~Just Kagome~

Ch.1 – Meet the so-called Happy Family

Her psycho parents have done it again; doing something that they consider is "best for the whole family." After finally feeling accustomed to the neighborhood, Kagome Higurashi couldn't help but feel forgotten as her parents discussed the news over the nice china. She was 17 going onto 18 in 3 months, almost an adult and yet she felt like a child. How could they simply decide to move so suddenly?

Kagome surely wouldn't have known the big news if she hadn't seen unknown people come into her room and begin packing every belonging of hers away. After screaming the beejeebees out of the packers, the shocked girl ran to her parents, informing them of what she saw. What she didn't expect was to see them quietly, calmly drinking green tea from the gold-lined teacups. The tea set that they use for the important guests.

She only knew it couldn't be good news.

After finding out, she couldn't help but be a little angry... well… maybe not a little, it was more like a full-blown rage-fest. And, to make it worse, while she looked like an ungrateful brat, her perfect twin sister, Kikyo, graciously accepted the news and left silently to begin packing her things.

The beginning of a headache came upon the very distressed girl and she removed her heavy spectacles to pinch the bridge of her nose with stress overwhelming her. She looked at the thick-rimmed glasses in her hand with distaste and unsurprisingly to her, better than 20/20 vision. She wondered for the umpteenth time why she wore them.

"You're not wearing your glasses, Kagome."

Kikyo Higurashi took long strides to her younger sister by 2 minutes with confidence and calmness echoing her steps.

"Now we actually look more like sisters." She said approvingly.

To most, that may be confusing. How much can identical twin sisters look different? Well, take Kikyo, long ebony hair with the touch of silk woven into the strands, a pair of midnight blue eyes that make a guy fall to his knees, slim body, long legs, simple clothes that only state that even they make her look good, and the coolness of a model.

Kagome, on the other hand, is of the same height and body shape but she drowns herself in old baggy sweaters that are similar to the ones that aunties always seem to send around Christmas, pants or long pleated skirts with thick stockings, her just as healthy and beautiful hair constrained in two tacky braids on each side of her head, and thick glasses hiding her more expressive stormy gray eyes.

But back to between Kagome and Kikyo. Kagome played with the glasses in her hand awkwardly as her sister waited for a response. These glasses only made her look more different. Maybe that was why she wore these cursed things…

Oh, of course Kagome loved her sister, but one couldn't help but dislike expectations set by older siblings for you, especially if they're as perfect as an angel. Everyday, she had to hear, "Oh Kagome, why don't you do this, like Kikyo?" or "Kagome, learn from your sister the right way…" or "Kagome, look at your sister, why don't you learn some beauty tips from her?" While her sister stood with a spotlight center, Kagome crawled from the shadows, always burned by the glamorous light of victory.

So, in a moment of cruelty, Kagome jammed her glasses back on and walked away, her back retreating as she quietly said,

"Who said I wanted to look like you?"

Kikyo's cool shell brushed it off as though her cold words were mere specks of dust but under the façade of apathy, it hurt. Turning to glance, Kagome saw the brief flash of pain and confusion in her sister's face and guilt weighed her steps heavily as she stalked away.

Kikyo walked the opposite direction, a slight loss of calmness in her stride.

Kagome slammed the door behind her as she entered her room, her haven. It looked so bare, her bed being the only item left in the room besides her suitcases. Those people that she screamed at had packed for her anyway. She could only wonder if they packed for Kikyo as well?

Guilt coursed through her body as it became wracked with tears. Collapsing on her bed, Kagome cried as though her heart was being constricted painfully.

"Why do I treat her so badly? She never does anything to me; or anyone else for that matter."

'It's obvious, you're jealous, you selfish little girl.' Her heart confessed darkly, 'you want to be in the spotlight, to always be seen. But whom do you blame for your shortcomings?' It said with a sneer. 'You hurt your "darling" sister.'

