"Tell me again why I let you talk me into this?" grumbled a cranky young woman hefting her weight in bottled water. She had managed to resist her best friend's whines to join her on the shore all week, so why on earth was there hot sand between her toes on a Saturday afternoon when she could be lying in front of her air conditioner?  

"'Cause you're a sucker for this!" Demonstrating the chibi-face that had melted many a cold heart, long lashes fluttered above big blue eyes. "Come on, Sango! It'll be fun, I promise!"  

"Grrr..." Her companion griped. "Whatever you say, Lara Croft!"(1) Stopping at what would be considered the center of the beach; the girls produced massive towels and began to set up shop. "But seriously, Kagome, don't you think this is silly? You can't possibly believe that you're going to find anything with that..." She eyed the strange contraption in her hand. "Thing?"  

"It's called a beach hunting metal detector, Sango, and as a matter of fact, I do." Placing her treasure-seeking device on the sand, the bouncy brunette wiggled out of her t-shirt and shorts, revealing a pink tankini. "Don't you know there are billions of things on this earth just waiting to be discovered? This wasn't always a beach, you know. There used to be an entire neighborhood right here in this spot."  

Sango's orbs rolled skyward; Kagome was such a fantasist. "And your point?" she asked, rifling through her bag for her tanning lotion. "That was probably so many years ago it doesn't matter anymore."  

"People always matter, San," she scolded. "Before we were born, this area was covered in slums. The poor were huddled here, by the water, as a way of driving them off of what landowners considered prime real estate. But once they figured out that the idle rich would pay a lot more money to say they had beach front property, they shoved the less advantaged into an even worse part of town. In some cases, they forced them out of the province altogether, especially the ones they deemed undesirable."  

Having no prior knowledge of the horrible account, Sango could only shake her head. "How unbelievably cruel. People can't help being impoverished." Though she could never be called wealthy, her family weren't considered destitute, either. She and her younger brother, Kohaku, owned a small jewelry shop that was passed down from their parents. It kept them from living in a hovel, but it would never yield a mansion, so she could sympathize.  

"Tell me about it," Kagome agreed, grabbing her sun block and coating her limbs. "The only reason why I know about any of this is because of Rin. The tales she can tell would make you look at this place a lot differently." Rin Hishimoto, her first cousin, worked at the municipal hall of records and was an excellent source of information when it came to their modest town. Every Thursday they met for lunch and she always had a new story about Shikon Falls, and unfortunately, many of them weren't very nice. "That's part of the reason why I became a social worker. After hearing about the way families were constantly shuffled in and out of the system, I knew I wanted to help those that weren't in a position to adequately help themselves."   

Sango nodded understandingly. Ever since their high school graduation, Kagome had been intensely passionate about her calling. She spent her days battling for the rights of low-income families, and every other weekend, she devoted time to the local "big sister" program. She was a firm believer in the motto, "It takes a village to raise a child." and never failed to do her part no matter how many roadblocks she faced. Sango found her courage and conviction extremely admirable.  "I know," she smiled, "and in you, they have a phenomenal champion. Can't ask for much more than that."  

Flushing at the compliment, Kagome knelt and scooped up her metal detector. "You really should come with," she lured. "If I make some wondrous discovery you're going to miss out."  

Sango laughed and removed the scrunchie from her cinnamon-toned hair. "Or maybe you'll come back with a chest full of bottle caps and I'll be happy that I stayed to work on my tan!"   

Kagome blew a raspberry. "Killjoy."  

"Meh! Meh! Meh!" She smirked and put on her sunglasses. "Two hours, Lara. That's how long it takes me to bronze; I'll expect you back by then."  

The victim of her ribbing was already walking down the coastline. "Yes, ye of little faith, but just you wait. I'm going to find my fortune out here because it's my lucky day!"   

oooOoOooo  

Seventy-two minutes later...  

"Well, luck certainly hasn't been a lady, has she?"   

