Higher Education by Kitsukai Kataribe

Out with the Old

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters from the wonderful story. Any original characters and ideas in this fanfiction are mine to claim, though. Mine....all mine. Enjoy :)

"Kagome! Hurry up, Dear, or we'll be late to graduation!" Mrs. Higurashi called up the stairs. Meanwhile, Kagome was rushing around her bedroom, frantically trying to remember everything she was supposed to bring. Graduation was supposed to be the exciting end to high school studying; why did she have to remember things today? With a triumphant yell, she raced down the stairs, her gown and blue dress trailing behind her.

"Let's go! Let's go!" she said as she passed her family on her way out the door. Her mother sighed and smiled; she was so proud of her daughter. She had done so well in school and had been accepted to Tokyo University. That meant that she would get a good education and be able to stay close to the family. She smiled again. Yes, that was a happy thought that she could dwell on to keep from crying during the ceremony.

"All right already, Sis. We're coming. We were all waiting on you, you know," Souta replied, rolling his eyes. She was always in such a hurry, but at least she had the energy for it. He just hoped that the graduation didn't last too long; he hated wearing his suit. It was just so uncomfortable. But, he would do it if it would make his sister happy; this was her day, after all. At least that's what his mom said. Truth be told, he was just as proud of his sister as the rest of their small family was.

"Come along, Dear, we have to get to the car. You know what happens to people who are constantly late to things? There is an old story that...." Kagome's grandfather started in on one of his infamous stories about the past while everyone else concentrated on getting to the high school auditorium on time. Kagome smoothed the skirt of her blue dress out so that it wouldn't wrinkle too badly in the car, not that it would matter. No one was going to see it under her gown anyway. Why did they have to dress up for this again?

After a short ride in the car, Kagome was dropped off at the side entrance to meet the rest of the students and her grandfather was left on the curb in front of the building, waiting for her mother and brother to park the car and meet him to go inside. Souta was glad his mom didn't ask him to keep the old guy company; he could be so boring with those old stories. He just hoped that the guy didn't stop some passerby to tell them a legend or try to sell them blessing scrolls.

Finally inside the building, the three managed to find a group of seats in a good spot to see the stage. They made sure to get close to an aisle so that Mrs. Higurashi could take pictures as Kagome came into the hall. They settled into their spot and waited patiently for the ceremony to begin.

In the side room, Kagome found her friends and ran to meet them, their squeals of excitement reverberating off the walls. Thankfully, the room was already loud and they didn't disrupt any other thrilled students' conversations; although, the teachers seemed to be having a difficult time managing the situation. The adults in the room were attempting to get their almost former students lined up in alphabetical order and telling whoever would listen to remember to walk slowly and to be quiet during the speeches. No one was really listening.

"Can you believe that we're done with high school?" Yuka exclaimed. "I'm going to university in England. I absolutely could not believe it when my dad said that I could go. I'm leaving next week." She was grinning in anticipation; she had always wanted to travel and see how people lived around the world. She was enrolled to study architecture and design, heavy emphasis on the interior design side; she would have to see the world to be able to excel in her field the way she dreamed of doing. Designing the interior of extravagant hotels in Paris and mansions in Rome...oh! She couldn't wait!

"England? That's great, Yuka!" Eri said. "I'm going to Okinawa. My dad says that I have to work for the first part of the summer to get some experience and earn some of my own money, but then I'm heading down there. I don't start classes until the fall, but I think I should get used to the place and see the sites before starting school."

"I'm going to Massachusetts in the US to go to Harvard. Did you guys really think back in junior high that we could all get into university? I mean, goodness, we had a hard time passing ninth grade math!" Ayumi laughed, being joined by her schoolmates. They had been in the same class since junior high and had managed to all get into the same high school. The four of them had studied and played hard together all throughout high school, trying to get into good schools. "I'm leaving at the end of the summer, but our family is going on vacation on the continent pretty much until the day I have to start packing up. It's going to be so great, though; we get to go to Hong Kong. I am going to do so much shopping!"

"What about you Kagome? Where did you choose to go?" Eri asked her smiling friend.

"Me? Oh, I'm going to Tokyo University to study architecture and history, with an emphasis on the spiritual side of things. I'll be staying with my family at the shrine so that I can help out. Gramps isn't quite as spry as he used to be, you know," she replied with a laugh. It didn't sound quite as exciting as leaving the country, but it suited Kagome's wishes. She was going to take over the shrine once she was done with college, at least after she used her newly learned architectural skills for a little while. She was just a bit sad that her friends would be leaving so soon. They had all gotten so caught up in their finals that they hadn't really seen each other except during class for past several weeks, and they all had family plans for after graduation. When would she see them again?

