InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Visiting Sibling ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

Prologue

Sōta Higurashi first met Miyuki Tenrai on his first day of junior high.

Many of his friends had had to go to a different school since they lived in different prefectures of Tokyo, but he’d been lucky enough to attend the same school as Satoru, at least.

Anyway, he’d been looking for his name on the class lists pinned to the outside boards, when he’d noticed a small slip of a girl jumping up and down on the outskirts of the student body that was clustered around the class lists.

- - - - -

“Um… are you ok?” Sōta asks, causing the girl to pitch forward as the momentum she’d been gathering for her next jump suddenly had nowhere to go when she turned her head his way.

Thinking fast, Sōta quickly grabbed the girl’s arm and pulled her toward himself, hoping to create a counterbalance effect.

It works.

After a few seconds of catching her breath, Sōta releases the girl’s arm and gets his first real look at her.

Even for a 12-year-old girl she’s very small, her hair is a dark, syrupy brown with red undertones, a sharp contrast to her pale, porcelain skin, and her eyes are a dark coffee brown.

“Phew. Thanks for that. I just wanted to find my class so that I could get to homeroom early and say hi to everyone, but…”

She stops herself and sighs, gesturing to the mass of students blocking her view of the board.

Sōta can’t help a small smirk at her predicament.

His mother had raised him well though, so he exchanged his amused expression for a friendlier smile.

“It’s a bit of a pain if you’re short and stuck at the back… If you tell me your name, I can have a look for you?” He offers, and the girl before him immediately smiles much more brightly.

“Really? Thank you! I’m Tenrai Miyuki. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She says, her eyes eager as Sōta cranes his neck a little in search of the name.

It doesn’t take him very long to find it, and he can’t help but smile as he reads through the rest of the classroom list for 1B.

“It looks like you’re in the same class as me. 1B, we just have to change out shoes in the entrance hall, go up one flight of stairs and it should be the second classroom on our right.” He explains, his eyes shimmering their secret laughter at the open expressions playing across Tenrai-chan’s face.

“Really? That’s perfect! Satoru is supposed to start coming to school this year and mama and auntie said I need to make sure to take good care of him. Now I can do…”

Tenrai was suddenly interrupted by none other than Satoru-kun himself.

“Do what, little cousin?”

He asks in an inquiring tone.

Tenrai squealed, making both boys wince and cover their ears.

“Satoru! You’re here! How are you feeling? Did you get enough sleep last night? Can I take your bag for you? I know mine’s pretty heavy, so I don’t even want to imagine what…”

Satoru quickly cuts her off before she can start talking any faster.

“I’m good Miyuki, thanks… Hey Sōta, what’s up?”

Miyuki blinked at the name, only just realising that she hadn’t asked the nice boy’s name who had helped her find her class.

As far as Sōta was concerned, her was hella confused.

“Not much. I didn’t know you were coming right off the bat. What some help with your bag?” Sōta replied, already taking Satoru’s bag and slinging it over his other shoulder.

“Thanks, I’m going to need two hands if I’m really in the same class as Miyuki.” He whispered to Sōta, who now realised that Tenrai was still standing in front of the two boys, waiting for someone to tell her what was going on.

Thankfully, the first warning bell chose that moment to ring.

“I’m Higurashi Sōta by the way, I think we’d better get to class.”

Tenrai pouted, but soon nodded and smiled, before leading the way to class 1B.

- - - - - 

It didn’t take too long for Sōta to figure out what Satoru’s whispered words had meant.

Tenrai was a walking catastrophe. She tripped up the stairs all of four times, then slipped on a wet floor, which would have sent her careening into a support beam, if Satoru hadn’t caught a hold of her arm to help her regain her footing.

The two of them were cousins on their mother’s sides… and Sōta was now positive he knew from which side of the family the bad luck came from.

They sat themselves by the window, Tenrai in front of Sōta and Satoru next to him.

At the end of the school day the three of them were best friends… and it turned out that the Tenrai family had just bought a nice little house right next to the shrine steps that led up to the Higurashi residence.

Sōta and Miyuki had waited for Satoru’s mum to pick him up before walking home.

It had surprised the both of them that it hadn’t been an awkward walk at all. They’d talked about their favourite video games, Mario Party and Wii Sport, the extracurricular activities they’d decided to start partaking in, Shōjutsu for Sōta, Kyūdō for Miyuki and Jujutsu for them both, as well as their own interests and hobbies, Sōta likes soccer and photography and Miyuki likes soccer and sketching.

It came as a rather welcome surprise to find out that they were neighbours.

