InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ when friends find out ❯ chapter 1 Kagome appears ( Prologue )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

"When friends find out . . . "

Inu-yasha is not owned by me.

Mrs. H will be used as an abbreviation for Kagome's mother Mrs. Higurashi.

____________________

Chapter one


It's late one sunny afternoon and Kagome's three friends Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi are standing in front of her house. They are talking to her mother as they hand her some paperwork.

"Thank you for the school assignments. I will see that Kagome gets these when she is well enough to start working on them." Kagome's mother says as she slightly bows to the three girls.

"Oh, nothing to it, ma'am. We're always ready to help her." Says Eri.

Ayumi, looking at Mrs. H eyes, asks, "Can we go up stairs and see her?"

She, pauses, then she says, "I am sorry, but she is at the doctors office taking some, ah, tests."

Ayumi, then, asks "Has the doctor told you what wrong with her?"

With a slight hesitation Mrs. H says, "I'm sorry, but the tests have not come back yet, so the doctor hasn't told me."

The three girls look at each other. "Umm, Mrs. Higurashi, we don't mean to pry, but . . . People at school are starting to talk about Kagome's illnesses . . . Are you sure about the doctor?" asks Yuka.

"Yes, he the old family . . . " she stops there as a large noise comes from the old well house.

"Inu-Yasha! I told you not to follow me!" Kagome's scream is loud enough to go through the thin walls of the well house and to be heard by all of them.

They all go to the side of the house and look at the well house.

The door of the well house bursts open and Kagome, with her huge backpack on, stomps out. She turns around and yells, "Go back! I don't want to see you!"

From inside the well house everybody hears as Inu-yasha yells, "Bitch! You told me to bring this!" A bicycle comes flying out of the well house door and crashes into the side the main house. Inu-Yasha appears in the doorway growling at Kagome.

"Oh, Kagome! What's happening?!"
"Kagome! Who's that?"
"Who's the boy with the ears, Kagome?!"

Kagome's three friends yell at her.

Kagome twirls around and realizes that her friends can see Inu-yasha. She turns back around and pushes Inu-yasha into the well house. She yells, "Sit, boy!" Everybody can hear the sound of him falling down. "Sit, boy!" again.

"Bitchhhhh . . . " they hear as Inu-yasha's voice fades away.

Kagome closes the well house door, reaches into a pocket in her skirt and pulls out a piece of paper and places it on the door. The door and the whole well house have a white glow for a moment before fading. She then turns around, sits down on the steps of the well house, and looks at her mother and says, "This has been a bad week, mom . . . " She says as rolls her eyes up and slumps down. The heavy backpack causes her to tilt forward with her head between her legs.

Mrs. H and other girls rush to her side. Eri and Yuka grab the backpack and lift it up so the others can see Kagome's face. Kagome's is out cold.

"How heavy is this?" Eri asks as she flexes her muscles keeping the bag up. "Yeah," Yuka also says.

Mrs. H looks at the three girls and says, "Please, girls help me with her. I need to get her to bed." She wrinkles her nose and continues, "But first she needs a bath."

The others nod their heads and also sniff. Kagome is giving off a very strong odor of sweat, blood, grass, and other harder to recognize odors. They can also see a lot of stains, mainly blood, grass and sweat, and some tears on her clothes. There is also a bandage on her lower left leg. She obviously has had a hard time. "What has she been into?" one of them asks.

"Girls, please, help me out and I will explain." Kagome's mother pleads.

They look at each other and nod. "Ok, what you do need us to do?" Yuka asks.

"Ok, Yuka, you and Eri, take that backpack off." Mrs. H orders, "Ayumi and I will then pick her up and carry her inside."

As they do this, Eri asks Yuka, "How heavy is this?"

Yuka, shrugging, replies, "thirty, no probably, forty kilos." (Authors' note 70 to 90 pounds)

As Kagome's mother and Ayumi approach the door. Ayumi, somewhat peeved, yells "Hey, the door!"

Eri and Yuka look at other. "Sorry," Eri says as she rushes to the front door.

"Yuka, could you please bring the backpack and the bike in, and you and your friends book. There is no need for anybody else to see them." Mrs. H asks.

"Ok." Yuka grunts as she starts to drag the huge backpack inside.

"Eri, please go to the bathroom and start getting it prepared." Mrs. H orders Eri as she enters the house.

Yuka drags in the bag, then goes to bike. She whistles when she gets a good look at it. "This was new, a couple of months ago . . . "

The front wheel is caved in, probably from hitting the house when Inu-yasha threw it. The handle bars are twisted, the frame of the bike is bent, the stuffing of the seat is half-gone, the rubber tire is missing from the back wheel and there is the beginning of a layer of rust all over the bike. "What happened, it fall down a cliff or something?" she mumbles as she drags the bike into the house.

