In the Kingdom of Heaven-on-Earth

by Keruseyu

Keru-chan: Yo! This is my new fic! Enjoy. Please review. PLEASE. By the way, if anybody out there doesn't like Kikyo, DON'T REVIEW ABOUT HER. Kikyo is always being shunted! Honestly, peeps, Kikyo actually isn't that bad. I think before she died, she was really nice. I dislike her ressurected self, though! Ick!

Meg-chan: Dead woman walking... (Literally)

Keru-chan: Let me introduce Meg-chan, one of my Beta readers and my closest friend. She helps me with ideas. Meg doesn't have an account here because 1) she doesn't own a computer, 2) her stories aren't worth a flip (Sorry, Meg, it's true...) and 3), she can't spell. Lunar Kitty is my other Beta. As my older sis, she's pretty nice. If you want a kick-ass Inu story, read her fic, Beast. I'm her Beta, so I always get to read the chappies before she posts them! ^.^! It's rated R for cussing and violence. No lemon. That is the only restriction in our writing- we find it too nasty. Well, R+R, readers, R+R.

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In the Kingdom of Heaven-on-Earth, there are exactly five species. Sun youkai, Cloud youkai, Moon youkai, Star youkai, and... humans.

Of all these only Cloud youkai and humans are capable of surviving in both sunlight and moonlight.

Moon and star youkai roam at night, in their limited habitat of darkness. Sun youkai gather in daylight, unable to feel moonlight on their skins. Among this, there is only one fatal hour in which they all may gather- twilight. This fact that this hour exists is unknown to the kingdom. Unable to communicate face-to-face with each other on the same terms, there has never been an association between species, and Clouds and humans are the peacekeepers in this stand off.

Until a Sun youkai and a Moon youkai discovered the Twilight Zone. These two youkai fell in love; and the Moon youkai bore a single son, the son of the Sun youkai. But another Moon youkai saw their love, and destroyed the Sun youkai. He took the female Moon youkai, and though he knew the origin of his step-son, did not kill him. And this was the biggest mistake he would ever make.

===

Kagome of the Cloud-rose clan frowned. She was attempting to finish the "Star meets moon" dancing move. Her sister Kikyo, doubling as instuctor, shook her head patiently. Kagome needed to perfect this move if she was to enter the national competition, and while the beginning of the elegant gesture was beatifully exact, the last swoop was troubling her dark-haired sibling.

"No, Kagome! Please try to understand. You throw your arms backwards before doing the back handspring! Try again." Kagome gritted her teeth in effort. She started the move over, working her way through flawlessly. 'Back sweep, then spring... There!' Kagome smiled. She had done it! The final move of her intricate dance routine was complete.

Kikyo applauded, eyes twinkling. "There, Kag-chan! You got it!" She smiled an identical smile back at her sister before turning to return to their shrine. Kagome hurried to catch up to her twin sister, shaking out the loose folds of her practice clothes. It was almost dinner time, and she was hungry!

Kikyo stopped, letting her sister approach her. Her pink-streaked silver hair cascaded to her waist, leaving two short locks to frame her pale face. Pink eyes expressed indifference to the world, though those close to her knew better. Her face was beautiful, calm; peace could always be found in her deep, full features.

Kagome, though, was completely opposite. Her ice-blue eyes flashed silver, lilac, with even a touch of wisteria. They changed constantly, turning from silver to purple like a mood-ring. If you knew her well enough, you knew that when her eyes showed a dark plum, she was afraid, or that when they were plain cadet blue, she was depressed. Her beauty was younger, more frivolous, that Kikyo's.

Kagome's hair was ankle-length, lilac in color to her shoulders. From there on it was icy blue, showing the traditional multi-shade gene that was always somewhere in any respectable Cloud-youkai family. She and her sister were extremely close; they never argued, never felt any speck of hatred for each other. Both had the same friends, both agreed on everything. They were popular at school, good at physical activities, and their marks were always high, if not perfect.

"C'mon Kag, we'll be late!" Kikyo called back to her sister. Kikyo's look of steady peace and patience vanished; a wicked grin split her features. "Race you to the God-tree, Kagome." Kagome finally reached the bottem step of the Cloud-rose shrine, where her secretly energetic twin was perched. Kagome gave her sister a playful shove, struggling to catch her breath. Without warning, she shot off up the steps, yelling back, "You're on, Kikyo!" Kikyo stared blankly at spot where Kagome had stood before realizing what was happening.

A few seconds later found her dashing up the stairs, trying to reach her tricky sibling.

===

Kagome was waiting at the ancient God-tree, leaning against it as she stared into space. Kikyo gave her sister a glare before composing herself and walking quietly into the huge shrine that was the twins' home.

"Hello, mother." she murmered, almost inaudible in the clamor of the kitchen as her mother ordered servants about, and slipped quietly into the main foyer. Kagome, mimicking her movements, did the same.

The purply-eyed youkai shoke her head violently once she was free of the hall, letting the cloudy waves of hair float slowly through the air. Kagome disliked so much noise; it hurt her delicate youkai ears. Kikyo had always been calm about it, though the noise pained her too. They assumed that their mother, who loved cooking even though she had a high status, had gotten used to it.

Leaving the busy kitchen behind, they climbed ten more flights to reach their own rooms.

===

Looking around the large chambers of the top level, Kagome wondered why they, the highest Cloud youkai family in the land, lived in such a small dwelling. When their parents had bought the shrine, they had been looking for small, but rich and comfortable.



Personally, the tenth level was off-limits to the lower servants. Here only the most trusted servers are the only ones who could enter the chambers to serve the youkai. Kagome's personal set of rooms were huge; furnished in silks, velvets, and with the constant perfume of fresh sakura blossoms.

Kagome parted with Kikyo at her door and went in, tiredly requesting a bath as she flopped onto a velvet reclining couch.

===

Well? Nothing really happens in this chappie, though. Very uninteresting. But next chapter, you'll have the pleasure of hearing the details about her school!

Bu-bye!