"Ojii-chan," Kagome tried to attract her grandfather's attention, a
slightly complaining note to her voice. "Could we not hear any more
legends or histories, just for the next few days?" What a wonderful
birthday present that would be, she thought wistfully. It'd be a great
birthday if he'd only quit telling her legends for the rest of the day, she
amended mentally.
"Every part of this temple has its own story," he began, paying no heed to his granddaughter's request. "Take this, for example." He held up one of the charms he'd shown Kagome earlier. "The Shikon n-"
Kagome gave up, and left with her grandfather still talking, scooping up Buyo as she left. Her grandfather was impossible. She pulled out the little charm he'd handed her earlier. "An 'authentic replication' of the Shikon no Tama, eh?" she said to Buyo, peering at the object. "I can't believe people would pay money for this marble." She stuck it back into her pocket. Perhaps she could use it as a keychain.
Buyo yowled suddenly, and leaped from Kagome's arms. She groaned, and waved at her little brother. "Sota! Help me catch him!" The boy leaped up from his position on the temple steps, and ran after the cat. Kagome lost sight of them as they ran into the little building housing the old well.
She found her brother staring apprehensively over the side of the dry well. "Where's Buyo?" she asked as she came up by him.
Sota pointed down into the well. "He jumped down there." He gave his sister a worried look. "How are we going to catch him now?"
Kagome gave him a slightly exasperated look. "Climb down there and pick him up. Boys are supposed to like climbing."
Panic crossed his face. "B-but... It's dark down there. And then there are all the stories about monsters from this well," Sota protested, peering down into the well.
Kagome sighed, and climbed over the edge. "Sheesh. Some boy you are," she teased as she dropped down to the bottom of the well. "You ought to know by now not to listen to Ojii-chan's stories." She landed a bit hard, but recovered after a second. She started looking for their cat. After a few moments, she frowned, and glanced back up at Sota. "Are you sure he jumped down here?" She didn't see anyplace a cat could hide in the tiny area.
"Well, there were some noises coming from down there," he told her. "He should be down there."
Kagome sweatdropped, and pointed. "Then what is Buyo doing sitting by you?" Sota smiled sheepishly, as he turned and saw the cat that had jumped up by him. She shook her head slightly, and grabbed a rung of the ladder.
Something wasn't quite right, though. She shivered at the sudden cold, and stiffened as a cracking noise came from behind. Slowly, Kagome turned, sensing the eyes on her. Two glowing eyes, in fact. She couldn't make out the face, and she became slightly annoyed. If there had to be a monster down here, why did it have to be such a stereotype?
"The jewel..."
"Huh?" Kagome asked intelligently. Had the owner of the eyes just said something? What jewel were they talking about?
"Give me to sacred jewel," it repeated, and through a crack in the well, the creature appeared.
Kagome shrieked, and yelled at Sota to get their grandfather. How could a monster like this have suddenly appeared in their well? It was huge! It had the face and upper body of a woman, and the lower body of an enormous insect. A centipede perhaps, her mind sorted out. She glanced up at her little brother who was still frozen. "Sota! Go!"
The creature noticed where her attention had focused, and made for him. "Hey!" Kagome lost a bit of her fear, and jumped towards the creature, trying to tackle it. Perhaps she could hold it off long enough for help to come... As she bounced against the monster's shell, the keychain-charm her grandfather had given her slipped out of her pocket.
Noting the shine, the demon paused, then focused on the object. "The jewel," it repeated, and snatched at it.
Kagome saw her chance to distract it, and quickly jumped down to grab the charm. She backed up against the ladder, praying that Sota was bringing back her grandfather. "Oh, is this what you were looking for, Mistress Centipede?" she asked, a jeering note in her voice. The creature glared at her, tensing. "A little bauble like this?" she taunted, getting a firm grip on the ladder.
"The jewel!" it repeated yet again, and Kagome twirled, scrambling up the ladder. One of its multiple arms closed on her own, and she shrieked. "Let go!" the girl cried, and pushed at the creature.
A light surrounded the two of them, startling Kagome, and she felt the creature release her. She fell to the bottom of the well, and winced as she landed on something hard. "Oww," she complained, and pulled herself to her feet. "Sota?" she called hesitantly. The centipede creature had disappeared, and she was ready to get out of this well.
There was no answer, and she shrugged. She had told him to leave. As she looked around for the ladder, she groaned. Had he taken the ladder after she'd fallen? He shouldn't have been around then, but you never knew about little brothers. Kagome spotted something shining in the leaves, and scooped up the charm. "What is it about this stupid marble?" she muttered, and got to work climbing up the side of the well.
She emerged, and flopped out onto the ground. Climbing up the well had been hard work, and she was glad to take a rest. After a moment, she flipped over onto her back, staring up at the sky.
