A/N - A silly little story with Hojo as a dopey but kind witness to an important fight between Kagome and Inu-Yasha. There isn't so much character development in the manga that I've been reading of Inu-Yasha, but then, I'm only a little past 11.  I'm not trying to make Hojo seem dumb really, just naïve. I wanted it from his view point. It really is a typical Kagome/Inu-Yasha fight/love confession, but I thought that the little twist that is Hojo, would make it unique. Please review, or how will I know if anyone read it, or if it turned out well?

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inu-Yasha. Ah…If only….

Witness

Rheumatism, rheumatism… ah here it is…

Rheumatism: Any disease of the extremities or back, characterized by pain and stiffness.

So Kagome has a kind of…Arthritis? I didn't think that sort of thing just sprang up then went away. But this must be the second time she's had it in the last two months. Could it all be a lie? Who is she?  I like her so much but I don't know what goes on in her life. Even on our date she seemed distracted, and whenever she accepts my date it sounds so spiteful, like she doesn't even see me. And she's so nice and pretty but there is this sense around her, I can't quite place it…All these diseases are difficult to believe. She's such a mystery, like she almost doesn't belong here. And now she has rheumatism? Maybe I should go see her. See if she really is sick. Could it be that she hides her pain? Perhaps she simply feels embarrassed, being such a sickly girl so early in life.  Maybe the spite in her voice is towards the pain. Maybe that's the air of distance around her. But she pushes her self to be with me, to try and come to school and keep up through it all. Oh, such a wonderful girl...

So he set out for the Higurashi shrine, smiling, daydreaming and oblivious. The doubts came and went leaving no marks on his happy and gentle person. He was shaken out of all this by a voice. A male, very loud, very angry sounding voice.

"Wench! You said you wouldn't be long! It's been three hours! You want to stay overnight and another day?! Damn it girl! What am I supposed to do?! Kagome! Listen to me!"

Who could that be? He sounds awful, so savage, like an animal. And he speaks to her so familiarly.  I hope he isn't hurting her. I doubt that she could take on anyone who sounds like that. She's in no condition to be put under such stress. I should help her, really, poor thing.

But even as he started at a quickened pace towards the angry voice, he heard another, equally angry but undoubtedly feminine voice answer the first.

"INU-YASHA! Cut it out. I need to take the test tomorrow. I just found out about it! It's in history, on the Sengoku Jidai. I'll ace it for sure! I have to have a future when the shard hunt is done! Did you ever think about that!?!"

What is she talking about? Maybe she's delirious. In that case she definitely shouldn't be with that man. Why is he trying to stop her from coming to school? I would say he's a doctor, but no doctor talks like that!  Still…I don't know if I should interrupt…

Hojo, now crouched behind a bush near enough to see what was going on,  was startled to see the object of his affection arguing with a boy in a strangely old fashioned outfit, odd white hair,  who was looking even more strange wearing white dog (or was it cat?) ears.   

So odd. Maybe he's some kind of actor? And Kagome is an actress? But it seems so real, and why would they be rehearsing here.  Why would she miss school...? For this? But if they aren't acting, why are they so angry, and why does he look so strange.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?  YOU DON'T NEED THIS 'SCHOOL' YOU… I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU HAVE TO COME BACK AT ALL!  YOU SHOULD STAY WITH ME! THE SHARDS! WHAT ABOUT THE SHARDS!"

"SIT!!!!"  -BAMMM-

"BITCH! STUPID WENCH! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"

"ARGH! You're so insensitive! You jerk. I have a family here? Why would I not want a future here?"

Hojo looked confused as she verged on tears. So real and yet…who was he? Who was she?

"What could I do staying with you? Watch you be willingly pulled to hell? Watch you turn into a murderous beast? Let you kill me from the outside or the inside? HUH?! Well Inu-Yasha?! REALLY! TELL ME! WHY SHOULD I STAY WITH YOU WHEN THIS IS ALL THROUGH? WHY SHOULD I GIVE UP MY LIFE SO YOU CAN KILL ME?!"

