InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Paradox ❯ A New Future Unfolds ( Chapter 3 )

Author Notes: Wow! I just posted the first two chapters yesterday and already over a hundred readers and two reviewers! Thanks so much for reading and to the wonderful readers who have reviewed:

RedHerring: I'm sorry for shaking you up so much in the beginning, but I promise that things will get better. This definitely won't be a `Naraku-ruled world', so don't worry. The wish will be revealed in due course, so please be patient

Miss_Marilyn69: Many thanks for the rating *blushes* and hope you like what's coming up next.

Paradox

Chapter 3: A New Future Unfolds

Last Time:

Wide awake now, he shoved the sheets and blankets out of his way as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Padding across the thick, plush carpet lining the floor, he headed into the bathroom deciding that since he was up, he might as well take a shower and get ready. Turning on the knobs and adjusting the temperature, he considered an alternative plan to the one Sesshoumaru had discussed.

He'd call Sango and Miroku's place when he was finished to see if they wanted to go out for breakfast and then the three of them could meander over to the shrine and check things out. Since it was Sunday, it really didn't matter what time they got there as the shrines were usually open most of the day and they could drop by anytime, so long as there was sufficient light to see by. Satisfied with this new course of action, he shucked off the silk boxers he had slept in and stepped into the welcoming warm spray.

++++

A sliver of sunlight had managed to sneak between the curtains and was currently shining right in his eyes. Rolling over onto his back, the young man muttered a soft curse as his muscles complained about the movement. Last night had not been a good night and he wasn't too sure that today was shaping up to be any better. Sleep. That's what he wanted more than anything at the moment, but damn it, his body was refusing to cooperate.

It had been the crack of dawn when he had finally made it back to his apartment. After several days of going night and day without rest, the sight of his king-sized bed piled high with numerous fluffy pillows had been the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Yanking off his clothes as he trudged lead-footed over the carpet, he had collapsed with a moan and a sigh into the bed's welcoming embrace.

That was about an hour ago and he had been laying here wide awake ever since.

Dragging open bloodshot, turquoise eyes, Shippo looked with disgust at the clock by the bed which told him it was almost seven. He didn't have to be anywhere today until late afternoon and sleep was definitely his number one priority; yet, his tired body refused to grant him that small request. Snatching his cell phone from the bedside table, he figured he might as well see how the latest rumor panned out and swiftly dialed Miroku's number, patiently waiting for the monk to pick up.

The phone rang a long time before an angry voice finally answered, "What?!?"

Shippo pulled his phone away from his ear as the shouting continued, "Shippo, is that you? What the heck are you doing call at this hour?"

Sango's voice filtered through from the other side and from the sound of it, she wasn't entirely happy that he had called. "Um, I'm sorry to wake you, Sango. Is Miroku there?"

"You didn't wake me…it's, um…right, yeah, he's here…"

There was a flurry of shuffling noises and he could hear frantic whispering and some cursing in the background. Miroku's voice soon came on and with what sounded like forced cheeriness, he asked, "What's up, Shippo?"

"Sorry to bother you guys, I didn't think that you would still be sleeping."

"Not to worry, I was just a bit tied up with something…." Shippo thought he heard Sango growl a warning at the monk to be quiet, but he couldn't be sure.

"Oh, well, we got another lead this morning and Sesshoumaru wants it checked out pretty fast."

"Yeah, he filled me in on the details earlier. We're going over this afternoon to scope the place out." A small beep could be heard and Miroku said, "Hang on a second, I've got another call."

The line went silent for a few moments and when Miroku came back on he said, "That was Inuyasha. Seems like there's been a change of plans. Were going to the shrine right after breakfast."

Shippo's ears perked up at that news. Inuyasha never did like to follow Sesshoumaru's orders so it really didn't come as any surprise that the hanyou had changed things to suit himself. Plus, the lead was really quite good this time which would explain why Inuyasha was eager to check it out. Since sleep was being so elusive, he might as well join the fun. "Hey, can I tag along?"

"Sure, the more the merrier," Miroku agreed.

"Great, where are we meeting?" Once he got the details, Shippo closed the line and jumped out of bed, feeling suddenly energetic.

