InuYasha Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Prismatic ❯ Interference ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Higurashi Kagome had not been having a very good day. She'd been back, after much arguing, for less than a day only to be blindsided by a math test she had been wholeheartedly unprepared for, put up with hounding from her trio of friends about her 'boyfriend', and had only barely wriggled out of a movie date with Hojo. At least he seemed to respect her, partly true, excuse for needing to study.

Granted, it might have been more than only partly true, Kagome begrudgingly admitted to herself as she glanced down at the accusatory red mark of fifty-four percent. It almost seemed to mock her with the fact that she'd barely passed. Crinkling it with a scowl, she shoved it into her backpack, zipped it up a little more harshly than her poor bag probably deserved, and slung it over her shoulder with a huff. She'd gotten an average enough score on her English test, but she was definitely no longer top of the class. At least the trek back to the shrine might help her cool off, she thought as she started down the sidewalk.

For the most part, people left her alone. Whether it was from the clear irritation on her face as she stalked down the sidewalk or that they simply did not care to notice the world around them as they made their own journeys, she didn't know. The priestess wasn't exactly inclined to ask in that instant either way.

Her pace slowed a little until she'd stopped in front of a row of shops. There was a cluster of people, practically climbing over each other to get inside and she ducked to the side, next to the adjacent shop to frown at the behavior. Looking in through the window, she felt her skin crawl at the sight of the pandemonium inside. 'Osa-P? A jewelry shop…no thanks. I've had enough of jewels to last me a lifetime…or several.'

It was a nice enough day, the streets full of life and chatter that seemed a little overwhelming after returning through the well. It seemed ironic, in a way, that the bustle of the city she'd grown up in -however off the grid the shrine had seemed at the time- seemed more chaotic than the feudal era she'd been dragged into.

At least before, she had only had to worry about normal teenage drama like studying, vying for a date with the popular boys in class, and keeping up on the latest gossip with her friends. Back then, not that it was terribly long ago, she and her friends would likely have been in the midst of that crowd, just as loudly gushing and squealing over the finery as the rest of the crowd.

Leaning against the wall of the neighboring shop to avoid the chaos, she sighed. Her life as a normal middle school girl had never seemed so far away. Those worries and goals of not even a month prior now just seemed so juvenile. The crowd waned a little and she supposed this was her chance. The door behind her buzzed as she made her beeline for the crosswalk.

"Oh die!"

Well, that sounded dramatic. One foot hovering over the edge of the curb, Kagome paused, blinking at the exclamation and turning to look curiously at the source. It wasn't hard to figure out since the blonde girl was already near tears.

"Um...hey, are you.." Even if the girl would have noticed her, her murmur of concern went unheard, the question drowned out by a louder complaint.

"Hey, that hurts, Odango-atama."

Still unnoticed, her head swiveled to look at the man in surprise. He couldn't be serious. Maybe her threshold for pain had skewed a bit since having the jewel ripped out and getting tossed around a battlefield on a regular basis, but he was holding a wad of paper that Kagome did not in any way believe could have actually hurt him. She opened her mouth to say as much but, as they still hadn't noticed she was there, was beat to it when the blonde girl turned around, visibly concerned by the accusation.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry-"

Interrupting people was apparently a habit of his because he cut off the blonde girl too. "Thirty percent! Study harder, Odango-atama…"

Hackles raised at the condescending tone, Kagome paused, looking over her shoulder with a frown, the expression only deepening at the mortified look on the other girl's face. Inhaling through her nose, she hunched her shoulders and stepped between them.

"Hey! Do all university students pick on middle schoolers, or are you taking a special class on being a jerk?"

The girl seemed surprised, and the man had the sense to look shame-faced, though it did not move the priestess, fired up as she'd gotten. Perhaps, if she thought about it any, his comments to the blonde girl had hit close to home regarding her own flailing academic reputation.

'But it was still rude!'

Scrunching up her nose, the priestess set a hand on her hip and glared. When the man only stammered, she narrowed her eyes and turned with a huff, dismissing him. She must have still looked a bit irritable when she turned to the blonde, because the girl suddenly straightened at the attention. "Are you okay? Is he bothering you?"

