InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Syndrome ❯ Lightning In Her Eyes ( Chapter 2 )

I do not own Inuyasha and Company, no matter how happy it would make me. Rumiko Takahashi does.

 

 

Chapter 2 - Lightning in her Eyes

 

 

@@ 13 Years Ago @@

 

 

“Mommmma!” a five year old Kagome whined. “Why do I have to go to school? I wanna stay home with you and Souta.” The little raven haired girl smiled down at the baby sitting his carseat next to her. “You'd better watch out Souta, or she might ship you off to school too,” she whispered while shaking his ugly green froggy rattle for him, causing him to give her a gummy smile.

 

Kagome's mother let out a frustrated sigh. They'd only gone over why she had to go to school a minimum of fifteen times a day since she'd been told about it. “Kagome, I told you before. You have to go to school to learn. You're going to have lots of fun and you're going to make new friends.”

 

“But I don't wanna make new friends!”

 

“You will, sweetheart. You will. Please, don't make this harder than it already is. I'm going to miss you all day, but when I come and pick you up you'll have all kinds of things to tell me about. And then you can tell Gramps about it too.”

 

“You mean I can make him listen to my boring stories for a change?”

 

Her mother shot her a smile in the rearview mirror. “Yes, and he'll hang on your every word. We're here.” The car pulled into a parking space and her mother opened her door and climbed out before opening the back door, unclipping the straps of the carseat, and lifted Souta into her arms. Kagome didn't budge. “Kagome Higurashi, you will get out of this car right now,” she said, using the special tone only mothers have that says `You'd better do what I say right now or I'm not going to be happy, and if I'm not happy, you're not happy.'

 

Kagome grumbled to herself but unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out of the car. With Souta balanced on one hip, her mother held her hand, walking her to her first ever classroom. She gave her daughter a kiss before nudging her through the open door and into the room.

 

After just a quick wave Kagome found herself surrounded by strangers. She looked them over one by one, not finding anyone interesting enough to approach. Instead she made her way towards the windows, looking out over the playground. An evil little smirk, well as evil as a five year old could manage at least, spread across her face. `Maybe this won't be so bad. They've got swings. Gotta love the swings. I bet Momma forgot to tell them that I'm not allowed on swings anymore.'

 

As her mind focused on how much fun she could have on the swings and wondering just how long it would be until they could play outside her mouth started moving on its own. Tilting her head from side to side, the little girl sang softly to herself.

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

He didn't want to be here at all. He couldn't believe his mother was doing this to him. He didn't like other kids. In all honesty he was sort of afraid of them. The only person around his age that he'd spent any amount of time with was his older brother. Whenever his mother had taken them to the park to play, hoping that he would get over his anxiety no doubt, the other kids would pick on him. It wasn't his fault he was short! And “it” certainly wasn't his fault either! Sure, his brother would chase them off, but they always came back and now his brother wasn't even here. `I don't wanna be here. I wanna go home. I so wanna go home. I don't believe him. He said that school was fun but I don't believe him. No one's gonna like me. They're all gonna make fun of me like always.'

 

He was moments away from hyperventilating when the sweetest sound caught his attention. He could barely hear it and he knew he had to hear more. Searching the bright colored room filled with toys, books, tables, and chairs; he saw her. He slowly took a few steps closer, not wanting her to notice him but unable to resist the urge to hear her better.

 

“Hush little Souta, don't say a word. Sissy's gonna buy you a mocking bird…”

 

`She sounds like an angel,' he thought to himself as his body slowly relaxed, not that he noticed. No, he was too enthralled with the girl with long black hair that looked so much like his. Hers was curlier though, rolling down her back in waves while his was straight and pulled tight at the base of his neck like always. `I wonder why she's just standing there singing.'

 

“…if that looking glass gets broke, Sissy's gonna buy you a billy-goat…”

 

He hadn't even noticed as he crept closer once again. He could hear movement and talking behind him as more and more children were dropped off, but ignored it. If he hadn't been so focused on her he would have been stressing like crazy about how the day would go, how he would make it until two o'clock when his mother said she'd be back for him. He would have been looking over the other students one by one, trying to guess which would be the first to notice that he was different. He knew that as soon as one saw, everyone would know. It was always like that. But he wasn't worried about it one bit at that moment in time.

