"What...what do you mean?" she asked, thinking she'd misheard wrong. Inside, her heart was breaking- she knew what he'd said- she'd only hoped it was something else.

A sudden breeze sent strands of white and ebony flowing, but only for a moment. It was a beautiful scene, and anyone would think that the two were only talking, perhaps as lovers, in this quiet, tree-filled place.

Dog ears twitched at the strong scent of salt liquid, but when he looked, he saw nothing. Or was that just her eyes? They were blue, so they were always watery, never remaining just one shade, unlike his somber gold.

"I'm sorry," he said, almost choking on his words. It was all he would say. It was all that he could say. "I'm so sorry..." And yet, this time something was different. Tears slipped from his own eyes, from the strong, solid color and fell, each trembling just along the bottom lip of the eye before slipping away, almost like rain.

"It's okay." she said to him, the pain of her heartbreak slowing. It was still there, but to her, his pain was far more important. Far, far more important. She didn't want him to hurt anymore, and she had to do all she could to stop the pain from hurting him. "Hush."

She stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. "It's alright." she told him, running her fingers through his hair. "It's all perfectly alright." His sobs quieted, and he hid his face against her stomach, wetting it with his tears.

"Shhhhhh..." she murmured to him. "Everything will be okay."

Dear Diary,

Yes, I dreamed again last night, but this time I held him, and I comforted him. He was crying, you see. I wonder why these dreams are repeating? And why is he always so sad? He keeps apologizing to me. I'm sorry for him, and it makes me want to cry, but what should I do? Is he even real? I get this strange feeling, telling me that he is real. Still, I have to be sure. I'll need to work on my meditation more to check at night when the dreams come.

From what grandfather says, the boy sounds like a demon. A half-breed, to be more exact. I believe the ancient term was something along the lines of Hanyou. I suppose it was a more degrading term for half of anything at the time. Why did they call him a half-demon, I wonder. Why not call him a half-human? It doesn't make sense. Still, I've been reading up on the historical scrolls and stuff. I'm hoping to find something in them, especially if this boy really is a demon.

Kagome sat back, yawning. She was still in her pink pajamas. She'd been writing in her diary at her desk, which was just opposite of her comfortable bed. She glanced at the time. It was just turning eight. "Good thing there's no school today." she muttered to herself, before standing.

She stretched, before standing. Once she was up, and started doing the stretches that she'd do to keep her body limber. Jumping jacks, push ups, sit ups, and crunches followed those. When she'd worked up a sweat, she threw her pajamas into the dirty clothing hamper. Normally she changed before doing the exercises, but she didn't really like the pajamas that she'd been wearing. While she had nothing against pink, it just wasn't her color.

She grabbed a clean set of clothes and slipped into the shower. Perhaps later, when she had time, she'd slip into the tiled bath that they had. It was one of her favorite parts of the bathroom. For now, though, she wanted to be up and about. Perhaps twenty minutes had passed when she finally left the bathroom, hair brushed and dried, face washed, teeth brushed, and clothed. As one of the more athletic people at her school, she didn't really approve of make up and saved her cosmetics for more fancy times, and from time to time wore them at a festival.

Ready to face the day, she skipped down to the kitchen to see her mother at the stove, working on breakfast. Her grandfather was reading the paper at the table, and her little brother, Souta, had yet to make an appearance.

It seemed her mother had noticed the same thing. "Would you get Souta, Kagome, dear?"

"Sure, Mom. Hold on just a minute." she grinned cheerfully at her mother. She was always cheerful in the morning, unlike Souta, who always seemed unable to get out of bed. She traipsed up the stairs again and passed her own room to the one adjacent to it.

She rapped on the door sharply. "Souta? Are you awake yet? Breakfast is ready!" she called. She heard some grumbling, and a deciding thump that told her he'd be down shortly. As such, she went down first.

"Why so energetic today, Kagome?" her grandfather asked her as she entered the kitchen once more. He seemed confused at her active self.

"I just have a good feeling." she told him, still smiling. "I can't help but think something good is going to happen today, and soon."