Kagome stifled a cry as she tried to remove the voice from her head. The hands covering her ears as she shook her head began to redden from the pounding blood in her veins and the ties of her hair fell out, her two braids unraveling into a shower of ebony black gems. Slowly her self-abusing resided and Kagome fell asleep, the tears still coming from her closed eyes.

If only she could be seen…

"Hey Kagome, sorry for making you wait so long but I think I have to work a little longer on the student council assignment. So go on home without me and be careful, it's kind of late." A 15-year-old Kikyo said to her younger sister.

The rain pounded against the fragile glass windows of the school that somehow held from the merciless beating. Kagome slowly became aware of her surroundings. This was a dream. The same dream that had been haunting her for such a long time.

"Okay Kikyo, I'll see you at home," Kagome heard herself reply, the 15-year-old voice of hers bubbling with happiness, despite the rain. She watched as her past self changed her shoes and opened her umbrella before leaving the school. She was so stupid. Why did she decide to take a shortcut through the park when it was raining? Kagome was preoccupied until she saw shadows lurking behind the trees, as her past self remained unaware of anything. Her heart began to accelerate as a group of guys came forward, noticing perfect prey with glasses and braids.

"Why is a girl walking around by herself?"

"I dunno, man, but maybe we should keep her company?"

Snickers ran through the whole group as 15-year-old Kagome began to run. The boys easily caught up and surrounded her.

They stole her umbrella and tripped her, making the girl fall from the path and land on the grass.  The glasses flew off her face and landed many feet away. Her uniform drenched and her elbows scraped against the pavement as she fell, Kagome began to cry as the guys laughed. The rain muffled the sounds. Her cries to terrified screams as the guys got closer. She slowly tried to stand only to slip and fall onto the grass again.

"She's awfully pretty, isn't she guys?"

The leader came in front of her as two guys held her arms down. Another covered her mouth as she screamed louder when the leader started to caress her bare legs and went higher up her thigh as she shut her eyes. Abruptly, that clammy cold hand was gone and there was a faint sound of yelling. The people holding her down were gone and Kagome opened her eyes and lifted her head to see a hand reached towards her. Her red-brimmed eyes were filled with gratitude.

The rain pounded harder, and the person's face was covered in shadows. Without a thought, she wrapped her tiny fingers around his broad hand and was easily lifted from the ground. His hand was warm and the warmth spread from her hands to her chilled arms. It was like a blanket that wrapped comfortingly around her small frame.

"T-Thank you…"

The rain seemed to have quieted down enough for her voice to reach his ears or maybe it was the umbrella shielding them from the unrelenting weather. She received silence in return and the other hand offered the umbrella, his umbrella since hers was stolen. She looked at the umbrella and shook her head.

"N-no, I couldn't accept that."

He took her trembling hands and wrapped her fingers around the umbrella handle. She looked down at the hands that were covering her own and then his hands pulled away. She looked up quickly only to see a flash of lightening and eyes of molten gold. The face quickly turned away and a long mane of white hair trailed behind. She stood in a trance as the stranger disappeared into the shadows.

Kagome could hear her thoughts from her past self. White hair? He didn't seem old by the look of his hand of his tall height. Not all grandpas were wrinkly and stooped over with age like her own she assumed. But something made her think he was young, maybe it was that glow around him, that vibrant and young light that seemed to come even from his hands… the glow that matched his golden eyes.

A chill ran through her and she realized she should have been home ages ago. She quickly rushed home and what she didn't see was the figure in the dark picking up a pair of silver-framed glasses. Kagome felt herself leaving the dream and closed her eyes, only to open them again with a start as she woke up.

She reached over her bed, her hand feeling under the side for something… did the packers pack it away alre-… a cold object reached her hand and she pulled it out, a simply back umbrella that seemed to still be brand new after almost 3 years. She touched the end of the handle, following the curve of it until she reached an emblem that rested high on the handle. She traced the lines of it softly, the letters IY deeply engraved in gold.