Chapter Text
1. Too Cul for Schul
The cold breath of late night air stung her cheeks and she burrowed further behind her scarf, fingers aching even as she curled them around the hand warmers she just bought. Why in the world had her boss wanted her to make a drop delivery to some church in the middle of the night? And the manila folder must have had one or two sheets of paper in it, it was so thin.
A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the weighted feel of being watched by someone. Even when she'd discreetly surveyed the grounds through her hair, there hadn't been a sign of anyone around. She would have spread her aura out but something about those holy grounds felt… off. If she had her way, she'd be cuddled up under the new kotatsu she'd just installed for her new apartment, sipping on cocoa and wondering why her boss wanted her to be stationed here in Fuyuki.
She didn't even have the reassurance of having her family nearby. Tokyo and Kyushu Island might as well be on opposite sides of the Earth, for how lonely it was living on her own. The idea of adopting a cat or two, maybe even a dog, plagued her tired mind. Her most convincing argument to herself, besides companionship, was knowing the od generated between her and the animals would create positive mana that would help her greenhouse thrive.
Homurahara Academy loomed to her left when she finally managed to unbury her face from her scarf, looking dark and imposing with its high roofs and excess of forestry planted around it. The grounds were certainly nicer than her school back in Tokyo. She blinked, pausing for a second to stare back up at the gated roof. It had looked like there were people up there. Some rebellious teens, maybe?
From the clip on her hip, her phone vibrated and when she finally freed it and unlocked the screen, a text from her boss let her know that the package had been received. A second ping came from her phone, from her bank account, letting her know the payment had gone through.
Kagome sighed and kept walking, stuffing the phone in her pocket rather than back on her clip. Becoming a messenger/deliver for Mage related business had sounded a lot more exciting when she'd first heard about the position, its pay, and the opportunity to travel. That, and the bastard was usually trying to keep her as far away from any meetings or correspondences that were held by people with more than decent amounts of mana stores.
'You meddle too much. It's dangerous for the company.' He'd said, not looking up from his paperwork.
"Well, excuse me for finding it a little deplorable when children are being treated as less than for the sake of a stupid object." She muttered scathingly, regretting she hadn't beaten his head in with his stupid name plaque.
Holy Grail This. Holy Grail That. Magecraft must be upheld. The values must live through each generation.
The whole thing just sounded like some stupid capitalized Shikon War. And heaven forbid they ever found out about that particular artifact considering how they frothed over this Grail. Found out, like her, that she had traveled to another world of Japan that was mixed with humans and demons and how her powers had changed and expanded.
Today was one of those days where she definitely did not appreciate any of it. Being told that she'd only have one assignment today, and that it would be done by foot because the only company vehicle was out of commission, had gotten her hopes up. She'd left for this job around noon and now it was almost midnight.
Sching.
She stiffened, stance widening, hands coming up, as her eyes flicked to the left. Metal clashed over and over again, fast and harsh, in the silence of the night. Now that she was paying attention, the prana stirring inside the school grounds was distorted, hostile. This was Mage's mana and something else.
A rippling sensation traveled over her when she stepped through the entrance, a different signature from the manas clashing just past the building ahead of her.
Mouth parting, she watched the two warriors come to blows.
They were fast, flicking across the grounds in flashes of blue and red, sparks from their weapons giving some leeway to their looks. Long blue locks, spiked white hair, both of them adorned in what looked like bodysuits rather than anything armor wise.
A quiet gasp had her finally noticing the young woman standing just off to her right. No school uniform but the transfixed, unguarded stance she held screamed civilian. Her mana was mixed with the red warrior's, undulating softly even in the midst of this battle.
It-No. Her nails scraped unpleasantly against the building, teeth grinding together. The bastard Mage Organization was so desperate to get ahold of the grail, they had children this young participate! They couldn't-
"Whos' there?!"
'Shit!'
She spun around and ran. She'd thought she'd stayed out of sight and her mana hadn't leaked out of her at any point. With their speed, there was no way she would make it off the school grounds and still be able to hide. She'd barely managed to get past the building before one - just one - mana signature followed after her. Fast. Faster than she was already expecting.
It had been too long since she ran with demons and there had never been a reason to keep up such inhuman standards for her body. Desperate, pulse in her ears, heart in her throat, her hands hit the rough bark of the nearest tree, quickly sliding up to grasp a leaf.
The Higurashi Magecraft and their crest, the one her father had not received from her grandfather before his passing, the one she'd received only two years ago, centered around protection. Centered around being hidden from everyone, even The Mage's Association. The warmth of its mana seared across her back as she activated it.
Her mana traced over the leaf, from its base to its midrib, through its veins, felt the water that sat in it, and breathed. Any exposed skin went rough and hard, stiff, like bark, hair falling from her shredded pony to cascade down and around her, rustling like leaves.
Through the haze and water and air, she took in the blue warrior that had followed her.
Skin curved and molded into muscle and iron, covered in tight blue cloth and the shine of metal armor. A menacing red spear sat in his hand, grasped tight, white knuckled. Long blue hair swayed in the same wind that sung around her and he turned, burning blood red eyes skipping right over her.
Her breath caught.
Everything about this man, this Spirit, screamed foreign, except for his accent. Perfect Japanese had come from him but she'd never read of a warrior like him in Japanese history.
She watched with bated breath while he continued to scan the area around him. He muttered something about having been seen and a Master. There was no way he had any intention of intimidating her into not talking about what she saw.
The girl and the warrior in red, she could feel, were still standing in the courtyard and she imagined they were waiting for the fight to continue.
He turned toward the entrance, twirling the spear, jaw tight in displeasure. Then he stepped past her peripheral, just far enough that if she moved, she would creak unnaturally and alert him to her position. It felt like he wasn't there anymore but instinct told her to wait.
A quiet 'tch' echoed to her left and she nearly screamed when the tree behind her shook. His hand ( foot? weapon?) scraped the bark when he pulled back but, finally, his mana signature disappeared.
Her limbs loosened and softened, breath whooshing out of her. The leaf burst into flames, whatever little ash it produced being swept away by the wind. Kagome retreated between the wall and the trees, keeping out of sight as she stumbled over to the entrance.
She was going to go ahead and make the call that things were safe now, with the courtyard still quiet. All the manas were rushing around on the other side of the grounds so this was definitely her chance to leave.
~-End-~