++++

Kagome desperately tried to shut out the sound of her mother's voice as she called to her from downstairs. She was warm and cozy in her bed and with it being Sunday, the one day during the week when she could sleep in, she was reluctant to get up. However, her family was conspiring against her as she heard a knock on her door followed by Souta's voice, "Grandpa's rheumatism is acting up, so Mom wants us to help out in the shrine."

She answered with a halfhearted `okay' before flopping over onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. The grayish light filtering through her blinds told her that it must be just past dawn at which Kagome let out a moan of frustration. She couldn't for the life of her understand why her mother insisted that they get up this early when the shrine didn't open until after ten. Sure, they needed to sweep the courtyard and dust the shelves a bit in the souvenir shop, but that rarely took more than an hour. What could they possibly need to do over the next four hours?

Another sharp call of her name filtering up the stairs prompted Kagome to fling her covers back and get up before her mother came to check on her. Walking over to her closet, she selected a pair of black jeans and a soft gray t-shirt to wear, gathered up her towel and shampoo, and headed for the bathroom. The shower did wonders for improving her mood and once she had toweled off, she slipped into her jeans and shirt along with a pair of black running shoes. Whisking her waist length, black hair into a simple braid to hang down her back, she hurried downstairs before her mother pitched a fit about her taking too long.

She met Souta in the kitchen where he was polishing off the remains of a rather large breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage and toast. Her eyes had nearly popped out of her head the first time she had seen her little brother eat so much food, but then she reasoned that he was a growing boy and probably needed all of that extra energy. Buttering herself a piece of toast and sipping from a glass of orange juice, she had just finished her last bite of egg when their mother poked her head in the back door.

"Would you two hurry up? The courtyard is a mess from all that wind we had last night."

Answering `hai' in unison, they slipped out the back door and were handed brooms and a rake along with instructions for clearing the courtyard. Small branches, twigs and leaves were scattered all over the place and it looked eerily like the aftermath of a battle. Souta wielded the rake and cleared away most of the larger debris while Kagome swept away the leaves and twigs that remained. It took them a good three hours to finish and by the time they were done, both of them were sweaty and covered in dirt.

They were storing their equipment back in the utility shed when Kagome began to feel an odd tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach. She recognized it as the feeling she would get whenever there was a youkai nearby. In fact, the strength of the tingling was steadily increasing and she could swear that there was more than one. Gripping the edge of the doorway, she bent over slightly as she began to feel ill from the effects of the jaki. Whatever it was, the creature was immensely powerful and she wasn't sure that she had the ability to deal with it.

++++

"Oi, what's the brat doing here?" Jerking his thumb in the general direction of the person he was referring to, Inuyasha fixed Miroku with a glare.

Annoyed by the hanyou's attitude, Shippo snapped, "Hey, I was the one who sourced this lead, so I have just as much right to be here as anyone."

Raising his hands for patience, Miroku quipped, "All right, children, let's not fight. We're all a little anxious about finding Kagome, so rather than arguing needlessly; let's just try to get along."

Both the hanyou and the kitsune turned to look at the monk with comical expressions of disbelief on their faces. Sango arched a brow at Miroku's tone, wondering if he had some sort of death wish to sound so condescending. If he were lucky, Shippo would probably brush off the teasing insult, but Inuyasha wouldn't be as forgiving.

Neither of the demons were someone to mess with. Inuyasha had consistently increased his fighting prowess over the centuries and in a sparing match, he was on equal par with Sesshoumaru. The kitsune wasn't to be easily dismissed either. Age and height had combined to hone the frightened kit into a powerful, agile warrior who had held his own against Kouga on more than one occasion, though he hadn't beat the wolf demon, yet. While a couple of inches shorter than Inuyasha, Shippo lacked for nothing in terms of strength and skill.

"What the fuck are you going on about, Miroku? I'd wipe the floor with that kit's tail." Cracking his knuckles, Inuyasha smirked at the pleasant idea of teaching the obnoxious fox demon a lesson.

Hearing more than enough, Sango interjected, "Look, let's drop the macho posturing as we have more important matters at hand." Pausing to make sure the three had given her their full attention, she continued, "The shrines around here open soon and I figure if we hurry, we can be in and out before it gets too crowded."

Wisely deciding to back up his wife, Miroku nodded being of a similar mind. He had plans for his afternoon that didn't involve hanging around a shrine listening to Inuyasha and Shippo argue, so, the sooner they got this over with the better. "Right, it's almost ten now, so we can wait at the bottom of the steps and blend in with the first wave of visitors."

