Chapter Text
A teenage girl ran frantically down the sidewalk of her neighborhood, wearing the uniform of the local high school. “Oh no! I can’t believe it’s my first day at this new school and I’m late!” she scolded herself as she began lightly hitting her head in frustration.
While she was busy reprimanding herself, she didn’t notice the tree right in front of her until it was too late. “Oof!” Kagome hit the trunk head-on and fell backward, landing on her butt as her books and supplies scattered across the sidewalk. Once her head stopped spinning, she looked at the mess and sighed. “Today is just not my day…” she muttered as she began picking everything up.
A hand suddenly appeared in front of her, holding one of her books. “Here,” a kind voice said. Kagome looked up to see a pretty girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail smiling at her.
Kagome gratefully accepted the book. “Thanks,” she said with a smile before gathering the rest of her things and brushing off her uniform. “Thanks again. My name’s Kagome. What’s yours?”
“My name’s Sango,” the girl replied cheerfully. “I was on my way to school when I saw you run into that tree.” Sango giggled at the memory.
Kagome blushed in embarrassment. “I’m not usually this clumsy or ditzy,” she said quickly. “It’s just my first day at a new school, so I guess I’m a little nervous.”
Sango’s eyes lit up. “I thought so! I recognized your uniform—it’s the same as mine!”
Kagome looked her over and noticed she was indeed wearing the same outfit. “So we might be classmates?”
“Yeah!” Sango said happily. Just then, the first bell rang, signaling they had ten minutes before the gates closed. “We better hurry or we’ll be detention-mates instead.”
Sango took off running, and Kagome followed. “I’m so sorry for making you late!” Kagome called. “If it wasn’t for me, you’d already be there!”
Sango looked back with a grin. “Nah, it’s fine. It’s not the first time I’ve been late. Sometimes my little brother gets sick, and I have to make him breakfast before school. I almost missed the bell a few times too.”
“Almost? How did you make it on time?” Kagome asked, already out of breath.
“I’m on the track team,” Sango said with a wink. “Running’s what I do best. Plus…” She glanced at her watch. “I know a shortcut, and by the looks of it, we’ll need it today.”
At the school gates, a large, stern-looking woman stood guard with a pocket watch in hand. “Five… four… three… two… one! Alright, everyone outside the gates is officially late!” she barked. “Meet me in my office after school, or I’ll find you myself. I never forget a face!”
Hiding behind a tree, Kagome whispered frantically, “What are we going to do, Sango? We can’t go through the front gate now!”
Sango’s eyes glinted mischievously. “Follow me.”
She led Kagome to the side of the school, where the wall was covered by trees. Sango quickly climbed up and called down, “Come on, Kagome! It’s not as hard as it looks. Just toss your bag over first!” With that, she dropped down to the other side.
Kagome stared at the wall. “Yeah… easier said than done.” She zipped her bag shut and threw it over, then began climbing. It took a few tries, but she finally managed to pull herself up. “Yes! I did it!” she cheered, raising her arms in victory.
“Ahem!”
Kagome froze. When she turned her head, the same stern woman was glaring at her. She lost her balance and tumbled off the wall, landing flat on her back with her feet propped against it. “Ow…” she groaned.
“Miss! What do you think you’re doing?!” the woman screeched.
Kagome blinked up at her, still dazed. “Uh… getting to class?”
The woman placed her hands on her hips. “And what class might that be?”
“I actually don’t know, ma’am. I just transferred here,” Kagome admitted quietly.
The woman adjusted her glasses. “A new student and already breaking the rules,” she said, jotting something down on her clipboard. “I’ll be seeing you after school. Name?”
“Higurashi, ma’am.”
“Miss Higurashi,” the woman said, writing again. “I expect you in my office after class—or else.” With that, she marched away.
Kagome sighed as she sat up. “Great. First day here and I’m already in trouble.” She leaned back against the wall. “Well, I’m already late, so a few more minutes won’t hurt.” She groaned softly. “Today is definitely not my day.”
"I'm sorry I had to leave you this morning. I was in a hurry to get to track," Sango apologized to the sad girl walking beside her, who was slumped over and still depressed from the morning’s events.
