And here is chapter fifteen. A bit of a Christmas special. Anyway, more than 100 reviews! I have to admit it does make me very happy. And to all of you who take the time to review; Thank you! I love them. I'll admit this is a bit of Higurashi family fluff (because hell, I've written zero about her home situation which doesn't make much sense). Next chapter will feature Sesshomaru again, but this one will built up to it^^

Enjoy!

InuYasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

o.O.o

Chapter Fifteen, Back to the Future

'You'll never really see how toxic someone is until you breathe fresher air.'

Chiharu Higurashi flipped around in her bed to lie on her stomach, laying on her forearms. She peered at the washed-out curtains of her bedroom, the old desk against the wall and her cheerfully decorated billboard near the window. The clock was ticking loudly and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the sound out. It had been weird travelling through the well (again), but she was glad she was home again. The bright light of the sun broke through the gap of her curtain, attacking her eyes. She raised her hand to shield her eyes and sucked her cheeks between her teeth.

Kagome was upset, the music in her room playing as she studied. A math High school mock-exam only a day away. Chiharu slowly got up from her bed and stumbled towards her desk and flicked her desk lamp on. The light was softly buzzing and with a heavy sigh, she extracted her notebook and her textbook from her drawer. She could at least try to perform well on her test, even though she still didn't think they could start high school only five months away. Grumbling inwardly, she slipped down behind her desk and started her computer. They'd gotten an email with all of the homework and the test material she should get through.

Nibbling on a pencil with her teeth, Chiharu flipped through the pages of her textbook, marking the pages she was supposed to learn from and waited for the internet to start up. She watched the light from the sun disappear and the clock tick the hours away, while she poured over the theory, tracing her finger over the figures in her textbook. Math had never been her favourite subject, yet she did have a mind for solving logical problems so it was never her worst subject either. Nibbling at the back of her pencil again.

Mrs Higurashi had left a few hours ago, a note taped to the fridge that she had gone out to the grocery store. Since they were at the end of December, the day darkened early. Sōta was in his room, playing a game on his PlayStation and Christmas was only a few days away. They had one big test just before the Christmas holidays started and Kagome wanted to stay over at their original time.

The radio downstairs constantly carolled Christmas songs and as she scrolled through one of the assignments Sakura had written down. It was hard to concentrate on something as silly as school work. She closed her eyes, scraping her nails lightly over the top of her desk. When she woke at first she had been unsure why her kosode was covered in blood and after Shippō launched himself at her, she finally remembered.
For three long, wet days she'd wandered through he forest, back to Kaede's village only to find her friends and sister there. Inuyasha was bleeding from a deep gash at his side and Miroku and Sango had the umpteenth disagreement about the Hōshi being a pervert while Kagome was sulking near the Bone-Eaters well.

Inuyasha had known she was feeling better. He peered at her neck, at the stains of blood on her collar and slowly stared at her face. He never commented on it. He could be very awkward, but for some reason, he seemed to be very able to tell when not to comment on something.

Chiharu stared at her computer screen again before turning it off, taking her book with her, she propped herself up against her pillows and read through the theory again. The stereo in her sister's bedroom still echoing loudly through the house and after an hour listening to Madonna and Shakira she crawled into her bed before throwing her shoe against the wall.

"What?"

"Turn that bloody thing down," Chiharu yelled back, slightly amused that their usual way of communication still worked. "If you don't get it now, you'll not get it anymore."

She heard her sister curse quietly but after a few minutes did turn the volume down.

A swirl of sound assaulted her the next morning as her alarm clocked buzzed loudly. Chiharu groaned, blindly reached around for the alarm clock, putting it on snooze and tried dozing off. It didn't work because a moment later knuckles knocked against her bedroom door.

"Onee-san!" Sōta screamed. "Mum says you have to get out. Breakfast is ready."

"Five more minutes," she mumbled and the door creaked open. Sōta's soft footballs sounded and slowly the comforter she had tried to hide under was pulled back.

"Mum said there wasn't enough time for five more minutes."

Chiharu glared at the young boy and leaned her head on her lower arms. "And she sent you because she knows you're my favourite."

He offered her a toothy grin before dropping down to her crawling up beside her. "Yes," he admitted, "I missed you Onee-san."

"I missed you too, honey." She whispered back, dropping a kiss on his forehead. He made a face and she chuckled. When their father died and Chiharu had been hurt herself, she'd been at home for a long time. Therefore, when she'd finally grown tired of being babied she helped her mother take care of Sōta. It was why there was such a strong bond between them. She tucked her arm around his waist and breathed in the soft scent that was all Sōta.

