Summary: Kagome and Satoru had always been close, but the presence of the jewel formed a wedge between the pair. It doesn't bother him. After all, as her big brother, Satoru knows he's her favorite. Or, that's what he always assumed. When the spot seems to be at risk of being claimed by another, it strikes a nerve. Who said another could steal her heart from him? It's not fair.

Pairing: Satoru/Kagome

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

Chapter Two

For as long as she could recall, people looked at her differently. When she was younger, she never really understood why. She certainly was never told the reason behind it, but she was aware enough to know there was something that caused those reactions.

She did as her mother suggested, and did her best not to let it bother her or affect her life. Still, in her young mind, it did cause a despairing weight to sweep through her heart.

It wasn't until she was fifteen that she realized the reason behind it.

While she might've been unaware of the jewel from a young age, they certainly were not. It was something they paid such close attention to which resulted in her existence becoming much harder the older she got.

Thinking back, she knew the jewel was the only reason she ever really met Satoru. At the very least, she had it to thank for that.

"I'm home," Kagome called as she walked through the front door of the shrine. It didn't take her long to find her mother. She was seated in the kitchen, across from a white-haired teenager. It was someone she'd never seen before, but her mother didn't seem to be necessarily upset by his presence.

"Oh, Kagome, there you are," Kun-Loon said upon spotting her. "There's someone you need to meet."

Kagome glanced from her mother's face to the stranger. He rested his chin in his palm, a smile on his face. Blue eyes observed her from behind the dark sunglasses he wore. Despite his unfamiliarity, she did as her mother requested. She walked more into the room.

She sat down alongside her mother, opposite of him.

"This is Gojo Satoru," her mother said, motioning to him as she said his name. Kagome found her attention straying back to him. "He'll be coming around frequently."

Kagome looked back at her mother in confusion. "How come?"

Her question didn't receive an answer. Her mother smiled, but she didn't offer her any actual response. Kagome looked back at him, a frown on her face.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" she asked in a flat tone. To her surprise, he didn't try to dissuade her curiosity like the others who came to check in on her did.

"My, you're perceptive, aren't you?" Satoru responded. "You don't see too many kids like that."

Kagome's frown deepened. His response confirmed her suspicions better than anything else.

"I guess you could say that, but I'm not here to do any of their dirty work," he remarked. "Don't think of it like that," he continued. "I'm more of a good-natured big brother, don't you think?"

Kagome arched a brow. What was more odd, was that he seemed serious as he said that.

Still…-

Kagome glanced at her mother. Unlike the serious expression she usually had any any of them showed up, she was smiling currently. If her mother wasn't bothered by it, then she knew she didn't have any cause for worry, either.

He became someone she saw a lot of. She got used to his presence quickly, which led to her becoming attached to him. He never seemed to mind, at least.

Kagome looked around the new room that would be her own. It was close to Satoru's, but…-

A hand landing on the small of her back caused her to resurface from her thoughts. The weight of it was comforting, and she sighed softly.

"What's on your mind?" Satoru asked once he knew he had her attention. Kagome glanced up at him, shaking her head faintly.

"Nothing," she said, a small smile on her face. "Just wondering how long it'll take for me to get used to being here, is all."

"You'll adapt to it quickly," he stated. He sounded so sure as he said those words. She didn't think he doubted his beliefs at all. "And, anyway, if you're ever bothered, you can always come curl up with me," he remarked in a teasing tone.

At the comment, Kagome felt her face heat. A faint pink hue stained her cheeks as she looked away from him. "I…- I have no idea what you're talking about," Kagome stated.

Her tone made him laugh. She turned to walk away from him, but she didn't make it far before he took her by her wrist. A startled yelp came from her as he easily twisted her around, pushing her to the bed. She lost her footing, and she fell to land on her back on the bed. She couldn't get up before his hand landed by her head.

When she opened her eyes, her gaze was held captive by his own. He leaned over her on the bed, his knee supporting his weight by her legs while his hand pressed into the bed by her head.

The abrupt shift made her face heat up even more, but he seemed unfazed.

"Is that so?" he challenged. "If I remember correctly, you're the one who refused to let go of me this morning," he remarked in a light, teasing tone. At the reminder, her face took on the shade of a ripe strawberry.

"C'mon, Mochi, you gotta get up now," Satoru remarked. His words carried no real weight. He could say it all he wanted, but the words wouldn't be genuine. Not when she had her arms curled around him, her face hidden against her chest as she let out a low mumble.

