The Miko's Tale

Alright. She will meet the guys in this chap. :D And hopefully this one will be longer, too!

Chapter 2: Ha'ri, Aya, and Gure

Kagome, quite content at today's arrangements, strolled happily to class. She walked up to Uo and Hana, and sat, still smiling.

Uo looked at her strangely. "What's got you so happy, Kagome?" She asked. Hana nodded.

"You're electric signals are quite... cheerful, today." Kagome nodded.

"After school, I'm going to meet up with some old friends. Oh, and I'm going to check on Tohru, who's sick." She explained.

"Who are the friends?" Uo, curious, asked.

"Yuki's older brother and some of his friends, actually," They stared at her blankly.

"Kags, I thought you hated Yuki... And now your going to meet his older brother?" Kagome shook her head.

"No, he, Shigure and another Sohma were my best friends twelve years ago. They had to move. Now, I'm here, and I really want to meet them again. And I don't hate him, he's actually another good friend from my past." She said, her voice full of emotion.

Before anything else could be said, the bell rang, and class began.

Later, (mostly because I'm just too lazy to write it all out,) Kagome sped down the halls to the front exit. She had been kept for detention, for sleeping in class. Sheesh, it wasn't her fault Mr. Kitazawa was so dull. But anyway, sh wondered if Yuki had left already. If so, she was doomed to wait until tomorrow.

She sped out into the courtyard, and looked around frantically. Surely he was still here... right? As she looked around, her hope began to diminish. She plopped down in the shade under a tree, and sighed. 'Now I have to walk to the apartment,' she whined inwardly.

She felt someone approaching, and, hoping it was Yuki, turned around. Only to spot Kyo. Her face went deadpanned. He was no help. "Hey," She said. "The rat sent me."

Kagome was confused on two things. One, why had Yuki sent him? And two, why had he agreed to come for Yuki? As if reading her mind, he mumbled, "I only came so Shigure would stop nagging me. I guess he wants to see you," She smiled.

"Always the same, he is," She whispered.

"Anyway, they told me to come get you. Yuki had something else to do." She shrugged, and got up.

"Phew. I thought I was doomed to go home to my boring new apartment," Kagome stated in relief. Kyo began to walk away, pretty much ignoring if she was following. She walked after, mumbling something incoherent.

When they got to the house, Kyo automatically walked in. Kagome, actually very nervous, stopped outside the door. 'Why am I so nervous now?' She asked herself. 'Well, it has been 12 years... How will this go?' Kyo, now wondering where she had gone to, poked his out the door. "You coming in?" He asked simply. She looked up, and nodded.

"Just nervous. I'll be just a sec," He made a sound of annoyance and went back in.

"Here it goes..." She slid the door open, and walked in. Her heart pounding rapidly, she walked shakily into the other room, where Kyo's voice could be heard. As she neared, another voice joined in with him, and her heart fluttered once again.

"Where is she, Kyo~? Where's Kagome-chan~?" Taking a deep breath, she rounded the corner. Kyo looked up, followed by the orange eyes of Shigure Sohma, which lit up in magnificent delight at the mere sight of her. He grinned widely, and pulled her into a hug.

Kyo was utterly confused. Why wasn't Shigure transforming? Of course, they ignored him.

Surprised, she smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around her old friend. "It's been so long, Kagome-chan," He said warmly as he pulled away. "Come, sit down." She sat down next to Shigure, across from Kyo.

"Gure-nii... it really has, hasn't it? How are Ha'ri and Aya?"

"Well, Hatori became a doctor, as he planned. Ayame opened a costume house with his personal assistant, Mine. And I, finally accomplished my goal of becoming an author~"Kagome congratulated him. "What about you, Kagome? I know you were sad after we left... how'd it go?" He asked, curious.

"Well, as my mother can tell you, I was so depressed for about a month after you guys left." Shigure nodded. "As were we," He added. Kyo watched and listened, actually interested in the duo's past, as well as more about her.

"Finally, I got back on my feet and went to school again. Had a hard time making friends, but I managed. The real adventure, though, began when I was 15..." And she went on to explain her adventures in the past that ended in sadness. "...Inuyasha died protecting me in the final battle, and I was heartbroken. Stricken with grief, I bade the others farewell and returned... It was the most difficult time in my life, next to when you guys left."Kagome felt she could tell Shigure, for many reasons.

One, he was one of her oldest friends.

Two, he did have a strange curse that didn't work with her because of the Shikon Jewel.

Kyo, who had been ignored for the past hour and a half, finally spoke up. "Why haven't you transformed yet, Shigure?" Startled, Kagome and said lech looked over to the cat.

