Author's Note: Over the last few months I have been striving to be accepted into a private high school. I spent hours suffering over my appilcation, went to their school play and other school functions, talked to teachers about courses while visiting the school, and did anything else I could think of to make a good impression. Unfortunatly it seems like my efforts weren't good enough because I was put on the waiting list.
This story is my hope. Just as there's hope for Kagome, there's still hope that I will get into my high school. Therefore that is why this story is called A Story of Hope.
Wish me luck because from here on all I can do is pray and hope that I get accepted into the school.

Wow. Ten reviews for the first chapter! I think it's a record! Thanks for supporting me everyone! Hope you enjoy this chapter even more than the last one!

"Noon?" Kagome repeated, beginning to get a little nervous.
"Yes." Inuyasha replied.
"Then Mom closed the curtains. Could you open them, Inuyasha?"
"The curtain's are already open."
"Then what happened?" Kagome asked, her voice weak, "I-I can't see, Inuyasha!"
Inuyasha looked at the girl in front of him nervously. "I think your mom would be better at explaining what happened, but I'll try anyway." he started, "Your doctor gave you some sort of medicine that made you better quickly, but it made you go blind at the same time."
"Blind?" Kagome repeated.
"Yeah... I'm afraid so..."
A single tear dripped down Kagome's face as she pulled herself into a sitting position. Inuyasha stiffened when as he smelled the tear. He hated when Kagome cried!
"I can't believe I'm blind!" the girl exclaimed, "It just can't be true! Inuyasha! Tell me this is just a joke! Please! I'm- I'm begging you!"
"It's not a joke, Kagome." Inuyasha said softly, "I'm sorry..."
Kagome began to sob. Real, heart wrenching sobs that would break anyone's heart to watch. The hanyou flinched and eyed Kagome unsurely with pity mixed with other emotions. He watched Kagome shake as she cried.
Finally he couldn't take it anymore. Getting up from the seat he had pulled next to her bed, he sat down next to the girl and hugged her in a desperate attempt to make her relax even the tiniest bit.
Kagome didn't even notice who was hugging her as she cried. She burried her head in Inuyasha's haori and continued to cry. Everything was black to her now and if she really was blind it would continue to be like that forever until the day she died.
"It's a joke." Kagome repeated hoarsly as she cried, "A joke. Please let it be just a joke."
Inuyasha looked down at the girl in his arms. He would never admit it out loud, but he was very disturbed by Kagome's out burst of raw emotion. The hanyou had seen Kagome cry before, but never like this. She had cried from anger or small things, but never before had she cried in pure hopelessness. It broke his heart to see her in so much dispair and not be able to do anything about it. Without thinking he ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to soothe her.
A few minutes passed and Kagome still clung to Inuyasha. She had calmed down enough to realize somewhat of what was around her. "Inuyasha?" she asked, "Are you... hugging me?"
A faint blush appeared on Inuyasha's face. "What do you think I'm doing?" he asked her, "I hate when you cry. I had to do something about it or else you'd just keep on crying."
Kagome smiled through her tears. "Thanks Inuyasha." she whispered.
"You're welcome."
Mrs. Higurashi smiled from her spot near the half closed door and walked back downstairs.

Kagome pulled herself out of bed and stood up shakily. Inuyasha had told her that he was going back through the well for a little bit to tell Sango and the others that she was awake. It suited her just fine to be alone for a while. She needed time to let the reality of what had happened to her sink in. Kagome shuffled over to her dresser and opened a drawer, feeling around until she grabbed a shirt, a skirt, and the other nessasary clothing. She just hoped the matched.
The next challenge was getting out of her room and into the bathroom without hurting herself. Using the wall as a guide, Kagome walked to the bathroom and felt around until she found the clothes hamper in the corner. Putting her clean clothes carefully on the ground where she could easily find them again, she stripped off her pajamas and dumped them into the basket.
Opting for a bath over a shower for both reasons of energy and safty, Kagome started filling up the tub. Taking a bath was easier that she had expected. Kagome knew where her shampoo and soap was through memory and that was all she needed to know. She giggled. Being blind really wasn't that bad now. It was like taking a bath with her eyes closed!
Blind.
Kagome desperately held back another wave of tears. She'd never see her mother, Inuyasha, or anyone else again. Not only that but the beauty of the world was now lost to her too. She would never see feudal Japan's vast landscapes or modern day Tokyo's giant buildings for the rest of her life.
Would being blind affect her ability to see the Shikon shards? Kagome gave a half sob, half gasp at the thought. If she couldn't, there would be no reason for her to go through the well anymore. She couldn't imagine going back to her old life now that she had found a taste for the adventures through the well.
Kagome closed her eyes and tried to sense the jewel. She gave a sigh of relief and let herself slip under the water for a second before resurfacing. Kagome could still sense the shards in her room. It was a good sign.
But what of seeing them? She jumped out of the bath quickly, feeling for her towel. Finding it a few seconds later, she wrapped it around herself and hurried as fast as she could back to her room, while minding the minimum energy she had and the risks of being blind.
Stumbling into her room, Kagome looked around her room, hoping to see the familiar warm glow of the shards they had collected. A purple glow cut through the blackness as her eyes scanned her desk. Kagome smiled and sighed contentedly. She could still see the shards even if she was blind... Could the fact she could see them be beyond the ability of sight?
"What are you doing out of bed?" a voice questioned from behind her.
Kagome drew in a quick breath of surprise and her hand gripped her towel tighter. "Inuyasha!" she exclaimed.
"You should have stayed in bed." Inuyasha said, "Your doctor said to stay there and rest."
"I'm half naked! Get out!" Kagome shreiked, turning on her heal towards him. Wrong choice. She tripped herself, falling straight towards Inuyasha.
Inuyasha instinctively caught her before she even landed on him. His hands gripped her bare arms and both of them blushed. Kagome gripped her towel untill her knuckles turned white.
There was a moment of silence which Kagome finally broke. "Uh, thanks." she said aquardly.
"You're welcome."
A few more seconds went by without the two moving or exchanging words. Inuyasha continued to hold Kagome in his arms. Finally Kagome stood up and Inuyasha let go.
"Could you leave so I can change?" Kagome asked softly, forgetting that she already had clothes in the bathroom.
"Uh, yeah." Inuyasha replied. He quietly walked out of the room, his face still bright red, and closed the door.