Speed Racer Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love, Life, and Reincarnations ❯ A New Home, An Unusual Encounter ( Chapter 9 )

“There! That's the last one!” Kagome smiled happily as she placed the last piece of folded clothing into her bureau. She had to admit that her new room was much larger than her old one in Japan. In fact, the entire house was twice as big as the old one in Japan. Her mother had her own room, as did Miroku and Rin. Kohaku, Shippou, and Souta had all agreed to share a room, and so did she and Sango. It was going to be fun and exciting, having her best friend from the Feudal Age with her.

 

“Good job, Kagome,” Sango praised from her perch on the bed. Kirara sat in her lap, Buyo next to her.

 

“Thanks, Sango.”

 

She found her chair then slumped into it. For a moment, neither girl spoke. Tomorrow, they started school, something that Kagome, Souta and her mother had done their best to try and prepare everyone for. Now that she didn't have to worry about collecting jewel shards, Kagome had no doubts that she'd be able to excel. The American educational system was said to be vastly different from the Japanese, after all . . . once one got by the language barrier.

 

“Tomorrow's the big day,” Sango commented softly.

 

“Yeah . . . At least this school doesn't have a uniform code to follow by. We can all wear casual clothing,” Kagome mused. “I don't think you'd be comfortable in the short skirts that I had to wear for school.”

 

“No . . . probably not . . . Kagome?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What's it going to be like, going to school tomorrow? I know you were always worried about tests and exams. Is that what we're in for?”

 

“Kind of . . . I'm not entirely sure as to what to expect. If we were in Japan, I could tell you . . .”

 

“But we're not,” the taijiya stated. “We're in a different country.”

 

“Exactly . . . I know Mom said the school we'll be going to is one of the best and highest ranked schools in Philadelphia and that they boast a lot of after school activities . . . The teachers could make it easy, they could make it hard . . . it just depends on the subject . . . and some of the students may even tease us because we're different . . .”

 

“Because we're from another country?” Sango frowned. “That doesn't seem right. Not after everything you've said about America.”

 

“Just like it wasn't right that Inuyasha was picked on because he was hanyou,” she sighed. “But the world is a strange and cruel place. And everything I've said about America is more or less a generalization. People come here for a better life. But that doesn't mean we'll be accepted. It isn't fair, really.”

 

“You got that right,” the other girl muttered then became thoughtful.

 

“Kagome! Sango! Dinner's ready!”

 

“Coming, Mom!” Kagome called back then glanced over at the taijiya. “Ready?”

 

“Yeah, I guess . . . I just wish I didn't feel so nervous,” Sango smiled as they got to their feet.

 

“Nervous? Over dinner?” Kagome teased.

 

“No,” Sango shook her head. “Nervous because of tomorrow . . . Inuyasha would probably scoff at me for feeling this way but I can't help it. I just don't know what to expect.”

 

“This coming from a girl who has faced off and slain demons for most of her life.”

 

“Winning every time but this . . .” Sango sighed. “This isn't the same. At least with demons, I could figure out their behaviour, cut them off, and do my duty.”

 

“Don't worry, Sango. You know I'll be in every class with you. Miroku, too. There's nothing to worry about . . . And that reminds me . . .”

 

Both girls scrambled down the stairs and into the dining room, taking their seats at the table. As her mother served up curry, Kagome gave Miroku a long list of dos and dont'ts for their new home and the school they'd be attending.

 

* * *

 

The next morning dawned early and bright, and sent everyone into a panic. Mrs. Higurashi had busied herself with preparing breakfast and lunch as everyone scurried around, trying to get everything ready for their first day of school. Before she knew it, Kagome had arrived with Sango and Miroku to West Hall High School. Around them were a lot of students, some dressed casually, some dressed outrageously and gothic. Some students were of Asian descent, others of African descent but most were of European descent. The student body boasted a wide range of personality types and individual tastes as well as individual subcultures. Though she'd always known American schools were different from Japanese schools, the variety she was seeing blew Kagome's mind.

 

“Kagome . . .”

 

“Yes, Miroku?”

 

“Was your school in Japan ever this big?” he inquired, his eyes wide at the three-story building.

 

“Yep.”

 

“And the students this . . . different?”

 

“No.”

 

“How are we going to find our classes?” Sango interjected.