"We're not too sure ourselves. All we know is that the curse doesn't work with Kagome." Kagome cleared her throat, face red

"Actually, it's because of the Shikon Jewel. When I was young, it was still imbedded in my side. It stops the affects of the curse. I currently have it in my possession, and it still must be working it's magic."

She pulled out the purple jewel from under her shirt, hanging by Inuyasha's beads. "This is the infamous Jewel of Four Souls..." She was interrupted by Yuki coming down the stairs.

"Oh, Kagome. I'm glad you made it. Would you like to go and see Ms. Honda?" Kagome, now completely distracted, nodded. Yuki led her up the stairs to Tohru's room, then went back to his room to complete his homework.

She knocked on the door, and opened it to see a red Tohru asleep in bed. "Tohru," She whispered, creeping across the room to her friend. Said girl's eyes fluttered open a crack.

"Kagome?" She asked, tired and confused. The miko took a seat next to Tohru's bed, and put her hand on her forehead.

"Oh man, you are sick." Tohru weakly nodded.

"Kagome, what are you doing here?"

Kagome fidgeted with the jewel and answered, "Well, I came to be reunited with a friend, as well as check on you." Tohru cocked her head as best she could.

"Old friend?"

"Shigure was a past friend of mine." She explained, and sighed. "Tohru, I can't stand seeing you like this. Excuse me." She abruptly stood, and dashed downstairs. "Gure-nii! I'll be back in a little bit!" She called as she ran outside and to a section of the forest.

After searching for a while, Kagome dug up some roots she discovered in the past. They had extreme healing abilities that took effect rapidly. But it did have some side effects. She ran home, and got Shigure's permission to use the kitchen. She chopped and sliced and boiled and stewed for a long time, before rushing up the stairs with a bowl of piping hot soup for her small friend.

"Tohru, I made you some soup..." She whispered, entering. Tohru was upright in bed, reading a book. She looked to the door, and smiled.

"You didn't have to do that, Kagome," Kagome shook her head and set the bowl down next to her.

"Nonsense. It's made of a root with extreme healing abilities, though I should warn you it has some side effects. You'll be very sleepy," She began, as Tohru took a sip. "might have some headaches, and slight hallucinations. But only in your dreams, so it's not too extreme."

Tohru scarfed it down, and thanked Kagome before going back to sleep. Said miko took the dishes back downstairs, and washed them. "What did you make Miss Honda, Kagome?" Yuki asked.

"Just a healing remedy I discovered a while back. It has some side effects, but I warned her. Plus, they're not too serious, so she'll be fine-" She was interrupted by a flash of white hair and amber eyes as Yuki disappeared into someone's arms.

Seeing only those details at first, her mind went to Inuyasha and she began to tear up. But upon further examination, she realized it was... "Ayame! Get off!" Yuki shouted.

"But I missed you, brother!" He tried to grasp his younger brother once more, before hearing a small yet familiar voice from behind him.

"A-Ayame?" He turned to face the black haired beauty.

"And who is this, Yuki? A girlfriend-" This time, he was cut off, by the girl hugging him tightly.

He waited for the inevitable transformation, but it never came. And then he knew. "Kagome!" He hugged her tightly, as he had missed his young friend so much. Shigure ran into the kitchen, announcing just a bit late that Ayame was here to visit.

Ayame finally released Kagome, and saw that she was tearing up. "Aw, don't cry. You'd never guess, but Ha'ri was actually saddest that we had to leave you. You were like his sister, as to us two." He stated, gesturing to Shigure. She wiped her eyes and nodded.

"I know, but it's been twelve years and I've missed you guys so much."

They both pulled her into another hug, and chorused together, "We missed you, too, Kagome."

Dream Sequence

Tohru was standing in a purple glass room. She walked around a bit, trying to decipher where she was. Suddenly, there was a woman, clad in all white, weeping in the corner. The weeps reverberated off the glass, and echoed back and forth and it annoyed Tohru to no end.

"Hello?" She asked, as she approached the woman. "Is something wrong?" She whispered something that sounded like, 'My child... My child...' Tohru was now confused as well as annoyed. "Did something happen to your child, miss?" As she approached, she thought she saw a girl laying in front of the woman.

"Did something happen to your daughter, miss?" She got closer, worried now. "Miss?" All Tohru could hear was the echoes of weeping and the faint whispers of the woman. "My child... My daughter..." The woman repeated that, over and over. Suddenly, all was silent. the woman whispered it once more.

"My child... My daughter..." the woman dropped something from her hand, the metal hitting the ground becoming the only noise at all. "I killed her..." The woman said, before collapsing. Tohru rushed over, and hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder.