"We're going to decide about middle schools today." He told her seriously and she snickered.

"Isn't that a bit early?"

"Yes," he admitted quietly, "but Nona-Sensei said you can never be too ready."

"Hm," Chiharu nodded, raking her nails carefully through his hair, "I suppose she has a point."

"Sōta!" Mrs Higurashi suddenly yelled. "Chiharu, time to come down."

"Yes, mama." Chiharu answered, sighing in Sōta's hair.

"Such a bad thing to do, conspiring against your older sister." She muttered and Sōta grinned at her.

She started to climb over him, dropping a kiss on his forehead and rummaging throughout her wardrobe. Her school uniform felt odd against her body. It felt strangely inadequate in protecting her modesty and she shook her head in confusion. Running around in a time where dressing in several layers was normal for women started to rub off on her. Chiharu buttoned her blouse up, her pyjama bottoms crumbling at her feet and her skirt loosely hung at her hips. She had lost a lot of weight, her stomach flat and her ribs still visible, skin tightly stretched over the bones. She sighed adjusting the button on the inside of her skirt until it didn't slip from her hips and sloppily pulled a brush through her hair.

"Are you going to make a braid, Onee-san?"

"What, are you applying to be my hairdresser today, kiddo?"

He gave her a sulky looked, twisting the end of his tie between his fingers and she turned to the mirror next to her window. The angry red puckered flesh of her neck had become a lot less angry and puckered. The only thing remaining was a darkened scar that looked like a birthmark and she sighed, before pushing her hair back with a hairband.

Sōta looked at her appraisingly before following his older sister out of her room and downstairs to the kitchen. Mrs Higurashi peered out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron and smiled. "I see Sōta got you out of bed?"

"Hm hm," Chiharu answered. Kagome was sitting at the kitchen table eating steamed rice, miso soup and a piece of salmon fish. Her textbook was opened next to her, and as she sipped from her soup, Kagome's eyes flitted over the pages.

Chiharu slumped down and accepted a bowl with soup. Sōta sat next to her, foot swinging above the kitchen floor. His fingers busily pushing the buttons on his tamagotchi device. He'd gotten it from one of his friends and now he had a pet to feed and to entertain. Every time he fed it a small beeping noise would sound.

When Jii-chan stepped into the kitchen it was time for the Higurashi sisters to go. Kagome rubbed her hands together before slipping into her winter jacket. Their mother walking out of the house behind them. She wrapped a scarf her youngest daughter's neck — who protested softly — and kissed her eldest on her cheek.

"Try your best." She whispered and both girls crossed the courtyard descending the shrine steps. The Higurashi shrine was close to the underground and during rush-hour, it was the fastest safest way to get yourself somewhere. Mock exams were held in a different building and it was just on the other side of town.

The metro was busy. Kagome and Chiharu shuffled together near one of the windows, hands gripping at the bar. The metro was packed with people, always crowded, everyone pushing against each other. The neon lights from the underground flickered and a thin layer of condensation had started on the glass windows of the metro. Chiharu peered out of the window, glancing at the city skyline, trying to distract herself from all that bombarded her senses. It wasn't working properly.

The music coming from someone's headphone, sitting on one of the seats to her right, was much too loud and there were far too many people packed into the small compartment of the train. Chiharu wrinkled her nose and wrapped her rain jacked tightly around her small frame. Kagome didn't seem to be bothered and chattered on about their upcoming Math test. Chiharu wasn't bothered per se. She felt alienated, capable of hearing so many sounds and smells around her.

Her fingers automatically went to her throat, softly tracing the angry mark and Kagome gasped. "Are you okay? Is it hurting again?"

"No," She answered. Ever since he'd — her face grew hot — swirled his tongue over the irritated flesh of the mark, she had felt fine. No pains, no aches, just a stronger awareness of his life-force and perhaps a stronger thrum in her blood that wanted her to find him. Still, she was all right. "It's fine. It's just difficult."

Kagome nodded, even though she didn't understand. Her older sister thought that pain was difficult. The only difficult part, but the scents, the sounds and even the sight sometimes, they were difficult. Being in a smelly train, with so many humans who had a strong scent thanks to all the deodorants and perfumes available, she was overwhelmed by her senses.