"... don't wanna…"

She was still half-asleep, entirely unaware of how she had turned to face him throughout the night.

Despite how he truly didn't want to make this moment end, it was already after the time they needed to be up.

She nuzzled against his chest, a soft sigh coming from her. Satoru set his hand on the back of her head, gently combing through her hair. He brushed the few strands that had fallen over her face back and out of the way. After a minute, he chuckled. Even though she wasn't fully aware of what she was doing in her sleeping state, he wouldn't overlook it.

"Ah, fine, fine," he conceded. "If it makes you happy, then five more minutes."

Five more minutes wouldn't hurt anything, after all.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," she managed to say in response. It was a lie, however, and both of them caught that the moment those words left her mouth. A few seconds passed before she looked away from him. "... okay never mind, that's a lie."

Her flat tone made him laugh. He sat up, giving her space to do the same. She pushed herself back up, sitting down on the bed properly with a sigh. As she did, her prior thoughts returned. She thought of her mother, a complicated light flashing through her eyes. Her shift was noticed by Satoru, who looked at her curiously.

"What's bothering you?"

Kagome sighed and picked her head up to look at him again. "I wonder how Mama is," she remarked. The comment sparked his curiosity. Kagome smiled wryly, shrugging her shoulders when she felt him looking her way. "I was just thinking…-" She paused, a frown replacing her smile. "I told her that I wasn't coming back, and I haven't had the chance to see her with all the new changes."

As if expecting her worries, he smiled and held a finger up to shush her.

"Don't worry about it," he stated. "She knows that you're here and doing well," he assured.

"Did you tell her?" Kagome asked. He nodded, and a soft sigh of relief came from her. "Do you think I could go see her soon?" she asked.

"I don't see why you wouldn't," he responded. "We can make the time and go together if you want some company."

Kagome sent him a grateful smile, nodding. "I'd love it if you came with me," she said. "I feel better about going with you, instead of going on my own."

Satoru smiled. "It's settled then," he stated. "Together, you and I will go whenever you're ready to go back."

Kagome nodded, standing from the bed with a chipper smile on her face. "Okay!"

"But for now, we've got more pressing concerns to deal with," he said. Kagome looked up at him, understanding what he meant without him having to say it. He smiled and looked at her. "Are you ready to meet your new students?"

Kagome nodded, though a faint gleam of hesitation flashed through her eyes. It felt sudden. Everything had escalated so quickly, and it felt like she hadn't had a lot of time to process these changes. She knew she wouldn't be asked to do it if she couldn't handle it, but she only wished she had a bit more time to better prepare herself.

"I suppose I am," she said after a few seconds. Satoru smiled, reaching to comb his fingers through her long hair. As he tucked a lock back behind her ear, he gently coaxed her closer to him. She followed automatically.

"You're worrying for no reason," he remarked. "I won't make you do anything you're not capable of, you know."

Kagome nodded, a faint smile coming to rest on her face. "I know you won't," she responded softly. "It's just really sudden you know?" she said then. He nodded, seeming to understand the point she had tried to make.

"Even so," he remarked, "you'll be a natural."

Kagome sighed, her smile still resting on her face at his response.

"Trust yourself like I trust you," he said then with a laugh.

It wasn't much later when she found herself standing beside him in front of a group of three students. She wasn't surprised to see the small number. After all, these groups were vastly different from a normal high school classroom.

"All right everyone!" he exclaimed to the room of three students. Kagome glanced at him from the corner of her eye. They, at least, seemed used to his attitude. "This is Kagome, my little sister. She's here to be my assistant teacher to you three."

Kagome couldn't help but smile upon hearing him introduce her that way. Even though they weren't bound by blood, he still referred to himself as her big brother to people she was newly meeting. Still, despite how it technically wasn't the truth, she didn't say anything that would disprove what he claimed. She smiled and waved.

"It's nice to meet you three," she stated. "Sorry for coming in late."

Standing there… she could tell very easily which one was the one Satoru had told her about- the one dealing with a very unfortunate situation with the cursed item. She could feel it, even from where she stood.

Unpleasant.

That's what it was.

In a way, it reminded her vaguely of the jewel's own presence. It was a reminder that felt unwelcome to her.

Auroua-chan: Shorter than the last chapter, but this felt like a nice stopping point.

So a few things were revealed during this chapter. Mostly how Kagome and Satoru. She was around 10, and he was 19 when they met, btw. They aren't related in any way, but their bond definitely started as siblings. As she got older, the way he viewed her changed.

The next chapter will have Kagome with the three students.

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.

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

Bye for now~