Always Smiling
"I want to be remembered
as the girl who always smiles
even when her heart is broken.
And the one that could always brighten up your day
even if she couldn't brighten up her own."
It seemed to be a normal day at Raven High school. Or so the gang had thought. Today had started out like any other day. The gang waited for Dagger to show up at her locker and then they'd all go to class since the all had the same schedule. What everyone didn't know was what Dagger was hiding from them all.
Dagger smiled at her friends as she walked up to her locker. ' Their always there for me….and yet I still hide the truth from them. And I really should tell Koga….but yet, I just can't seem to bring myself to telling them,' she thought to herself. Everyone greeted her with the usual "Hey," or, "Good morning," as she got to her locker and got her things that she needed for her morning classes.
As they were walking to their first class, gym, Kagome started talking, "So, Dagger, how was your night? Ya know, you never did tell us what was goin' on so that you had to miss our study time last night."
Dagger just gave a fake smile, "Oh, it was just an end of the minute thing that I had to take care of. No biggie." She smiled again as they got to the spot where they separated to got the different gym lockers. "See ya guys in the gym." She smiled and then winked at Koga, which got a smile out of him.
When they all exited from the locker rooms, everyone was groaning except for Dagger. She loved what they were doing in gym, whereas everyone else despised it; bad mitten. Bad mitten had always been her sport.
The day seemed to go by so slowly; Dagger's mind just seemed to be somewhere else. Everyone wanted to ask what was up but they just never found the right time to ask her. So, they waited till later that night at their study group to ask her.
Sango was the one who got chosen to ask Dagger what could possibly be so wrong that she would turn from Ms. Bright and Energetic to Ms. Quiet and Depressed. "Hey Dagger, what's up? You've been sidetracked like all day."
Dagger just fake smiled as she rested her head against Koga's chest, "It's nothing, really. Let's just continue on our homework ok?"
Inuyasha answered. "Uh, sure, if that's what you want Dagger." Koga looked down at her with a worried look but just shrugged it off. Kagome and Sango shared the same look but dismissed it just as well.
After studying was over, Koga walked Dagger home like normal after all of their goodbyes. Once they were a little bit from Kagome's house Koga just couldn't keep it in anymore and stopped walking. Dagger went a couple of steps and then looked back once she fell the tug on her hand signaling that her man had stopped walking. Her wolf tail wagged back and forth as she looked questionably at her mate. "What's wrong Koga?"
Koga looked at her so seriously she thought that her tail was going to go between her legs. "I want to know what's up Dagger. You've started to act so strangely. And it wasn't just today either, you've been like this for like the past two weeks. Since I'm your mate I think that I have the right to know what's up."
Dagger looked down at her feet for a while. After what seemed like an eternity she looked up at him with a smile. "You'll know soon enough. Until then, can we just not talk about it?"
Of course Koga didn't buy it, but he went along with it nonetheless. Once they got to her house Koga asked if he could stay for the night. Dagger unwillingly declined. She lied and said that her folks were home for once and they still didn't approve of him. So, Koga went home.
Dagger walked slowly into her empty house; a sad, sad expression on her face. Her wolf ears flat on her head. It was getting hard to not tell everyone what was up. But she ignored it as she went into her little office and started planning for the end of the school year; which was in the couple of days. She was going to take everyone to a water park. While planning, pain shot up through her, making her drop everything she was doing as her hands went up to her chest. In a few moments the pain was gone. She spoke softly to herself, "It's getting worse. I hope I can make it to school these last few days." After she finished up with the arrangements for the trip she went upstairs to bed.
Next morning
When Dagger's alarm went off, Dagger didn't want to get up. She was having pains all over. Once her pains stopped, she slowly got out of bed and got ready for school. When she got there, she noticed that it was a lot harder to hide cringing from pain then to keep her little secret. During lunch, Dagger was missing. Miroku made the note that she was missing. "Does anyone besides me notice that we're missing a certain person who's always here before us?"
This made everyone look around. They had all originally thought that they had just lucked out and actually gotten there before her but it had been several minutes since they had gotten there and there was still no sign of Dagger.