Plopping down on the sand, Kagome heaved an exhausted sigh. Over an hour had passed since she left Sango four miles down the beach, and to her utter disappointment, her friend's predictions had come true. There didn't seem to be anything there to salvage, and the few items she did find were virtually worthless. Reaching for the bandana she tied to her apparatus as a makeshift satchel, she pulled it free and dumped out her "finds".  

"A fishing hook, three caps, a button, a loop from a key ring, and a rusty nail. Just call me MacGyver..." (2) She never expected to find anything precious or collectible, but she was hoping to do better than everyday trash. Disgustedly gathering her useless bounty, Kagome walked to the nearest wastebasket and dumped them in. "If nothing else, at least I made the world a bit greener." The quip brought a smile to her lips, but the thought of going back to Sango empty-handed made her cringe. She was in for a world of teasing.  

"Chin up, Kags," she consoled, strolling toward the ocean's edge. "We can always try again next week." Like everything else in her life, Kagome had no intention of giving up. There were still another several miles of shore left and that meant there was still a chance to find something interesting. "In fact, I'm going to come back tomorrow." Since the following day was Sunday and she had no plans, it would be the perfect time to finish her exploration.  

With a new course of action mapped out, the twenty-three year old knelt beside the water and saturated the crimson cloth in her hand. The afternoon sun wasn't taking any prisoners and she wanted to cool her skin before making the trek back to her friend. But as Kagome watched people playing and enjoying the foamy waves, she couldn't help wanting to dip her feet in. "I still have a few minutes to spare," she decided. "Sango will never miss me."  

Ah. But miss her, she did.  

Kagome was having so much fun swimming and savoring the ocean breeze; she didn't realize that her ten minute respite had turned into a full hour. By the time Sango found her she was lobster-red -and it wasn't from sunburn.  

"I can't believe what I'm seeing!"   

Kagome spun around, her mouth agape. "Sango!" All of a sudden, the sky looked a lot dimmer than it did five minutes ago. Oh boy. "I can explain..."  

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" Back in the dress she had on when they arrived, Sango dropped her companion's bag and pointed an accusing finger. "I've been hauling this stuff for six miles - "  

"Four, actually."  

"And I'm all cooked to death - "  

"But your tan looks great."  

Sango growled and Kagome wisely sunk deeper into the water. "I'm glad you think this is amusing. I've been sick with concern, and where are you? Here, doing some bootleg impersonation of The Little Mermaid!"  

She was being read the riot act, and it was a really bad time to joke, but... "Under the sea..."  

Sango's brows rose to her hairline. "You better stop that."  

"Under the sea..."   

"Kagome, I'm warning you."  

She paid no heed to that warning. Instead, she threw her arms into the air and started to dance. "Nobody beat us, fry us, and eat us in fricasseeeee!"   

Sango scowled, trying to hold onto her anger as best she could, but it was a lost cause. The next thing she knew, they were prancing around like children. "We what the land folks loves to cook! Under the sea we off the hook!"  

Running out of the ocean, Kagome seized her hand and pulled her in, their laughter and glee summoning a delighted audience of parents and youngsters alike. "We got no troubles!" she sang, splashing her.  

"Life is the bubbles!" Sango squealed, falling backward and taking Kagome with her.   

The girls touched down with a smack, but they needn't worry about their finale. A chorus of kindergarteners finished it for them with a lively, "Under the Sea!" before scurrying off to their loved ones.  

Still smiling as they waded in the tide, Kagome hugged her. "I'm sorry I made you worry, San. I lost track of the time, but that's not an excuse."   

Sango returned the embrace, her agitation long dissipated. "It's okay, Ariel. Being on the rag makes me a little high strung anyway." She snickered and then assessed the skies with a complacent sigh. "It's probably after eight and we still have an hour drive. We'd better get going." The shop owner forced herself up and then offered her hand.  

"Yeah, I guess we should..." Kagome reluctantly accepted the appendage, but then promptly lost her balance. "Ouch!" she hollered, going down like a sack of bricks and creating a healthy spray. "I stepped on something!" She held up her foot for inspection. "Am I bleeding?"  

