NOTE: Characters and plot are based on the anime/manga InuYasha. I do not own InuYasha.
Deep in the realms of sleep and dreams, Kagome chased after the dark red car as it drove down the street and away from its home, dark green eyes watching her as she reached out, grasping nothing but air. Kagome shot awake crying and soaked through with sweat. It would figure that the one time she was actually sick would be during summer vacation. The heat was doing nothing to decrease her fever.
Already in the week she'd been sick, she had reached 40°C (104°F) twice. The doctors were worried about her and insisted that another fever spike meant time to come into the hospital. After all, she was known to get sick a lot, and with some of the diseases Kagome had been reported to have had, there were some doctors who were very eager to experiment and see how she was still alive.
But the fever wasn't what was really bothering Kagome. It was the dreams. The fever had come shortly after the dreams and Kagome knew that they had caused the fever. She unwillingly replayed the scene over and over while tossing and turning in bed. As the car drove away, she ran after it yelling and crying as if by some trick of magic, it would hear her, disobey the man at the wheel, and turn around.
The dreams had started after a big fight with InuYasha. He had wandered off after Kikyo again without telling her. She had been so worried because she hadn't known where he was or when he was coming back. She hated to admit it, but when he disappeared she always had this sinking feeling like he wouldn't come back no matter how many times he did.
Kagome looked at the clock. It was twelve twenty-three. Her friends would definitely be at the pool right now. They'd be looking at all the "hot prospects" and gossiping about everyone at school. Ayumi would be judging a diving contest between Yuka and Sakura. Yuka would have challenged Sakura, who would defeat her with her usual style and pure falling ability. Soon Eri would start the coals and Ayumi would pull out another perfect summertime BBQ meal. Then Hojo would finally show up, late, but he wouldn't know it. Eri would have told him they were meeting a half hour later then they were in the hopes that Ayumi could fix up Kagome before he arrived. He'd have a special present for her, something from his parents' shop, to make her feel better. He would be so depressed when he saw that she was not there, her friend's were already upset that she had canceled.
In the Feudal Era, InuYasha would be complaining about how Kagome was slowing down the hunt for the sacred jewel shards and Naraku. Everyone else would just ignore him, tell him to grow up and then take the opportunity to relax. They'd probably be swimming too. And then Hojo would show up with something from…wait, that can't be right.
Kagome shook her head and grabbed the thermometer off her side table. She was getting confused. Hojo wouldn't be in the feudal era. 40° again, time to see the doctor.
By the time Kagome got to the hospital, she was half delusional and screaming about evil demon birds outside the window. Once in a room in the hospital, she fell into an uneasy sleep. Soon the dream came back, except that this time it felt much more real.
In her dream, Kagome sat in her room painting a picture of her baby brother and the cat, Buyo. She looked in the mirror across the room and saw herself at her current age in her school uniform with paint all over her face. She heard a door slam and ran downstairs just in time to see her father leaving from the front window. Kagome ran to her mom and asked,"Where's Daddy going?"
"Daddy's going on a business trip. He'll be gone for a while." Kagome's mom left the room with tears barely visible in her eyes.
Kagome hated when her daddy left without saying goodbye to her and she couldn't let him leave when her mom was sad. He had to come home and kiss away mom's tears like when Grandma died. She ran outside and reached the front gate in time to see the car pulling away. "Wait, Daddy, come back!" she screamed at the car. But the car didn't stop. She screamed again, "Daddy, you didn't say goodbye!" She stared at the tail lights, willing the car to turn around and pull back into the driveway. Looking down she saw the paint threatening to drip from the brush still in her hand and decided to rush back into the house before she made a mess and upset her mother more.
Kagome turned around but the shrine was gone. All that was left was the sacred tree, an ominous breeze rustling its leaves and the scar at its heart burning red. Kagome could feel a shift in the air, as if she was in another place or time. Kikyo stood under the tree, staring at Kagome with arrogant eyes, wide green ones that seemed to belong in the passenger's side of a red Toyota. Kagome walked towards her, shaking and soon she heard a voice behind her. She looked back at the voice to find a tall boy with white hair, InuYasha. He was rushing towards the her, a great smile upon his face as if he had been waiting all his life to see her again. Kagome called to him but he didn't seem to be able to hear her. She reached out as he came near, but he ran past her to the other woman and embraced her.
Kagome could feel her heart being crushed in her chest. Of course InuYasha would choose Kikyo. Her father had left her, why would InuYasha stay. Kagome broke down and cried.
The cold tears running down Kagome's cheeks woke her and she found herself in the hospital room. A young man with white hair and a baseball cap was sitting in a chair next to her bed. The nurse checking on Kagome told her that he had been there for hours and got hostile when the nurse told him that visiting hours were over. He was fast asleep with his head resting on Kagome's stomach. Kagome could feel the chills leave her body and a warm feeling washed over her. No matter what the sinister green eyes of her nightmares did, she knew they could never take Inuyasha away from her because he had grasped her hand firmly in his, and he would never let go.