On a day, when winter was just around the corner, everyone in the village of Chiisai was preparing for the cold and dreadful December, which was only a month away.
The streets were full of people running or walking this way and that. Shouting and calling out for whatever reason and buying things while the prices were good.
In the middle of all the chaos there was a young woman making her way through the crowds of people. She was finely dressed in a sky blue kimono, with a cherry blossom pattern on it. In her right hand she held a blue umbrella over her head, to shield her eyes from the sun. She lifted it from her eyes so she could continue on her way without tripping or bumping into anyone. She hadn't really wanted to bring it along. It was always in her way but her mother had insisted.
Young men standing or working near by could only marvel at the young maiden's beauty. Her fair, pale skin illuminated lovely in the morning sun. Her dark raven hair gracefully hung over her petit looking shoulders and her grey-blue eyes, seemed to glow with gentle warmth.
"Is that the Lady Higurashi?" a young man, named Hojo asked another boy with a nudge of his elbow.
"It must be. Lovely as spring, eh?" an old man sitting on the ground snickered, his toothless gums bared. The other men nodded and sighed deeply. "I'd do anything to be with her," Hojo said.
Kagome glanced over her shoulder and noticed a group of men gawking at her. She frowned and tried to ignore their drooling 'men…' she thought dryly and continued on her way.
Today was Kagome's 16th birthday and she had been sent out for the day so her mother could prepare for her party. Kagome protested and said that she would much rather help out instead but her mother insisted on her going. She did as she was told and decided to take a walk around the village. She had been around the village hundreds of times when she was growing up but it seemed no matter how many times she had visited she always enjoyed just walking around the small but cheerful village.
'Maybe it would be best to put this umbrella away; I can't walk correctly with it always in my eyes' Kagome thought to herself and was about to fold it and put it away when she felt something gently tug on her kimono sleeve and say "onesan".
Kagome glanced down and saw a young girl with dark hair and a little pigtail. She had to be no younger then 5.
The girl stood and looked up at her curiously. She put her finger in her mouth and tilted her head slightly, still staring. Kagome couldn't help but smile.
She was so adorable.
"Onesan" the little girl said again and tugged on her kimono once more. Kagome smiled at her sweetly "yes?" she crouched down so she could be at eye level with the girl.
The little girl shifted her curious gaze towards the umbrella in Kagome's hand.
"Do you like this?"
The girl nodded her head in reply.
"Would you like to keep it?" Kagome asked. The girl nodded her head again. Kagome folded the umbrella and held it out to the child. The pigtailed girl hesitated but after a moment or two she took the umbrella in her small arms with a big smile "thank you, onesan". The girl bowed her head before she took off running down the road.
Half way down the road the little girl turned around and waved goodbye, Kagome smiled again and waved back until the girl had disappeared around a cart.
Right after the girl had gone a young man walked out in the middle of the road and stopped, staring up at the sky.
Kagome noticed the young man, standing tall and proud. He had very long white hair and small white dog-like ears on the top of his head. 'He must be a youkai' she thought and noticed the dirty looks he was getting from the locals.
"Look at that. Filthy vermin. Waltzing into our village like he owns the place" someone muttered in a low voice. Their words would leave someone to believe they feared nothing but they always said such things in hushed voices. Which proved how cowardly they really were.
"I thought all of the youkai were gone in these parts"
"I guess not, we'd better steer clear of their kind. Who knows what could happen to you if one caught you. If they didn't kill you or eat you they'd surely make you their slave for all eternity".
'Old wives tales…' Kagome thought with a frown but she wanted to shout it. She liked the villagers but they made up too many stories and spread around so many rumors. Besides, how could they judge someone just because they're different? It didn't make sense.
Kagome stood up and looked back at the young man.
Youkai were greatly feared in her village, she knew that. They were said to have the strength of twenty men or more and could kill an army in a single blow. She had never seen a youkai up close, except when she was very young and she had been accidentally separated from her mother in the forest and had lost her way.
***It had started to rain.
Cold and wet, Kagome took shelter in a small cave. 'Mommy will come and find me. I know she will' she told herself, trying not to feel frightened but it was so dark, so very dark. Kagome wrapped her arms around herself and shivered from the cold. She had never felt so cold in her life.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain coming from her right shoulder. She reached up and pulled her hand away when she felt her hand touch something warm and sticky. It was blood. Her blood. She slowly turned around and saw a large spider youkai, towering above her. She cried out and ran back outside. The rain beat down on her small body as she tried to run away. She tripped on a rock and was sent tumbling down into the mud.
