Chapter 1 : Shots
Black eyes gazed into the void. Where previously there had been nothing, a spark was growing out of the vacuous space. Something was calling out, beating like a drumbeat, pulsing like a fresh heart. The familiar glow that these eyes had never beheld and yet knew exactly what it was. Power that had been long forgotten, a temptation known now only to a few that still remained. A voice, soft as a blanket of snow, broke through the silence of the night.
"A return has occurred. I can feel the soul and more. It is as you hoped master. The soul brought it forth from the other side."
For a brief few minutes warmth could be felt on this side of the mirror, but with a loud and final THUMP the heartbeat ceased and the glass grew cold again.
"It is gone. I feel no trace of it."
"What happened Kanna?" This time the voice that pierced the darkness was oily and chilling.
"I did not feel the soul return to the otherside. The power must have been sealed within the host."
"Find it. I've waited more than 500 years for this."
20 years later
The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon leaving streaks of pink and orange across the clouds. Shadows lengthened as families settled down in their nightly routines. Dinner made, homework done, children were bathed with teeth brushed as more and more people were getting ready for bed. Except for one girl at the shrine.
"Kagome! Don't forget the-"
"I got it mom!"
"Well what about-?"
"I have that too!"
"How do you even know what-"
"I've got my ID, and my cash, and my mace, and these ridiculous sutras Grandpa gave me."
"Okay well have fun then dear. And please don't be shy about calling me if you need me to pick you up. No matter how late or where you are. I just want you and your friends to be safe."
"Don't worry mom, the girls have been to this bar for their birthdays and it's super close to Eri's house so we will probably just have a drink or two and then go back there."
"Alright, well give me a hug then. I love you."
"I love you too mom. I've got that meeting in the morning, but I'll call you if I need anything."
The front door slid shut and a young woman walked out of the house. Her brown eyes lifted up to the moon that had barely crested the cityscape then looked briefly down at her watch.
Dammit I'm late!
Kagome pulled her black cardigan closer to her body as the chilly night set in. Eri had demanded she wear this ridiculously short dress out tonight and Kagome was honestly surprised that her mother let her out of the house with it on. The black spaghetti strap dress hugged her curves and made her legs look a mile long, but didn't really leave a whole lot to the imagination. The unbearably high heels she borrowed from Yuka were clicking on the concrete as she half stumbled her way to the bus stop. She's not sure why she let her friends boss her around in the fashion department, but it was probably the fact that Kagome would rather have been in sweatpants at the bar.
The bus had just barely pulled to a stop when she reached the street. Swiping her bus pass she mumbled a thank you to the driver as she got on. Kagome sat in the nearly empty bus and tried to comb her windblown hair back into the dark waves she had styled them in. She double checked her makeup in her compact mirror from the tiny purse she carried and then tapped out a message to her friends telling them she was on her way.
The bus stopped three times before reaching her destination, a crowded corner of the downtown Tokyo area Kagome had rarely been to. There were hotels, restaurants, clubs, and bars along this stretch of the city where most of the daytime businesses had already closed. Neon lights broadcasted special events, half off drinks, and open 'til late signs across many of the windows. Kagome had barely taken two steps from the bus before she was pulled into the arms of a group of girls waiting for her.
"Kagome! You made it!"
"Here put this on!"
"I think he's meeting up with us when we get there."
Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi were all dressed similarly in short dresses or skirts and heels that looked prettier than they felt. Kagome bit her lip through the pinch of the safety pin on her skin as one of her friends tried to put on the Birthday Girl! button on her sweater. She tried to keep up with the whirlwind of conversation they were pelting her with. Kagome let them drag her to a line outside of a club down the street where a dark figure was waving them over.
"Hojo!" Kagome smiled up to the sandy haired young man who let the girls cut him in line. He smiled back at her with a slight flush to his face, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.
"H-hey Kagome. I'm glad you're here. At your birthday celebration. Because that would be weird if you weren't. But you're here! So it's not." Hojo stumbled through the sentences painfully while looking everywhere but Kagome's face. He was a little ditzy, but a genuinely nice guy and Kagome's friends have known about his crush on Kagome since high school even if Kagome was oblivious.
The group was quickly waved through the line into the club with a silly pun for a name. The lights were dimmed and there were strobe lights flashing with the beat of the music. A DJ cheered the crowd on as they danced, telling them to put their hands in the air. The bass thumping in the background was a comforting sound like a heartbeat. They could see couples grinding and swaying to the music all over the club.
Kagome, being the youngest of the group, let the other girls lead her through the throng of people already on the dance floor to the back-lit bar where a small cluster of guys were flirting with the bartender. They patiently waited their turn while pondering what Kagome's first official drink should be.