"Not from what I can see," Sango replied, grabbing her ankle and taking a closer look. "Does it hurt?"  

"Not really." Kagome started feeling around the ocean floor. "It was like some kind of..." Her finger got pricked on something sharp and she winced. "I think I found it." Cautiously, in case it was a shard of glass, she began to unearth the object.  

"Hey, careful there," Sango warned. "It could be a needle. There used to be a problem with dumping around here two years ago."  

"I doubt it's anything like that; one side feels sort of round." Whatever it was, it was deeply embedded and she wished it wasn't so dark out. "Do me a favor, San. Get my keys; I have a penlight on the ring."  

"Will do." Retrieving her pink canvas bag, she hunted through it until she found them. "Here ya go," she said, turning the miniature flashlight on and passing it to her.   

"Thanks." The social worker continued to push wet sand around, using the meager light to ensure that no jellyfish came her way. "For all of this trouble, it better be - " Kagome stopped short and wrenched the thing free with a "Woot!" of victory. "I've got it!"  

"I can see that," Sango impatiently replied, "but what is it?"   

"Uh... I'm not quite sure. Seems to be metal, though." Kagome tilted her hand this way and that, squinting for a better view. "Yeah, definitely metal. But the shape..." Clutching it between her thumb and forefinger, she aimed the light directly on it, allowing herself to see the object in its entirety. "It almost looks like a mangled heart..." Suddenly, Kagome's own heart leapt. She had finally found something! Admittedly, it wasn't discovered with her metal detector, but the day wasn't a total loss! "Wahoo!"  

Sango was profoundly unimpressed. "So... after three hours of searching, you're telling me that all you got was some butchered piece of tin by accident?" Kagome bashfully lowered her head and it was all the response she needed. "I knew this scavenger stuff was nonsense. Get to steppin', mermaid! We're getting in our clam and going home!" Snatching the bags and that crazy contraption, she marched off in a huff with a beaming Ariel trailing behind her.  

oooOoOooo  

Though it was a blessed day off, Kagome still found herself waking with the sun. Her internal clock was programmed to go off at five every morning and it simply couldn't comprehend the notion of sleeping in. But that was just as well. Her trip to the beach with Sango had replaced a day of chores and now it was time to make them up.    

Rolling out of bed, she greeted her gold fish with a smile and a pinch of food. "Hey, Gilbert," she cooed, watching as he floated to the surface to nab his chow. "Miss me yesterday?" Kagome tapped the glass, but her roommate kept to his gluttonous mission. "I think we should go to therapy, Gil. We never talk anymore." Giggling, she slipped into her robe, her gaze darting around her humble apartment.  

On her scant salary, the best Kagome could afford was a large studio, but with the help of Good Housekeeping, she found economical ways to get the most out of what she had: A thrift shop provided a pretty shoji screen that shielded her sleeping area, and to give the illusion of a sitting room, Sango bought her a black futon as a housewarming gift. Thankfully, the kitchen had a doorway unto it self, and a compact coffee table rounded everything out. As long as she kept the place neat, it could actually pass for two rooms...  

Except today.  

During the week, Kagome barely had time to shower, let alone clean, and it showed. There was a gang of clothes balled up on the futon; a stack of old newspapers that were being saved for recycling had somehow toppled over and now resembled a line of dominos gone awry, and even the remotes were rebelling! One was sticking out of a cushion and the other was peeking at her from under the coffee table.   

Grimacing at the mess, she stepped over the newspapers and went straight for the cupboard. Kagome didn't have time to stop at the market on Friday evening and she was praying to the bean god for a miracle. "Please, oh please..." She closed her eyes and reached in, hoping to feel a little weight in the familiar can. Her prayers were answered: There would be coffee.  

Ecstatic that she had enough for a full cup, Kagome quickly got to grinding and percolating as she hummed a tune. She had an entire day to do whatever she liked -once she cleaned up- and she didn't know where to start. "I could go to a movie," she thought aloud. "I haven't done that in a while. Or maybe a museum..." Fact was, there were plenty of things she could suggest, but no matter where she went, one factor never changed: She was hopelessly single and she'd be doing it alone.   