"I don't blame you, Sango," Kagome said. "If only I was quicker getting over that wall and hadn’t shouted, I probably could have escaped."
Sango gave her new friend a sympathetic smile. "At least we have some classes together. That’s something, right?"
"Yeah, that is pretty good," Kagome admitted, though she still looked glum.
Sango frowned slightly. "So what did Mrs. Watanabe say to you anyway?"
Kagome sighed. "She said she’d let me off this time since I’m new, but she warned me that if it happens again, I’ll have to stay after school and clean the halls."
Sango winced. "Ouch… That doesn’t sound fun. This school is huge."
"Yeah, that’s why I have to make sure that—"
"It doesn’t happen again?" Sango cut in.
"No," Kagome said with a sly grin. "I have to make sure not to get caught again."
Sango laughed and threw an arm around her shoulder. "Kagome, I feel like this is the start of a wonderful friendship." Kagome joined in her laughter, agreeing that it was indeed the start of something great.
When their laughter settled, Sango turned to her. "Hey, there’s this new antique shop that just opened nearby. Want to check it out?"
Kagome blinked. "You like antiques?"
"Yeah! They’re really cool. My brother and I have collected old stuff for years—it’s our hobby," Sango said proudly. "You should come over sometime. We’ve got pieces that date all the way back to Feudal Japan."
"Wow, that sounds amazing!" Kagome said with a bright smile. "My grandpa collects antiques too. He claims most of his things are from the Feudal Era, but I’m not sure I believe him."
Sango chuckled. "He sounds interesting. Maybe I can take a look next time I visit. I’ve gotten pretty good at spotting what’s real and what’s not."
"That sounds wonderful."
The two chatted happily as they made their way to the antique shop. After about thirty minutes, Sango led them to a cozy old-fashioned store tucked between two modern buildings. When they opened the door, a soft chime rang through the air.
"Welcome," an elderly man greeted them from behind the counter. "Back again, Miss Sango?"
Sango grinned. "I can’t stay away from your beautiful antiques," she said, eyes sparkling.
The man chuckled. "It’s good to see a young person with such appreciation for the past." His eyes landed on Kagome. "And who might this young lady be?"
"This is Kagome," Sango introduced. "We just met today, but we’re already pretty good friends."
"Does she share your passion for antiques?" the man asked.
Kagome smiled politely. "I don’t think anyone can match Sango’s enthusiasm. I like antiques, but I’m not a collector."
"Still, it’s nice to see two bright young women interested in the same things I love," he said with a nostalgic look.
Kagome sweat-dropped slightly. "Uh… okay. I’ll go look around," she said awkwardly and wandered off to explore. Sango moved toward the Japanese section, while Kagome headed in the opposite direction toward the medieval displays.
As Kagome walked past the suits of armor and old swords, something caught her eye. She turned and found herself drawn to the Egyptian section. Slowly, she approached a glass case containing a golden puzzle hanging from a chain.
She placed her hand against the glass, mesmerized.
"Would you like to see it?" a voice asked suddenly. Kagome jumped and spun around to see the shopkeeper standing right behind her.
"Uh… sure," she said hesitantly. She wasn’t sure why she felt so drawn to it.
"Here you go," the man said, handing her the puzzle. Kagome hadn’t even seen him open the case.
"T-thank you." The moment her fingers touched it, a sharp jolt of energy surged through her hand. "Ow!" She dropped the puzzle in shock and stumbled backward, bumping into a display behind her.
An old book slipped off the shelf and into her open bag without her noticing. A nearby vase teetered on the edge, ready to fall. Kagome gasped and dove forward just in time to catch it.
When she opened her eyes, she exhaled in relief. The vase was safe. "At least I didn’t break it," she whispered.
She stood and set it carefully back on the shelf before bowing deeply to the shopkeeper. "I’m so sorry for almost breaking your antiques!"
The man smiled kindly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don’t worry, my dear. Nothing’s broken, so there’s no harm done."
"Is the puzzle okay?" Kagome asked.
