Belonging [1/?]

[bebe_jinx]

SUMMARY: Kagome learns curiosity killed the cat and that getting what you want isn?t always such a good thing. Falling in to the underground crime syndicate is one thing but being between two brothers is deadly.

A/N: This isn't a new story persay....more like a rewrite of one of the 1st fanfics I wrote. Feel free to rip this apart.

NOTE: Narita is a district in Tokyo. Way smaller than Ginza (the place where everyone sees the lights). O and I will explain about hojo later.

There is something exciting
About leaving everything behind
There is something deep and moving
Leaving everything behind
-Butterfly Boucher Another White Dash

Belonging

Ghost of a Good Thing...

Kagome Higurashi lifted her head and stared at her puff of hot breath as it evaporated into the dark frost of the night. She made another puff almost as if she was smoking and watched as it succumbed to the cold. She always did this when she young, Kagome remembered how much entertainment she could get from nature. How the littlest things could hold her attention for what seemed an eternity.

She wished things were still so simple.

No now her life had succumbed to homework and school. To learning and remembering. Her mother and her stepfather. Walking somewhere and having to be somewhere versus wanting to be someplace else. As far as Kagome was concerned she was far too busy to enjoy nature any more.

She focused her attention to the stark moon. She lived too close to the city to enjoy the moon and stars. The illumination from advertising buildings and giant video screens stole the light from the celestial beings and dimmed them, making them seem that less spectacular. The night was so dark from the city. She had never been out this late this far from home; if she had she wouldn?t have had a way home, the railways stopping at midnight.

Out in Narita though most of the light died at midnight; shops closing and the station shutting down. Out in Narita, it was easy to remember there was a sky to look up into.

The strike of a match against brick brought Kagome?s attention back to the girl beside her. Staring at the flame only made Kagome remember just how cold she was. Watching Yura Kilo put the match to her cigarette, Kagome wrapped her jacket tighter around her. The temperature dropped with the sun setting and Japan in the dead of winter was always something to contend with. She watched Yura drop the match to the ground; the slush of melted snow wetting and killing the flame.

Yura was staring at her again. She could tell even though the lamppost was behind the girl, darkening her features. Kagome could feel a lot of things like Yura?s eyes on her. Kagome quickly shifted her eyes to the fast changing neon orange sign in Chinese writing. She didn?t know what it was saying though; her Chinese wasn?t as good as it was supposed to be. It was quiet enough that she could hear a sigh escape Yura as she exhaled the toxic air.

It wasn?t a secret that Kagome wasn?t meant to be there.

Kagome knew she wasn?t supposed to be in a dark alley in the middle of the night, clutching her jacket for every once of warmth she could squeeze out. She was supposed to be in bed holding her teddy bear to scare away the nightmares under her bed. She was supposed to be dreaming of her future husband and children. Not standing with some chain smoking girl under a lamppost that flickered off then on every once a while and the incessant buzzing from a wayward vending machine. There were so many alleys in Narita that led somewhere and they some how end up in the darkest one on the block that led to a tall brick wall.

Symbolism of my future somebody?

Because her future had stopped being painted as a university student. She had stopped hoping that she could get away and hide herself among thousands of other people. Her step father had lost his job and her mother?s salary could barely afford their apartment.

They were waiting for somebody who was far too good-natured and nice to lead them where they, or at least Kagome, was not meant to go. The muscles of her left ear slightly shifted as she listened to Yura slid her black Converse shoe across the slushy cement. She turned her eyes back to Yura. She really was not that good of friends with the girl with menacing eyes.

Menacing was the only way to describe Yura?s eyes. They were the color of abyss and showed no emotion but boredom. The white of her eyes having long ago being swallowed by the darkness. That was what made her noticed. They always seemed opaque unless someone looked closely.

Kagome knew Yura from school. She was the girl in the corner who had sketched her own death from slowly dying pens so that there was an etched tracing of the picture in her desk at school from her pressing so hard over and over. Kagome knew; she had felt the grooves of the blood slowly oozing from Yura?s cartoon mouth.

The short hared girl was an acquaintance no person would want anyone to ever know they had. But Kagome didn?t really have that many girlfriends so it didn?t really matter. She was just too different. Besides she was far to busy in life remember?

So why was Kagome hanging around someone like Yura? Why associate herself with someone who had this way of running her fingers through Kagome?s hair that made the nice girl shutter?

Yura was apart of the Demons.

The Demons a gang that ran a part of Tokyo from Narita to parts of Ginza depending on who you asked. Kagome was a nice girl so maybe that was why she was waiting for this. Maybe this explained why she had some fascination with the bad things in the closest.

Good girl attracted to the dark side.

It?s not like I?m after school special.

?Are you sure he?s coming?? Kagome suddenly asked willing her voice not to shake from the cold. She sniffled and then yawned. The jacket was doing nothing for her health and it was getting late. She wondered if her mother had noticed she was gone yet.