- - - - -

“Oh… we’re already here.” Sōta remarks with a start, seeing the shrine gates and the steps up ahead.

“Really? Oh, we are!” Miyuki exclaimed, causing Sōta to raise a questioning eyebrow at her.

“How would you know?” He asks.

“How would I know what?” She counters, her brow puckering in confusion.

“Where I live.” Sōta answers, waving a dismissive hand in the direction of the shrine.

“Oh… You live, there?” Miyuki says, pointing to the shrine and suddenly pressing her lips together tightly.

Sōta nods, yes.

“Well, I live, um, there.” She says, barely able to hold in her chuckles as she points to the house to the right of the shrine stairs.

Sōta blinks once, twice, locks their gazes and starts laughing out loud and Miyuki joins in fairly quickly.

“Would you like to come up for some tea then? Mum’s been bugging me to find out who bought this place for WEEKS.” Sōta says, and Miyuki agrees, just quickly popping her head in to say hello to her parents and let them know where she’s going.

- - - - - 

Miyuki immediately took a liking to Mr. Higurashi, who insisted that she call him Jii-chan, which gave Sōta pause, since Hitomi was still on a formal basis with both of the adults in his house and she was his GIRLFRIEND.

Still, Sōta had to admit that there was something very genuine and likable about Miyuki.

She sat with his family for hours, listening to Jii-chan’s incredible stories and offering to help his mother with the tea and in the kitchen once they were done with the drinks and snacks. Sōta was quick to, discretely, warn his mother of Miyuki’s klutziness when she made THAT particular offer.

Miyuki had also brought a gift of homemade mochi filled with green tea paste.

They had been absolutely delicious, and he hadn’t been the only one to raise his eyebrows when Miyuki admitted to having made them herself.

While Mrs. Higurashi was in the kitchen, Miyuki politely excused herself to use the restroom, which Sōta showed her.

On her way up along the upstairs hallway, she’d seen pictures of a young woman. There were pictures of her with a younger looking Sōta, her with her family and her with some classmates.

Her curiousity piqued, Miyuki addresses the topic when she goes back downstairs.

The family’s reactions are varied.

Jii-chan suddenly goes quiet, Mrs. Higurashi smiles sadly, her eyes glazing, but she doesn’t speak, and Sōta’s jaw tightens as well.

It was enough for Miyuki to change the topic and slowly get the lively, mundane chatter from before happening again.

Other than that, they had a wonderful afternoon and capped it off with a quick round of Wii Sport archery, which Miyuki totally SMASHED. It was no wonder the girl had signed up for Kyūdō, if her archery skills were as good in real life as they were virtually, she was going to make one hell of a shot for their school team.

When it was time to go home, Sōta didn’t even have to look at his mother to know that she was sending him a look that meant he had to walk Miyuki home. Not that he would have let that girl go down the shrine stairs alone in the first place. She’d tripped a total of nineteen times on her way UP the steps, just thinking about her tripping down ONE was enough to ensure that Sōta silently vowed to never let Miyuki walk up or down the shrine step alone.

- - - - - 

“Um…”

Sōta stopped when he realised that Miyuki was still a few stairs above him, her face crumpled with doubt and indecision.

“What’s up?” He asks, forcing himself to show her a small smile, though the topic of Kagome had put a serious damper on his mood.

“I’m-sorry-for-bringing-up-something-so-personal-so-soon-after-meeting.” She says in a rush of words, causing Sōta to blink as he tries to catch up with her speed.

“Oh, that. No, well…” He sighs, chancing a glance at his new friend as she looks down at him with both hope and fear.

Taking a deep breath, Sōta resolves to talk about this, knowing that he doesn’t want to keep dancing around the topic and somehow feeling that he could trust Miyuki.

“Her name’s Kagome. She’s my older sister… Um, we, we don’t really talk about her much anymore. She got married and left home right after she finished high school and due to, circumstances, we can’t visit her.” He explains, keeping his eyes on his new friend the whole time he talks.

“Oh, I see. I guess we’re also similar in that we have someone we miss.” Miyuki says softly, and suddenly the girl above him looks as empty and fragile as a porcelain doll. The comparison causes Sōta to shiver.

Walking up the few stairs that separate them, Sōta locks a gaze between the two of them, his gaze imploring her to talk about whatever is hurting her so much.

She gives a half-hearted laugh at his expression but starts to speak.

“It’s not really the same, but, my big brother died in a plane crash two years ago… So, I guess I just meant that we know what it’s like to miss someone.” She says, and Sōta only now realises that her eyes are glistening like dew sprinkled coffee beans, but she’s not letting herself cry.

He gives her a supportive smile.