 

“…a horse and cart, and if that horse and cart falls down, you'll still be the sweetest little brother in town.”

 

Both the watcher and the watchee were startled as a woman's voice rang out over the hum of the children chatting and playing. Immediately he swung around and looked at who had just identified herself as their teacher, hoping that the girl with the sweet voice hadn't noticed that he'd been watching her when she turned as well. He didn't know why but he didn't want her to notice him, didn't want her to see it. His little heart couldn't take it if she was like all the others, but somewhere deep down he knew that she would be nothing like anyone he'd ever met before.

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

The morning had been alright, she had to admit. They'd read stories, played games, and even got to use finger paints, something her mother didn't let her play with often, at least not since she'd painted that pretty picture for her. Kagome still didn't know what she was so upset about. The wall looked better that way in her opinion, covered in bright flowers, puffy clouds, and a shining sun complete with wavy yellow rays. The wall had been so boring, all white. It looked like a blank piece of paper just waiting for someone to come along and make prettier, and she'd been up to the challenge. She'd almost cried when her mother painted over it, making the wall a boring white once again.

 

Now it was time for something the teacher had called `recess'. It was finally time to play outside. As soon as they entered the fenced area that held the playground equipment, Kagome bolted. She had a date with a swing and she wasn't going to miss it. In under a minute Kagome was sitting on a swing, holding on to the chains but leaning back as far as she could. She loved being upside down and swings were perfect for it. She leaned back a bit more, flipping her legs up over her head, her feet now wrapped in the chains. She hung there, moving back and forth slightly from the motion of her flipping over, and stared at a tree in her line of sight. Finally, when it felt like there was no longer any blood in her toes she allowed herself to flip back down, landing perfectly on her feet. Her mother didn't call her a monkey for nothing.

 

Kagome decided that now was the perfect opportunity to repeat the trick she'd been caught doing when her mother banned her from the swings, at least until she `learned how to use them right'. She scowled at the memory. It wasn't that she didn't know the right way; it was just that the right way was boring. She cast her eyes around as she backed away from the swing set. Once she was at the perfect distance and was sure no one was around to catch her, Kagome took off in a run. At the last second, right when it looked like she was going to run smack into the swing, she leapt into the air. Her hands caught the chains expertly and her feet were securely on the seat. Standing upright on the swing Kagome enjoyed the rocking feeling, the force of her jump giving the swing quite a bit of height.

 

She closed her eyes, feeling her stomach do flip flops as the swing continued to move. When she closed her eyes it felt like she was flying. The swing slowed down, and just when Kagome was about to jump off to start over again, she heard voices.

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

“Just who do you think you are? What gives you the right to bear that mark?”

 

“Oh look! He's gonna cry! Come on baby. Cry for me. Cry for me, baby,” an older boy taunted while his friends laughed.

 

It had happened just like he knew it would. They noticed and wanted an explanation, not that they ever gave him a chance to answer. He found himself on his butt in the dirt, a sharp pain on his arm. Glancing at it while making sure not to take his eyes completely off his tormentors he saw blood. `Of course! Of course they would push me down and I would fall on the only rock in the whole playground!'

 

The taunting continued, drawing quite a crowd. He didn't dare move, just sat staring at them. He knew not to run because it only encouraged them. Demons loved the chase and he refused to give it to them. Instead he looked from face to face as more and more students came to look down on him. It didn't matter though, just so long as she didn't see, everything would be alright. He would heal. He was just about to try to stand up, fairly certain they would only push him down again, when his heart clenched. She was coming to see what the commotion was about. She was coming to see and then she would be one of them.

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

As Kagome got closer she realized what was going on. Someone was on the ground and rather than helping the boy up they were all laughing at him, calling him names that she didn't quite understand. Taking a closer look she realized that the boy on the ground couldn't have been much older than she was and the kids surrounding him were definitely older… years older. As she approached he looked up and into her eyes. She looked into his as well, seeing the pain there, pain and shame. Without a second thought the girl skidded to a stop between the boy on the ground and the group of bullies.

