InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love Ain't Forgotten Easily ❯ New girl ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1

-2004

Kagome sat in the backseat of her family's car, staring at the giant new house her parents had bought. Though what on Earth possessed them to buy it I don't know.

It was a manor, apparently quite old—over five hundred years, she had heard. It sat on a sea cliff, and the land that had come along with it was considerable.

There's only five of us; why do we need this much space?

They were about halfway up the driveway when the sixteen-year-old caught sight of something red flash by in the trees lining the dirt road.

Bird? she wondered. If it was, it was a pretty big bird.

But, as no one else had noticed it, she dismissed it as just her eyes playing tricks on her. She instead averted her attention to the approaching house.

***

Sota's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he gazed around the front hall of his new house. He was so surprised he didn't even notice when he dropped Buyo.

The cat stalked off in a huff, annoyed, but was sidetracked by an interesting smell. Curious, he started tracking it.

Mouse? he thought. No. Smells more like…fox.

He followed the trail until he reached a modest closet in one of the rooms. He nosed the door open, glad to find it unlocked.

“Who's there?” a small voice demanded, and seconds later something dropped onto Buyo's head. The cat hissed in reflex and swiped at it with his claws, and a child's shriek of pain immediately resulted.

`What did I do? Who did I hit?' Buyo meowed, and he was startled to hear the child answer him.

“Oh, you're only a cat.” A little boy walked out of the door, thusly revealing himself to Buyo. He was nursing the scratches on his arm.

`You understand me?'

“Yeah. I'm a kitsune. See the tail?” The little boy turned to show it off.

`What's your name? Why are you here?'

“I'm Shippo. I've lived here since my parent's death.”

`But this place has been uninhabited for years!'

“Not the land surrounding it. We lived out there, but when they were…murdered…I moved in here.” Shippo's eyes welled up. “That was about fifty years ago.”

`Fifty?!' The poor cat was overwhelmed and fell over for a moment. `But you're only a small child! I know youkai live a long time, but—'

“I was very tiny when I came inside.”

`Oh.' Recovering, Buyo sat up. `I don't know if you still can, though. My masters have moved in here. They bought the place.'

“People? There are people here? Who conned them into buying?”

`Huh? What do you mean?'

“This place is haunted by a very angry ghost.”

`Ghost?' If Buyo's skin had been visible, it would have paled. `It wouldn't…hurt them, would it?'

“No, mostly he just forces them out. That's why nobody's bothered trying to buy the place for a long time. He tolerates me because I'm small, and we mostly ignore one another. Though, if there's a big storm, he lets me hang around him…”

`When will he figure out they're here?'

“He knew the moment they walked in the door.”

Buyo scrambled for the door. `I have to warn them!'

Shippo watched him go. “Good luck,” he muttered.

***

Kagome still had to pick her bedroom, so she used it as an excuse to explore the house. She headed up to the second story.

It's so…quiet, here. The road's a mile and a half away, and it's not used that much. And this house… She grinned. “Hello!”

“Hello!” “Hello!” “Hello!” It echoed, slowly getting quieter, but it was a while before it fully stopped. She shook her head and continued along the hall.

“Nice pictures,” she whispered, gazing at the paintings on the wall. “These people must be that rich family who owned this place way back in the 1500s. Though this guy looks like a girl.” She giggled at the dark-haired man whose picture was labeled `Naraku Tsukino'; however, his gaze seemed a little…evil to her, and she moved on to the next picture quickly.

She froze.

There could have been a mirror, but the girl looking back at Kagome was wearing very old clothes. Her face also held no expression, while Kagome's own was quite surprised and a little…afraid?

“What the…?” Kagome leaned closer and read the inscription. “Kikyo Tsukino: 1487-1504.” She shivered. “Oh, gods, I look almost exactly like her.”

She turned away. “I'll mention it to Mom later.” Pushing thoughts of her look-alike from her mind, Kagome decided to see how long her echo would last if she said it really loudly. Smiling, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “HELLO!”

