Kagome was beyond excited as she lugged the last of her bulging luggage down the steps of her family’s shrine. After 18 years, she was finally getting her first taste of freedom and the knowledge of what waited for her at the bottom of the endless staircase spurred her tired legs to move ever faster. Too caught up in her own thoughts, Kagome’s customary clumsiness reared its ugly head and sent her tumbling down the last few stairs to land with a loud *THUMP* of both her ass and suitcase hitting the ground.
“Well, so much for a dignified exit.” Her mother giggled as she mustered at least a half-assed attempt to hide her humor at her mumbling daughter’s misery behind her hand.
“Thanks for your concern, Mama. Happy to know you worry about your eldest daughter. I’m fine, by the way, thanks for asking.” Kagome grumbled from her spot on the ground where she rubbed what she was sure to be a nasty bruise on her hip.
“Oh, Dear, don’t be like that. If I got worked up over every trip and tumble, I would have died from a stroke before you reached 10 years old, let alone living long enough to see you go off to college.” Ms. Higurashi said with a sassy smirk on her lips and a hand on her hip. Kagome knew her mother was right, but rather than admitting it, she just shot her a sheepish smile before bounding to her feet once more to continue on her quest of loading the last of her possessions into the car.
“I’m not the clumsy.” Kagome argued half-heartedly. She knew that one was a losing battle because, since she was born, Kagome Higurashi had the uncanny ability to get into trouble. Whether it would be tripping over invisible objects in the streets, running into what felt like transparent mountain sides, or even getting knocked over while standing still, Kagome had done them all. At first, her mother was like any other over protective mother hen that would coddle her over every little cut or bruise, but over the years the two had gotten used to it and decided to find Kagome’s inherent clumsiness rather humorous instead. This was better for both of them since Kagome very rarely got seriously injured and her mother’s over protective nature had made her almost paranoid at one point in time—Kagome was certain that when she was around 6 her mother seriously considered locking her up and making her the next bubble kid.
Regardless of her affinity for greeting the ground periodically while growing up, Kagome had turned into a beautiful, strong, and independent young woman. If anything, her tumbles had taught her that if life knocks you down, then you just need to get back up and continue raising hell. That was her personality in the nutshell, a kind-hearted spitfire who let nothing stand in her way.
It was because of this personality that Kagome didn’t let anyone tell her getting into her dream college was impossible for someone like her—the eldest daughter of a single mother with no real financial backing (considering how the Shrine was not really known for bringing in the bacon). However, Kagome had dreamed of going to the prestigious, and unbelievably exclusive, Western Academy for Youths of Outstandingly Unique Knowledge and Advanced Intelligence.
Kagome had been in love with YOUKAI since she first laid eyes on the mystical campus three years ago. Located 30 minutes outside of the city, Kagome had first seen the campus grounds by coincidence when she was riding the train back from her school trip to Kyoto. It had been merely a glance since the Shinkansen sped by so quickly, but she had fallen in love.
A imposing structure that one could easily mistake for a fortress stood alone on a hill surrounded by dense forestry. The landscape was pure and untouched and seemed to roam the land for miles, like someone had been protecting that specific region for centuries. An untainted land that seemed to glow with an untold power, that was what called to Kagome’s very soul and demanded she figure out how to visit that magical land.
Remembering the historical characteristics of the building and its location, Kagome first assumed it was probably some ancient castle of some renowned feudal lord. If that was the case, all she had to do was a quick computer search and then contact whichever company owned the land. Surely, an old castle being kept in such immaculate condition would imply the premises was operating some sort of tours, right?
Wrong. Kagome looked up every “feudal caslte” that was located within and around Tokyo and she found nothing that could be her castle. If it hadn’t been an old castle, what could it have been? Kagome considered the building once again and as the image flashed in her mind she assumed the thick stone walls and the high towers could have had military significance, so she began looking up military bases—both from the Feudal Era to today. Still, she found nothing.
Kagome was beginning to get discouraged. She had spent weeks searching for any clues relating to the obscure building. Kagome searched online for hours at a time, typing things in as simple as ‘white castle outside of Tokyo’ to more complex renditions such as, ‘the beautiful white fortress 28 minutes outside of Tokyo’s city limits with large white towers…’ It was only after her 1,000th google search that Kagome found her first clue.