Inuyasha relaxed his stance slightly, silently acknowledging that the monk had a point. Muttering a `keh' which essentially meant that he agreed, he smoothed his long, red leather coat, rolling his shoulders a little to release the tension that had been building there in preparation of his first strike. The kitsune could be damned annoying with his incessant chattering, but he might be useful to have along if there turned out to be trouble.

As if answering that thought, suddenly, Inuyasha froze, scenting the air around him with a wary look. Shippo also sniffed, his eyes widening as he detected the roiling jaki permeating the early morning air. Reaching behind his back, Inuyasha felt for the hilt of Tetsuseiga beneath his hair, his golden eyes flashing dangerously. His tone ominously flat, he drawled, "I don't think that they're going to wait."

++++

Kagome clutched at her stomach as another wave of jaki rolled over her sending a spasm of pain shooting through her side. The pain brought her to her knees and her breath was coming in short, harsh gasps which were starting to make her lightheaded. Souta had latched onto her shoulder and was frantically shaking her, begging her to tell him what was wrong. Another stab of fire through her gut wrenched a moan from Kagome as the world around her began to spin crazily.

"Souta." She wheezed his name, her hand blindly fumbling for the front of his shirt. "Souta, do you see anything?"

Shocked by his sister suddenly collapsing in front of him, he worriedly cried, "See what?"

Lifting her head, she looked into his panicked brown gaze and struggled to speak, "Do you see any youkai? They're close, maybe half a kilometer, probably less."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Her brother looked ready to bolt and Kagome knew that if he did, she wouldn't be able to protect him. She tried concentrating on bringing her own terror under control for if she panicked, the youkai would have no trouble overpowering her. As long as she stayed focused, she could keep herself and her brother alive.

"Help me up."

Giving him her hands, she allowed him to pull her to her feet then had to lean heavily against his more solid frame when her knees tried to buckle beneath her. She felt him loop her arm around his shoulder and take the full force of her weight so that she was pretty much hanging off of him. Fortunately, he had taken her right arm and not her left for which she was eternally grateful as the area around her scar felt like it was on fire and the muscles underneath were knotting painfully.

Hobbling as best she could, Kagome let her brother lead her across the courtyard towards the house. The house would provide little shelter if the youkai attacked, but hopefully, she could get Souta inside where he would be afforded some safety while she dealt with the demons. How exactly she planned to fight a demon on her own, well, she would deal with that when the time came. First, she had to get Souta hidden, probably throw up her breakfast after that and then she needed to find some kind of weapon. The old storehouse opposite the souvenir shop was the best place to start looking. She just hoped that Grandpa had the good sense to keep something useful there besides his collection of `authentic' mummified demon remains.

The jaki grew stronger, making the air feel thick and hot, and breathing properly became more difficult. Damn, she was running out of time. It took far too long for them to reach the house since Kagome's legs were refusing to work and Souta ended up dragging her beside him most of the distance. Then her brother turned all stubborn on her when she urged him to go inside while she `took care of something'. "You can hardly stand up and you want me to leave you alone?"

It's kind of hard to argue with your little brother when he is currently the only thing that is keeping you from crumbling to the ground in a pain filled heap. Wearily looking up at him, she pleaded, "Souta, you have to trust me. Please, just go inside."

Grim determination had replaced the doe-eyed fear she had seen earlier and her brother looked like a completely different person as he shook his head negatively. "Forget it. Where do you want to go? I'll take you."

Kagome remained mute, not wanting to involve her innocent, little brother in something where their chances for survival were pretty slim. She would give anything for a bow right now, but at this point, she would settle for the rake over nothing. Mentally ticking off and dismissing several possible makeshift weapons, her brother's voice intruded on her thoughts and took her by surprise her when he said, "Look, Kagome, I know where your bow and arrows are, so just let me take you there, okay."

++++

The bastard had found Kagome before they could get to her.

Sesshoumaru scowled darkly at the computer screen in front of him. The email he had received a few moments ago tauntingly informed him that within the hour, the miko would be dead along with any chance they might have had of recovering the Shikon no Tama. Flicking open his phone, he speed dialed Inuyasha's cell and was pleased to hear his brother pick up after the first ring. "What now?"