 

“It says on our schedules. And, if we get too lost, we can always ask for help,” Kagome replied. Each taking a deep breath, they entered the building and headed straight for the office. While they had their schedules, the school had not been able to give them locker assignments and had instructed Mrs. Higurashi to have the high school students go to the office on their first. By then, they'd know for certain if they had any spare lockers or if the newcomers had to partner up with someone. Kagome hoped that there'd be at least one empty locker available. That way she'd be able to share it with Sango and Miroku. She crossed her fingers as Sango opened the office door.

 

A few minutes later, they were walking out, Kagome holding a piece of paper and feeling rather satisfied. There had been one available locker, so she and Sango could share one. Of course, the secretary, a Mrs. Williams, had informed them that the school only allowed two people per locker but things weren't that bad. Miroku had been assigned to share a locker with a girl named Jade Andersen and her locker happened to be right next to Kagome's.

 

“Things are going rather well so far,” Miroku smiled. “Wouldn't you agree, Kagome?”

 

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Not too bad. So far. The day's just begun, though. I wonder what this Jade Andersen looks like.”

 

“Mrs. Williams did say that this girl would be hard to miss,” Sango began. “Said she dresses differently from most of the student body so she stands out.”

 

They found their lockers at that point and Kagome set about opening hers. She'd gotten it on the third try, at the same time a feminine voice said, “Excuse me. I need to get to my locker.”

 

Kagome, Sango, and Miroku turned their heads to see a dark-haired girl with red eyes standing behind them . . . with a white baboon outfit draped over her shoulders. Her hair had been pulled up into a tight topknot, blue eye shadow rimming her eyes. Kagome's jaw dropped.

 

`It can't be . . . but it looks like . . . no . . . Naraku?'

 

Miroku quickly stepped out of the way, allowing the girl access to her locker. A quick glance at him then Sango told her they were just as shocked as she was by this girl's appearance and uncanny resemblance to their enemy.

 

“Something wrong?” the girl asked, looking up from grabbing her books off of a crate at the bottom. There were also several bank bags that were stuffed full with something, and several bottles of water and soda. Kagome quickly shook her head.

 

“Huh? Oh no . . . not at all. My name is Kagome Higurashi and these are my friends, Miroku Rei and Sango Shinsei. We just moved here from Japan . . . This is our first day.”

 

“Jade Andersen,” came the reply. She then rose and focused her gaze on Miroku. “So you're the new guy who needed a locker mate. The office asked if I'd be willing to share mine. I think I was the only one left who didn't have one so it didn't sound like I had much of a choice.”

 

“Is there a problem with that?” he inquired.

 

“Nope,” Jade shook her head. “Not at all. Just don't mess with my stuff, kay?”

 

“And you'll stay out of mine?”

 

“Yep. That's how it usually works,” she smiled, adjusting her books. “And I don't care if you hang up pictures on the inside. Just no girls in bikinis or some teeny bopper artist. Unless it's J-pop. School spirit's okay, especially if you join a team.”

 

“What about family and friends?” Miroku asked.

 

“Definitely acceptable and so is artwork, providing it's done in good taste,” Jade replied. “Oh, and one of my friends sometimes stores stuff in my locker as well as his own. Please do not touch any of it. Could be disastrous if you do, depending on what he tosses in.”

 

“And why's that?” Sango ventured.

 

“Because . . .” Jade hesitated then motioned for them to come closer. When they were, she lowered her voice and continued, “because they're kind of like medical supplies. He doesn't keep his crash kit here, just some other stuff he uses. If they end up missing or destroyed and an emergency comes up, he could be in serious trouble.”

 

“Like how serious?” Kagome wasn't sure how much of what Jade said she was going to believe but she felt it wouldn't hurt to hear her out. And if they met this guy friend, they could ask him if there was any truth to it.

 

“Like he could end up in the hospital,” the red-eyed girl stated seriously.

 

“What does he store in your locker?” Miroku inquired as he moved to hang his jacket up in the locker. He appeared to be somewhat relaxed around Jade, to Kagome's eyes.

 

`Or maybe he's just following the school's rules about two people to a locker. Either way, it's just as much his locker as it is Jade's.'

 

“Usually some sort of drink and snack, just in case his sugar drops, and his art supplies. Sometimes an extra glucometer and his crash kit. Depends on the day he's having.”

 

“Shouldn't the glucometer and the crash kit be in with the nurse?” Kagome frowned.

 

“The nurse has one and his insulin. But most of his classes are in this area,” Jade explained. “If he crashes, he needs something quick. Mrs. O'Connell usually calls ahead to let them know if he's bringing the crash kit with him. His brothers each have one in their lockers, too. He's that bad of a diabetic. Besides, if it's just the extra glucometer, it just means that the one on his wrist is glitching or his mom's fretting. It's happened before so he'd rather be safe than sorry. Know what I mean?”