Meanwhile, inside the house . . .

Ayumi and Mrs. H lay Kagome down on the bathroom floor. When Kagome is laid out on the floor, they can get a good look at her.

Starting from her feet . . . Both shoes are covered with caked on mud. On her left leg, below the knee, but above the ankle is a bandage. Some blood, but not much, is visible on it. Both legs are covered in a multitude of scratches. Her skirt has several tears. Between them and the grass stains on it, they have ruined the skirt. Both arms also have some scratches. Her shirt has some tears and grass stains, but the large blood stains on it cause everybody to draw in their breath. There are also some scratches on her face. Her hair is a tangled mess of mud, blood and pieces of plants.

"What did she go through?" asks Ayumi.

"We'll find out later, please help me undress her." Mrs. H says. She reaches down to remove the shoes, but they are stuck on Kagome's feet. "Ayumi, go to my room, on the upper left-hand side of my desk, is my scissors, please get them." She orders, without looking up at Ayumi.

"Eri, do you remember where the first aid kit in the kitchen is?" she asks.

"Yes, I'll go and get it now." Eri says.

While they are gone, Kagome's mother unbuttons her shirt and lets out a heavy sigh of relief. The blood stains on her shirt are just stains. They are no cuts on her. A couple of small scratches, but nothing would have caused the large blood stains on the shirt.

Yuka comes into the house with last of the books and joins Eri as they enter the bathroom. Ayumi has already returned with the scissors.

Once they are all together, Mrs. H, orders, "Let's go ahead and get her undressed. You might want to undress yourselves. We'll all probably get wet washing her." They all undress down to bras and panties.

As they are undressing Eri asks, in an excited tone of voice, "She's a super spy, Right! She has to be involved in some super secret government project. Probably something genetic from the ears on that boy!"

Ayumi, interrupting, says, "No, Eri, its aliens, just like I've always said! That dog-boy, Inu-yasha, right," she looks at Mrs. H for confirmation about the name. Mrs. H nods. " Inu-yasha is from outer space." She smiles, "Just like I've always said whenever we talked about why Kagome's is lying about being sick!"

"You knew?" Mrs. H asks.

They all nod and then Yuka replies, "After the first couple of times, it sort of became obvious she was lying. She was never here when we came by or called. And when she did come to school, she was always very healthy."

Eri interrupts, "Plus she was always embarrassed when she tried to explain the diseases. Not that the diseases were believable after a first couple, anyway."

Mrs. H looks at Yuka and asks, "Do you have a theory, Yuka?"

Yuka says, "I always thought it was magic. I mean this is a shrine. Just like Sailor Mars. And she and that, that boy, did come from the old well house shrine."

Eri interrupts, "A government conspiracy or even aliens are more believable than magic. "

"Right!" Ayumi agrees.

"Yuka, if it makes you feel any better, you are right. It's magic, though not like Sailor Moon." Mrs. H says as she looks at Yuka.

"Magic!" they all three exclaim.

"Yes, magic. But let's get Kagome washed and in bed before I explain any more."

They look down at Kagome, who in their excitement the three friends forgot about for a minute, and say "Ok"

"Now then, hand me the scissors." Mrs. H orders as she bends down at Kagome's feet. She uses the scissors to cut Kagome's shoes off. She hisses as she removes the shoes. The socks have been worn through and Kagome's feet are very swollen. There are also blisters on both feet.

She then slowly removes the bandage on the left leg. There is a series of what looks like first and second degree burns are on the leg. "Burned . . . " she whispers.

Ayumi, bending down and looking closely, "I think . . . that reminds me of that accident in chem. lab, remember it, Yuka, Eri."

They look, and Eri says, "yeah, looks like acid . . . "

"And doesn't that pattern remind you of a hand print?" Yuka asks in a thoughtful tone of voice.

"Yeah, but not quite . . . " Ayumi says.

"We'll figure it out later. Eri check the first aid kit, make sure it has some burn lotion." Kagome's mother orders.

Eri starts looking through the first aid box. "Found it!"

"Ayumi, Yuka, lift her up so we can remove the skirt and shirt." Mrs. H orders.

The skirt comes off without any problems. But when they take off the shirt, Ayumi and Yuka gasp and Ayumi in a very concerned voice says, "we have to turn her over, now!"

Eri and Mrs. H also gasp when they see Kagome's back.

Kagome's back is covered in bruises. The ones on her lower back look like older bruises. The ones on her upper back, especially where the straps of her backpack would be, is much more recent looking.