"How do you think we'll do?" Kagome asked nervously, "I mean even with Yuka's notes we've missed so much!"

Chiharu didn't really think it mattered that much. No matter how well they did, they had missed so many schooldays — 'because of the birdbox' their grandfather had said when the school had called —, she suspected they would have to repeat the year anyway. Chiharu supposed that was fine. That way they could start the upcoming year in April and, even though they would be a year older than the other children, they would be able to finish school and get into college just like their parents had always wanted.

She certainly didn't want to start looking for work with just her Middle-school diploma. If it meant repeating a year, by all means, she wouldn't care.

"Chiharu-chan?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think?"

"Honestly, Kagome-neesan?" Chiharu started, "I don't think I care. How long do you think we'll be busy with searching for the jewel shards? Because I don't see that done in the upcoming two months. And when high school starts we can't afford to miss so much. There will be so many tests and all of them will decide what college or university we could get into. Don't you think, repeating a year, and increase the timespan to do that, to get ready for college would be better for us? Don't you think that would work better in combination of collecting the Shikon-no-tama shards?"

Kagome chewed on her lower lip and slowly shrugged her shoulders. "Perhaps."

The metro pulled into the station. The doors opened and people thronged out. Kagome and Chiharu, surrounded by the throng of people, struggled to get out onto the platform. The two girls silently followed after a group of students, dressed in high school uniforms, and hurried towards the escalators. When they stepped out of the metro station and on the sidewalks a chilly wind was chilly assaulted them. The sky was dark with grey clouds.

Chiharu readjusted the knot of her scarf and followed Kagome down the street. The test centre

They had to take an elevator to one of the upper floors. Chiharu rested her head against the wall of the elevator as it whizzed up. Kagome stood silently opposite of her, twisting her straps of her rucksack between her fingers. When they arrived at the sixth floor they met up with their friends from the Modern Era. Or perhaps Chiharu should say Kagome's friends, as Yukia, Ayumi and Eri almost threw themselves at the older Higurashi twin.

Chiharu carefully extracted herself from the scene the girls were already making and sat down next to Sakura Sanka. Sakura had been Chiharu's closest friend for years, yet not even the cosplaying Sakura who liked to dye her hair pink knew about Kagome's and Chiharu's life in Sengoku jidai. Chiharu had considered telling her, but if she was honest not even Sakura would believe her and probably decide she was just as much a lunatic as her grandfather.

"Good morning," Sakura greeted her friend brightly. "Feeling better?"

"As good as I can, I suppose," Chiharu answered, digging her pencils, ballpoint, marker and calculator out of her bag.

She'd lost two of her pencils immediately as Sakura snatched them from her table and smiled even brighter. "Good, because I forgot to bring a pen."

"I suppose I am lucky that's the only thing you forgot," Chiharu answered placing her calculator on the other side of the table and propped her chin up with her free hand. A square-shouldered man handed out the exam papers and exactly at nine they started the exam. Needlessly to say, the exam was a bit of a disaster. Although, Chiharu could count on her natural understanding of the subject — thank god it wasn't science — Kagome didn't have that and when they left the testing centre she was sulking.

As they left Hōjō intercepted them to offer Kagome — and reluctantly Chiharu, because she happened to be there as well — a special medicinal item to help with their bird pox and Crohn disease. Both girls smiled tersely and wondered exactly what cover stories their grandfather used for their frequent absences at school.

"Crohn's disease?" Kagome hissed when they were sitting in the metro again.

"Bowel inflaming." Chiharu answered.

"I know that!" Kagome snapped. "What I just don't get is why he can't just say we have mono or something!"

Chiharu shrugged. "At least he's playing along."

"There is that." She reluctantly agreed.

They would get their result by mail so there was nothing they could do about it. The vehicle continued to move, gliding smoothly over the metal tracks. The buildings had disappeared as the train had gone underground, neon lights of the tunnel flashing by. When they moved up again, a thick fog had dotted the skyline. When they returned home their mother had made them Udon and Kagome slightly regained her good spirits, once again looking forward to spending Christmas with her family.

In the weekend before Christmas the Higurashi children decorated a Christmas tree together, putting up lights and several ornaments. Their mum and Jii-chan told them stories about their father, a man none of the Higurashi children really remembered, and they all silently listened as Jii-chan told them about the time their father sneaked out of the house and hurt himself climbing the fence at school to go see their mum.

