No reviews still... This is making me get really discouraged. But I'm still feeling optimistic so I'll continue.
Disclaimer: You guys know the usual routine by now...I don't own them.
Chapter 6: Living
With Aya…
"Mom, are we there yet?" I asked my mother as we rode the taxi towards our new home.
"Not yet." She replied. "Wait another two hours, dear."
I turned my gaze towards Aki to find him fast asleep. He was real tired. No. We were all exhausted. My brother deserved a small nap for the time being. I looked outside my window to stare at the new environment we were going to live in. I saw houses and people as we drove on. Everything looked normal and a bit similar to our home in Japan. But it feels so foreign here.
My thoughts led me back to my memories with Kagome and the others. I put on a smile as I remembered those three. 'They should be attending college by now', I thought. Without a doubt, it will take time getting used to the fact that I won't be seeing them in a very long time. I let out a sigh when I felt drowsy all of a sudden.
'I wonder how Kagome's doing.' Then I fell asleep.
Meanwhile in Tokyo University, Japan…
"Kagome!!! You need help with your luggage???" Sango shouted out the dorm window to Kagome who was struggling with her bags outside.
"No…grunt… thanks. I'm doing..huff… just fine." She said. But it was obvious that she was struggling with the weight.
"Yeah, right! By the looks of it, you're at your wit's end." Sango laughed as her friend fell down the stairs.
"Shut up and help me!!!" Kagome angrily screamed at Sango, whose laughs can be heard from a mile away.
"Hai hai..."
Kagome and Sango were going to share a room during their stay in the dormitory. Since they reserved the room in advance, there was an extra bed there that was supposed to be Aya's. The room was quite plain. Its walls were painted white and there was no décor whatsoever. It was small but fit for at least three people to reside in. There were four rooms respectively. The bathroom was next to the door, which led to bedroom. There was also a small living room as well as a kitchen. When you enter, you would be in living room. To its right was the kitchen, which had a stove, a small dinner table a refrigerator and a counter. To its left were the bathroom and the bedroom.
The two friends were unpacking their belongings. Much would need some organizing here and there but they decided they would worry about that later. It's been a few weeks since Aya's departure and Kagome hasn't gotten over it yet but is trying to adjust the best she can. Also, as they promised, Miroku and Sango kept a watchful eye over their dear friend. Kagome appreciated how much her friends worried about her. She insisted though that they not worry so much and that she was ok. But the question is: Was she really ok?
In the dormitory…
"Hey Kagome, are you done unpacking yet?" Sango asked her companion who was still in their bedroom. The young demon slayer was taking a rest on the couch and was reading her favorite magazine. She was wearing orange spaghetti strap with an abstract design, some Capri jeans and red flip-flops. Her hair was down and she had put some of favorite lavender eyeliner.
"Almost." Kagome replied. "I just need to put away a few more of my clothes."
Sango got off the coach and put her magazine aside then walked towards the bedroom. She sees Kagome folding a remainder of her clothing in the walk-in closet. They made an agreement between themselves that the right side is Kagome's and the left belongs to her. She took notice of Kagome's clothes, which where mostly dark colors. There was only a handful of brightly colored clothing on Kagome's side of the closet. Her clothes were mostly shades of black, gray and dark blue were visible. Also, the clothes Kagome was currently wearing were dark in color too. It was a black fitted t- shirt and some blue hipster pants. Her hair was up in pigtails and she wore black low-heeled boots.
"Kagome, why are all your clothes dark-colored?" Sango asked hesitantly.
There was a slight pause as Kagome put away the last of her belongings.
"I don't know myself, Sango-chan." She said quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't really feel like wearing bright colors anymore. It kinda doesn't suit my mood."
"I see…" Sango realized this conversation wasn't making Kagome feel better so she changed the topic. "You know…our room is kinda dull."
"I know what you mean." Kagome said as she collapsed on her bed. The two finally felt more comfortable forgetting the conversation they exchanged earlier.
"Well, look on the bright side. We can decorate it anyway we want." Sango sat by the tired Kagome.
"Later. I want to rest. By the way, where's the monk?"
"He said he was going to meet his friend who's also attending Tokyo University. He says they haven't seen each other in a long time."
"Oh." Kagome buried her face in her pillow to take a short nap.
"Kag, let's look for him." Sango shook the girl who was lying on the bed to prevent her from sleeping.
