Kagome sighed in happiness as she stepped through the gate of her new high-school. It was an hour away from the shrine, but there were trains running at all hours, so it wasn't a problem for her to be on time – or even early, as she was today. The first day of school. Sesshoumaru had told her to bring her own equipment if she wanted to join the archery club that day, as the new gear he'd ordered would not arrive for a week, and of the three bows that were for the use of 'beginners' (meaning new members who hadn't proven themselves yet), one was beginning to rot and the other two were off balance, though one was definitely worse than the other.

He'd also offered to let her store her bow in his office until the day's classes – such as they were on the first day – were over and clubs began their campaigns to recruit new members. After all, if they had more members or awards to their club, then the club got more funding. Sesshoumaru was investing a little more into the archery club this year because he knew Kagome would be joining it – and with a pretty girl like her joining (he was not blind as his brother had been after all, though he would never pursue her himself), then there were certain to be a number of other students signing up as well, if only to try for her attention. They wouldn't stick, but the awards Kagome would bring from her position in the club would.

Therefore, the archery club could be awarded a slightly greater budget, and more equipment.

In the mean time, Kagome headed for Sesshoumaru's office to drop her things off.

"Higurashi," Sesshoumaru greeted.

"Good morning, Takahashi-sensei," Kagome chirped back. "Thank you for letting me store my archery things here until after class."

Sesshoumaru nodded in acceptance of the thanks. "When you have joined the club, you will have the use of their storage facilities. I expect you to use them. This is a one-time thing," he informed her.

"Hai Sensei," Kagome answered with a smile, rolling her eyes. Of course she'd use the student storage facilities! She wasn't going to take advantage of being friends with the principle!

"And Higurashi," Sesshoumaru called as she started to reach for the doorknob to let herself out again.

"Hai?"

"If you don't have an acceptable boyfriend by the time you graduate from here, then I will send you to meet the matchmaker," Sesshoumaru said with a smirk.

Kagome turned red, eyes wide in shock before they narrowed in anger. "Ooh, you are so lucky I don't have a set of subjugation beads around your neck Aniki," she growled at him before she let herself out.

Sesshoumaru chuckled, amused, as the young miko stormed away from his office. She only ever called him Aniki, acknowledging the close bond between them, when she made that threat – a threat she could have easily followed through with. After all, she had learned, in the ten years before she was sent back, how to make a rosary and imbue it with the spell of subjugation. He remembered watching that lesson with great interest and offering Jaken as a test subject.

~oOo~

The first day of classes was fairly simple. Students were assigned their desks, each student was called upon to introduce themselves to the class – give their name and say a short something about themselves – and then the teacher went over everything they should have covered in middle-school, giving them all a point where he expected them to be when classes really began the next day.

And then the students were released to look around at the various clubs.

The senior students had been released from their classes earlier – handing in their summer homework and being given the first homework of the new school year the only thing they had to worry about on the first day otherwise – and had all the club displays up and ready to draw in the new students.

"The archery club always set up next to the kendo club," Sesshoumaru informed Kagome when she appeared at his office to collect her gear after she was released from class. "I will walk with you."

Kagome smiled. "Thanks Sesshoumaru," she answered.

"By the way," Sesshoumaru said as they walked, "this uniform suits you better than your previous."

Kagome raised an incredulous eyebrow at him. He wasn't smirking. He was actually being sincere, not teasing her. "Thank you," she answered. "Did you design it?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "I did," he agreed. "It is based on military uniforms of Europe from approximately the time of the Sengoku."

"Loosely based on," Kagome countered with a smirk. "But I do like it better than my old uniform, so I'm not going to complain. You look good in modern clothes as well," she offered. "I know you could wear hakama..."

"I have discovered the comfort and convenience of modern fashion," Sesshoumaru countered wryly, a slight smirk on his face. "I save the hakama for kendo uniform and special occasions. Trousers and jeans are quite comfortable, and get me fewer odd looks."

Kagome nodded in understanding.

"You will need hakama for archery tournaments," Sesshoumaru pointed out.

"I have a couple of pairs," Kagome answered.

Sesshoumaru nodded in approval. "Here," he said. "The archery club. And remember Higurashi, a boyfriend by the time you graduate or I'm calling the matchmaker."

"Aniki," Kagome growled after him as he left her in front of where the archery club had set up.

He just smirked over her shoulder and went to see how the kendo club was doing.

Kagome huffed and turned to the archery club's set-up where the taicho was explaining to a couple of other under-classmen about the strictures that the archer club had for its members – including the required demonstration of how well they knew how to handle a bow already, so they knew how to handle them if they joined. The archery club was, after all, something a bit more elite than a good many of the other clubs.

"You're serious?" the taicho asked her, clearly a little incredulous, when she stepped up to the line for her turn.

"I would not have brought my own bow if I were not, Sempai," Kagome answered, a little sharply.