"I think that we should all go look for her," Inuyasha suggested as he stood up with a worried expression. Everyone nodded and split up. Sango and Kagome took the ladies rooms, Kirara took to the sky seeing if she could see her from up there, and the guys took everywhere else; splitting themselves up to cover the entire school at once. They had all decided to meet up with one another in about 15 minutes.
With the girls
Sango and Kagome into the school. "Hey Kagome, how about we check our usual bathroom first huh?"
"I don't know. If she didn't want to be found she'd prolly be in the one bathroom that no one goes in."
"That would make sense but still. It's our usual girl hangout to get away from guys for a few minutes."
Kagome caved. "Alright, but if she's not there we're checking the one on the other side of the school."
Sango nodded as they ran down the hall, getting weird looks from both demons and humans.
With the guys
Miroku looked over to Inuyasha and Koga as they were running down the halls on the opposite side of the school that the girls were on, "Do you guys have any idea of where to look for her first? I mean, there could be countless places that she could be."
Inuyasha shook his head while Koga thought for a moment before shaking his head and answering. "She's always been with us so I don't think that she's found a little secret place of her own."
Inuyasha nodded. "I agree with ya there Koga. She's always been with us for as long as I can remember. I sure hope that the girls have more luck then us." Miroku and Koga nodded as they continued their search for the lost Dagger.
With Kirara
Kirara transformed into her big cat form and leapt into the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of her life long friend. Kirara was the lucky one to find her. It didn't take her long before she spotted Dagger leaned up against a tree clutching her chest like she was in serious pain.
As Kirara descended, she transformed into her smaller state. Dagger didn't notice her at first, but when her pain had slightly subsided she could feel her rubbing up against her leg. "Oh, hi Kirara. I have a feeling everyone's looking for me huh?"
The demon gave a small nod. Dagger sighed. "I should have figured as much. Ok, let's get back before everyone has a heart attack. But not a mention of this to anyone got it Kirara?"
She nodded as they started their walk back towards their usual spot. Dagger got there just as everyone else was coming up. Koga went over to her and rested his head on her shoulder while everyone took a minute to catch their breath before they started questioning her.
Koga didn't let anyone else get the chance to ask. "Where have you been! We've been worried sick about you!"
Dagger smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I just decided to take a short walk. I hope you all aren't mad at me."
Everyone shook their heads. Dagger smiled as she sat down. Everyone did the same as they finished up their lunch hour.
That night, Dagger said that she could attend the study group; everyone was curious but no one questioned her. They had all known the demon long enough to know that she had a good reason for skipping.
When Dagger got to her house she hadn't even been through the door 10 seconds before she fell to the ground in pain. "Thankfully tomorrow's the last day. I don't think I can hide this pain very much longer."
Once her pain subsided to a point she could move around she started to get everything ready for after school. She had separate bags for everyone and she started putting in the stuff that they were going to need. She had gone out and bought everyone new swimming gear so she had everything they needed. Once she was done packing she went to bed with incredible pain.
The next day after school
It was the end of the day of the last day of school and everyone was on the outside of the entrance to the school where Dagger had told everyone to wait for her. When she got there she told everyone to follow her to her car, they were goin' for somewhere for their last day of school as seniors. Everyone cheered as they went to Dagger's silver Hummer and jumped in.
Koga sat in the front of course and everyone else situated themselves in the back. It went, from left to right, Inuyasha with his arm around Kagome, then Sango and Miroku who had his arm around her.
Everyone was just dying to know where they were going so Kagome asked. "Hey Dagger, where're we goin'?"
Dagger laughed over her pain. "You guys'll just have to wait and see, it's a surprise." She gave her wonderful smile; no one could even guess she was hiding something behind that beautiful smile. Her long, loose midnight blue hair blowin' in her face, as she sped down the road to their destination that no one knew but Dagger.
It took a couple of hours to get their but once they did, everyone just screamed in excitement; Dagger had taken them to the Mount Olympus water park.
