Chapter 1: New Beginnings

"I'm off!" Kagome Higurashi called over her shoulder as she left her childhood home. Her mother and grandfather's responding call echoed after her as she crossed the threshold of the shrine. Her pace was brisk as time was ticking dangerously close to when she was supposed to meet up with Eri to walk to school today. Kagome hadn't been able to sleep a wink the night before and now she was paying for it.

'Stupid brain for thinking too much when it's time to sleep,' the priestess mentally chided to herself.

Time seemed to slow down as she passed a particular building on the grounds. Tall trees cast a dappled shadow over the expanse of the Higurashi well house reminding her of the time that passed, and a time that will continue on without her. Kagome swallowed the instant urge to approach the door. Touching the well house could instigate opening the (rather poorly) sealed door and furthermore open up old wounds. The priestess had to chuckle lightly at the layers of ofuda her grandfather plastered on the entrance, the spiritual energy would barely be able to catch her attention if she weren't looking for it.

Even so, Kagome's stomach twisted into sour knots as she forced herself on. The morning was bright and warm against her face, a simple comfort for the day of new beginnings and a reminder to look forward. And she would not be late to her first day of high school!

"Kagome! Hurry up, I don't want to be late!" a voice called at the bottom of the shrine's vast stairs. Eri was waving her towards her friend with a grin on her face. Eri's grin brightened at the pout on Kagome's face, she gave her friend a little nudge on the shoulder. "Come on, don't give me that look. Can't blame a girl for being excited to get goin'!"

"I suppose I can't," chuckled Kagome with a small smile as they began walking towards their new school. Farther down the way, Yuka and Ayumi joined the two girls.

Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi hadn't changed much since middle school, which meant that their friendship was still there. Albeit, rather strained until this point. With all of the days she missed due to her time traveling and all the lies she had to dish out to placate them, there had been a distance between the trio and Kagome.

Yet even after the closure of the well, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi obligingly jumped back into her life. They were still the laughing, fun, nosy people she would hang out with so often. Their familiar cadence was reassuring, she allowed their talk about their new high school to wash her away.

"What about you, Kagome?" The question from Yuka caught the priestess off guard, so much so that she wrapped an arm around Kagome's shoulder. "Girl, you sure know how to daydream. Are you thinking of joining any clubs at Tōō?"

"Honestly, no," Kagome replied with a sigh, her eyes looking up into the sky contemplatively. "With barely passing middle school, I might just try to stay afloat while I'm here. Besides, what would I join?"

"Kagome, you could join the theater club with me! Remember the play we did in middle school," Eri interjected, small fires burning in her eyes while she pleaded to her friend.

Kagome lightly snorted at the suggestion; her memory of the play was vastly different than her friend's since an angry half demon decided to crash the middle of the show.

Before Ayumi could pipe up with her own suggestion, her words were beginning to drown out as the sidewalk began to crowd with more people wearing Tōō Academy's uniform. Distant murmurs and large gates indicated their imminent approach. The girls couldn't hold back their wide eyes stares as they entered the school grounds, the place was massive and packed with students perusing the club tables.

Eri led the charge by marching towards the theater club's table to sign up. Kagome had to avoid her friend's best attempt at puppy dog eyes in addition to the club's president trying to catch her attention. The situation didn't last long as Yuka and Ayumi wanted to continue seeing more of what Tōō Academy had to offer.

In the end, Ayumi managed to get Yuka to sign up for the gardening club with her. As the two chatted animatedly with the club members, the priestess breathed in a sweet, floral breath. The table was decorated extravagantly with massive ferns and shockingly bright blossoms.

On the table sat a small pot filled with spider lilies. The lanky petals curling towards the sky were unlike any flower that Kagome had seen before. The lily's red petals jerked as a clueless passerby walked by too close. As one of the petals loosened to descend toward the ground, Kagome couldn't help but think of the sight of blood.

"Come on, Kagome, you have to at least try to look at what they have!" Yuka complained once she and Ayumi were finished. The trio of girls shared a thoughtful look for a moment and with a nod they began to push Kagome forward.

"Let's start with the volleyball club!" exclaimed Eri, who was arm linked to the priestess's right side. Even with her squeaks of indignation, Kagome was pushed around all of the club stands all of which she politely declined upon seeing their hopeful faces.