She had been taking a rage break from her frantic web surfing when Kagome returned to her computer, a little calmer and munching on some pocky, when she saw her email was highlighted. Curious as to who would be sending her an email close to 2 in the morning, Kagome opened the message to see a brochure for YOUKAI. The ‘College that is just for you’, is what it read and there under a brief message was a picture of Kagome’s castle.
Kagome nearly bit her tongue off when she began to scream in excitement, only to clamp her mouth shut a second later when she realized the time and didn’t want to risk her mother coming to investigate why she was still awake when she had a math test the next day. It was on that day that Kagome learned of YOUKAI’s exclusive and pretentious reputation, but she didn’t care. YOUKAI was where she was meant to be and she knew it.
After three years of endless studying, more than a few fights with her mother, and a rigorous application process, Kagome finally got accepted. Kagome had not only been accepted to her dream school, she was also the one and only recipient of YOUKAI’s freshman scholarship—thus allowing her mother to have no complaints since tuition, supplies, and room and board were included.
Kagome was finally free. The feeling was exhilarating as she looked at the packed car, and she with one last hug for her weeping mother, Kagome was off. Unlike her mother, she didn’t see this as a day for tears because she could come back to the shrine any time she wanted—and had promised to do so often. She was even coming home the following weekend to give a proper goodbye to Souta and Grandpa as they had both been unable to see her off today.
That was ok with Kagome. She loved her family and had already intended to come visit as much to be expected of a college freshman, but why today wasn’t a sad day went beyond that. Today was the day, the day for what? Kagome didn’t know. However, as her heart pounded away in anticipation within her chest, Kagome knew something was bound to happen and it was going to change her life.
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Golden eyes lit up with curiosity as a notification came on the computer screen. A deadly claw tapped the mouse, and what showed up surprised him—a feat few were able to accomplish in all his long years of life.
It seemed someone was able to see through his barrier and was now desperately searching for his school. He considered the possibility that there was some mistake and that the one searching wasn’t actually looking for his school, maybe it was some last minute attempt at a research paper of sorts, but when the notifications kept piling up he knew someone had seen the school and heard the call.
A flash a pearly white fang glinted softly at the idea of meeting the one on the other side of the screen, and, out of pity of course, he threw the poor creature a bone. Within minutes, he had a name, age, and, most importantly, an unexpected address.
“A shrine, eh? Interesting.”
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Kagome drove down the winding countryside road in a state of complete bliss. Windows rolled down, show tunes blaring, and a cold soda in her hand, Kagome enjoyed the 45 minute drive out of town and up the hill to her new home for the next four years. She inhaled the clean, crisp air of the forrest on either side of her car as she wound her way through the forrest and she her answering smile could only be described as ecstatic. Kagome had always appreciated the outdoors, and that had caused her some trepidation about going to school in Tokyo—the thriving metropolis of metal. Here, Kagome swore the earth smelled untouched, like time stopped moving for these lands 500 years ago or something.
Unlike most city girls, who would feel lost in this type of atmosphere, Kagome finally felt like she was where she belonged. The farther Kagome drove into the dense forrest, the more this feeling began to grow. Something inside Kagome seemed to be responding to the land. Her heart was once again racing, her skin was tingling, and her vision was starting to go blurry. A little concerned, Kagome pulled her car over to the side of the road. It was only a one lane path, but the shoulder was wide enough to accommodate her mom’s old SUV.
The second Kagome took her hands of the wheel her ears began to ring. A high-pitched noice pierced her head and made a headache start to form. Kagome had no idea what was happening. Yeah she was a klutz, but other than cuts and bruises she had never experienced any other health problems. The sudden onset of migraine symptoms plus the fact that she couldn’t calm her heartrate made Kagome start to panic. Hyperventilating now, Kagome’s condition was quickly getting out of control.
A light knock on her window made Kagome spin out of her hunched over position with an airy scream, the best she could manage all things considered. Tears still blurring her eyes, Kagome couldn’t make out the figure outside her window. All she knew was that the form looked incredibly tall, so she guessed it was a man.
