Disclaimer: Apparently I'll get sued if Rumiko Takahashi ever got wind that I claimed I own Inuyasha...but you guys wouldn't tell on me, right? RIGHT?!
A/N Heya, folks! Sorry about the looong delay, it was due to various reasons...this has been one heck of a busy summer for me...at least I have no more homework to do! For another month at least...
And to answer your question, Goddess of infinity, yes, I'll probably take turns at updating KOTH and this one...it makes sure that they're both looked after equally and it just makes life generally easier for me...
And I'll just say that Kagome's NOT insane...yet...she's being driven to the edge, I guess you could say; the circumstances of her life have not been kind to her...and everyone else believes she IS insane...which she's technically not...but that's all I'm saying! As to what happened to Hojo...you'll find out later! :P
On with the chapter!
..:V:..
Kagome looked gloomily out of the train window. The terrain passed by in a blur, the trees and vegetation all melded together, as she lost herself in her thoughts.
She and Souta were now on their way to Madison College... Kagome wished she could say she was excited, but the only feeling she had was a queasy one deep in her stomach. She couldn't keep the thought from her mind of what might potentially happen during her stay at this new school...she was scared to death. But she was determined. She couldn't back down, not now, not ever.
It was a week since she had spoken to Ms. Cortner about transferring. Since then, the head woman had contacted the boarding school and arranged for Kagome to take an entrance exam. Kagome had aced the with flying colours and now the school was suggesting that Kagome move up a year more than her age; that she move directly to grade eleven instead of continuing on with grade ten.
Kagome had considered it carefully and then accepted the idea. It wasn't that she was exceptionally gifted, but she concentrated on her school work with such an intensity that it tended to reward her with above average grades. School work was the only thing she had to distract her from the real world, and so she paid it extra special attention.
The scenery outside the window slowly shifted from wilderness to the outskirts of a city.
"Are we almost there, sis?" Souta asked her from his seat across from her.
Kagome mustered a smile for him. "Yup! Only about fifteen more minutes, Souta. We'll be there before you know it."
Her brother nodded and went back to playing on his Game Boy. Kagome watched him fondly for a moment before once again turning back to the window.
Apparently the headmistress of Madison College was a Ms. Kaede Hakaru and she had been in charge of the school for the past twenty years. Kagome was to report to her immediately upon her arrival.
Kagome sighed. And after she had met and talked with Ms. Hakaru, she'd start looking for this mysterious boy...the one with long black hair and compelling, dark eyes. She thought she would recognize him...though his features were obscured by the distortion of pain, not many boys had long, black hair like his.
A few more minutes passed while Kagome sat brooding, but eventually, the train pulled into the station and it was time to disembark. She and Souta gathered their things and hopped off the train.
As soon as they entered the main part of the station, Kagome crossed over to the payphones and looked up a local taxi service in the phonebook. She dialled the number and asked for a taxi to come to the station and pick the two of them up. With that, she joined Souta who was sitting on a nearby bench. He tried multiple times to engage her in conversation, but she only responded distractedly and listlessly. He eventually gave up and they waited for a few minutes in silence for the cab.
When it arrived, they grabbed their luggage and went out to meet it. "Madison College," Kagome requested of the driver as she and Souta climbed in.
"Ah, you two students there?" the man asked, a hint of a Scottish accent in his voice.
"Yes," Kagome replied demurely. "We're new."
"Well, I'm sure you'll love it there!" the man said encouragingly. "My friend's niece attends that school and he says she's really enjoying herself."
Kagome nodded politely and directed her attention outside of the window beside her. "I'm sure I'll love it too..." she said softly in a detached manner.
Souta glanced worriedly at his sister and took over the conversation for her. "We hear it's really great, mister, but that you kinda have to work harder than normal schools."
"Ay, and that's true enough, little man," the driver said with a wink. "I hear there's no slacking to be done there and that you've got to earn your keep."
"I'm sure that'll be no problem for my big sis!" Souta insisted. "She aced all of her entrance exams."
Kagome smiled faintly at Souta's declaration. "Souta! Don't go advertising me around..." she admonished him lovingly.
"Sorry, sis," Souta mumbled sheepishly. Kagome laughed softly at his reaction.
"Ah, a laugh out of the little lady!" the driver said jovially. "Don't mind my saying so, but you look a little down." The driver glanced at Kagome through his rearview mirror.