"What the hell did he mean, 'Not too far away?!'" Yusuke grumbled, stomping up the steep, numerous steps of the ever popular Higurashi shrine. Nonetheless, he traipsed on, and when he finally reached the top, he found himself panting for breathe. At that, he frowned. "I'm a spirit detective and I'm this far out of shape?" He made a mental note to start up with his exercises and 'spars' again. He swung his duffel bag back over his shoulder, securing it so that it wouldn't fall.

He moved across the freshly swept grounds and straight to the front door of the house that was set apart from the shrine. He sighed, and took a deep breathe. This is for Keiko, he thought. It's all for Keiko. I can do this. The thought of his now deceased girlfriend sent pangs through his heart. He almost walked away from the shrine, but forced himself to rap sharply on the door.

For a moment, there was nothing. Just as he was about to turn away, heard the scrape of something heavy, and a call, "Just a minute!"

Not a moment had yet passed when he found the door swinging wide open to show a girl, around his age, it looked, with beautiful hair, and kind, honest eyes. "May I help you?" she asked him. Her voice was just as clear as her eyes, and for a second, he lost himself in them.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that, please?" he asked her, his attention back on the task at hand.

She laughed at him and spoke, "I asked it you needed any help." Her eyes were mischievous. He made a note not to get on her bad side.

"Um, I'm Yusuke Urameshi." he started, trying to think of how to say things. He grasped at the sands of time- he still didn't know what to say!- when she suddenly became flustered.

"Oh! Yusuke Urameshi..." she seemed distracted, and briefly he wondered if she knew of his rather dreadful reputation. Then, she stepped back, into the house, and for a moment poor Yusuke thought she was going to shut him out. "Come in. It was rather rude of me to leave you there. Have you eaten yet? We just finished breakfast, but we've still got a lot left over."

He blinked, unused the such acts. "Um... sure?" He took her invitation, and set his bag down. He saw that she wore slippers and took off his shoes, looking around, just in case there was something he should do- an unsaid rule that was to be followed. He hadn't been invited into many houses, so he wasn't quite sure of what to do.

It seemed she had noticed. She turned, and pointed out a pair of slippers, not unlike her own, and smiled as she gestured for him to put them on.

"Thanks," he grinned sheepishly as he followed her instructions. He left his bag there, and followed her as she led him to the kitchen.

"Anything in particular you like to eat?" she asked, not unkindly. She pulled out a chair and patted the top of the backrest before turning to the stove.

Again, Yusuke was confused. "Um... Not really, so anything is fine." Only a couple of minutes later, a plate was plopped down in front of him. It was piled with pancakes. Following that came a small tin of butter, and a large container of maple syrup, and silverware.

His eyes grew huge. No one had ever voluntarily put that much on a plate and handed it to him without asking for something in return. Still, she hadn't said anything yet, so he could still deny whatever she wanted so long as she waited until he was done.

When he remained motionless, Kagome frowned. "Eat- I didn't make all of that for it to just sit there." she scolded him, as she say across from him at the table. Immediately, he tore into his food, ravenous for no reason he could think of.

When he'd finally finished eating, he stood to put the plate away, but she'd immediately stood and taken it from him. "Would you like more?" she asked.

"No, thanks. That was delicious, Miss..." he realized he had yet to learn her name and pointed at her. "I didn't catch your name."

She twitched, before sticking her tongue out. "It's rude to point, Mr. Urameshi. And as for me, I'm Kagome- Kagome Higurashi."

He blinked, dumbstruck. "Wait! You're Kagome Higurashi?"

"Yes...?" she trailed off, surprised. She'd frozen at the sink, with the water spilling over the dishes to cleanse away the food that had been there. "Why are you so surprised?"

At first he said nothing, still trying to sort things out in his mind, and at last, he said, "I... Well, I thought you'd be older."

Instantly, she turned a glare on him. "Older?" she demanded. "Just how old did you think I would be?"

"Well, priests and priestesses are all old people! They're either nearing thirty or forty or they're just about senile!" he cried out in his defense.

She sighed, then, and dropped the subject. "Alright then. I'm assuming you need me for something?"

"That's right!" Her statement put him back on the fast track. "I need you to teach me meditation."

"What?" she just about gaped at him, before beginning to laugh. "You? Meditation?"

"What's wrong with that?" he demanded an answer, confused and feeling a little insulted.

"No, Yusuke Urameshi, you're too impatient." she said at last. "My answer to that request is no, I will not teach you the art of meditation."