"I don't think we've ever had a girl in the club who was actually serious before," he defended, backing off, and gestured for her to take her shots – she would have three. They wanted to be sure that any good or bad shots weren't completely a fluke, after all.

Kagome fired them with the speed she had spent the previous year and summer training back into her younger body, and nodded to herself, satisfied to see all three clustered tightly and neatly in the very centre of the bullseye.

"You're in," the taicho said shortly.

Kagome smiled happily, and fetched her arrows out of the target so that the next of her peers could step up to try out.

~oOo~

The times had changed. Of course they had. Five hundred years had passed. But it was strange none the less. Five hundred years ago, demons weren't invisible to normal humans. They didn't possess the power to hide themselves so efficiently. Today... only those demons that were strong had to concern themselves with being seen at all. Humans just... didn't have enough awareness of the supernatural any more to be able to see the demons that once terrified them.

Sesshoumaru said it was because of technology.

When the humans had lived closer to the land, even the weakest of them had more spiritual powers than the average human of today. Oh, there were a few humans still who could see demons, who had the powers to draw them in like moths to a flame. But most of Japan simply... forgot. There were still warnings on signs to beware of kappa in the rivers, and a few other similar things, but...

The old ways were being forgotten. The lesser demons were becoming too weak to hold a truly physical form, and were now mere phantoms visible only to a few.

Kagome wasn't sure if she was happy or sad about that. She'd made friends with a number of demons after all, but at the same time, knew that such friendly demons were in the minority.

Or perhaps more accurately, benevolent demons. There seemed to be a lot of demons that wanted to get 'friendly', just... not necessarily to the benefit of the human they wanted to be 'friendly' with.

Case in point – the boy with the glasses who looked to everybody else like he was just exhausted as he dragged himself along the pavement to the gate, but to to Kagome looked like he was being crushed by about fifteen lesser demons as he tried to outrun them.

Kagome couldn't help but be at least academically interested by this. There she was, wearing the Shikon no Tama around her neck (hidden by the uniform from sight, but a few bits of normal cloth could hardly hide the aura of the thing), and fifteen minor demons were more interested in the boy across the way. Why? Maybe they'd finally learned that trying to take the jewel from her would only result in their purification?

Kagome picked up a tiny pebble from the ground, charged it a little, and flicked it over the boy's head. It went through three of the fifteen demons, purifying them as it went. The other twelve hung back warily as the boy managed to finally drag himself through the gate – and into the territory of a much more powerful demon than any of them were: Sesshoumaru's territory.

Kagome saw the boy gasp and sigh with relief as he finally pulled himself up straight and walk towards the school building, and shook her head as she wondered to herself how long he'd been running from those lesser demons. He really should have learned that running away would only encourage them. When something ran, it was in the nature of the demon to give chase. It was just how it was.

When she entered her classroom, she spotted him there too. Maybe, just maybe, she'd try and make friends with him. Though, with the Shikon around her neck like a noose, that could be what is known as a really bad idea. As such, it would require a great deal of serious thought. A great deal of serious though. And possibly a conversation with Sesshoumaru. Possibly.

~oOo~

It was hot out, and they had gym. The boys and girls were, for reasons Kagome didn't care about enough to even bother questioning, separated. The boys played soccer, and the girls were led through mat exercises. Actually, being split up like this gave the girls a chance to gossip a little as they were guided through stretches before they each waited their turn to be coached through cartwheels and flips.

"Oh, look at Watanuki-kun," exclaimed the girl next to Kagome in line, two long curly pigtails hanging fairly loosely – Kunogi Himawari. Kagome liked the girl well enough, but was wary of the aura of bad luck that warped around her. "He's quite the hunk when he's kicking for a goal like that," she added with a giggle.

Kagome smiled at the other girl, and followed her line of sight. "Ah, so his name is Watanuki," she said softly, recognising the boy who'd had, er, hangers on nearly every morning when he dragged himself through the school gates. "Do you know him, Kunogi-san?" she asked.

The other girl nodded. "He's an excellent cook," she announced. "He shared a bento with me that he'd made himself. Oh! And he has an after-school job!"

Kagome smiled. "An admirable thing," she answered. "But I think I like the goalie on the other team better," she added in a conspiratorial whisper.

Kunogi raised a hand to giggle behind. "Doumeki-san was certainly impressive, the way he saved," she agreed. "Ne, ne, Higurashi-san, do you like Doumeki-san?" she asked, just as softly as Kagome had.

Kagome blushed a little. "I- I know Doumeki-san from archery club," she admitted. "We talk about things."

"Like...?" Kunogi pressed with a smile.

Kagome rolled her eyes playfully. "Like the stories his grandfather told him, and the stories my grandfather insists on telling me, so that we know all the duties of shrine keepers," she answered with a smile.

Kunogi blinked. "You live on a shrine, Higurashi-san?" she asked, genuinely and innocently curious about this point.

Kagome nodded. "Hai," she agreed. "I can do exorcisms, purifications, certain sorts of cleansings," she counted off on her fingers. "I even know a few spells and a bit about fortune telling," she added with an almost easy shrug. "And of course, all the stories of the shrine," she finished.