Eri in an awed tone, "and . . . she was wearing that heavy backpack on that back . . . "

Biting her lip and with a very concerned expression on her face Mrs. H says, "Let's all be very careful with her as we wash her."

Ayumi starts to take off a chain around her neck with a small bottle of crystals dangling from it. Mrs. H quickly reaches over, takes the chain and puts in her clothes' pile. The three girls look at her, obviously with questions. "I'll explain later, but . . . You never saw that. Promise me that." She looks at each of the girls. They all, after a slight hesitation, nod their heads.

The three friends get some soap, wash towels and begin to clean her. Mrs. H grabs the shampoo and starts to work on her hair. Her face gets a pained expression on it when she feels a bump on the back of Kagome's head she's never felt before.

About midway through, Kagome groans and opens her eyes, "Inu . . . "

Bending over her daughters face, Mrs. H quietly says, "shhh . . . you're safe at home, dear."

"Arghhh, I hurt . . . please . . . tell Inu-yasha . . . " Kagome starts but her eyes roll up and becomes unconscious again.

After washing and drying her, Mrs. H and Yuka place Kagome on her bed, face down. They put some burn lotion on the leg, put band-Aids on the larger scratches. They get some ice packs and place them on her back and feet. Mrs. H finds a very light sheet to place over her daughter. "Nothing seems all that major. Just a lot of little cuts, scratches. But that back . . . I'm going to have to schedule an appointment with the doctor to look at that." She says as she looks at her daughter.

She then looks at Kagome's three friends, sighs, and with a small smile on her face says "you've all been very helpful, thank you. And thank you for not asking all the questions I know you're bursting to ask. Let's go downstairs, get some tea and I will explain, as much as I can."

Downstairs . . . they are all seated on the living room floor drinking tea.

The three girls look at each other and Mrs. H can see they are trying to see who asks first.

Mrs. H begins, "sigh. I cannot tell you everything. The story is Kagome's to tell, girls, not mine. But before I tell you anything . . . I need you three to promise me not to tell anybody." She looks at Ayumi. "Ayumi do you promise not to tell a soul, not even your parents." Ayumi nods. Mrs. H shakes her head. "I want a verbal answer, not anything else."

Ayumi says, "yes, I promise."

"Eri, do you promise?"

"Yes, Mrs. Higurashi."

"Yuka?"

"Yes"

"Ok," deep breath, "Kagome, via the old well house, adventures into the past."

"When?"
"How long ago?"
"Has she met anybody important?"

"She mentioned a young Oda Nobunga once."

They look at each other, "so . . . that's when." One of them whispers.

"Oh, before you three start getting any bright ideas. The well house only allows Kagome and Inu-yasha to travel between times. So, no exploring," she stares at the girls, "got that."

The girls have the grace to appear embarrassed.

"Hmm . . . I'm not sure, how much more I can really say. The story is really Kagome's and she should be the one to tell it. But I will say this . . . Kagome is caught up in some sort of a fairy tale adventure." Slight smile, "I'm always hoping for a happily ever after ending, but the adventure is still ongoing." Mrs. H says.

"So, lots of magic,'
"Fighting, obviously,"
"Hey, don't forget that jealous boyfriend that she mentioned, so love as well.'

"Yes, all of those things and more. Plus some new friends" the three girls look at each other, "and some enemies, as well."

"Bad enemies?" Ayumi asks.

Eri, Looks at her friend, "if her friends did that to her, I would hate to see those enemies, Ayumi."

Ayumi, embarrassed, says, "Sorry, Mrs. Higurashi, of course her enemies did that to her."

"Yes, bad enemies, in that backpack of hers is another first aid kit. I normally have to refill it completely and add in extra bandages every time she comes back." Mrs. H says. "I think it would be best to wait until Kagome is awake and let her tell her story."

"If you say so, Mrs. Higurashi," Yuka says looking very disappointed.

"Eri, do you still have that beeper?" Mrs. H asks.

"Yes"

"Good, I can beep you when she wakes up and then you three can come over and we'll talk then, OK."

They look at each other, grimace, they had obviously wanted to learn everything right now.

Eri sighs, and says, "That's ok, Mrs. Higurashi. We can wait."

"Good, I do not think she'll wake up until tomorrow. And even if she does. I'll be putting her back to bed anyway. She needs her rest."

Yuka and the others stand up, they bow. And the say, "Ok. We'll see you tomorrow then, when she wakes up."

The three girls gather up their books and leave.

Mrs. H goes up to her daughters room and sits next to her. She softly brushes Kagome's hair from her face and whispers, "What happened?"

End chapter one.