(All characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi)
Return to the Past
By
SusanPevensie394
Chapter 2- Strange Dreams and a Fall
My breath came in rapid pants as I ran, trying to get away from who was chasing me. I didn't even know who it was, let alone why they were trying to catch me. I felt afraid...terrified even. I kept running as the person laughed. His...hers... its... yes. Its seemed appropriate. Its laughter was like nothing I had ever heard before. It was maniacle, and very un-human. It had to be a demon, though not any that I knew of.
And yet...there was still something familiar about it. I could almost place the laugh, but not really. I glanced over my shoulder, taking a risk I knew that I shouldn't take. All I saw was a shadow at first. And then...red eyes. Blood red eyes.
There was only one person with eyes like that. He swooped towards me, and I screamed as he ran me through with his sword.
I woke up with a scream. Jerking into a sitting position I looked around, afraid that Naraku was in the room with me. I didn't see anything except the usual objects that were in my room. Even though I didn't feel any pain, I still reached a hand down to run across my stomach to see if there was a wound. There wasn't, and I was relieved.
As my senses returned to me I realized that that had only been a dream. After all, Naraku was dead. He had died five hundred years before in the Feudal Era. As my heart rate began to return to normal I started to think about my dream. That place... had seemed sort of familiar as well. It had been a long hallway, or maybe a tunnel. There had been a few twists and turns, but I had seemed to know where I was going. Had I been there before? I was vaguely reminded of the layout of Naraku's castle. The dream hallway had been sort of like his castle... Dark, eerie, and with a faint smell of blood in the air.
When I had been in his castle pretending to be Utsugi I had thought I was going to throw up so many times because of that smell... There's no way I'd ever forget it. Still...how could he be alive? I had watched him die. I shivered as a chill ran through me. Suddenly I was very worried about Kagome... she was going back to the Feudal Era today... what if Naraku really was alive? Should I warn her? I sighed. Kagome would probably just think I was crazy. After all, it was just a dream...wasn't it? It wasn't as though I actually knew he was alive. It had probably just been a figment of my imagination due to my missing the friends I made in the Feudal Era.
All the same, I couldn't help but think that it hadn't been just a dream... I wasn't a psychic, but I still felt as though what I had just dreamed was a vision of the future. Hopefully I was wrong...
I lay back down slowly, and it took me a good hour before I finally fell back asleep.
I woke up again a few hours later, realizing none too quickly that I was running about a half-hour late. Letting out a scream I jumped from the bed and hurriedly ran around in a frenzy, trying to find all the pieces of my school uniform. By the time I was dressed and ready to go it was already 8:15. Oh no, I was going to be late! I ran out the door, barely even remembering to grab my school bag in my hurry.
Luckily the school wasn't too far away, or else I would have been in big trouble. When I arrived in the classroom where I had first period I was out of breath.
"Just...made it...." I panted, dropping into my seat next to Kagome.
She laughed. "Kaname, why were you in such a hurry? We have a study period first today."
I blinked, and then blinked again. Study period? I slowly looked over at her. "What? Are you serious?"
She nodded, and tucked a bit of hair behind an ear. "Yep. I can't believe you forgot."
I groaned, and leaned back in my seat. Just my luck... I hadn't even had breakfast, I had been in such a rush. I felt my stomach rumble a bit at the thought of food. Food... wonderful, marvelous food.... Guess it really was just my luck... Opening an eye I looked over at Kagome again. I contemplated telling her about my dream, but thought better of it. I didn't want to worry her, or make her think I was crazy.
"Kaname, are you coming to the shrine after school?"
"Hmm?"
"Kaname, are you even paying attention?"
I sighed, and sat up straighter. "Yes, I am," I said with a small smile. "And of course I am. There's no way I'd miss out on a chance to see Inuyasha."
"He'll be glad to see you. He hasn't had a chance to in a few months," Kagome said with a wry smile.
"You're right, he hasn't." I thought for a few seconds before asking, "Kagome, do you have enough ramen for him?"
She shrugged, made an odd face, and sighed. "I never have enough ramen for him. I don't think there's enough ramen in the world to be enough for him."
I laughed. "Is he really that big of a pig?"
"Uh-huh," she said. "Sad, but true."
I nodded in agreement.
Right after school I met up with Kagome again. As we were leaving the school, much to her chagrin, we heard a familiar voice calling out.
"Kagome! Kagome!"
She grimaced as we both turned to face the boy who had called out to her. I glanced over at her and was amazed by how quickly she had managed to force a smile onto her face. She really was good at that.
"Yeah Hojo?"
"Kagome," before Kagome knew what was going on he had grabbed her hands, "you shouldn't be out of bed! Your pneumonia can't be better already!"
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Pneumonia? Since when did Kagome have pneumonia? I realized it must be another one of those diseases that Kagome's grandfather kept saying she had in order to explain her absenses. From the way Kagome visibly twitched at the word 'pneumonia', I knew I had guessed right.
