Kagome's clothing was odd to begin with, but it was even more peculiar on Kaya. It was good fortune that the two of them were of similar size and stature, but as Kaya considered herself in Kagome's looking glass she hardly recognized herself. Gone was the dirt stained, red-clad girl with blackened soles and tangled hair that appeared in her mind's eye when she considered her own looks. The rough blue pants Kagome had called jeans were hard to move in and the yellow top she'd leant her had barely any fabric to it at all. How did people in Kagome's era stay warm in the winter if they refused to wear any substantial fabrics, let alone layers? She supposed it wouldn't be very nice of her to ask such a question when Kagome had been so kind as to lend her the garments in the first place.

When she was finally accustomed enough to the clothing to stop trying to adjust it constantly, Kaya went to find Kagome. She'd said something about helping her mother with breakfast, so it was safe to assume she'd be in the kitchen. Luckily, the house wasn't too difficult to navigate.

"Good morning, Kaya!" It was Mrs. Higurashi who greeted her first. The older woman had just set something down in the center of the low dining table.

"Good morning, ma'am." She managed a small smile.

"I found these tucked into your clothes, dear," one hand dipped nto her apron and removed the string of pale pink beads. Mrs. Higurashi held them out to her, "Thought I'd best give them to you before they got lost somewhere in this messy house."

"Oh, I forgot all about those. Thank you." Kaya gently took them from the outstretched hand and twisted them around her thin wrist.

"Oo, I didn't expect you to have such a cute bracelet. Or are those prayer beads?" Kagome came over from where she was standing in the kitchen, wearing an apron similar to her mother's.

Kaya turned her wrist to look at them more closely, "I'm not sure. I found them in my father's tomb. I forgot I shoved them inti my pocket back there."

Kagome blinked, "In your father's tomb? Do you think they have some kind of power? Like Inuyasha's sword?"

"I doubt it." She shrugged her shoulders slightly, "But they called out to me, so I took them. Some inheiritance is better than nothing, I guess."

"It would be kind of a raw deal if your dad left Inuyasha and Sesshomaru crazy powerful swords and you just got a string of beads. Pretty as they are." She motioned her over to sit at that table, where her grandfather and Souta were already eating.

"Sleep okay?" The young boy beside Kaya asked. "Sis' snoring is didn't keep you awake all night, did it?"

"Hey! You're the one that snores!"

"Nah. That's you and Grandpa."

Their grandpa watched them. "All this energy the two of you have will be perfect for helping me reorganize the storeroom today."

Kagome scrunched her face up. "Uh... Actually, I'm gonna take Kaya out shopping for supplies. So it looks like it's just gonna be you and Souta cleaning up the store room."

"What! No fair! Why does Kagome get to go shopping when I have to spend my Saturday doing chores?"

"Souta," Mama Higurashi reminded, "Kagome does have a guest."

"Not to worry my boy. It won't take long at all."

Souta sighed. "No offense, Gramps, but everything takes a long time when you're involved.

888

Kaya and Kagome were inundated with bags as they trudged back up the stairs to the Higurashi home. The majority of them were hanging from Kaya's hands—Kagome's had begun to hurt from the plastic digging into her skin.

"Maybe… we bought too much." The human girl muttered, dropping the bags she was still carrying to the ground when they reached the courtyard.

Kaya set some of the bags down as well and flexed her fingers to dissipate the discomfort in her hands. "We won't need supplies for awhile, in any case."

"That's true." Kagome stretched her cramping arms out over her head. "Man, shopping is so much more exhausting than I remembered. I can't imagine how you must feel, being that it was your first time and all."

"Your world is very loud, Kagome. Even with my ears pressed to my head like this." The baseball cap she was wearing forced them flat against her scalp. "And everyone we passed was fragranced with something different."

Kagome couldn't help but laugh a little. "Yeah, you're right. Most people wear perfume or cologne when they go out, I didn't even think about it bothering your nose. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Where should we set all these bags?"

"Let's put them in the well house for now. That way we can just pack everything up in there... And we won't have to move it all twice." Kagome sighed, just looking at their mountain of purchases. "But then we can go try ice cream."

Kaya bent down and collected the bags in her hands. The material they were made from was strange and made her hands sweat. "I've tried more new things in the past two days then I have in my entire life…"

"Is it an odd feeling?" Kagome tilted her head as she asked. "It kinda makes you feel like a fish out of water, doesn't it?"

The young half-demon blinked, "A fish out of… Oh, I think I understand. Like a fish breathing air. Yes, I suppose that is a good way to describe this feeling. It isn't bad, really, but just..."

"Just strange. It's nice to know I'm not the only one." She smiled, before leading the way to the well house. The two of them set the bags inside the sliding doors on the deck built around the well. "I'm gonna have to find a bag to fit all of this in… Sounds like a problem for later Kagome. Let's go have a snack."

