Inuyasha: I don't know why you're writing a story like this.
Shippo: Awe, but Inuyasha it sounds interesting! :-)
Yoruko: Thank you, Shippo~ ^.^
Chapter Two
End of the Game
The Hibari siblings spent the rest of their time after that simply catching up. Needless to say, Inuyasha's reckless behavior meant that if he ever ran into Kyouya Hibari, it would mean that the gods had it out for the dog eared boy. After all, Kagome was Kyouya Hibari's little sister. He may not be a people person, but Kyouya Hibari is well known for being protective of anything that is his. And as she was his kin, that definitely counted Kagome. The extent and speed of the hanyou's healing rate would be harshly put to the test if he ever ran into the big brother of the girl he 'secretly' half considered a shard detector.
"... Don't let the mask get in the way of your safety." Kyouya told his sister as they were parting.
Knowing this was his way of saying 'be careful', she smiled and pecked him on the cheek. "Okay, Nii-san."
Four days later, Kagome was back in the Feudal Era. The group had already fallen into its natural rhythm, and was already quite a ways away from the village that was under Kaede's jurisdiction as a miko. All in all, it seemed like an ordinary day... at first, anyway. It hadn't even been an hour from their lunch break, and they had only been traveling half a day. Yet, they found themselves attacked by only Naraku's usual group of minions paired with a smaller than normal horde of low level youkai... and the fake hanyou himself.
For a while, it appeared to at least be a normal confrontation. Sesshomaru had even, like he often did, showed up in the middle of things. (Rin and Jaken were absent, of course. The demonic noble would never allow his human charge near an area infested with the scent of the one Kagome secretly referred to as a spider monkey.) It might seem strange to call any confrontation against the group's arch nemesis that didn't soon prove to be a fight against one of his puppets typical. However, for a while, everyone but Inuyasha had had a sneaking suspicion that it would end as it always did. They had been sure that once they were getting close, Naraku would probably manage to escape.
Those assumptions fell down the drain quickly enough, once Sesshomaru had appeared. The final fight against Naraku had finally arrived. For once, Inuyasha as correct to say that he would finally avenge Kikyo. None of that came about in a way that anyone had really expected. After it was all over, everyone in the past was surprised at what brought it about. When told about it by his sister, Kyouya called Naraku a foolish, idiotic herbivore. (Even their father had a soft spot for children and animals; it seemed to be a Hibari family trait.) All of this was because of one thing, and one thing only... desperate to survive what he had originally intended all along to be the final battle, Naraku did something very foolish. He shot out a tentacle, and grabbed Shippo in a clear threat.
What Naraku intended- whether he had wanted to leave the group helpless or to escape to live and see another day, no one had a chance to find out. When Shippo shouted incoherently in fear and surprise, everyone turned to the source of the sound. The young kitsune begged for help, only for his plea to turn into a yelp of pain as he was squeezed by the tentacle holding him. Before anyone could act, everyone turned to the source of a dark aura that promised pain or death that made the remnants of the horde flee for their lives. It was coming from none other than Kagome, whose eyes were hidden by her bangs. Inuyasha barely contained a gulp, Kagome had quickly become Shippo's main caregiver and he'd suffered from pain or the sit command more than he could count because he almost always reacted with a bonk to the head when Shippo annoyed or angered him.
"Kukuku. What' the matter, little miko?" Naraku taunted, "Upset that I've got your precious kit?"
"Kagome, please don't do anything rash!" Sango pleaded.
"..." Kagome was silent as the grave.
"... Kagome-san?" Sesshomaru was getting a feeling that Naraku was about to greatly regret his dirty tactic.
"... Kekekekeke~ What a foolish little spider monkey. What's the matter, I thought that rather than being suicidal, you wanted to attempt to gain power?" As Kagome said this, her aura was turning visible.
"Kagome, what the hell is up with you?" Inuyasha demanded.
"In a manner similar to that of my brother," Kagome stated in a strangely playful, yet almost dark and clearly angry tone of voice, "I shall claw you to death for daring to harm one whom I deem under my protection. Shall we play a game, Spider Monkey-san~?"
