Hide Me, Don't Seek Me: Chapter One
This is an Inuyasha FanFic- I do not own the characters except for Amy
Amy shivered, her white knuckles clutching the thin gray jacket around her skinny frame, trying to trap any warmth she had. She turned her head and watched as the bus with Japanese writing graphitized on the sides loomed away, black ash smog leaving a trial in the sky as it left her. She knocked once again on the wooden door, waiting for someone to answer her call. Her eyes darted nervously around, taking in the alien but beautiful stone gardens, the well cared for roses, and recently swept pathway. Amy suddenly heard footsteps approach the door, and waited apprehensively as the door was opened by a graceful woman, welcoming her with a warm smile.
"Why, you must be Amy Collins! Well, we're very happy to have you! Please, let me take your bags and make yourself comfortable," said the woman. Amy smiled out of politeness and stepped into the warm furnishings. She felt lost as she turned around in a circle and gazed at beautiful Japanese art works, stared at unfamiliar text, and smelled the distant aroma of fish.
"KAGOME! WE HAVE A VISITOR!" shouted the woman as she hung up Amy's poor excuse of a coat.
"COMING!" shouted a voice from above the stairs.
Amy started to play with her fingers, suddenly uneasy about her situation. She looked up as she saw a girl about 16, her age, run down the stairs and gaze confusedly at Amy.
"Uhh…Hi! I'm Kagome. Nice to meet you. Uhhh…what is your name?" she stumbled on her words.
"Umm…Konichiwa. Watashi wa Amy des," Amy stuttered.
"Ok…," Kagome left off, unsure of how to continue the conversation.
Amy lapsed into a daze as she watched Kagome and her mom ramble off in Japanese to each other, leaving Amy temporarily forgotten. Amy stared at Kagome's face as it turned from confusion, to panic, to anger, to worry. Amy puzzled over what Kagome and her mom were talking about. Are they talking about me? Amy wondered.
Simultaneously, Kagome and her mom turned toward Amy, with Kagome's mom pushing her at Amy. "Kagome will show you to your room Amy," she smiled in a falsely cheery voice. Amy picked up her bags and followed Kagome as they entered her room. Kagome pulled out a cot from underneath her bead and set it up on the other side of the room. Kagome then turned on her computer, typed for about five minutes, printed something out and handed it to Amy.
Amy looked at the sheet of paper, a translation of Japanese to English so she could understand it.
It read, 'Hi Amy. You'll be sleeping on the cot. I hope you will have a nice time here in Japan with us on your exchange trip from America. I can't really speak English, but my mom is fluent. Unfortunately, I am going to have to be away a lot from home to visit my grandmother. She is deathly ill and she enjoys my company greatly. I will be gone at times from days to even weeks. I hope that you will be able to enjoy Japan for your year long stay without my constant presence. Dinner will be ready in an hour, where you will meet my family. You must feel dirty, so my mom prepared the bath down the hall for you.'
Amy looked up at Kagome's expectant expression and nodded that she understood.
As she lay in the warm bath, Amy pondered Kagome's grandmother's illness. Kind of bizarre if you ask me… she thought. As she swirled the water through her fingertips, welcoming the warmth from being so cold before, Amy decided that being in Japan wasn't so bad, that anything was better than home. Maybe now I can run away and forget my past…
Amy, clothed in short black shorts and a white tank top, walked slowly down the stairs and arrived in the eating room, where Kagome's family sat waiting for her sitting on the floor patiently. Amy sat down, and as she gazed at the freshly prepared food, feverishly attacked it before her. Kagome's family stared at her in shock as they watched her wolf down the food, slurp the soup, and gulp down the hot tea. Amy stopped mid gulp, suddenly noticing that she was the center of attention, choked on her black tea, and put the cup back down. She glanced at everyone else's plates, to see that they were untouched. Good going Amy, wow you're retarded, Amy thought to herself. She sat up straight, and whispered a silent 'sorry' to the table. Kagome's mom did an 'it's no problem' wave of her hand and the others began to eat.
Seeing as she was already done, Amy took her plate to the sink and excused herself to go explore. Outside, she climbed up a huge oak tree that was in Kagome's yard, and contentedly lay down on a thick branch, sighing as the wind brushed through her blonde hair, the shadows of the sun shining through the leaves sweeping over her face. Amy opened one sky blue eye as she saw Kagome walk out of the house with a yellow back pack attached on her shoulder. She steadily walked to a smaller hut that lay near the oak tree Amy was in. As Kagome went inside, Amy jumped out of the tree and decided to follow Kagome. As she opened the sliding door, she saw Kagome jump into a wooden well, with pink light starting to surround her.
"Oh my god, KAGOME!!" screamed Amy as she plunged herself after Kagome, hoping to save her from her fall down the well. Amy closed her eyes shut as pink blaring light burned them, and curled into a fetal position. Amy felt weightless, almost as if she was flying. Is this what it feels like to die? thought Amy. Suddenly, the pink light was gone, and Amy landed with a hard oomph on solid ground. With her eyes still closed, she sat up and rubbed her shoulder, seeing as she had landed on it. Hesitantly she opened her eyes, to see bright clear sunlight winking back at her, forest tops swaying to the wind, herself sitting atop whispering blades of grass.
"AMY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" yelled out a familiar voice. Amy turned around only to meet Kagome's shocked face staring back at her. She was about to open her mouth to respond when a white and red flash suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking all other sights. Amy stared into big and angry hazel eyes, surrounded by a great sweeping mat of white hair, atop which sat two furry dog ears.
"Who, are YOU?" demanded the tall man-dog in front of her.