"U-um…no um…"

"Higurashi Kagome." Kagome supplied, guiding the other girl away from the man and shooting a warning glare over her shoulder when she sensed his aura move towards them. When he stopped, if only to stare at her in bewilderment, she led the sputtering blonde further down the street the way she'd been headed and completely in the opposite direction of the shrine.

She hoped mama wouldn't be too worried that she was late.

---

"So, you just happened to hit him in the head with your test paper?" Handing the other girl a bottle of water from a vendor they'd passed, Kagome couldn't help but to be amused by the story once the blonde had stopped gaping at her. Once she had been certain that the jerk hadn't followed them -not that he'd be difficult to spot in that green fashion disaster- she'd nudged the girl into the park and exchanged names properly before finally asking about what she'd stumbled on.

"W-well…yes."

The girl looked embarrassed as she ducked her head and Kagome frowned. "Well, that was still rude. Especially if he didn't even know you, Tsukino-chan."

"Y-you think so?" Usagi turned to look at her then, a little perked up for a moment before she sighed dejectedly. "I know I should have studied harder though…Okaa-san will be mad at me.."

"Over one test?" When Kagome caught sight of the tears rimming the other girl's eyes, whether from dramatics or not, she was suddenly struck by just how lucky she was that her own mother had been so understanding. "But you go to Juban. That's a pretty good school. Even my classmates talk about how hard they grade there! That has to count for something."

"Not really... and I'm not as smart as Umino-kun so…"

'Oh…' Kagome frowned. She knew far too well recently, exactly how demotivating it was to be measured against other people. The other girl certainly seemed a little air-headed and maybe a bit childish, but they couldn't all be dragged through time to be aged beyond their years battling demons for magical trinkets.

"Do you live far?" The question escaped her before she thought it through, and Kagome briefly wondered at the impulse. Usagi looked equally as confused but only blinked at her.

"No, just a few more blocks but.."

"You said it was an English test?" Usagi nodded at her, her expression dumbfounded, and Kagome's grin broadened. "Well, English is my best subject apart from History and you're not that far from the station. Why don't I walk back with you, and we can tell your mom I'll help you brush up?"

Kagome barely managed to catch the water bottle that came flying at her when Usagi leaped upright to gape at her dramatically.

"Y-you'd really do that?"

She seemed so surprised by the offer that Kagome felt her chest tighten. 'Did no one ever help her?'

"Of course. So long as you don't expect me to be any help with Math." Kagome winked, the playful gesture drawing a smile from the blonde girl.

With a dramatic sniffle, Usagi nearly burst into tears all over again. "Waa, that's so nice Higurashi-chan..."

"That's what friends are for, right?" Waving a hand dismissively, Kagome shook her head, idly tossing the bottle that had nearly struck her in the face into the trash as they turned to head out. "Call me Kagome, okay?"

Usagi giggled a bit, but her expression brightened, and Kagome's grin widened in turn.

"O-okay. Call me Usagi then, Kagome-chan."

---

"Usagi!"

Kagome winced, grimacing a little as she looked back towards the front door that her new friend had gone through. Suddenly, she understood the other girl's earlier misery at the thought of going home and the apprehension of facing her mother. Once more, she found herself deeply appreciative of her own.

School would be so much more stressful and terrifying to keep up with if she had to fear her family too.

"Getting such a bad score – I'm not letting you in the house!"

Her brows very rapidly took refuge beneath her bangs and Kagome turned her full attention back to the house, aghast when Usagi tumbled back through the front door only to have it slammed in her face. Still trying to process the cruelty she'd just witnessed, she didn't notice the younger boy that slipped by until he walked into her line of sight, blocking off her view of Usagi – still sobbing dramatic pleas at the door. Then he kicked her and Kagome straightened with a frown.

"What are you doing, dummy Usagi? Did you get locked out again?"

Kagome paused, eyes widening in horror that none of them would see. 'Again? This is…normal to them?'

"I want a better sister."

Usagi's angry retort was lost on her at that, and Kagome froze entirely, scarcely even hearing the wailing that followed the blonde's failed attempt to return her brother's attack as he slammed the door in her face.