Kaya nodded her head and began to follow her out, only to have the way blocked by Souta.

"Hey," the boy asked, "do you guys have a minute? Gramps and I can't lift this stupid statue, we need some help."

"I can get it for you." Kaya said. She and Kagome followed Souta to the back corner of the property where the storehouse was located.

"It's this ugly thing right here." Souta pointed at a stone statue of a… demon? An oni? To Kaya, it was extremely unclear what the thing was meant to be.

"Boy, I'll have you know that statue is—"

"A priceless family heirloom? Save it Grandpa. Just tell Kaya where you want her to put it." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Well, I suppose it can just be moved to the walkway for now, if you wouldn't mind helping to put it back later."

"Sure, no problem." Kaya lifted the solid stone statue with relative ease and placed it outside on the walkway gingerly. As she began to stand back up, she noticed that the beads on her wrist had begun to pulsate with demon energy.

"Uh, Kaya?"

Kagome's voice snapped her from her thoughts and she became aware of clattering noise behind them back inside the storeroom. She covered her bracelet with her free hand and took a step closer to investigate. Nothing in Kagome's home, hell nothing in that time period, should have anything to do with her father. So what could the stupid beads be reacting to? A demon?

A box on one of the back shelves was going absolutely wild, shaking everything that had been above it off and onto the concrete. As the weight came off the top of the box it's shaking became more and more pronounced.

"Grandpa? What the heck have you got in there?"

"The box houses an ancient sword—"

Kaya planted her hands on Souta's shoulders and moved him gently to the side, stepping in front of the storehouse entrance. "Everyone, stay back." She held out her hand to stop Kagome from creeping in behind her, "Let me see what's going on. Stay outside for now."

An ancient sword, huh? Kaya stepped into the storeroom and took hold of the violently thrashing box. As she approached, the pulse of the beads seemed to grow even stronger. Yellow eyes glanced at Kagome to try to signal her and her family to move even further back. Then, as cautiously as she could, she opened the box.

As though it had been freed from a prison, a sword burst from the box and hovered near the ceiling. The demon energy that emanated from it was undeniable—unlike Tetsusaiga, which could only be sensed when it was transformed. This sword had an oppressive presence unlike anything Kaya had ever encountered before. Her eyes were torn from it only for a moment when the door behind her clicked shut and she turned to see that Kagome had shut them both into the storeroom.

"Get out of here, Kagome." Kaya said in a low voice, sounding not unlike her twin.

"Yeah right! Like I'm gonna leave you alone in here with that thing. Or let it out."

"What the hell is going on here?" Kaya asked the air or, more accurately, the sword, moving her body slightly to position herself in front of Kagome. "Why would your grandfather have a sword like this in his possession?"

"Beats me. He thinks it's some historical sword from an old fairytale. Clearly that's not true."

The stupid beads kept pulsating, but Kaya had no idea what the hell they wanted. The sword itself hovered in the air almost motionless, though occasionally it would twitch as though it were about to move. It was almost like something were holding it in place.

"My lady, you must take hold of Sō'unga!" The voice sounded as though it were in the room with them, but neither Kaya nor Kagome could easily locate a source. Their eyes met in confusion.

"Who said that?" Kaya demanded.

"I'll explain later—take hold of Sō'unga before it comes to its' senses and gets away!"

It was a sketchy situation, that much was certain. But it was obvious the sword, whatever it was, was dangerous. Especially in Kagome's world. If it escaped the small storeroom there was no telling what kind of havoc it could wreak. Kaya climbed the shelves so that her hand could grab the pommel of the blade. It still shook as though it were indecisive. Her fingers wrapped around the handle and gripped it tightly.

And then the sword gripped her back.

Kaya gasped, letting herself drop from the shelf she stood on and just barely catching herself on her feet. The sword's awful power coursed through her body making her feel as though she might collapse and lose control all at once. Her legs could barely hold up her own weight and caused her to lean her body against the shelves. Even her vision was trying to fade out on her. Consciousness seemed to wax and wane with each passing moment as she struggled to assert control over both the blade and her own body. Just as she thought she might lose, the stone in the pommel of the blade began to glow. And so did the beads around her wrist. It was only then that Kaya realized they were the same pale pink color. The light seemed to drive the blade's ill intentions back and reign them in.

It was only then that Kaya realized that Kagome's arms were the only thing holding her body up. The human girl had caught her under the arms when her legs had given out and held her up that entire time. "Kaya, are you okay?" She asked, voice conveying no small amount of panic. "Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you. I'm… sorry about that." As far as being alright went, Kaya honestly wasn't sure. She'd never felt that kind of exhaustion before. Using the shelves for support, she managed to right herself and take her weight off of Kagome. But her legs still trembled. "I have no idea what just happened."

