Chapter 31: The Spider's Web
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Fujimoto was called, and the girl went, hair swinging behind her with each step.
Kagome tried to bring a memory with the name, sorting through her mind in an attempt to remember if she met the girl before. It seemed odd to her that someone like her would get lost in the crowd, as self-assured as the girl appeared to be, she should have her own Fanclub.
Fujimoto set herself up on the footstool of the beam, arms up and perfectly aligned.
She waited for the clear blow of a whistle, before pulling herself up onto the beam. Kagome watched, transfixed with the girls' moves.
She pulled herself onto a handstand on the beam, walking a few steps with her hands. Meanwhile, her legs had moved in long fluent motions above her, accentuating her long-toned legs.
Those legs split in the air, before curling her forward into another handstand. She laid her torso down onto the beam, legs pulling backwards to land in front of her head, touching the beam with their tips.
Then she uncurled herself, moving straight away onto a perfect split, flowing in a dance without music on the beam.
Kagome would have kept watching, but the whistle from behind her would not let her, "Higurashi! Come on, let's get to it!"
Moving quickly now, Kagome missed the look the girl had shot her, already halfway across the field before she ever turned to glance back. Waiting on the bars, Kagome's mind stood stuck on the girl who should not have remained unnoticed for this long, as it were, there was already a group of girls talking about her perfect score on the beams.
Before she knew it, Kagome was up, staring up at the bar that hung some 3ft above her head with despair.
"Let's go Higurashi-san, we don't have all day" Her Sensei tapped on his scoring chart with that red pen of his, she swallowed at seeing that thing, scribbling away at her score no-doubt.
Taking a deep breath, Kagome bent her knees and jumped. Her hands caught the bar for a full second, before she fell to the ground.
Kagome bit down at the inside of her cheek, a scream just at the tip of her tongue; she knew it would hurt, but when her arms pulled, the shooting pain had been too much for her.
"Higurashi-san?" Her teacher hovered above her, but Kagome could do nothing more but rock forward, her hands clutching at the barely healed wounds on her arms.
"S-sorry, Sensei; I think I might have to skip this one."
"Are you sure about that Higurashi-san? You did good on the track, let's try to keep it going, nei?"
Taking a shaky breath, Kagome pulled herself back up, rubbing her arms with little comfort. "How many do I have to do?"
"It takes 10 pull ups to pass, 20 to assure a place on top of the charts. Can you do it?"
She looked back up at the bar, the metal taunted her capabilities. Although she wanted to prove herself, her arms had a different plan. Suddenly, like a light pulp switching on, Kagome had a brilliant idea.
"Sensei?" she waited for him to turn; determination clear in her bright blue eyes.
"Hai?"
"What do you say about curl-ups?"
Looking between the girl and the bar, her teacher took a moment to consider her request, "Very well, Higurashi-san. But I'll need 15 curls ups for you to pass, understood?"
Fired up, Kagome turned back to her current foe, taking another steadying breath, she jumped. This time Kagome managed to hold her grip, just enough to pull herself halfway up, curling her legs over the bar, her knees hooked onto it with a secure grasp.
"Alright, Higurashi-san; give it your best."
The first few curls had brought a sharp pain to her sides, it hurt, but not as bad as the sharpness in her arms did. So that every curl that was met with aches, and protest from her sides and ribs, Kagome took with a grain of salt.
It took her longer than she would have liked to finish, needing to stop every few curls to give way to the pain.
Eventually she managed to it, not bothering to feel embarrassed when upon dismounting, her arms gave out and dropped her back onto the floor.
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At long last, came her final test, the vaults.
While they waited, others chatted amongst themselves, this being one of those things everyone was good at. Kagome, however, met the pole with a deep hesitation.
Her sides hurt, no doubt about it, but it would take a serious strain over her arms if she tried to do this.
One by one, her classmates came and went, those who couldn't make it past the bar there were given half credit for being able to lift themselves halfway. Kagome wondered what kind of grade she would get when she wouldn't be able to pull herself even a quarter of the way.