"Uh..." I could tell she was trying to choose her words carefully. "Hojo," she said, "thanks for your concern. I'm really doing fine! I'm completely over pneumonia."
He looked doubtful. "Are you sure Kagome?"
"Yes Hojo, I'm sure."
"But--"
"Hojo," I interrupted quickly, taking a step toward the two of them. If at all possible I wanted to avoid blood shed. "She's still not feeling well, so you should really take it easy on her... I'm going to take her home now, okay?"
He nodded without hesitance. "Of course! Take her quickly." He turned back to Kagome. "Kagome, take care okay? Don't overexert yourself."
"I'll be fine Hojo. Don't worry." Kagome flashed him a smile, removed her hands from his, and grabbed my arm before yanking me with her away from the school. "Bye Hojo!" she called, quickening her pace.
I grinned. "Kagome, you know he just likes you."
"Don't remind me," she muttered. "That's not a good thing."
"But it's so funny! He even followed you here from junior high." I laughed. "I heard he had even planned to go to one of those prestigious prep schools before he heard you were coming here."
She groaned. "Oh god, again, don't remind me.... I don't want to be reminded! I don't like Hojo like that!"
"Oh, but he's so much more... caring than Inuyasha."
"And that's a good thing how?"
"Because he won't yell at you and call you wench when he's angry?"
Kagome glared over at me. "But I don't like Hojo!"
I gave in finally after she squeezed my arm a little too hard. "Okay, okay. You like Inuyasha."
She blushed. "I-I do not! Inuyasha means nothing to me!"
"Um...Kagome? Inuyasha's standing right behind us."
Gasping she whirled around, only to find no one there. She glared at me again. "What was that about?"
"Well, that proves you like him."
"I don't see how," she muttered under her breath.
"You don't want to hurt his feelings because you care too much for him. You don't want him to think that you don't like him either, also because you're in love with him."
"But I'm--"
"I know the truth Kagome. Actually, I think the only person who doesn't know is Inuyasha himself."
She smiled softly. "Yeah... he really is an idiot when it comes to things like that."
"Aren't all guys?" I asked her.
"Yeah, you're right about that," she said with a laugh.
We soon arrived at the Higurashi shrine and headed to the main house first. Kagome had to grab her big yellow backpack, which she still used to lug things to and from the Feudal Era. She also wanted to say goodbye to her mom and grandpa. I had a feeling she also wanted to yell at her grandfather.
"Grandpa!" Kagome was almost yelling at the poor old man now. I felt a bit sorry for him, although really only a bit. "How could you? Pneumonia? You told the school I have pneumonia?"
"What's wrong with pneumonia?" he asked defensively.
Kagome groaned. "What's wrong with it? Everything's wrong with it!"
"But it worked so well! They didn't expect you to be back in school for at least another few weeks!"
"But that doesn't work! I need to be able to go back at any time and not have people think I'm sick with your stupid illnesses!"
"Stupid?!" Grandpa glared at his granddaughter. "Well then, I guess I won't tell your school anything! I'll just let you miss so much school that they fail you!"
Kagome sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. "Grandpa, look... I'm happy that you care so much, just... Just please try to come up with something a bit more common." Kagome and I could both tell that he wanted to argue, probably say something about how normal pneumonia was, but she beat him to the bush. She gave him a quick hug, grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "Thanks grandpa. I love you!"
"Have a good trip Kagome, and be careful!"
As we headed to the well I smirked. "What do you think he's going to come up with this time?" I asked.
She shrugged. "I don't really want to think about it... I know it's not gonna be something normal like the flu."
"At least it can't get worse than pneumonia."
She looked at my sceptically. "Yeah, right."
When we reached the well both of us were surprised not to find Inuyasha there waiting for Kagome. She and I exchanged confused glances, before noticing a piece of paper pinned haphazardly to the side of the well. Kagome pulled it off and read it aloud.
"Kagome-- You took so long that I decided to just wait for you at Kaede's. You better hurry up so we can go shard hunting again! I'm not waiting for long!" She sighed. "Sorry Kaname...guess you won't get to see him this time."
I was sad to hear this of course, but I would get over it. I smiled and shook my head. "It's okay. I'll just see him next time. Make sure he comes though, okay?"
She nodded. "Of course! I'll do my best."
"I know you will Kagome." I gave her a hug, and when I pulled back I smiled again. "Be careful."
She looked confused for a few seconds before nodding again. "Yeah, I will. Don't worry. I'll see you in a few weeks."
With that she turned, and jumped down the well. She was swallowed in a few blue lights, and then darkness. I continued to stare into the blackness, a sadness in my eyes. How I wished that I could go with her. I was about ready to leave when I felt something rub against the back of my legs. I gasped, and jumped forward. Before I knew what was happening I felt myself falling, and the last thing I saw was Kagome's cat Buyo sitting on the well.