 

“Kind of,” Kagome murmured.

 

“And where is this friend of yours? I'd like to meet him,” Miroku stated. Jade laughed.

 

“Knowing him, he's probably already here and in first hour. Which, if I'm going to be on time, I need to get going. Running upstairs is murder! Anyway, it was nice to meet you guys and I'll probably see you between classes. Don't forget to close the locker, kay, Miroku? I'll catch you guys later!”

 

In a flash of white, Jade took off down the hall then disappeared around the corner. Kagome shook her head. The day had just gotten a little more interesting.

 

* * *

 

Sango sighed as she tried to keep an eye on Kagome. It was time for lunch, and the trio was having a bit of a difficult time trying to find a place where they could sit together. As they made their way through the mass of people, she idly wondered how Kohaku was faring.

 

`Probably better than I am,' she chuckled to herself.

 

Truth be told, her day had not been that bad. Even though they'd managed to find Naraku's reincarnation, Jade had turned out to be helpful in the breaks between classes, and had explained to her and Miroku that she was wearing contact lenses to make her eyes red. The dark-haired girl had even introduced them to some of her friends and talked about her adopted family but the diabetic friend, as well as her younger adopted sister, remained elusive. Then there were the teachers. All had gone out of their way to welcome the small group of new students but it didn't stop them from assigning a lot of homework. The amount of work the instructors gave them was difficult and seemed endless, but Kagome had been quick to assure her and Miroku that it was normal. About the only thing that Kagome had been surprised about was the difficulty level.

 

“I'd been expecting it to be a little easier than back home,” she'd confessed after their second hour. “But this is good. It means that we're going to get a good education. Maybe even into a good college or university, if we do really well!”

 

It had also been between second and third hour that they had run into some old friends of Kagome's. Sango had only met them once before, recalled their names as being Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi, and had thought them to be rather decent . . . until they'd started gushing over some of the cute men that attended the school, going on mostly about a fellow senior named Greg Racer, Jr. At least, Yuka and Eri had. Ayumi had started conversing with Jade. Then, after Jade had left for her next class, Yuka and Eri had started criticizing the sophomore about her appearance. If Kagome had said anything to them, Sango didn't know. She had quietly excused herself and headed for the next class. Granted, Sango didn't fully trust Jade but that was based entirely off of her feelings towards Naraku, of whom Jade was really nothing like that. She felt that Eri and Yuka had been entirely out of line in their criticisms and had wanted to get away from them as quickly as possible, saying nothing out of respect for Kagome. Sango's stomach growled at her as they continued to search around for a table that had at least three empty seats.

 

`Kami, it doesn't feel like this day is ever going to end! Now if only we could find a place to sit down and eat! I'm hungry!'

 

“Hey, guys! Over here!” a familiar voice called out.

 

Sango glanced over to see Jade standing up and waving them over. Next to her sat Ayumi, and she, too, waved them over. She watched as Kagome hesitated for a brief moment. Then the young miko marched over to the table. Sango followed suit, Miroku right behind her. Jade waited until they had reached her to sit back down. Sango noticed with some amount of elation that the baboon costume was no longer on the girl but rather draped over the back of her chair, and that there were two other people with her - a girl with short, blonde hair, and a guy with long dark hair that had been pulled into a low tail. Both were dressed in black. The girl reminded Sango of Kanna, Naraku's white-haired incarnation, but the guy had his back to her, a bag on the floor next to him. He paid no attention to them as he rummaged through it.

 

“Thank you, Jade,” Miroku murmured.

 

“For what?” The dark-haired girl took a bite of her food as she watched her male companion dig for something.

 

“For letting us share our lunch with you,” Miroku replied.

 

“Oh . . . think nothing of it,” Jade winked. “No biggie. Besides, I wanted you to meet my little sister, Trysten, and my best bud, Inuyasha. Inuyasha, Trysten, these are the new students, Kagome Higurashi, Miroku Rei, and Sango Shinsei. They're from Japan.”

 

Trysten glanced over at them and offered a tiny smile but Sango barely noticed it. Her attention was focused on the young man next to Trysten, a chill stealing over her the moment Jade had said, “Inuyasha.” With nervous anticipation, Sango gazed at the dark-haired boy as he straightened and turned amethyst eyes, along with another familiar face, towards them . . .