InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Twins Travel Together ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 1

 

 

“Now.” Kaede began, having since led the two girls back to the village, and offered them a seat in her hut.

 

“I’ve had the pleasure of conversing with Kagome. But, I still wish to hear yer side of the story.” She continued, inclining her head and waiting for Kinuki to speak.

 

“Well…” Kinuki began, holding a finger to her jaw as she thought.

 

“My name is Kinuki Higurashi. Kagome and I are twins, though officially, Kagome’s the eldest. We have a younger brother and we live in a shrine with our mother and grandfather. When Kagome first fell in the well, I was pulled in with her. Not because I was next to her, but because of that weird flying thing you saw Kagome do earlier. Anyway…”

 

By the time Kinuki had finished recounting everything that had happened to her in the last couple of hours it was almost dusk.

 

“Oh, is it this late already? We missed the first day of school!” Kinuki pouted, though her statement worried Kagome.

 

“We should probably head back, mum’s bound to be worried.” Kagome said restlessly, rising to leave, with Kinuki in tow.

 

“Oh, ye cannot travel these parts when darkness has fallen. Not unless ye wish to wind up a demon’s snack.” Kaede interjected worriedly.

 

“Oh, but, Kinuki was able to put up that barrier, and I’m not powerless either. I’m sure we’d make it back safely.” Kagome tried to reason. However, Kaede shook her head sternly.

 

“Nay. Ye are both too inexperienced to be able to properly defend yerselves. Ye are tired and nervous, which destabilises yer powers. To have full access to yer powers ye must be calm. Focused.”

 

Kagome’s brow furrowed in confusion, and Kaede already knew what she was going to ask.

 

“She’s right. I only managed to use my powers because they were backed by my emotions, had the demon not been so shocked by the sheer size of my barrier, she would’ve noticed how taxing it was for me to maintain it, and later, how weak and unstable it got.” Kinuki explained, before Kaede had to.

Though the elder miko was pleasantly surprised by the younger twin’s analysis of the earlier events.

 

“True. A miko’s powers are first awakened by strong emotions, such as fear, but they are controlled by focus and training, and, they are most strongly influenced by the heart.” Kaede explained. Pleased to note that the girls had sat back down.

 

“A miko’s powers don’t come into existence all at once. They are trained, built up, and strengthened, alongside the mind, body, heart and soul.” Kaede continued, sensing the duo’s curiousity.

 

And why wouldn’t they be curious? Their powers had been slumbering within them their whole lives, and only now awakened. They’d travelled into the past, confronted an array of things that most likely didn’t even exist in their time, forged an even stronger bond with each other and Kagome had brought the Shikon no Tama back from the future.

She had yet to address it, but Kaede was certain that Kagome was her sister’s reincarnation. The jewel’s presence in her body proved it.

 

“If ye focus yer thoughts, ye should be able to feel yer power.”

 

Both girls nodded, having been wondering what that odd flow was they’d been feeling parallel to their pulses.

 

“To use it, ye must picture what ye want yer power to do, and will it into existence. It is a taxing exercise, but, if repeated regularly, ye should soon see the results of yer strengthened aura.” Kaede explained, wanting to help them, at least a little bit, until they understood their own powers a little better.

 

“However, for yer powers to grow, so too must ye; Ye will have to balance the strength of yer powers with yer physical and mental strength as well.” The elder miko finished.

 

“Thank you for your wisdom Kaede-miko-sama.” Kagome said.

 

“We will heed your words well.” Kinuki added.

Both girl’s smiling as they bowed their heads in genuine thanks.

 

“Ye are both welcome to sleep here tonight. Tomorrow will be another day.” Kaede offered, receiving two thankful acceptances in response.

 

“Now then. What are you still doing here?” Kagome asked, casting a sceptical look over her shoulder to where Inuyasha was laying on the wooden floor of the hut.

 

“Keh. I’m staying with the Jewel, Stupid.”

 

Kinuki could see Kagome grit her teeth at that remark.

Manners and bad language had always been a sore spot for her.

 

“We have names Inuyasha. Could you please use them?” Kinuki tried.

 

“Why should I, wench?” Inuyasha barked, turning around just in time to see Kagome’s aura darkening dangerously.

 

“…because we’re guests here, and I don’t want you accidentally breaking the floor.” Kinuki answered sweetly, though her voice sounded positively chilling.