"Wow Higurashi-san. That all sounds so fascinating!" Kunogi enthused quietly. They were still in class after all. It wouldn't do to get too loud.

Kagome smiled back. "Shall we go and give them our praise for playing so well, even though they aren't on the soccer team, when we are released?" she suggested.

Kunogi nodded. "Un!" she agreed. "I can introduce you to Watanuki-kun too! He's very sweet..."

Kagome smiled a smile that would have looked more at home on Miroku's face. "Will Watanuki-san be receiving Honmei Choco from you come Valentines Day, Kunogi-san?" she asked, teasing slightly.

Kunogi blushed a little, then slumped where she stood. "I... It's... I don't give people choco on Valentines Day, Higurashi-san," she answered softly. "Bad things happen to people I give choco too..."

Kagome instantly regretted her teasing. "Ne, Kunogi-san, your aura of bad luck sticks to other people who get to close?" she asked gently.

Kunogi gasped softly, eyes wide as they snapped up to Kagome's face. "How did you -?"

"I can see it," Kagome answered kindly. "I don't think I could get rid of it for you, at least, not permanently, but I can certainly cleanse your aura from any gifts of choco you wanted to give," she offered. "Even put a blessing on it, if you wanted."

Kunogi smiled gratefully, and looked like she wanted to cry. "Arigatou," she said softly.

Kagome nodded, and then she was being called up to make an attempt at a flip. A flip that, mentally, she knew how to perform perfectly (thanks to Sango) but which, physically, it was still just slightly beyond her to nail. It took practice, and she hadn't been too concerned with flips when taking advantage of Sesshoumaru's obstacle course except for as they served her to get her the right way up to land when she was dropped, falling, or thrown from a great height.

Still, her first try was good enough for the sensei, who then released her to go shower and change for her next class, and then called on Kunogi to perform the same flip.

~oOo~

Kagome was changed and had brushed her hair out from the pony-tail she wore it in for gym class (yes, Sango, it was more practical for extensive physical activity, you were right!) in time to see Kunogi hand Watanuki a towel to dry his face with.

"Himawari-chan!" the boy exclaimed in surprised delight once he'd put his glasses back on and could see who'd given him the towel. "Thank you so much!"

Kagome giggled. Oh yeah, crush a mile wide, right there. And poor Kunogi-san, having to keep herself at a careful distance so that her aura didn't hurt the people around her, when she wanted to reciprocate.

"The weather's hot again today," the girl answered with a smile. "On a day like today, having gym class is really rough."

"You said it!" Watanuki agreed. "The girls were doing mat exercises?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," Kunogi answered with a nod and a smile. "And the boys were playing soccer, right? I saw you. When you kicked a goal, Watanuki-kun..." and then she noticed Kagome approaching, and bit her lip as she blushed.

"Now now, Kunogi-san," Kagome said with a smile. "Don't be shy. If you could tell me you thought he was a hunk, why can't you tell him?" she asked as she joined them.

"Me? A hunk?" Watanuki asked, and bashfully waved his hand in denial. "I'd never be a hunk!"

"Leave that for the girls to decide," Kagome advised.

"Watanuki-kun, this is Higurashi-san," Kunogi introduced.

"Ah, we're in the same class, I think," Watanuki answered with a polite nod to Kagome. "It's nice to properly meet you, Higurashi-san."

Kagome nodded. "You as well, Watanuki-san."

Kunogi smiled. "The goal keeper for the other team was impressive as well," she commented lightly. "His name is Shizuka Doumeki-kun, right?" she asked Watanuki, only to blink in surprise when he slumped where he stood. "You're both really good for guys who aren't on the soccer team!"

"He could never block one of my kicks!" Watanuki objected. "It was a fluke, Himawari-chan! No, it would take a miracle!"

Kagome giggled. "Then six miracles happened on school grounds today," she joked happily. This boy was very amusing. Maybe not stable, but then, he did have to deal with very large spirits and all sorts of lesser demons hanging onto him whenever they could.

"Un," agreed a voice that it seemed Kagome wasn't the only one familiar with. "I blocked six of your kicks," Doumeki said as he walked up to them, also already changed for his next class. "What is this 'it had to be a miracle' B.S.?"

"Shut up Doumeki," Watanuki growled. "It was all on purpose! I was nice enough to give you shots that were easy to block!"

"Why would you do that?" Doumeki prodded blandly.

"Be-because..." Watanuki faltered. "I took pity on you!" he rallied loudly.

Kagome giggled. "Your friend is very amusing, Kunogi-san," she whispered.

"You should hurry or you'll be late to class," Doumeki advised, and turned to head in.

"I'll see you later, ne Kunogi-san?" Kagome said.

Kunogi nodded, and Kagome hurried off, leaving the other two alone for a little while before they, too, would have to hurry to change and head in for their last class of the day.