A/N: I got hit with a random idea (more of a dream, but I have weird dreams), and my mind refuses to let it go until I write it out. I haven't watched the show in forever, so I'll be rewatching it as I write this but to be honest, I plan on implementing many plots that may make it veer off canon. That being said, some characters may act differently than they do canonically. I'm looking to be a professional writer, so general reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome! I rated this story as M mainly for graphic fight scenes and coarse language, but there is a possibility of rated content in the future, though I'm not yet sure how explicit it will be.
Also, a quick note about the modern era in this story. I don't want to put an actual year on it, but if I had to choose, I'd say maybe 2018ish? Because I like to use specific references that wouldn't make sense in the original period of the anime/manga, I will be making the modern era closer to our current time. This would also be why my OC having a child out of wedlock, while still a concern, wasn't seen as such a taboo thing as it would've been in the original time. This also means there will be technology that wasn't shown much originally, and the travel in the past was more than 500 years, which isn't really a huge deal but something to keep in mind.
Edit 09/03/21: I combined the first chapter with the prologue to make the chapter longer because the prologue alone was extremely short.
07/07/22: Officially started the rewriting process.
All rights go to their respective owners. I only own my OCs and their stories.
Prologue
Reina Higurashi swept the grounds of the family's shrine, pausing to look at the setting sun, a sight that could easily be seen from her position at the top of the steps. The young, perfectly tanned woman looked seemingly out of place in her priestess garb, though no one ever batted an eye at her appearance. It was common knowledge in town that Reina would eventually take over from her grandfather as head caretaker of the shrine. The day he gave her the news, it had come as a surprise for Reina, if only because she figured the role would go to one of his blood grandchildren instead.
The Higurashis had been her family most of her life, but when she was thirteen, she discovered she was adopted. Of course, she had suspected as much before then. It was easy to see that she looked different from the rest of her family. She was thicker and darker, her long, thick, curly dark brown hair tied into a high ponytail. According to the adoption agency, her mother said Reina's birth father had died before she was born, and her birth mother had died from complications during childbirth. Despite initially being from the United States, her mother had been visiting Japan when she went into labor, so Reina went to a Japanese orphanage. However, a few months later, she would be adopted by the Higurashis.
A few years later, Reina found herself with a younger sister. Despite the four-year difference, Kagome and Reina were inseparable. Even at that young age, Reina had promised to protect her baby sister, a promise she took very seriously. She distinctly remembers trying to convince her parents to let her not go to school so she could stay with Kagome. Of course, that didn't work, so instead, she made them promise to send them to the same schools so she could keep an eye on her. And they did.
When Souta was born, Reina once again vowed to protect her baby brother at all costs. A promise that became even more serious when her father died. It had been so sudden that no one had been prepared, and it wasn't long after his passing that they moved to the shrine they currently reside in with her grandfather. While it was difficult for everyone to adjust to the sudden change, things returned to normal over time, and they were happy again. The pain of his absence always lingered, but it dulled as the years went by. She should have known it wouldn't last.
Reina had always been brilliant, starting school much earlier than kids usually did and excelling in everything thrown her way. It was no surprise to her family that she had managed to finish high school early and got accepted into every university she had applied for. But Reina knew better. She was young, naive, innocent in many ways, and borderline gullible. For all her maturity, she was also still just a sixteen-year-old in university. The first year went without a hitch, but her second year would change her life forever.
Like any teenager without adult supervision, Reina had been convinced by her classmates to attend a party. Having made a point to not do so the previous year, she naively thought there could be no harm in going to one party. But one party was all it took. She met a guy, one thing led to another, and she found herself in his bed by the night's end. The following day, she saw her sporting a massive hangover and some significant body pain, and she vowed to never party again before returning to her studies. A few weeks later, she fell sick, and thinking it was the flu, she preemptively went to the doctor in the hopes that she could get some medicine and be on her way.