Kagome gave him a weak smile and fibbed, "Oh, it's nothing. Just a little sad having to leave my parents and friends in order to go to this new school..."
"That'll about do it," the driver agreed. "But keep your chin up! There's no better place to go than to Madison; that's sure enough. Nothing but praise floating around everywhere for that school. Your homesickness will pass soon enough, I can guarantee you."
"Thanks; I appreciate it..." Kagome replied, despondent once more.
As the driver saw he wasn't likely to get any more information out of Kagome, he once again turned his attention to Souta and the two of them chatted for the remainder of the trip.
"Ah, here we be, you two; Madison College. That'll be ten dollars and fifty cents please." As Kagome handed him the money, plus a tip, he added, "And best of luck at your new school, kids. I'm sure you'll have a great time!"
Kagome nodded and thanked him before clambering out of the cab behind Souta. They grabbed their bags out of the trunk and then waved to him as he drove off. They turned and then mounted the concrete steps up to the impressive building that awaited them. Once they'd entered the large, double doors, they followed a few signs that eventually guided them to the main office.
"Hello! May I help you?" The secretary behind the main desk had noticed Kagome and Souta's arrival and hastened to greet them.
Kagome turned towards the smiling lady. "Um, yes. I'm Kagome Higurashi and this is my younger brother, Souta. We recently registered here and were accepted...?"
Realization lit up in the secretary's eyes and she said, "Ah, yes. We've been expecting you two. Actually, the principal, Ms. Hakaru would like to have a few words with you both and then you will be free to find your new rooms and meet the other students of this school." With a smile, the lady gestured to a room that branched off of the main office. The name on the door, Kaede Hakaru, suggested it was the office of the headmistress herself.
Kagome nodded her thanks to the kind secretary before she and Souta made their way over to the awaiting door. She knocked twice and waited for a reply before opening the door and entering, Souta trailing behind.
"Ah, welcome, welcome. Please, come in, come in," an older lady waved them into her office, a smile creasing her aged face. As Kagome and Souta sat down in two chairs facing her, she added, "And you two would be...?"
"Kagome and Souta Higurashi," Kagome supplied.
"Ah, yes," the older woman acknowledged. "I've been waiting for your arrival. First, I'll give you two your timetables and your dorm room numbers, and then we have a few things to discuss." She shuffled through a few papers on her desk until she found the two she was looking for, and then handed them to the siblings across from her. "Now, remember, Kagome, if you're having any difficulty at all with your courses, since they are a grade higher than your age, don't hesitate to ask for help from either your teachers or your fellow students. I can assure you that both will be extremely accommodating. And that, of course, goes for you too, Souta; if you're having any trouble, don't hesitate to ask for help."
Kagome nodded her head and Souta thanked her.
"Well, then," the principal said, smiling. "To the matters that need discussing. First of all, always address me as Kaede, not Ms. Hakaru. I may be old, but I don't need to be reminded of it," she said, winking. "But to more serious issues. Now, I think I'll explain to you that I've been informed of your...background, Kagome, by the head woman of your orphanage."
Kagome winced.
"Although, the rest of this school is completely unaware, I assure you. Because of your terrible past, I want to make your stay here as happy and peaceful as it can be," Kaede said kindly. "I'm aware that you often have nightmares; is that right, Kagome?"
The girl nodded, a tense look on her face.
"Well, we have a rule in this school that no girls are allowed to visit the boys' dorms after eight o'clock at night and vice versa. But for you two, I'm willing to make an exception to that rule. If you find you are having a hard time, Kagome, you may visit each other's dorm rooms as long as you promise that they will be the only dorm rooms of the opposite gender you visit."
The siblings agreed readily.
"Alright then," Kaede said, smiling once more. "But I'm sure you'll be fine. Now I think that's about all I need to discuss with you two. Remember, you start classes tomorrow. And if you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to come back to me with them. I'll always be here to help you."
Kagome and Souta rose, nodding their thanks to the older lady in front of them before exiting the office.
"Well, Souta, I guess we should go find our separate dorm rooms," Kagome said reluctantly. "Tell me what yours is so I'll be able to find it later."
"Mine's on floor two, number fifty-four," Souta supplied. "And what's yours?"
"My room's on the ground floor, number twenty-six," Kagome answered. "I guess I'll see you later then."
