When Kagome woke up, she shut off her alarm clock and immediately got dressed. She quickly brushed her hair and grabbed her backpack, and started to run out of the room, when suddenly she remembered something. Turning around, she slowly walked over to her desk. She gently picked up the journal, and hugged it against her chest. She held onto it in an almost protective manner, but she payed no notice to her actions. Once again heading for her door, she opened it and went downstairs. Sango was already awake and was grabbing some toast. She handed a couple slices to her.
"Here." She said. "You need to eat something."
Kagome smiled and nodded her thanks. Silently agreeing to eat on the way, the two of them headed out the door. They ran as quickly as they could to the train station, eating their breakfast as they ran. Kagome was extra careful not to get anything on the journal. She wouldn't let even the tiniest crumb fall on it. Once she'd finished her toast, she wrapped her arm back around the journal and continued to run. When they finally made it to the train station, they stopped briefly to catch their breath. Once they felt like they could breathe again, they quickly boarded the train. There was no conversation between the two as they rode the train. They were far too busy reading the journal. Kagome had opened it up again to a random page, and the two of them had started to read.
I remembered black skies
The lightning all around me
I remembered each flash
As time began to blur
Like a startling sign
That fate had finally found me
And your voice was all I heard
That I get what I deserve
So give me reason
To prove me wrong
To wash this memory clean
Let the floods cross
The distance in your eyes
Give me reason
To fill this hole
Connect this space between
Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies
Across this new divide
There was nothing inside
The memories left abandoned
There was nowhere to hide
The ashes fell like snow
And the ground caved in
Between where we were standing
And your voice was all I heard
That I get what I deserve
So give me reason
To prove me wrong
To wash this memory clean
Let the floods cross
The distance in your eyes
Across this new divide
In every loss in every lie
In every truth that you deny
And each regret and each goodbye
Was a mistake too great to hide
And your voice was all I heard
That I get what I deserve
So give me reason
To prove me wrong
To wash this memory clean
Let the floods cross
The distance in your eyes
Give me reason
To fill this hole
Connect this space between
Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies
Across this new divide
Across this new divide
Across this new divide
They were so caught up in the song, that they nearly missed their stop. Suddenly realizing that they needed to get off, they grabbed their stuff, closed the journal, and got off. Before school started, Kagome got her stuff from her locker. Realizing that there was still twenty minutes until school started, she began to look around for the boy. Sango was already busy interrogating Inuyasha and his friends, and she hoped that she would be able to get some answers from them.
"I'm telling you, we had nothing to do with it! He was already hurt before we fought him! Someone else hurt him, not us!" Inuyasha shouted.
"Yeah! We couldn't even land a blow on him!" Koga added.
"The freak had some skill, I'll give him that." Naraku said.
As soon as Naraku said the word "freak" Sango got upset. No, she got angry. She considered that boy a friend of hers, and she would not tolerate one of her friends being called a freak, being teased, or being hurt in anyway. Forcing herself to relax, she turned her attention to Inuyasha, the leader of their little gang.
"And you expect me to believe you?" She asked.
"Yes!" He said.
"Give me one reason why then! Give me one reason why I should actually believe that the most violent group in school had nothing to do with this!" Sango yelled.
Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again. For once, he seemed to be at a loss for words.
"That's what I thought." Sango said, turning around and walking away.
"Did you find anything out?" Kagome asked while she and Sango headed to their second period.
"Nothing. I talked to Inuyasha and his friends, but they're insisting that they had nothing to do with it. Though they did admit to fighting with him, they're adamant that he was hurt before that, and that they couldn't even land a blow."
"So if it wasn't them, who was it?"
Sango shook her head in defeat.
"I don't know." She said. "Anyway, since math class is next and we know for sure he has that class, we need to make sure to keep a very close eye out for him."
Kagome nodded her head.
"Right."