Instead, she received news that she was pregnant. Luckily, she was able to finish the year before giving birth to a beautiful baby boy named Kenzou. She searched for the father but never found him and came to terms with being a single mother. Once again, Reina knew how incredibly lucky she was to have the family she had, who wasted no time stepping up to help support her in any way they could. For three years, she worked tirelessly as she finished university and took whatever part-time job she could find to support her family and their new addition.
As much as the universe seemed to pity her, it was also unrelenting, and Reina often found herself being replaced at her jobs with someone who didn't have as many responsibilities as her. And then, as luck would have it, she received a letter from a lawyer in the United States. Apparently, her birth mother's only living family, an estranged aunt, had recently passed, and as a result, her estate and wealth went to the only remaining living family member, her. It took a week of convincing from her family. Still, she eventually accepted the decision, choosing to sell the estate, knowing she'd never want to leave Japan and her family.
So now she stood, nineteen and more money than she knew what to do with, and she used every bit on her family. It came in handy when the shrine needed repairs, which happened often considering how old it was. It warmed her heart that finally, she was able to give back and help her family to repay them for all they've done for her whole life. As the sun finally set, Reina finished sweeping and looked to the sky once more before heading inside just in time to see her sister and grandfather in the living room. She quickly checked on her son before taking a quick shower and changing, returning to the kitchen to help her mother with dinner. The family was blissfully unaware that all of their lives would change with the sunrise.
Chapter 1: A New Old World
The following day marked the start of Kagome's birthday. Reina and her mother woke up early to surprise her with all her favorite foods for breakfast and lunch for her and Souta. Kagome begged for Reina to cook for dinner, so the girl agreed, though a quick kitchen inventory told her that she would have to go shopping. An hour later, she had Kenzou dressed and ready to go, and she started for the store only to notice the door to the wellhouse open.
As she walked closer, she could see the outline of her baby brother, a frown immediately pulling at her lips. "Souta? What are you doing here? You know it's dangerous here. Grandpa doesn't want you getting hurt." He looked up at her with a frown, a bowl in one hand as he pointed towards the well with another, causing Reina to notice Kagome standing right in front of the well. "Buyo ran down here, but we can't find him." Pinching the bridge of her nose, Reina sighed and set Kenzou down, bending down to look at him better. "Stay right next to Uncle Souta, okay? Don't move from his side."
Seeing his nod, she stands up and walks down the rickety wooden steps. She made a mental note to invest some money in new stairs before one of them got seriously injured. It was one of the reasons no one went in and out of the wellhouse except for herself and her grandfather, and even then, it was only when necessary. "Buyo? Come on, boy." She clicked her tongue, a sound that usually had the cat running towards her. When there was no sign of movement, she frowned. "Are you sure he's down here, guys?" She clicked her tongue again for good measure, going to look behind the well, when Kagome shrieked, causing Reina to stumble back in surprise.
With a hand over her heart, she looked over to see her younger sister glaring down at their cat. Shaking her head, she picked Buyo up and set him on the stairs, where he immediately walked up and out of the wellhouse. Dusting off her hands, she stood up straight. "Well. Now that that's over with. Let's get out of here, yeah? You both have school, and I have groceries to get." She grabbed Kagome's hand and led her towards the stairs, a soft whimper causing her to look up in confusion. Her brother pointed a shaky finger towards the well. "What is that?"
No sooner than the words had left his lips did the wood on top of the well splinter apart. "Souta, Kenzou, get grandpa!" Her words trailed off as she was pulled back suddenly, and she turned to see that something from the well had grabbed Kagome, who had latched onto her. For once, Reina was glad that she had been put in all those martial arts classes growing up. Instinct kicked in, and within seconds she was pulling Kagome behind her and kicking away the beast that had grabbed her. It looked like a woman, but with multiple arms and the body of some kind of insect. It was gruesome, to say the least, but her first priority at the moment was Kagome's safety. The creature yelled, where Reina had kicked her a gaping hole of melted flesh.
The light faded from around them, and they found themselves at the bottom of the well. Reina immediately stood up and looked over Kagome for any visible injuries. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" The younger shook her head, even as her hands trembled. "W-What was that thing? What did you do to it?" Reina shook her head and sighed. "I wish I knew." A voice in her whispered a word that made her pause. Demon. She quickly shook her head. She knew her history. There were no more demons.