Just as Kagome was turning away, Souta said, "And, sis, try to make some friends!"
Kagome looked back at him, almost wistfully. "I don't want any more friends, Souta...never again do I want friends..." She turned without another word and walked down the hallway and out of sight.
Souta sighed and slowly made his way to the staircase.
..:V:..
Kagome shut the door with her foot as she looked around the small room that would become her home for an undetermined time. There were two beds and a desk on each side of the room and a tiny bathroom that branched off from it, but other than that, there was not a lot of room for much else. As soon as Kagome had entered, a girl had sprung up from one of the beds and come toward her. The girl was undoubtably a few inches taller than Kagome and she had long, straight, black hair that was held together near its end by a hair elastic. Her brown eyes shone as she greeted the new arrival.
"Hi!" The girl said cheerfully, extending a hand. "My name's Sango and I guess you're going to be my new roommate."
Kagome dropped all of her bags on the ground and politely shook the girl's hand. "Hi..." she responded dully. "My name's Kagome..."
"Well, it's great to meet you, Kagome!" Sango said, smiling brightly. "Did you want me to give you a tour of the school? After all, your classes start tomorrow so you'll want to be able to find your way around, right?"
Kagome glanced at her. Sango seemed really nice and she seemed like the kind of girl Kagome could get to be friends with really quickly. But since that was opposite of what she wanted, she would have to be sure to keep her distance.
"Uh...no thanks," Kagome declined. "I mean, thanks for the offer, but I think I'll just...figure it out for myself."
Sango's happy expression dimmed a bit and she said, "Oh...well, okay. If you think that's what you'd like to do... Hey! But at least I can tell you a bit about the school..." At Kagome's barely perceptible nod, she continued, "Hmm...well, the teachers are usually fairly nice...watch out for the Ancient History teacher, though...he's kind of odd sometimes... Umm...Hiten and his buddies are the school jerks so you might want to stay away from them...everyone else is fairly nice..." Sango continued on with her commentary as Kagome started unpacking her bags.
..:V:..
Kagome groggily came out of her deep slumber at the shrill sound of an alarm clock near her head. Groping around the table next to her bed, her hand finally made contact with the offending object and silenced it with the press of a button.
The fifteen-year old slowly rose from her bed and glanced around her tiny new room. She saw that her new roommate was also starting to wake up across the room.
"Good morning," Sango yawned. "Have a nice sleep?" She winked at Kagome.
Kagome blushed from embarrassment and thought about the night before. As soon as Sango had finished with her commentary, Kagome had requested that she be allowed to go to sleep. Sango had been slightly bewildered since it was still an early hour, but had agreed without question.
"Um...yeah... I actually slept okay," Kagome replied sheepishly. "For once..." she muttered under her breath.
"Well," Sango said, smiling. "We'd better get ready for another day of school..." The girl got up from her bed and headed towards the bathroom. "Mind if I dibs the bathroom first?" she asked her new roommate. Kagome shook her head no. "Thanks!" Sango said, disappearing into the small washroom and closing the door. Soon after, the sounds of a shower running were heard.
Kagome sighed and dropped her face into her hands. It was true, she had actually spent a night in peace the previous night. But she knew that would not happen every night. And how long would it be before her new roommate discovered her terrible nightmares, her spontaneous visions and her violent reactions to each and every one of them? How long would it be before the whole school knew? Kagome could not keep up the pretense for long that she was normal just like everyone else; and once her illusion was broken through, she would have to suffer through all of those looks everyone shot her way...looks of pity...looks that she was a freak...looks that she was unwanted...looks that said the person thought they understood what she was going through...
Kagome rose suddenly from her seat on her new bed and shook the painful thoughts out of her head. This was no time to feel sorry for herself. Now, there was someone else's life at stake and she would do anything she could to save the mysterious boy. And she would start as soon as today by searching for him among all of the other many students of Madison College.
..:V:..
Kagome stumbled down the hall, cursing herself for refusing Sango's offer of a tour. She was now trying to find her homeroom classroom with the extremely useless map and her timetable clutched in her hands. Her first class was Physics and she didn't want to be late on her first day.
As she rushed through the halls, glancing at passing doorways, she caught snippets of other students' conversations.
"He's back, haven't you heard?"
"...back just this morning..."
"...woken up?!"