“Yeah, looks like we both know what it’s like.” Sōta agrees, offering Miyuki a handkerchief, which makes her laugh, which releases some of the tears she’s keeping captive in her eyes.

He turns away.

Offering her a piggy back ride without words.

He feels her, oh so carefully, put her hands on his shoulders, before moving her legs to clamp around his waist.

He smiles to himself, concentrating on making it all the way down the stairs without tripping.

She seems to calm herself down after a few stairs, since he feels her body, which had been trembling when she’d first gotten on his back, start to relax.

“I’m sorry for dumping all of that on you.” She says in Sōta’s ear, her voice still slightly watery.

“Don’t be.” He answers her seriously. He knew how bad it could be if you always kept your feelings bottled up, and he knew the feeling of needing to appear strong in front of your family only too well.

“You know, Jii-chan told me a really interesting fortune this morning.” Sōta started, just now remembering the odd occurrence from that morning.

Miyuki hummed, sliding her arms around his neck and pressing her cheek against his to better hear him.

He grins at her antics.

“He said I was going to meet my very best friend today.”

He chuckled when he heard the choked sound of a sudden laugh next to him.

“Yeah, I thought so too, especially since Jii-chan isn’t really gifted in the ways of the Ki.”

He paused a moment before continuing.

“But I think he meant you.” He finishes, feeling an unnecessary heat rising to his cheeks.

“I mean, I’ve known Satoru for ages, but I’ve never told him, or anyone for that matter, about Kagome.”

He turns his head to look at Miyuki.

“You’re special.”

Miyuki grins at the praise.

“Well, you’re my best friend now too, you know.” She says matter-of-factly.

The two share a look and laugh as they come to the last step of the shrine stairs.

Carefully, Sōta lets Miyuki slide off his back, immediately feeling a chill, since the sun was now well on its way to the western horizon.

“You want to walk to school together tomorrow?”

Miyuki asks, and Sōta grins, only now realising how awesome it was going to be to have Miyuki for a neighbour.

“Sounds great. You want me to knock?”

Sōta replies, making Miyuki grin before nodding.

They waved goodbye as the sun set on one of the most important days of Sōta’s and Miyuki’s lives.

- - - - - 

Sōta and Miyuki remained friends all through junior high, helping each other through the highs and lows of teenage life.

- - - - - 

After only a few weeks of knowing each other, Miyuki had been invited to spend the night at the Higurashi house, since she and Sōta had a group project due the following week and it was just easier to stay put than walk up and down those shrine steps for the next two days.

Mrs. Tenrai had agreed, making all the arrangements with Mrs. Higurashi, who, after much self-deliberation, decided to offer Miyuki Kagome’s room for the night.

Miyuki had immediately declined, saying that she was more than content with a futon on the living room floor.

That Friday, Sōta and Miyuki had walked home together, as they always did. When they’d reached the top of the shrine steps, Sōta had been surprised to see Hitomi waiting for him. The two girls had been introduced, and while Miyuki was as friendly and open as ever, Sōta somehow got the feeling that Hitomi was being just a little bit cold towards his friend.

Seeing the two of them standing opposite each other, Sōta was forced to concede that the two girls couldn’t be more different if they tried.  

Hitomi was still her sweet, soft-spoken self, wavy brown hair having grown out over the years to reach her mid-back.

While Miyuki was also kind, she was outspoken, straight forward and had her dark, syrupy brown hair with red undertones tied back in two plaits that just rested on her shoulders.

The afternoon was rather tense after that, although, surprisingly, it was Miyuki who tried to keep the atmosphere relaxed and the conversation flowing.

When Sōta walked Hitomi down to the street, where her parents were waiting to pick her up, he clarified that Miyuki was his friend and that he’d love to go out with the next weekend. Hitomi had agreed and confessed to being somewhat jealous when she’d seen Sōta with another, very pretty girl.

In their 2nd year of junior high, Sōta notices how Miyuki was subtly distancing herself from her cousin and himself. She grew quieter, thinner and wore baggier clothes. When she’d come over one time, Mrs Higurashi had immediately pulled Sōta into the kitchen and asked what was wrong with her. Sōta hadn’t understood what she meant… until he’d seen her without her jumper on.

No, she wasn’t anorexic or anything like that, but she was covered in bruises… and not all of them came from their joint Jujutsu training. Not to mention the scabs and scars, all of which had the same length and width… But those cuts hadn’t been self-inflicted.

After threatening to get his mother to have a look at her injuries and talk to the school, Miyuki finally conceded and told him she was being bullied for her half-Caucasian background, since her skin was so pale and her hair such a vibrant reddish brown.