Kagome's appearance faded away as she spoke, proving what she had seemed to look like to only be an illusion. Her hair was a little shorter, brushing her shoulders; even her bangs were slightly different. Rather than the blue color everyone was used to, her eyes were silver. The girl from the future wasn't even wearing the clothes they thought she was. Instead of the blue pants she always reminded them were called jeans, she was wearing black pants, a black short sleeved button up shirt, and a purple knee length leather trench coat. The bow and arrow she often used was on the ground, abandoned, and in her hands was a pair of sai.
An energy unlike what Kagome's friends were used to was glowing about the blades of her weapons. Naraku, not quite as intelligent as he had once been thought to be, taunted her again as he threw Shippo at a tree near her. She caught him, and gently put him down. Then, she charged at Naraku. It was all over surprisingly fast. When Kagome grabbed the main portion of the jewel from the ashes of their foe, Inuyasha perked up at first. Only to pout when the Shikon crumbled to dust as soon as Kagome added her shards to the jewel. Nothing lasts forever, and the strain on its power supply from being burst to pieces made worst by the purifying energy Kagome poured into the shards as she put the jewel together was too much for the item of power to take.
Ignoring Inuyasha's complaining, Shippo only had one thing to say. "Kagome, I didn't know you were a ninja." he said in awe.
She ruffled his hair in response. "Kekeke~ my abilities are close, Shippo-chan, but that's not quite right."
"Then you are simply a jack of all trades?" Sesshomaru guessed.
"Nii-san and I have been trained to be able to take care of ourselves in a fight since we were smaller than Rin." Kagome confirmed, "Unlike my older brother, I am not satisfied if I can't fight even when I can't get close."
"Wench, I've been to your house and you only have a younger brother, and I've never heard anyone mention your father." Inuyasha pointed out rudely, interrupting.
"Foolish, foolish puppy." Kagome sighed in a mock- sorrowful voice, "Did I ever once say that those people were my brother, mother, and grandfather?"
"I take it that you do not live with your family, Kagome-san?" Sesshomaru guessed.
She looked at the older, less headstrong brother. "That's right, Sesshomaru-san. My father's profession is law enforcement and keeping the peace. Since my mother's health isn't the best, I was sent to some relatives temporarily years ago when he almost got killed."
"And your brother?"
"The two of you aren't so very different, Sesshomaru-san." she said with what would have been a smirk if it weren't for the slightly wistful tone, "My protests were ignored, but Kyouya-nii insisted that he at the very least should stay to look after Kaa-san. It was clear that nothing could get him to even pretend to comply, so Otou-san gave in."
"Kagome Nee-chan..." Shippo asked, "Will you tell me what the game was?"
"What game is Shippo talking about, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked.
"She was never what she appeared to be, not even in personality." Sesshomaru stated.
"Why would you lie, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, a little hurt.
"It was a game my brother came up with to make our time separated tolerable." she explained, "I had to pretend to be an herbivore, as he calls humans he deems weak or not worth his time, and refrain from lashing out at the real ones for nine years. It just so happens that I've passed the mark, and was only biding my time."
"Herbivores?" the youkai lord inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Kyouya is one of few left in my time who retain the true warrior spirit, living for little beyond enjoying a good fight and protecting what he claims as his."
Sesshomaru chuckled. "A warrior and a trickster as siblings seems very interesting."
No one had expected Naraku to die that quickly. (Kagome knew that Kouga would be upset that he never had a chance to get revenge on Kagura or Naraku once and for all.) So, all that was left to do was wrap things up. With a round of good byes and a promise to see if the well would continue to work, Kagome returned to her time. As soon as she was in her room in her aunt's house, she called Kyouya to let him know that she could come home sooner than expected. After she had finished recounting the events of the final battle, she could practically see the smirk on her brother's face just from his response. As he wasn't one to waste time or let his subordinates be inefficient, Kagome was moved back into the house a week later. The paperwork for her transfer to Namimori High was also already completed.
Naturally, Kyouya insisted that as his younger sister and an omnivore, Kagome join the Disciplinary Committee. Her uniform was just like his- of course, hers was tailored to fit her and suit a female. The only difference was that she didn't wear the tie or tuck her shirt in. He also dubbed her the second in command. Though, the siblings left certain things to Kusakabe, the head lacky. Once the weekend was over, it was time for her to start school. Kagome looked forward to it; it would mean both more time with her brother and amusement at people's reactions to not only her relation to the infamous prefect but also to the fact that she already knew how to get around the school.