He felt a twinge of annoyance that his brother never bothered to answer his phone properly, but that was beside the point. It also sounded like he was running. "Where are you?"

Not even panting, Inuyasha quickly explained, "Already heading towards the shrine. Seems someone else got the jump on us."

Relieved that they had time to possibly avert this disaster before it happened, he verified who else was with his brother. "I take it that the monk and taijiya are with you."

"Yeah, and the brat's here as well. We've got this covered."

It seemed that his brother could do something intelligent after all. He had known that Inuyasha would immediately disobey any directive he had given him, but considering their present circumstances, Sesshoumaru was rather glad that he did. Nodding his head in silent approval that their chances of success were almost assured, he still felt the need to emphasize the importance of Kagome's safety. "Hmm, I'm fairly certain that Kagome is at that shrine. You have to reach her before they do."

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he brother snorted in reply. "Keh, of course we will."

The line went dead and Sesshoumaru shook his head as he closed his own phone. Inuyasha was often reckless and rushed headlong into every battle, but he was also quite capable of handling any youkai who dared cross his path. With the notable exception of me, Sesshoumaru mentally added. Still, he didn't want to take any chances that this improvised plan could unexpectedly turn pear-shaped. Opening his phone again, he made one more call.

++++

"What did you say?"

Kagome stared in utter shock at her brother who was presently doing his best to avoid looking at her. She surely hadn't heard him correctly, she thought. He did not just say he knew where her bow and arrows were. Her voice lowering, she growled, "Souta, what in the hell is going on?"

Swinging his head around to look at her, Souta let his own anger get the better of him. "Damn it, Kagome. Do you think that I liked having to lie to you? Telling you that your memories were some fantasy or dream that wasn't real?"

Kagome didn't know what to say. Her eyes reflected her hurt, her heart pounding in her chest. The fact that her brother had been lying to her these past few days wasn't easy to come to terms with although it did explain why he would sometimes look at her with such sympathy that she thought he might cry. He had that expression now and his tears had finally spilled over, drawing wet, salty trails over a face that looked far older than his thirteen years. Reaching a shaky hand up, she brushed away the teardrop hanging from his chin and whispered, "Why? Why were you lying to me?"

Wiping hastily at his cheeks with his free hand as he sniffed, he told her, "I had to. It was what you told me to do. To protect you."

Her brows drew together in confusion. "What I told you to do?"

Releasing a shaky breath, he confirmed, "Yeah, after the accident in the well on your fifteenth birthday. You told me that until you found Inuyasha, I was supposed to go along with whatever Mom told me. After that, you completely flipped and acted like nothing had ever happened. So, I hid the stuff that you brought back and just followed your lead."

Kagome's eyes widened, "What stuff?"

"Your bow, arrows and your old, yellow backpack. I found them in the well house right where you told me you left them." Souta was starting to look exasperated by all this questioning and answering. "So, let me take you to where they're hidden and we can figure out what to do from there, okay?"

Kagome was astounded, her mind reeling from what Souta had told her. He believed that she had been to the Sengoku Jidai and had helped her keep that information from their mother. But, she still didn't know why? And why would she tell Souta to keep this a secret? In her memories, her mother had known about her traveling back in time and had even been supportive of her reassembling the Shikon no Tama. Why then had she asked Souta to lie to their mother? And if she had returned the same day she was supposed to have left, why couldn't she remember anything that happened these last three years?

"Kagome, you okay?" Souta's question roused her from her thinking and reminded her that there was a more pressing matter at hand. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she had forgotten that he was expecting her to answer.

"Yeah, a little confused though." As soon as the words left her mouth, she was struck by another thought. "Souta, where is the Shikon no Tama?"

He must have started walking while she was thinking for they were nearly to the well house and he paused when her question reached his ears. He hesitated a moment before answering, "I don't know."

Her mind racing again, Kagome worriedly asked, "It wasn't in my pack?"

Souta shook his head, "No, you told me it was in a safe place, but that's it." Missing none of the increasing panic in her voice, he correctly guessed, "You don't remember where it is."

A cold, sinking dread spread through Kagome's body leaving her feeling weak and dazed. Her voice barely a whisper, she replied, "No, I don't."