Kagome groaned and slowly sat up, holding her wounded arm. The spider youkai had followed her and was ready to move in for the kill. She trembled even more then before. She was going to die. She knew it.
The youkai had come even closer now. She could see its glowing red eyes, filled with hunger for human flesh. She whimpered and curled up in a small ball. Prepared for death.
She was startled when she heard a sudden shriek of agony. It echoed in her ears until she gathered enough courage to lift her eyes.
She saw the youkai lying in pieces a couple of feet away. A boy stood over them with his clawed hand held up. He was as young as she and he had long white hair, two dog-like ears and golden eyes. She stared a moment. She was still in shock. How had this small boy defeat a youkai? The only answer to that question was that he himself had to be a youkai but she didn't care. He had risked his own life to save hers; he couldn't be as evil as the other youkai she had been told about.
She stood up and approached the boy. He turned to her. His golden eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. Kagome stared into them a moment. She would never forget the look in his eyes they looked…so lonely and sad.
"Thank you…" she managed to say but she could barely hear her own voice. The boy simply shook his head and reached out and touched her wound gently with his fingers. "I didn't make it in time". His voice was filled with pain, as if he was talking to someone who was very dear to him. Kagome just smiled. "It doesn't hurt".
The boy pulled his hand away and stared at Kagome for a moment then said: "I hope it doesn't. I hope you don't ever have to feel pain". He smiled weakly and then ran away into the trees. Kagome ran after him and called out "thank you! I'll never forget you" until she could run no more.
An hour or so later, her mother and a few servants found her lying next to the torn body of the youkai. Her mother's eyes were red from crying and she held Kagome so tightly she could barely breath. Kagome was happy to be back with her mother and to be going home but still she wanted to be with that boy. The boy who had risked his own life to help her when she did nothing to deserve such kindness, nothing at all. She wanted to hold him in her arms like her mother was holding her now. To tell him that she would always be there for him. That he would never have to be lonely again. She was taken to the hospital and treated for her wound. The doctor said she would be fine but she would have a scar on her right shoulder. Her mother thanked the doctor and took her home.***
Kagome continued to stare at the young man curiously until he turned and met her gaze with his golden eyes. Kagome felt her heart skip a beat and turned her head away, blushing. By the time she gathered her courage to look back, the young man had disappeared.
'I wonder who that was…he seemed familiar' she thought quietly. Her cheeks were still burning and her heart was still racing.
"Lady Kagome" a voice said from behind her.
Kagome turned and saw an old man standing before her. It was one of the servants. His name was Chen and he had been with her family for many years. His baldhead glistened in the sunlight and his old wrinkled face seemed very troubled.
"Yes?" she asked, fearing by the look in his eyes that something had happened while she was away. 'Maybe Sota had injured himself while playing…or maybe someone is feeling ill' she thought but hoped it wasn't so.
"What has happened?" she asked again, but this time she sounded a little more demanding. The man remained silent for a moment longer then finally spoke "it…it concerns your father, my lady". This made Kagome feel even more anxious. What had happened? Did he send Chen all the way out here to tell her he wouldn't be able to make it to her party because of business? Or maybe it was something else, something more serious then business.
Again Chen paused before telling her more.
Why couldn't the old fool just say what he had to say?
"What about my father? Is he feeling ill?" she asked, anxiously awaiting answers from the old servant.
Chen lowered his gaze to the ground. It seemed as though he refused to look her in the eye. "Your father…he was found in his quarters. The whole room was painted in blood…and he lying on the floor, dead. He has been murdered, my lady!" the old man blurted out.
Kagome stared at Chen in disbelief. She frowned and shook her head. Maybe she had heard wrong. It couldn't be true. It was impossible!
"H-he can't! He can't be dead! You're lying! I just saw him this morning. He was fine. He isn't dead!" Kagome cried and ran passed the old servant, towards home.
'It can't be true! It can't!' her mind screamed desperately. She tried to tell herself it was really a horrible lie but who would ever lie about something as serious as someone's death? Still deep inside her heart she hoped…no prayed it was a lie.
Kagome arrived at the large red gate of her home. She gasped for air and she pounded her fists on the giant wooden door, until they were sore and aching. "Open…this door…!" she shouted at the top of her lungs but tried to remain as calm as she possibly cold. She fought to keep herself from crying but the tears streamed down her cheeks despite her protests.
She heard a rumbling sound and a shout of orders coming from inside the gate. It slowly began to open and when there was enough room Kagome slipped through the gate and ran into her house.
