducked behind a tree before anyone could see her. Peeking out cautiously from her hiding place, she spied the white-haired boy stomp around the side of the house, followed closely by an angry looking teenage girl in a sailor uniform.
Kinuka held back a gasp as she finally got a better look at the boy. Not only was his hair the same shade as hers, he also shared her golden eyes. He also was wearing a very old fashioned set of robes. But that wasn't what surprised her. It was the very distinctive triangular ears rising from the top of his head.
"Well, come on then," the girl shouted at him as she shifted the large backpack she was carrying. "I thought you were in such a big hurry to get back!"
"Yeah, yeah," the boy muttered gruffly as he looked around. "Don' rush me." He suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing the girl to bump into him.
"Watch it!" the girl snapped as she stumbled backwards a step.
Kinuka drew back as the boy stared directly at where she was hiding. The last of her courage had fled at the sight of those inhuman ears, and she prayed hard that he wouldn't notice her.
He sniffed suspiciously once or twice before turning away with a shrug. "I just had a feeling that someone was watching us," he explained.
"I'm sure it was probably just Buyo," the girl retorted. "I already told you that it isn't like the feudal era here. There aren't demons lurking everywhere."
"Feh. You don't know that," the boy growled.
Kinuka decided to remain well out of sight. These people were definitely strange, and both of them appeared to be in a bad mood.
However her curiosity got the better of her when she heard another door sliding open. Kinuka peered around the tree just in time to see the two disappearing into a small shrine building. The door was quickly slid closed behind them with a loud bang.
After a long moment there was complete silence. Kinuka stepped out cautiously, looking puzzled. The boy's presence had suddenly disappeared entirely.
For several minutes Kinuka waited, but the shrine was quiet now, and she remained unable to sense anyone nearby. She wondered if she should take the opportunity to flee, but something drew her feet towards the small building instead. Finally building up her courage, she stepped up to the door and carefully slid the door open just a bit.
The building was totally dark inside, and she couldn't sense any movement from within. Mystified, she slid the door open all the way, dimly illuminating the interior.
There was no other exit, but somehow the two who had entered were gone. Kinuka stepped inside and spied an ancient looking well in the center of the room. She nervously approached it and peeked over the edge. It was very dark, but it was clear that no one was in there either.
Shivering, Kinuka started to back away. Something was very wrong here. People didn't just disappear out of the blue like that. After a few steps she turned and fled, eager to put as much distance between her and the Higurashi shrine as possible.
Kinuka sprinted across the courtyard of her own family's shrine at top speed, nearly running into her father as he toured the grounds.
"Don't make such a ruckus," her father scolded as he caught her arm. "You'll upset our visitors."
Kinuka shook her head as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm sorry, Father," she panted, "I just saw something very strange."
"That's no excuse for rudeness," he replied coldly as he glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. "People don't come to our shrine to see bratty children running around." He scowled and released her. "Now what did you see?"
She shrank away at the irritation in his voice. "Well, I-I was leaving school, " she stuttered nervously, "and I saw this strange boy go running down the street."
"You know, I really don't have time to hear about some idiot boy," her father interrupted. "I've got a lot of work to do around here."
"But his hair and eyes looked just like mine!" she blurted out.
Her father's eyes narrowed as he gave her his full attention. "Go on."
"That's not all," she continued hesitantly. "I swear that he had pointy dog ears too."
He looked incredulous for a moment, but his expression quickly hardened again. "You must have imagined it," he replied.
"I didn't!" she protested. "I know what I saw."
"Lower your voice, young lady," her father told her. "Now you listen to me. I don't want to hear any more foolish talk from you."
She looked down and clenched her fists, holding back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I really did see him," she insisted. "I followed him to this shrine way across town." She paused for a moment, wondering if she should keep going. "That was the weirdest part. He met up with this girl, and then they both just disappeared."
Her father's eyes widened. "They didn't see you, did they?" he demanded angrily.
She bit her lip. It had been a mistake to tell him after all.
"Did they?" he repeated.
"Hey!"
Kinuka glanced up at the reassuring sound of her grandfather's voice.
The elderly man crossed the distance from the house to where they were standing with a swiftness that belied his age, his unused cane clutched tightly in his fist. "Leave her the hell alone," he spat. "Why do you always have to be so gruff?"
"Do you know what she just told me?" her father demanded.
"Yeah, I heard," the old man retorted angrily. "And it's not really any of your business. Why don't you go somewhere else for a while?"
For a long moment her father didn't back down. Finally he was forced to look away from the old man's furious gaze.
"Fine," he replied frigidly. "You're right, this isn't really my concern. If you'll excuse me, I need to make sure the visitors are doing ok. Someone has to keep a roof over your ungrateful heads."
The old man glared after her father until he was out of sight. "I never have figured out what your mother sees in that man," he muttered.
Kinuka didn't reply as she wiped furiously at the tears starting to stream down her cheeks.
"Are you ok?" he asked gently.
She nodded, sniffling a bit as she continued to dab at her eyes.
"Come on inside," he told her. "First we'll get you cleaned up, then we need to have a bit of a talk."