During math class, the two of them hardly paid any attention to the teacher or the lesson. They pretended to scramble down notes and to pay attention to the lecture, but they actually spent the whole class period carefully scanning the room for any sign of the boy. Towards the end of the period, Kagome noticed that there was one seat that she couldn't see. She knew there was a desk there, but she couldn't see who was sitting there. The seat was all the way in the back of the room on the right side, close to where she sat. A smile spread across her face when she realized who sat there. Still smiling, she quickly turned around and looked at Sango. Sango caught her eye, and nodded. She understood without words that Kagome had found him. She also smiled, and then turned back to the front of the room. After class they tried to catch him, but it seemed as though the moment the bell rang, he was gone.
With a sigh, Kagome led the way to their English class. They knew he was there too, they just didn't know if they would be able to find him as easily. After all, this was a much bigger class. Once again, Kagome found where he sat, but was unable to actually see him. Just like before, she and Sango tried to catch him after class, but he was already gone by the time the bell had finished ringing. After she had gathered her things, Sango went out to grab them a table, while Kagome stayed behind. She decided that she was going to talk to the teacher and see what she knew about him. She showed her the drawing she had, and the teacher immediately recognized him.
"Why, yes! I do know that boy! He passed his entry exams with flying colors. Highest scores I've ever seen. Brilliant boy, that's for sure."
Kagome smiled.
"You know him? That's great! I was wondering if you might know where I can find him. You see, I found something of his, and I really need to get it back to him." Kagome said, deciding that it was better not to tell her the whole story.
The teacher seemed to think for a moment. Then she shook her head.
"Nope, sorry." She said. But upon seeing Kagome's sad face, she quickly added: "Maybe you should check the courtyard. It seems like he really enjoys being outside."
Kagome smiled again.
"Thank you!" She said.
With that, she turned and sped off toward the main courtyard where the students ate lunch. There was a huge tree there, and she had this feeling that she might be able to find him there. Maybe, just maybe, she could catch him this time. While she was running, she unconsciously held the journal closer to her chest. She would see him soon.
She just knew it.
She was running still, heading to the main courtyard. She was about to pass by her locker, when she suddenly ran into someone. They both fell, and she heard what sounded like books hitting the floor. She landed hard on her elbow, but was careful not to let go of the journal. When she sat up she rubbed her now bruised elbow.
"Ow…" She said.
She looked over to the person she knocked over. She was about to apologize, when she suddenly realized who she'd knocked over. She smiled wider than she had in a long time. There, sitting on the ground just a few feet in front of her, was the boy she'd been looking for. He rubbed his head, and then opened his eyes. Their eyes met, and she could tell he was surprised. Suddenly remembering herself, she quickly went over to him.
"I'm so sorry!" She said. "I didn't mean to knock you over like that!"
"It's okay…" He said in a quiet voice.
His eyes suddenly locked onto his journal. They widened in surprise and relief. Kagome quickly handed it to him, and smiled at how happy he seemed to have it back.
"I'm so glad I found you!" She said. "I wanted to get that back to you the minute I found it." She paused for a minute, looking him over. "And I also wanted to make sure you were okay."
His eyes shot up and he looked at her in disbelief. He seemed surprised. No, he seemed completely shocked. Deciding not to question him about it right now, she went over and started to pick up one of his books. Blinking, he also stood up and began to gather his books. She handed a few to him, and he took them and put on his backpack. After that, he quickly went to his locker, put them in and closed it. Once he was done, Kagome spoke.
"So, do you want to come and sit with me and Sango? We kind of have some things we'd like to talk to you about." She said. "You don't have to if you don't want to though." She quickly added.
He looked at her and blinked. He seemed to think about it for a moment, and then nodded. Once again, Kagome smiled, and led the way to where Sango was. Once they made it to the courtyard, Kagome began to look around for Sango. The boy seemed to grow a bit nervous, and Kagome guessed that he didn't like being out in the open like this. He kept his journal tucked securely under his arm, clearly intent on not dropping it again. She looked away from him, and resumed her search for Sango. She soon spotted her sitting at the table under the large tree where Kagome had been headed before she'd literally ran into the boy. Once she'd spotted her, Kagome let him know and led the way to the table. He followed behind her, still looking around cautiously. As soon as Sango spotted them, her eyes widened in surprise and she practically leaped out of her seat.
