Kagome jerked awake, roused from an odd dream by an intense shooting pain in her left side. She took stock of her surroundings, feeling slightly disoriented. She was lying in bed, early morning sunlight streaming through her slightly parted curtains. A glance at her clock let her know she'd beat her alarm by about 5 minutes. She'd been having a strange dream about a large white dog with golden eyes trying to protect her from a tree that she was pretty sure was trying to murder her. It ended when the tree managed to shoot a branch past the dog and stab her in her left side, right about where her pain was currently radiating from.
The pain dulled some as she got herself up and started getting ready for school, heading down to breakfast after dressing in her white and green uniform. Her morning meal was uneventful, Sota talking about his soccer match that coming Saturday and her grandfather talking about his latest doctor's visit. She didn't mention the pain in her side, knowing her grandfather would make a big deal out of it and try to call her out of school that day. Once finished eating, Kagome excused herself, washed her breakfast dishes, and started to head for the stairs to grab the rest of her stuff before leaving for school.
She was about halfway up the steps when she was hit with a rather painful headache. It didn't last long but boy did it hurt. It caused her to drop to one knee on the steps, holding her head like she was afraid it would roll off her shoulders. The pain passed as quickly as it had hit, leaving Kagome breathing a little heavy trying to clear her thoughts. She could have sworn she saw... but no, that couldn't be right. Maybe she was just thinking about her dream again.
Realizing she was going to make herself late, Kagome jogged the rest of the way up the steps and quickly gathered the rest of her stuff into her backpack. She headed back downstairs, grabbed her lunch and said a quick goodbye to her mother, pulled on her shoes, and ran out the door. Headaches, dreams, and phantom pains could wait. It was Thursday and she had two important tests to take today plus one more on Friday that she needed to study for. She also had a date with Hojo Saturday night that she should probably be looking forward to, but really wasn't.
She was almost at the top of the steps leading from the shrine down to the sidewalk when another headache hit. This time the pain made her stumble and she fell to her knees holding onto her head again. She squeezed her eyes shut and a series of images flashed in her mind. She was in the well house (what am I doing there?), She stumble and almost fell down the steps, somebody (strange red clothing?) reached out and grabbed her to steady her on her feet.
Then the headache was gone and the images dissolved. Her side burned more intensely for a few seconds but that also quickly faded back to an easy-to-ignore ache. 'Well this is great,' she thought, ''now I'm in pain and I'm losing my mind.'
She debated actually staying home, worried she'd get hit with more headaches, but Kagome was determined not to miss a day of school. So she kept going, jogging a little to make up for lost time.
The rest of the morning was uneventful. She was pretty sure she'd passed her first test of the day. She'd studied hard but it was math and that was her weakest subject.
Her friends had finally backed off from harassing her about Hojo. She'd agreed to go on a date with him a couple of months ago but had been not-so-expertly dodging his advances since then. He'd only managed to get her on three dates so far and two of those had ended prematurely, Kagome coming up with some excuse to cut their night short. Agreeing to this Saturday had quieted her friends, at least temporarily.
She hadn't seen Hojo that morning before classes started. He usually tried to find her and walk her to class but she's gotten better at avoiding him. Maybe he had finally noticed her disinterest or maybe he was just predictable. It was probably the latter.
It wasn't until around lunch that things started going down hill again.
She was listening with one ear to her friends drone on about a boy that Yuka had started dating.
"We're going out again this weekend," Yuka told them. "There's a movie we both really want to see and we're going to try that new restaurant that opened near the theater."
"That's great! He sounds really sweet," Ayumi responded, always eager to encourage her friends' relationships.
"What about you Kagome? Are you still going out with Hojo this weekend?" Eri directed the conversation back to a topic she found more interesting. "Or are you gonna stand him up again?"
Kagome was about to respond when her third headache of the day slammed through her skull. The timing really couldn't have been worse. Her lack of response made it obvious something was wrong. She was vaguely aware that Hojo had picked that minute to walk into their classroom. She thought she heard her friends calling her name, reaching out to try to steady her.
None of that mattered to Kagome in the moment though. All that mattered was the pain of the headache and the series of images her brain was trying to quickly work through. She was vaguely aware that she was struggling to breathe, the intensity of the throbbing in her head stealing her breath from her. She could still distantly hear people shouting, calling her name. But that was background noise, inconsequential compared to what she could see, and now also hear, in her pain-addled mind.