“HELLO!” “HELLO!” “Hello!”

Kagome plastered herself against the wall when she heard that last echo. It had not been her voice.

“Who's there?” she called.

“Who's there?” it returned mockingly.

“Sota, is that you?” She moved away from the wall, her fear replaced by irritation. “You squirt, I'm going to get you for that!”

“Who are you calling squirt, wench?” There was a flash of red at the other end of the hall, one that looked suspiciously familiar—

That so-called `bird!' She took off after it. “Wait!”

However, it disappeared from her vision as quickly as it had appeared, and there was no sign of it once she reached the other end.

Which way, which way? She looked both ways before finally choosing right.

“Hey!” she called. “Where'd you go?”

“There's nobody here, fool! It's all in your imagination!”

“Then why are we having such a stupid conversation?”

Silence. “Why the hell do you care?”

“Because I want to know who's in my house!”

Red. There, at the end of the hall. It paused in the shadows, but she dared not approach it…did she?

Kagome took a step in that direction, but the voice stopped her. “Wait,” it said. “Did you say your house?”

“Yes. My family just bought this place.”

There was a pause. “What year is it?”

“2004. Who are you?”

“None of your business,” it snapped.

“Yes it is! You're trespassing!”

“What? I've been here for five hundred years, wench! If anything, you're intruding!”

“Five hundred years?” she yelped. “What are you, a youkai?”

“Correction: was. You're talking to a ghost.”

“A youkai ghost?” Kagome's jaw dropped. “But I thought ghosts couldn't be seen.”

“Well, duh. Of course we can't. Why do you—can you see me?”

“Well, flashes. I've yet to see you in the light, and you're hiding in that shadow right now.” She walked toward the spot where it was hidden.

“Get away from me!” There was that darn flash of red again.

“Wait!” She attempted to follow, but once more it vanished. “Shoot!”

***

Sota looked down. “Oh, there you are, Buyo.” The cat seemed agitated. “What is it?”

`Ghost!' Buyo meowed as loudly as he could, but the human just couldn't understand him. `Gah! Why do I even bother?'

The light fixture behind Sota chose that moment to explode, causing the boy to shriek and the cat to run for cover.

As he stood there, all the glass in the lights began to burst, going down the hall away from him. Sota was rooted to the spot in fear.

But when the window at the end broke, he'd had enough.

He took off screaming, Buyo on his heels.

***

Kagome's head jerked up; was that Sota?

“Sota?” she called, heading in the same direction that `ghost' had gone. I'm losing my mind. There was no ghost. “Sota, where are you?”

He rounded the corner and ran directly into her. His arms wrapped around her waist in a death grip, and she could hear him breathing heavily.

“What happened?” Kagome saw the spooked cat as he ran by. “Sota?”

“Oh, sis, it was freaky!” He looked up at her with wide, scared eyes. “I was standing in the hall and Buyo came up to me meowing and then all the light fixtures started exploding!” Sota dove into her shirt again. “I think this place is haunted and the ghost wants us out!”

Kagome tensed, but knew it was her job as big sister to comfort him. “There are no such things as ghosts, Sota.” Considering I was just `talking' to one—no! There are no ghosts in this house! “The electricity's just old in this place, that's all. The lights probably just gave out.”

“All in a row?” He glared up at her suspiciously. “And then they broke the window?”

“Uh…why don't you go ask Mom?” Kagome took his hand and led him away. Buyo toddled after them, still edgy.

On the way there, they passed the Kikyo picture and Sota stopped. “Uh, sis? Why's there a picture of you in old clothes on the wall?”

“It's not me, Sota, it's just some girl who looks like me. She died in 1504.” Only seventeen…I just realized that. I wonder if she's the ghost? No, there is no ghost! “Come on, let's go find Mom and then we can choose our rooms. Okay?”

“Okay…” He trailed after his sibling without further comment.