No she?s probably too busy arguing with Kenji.

?He?ll be here soon don?t worry. He probably got lost. This is Hojo.? There was amusement in her voice at the last statement. Kagome only slightly nodded. The girl was right it was Hojo?the boy could get lost in a paper bag on a good day. Not that he was stupid; Hojo just got distracted easily. Maybe that was why he hardly came to school, too many shiny things outside that caught his eye.

Yura took another drag from her cigarette and blew out. The smoke spiraled around her before dispersing. Maybe that was why the girl always smelled like she was burning. The smoke clung to her and soon enough it seemed to permeate her skin.

Kagome made an exaggerated sigh before turning from her companion. I?m so tired of waiting.

She was waiting to grow up. Then she was waiting for school to end. She waited for tests. She waited for trains. Now she was waiting for Hojo?a person Kagome didn?t even think was worth waiting for. The boy was nice but ?it didn?t even matter she was waiting anyway cause he was the one who knew where the meeting was.

A sneeze caused Kagome to rethink meeting the Demons tonight. Maybe she could reorganize her plan to meet them during summer when the night would be 70 degrees instead of 25. Besides she was getting tired of smelling Yura?s smoke.

Before she could say anything though a loud clank sounded in the alleyway. She turned to her left and saw Hojo picking up a drink from the buzzing machine. The luminescence making his skin glow paler than normal and causing his dark hair to be a stark contrast. He was turning towards them about to pop open the can when he stopped and squinted his eyes their way.

He walked towards them again the can at his side forgotten. He said nothing to Yura and went straight for Kagome. Kagome tried to smile as nicely as possible. Hojo had always been a sucker for her smile.

?What are you doing here?? The good-natured tone that usually described his voice was gone and in its place a startled one.

Kagome shrugged and tried to put the happiest tone in her voice possible; ?I wanted to be there.? He knew what she wanted when she had found out that Hojo was apart of the gang she had asked too many questions for him to be comfortable with. It?s not like he had any answer and maybe that was why he was nervous; the fact he was telling her he wasn?t a vital part. Kagome was more than surprised when she found out what was she supposed to do?

Hojo just shook his head at her; ?You can?t be there. It?s not right.? He turned from her as if that was the end of discussion; popping open his can. He began walking and Yura followed walking around Kagome without even a look.

To say that Hojo and Yura were together would have been an odd statement but not a lie?but then again not true. They were an odd pair. Yura though must have liked the boy if she stayed around him and Hojo must have liked Yura because the girl was not the easiest person to be around. She had her qualities but they were buried?deep under her mask of red lips and black leather.

?Hey wait.? Kagome said shoving her hands deep into her jacket pockets and running after them. She jogged up ahead of them and turned and started walking backwards still talking to Hojo. ?You don?t have to worry. I can take care of myself.?

?You should be at home.? He said not looking at the charming smile on her face.

That statement made Kagome?s brows fall. She didn?t want to be at home, if she did she wouldn?t have left when Kenji started screaming at her mom and throwing dishes.

?You don?t belong there Kagome.? He slightly grimaced almost like the words were giving him an unpleasant taste in his mouth. He never did like being mean.

?It?s not like you do either.? Kagome said defiantly, stopping in front of them. Hojo stopped too almost bumping into her. The way Yura had talked made it seem like Hojo was some lackey; picking up, dropping off packages. Maybe he didn?t want to bring her cause he couldn?t.

?It?s fine Hojo.? Yura suddenly said. They both turned to look at the girl who had just thrown her cigarette in the garbage bin they were passing. She walked over to Hojo and wrapped her right arm around his neck, her fingers gliding into his hair and looked over to Kagome. ?You know I bet she can take care of herself. You never know.? She said softly her voice curling around the boy like smoke. ?Besides she?ll keep bugging you till she can.?

Maybe that was how their relationship worked. Yura used Hojo to get what she wanted. She had said more than once she would have never gotten into the Demons without Hojo?no matter his status within the group. But then what did Yura want?

That must have been all it took to sway Hojo because he began walking again but not before saying, ?I still don?t think it?s a good idea.?

Kagome didn?t care though because she had wanted to get a better look at the Demons. She smiled at the duo and fell in line with them. They walked almost single file to stay out of the way of oncoming cars. The imaginary sidewalks of Narita seemed to disappear and reappear at will. They passed an AM/PM and Kagome remembered that she hadn?t eaten dinner that night. She looked inside and saw the flurry of activity between consumers and employers. She suddenly wished there was time to stop for her to get some sushi to go.

They walked on passing more closed buildings and stands before stopping in front of one particularly inconspicuous building. It wasn?t abandoned but it was closed. Hojo turned around the next corner and walked into another alleyway that went on to the back of the building. Instead of going through the back they went to a smaller dimly lit building right behind the other one.