Two people were fighting in the distance, one in red and one...floating? Then she was running, holding something soft under one arm. She was chasing after a little boy (was that a tail?) yelling for him (Shippo? Is that his name?). Then she was burning, surrounded by heat and sound. But she was ok, engulfed in a gentle blue aura, shielded from the chaos around her. Someone called her name (that voice!) but she couldn't see anymore. Then she was standing, the boy in red grabbing her wrist, yelling at her (Don't go!). White hair, dog ears, gold eyes.
"Kagome, breath!"
"Is she alright?"
"Kagome!"
"Give her some space!"
Reality was reasserting itself. She was lying on her side on the classroom floor surrounded by her concerned classmates. Hojo was holding her hand, talking to her in a low voice. Her other three friends were behind him, looking worried. She tried to speak, to say she was alright, but she couldn't find her voice. She tried to get up and finally managed to get herself into a kneeling position with Hojo's help.
"Higurashi, are you alright? Deep breaths, don't push yourself." Hojo put one hand on her back to support her while she struggled to stand.
"I think I'm ok now," she croaked, her throat dry from her wheezing attempts to breathe. She managed to get her feet under her and, with the help of two of her friends, stood and straightened up.
"I'll take her to the nurse," Hojo told her friends. "Would one of you grab her things in case she needs to leave for the day?"
"I got it," she heard Ayumi say.
Kagome tried to protest but the words wouldn't form. She let Hojo guide her out of the classroom and down the hall to the nurse. Her side was hurting again, the pain sticking around longer this time. Her head didn't hurt anymore but her lungs burned from her struggle to draw breath. Hojo kept glancing at her, concern displayed plainly on his boyish features. His right hand was still resting on the middle of her back, guiding her ever so slightly.
The nurse did a brief evaluation, listening to Hojo recount what happened (most of which was new information to Kagome). Apparently the whole ordeal only took a few seconds, though it felt like hours when it was happening. Hojo had made it in time to watch her face go pale and her hands grab the sides of her head. Hearing him describe her fall to the floor and her small cries of pain was slightly alarming. She hadn't been aware of the fall or that she was making any noises.
The nurse decided to send Kagome home for the day with the recommendation that she should see her doctor to make sure everything was alright. She called her mother to come and escort her home and filled out a note to send to Kagome's teachers excusing her for the rest of the day. Hojo sat down next to Kagome and took her hand to give it a quick squeeze. "If you need anything call me. If you're not up for Saturday night I won't push you. You need your rest."
"Thanks Hojo," her voice was coming out much clearer now. "I'll let you know how I'm feeling."
He offered to wait with her until her mother arrived but Kagome declined. He told her he'd call her later and headed back to class, leaving Kagome alone with her thoughts.
Her mother really was the best. She'd been doting on Kagome since they arrived home, drawing her a bath, making her favorite snack, and bringing her her favorite pajamas to wear after her bath. She hadn't pressed Kagome for the details of her lunchtime incident, having gotten a brief explanation from the nurse. She kept Sota and her grandfather at bay, preventing them from asking her questions that she didn't want to answer.
Kagome was stuck in her own thoughts. She kept seeing the face of the boy who grabbed her arm in the vision, kept hearing him call her name, hearing his shouted "Don't go!", and seeing his gold eyes full of panic. She didn't know him, couldn't know him. But those eyes, and those ears, were so familiar! But how could they be? How could anyone with those features be real? Maybe he was from a book she'd read, or a tv show, or one of Sota's video games.
None of that sounded right though. She definitely felt like she should know him, should know his name, his face. And what about the little boy she had been chasing? She'd called out to him, called him 'Shippo'. She felt like she should know him too, felt like she should be concerned about his safety.
Trying to think it through was making Kagome tired. She was already exhausted, drained from the pain she was dealing with, her mind slowing down trying to analyze everything. Her bed was calling to her, an early night sounding like the best idea she'd ever had.
She ate dinner with her family, listening with one ear as Sota talked about his day. Her mother expertly interrupted any time her brother or grandfather tried to steer the conversation in her direction. She was clearly exhausted, barely keeping her eyes open. Her mother told Kagome not to worry, she'd clean her dishes up, and sent her off to bed.
It didn't take long for Kagome to fall asleep, willing herself not to have any more dreams.