"I'll tell you what just happened!" It was the voice from before. "Those beads around your wrist called out to Sō'unga and awakened it! And you taking hold of it was the only thing that stopped the destruction of this land!"

"The destruction of this land?" Kagome repeated in a quiet voice. "Alright, enough. Time to show yourself."

A small white cloud appeared from the box Kaya had hastily thrown to the ground in the commotion. Both the girls watched it closely as it floated over to where they now stood. As it drew closer, it became clear that the cloud was actually a small…

"A ghost!" Kagome squeaked, hiding her body behind Kaya's. As if just a moment earlier she hadn't been demanding answers from a disembodied voice.

"I am Saya." The ghost spoke. "The spirit that was entrusted to seal away Sō'unga's power after Lord Tōga's death. However, it seems the seal was unnecessary. We should have trusted that Lord Tōga had a plan—if I had, I wouldn't have wasted 200 years trapped in that box."

"200 years?" Kaya finally had her wits about her enough to speak.

"Yes, but it's quite the long story. Should I tell it here?"

"Let's take the sword to the well, Kaya." Kagome said, moving to pick the box and scabbard up off of the storehouse floor. "I'll let Gramps know we're alright. And if the sword tries anything else, we can just jump into the well with it."

888

"We shouldn't have to worry about Sō'unga stirring again—Lord Tōga's solution to his dilemma was perhaps his most clever one yet."

Kaya sat on the lip of the well. The sword was in its scabbard on the ground in front of her and Kagome set on the steps leading down to the well. "So who the hell is this Tōga guy you keep going on about?"

"Child, don't tell me you don't know the true name of your own father?"

Kaya blinked, "He had a name? Wait—this is his sword?"

"My lady, you break an old man's heart. Have not Myoga or Totosai told you about your father and his history with Sō'unga?"

"Totosai? Sorry, I don't know who that is, either. But Myoga hasn't said anything about it."

"Oh my." Saysa murmured. "It seems we have a lot to go over. This may take even longer than I thought."

"Well then you'd better get started." Kagome spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest. "First of all, how did that sword end up in my family's storehouse if it belonged to Kaya's father?"

"Well, that's probably because we made the decision to throw it into the Bone Eater's Well after our lord's passing." Saya spoke. He seemed almost hesitant. "The well was known for consuming the bones of particularly evil demons. We were hoping it may somehow be able to contain the sword. However, that wasn't the case, apparently."

"So, why did the sword wake up now? Inuyasha was here just a few days ago and the sword didn't make any trouble then."

"Sō'unga was responding to Kaya's demonic aura—and the beads she inherited from Lord Tōga. Those beads are imbued not only with his lordship's demonic energy, but his will as well. That's why Kaya was able to control the sword."

Kaya looked from the beads to the stone in the handle of Sō'unga. "So my guess was right. The bracelet goes with the sword."

"Yes. In fact, my lady, Sō'unga and the beads that Lord Tōga created to reign in the sword are your inheritance."

"What?" Kaya blinked, "You mean the old man really left me a weapon, too? But then why was it thrown into the well?"

"Truth be told… Oh, why do I have to be the one to confess this… The truth is, when your father gave the directive to bequeath Sō'unga to you, we were… certain he had made a mistake. Sō'unga is not like the blades your father handed down to Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. We were skeptical if you or Inuyasha would be able to wield it without grave consequences. And, of course, we were unaware that Lord Tōga had already remedied the issue."

Kaya looked at the blade on the dirt floor of the wellhouse. Her inheiritance. "Why would Inuyasha and I be unable to wield it?"

Saya paused for several moments. "As I stated, Sō'unga is different from the Tenseiga and Tetsusaiga. Those blades were made from your father's own fangs and forged by Totosai. Sō'unga is a sword your father obtained through conquest and one that was highly sought after until he claimed it hundreds of years ago. You see, and please forgive me for saying this, Sō'unga is an evil blade. Within it lies the spirit of an ancient demon that was so corrupt it was said it could open a portal to Hell itself. And, throughout history, when any human or weak demon weilds the Sō'unga, the sword will take control of their body and soul. Once it has possession of a body, the spirit inside the sword will kill as many beings as it possibly can until it is somehow stopped. Lord Tōga claimed it all those years ago to end the destruction the sword caused."

"So my father gave me an evil sword." Kaya muttered to herself. She grew less grateful for this gift with every word Saya spoke.

"Sounds really dangerous." Kagome spoke, "And Kaya's father must have thought she would be able to control the sword too?"