Kyouya didn't trust the principal's secretary to be competent or treat his little sister properly, even with knowledge of who she was. So when Monday came, all Kagome needed to do was make her way to her assigned classroom. After organizing old paperwork and filling out newer paperwork, that was. She had needed something to do since she went to school early with her brother, after all. Besides, Kyouya had given her the tedious and tiresome task of figuring out which clubs and sports teams needed attention, whether positive or negative. With the two siblings working together, it was only natural that when they were done for the morning they accomplished a whole club meeting's worth of work within an hour. Kagome left her brother smirking when she finally left ten minutes before the warning bell, she suspected because he had more time to nap or bite people to death after school.
As she went, she was wondering how she would stave off boredom, and if she would actually need it. She was sure a way to entertain herself would indeed be needed. All her 'carnivorous' brother had mentioned about the first years was that one student was excluded from all of the cases of crowding that he'd come across. She hadn't paid it much attention at the time, knowing the person could just be shy. Of course, she knew that it might not be that. Her thoughts and her trek to the classroom were suddenly interrupted.
It was a couple of third years boys. They were intimidating a boy that seemed to be a second year. Apparently, there were delinquents that thought they could go behind the Disciplinary Committee's back and cause trouble. A few years ago, she might have been annoyed at needing to get to work so soon. After the stress that came from a year going all over Feudal Japan, however, Kagome saw it as her first chance for entertainment at Namimori High. Making people turn from deeming her no threat to being as scared of her as people were of her brother could be great fun, after all. Once she got within hearing range, she rose an eyebrow, surprised in spite of herself at the stupidity of delinquents and, at times, boys in general.
"Hey, you're just a second year, right?" Idiot one stated, (Kagome was too lazy to put more effort into having something she could call them) "So why are you in the third year hallway?"
"Wh-What...? I w-was just trying to find the art room." the unfortunate victim said.
"All first and second years must pay a toll to use our hallway." Idiot two claimed.
"...Sou ka? I'm afraid that I need to see your credentials." Kagome spoke up.
"... What the hell are you talkin' about? Why would we need credits to enforce our influence as third years?" Idiot one said, "You're a girl, so if you run away now we'll let you go Scott free.
"Yeah, so run along Miss Cosplay Girl, before you get hurt."
"... Cosplay?" Kagome inquired, 'These guys are more foolish than I expected.'
"Well, your outfit looks sorta like Hibari's and the Disciplinary Committee's." Idiot One explained, as if it were obvious... or as if the idea of it not being a costume were ridiculous.
Kagome smirked in anticipation. "Poor, poor, fools. You both insulted an officer of the Disciplinary Committee and defaced Namimori High's name by bullying those who are even weaker than you are. For these errors, according to the school code and Kyouya's rules punishment is in order." then, speaking the words that foretold the bullies' doom, said, "Tell me, bakatachi, won't you play a game with me? You have the count of three until we start; win- and you just might escape a trip to the hospital."
"... What kind of game?" Idiot Two asked, almost getting a bad feeling.
"One." At this, she put her hands in her pockets.
"... Did she just call us weak and stupid? What a hypocrite!" Idiot one claimed.
"Two." Kagome didn't move, but the victim, being a little smarter, got scared at how she looked at the moment with the way her bangs hid her eyes.
"Cheh, she looks so relaxed. Is this a game?" Idiot Two spoke up.
"Three." Kagome said, "Time's up."
"Wait a second! You didn't tell us the rules!"
"Yeah! How is that fair?"
"Simple," she said, bringing out her hands and crisscrossing her arms to reveal a bunch of shuriken, "If you escape, you win. Though, you'll still be punished.
They turned around to run away from the possibly crazy girl. If she was sane, why would she bring weapons to class? The duo never even managed three full steps. To their surprise, they found themselves pinned to the wall before they could blink. No amount of wriggling did any good in freeing them. When the second one tried to see if he could pull it out, he got cut before he could even start the attempt. Both of them looked at Kagome with fear in their eyes.
"Who... are you?"