 

‘Not that that scares me.’ Inuyasha reassured himself.

 

Though her tone had actually been aimed at her twin, and, from the looks of things, it had struck home.

 

“Ne, Kagome? We don’t want to break our generous host’s house, do we?” She added, seeing Kagome struggle with herself.

 

Releasing a sigh of defeat, Kagome turned back to her sister, her usual self.

 

“You’re right, it’s really not necessary.” She said, smiling her reassurance.

 

Kinuki breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“Now. I hate to ask this, but I’m afraid I have no idea where you sleep in this time period.” Kinuki said sheepishly, turning her attention back to Kaede.

 

“Why on a futon, of course; those of higher stature even have them made from fabric and pelts. Our village life is not so lavish.” Kaede explained, having since moved to thin the layers of hay and straw, so the two girls could fit onto it together.

 

“Oh. You don’t have to spread the base so thin. Kagome knows me.” Kinuki said mysteriously.

 

“Are you sure? Kaede-miko-sama just said that it was dangerous outside.” Kagome said worriedly.

Her tone making Inuyasha’s ear twitch, curious in spite of himself.

 

“Don’t worry. She said it was dangerous outside of the village boarders. I’ll be fine if it’s just outside of the hut.” Kinuki reassured her sister, turning to Kaede to explain.

 

“I oftentimes find it difficult to sleep on soft surfaces, so, back home, I’d sleep in the fork of a tree.”

 

That, made Inuyasha’s eyes widen a fraction. She PREFERRED to sleep outside, where it was cold and hard and the weather was unpredictable, as opposed to being in a warm hut, on a soft bed, with a nice blanket?

 

Kaede’s gaze was disbelieving as well, but she quickly realised that the two girls were telling the truth.

 

“Weaker demons don’t tend to wander into the village, even at night, but I caution ye to stay close, demons can sense a miko’s aura, and ye are freshly awakened, ye have no idea how to control, or for that matter, conceal yer aura.” Kinuki nodded, thankful for the Miko’s understanding.

 

“You should keep a hold of this, Kagome. It did come from YOUR body.” Kinuki said, rising, only to squat down in front of her sister and give her the jewel she’d pocketed earlier that day.

 

“Are you sure?” Kagome asked, not quite sure what to do with the jewel now resting in her hands.

 

“Kaede did say it had to be protected by a miko. I’d say it probably even chose you. So, yeah, you keep a hold of it. I’m going to go find a nice tree. Good night.” She said, jumping over Inuyasha’s form and making her way outside with only a quick backward glance of reassurance.

 

Inuyasha refused to acknowledge that Kinuki had actually managed to startle him when she’d just blatantly jumped over his form like that. But, he needed a reason as to why he’d moved.

 

“Are ye not staying Inuyasha?” Kaede asked, sensing the half-demon move.

Kagome was immediately on the defensive when he got up.

 

 

“Keh.” He said, exiting the hut without another word.

 

He had plenty to think about.

 

Alone the fact that Kaede, that old hag, was the shy younger sister to Kikyō, was enough to set his head spinning. He’d been asleep for 50 years! Granted it wasn’t a long time to a demon, but it was half a life-time for a human.

 

He still couldn’t quite believe that Kikyō was dead.

 

Sure, they’d ended things with a pretty bad fight. But she’d been his first friend.

Damn it! He wasn’t usually so sentimental.

 

Ears twitching, he turned his head toward his latest source of curiousity and puzzlement.

 

Kinuki was at the base of a tree, but the first branch was just out of her reach.

 

“Oh, come on. Just a little further. You got this. One more time. Come on.” She murmured encouragements to herself, but they weren’t getting her anywhere.

 

Inuyasha watched her from a distance.

 

She was a puzzle all right.

 

Her sister was smart enough to be weary of him. Even if she thought he was a good guy, he wasn’t always.

Yet she was so open. Trusting. Honest. Kind. And all of it was genuine. He hadn’t smelled a single lie on her since he’d met her.

 

“Oof!”

 

Inuyasha found himself pulled out of his thoughts when Kinuki once again found herself on the ground at the base of the tree.

 

Deciding on a different tactic, Kinuki took a few steps back, and then took a running start at the tree.

 

Inuyasha grimaced, fighting with himself, before giving in with a long-suffering sigh.

