{ I have a weird obsession with cliffhangers, so sorry to those that hate them -.-
Keri Maxwell – That's a really good question, and I wish I could answer it.. But I don't think I can without giving something away Um.. stick around? Pwease?
Palm*tree – If there's romance, it's -definitely- with Inuyasha/Kagome. Those are the only things I write or read, close-minded as I am.
-sigh- And I hate to admit it, but I really know very little details when it comes to the show, especially in Kagome's time. This might not have been the best fic for me to do, lol. If you see something wrong, please point it out to me! }
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Chapter 2 – presence
By Jamethiel1
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Kagome slid open the doors to the old, dry well, peering into the darkness. She had managed to make it here without much trouble, and no one was likely to come looking for her here of all places. The scene of the crime. She couldn't understand why she would have come down to the well in the first place to have been able to fall down it, she and her brother had always steered clear of this place. It was creepy, truth be told. If it's so creepy, she thought to herself, stepping into the well's housing, why does it feel like I should be here? In fact, though she should probably be nervous nearing a place dubbed the Bone Eater's well, part of that desolate feeling inside her eased as she slowly descended the stairs. I feel like.. like only now am I returning home..
Stepping ever nearer to the well, a wave of calm washed over her, promising her that whatever she was missing, the answer was here. She allowed herself to drift into that peaceful calm, thankful for it after the past week of despair that never ceased. Kagome could still feel the gaping hole inside her, but somehow this place eased the pain of it. It left her anticipating something, though what she couldn't guess.
Allowing herself to be guided along by some unknown force, Kagome came upon the well and rested her hands on the wooden structure. She closed her eyes, feeling the distinct presence of another; a warmth hovered over her hands, as if someone had placed their hands atop her own. Kagome's breath caught in her throat and her heart raced as something brushed the hair at the side of her face, words she couldn't hear were whispered into her ear. A comfort and security she had never known now held her in its invisible embrace, and Kagome opened her eyes again to find tears escaping the blockade she had built within her.
Kagome turned quickly, though already knew what she would see. Sure enough, she was alone. Only now did she realize how alone. The presence was gone, taking with it the peace she felt upon approaching the Bone Eater's well. Now the ache was back, the awareness that she was missing a large part of herself. "Don't leave me.." she breathed. But it was too late, they had already vanished. She tried to bring to mind the feel of their touch, the breath that had left her ear tingling as inaudible words were uttered to her and her alone, but it was gone. She couldn't even recall the comfort besides to know it had been there. Kagome hung her head a moment, fighting the overwhelming disappointment, and wiped away the tears that had managed to leak through her defenses.
Sighing, Kagome moved back to the well, swinging first one leg and then the other over the side. She sat upon the edge, hands placed on its surface for balance. Then a small smile appeared on her lips as she prepared to push off the side and.. Whoa! Wait! Eyes widening as she realized just what she was doing, Kagome quickly scrambled from the edge and back onto solid ground, sinking to her knees once she had. What am I doing? she thought, bewildered and a little frightened. Had she been about to jump into the well? I.. I'm crazy! No wonder they found me at the bottom of the well, if this is any indication.. She couldn't figure out why she would have been about to do such a thing; she wasn't one to go leaping off random heights. Shaking her head against the absurdity of it, Kagome stood, needing to get away from the well as soon as possible.
Sliding the doors shut behind her once she exited, she was about to head back to the house before she heard three voices simultaneously shout, "Kagome!" Stifling a groan, Kagome turned with a half-hearted smile on her face, and waved to her friends. They didn't seem to think a wave was an appropriate greeting, however, for they literally flung themselves on her and crushed her in a hug. "You're really okay!"
Laughing despite herself, Kagome returned the hug before drawing away so she could once again breathe. "Of course I'm okay," she answered automatically. Physically, anyway.
The three girls exchanged glances before returning their gaze to Kagome. It made her nervous when they did that; it was like they could read the others' thoughts. Odd thing was, she used to be a part of that psychic connection, and now she was the only one left out. It hurt a bit, but somehow she really didn't feel as close to them as she had before. Somehow it seemed normal to be the outsider. "You've been in a coma for two years and you act like you had a cold," Yuka spoke for them all with slight amazement in her voice, or was that sarcasm?
When you put it that way.. "I just mean, I'm okay now," Kagome explained with a smile so they would believe the words and hopefully drop the subject.
Unfortunately, they did.
There was hardly a pause before the next question was spoken, telling Kagome they had probably had it ready beforehand. "So, what are you going to do about school?" it was Eri's turn to speak, and the other two watched her closely as well, anxiously awaiting an answer.
"About school..?" Kagome echoed, not following.
Another one of those thought exchanges between the three. She wondered if this meant she really wasn't apart of their group anymore. "You've been out for two years, Kagome. That means you're two grades behind.." Arimi clarified slowly, as if speaking to a child.