He held it up, completely undamaged. "All fine. I caught it before it hit the ground."
Sango came running over. "What happened? I heard you scream!"
"It’s fine," Kagome said weakly. "I just almost broke a vase because I was careless again." She looked down, disappointment written all over her face. "I think I should go."
She slung her bag over her shoulder. "Thank you for showing me around, Sango, and thank you, sir, for letting me see the puzzle," she said politely. "I should probably leave before I break something for real." She gave an awkward laugh and quickly left the shop.
Sango frowned at the door. "Oh, Kagome…"
The shopkeeper sighed softly. "You should go after her. I think she could use a good friend right now."
Sango nodded. "Thank you. I’ll come back soon!" She waved and hurried out the door.
The old man watched her leave, then turned back to the case and carefully locked the golden puzzle inside. What a strange reaction, he thought. That girl didn’t seem bad, so why did the puzzle react that way?
When he turned to check the shelves, he noticed one of his display books missing. He blinked, then smiled faintly. Ah, I see… So that’s why the puzzle reacted. Have you finally found the one you were waiting for, Pharaoh?
Sango ran out of the shop, scanning the street in every direction, but there was no sign of Kagome. Damn! I forgot to ask where she lives! she thought, frustrated with herself. I hope she’s okay… She really seemed upset about what happened in the store.
After searching for a while with no luck, Sango reluctantly decided to head home. The sun was already dipping below the horizon, and she still needed to make dinner for Kohaku. I’ll talk to her tomorrow on our way to school, she thought. Hopefully, she feels better by then.
Kagome ran up the steps to her new home and burst through the door. Her mom greeted her from the kitchen, calling out that dinner would be ready in about thirty minutes. Kagome didn’t reply and headed straight up the stairs to her room.
Once inside, she threw her bag onto the floor in frustration, then flopped onto her bed, clutching her pillow tightly to her chest. Why do I always mess things up? she thought as she stared at the ceiling. My luck wasn’t always this bad. It’s like moving here triggered something. She turned to her side and sighed. “It seems like I’ve been doing a lot of sighing today…”
She lay there with her eyes closed for who knows how long, too drained to even check the clock. Her mom would call her for dinner when it was ready. Kagome opened her eyes again and looked around the room. Boxes were still scattered everywhere, unopened and untouched. She wanted to unpack, but she couldn’t bring herself to move.
She sighed again.
Just as she was about to close her eyes and let the steady ticking of the clock soothe her, something caught her attention. “Huh?” She sat up and reached for her bag, where an old brown book was poking out. “What is this?”
She pulled it out and examined the cover. The back was blank, but the front had The Pharaoh’s Tale written across it, with an upside-down pyramid topped by an eye, the same design as the puzzle from the antique shop. Above the title were the wings of Ra with a golden jewel gleaming in the center.
“This must have fallen into my bag when I hit the shelf,” she murmured.
Setting her pillow aside, Kagome held the book in both hands and opened it. Her brows furrowed. “What is this?” She flipped through page after page, but every one of them was blank.
She closed the book again and studied the cover more closely. The letters and symbol looked like they were made of real gold, but that couldn’t be possible. Who would use real gold on a book? she wondered. Curiously, she tapped the golden jewel to test if it was real.
The moment her finger touched the stone, both the jewel and the eye began to glow. Startled, Kagome dropped the book to the floor. “W-what’s happening?” she cried.
The book flipped open on its own, and the pages started fluttering wildly as a mysterious wind filled the room. Papers flew off her desk, her curtains whipped around, and an invisible energy burst from the book, wrapping itself around her arms and legs.
“W-what?!” Kagome struggled, tugging against the glowing tendrils. “Let go of me!” But no matter how much she pulled, they only tightened and began dragging her closer to the book.
She gasped as she saw her hands start to fade, her body disappearing into the swirling light. “What the hell is going on?!” she screamed, but her voice was drowned out by the roar of magic.
Then, in an instant, Kagome was gone.
The wind stopped, leaving the room silent once more. Papers lay scattered across the floor, the curtains hung still, and in the center of the chaos sat the ancient book, its pages now closed, resting quietly on the floor.