InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Everland's Fountain ❯ Of Kongji and Patji ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: So I was having soda the other day. I bought it at a vending machine with my last three quarters. It wasn't very good soda. Actually, I think it was coffee. And I don't drink coffee. So now I have no soda and no quarters. So you can sue me, but you won't get much. Just an forewarning. ^_^

AN: Started a new story. And if everything goes according to plan, it won't be extremely long or anything. Just needed a break and have fun writing fluff and bad puns.

Everland's Fountain

Chapter One

Of Kongji and Patji

"So?"

Kagome adjusted the strap of her backpack as she blinked at her friend. "So what?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Kagome," Kikyou said, her cold eyes unfazed by Kagome's innocent ones. "Who are you planning to ask to winter prom? I know you have someone in mind."

Kagome laughed. "And what makes you say that?" She squinted her eyes and held a hand over her eyes as the bright sun glared through the clouds as Kikyou opened the door of the old library. Her ears were immediately greeted with the cheerful tweetering of songbirds and the laughs and chatters from passing high school students. The sky was bright and the wind was light. This was a good day.

"Well, the fact that you were looking through prom dress magazines and staring at the flyers was a bit of a dead give-away. And I know that you're not going to go by yourself. So who do you have your eye on?"

"I don't have my eye on anyone!"

"You can tell me."

Kagome laughed again and turned to look at Kikyou. "I- "

She stopped when she saw past Kikyou's shoulder. Her smile faded as she turned her head away. They were doing it again.

A group of students were leaning against the library wall, pointing at Kikyou and then at Kagome, muttering whispers to one another. It didn't take a genius to know what they were talking about.

"What?" Kikyou asked.

Kagome looked up. "Oh, um, nothing."

Kikyou frowned but gave her a faint smile. "Alright..."

Kagome didn't blame those students for admiring Kikyou and then looking...looking strangely at the girl next to her.. It was almost looking at an angel who had just dropped from the heavens above. Her pale complexion looked beautiful in the sunlight and her chocolate eyes were enchanting despite being emotionless. Her long straight black hair was pulled back but the wind rippled through them as if God was running his fingers through her ebony locks. And she. She was plain. She was normal. A rock next to a sparkling jewel.

Normally, Kagome wouldn't let this bother her. But sometimes she wondered, what would make people stop making comparisions. She knew Kikyou was probably smarter and definitely more beautiful than she was. But, was it really neccessary to make such open comments? It really irked her sometimes.

Kagome turned to Kikyou when she poked her in the shoulder. "What?"

"You see that group of boys over there?" Kikyou pointed to the school gate where a bunch of boys were gathered. Kagome nodded. "Knowing you the way I do, I'm pretty sure that one of those guys is the one you've been itching to ask-"

"You're really pushing it, aren't you, Kikyou?" Kagome sighed. "Seriously, just drop it, will you? It's not as important as you make it."

Kikyou stopped, her smile not even touching her hard eyes. Kinda scary, actually. But as on cue, they immediately sweetened with her smile. "Kagome, honestly. Mid-terms has ended and we both know that we are stressed out and totally exhausted. I know you want to go to winter formal and I'll help you, so...?"

Kagome scratched her head uncertainly and dropped it to her side as she turned her gaze to the group of boys. Well, Kikyou was right. She did have her sights on one of those boys. It was stupid, actually. She knew he was popular with the girls. It wasn't a crush; she just thought that it would be a nice thought to go to a dance with him. His long black hair trailed down his back and his bright violet eyes could probably charm Kikyou's to melt.

Come to think of it, no harm could be done if she told Kikyou. She was her best friend and always did help her when she needed it most. So, what the heck?

Kagome pointed to the long-haired boy after a hesitant pause.

Kikyou followed Kagome's finger to a brown-haired boy. His hair was short and his eyes were naive as an innocent child. Kikyou blinked in slight surprise at Kagome's choice. Hojou? That was definitely an...interesting choice. It wasn't that he was awful or anything. Just awfully naive. But who was she to question Kagome's judgement? If he was the one that Kagome wanted, then Kikyou would do nothing but support Kagome's decision. Besides, it wasn't like Kagome chose her choice.

Kikyou gave Kagome an supportive push. "Go on, ask him."

Kagome's eyes widened marginally. "What?!"