Kikyo was a  much  better archer.

Snapping out of it, the priestess softened as she came back to the present only to see her friend sobbing on the ground, still banished from her own house. "Usagi-chan…"

The girl paused in her wailing to peek over her shoulder at her.

Offering her a reassuring smile, Kagome bent to take her arm, drawing her to stand upright with her even as Usagi continued sniffling. "Hey, Usagi-chan, don't cry. It'll be okay."

She offered Usagi a tissue, then turned to knock on the door herself. For a moment there was no response and she wondered if she'd been too quiet or was being ignored. Then the door flung open so rapidly that she took a step back, narrowly dodging the spatula that swung angrily under her nose.

"I told you, Usagi-" The older woman paused rapidly, her eyes widening in horror at the sight of the middle schooler who certainly wasn't her daughter and she straightened, expression suddenly much more welcoming. "Oh, you're not Usagi, I'm so sorry."

"That's alright…" Kagome assured, despite her thoughts to the contrary. However, shouting angrily at this woman that it wasn't okay, even if it had been Usagi wouldn't do any good, so she plastered a polite smile on her face and offered a bow nonetheless. "But I am here for Usagi-chan, Tsukino-san. I thought I would introduce myself since I'll be coming around to help Usagi-chan with her English. I'm Higurashi Kagome."

When she looked back up from her bow, the woman seemed to have completely changed her tune and was looking at her with such an expression of teary-eyed wonder that she understood where Usagi got her dramatics from. If her mother hadn't raised her better, she might have called out the two-faced attitude.

But whether she liked this woman or not, she would at least honor her own mother by respecting her elders. It was just as well since she did not want to risk making life more difficult for her new friend. So, she maintained a polite demeanor and being the perfect little guest as they chatted a bit, exchanging pleasantries before noticing the hour when Usagi yawned loudly.

"Oh!" Ikuko looked at the clock, startled. "It's that late? I'm sorry, I need to get back to dinner before Kenji gets home. It was lovely to meet you, Higurashi dear. I hope to see you around to work your magic on Usagi here soon!"

"Yes, you will!" Kagome smiled as the woman vanished back into the kitchen, only letting the bubbly expression drop with a sigh once she was sure she and Usagi were alone.

Usagi, to her credit, was managing not to completely gape at Kagome even as she stared at her in thinly veiled awe. "Mom listened to you…"

"Just a bit of diplomacy!" Kagome winked and Usagi giggled at the playful gesture. "But I really do need to get going before Mama starts to worry. Oh, hold on just a sec…"

A few sounds from the kitchen filtered into the foyer as the priestess ruffled through her bag. It was almost a comfortable quiet with just the sounds of the home before it was broken when Kagome let out a little shout of success and withdrew a notepad to scribble on.

"Here's our number. Give me a call when you want to meet up, okay? Or if you meet anymore creeps you need me to scare off." Usagi perked up with a smile and Kagome brightened as the blonde took the little strip of paper, shouldering her bag.

"Oh, wait, Kagome-chan…"

Pausing at the door, Kagome turned to her curiously and could have burst into laughter at the shy look Usagi wore as she held out another strip of paper, torn from the bottom of her own and displaying a series of digits she was unfamiliar with. Mercifully, Kagome wasn't so cruel as to actually laugh and only grinned as she accepted it. When Usagi yawned again, the priestess shook her head from the door. "Go take a nap, Usagi-chan. You've got time before dinner. It'll make you feel better."

"Yeah, I think I will. Have a good night Kagome-chan."

Kagome smiled and waved over her shoulder, lingering only long enough to hear the click of the door as it shut before hurrying down the sidewalk. She was later than she thought she would be, even once she'd determined to help the blonde.

'But I can probably make it home in time to help Mama finish up dinner…'

Deftly dodging the remnants of the crowds on the sidewalk, her pace slowed as she neared the crosswalk that would take her to the station, an eerie feeling crawling over her skin as she approached the shopfront of the jewelry store from earlier. Now that she wasn't so distracted, Kagome realized that she definitely sensed something strange about it. It didn't quite feel like a demon, at least not the kind that she was used to, but there was an odd sensation that made her shiver. She peered in through the automated doors as they opened, allowing a glimpse of the chaos still going on inside.

