AN-Sorry, this took a while, but schools started up again. Even with my stubborn policy of 'No Homework' that's still six hours of the day when I'm not wasting away in front of the computer. LIFE... I reeaaally need to get me one of those...anyway, thank-you for all the great reviews, I hope you find all the answers you are looking for in this chapter. Next chapter I'm hoping to introduce some more characters and hopefully a blast from the past or two. Blast from the past...ever wonder who came up with that? P.S I'm sorry if there's too much of the explaining of things you already know, I just need to get it out there so the characters are more up to date.

Chapter 6 - Telling Signs

Kagome tried to take a deep, steady, calming breath - but she panicked and ended up choking instead. Kasumi hurried into the kitchen and brought back a glass of water. Taking it gratefully she turned to Happosai.

"What makes you say that?" Kagome tried to make her voice sound casual while really her heart was racing.

"Well, it's obvious." Kagome stared at him in disbelief. "It's one of the legends surrounding the Higurashi Shrine," he added for the benefit of the others.

"Well what's the legend then?" Akane asked.

"The Shikon Jewel was created from the powers of an extraordinary priestess and a fearsome demon during an epic battle between the two. It was said to bestow the owner with power beyond compare, but of course power corrupts and in its wake left terrible destruction. Eventually it was given to a priestess of note for protection."

"And now Kagome has it?" Ranma looked at her oddly. "You're a priestess?"

"Yeah, I mean no! I'm not! This isn't the Shikon Jewel!"

"But he just said-"

Happosai laughed. "Well of course it's not boy, the real one was burned with the priestess on her funeral pyre, hundreds of years ago." Kagome was flooded with relief at Happosai's assumption. "I myself have many Shikon Jewels," he continued, producing a handful of those Shikon key chains her grandfather used to sell.

"When did you go the shrine?" asked Kagome.

"Oh, some time ago, I believe your grandfather mentioned you were in the hospital at the time." Meanwhile Ranma adopted a 'you people are pathetic' expression.

"Is that all you two are freaking out about? Some fake jewel that only represents one that got all burned up? Sounds like a lame legend to me."

"What like the legend of the Drowned Girl?" Akane retorted bitingly.

Kagome was pissed off. The Shikon Jewel was not some lame legend. "The Shikon Jewel is not just some lame legend!" Kagome yelled at Ranma, receiving shocked stares from all around. Blushing, Kagome looked down at the table. "There was a love interest." She said meekly.

"Just like a girl to remember the romantic crap."

"Ranma! Be polite boy!" Mr. Saotome admonished.

"That's right son," her Uncle added, "Good things come of love. Weddings for one thing." When Akane and Ranma both turned icy glares on him, Kagome felt as if she'd missed something important.

Kasumi ignored them both and turned to Kagome. "You said something about a love interest?" Kasumi sounded genuinely interested and something about her soft, kind expression made Kagome want to tell them her story.

"Well, yeah. The priestess who was given the Jewel met this guy. He was handsome and brave and good though he was kinda rough around the edges. And he had these adorable ears and he was really strong though he didn't really believe it." Kagome picked up speed, getting into her story telling role. "Anyway at first he wanted the Jewel so he could become stronger-"

"Wait, I thought he was a good guy," Interrupted Ranma.

"He was! He only wanted it because he didn't fit in anywhere, he was all alone." Kagome's eyes filled up. He was all alone again because of her. Suddenly remembering where she was, Kagome wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand and launched back into her story. "But then so was the priestess so they formed a close friendship and fell in love."

"It's not getting any better." Ranma mumbled. Akane whacked him over the head as she eyed her cousin worriedly.

"And then?" she prompted.

"Meanwhile the priestess had found this man who was so badly injured that he couldn't move. All his bones were broken and covered in horrible burns. He was pure evil. Because the priestess was good she hid him in a cave and nursed him. He fell for the priestess and he wanted her and the jewel for himself-"

"This priestess musta've been something." Kagome glared at Ranma.

"She was okay I guess." She replied icily. "Anyway, he called on a horde of demons and sold them his soul in return for their strength. The priestess was an excellent shot with a bow and arrow and had never let a demon best her before, so the new demon disguised himself as InuYasha so he could get close enough to get the Jewel. He was also insanely jealous of InuYasha so pretending to be him was like two birds with one-"

"InuYasha? Who is that?" Kagome froze. She hadn't even noticed she said his name - not once, but twice even. She hadn't said his name in a year, and then suddenly...there it was, hanging in the air like a gathering storm.

"Um, the half-demon. If you'll excuse me, I'm really tired and so I want to go to bed."