"Alright, everyone, listen up! They are about to start playing the song for you to enter to. Please line up in a single line in alphabetical order. Remember, we practiced all of this yesterday. You walk down, slowly, and take your seats. You will be directed as to when you should get up and be ready to walk across the stage. When your name is called, shake the principal's hand with your right hand and take your diploma with your left. Your diploma will not be in the tube, it will be mailed to you in the next couple of weeks. After you cross the stage, return to your seat. Stay quiet and try to be still while in your seat." The music that was starting on the other side of the door drifted through the room. "Alright, let's go."

Kagome could feel the butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't believe it; she was graduating! This was so great! What if she didn't hear her name or the said it wrong? What if she tripped going up the stairs? Oh goodness, this was so nerve wracking! The door loomed before her; and, before she knew it, she was walking down the aisle, past her family who she smiled and waved at, and towards her seat. As soon as all of the students were the seated and the band stopped playing, the chairman of the board got up to speak. And the ceremony began.

*******

Kagome let out a satisfied sigh as she fell back onto her bed. It had been a long, tiring, feet-aching, wonderful day. She was officially done with high school and good to go to college. Of course, that could wait until the end of summer. Until then she planned to work part time at the shrine and relax the rest of the time. Shopping, movies, picnics in the park - they were all sounding great. Of course, she wouldn't really have anyone to go with since her friends were all leaving. Now there was a downer of a thought. Maybe she could take Souta. He liked to go to the movies, at least; but, then again, he would probably only want to go see boy's movies. She sighed, some of her excitement suddenly deflated.

The raven-haired girl rolled over to one side and propped herself up on an elbow when she heard something "thudding" into the floor repeatedly. She smiled, her happiness increasing again. The cute kitten was trying to jump up on her bed, but it was still just a little too small to make it. She reached down and pulled it up, sitting up to put it in her lap. It nuzzled into the crease of her knee as she smiled at it, trying to think of a name.

She had had a cat a long time ago - Buyo was that one's name - but he had run off on her fifteenth birthday. They never did find him, and she had been pretty upset by it. But now she had a kitten to take care of, if only she could think of a suitable name.

"I've got it! You will be Yuki. It's perfect for a snowy white kitty like you," Kagome told the cat in her lap, smiling in triumph. Watching the little fuzzy ball in crawl across her crossed legs, she thought back through the events of the evening.

After the grand cap-throwing finale to the graduation ceremony, Kagome and family had loaded back up into the car, Kagome throwing a few good-bye's to her friends as they traversed the crowded parking lot. They were heading to Kuzko's, Kagome's favorite Hibachi grill. And then it would be back to the house for celebration cake and a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, she would sleep in and do whatever she wanted.

At dinner, the family had eaten their fill of the delicious food and even ordered fried ice cream for dessert. Kagome didn't know who had thought to fry ice cream, but they had to have been a genius. It was her favorite. What a perfect ending to the meal. When they had climbed back up the millions of stairs (seriously, when she took over, Kagome was putting in an escalator), Mrs. Higurashi had smiled at her daughter and asked her to wait by the god tree. She had a surprise to show her.

Kagome smiled and nodded, seating herself on the small bench in front of the tree. Her mother had always talked about how the tree had watched over her family and how everything good had happened there. Her parents had gotten engaged there, they had taken family photos there, and she and her brother had started their first days of school by taking pictures there. It was where they went for supper when they wanted a reprieve from the dining room table, and it was where they all felt at peace. It really was a special tree.

"Happy graduation, Sweetheart. We are all so proud of you!" So saying, the proud mother held out a tiny ball of white fur to her daughter. Kagome stood up and walked over to the present, realizing it was a kitten when it looked up at her and mewed. Her heart swelled up, love pouring out for the tiny thing immediately. She had always had a loving and compassionate heart.

"Oh, Mom, it's so cute! Thank you so much. I really love you guys!" she said, giving them each a hug in turn, doing her best to not crush the cat in the process. As soon as she was done, her mother was scooting them into the house for cake. She cute the first piece and gave it to Kagome, who ate it happily while her brother and grandfather joined her. Her mother finally cut herself a piece and sat opposite her daughter, enjoying the last of the celebration. It was just about time for her to start cleaning up the house and getting ready for bed.

