Disclaimer: I own the story, but not the characters in it. Go fucking figure.
No-Name Girl
Chapter 2
100 years ago…
A girl sat in her room in the manor her parents owned. Outside the house, men and women played croquet and gossiped about neighbors and family. They joked easily and took each other's arms in their own. She felt like crying. Half of the men had no woman attached to them, and she knew the reason why. She didn't want to sound egotistical, but it was hard when she had so many well-known suitors.
Her dress rustled as she stood looking in the mirror. Mother wanted her to look just right for her party. She turned fifteen today, a prime age for getting married. She heard her mother yell up the stairs.
"Midoriko!" Footsteps followed the voice. "Midoriko," she yelled again, more out of breath. "Midoriko, it's time for you to go down to your party." She looked at her daughter's forlorn face and softened. She was still breathing heavily and beads of sweat dotted her upper lip. "You'll be fine, honey. They'll all love you." She smiled comfortingly at her daughter. Midoriko's face hardened, but she said nothing. To disrespect one's parents was impolite.
"Yes, ma'am," she said through gritted teeth. "I'm sure they will. Do you think you could send Mamoru up, please, Mother?" Her mother smiled approvingly that her daughter wanted her best friend right now. She nodded and walked briskly out of the room, but not before making sure Midoriko knew she had to be down in a few minutes.
"What in seven hells do you want, Midoriko?" It may have sounded cruel and unladylike, but for Mamoru, it was a sign of affection. She saw her friend and looked concernedly at her. "What is it, huh?" She kneeled on the floor next to where her friend sat and began playing with a ribbon on one side of the dress.
"I don't want them to love me," she said. Mamoru nodded. "I want them all to go away. Why can't they go away?"
"Because you're beautiful, clever, well brought up, and a great hunter. What man doesn't want a wife who he can brag about?" Her friend smiled, showing that the last part had been a joke. "You're also very, very rich."
"We can't practice anymore if I get married. You know that." Mamoru nodded solemnly. "I may never see you again."
"I know," she said quietly. "But we can have one last night before you get married. For now, you just have to go down there and make friends. Besides, my lady," she said, holding out her arm, "your suitors await." She cocked an eyebrow and laughed quietly as Midoriko took her arm. They talked all the way toward the yard and Mamoru stepped out right before Midoriko. She couldn't help herself though. "The lady of the party arrives," she yelled to everyone at the party, catching their attention.
Present day…
Rin had decided on a wine-red dress for the welcoming party. (Blood-red just shouldn't be thought around this family) She stepped into the dining room with Rin and Sota, who couldn't help trying to slip his arm around her waist when his mother hadn't yet arrived. When his hand tried slipping down, she slid away unnoticeably to all but her and the boy. The mother walked in from the left and the grandfather was still a no-show. When Ms. Higurashi caught sight of Rin in her knee-length halter dress with an asymmetrical skirt, she gasped.
The seating arrangement included Kagome and Rin on one side of the table and Sota on the other, with the mother and grandfather at the heads. When Kagome and Sota reached for her hands across and next to her, she gave them a confused look. "It's prayer," Kagome helpfully said. Rin laughed nervously and grabbed their hands. After a lengthy prayer from the mother, the grandfather finally emerged, tray in hand.
The look on his face changed only slightly when he saw the newest addition to the family, but he kept his composure. Rin only sat up straighter. He set the tray down in the middle of the table and took his place at the head of the table. Something about him called for respect and a bit of skepticism about anything he said. And then she saw the tray. It looked fancy except for one thing.
On the tray was fried chicken and fried green tomatoes and fried okra. Rin smiled nervously and waited for a sign that it was safe to grab food. When Kagome and Sota grabbed some chicken for themselves, Rin picked her plate up toward the tray and grabbed some for herself. This was going to be awkward, she could tell. She scooped up some okra and tomatoes, even though she didn't care for either, and pulled her plate back toward herself.
"So," the grandpa started, "you're Rin?" She was not allowed to be sarcastic. Respect your elders, Rin, she reminded herself. Respect your goddamn elders.
"Yes sir," she said quietly, pushing food around her plate.
"So how old are you, Rin?" he asked somewhat loudly. No one else was speaking.
"I'm fifteen and a half," she replied just as quietly. Respect… respect…
"Oh? So you should be getting your license soon, correct? And you already have a permit, I would guess," he said somewhat judgmentally.
"Yes, sir." The rest of the dinner went along about the same; the grandfather asking questions and her answering as honestly as was safe. Soon enough, she had picked through as much of her dinner as she could stand, and excused herself. "The dinner was wonderful, Mr. Higurashi." He nodded his thanks and she took her plate into the kitchen, offering to help anyone else with their plates. She noticed easily when Kagome followed her in.
"You know, I think he might actually like you," the girl whispered in a conspiratory tone. "But don't let him know I think that. Mom seems to be less than excited though. You'll want to avoid her." Then Kagome helped her clean the dishes and somehow through that, the girls made some odd connection. Kagome may have been older than her, but she was still very similar to Rin somehow.
"Why wouldn't your mom like me?" Rin asked curiously, but still whispering. The apron only slightly covered up the dress she wore. Kagome looked her up and down with a funny look and Rin understood. "Ok, I get it. I'm not exactly something you bring home to show off, but it's still a question of how. I'm not rude, I don't whore myself out, and I'm not pure Satanic evil."
"You're just not… I don't know… You're not her, and she's always wanted a daughter who was just like her." Kagome seemed to scrub harder at the plate she held. Rin understood completely now.