All at once, the woman jumped up. A black aura seeped out of her, and she grew claws and fangs. She growled and hissed menacingly at Tohru, startling her. She stumbled backwards a few steps, before tripping over something. Turning, she saw the mangled and mauled body of a young girl.

As she examined the body, the face began to re-form itself. And soon...

It was like looking into a mirror.

'But wait,' Tohru thought. 'If this woman says she killed her daughter... then...' Tohru's head whipped around to the approaching demon woman. Underneath the dark black aura, Tohru tried to make out the woman's face. When she did...

"MOM!"

End Dream Sequence

Kagome heard Tohru screaming upstairs, and she was up there before anyone knew what was happening.

"Tohru!" She yelled, squeezing her hand. "It's okay! It's just a dream!" Panting, Tohru looked at Kagome, fear dotted in those brown eyes.

"It felt so real... There was a woman saying something about her daughter... and then she said she killed her... and then it was my mom..." She pulled Kagome into a tight squeeze. "It was so scary!" She said, sobbing. Of course, the others decided to burst in right then.

"Shigure." She said seriously. "I'm going to stay a few days to look after Tohru. I will do so with or without your permission." Shigure nodded. Ayame spoke up, as well.

"If Kagome stays, I stay!" All of them sweatdropped.

So Kagome stayed at Shigure's house to take care of Tohru. Once the girl was better, they spent the weekend making the riceballs for the festival thing, which had been moved to Monday due to some issues.

So Monday approached quickly, and Kagome and Tohru were very happy creating all the flavors of riceballs. Yuki's 'hit-and-miss' idea was a big hit in class.

And the cultural festival arrived. Kagome, happy to attend, went ahead with Tohru to school early. Yuki and Kyo went later.

(And, since I'm way too lazy to write it out, let's skip to the dress part.)

"All the senior girls pitched in and bought this for you to wear, Yuki! Please?" The girl asked. Poor Yuki looked like he had been pushed to the seventh pit of hell. The boys, on the other side of the room, had gotten Kagome a dress to wear, as well. It was much like Yuki's but also very different. It was a deep purple color, with a magenta ribbon tied around the waist. It went right above the knees, and had a lilac overcoat. Blushing profusely, Yuki and Kagome each went to change.

When they came back, they were surrounded by students, boys and girls alike. Tohru was selling riceballs, and Kyo was off watching from the sidelines.

Suddenly, a little blonde blob hopped onto Yuki's head. "Yuki! You look like a girl." The figure, now known to be a small boy, stated plainly. Unnoticed by Kagome, who was too lost in memories of Shippo, a tall man with black hair and violet eyes walked in. Tohru, of course, took notice of him right away. Kyo told her it was Hatori, the family doctor. Kagome, who was nearly crying in the corner, snapped up at the name.

"H-Ha'ri?" She questioned in a low whisper.

Out of the three, Hatori had been her favorite. She could.. not exactly relate to, but notice him more.

She slowly looked up, and observed the tall man. Once his face was visible, she looked at his eyes. After noticing this young woman staring at him, Hatori looked at her, meeting her eyes. her eyes widened, and a small tear streamed down her face. Seeing that tear brought streams of memories that had been long forgotten back. Surprisingly unnoticed by the rest of the class, she ran toward him and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her, as well. "Ha'ri-nii..." She mumbled while crying into his chest.

"Kagome-chan... it's nice to see you." She laughed slightly, and pulled back, while wiping her eyes.

"12 years, and all you have to say is 'nice to see you'? I'm surprised I got the hug..." He laughed, which caught the attention of both Yuki and Kyo. 'Hatori? Laughing?' They both thought, confused.

Momiji even stopped messing around to look at who could cause this man, cold as snow, to laugh so heartily. Kagome stood next to him, almost sparkling and glowing. She was happy as ever to be reunited with them, all of them. Suddenly, Kagome was stolen away from Hatori, causing his laugh to cease instantly. Now he was back on business, as Momiji introduced himself to Kagome.

"Hi, I'm Momiji! What's your name?" Kagome smiled sadly. He was so much like Shippo it was scary.

"My name's Kagome. I'm an old friend of Hatori's." Momiji cocked his head.

"Ha'ri's? Really? As far as I knew, his only friends in the past were Ayame and Shigure." Kagome nodded.

"They're friends of mine too. I haven't seen Hatori in 12 years, though." Momiji giggled and bounced off to Tohru, leaving Kagome to ponder and compare her current friends to the ones in the past.

Cut! To make up for the last two short ones, I made this one pretty long for my standards. So, tell me what you think~