Prologue: Two Years

Higurashi Shrine, Tokyo, Japan
July 17th, 16:43 JST
2008

The mother couldn't keep her gasp, her eyes watery and the throat dry, at the sight of her daughter, "K-K-Kagome?!" The broom chattered on the ground, next to her knees. Her tights stained with dirt, her gurgling mouth was muffled with a shaking hand, "Is that you?" A flux of sob escaped.

Her eyes were lit with confusion and the concern for her crying mother was near overwhelming. Kagome raced to her mother and pulled her weeping form into her arms, "What's wrong, mama? I was just hanging out with my friends in WacDonald…Was I past my curfew again?"

Her mother curled in her hands on the back of Kagome's white shirt, still in disbelief and wept loudly, "You're here, you're here, you're here." was the chant she kept breathing.

Kagome stared, baffled. While squeezing her mother to give comfort, she looked around, seeing if there were anything out of ordinary. The sky was brighter than she remembered. The sun was cheery and the family's nicolas cage tree was lively, its emerald green leaves were dancing in the gentle breeze. They gave a cool shade, shielding the mother and her daughter from the harsh rays of the sun's, yet spots of filtered sunlight slipped though and rolled on their skins. The shrine was still creaky, and the yard was neat and shiny, likely at the courtesy of her senile grandfather.

So, nothing looked out of place…

Minus her wore-faced mama's weeping, that is.

Did Souta do something again? She knew that he had been messing around with some troublemakers his age and got caught by a policeman few times too many. Had he done something too extreme and warrant some serious discipline?

Her mother shook her head, her weeping loud and desperate, as her curled hair rubbed against the girl's summer school uniform. Kagome never heard her gentle mother's sorrow, nor had she saw tears slipping from her mother's chocolate brown eyes herself before. It was disconcerting, and she didn't like it.

Her sobbing attracted a scowling Souta from the door, who by then yelped and fell on his bottom on the doorstep, at the sight of his sister. Kagome turned her eyes, confusion was growing painful. She wondered why Souta looked…bigger, than last she saw him. Which, she was positive, was this morning.

She remembered bickering with him, over his bad habits regarding word choices and his treatment of her. But he was small then, and much more neater in appearance, at their mother's stern insistent. Heck, Kagome felt the stings of his words, still fresh from their earlier argument. She remembered how she kept her head high, refusing to show her weaknesses, lest her brother would have something more to produce additional insults for, and turned away to attend her classes of the day.

Her confused amusing ended, and her eyes widened, at her mama's teary-cradled words as her shoulders shook underneath the daughter's arms, "Bab-baby…you had been gone for two years…"

A/N: Yes, yes, I know, not another fanfiction. But bear with me. I have a plot in mind, that I couldn't help but to write it out. However I needed to watch more Young Justice first, before this is completely formalized. So the update will likely to be slow and erratic. I'm a lazy watcher as well, pfft. But the pairing is eventual-the romance pretty much takes a seat in the backburner, as relationships are more important to me.

A shout out to Yoruko Rhapsodos! She's a pretty cool person and she helped me out a ton with most of the plot. It was also her that provided a challenge I rose to take on! I must also thank DeathNoteMaker for giving me her feedbacks on the plot!

Honestly though, I just really wanted to see some more ConnerKagome fanfictions. Hint, hint? ;u; I'll help you plot and everything! Oneshots are good too!

EDIT, as of 5/30/15, added timestamp. Applies to most of the current chapters, with significant location/time changes.

EDIT, as of 2/27/16, more rewording. Hope it flows a little better.