Unfortunately, she wasn't going to have any time to worry about that now. The air behind them began to swirl and a thick, choking cloud of jaki spread around them, temporarily paralyzing Souta and making Kagome's stomach heave violently. Turning her head to take in the threat behind them, Kagome's worst fears were realized when she saw an enormous bull-headed oni stepping through a whirling black portal.

They had run out of time.

++++

Thick, black clouds were building overhead, heralding the impending arrival of another spring thunderstorm. Several people lamented their presence under their breath, believing that their fine Sunday morning was going to be spoiled by a downpour.

Kouga glanced up at them with a frown on his face as he knew that they were really a concentration of jaki. He had been on the trail of an oni that Sesshoumaru believed was after Kagome and the Shikon no Tama. The oni had led him a merry chase and if Sesshoumaru hadn't called him right after getting that email, Kouga doubted that he would have picked up the initial scent above the cloying smell of exhaust fumes and too many humans. What he wouldn't give for the old days when scents were easy to trace through fields and forests instead of this intense overlapping which distorted and altered a scent until it was barely recognizable.

Racing across the street, he easily slipped between the crowds, his passing so swift that many thought he was merely a rising breeze kicked up by the storm. He could feel the jaki building the closer he got. Sesshoumaru had been right to say that the youkai would be concentrating their efforts as he also sensed another two demons closing in from the north and east. As the three demons' power began to converge, the jaki thickened to where it was almost tangible. He needed to hurry. Catching a glimpse of a street sign as he streaked by, he was irritated to note that the oni had probably already reached the shrine.

His speed and strength had increased over the centuries to where it was nearly equal to when he had the Shikon no Kakera in his legs. He had needed that speed on more than one occasion, particularly since they had begun to intensify their search for Kagome. They weren't the only ones looking for the young woman and the longer they took to find her, the more likely someone else would find her first.

More importantly, Sesshoumaru was convinced that Kagome would be the `miko' at this shrine. If the lead hadn't been enough to persuade him, the email had erased any lingering doubts. And that worried Kouga more than anything else had. Whoever was working against them had access to information that they had been scraping to find for the last three years.

Leaping over a group of elderly pensioners out for their mid-morning stroll, Kouga cursed the sheer number of people populating this concrete and steel forest called Tokyo. A set of stone steps loomed in the distance ahead of him and he cursed again when he realized that they undoubtedly lead to the shrine. Putting on another burst of speed, he sprinted forward as a bright flash of light appeared high above him.

++++

Running ahead of his friends, Inuyasha tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. The shrine was another block away and they weren't getting there fast enough to suit him. Shippo lagged nearly a kilometer behind him and Miroku and Sango were doing their best to keep within sight of the kitsune. The scores of people clogging the streets weren't helping matters any as he had to zigzag his way between them, slowing his pace down unnecessarily.

He was worried and the converging jaki wasn't making him feel any less concerned. At last he reached the shrine and leaping up the steps, he sailed over the decorative arch to land in the courtyard in time to watch an oni emerge from a portal above him. The jaki was so thick that it burned like miasma in his nose and Inuyasha couldn't tell if there was any humans in the vicinity the scent was so overwhelming. Drawing the Tetsuseiga, he was preparing to face his opponent when a familiar scent reached him causing his heart to miss a beat.

He didn't know if he should dare to trust his senses. Like a distant memory tickling his nose was the delicate fragrance of cinnamon, vanilla and cherry blossoms which had belonged only to Kagome. Scanning the courtyard, he finally saw the young man and woman cowering in fear as the oni descended on them. Goaded into action by that sight, he raised the Tetsuseiga and jumped high into the air.

"Kaze no Kizu!"

The blast hit the oni from the side, the blades of energy slicing away from the couple, and it disintegrated into a pile of dust. His momentum had brought him within a dozen meters of the terrified humans and on closer inspection he downgraded the man to boy as the kid couldn't be more than fourteen. Sensing his regard, the boy bravely stepped in front of the woman in an attempt to shield her, raising his fists as if that would be enough to defend himself.

Inuyasha smirked at the defiant gleam in the boy's brown eyes and lowering his sword slightly, quipped, "Keh, you think you got what it takes to beat me kid?"

He could see the boy bristle at his insulting tone, but the kid apparently wasn't going to back down. Keeping himself between the hanyou and the kneeling woman, the boy growled, "I won't let you hurt my sister."

