Chapter Nine: Crimson Secrets

How is the moon like a dollar? That was the only clue she had to figure out where her nighttime vampire was. He had told her that if she could find him by midnight tonight, then he would tell her what was going on… like who he was, and what she had gotten herself into.

But how did she know if he was telling the truth? He could easily have been lying just to get her hopes up and then give her a hard slap in the face later on.

How did she know that she could trust him?

Was Inuyasha the reason why she felt so sick and weak lately? Was he coming into her room every night and taking her blood? If that's the case… then why wasn't she a vampire by now? She thought that once you were bitten by a vampire you become one as well. And why was he after her blood in the first place?

But most importantly… why did this have to happen?

What is going on? She was afraid that the only way that she could get her answers is if she found him again… the question now is… where is he?

And what did he mean by 'how is the moon like a dollar? Once you figure that out… divide that between two? Stupid vampire…

Kagome was sitting in class that afternoon, trying hard not to fall asleep, and to figure out what she was going to do. She pretended to listen to her teacher going on and on about maps and how to read them… oh how she hated this class.

She went back to thinking how a moon and a dollar are similar…

Well… they both… they both what? Both the dollar and the moon have a face… kinda. But she knew that it couldn't be the right answer. She sighed as she ran her hand through her hair in an irritated manner before she then reached into her pocket to feel the several strands of silver hair that she had pulled from Inuyasha last night.

She didn't know why she was carrying them with her… maybe as a reminder that last night really happened and it wasn't just a crazy dream? Every once in awhile, she would think that it was all just her imagination and that none of it had happened or that maybe she was just going nuts… and then she would look in her pocket to see that it wasn't.

She was about to take the hairs out to look at them again when she heard her teacher snap at her, "Can you answer the question Kagome?"

"False?" Kagome said quickly not having the slightest clue to what the question was.

"Correct Kagome," the teacher said smiling before turning back to the giant map that covered the usually chalk covered board. "Rivers always flow downstream. Now as you can see from these contour lines…"

Hardly believing her luck, she started to pay attention for the first time that morning. After taking a few notes, her teacher said the one thing that every kid dreads hearing.

"Now class, for your homework…" he began.

"AWWWW," moaned the entire class.

"Now now," he said as he smiled at their displeasure. "You'll like this one. You each come up here to this map and pick a location of the city to do a report on. It's completely free choice. But you have to pick fast because everyone must choose a different place."

Kagome got up with the rest of her classmates and headed up to the chalkboard to pick a location that looked good. But of course she might not have to worry about doing homework anymore if a certain vampire gets his way.

She was in the back of the crowd of students who were all checking off places on the map and talking excitedly to each other.

"I'm going to do it on the national park!" said one of the girls.

"How about the Hakurei cemetery?" asked one boy.

"I'm doing 'Frankie's Weenies'!" said another boy causing his friends to laugh.

Kagome was hardly listening to what was going on around her, so lost in her thoughts on how a dollar and the moon could have in common, until she heard two girls in front of her ask her if she had change for a dollar.

"Huh? Oh sure," Kagome said reaching into her pocket and pulling out a few coins. "You need quarters?"

"Yes," said one of the girls as they traded money. Kagome was about to hand over the coins when she found herself staring at them… as if mesmerized. At first she didn't understand what why she was so transfixed… that is until she realized that she had discovered the answer she was looking for.

The moon and a dollar both have quarters!

The 4 quarters for the dollar bill… and the quarters of the moon phases…

But this helps her how?

"Kagome?" they asked her. "Are you ok?"

"Huh? Oh yeah… I was just thinking about something," Kagome said. She barely noticed the exchange, as her brain began working furiously, trying to put the pieces together. She was sure that the quarters were the right answer… but divide that in two? That's half… half of what?

Divide in two? That's half… half of the moon?

"Kagome?" her teacher's voice said. "Are you going to choose a subject or are you going to take an F?"

Kagome really needed to start paying attention.

She went up to the map and was ready to go and chose some random place from the map… when something caught her eye…There in the very center of the map was a large blue spot that was marked Half-Moon Cove.

So this must've been what he meant! She couldn't think of another answer… the moon and a dollar both have quarters and when you divide that by two, it's half. Half the moon…

Kagome felt as if fireworks were going off inside her. "I choose Half-Moon Cove."

Half-Moon Cove… she was sure that she was going to find her answers… hopefully.