Shots. Three shots to be exact, in quick succession. They all had fun candy names, but none of them actually tasted like candy. Kagome's throat was burning after the first and then after the last she was begging for a glass of water as her friends laughed. Apparently they had all had similar reactions on their birthdays.
Hojo ordered them a round of something yellow with vodka. Each drink sported half an orange slice and a thin straw. This drink was more tolerable, Kagome decided, but the aftertaste was terrible.
Sorry Mom, I guess it's going to be more than one drink.
Ayumi started squealing when a new song started and pulled Kagome and Yuka out onto the dance floor. Eri and Hojo followed close behind. Yuka pulled Hojo close to Kagome and literally put his hands on Kagome's hips before turning back to Ayumi. Kagome and Hojo shared a mutual blush before succumbing to the beat. Kagome was starting to feel warm and a laugh bubbled its way out of her throat, but was lost with the decibel of the music.
At first Hojo's hands were barely putting pressure on her hips, but as the song wore on he became more confident in their closeness. When Kagome turned around to press her back into his chest, he pulled her hips flush against his own. Kagome couldn't tell if the heat on her cheeks was from the drinks or something hard pressing on her backside. She was a virgin, not a saint, but there was something just so intimate about their dancing. One song faded into another and another until the group were all ready for drinks again.
Kagome kept hold of Hojo's hand as they wandered back to the bar. Eri decided it was her turn to order, but a glass was placed in front of Kagome before they could speak. Kagome looked up at the girl behind the bar a bit startled.
The new bartender was young and pretty, with bright blue eyes and her ash gray hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. Her most notable feature was a snake tattoo that curled around one upper arm, across her back, and down the other where the serpent's head rested in her palm. Kagome started to speak, but the bartender jerked a finger down to a group at the other end of the bar.
"Some guy said this was for the birthday girl. I assume he meant you." She looked pointedly at the button on Kagome's sweater.
"What is it?" Kagome had to practically shout over the music.
"It's my own special recipe. I call it a Witches Brew." The bartender smirked at Kagome before walking off, throwing her long hair back over her shoulder.
Kagome looked at the short glass briefly before her friend's encouraged her to drink it. The color was an odd shade of blue and it was….glittery? In the light it shimmered faintly, but otherwise didn't look suspicious. She drank it in one long sip to her friends' enjoyment.
The next few hours passed quickly with all the alcohol the group consumed. They danced, rehydrated, waited in the long restroom lines, ordered snacks, and spent more money than intended. They kept it up until Kagome's feet were aching and cheeks burned from smiling too much. Hojo walked them to Eri's apartment and when he tried to say goodbye they convinced him to stay the night on the couch instead of walking home.
Kagome was barely able to say goodnight before she fell asleep on Eri's floor, bundled in a fluffy blanket. The others weren't far behind into dreamland, but none of them had to get up as early as Kagome.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
"Ughhhh. Not now." Kagome slapped her hand out hoping to collide with the snooze button on her phone.
"Kagoooome. Turn it off." someone mumbled on the other side of the room.
Bleary eyed, Kagome looked at the phone as she snoozed it. Again. After her last alarm.
"Oh fuck!" Kagome shot up off the floor, immediately regretting that decision as her head started pounding. "I'm gonna be late."
Nobody else seemed interested in anything other than the insides of their eyelids since they didn't move a muscle as Kagome stumbled through the room. Kagome quickly brushed her hair up into a messy bun and sorted through Eri's makeup bag looking for anything to mask how she truly felt. Her mouth felt filled with cotton and she could feel her muscles protesting every movement. She had a pain in her side that kept pulsating when she breathed. The lights hurt her eyes and her head was pounding to the same beat she danced to the night before. She rinsed with mouthwash and cleaned up with whatever toiletries Eri had in the drawers of her bathroom.
Once she looked like a real person again, Kagome looked through Eri's closet for something more appropriate than a micro dress that smelled faintly of sweat and alcohol. Thankfully Eri and Kagome were the same size in clothes, but there was no way Kagome could squeeze her feet into anything in this closet. She would have to settle with the three inch heels from the night before. Kagome picked out a pale blue knee length sweater dress to go with the black heels.
Carefully navigating through the rest of the dark apartment, Kagome wrote a quick note she posted to the fridge. She stole someone's sunglasses off the counter before closing the door behind her. Six minutes should be some sort of record for getting ready with a massive hangover.
Kagome passed one of the neighbors in the hallway who waved at her with a smile. She could have sworn there was a pink haze around the woman's face, but she blinked and it was gone.
I never want to drink again. Ugh. I need coffee.