"Believe me, if that first impression I got is how your mom truly is I could never be her. I'll let you know that right now." Both girls were quiet for sometime. Then Rin said, "I'm thinking of looking around the house tonight once your mom and grandpa are asleep. Maybe even go for a walk. Wanna come?" Kagome looked surprised, then scared, but interest showed in her eyes the entire time.
"Are you nuts? Mom would kill me!" She seemed to pause to consider something. "But she is a heavy sleeper, and it is a big house… An old house… How would we get out?" Rin seemed to have been waiting for this question the entire time. She smiled maniacally.
"Well, since you asked… Why don't you just meet me in my room right before midnight tonight? If you want to come, that is. If you don't, you can just come some other time. But remember that you need to be quiet." Kagome nodded and they finished the dishes quickly. Rin walked out into the hall and Kagome was to the stairs when Rin heard yelling. A woman's voice. The mother. She motioned that she would be up in a minute; Kagome could go ahead.
"Did you see that dress? I can't believe she thought that would be acceptable! It was barely above her knee!" The woman's voice yelled. She figured out quickly that this conversation was about her. "And the nerve! She didn't let any of us talk at dinner, either!"
The grandfather's voice was much calmer. "I thought she was rather nice, Kat. She was polite, she didn't interrupt, and she helped clean. Without us having to ask her too. I think that she's a lovely girl—"
"YOU THINK SHE'S LOVELY?!" Her voice boomed. Then her voice quieted, even though it was still angry. "That little slut is trying to seduce you. She wore a skirt that showed off thigh when she sat down! I can't believe… How could… Agh!" Rin saw the mother throw her hands up in her mind, and hurried up the stairs so she could be halfway up by the time the mother came to talk to anybody upstairs. In her room by the time she got to anyone's room.
She sat in her room moments later, wishing there were some way to cry. She hadn't cried at her family's funeral. It had been a closed casket; she guessed that they had been badly burned or something. She looked through her bag and found her sketchbook. The goddess of war and of wisdom took only one page, but it was still unfinished. She turned to the next page. Soon a thin girlish character in fishnets and a black pouf dress took up the center of the page. She held a hooked scythe in front of her, almost innocently.
Death. It had always been an odd backhanded interest of Rin's. It was a part of life and to be accepted, so she always wondered why anyone feared it. They had no reason to; it was only a new beginning. To some, Rin's interest had become almost an obsession. She almost seemed to emulate it, or tried to meet it. She had never tried to commit suicide, but she had done stupid things that could've ended up with her dead. Sneaking out, for one. Now that the picture had been sketched out, Rin changed into a pair of sweats and a long-sleeved shirt. As soon as she was going to sneak out, she would change into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
The door opened without warning and Rin whirled to see who it was. Ms. Higurashi stood there, partially flushed from running to Kagome and Sota's rooms before Rin's. "Hello, Rin," she started, then caught a glimpse of the half hidden picture under her pillow. "What's that?" she asked suspicious and curious. "Do you like to draw?"
"Uh, yes ma'am," she said quickly, while closing her sketchbook and shoving it roughly into her bag. "But it's nothing important. I'm not all that good; nothing I'd brag about." She stumbled through hiding death's picture and her interest. Soon, Ms. Higurashi had wished her good night and told her lights out and Rin was free. She let a sigh escape her lips. She flipped on a flashlight and held it in her mouth to finish her picture.
Almost too soon, she was finished with the line work, but not the inking; she could do that later. She glanced at the clock and noticed it was 11:30. She should be ready if Kagome came and got dressed by 11:40. She would give the girl until 12:05 to get here, and if she wasn't here by then she would leave. She opened her window to adjust to the night air. She grabbed a switchblade from the pocket of her pants from the night before and put it in the waist of her pants.
She now wore a pair of black stretch pants and a long-sleeved black shirt. A trench coat hung on her door in case it was cold enough. She stood by the open window to test the temperature and found it cool enough to keep her awake and not too cool to freeze her. She wouldn't need her trench tonight. She heard a quiet knock on her door and moved silently to open it. She stood behind the door and opened it.
"Hello?" a voice said tentatively. Kagome's voice, she realized. Rin relaxed and stepped out from behind the door, pausing when she saw Kagome's outfit. She had obviously never done this before. She still wore her pajamas: a button up blue satin-y shirt and matching pants. Rin looked her up and down thoughtfully and nodded. She walked over to her suitcase and grabbed an old pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt that looked like they might fit the older girl well. They were almost too small for Rin, but she figured she was probably bigger than Kagome was. "What's this for?" she asked confusedly.
"Because you've pretty obviously never done this before and need something that's not quite that easy to see." She directed the girl to change as she turned away. She may have been an amateur, but she did have guts. In fact, she had enough guts to go on a midnight walk with Rin, a dangerous looking girl. Rin had to find out. "Why are you doing this?"
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, tapping Rin on the shoulder to show she could turn around. The girl's pajamas lay on the floor inches away from her feet.
"Why are you sneaking out with me?"
"Because I think it might be fun. It's different than what I would usually think safe to do. Why?"
"Because most people would be too scared to. I guess that's a good enough reason. Come on." She waved the girl toward the open window. "Too late to chicken out now," she said smiling and stepped through the window.
A/N: Please R&R if you read. I would like to know if I suck serious ass or not. Anyways… Okay, there is one topic this time that I have some experience with. Betcha can't guess what it is… Uh… Yeah… So I sneak out once in a while. Who cares? It's illegal here, which makes it all the more interesting. ANYWAYS… Review, blah, blah, blah, etc. Tell me if you want to hear more of this story.
