Summary: During her final year in middle school, Kagome's presence was nonexistent. It'd been months since Kirishima saw her last. Even so, it was obvious she had changed. She's become so accustomed to being seen as something else, so when he sees her as herself, she's surprised. After all she's become to protect her burden, she knows she can't let it break, but…- It's so nice to dream.

Pairing: Kirishima/Kagome

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

Note:
Flashbacks are written in bulk Italics.


Prologue


Today marked the sixth week in a row where her seat in class was empty. The questions and concerns for her from everyone else seemed to have gone silent, but he couldn't help but gaze at it every once in a while out of habit. It was somehow a bit dimmer in the room without her, it felt.

Once class was over, he'd collected his things quickly. Walking down the hall, he soon caught sight of the people he was searching for, and he flagged them down. The group of girls paused, waiting for him to catch up to them.

"Everything okay?" Yuka, the girl in the middle of the trio asked.

"I…- Yeah," Kirishima said. His grip on the strap of his bag tightened a small bit. "I was just wondering if any of you have heard from Kagome yet," he said. "Or anything about her, really."

The girls shared a look. Though they hadn't said anything yet, that look gave him the response he needed.

"No, sorry Eijiro," Ayumi was the one to speak up. "The last time we asked, her mom said she's still out of the country for medical treatment."

"Right," Eri nodded. "She said she'd let us know when she knew anything she could share, but it's been almost two weeks now."

"She's never been gone for this long," he said. They nodded, seeming to share the concern he felt. "It's not like her."

"The only thing we can do right now is just wait for her to come back," Yuka said. "We've been collecting her work for her to give to her mom." It seemed like that was the only thing they could do at the moment.

He nodded, his shoulder slumping slightly. "Right…" he sighed.

"If we hear from her, we'll let her know you've been worried," Yuka said with a coy giggle. A faint flush of red was swift to dust over his cheeks at her knowing tone.

"I...- yeah, thanks," he responded.

"Maybe you can tell her how you feel when she comes back!" Ayumi squealed happily, clasping her hands together in excitement. "I bet it'd cheer her up a lot, too!"

The comment made the red a bit more prominent on his face. "It's not like that…-" he said in an attempt to push that thought away. It didn't work like he wanted it to.

"Oh come on," Eri remarked, setting her hands on her hips. "Kagome might be utterly oblivious, but we aren't."

"Anyway," Yuka sighed. "She needs to find someone other than that no-good, two-timing jerk she's hung up on all the time," she huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

The remark took him by surprise, not that he voiced any of it. After a few seconds, he found his voice. "He what?"

The three nodded in confirmation.

"She tells us all about it," Ayumi said. "He keeps hurting her but she doesn't let go," she sighed, looking down at her feet. "We tell her she can do better, but she always gets annoyed with us after that."

"You're telling me," Yuka stated. "I don't see what she sees in that delinquent."

He was quiet for a few minutes, the words engraving themselves in his brain.


Looking into the mirror in front of her, she couldn't help but notice the changes visible on the surface of her body. The normal changes dealt out by time were there, obviously, but there were other factors at play now, as well.

Her eyes were no longer the same blue as they had been once upon a time. A glimmer of them remained in her primarily golden irises. A fleeting ember of her old self still shining through despite how different she'd become. On each cheek, there was a single soft pink stripe accenting her cheekbones. Her cuspid teeth had grown sharper, taking on a noticeable gleaming point to them. Looking down at her hands, the distinct lengthened, sharpened points of her nails caught her eye.

She was silent as she slowly lifted a hand up to tangle in her shirt- the uniform for the school she'd be attending now. Beneath it, she felt the familiar round shape of the Shikon no Tama. An unreadable light lingered in her eyes for only a few seconds before it was gone.

The room around her mirrored her silence. It wasn't disrupted or broken when a different figure stepped through the open door. They made no noise as they approached her, but she still knew they were there. Not just her either. The silver-haired demon was just as aware that there was no sneaking up on her whether he meant to or not. She knew he was there, just as she knew exactly who it was without ever having to pick her gaze up.

It wasn't long before a clawed hand landed on the top of her head. The touch was gentle, even as it moved to thread through her raven hair. Her hair had grown so long. It now reached the back of her knees when left free. His touch was careful, avoiding snagging on any tangles and loosening them with ease.