Kagome hadn?t really been to Narita enough to know exactly where she was. They were far from other people though, the last they left a few blocks back. The small place wasn?t boarded up and only looked to be a family restaurant. Hojo slid open the door and walked inside followed by a very confused Kagome.

She had expected more.

She hadn't expected walls covered with pictures of families and foreign money. Or dusty stacks of magazines and manga on tables. The small Chinese-type lanterns caused the restaurant to be dimly lit but enough not to hurt her eyes. The smell of something burning hit her nose and she scrunched it up in surprise. Leather booths and chairs some cracked others shiny. An old slightly fuzzy and yellowed picture of a naked woman hung in the corner.

And she definitely wasn?t expecting the little slightly tinged green man sitting on the counter flipping yen and counting them.

Kagome quickly covered her mouth in surprise. What the?? Her eyes flitted to her two odd comrades and noticed they didn?t seem all that surprised. But then nothing could surprise Yura and Hojo?well Hojo was just Hojo. The boy had a knack for excepting anything.

?Hey Jakken.? Hojo said good-naturedly. So I guess this is normal.

The man turned to them upon dropping the last yen. He did a double take when his eyes landed on Kagome.

?Wh-who is she?? the nervous man said jumping from the counter. He was small; he barely went to Kagome thigh. He didn?t walk over to her though instead he went straight to Hojo. ?Sesshoumaru did not say anything about a new person.? Jakken looked mad.

Hojo sheepishly scratched his head and stared down at the man innocently. ?Eh?well I thought that it would be okay if I brought her.?

Jakken seemed to be shocked by the answer and squawked, ?Foolish. Sesshoumaru doesn?t know it means she? he accented the word by jabbing his stubby toad-like finger at a dumbfounded Kagome, ?isn?t allowed to go in.?

Kagome looked over to Yura who had slipped out from between her and Hojo at sometime and seemed to be showing a lot of interest in the picture of a family at the beach to their right.

?She won?t be a problem.? Hojo said; Kagome could tell he was trying to stand up for her.

Jakken just shook his head and repeated; ?Sesshoumaru did not tell me. She cannot go in.?

This seemed like it was going to take a while. Instead of listening though Kagome took the few steps it took to get to Yura. The girl was smoking again this time letting the ashes fall into an ashtray in her hand. She was still looking at the picture or at least she was staring at it but maybe she wasn?t actually seeing it. The picture didn?t seem to be the type of thing to keep Yura?s attention.

Without looking over to her, Yura spoke; ?Boys?always fighting over girls. Stupid. It?s no big deal for you to be here.?

Kagome just nodded not knowing where Yura was going with it.

Yura took a another drag from her cigarette before speaking. ?Don?t worry. Jakken will fall and Hojo will get his way. ?He always does.? A roll of smoke came from her lips at the end of the statement.

Maybe she wasn?t meant to be here?

That was what Kagome was thinking fifteen minutes later as she stared down at a water-ringed manga, the colors of the cover slightly distorted and paled. She and Yura were sitting at one of the booths blocking out the back and forth chat between, as Yura called them, the idiot and the stooge.

She didn?t know what she should have listened to. Her mind, which told her to go and try something that she thought would be good for her or her feelings, the little things that tickled Kagome?s consciousness; subtle but there. Her feelings told her she should have gone home on the last train to Harajuku. Her feelings had told her to go home and face whatever may be waiting for her at her home.

But her feelings didn?t have a great grasp of time. She listened to tiny clock mounted on the wall ding to 2 AM. There was no way she was getting home unless Hojo drove her in his car.

?I don?t know why you won?t let her go in Jakken.? That was Hojo

?I will not be held responsible. Sesshoumaru will be angry with me.? That was Jakken.

?This is so boring.? That was Yura.

Kagome just stayed, her head down on the water logged drawings, and silent hoping not to be noticed by the shaded green thing named Jakken.

?Sit down you stupid girl.? Jakken again.

?We?re going now. I really don?t care what you say.? Yura again.

?I said sit?? SMASH

Kagome looked up quickly from the disproportional drawings on the manga and saw Hojo looking quite apprehensive and Yura still looking around for something to keep her attention. But Jakken was gone and in his place shards of broken glass. A faint groan could be heard from behind the bar and it didn?t take Kagome long to guess what happened.

?Let?s go Kagome.? Yura said already walking to the back of the restaurant.

Maybe I shouldn?t be here.

Kagome dumbly followed though, her mind not really working after seeing such a display of violence. Besides it was this or brave Tokyo streets ?at least Hojo was a friendly face.

******
A/N: I can't believe I'm posting this since in my opinion it's cliche. But ::shrugs:: o well I can at least make it a good cliche.

Thanks for reading comments welcomed and appreciated.

[Lara Winner]

Hmm... very very interesting.