Light within the Darkness

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho… though a girl can dream can't she?

A/N: This fic is dedicated to my close friend and neechan Jackie :) You're the reason I even think about Yusuke/Kagome Pairings and you were my inspiration through writing this entire story. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope you like it!

Chapter One: Shroud of Darkness

Kagome sighed in relief once her feet touched the ground. Glancing up, she smiled slightly at the roof of the small building before slowly climbing out of the well. It was good to be home… away from the stress of their search for the Shikon shards. She hadn't seen her family in quite some time, it would be a nice change to see them and attend school for a few weeks. Despite the fact that she thought the Feudal Era smelt a lot better than her time, she took a deep breath before sliding open the doors of the well house. The miko's eyes narrowed in confusion as she took in the scene before her.

Police officers swarmed the shrine grounds. Several were taking pictures and others merely observed from afar. Through the kitchen window, Kagome could see people shuffling through her home. Rushing toward the house, she barely reached the open doorway before someone firmly grabbed her forearm.

"I'm sorry ma'am but you cannot go in there." The officer informed her before slowly pulling her away from the house.

Kagome yanked her arm from his grasp angrily. "I live here!" she snapped as she quickly entered her home. She stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing the interior of the shrine. Blood painted the walls and coated the floor. Down the hall, an officer zipped closed a black bag. The miko's eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of the face of the person in the large body bag.

"Mama…" she murmured.

One of the officers taking pictures of the scene inside the house finally spotted her and panicked. "What's she doing in here?! Get her out!"

Another officer quickly grabbed the miko and dragged her from the house. Kagome didn't protest, her eyes glued to the body bag her mother was in. She briefly took note of the two other bags beside the door before she was outside once more. The man dragging her away ordered someone to close the door so no one else could see the massacre inside. The front door was slammed shut, blocking her view of the scene within her home. The miko's eyes widened when she spotted something carved into the wood of the door that she hadn't noticed before.

A spider.

"Miss, you're going to have to come with me to the station."

Kagome ripped her gaze from the front door to stare blankly at the first officer that tried stopping her from entering the house.

"But… I live here…" she murmured. Her mind was completely shrouded in fog. She couldn't think… couldn't feel… couldn't breathe.

"I know Miss Kagome…" he whispered softly before gently grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the shrine stairs. Kagome merely stared at the man as he helped her into the passenger seat of the squad car. Once he was in the driver's seat, he pulled the police car away from the curb and headed straight for the station. Kagome stared out the windshield emotionlessly. Her family was dead… killed by her worst enemy… but how? How did he possibly get to her family?

Souta… mama… grandpa… they were all gone. Her chest constricted as tears stung at her eyes but she held them back. She could mourn later… alone. Right now, she needed to find out why she was being brought to the police station and how this officer knew her name.

"Why are you taking me to the station?" she asked quietly, her gaze still focused ahead of her.

"Before we arrived at the scene, we were informed that a family of four resided at the shrine. We only located three bodies and after identifying them, realized you were missing. We called your school only to find you weren't there either. When you showed up and told me you lived there, I verified with a fellow officer that you were indeed the missing Higurashi." He explained.

"And?"

He sighed heavily as she felt grief fill his aura. "I'm sorry to be the one to inform you but since the owners of the shrine grounds are no longer… with us… the shrine is no longer your home. With no one to pay for the property, the government is putting it back on the market for sale once it's been cleaned." He stated.

Rage and fear filled Kagome as her gaze whipped to the officer. "You're taking my home from me and selling it?!"

"I'm sorry Miss Kagome but it is out of my control. Since you are only graduating high school this year and will not be able to pay for the shrine, the government has the right to take the property."

"And where will I live?!" she snapped. Her mind was reeling and despite the fact that she didn't want her home taken from her, she was far more worried about how she was going to get access to the well in order to get back to the feudal era. Naraku would pay for what he did to her family.

"That's why I'm taking you to the station… We located your father and contacted him, questioning if he knew of your whereabouts when we first realized you weren't home or at school. I called him just after you arrived and briefly explained the situation to him. He claims that he will take you into his home." The officer said.

If at all possible, Kagome's mood darkened further. Her father… she hated her father. She couldn't remember him but knew he left her mother shortly after Souta was born. He left them to fend for themselves. Luckily, her grandpa agreed to live with them and help care for the family. If it weren't for her grandfather, her mother would have been working extra hard just to support two children. As far as Kagome knew, her father never sent her mother any money to help with her or Souta. She wasn't surprised the police had no trouble finding him but the miko was slightly irritated that everything seemed to be worked out so quickly. Why, after all these years, was her father taking her into his home? Even though she had nowhere else to go, she couldn't help but feel a bit more angry at the man that abandoned her family. Did he feel pity for her because everyone she loved in this time had been taken from her?