She felt only a little better when she woke up Friday morning. Her side was still hurting and she was tired and unfocused, her mind foggy. The previous day felt like a bad dream, but then she wouldn't feel like this if it were. Deciding maybe some food would help she crawled out of bed and headed downstairs for breakfast.
Her mother was already milling about the kitchen, getting breakfast together and lunches packed for the day. When she spotted Kagome she immediately sat her daughter down and put her breakfast in front of her. "There you go dear, this should help you feel better. Would you like me to call the school and let them know you're staying home today?"
Kagome started to protest but the pain in her side picked that moment to remind her of its presence. Instead she nodded, "Yes, please Mama. Thank you."
"You're welcome dear. You need to get some rest after yesterday."
Kagome ate her breakfast, finishing before the rest of her family came downstairs. Her mother cleared her dishes for her again and let her head back up to bed. Her grandfather passed her on his way into the kitchen and she heard him start to argue with her mother about what to tell the school (did he just suggest telling them that I have gout?).
Once in her bedroom Kagome sat at her desk instead of heading right back to bed. She figured she may as well try to study a little if she wasn't going to school since she'd have two tests to make up come Monday. She cracked open her history book (her favorite subject) and pulled out her notebook. She tried to concentrate but her attention kept straying and she ended up rereading most passages 3 or 4 times, still not really absorbing the information. After only 30 minutes of trying to study, her brain was refusing to work. Her mind still felt muddled and foggy, like there was a wall blocking her thoughts.
She sighed, "I'm never getting anything done at this rate. Guess I'll just get some more sleep."
She laid down and as soon as her head hit the pillow she was asleep.
She was standing in front of a familiar tree, the world around her obscured by a thick fog. She could hear a voice but it was garbled, sounding like gibberish to her ears. Her feet felt like they were encased in cement making it impossible for her to move. She thought someone was standing behind her but she couldn't turn her head enough to see them. There was a smooth patch in the bark of the tree and a small hole in the middle of the patch. She reached her hand out, smoothing it over the flat surface, slowly moving towards the tiny hole. Another voice, from behind her, shouted, "Don't!" Don't what? Her middle finger grazed over the little hollow and she felt a shock go down her arm before she was thrown backwards violently. Strong arms folded around her, catching her around her middle. She tried to look to see who caught her but she…
She woke up, her side on fire, her right arm throbbing. She was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath. The pain in her side wasn't letting up and there were tears in her eyes. 'What's happening to me?' she thought in a panic. She sat up and lifted her shirt to look at her left side, thinking that if it hurt that much then there should be something there. And there was. A ragged scar, about 2 inches long and the width of a pencil, shone brightly against her smooth skin.
"Mama!" she called, running her finger over the slightly puckered skin. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hallway.
Her mother poked her head into the room and spotted Kagome on the bed. "Are you alright dear?" she asked, making her way over and sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Mama, I don't remember having a scar here."
She leaned down to get a closer look. "Hmm, you got that on your birthday. Don't you remember? Sota was looking for Buyo in the well house but wouldn't go down the steps. You went down instead and fell at the bottom. You caught your side on the corner of the well and needed stitches."
Kagome was quiet for a minute, she did remember that. She remembered Sota being too scared to go down the steps to grab Buyo, remembered going down the steps herself, almost stepping on Buyo at the bottom, falling towards the well, and scraping her side on one of the corners. She remembered being upset at having to miss an entire week of school, and being agitated that her grandfather told the school she was out with a rash. (Seriously, why couldn't he just tell them the truth?). She even remembered having the stitches taken out a couple of weeks later.
So why had seeing the scar shocked her? Was that why her side was hurting? Did she have some underlying injury the doctor hadn't spotted? No, none of that felt right. The scar should be there but the memories felt wrong, misplaced somehow. Like they weren't actually her memories, more like it was a story someone had told her.
She realized she should probably say something, her mother was starting to look worried. "Oh yeah, haha," she said in a very unconvincing manner. "How could I forget, Sota is such a scaredy cat sometimes."
Her mother reached up and brushed a few stray hairs from her daughter's face before saying, "You know you can tell me if something is wrong. If you need to talk about anything I'm always here to listen."
"I know Mama, I'm alright though. Just a little tired from yesterday. I'd tell you if anything was seriously wrong."
"I know dear. It doesn't have to be something serious for you to come to me though. Get some rest, I'll come get you for lunch."
"Thanks Mama."
Her mother left, closing her door on the way out. Kagome got up and went to her desk, determined to not fall back asleep. She pulled out a small journal and started writing. Maybe if she wrote her visions and dreams down she could make sense of everything.
