DISCLAIMER: I used the plot from the book Twins written by Caroline B. Cooney. I don't own the characters from Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale or Yu-Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files. And before anyone reviews me saying this is plagiarizing I did not copy from the book word for word but I made it my own in a way and I did the official disclaimer too.
black fire angel: I'm SO sorry for the delay but I've been really sick. Doctor says I have Mono so, yeah. But I got my butt out of bed and typed the rest of the chapter for ya'll. Oh and if you're actually reading this I will let you know… that the next chapter is REALLY exciting. So please R&R. Enjoy
Ch. 4 Switching Places During Kikyou's Visit
"I'm coming to visit!" Kikyou exclaimed over the telephone. "It'll be great, we'll go skiing, pick you a guy, gossip with your friends. We'll have a wonderful time and be us! Plus, you'll get to show off that you're an identical twin then the Event will start once again."
"Wait, Mom and Jii-chan are allowing you to visit? They said you can call me?" Kagome gasped in excitement. "No, but I booked my flight in spite of them," Kikyou's tone flooded with how proud she was to disobey her guardians. "It's not that I'm not happy, Kikyou but why now?"
"Well, I love you and you had said you needed me so I'm going to be there for you." Kagome was literally jumping up and down out of joy. Girls in the hallway stared briefly, after they realized it was the lone loser they went on to their own business. "Yes! I'm so glad Kikyou!" Her twin giggled, "I can tell."
Kagome had given up on expecting any visits, especially in the cold winter of February. Her heart had become ice cold like the weather. The only way she thought it would melt back to normal was during summer vacation, when she'd arrive back home. "Later Kagome, I've got to go but I will see you this weekend. Love you, bye." "Love you too, Kikyou. Bye." After she hung up the pay phone she danced back to her dorm room.
Kagome laughed out of joy and pirouetted in her room. "Hey, Keiko, guess what!" Keiko showed no interest as she continued working on her studies. "My identical twin sister is coming for a visit this weekend!" Keiko rolled her eyes, "You're losing it Higurashi. You don't have a twin."
Kagome felt giddier and thinner as she danced around. "I do! And you'll love her!" Keiko looked her at, slightly annoyed. "And you all of a sudden remembered that you have a twin in February, Higurashi?" Her own brown eyes looked back at her book. "Yeah, right."
"Right!" Kagome laughed.
The next day at lunch Kagome sat at the lunch table she always wanted to sit at. The girls were so used to Kagome ignoring them that they returned the action. "My identical twin is coming to visit on this three-day-weekend!" Kagome cried happily. The popular girls gave her a long odd look. "It always happens this time of year," Kagura explained. "It's the cold from the winter. The losers go crazy and start to believe they have identical twins."
The girls laughed as Kagome flushed from embarrassment. "So, Higurashi…" said Koto, a fox demon and a friend of Botan's. "…If this twin of yours is identical to you… like, who cares? She's probably another loser like you." Botan, being the noble heroine, slammed her fist on the table. "Stop! Quit picking on Kagome and leave her alone. You all have been used to doing that for the first half of the semester, why don't you continue?"
Botan was only obeying the roommate rule, to stick up for your roommate even if she was a total loser. It was also in her nature to be nice but Kagome has pushed her limits.
Kikyou had finally arrived.
She stepped on campus and it became hers. Kikyou was the Event Kagome wanted to be. Kikyou overwhelmed the girls from the school, made them like her possessions. By the end of the day, Kagome and Kikyou were sitting at the most popular table with the most beautiful and popular girls. But it was only Kikyou they spoke to, leaving Kagome out of the conversations.
The girls even called her Kikyou, memorizing her name on the spot, while Kagome was still Higurashi to her peers. "Come watch these horror movies with us, Kikyou." "Kikyou, let us hear more about Naraku Onigumo over hot chocolate and popcorn." "Kikyou, come sit with us." "Let's go skiing tomorrow, Kikyou."
It surprised Kagome how the girls on the third floor could tell which twin was who. People at home could never tell them apart. How could Botan, Keiko, Kagura, Koto, Kage, Kikome, and Kaede know who was who?
Kikyou had enlightening personality.
Kagome remained wallpaper.
Kagome had high hopes for this weekend, like everything would be back to normal, and she wouldn't be the school loser anymore. This weekend was the worst in her whole life. Kagome had learned that it wasn't the surface that mattered. 'We're not identical twins… she's better. Everyone knew it but me. That's why Mamma and Grandpa sent me out here instead of Kikyou. I'm the flawed one. Kikyou is the worthy one while I'm her shadow. I'm nothing but an echo.'