"I must live with my father." She muttered darkly.

"Yes, from what we've gathered, he's remarried and has two other children. I'm sure you'll like to see your father again, our files report that your parents divorced when you were nearly five." The officer informed her.

She snorted. "Divorced? If you want to put it that way then sure."

He glanced at her curiously but remained silent. He hadn't caught her irritation before but now he could practically taste it. He shrugged as he averted his attention back to the road. The poor girl was probably experiencing major emotional turmoil after seeing her family dead. She just needed to be around more of her family in order to bring her back to her normal self. He had a daughter and knew how often she would get irritated at him. He knew this girl would forgive her father just as his daughter always did.

Kagome glared out the passenger window. This cop didn't understand a thing. He was probably brushing off her attitude as if it was something minor but in reality, it was out of this world. She hated her father for leaving them. Hated him for not being there for her… leaving her without a father. Kagome despised the old saying 'You can't miss what you never had.' because it never applied to her. When she was younger, she always wondered where her father was and if he was ever coming back. She watched her mother's heart break every night that he didn't return. When she was older, she understood why her mother seemed so saddened at times and it angered her.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the vehicle rolled to a stop. The officer exited the squad car and waited for her to join him on the sidewalk before leading her into the station. He told her to have a seat while he looked up her father's new address. She stiffly sat in one of the plastic chairs near the reception area as she awaited his return. Within minutes, he was leading her back toward the squad car and pulled away from the curb.

"I don't have any of my belongings." She muttered.

"I called one of our female deputies that's currently on the scene and requested that she pack up as much of your belongings as she could fit in her squad car and drop it off at your father's house." He explained with a smile.

Kagome restrained the urge to glare at the man. First he denies her access to her own home, then he proceeds to inform her that the shrine is no longer her home. Now he was taking her to the worst place in the world and had a stranger digging through her belongings. How she wished she'd let Inuyasha convince her to stay for an extra week before going back to her time again… she could have avoided all this trouble. But then again… she wouldn't have known what happened to her family… the house would just be empty and she wouldn't know why. Tears burned her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She blinked them back, chanting to herself that she just needed to wait until she was alone and she could mourn over her loss then.

"We're here." He announced with a smile as he stopped in front of a white two story home.

She scowled. This man was far too cheerful after witnessing the scene at the shrine. Her family was dead. Slaughtered by a demon whose desire was to corrupt the world. And this man somehow managed to smile despite the mornings events. Sure, he didn't know that her family's murderer was a demon but he had to know there was a psycho out there somewhere taking lives with no regret. Either he'd seen many similar cases in his life or he was faking his smiles in an attempt to comfort her. Sighing heavily, she forced herself to exit the car as the front door swung open.

"Officer, thank you for bringing my daughter."

Kagome glanced toward the deep voice and refused to allow herself to stare. He didn't look familiar but somehow she knew this man was her father. Tall with sun kissed skin. Messy dark hair and bright blue eyes that practically mirrored her own. He wore a pair of dark jean and a black tee shirt and no shoes as he exited the house. Her eyes narrowed as he approached her with his arms wide open. Sidestepping out of his reach, she crossed her arms over her chest and slowly made her way into the house.

"She saw the scene… so she may be a little emotional…" she heard the officer tell her father. Rolling her eyes at his ignorance, she closed the door behind her. Yes she'd seen her family's dead bodies wrapped up in plastic bags. Their blood still freshly spilled across the walls. Their fear and pain still lingering in the hallways. But after years of her travels in the feudal era, the miko learned how to conceal her emotions quite well. There was no doubt that she was sad over the loss of her loved ones but she knew there was nothing she could do except avenge their deaths. She needed to keep herself together so she could make Naraku pay for taking her family from her. Witnessing the scene had nothing to do with her reaction toward seeing her father for the first time in years. Turning back toward the interior of the house, she nearly jumped when she noticed a short boy standing just a few feet away from her.

"Are you Kagome?"

Staring down at him, still slightly surprised she hadn't felt his approach, she nodded.

"So you're my new half sister?" he asked.

He had short brown hair and dark eyes. He looked very similar to her father so she figured this boy must indeed be her half brother. "I suppose."

"Cool, I'm Kokoda." He grinned before taking her hand. "Wanna see your room?"

Not given much of a choice seeing as he was already dragging her deeper into the house, she shrugged. She allowed the boy to lead her down the hall, past the kitchen, up the stairs and into a room slightly larger than her one at the shrine. There was a queen sized bed, dresser, night stand and a walk in closet but despite the furnished state of the room, it looked bare. She would have to chance that once the stranger rummaging through her room brought her things.