The realization hit like a physical blow; that thought hadn't even crossed her mind before. She would still be in middle school (junior high?), while her friends were already in high school! She had always worked so hard to be a good student.. This. Just. Wasn't. Fair! All that studying, even when.. her thoughts trailed off. When what? It was almost like she had forgotten what she was going to say; the thought was there one minute, and now she couldn't recall it. Blinking her confusion, Kagome only then realized she had been staring at them, her jaw slack. So she clamped her teeth together, trying to get her mind around the injustice of it all, and the nagging persistence at the back of her mind that told her there was something very familiar about this. "I.. I don't know.." she muttered miserably once the initial shock had worn off.
"It's okay, Kagome," said Arimi finally, obviously trying to make her feel better.
There was more uncomfortable silence as Kagome didn't respond. "Um.." it was Eri this time, "Well, we're really glad you're back, Kagome. You were at the hospital an awful long time.. they said you probably wouldn't ever wake up.." That definitely wasn't fuel for conversation, as it just depressed the mood more.
Yuka, and Kagome noticed this with quite a bit of envy, recovered from the statement quickly. "You know, Kagome, someone at school has been really worried about you," she said slyly. The others caught on quickly and smiled knowing smiles, nodding consent.
"Really?" she asked, curious though wary. She wasn't sure she liked how Yuka had said that. "Who?"
Yuka just smiled. "You'll see!" Kagome sighed in vexation, having no idea what her friend was talking about and not in the mood for surprises. So she turned to look at the other two, who both seemed to be in on the secret. "What's she talking about?" Kagome asked them, hoping either Eri or Arimi would take pity on her.
Arimi giggled, and Eri and Yuka traded glances. "He said he was coming by to see you later today," Arimi said, but it was apparent she would be getting no more information from the three. They seemed to take some sort of sadistic pleasure from this all; she should have guessed it would have been a guy.
"If that's all," Kagome started, now feeling really left out of their little group, "I think I'm going to go lie down." They each gave her a different look, enough to make Kagome wish she knew what the three were thinking, but eventually they nodded and started to walk off, giving her a quick hug before doing so. "See you later, Kagome!" they called, and continued walking, chattering. Kagome watched them in amusement for a moment, before lurching into movement. That meeting hadn't helped to lift her spirits at all; now she felt even more detached from everything. Sighing, she entered the house.
This time she hadn't even reached the stairs before running into her mother. She saw it as her mom turned to her, that 'I can't believe she's really here' look, and Kagome tried to think of something to divert her attention before tears could follow. So she spoke the first thing that came to mind. "What am I supposed to do about school, Mom?" Well, that was one way to confront the problem. She really didn't want to have to be in a class full of students she didn't know. She didn't want to be the only seventeen-year-old not yet in high school.
Her mother blinked, then smiled slightly at her daughter. Just out of a coma and worried about school. "I've already talked about it with your school earlier this week. They thought home schooling would be a good thing in this case. You wouldn't mind too much, would you? You've just missed too much material to be placed in high school classes, and I doubted you wanted to be put back in the same grade."
Kagome sighed, but returned her mother's smile with a forced one of her own. "No. Thanks, Mom. That sounds perfect." Not allowing any of her true emotions to show on her face, Kagome carefully side-stepped her mother and continued toward the stairs, up, and into her room. She closed the door behind her and fell upon her bed. In truth, that hadn't sounded perfect at all. She didn't want to be home schooled. She wanted her life back! Kagome felt something tug inside her at that silent exclamation, and again the situation felt familiar. She laid completely still, barely breathing, as she tried to bring to mind exactly why. But no matter how she searched and prodded, no memories or feelings came to her beckoning. This was driving her insane! She knew there was something there. She knew there was something she should remember, but she couldn't despite that knowledge.
While she was trying to decide whether she was more angry or depressed with such thoughts, Kagome at first didn't notice when she had stood from her position on the bed. Then it wafted over her, that same tranquil peace that she had felt at the well. Once she felt that the presence was there once again, she gave herself into it immediately and completely. Eyes closing, Kagome moved over to her window, sliding open the glass pane and feeling a slight breeze glide against her skin soothingly. There she stood, and again felt someone's breath stir the hair against her ear, felt the words that she couldn't hear. A light touch traced its way up her arm, sending a shiver down her spine. This time she was aware of her tears even in the trance she held under, as they slowly slid down her cheeks. "..please don't cry.."
"Kagome! Someone's here to see you!" came a shout from somewhere downstairs, and Kagome jumped. The calm was ripped away from her, making her gasp as the emptiness seemed to engulf her completely. Then she took a few steadying breaths. "Coming!" she called, glad her voice hadn't quivered as she half expected it to. She made her way to her bedroom door, casting a last, longing glance at the window before wiping her tears and going to see who it could be.
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End of Chapter 2
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{ Please give reviews! This fic should start getting more interesting within the next chapter or so.. Hopefully, anyway. }