The five months that Kagome had been there she showed nothing to these girls. A whole day with Kikyou and they became her best friend. Kagome tried to twin wave her thoughts to her sister so Kikyou would come to her, shower her with comfort and love. She wanted Kikyou to deny her silly thoughts and bring her to the warmth of the group of girls, letting them welcome her to the friendships she longed to have.
Nothing happened.
Kikyou just laughed and enjoyed herself with the other girls when she should've comprehended the situation.
At night, Kikyou slept on a lumpy cot, refusing the offers of a bunk bed. She entertained the girls with stories about her lovely boyfriend Naraku Onigumo. Kikyou would describe her wild dates with him and his romantic escapades. She would talk about how sexy and handsome Naraku was and all of his crazy insane ideas. 'It doesn't even sound like home anymore,' Kagome thought.
'Grandpa and Mom are letting her out at any hour? What happened to supervision?'
Supervision. Kagome's mom had claimed that Kikyou would be under her and Grandpa's supervision. Botan was brushing Kikyou's long black hair, adoring it like she's never seen such beauty. "Wow, you just about get to do anything, don't you?"
>>>>>Sunday>>>>>>
Sunday was the last day of a too long and too lonesome visit. Kagome sighed and decided to tell her sister, "I'm not going skiing with you today. Go on with Keiko and Boton, I'll just work on my book report." The twins were fixing each other's hair as they had used to. They were perfect reflections of each other and did not need a mirror.
Kagome stared at her beautiful self, the self who was not really she. Both girls had put her heavy black hair back twice, high on top of the head, and again low at the neck. 'Who are you, Kikyou? I don't even know you. Are you even Kikyou anymore?' Kagome wondered.
"Of course you're coming Omae, don't be such a baby. You have a ski slope across the street. So that's what you're suppose to do… ski." Kikyou said. "But I'm coordinated like you."
Kikyou poked her sister. "We are identical twins. That means were identical in leg muscle too," Kikyou retorted. "Now we're going skiing and I intend to impress some people. Two of us will be more impressive than one of us."
Kagome looked at her twin thinking, 'You already posses everyone, who else is there left to impress? And besides… only you alone will be impressing somebody.'
Kikyou's ski outfit was just stunning. Her jacket was crimson and green plaid with black velvet trim and black boots. 'Of course she looks stunning, Kikyou's always been a trendsetter.' Kagome felt like she was out of date along with every other girl out on the slopes. Kagome had worn the same neon solids everyone else had this winter only hers was turquoise. The color that stood out on it's own, the most fashionable one out there quickly became out of style.
Kagome was now ashamed of her ski jacket. She felt like an imposter that was obviously lacking taste. Her and Kikyou could wear their hair the same, they could paint their lips the same pink rose color, they could laugh the same laugh… but Kikyou was just something more. 'What would Kikyou think of me if she knew my jealous thoughts eating inside me?'
Kagome prayed that her sister was not reading her mind. Not now. 'Okay… I deserve this. It's my fault that I'm lonely at this school. I didn't try my hardest or be my best. I made that stupid decision to be an empty shell. Just… how can I start over? How can I make friends with the girls I ignored before?'
Still, Kikyou had not showered her with affection and comfort, even in this mild argument, the closest thing they've ever come to fighting. Kikyou moved forward and tilted her head and touched her lips to Kagome's cheek. "Okay, fine. I'll go skiing with you," Kagome said, defeated. "But if I break a leg you better break yours in the same spot, Kikyou."
Kikyou laughed, "I have too much at stake to spend my time in a hospital." Unwanted jealousy filled Kagome's heart, as her cheeks grew hot, knowing that she meant Naraku Onigumo. 'Maybe that's what is different. Maybe having a boyfriend lifts Kikyou's spirits so high that everyone just wants to hang on to her soaring heart. Wanting to take a free ride on love.'
Kagome no longer felt or knew love. Her peers' treats her like she was invisible, her twin sister discarded her, and her parents shipped her away from all her loved ones. The only person she could trust in her family was Souta and even he seemed like he was hiding something from her.
The mountain on which the girls skied on rose beyond the playing fields. Girls were supposedly came to the school for famous academics but Kagome knew it was for the winter sports and the boys next door. The two schools shared an indoor skating rink so figure skating and hockey could be played all year round.
Each ski team could be at the top of the mountain within minutes of the end of classes. 'So, while I failed to impress hundreds of girls there were also hundreds of boys. If Kikyou's so madly in love with Naraku, then why would she even want to look at someone else?'
Kagome was lost in her thoughts again thinking, 'What's Naraku like? What if I met someone as wonderful as Naraku? He must be wonderful if Kikyou adores him so much.' "Do you and Naraku talk about me?" Kagome looked into the mirror instead of at her twin. Kikyou's pink lips curved into a smile, "No."