 

“Leave him alone you… you… stupid heads!”

 

He looked up at her back in shock. She was defending him? But she had to have seen it; she'd looked right at him. There was no way she could have missed it. So why was she defending him?

 

The bullies laughed at the kindergartener. “Why don't you make us, little girl? Oh, that's right. You can't! You're just a weak, pathetic human like him.”

 

Kagome's head tilted towards the ground and her hands balled into fists. Her bangs hid her eyes as she spoke, her voice suddenly different somehow, darker, like she was no longer an innocent little girl but something much more threatening. “I don't need to be a demon to make you.”

 

They had heard the change in her voice, but it was the shift in her aura that got their attention. Where there had been nothing but air a moment ago there was something else. All around them they could see sparks popping seemingly out of nowhere, the crackling sound making them cringe. They could feel it burning at their skin and attacking their own auras. This girl was no ordinary human it seemed.

 

He looked up at the girl standing in front of him, effectively blocking his sight of the bullies and their sight of him. He could feel the shift in the air around her and scrambled backwards a few feet. He leaned to the side, eager to see what would happen next. As the pretty girl with the soothing voice started to glow a bright pink he could see the fear in the older children's' eyes. They tried to be brave and stand their ground but her aura was just too powerful for them. The biggest of the demon children that had not only been the one to do most of the taunting but had also been the one to push him down began to quiver. He barely held in his laughter as he saw the rapidly expanding wet spot on the front of his pants. The air pulsed as she looked up at them and in the blink of an eye they were running away.

 

They'd been frozen in place, the oppressive feeling of the air around them, the crackling and popping and burning on their skin were terrifying. When the girl had begun to glow they knew they were in trouble. When her face tilted back up towards them and they could finally see her eyes again, the terror that had held them in place was replaced by their demon instincts telling them they had to get away. Her eyes were glowing too, her soft gray sparking and flashing bright blue. It looked like lightning tearing across a sky of dark clouds blocking out the sun. They flashed again and the air around them pulsed with the burning energy she'd surrounded herself and them in. Finally their bodies responded to their screaming brains and they ran as fast as they could away from her, none of them daring to look back.

 

He cringed as he felt the wave of energy wash over him but relaxed instantly as he felt no pain. Instead there was a warm fuzzy feeling all over and an odd tingle on his arm. Glancing down he watched in shock as the fairly large cut shrank and then disappeared before his eyes. The air shifted again and then there was nothing. It was like none of it had ever happened. He looked up at her, seeing that she was no longer glowing but instead had turned towards him and was holding out a hand.

 

“Are you alright?” she asked, true compassion in her eyes.

 

He stared into her eyes for a moment. They were the most amazing color he'd ever seen. They were a light gray and there was what looked like lightning bolts of brilliant blue starting at her pupil and shooting outwards. It looked like a thunderstorm. It was beautiful. Finally he realized she was still waiting for an answer. “I… yeah… I… how did you…” he trailed off.

 

“How did I what?” she asked in confusion.

 

“You were glowing. You scared them away.”

 

“Glowing? Really?” That was new. She'd never glowed before, at least as far as she knew.

 

“Definitely glowing.”

 

“Cool! What color was it?”

 

“Umm… pink… why?”

 

“Darn. I was hoping it would be purple.”

 

“Why?”

 

“No reason, really. Are you sure you're alright?” Since he didn't seem interested in getting off the ground yet, Kagome plopped herself down in front of him with a smile.

 

He glanced at his arm again just in case he'd imagined it, but his skin was flawless. There was even a little bit of blood on the sleeve of his shirt, proof that he had really been cut by the offending rock that was just sitting there innocently. “Yeah, I'm fine. You… why did you do that? Why did you stick up for me?”

 

“Cuz they were being big jerks! They have no right to pick on you or anyone! Just cuz they're bigger and stronger doesn't mean they're better! What were they bugging you about anyway?” she asked as she curiously examined the mark on his forehead.

 

“You see it. They don't appreciate a human having a demon marking.”

 

“Is that what that is?” she asked, tilting her head to the right in the most adorable way, making his heart twist in his chest. There was just something about her. She was special that was certain.