One of the servants, Lin, was sitting on the floor in the hall. She shot to her feet when she saw Kagome running towards her. "Kagome-san" The girl said and ran to her mistress. Kagome threw her arms around her friend and breathlessly demanded of her "where is father?". Lin closed her eyes and shook her head "Kagome-san…I'm sorry" she said softly. Kagome stepped back "it isn't true! Tell me it isn't true!" she pleaded but didn't wait for her to answer. Kagome ran down the halls until she reached her father's room. She flung the doors open and froze in horror. It was just as Chen had said, everything around her was stained with red blood and the room had also been torn apart. The floor beneath her bare feet was wet with the sticky substance and some dripped from the ceiling and onto her nose. Her stomach lurched and she had to cover her mouth to keep herself from feeling sick.
The bookshelf, which had stood by her father's bed, was toppled over. Pages of his books were scattered everywhere around the room.
***"Papa, lets read a book together!" an eight-year-old Kagome begged. She was knelt beside a large chair with her little hands clutched together. "Please". The man in her father's chair, who had no face, glanced down at the small girl and nodded his head. Kagome leapt up and shouted for joy then she raced over to the bookshelf. She carefully looked over the titles and tried to decide which one she wanted but there were so many she loved.
She smiled brightly and finally pulled one off the shelf. Kagome turned and raced back towards the man and leapt into his lap. She giggled and opened the book, pointing at the page she wanted read to her. "This page! This page! This is where we last read". The man nodded once more and began to quietly read.***
Kagome could still see herself as a child, reading with her father. They had always done that. Until she had grown so much she couldn't sit in his lap anymore.
Kagome slowly walked over to where the bookshelf laid and felt her legs buckle beneath her and she collapsed to the floor, Sobbing like a terrified child.
The smell of the blood in the room made her feel terribly ill. It was the worst thing she had ever smelt before. Every time she breathed, she inhaled the sickening scent of her father's blood. Again she covered her mouth as her stomach turned.
'Why…why did this happen to us?'
"Kagome…" a voice said softly.
Kagome turned around and saw her mother standing in the doorway. Her eyes were red from crying. She remembered seeing her look like this when she had been lost. Her mother's beautiful green kimono, which she had intended to wear to her birthday party, was tainted with blood. Kagome wondered how long she had been crying. If she had only been in the house she would have done something.
"Mother!" Kagome wailed and ran over to her. Mrs. Higurashi held her arms out to her daughter and gently wrapped them around her.
A sudden comfort washed over Kagome as her mother tenderly embraced her. The scent of dozens of red roses surrounded her and drowned out the foul smell of blood. She felt safe in her mother's arms.
"Why…did this happen to us?" Kagome mumbled after a moment of silence. Her mother shook her head "I do not know, my daughter" she replied honestly. "Who did this? Do we know?" Kagome choked painfully. Her mother paused and she looked up at her. Kagome's eyes told her mother that she desperately hungered for answers. No matter how painful. She wanted to know.
Mrs. Higurashi closed her eyes and sighed then gently ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. "The servants in the court say they saw a young man with long white hair enter the house this morning before your father's death. Lin asked what he needed and he replied that he had come to speak to your father about a certain matter" she began. "The servants say he carried a sword with him and they wondered if he were a samurai or rurouni" she said.
Kagome sat completely still and paid close attention to her mother as she spoke. Her mother paused then continued.
"Ten or fifteen minutes later they say they saw the young man leave" Mrs. Higurashi said. "Chen came to see your father soon after and discovered his body lying motionless on the floor of this room…" she finished. Clearly she was grief stricken and Kagome realized that this was probably more painfully for her mother then it was for her. Her mother had her true love taken away from her.
Suddenly, Kagome broke her mother's embrace and she sat up with a clenched fist. 'That…that boy I saw this morning. It must have been him!' she thought angrily as she thought over the description of the young man her mother had described. It had to have been him. "That spineless coward!" she shouted, absentmindedly out loud and made her mother jump.
Mrs. Higurashi shook her head at Kagome. She knew what he daughter must have been thinking. "The servants do not believe that the young man was the culprit. They say when he left he did not have a trace of blood on his clothing. How on earth could someone possibly commit such a horrible act and have no signs of blood on him? Look at this room. It's impossible".
"Mother, did this boy have the ears of a dog or golden eyes?" Kagome asked. Her mother thought for a moment. "The servants said he was wearing a woven hat that hung over his eyes. They assumed that he was just a simple peasant seeking council with your father". Kagome sighed deeply and brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. This was getting her nowhere.
