Chapter 7: Them Cursed Ears

Zoria looked in the mirror to find a pair of purple eyes staring back, and a pair of doggy ears on top of her head. She couldn't help but scream at the sight of those ears. What the hell am I doing with dog ears on my head?

"What is it, Zoria? Another pimple?" Asked Kagome from downstairs, as she made her way towards Zoria's room.

"Um... nothing mom! Just another nightmare..." Replied Zoria as she dug through her closet and drawers to look for a hat or something to cover those ears. She got more nervous as Kagome's footsteps sounded louder and louder; she was getting closer and closer. She grabbed the first hat she found and hid her ears with it just in time.

"Oh Zori... I hope you don't wear that hat at school. It looks awfully silly." Said Kagome as she entered Zoria's room. Zoria looked at her mirror to see the hat she had chosen. She looked silly indeed. It was one of those tall hats that had stripes with every color of the rainbow. It even had different coloured pom-poms all over.

"Um... of course I am.. It's silly hat day after all... hehe..." Said Zoria as her face turned tomato red. She wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Oh okay... don't forget to get dressed though." Said Kagome as she giggled out the door.

Zoria sat down on her bed and took some deep breaths. Fewf. That was CLOSE.

She put her school uniform on, packed up all her school stuff in her red school bag. She dug through more drawers and the closet one more time to fine a hat that made more sense... no luck. She was stuck wearing the tall multicoloured hat. How embarrassing.

She went to the kitchen and tiptoed to the door.

"Oh no you don't! Not without a full stomach, dear." said Kagome. Zoria sulked and then grabbed the box of Froot Loops, poured it into a bowl, sat down at the table, and munched on her cereal without milk. She didn't like milk in her cereal. It made it all soggy and gross.

"You know it's impolite to eat with a hat on at the table." Reminded Kagome.

"I know mom. Can I get away with it? Please? Just for today?" Asked Zoria

"Ok" said Kagome, knowing that Zoria wasn't quite in her plate, or bowl, today. She wondered what bothered Zoria today.

Zoria finished her Froot Loops, chugged down a glass of milk, and rushed out the door. "Bye mom!"

Zoria was relieved. No one found out yet. She hoped it would be that easy when she went to school. She didn't want to run into Kira and Kevin today. Kira would keep asking about the hat until Zoria told the truth. She walked quickly to school, taking a different route to avoid Kira and Kevin. She got to school only to find Kira and Kevin sitting at the picnic table, where they always sat before and between classes.

"Hey Zoria! What took you so long? We're gonna be late!" Said Kira as she waved her arms in the air. Zoria slowly approached her friends at the picnic table.

"Hi guys. Sorry I took so long."

"It's all good. Um, what's with the hat?" Asked Kevin as he laughed.

"Um nothing... I just feel like wearing this today." Said Zoria as sh tilted her head down, hiding her tomato face.

"Yeah right! You hate hats, and it's not even hat day, not even close. So why are you really wearing the hat?" Interrogated Kira as she always did to get to the root of the problem.

"I said just because okay? What's wrong with that!" snapped Zoria. Kira seemed surprised to see Zoria snap like that. Zoria never lost he temper. What could she be possibly hiding to make her act like that?

"Um sorry Kira.. I don't know what got into me today..." Said Zoria as they walked to their lockers. Everyone who passed by pointed at Zoria and laughed at her hat. Zoria was embarrassed.

When the bell rang, she jolted to class, knocking others over as she ran past them. She sat at her desk immediately and took out her books and laid her head down on her desk to avoid stares from her class mates.

"Higurashi Zoria! Why are you wearing that hat? It's not even close to hat day. You know it's a violation of the dress code when there are no exception, and today it isn't an exceptional day." Said her teacher in a mild rage.

"Oh please can I keep the hat? Please? Just for today? Please sir? My hair is very bad today, and I don't want anybody to see it... okay? Is it okay?" Said Zoria in a panic. She wanted no one to see her ears. The teacher recognised strange behaviour in Zoria so he figured it would be better to leave her be. Everyone laughed and pointed at her. Gosh, this is embarrassing! It's all because of these stupid dor ears!

Zoria ran out of class with a waterfall of tears coming from her purple eyes. Kira followed her, worried of Zoria's well-being.

"Hey! Zoria! What is bugging you today?" Demanded Kira.

"Nothing... no nothing... actually everything! everything bugs me now! I'm just so sick of this life right now..." Said Zoria in an outburst.

Kira put her hand on Zoria's shoulder. "It's okay, Zoria... I'm sure everything will turn out."

"No! Nothing will be okay until Kayo comes back!"

"But you're brother is dead, Zoria... wether you like it or not, he's never coming back."

Zoria clawed Kira in the face. "He is alive! I will find him someday and bring him back home! I'll bring him back so I can make my family happy again... to make it whole... again." Zoria couldn't believe that she had clawed Kira. Her best friend of all people. What's wrong with me?

She was in grand panic now. She no longer knew what to do. She suddenly heard a loud high pitched whistle. She collapsed to the floor and clutched to her ears.

"Zoria?" Kira was concerned and scared of Zoria. "Zoria? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You don't hear it? That loud sound?"

"No I don't... what sound are you talking about?" Kira now asked herself about Zoria's sanity. Her blood dripped on the floor from the scratches on her face.

"Don't you hear that whistle? Don't you?" Zoria was now shaking on the floor. She started to run for no apparent reason.

"Zoria! Wait! Where are you going? Zoria!" Kira wondered if Zoria was okay. She followed her out of school. She was even more worried when she saw Zoria run like nuts in the middle of a stampede of dogs. Zoria was running faster than she usually would. She was gliding in the air in between steps more than anything.

"Zoria?"

Zoria didn't know what the whistle sound was or why she was running with a bunch of dogs. Then it suddenly dawned on her... she was following the sound of a dog whistle. She was supper embarrassed now... first the outburst, and now this?

She ran all the way back home and leapt onto the couch fro the entrance. I never jumped so far and sith such grace before! What is wrong with me?

She stared at the Tetsaiga (I dunno how to spell that, so bear with that.) She felt some kind of power in it. It was shaking. Shaking so much that it fell down on the floor. It kept on shaking and made it's way towards Zoria. She was spooked. That old sword was shaking towards her! What is wrong with me?

She picked up the Tetsigua, it remained shaking in her hand. It then stopped. Everything blacked out. She smelled dirt all of a sudden. She opened her eyes to find that she was in the bottom of the well in the shrine. He head hurt tremendously. How did I end up in here? She climbed out of the well, so she could head to her room to sleep all of the day's events away.

But when she made it out of the well, she was no longer in the shrine. Her house was no longer there. The shrine was gone. There were trees everywhere. She recognised the tree, that same tree that was in her yard. The tree seemed smaller than usual. At the tree, stood a priestess. She stared at the arrow hole in the trunk.

" Inuyasha... you shall pay..."

Where the hell am I? Zoria was shocked. She was now where her father came from. She never believed her parents before when they spoke of where and how they met. How can this be true? Am I really in the past? The feudal era?

Yay! Another chappy done! so tell me what you think. Review.. Come on! What are you waiting for? The button won't bite you! But I will if you don't review! (smiles)