 

“We’re even after this. Got it?” Inuyasha said, feeling a small grin form on his face at her startled jump.

 

“Oh!” Kinuki exclaimed.

 

She’d realised that Inuyasha had left Kaede’s hut, but she hadn’t noticed him near her, until he’d picked her up by the waist and jumped into the tree she’d been trying to climb into for the last five minutes as though it were nothing.

 

Depositing her in one of the lower branch forks, Inuyasha leapt a little higher, obviously waiting for her answer.

 

“Even how?” Kinuki questioned, her expression genuinely perplexed as she looked up to where she guessed Inuyasha was. It was so dark now, that she could only just make out the branches surrounding her.

 

“You didn’t purify me when we were in that barrier of yours. I saved your ass from that lying Centipede. You jumped in to stop Kagome from using the beads again…” Inuyasha elaborated, waiting for her to fill in the last one.

“and now you’ve helped me get up a tree I wouldn’t have otherwise managed to climb?”

 

Inuyasha nodded, knowing she could just make out his silhouette.

 

“Oh, but anyone would’ve done the same.”

 

Inuyasha couldn’t quite believe his ears.

 

‘does she really…?’ ‘

 

He didn’t even let himself finish that thought.

 

Of course she’d say that. She thought that everyone was like her.

 

Kind. Understanding. Helpful.

 

He could only shake his head.

 

“Not everyone is like you. In fact. You’re better off having your own back, then leaving it open for people to turn on you.” Inuyasha said. Though WHY he was telling her this, he didn’t have a clue.

 

He could be quite a good conversationalist.

 

The realisation surprised Kinuki somewhat, though, in retrospect, it really shouldn’t have.

 

“Why do you assume I’m talking about everyone? ANYONE, was referring to anyone LIKE YOU. Kind. Caring. Protective. And you need SOMEONE to watch your back, because no-one has eyes in the back of their head.”

 

The way she explained it. So matter-of-factly. Totally sure of herself. Inuyasha actually found himself holding in a chuckle.

 

Her expression was bound to be priceless when she met a few more, exotic youkai.

But him, Kind? Caring? PROTECTIVE? He’d never been described, nor thought of himself, as such.

 

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

 

He flinched.

 

She’d been a good few meters below him, and the branches at his level were rather thin, but she was still, suddenly, right next to him.

 

She grinned at his reaction.

 

“Sorry. I’m actually pretty good at climbing, when I have the right starting point.” Kinuki apologised, warning him that she could be pretty quick.

 

“Keh.”

 

It was his reflex phrase, she realised.

 

When he wasn’t sure how to answer, or, didn’t find the question or remark important enough to answer, he made that sound.

 

“Anyway. So long as I’m here, I’ll always have your back.” Kinuki said, having immediately figured Inuyasha for a good guy and decided to put her trust in him. He was good, he just wasn’t always honest. But, nobody was perfect, and Kinuki had a good feeling about him.

 

“Good night Inuyasha.” She added, once she’d reached the fork she’d been in before.

 

She was absolutely exhausted, though she didn’t let it show. Her body had been screaming at her to rest since she’d first called upon her new power.

 

Now that she knew that both she and Kagome were safe, she didn’t need to stay on guard anymore.

 

The instant she’d found herself a comfortable position in her little crook, she fell asleep.

 

For his part, Inuyasha was still trying to figure this girl out.

 

He’d threatened her and her sister multiple times that day, and she still trusted him.

 

She’d also fallen asleep the instant she’d gotten comfortable, or, as comfortable as you could get in a tree.

 

He’d noticed her deepened breathing, but also, her aura. It reacted to her emotions, and it shone like a beacon in the night. A bright, shining yellow that almost seemed to shimmer.

 

It was completely instinctual, but it didn’t flare up near him, meaning she really, honestly trusted him.

It was also incredibly weak. It had been, even when he’d first seen her in the clearing. Meaning she’d most likely activated it before having used it again to protect everyone present in the clearing.

 

And she called him protective.

 

Oh well, there was no point dwelling on past thoughts. They wanted to leave tomorrow, and he had to make sure he got a hold of that jewel before they did.

 

When Kinuki wakes up the next morning, the sun has yet to rise, everything is covered in a layer of thick, grey fog, and Inuyasha is no longer in the tree with her.

