Summary: As Sailor Sun, Kagome is unwilling to accept her role. From fighting demons to taking on this new mantle, it seemed that a normal life had been entirely etched out of her cards. Luminescent and bright, she shines just like the sun. Through her sorrow, she failed to realize just how much the solar system relied on the sun.

Pairing: Haruka/Kagome

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

Chapter Three

Kagome gently shut her door behind her once she stepped into her bedroom. Upon hearing the sound, the white cat curled up on her bed sat up and stretched, casting a glance at her as she set her things down in their places. After she'd done so, she changed out of her school uniform, setting the shirt aside so she could mend it later.

At the sight of the blood on her arm, Artemis perked up a bit more and moved over to her. He sat on the desk, tail flicking some.

"What happened, Kagome?"

Silence answered him initially as she shook her head, sitting down at the desk and gently dabbing the dried blood off her skin. Once it'd been cleaned, she healed the cut the rest of the way- nothing but a barely-there scar left as proof. Artemis looked from her and towards her things. Upon spotting the number on the paper, he pawed at it.

"And what's this?"

Kagome glanced back at the paper and reached for it, carefully tugging it out of his reach and dropping it in the top drawer of her desk. "It's nothing, leave it alone," she said. Upon realizing she'd given some sort of response, Artemis saw it as his chance.

"Did you run into trouble today?" he asked. Kagome absentmindedly trailed her fingers along the place where the cut had once been.

"It's nothing I'm not familiar with," she remarked. "Just a demon causing trouble."

Artemis nodded. "I'm relieved," he said with a soft sigh. "I'm glad it wasn't anything worse…"

Kagome nodded, lowering her hand and returning her attention back to the cat seated in front of her on the desk. "... I met her, by the way," she stated. When a flicker of confusion showed on his face, she continued. "Usagi. Sailor Moon, or whatever she's called."

"That was quicker than I thought it would be!" Artemis exclaimed. "Then again, this is you we're talking about here," he continued, a note of pride in his voice. "You're a natural, you know."

"Yeah, right," she murmured in an absent voice. Artemis looked at her expectantly.

"Well, what do you think of her?" he asked. "How did things go when you told her?"

"She's rather… childish," Kagome mused in a thoughtful tone. "Not that that's a bad thing in my eyes," she amended a second later. She thought back to her initial run-in with the blonde girl, thinking closely about how the entire interaction had left her feeling. "Strange as it may seem, she felt almost like a little sister in a way."

Artemis smiled. "That's not so strange to hear," he remarked. "The sun is the big sister of the solar system who shines her light upon them," he stated. Kagome glanced at him, resurfacing from her inner musings. "And, well, let's just say you're not exactly known for hiding that nurturing side you have."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome asked. Artemis flinched when he accounted for what he said. He looked at her face, fur standing on edge some.

"J-Just that you're very… um… nurturing," he said. "You're also an open book when it comes to your emotions…"

Kagome pursed her lips in a mild pout. A part of her wanted to deny his last claim, but she knew she'd be fighting a losing battle either way. Artemis noticed, and he smiled softly.

"See?" he mused to himself as he looked her over. "Anyway, how did it go?" he asked. "You talked to her about being Sailor Sun, right?"

Kagome looked at him. The silence around them dragged on for a few more seconds before she looked away, folding her arms across her chest. "I didn't tell her or even bring it up," she stated. For a moment, Artemis was stunned, only to heave an exasperated sigh after a few seconds.

"You're not kidding, are you?" he asked weakly. Kagome promptly shook her head. A second later she stood up, turning on her heel. She flicked her hair back over her shoulder as she grabbed her shirt so she could mend the tear. She walked out of her room, carrying the shirt tucked over her shoulder. She rummaged around in the bathroom until she found the sewing kit she'd stored there.

"How am I supposed to just casually mention something like that in the middle of a school hallway?" Kagome asked in a flat tone as she returned to her room. She returned to her prior seat in her chair, unclasping the lid on the kit and threading a needle with white thread. Artemis' silence for the several seconds that followed that question served to prove her point. "I can't."

Not to mention that she didn't want to.

"There has to be a more casual way to do it," she continued. Artemis noted that she didn't seem happy with that idea, either.

Artemis took a few steps so he was right beside her. He knew she still had her reservations about all this, even if she'd become the slightest bit more receptive to it all. He was trying to be patient and offer her the time she seemed to need so badly in order to adjust, but at the same time…-

"It's important to not take too long on this part, Kagome," he stated. "The others… they need you," he continued. He noticed the way her hand froze mid-stitch. A complicated expression lingered on her face. "With the others, you can learn to adjust to all this a lot easier too," he stated. "After all, you're all in the same boat. It will be easier if you have others with you who are going through the same thing."

