Kagome in Hinamizawa
Kagome pulled herself up along the vines of the demonic well. For some reason she was experiencing a sense of deja vu, as if she had just climbed these ancient stone walls a moment ago. "But that's impossible," she told herself in a cheerful tone. "I left the Feudal Ages three days ago so I could fail my latest math exam and this is my first time back. I wonder if Inuyasha missed me. I bet if I had waited one more day I could have made him come get me." She giggled to herself as she stepped onto the grass before stopping to stare at the strange village in which she was standing. "What's this? Did somebody invent paved roads and cars already?"
"Uh, miss, can I help you?" Kagome turned around and found a handsome young man in a white lab coat walking toward her.
"You're not wearing a topknot! And your clothes aren't from the 1400s!" Kagome observed proudly.
"No, they certainly aren't," the man replied, frowning at the girl. "Are you all right? Perhaps you've ht your head?"
"My head is fine," Kagome said, sounding annoyed. "Look, just tell me who you are and where I am."
"Certainly. I am Dr. Irie and this is the village of Hinamizawa. Are you sure you wouldn't like to lie down in my clinic for a little while?"
"What kind of perverted doctor are you?" Kagome cried while Irie looked on in confusion. "That's it, I'm leaving!" She turned back to where the well had been, but it had vanished. "Oh no! My well!"
"Your well?" Dr. Irie asked, looking troubled. "Miss, you are from out of town, right? I'm worried that you might have caught a sickness that people not native to this village often contract. Would you please come to my clinic so I can examine you?"
"I'll never go with a creep like you!" Kagome screamed as she ran into the town. After wandering around aimlessly, she finally noticed what looked like a festival being set up by the inhabitants of the village. "Oh wow, I love festivals," Kagome said happily as she walked by the various stalls. Suddenly she noticed a group of kids standing before a takoyaki stand. "They look close to my age. I'm sure I can impress them with my short skirt and feisty attitude. Hello!" The group looked up and watched as the schoolgirl headed closer to them.
"Hi. I'm Keiichi," the only male of the group said. "Are you a new transfer student?"
"No, but I am Kagome Higurashi. Can you tell me how to get back to Tokyo… or buy me some takoyaki?"
"You can have some of mine," a girl with green hair pulled back in a ponytail offered. Kagome took the food with a smile, but inside she was disappointed that Keiichi hadn't been the one to offer. "Sorry, but Tokyo's quite some distance from here. I'm Mion and this is my twin sister, Shion." She pointed to a similar looking girl with long green hair.
"Wow, you guys look identical," Kagome said with a mouth full of octopus.
"Aww, your skirt is so cute!" a girl with brown hair and blue eyes said as she leaned down to examine it more closely. "Rena wants to take it home with her!" Kagome stepped away from the strange girl and was even more disappointed that Keiichi wasn't noticing her.
"I'm Satoko," a younger girl with short blonde hair added. "And this is Rika, the priestess of Hinamizawa." Kagome's eyes narrowed as she stared at the young girl with long periwinkle hair who was smiling up at her.
"Oh, you're a priestess, huh?"
"Yep!" Keiichi said, patting Rika on the head.
"Damn priestesses! They always steal all the guys away!"
"Tonight Rika's going to perform for the whole village," Keiichi explained. "Every year Hinamizawa celebrates the Cotton Drifting Festival to honor the spirit of Oyashiro-sama."
"That sounds fascinating," Kagome said, batting her eyes at the teen. "You'll tell me more, right Keiichi?"
"Uh, sure," Keiichi replied, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. For the rest of the afternoon Kagome traveled with the group as they sampled various foods, looked at crafts for sale, and played games.
"Yes, I won!" Keiichi cheered as he finally managed to toss all of his rings onto the pole.
"Congratulations, Kei-chan!" Mion cried, patting the boy on the back.
"Here you are," the vendor said, handing Keiichi a large stuffed white dog.
"Oh, so cute!" Rena said, stars in her eyes as she gazed at the plushie.
"So, what are you going to do with it?" Shion wondered. Keiichi thought for a moment before handing the dog to Kagome.
"You can have this because you're the newcomer," he said with a smile. Kagome squealed and hugged the plushie to her chest.
"Oh thank you, Keiichi! I'll love him forever!" She gazed down at the stuffed dog adoringly. "I think I'll name you Inuyasha!"
"Inuyasha? That's a strange name," Satoko said. Kagome was too busy running over to hug Keiichi to pay attention to her though. Keiichi blushed.
"Uh, well we should probably go over to the stage now that it's growing dark. Rika's going to be performing in a little while and we need to find good seats." Everyone agreed and stared walking away from the stalls when Kagome felt a tug on her skirt. Hoping Keiichi was feeling playful, she whirled around happily only to find Rika holding onto her pleats.