The sky? She sat up, staring. What had happened to the building? What had happened to all of the buildings? she amended as she finally noticed the landscape about her. The forest surrounding her did not belong in the middle of Tokyo. Where had Tokyo gone?
"Every part of this temple has its own story," he began, paying no heed to his granddaughter's request. "Take this, for example." He held up one of the charms he'd shown Kagome earlier. "The Shikon n-"
Kagome gave up, and left with her grandfather still talking, scooping up Buyo as she left. Her grandfather was impossible. She pulled out the little charm he'd handed her earlier. "An 'authentic replication' of the Shikon no Tama, eh?" she said to Buyo, peering at the object. "I can't believe people would pay money for this marble." She stuck it back into her pocket. Perhaps she could use it as a keychain.
Buyo yowled suddenly, and leaped from Kagome's arms. She groaned, and waved at her little brother. "Sota! Help me catch him!" The boy leaped up from his position on the temple steps, and ran after the cat. Kagome lost sight of them as they ran into the little building housing the old well.
She found her brother staring apprehensively over the side of the dry well. "Where's Buyo?" she asked as she came up by him.
Sota pointed down into the well. "He jumped down there." He gave his sister a worried look. "How are we going to catch him now?"
Kagome gave him a slightly exasperated look. "Climb down there and pick him up. Boys are supposed to like climbing."
Panic crossed his face. "B-but... It's dark down there. And then there are all the stories about monsters from this well," Sota protested, peering down into the well.
Kagome sighed, and climbed over the edge. "Sheesh. Some boy you are," she teased as she dropped down to the bottom of the well. "You ought to know by now not to listen to Ojii-chan's stories." She landed a bit hard, but recovered after a second. She started looking for their cat. After a few moments, she frowned, and glanced back up at Sota. "Are you sure he jumped down here?" She didn't see anyplace a cat could hide in the tiny area.
"Well, there were some noises coming from down there," he told her. "He should be down there."
Kagome sweatdropped, and pointed. "Then what is Buyo doing sitting by you?" Sota smiled sheepishly, as he turned and saw the cat that had jumped up by him. She shook her head slightly, and grabbed a rung of the ladder.
Something wasn't quite right, though. She shivered at the sudden cold, and stiffened as a cracking noise came from behind. Slowly, Kagome turned, sensing the eyes on her. Two glowing eyes, in fact. She couldn't make out the face, and she became slightly annoyed. If there had to be a monster down here, why did it have to be such a stereotype?
"The jewel..."
"Huh?" Kagome asked intelligently. Had the owner of the eyes just said something? What jewel were they talking about?
"Give me to sacred jewel," it repeated, and through a crack in the well, the creature appeared.
Kagome shrieked, and yelled at Sota to get their grandfather. How could a monster like this have suddenly appeared in their well? It was huge! It had the face and upper body of a woman, and the lower body of an enormous insect. A centipede perhaps, her mind sorted out. She glanced up at her little brother who was still frozen. "Sota! Go!"
The creature noticed where her attention had focused, and made for him. "Hey!" Kagome lost a bit of her fear, and jumped towards the creature, trying to tackle it. Perhaps she could hold it off long enough for help to come... As she bounced against the monster's shell, the keychain-charm her grandfather had given her slipped out of her pocket.
Noting the shine, the demon paused, then focused on the object. "The jewel," it repeated, and snatched at it.
Kagome saw her chance to distract it, and quickly jumped down to grab the charm. She backed up against the ladder, praying that Sota was bringing back her grandfather. "Oh, is this what you were looking for, Mistress Centipede?" she asked, a jeering note in her voice. The creature glared at her, tensing. "A little bauble like this?" she taunted, getting a firm grip on the ladder.
"The jewel!" it repeated yet again, and Kagome twirled, scrambling up the ladder. One of its multiple arms closed on her own, and she shrieked. "Let go!" the girl cried, and pushed at the creature.
A light surrounded the two of them, startling Kagome, and she felt the creature release her. She fell to the bottom of the well, and winced as she landed on something hard. "Oww," she complained, and pulled herself to her feet. "Sota?" she called hesitantly. The centipede creature had disappeared, and she was ready to get out of this well.
There was no answer, and she shrugged. She had told him to leave. As she looked around for the ladder, she groaned. Had he taken the ladder after she'd fallen? He shouldn't have been around then, but you never knew about little brothers. Kagome spotted something shining in the leaves, and scooped up the charm. "What is it about this stupid marble?" she muttered, and got to work climbing up the side of the well.
She emerged, and flopped out onto the ground. Climbing up the well had been hard work, and she was glad to take a rest. After a moment, she flipped over onto her back, staring up at the sky.
The sky? She sat up, staring. What had happened to the building? What had happened to all of the buildings? she amended as she finally noticed the landscape about her. The forest surrounding her did not belong in the middle of Tokyo. Where had Tokyo gone?
