I think I got a little carried away with this, but the idea of the Shikon being inside of Kagome as a child really intrigued me. Did its power ever manifest during her childhood? How would it influence the world, not to mention its host, had it been tainted?

"Ah, hello," Natsumi called cautiously, but the quiet little girl at the top of the steps paid her no mind. Her vivid blue eyes were fixed on Akira, and a glance at her son confirmed that he was staring back just as intensely.

She would have cooed over what most would assume was puppy love, but both the girl's penetrating gaze and the recent incidents involving her son made her nervous. The atmosphere was oddly heavy, almost charged, and Natsumi had an overwhelming feeling of the significance of this moment, as if something momentous and potentially dangerous was about to happen.

She stepped firmly between the two, breaking their eye contact. "Is your mother or your grandfather home?"

The girl blinked, almost dazed, and then nodded hesitantly. She lifted one tiny arm and pointed silently at the shrine.

Natsumi knew that the girl was probably in mourning, but the scene suddenly seemed remarkably eerie. "Come on, Akira," she whispered, and grabbed his hand.

"No, kaa-chan," Akira said firmly. "I wanna stay out here and play with her."

"No, Akira, you're coming inside with me," Natsumi insisted, uncomfortably aware of those large blue eyes, carefully observing their interactions. She glanced around for an excuse. "Look, the sky is gray. It's about to rain." Odd, considering that it had been quite sunny before, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"It won't rain unless we want it to," Akira responded. "I will stay out here."

Natsumi rarely had the heart to deny her son anything, but in this case she did. "Akira— "

"Go," he ordered, violet eyes flashing, and suddenly all was well again. What on earth came over her? Her poor son just wanted to make a friend, and here she was actively preventing it!

"Okay, sweetie," she said, smiling widely. "You two have fun!"

"We will!" Akira chirped.

She patted his head, and turned to head into the shrine. Akira was such an obedient child. She was lucky to have him.

Akira's innocent smile didn't twitch as he turned to face the other child, but it didn't appear to work on the girl like it did on his mother. Odd. He was used to people seeing exactly what he wanted them to. But this girl seemed a little different from the others. She seemed a little like him.

"What did you do to your mom?" she asked, still seated at the top of the steps. She regarded him frankly, but her hands were twisting her skirt.

"I didn't do anything," Akira answered, confused. "I just wanted her to go inside."

The girl did not look convinced.

"Whatchyer name?" he said. "Mine's Akira."

Her head tilted. "I don't wanna tell you."

His smile turned into a scowl. "That's rude. I told you mine. You gotta tell me yours."

She shook her head.

"Do it," Akira ordered, annoyed. Usually he didn't have to try so hard to make people listen to him.

"Nuh uh," she said, and clambered to her feet. "Wanna come see the well house?"

Well house. That sounded interesting. He was still annoyed at her, but he'd make her tell him later. "Okay."

She took his hand and tugged him along behind her. "Mama says I'm not supposed to go down there, but sometimes I do anyway," she confided.

"So? Just make her let you."

She looked at him like he was crazy. "I can't make Mama do anything. She's a grown up."

Akira scoffed. "You just aren't trying hard enough. Kaa-chan does whatever I want."

The girl didn't respond, preoccupied with tugging the well house door open. Akira didn't particularly feel like helping, so he hung back and let her do the work. The door looked dirty and kind of splintery, anyway.

She grabbed his hand again, ignoring his whine of disgust, and pulled him into the dim, musty interior.

"Cool," Akira breathed, annoyance forgotten. The shack was dark, and there was a steep staircase leading down to an indistinct shape below. This was a perfect secret hideout!

The girl had started clambering down the rickety steps, and he followed, not wanting to get left behind in the dark. The shack, for all its coolness, was kind of creepy without company.

Once they reached the bottom, it was a lot harder to see. "Where's the well?" Akira asked.

"Here," the girl said, from somewhere in front of him. "Gramps covers it up so I don't fall in."

He groped around for the dusty tarp, and pulled it down, ignoring the girl's hissed reprimand.

"We're gonna get in trouble!"

"You're gonna get in trouble. I didn't do anything."

"Did so!" she insisted.

Akira frowned. This girl didn't do anything he told her to! It was starting to make him mad. "How deep is it, anyway? I can't see the bottom. It's too dark."

"I don't know," she admitted nervously, "I never took the cover off before."

A brilliant idea occurred. He'd learn about the well, and get her back for not listening to him, all at the same time! "You should jump in."

"No way," Kagome said. She was starting to get scared. She'd get in so much trouble if her Mama found her, plus Akira was acting weird and he still felt wrong.

"Do it," he snarled, abruptly vicious. His purple eyes seemed to glow in the shadows. "I'm tired of you not doing what I say!"

"I'm not gonna! It'd hurt and my Mama would be really angry!"

"Then I'll make you," he said, and grabbed her shoulders. He was gonna push her in!

"Stop!" Kagome screamed.

The door to the well house burst open.

"Kagome!" her Mama shrieked, swooping down like an avenging angel, "What did I tell you about playing in the well house?!"

Akira stepped away from her. "She said it was okay — "

"She lied," Mama snapped, and pulled them both back up the staircase.

"Mama," Kagome sobbed, still terrified, "Mama, he tried to push me in — "

Mama turned to Akira. "What?"

"I didn't! She's trying to get me in trouble!" he swiftly denied. Mama's eyes glazed over, just like his kaa-chan's had, and she nodded.

"Kagome, you are grounded." She turned to Akira's mother, busy fussing over her son. "Naruzaka-san, I am so sorry — "

"It's fine, it's fine," she said. "I understand that your daughter is having a difficult time. A little acting out is to be expected."

"Thank you so much, Naruzaka-san, Akira-kun," her mother said, flustered, ignoring Kagome's sobs. "I'm really sorry. Please visit again soon, so that we can start over, okay?"

"Of course," Naruzaka-san said smoothly.

As Mama hustled her inside, ignoring gramps' concerned queries, Kagome realized two very important things: Akira could hurt anyone, not just his mother, and only she could stop him.

"I'm so sorry, Akki," kaa-san cooed, once they had returned home and his favorite movie was in the VCR. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" Akira said cheerfully. He'd been worried that the girl's whole family would be weird, but it seemed to just be her and her weird, crazy grandpa, which was a major relief. "I had fun! Let's go again soon, okay?"

"Well…" she said reluctantly, and he put on his best puppy eyes.

"Pleeeeaaase?"

Her expression went vacant for a moment, and then came a bright answer, "Of course! I'm so glad you made a friend!"

"Uh huh!" Akira agreed. Kagome was pretty interesting, even though she was annoying, and besides: he still really wanted to know what was at the bottom of that well.