Prompt: In which Kagome witnesses a new beginning.
It was a nice, quiet break away from Tokyo, and seeing the happy faces of her uncle and cousins made it worth her one-year stay. After her journey in the feudal era ended, her mother noticed how restless Kagome had been and made arrangements so her daughter could make peace with herself elsewhere. Though it was a difficult decision for her mother, she spoke to her brother-in-law, Fujitaka. While it was hard on her mother to lose her younger sister years ago, she and Fujitaka still kept in touch and were fairly close, in ways only widowed spouses could understand.
(There had been times where their children wondered if they'd marry each other in the future, but none of them protested against the idea.)
Without questions Fujitaka agreed to take her in, his fatherly instincts demanding him to care of his niece who lost directions in life. So, there she was, lazily sprawling across on the bed in a still-bare room with a fresh start of her life, if only for a short time. Kagome sighed, turning over on her side and glared at the cardboard boxes that took up nearly an entire section of her room.
"I oughta to take out my things." She grumbled. To be fair, while the transition was smooth, it was rough settling in a new home (she kept confusing where the bathroom was, for goodness' sake!) that she hadn't felt like decorating.
Kagome paused when she heard stampeding of footsteps, almost deafening in her ears, "Nee-san!" The door swung open and Sakura, the sweet bright-eyed girl still so much smaller than she, bounced in. Sakura glittered at the sight of her pretty older cousin, who flipped up to her waist at her appearance. "Nee-san!" she then wilted.
Worried Kagome leapt off from the bed and clamped onto her small shoulders, "What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" She tilted the girl's chin and brushed across her brown fringe. She frowned at a cinch of fear in Sakura's face.
"Um, I wanted to go to the basement, because I heard something down there, but…" She blushed and tugged on her skirt, twisting it in her hands, "don't tell my stupid brother. He'll make fun of me." Sakura huffed. The basement creeped her out!
"Oh," Kagome laughed in understanding, "that's fine. I'll go with you." She made a cross over her chest, "I promise I won't tell a soul!" She grinned when Sakura brightened and jumped to wrap her arms around her waist.
Sakura squealed, "You're the best, Nee-san!"
Patting her head, Kagome encouraged, "Let go then, and see what's up with the basement." She couldn't help the grin that hurts her cheeks when Sakura dragged her down to the dreaded room. It was probably a mouse, she thought.
Until her skin went flushed with uncertainty at the air when they stepped down the creaky stair. There was electricity of magic dancing across her every sense, that Kagome found herself wanting to both grieve and to dance with joy. She stiffened when Sakura absently flipped on the light, not noticing her favorite cousin's hand going slack in her grip.
There was no evil, but Kagome knew there were something there. Something that didn't quite belong in their ordinary world, but she felt compelled to let Sakura go. It was no Shikon no Tama, the evil wishing jewel intended on chaos—this was something else, something that Kagome dimly recognized she was only meant to watch.
"Nee-san…" Sakura frowned—just what made that noise? She turned her head around, and saw nothing out of ordinary. She barked a yelp, when a bright orb zipped to a thick book tucked in among the countless books in her father's bookcase. Without pausing it slipped inside the said book through its' spine. "Wha—?" Had she look back at her sullen cousin at that moment, she might've fled right then and there.
But, she didn't. Her curious 10-years old mind pressed her on, naive to any possible danger. Sakura rose up a hand and pulled the mysterious red object from the shelf. "A lion?" She murmured at the cover—it looked like a children's book, almost, with the winged creature tied down to a large sun. The said creature looked noble, like a king of some sort, with golden fur and bored large jewelries like a crown and an armor. Above it is a worn banner that exclaimed The Clow.
It was an impulse that she opened the book, without asking questions she should've asked. She and Kagome saw nothing but a ray of light and a tornado of fluttering cards. The said cards seemed to have fled, zipping into every crook and cranny they could find to escape. And a small creature, resembling a teddy bear with long tail and small wings, floated from the mysterious book.
Kagome laughed, strangely joyful.
A new beginning, indeed!