This is too much. Something about this boy is clearly distressing her. And…has he threatened her, threatened a sick girl?

Hojo stepped from the bushes.

"Higurashi-san! Hi! You weren't at school so I came to see how your rheumatism was. Then I heard you and this odd person talking." His eyes became a little harder.

"Is he as awful as he sounds? Because really, I would be honored to defend you Higura-…Hey!" Hojo was knocked to the ground by the boy, Inu-Yasha she had called him, who was growling and showing unusually sharp teeth. The next second Hojo felt himself hauled up off the ground to hang with his feet a few inches from the ground.

"Hiding up wind like a coward. How do you know Kagome?" Inu-Yasha's rough voice was dangerous but Hojo kept his anger, though it was now tainted with fear. He was so strong, this mysterious pale, intruder into a world that had been calm and peaceful to Hojo.

"She is my girlfriend. I don't know how you know I was hiding up wind. I didn't know myself. But I do know you were being quite cruel. She is delicate and ill, and I do not feel that she needs the added stress of whoever you are." Inu-Yasha growled again. Then a sweet sounding voice spoke up, sounding strict and worried.

"Drop him Inu-Yasha! He wasn't going to hurt anyone!"

"How do you know? He already lies! He tells me that you two are…together in some way? But I don't believe him. Why would he say that you are his?" Kagome became red at that and looked away from the boy's face

"He-He… Well you see, Inu-Yasha, Hojo, well he asks me to go on dates with him sometimes, you know going out to eat or to see movies—they're like plays,  and I…" she suddenly gathered her nerve and looked defiant. "I didn't see any harm in it. He's very nice you know so just let him go."

Inu-Yasha's eyes narrowed more at that. "So whelp, you think that you are worthy of her affections?" there was a clear threat in those words but it went unnoticed.

"Of course, um Inu-Yasha was it? Strange name. Anyway, she is a nice girl, I will treat her as you have not, as nicely as she deserves. That's why I came between you two. She was so distressed over whatever you were talking about, but it all seems to come from you. She is sick you know, and you were being awful. I was going to save her."

Kagome blushed more and winced when Inu-Yasha . "What kind of imbecile are you? A Nice Girl? That's what you have to say about her. What is wrong with…"

"Sit boy."

"Bitch!"

What strong language he uses. How does she do that to him? Is that her? What is happening between them?

Hojo stood behind forgotten as the two continued their argument.

"Kagome, damn it, you didn't let me finish. All he has to say about you is that you are a nice girl? Even the kitsune brat could say more than that. This is what I was saying. What do you need with these sort of people? Why do you have a romance with this idiot bastard?!"  It was an unusual show of compliment for Inu-Yasha but, of course, Hojo had no way of knowing this, and to him the words sounded almost as harsh, as sharp. But there was something…

Something is different here. What is that tone in his voice. Am I missing something?

"It's like I said before Inu-Yasha, you and all the others are important to me, very important, but I can's stay with you.  It will hurt too much when she keeps coming for you, to kill you or kiss you. It will hurt if you become a full demon and don't know me anymore.  You are the reason I can't stay with you forever. When I get the strength to give up on you I want to move on, if I can. I need my life here to come back to." Tears dripped out of her eyes. She bent her neck and hid her face beneath a sheet of black hair.

Wow. This is so real. Is this real?  She loves him? And he loves someone different who wants to kill him? What does she mean demon? It can't be real!  It's just like a TV program. Maybe there's a camera somewhere and she really does have a secret life as an actress…

Hojo absently glanced around for a camera, but seeing nothing, returned his attention to the girl he cared about, concerned for her safety, with this obviously violent and deranged man who she seemed to care about enough to see despite her illness.