'I'll come back closer to closing time…hopefully there's fewer people by then.'

Rubbing her arms with a shudder, Kagome gave the shop one last look before sprinting across the street to the station.

---

"Tadaima! Sorry I'm late!" In the process of stepping out of her shoes, Kagome was still a little out of breath from her sprint up the shrine stairs as Kunloon exited the kitchen to greet her.

"Okaerinasai, Kagome. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, sorry I didn't call. I gave Usagi-chan our number but didn't think to borrow their phone…" Rambling, cheeks pink with embarrassment as the oversight occurred to her, Kagome didn't notice her mother's curious look at first.

"Usagi-chan?"

"Oh! Yeah, some jerk was giving her a hard time so I walked her home." Setting her bag to the side, the priestess turned to look at her mother. "She goes to Juban."

"Juban?" Kunloon looked curious. "Oh, that's a lovely school. She must be quite a student."

Kagome grumbled something that Kunloon didn't quite catch but knew her daughter well enough to know it was likely unpleasant. "Kagome?"

"Iie…it's nothing. Am I too late to help with dinner?"

Rather than address the obvious deflection, Kunloon smiled and shook her head instead. "Of course not. Go change out of your uniform and come join me. I could use a hand with the tempura."

It was worth it for the way her daughter brightened before planting a kiss on her cheek and sprinting up the stairs.

Kagome had grown up so much in the months since she'd been pulled through the well, it was nice to see her so bright once more. Although Kunloon never said anything to her daughter, despite her seeming to fade more and more into the feudal era and the duty she'd fallen into there, she saw the way it had changed her and the weight she'd carried on her shoulders since. She knew Kagome didn't tell her everything, but she knew her daughter, she knew her father's stories, and she knew history well enough. No matter the smile or reassurances, none of them were so naïve not to realize what traveling through such a war-torn era would lead the girl to see.

It was no wonder Kagome had aged so many years in just a few months.

"I'm back, Mama!" Kagome practically bounced into the room, her uniform replaced with her favorite navy top -Kunloon fondly remembered giving it to her for her birthday- and her baby blue skirt paired with leggings. Something in the Higurashi matriarch tugged at that; Kagome never used to dress so modestly before she was brought back.

Yet another thing her daughter had survived.

"Ah, Kagome. Put the tea on and start working on battering the next batch while I fry this one, please."

"Yes, Mama."

For a moment, Kunloon could almost fool herself into believing the normalcy of the scene they made. Perhaps selfishly, she yearned for that moment to last and wondered not for the first time whether it marked her as a good or a poor mother that she continued to allow Kagome down the well at all. Instead, she kept such thoughts to herself and only hummed quietly. "Tell me about this new friend of yours, Kagome."

"Mm? Usagi-chan? Well, we kind of bumped into each other on the way home…just around the shopping district by the station."

"You said someone was bothering her?" Kunloon hid a smile when she heard her daughter's indignant huff.

"Hmf. Yeah, some jerk was mocking her for her test grade. Like he had any right to mock her when he was wearing something even Jii-chan would call out of date…"

Hiding an amused smile behind her fingertips, Kunloon let her daughter ramble -she eventually switched from her rant about 'the jerk's' clothing to talking about her new friend- too thankful for the conversations she'd so dearly missed to interject.

"She's having trouble with English though. I…well, I don't think I really thought it through too much, but I kind of offered to help her with it. It's probably the only class I'm still getting solid marks in other than History…."

Kagome trailed off, her posture deflating in a way that someone else not her mother may not have noticed and Kunloon softened. Kagome had been so proudly at the top of her class before the debacle with the well, it wasn't surprising to hear the saddened tone as she mentioned the matter.

"I met her family…most of them."

Kunloon paused to glance at her then, the hardness that seeped into her daughter's previously chipper tone catching her attention. "Oh?"

"Her father wasn't home, but I saw her brother briefly and spoke with her mom."

