"The lack of enforcement for international policy, as it would infringe on a state's national sovereignty, has led to policy being largely based upon a nation's credibility and form of government. A nation with a large electorate will be more likely to comply with a treaty. This is because there is a large population who decides the leader, therefore making the leader responsible for his actions; if he is not fulfilling his promises, he will not be re-elected. The opposite can be said for a nation with a small electorate. The leader only needs to satisfy the few people keeping him in office, which allows him to go back on promises as there will be no danger to his position…"
"Kagome." Yuka whispered as she nudged Kagome with her elbow. Kagome, who had been diligently taking notes on lecture, turned questioning blue eyes to her friend. Yuka, not taking her eyes from the lecture, slid her phone and a headphone to Kagome. Curious, and knowing that she wouldn't be noticed in the large lecture hall, Kagome put in one of the headphones and turned her attention to the news video being shown.
"Eliena Baustrater appeared at the Blood Arch early late last night." The image changed from the reporter to show Eliena. She was clothed in what appeared to be maroon metal scales which adhered to her body like a second skin. Her bow made of bone was raised as if she had only just fired an arrow. Her hand flashed as she reached into quiver of arrows and drew her bow, so quick were her movements, Kagome had to strain to see them. She was terrifyingly beautiful as she glared around her, trying to discern where she was. This image lasted but a moment. A horrified expression slowly covered her face as she turned and found herself dwarfed by the large arch behind her. She gingerly reached out to touch the arch, her hand trembling slightly. When nothing happened when her fingers made contact, she began to beat her fists against the stone crying out names as she screamed in a foreign language. She tried to pass through the arch but it did not accept her. "As you can see, she was quite distraught when she returned and medical help will be provided when she completes her debriefing. More to come later."
Kagome frowned as she removed the ear bud. There were always mixed reactions from the people who returned. Some overjoyed, others disbelieving, but many of the people who returned were heartbroken. Most had lived accepted the fact that they would never return and had built lives in the other worlds, started families. Thus when they were ripped away from the home they had created there only to be returned to earth, they could never recover. To feel the despair of losing your family not only once, but twice was too cruel for Kagome to even think on.
"It seems she was married and had a child in the world she was transported to." Ayumi said as she settled in for lunch at the table she, Kagome, Eri, and Yuka were sharing. "That's so sad."
"Not only that, apparently in the world she was transported to they raised dragons! The dragon and their rider are telepathically connected and if the connection is broken it causes serious brain damage." Eri added.
"Mou! Can we not talk about depressing things like this all the time?" Kagome wined.
"Oh ho ho." Eri laughed with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Of course, Kagome. In fact, why don't you tell us what you and Hojo have been up to?"
"W-What do you mean?" Kagome asked, her eyes darting between her so called friends.
"When is he going to ask?" Yuka questioned, "You two are planning on getting married, right? I mean, it has been five years since you began dating."
"Well, we've talked about it before." Kagome blushed as she looked away, "We are just waiting until we graduate."
"That won't be for another three years Kagome." Ayumi sighed, "A Ph.D. in international foreign relations takes a while."
"And I'm willing to wait until she is ready." Hojo said as he snuck up and kissed Kagome on the cheek before sitting to her left. "How have you girls been today? The weather is warming up a bit."
"Great." Kagome said as she returned his kiss on the cheek.
"Blech." Eri exasperated. "Do that stuff where I don't have to see it.
"But Eri, you were the one asking about it." Kagome innocently batter her eyelashes while Eri mumbled a few choice words about the value of their friendship. "Anyway, have you guys done your course evaluations yet? They are due tomorrow at noon."
"Ugh, don't remind me." Yuka groaned, "Which set did you have this month, Kagome?"
"The endurance and stamina, so don't even complain to me." She said as she held up her hand refusing any protests, "Until you have to run the obstacle course with twenty pound weights strapped to your legs and arms, carrying a forty pound backpack, during a hurricane simulation, I really don't want to hear it."
"But Kagome, you only have to do that because you passed out of the expert course."
"Hojo has to do it too."