Tilting her head, she looked out of the well, surprised to see a clear blue sky when she could have sworn they were just inside the wellhouse. Had the accident broken the roof? For good measure, she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled out. "Souta? Grandpa? Are you there?" No response. Another sigh left her lips as she started to look around for a way for them to get out. She spotted vines on one of the sides and walked over to pull on it, testing its strength and sturdiness. "Come on. These vines look like they'll hold up. We can use them to climb out."
Reina climbed up first, her eyes widening as she realized that not only was there no roof, there weren't any walls either. The whole wellhouse was gone. For as far as she could see, there was nothing but trees. Somehow, they were in the middle of some kind of forest. A butterfly caught her eye as her sister climbed out after her, looking just as shocked as Reina felt. "Toto, I don't think we're in Tokyo anymore." Reina snorted and looked around, hoping that at least something familiar would show itself.
"Gramps! Mom!" Reina panicked and quickly slapped her hand over her sister's mouth, which immediately made sounds of protest and pushed off her hand. "Are you insane? We have no idea where we are or who could be around, and your first instinct is to start yelling?" Kagome huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. "You yelled too genius." Reina rolled her eyes and flicked Kagome's forehead, earning another sound of protest. "Yes, but that was before I didn't know where we were. What if someone finds us?"
"Well, they'll be able to tell us where we are and help us get home." It sounded good, great even, but Reina shook her head. "I don't think it's that simple little sis." She looked around again, her brows furrowing as she caught sight of a huge familiar tree. "Hey Kagome, isn't that the Sacred Tree?" Kagome looked in the direction she had been pointing, and her face lit up. "That means we're closer to home than we realize!" Not sparing her older sister another glance, Kagome took off in the direction of the tree.
Reina stared off for a second too long, muttering about idiotic sisters as she took off after her. It didn't take long for her to catch up, and she found her sister staring at the tree. Trying to hide her disappointment at not seeing their house, Reina turned to scold her sister. "You can't just go running off like that! We don't know where we are, and we don't know who or what is out there. We have to stick together…are you even listening to me? Kagome!" She huffed in annoyance as Kagome waved her off and walked towards the tree, letting her realize that we weren't alone.
It was a teenage boy, well, seemingly anyway. He looked to be somewhere between the ages of Kagome and herself, though she had never really been a good judge of age even in all her years in Japan. There was an arrow in his chest, roots growing around him that showed he had been there for some time before their arrival. Movement caught her eye, and Reina groaned with frustration as she watched Kagome climb the tree. "Can we not get too close to the strange boy mysteriously pinned to a giant tree with an arrow in the middle of a forest?"
As expected, Kagome ignored her and continued to inspect the boy, even going so far as to play with his ears, which Reina belatedly realized sat upon his head instead of the side of his face like a normal human. "Maybe I shouldn't be doing that." Reina snorted, folding her arms across her chest as she shook her head, her foot tapping the ground impatiently. "You think? Now can you please get down? Before someone sees us."
She could hear footsteps running toward them no sooner than the words left her mouth. She let her hands fall to her sides as she moved closer to Kagome. "Great. Just what we need." The footsteps were soon revealed to belong to a group of men with bows and arrows drawn as quickly as they were within distance. "Remove yourself from Inuyasha!" The men immediately released their arrows, and Reina quickly covered Kagome with her own body, hoping to take most of the arrows.
Instinctively, Reina shifted herself until she was in front of Kagome, hoping to keep her modest. When no pain came to her, she opened her eyes to notice a light teal barrier surrounded them. She reached a hand out to touch the barrier, gasping in surprise when it shattered like glass before disappearing. In her confusion, the men used the opportunity to tie her hands behind her back, doing the same to Kagome before pulling them towards where she could only assume would be their leader. It wasn't long before they reached what seemed to be a village of some kind, and the sisters were roughly thrown on a blanket on the ground.