Kagome paused then, and Kunloon had to wonder just what had transpired if that was all that had occurred. Before she could question it further, she caught the budding tears in her daughter's eyes and blinked.

"I'm…so lucky to have you, Mama. I…I really don't say thank you enough for how much you've supported me, especially after…after the well and now the jewel and…"

Kagome looked away and Kunloon set down the first batch, plated, to cool on the table before she turned and set a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Of course, Kagome. You…have had a great responsibility and an unthinkable duty thrust upon you. I am very proud of you and how much you have managed."

Kagome offered a watery smile, which Kunloon returned, but then suddenly looked down with a sigh. "Usagi-chan's family was so…cruel to her. I thought she was being dramatic about not wanting to go home with her test but then... Tsukino-san locked her out!"

'Oh…I see.' Suddenly understanding what had upset her daughter so profoundly, Kunloon felt an odd mix of sympathy for the girl she'd yet to meet and relief at seeing the fire in her own little girl's eyes once more. Kagome never had been one to suffer what she thought unjust, even long before her travels through the well. Now, with this information, she understood her daughter's impulse and smiled.

"I imagine you helped her back inside then?"

"Well sort of, after Tsukino-san nearly smacked me in the face with a spatula cause she thought I was Usagi-chan. As if that made it okay!"

"It doesn't." Kunloon agreed, setting the batch Kagome had prepared into the oil to fry. "You were very kind to help Usagi-chan. She could use some support from the sounds of it. Please, be sure to bring her around, Kagome. She sounds like a lovely girl."

Kagome smiled, her expression suddenly bright at the almost casual unspoken acceptance. It made Kunloon's heart soar to see the lively demeanor once more and she hummed. Their quiet conversation came to a lull, which was shortly broken by the approaching chatter of an excited Souta talking with the eldest Higurashi.

"I need to thank Souta too…always collecting classwork and notes for me…"

Kagome's quiet mumble broke through her reverie and Kunloon smiled as she plated the last batch and patted her daughter on the shoulder. "After dinner. I've just finished the last of them, could you set the table, please?"

"Oh, yes, Mama." There was a pause, a comfortable quiet as the sounds of the other two grew louder, filtering in from the foyer amidst the quiet clink of plates and teacups.

Then Souta bounded in first with a loud cheer about that day's soccer practice and the silence was broken, replaced with the lively chatter of her children and the gruff occasional commentary of her father-in-law.

As usual, Kunloon only smiled and joined them at the table.

---

It was roughly an hour after they finished dinner that Kagome made her way back downstairs, her steps eerily silent as she padded across the hardwood flooring. She'd waited to help her mother with the dishes and for Souta to fall asleep before pulling on her socks and grabbing her bow. Her mother, sat in the living room reading, looked up from her book when Kagome entered. "Kagome?"

"I'm…I'm going back out, Mama. It shouldn't take too long, I don't think."

Kunloon almost didn't hear Kagome's quiet murmur but turned to look at the girl as she set her book down. "Oh? So late?"

Kagome glanced briefly towards the stairs and when she seemed satisfied that her brother was still occupied in his room, she peeked back over at her. "Yeah, I…sensed something weird from the shop I met Usagi-chan in front of today. I'm sure it's probably nothing, like a ghost again, because I didn't notice it until I was on my way back but…I want to make sure. So nobody gets hurt."

Kagome had shared the stories of the Noh mask that they'd previously had stored away and the tragic story regarding the spirit of the late child that she'd quite literally dragged from a fate in Hell, but she was hesitant to worry her mother any more than she knew she did already.

"Alright. I trust your judgment, but be careful, Kagome."

Kagome brightened and had to fight off fresh tears at her mother's seemingly unending understanding. "I will! Thank you, Mama."

"Hold it right there, young lady."

Kagome froze, turning to look at her grandfather in surprise as he padded into the room. "Jii-chan?"

Instead of the rambling lecture she braced herself for, he only huffed and held out a stack of paper to her. It took her a moment to realize that they were ofuda. Her smile widened. She'd thought about learning to use them after watching Miroku and being caught disarmed without her bow far too many times, and after experimenting with the monk's stash learned that she could charge them just as well as her arrows, but she'd yet to perfect writing them properly.