 

Though she distinctly remembers how she’d heard the cawing of crows before the leaves of her tree had rustled, though she fell asleep again quickly enough.

 

Sighing as she stretches the kinks out of her body, Kinuki takes a deep breath and scales her way down to the lowest branch of the tree, swinging down and into a commando roll on the slick, dew-covered grass.

 

Once she’s on the ground, she stretches again, a couple of joints popping as she does so.

 

Taking a look around, Kinuki remembers which hut Kagome is in but decides to let her sister sleep a little longer.

 

Thinking over her options, Kinuki decides to explore the village. Though, after blinking a few times, she realises that there’s something else she has to do first.

 

‘Damnit. I forgot to take it out last night.’ Kinuki thought, tilting her head to see if she couldn’t find a nearby source of flowing water.

 

Reaching into her skirt pocket, Kinuki pulled out a portable contact lens case and a small, hand held mirror.

 

Moving toward the sound of rushing water she’d heard earlier, Kinuki happens upon a winding river. Getting close to the edge, and semi hiding herself from any possible passers-by, Kinuki sets about the task of removing the contact in her left eye.

 

She wasn’t blind, nor sight inhibited in any way, but her heterochromia had always outcast her from others. Not to mention, that it had some sort of concentrated spiritual energy residing within it. At least, that was what she suspected, and her contacts blurred out the strange things no-one else saw.

 

Taking a look in her mirror, Kinuki sighed.

The grey of the morning mist mirrored in the colour of her left eye.

 

 

Once she’d safely deposited the one contact in its portable case, and the other in her eye, she was back to being the blue eyed Kinuki everyone outside of her family knew her as.

 

Looking at the rapids of the water, Kinuki decided to follow the river upstream, curious as to why the currents were so strong.

 

It didn’t take long until she saw a waterfall tumbling into a sparkling mist before her.

Smiling at the sight, and realising that the sparkle of the water was caused due to the brightening pre-dawn light.

 

Quickly looking over the cliff sides on either side of the waterfall, Kinuki calculated which route would be fastest and safest to use. Before breaking into a type of jumping jog, from one rock to the next, and then beginning her climb.

 

About to move her leg to a new position, Kinuki freezes when a demonic presence washes over her.

 

It’s strong. Incredibly so. It’s also cool, distant, and seems the slightest bit curious and confused.

 

Since it doesn’t appear menacing, Kinuki shrugs off the strange sensation, which wasn’t too hard to do since she only felt it for a single instant. Only to realise that the place she’d been about to put her foot would’ve likely sent her falling down the bottom of the cliff!

 

Now it was Kinuki’s turn to be curious and confused.

 

She didn’t know this demon, and it obviously didn’t desire any direct contact with her, but it had warned her.

 

Shaking her head free of those thoughts, Kinuki climbs the rest of the cliff in record time. Taking a seat on a protruding boulder, she takes in the beautiful sight that pans out in front of her.

 

The river suddenly bursts into a million sparkles, the fog and water taking on a glowing sheen of gold, as the sunrise unfolds layered petals of Kinmokusei, Daidai Yuri, Momo Hana and Sumire in the sky.

 

It’s so different to the usual sunrise she sees from between the forest trees back home, but so very beautiful.

 

Getting up, Kinuki notices a few choice herbs growing near the waterfall. There was midori shiso, shishito, negi, minto and basil, just to name a few.

 

Carefully getting closer to the streaming water, Kinuki picks a few of each, her clothing fairly moist by the time she has everything, and wraps her finds up in her jumper.

 

Making it back to the base of the waterfall, Kinuki admires the rainbows of colour playing in the mist of the falling water, before making her way back the way she’d come.

 

By the time she gets back to the village, most people are already out and about.

Tying her jumper so that it acts as more of a bag, Kinuki supresses a shiver in her singlet, and makes her way to the old miko’s hut.

 

Everyone stops to look at her for a few seconds when she passes, and most of them even bow in respect.

 

“Ohayōgozaimasu o-miko-sama.”

 

A group of village women greet her, on their way to do some laundry.

 

“Ohayōgozaimasu”

 

Kinuki replies, bowing a fraction to be polite, and to conceal her slight confusion.

 

She hadn’t had a chance to redo her hair since the day before, and she’d slept with the ponytail in, so, at least she knew they really were speaking to her and not mistaking her for Kagome.