"Kagome…"

"No, Inu-Yasha, don't say anything. Don't lie and don't make me cry anymore. Just look at me and tell me what kind of future I could have worth giving up an education, giving up the friends I have here, giving up all of this" she gestured about wildly. "And what about my family?"

"I… I… Feh, I forgot about them, your okaasan, the little brat and the jiji. But I still don't think you…Kagome… Onegai, don't leave." He was suddenly so gentle, almost wounded sounding. It was a startling change, which made Hojo wonder about the boy again, maybe rough, yes, and coarse, but something in his eyes…

"Don't do this Inu-Yasha. Don't give me false hope." She turned away and he froze arm extended hesitantly forward. A look of pain surfaced on his face. Hojo saw something in his eyes something Kagome, in turning away her face, refused to see.

"Actually, Higurashi-san, I don't think he is lying. I saw something like this before, a movie, maybe.  But I think what happened in that was a little different, the woman I think, was going to move out of the country and her best friend was a man in love with her who…"

"COULD YOU SHUT UP?" Inu-Yasha made a violent movement toward him, before glancing at Kagome, who was staring intently at Hojo, perhaps purposely in her attempt not to cry. The white haired boy, or was it man, his age was hard to tell, settled for snarling.

"Anyway, I was just telling you that he look truthful to me." a frown crossed Hojo's face. "As much as it pains me." He frowned again. Inu-Yasha was turning a strange rose color, as was Kagome. "In any case, you should believe him, even if I would have rather not."  He fell back into silence.

"Is it true Inu-Yasha? Do you care for me? Do you love me?" for a split second her whole face was a portrait of hope, blind, deaf, mute, hope. It was only a moment though before doubt pulled her away from the dreams of that hope and her face hardened. "Or does he just see that you still see Kikyo in me?" her eyes teared again though she still looked angry, almost daring him to say he loved her. He turned red and looked appalled.

"You should know already. Feh!" he saw her head drop a little. Her whole person seemed to droop.

"Not enough, you don't care about me enough. You love her."

"Kagome I…I…"

"Stop sputtering!" she took a deep breath. "Just don't worry about me. Do what ever you want. Go to hell if you want. "

She gasped as her pulled her to him. Her small body was still as it was enfolded into the masses of red fabric he wore

"I want you Kagome. You should have known, you stupid girl."

Hojo didn't see anymore. He turned and walked away, feeling a little sad, and a little confused. It was a moment for private, somehow he could see them. He would not witness their first kiss, which would take place only moments later. Instead he walked quickly through the moderate air, lost in thought.

So what happened? They're in love? Is she cured? Was she ever sick? That boy was rough but I think he did love her. That's nice I guess. I'll miss her though. His ears looked so real, I would have liked to touch them. Maybe I'll go see if he's visiting tomorrow. I did mean to ask about all the unusual things that passed. But then it was probably nothing… I can go see about it some other time. Maybe she'll come to school tomorrow and I can talk to her then.  Which reminds me, I should study for my own test tomorrow. It looked like Kagome was ready for hers. I don't know much about the Sengoku Jidai but she seemed really confident. I'm glad my test is in math, it's an easier subject for me.  Hm…I wonder if that boy was some kind of interactive tutor. She probably was behind, she's been so sick. Maybe he helped her with it and that's why she was so confident about that test. He did look like something out of a myth… She looked well today; I hope she makes it to school tomorrow Oh dear, I forgot to give her the gift I got her. And after all that yelling she'll really need these therapeutic bath salts…

And the curtain of naiveté fell again, as Hojo walked in peace, his mind on his lovely, supposedly sick school mate, at this moment wrapped up in her love of the boy who was already being pushed to the back of Hojo's mind. So in the end there was no witness to that most precious moment of theirs' and what had been witnessed was soon delegated to the back of Hojo's rather simple mind as he walked in his peaceful world.

So, was it okay? Please review, I really want to know? I don't know about it…good, bad, boring, cute?

Please tell me.