The robust scent of freshly brewed coffee permeated the air and she padded over with the Powerpuff Girl mug she received for her birthday. It was a gift from her last "little sister", Souten, and she cherished it because the girl now lived in another part of the country. "Cream, sugar, and voila; the perfect cup of java. Take a bow, Kags." Lifting it to her lips, she was all set to inhale the brew like a vacuum on high when the telephone rang. "Sheesh, why now? Don't you people know that I can't function without my hit?!" She hastily grabbed her cordless and pressed talk. "I haven't had my coffee yet," she said to whomever was on the line.  

"Oh Dear God!" Sango exclaimed. "Put me on speaker, it's alright."  

"Danka." Kagome replied, doing just that before reclaiming her mug. "Sweet, brown goodness. How I worship thee..."  

Sango laughed as she listened to her slurp the beverage down. "I've never seen anyone so addicted. Can you imagine if some natural disaster happened and all of the coffee beans in the world - "  

"I will hear not this blasphemy!" Kagome dramatically shouted, her disposition ten times better now that she was relishing her fix. "Believe me, if something like that ever happened I'd find some beans or die trying!" The women shared a giggle and then she asked, "Shouldn't you be sleeping? It's only going on seven."  

"Don't remind me!" Sango growled as she chose her outfit for the day. "I should be snoring right now, but Kohaku just called and said he couldn't man the shop today. Little ingrate!" Her brother was eighteen and the biggest slacker she knew. They were supposed to be partners and he was always shirking his duties off on her while he hung around with his friends. Last weekend it was a going away party, and today, some surfing competition. That rag-a-muffin didn't even own a board!  

Kagome smirked. "I didn't know you snore."  

"Kags..." She said in that 'don't make me break your legs and beat you with them' voice. "I'm in enough of a mood."  

"I know; you're on the rag, too." She heard a sharp intake of a breath -Sango was about to blow. "Gomen! Gomen!" she laughingly apologized. "Is there anything I can do?"  

"That's more like it. There is something you can do for me. Come down and keep me company for a while so I don't waste away from boredom."  

"Actually..." Kagome eyed her surroundings and cringed. "I was going to do some cleaning today. It's been one of those weeks."  

"Piglet strikes again, huh?" Sango teased. "Well, how long do you think it will take?"  

She shrugged. "An hour, maybe?"  

"Great, then I'll expect you by ten and lunch is my treat. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot. What did that thing turn out to be?" Sango asked.  

Her brows furrowed. "What thing?"  

"The thing that kept us on the beach for five hours. The only thing you found all day!"  

Kagome reddened. "Ah, that thing."  

"Yes, that thing. I'm still betting on it being a rusty piece of tin, but if you can prove me wrong..."  

Truthfully, Kagome had forgotten all about it the moment she got home. If Sango hadn't reminded her, who knew when she would have remembered on her own. "I'll take that bet because I have faith! Hold on." Rushing into her bedroom, she opened the top drawer of the chest that sat against the wall. "Here you are..." In the light of day, she could make it out a lot better and she squealed at the sight -this was one bet she was guaranteed to win. Twirling back to the phone, she asked, "Just how much of a wager are you offering?"  

Sango's eyes widened. "Oh no you don't. If you're asking me that then you're holding something other than tin. What is it?"  

"Some kind of golden charm," Kagome replied, "and I was right. It used to have a heart shape, but it's pretty banged up now." She frowned. "It sort of looks like a locket without a chain."  

Sango quirked an eyebrow. "A locket, eh? Well, there's only one way to solve this mystery, Scooby. Bring it over and we'll clean her up. Who knows, maybe you did find your fortune after all."  

"Ro-kay, Shaggy!" she clowned with a laugh. "See ya at ten."  

"Later, tater."  

Turning off the speakerphone, Kagome slid her finger over the surface of the charm. It was too tarnished and dented to make out, but she was almost positive that she felt an engraving. "You belonged to someone once," she whispered. "So how did you end up here?"