 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kinuki finally makes it to Kaede’s hut, and lets herself in with a polite knock.

 

Kaede is already bent over a pot that’s simmering on a fire in her hut, while Kagome only now opens her eyes, turning around to see who was coming to see the miko so early in the morning.

 

“Good morning sleepy head.”

 

Kagome only groans, recognising her sister’s voice instinctually.

 

How could her own twin be such a morning person? Actually, how could ANYONE be a morning person? She just didn’t understand it.

 

“morn’in.” Kagome mumbles in response, rubbing her eye, and using her other hand to prop herself up. Slowly getting accustomed to being awake.

 

“Good morning Kaede.” Kinuki chirruped, untying her jumper in the seating area, and sorting through the herbs she’d collected earlier.

 

“Good morning child, it seems ye slept well.” Kinuki smiled as Kaede turned to greet her.

 

When her eye landed on the various herbs lain out on her table though, her expression turned to one of puzzlement and surprise.

 

“Where did ye get these?” She asked, already moving to test each ingredient.

‘Freshly picked, and near a natural source of flowing water too, judging from the moisture the poor girl has in her clothes and hair.’ The elder miko thinks, waiting for Kinuki’s answer.

 

“Oh. I went for a walk this morning, along the riverside, and stumbled upon a waterfall. So, I climbed up and watched the sunrise from up there. I noticed the herbs growing near the riverside, so I picked some before coming back.” Kinuki explained.

 

Kaede knew of which waterfall the girl was speaking and it was far from a mere WALK away. Still, it was rare to have such a variety of fresh ingredients to use, and she planned to make the most of it.

 

“Well, while I prepare for a late breakfast, why don’t the two of ye explore the town a little? I’m sure the villagers will want to thank you for yesterday.” Kaede suggested, pointedly looking at both girls as she spoke.

 

“Sure, we still need to think about what to do with the jewel.” Kagome agreed.

 

“and until we know what to do with it, it’ll be our responsibility to keep it safe.” Kinuki finished, sharing a smile with her twin.

 

“Indeed, but remember Kinuki, the jewel is Kagome’s to protect. As a miko, your job is to help Kagome, but the duty of protecting the jewel can only be carried by one miko. This has always been so.” Kaede explained, eye hard, willing the girls to understand.

 

The jewel had a bond with Kagome that no other miko would ever be able to create.

The girls share a look at the sudden change in the elder miko’s tone.

 

“Yep, together.” They said simultaneously. Smiling at each other, before leaving the hut to roam about the town for a bit.

 

Kinuki showed Kagome the tree she’d spent the night in, and Kagome showed Kinuki the fields she’d seen when she’d first been brought to the village under the impression that she was some sort of demon.

 

 

Even when they were just taking a walk together, the villagers stopped whatever they were doing to look at them, smile, nod, bow or greet them, and then get back to work.

 

“I feel like some sort of new celebrity.” Kagome confessed, finding it a little awkward to suddenly be the center of attention wherever she and Kinuki went.

 

“Yeah, I know the feeling.” Kinuki agreed, offering another small smile to a passing villager. They kept getting gifts of various food and thanks. 

 

“Agh, I need a break.” Kinuki groaned, spreading out her aura until she found what she was looking for.

 

“Have you spoken to Inuyasha since yesterday?” She asks, suddenly changing the topic.

 

“Huh? Why would I? The guy’s a total jerk.” Kagome replied, her expression crinkling into a frown.

 

“Right. A total jerk who saved your life, albeit by saving mine, and wants to be more powerful for his own reasons… Sounds like a normal guy who’s actually nicer than most.” Kinuki said, trying to reason with her sister.

 

Kagome felt her conscious nagging her. If there was one thing Kinuki was good at, it was getting the reaction she wanted out of her sister.

 

“He was still an insensitive, name-calling meanie.” Kagome pouted, knowing she’s already lost.

 

“It’s called being childish Kagome, not to mention defensive. He most likely does it to hide his feelings. You don’t know him well enough to be able to judge him for that.” Kinuki explained, her voice patient and soothing.

 

“I guess we owe him an apology.” Kagome mumbled, making Kinuki’s face brighten.

