"School, school, I'm going to scho-o-ool! First day of scho-o-ool!" Kagome sang. She was so excited to be going to school, just like her older sister Kikyo! She was a big girl now. Maybe Kikyo onesama would let her borrow some pretty pink lipstick.
Kagome started stamping her yellow boots in the puddles on the sidewalk to make a big splash. The front of her rainslicker was splattered with mud.
"For the last time, Kagome, stop that. Be a good girl," Oka-san gripped her hand more tightly and pulled her gently towards the door of the school. A woman was waiting nearby, one with dark-brown hair draped around her shoulders. An eyepatch obscured one eye.
Kagome knew what that meant. It could only mean on thing: a pirate! She wrapped her arms around her mother's legs and hid behind them. Pirates were scary bad people. The books Kikyo read told her so, and Kikyo was always right. She remembered the way Kikyo had shouted in the pirate's rough and scary voice, just last night. Kikyo was so good at voices.
"Kagome, let go," Oka-san pried Kagome's arms off her middle and handed her to the pirate.
"Noo! Mommy! Don't leave me with the mean old nasty pirate!" Kagome wailed. The pirate smiled. She didn't look so scary when she smiled, but she still had an eye patch. Kagome tried to remember if pirates were the ones that ate little kids. She knew somebody did.
"Kagome, honey, I'm not a pirate, I'm your teacher, Miss Kaede!"
"B-b-but you have an eye patch!" Kagome whimpered.
"Arr!" The teacher made a funny face and did a pirate sound just like Kikyo could! Kagome giggled. Anyone who could imitate a pirate that good wasn't a pirate at all.
"Now, let's go inside. You're a little early, but you can meet the other students when they arrive."
"Okay, Pirate-Sensei!" Kagome chirped.
"No, no, dear, you can call me Miss Kaede."
"Okay, Pirate-Sensei!"
Pirate-Sensei got the 'mommy' look on her face, the one that meant she was annoyed, and sighed loudly. Kagome giggled. School hadn't started yet an already she was having so much fun!