"No. I want to sleep. You look for Miroku yourself." Kagome replied with her face still buried in her pillow.
"You're not trying to avoid Kikyo by staying in this room, are you?" Sango had a suspicious look on her face. But that didn't last long since she was hit square in the face with Kagome's pillow.
"NO, I'M NOT!!!"
"Yeah, right."
Kagome pouted at her.
"You do know that you can't avoid her forever."
After a few minutes of contemplating to herself Kagome gave in.
"Fine, let's go."
Meanwhile in Aya's home in Canada…
"Aya. Aki. Wake up, dears." Mrs. Mikage said as she shook her children awake. It was about 7:30 in the morning.
The twins woke up to see their mother smiling softly at them. She was wearing her simple long-sleeved pink dress and white sandals. Like them, she held a tired expression.
"Hey, mom." Aki said.
"Is that it?" Aya pointed to the house their car was parked in front of. It was a medium sized house, about 2 stories high. It was painted light beige. Beside it there was a garage. It looked so…American-styled. There was a banister in front as well as a front yard. Simple but looked a bit expensive. The Mikages were able to purchase it for a low price, too.
"Yes, Aya. This is our new home." Mrs. Mikage began bringing some of their bags in. She unlocked the door and entered the house. Aki followed after her, his hands at folded at the back of his head, still looking somewhat drowsy. Aya straightened out her outfit, which was a bit wrinkled. She was wearing a white shirt, a red mid-length jacket, tight blue pants and red ballerina shoes. Aya stared at the house for a minute and slowly went in the house as well while carrying one of her bags.
"You guys can go upstairs and pick a room for yourselves while I fix the kitchen a bit." Aya heard her mother say from the room to her right. 'The kitchen must be there.' She thought. Where she was standing was the living room. Boxes and some of their furniture were scattered everywhere. They had sent their stuff here before they left Japan, you see. She turned towards their scarlet couch, which was in the center of the room to see Aki sleeping soundly. He was wearing blue sweatpants and a black shirt. His shoes were lazily put away nearby.
'He looks so adorable.' Aya took a blanket from one of the boxes and put it around her twin. 'Silly. He might catch a cold.'
Then Aya explored the first floor. She discovered the kitchen and dining room that was to the right of the living room. Her mother was unpacking some stuff there. Next the staircase was near the entrance to the house. There was also a bathroom to the left of the living room. It had like any normal bathroom, a sink, a toilet, and 'whoa' a bathtub.
'Is this house really cheap. I start to wonder what the expensive houses look like.' Aya thought to herself. 'At least the view from the windows isn't too shabby.' Next, she ascended the wooden stairs to the second floor.
There were four rooms that were found there, one of them was the bathroom. Aya chose the room at the end of hall as her new room. It really didn't matter since all the rooms were similar except their view from the window. Her window overlooked the road and you could see the sky better.
After seven hours, Mrs. Mikage and Aya put away the stuff in their rooms, the kitchen and the dining room. Aki was still sleeping in the living room. Not every thing was done but they were going to try to be done unpacking by the next day. And it was a good thing they bought groceries on their way there. It made it easier for them.
While Aya and her mom were eating their late lunch, Aki finally woke up. They ate their lunch together and resumed fixing their new home. They were nearly done by the end of the day when the decided to finish the rest tomorrow. All they had to do was do a bit more cleaning, fix the living room and bathrooms and add a few finishing touches.
When evening came the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Aya hollered as she approached the door.
When she opened the door she found a girl who looked about 2-3 years younger than her. She wore a long sleeved shirt with a flowery design, a knee length skirt and some boots and her light pink hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. She wore a smile on her face and was holding a strawberry cake.
"Hi!!! I'm Chidori Kuruma. I live next door. I'm also Japanese." The girl named Chidori handed Aya the cake. "I welcome you to the neighborhood."
"Thank you Kuruma-san. My name is Aya Mikage."
"Please call me Chidori. And I'm pleased to meet you Aya."
"Would you like to come in?"
"Sure, but I'll only stay for a short while." Aya ushered her new friend inside to meet her mother and brother who were in the kitchen.
"Mom, Aki this is Chidori Kuruma. She's our next-door neighbor. She even gave us a cake to welcome us." She put the cake on the counter. "Chidori, this is my mom and my twin brother Aki."
"Pleased to meet you." Chidori bowed and smiled at them.
"Pleased to meet you too, Chidori-chan." Mrs. Mikage said. "Thank you for the cake."