"Wait the half demon? Which one's that?" Ranma was thoroughly confused by now. With everyone's attention on Kagome, no-one noticed Nabiki slip one of the key chains into her pocket.

Kagome got ready for bed quickly. In the dark she began crying for what felt like the thousandth time. She was so sick of crying. Feeling pathetic, Kagome decided she'd have to try harder at being strong.

The next morning, Kagome silently followed the bickering Ranma and Akane to her new school. It felt a little strange to be going to school, and not be wearing her usual 'sailor' uniform. She tugged at the borrowed blue dress she wore. It was a little loose around the waist and Kagome frowned. Maybe that was why she worried everyone so much. She hadn't realised her weight loss had been that dramatic - she and Nabiki had been a perfect match, Akane being shorter than her.

On the way they passed Dr. Tofu's office and an age long memory stirred within Kagome. For once she welcomed it. "Hey Akane!" she called, dragging her cousin's attention from Ranma. "That was Dr. Tofu's right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh nothing. I was just remembering stuff." Kagome gave Akane a sly look. "I thought you were growing your hair?" Though Kagome had to admit, the short hair was really cute on her. Akane flushed with embarrassment. Ranma laughed from atop the metal fencing which he was walking along.

"Hey, I had nearly forgotten about that stupid crush of yours, hah! And you Akane," Ranma began speaking in a horrible imitation of Akane's voice. "Oh! I have to have long hair, otherwise Dr. Tofu will never love me!"

Kagome looked sheepishly at Akane when the girl turned a furious gaze on her. "Hey, I didn't know he knew, I tried to be subtle." Akane let her off with a shrug.

"It doesn't mater anyway, he's too in love with Kasumi and I think she likes him back. I couldn't do that to her even if I had a chance with him." Akane was secretly glad Kagome asked about it. Not for the embarrassing memories of course, but because it was the most Kagome-like Kagome had acted since she'd come. If it weren't for her too-thin face Akane could've sworn that she had the old Kagome back.

"So why did you cut your hair?"

"Oh, it wasn't on purpose. Ryoga and Ranma were fighting and it accidentally got chopped off."

"When? Who's Ryoga?"

"Shortly after Ranma and I got engaged I think, Ryoga and Ranma are old rivals but he's a good friend."

"Huh, you know I had to fight this demon who wanted to chop off my hair shortly after I met -" Kagome caught herself before she said anything else. She got curious looks from the other teens. Then something Akane said finally sunk in and she heard Mr. Tendo's voice in her mind...good things come of love..."Engaged? You and Ranma are engaged and you didn't tell me?" Kagome felt the most excited she had felt in a long time. She had already noticed that they liked each other - it was blaringly obvious - and to top it off there was an engagement? This was as good as the time Miroku proposed to Sango.

"We're not engaged! Well, not really!" Ranma was suddenly very annoyed. So was Akane.

"It wasn't my idea! It's all our fathers faults! Believe me, I'd rather not have anything to do with a stubborn jerk like him." Ranma jumped down from the fence to face Akane.

"Oh yeah? Well I'd give anything to not be engaged to an un-cute, barrel-waisted, tomboy like you!" Kagome considered herself an expert on relationships after all that she'd gone through (and what she'd seen others go through) in the past. She could instantly tell that the both of them were just being defensive. But Ranma's insult had actually hurt her cousin and where did he get off on that?

"Look here mister! Akane's the best you'll ever have so you better not be treating her with anything but respect! You hear?" Akane smiled. Kagome was really back.

Ranma looked a little afraid of the girl with the intense mood-swings.

"Uh...but we're not...you know." Sure you're not, Kagome thought. She knew the signs. The pair reminded her of InuYasha and herself in fact. Always with the un-necessary yelling. Kagome flipped her hair imperiously and moved past Ranma, Akane by her side.

"So, it's like an arranged marriage?" Kagome asked.

"Something about carrying on the Tendo Dojo and the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."

"Huh."

Kagome had spent the rest of the walk to school trying to convince herself that the new school would be a piece of cake. It wasn't like she didn't know anybody and she was pretty confident that she was in a good place academically.

But once she'd met someone called Kuno, she started fearing what the rest of the school would be like.

"Tatewaki Kuno, age seventeen, nicknamed the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" Proclaimed the tall brunette. Ranma kicked him in the stomach.

"Ranma! That was mean!" Kagome was horrified. Sure she was no newbie to violence, but the boy on the ground didn't seem to have done anything wrong. She reached out a hand to help Kuno up and Akane for some reason, tried to stop her. She found out why when Kuno had leapt up and swept her into his arms.