"Father said an officer was going to bring your clothes later tonight but if you want something more comfortable I'm sure you could fit into Shuichi's clothes."

She glanced toward him briefly. "And Shuichi is?"

"My… our step brother. He's a bit taller than you but I'm sure they'd fit ok."

Kagome shook her head. "I'll wait for my clothes to get here."

The boy nodded before moving toward the door. "He's out with his friends right now but you'll meet him later tonight. And mother will be home from work shortly but I'll let you settle into your room. My room is at the end of the hall if you need anything." He grinned before disappearing around the door frame.

Kagome heard the front door open and close and she quickly shut her door in order to avoid confronting her father. Locking the door, she groaned as she collapsed down onto her bed. Now that she was alone, her tears resurfaced and this time she didn't bother holding them back. It wasn't long before she gradually fell asleep from exhaustion after releasing her pent up grief. When she finally woke, it was dark outside and the smell of ramen was drifting to her nose. The familiar scent caused her mind to return to the issue involving the well and she nearly shot out of her new bed.

What was she going to do about the well? She couldn't ditch her quest seeing as it was her fault the jewel was in its current condition. That and she needed to avenge her family's deaths. Her thoughts drifted to Naraku and his defeat. She hoped that when the jewel was complete once more that it wouldn't seal the well. She prayed that she would still be allowed access to the past to spend time with her friends there... they were all she had left now. So how was she going to get through the well if she no longer lived on the shrine grounds?

"Kagome?"

Sighing softly when she heard Kokoda's voice from the other side of her door, she stood from her bed and made her way toward the door. Unlocking it and cracking the door open, she stared down at the boy. "Yes?"

He smiled sweetly and held up a bowl she hadn't noticed was in his hands. "Mother hasn't returned from work but I thought you might be hungry."

Kagome stared down at the bowl filled with ramen and couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome! I made a bowl for myself too… if you want to eat in the kitchen with me."

Kagome thought for a moment as she leaned out the doorway to glance down the hall. She really didn't want to see her father…

"Father is at work, he does night shifts. Usually mother is home by now but father felt it was safe for him to go to work because you're here with me." Kokoda stated, resulting in the miko suspecting the boy could read her mind.

Shrugging her shoulders, she took the bowl from her new half-brother's grasp and stepped out of her room. Nodding toward the kitchen she remembered passing when he'd first dragged her to her new room, she followed him toward their destination quietly. Once in the kitchen, Kokoda poured himself a bowl of noodles before taking a seat at the dining table. Smiling toward her, he pointed to the open chair across from him. The miko slowly settled herself into the chair before starting to eat.

"Oh I forgot to tell you, father said that officer dropped your things off. The boxes are in the living room."

Kagome nodded slightly. "Thank you."

"I can help you move everything into your room after we're done if you want." He offered as he slurped up a rather large bite of his dinner.

Another small smile crept its way across her lips. Kagome didn't plan to befriend anyone in this house but this boy was hard not to like. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all!"

Kagome continued eating as the boy talked. He explained that she'd be attending the same school as her new step brother. He told her that Shuuichi wasn't around very often because he spent quite a bit of time with his friends. He told her that their father worked night shifts so since they attended school during the day, they usually only saw him for a bit after school but mostly on weekends. He also informed her that his mother wasn't the greatest cook but he was sure they'd like each other.

Deep down, Kagome knew the woman her father married after he left them was probably a wonderful woman but her bitterness she felt toward her father clouded her judgment. She couldn't help but dislike the woman that was her step mother because she technically stole her father from her. She tried to convince herself that all the pain and suffering her mother endured was solely her father's fault but she couldn't resist partially blaming Kokoda's mother. Although she felt angry toward her step mother, she still knew her rage rooted from her father's actions. That alone was enough for her to realize that despite her sweet half-brother, she was most likely going to hate living in her new home.

A/N:

You know, I really hate writing new fics, wanna know why? And most of you fellow authors can understand and relate to this. Whenever I start a new fic, I tend to get almost half way finished with it and suddenly hundreds of other ideas pop into my head. First, my brain tries to think of how I can add it to the current fic I'm working on. But once I realize that isn't possible, I mold it into a new fic and with those ideas fresh in my head, I have no choice but to ditch my current fic and begin a new one! But the cycle repeats itself once I get almost half way done with the new fic. And I can almost never get my muse to write for the previous fic. See how frustrating it is? My muse has a mind of its own. It chooses which fic it feels like writing for but sometimes, it just doesn't wanna write at all! Those are days that I feel like banging my head against a wall… but anywho! R&R!

~*Icyfire*~

Next Chapter – Chapter 2: Hit and Miss