Reina wore a seemingly normal outfit, but Kagome was in her school uniform. She checked her bindings, frowning when she noticed how tight they were. She looked around with narrowed eyes at the villagers, all of whom looked at her and her sister with worry. It was as if these people really deemed them as a threat. Her glare faltered as she took in their appearance. And suddenly, it was like a lightbulb went off in her head. "It's not where we are…but when." "Make way for Head Priestess Kaede!" Kagome looked at her wide-eyed, and Reina shook her head subtly. "Let me handle this."
The old woman that came forward was dressed in traditional priestess garbs, not unlike the ones Reina often wore at her family's shrine, and an eyepatch over her right eye. She carried a longbow in one hand and a bundle in the other, the longbow silently being passed on to a male villager at her side. Reina watched her closely as she silently reached into the bundle, casting some form of powder at the sisters. Kagome immediately began to sputter, and Reina's glare returned. "What are you doing?" The old woman, Kaede, she remembered the villagers calling her, looked at the two curiously. "I was told demons were found in the Forest of Inuyasha. I thought some ritual purification was in order."
"Look. We're not demons, okay? We're just two teenage girls who got lost and are trying to find our way back home. We don't mean any trouble." While her words seemed to appease some of the villagers, the male carrying the longbow leaned forward. "They could be spies from another village, looking to take over." If Reina's hands were free, she knows she would have hit her head, so she settled for simply rolling her eyes before staring pointedly at Kaede. The woman regarded her carefully. "In that case, they be fools. We can barely feed ourselves here. Who would want to invade us?"
"Oh, for the love of- We're not spies or demons! We just want to go home. Please." Kaede led a staring match with her for a moment, the elder signaling for them to be released. As soon as they were free, Reina stood up and turned to Kagome, looking over her for any hidden injuries. "Are you okay?" She could hear Kaede moving closer and only turned towards her when she heard a gasp. But the woman was staring straight at Kagome. "You look just like her. My sister, Kikyo." Kagome shrunk behind her sister, as if the movement would let her disappear. Kaede sighed and gestured for them to follow her. "Come. We have much to discuss."
The villagers had already begun to disperse, returning to whatever they had done before the commotion. Seeing no other choice, Reina guided her sister after the older woman, reaching into her hut, where she quickly looked around. It was small and cozy, though it was obviously sparse in materials. A fire in the middle held a pot of what seemed to be some sort of stew. Kaede grabbed a smaller pot and handed it to Reina, who took it with a raised eyebrow. "Ointment. For your wrists." She nodded her thanks and quickly applied it to Kagome's wrists and her own.
Once done, Kaede held out a bowl of stew for each of them, which both girls took politely, albeit still suspiciously, from Reina. "Bear is no ill will, girl, for now, I see ye mean is no harm. In these troubled times of war, our young ones have become rash. Strangers aren't welcomed without deep distrust, even when I say we've no business with wars. Reina quietly poked at her food, allowing Kagome a moment to speak. "So this…really isn't Tokyo?" Kaede shook her head as she stirred the pot. "To-ky-o. Never heard of it. Is that your home?"
Reina sighed and placed her now empty bowl down. She was more hungry than she had realized. "Lady Kaede, we appreciate the hospitality, and I'm glad we fixed this misunderstanding. But we really must be getting back home. My son-" A loud crash cut her off, and the three women walked out of the hit to see the same creature from the well attacking the villagers. "Give me the Sacred Jewel!" The creature picked up a horse and tossed it in their direction, Reina rolling to the side just in time for the large animal to miss her by a hair. Kaede turned to Kagome. "She said, Sacred Jewel. Bear ye it still?" Kagome squeaked and shook her head frantically. "Listen, I don't know anything about a jewel, okay?"
Reina could hear her sister mumbling to herself, but before she could question her, she ran off into the forest. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Without hesitation, she ran after Kagome, catching up to her relatively quickly, but so did the creature. Suddenly, it felt as if the very air had pulsed, and in her distraction, she didn't notice Kagome had stopped and crashed into her, causing them both to tumble to the floor. "Why are you wasting your time with that demon Kikyo? Just do her as you did me, huh?" A soft groan left Reina's lips as she stood up, rolling her eyes with a huff as Kagome glared at the boy. "Look. I'm tired of repeating myself, but my sister and I aren't from here, okay? She's not Kikyo."