"You found him!" She exclaimed.
"If me literally running into him and thus knocking over the both of us counts as finding him, then yes, I found him." Kagome said jokingly.
The boy looked at her, but said nothing. Once the two of them were seated, Kagome and introduced herself, as well as Sango.
"I'm Kagome, and that's Sango." Kagome said.
She looked at the boy. He was looking down at his journal that was in his lap.
"What's your name?" She asked.
He blinked, still looking down at his journal.
"Sesshomaru." He said quietly.
Kagome and Sango looked at each other and silently committed the name to memory. After a moment, Kagome explained how she'd found his journal and the two of them admitted to reading a few of the songs he'd written. He blinked when he heard that, but didn't seem to be upset.
"Sorry." Kagome said. "We shouldn't have read it without permission."
"It's fine." He replied in his usual quiet voice.
Kagome smiled slightly at him, and he continued to look down.
"They were very good though." She said.
He looked up at her as if he was trying to determine if she really meant what she said, but he remained silent.
"Where did you learn how to write like that?" Sango asked.
He shrugged and looked away again.
"Anyway, like I said earlier, we found out you were hurt and we wanted to make sure you were okay." Sango said.
"Are you okay?" Kagome asked.
He looked at the two of them. He seemed… Almost confused. After a brief moment, he nodded.
"How did you get hurt?" Kagome asked.
He looked down again. When he didn't answer, Sango spoke.
"Was it Inuyasha and his gang?" She asked.
He shook his head. Deciding that he didn't want to talk about it, Kagome spoke again.
"Well, so long as you're okay, it doesn't really matter." She said.
He almost seemed relieved when she said that, and she cocked her head at his response. She didn't question him however, and continued talking.
"Anyway, I have a different question for you." She said.
She began to explain her difficulty in the school so far and her need for a tutor. He listened carefully to every word she said. Once she was done, she took a breath and looked at him.
"So will you?" She asked.
He seemed to seriously think about it for a moment.
"Please?" She asked, clasping her hands in desperation.
After a long moment, he looked at her and nodded. A smile spread across her face and her eyes practically sparkled.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" She said while tackling him in a hug.
He gasped quietly when she slammed into him, but made no move to try and stop her. He blushed a little, and, though he didn't know it, Sango noticed it. She smiled a bit, but said nothing. He looked away and didn't hug back, but he didn't try to make her stop. When Kagome let go, she smiled and thanked him again, completely oblivious to his blushing.
During the last few minutes of lunch, Sango left to go to her locker while Kagome and Sesshomaru began to work out when he would tutor her.
"How about after school?" She said.
He quickly shook his head.
"I can't." He said.
"How come?" She asked.
"I'm not allowed to stay out after school." He said.
Kagome wanted to ask why, but decided against it. Instead, she thought about a different time.
"How about during lunch then? I'm free during lunch, aren't you?"
He nodded.
"That's fine with me." He said.
Kagome smiled.
"Great! So will you be able to help me all week or are there days where you can't?" She asked.
"I should be able to help you all week." He said.
"'Should?'" She asked. "Why should?"
He looked at her.
"Sometimes Inuyasha and his friends find me at lunch." He explained.
"If they do, then just find Sango." Kagome said. "She'll be more than happy to help you."
He looked her in complete disbelief, then looked down at his journal again.
"Why would she? She doesn't even know me, and neither do you. I don't understand why either of you would care."
Kagome looked at him, and he continued to look down at his journal.
"It's true." She said. "We don't really know you. But you know what?"
He didn't respond.
"We don't need to know you to consider you our friend.
His head shot up, and he looked at her in shock.
"And friends care about each other." She said. "'Cause that's what friends do."
Just before Sesshomaru took off after school, Kagome ran up to him.
"I meant to ask you earlier," she said, "but I didn't get a chance to."
He looked at her in curiosity.
"Would you mind helping me write a song for that assignment in English? I really don't know how…"
He nodded.
"Really? Thank you so much!" She said. "Sorry I'm asking so much from you though."
"It's alright." He said.
And with that, he was gone.