She spent the next hour writing out her thoughts, which did help to clear her head a little. Her mother called her down for lunch and was glad to see her daughter looking a little better at least. Eating also seemed to perk Kagome up and by the time Sota was home from school she was almost feeling like herself again. She spent her time between lunch and dinner using her renewed concentration to study.
Right after dinner Hojo called to ask her about their date the next day. He agreed she should stay home and rest and offered to come over and see her instead. Kagome told him that would be alright knowing he would probably stop over anyway to check on her.
Climbing into bed now for the night she decided today could have been worse. She hadn't had any more headaches and she felt much better than she did when she woke up. She was caught up on her studying and felt ready for her make up tests on Monday. Sota and her grandfather had left her alone, letting her get the rest she needed. It really had been an ok day.
She really should have known better.
Over the next half hour Kagome was hit with three blindingly painful headaches. Each headache was accompanied by a new set of images. The pain in her side flared with each one, the combination of the headaches and her side leaving her a whimpering mess. At least she was lying down this time.
By the time it was over she was exhausted, her side was a constant dull ache, and her mind was a muddled mess. She couldn't think straight, couldn't even move enough to get out of bed. She felt sick to her stomach, her eyes blurred with unshed tears. The headaches were clearly getting worse. If they kept happening how long would it be until she couldn't recover? All she could do then was lie in bed, holding her aching side, until sleep claimed her.
She was standing in front of the tree again, the world around her still covered by a thick fog. The voice was still there and she could make out a few words now. It sounded like it wanted her to go somewhere. 'Go where?' she thought, but the rest was still gibberish. Her feet still wouldn't move and she could definitely feel someone standing behind her but she couldn't turn around to see them. The smooth patch in the bark with the small hole in the middle seemed to call to her, imploring her to reach out and just touch. She reached her hand out, smoothing it over the flat surface, slowly moving towards the tiny crevice. That voice again, from behind her, shouted, "Don't!" and she stopped, her hand just resting on the tree now. The world around her began to blur and she felt those strong arms wrap around her and pull her back against a warm, sturdy chest. She looked down...red…
She woke up slowly this time. Her side still ached and her mouth was dry but her head was a little more clear than the night before. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She needed to use the bathroom and get a drink. She made her way down the hall, everyone else was still sleeping. After a quick trip to the bathroom and down to the kitchen for some water Kagome headed back to her room. She wanted to write out her visions from the night before and her newest dream while they were still fresh.
She sat at her desk and wrote in her journal until her mother called her for breakfast. She hadn't even heard anyone waking up and moving around, too absorbed in her writing to notice. She ate her breakfast quickly, cleared her dishes, and went back to her room to look at what she had written.
The boy in red (she'd yelled his name. What was it?) was in all the visions. She'd helped him get a sword and watched him fight a giant white dog (with red eyes, not gold). He said he would protect her.
Then he was fighting a monster with a mouth full of vicious fangs. The monster bit the boy's sword in half and she watched the boy in red die, but not really. His face transformed, jagged purple stripes and red eyes dominating his features. He ripped the monster apart. Then she'd said something that sent him crashing to the ground and he was alright again, those beautiful gold eyes back.
Her last vision was the worst. The boy was transformed again, red eyes glowing, slaughtering men and horses. He chased them down, took out anything in his path. A tall man in white, with long silver white hair, fought the boy in red. He knocked him unconscious, stopping his rampage. Then she was over him, protecting him, shouting at the man in white to stay back.
Her dream was as much a mystery as her visions. The tree she now recognized as the sacred tree on the grounds of her family's shrine. She knew that bare patch in the bark and the story of a youkai sealed there back when monsters were real and magic was possible. But that was all, the rest of the dream all fog and gibberish and a man she couldn't see.
Deciding she's spent enough time worrying over something she didn't seem to have any control over, Kagome finally got up to get ready for the rest of her day. One bath and a change of clothes later and she was feeling much better. She'd put on a pale yellow dress with a blue short-sleeved sweater over top in case Hojo stopped over to see her. They were technically dating so she figured she should probably put a little effort into her appearance, even if she wasn't all that into him. He was nice but he was also kind of boring. His gifts were usually something health related which she guessed was sweet in an odd sort of way.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. She had the house to herself for a while since everyone else had gone to Sota's soccer game. She spent the day studying and listening to music, letting her mind and body relax. She even managed to ignore the pain in her side.