Regardless, Kagome fumbled to reach the button to roll down the window as her head began to pound with the magnitude of her migraine. She just barely managed to find it when she heard a silky voice inquiring about her condition.
“Are you ill?” The voice was deep and definitely masculine. Maybe someone had stopped to see if she was ok? Kagome tried to nod her head to respond, but that only increased the pain. Instead, she decided to grit out her answer between clenched teeth.
“I think so.” A small whimper escaped her lips at the effort it took her to speak. This was impossible. It shouldn’t feel like her head is about to explode!
“You think?” The voice asked in an incredulous manner. Not waiting for a reply, he continued on his painful interrogation. “Why are you on this road.”
Kagome was trying desperately to blink the tears out of her eyes so she could put a face to the cold bastard that was badgering her. Shouldn’t the next question have been if she needed any help? Unable to bear the pain of a long winded explanation, and with little patience for such things anyways, Kagome responded with one word.
“School.” Kagome returned to her hunched over position and proceeded to cradle her heavy head in her hands. If the voice wasn’t going to offer any help, she might as well ignore him.
“You’re a student?” The question was rhetorical but the disbelief was evident. Was he insulting her? Did she not look smart enough to the pretentious ass to be a YOUKAI student? Well, she was, and if she had it in her at the moment she would be proving to the bastard just how smart she was through a verbose verbal lashing. Unfortunately, Kagome could barely concentrate on her own thoughts let alone compose a proper comeback.
Black started to invade Kagome’s vision, and she knew that only meant one thing. She probably only had a few seconds, and by the nature of the voice beside her he’d probably refuse anyways, but knowing it was her last hope Kagome fell into the dark with a parting request.
“Please, help me.” The words were no more than a sigh and they fell into silence along with Kagome’s conscious.
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Golden eyes roamed the woods as he patrolled the school’s perimeter. It was early evening and the sun had just begun to set. The fading light of day played among the trees' shadows and dyed the sky with a pinkish hue. It was peaceful and quiet, just how the daiyoukai liked it.
It was the end of August and that meant the school year would be starting in less than a week. Allowing himself a sigh at what that entailed, the daiyoukai glowered at nothing in particular as if he could already hear the cacophony of college life commotion already ringing in his sensitive, elvish ears.
Why? Why was one such as himself subjected to such nonsense year after year. Surely the young youkai could learn how to handle themselves and assimilate into human culture without his guidance. Hell, most of the students would prefer his absence over his presence—the only ones thinking the contrary were infatuated females (and sometimes males) that wished to bask in his presence.
As he was thinking of how foolish such desires would be for those unworthy of a youkai of his standing, shoulders stiffened at a familiar yet long forgotten sensation. Reiki.
Yes, there was a holy energy rolling across the forrest floor and lapping at his skin. Who would dare to show up here and release their holy energy so indiscriminately?
Pearly white fangs flashed in an infuriated snarl. Following his heightened senses, the walking image of wrath approached a parked car. A strong reiki pulsed from within the old vehicle and an eyebrow arched at how the creature seemed to be trying to contain their release of reiki, but little good were their efforts.
Slightly exasperated, yet simultaneously intrigued, the curious daiyoukai peered through the slightly tinted windows. Within, a female form was hunched in on herself. The centuries old being cared little for the creature's apparent pain and promptly knocked on the window. He needed answers.
He heard the breathy shriek and he saw her body jolt with the sudden knowledge of his presence, but what distracted him was how her face was contorted in pain. No, he didn't care, but it was curious. He had sensed her distress through her aura, but he had not expected to find someone who looked like they were being tortured, by someone ask skilled in the are as him no less.
As she fumbled to open the window, the daiyoukai’s patience continued to wane. He had been alerted to her presence by the sheer amount of her reiki, but now the foolish creature couldn't even operate a button. She had wasted his time, and that was one of the things he could not forgive in this life.
Fully prepared to skewer her with his claws, the window was finally rolled down. The youkai moved in for the kill when it hit him. Her scent. The smell of spicy reiki and the salty prick of her tears assaulted his senses at first. These two scents alone would be distasteful, but underneath the smell of holy energy and distress was a pure and lovely scent. Warm vanilla and honey swirled together in a sweet scent of the heavenly concoction that was her. The delightful smell was laced with innocence that spoke to the purity of the creature’s soul before him. The one he was now sure was a miko.