"Well, it's best to ask him now. You don't want some other girl stealing him from under you nose, now do you?"

"No, but-"

"So go! Why are you hesitant? You want him to be your date, right?"

Kagome looked down at her shoelaces. After a moment, her eyes moved up to Kikyou. "You're not interested in him?"

Kikyou gave a small chuckle. "Not if you are. He's yours. Now go on. I'll be here rooting for you."

Kagome was about to protest again but Kikyou gave her a comforting smile. It was a real one. It had to be. It touched her eyes, giving her an angelic glow and- it just couldn't be a fake smile. It was enough to boost up her confidence.

Kagome burst into a cheerful grin and gave Kikyou a thumbs-up before running off towards the group of boys.

Kikyou's smile faded to a faint one. She was really proud of Kagome. Her optimism and innocence were very admirable and lovable. It felt like she was watching her little sister taking a huge step in life and- wait, what? Wha- wh- no, wait. W-Why? Why is she going up to Inuyasha? No. She was suppose to go to Hojou. Why was she going to Inuya- WHY was she was going towards the person she was going to ask? Th-This was not going the way she wanted! Not a bit!

Kikyou watched with utter horror as Inuyasha looked down at Kagome in surprise. He smirked and probably made some snide comment but Kagome responded, unfazed. He smiled, surprised but then charmingly, and nodded. H-He nodded! Kagome was beaming like a beacon as Inuyasha took her hand into his- Oh, God! No. Kikyou was NOT going to let this go pass her. Not if she had something to do about it.

Kagome knew that she was glowing like a light bulb, but she could care less. She was going to winter formal with Inuyasha. Inuyasha! This was- amazing! Kagome turned around, about to signal Kikyou that it was successful. But she didn't have to - because Kikyou was striding over with the most determined and iciest eyes she had ever seen. Yet Kagome was scared for reasons unknownst to her.

Kikyou eyed Inuyasha's and Kagome's joint hands coldly before looking up at Inuyasha. He raised his eyebrows questionably but said nothing. Kagome gave Kikyou a puzzled look but she would not look at her. What was Kikyou doing? No, the real question Kagome had was - why were Kikyou's eyes so cold? What happened to the warm, supporting look that her face held just five minutes ago?

"Just one question, Inuyasha," Kikyou said in a hard voice. "Before you decide to do anything...drastic."

"Go on, ask him."

"I want you to go to the winter formal as my date."

"You don't want some other girl stealing him from under you nose, now do you?"

"Now I'm giving you a choice."

"So go! Why are you hesitant?"

"Who are you going to pick? Me? Or...her?"

"You want him to be your date, right?"

Kagome felt as if the wind went cold and her features were frozen in horror. She gaped at Kikyou as her eyes started to water before she felt a screaming rage that started to burn in her chest.

Then, in front of everyone. In front of hundreds of eyes that were staring at them and without what seemed not even a moment's hesitation, Inuyasha ripped his hand from Kagome and took Kikyou's hand into his.

"He's yours. Now go on. I'll be here rooting for you."

This was...a bad day.

* * *

A couple years later

"Souta! It's past your bedtime! Why is your lamp still on?!"

Kagome thundered into her little brother's bedroom with an annoyed scowl on her face. On his small Digimon-themed bed, Souta sat under the covers with a pout marring his adorable face.

"I can't." He muttered.

Kagome folded her arms across her chest with a quirked brow. "And why not?"

Souta looked down at his Digimon covered bedspread. "I don't know..." Suddenly he perked up. "I know! Why don't you tell me a story? Maybe it'll help- "

Kagome laughed. "As much as I'd love to, I have an important paper to write and if I turn it in late again, my professor will kill me. Besides, I still have to look for a job and-"

"All the better reason to tell a story. I heard story-telling relieves stress."

"Uh-huh. And where did you hear that?"

"Um."

"Mm-hm." Kagome reached over and tucked the covers under Souta's chin.

"Please," he pleaded. "Just one story? I promise I'd go to sleep right after you finish."

"Why don't I call Mom? She'll- "

"No! I like it when you tell stories. It's more fun. Please? Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top?"

Kagome groaned as Souta immediately pulled his face into a puppy pout. She drew up a chair. "Just one story," she emphaized with a pointed finger. Souta nodded excitedly.