As soon as they were out of her vehicle, Kagome and Sango literally knocked her over to ground with excitement. Sango was the only one who could find her voice to speak tho. "HOLY SHIT DAGGER HOW IN THE HELL DID YOU GET US IN HERE! IT'S LIKE FREAKIN' EXPENSIVE. IT MUST'VE COST A FORTUNE!"
Dagger just smiled. "It was no big deal. Now, everyone, get your wristbands on or they won't let us in." She giggled as she handed everyone their wristbands. They spent the whole next like 7 hours just having fun going back and forth between the pools, waterslides, and roller coasters; completely having the times of their lives.
When it was over, everyone was sad to go home. On the way home everyone just couldn't thank Dagger enough for taking them. Dagger just smiled. Like she always did. Dagger dropped everyone off at home, Koga being her last.
Dagger walked Koga to the door. They both stopped and looked at one another. Dagger then suddenly hugged Koga tightly, like she was going to lose him or something. Koga, surprised, asked, "Yo, Dagger, what's wrong? You're hugging me like you're never ever going to see me again."
Dagger ignored his question. "I love you Koga, with all my heart. Please don't forget that." After she said that she gave him a long kiss goodnight and left for home, leaving a confuzzled Koga standing on his doorstep.
Dagger cried as she drove herself to her house. One of her hands was on her lips the whole time, savoring the feel of his lips against hers. Once she got home, she went upstairs to her room. She sat down on her bed while one hand was clutching her chest and the other reached for her little heart shaped notepad that Koga had gotten her as part of her valentine's present. She wrote something down on it, crying the whole time. When she was done, she held it to her chest as she laid and fell into a deep sleep that she would never awaken from.
The following morning around 7 am
When Kagome woke up, she had an idea to throw a thank you party for Dagger for what she had done for them yesterday. First, she called Sango and asked her to come over right away and come shopping with her. She'd wait to call the boys later.
Once shopping was done, she called the boys over to help with decorating. They got done decorating at about 10. Being done, they traveled over to Dagger's house; not expecting what they were going to find.
When they got there, Kagome walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. They waited for about 10 minutes before they decided to just walk in; Dagger never locked her door.
Kagome was the first one to walk in, and she walked ever so slowly. "Dagger! Dagger ya here?" Kagome grabbed for Inuyasha's hand for support as she walked farther in and everyone else following. Something didn't feel right to her. Dagger was always home. She never ever went anywhere; and yet, she didn't answer her door.
Koga, more worried then hell, said that he'd look upstairs. He went up the stairs and directly into her room. When he opened the door, he just stood there, completely shocked at the scene that lay before him.
Sango called up to Koga to ask if he sees her up there. When she got no answer she went up with Miroku. When Sango finally got Koga to move out of the way, she screamed at what lay before her.
Kagome and Inuyasha ran up the stairs at the sound of Sango screaming. When they got there, they were just as horrified. There, on Dagger's bed, laid what looked to be Dagger, but there was blood everywhere. It had looked like her chest had exploded.
Miroku was the only one to find his voice at first. "Koga, what happened to Dagger?"
Koga wiped the tears from his eyes as he explained. "This is what happens when a wolf can't keep their other half in check. I can't believe I didn't notice anything." He ran to the bedside, looking his dead mate on the bed. As he was looking her over, he saw that, in her hand that was laying above her head, there was a piece of paper from the notebook that he had gotten her as her Valentine gift from him. He grabbed the paper, afraid to read what it had said.
Inuyasha was curious as to what was written so Koga read:
"I want to be remembered
as the girl who always smiles
even when her heart is broken.
And the one that could always brighten up your day
even if she couldn't brighten up her own."
As he finished reading, everyone was crying. Sango spoke through her tears. "I can't believe it. She kept this from us, even tho it hurt her to do it. I…..I'm speechless," as was everyone else.
The next day, they had her funeral held. On her tombstone they had something specifically engraved on it:
"I want to be remembered
as the girl who always smiles
even when her heart is broken.
And the one that could always brighten up your day
even if she couldn't brighten up her own."
Now, when they go to visit her grave, they'll always remember her as the girl who Always Smiled.