"What do you want?" she asked, her good spirits dampening.
"Leave this village," Rika said in a voice much to mature for a prepubescent girl.
"What?" Kagome asked, confused by the girl's strange new tone.
"Leave this village," Rika repeated, here eyes narrowing. "If you do not leave Hinamizawa before midnight, grave misfortune will fall upon you." Kagome gripped her dog more tightly.
"Misfortune? Like what?"
"I cannot say," Rika said, "but I beseech you to heed my words. This village is dangerous and your arrival, however unexpected, will not change the course of events to come. Leave or suffer the consequences. The choice is yours."
"Look here, little miss priestess," Kagome said, looking angry. "I can't go anywhere until the magical well that transports me between worlds and times reappears. Now you'd better stop talking to me like this or I'll tell Keiichi and all your friends that you threatened me. You got it?" Rika said nothing and simply stared at Kagome. "Good," she said before stomping off t look for the others. Unfortunately, she was not very familiar with the area and instead of retracing her steps she ended up wandering away from the festival and into the woods.
"Oh, no, now where am I? Kagome whined. 'Why hasn't Keiichi noticed I'm missing and come to save me? Oh, what's that?" She had spotted a large wooden building a few feet in front of her. "It looks like a temple or shrine-maybe there's a well inside that I can use to travel back to Inuyasha!" She walked eagerly towards the structure when a rustling in the bushes behind her made her look back. "Oh, Shion, it's just you."
"Hello, Kagome," the green haired girl said as she stepped closer, hands held behind her back. "You know, I've been thinking and it was really nice of Keiichi to give you that dog." Kagome glanced down at the white plushie in her arms and grinned again.
"Yes, I really love it."
"Do you know who else loves stuffed animals?" Kagome shook her head. "Mion. She was really heartbroken when Keiichi gave that stuffed animal to you instead of her." As she stepped closer to Kagome, her green eyes contracted and seemed to contain a manic glint.
"Well, I'm sorry Mion feels bad but it's not like Keiichi is her boyfriend or anything," Kagome said.
"Oh, but you don't understand. When Mion feels bad, I feel bad." Shion brought her arms out from behind her back and something shiny reflected moonlight into Kagome's eyes. She rubbed her eyes for a moment until her vision was clear enough for her to see Shion running toward her with a knife clenched tightly in her hand. "And when I feel bad, you feel bad!" Kagome screamed and tried to run but the blade swiftly plunged into her back and she fell.
"Stop! Help!" she shrieked into the still night air before moaning in agony as the knife was thrust into and out of her left arm.
"Scream all you'd like, no one will hear you out in these woods," Shion cackled as the blood splattered onto her face. "This is your punishment! Satoshi-kun!"
"Get off!" Kagome screamed as she tried to fight against the green-haired girl. Her arm felt like it was on fire but she relentlessly continued to pull it out of the knife's path until the limb lost all feeling.
"One down, one to go," Shion said with a grin as she raised the dripping blade over Kagome's other arm.
"No!" Kagome summoned all the spiritual energy she possessed into her right palm and blasted Shion hard enough that she slammed her head against the ground. She forced herself to stand, wincing and groaning as her bloodied arm was inadvertently jostled, and surveyed the scene. Shion appeared unconscious and on the ground beside her laid an electric taser, which Kagome quickly grabbed. She fell to her knees and pressed the weapon onto the green-haired girl's chest. "That should keep you knocked out," she panted before dropping the device and reaching over to check on her wounded arm.
"I wonder what you're doing, I wonder." Kagome squinted up, as her vision was getting a little blurry, and saw Rena standing over her.
"Rena! You've got to help me!"
"Help you? After what you did to Shi-chan?" She raised a large cleaver and as she bent down Kagome could see that her pupils had become cat-like slits. Kagome let out a blood-curdling scream as her leg was hacked an as she pulled her body across the grass, part of her foot was left behind. Wildly she groped through the slick grass until her fingers closed upon the taser and as Rena plunged the cleaver into her thigh she drove it into the brunette's leg.
"Take that! And that!" Kagome screamed as she electrocuted the twitching girl again and again.
"What happened?!" The pain was so excruciating that Kagome almost didn't recognize Keiichi as he stumbled upon the gruesome scene.
"K-keiichi… please…" Her head felt so light that Kagome had to use all effort to keep herself awake. "They… they tried to…"
"Rena! Shion!" Keiichi turned murderous eyes upon Kagome. "What did you do to them?"
"M-me?"
"We… we were a family." Kagome's eyes widened as Keiichi lifted a large metal bat and pointed it toward her. "We were happy, living here, together. But you ruined everything!"
"I-" But Kagome was unable to say even one word more as her head was smashed upon the ground repeatedly by a boy overcome with uncontrollable laughter.