Momentarily distracted by how her scent was rousing his beast, the youkai composed himself once more. Why was a miko, who he thought were a dying breed, entering this forrest. Anyone with knowledge of the supernatural would know who these lands belonged to and the penalty for trespassing.
“Are you ill?” The question was merely to establish the obvious, but the miko couldn’t even provide a definitive answer to the simple question. Was her pathetic whimper not enough evidence of her current state?
Ignoring how that small sound of pain had triggered further attention from his beast, the daiyoukai asked his most predominant question. Why was she here? Her answer had not been what he was expecting, either was what came next.
After he had been momentarily shocked over the fact a miko had become one of his school’s students, the youkai’s brain began to spin. He had not expected her to ask him for help, either. One such as himself helped no one for free, but with one thought of how her scent and aura could cause disturbances on the grounds. The daiyoukai did decide it was best not to leave her.
Reaching through the window and unlocking the door, the strong youkai reached in to grab the young miko, but he received a slap in the face from her scent instead. It was a stunning force of stimulation. Gold flashed red as his beast desired to pursue the scent and female more intimitaly, but that was definitely a bad idea.
With little regard for the miko’s modesty, the youkai threw her over one of his shoulders like a sack of rice. The only thing his mind truly registered about her physique was that she was soft and petite. Other than that, he wouldn’t think about it. He just had to get the unconscious miko to the infirmary and find a way to calm her agitated aura.
The daiyoukai took one look at her car, turned it off and locked it, and then started running with inhuman speed back to the school.
Someone had a lot of explaining to do.
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Kagome woke up to the sound of two voices arguing. At first, that was all she could decipher about her current situation because her eyes refused to open despite her insistence. The light of whatever room she was in reflected red through her eyelids and her fingers curled to feel the soft sheet that covered the bed she was laying on, so she assumed she was at least safely indoors.
Kagome’s head wasn’t hurting anymore but there was a lingering ringing in her ears. She prayed to the Kamis that problem would go away soon because it was one of the worst sounds Kagome could imagine—she had dealt with ringing in the ears for a week when she was a teen and had run head first into a light post, it wasn’t a fond memory for her.
“What were you thinking? This is highly inappropriate?” A hard voice demanded.
“Really? I don’t see what’s the big deal.” The friendlier of the two voices responded. There was a slight humor in the gruff voice but also a sense of authority that could not be denied.
“Don’t play coy with me. I know you’re behind this whole endeavor. She is a miko! Did you consider the implications of her being here?” Kagome noted how this voice sounded strangely familiar, silky in his eloquence yet distant in tone. It was her ‘savior.’
Kagome was able to open her eyes by now, and after adjusting to a blinding light she found herself in a sterile, white room surrounded by a curtain. A hospital cot? The smell of anesthetic was missing but she could smell medicinal herbs and by her side did lay what appeared to be some aspirin. Deciding she should probably talk to a doctor before popping some pills, Kagome slowly and quietly sat up in her cot. She didn’t want to be rude and interrupt the two’s discussion, but for all she knew one of them was her doctor. A hand hesitantly approached the dividing curtain only to flinch back when she heard an abrupt shift in one of the voice’s tone.
“Listen here, pup. I always think of everything, and even if I hadn’t, it still wouldn’t be your place to speak. Understood?” The friendly tone of one of the males had turned into a domineering rumble of a growl. Kagome had never heard a sound like it come out of a humans mouth. No, it sounded much more like a sound an animal would make. Maybe a dog?
“Father, you know I respect you, but this is crossing a line. If her power managed to affect me, think of the danger she could cause some of the lower level youkai. She could purify them.” The cold voice was barely reigning in his anger, Kagome was sure of it, but something he had said caught the attention of the previously angry conversation partner.
“Even you could feel her reiki? Truly! What did it feel like? Did it sting or tingle? I can’t remember the last time I ran into a miko that could do either of us any harm. Oh, how fascinating.” The second of the voices began to ramble a little in regard to mikos and youkai in the past and this is where Kagome became utterly lost. Why were they talking about superstitious things like reiki and youkai? Was it because they knew she hailed from a shrine?