After the cake was done, everyone had gone back to their respective rooms. Kagome had gathered a set of pajamas and gone to the bathroom for a shower. It was extremely refreshing; it soothed her aching feet. The person who fried the first scoop of ice cream might have been a genius, but the guy who had invented high heels certainly was not. They were just sadistic jerks. But she had looked good in that outfit; Hojo had even tried one more time to ask her out. She had gracefully declined like normal. She had never been on a date and didn't really know why she wasn't as obsessed about it as the other girls, she just wasn't interested in any of the guys they knew. And she was most definitely not going on a blind date; Ayumi was so going to pay for trying to leave her with her elementary school friend at the mall.

After the shower, she had gone back to her room; and there she was, staring at Yuki and wondering what college life was going to be like. She supposed she had a while to worry about that yet. No more studying for her until August. That left her with two and a half months of free time and all the relaxing she could get. If she only knew how much she was going to need it.

*******

Sesshomaru stood on the crest of the hill, his long silvery white hair blowing gently in the cool breeze. The weather had finally warmed up some for the beginning of summer, the breeze seeming to blow away the last remnants of the winter and spring months. The dog demon sighed internally, careful not to let his boredom show in his features. He always maintained a cool indifference in his outward appearance; it kept those around him from defining him by any emotions or attachments. It also had the effect of causing him to believe that he was truly indifferent to the world around him; practice makes perfect, he supposed.

It had been decades since the Great War had ended, and there had been no real threats since then. His father's small home in the West had been destroyed during the war and the son had no desire to rebuild it. There was nothing left there anyway. And so, he had wandered the lands of Japan, looking for something to hold his interest. Something to challenge him to new heights of power.

He was the son of the great Inu no Taisho, the demon that had ruled the Western Lands and defended the country from invaders from the continent. As such, Sesshomaru had been born with great power and had inherited the title of "Lord of the Western Lands." But what did the title mean if there was nothing to do with it?

Of course, he could go back and build a new home for himself, travel mainly within the Western Lands, and rebuild the army that had fought for his father. Many of them, he knew, had been loyal to his father and would take convincing to follow the commands of the Inu no Taisho's cold and aloof son. But there were also those that respected and feared him for his power. Fear or loyalty - it truly didn't matter to him which cause them to serve him.

A short green imp came running over the hill, hollering at him and interrupting his thoughts. Speaking of fear and loyalty, the embodiment of both were now standing before him, bending over to catch his breath. Sessomaru merely turned his head enough to take in the sight of the weary servant. When he was finally able to speak again, the imp looking up at his lord, leaning on his strange staff.

"My lord, I was worried that you had left us!" he very nearly squaked. After all the years of traveling with the toad-like creature at his heals, Sesshomaru still didn't know how he could stand that voice with his sensitive hearing. The demon lord shifted his gaze slightly to see the two-headed dragon come into view behind Jaken, having been sent with him on his quest. Jaken continued with his jabbering as his lord paid only enough attention to gather the necessary information. "I was able to find the sword smith, Totousai. He lives in the middle of a great land of fire in the northwest, where the mountains begin. It seems that he is quite particular about who he makes swords for. We might need to devise a plan to force him to consent to your desires for a sword, my lord."

Sesshomaru looked down to Jaken once again, the shadow of a smile on his lips and an indecipherable glint in his eyes. "Do you imply that this Sesshomaru is not worthy of having a sword crafted for him?" Jaken's bulbous yellow eyes bulged even more as he realized his blunder. He hadn't meant to say that aloud; he had truly intended to keep that thought to himself and surprise his master later when he persuaded the finicky blacksmith into making a sword for the demon lord.

"No, my lord! Of course you are most worthy of anything that the meager abilities of the worthless demon could produce for you!" As he had been groveling, his master had turned and begun walking in the direction determined by the imp. He could have flown, it was sure, but he was bored and walking would give him something to do. He had believed himself to be immune to the effects of emotions, but it seemed that boredom still had a great affect on his actions. "Wait! Lord Sesshomaru! Wait!"

The green demon in course brown clothes scurried after the Western Lord followed by the nameless dragon. The dragon seemed less hurried to catch up to the dog demon, knowing it could do so any time it pleased by taking to the sky. Besides, its master wasn't going very quickly at all; he was taking his normal graceful walking speed as he crossed the meadow and entered the forest. They would most likely spend the night among the trees.