Sōta had schooled his features through the entirety of her story, then opened his arms without a word.

Miyuki had burst into tears, though usually not one to cry, she was SO glad that she hadn’t lost her best friend over something stupid like bullying and blackmail.

Those bastards had actually thought to threaten her into staying away from the “pure Japanese race”.

Despite being a very calm and forgiving person, Sōta was seething beneath the surface.

The following day Mrs. Higurashi was called to the school because Sōta had gotten into a fist-fight… with SIX other boys... and he’d WON.

Needless to say, that the bullying ceased after that, and the trio of Satoru, Miyuki and Sōta were happily reunited, as though nothing had ever happened.

Just before their 3rd and final junior high year, Sōta’s voice broke. Satoru’s had broken in their first, so they’d all just been waiting for Sōta to follow suit.

It was a rather funny thing. Miyuki and Sōta were enjoying their last week of spring break in the shade of the Goshinboku, which was in full bloom this year.

Miyuki had gotten up and asked if he wanted anything to drink, since she was going inside to get herself a glass of water.

“Sure.” Sōta said, his hands flying to his mouth when the word seemed to crack partway through his saying of it.

Miyuki had merely blinked at him, a slow, cheeky smile spreading over her face.

“Think you can do that again?” She asks, grinning when he glares at her.

She huffs a quick laugh.

“Fine then, what do you want to drink?”

“Milk.” His answer is slightly muffled since he doesn’t drop his hands, but they both still hear another break in the word.

Miyuki merely smiles and nods.

“Got it.” She says, turning on her heel and heading inside. She returns a few moments later, carrying a tray with two glasses of milk and some of her homemade mochi, this time with a sakura-white bean paste in the center.

After their first year of friendship, Miyuki had practically been completely integrated into the Higurashi family. They’d set up a spare bedroom next to Kagome’s room, considering that Miyuki preferred to sleep in a futon, and Miyuki had set up a small mochi making station in the kitchen. She almost knew more about the house and its rooms than Sōta did.

The thought made him chuckle.

She really was just like a part of the family.

He took a bite of one of her mochi

…and one HELL of an amazing chef!

Oh, how many times had he had one of her mochi? No matter how many he ate, she always managed to surprise him. This one was sweet and mild, but with a hit of cherry honey worked into the outer mochi layer. They were, simply put, divine.

When the time came to go back to school, Sōta spoke a little less than usual, meaning, only when it was absolutely necessary, until his voice had broken completely.

After a few weeks the high and smooth voice he used to have was replaced by an equally smooth, but far deeper and richer voice.

It was weird how, after that, Sōta started getting quite a few more confessions.

That was one bonus to having a girlfriend though, you always had a legitimate reason to turn down a girl’s confession.

He remembered how he’d accidentally come upon Miyuki confessing to a Senpai from her archery club. He’d, quite literally, said that he didn’t want to date her because he didn’t like looking at her.

That had been another rare moment where he’d lost his cool.

That dick wouldn’t be able to so much as pick up a bow for the next week after the verbal and physical thrashing Sōta had given him… after Miyuki had left.

Sōta had made sure to invite her over for the night, coaxing her over with promises of Mario Cart and Hot Pot for dinner.

Sōta was quite proud of himself for that evening, he was pretty sure Mario Cart had Miyuki’s full attention after the second round and her smile lit up her eyes soon after.

Now, Sōta and Miyuki are just finished with their first term of high school and they’re both pleased that they’re STILL always in the same class.

With their holiday homework in their bags, and an excited spring in Miyuki’s step, the two friends head for the Higurashi Shrine.

Miyuki had gotten permission from both of her parents to spend the entire summer holidays at the shrine, which was awesome! But, the reason for the spring in her step, was because Sōta had finally cracked under her constant questioning, and she was finally going to learn why the Higurashi family couldn’t visit Kagome.

She was ecstatic!

Not to mention that she and Sōta had just passed their final exams, marking them as official expects in Jujutsu.

Perhaps it was because they spent so much time together, or because Sōta had always been taller than Miyuki, whatever the reason, Miyuki had grown from her 148cm as a 12-year-old to her current height of 155cm at 15 years of age, and Sōta had been 155cm when he'd first met Miyuki and he was now 178cm tall! 

Sōta was quite happy with his height AND his final grading in Jujutsu, but, his mind kept trying to formulate ways to tell Miyuki about the well… The well that had allowed his sister to time travel for the first time six years and one term ago.

- - - - - 

Author's Note 

This is a rather spontaneous idea. I have an idea where I want to go with this, but I welcome any and all comments. 

Hope you enjoyed the read! 

Tora.