Kagome smirked. "Kagome Hibari, first year transfer student... and second in command of the Disciplinary Committee."
Even the victim's eyes widened. "Are you related to Hibari-san...?"
Everyone present paled at the idea, thinking in unison, 'Why oh why? One was bad enough.'
Kagome was gleeful and looked positively evil to all spectators who knew her brother's reputation. "In fact, he's my brother~"
Since she considered that situation over with, Kagome continued on her way to class, smirking and humming a cheerful tune. The students and faculty more susceptible to feeling their environment's atmosphere properly did their best to avoid her. Like her brother, she was clearly a predator to those who were smart. Just a predator of a different kind. From their perspective, a tune like that didn't match that smirk which promised pain or mischief in the slightest. Soon enough, she reached her classroom and entered the room. The teacher, hopefully, remembered that he or she would be getting a new student. Luckily for them, it seemed that they did.
"Oh, you must be the new student." Kagome's homeroom teacher said cheerfully, though it seemed slightly forced, "Take a seat in any empty desk you'd like, Hibari-chan."
'She's been around long enough to be wary of me because of my brother, I see.' Kagome thought in amusement, 'This will be interesting.'
Kagome chose the seat in the middle row that was next to the window. She looked over her schedule again, prepared the things she would need for the upcoming class after homeroom and an extra notebook. Once ready for the day, Kagome stared out of the window. To observers she might seem distracted watching the sky. However, her senses were still alert, ever prepared. The younger Hibari was also plotting. She needed plans to keep her day amusing if nothing presented itself on its own during class.
A few minutes later, the students who tended to arrive early started to show up. Kagome had chosen a seat by an extra exit rather than one where nothing could escape her notice. However, as more of her classmates slowly filtered into the classroom she quickly discovered that she still had a relatively clear view of everyone that would be in the room, supposing it was a full capacity or mostly full capacity class. After she found that the only noteworthy individual was a friendly seeming boy that was only popular for his skills in sports, Kagome turned her attention to a bird that had just begun to occupy the tree located not far from the window. As soon as the bell rang, the teacher began the routine.
"All right, class." she said once she'd taken attendance, "As some as you may have noticed, we have a new student. Would you please come up and introduce yourself?"
'Well, she did ask nicely.' Kagome thought to herself as she shrugged and did as requested, "I don't see why not. I'm Kagome Hibari, douzo yoroshiku. I like games; I dislike low-lives, fools, and fangirls. Before anyone thinks to ask, Kyouya is my older brother so yes, I'm related to him."
Right after Kagome sat down, a student burst in through the door. "Whew! Barely made it." Kagome could hear a distinctly female voice mutter to itself, "At least I wasn't caught getting here."
"Glad to see you could join us, Sawada-san." the teacher said, "Now hurry and take your seat."
Kagome turned towards the girl at the name. There was only one person in Namimori who could be a girl her age and have that surname. Sure enough, there she was- the girl Kagome had known but only half suspected that she would see. Messy, almost spiky shoulder length auburn hair so dark it was almost brown and hazel eyes that could look amber or brown depending on the light and her mood. (In Kagome's experience, joy could make them look almost golden.) It was one of the few girls in Namimori worth befriending. Most of the others were fangirls or simply of no interest to the girl who had been falsely accused as a child of trying to be a ninja. Kagome smiled, knowing that class would be much better than expected with her childhood friend for a classmate.
"Hisashiburi, Tsunami-chan." Kagome greeted with a smile, "You should have called or written; I recall giving you my number and e-mail."
"K-Kagome-chan...?" the shy girl stuttered in surprise, "Is it really you?"
Owari
Next time on KHR 2.0: Soon after Kagome and Tsunami's reunion, Kagome meets and befriends Tsunami's mother. Taking a liking the the oblivious but kind woman, Kagome deems her, similar to Tsunami, as under her protection. Catching up soon gets interrupted, however. A not-baby called Reborn has shown up that calls himself Tsunami's tutor and claiming that she's the heir of a mafia family. While Kagome takes action when her friend isn't around, Tsunami herself winds up protecting a fellow classmate from an upperclassman and befriending Hayato Gokudera and Takashi Yamamoto, who both get dragged by Reborn into the whole mess.