"And I'm saying she's gotta be because there's no way she could smell so-" Reina watched the boy, Inuyasha. She remembered the villagers calling him, sniffing the air. Suppressing the urge to smile at the act, she rolled her eyes when she heard him mutter. "You're not her." Kagome threw her arms up in frustration. "That's what I've been trying to say!" Before any of them could get another word out, the villagers found them, one of them crying out in fear. "Priestess Kaede, Inuyasha has awakened!" She turned just to see the woman in question shake her head. "That spell should have held forever."
Suddenly, the demon appeared again, seemingly moving to attack Kagome. Once again, instinct took over, and Reina ran until she was pushing Kagome out of the way, the demon crashing into her and sending her right against the tree, taking a bite out of her shoulder in the process. A scream erupted from her lips as she grabbed onto anything she could to help her stand up. She watched helplessly as the creature went in for Kagome again, this time succeeding in taking a bite out of her side, and a jewel flew out of her. Reina's eyes widened, recognizing it as the Shikon no Tama, and moved to grab it, though the movement was in vain as the demon circled around her and crushed her into the tree. Another scream ripped from her as her injured shoulder protested.
The demon wasted no time in swallowing the jewel, erupting into a creature even uglier than before. "Dammit." The tightness of the demon's body made it hard for her to breathe, and she could start to see spots clouding her vision. "Hey." The voice sounded distant, the ringing in her ears making it hard to hear. "Hey, you." Reina looked up to see the warmest golden eyes staring back at her. "Can you pull this arrow out?" Her eyes fell to the arrow, for once being able to see the pink aura that seemed to coat it. "I-I don't know. I can try."
She raised a hand to wrap around the arrow, Kaede yelling after her. "Nay, child. If you free Inuyasha, you doom us all." In her current position, it was hard to move, but she did her best to acknowledge the old woman and her warning. "Maybe you're right. But right now, he's our best bet. I'm sorry." Her brows furrowed in concentration, trying her best to ignore the hole Inuyasha was currently staring into her. "I can do this." She whispered to herself, a scoff in front of her making her tug on the arrow, earning a groan of pain. She looked at him with a grin, "Oops. Sorry."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and turned his face away, allowing Reina the peace she needed to concentrate. She saw the pink aura surrounding the arrow grow in response to her tinkering, and her hand began to glow teal, just like the barrier she had produced before. A voice in her head told her this wasn't a good idea, to follow Kaede's advice and leave the boy, but she knew she couldn't save her sister from this demon on her own, but this boy, should he prove to be a problem, she could handle.
"This might hurt." With a deep breath, Reina allowed the teal aura to completely cover her arm and the arrow before harshly pulling on it. A grunt of pain was the only sound he made as the arrow disappeared, and the air suddenly pulsed with energy again. This time, she could immediately tell it came from Inuyasha, his power a lot easier to sense now with the arrow gone. "Inuyasha?" Her words trailed off into a scream as the demon once again squeezed them, though it was quickly released as Inuyasha burst forward with his power, causing Reina to fall to the floor beside her sister.
She watched as Inuyasha made quick work of the demon, its flesh and blood raining down on them. "A bit much, don't you think?" Kagome groaned next to her and stirred, causing her to immediately help her sister up, though her attention was taken to bits of the demon near her starting to tremble. She looked over at Kaede with concern. "Is that supposed to happen?" The older woman shook her head. "Quick. Find the flesh that shines. Remove the jewel, or she'll come back." She took an extra moment to ensure Kagome could stand on her own before she looked around, quickly finding the jewel and picking it up. The orb glowing a soft teal before returning to its original pink hue, and the demon's flesh disintegrated, leaving only bones.