She grinned and after a moment's thought, she straightened. "Okay, this is the story of Kongji and Patji."

It was one of those traditional fairy-tale stories. Patji was the evil, ugly, mean sister who no one liked. Kongji was the super nice and beautiful one who ended with the prince in the end. Simple? Yes. Cliche? Way yes. But the story was short enough to speed through and get Souta to sleep, so she could really care less.

"There was this one girl named Kongji. Now she was absolutely beautiful and nice and kind to boot with it. Everyone loved her and couldn't think of anyone better than she. And there was Patji, Kongji's sister, who was mean, cruel, and no one liked her."

"Kikyou rarely ever smiles, but she's so kind! You know, earlier today I was sick and she offered to lend me all her notes for the classes I missed."

"Kikyou is sooo pretty! I loved her pale complexion! No matter how many creams I use every night, I can never get it to look like hers. I'm surprised that no model agent has come up to her yet. And she's so humble! It's amazing how..."

"I don't think there's a single person on this campus that doesn't like Kikyou. I mean, just look at her! How can you not..."

"Who's that girl that's always hanging around her? That plain one..."

"Oh, wow. Those two look a lot like each other, don't they? Well, Kikyou's prettier, as if I had to say that..."

"That girl, Kagome, the one's who always hanging around with Kikyou? What's she thinking hanging with her? She's so loud and is nothing like Kikyou. They look alike but they're so different. I personally think Kikyou's better though..."

"That Kagome. Maybe she just with Kikyou 'cause she thinks she can boost her popularity. Ha...fat chance..."

"Oh, hey, look! There's Kikyou! Oh, and there's Kagome. Oh man, she's a joke compared to Kikyou..."

"Kagome?"

Kagome jerked her head suddenly as she realized that she was zoning out.

"Oh," Kagome laughed dryly. "Sorry, Souta. I- uh. Um, I mean, as I was saying." She tooked a big breath. She opened her mouth to start again when an idea popped into her head. She glanced at Souta warily. Well, it wasn't like he knew how the actual story went anyway...

"Yeah?" Souta was nearly bouncing with anticipation.

Kagome grinned before biting her bottom lip. "Well, um, you see, Kongji wasn't actually nice and kind. She only pretended to be nice to get men and make Patji miserable. Patji was a bit rude and mischievous, but she was really a nice girl. But no one saw that since Kongji always took the spotlight. You see, Kongji - What?" Kagome blinked innocently as Souta shot her a blank look.

"Your story's weird."

"What?! No, it's not!"

"It's too complicated!" Suddenly, Souta's eyes shoned with glee. "Oh! How about you tell me one of those stories where there's this really cool hero and he has all these awesome kung fu moves and- "

"Hey, do you want me to tell the story or not?" Kagome glanced at the clock. "And look, it's 10:30. Isn't that past your bedtime?"

"No." Souta replied unconvincingly.

It took a while but after Souta's protests ("Oh, come on, sis! Just one story and I'll go to bed! I swear!") and Kagome's polite refusals ("Go to bed. NOW!"), Souta was sleeping soundly and Kagome was quietly shutting the door behind her. As she went down the stairs, Kagome shook her head. It was amazing how she could cope with him considering that all these things were happening. College was harder than people said. Professors were already stressing on finals, which weren't due in months. Not to mention that she needed a job.

Argh.

She needed a job.

And, argh.

She needed to do her paper on- argh.

Kagome rubbed her eyes wearily. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Kagome stared at her laptop screen. She sipped her hot coffee, bit into her bagel, and stared some more. Maybe if she stared at it a bit longer, her paper would write itself. Impossible? Yes. But one can hope.

The internet cafe that she was in was unusually quiet, but that was probably to be expected since it was Saturday morning. Writing this paper at home was practically impossible since Souta wouldn't quiet when he heard about a new video game that had been just released ("Come on, Mom! Please! 'Murderous Ghost Killers' isn't violent at all! I won't get nightmares! I swear!"). But due to her unfailing misfortune, she wasn't making anymore progress now.

Kagome sighed. Job searching wasn't any better. So far, the best she could find was flipping burgers at WacDonalds and clipping people's ugly feet with nuns at Clipper's Nails. Ah, the beautiful reality of life. As much as she could tell, it sucked.

"Hello. Black coffee, please."