"Hey." Aki said with a wave of his hand.
"By the way Chidori, how did you know we were Japanese?" Aya asked as she made Chidori sit down.
"Well, a lot of Japanese move to this neighborhood than any other place in Canada so I figured you also came from Japan."
"Oh."
"You want to hang out tomorrow. I can show you around."
"You're inviting me?"
"Yes. And don't worry about the Canadians here. If you can speak English, you'll be just fine."
"I guess I can go."
"YEAH!!! I gotta go now. My parents might be home by now."
"Ok, so I'll see you tomorrow then?" Aya asked as she accompanied her to the door.
Chidori nodded.
Then Aya looked across the street to see a young man watching them. He was tall and well built. His eyes were hidden by the shades he was wearing. He wore all black. And his hair was color red.
"Aya?"
"Huh?" Aya looked at Chidori.
"You seemed to space out a bit back here."
"Really?" Aya looked across the street to find the man gone. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about something."
"Uh-huh. See you tomorrow then. Bye Aya!!!" Chidori left and walked towards her house.
"Bye!"
Meanwhile in Japan…
Sango's point of view…
God. This first week of lessons is tiring. Miroku has been spending time with his friend (who is also his roommate), which he hasn't seen in along time lately. I miss him. WAIT!!!! Did I just admit to myself that I miss that pervert? I think I'm going mad. Why in the world would I miss that womanizing, no good, stupid, cute, kind, attractive…NO!!!!!! Ok. Forget him.
For the past few days, Kagome and I finally settled in. We even personalized our room. We cleaned it up and it looks great. The walls were painted light red and pictures of our favorite bands and symbols were on every wall. We used white curtains and got several appliances like a TV, a computer, some furniture. And we stocked our refrigerator with snacks as well.
I'm having lunch with Kagome at present. She was wearing gothic type of clothes today. Her hair was down and she wore a black sleeveless shirt and black pants, which had a chain hanging from the side. She wore silver bracelets on both her wrists and had five rings on, three on the left and the remaining on the right. My outfit was opposite to hers. I wore a light blue shirt with a happy face in the middle, and denim skirt with white tennis shoes. My hair was up in its trademark ponytail.
I noticed Kagome has been studying really hard which was so unlike her. You would notice she was reading her textbook while eating right now. I guess she wanted to fulfill her promise to Aya by doing well in her studies. But she really didn't have to do so much. She is getting real tired. It's a new thing for her to be studying so hard, too.
"Kag, have you emailed Aya yet?" I asked her hoping she'd take a break while she conversed with me.
Fortunately, she put the book aside. "No. Aya said she'd be the one to email me first since she still had to find a computer she could use."
"Oh."
"Why haven't you been with Miroku lately?" Kagome asked as she put her head on her arms which where folded in front of her on the table.
"He's busy." I said somewhat sadly.
She looked at me from her position and smirked. "Looks like somebody's missing their boyfriend."
I blushed and attempted to strangle Kagome who still had that smug look on her face. "I DO NOT MISS HIM!!!!"
"Liar…"
"SHUT UP!!!" I swear I could feel heat rising to my cheeks.
With Miroku…
"Hey man. So what you been up to this past few years?" I asked my companion who was lying on the ground next to me. We were just hanging out waiting for classes to start. I wore a green polo shirt over a white shirt and regular jeans that were worn out in the knees and some sandals.
"Not much. The only new thing about me is that I have a girlfriend now." My friend answered.
He was about my age and has long black hair and dark brown eyes. He was my friend back in elementary school and he transferred a year before I met Sango, which was also two years before I met Kagome, Aya and Aki. He was wearing red muscle shirt and black gangster type pants with black rubber shoes. He's someone who held a secret, which only his family and I knew. But forgetting that, I was curious that he had a girlfriend.
"Really? How'd you meet her?" I asked with my eyebrow raised.
"Last year during summer. I asked her out." He plainly replied, as it was not a big issue.
"I guess we're the same. I also have girlfriend." I said.
He looked at me disbelievingly. I said, "WHAT?"
"You, my friend from elementary school, who loved grabbing women's asses, found a girlfriend?"
"You're so evil, Inuyasha."
"Keh."
"Not to mention that you have a bad sense of humor like a female friend of mine." I chucked.
"Why are you comparing me with a woman?" He said.
"Not at all. It's a shame though. If you didn't have a girlfriend, I'd try to hook you up with her."
