Summary: Kagome, younger twin to Shoto, was regarded as a failure by their father. With her Quirk never showing during her youth, her father regarded her as a blight on his legacy. He gave her away. After sealing the well up, she's accepted into U.A. Her very presence serves to shake things up in the best ways!

Pairing: Undecided

Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.

Chapter Seven

A lone figure made his way up the massive stone staircase that led to the shrine. The setting sun in the distance provided a bit of cover, and, as he reached the top, there didn't seem to be anyone outside. He was silent as he made his way around the main building, coming to a halt when the sound of the main door opening reached him.

"Don't take too long!"

"Okay, mom!"

From where he stood, he was able to see the young boy make his way over to the steps. Before he started on his way down, two small cats bolted after him and leaped up onto his shoulders. He waited until they'd vanished entirely from sight before moving, continuing along until he came across a tree outside a familiar window.

He easily climbed the tree until he reached the branch that extended out to the window. He waited for a few minutes before moving again, hearing no sound come from the room. He reached towards the window, slowly opening it.

"Not locked, huh?" he mused quietly.

He wasn't sure when she'd begun to leave the window unlocked, but he wasn't upset by it. It made it a whole lot easier. He pushed the window open all the way and listened for a few more minutes before slinking in through it. He landed as quietly as he could manage, looking around as he stood back at his full height. Bright blue eyes landed on the figure fast asleep, curled up halfway in a ball on the bed. She didn't stir any as he approached her and peered down at her.

As he looked at her, he lifted a hand and reached out to her. Gentle and cautious, he rested his palm on the top of her head, gently pushing the bangs from her face and carding his fingers through the inky tresses. She only sighed in response, still fast asleep.

He remained that way for a few moments before he slowly pulled his hand back. The next second, he grabbed the cover that'd fallen from her and tugged it back in place over her shoulders. Once he'd done that, he turned and sat on the floor beside her bed, leaning his back against it. His gaze rested on the ceiling as he looked up. He tugged one knee up to his chest, arms curled around it as he sat there.

"... I've missed this," he said after a few minutes. Listening to her gentle breathing was calming and reassuring in so many ways. "You're happy, right?" he asked, not that he was expecting an answer from the sleeping girl. "You used to be so little… well," he paused and laughed, "you're still little."

He fell silent then, merely sitting there and listening to her breathing once more. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he got up from his place on the floor. Once he had, he looked back down at her. Without saying a word, he turned and made his way over to her desk, sitting down in the chair. As he sat there, his gaze surveyed the things on it. It didn't take long before he found what he was looking for, and he tugged it over to him.

He opened the photo album and flipped through the pages without any rhyme or reason. It wasn't as filled out as the others she had. He should know. After all, he'd gone through them, too.

He wasn't too engrossed in what he was doing to miss the way she shifted in bed, and he figured his visiting time was over. He stood up, not bothering to put the photo album back in its proper place, and made his way to the window. Before climbing back through it, he spared the raven-haired girl one last glance.

"Dunno when, but see ya around."

He didn't bother to close the window as he left the same way he came.

000

She woke up in her bed, much to her surprise. Kagome sat up, covers falling into her lap. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she glanced around her room. Her attention caught on her open window, and she cocked her head to the side. After a few seconds, she shook her head, figuring someone must've opened it to let some fresh air in.

Kagome sat on the edge of her bed. She figured Sesshoumaru had left already, letting her get some much needed rest. She wasn't sure how long he'd been gone, but she didn't let the curiosity hold her focus for long. After all, it wasn't like she was limited on when she could see or speak to him anymore. If she really needed to, she could hunt him out at school, after all.

A soft sigh came from her as she stood up. "Maybe mama needs some help with dinner," she said quietly. She made her way to her door, only to pause when a book resting half-open on her desk stole her attention. Curiosity got the better of her when she recognized the book as one of her photo albums. "What's this doing open…?" she mused quietly to herself. She swapped focus and went over to her desk, sinking down in her chair as she looked over the page it was open to. Her eyes widened when she realized which photo album it was.