Her family arrived home after Sota's game. It was a little after dinner so they stopped for takeout and brought Kagome something to eat. Hojo showed up shortly after. He'd brought her some strange bamboo thing that she was supposed to step on? Yep, sweet but boring, and a bit predictable.
They sat in the living room and watched a movie. Her mother brought them some snacks but mostly left them alone. Kagome hadn't let Hojo get beyond hand holding and one quick (boring) kiss. They went outside for a bit and talked about school and their friends, upcoming tests, high school entrance exams, and other mundane subjects. Hojo left around 9, giving Kagome a small peck on the cheek.
Once he was gone Kagome wandered over to the sacred tree.
It looked just like it did in her dream, minus the fog and the mysterious presence behind her. She walked over and sat down with her back to the ancient trunk. She leaned her head back against the rough bark and closed her eyes, letting the quiet of the night lull her into a kind of trance. Before she knew it she was asleep.
She was at the well. Instead of the well house though she was in a large clearing, forest all around her in the distance. The moon was full so she could see the well clearly. It's dark depths felt oddly inviting, like it wanted her to climb in. It didn't scare her, though she felt it should have. Someone walked out the trees in the distance, glowing faintly. As the figure got closer Kagome could see that it was a woman. She wasn't glowing but a strange luminescent snake-like creature was floating around her, casting her features in an eerie glow. Her face was similar to Kagome's but with sharper features. Her eyes were cold and distant, her long black hair hung loose around her. She was dressed in traditional miko attire and she held a bow in her left hand. Everything began to happen in slow motion. She pulled an arrow from behind her and lifted the bow. She placed her arrow on the bow string, pulled the string back, and aimed her bow at Kagome's chest. Kagome was frozen, her feet wouldn't move, her body felt heavy. She felt an arm go around her waist just as the woman released the arrow. She was propelled forward into the well, held tight to her rescuer's left side. As they fell he said her name and it was music to her ears. His hand squeezed her side gently, directly over her scar. Another voice called, distant, quiet. She heard it say "he'll find you" before she was engulfed in light.
"Kagome? Wake up dear."
She felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. She opened her eyes and her mother was there crouched beside her. "Did I fall asleep? What time is it?" she yawned, looking around a little.
"It's 10:30. You've been out here for a while."
"Sorry Mama, it's just so peaceful out here."
"I know. It's easy to get lost in thought under this tree." Her mother looked up into the branches of the sacred tree. "You should really head in now though and get some sleep."
Kagome stretched a little before standing, her mother also straightening back up. They headed inside together, her mother in the lead. They said their good nights and Kagome went up to her bedroom, her mother heading to the kitchen to get some water. Once in her bedroom she went straight to her desk and pulled out her little journal to write down the newest dream. She then spent some time reading back through what she had written so far.
Not much made sense to her. None of the places in the visions were recognizable, she couldn't place names with any of the faces, and nobody's voice was familiar. Well, except one. The voice of the man in her latest dream was still echoing in her head, sending a small shiver down her spine. She thought of the red-clad figure, the only constant in her visions. Maybe it was his voice, maybe she did know him. He'd spoken in the visions, she tried to recall his voice but all she could hear was the man in the dream. It must be him, it just felt right. It was only now, thinking back, that she realized that her side no longer hurt. He'd placed his hand over her scar in the dream, had given her a small squeeze as they fell. The now-familiar burning was gone.
But all of this was ridiculous, wasn't it? Dreams and visions and people wearing strange clothes, falling down wells and banishing unexplained pains wasn't real life. She gave a frustrated huff and closed the journal. She checked her clock, it was already a little after midnight. She got up to change into her pajamas but stopped halfway to her dresser. Her skin broke out into goosebumps and her side pulsed gently. She heard the second voice from her dreams again but with a different message this time: "He's coming."
Without a second thought Kagome slid quietly out of her room and snuck down to the kitchen, propelled forward by an invisible force. She found a flashlight in a drawer and flicked it on to make sure it worked. She used the flashlight to navigate through the house and out to the well. Her pace never faltered but her heart beat faster the closer she got to her destination. She'd forgone shoes, her feet making quiet slapping noises against the pavement. She stood in front of the door to the well house and paused only long enough to take a deep breath before opening the door, stepping inside, and closing the door behind her. She had a feeling she would soon know how real her visions and dreams really were.