A little fed up with having a lot of questions with relatively no answers, Kagome resumed her attempt at pulling back the current. When she succeeded, she found not one but two pairs of the most gorgeous golden eyes staring at her. One was an open and friendly stare filled with curiosity, however, the other could only be described as a cold and accusatory glare.
“Ah, little one. You’re finally awake.” The larger of the two broke the silence with a charming smile, a smile that flashed fang. The man seemed to be the older of the two and he was exceptionally handsome. A body made for battle approached her before sitting on the cot across form her and once again sending her a smile that lifted the royal purple slashes on his cheekbones. His golden eyes bordered more on amber upon closer inspection and they seemed to glow like a predator as he gazed upon her. However, none of these things were the most captivating aspect of his appearance.
Both males had shocking waves of moonlit silk for hair. The one across from her wore his in a high tail that disappeared behind broad shoulders, while the other’s ran like a silver river down his back all the way to the back of his knees.
Looking at the second man, the one Kagome now knew to be the owner of the mystery voice, she decided he had a much more fierce appearance despite his slightly smaller build. Eyes of hypnotic gold stared at her with what she assumed to be contempt as two magenta strips marked each cheek like ceremonial battle paint. Another mark, an indigo crescent moon, also rested regally on his brow and added to the sense of otherworldliness about him, about both of them.
Kagome couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Not only did these two devilishly handsome men look like they belonged in some 90s manga standing there in their traditional kimonos, but they also had auras of immense power. Kagome had always been good at sensing things like ‘aura’ or what she liked to think was just the build up of emotional energy around people, but there was no doubt that what surrounded this duo was power, ancient and deadly.
Kagome’s instincts were screaming for her to run, but she had a feeling that she wouldn’t be able to get very far even if she did. Instead, the little miko did what neither of the two males thought probable. She faced them head on.
“Please explain what’s going on.” Kagome tried to keep her question calm and polite, but her lip still trembled due to this odd sensation she was having inside her. It was like an unknown power was welling up within her to confront the daunting auras before her.
The male who was still standing growled slightly at her authoritative tone but the older male, or the one she assumed was older, let out a bark of a laugh.
“Oh, little one, I knew you’d be interesting and you haven’t disappointed me yet. I’m always right, I know, but I have to admit even I was a little hesitant about inviting a random guest to our school.”
The smile on the one speaking’s face was genuine, but something in his words sounded too condescending and it began to rile her blood. “You speak as if this truly is a game.” Kagome’s voice was surprisingly hostile as she faced the man before her, but it was a snarl form the moon head that got her attention.
“Impudence! You will learn your place and speak with the proper respect to your betters, Miko.” The sound was menacing and the threat of violence was left unsaid as it was unneeded.
“Now, Sesshomaru, calm yourself. The child has no idea to whom she speaks so how can she know my station?” The voice held an ancient wisdom within his calming tone, but what the male didn’t know was that his station didn’t matter. Kagome would have spoken that way to anyone if she felt insulted. The Emperor? No problem. Buddah? No big deal. Her mother? Now, that one she would have to think about...
“Child, I am sorry if my words offended you, that was not my intent. For sake of clarification, I shall start at the beginning. I am the Inu No Taisho, Lord Toga, and this is my son, Sesshomaru.” With this Toga extended a clawed hand to his son, a hand that Kagome didn’t follow as she was to distracted by the literal claws extending from his fingers. They must have been an inch in length at least.
“Our family of Inu youkai have reigned over this land for centuries and when the humans began to grow in strength we used a combination of magic and economic strategy to sanction this land in our name. Now, it is home to the most prestigious and exclusive school for youkai and, well, now you too! Welcome to the Western Academy for Youkai, Miko-sama.”
A beaming smile split the older, apparently much older, youkai’s face. Hoping that the whole thing had been some poor excuse for a joke, Kagome looked to the one called Sesshomaru to call his father’s bluff. All she saw on his beautifully chiseled face was a look of reluctant resignation.
Once again meeting the amber eyes that were almost sympathetic as they locked on her own pools of panicking blue, Kagome’s mind couldn’t take anymore. For the second time that night, everything went black.