She had ended up ignoring the urge to toss it into storage the day that Inuyasha found it. She'd wanted to, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to do so. In the end, she ended up putting it back in the same place it'd always been, among the photo albums with her family and friends, as well as the one she had created for the feudal era. A somber expression fell to rest on her features as she rested a hand on the page it was open to.

There were only two photos were present on it.

The first was of her and her mother. As she looked at the photo of her, held in her mother's arms as she smiled made her realize just how much she looked like the older woman. With her hair white being white back then, she looked almost exactly like her. All except for the eyes. Her eyes were the same as her father's.

She'd been so young when that one was taken.

Her vision blurred and she tore her gaze away from the photo of them both smiling, letting her gaze swap to the other one. She recognized the faces in that one, too.

Her hair in that one had started to fade, the dark roots showing and the white looking faded in more and just a few places. It was longer than it was in the photo with her mother, this time reaching her shoulders. Both of them in this photo were asleep, the older boy in the photo holding her in an almost clinging grip to be sure she didn't move without him knowing.

This one had been taken after her rehoming. She could tell by the condition of her hair.

She smiled as she let her hand rest on the photo, fingers gently tracing over the picture behind the see-through barrier on the page. She loved all her siblings, but he'd been her favorite. She didn't really understand why herself, but her eldest sibling always had her favoritism. She'd seek him out before anyone else.

"... Toya."

He'd come to visit the shrine multiple times after she was given away, but, before long, his visits had ended. She didn't know why, but she could remember waiting day in and day out, wondering if he might come back to see her again. If she remembered correctly, the day this photo was taken- no doubt by Kun-Loon- was the last day she'd ever seen him.

She missed him.

As she sat there, merely staring in silence at the photo that held her attention, warm droplets began to drip down her cheeks. They fell without end as she downcast her gaze to her lap, her free hand tightening into a taut fist.

The reason why she couldn't bring herself to discard this one wasn't lost on her, even if she never said it out loud. Tears continued to rain down her face, and she bit her lower lip to keep the sobs she felt dying to be freed at bay.

She lost track of time sitting there, and she wasn't sure how long it'd been before she heard a knock on her closed door. A few seconds later, the door opened.

"Kagome-chan…?"

Her mother's quiet voice broke through her sniffles, and Kagome didn't say a word as she was pulled into a gentle hug. Her weight leaned into the older woman, and she felt soothed.

"What were you doing looking at this old thing again?" Kun-Loon asked softly, pushing the album shut and putting it back in its usual place. Kagome shook her head.

"I-It was open on my desk and I just got caught up in it," she responded, her tone soft. "I'm not sure who left it there…"

Kun-Loon offered her a small smile and pulled her up. "Well, Sesshoumaru-sama brought you up here after you two finished your training," she said. "Maybe he thumbed through it for a little bit?" she suggested. Kagome blinked, curious. That didn't seem like something the silver-haired demon would do, but he was also the most likely candidate for doing it.

Kun-Loon shook her head and tugged her along behind her. "Come on, why don't you help me cook dinner?" she asked. "Souta ran to the store for me, and he should be back soon. Eira and Enya went with him, in case you were curious about where they are."

Kagome smiled and nodded, following along behind the older woman. It wasn't odd for them to tag along with Souta, after all. Especially if they knew she'd remain at the shrine.

She followed her mother to the kitchen, pushing back her somber emotions for the time being.

000

Later that night as she was getting ready for bed, Kagome was keen to notice the strange way Eira and Enya were acting. She sat at her desk, watching curiously as they sniffed around her room. It was almost as if they were searching for something.

She sighed and rested her cheek in her palm. Her senses were still exhausted from the day she'd had at school and then her late afternoon sparring session with Sesshoumaru. She was blind to whatever they seemed to have picked up on. After a good night's rest, she'd be back to her normal self, but, by then, whatever residue that was left behind wouldn't be there any longer. She sighed and shrugged, brushing it off and pinning their behavior on picking up the scent of something on the wind. She shut her window not that long ago, after all.