"Like that's ever going happen. And I still don't believe you have a girlfriend."
"Then I'll introduce you to her. She's the most wonderful woman in the whole universe. Sango, I miss you." As I mentioned Sango I acted all dramatic.
"You look stupid, you know." Inuyasha said with a sweat drop.
"You should be grateful I spent my first days here with you and not my girlfriend. So where's your girl?"
"She'll be coming next week." Then the bell signaled all students to go to their classes.
Meanwhile in Canada…
With Aya…
Today I was going to spend the whole day with Chidori. I asked mom and Aki if they would be ok without my help fixing the house. They said they'd do fine since the house only needed a quick clean here and there. I put on a flowing white dress, a red scarf and some flip-flops. I decided to tie my hair in a ponytail and put on some lip-gloss. Chidori arrived a few minutes I finished getting ready. Her outfit was a pink spaghetti strap, some dark purple bell-bottoms and pink clogs with a flower design. Her hair was in two pigtails..
We went to the mall first. All I can say is that it's COLOSSAL!!! It was almost forty stories high. Well, I just found out that Chidori loves shopping. Seriously, I mean LOVE shopping. We almost went in every store we passed by. It was 4:30 and we took a visit to the food court. Chidori ordered a happy meal while I only wanted an ice cream cone. We sat down by the fountain and ate our snacks. Chidori bought a LOT of stuff. I helped her carry some of her bags which were I think ten all in all. She bought several outfits and accessories for me, too. I told her I'd pay her back but she said to think of it as a gift from her. Oh, well. Next, she showed me around the neighborhood. I also failed to mention that, while we were at the mall I saw that mysterious guy from last night. I could have sworn he was following he us for a few minutes but he vanished as soon as a turned to take a second look.
It was getting dark when Chidori brought me to the library.
"Aya, here's where students go to study and research." Chidori led me inside the large building. "School or should I say college doesn't start until next month though."
"How do you know when college starts around her?" Aya asked.
"I'm going to college this year too, silly." Chidori said as she smiled and sat down on a vacant chair.
"What?! Really? I thought you were at least two years younger than me." I said flabbergasted.
"I am. I just excelled when I was in high school."
"I see. Um. Chidori, do you know where I can use a computer? I want to email someone back in Japan."
"A computer? There're several of them in the research area."
"Thanks." I walked forward but a thought stuck me. I walked toward Chidori. "Can you show me where that area is?" I asked and blushed. I almost walked around blindly not knowing where the research area was.
Chidori giggled and got up from her seat. "Sure thing."
Back in Japan…
With Kagome…
"Nothing makes you relax like a good shower." I said as I exited the bathroom while wiping my dark locks with my towel.
I walked in the bedroom in my black pajamas with dog prints and looked at Sango. She was sleeping soundly with a smile on her face. Miroku called her cellphone two hours ago and asked if they could go on a date next week because it's been a week since they last spent time together. I could see her pretending to not care as she agreed. She had a silly smile on her face, too, like a puppy in love. She went to sleep right afterwards with a dreamy look on her face. She's even mumbling the monk's name in her sleep right now.
I turned on the computer, which was beside the window that was near the spare bed no one would be occupying.
'I wonder if Aya's ok?' I connected to the Internet and did a bit of research on our lectures for tomorrow. So far, it's been ok for me. A bit lonely, but ok. What bothers me is that now I get migraines once in a while since I'm not used to studying so much. So far I'm lucky because I heard Kikyo wouldn't be coming until next week. YES!!!! I get to have a few more days without seeing my arch nemesis. After researching I checked my email.
'Huh? Aya emailed me!' I said to myself and quickly opened the file.
It said……
Hey Kagome!
How are you doing? Hope you're doing ok. As for me, I fine. Everything is pretty new but I'm adjusting. College is still a month away so I still have time to laze around. By the way, I met a new friend Chidori. She's really nice. She even showed me around and bought me a few things. Also, mom and Aki are doing great. Aki is still having a case of sleepiness lately though. Tired from the move I guess. I won't be able to email you much and check my email since I have to go to the library to use a computer. Don't worry though. My mom is going to buy one next month once we've settled in. Gotta go now. Say hi to Miroku and Sango for me. Miss you so much. Do your best in your studies. Luv yah!!!!
Aya-chan
I felt tears fall as I finished reading.
'Glad to know you're doing ok. I miss you too, Aya-chan.'