Kensei was training again. He'd left Yaeko with Kagome and his mum, he was sure they could find something exciting and 'girly' to do.
The sword cut through the air with barely a swishing sound, striking what would have been deadly blows if a person had been at the receiving end. It was an unspoken rule for the villagers that between 4am and 7am, the clearing in the forest would be left empty for Kensei. Of course Kensei had never spoken such a rule but the villagers decided to give him this one thing in return for all the things the boy had done for their families and village.
It was moments like these that he was glad for the three hours he was left alone. It's not that he really hated the attention everyone seemed to give him; it's just that he would never wish for them to see him like this. He swung through and around his head, his right hand sending the sword whizzing through the air to be caught by his left hand and brought around in a backwards swing. Had a person been standing in front of him at that moment, before they could have blinked, their head would be rolling on the ground. To see such a violent routine from their mild tempered Kensei would have shocked the villagers, maybe even scared them.
This was the one place that he could release the anger that built up inside him without the possibility of somebody getting hurt.
His light brown hair fell over his eyes, temporarily hiding the strange fire that seemed to light up his stormy blue eyes. At that moment Kensei wasn't the sweet, teasing guy the village thought he was.
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Kagome was feeling steadily worse and worse though she tried to hide it from Akemi and Yaeko. She stumbled over a tree root and nearly fell before regaining her balance. They had been so excited to bring her with them to their favorite spot beside the river, that she felt like she'd be ruining their afternoon if she complained.
She shivered despite the fact the sun was shining down on them as brightly as ever. A thin, cold layer of sweat clung to her body and Kagome had to mentally force herself to continue walking. She was exhausted and her legs were starting to wobble beneath her. Yaeko had dragged her mum ahead, so they could set up the picnic before Kagome saw their place, so she could get the full effect. It was obvious that this place was important for both of them and Kensei had been wise enough to gently whisper in her ear before they left the hut.
"…My father proposed in that spot…" he had said out the corner of his mouth as he walked towards his hidden clearing.
Her eyes had widened and she knew then why they both loved the place so much as it held the precious memory of Yaeko's father, Akemi's husband. She couldn't help but wonder as to how he died but she knew better than to just come out and ask…if Kensei wanted to tell her then he would and she trusted his opinion.
But right now, Kagome couldn't picture herself getting anywhere near the river. Alongside the sudden nausea that had swept over her, she also noticed that she had lost her sense of smell and that she was feeling more and more emotionally detached with every step. It was as though her mind was slipping further and further back deep inside herself and all her thoughts and feelings were staying behind and all she could do was watch as they drifted further away…until they disappeared completely. Somewhere in a part of her mind that refused to stop working, told her that she mustn't let herself go that far, but it was faint and far off. She vaguely noticed that she had fallen to the ground but she felt nothing as her body lay upon the crisp leaves and damp earth. She spotted a pool of crimson around her leg, steadily getting wider and realized that she must have hurt herself. Maybe it was when I stumbled a quiet thought said, drifting through her sub conscious. She lay there with not enough energy to get up and not enough determination or emotion to care about whether she ever would or not.
Slowly the darkness that was clouding and blocking her mind from interacting with the rest of her body, started to spread and she almost gratefully let it take her. Well, she would have if Yaeko and Akemi hadn't suddenly appeared beside her. She could only see them as though she was looking down the wrong end of a telescope but she knew they were there, and that gave her the strength to hold on a little longer…just a little.
A/N: I know its short and I apologize but our teachers have decided to throw some NCEA exams at us! How unfair is that?! And so close to Christmas as well! sob some people are just so mean. I've had three today and I have another 3 over the next couple of days. Sorry if I don't update but I WILL try