"Alright, that's enough," she said with a smile on her face. On cue, each of them perked their heads up and looked at her. She stood up and walked to turn her light off. "It's time to get some sleep."

They listened easily enough and bounded up to their usual spots in the bed as she went to lay down. They each curled up on either side of her head as they went to sleep. She gazed up at the ceiling, her thoughts muddled. A second later, she sighed and let her eyes close.

Before long, it'd be inevitable. This was the path she'd chosen, and, when she'd first done it, she never imagined it'd bring her back. She didn't regret her choices. On the contrary, she was glad for them because it brought her back to Shoto, but, in one way or another, she knew it'd also eventually bring her back to him.

There were a thousand things she wanted to say to that man, but her thoughts were so disorganized that she couldn't put them together coherently. They were all there, burning up inside her like a deadly fire.

She grabbed her blankets and pulled them up until they reached her nose.

The longer she could ignore and pretend she didn't know who he was to the outside world, the better.

She was woken up the following morning like normal. Her ringing alarm clock woke the two cats first, and they both pounced on her to finish the job of getting her up on time. With a soft groan, Kagome sat up and lifted a hand to brush her hair out of her face. She gently shooed Eira and Enya away and reached to silence the alarm.

"Okay, enough you two," she said, getting up and stretching. "I'm up. We'll be on our way soon…"

She opened her door and let them run out of her room before she shut it once again and went to get dressed. Once she was ready she left her room just like they had. She made her way down the stairs, and a smile appeared on her face when she caught sight of the familiar auburn-haired kitsune already there, waiting for her. Eira and Enya were on his shoulders, and he perked up and turned when she made her appearance.

"Are you ready to go, mother?"

Kagome smiled and nodded. The two cats returned to her side and bounded up onto her shoulders, burrowing into her hair as they got situated. "Yup!" she exclaimed. Shippo came over to her and linked arms with her before tugging her along.

"Let's go!"

000

As they made their way to the school building, a figure dashing over to them caused them to slow their pace, pausing to let the girl catch up.

"Hey, you two!" Uraraka exclaimed as she rushed over to where the two had come to a halt. She caught up easy, panting a bit as she caught her breath. She stood up at her full height, beaming at both of them. "Wow, you two really don't get too far away from each other, huh?" she asked with a laugh when she noticed their linked arms.

Kagome couldn't help but nod. Shippo beamed back at her in response. His attitude to her was a complete one-eighty compared to how he treated guys who got close to her. "We're practically family," Kagome said.

"Wow!" Uraraka exclaimed. "It's so lucky that you two ended up in the same class and everything then!"

The three of them continued on their way into the school. As they did, Eira poked out from her hair and mewed in greeting to the brunette girl. Her eyes lit up and she reached a hand out, scratching gently behind the ice cat's ears. Eira stretched before jumping into the arms of Uraraka, who was walking on the same side she sat on. She curled up once again, content as Uraraka cooed over her.

Auroua-chan: I contemplated having this be a part of the last chapter, but I eventually decided against it. I don't know if I've said it yet, but any ooc-ness is intended most of the time.

So, after taking some time to think about it, I'm going to do a poll for Kagome's pairing (but there will still be minor side shipping throughout.) Not sure how long I'll leave it open, but it'll be running at the end of the chapters for now. The only ones that are for sure out of the question are Shoto/Dabi because I'm not into that. I do have my own preferences and choices I like for the pairing, but those are many and I'm not decided on it yet.

This chapter marks the start of the poll, however, so send in your choices and I'll have a more organized list, along with all the stuff that goes with it, in the next update.

Anyway, moving on-

I've been waiting to reach this point. It's pretty obvious who came to visit Kagome when she was asleep. Dabi cares about her a lot.

Kagome's first version hero costume will appear in the next chapter. I'm really happy with my final decision on it. It'll probably change a little bit as the story progresses.

Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed! Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.

Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~