"So you saw a boy with dog ears, huh?" her grandfather mused. "Well, her birthday did come just a little while ago. It's hard to believe that she's already fifteen though."
"Who is, Grandfather?" Kinuka asked quietly.
He looked distinctly uncomfortable. "There's a few things you need to know before I tell you about her." he sighed. "I probably should have already told you all this. I suppose the years just got away from me again."
"Tell me about what?" she prodded him.
"Do you remember the legend of the Shikon no Tama?" he asked.
Kinuka gave him a confused look, wondering where he was going with this. "The Jewel of Four Souls? Sure. We have a whole box of them out in the storehouse," she pointed out.
He smiled. "Those trinkets are just cheap glass beads. But once upon a time there was a real Shikon no Tama, and it stirred up trouble all over this land."
"But a powerful miko came and made it disappear forever, right?" Kinuka responded. "I remember the story."
"Well, there's a lot more to the story than that," he continued. "The miko had several companions who fought along side her. With their help she was able to both defeat a great evil and purify the jewel once and for all."
"I don't remember hearing that part," she admitted.
"Much has been purposely left out of the legend," he replied. "One of the things that has been kept a secret all these years is exactly who that miko was."
She looked up as she noticed sudden sadness in his voice. "What's wrong, Grandfather?"
He didn't answer for a moment. "Her name was Higurashi Kagome," he finally stated quietly.
"Higurashi was the name of that shrine I was at earlier," she recalled. "Was it named after her?"
"No," he chuckled. "The Higurashi family that lives there arrived in this area much later."
"Then I don't understand where this story is going," Kinuka admitted.
"Sorry," her grandfather apologized. "I'll stop beating around the bush. The girl you saw earlier today was Kagome, the very miko that purified the Shikon no Tama. And that silver-haired boy was one of her companions, a half demon named InuYasha."
"Huh? Be serious, grandfather," she protested.
"You said that they both just disappeared, right? I'll bet they went into a well house and didn't come out."
"How did you know?" she demanded.
"Because the dry well inside is a portal to another time, almost five hundred years ago," he continued. "For a while it allowed both Kagome and Inuyasha to travel back and forth between the present and the warring states era."
"I thought you were going to being serious," Kinuka reminded him.
"I am being serious," he replied indignantly. "But it's up to you whether you want to believe me."
"It's rather hard to," she admitted, thrown off balance by his earnest tone.
"Perhaps some evidence will help," he replied as he left his chair. "Wait here a moment."
She waited patiently until her grandfather returned with an old battered wooden box under his arm. He carefully set it down on the floor next to her and undid the brass clasps that held it shut.
"Does these look familiar?" he asked as he pulled out a brilliant red jacket, followed by matching pants and sash.
"These are the same kind of clothes as that boy was wearing earlier..." she realized.
"This robe was woven from the fur of the legendary fire-rat," her grandfather explained. "To my knowledge this is the only one like it in the world." He handed her the jacket. "These are the same as the ones you saw earlier, just five hundred years older."
Kinuka gently caressed the soft fabric in her hands. "It's pretty and all, but you're not helping your story. There's no way this is five hundred years old. It looks brand new."
"It's actually closer to eight or nine hundred years old," he commented offhand. "The legends say that InuYasha's father obtained them at some point in his travels to China." The old man grinned. "His father was a demon lord widely called the Inu no Taisho. Does that sound familiar?"
"You're really reaching now," Grandfather," Kinuka retorted.
"Am I?" He patted her on the head. "Kinuka, the reason for your hair and eyes is that you're a direct descendant of that boy." He quickly anticipated her next question. "After the first couple of generations, the demon blood was thinned out enough that his descendents appeared no different from ordinary humans. But for whatever reason that blood is strong in you. I believe that is why you have such a strong awareness of spirits as well."
"He's telling the truth, honey."
Kinuka glanced up to find her mother standing in the doorway. "Mother?"
"I know it's all a bit shocking," her mother continued calmly, "But please believe him."
"It's ok if you need some time to take this all in," her grandfather said as he carefully stood up. "But even if you don't believe me, I must ask that you promise me that you'll stay away from Kagome and InuYasha."
"Huh? Why?" Kinuka demanded.
"Seeing you would only confuse them," he explained in a firm tone. "They must fulfill their destiny without any interference."
She fixed her gaze on the floor, not really listening. "I still don't know if I can believe all this. You're honestly telling me that I'm part demon? How's that supposed to make me feel?"
"Sorry," he sighed. "I really should have told you before now."
Picking up his nearby cane, he nodded towards her mother and stepped out of the room. After giving Kinuka an apologetic smile, her mother followed.
"Shouldn't you go ahead and tell her everything?" her mother demanded as soon as they were out of earshot.
"I don't know," the old man sighed. "I think the rest can wait for another day. This is already a lot for her."
"It won't change how she thinks of you," her mother assured him. "I know that's what you're worried about."
"I don't know about that," he muttered. "Anyways, can you believe that Kagome's already fifteen?"
"Did you really lose track?" she asked. "Haven't you been waiting for this?"