When she finally looked up, a pair of molten gold eyes gazed down at her. They were like ice, yet she no longer froze beneath them.

"Are you prepared to leave?" His stoic, smooth voice reached her ears. Though it held no inflection whatsoever, it was still soothing to hear. In response to the question, she took a few seconds to look herself over one last time. Once satisfied with her appearance- well, as satisfied as she'd be- she nodded.

"Yeah," she mused softly. "I think so, Aniki." Kagome rose from her seat as those words left her mouth. She smoothed her skirt down to make sure everything was in place. She grabbed her school blazer from the back of her chair and put it on, buttoning it up most of the way before reaching for her bag. Once she had all she would need, she moved to follow after Sesshoumaru once he'd turned to leave.


She was well aware of how she looked at first glance by others.

Cold. Distant. Uninterested.

They were all stark contrasts to the way she used to present herself. After everything she'd endured, it just seemed like the best route to go. Falling under Sesshoumaru's tutelage only made it seem more natural to her. The old her… She wasn't sure if that part of her remained within her anymore. Frankly, maybe that was for the better.

It saved a lot of pain. Not only for herself, but for others as well. If they didn't get close, then no one would have to suffer through the burden she carried. It sounded selfish when she thought about it that way, but she always was able to rationalize it to herself. There would be no root cause of suffering for anyone this way, at least. It made her feel a bit better to think of it like this, at least.

She found her class easily. Walking in, she didn't expect to see anyone she knew. There were some she recognized from the Recommendation Exam for U.A., but for the most part, the room was full of unfamiliar faces. Though, as she walked to an empty seat, a familiar aura brushed along her senses. She almost slowed to a halt before she caught herself.

She ignored the familiar pull and took her seat. Only then did she allow herself to search for the familiar aura brushing along her senses. When she looked, her gaze landed on a boy with spiky, red hair. It didn't come to her until she fully saw his face. A face from her middle school days lingered in the back of her mind. When he looked her way, she quickly shifted her attention elsewhere.

She'd never gone back to that school due to the responsibility thrust upon her shoulders. She hadn't wanted to, but she ended up icing out her friends from then. Sesshoumaru had advised her that it would be for the best at that time if she distanced herself from them. For them, at least. It was a sacrifice she'd regretfully made for their sake and left following the sealing of the well.

She knew she looked different, and she didn't expect him to recognize her. It seemed to work, considering he never said anything. She had no one to blame but herself for it, but she couldn't shake the faint stab of pain in her chest when he didn't seem to even realize it was her.

Her hand went up to absentmindedly press against the jewel beneath her shirt.

"Oh, hey! I know you!"

A bubbly voice beside her caught her attention. She'd only just come into the room, and she'd come directly to her side. When Kagome looked up, her eyes landed on another familiar figure.

"Oh…" Kagome trailed off, sitting up slightly. A girl with pink skin and pink hair quickly claimed the empty seat beside her. Golden eyes from within black sclerae gazed at her. "Mina."

The other girl grinned and rested her chin on her palm. "Man, I barely recognized you, you know," Mina said. "It feels like forever since I last saw you. You just… up and left, you know?"

Kagome nodded, glancing down at her lap. The words, while not meant to be mean, made a fragment of guilt burrow into her chest. "Yeah," she eventually responded. "I suppose I did do that, didn't I?"

"I mean, I guess you can't really be blamed for it," she continued. "You look like you've gone through a lot…" she trailed off, a faint glimmer of concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Kagome nodded automatically, not taking the time to fully think about the question. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, letting a small smile grace her expression in order to brush off her concern. It seemed to do the trick, and Mina nodded.

"I can't believe we're in the same class now," she remarked. "It's gonna be a lot of fun!"

As she said those words, Kagome fell silent. She shifted her attention back to the door as a few more people trickled in. An uneasy feeling nested within her chest, and she put forth quite a bit of effort to prevent it from showing on her face.


Auroua-chan: Gonna wrap this one up here.

The jewel is still in Kagome's possession. Now that I mention her, it seems that she's had a few changes to her appearance. Not only that, but it seems she's got some sort of sibling relation to Sesshoumaru.
She got into U.A. through the recommendation entrance exam.
Her Quirk will be unique, paired with some other inhuman abilities due to her connection to Sesshoumaru. Also, Sesshoumaru will be one of the teachers at U.A.

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~