At their final stop a tall rack of shiny, elegant bows stood proudly next to the kyudo table. At it sat a girl with pretty dark brown eyes, looking bored out of her mind, was watching her male companion who chatted with a couple boys that seemed to be signing up. Once she caught sight of Kagome, the girl's demeanor instantly brightened with a smile.

"Ah, good morning! My name is Kaoru Ito, I'm vice captain of the kyudo club.'' Kaoru stood up with a polite bow. "Have you shot with a bow before?"

"I'm–"

"She has," Ayumi hurriedly claimed. "Kagome's really good too! We've seen her shoot in middle school!" The other two nodded fervently, much to Kagome's chagrin. While not a complete lie, Ayumi (and none of them for that matter) had ever seen her shoot. They only saw the remnants of a frustrated practice session. Kaoru's smile widened even further, even at Kagome's obvious hesitation.

"We welcome boys and girls into the ancient art of the bow! If you know how to handle one then we can get started much sooner." The emphasis on the word girls caused the male next to scoff, earning a mild glare from Kaoru. "Don't listen to him, not enough girls sign up for this club."

Kagome could feel the looks from her three friends, pressuring her to sign up. The priestess gave them a look of irritation. Catching it, they took the hint and walked towards a nearby bench.

It almost sounded appealing to join the kyudo club. It had been a long time since she had shot one… She could use an outlet to hone her skills with the bow and arrow.

'No.'

Looking upon the rack it filled her with dread. There was no way that Kagome could face it, even her sacred Azusa bow felt wrong in the modern era. 'Even if I wanted to, I'd probably flounder and look like a total idiot.' said a familiar, bitter thought.

"Sumimasen, Kaoru-san. I appreciate the off–" Kagome's decline was once again interrupted by Kaoru handing her a kyudo club flier and a phone number messily scribbled on it.

"If you change your mind, send me a text, ne?" Kaoru's smile was contained and polite, obviously unable to mask the disappointment at the rejection. Kagome took the piece of paper with a polite bow and walked off as fast as she could. The kyudo club's vice captain's aura dimmed considerably as she walked away.

'I can't keep disappointing everyone like this,' Kagome resented as she walked towards the group, her eyes glued to the pavement.

"Aomine-kun!"

Suddenly, a collision of bubblegum pink and midnight tresses. Kagome stumbled back, causing the other girl to descend towards the ground. Just before Pink Hair could fall, Kagome quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her up, preventing the crash. It may have been a while since her time in the Feudal Era, but she hadn't lost her swift reflexes.

"S-Sumimasen! I wasn't paying any attention," Kagome said apologetically, bowing down. There didn't seem to be any bruising or scrapes on the girl much to her relief. "I can't believe how clumsy I can be."

Pink hair said nothing, rather she stared directly into Kagome's eyes. Piercing deep pink analyzing her cerulean blue. Before the priestess could break the awkward silence, the girl blinded her with a dazzling smile.

"Oh my god, your eyes are gorgeous! And you're adorable!" Pink hair gushed, clasping her hands around Kagome's. "I'm Satsuki Momoi! I should be the one apologizing, running into you like that. I was trailing my idiot friend over there who doesn't know how to slow down!" The girl, Momoi, punctuated her sentence with a meaningful glare towards a tall tan male by the basketball club table. With his ridiculous height, it was hard to miss him.

"A-Ano, would you let go, please?" The priestess felt warmth spread rapidly across her cheeks at how forward and familiar Momoi was grasping her fingers. With a smile, Momoi let go of her hands.

"Sumimasen, I get excited when I meet new people! What class are you in…" Momoi trailed off.

"Kagome Higurashi, class 1-B if you were curious," the priestess supplied with a polite smile. She could sense her friends' eyes dig into her back as the interaction continued, their auras curious.

"I am also in class 1-B!" Momoi exclaimed, her pink eyes sparkling. Suddenly, she pulled out a phone and presented it to Kagome. "Since we're in the same class, we might as well exchange numbers. Ya know, for homework and stuff."

Momoi stuck her tongue out cutely and winked as she held the phone forward. Unable to find the power to say no, and since the phone was already in her hands before she could speak, Kagome typed in her phone number.