 

“Yeah, we do, but you get to go first.” Kinuki said pressing the food she was carrying into her sister’s hands, and Kagome suddenly realised they’d gone around the backs of the fields to the very edge of a village. And there, in a lone tree, sat Inuyasha.

 

Kagome cast her twin a loathing glare.

She’d planned this, damn her!

Not that she could stay mad at Kinuki for too long.

 

“Here, I think our lunches from yesterday would be a good way for the two of you to start talking, not to mention that I know we won’t ever be able to finish all these gifts.” Kinuki said, offering Kagome her backpack, and skipping backward with a wave.

 

“Just, don’t judge a book by its cover.” Kinuki called, disappearing into the forest lining the fields they’d just recently bypassed.

 

‘and hey, I only have to apologise for tripping him up. I get the feeling Kagome had an argument with him.’ Kinuki thought, retracing her steps back toward the waterfall she’d discovered only a few hours earlier. She’d tried picking up on the demonic aura from that morning when she’d done her scan for Inuyasha, but, no such luck.

 

Either it’d already moved on, or, it was of a high enough calibre to mask its presence.

 

Kinuki had a nagging feeling that it was the latter which held true in this case.

 

Making it back to the waterfall, Kinuki scales the side of the cliff again, and takes up a meditative position on the boulder from which she’d watched the sunrise earlier that day.

 

Recalling Kaede’s words from the night before, Kinuki tries clearing her head, taking deep, soothing breathes, and grasping at the power that simmers beneath her skin.

 

Repeating the process of expanding a very small wave of her power to identify the positions of various youkai and miko energies, Kinuki reaches well past Inuyasha and Kagome, the two of them having moved to the riverside now, but still not finding that collected, cool aura she’d felt that morning.

 

Sighing her disappointment, Kinuki allowed her power to disperse, wondering how else she might be able to practise her new powers.

 

She knew they could take any form she desired, if only she pictured it, and willed it to be. Though, so far, this had only worked on instinct.

 

Hell, even just expanding her aura to lock on to other’s locations was no easy feat.

 

Concluding that she still had some time to kill before lunch, Kinuki decided to see if she couldn’t create a normal sphere of power. If she could heal a sprained ankle, creating a small ball of her power shouldn’t be too difficult, right?

 

…How wrong she was.

 

She’d been trying to get her powers to manifest into ANYTHING at this point really, and she hadn’t made any headway.

 

Heck, just getting her powers to be VISIBLE was proving to be quite the challenge.

 

Shaking her head, Kinuki decided she needed a break.

 

It was a neat trick when she was studying back home.

She’d go outside, take a walk, run around, help her mum in the kitchen, go swimming, practise her Aikido or Calligraphy or even the use of her Sai, the three of which her grandfather had gifted her with on her twelfth birthday.

 

Scaling her way back down to the bottom of the waterfall, Kinuki checked the water temperature, and decided to risk a bit of a wake-up swim.

 

Casting a cautious glance around, and remembering that she hadn’t sensed any demons near here when she’d last checked, Kinuki quickly disrobed, and dove right into the chilly rapids.

She’d known the current would be strong, but she was confident in her swimming capabilities and she’d always enjoyed a challenge.

 

Getting out of the water, and drying off as much as possible before getting dressed again, Kinuki suddenly remembered something else Kaede had mentioned the previous evening.

 

‘My powers need to be backed by my emotions if they’re going to work, and, I need to be patient. It takes practice to get better, and I’m only just starting to get to know my powers.' Kinuki thought, taking a deep breath, and seating herself near the riverbank, before trying to use her powers again.

 

This time, she thought about her desire to protect herself, should the need ever arise.

 

She thought about the size of a ball she could easily throw, and, in a flash of yellow light, an orb the size of a marble was resting in her hands.

 

It was small, but stable. The yellow power swirled and shimmered within the inconsistent form Kinuki had given it, before it dissipated with a sneeze, breaking her concentration as she shivered.

Her hair was still wet from swimming, and it was autumn. Safe to say, she was starting to feel the cold.

 

Headed back to the village, Kinuki is somewhat surprised that Kagome hasn’t yet returned for lunch, and a very prominent feeling of unease is spreading through her stomach.

 

Something bad was going to happen, and SOON.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Author's Note 

 

So... Thoughts? Comments? Requests? I still have more to write and upload, but I'm grateful for every word of advise or encouragement I can get!