Kagome walked down to the dinner table where her mother set the table with the family's dinner.
"Kagome can you please call Souta and let him know it's dinnertime?"
"Kay." Kagome poked her head into her little brother's room. "Souta?" The room was empty save for one obnoxiously fat cat. Buyo sure gets around. She closed the door and walked back to the dining room. "He wasn't there."
"Hm...that's strange. He's never out this late. You know how you're little brother is, scared of the dark at his age." Kagome's mother chuckled and made a straight face. "I'm a little concerned though can you go find him? If anything he's probably still out playing baseball and is on his way home."
"Alright." Kagome slipped on some sandals and headed to the brilliant red gate of the shrine. The stone steps below had no presence of anyone coming or being there. The sun began its slow descent and burned the sky with brilliant reds, oranges, and purples. Then that slight chill of the fall briskness invaded, Kagome began to get worried. Where could he be? A sudden hand grasped her shoulder, she screamed.
"Why are you screaming when it's only your cute and lovable Granpa?" Her grandfather had little tears in his eyes.
"Don't scare me like that!" Kagome shrieked. Her grandfather handed her a scarf.
"Go inside and get warm. Your mother has already started calling your brother's friends to find him." They both walked inside in silence, shaky with fear, worry, and the cold.
* * * *
In a park not too far away two people walked with a somber heaviness that no one tried to look at them. The boy had a glassy glazed over look to his eyes and the young woman accompanying him wore shrine caretaker attire and seemed like she was so frail and light that the gentle wind would blow her away. She led him to a secluded clearing in the park. As it was a school night, the local teenage lovers were nowhere to be seen.
"Do you want to play, Souta?" Kikyou asked him. He shook his head, 'no'. Her eyes drooped to a menacing stare as her thin lips pursed into a cruel smile. "Then sleep."
Souta's eyes closed as he immediately fell (literally) into a deep sleep. Kikyou caught him and laid him down gently in the grass. Kagome, soon you will come and then I will be rid of you forever.
* * * *
"Souta!" Kagome called out. She was assigned to check the shrine grounds while a search party was held to go look for her little brother. It was getting dark out and a girl alone in the city, looking for someone in a dark park was sure to be an easy target for muggers. The police were searching the streets, mostly video game arcades because of Souta's fear of the dark would lead him to go to brightly lit places. Kagome on the other hand, felt cheated that she could only search somewhere she's already checked 50 times before they called the police. Souta,where are you? She sat on the steps of the well shed. It's getting chilly out. Are you warm enough? What if we never find you? Kagome felt tears bulging in her eyes. No, I have to be strong. I have to find Souta without crying about it. She took a deep breath and stood up. "Ok! He's got to be around here somewhere." A hand sharply gripped her shoulder and she jumped.
"Granpa! Quit doing that. Now's not a time for games especially since we're looking for Souta." She turned around to see an irritated looking dog demon whose left eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
"Who're you calling,Granpa?"
"Kagome can you please call Souta and let him know it's dinnertime?"
"Kay." Kagome poked her head into her little brother's room. "Souta?" The room was empty save for one obnoxiously fat cat. Buyo sure gets around. She closed the door and walked back to the dining room. "He wasn't there."
"Hm...that's strange. He's never out this late. You know how you're little brother is, scared of the dark at his age." Kagome's mother chuckled and made a straight face. "I'm a little concerned though can you go find him? If anything he's probably still out playing baseball and is on his way home."
"Alright." Kagome slipped on some sandals and headed to the brilliant red gate of the shrine. The stone steps below had no presence of anyone coming or being there. The sun began its slow descent and burned the sky with brilliant reds, oranges, and purples. Then that slight chill of the fall briskness invaded, Kagome began to get worried. Where could he be? A sudden hand grasped her shoulder, she screamed.
"Why are you screaming when it's only your cute and lovable Granpa?" Her grandfather had little tears in his eyes.
"Don't scare me like that!" Kagome shrieked. Her grandfather handed her a scarf.
"Go inside and get warm. Your mother has already started calling your brother's friends to find him." They both walked inside in silence, shaky with fear, worry, and the cold.
* * * *
In a park not too far away two people walked with a somber heaviness that no one tried to look at them. The boy had a glassy glazed over look to his eyes and the young woman accompanying him wore shrine caretaker attire and seemed like she was so frail and light that the gentle wind would blow her away. She led him to a secluded clearing in the park. As it was a school night, the local teenage lovers were nowhere to be seen.
"Do you want to play, Souta?" Kikyou asked him. He shook his head, 'no'. Her eyes drooped to a menacing stare as her thin lips pursed into a cruel smile. "Then sleep."
Souta's eyes closed as he immediately fell (literally) into a deep sleep. Kikyou caught him and laid him down gently in the grass. Kagome, soon you will come and then I will be rid of you forever.
* * * *
"Souta!" Kagome called out. She was assigned to check the shrine grounds while a search party was held to go look for her little brother. It was getting dark out and a girl alone in the city, looking for someone in a dark park was sure to be an easy target for muggers. The police were searching the streets, mostly video game arcades because of Souta's fear of the dark would lead him to go to brightly lit places. Kagome on the other hand, felt cheated that she could only search somewhere she's already checked 50 times before they called the police. Souta,where are you? She sat on the steps of the well shed. It's getting chilly out. Are you warm enough? What if we never find you? Kagome felt tears bulging in her eyes. No, I have to be strong. I have to find Souta without crying about it. She took a deep breath and stood up. "Ok! He's got to be around here somewhere." A hand sharply gripped her shoulder and she jumped.
"Granpa! Quit doing that. Now's not a time for games especially since we're looking for Souta." She turned around to see an irritated looking dog demon whose left eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
"Who're you calling,Granpa?"