"Poor guy..."
"...was all that true...?"
Kagome didn't know what all the kafuffle was about, but she decided to ignore it in favour of continuing her search for her lost Physics class. She noticed that the hallways were started to empty out as all of the wandering students went off to attend their first classes. Soon Kagome was all alone except for a group of boys and girls coming towards her down the hall.
"Um, hello!" she called out to them tentatively. "I was wondering if you could help me find my first class...?" She trailed off as the seemingly leader of the group noticed her and started coming directly towards her.
"Oh, a new student are you?" the boy said, the smile on his face not quite reaching his eyes.
"Uhhh...yes..." Kagome said, regarding the boy uncertainly. Her eyes were drawn to the long dark braid that flowed down his back. The boy she was looking for had long dark hair! But, wait...this boy had startlingly red eyes, whereas the eyes of the boy in her visions were dark. This boy couldn't be the one she was looking for. This boy also looked to be a demon, not human.
"Well...let me just have a look at your timetable...!" With one swift movement, the boy grabbed the sheet of paper from her and held it high above her as he regarded it thoughtfully.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Kagome said angrily as she reached for her stolen paper. The boy however, with his superior height, held it just out of her reach.
"Aw, come on," the boy with the braid said mockingly. "I'm just trying to help!" He flicked his hand down on the binders Kagome was carrying before she could react and they all went tumbling to the ground. The small group behind him laughed.
"Way to go, Hiten!"
"Give her a proper welcoming to our school!"
"Ugh!" Kagome said, flashing the group a disgusted look. "Jerks!"
"Ah, ah, ah!" the boy known as Hiten tsked her. "That's not very nice!" He gave her a small shove that sent her tumbling amongst her fallen supplies. His buddies chuckled.
Kagome fumed. "Leave me alone, you jerks!"
Hiten bent over slightly to look her in the eye. "And what if we don't?"
"Then you'll have ME to mess with!" a new masculine voice called out harshly. The whole group turned to look at the new arrival.
A boy was leaning on the doorframe of one of the doors leading outside of the school, his arms crossed. His long silver hair blew in the breeze that was coming through the door he kept propped open and his fierce golden eyes flashed as they glared at the offending boy looming over the indignant girl. Kagome could just make out two small triangles perched behind the new boy's unruly bangs and came to the startling realization that they were his ears. The boy must also be some sort of demon.
Kagome looked up to see that the boy known as Hiten wore a thoroughly startled expression on his face; almost one of fear.
"Y-you... Y-you're back...?!" Hiten demanded with a slightly apprehensive note in his voice.
The silver-haired demon smirked, although Kagome could tell the boy was little amused. "I sure am, Hiten. And what are you going to do about it? Harass a poor little new human student? Heh, I guess it's because humans are the only kind of people weak enough to be beat up by the likes of you."
Hiten growled before flinging Kagome's timetable down at her. "I could beat up an insignificant half-breed like you any day," the boy spat. "But since you just got out of the hospital, I'll let you have a little freedom before I put you back in it!" he sneered. Then, Hiten nodded to the small group behind him. "Come on, guys. Let's get to class."
Golden eyes watched them saunter off down the hall and out of sight, an indiscernible look to them.
"Hey..."
At the sound of Kagome's voice, the boy seemed to come out of a reverie and looked down at the girl who was picking herself off the ground and coming towards him. "What?" the boy asked rudely.
"I was just going to say thanks for getting rid of those losers..." Kagome said tentatively while eyeing the boy closely. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn't seem to put her finger on it.
"Keh," the boy said. "Don't think I'll fight all your battles for you," he added contemptuously.
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't planning on it... Hey, what's your name, anyway?"
"Inuyasha," the boy said sharply as he turned away and started to walk away.
"Oh..." Kagome said softly. Then her head snapped up and she raced after her new acquaintance. "Hey, Inuyasha!"
The boy stopped abruptly and looked at the girl running up to him darkly. "What?!" he snapped.
Kagome gave him a somewhat helpless look. "Could you help me find my class...?"
..:V:..
A/N Voila! Hope you enjoyed the third chapter! :) And Kagome's met Inuyasha!
Oh, but wait! What's this? He has silver hair, golden eyes and dog ears! He's not the boy in her vision! ...Or is he? ;) Guess you'll just have to stay tuned! Ciao for now!