Half lying on the ground behind Souta, Kagome was struggling to remain conscious. The jaki surrounding the oni had completely depleted her energy and the pain in her side was making white spots dance before her eyes. Her ears were ringing and her eyes were unable to focus as the edges of her vision darkened. Fragmented images kept flashing through her head so quickly that she barely had time to register what each one was. Moaning thickly, she felt her stomach roll sickeningly as she heaved what remained of her breakfast onto the flagstones before passing out.

Souta heard her vomit, but kept his eyes firmly fixed on the man before him. Well, he wasn't entirely certain that it was a man for atop his head were two triangular ears much like a dog's and he had thick silver hair falling to his waist. Dressed in a red leather, duster style coat, he was brandishing a ridiculously large sword in one hand as if it weighed no more than a feather. A low growl seemed to be emanating from his throat and Souta thought he saw a fang poke out of his mouth when his lips curled into a snarl.

While the strange man had saved them from the bull-headed demon that was about to crush them beneath an enormous fist, Souta wasn't sure what his intentions were in rescuing them. He didn't think that he could grab Kagome and run, he had seen how quickly the man moved, and that sword could probably cleave him in two before he got even half a step. So, his only option was to find out what the man wanted.

Maneuvering himself so that Kagome's limp form was directly behind him, Souta warily asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Inuyasha ignored his questions and asked one of his own, "Where's Kagome?"

The boy blinked in surprise, then immediately turned defensive. "I don't know anyone by that name."

Inuyasha could tell that the boy was lying; it was written all over his face, and there was no doubt in his mind that Kagome was here somewhere. Now that the jaki was clearing, he could smell her scent more clearly, although he couldn't get a precise fix on her location yet. If the boy didn't want to help, Inuyasha would just have to find her himself. Sheathing the Tetsuseiga, he said, "Look, I know she's here and I'm going to find her, so stay the hell out of my way."

Taking a step forward, the boy moved as if he was going to prevent Inuyasha from looking. Sighing with exasperation at the boy's misguided bravery, he snapped, "Kid, you're pushing your luck."

He was about to step around the boy when a strong gust of wind brought with it another annoyance he didn't need right now. Sliding to a stop beside Inuyasha, the wolf demon smirked at the stand off between the inu-hanyou and the human boy. "Yo, dog-breath, having trouble?"

Giving Kouga a dark look, Inuyasha snarled, "Shut up, you wimpy wolf. I took care of the oni while you were running around chasing your tail."

With a cocky grin, Kouga replied, "Oh. But you get tripped up by a human boy who still looks wet behind the ears?"

Souta stood dumbfounded as he listened to the exchange. First, the terrifying bull-headed demon, then a silver haired, dog-eared man and now a dark-haired guy who looked like he had a tail? For one tiny instant, Souta vaguely wondered if he wasn't trapped in some nightmare as the situation was becoming too bizarre to comprehend. Since the strangers were currently preoccupied trading insults, Souta risked a glance over his shoulder to check on Kagome and immediately ignored their ongoing verbal sparring when he saw how bad she looked.

Crouching down beside her, he gently brushed a stray hair away from her face which was white as a sheet; the dark shadows beneath her eyes making them appear bruised. Laying his hand to her forehead, he grimaced when he felt the sweat dotting her brow and how hot she was from a very, high fever. Without wasting another moment, he slipped her right arm around his neck again and started to lift her up off the ground.

"Oi, what do you think you're doing?"

Souta jumped as a voice sounded right beside him and mentally groaned that, in his haste to help his sister, he had forgotten about the two weirdoes. Sure enough, they were both standing next to him with nearly identical looks of irritation on their faces. Shifting his hold slightly so that Kagome was again partially behind him, he forced himself to meet their gazes directly and bit out, "My sister's sick and I need to get her inside."

Inuyasha looked from the boy's face to the woman hanging limply against his side. Having paid little attention to her before, he noticed that she had long, black hair in a thick braid trailing over her shoulder and was dressed in a plain gray t-shirt and black jeans. She appeared to be older than her brother, probably by a couple of years, and he could smell the sharp tang of sickness clinging to her. Moving closer, despite the glare the boy was giving him, he then detected something else that made him pause.

`Kagome?'

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Coming Soon: Chapter 4: Memory Lane (Part 1)