Kaede walked over to her with Kagome on her arm, and Reina held out the jewel to her. The woman stared at the jewel for a moment, contemplating something, and then put the jewel back in Reina's hand. "I know not how ye got here, but your purpose is clear. Only ye may possess and protect the Jewel." A soft sigh left Reina's lips as she looked down at the jewel, closing her hand around it before placing it in Kagome's hand. "But how did it get inside my body?" The sisters looked at Kaede, hoping she'd have an answer, but Inuyasha did before she could speak.
"Humans can't use it anyway. So just hand it over to me." Reina immediately stood between Kagome and Inuyasha in a protective stance. "If you want to get her, you'll have to get through me." He regarded her for a moment. His once peaceful face turned up into a snarl. "You freed me, so I don't want to have to hurt you. But I will if you stand in my way." She returned his stare with a glare of her own. "Consider me officially in your way then." Her words immediately were in vain as Kagome whimpered behind her before taking off into the forest.
"Oh come on!" Reina groaned as she ran after her, grumbling about idiotic sisters and once again thanking the universe for being on her side as she reached Kagome just in time to push her out of the way of Inuyasha's attack. She yelled as his attack pierced her back, looking over to see him glaring at her. "I said don't get in my way." She matched his glare as she stumbled to her feet, keeping herself between him and Kagome. "And I said not a chance." Both of their attention quickly turned to Kagome, who gave him a glare of her own. "You really just tried to kill me just now didn't you?" He scoffed and pointed a clawed finger in her direction. "Just give me the jewel and we can end this."
Kagome shook her head and took off again, Inuyasha hot on her tail. "I'm getting tired of this," Reina grumbled to herself as she ran after the two idiots. Her journey was short-lived when she tripped over an overgrown tree root, rolling over the ground before finally stopping just inches before her head his a giant rock. "Shit. Of all the times to be clumsy." She coughed and groaned as she made her way to a standing position, her body protesting the whole time. Her ankle screamed in pain as she put pressure on it, and another curse flew past her lips.
She sighed heavily and leaned against a tree, thinking of how she could get to Kagome in time. As soon as the thought came, she could hear the approach of others and looked in the direction she had come from. Her body immediately sagged with relief when she noticed it was Kaede and some of the men from the village. "You're hurt." Reina shook her head, waving off their concern. "We need to get to Kagome. Quick." Two villagers came to her aid, and together they continued their journey. It wasn't long before they came to a bridge.
Reina tensed as she watched, wishing more than anything she could run down to protect her sister, but she was hit with the realization that even if she could somehow get down there, the truth was that she had no idea how to fight a demon. "I was worried it would come to this." She turned to Kaede, who pulled a beaded necklace from her robe. Instinct led her to grab the woman as she chanted, watching in awe as the beads glowed teal before disappearing. "Quick, child. Speak the word of subjugation and subdue him, lest he kills us all." Kagome looked back in confusion and caught the eyes of her sister, who nodded at her in encouragement. What word Kagome chose, Reina never found out as her vision fell black.
Ending Note: I'm not completely satisfied with the way this chapter ended but I hated the other versions. So I just updated instead of risking deleting the whole thing in a fit of rage which I'm known to do which is why I seldom post my fanfics. Anyways, these first couple of chapters is really about setting up the story and initial relationships, especially between Reina and her family and even between her and Inuyasha and other characters that will appear later. I'd also like to warn that while she will make semi-constant appearances, Kagome is not a central character in this story. I don't know if this is going to be an InuRei story yet or not, but either way, the whole Kikyo/Kagome/Inuyasha love triangle will not be the main plot point in this story. Also, I'm doing my best to name all of these chapters but if anybody has any chapter name suggestions feel free to share them. I try to make them as general as possible and usually make them before I start writing the chapter so I never know what the chapter is about when I write the titles. Also, this story isn't beta-read so forgive any mistakes there might be. I do reread it twice before posting but I'm only human. Reviews are always appreciated! It lets me know the story is liked and what I can improve on. It's also a great way to suggest particular scenes/scenarios you would like to see between Reina and other characters. They'll be made either where they fit into the story or as "specials" either in separate chapters or a separate story.