Inuyasha in particular had scorned the idea as a waste of time and resources, despite Miroku's patient attempts to teach her when she'd first queried the matter. She'd given up a short time after, feeling guilty for her failures and the waste of the monk's time and stock alike. The resources to make them, much less waste on her inability to write them correctly, were not quite as accessible in the feudal era. For all they teased him for his rambling and wild stories, Kagome trusted her grandfather's skill in writing ofuda.

She threw her arms around his neck with a squeal of 'thank you', ignored his huff as he patted her on the back, and promised to be back soon as she leapt into her shoes and sprinted down the stairs.

---

Getting back to the shop in the evening proved disturbingly easy, Kagome thought, her travel unhampered by the bustle of nightlife that was, or should have been, typical of an evening in Tokyo. The ride on the tram had garnered her some brief looks given the short bow on her back, but she almost missed the presence of the crowd once she'd stepped out of the station.

A chill rolled down her spine and she shuddered. Something was definitely wrong.

That suspicion was only confirmed when she neared the block that the shop was located and, despite the darkness inside, the doors were flung wide open. That eerie sensation that she'd sensed before seemed nothing in comparison to the impact of the dark energy that seemed to seep out of it in that moment. Biting her bottom lip, Kagome wrapped her scarf around her face -both for the sake of potential poison and the security cameras- and crept close slowly, not wanting to alert whatever was inside. 'It feels like youkai but…not entirely.'

Her train of thought came to a screeching halt when she heard a loud crash from deeper inside the store and she ran inside just as a figure went flying past her, thrown into one of the support beams. The fallen form -human- was swiftly followed by what she determined to be the source of the odd demonic energy. She crept around a display case as the creature focused on the person it had thrown, too busy mocking its victim to notice the priestess' approach.

As she quickly ducked from her hiding place behind one case to a closer one, Kagome let out a breath, relieved to see she was still unnoticed. Then her heart froze when she saw the strands of auburn hair at her feet and her gaze followed the locks to the unconscious form of a girl about their age. Glancing briefly back at the exchange, Kagome took a moment to check the girl's pulse and heaved another sigh of relief to find her only unconscious. She let a little bit of her priestess energy trail over her fingers, leaving faint wisps of her very amateur healing; thankfully, it seemed there were only some bruises to contend with.

Then, there was a sudden loud wail and Kagome froze. She knew that voice.

Her head snapped to the side to reexamine the exchange that had devolved into battle and she stood, hastily knocking an arrow. The creature was practically upon its target, a mutated paw brandishing a deadly pair of claws, and Kagome's heart clenched in anxiety as her arrow left her bow.

'Please work…you feel like a demon but…' Her fears proved unfounded when the creature suddenly froze, only given the chance to look briefly at the arrow that had landed in its shoulder before it burst in an explosion of purification and ash.

There was a long stretch of silence, only the quiet gasps of breath from the priestess and the blonde figure wearing what she could now see as an oddly colorful sailor styled uniform. Then, there was the sound of something landing to the side and Kagome tensed.

Out of the shadows strode a man wearing an oddly formal western style tuxedo, coupled with a top hat and a mask that reminded her of a masquerade ball.

'Could tonight get any wei- you know, I'm not going to finish that thought…'

The man spared her a glance, and Kagome thought she saw his eyes narrow as he stared at her. Then he completely disregarded her to turn to the girl she'd just saved. "Sailor Moon, you mustn't be afraid. You have to fight."

Kagome followed his gaze and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the tips of very familiar blonde pigtails. Heart pounding in her chest, she barely heard the blonde's quiet whimper that she did not want to fight, nor the flutter of the strange man's cape as he left.

From the side, Kagome could see a lingering hue of pink coloring the blonde's cheek from her profile as she seemed to wistfully watch the well-dressed stranger leave.

Then the blonde turned to her wholly, suddenly as if she'd just been reminded that she was there, and Kagome saw her face. Her stomach rolled when she saw her face directly and Kagome couldn't swallow her shout of surprise in time.

"U-Usagi-chan?!"