"BECAUSE YOU MAKE HIM TRAIN WITH YOU!" her three friends cried.
"Ma ma, it's not that bad." Hojo said placating.
"You two spend at least five hours a day training!"
"The weapons master has had to modify his weapons to keep up with the strain you place on them!"
"Five training halls have been destroyed in the last year from your spars."
"Ehhehe." Kagome and Hojo sweat dropped. "That's beside the point. You three need to finish up your evaluations or you could lose your scholarships."
"Yea yea, we hear you." Yuka sighed. "Guess I'll head to the gun range.
"Dojo for me," Eri groaned, "Hand to hand is not my favorite."
"Survival!" Ayumi cried after checking her schedule, "Shit, I barely have enough time! These survival simulations are overnight things after all and tomorrow is … well it's that time of the month again I guess."
"That can be incredibly misleading." Hojo said with a blush before sobering, "It will be fine; none of us will be the one listed." Despite his words, his hand gripped Kagome's a little tighter.
"Yea." Yuka replied with a smile. "You'd think we would be used to this by now."
"The day we become used to it is the day we are no longer human."
There were always large amounts of visitors to the shrine on the first of every month, but they had all returned to their homes already as it was only a half hour till the announcement. Kagome brushed a stray hair from her face as she finished sweeping the shrine. She clapped her hands and bowed to the shrine. Please protect my family.
Entering her house she saw her grandfather placing sutras on the television as if they would ward off bad spirits. Sota was lounging on the sofa texting some of his friends. Her mother was cleaning the dishes from their late lunch. Like every month, the reporters talked about how the institutions and training programs that were installed had truly helped people's chances in the other worlds and that the return rater had been higher than ever. They would try to encourage the world's population that the scientists they had working on the arch were the best, and it wouldn't be long until they succeeded in understanding how it worked and, more specifically, how to shut it down.
The image on the screen then cut away from the reporter to show a view of Times Square. Of course technology couldn't enter within fifty yards of the Arch, but from a distance, national new stations had set up their filming equipment to broadcast the latest unfortunate person to the world. They briefly showed some of the crazy fanatics who worshiped the Arch like a god, believing that it was a gateway to heaven.
Then at midnight (in New York), the familiar glow spread through the runes, making its way up the arch. The filmy cloud appeared as yellow and blue bolts flashed under the Arch like lightning. It was with a curious morbidity that Kagome saw her name appear from within the clouds accompanied by a photo her school had taken for their identification. She saw her own blue black hair shining around her smiling face. Her electric blue eyes returned her gaze.
A hand gripped arm tightly and Kagome's eyes followed the arm to find her mother's astonished face glued to the television. Her eyes were wide and fearful, her lips parting in disbelief. She felt an odd sense of detachment when she turned back to the television and once again saw her own face looking back at her, the name Higurashi Kagome shimmering above it.
Her gaze wandered to meet her brother's tearstained face. Why is he crying? She mussed to herself. Why is mother gripping my hand so tightly? Is her hand shaking? Just what is happening? Her cell phone began to ring beside her. Blinking, Kagome read the caller ID and saw that it was from Yuka.
"KAGOME!" Yuka cried when Kagome answered, "Oh Kagome, what are you going to do?"
"What do you mean Yuka?" Kagome's voice was light and airy, "Has something happened?"
"Kagome, you were listed! LISTED!"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Kagome replied with a shaky laugh. "I haven't been listed." Beside her, Kagome's mother gave a soft cry. "I mean, the chances of that happening-"
"It happened, Kagome!"
Softly, Kagome closed her phone, ending the call. She then turned to the weeping figure at her side.
"Mommy?" She asked smiling to her mother. "Mommy. Mommy. Mommy? Mom…" Kagome's voice grew softer and shaker the more she prodded her mother. By the end tears were streaming down her face. She shook her mother and only got a small whimper in reply.
"We have received reports from the Japanese government that Higurashi Kagome is a female student in Tokyo, age 23, and attending Tokyo University. They ask that she report to her closest police station within the next 12 hours." The reporter's voice filled the silent room.