Kagome's ears twitched. That voice. It was strangely familiar. But, she couldn't really recall it.

"Thank you very much."

It was soft and quiet, but no emotion was laced in it. Definitely female. Hm.

Kagome swerved around in her seat and looked around. Walking elegantly towards the exit was a tall, dark long-haired woman. Heads turned as she passed them but she ignored them, not sparing anything a glance. Kagome cocked her head curiously. That walk. It was familiar also. She knew that walk.

Ah. Kikyou.

Faster than ever before, her laptop was packed away and her bagel and coffee gulped down. Kagome wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and rushed out the cafe just as Kikyou did.

"Kikyou!" She called out.

Kikyou stopped and turned her graceful head around. Kagome's breathing grew a little harsher as her chest rose up and down heavily. Kikyou regarded her with eyes that showed no recognition. Suddenly, she blinked in slight surprise (that barely showed at all) and gave a cold smile.

"Kagome." She said simply.

Kagome swallowed. "Um, hi." She smiled brightly.

"Hello."

Kagome straightened. She looked at Kikyou from head to toe. She looked, well, very professional. And pretty. She wore a dark blue business suit with a skirt that went up to her knees. Her long hair was held back in a horsetail and in one hand was a suitcase, the other with coffee. And Kagome felt. Very unprofessional. Especially with her cargo pants and blue top. And looking at Kikyou seemed to rubbed the fact in her face that she was unemployed. Oh, yeah. This was going to be a GREAT day.

Kagome shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Um, long time no see," She grinned. "So, how have you been up to?"

"Me?" The tone that Kikyou used was very business-like. She didn't treat Kagome as an old friend; more of some inferior employee at her work. "I'm currently the Design Production Team at Everland Park. You know that place, right?"

Everland Park.

Everland Park.

Know?! Who doesn't know Everland Park?!

Kagome's hand balled into a fist behind her back. Yes, Kikyou. Please rub your success in my failing life. I just LOVE it when you do that.

Kagome's blank look erupted into a cheeful smile. "Really?! That's great! I'm really happy for you! How did that happen?"

Honestly, she really didn't want to know. But you know, it's common courtesy. Dammit.

"Near the end of my freshmen year of college, I met a businessman from Everland and he offered me a position in the team in the theme park."

Kagome blinked. Just like that? Just like- no way. Well, Kikyou was extraordinary talented. She huffed. As much as she wanted to think that she just slept with man, it just wouldn't registered into her head.

"Wow. That's really great," Kagome commented.

Kikyou shrugged. "Yes, I suppose. What about you?"

Yes, Kikyou. Please rub in some more.

"Well, I'm starting my sophomore year in Tokyo University."

Kikyou cocked her eyebrow. "Really?"

Kagome's alter ego growled. Yes, I'm still in Tokyo University. Just because I'm probably not as smart as you, doesn't mean I'm stupid.

"Yeah, and right now, I'm looking for a job. Currently, no luck."

Kikyou cocked her head as she thought. Kagome looked at her, kind of wary. What was she thinking of now?

Kikyou adjusted her grip on her suitcase and eyed Kagome inquiringly. "You know, if you'd like, I can use my connections at the park and get you some kind of job. Everyone there gets a decent wage and I think you'll enjoy it there."

Kagome's eyebrows rose. There had to be a catch. There had to be strings attached. Most of all, she didn't like the idea of working in the same place as Kikyou.

"And considering that I hope you are still a normal girl," Kikyou continued. "You'll meet a lot of people and maybe get a boyfriend, which I don't think you currently have one. There are some pleasant-looking men there."

Kagome's alter ego gaped outrageously at her. Now what exactly was the implication there?!

Kagome calmed herself. Well, honestly, Kikyou didn't have any reason to lie to her. And if she was going to get a decent wage, it was probably worth a try. Maybe this was an opportunity that she shouldn't risk to pass. Besides, maybe she could rekindle her friendship with Kikyou, despite everything.

Kikyou held out her hand. "Do we have an agreement?"

With a reluctant sigh, Kagome took Kikyou's hand and shook it. "Yeah."

Kikyou smiled eerily, making Kagome reconsider her decision. "I'll see what I can do."

AN: It's a thousand words less than I usually write. But you know. Oh, well. And the second chapter hopefully should be up soon. Um, or another new story . ¬.¬