"Kagome, please just let it go. We are not responsible for finding your father's killer. That is the police's duty," Her mother told her.
Kagome wanted to believe that her mother was right but she couldn't allow the only suspect of her father's murder just slip through her fingers, besides the police were useless! They didn't know what she knew. She was sure that the boy she had seen earlier today was responsible but her mother was right. How could he kill someone so brutally and not had a single drop of blood on him? 'He could have changed his clothes before he left if he had the time…' she thought.
Kagome had decided silently that she would find this boy and deicide for herself if he were innocent or not.
"Mother, where is Sota? Is he all right? And grandfather?" Kagome asked. She was worried for their safety also. Who could tell, maybe whoever had come after her father would be back for everyone else.
Mrs. Higurashi smiled, reassuring her daughter that they were just fine. "Grandfather is doing fine…" she said "Sota is also doing well, for now. He does not know…" she said.
Kagome sighed, "I'm sure it's for the best. He is too young to know yet," she said. Mrs. Higurashi nodded and then led her daughter out of the room, closing the door behind them.
"Somehow we must find a way to put this tragedy behind us. Although I know it will be very hard to forget" her mother stared at the closed door for a moment then turned back to her daughter.
"We will…someday…" Kagome tried to sound convincing but failed. She couldn't believe her mother wanted to just forget about everything. Did she want everyone to forget everything about father? Or just about his death?
"We will try and forget about this day but we won't forget what a wonderful person father was. No matter what" Kagome said. She wanted to make that clear. She refused to forget.
Mrs. Higurashi nodded and smiled. "I am going to go get Sota and grandfather. They are at Chen's house. What will you do, my daughter?" she asked. "I think I'm going to change and…go take a walk…" Kagome replied. Her mind was already beginning to wander and her mother seemed to have notice. "Please take care of yourself, my daughter. I still fear whoever committed this horrible murder will return". Kagome nodded and they exchanged bows. Her mother turned and walked down the hall and disappeared.
After her mother had left, Kagome wandered down the halls of her home until she found her room. She entered and changed out of her blue kimono and into a dark green shirt and loose brown pants and she tied her hair back with a green ribbon.
Kagome walked over to her dresser and pulled out a piece of paper and an ink pen. She wrote a letter to her mother, brother and grandfather:
My Dear family,
I do not to wish that you be troubled by this horrible event any longer, so I have decided to take the matter into my own hands. Father was a wonderful, caring and generous husband, father and human being.
His murderer must not be allowed to walk freely with what he has done. I will go to the ends of the earth if I must to bring him to justice. I love you all dearly and I hope you will not forget me.
Love your daughter, sister and granddaughter,
Kagome Higurashi
Kagome sealed the letter in a white envelope and placed the letter on her dresser. She had packed everything she would need and was ready to go.
'This is it…' she thought and grabbed her bag as she headed out of her house and into the darkness of the night.
"Mama! What's going on? Why is old Chen acting so depressed?" Sota ran out of Chen's worn down house and grabbed onto his mother's kimono. He tugged, eagerly awaiting answers. He looked down and noticed the stains on his mother's kimono "what is this, Mama?" he asked and pointed to the red spots.
Mrs. Higurashi really didn't like lying to her son but she knew it was best for him not to know. Not yet.
"They are paint stains, Sota," she told him quietly. "And Chen is not depressed, he is just tired. You know how old he is" she patted her son on the head. Sota suspiciously arched an eyebrow but nodded "where is Kagome?' he asked.
"She is at home" Mrs. Higurashi replied, "Can we go home too? Why is Kagome home? What's happened? And where's Papa?" Sota asked anxiously. His curiosity seemed to grow as he grew older. "My son, you are full of questions tonight, aren't you?" Mrs. Higurashi laughed and took his face in her soft hands. "I am afraid for reasons I cannot explain right now, we must stay at Chen's tonight" she said "Kagome will be here eventually, so you need not worry" she told him and kissed his forehead. Sota frowned and pouted "oh, all right…" he sighed and walked back into the house, disappointed that not all of his questions were answered like he had hoped.
Mrs. Higurashi frowned and looked up at the night sky as her son disappeared into the house. She was terribly worried for her daughter but she knew that Kagome could take care of herself. She just had to have faith in her.
Mrs. Higurashi turned with a sad sigh and headed inside the house.
******
So what'cha think? I don't really know where I'm going to go with this but it seemed like a good idea for a fic. I'm going to put the other characters in the later chapters like Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Sesshomaru, ect. Maybe even Kouga ^_^
Anyway please review with your opinions! Pretty please!