"Yeah, sort of," he confirmed. "But it'll still be almost four more years before I can go there."
"I'm surprised you aren't going to go have a look at them for yourself," she noted.
"I wouldn't dare," he admitted. "His nose is too keen. And he wasn't the type to wait for an explanation either."
"Today's the last day of the term, exams are already over and done, and yet here you are still studying," Sumiko noted with amusement. "I didn't know you were that dedicated."
Kinuka glanced up from the book she had just borrowed from the library. "I'm not studying," she replied hesitantly. "Just reading."
"Ah, sorry. Is that a history book?" Sumiko asked as she peered over the shorter girl's shoulder.
"Yeah,"
"I didn't know you were interested in that stuff. I've always found it kind of boring."
"I recently became interested," Kinuka replied. She frowned. "You're smart. Is time travel possible?"
"Hm?" Sumiko thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. It's not something we've done research into."
"Hah. I know something you don't," Keiko gloated as she joined Sumiko next to Kinuka's desk. "Yeah, it's possible. My mom told me that she used to have a little doohickey that could do it."
"Really?" Sumiko demanded, her interest suddenly piqued. "Is that oni technology? How did it work?"
Keiko shrugged. "I dunno. Something to do with subspace, I guess."
"Does she still have it?"
"I don't' think so."
"Oh," Sumiko shook her head. "That would have been interesting to see."
"So it is possible," Kinuka mused.
"Apparently so," Sumiko replied irritably. "Ugh, I'd love to just spend one week on Oniboshi."
"I'd invite you if I could," Keiko sighed.
"Stupid Trade Alliance," Sumiko grumbled as she returned to her seat.
Keiko shrugged apologetically and turned her attention back to Kinuka. "How come you're asking about time travel?"
"No reason."
Keiko didn't find that answer very convincing, but she decided to just let it go. Kinuka was well known for being a person of few words. "Ok, whatever then." She smiled and playfully tousled the girl's silvery hair. "I'm going to miss you if we don't get to hang out this summer."
Kinuka merely glared at her for a moment before hastily smoothing down her mussed hair. "I'll miss Sumiko-chan."
"That's so mean!" Keiko replied, pretending to be offended. "Haven't we been friends since elementary school?"
"I suppose," Kinuka sighed.
"I'm going to see if we can wrangle a beach trip out of my parents sometime this summer. If I can, then you're going. No buts about it."
"Let me know the details and I'll ask."
"It'll be sometime after our trip to Oniboshi," Keiko said thoughtfully. "Just don't make any plans for the last half of the break, ok?"
"That's unreasonable," Kinuka noted irritably. "But I won't have any plans anyway."
Keiko nodded. "It's a promise then," she said as she headed back towards her seat.
A timid knock on the door caught Sakura's attention as she finished tidying up her small office. "Come in," she called out, wondering who had gotten hurt this late in the day.
Kinuka opened the door and hesitantly stepped forward into the room, carefully closing the door behind her.
"Oh, hello there," Sakura greeted her. "You're Sumiko-chan's friend, right?"
Kinuka nodded.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling ill?" Sakura asked more gently, noticing how nervous the girl appeared to be.
"No, Sensei," Kinuka answered quietly. "I was just wondering if I could ask you something."
Sakura stared blankly at her for a moment before pointing to a nearby chair. "Sure," she agreed as she settled down in her own chair.
Kinuka sat down quickly and kept her gaze fixed on the floor, trying to gather up her courage. "You're a priestess."
Sakura noticeably flinched. "Yes, that's right," she replied calmly.
"You can sense the presence of demons and such, can't you?"
"Most of the time, yes," Sakura cautiously answered.
"Do you sense anything unusual about me?" Kinuka asked.
Sakura didn't reply immediately. She could see without even trying that the girl's emotions were highly tumultuous right now. Lying wouldn't be the best course of action, but she knew that she needed to be careful with her answer.
"The old man sensed something, didn't he?"
"My uncle is rather eccentric at times," Sakura noted. "But yes, we both sensed something.... special about you. But it's not anything bad. You just have a very... strong spiritual presence."
"Like a demon."
"Somewhat," Sakura confirmed. She might as well come out and say it; the girl already seemed to know. "If I had to guess, I would say that you are not completely human."
"I see," Kinuka replied, her voice betraying no hint of emotion.
"But that's not a bad thing," Sakura hastily assured her. "Your classmate Keiko-chan isn't completely human either."
After a moment Kinuka nodded slightly. "I know," she replied. "And Sumiko-chan isn't human at all."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Did she tell you that?"
"No. But I don't sense anything from her. If I close my eyes, it's like she's not there. A few of my classmates are like that."
"I see...." Sakura shook her head. "Well, that's certainly not something that you should go around telling people."
"You're the only one," Kinuka replied. "And you already knew." She stood up abruptly and bowed stiffly. "Thank you for answering my question."
"You're welcome," Sakura said quickly as the girl reached for the door. "If you ever need to talk about anything, just let me know."
"Thank you, Sensei," Kinuka replied as she slipped out of the room.