"Scoundrel that I am," Kuno cried out dramatically, "In my arms is yet another fair maiden whose heart I have stolen!" Kagome struggled to get free. The guy was obviously crazed and he spoke like his life was a Shakespearean play. "Never fear sweet girl, for I shall not let Ranma Saotome get the best of me again! Knowing I have the love of such a pretty face...uh...what did you say your name was?"

"Let go of her Kuno! Kagome's no business of yours!" Ranma stood with his feet apart and his hands fisted menacingly. Kagome was let go of and she brushed herself off, feeling dirtied somehow. She'd placed Kuno in the category of 'Creep' and she'd only known him five minutes. Ranma set upon Kuno with a series of quick, brutal blows which had his long plait whipping around crazily as he moved. Ignoring the now quivering heap that was Kuno, Kagome thanked Ranma for coming to her defence. "It's nothing, besides, I like beating the crap outta that pervert." Something in Ranma's voice made Kagome think there was more going on between the two of them.

In first period English she'd met the insane teacher Miss Hinako, only to find that she'd be subbing for the gym teacher during second period. Kagome was stunned to find they'd be learning archery that lesson. Not to mention a couple ones after that. She absently twirled the bow she'd been handed, wondering how she should play this. It might seem weird that she was able to handle a bow and arrow expertly when the other students ranged from horrible to average. Ranma was slightly above average, but then again he was some amazing martial artist. Kagome supposed it came with the territory.

"Hey what's Nabiki doing here?" Akane asked from behind her in the line. Kagome looked to her right to see Nabiki leaning against a building in the distance. Kagome could see that Nabiki was watching the group intently, but she didn't know what it was the older girl expected. Maybe she was watching to see if Kagome was going to break down again.

The thought filled Kagome with disgust and she felt more pathetic than she had last night. If she was going to follow up on her decision to be strong, she needed to show the people around her that she didn't need their support. She had to get back on her own two feet. With that in mind Kagome intended to do what she could. It couldn't hurt as it wasn't like they were scared arrows, and she could always say that she'd learnt at her old school. But Kagome couldn't help wishing she did have her sacred arrows, as she fitted the arrow she held to the bow and aimed.

Kagome took a deep breath and silently prayed her arrow would hit the bull's eye. She drew her arm back and let her arrow fly. She heard whispers all around her and looking closely at her soaring arrow, she went cold. Everything went into slow motion then. The pure, blue light that emanated from her arrow grew with the distance. It curved neatly through the air before finally embedding itself deeply within the bull's eye of her target. For a moment nothing happened, but then the target disintegrated and her arrow dropped to the ground. It was silent and Kagome blushed as she saw the awed looks sent her way.

"What was that?" Kagome shrugged at Akane.

"I dunno, I had no idea I could do that..." she replied without conviction. After that Kagome was very careful to deflect both questions and any turns at shooting an arrow. Miss Hinako who'd changed into a child couldn't do much to force her to participate either.

"So, what's with Miss Hinako?" Kagome asked Akane during lunch. "She fall in a cursed pond of drowned child or something?" Kagome had recently learnt that that was how Ranma had gotten cursed; he'd fallen into a pond where years ago a girl had drowned. Apparently there were millions of cursed ponds around there. The spot also happened to be a martial arts training ground and the irony was not lost on Kagome.

"No, she just turns into a child when she's tired and stuff, then she uses something circular and sucks out the energy from other people so she gets older again." Sayuri, a friend of Akane's, informed her.

"Oh. Well who's that girl talking to Ranma?" She asked next. The girl was wearing the boy's uniform, which was odd enough in itself but what was stranger were her choice in accessories. On a strap around her body she carried about five small spatulas and another giant one on her back. It was kind of like Sango's Hirakotsu.

Akane got a strange expression on her face, like she was suffering many different emotions at once. "She's Ranma's fiancée." She said shortly. When she didn't offer anymore explanations Kagome looked to Sayuri again.

"Her father and Ranma's arranged their marriage so he could eat basically, and so now Ukyo's come back to town looking to Ranma to uphold the promise." Kagome groaned - Genma Saotome was worse than the opportunist Miroku. About to ask for more details, Kagome was cut short when Nabiki strode into the room carrying a large, dusty tome.

With a resounding bang! The heavy book was droped onto the desk in front of Kagome. "Page 314." Nabiki told her. Apprehensively she turned the yellow, crackling pages till she found the one she was supposed to be looking for.

An entire chapter devoted to the legend of the Shikon Jewel. Kagome found breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. Ranma had moved to read over her shoulder, as did Akane. In fact all the students in the class had stopped to watch.

"I know what you are Kagome. Did you think I wouldn't find out the truth? You know me better surely."