With a wave, Momoi took off towards the aforementioned "Aomine-kun" at the basketball table. As she watched Momoi walk away, Kagome couldn't help but smile at the girl and her outgoing nature. While the whole interaction left her mind dizzy, it was nice to know she would now know someone in her class. With a small sigh, Kagome returned to her friends.

Her explanation for the hold up would be saved for later.

-00-

The orientation ceremony and the first day of classes went by faster than expected. It felt as though the day never really happened.

Kagome chalked it up to having a very chatty Momoi sitting next to her in class that made the day go by faster. However, the priestess still found that the pinkette's enthusiasm was a little bit much for her. Even so, as the final bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Momoi hurrying off after completing the classroom chores was disappointing. Kagome shook off the frown threatening to crease her mouth and hurried to meet her friends by the lockers.

"You definitely owe us some Maji Burger since you refused to join any clubs, Kagome," Yuka chided as they exited the academy's courtyard.

It was their tradition after all, to go to the nearest fast food place after school to divulge any and all personal matters. Kagome obliged, still feeling guilty from rejecting all of the clubs' invitations from that morning.

The sun was shimmering in cascades of oranges and pinks as they arrived at the Maji Burger. Once they ordered and sat down, it was down to business. While her friends chatted about the events of their day and ate their food, Kagome quietly sipped her milkshake. She was content to listen, having already explained to them who the mystery pink haired girl was.

"You know, I'm curious about that Satsuki girl you ran into earlier, Kagome. I feel like I've heard her name before somewhere." Yuka's brow creased as she bit into a fry.

"Duh, Yuka. She was the famous manager of the Generation of Miracles!" Eri said. Kagome blinked. 'Generation of… what?'

"Oh, they're that famous team from Teiko, right? I heard they had Kise Ryouta on their team." Ayumi and Eri sighed with a blush at the mention of the former Teiko player's name.

"Of course you'd only know them from the model, Ayumi!" Yuka snorted. Ayumi indignantly snatched and promptly ate a couple of Yuka's fries, earning a small 'hey!'

"Are they… a football team or something?" Kagome attempted to engage with the conversation with an innocent enough question. When her friends' responses were a series of perplexed looks, the priestess concentrated on her milkshake once again now with a red tint to her face. Eri opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a male's rough voice.

"They're about to get their asses handed to 'em, that's what!" declared a boy sitting behind Kagome's head. The intruder of their conversation was rather terrifying to look at with his dark red hair, large frame, and intense burnished stare. Not to mention the mountain of burgers that were piled in front of him.

"Who are you to say that about the Generation of Miracles? And who are you to be listening to our private conversation!" Yuka regarded with an accusatory fry towards the eavesdropper. The red head blushed at the statement and attempted to sputter an answer.

"Sumimasen about interrupting your conversation. Kagami's getting hot headed at the idea of beating them in upcoming games. Please don't mind him," another boy said passively, his words agitating the red head, Kagami. Kagome couldn't help jumping at the sudden new person added to the conversation. The boy was sitting closest to her side of the booth.

'So how the hell did I not sense him?!' she thought incredulously, nearly choking on her drink. His features were pale, almost ghostly, with pale blue hair and intensely blue eyes. Now that he had her attention, his aura presence was clear, but Kagome had never encountered a human who eluded her abilities before.

'Interesting.' The two boys sitting together seemed like complete opposites of each other. Their interaction made Kagome reminiscent of times when a composed monk would smooth over confrontations caused by an agitated half demon.

A short time later, the girls were finished with their food and left the burger shop. They wanted to continue on to a local convenience store for some ice cream, but Kagome was winded. So the friends parted ways into the evening.

The sun was stretching lazily over the buildings, hues of orange and pink blending into darker hues of azure sky. The day had been long, the idea that she was currently a high school student still had not sunk in quite yet. However, even with the strange feeling, Kagome couldn't suppress a small smile when she looked at her phone and saw a text from Momoi.

It wasn't really fair to the kind pink haired girl, but… Kagome wasn't quite ready to move on. She was barely holding onto the tatters of her friendship with Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi as it was. Bitterness flooded her mind and coiled in her stomach. How could she keep moving forward in the modern era if her heart remained in the past?

What was wrong with her?

A/N: Howdy! I reread this chapter and thought it could use a little tweaking. Enjoy!

Please review, comment, muse 3