Kagome ran to meet Hojo out in the hall,
"Did you get in trouble again?" Hojo asked,
"Nope, I need to borrow your notes for that test," Kagome explained,
"Come on, lets go to the library and I'll make you some copies, have you heard that they have a new act at the circus, a man transforming into a giant dog, its insane, it actually might be worth seeing," Hojo shrugged.
"Yeah, well I don't have a choice in the matter, I got grounded, two weeks, all because I got my nose stuck in my favorite book, so I have to take Sota," Kagome huffed,
"Kagome, really, you need to get your nose out of those stupid history books, there are so many great things here in this time, they didn't even have running water back then," Hojo laughing a little. Kagome took it offensively,
"You do not know of the history of the Feudal Era, you do not have the passion for history as I do," Kagome serious. Hojo backed away for a few minutes,
"Sorry, I didn't know you were turning into your grandfather," Hojo softly.
"If you get your nose out of all the technology that we have now then you could read the history and be interested in the Feudal Era," Kagome opening the door to the library. Hojo stared at the young woman that he was interested in and had now offended,
~She loves history and who am I to tell her any differently.~ Hojo shrugged, he followed her to the copier and started copying his notes for her.
"Listen, you are into the history books and I am okay with that, that's what you like to do for fun and as long as it keeps you out of trouble I see no reason to have a problem with it, but you really should do your homework before going back into the Feudal Era books, you can't let your grades slip," Hojo quietly.
"I guess you do have a point," Kagome sighed,
"I don't understand why you don't hangout with some of the other girls in your class for fun," Hojo suggested what she should be doing,
"I just haven't been interested in opening up and having a social life, I have had friends before and they never wanted to hangout so that bridge has been burnt a while back," Kagome shrugged.
"Why don't you try again," Hojo thinking it might do her some good,
"No Hojo, I won't try again," Kagome a bit coldly, he gave her the printed notes,
"Thank you Hojo," Kagome walking away.
"Hey Kagome, since you are having to go to this circus thing do you mind if I meet you there?" Hojo wanting to hangout with her,
"I don't care but do not count this as a date or anything," Kagome a bit still upset.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Hojo lying, she walked out to her bike and rode home, luckily she wasn't drowned on her ride home as she was that morning.
"Mom, I'm home," Kagome screamed, she ran upstairs to dump her book bag in her room and got out some comfortable clothes and ran to the shower to wash away the somewhat bad day she had just had. As the steaming hot water ran over her once broken body and still was, she started to think about what Hojo had said about her not hanging out with anyone from school, it was really a touchy subject for her, she hadn't been totally friendless all her life, she had had at least one friend in her lifetime, they had been totally inseparatable but one horrible night had changed all that.
Kagome and her best friend in the whole world named Kate who she called Kat for short were riding to Kagome's house that was on the other side of town from Kat's house, Kat's big sister was driving them. Kagome was 13 ½ and Kat being a month older than her. They were two giggly little girls having some summer fun with their never-ending sleepovers, the rain was coming down pretty hard and Kat's sister hydroplaned and swerved into the other lane of traffic ending both Kat's and her big sister's lives, Kagome would have been killed too but she had something protecting her, something was pushing out the thousands of shards of glass that she had in her skin, but she never really knew how bad it was, the only remaining scar was on her forehead. By the time she had reached the hospital all of her wounds were healed except for the one on her forehead. She never really understood how she was alive and the rest were dead, her best friend, the person that was sitting there right beside her in the back of the car was dead.
After reading her grandfather's books and coming to understand that she carried the Shikon Jewel inside of her she knew that must have played a role in saving her life. That day she found out that her friend had died and it had never settled with her, she never got over it, Kate was more or less a sister to Kagome and vice versa, and that was why she never had any more friends. Slowly she turned the water off and got out, she dried herself off and dried her hair and there it was, the mark on her forehead, the crescent moon shaped scar that would always be a reminder to her, that she should have died that same day too but instead she would have to go in life remembering that god-awful night. Gently Kagome rubbed the scar,
"I'm so sorry Kat," Kagome closing her eyes as that horrid night replayed over in her head so clearly. She lost her grip she had on the edge of the sink and fell to the floor on her knees, Sota walked in to use the bathroom,
"Sis!" Sota shutting the door,
"Shut up Sota, I don't want mom knowing," Kagome whispered as she shook. It wasn't the first time that the memory had hit her like that, the accident was the reason that they moved from the States to Japan, her mother thought that the change of scenery would liven Kagome up. Sota grabbed her towel, he wrapped the towel around her naked form, Kagome could hear her mother ascending the stairs,
"Lock the door, tell her I slipped and fell and hit my head and you are cleaning me up," Kagome softly whispered, he quickly ran to the door and locked it.
"Kagome, honey, are you alright?" her mother knocking on the door,
"She just slipped and fell, I'm just cleaning her up mom," Sota screamed. That was her excuse every time, she had used the excuses so many times that she was thought to be clumsy. Kagome could hear her mother mumbling that she needed to be more careful, she smirked,
"Thanks Sota," Kagome holding her head,
"Your scar has opened up again, its bleeding," Sota getting a clean cloth and cleaning her wound, when she was all cleaned up, she put her comfortable clothes on,
"I'm okay Sota," Kagome assured him, she started to walk out with her dirty clothes and towel.
"Is that the reason you don't have any friends, sis?" Sota softly, she hesitated,
"Yeah," Kagome answered him without turning around and headed downstairs. Walking into the kitchen and noticing her mother making supper she tried to sneak by unnoticed to throw her dirty clothes and towel into the wash,
"Supper will be ready in a minute," her mother turning to her, she had noticed the drying blood on her daughter's forehead,
"Looks like you cut your head a bit," her mother digging around in the cabinets, she found some Motrin and popped out two for Kagome, she filled a glass of water for her and gave her the pills,
"Thanks mom," Kagome swallowing the pills and drinking the glass of water,
"Why don't you take a nap before dinner and I'll wake you up when dinner is ready, you look like you could use some sleep," her mother explained. Kagome nodded and walked upstairs and into her bedroom shutting the door and throwing herself onto her bed, almost as soon as she got comfortable, she fell into a deep sleep. Again the dreams came, the man stood there looking straight at her, his eyes that were so full of life and seemed to gleamer at one time were now so dull and dim and glittered with despair,
"I'll save you, I will find a way to save you," Kagome desperate to save this creature, she saw that he wore some type of metal collar, she looked around in her dream trying to find the keys, she found the guards who were guarding his cage, asleep. As she looked closer she found a set of keys, she peered at the watch on his wrist reading the time, 12:11pm, she tried every key to unlock the cage door, paying close attention to which key it was, the last one worked, she carefully opened the door.
"Come on you're free," Kagome whispered,
"The collar woman," the handsome man coldly spat out,
"I'll take care of it, but if you don't hurry now you wont be able to get out of here," Kagome explained in a whisper, suddenly a shot rang out, Kagome didn't know what had hit her, she looked down at her side and put her hand to the red stuff that started to stream out of her side, she glanced back up to the man as she slumped to the floor.