At Christmas Eve, Inuyasha suddenly arrived. Their mother, being the smart independent woman she was, smiled warmly at him and presented the Hanyō with a pair of sweats and a thick sweater. Chiharu smiled when he emerged from Sōta's room fingers curled through the belt loops and an awkward expression on his face.

"That looks good on you," Chiharu teased him lightly and he scowled at her.

They drove to a quiet street with small gift shops and parked the car. Mrs Higurashi and Jii-chan took them for a long walk through the streets of Tokyo. The Christmas lights in the shop-windows and in the Christmas trees shining brightly. They ate chicken drumsticks before enjoying a traditional Christmas sponge cake, decorated with strawberries and whipped cream.

Inuyasha certainly enjoyed the Kentucky Fried Chicken, wolfing it down so fast the perky, curly waitress stared at him open-mouthed. As Inuyasha started nicking chicken legs from Chiharu and Kagome, the waitress came by with another portion because she thought he was cute. Chiharu thought it rather amusing that the Hanyō turned as red as the firerat haori he normally wore and stammered a 'thank you' before wolfing that portion down as well.

The Christmas cake wasn't received as enthusiastically as the drumsticks, yet everyone enjoyed themselves. Once they were saturated they decided to visit a Christmas market. Kagome squealed happily, rubbing her hands together as they passed the stalls. She stopped at every one of them, cooing at the lights and gazing at the numerous handmade ornaments.

"And this is?" Inuyasha asked, pushing his baseball hat up and furrowed his brows at Kagome as she peered at a green ornament.

"She likes shiny things." Chiharu shrugged. "And it is sort of a tradition."

"Right, this time is weird."

"I'm pretty sure we think that about your time half of the time." She told him and he 'Feh'd'.

"Who wants some hot wine?" Jii-chan asked brightly and Mrs Higurashi sighed wistfully.

"Hot wine?" Inuyasha muttered as Sōta nodded his head excitedly while Mrs Higurashi shoed him away as Jii-chan started to hand out cups with Glühwein. Sōta sulked when he didn't get a glass but as Kagome dragged Mrs Higurashi off towards a stall with more ornaments, their little brother happily pressed himself against his older sister.

"Onee-chan?"

"No,"

"Please, just one, tiny, little sip!" He begged and he peered up at her with large round eyes and she grimaced.

"Why don't you try this with Kagome-neesan?" she asked tiredly and Inuyasha laughed.

"Because you're the easy one, wench." He told her.

"Osuwari," she told him huffily and he stiffened. Of course, it didn't work but his horrified face was enough to make her smile and she walked forward, keeping one hand on Sōta's back before indeed allowing him one sip.

"Oi, Chiharu!"

She ignored him and Sōta jumped up and down excitedly. "Can I have another one?"

Chiharu clucked the rest of the drink down just as Inuyasha grabbed her shoulder. Souta huffed childishly and sullenly moved towards his grandfather while Inuyasha glared at Chiharu's face.

"You tried to sit me!"

"Oh, don't be dramatic, I knew it wouldn't work!" she told him, rolling her eyes at him. "Though your face was priceless."

He huffed stomping forward and she chuckled. Kagome gave him a murderous look when his shoulder bumped against hers and she dropped the ornament. At least she refrained from sitting him in public but the way home was less enjoying than the evening had been. Their fight ended with Inuyasha stalking into the shrine and jumping through the well. Chiharu eyed her sister warily while following Sōta into the house.

"Nee-san, why did Inuyasha leave?" Sōta suddenly asked as he hung his jacket up on the coatrack.

"Because he's a stubborn arse." Kagome snapped back and Sōta moved back towards where Chiharu had slumped down onto the couch.

"And your boyfriend?"

"Sōta, I don't have a boyfriend." Chiharu answered.

"Kagome-neesan won't have any boyfriend if she keeps pushing him does she?" he asked her earnestly and Kagome shot him a dark glare.

"Sōta, Honey, why don't you explain to me how your tamagotchi works?" Chiharu swiftly asked and the boy nodded excitedly.

He was in the middle of explaining what a dead skull around his little pet's face meant when Kagome huffed — 'I'm going to take a bath' — and spent the rest of the evening in the hot water, probably mulling over the recent fight she and Inuyasha had.

To be continued…

A/N: Next update will be around Thursday next week. I really like Sōta and Chiharu's relationship. A bit of sibling bonding (which is a bit of an issue in the Inuyasha universe). Stay tuned for the next update^^

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi