Aya took in Kagome's pitiful appearance and waved her over to the steps, her green eyes full of sympathy. Kagome sat heavily as Aya stood up. She stepped over to the well then spoke.

"We'll go inside in a moment. I need to take care of something here first."

Turning back to the well, Aya set her hands about an inch above the surface of the ancient wood. When a lavender glow began to shine from her palms, Kagome was curious. When that glow engulfed the well, curiosity turned to fear. When Aya turned from the well, she found herself nose to nose with an angry miko.

Aya raised her hands in a defensive gesture, palms alight with that same lavender glow.

"What. Did. You. Do." Kagome growled.

"Kags, calm down. I simply sealed the well. You don't want that idiot coming here to harass you, do you? Now only 2 others aside from us can pass through the portal. One is Elias. The other doesn't know anything yet," Aya explained.

Kagome visibly relaxed then sat back on the stairs.

"So how do I explain you to my family?" she asked.

"That's already taken care of, Kagome. With some divine assistance, of course."

Kagome looked confused.

"Kagome, I'm your sister," Aya explained. "There's more to it than that, but this side of it will come across better from your mom. Lets go inside so she can tell you."

Both girls left the well house, headed toward the main house. About halfway across the courtyard, Aya stopped Kagome.

"One thing, Kags. Don't ask too many questions. Most of what you're going to want answers to we can't discuss around other people. Clear?"

Kagome nodded.

"Good. I'll explain more later."

Mama Higurashi met them at the door, a worried look in her eyes.

"Oh, good. You've met…" she said, relaxing slightly.

Kagome looked at Aya, who gave the barest of nods, as if to say "go with whatever's in your head."

Returning her gaze to her mother, Kagome said "of course we have, mom. Aya's the new American transfer student at my school! I met her a couple weeks ago."

Mrs. Higurashi looked confused for a moment, then her eyes cleared. "I almost forgot you told me there was a new student in your classes. But there are some things we need to discuss, sweetheart. I think we should go sit… You girls go to the den, I'll bring some tea."

Aya passed by Kagome to walk to the den, whispering quietly "I'll explain that later."

The girls were sitting on the sofa when Mrs. Higurashi came to the den. She nearly dropped the tray she carried at the sight that greeted her. Kagome and Aya were side by side, nearly identical in appearance, discussing "boy problems." The most telling difference between the two were their facial features. Aya's face was narrower, her cheekbones more pronounced, while Kagome's face was slightly rounded. Kagome's eyes were an icy sapphire blue while Aya's were a bright lime green.

The pair stopped talking when Mrs. Higurashi set the tray on the table. Nervously, she poured 3 cups of tea and sat back in her chair. She fidgeted for a moment, ignoring the tea she had just poured. Steeling her resolve, Mrs. Higurashi leaned forward and looked at Kagome.

"My dear daughter… There are so many things I wish I could shield you from. But this… I can't hide from this any longer." She paused for a moment, staring into her teacup. "Kagome, when I was 16 I was raped. I ended up pregnant. My mother wanted me to have an abortion… To preserve our family honor, she said. At that time I felt— and still do— that the true dishonor was in taking an innocent life, regardless of the conditions of conception."

She looked up again, meeting Kagome's eyes. "Your Grandpa agreed with me. He took me to his sister's home in Okinawa. I stayed with her for about 2 years, through the pregnancy and the following depression. Together we found an adoption agency that had a couple waiting to adopt an infant. I met them, we got along, and they stayed in close contact until they had to move. He was a US Marine. His Japanese wife was barren. About 3 months after the baby was born, he was recalled to the US. I didn't hear from them again until about a month ago."

Mrs. Higurashi clenched her fists tightly. She looked down and cleared her throat. Kagome looked at her mother expectantly.

Mrs. Higurashi looked up again. "Kagome, Aya is your half sister. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner." With tears in her eyes, she looked at Aya. "I wish we could have known you as you grew up." Mama Higurashi broke into sobs as Kagome and Aya both came to comfort her. Kagome held her mother's crying form, whispering soothing words, while Aya rubbed her back. Aya looked a bit sheepish as Kagome peered at her over her mother's head, eyebrow raised.

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a/n: Yes, this one is a tiny bit shorter than the first two... There's a reason for that- had to find a stopping point before we bounce back in time! Dont worry, this slow moving tale will find some excitement soon. Ok, maybe it's only exciting to me, because I had some fun writing it. We shall see!