"Unfortunately, I don't know the reasoning behind my lord's wishes. We were only responsible for carrying them out." Saya spoke. "But when Lord Tōga passed from this world, yourself and Inuyasha were but babes. We couldn't very well entrust Sō'unga to an infant. And Sesshomaru would have killed us if he learned he was the second option. Hence we came up with a plan to contain the sword for what was supposed to be 700 years."

"700 years? Hate to say it, but you only made it about 200."

"Well, it did fall through the well and come 500 years into the future. And it's been with the Higurashi family for 200 years." Kagome tapped her chin, "But still, that was one lazy containment plan."

Kaya leaned her elbows onto her knees. In all honesty, she was still exhausted from just trying to hold the sword. Let alone use it in battle. "I guess if you hadn't brought me here, Kagome, I never would have gotten it."

"Huh. I guess you're right. We can shove that in Inuyasha's face when he complains that we were gone for too long." Kagome straightened out her skirt. "If Sō'unga is Kaya's inheritance, why does she need the bracelet to be able to wield it? Inuyasha doesn't need one."

"Well, it's as I said: it takes a demon with an extremely strong will to be able to suppress the will of the spirit inside the sword. I mean no offense to my lady, but her will—and her demonic power itself—is not yet strong enough to subdue Sō'unga without Lord Tōga's assistance. Those beads contain his will and assist you in controlling the sword—and protect you from the worst of its intentions. Without those beads, I suspect Sō'unga would have taken possession of your body."

'That sounds like it would have been really bad." Kagome murmured.

Kaya stared at the string of beads, taking one of the smooth pieces of stone between her fingers. The strand was not unlike the prayer beads she had seen monks wear around their own wrists. She had been pissed when she thought the old man had only left her jewelry, but now… Despite the nature of the sword and her own distrustful disposition, it was almost as if she was starting to feel a fondness for the old man. He entrusted such a dangerous blade to her? He crafted these beads to protect her? It was the first time in such a long time that anyone besides Inuyasha had expressed a desire to do so.

"Kaya?" Kagome's concerned voice broke her from her thoughts, "You okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Kaya took hold of the sheathed blade. "I guess I should keep this close to me so it doesn't go getting any ideas of it's own."

"Good idea. And we should probably go give my grandpa some grief for keeping a demon sword in our storehouse." Kagome laughed a little. "After dinner we can pack up this stuff and head back before Inuyasha has a panic attack."

888

How Kagome's mother had gotten her clothes to smell like anything other than musty dirt Kaya had no idea, but she was exceedingly grateful for the effort. Even though the soap she had used had kind of a strong fragrance, she wouldn't dare complain. She and Kagome were crouched on the deck of the wellhouse trying to pack their supplies into the yellow backpack Mama Higurashi had provided. They were also spectacularly failing.

"Maybe we need another bag?"

"I really don't want to carry around two bags… Maybe Kaede will let us store some of this at her place? That way we won't need to carry two."

The door slid open to reveal Mama Higurashi holding a cloth-wrapped package. "I packed a lunch box for your other friend to eat for dinner—and something for all of you for tomorrow. I know you got plenty of food to take with you at the store, but it isn't homemade."

"Thanks, Mom. I'm just not sure how we're gonna be able to fit it into this stupid bag."

"Here, let me help." The older woman knelt down between the other two and began to methodically repack the bag until everything in the shopping bags and the lunches she made fit. "There we go. Bit of a tight fit, but it should work."

Both Kaya and Kagome were in awe. "Wow, Mom, you're amazing. A total miracle worker." Mama Higurashi got back to her feet, the other two doing the same. "Well, I'm glad that's over."

"Will you two be leaving now that you're all packed?"

"Yeah, I guess so. After I say bye to Grandpa and Souta."

Mama Higurashi let out a sigh, but there was still a smile on her face. "Well, I'm sad to see you go, both of you, but I know you have important work to do." Perhaps Kagome couldn't see it, but her mother couldn't disguise the hint of sadness in her eyes from Kaya. "Now Kaya, you're welcome here anytime, you understand?"

"Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate everything you've done for me while I've been here." She bowed to the older woman, who couldn't help but chuckle.

"So polite! But no thanks required. It's just what moms do." She smiled, laying a hand on Kaya's shoulder. "You girls just look after each other, okay? I don't even want to think about the kind of trouble you might get into over there."

"We will." Kaya nodded, "And about the sword…"

"Oh, don't worry about it. Father will come to terms with it eventually. And, to be honest, if it's as dangerous as the two of you say I prefer it not be in our backyard. Better for it to be with someone who knows how to handle it. Just be careful."

"We will be, Mom, try not to worry." Kagome smiled. "Alright. I'll finish getting ready to go. Do you need anything, Kaya?"

"I'm alright. I'll wait for you here so you can say your goodbyes."