A man stood across the field from the teenage boy. His face shadowed by the setting sun. Then the man's face rose and looked at him still shadowed. Then he leaped at him and ripped into his stomach with what this boy realized were claws. He dropped to the ground and looked up at the demon whose hands were covered in blood. He gasped, "Who are you." Then everything faded.
Taro sat straight up in his bed, gasping for air. He felt his hand across his chest, everything whole. That was the second time he dreamed that dream. He swung his feet off the bed and to cold floor. He dressed himself and walked to the room next to his and popped his head in the door. "Hey mom, off to school."
The raven-black haired woman turned her head toward him and smiled, "Goodbye, my son." Then down the stairs he slid and was met at the bottom by his uncle. Who handed him his lunch.
"Taro don't get into any fights today. If you're not careful you get kick out of school." He said.
"The sooner the better, Uncle Souta." He said as he slipped out the door.
Once at school he went to his class and sat down. But when he looked up his face was met by his friend Chomi. "Taro, what's up? How is your mom?" she asked happily.
Taro gave her a look and replied, "She's fine, and she still remembers everything."
The girl smiled more. "I'm just worried ever since that incident where she bumped her head and forgot everything. She is such an awesome person." Taro nodded, and then was distracted by the group of boys walking in the room. Chomi looked and her faced turned grim, "Looks like trouble."
Then the group walked over to Taro. "Hey, whiteso how was your suspension." Taro looked at him and smirked back, "Wouldn't you like to know Toshio. I just give you a hint, I wasn't bothered by the group of idiots that shroud this school."
At that statement the boy lifted Taro out of his seat. Before they were about to strike each other the bell rang and they ran to their seats. The teacher walked in and continued talking in a normal matter and Taro couldn't help but daze off into a daydream.
After school Taro ran out of the school and off the court yard. The group of boys from that morning weren't far off his tail. Thinking quick he hopped a couple fences then found himself at the foot of stairs led to what was rumored to be a haunted shrine. Hearing voices getting closer he ran up the stairs and into the shrine. Then waited and listen as the boys ran past the shrine.
After being relieved of his pursuers he looked at his surroundings and saw a shrine, a lot of trees, and a house. What a freak show. Taro thought to himself. He walked around and managed to get into the house after a few minutes of hitting the door. He found himself in what appeared to be a hallway that led to a room and a flight of stairs. He ran up the flight of stairs and into a room with a bed, a desk, and closet. He blew on the desk to find a notebook the book read, Journal. He suddenly heard voices growing closer to the shrine; quickly he stuffed the notebook into his bag and ran out of the house, to find the group of boys waiting. "You think you would escape us?" They all slowly surrounded him.
"I was more of hoping you wouldn't." Taro stated. The leader named Toshio attacked first. Taro instinctively jumped back, but found himself near the top of the stairs; one more move back would cause him to fall.
"Have a nice trip see you next fall." Toshio smirked as he pushed him down the stairs. Taro fell down the stairs getting bruises everywhere on himself. At the bottom the boys past him while laughing.
Slowly Taro trudged home; the bruises on his body ached with every move. Once home he slid in the door and tried to sneak up the stairs. "Taro." It was his mother. "Taro did you get in a fight again?"
"Not technically, what happened was I was dodging their attacks and fell down a flight of stairs."
"You what!" she yelled. "Where?"
His smile was starting to fade, "The haunted shrine."
"Taro I told you not to go there a million times." Souta said as he walked into the room.
"Whatever." Taro sighed and hopped up the stair and into his room, leaving Souta and Kagome looking at each other with worry.
Thump, Taro fell on his bed. Why, it's not so bad there. Taro felt his eyes get heavy from the day's worries, and then they fell shut.
Taro was standing in the middle of a battlefield. What was supposed to be a farmer's field was covered in bodies. Taro looked everywhere for someone living. Then at the edge of the battlefield was a girl in a green skirt and long black hair waving in the wind. He went around her to see her face. Her faced was covered in tears in her hand a locket wet from her tears. He tried to put his hand on her shoulder but his hand went right through. Then from behind girl and a man walk up to her and the woman wraps her arms around the girl and the man around both. Tears streaming down their cheeks. Then the man from his dream appears a mile away and Taro thought, No not him.
His eyes opened and he sat up in his bed, who is that guy. He walked over to his desk and poured his backpack contents onto his desk and saw the notebook fall on his desk. He opened it to the first page and then the second and then found himself at the end of the book. "Wow I wonder who's this is?" Taro said.
"Taro?" a voice called through the door.
"Come in."
His mom walked in, "Taro I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's just that you're the only part of our family I have left."
"It's okay mom." He got out of his chair and hugged his mom. She smiled and hugged him back.
"Taro, please don't go there anymore. I might lose you." She continued.
"Okay, I guess." Taro shrugged. Kagome tucked him into his bed like she did when he was little and walked out the door smiling.
The next morning Taro got up and walked into the dining room and said, "I'm going out; I'll be back in an hour or so." Before anyone could object he ran out the door with a piece of toast in his mouth. He walked a couple blocks back to the shrine and up the flight of stairs. He started walking around and exploring and he was about to leave when a building caught the corner of his eye. He walked over to it and slid open the door. Inside was full of dust and in the center of the hut was a well.
Taro walked over to the well and looked down, "Ugg, gross." He started to turn away when a glint of metal shined in the light. He slid down a vine growing in the well and picked up what appear to be a sheathed blade. He drew out the blade. It looked like a totally useless weapon, but Taro couldn't help but feel drawn to it. He sheathed it and climbed out the well and out the door, but hearing voices approaching, he slipped back in.
He pressed his ear to the door and listened the voices were familiar; they belonged to his mother and uncle. "Taro! Taro where are you?" The he heard her fall to her knees and his uncle kneel at her side. She spoke again but this time a whisper that he could barely hear. "I can't lose Taro, he's all I have left after losing my husband, his father, and I was relieved that I still had my children." Taro couldn't believe his ears, he wasn't an only child. "Then my poor little girl, lost. What I would give to have them back."
Taro expected to hear more, but he heard movement behind him and as he turn a beast that was indescribable burst out of the well. Taro pulled out the sword, but the monster grabbed his ankle and was pulling him toward the well. He grabbed onto the edge of the well's railing, his grip was loosening just as he was about to let go his mother slammed open the door and as his fingers released he heard his mother yelling, "Taro!"