Kagome could she her sister mouthing words to the mirror and she could read them: Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall, Who Is the Fairest of Them All? Chills ran up her spine. 'The mirror can't answer such a question, for we are equally fair.' Kagome thought. "Doesn't Naraku wonder what's is like to be a twin?" She asked quickly. "I mean, doesn't everyone wonder what it's like?"
"I guess he does," Kikyou gave her sister a hard look as she kept primping herself up, "but he respects me by not asking about it." Kagome felt a sting through her heart. "I don't think he even believes that I have an identical twin," Kikyou continued, laughing now. She seemed like she was flirting with her own reflection. "He loves me and he says, 'Two Kikyou's? Impossible.'"
Kikyou went on ahead and out the door, looking beautiful in her glittering ski suit. She was greeted with cries of friendship from girls who would never bother with Kagome. "Kikyou this is so much fun! You should come here more often!" "How neat it must be to be an identical twin!" "Yes, tell us all about it. What's it really like?"
They had never bothered to even ask Kagome once about what it's like.
Kagome had become part of the background, she blended in with what wasn't important. Kikyou was the fascinating Event and the special identical twin.
The boarding school bus carried the skiers and their equipment up the single mile to the lifts. Everybody got out, carefully unloading their equipment. Kikyou scampered ahead of Kagome and into a deep in a group of new friends. Laughing, teasing, and thoroughly enjoying herself.
Kagome became a blue splotch of paint as she put on an old ugly knit cap and stuffed her heavy hair beneath it. It was not a good match for her turquoise ski suit. It was a royal blue and the colors clashed with each other.
Her heart wasn't beating like it should have. Her chocolate brown eyes watched Kikyou walking halfway up the to the lifts then saw her pause. Groups of people were multiplying around Kikyou and fear grew in Kagome. Kagome, came pulsing wordless communication. Come.
The lovely twin waves had returned! Kikyou was calling for her! 'Kikyou figured out how lonely I feel. How lost I am without her. We're twins again! The twin waves are back!' Kagome's heart began to mend back together.
Kikyou entered the lodge and Kagome hurriedly followed. "I knew you would come." They both said it together, inflections on the same syllables, lips equally lingering on the M. Kikyou huffed out a sigh of relief. "I thought we had lost it, Omae."
"So did I," said Kagome, her eyes filling with tears of happiness. The sisters embraced, almost too happy to bear the feeling. Kikyou shoved Kagome into a girl's room. "I feel bad that you have to wear that rag of a ski suit while I have such a stylin' beauty. Listen up, Omae."
Kagome's heart flip-flopped over with love for her twin that outshone her. "Are you listening Omae? We'll switch," Kikyou planned. "I want you to be the star here. This is your school and you should be main attraction. I don't know what's wrong with me being the Event in your life as well as mine."
'I knew she'd come through in the end! We're still twins!' Kagome thought. "No, it's okay Kikyou," she said. "You look perfect in it." Kikyou giggled and poked her sister in her side. "Well then so would you. We are identical twins you know?" Kagome nodded and giggled.
The twins undressed with lightning speed. "I want you to be Kikyou, Omae," said her twin, zipping Kagome into the gleaming taffeta plaid. "What? What do you mean, Kiko?"
"We'll just switch." Kikyou smiled, making Kagome smile back but didn't comprehend the situation. "I want you to join them as Kikyou Higurashi. Answer when they say Kikyou and be the one they want. You be the one out there laughing, smiling, and skiing. Be silly with them, drink hot chocolate and watch DVD's. Dance with them to their music in the dark and be their new special Even friend."
Kikyou stuffed her own hair in the ugly blue cap this time. "Then later tonight, when they are confused which is which, we'll reveal to them who's who. It'll be great; everyone will have a good laugh out of it. Plus, it'll help with your social life here, trust me. It'll get you started up again."
Kikyou lifted her hands to hold her twin's hand and Kagome's hands had lifted at the same time to hold hers. They both were wearing a silver ring on the third finger of the right hand, clear polish on their nails, two silver slim bracelets, and no watch on their wrists. 'We really are back!' Kagome exclaimed in her thoughts.
Kikyou pushed Kagome gently, sending her sister out into the group of friends that she had made. Kagome shined like a Christmas ornament. Kagome was engulfed by the Third floor girls. Keiko, Boton, and Kagura gave worried cries. "Kikyou! Where'd you go? We didn't know what happened to you!" "Let's go!" "Times' wasting as snow's melting."
So many exclamations. So much excitement. So many warm feelings of friendship. All of this just because they thought that she was someone else. That she was her twin sister, Kikyou.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
TBC...
black fire angel