Kagome didn't say anything at first as she resumed her task of sewing. Her expression faded back to its usual mask, but he could still see the faint glimmer reflecting in her bright blue eyes.

"It's okay to have doubts about things," he reassured. "That's why I'm here. To offer you guidance and support through this challenging adjustment."

Kagome glanced down at her sewing, idly checking to make sure it looked good before continuing. "Artemis…-" she started, only to fall silent as she sighed. "It's not that I have doubts," she murmured. "I just… I wish things didn't have to be this way," she stated. Artemis nodded in understanding.

"I know," he said. "Just think of it in this light," he continued. "You are the most familiar with these types of things out of the others. They need you, just as much as you need them."

Kagome didn't offer a response as she went back to mending her shirt. Artemis merely took the whole conversation as a sign she was warming up to the idea, and that was all he could even begin to ask for.

"Kagome, hey, Kagome!"

Upon hearing her name called, the raven-haired girl came to a halt. She glanced over her shoulder, blue eyes catching a pair similar to her own. This time, however, she noticed that there were two others with her. Before long, the distance between her and them had been closed, with Usagi quickly snagging hold of her arm with a beaming smile on her face.

"Man am I glad I caught you before you left!" Usagi exclaimed. When she noticed the faint look of confusion on Kagome's face, she glanced where she was looking. "Oh! Meet Ami and Makoto," she said, pointing each one out.

Kagome noticed something particular about their auras, as well. More specifically, they, too, were some sort of guardians much like Usagi was. She wasn't as surprised as she might've been due to Artemis' prior comments to her.

After a few seconds, Kagome shook her head to pull herself from her thoughts, a faint smile settling on her face as she acknowledged the two. "It's nice to meet you," she said. She then sent Usagi a curious look. "Is something going on?" she asked after a brief pause. Usagi promptly shook her head.

"Nope, nothing's wrong!" she said. "I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out with us now that school's out," she said. "You're a third year, so we don't get to see each other much."

Kagome was startled initially by the offer, but her surprise soon faded back to a gentle smile. Despite her initial idea of rejecting the offer, she ended up agreeing to it.

"Sure," she said after a moment's thought. "That'd be fun."

000

"So you're really a model?" Makoto asked as they walked down the sidewalk. "Like full glitz and glam?"

Kagome nodded. "Well, only occasionally in my free time," she responded. "A few of my brother's associates needed someone, and they chose me," she explained.

"That seems like it takes up so much time," Ami chimed in. "How do you manage to balance your studies and everything else with it?"

Kagome's smile turned faint as she rubbed the back of her head. "I guess it's just easy for me to find the time and balance everything," she said. After all, after actively balancing school and fighting demons five hundred years in the past, she was bound to have some sort of knack for it. "It's only really in my free time, anyway. If I can't make it work, I turn it down."

"Are you aiming for a modeling career?" Makoto asked. Kagome immediately shook her head.

"No," she stated in an already decided tone. "It's just a hobby," she responded. "I'm… not sure what type of career I want, but I know it's not that."

"Huh? Really?" Usagi asked. "I'd totally wanna do it!" she exclaimed. "You'd be famous and every boy would think you're pretty! What's not to love?" she exclaimed with a giddy laugh.

"I guess those types of things just don't appeal to me," Kagome remarked with a faint smile. That comment caught the attention of Usagi.

"What sort of things do appeal to you, Kagome?" Usagi asked. The question took the older girl by surprise when she first heard it, and she had to take a moment to think about it.

"I'm… not sure, actually," she finally responded. "I don't think I've actually ever put any serious thought into it," she explained. "I don't know the things that do, just what doesn't feel right in my heart," she added, gently placing a hand over her chest- over her heart.

"That's okay," Makoto stated, patting her shoulder gently. "Now that I think about it, I don't really know the answer to a question like that either when it comes to careers and stuff," she commented. "We're still young, after all. Do we really need to know all that stuff?"

Kagome silently shook her head, a faint smile present on her face. "No," she responded. "I'm sure we'll figure it out one day."

"But not today!" Usagi chimed in. "C'mon, let's go to the arcade!"

Auroua-chan: Gonna end this one here.

So! Kagome's met Ami and Makoto. We also saw Artemis again. He's still with Kagome. It seems their bond is getting a bit better. It's taking a bit of time, but she's coming around to the idea of all this.

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

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

Bye for now~