 

“Yeah. It's a long story. I'm… I'm Bankotsu by the way.”

 

Her eyes widened for a second. “Oh! I'm sorry! I'm Kagome. What grade are you in?”

 

“Kindergarten. I'm… in the same class as you.” His voice was a bit sad that she hadn't noticed him, even though he had been praying all morning that she would never see him.

 

“Really? I didn't really look at everyone earlier. Hey,” she reached out and gave his long braid that had fallen over his shoulder a gentle tug. “You wanna sit with me when we go back inside?”

 

For the first time that day, for the first time since the first bully had picked on him really, a real smile spread across his face. “Yeah, I would.”

 

 

@@@@@The Syndrome@@@@@

 

 

When she'd told her mother what Bankotsu had said about her glowing, her mother had looked at her in surprise for a minute before shaking her head. “I guess I shouldn't be surprised. But what were you doing that made it happen?”

 

“There were these older kids picking on a boy. They'd shoved him and made him fall and were saying all kinds of mean things. I told them to stop and they told me to make them. I'm not sure what happened after that. The next thing I knew they were gone and he was still on the ground. His name's Bankotsu, Mama, and he's my new best friend!” Her mother smiled before turning back around to the sink to finish the dishes.

 

The two children had become immediately inseparable. Every day they sat together for story time, played together on the playground, sat beside each other during arts and crafts, shared lunches, and more. Whenever they could they were together. Eventually their mothers devised a system. They would take turns picking the two up from school, taking them to their house to play together. The other would pick up their child around dinner time. It was the only thing that worked, at least if they wanted peace in their homes.

 

This was how Kagome'd finally met Bankotsu's older brother. He was only a year older so he went to the same school as they did. Some days both boys would come to the shrine to play. She liked him, even if he was a little different. He'd liked to play Barbie's with her, something that Bankotsu wasn't interested in, so they would play together while he sat nearby, just watching or coloring and eventually reading. As long as she was happy and having fun he didn't mind his older brother playing with her, so long as he was nice. If she was happy then everything was right with his world.

 

Sometime during their year in second grade his brother finally made friends of his own in his third grade class. They weren't as close as Bankotsu and Kagome were, something that he'd found himself jealous about. Kagome accepted him as he was. She never questioned him when he wanted to play with her dolls or even play dress-up. She never judged. She just smiled and accepted you as you were. His new friends had not so kindly informed him that his little brother and Kagome were babies; that he couldn't play with them anymore. He'd been a bit upset about it but he wanted to keep them as friends so he'd stopped going to the shrine with them, instead hanging out with his new group, leaving the two best friends on their own again.

 

The bullies had never told anyone what she'd done, but from that first day on they always kept their distance. No demon dared mess with the girl with the lightning in her eyes and they learned quickly that they shouldn't mess with the boy either. She protected him fiercely. It was actually pretty funny. When they were in the cafeteria at lunch the older demon boys that had been present for her show of power made a point to take the long way rather than pass where she and Bankotsu sat. If she felt a demon approaching all she would do was lift her head. Her brightly flashing eyes did the rest for her.

 

It took him three whole years to admit to her that he'd been listening to her sing that morning, the day that she changed his entire world. During that time he'd come to understand that when she was nervous she'd sing, being completely unaware that she was doing it. It was endearing and not only that, but her singing calmed and soothed him as well. It wasn't often that one was nervous or uncomfortable and the other wasn't, so her little quirk benefited him as well.

 

The longer they knew each other the closer they became and eventually Bankotsu began to gain the self confidence he had always lacked, which had always made him an easy target. As the years passed, he got a little taller and a lot braver. She'd given that to him, the ability to be strong. He had never been able to be strong for himself, had no idea how, but he became strong for her. Soon she didn't need to protect him anymore. Instead he had decided that it was his job to take care of her, his best friend in the whole wide world. Any time anyone wanted to play with her, they had to pass his inspection first. If they were found unsuitable to be in her presence, which Kagome always thought was amusing, he would send them away and it would be just the two of them again. She wasn't really interested in playing with anyone else anyway. She had fun with Bankotsu and she didn't need anyone else. That was the way it always was and they were happy with it.