Deep in her own despair, Kagome shuffled along the line numbly, when it was her turn, she accepted the pole with no amount of enthusiasm.
"Are your hands okay, Higurashi-san?" The only female teacher asked, being the one who handed her the pole, she noticed the wrappings all around her hands.
"Hai, Sensei, better grip this way" Kagome lied smoothly, moving towards the marked off area for the vaults.
Maybe if she gave it a good enough run, the momentum alone would take her halfway, all she needed was halfway.
Giving it her all, Kagome ran at sprinting speed, folding the pole on the ground and launching herself a few feet into the air. The lighting that went through her was worse than any shock she had ever experienced, a quick pain that shot from her marked skin, down into her fingertips.
Her hands let go automatically, and numbly, Kagome felt herself falling back down onto the sanded area. She hit the ground on her back, but that feeling was lost in the intensity of her arms. They tingled, they hurt, they refused to move no matter which way she tried to bend.
"Higurashi-san!"
Kagome heard her teacher clearly, could hear the other students gathering around her still form, still her breath did not return to her.
Vaguely, she was aware that her teachers were discussing her, but her mind was too focused on the pulsing pain to hear much else. Oher than-.
"I can take her to the Nurse's office, Sensei."
Looking up through a glassy veil, Kagome saw Fujimoto talking with the teachers. Realizing she was on the ground, and that they were planning to take her to the nurse, Kagome tried harder to sit up.
"N-no, I'm fine, I'm-" the world spun for a second, convincing everyone that she should be taken to the nurse immediately.
Kagome gave a weak protest, embarrassed beyond belief when Fujimoto had to support her weight, holding her closely with an arm wrapped around her waist.
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Thankfully, Fujimoto never teased her, or brought attention to her clear mortification. Only gave Kagome kind-patient smiles whenever she caught her looking. Halfway down the hall, Kagome tried pulling away, only succeeding to pull herself up to half posture before tilting back down onto the poor girl.
Mumbling her apologies, Kagome placed her hand on the girl's hip, trying to pull away once more.
The hard cold surface under her fingertips kept her there, mind boggling, Kagome tried to figure out what was under her hand, without being too obvious about it.
She managed to touch the bare surface; the metal feel of whatever Fujimoto kept at her side surprised her, the familiar coldness spiking her anxiety. Before Kagome could try to feel out more, Fujimoto pulled away.
"We're here, Higurashi-san."
"Uh, thanks, I'll take it from here."
But the girl didn't budge, Fujimoto opened the door for her, that same pleasant smile on her face.
"Nonsense, Sensei asked me to watch over you."
"What seems to be the problem girls?" The older voice of the woman there eased Kagome's sudden freight nerves, walking past the girl, Kagome moved to sit on the bed indicated by the woman.
"Just got carried away during my physical examinations, Ano-sama."
"Higurashi-san fell on the ground; she might have hit her head." Fujimoto explained, moving to stand beside Kagome on the other side of the bed.
The woman clicked her tongue in disapproval, moving to feel her head for any pumps, or sore spots. "Does this hurt, Dear?"
Kagome shook her head, "I'm fine, really. Just slipped is all."
The nurse still insisted on prodding at her scalp, only then was she satisfied that Kagome was really okay, did the older woman let up. She was giving instructions to Kagome so she may return to her last free period, when the other girl spoke up, interrupting the two.
"Shouldn't Higurashi-san lie down, if only for a while, I would hate to bring her back should she faint."
"Oh, very well." Ano-sama looked down at her watch, twisting her mouth in a frown, "I suppose there's no harm in letting you rest here a while, you can look after your classmate, won't you?"
Fujimoto bowed to the woman, "I'll take good care of her, Ano-sama."
Content that all lose strings were tied, Ano-sama gave them both a hasty farewell, promising to return shortly. Leaving the two girls alone in her empty office, Kagome swallowed thickly, suddenly very aware of the other girl.
"You should rest your eyes, Higurashi-san. Don't worry, I'll be right here."
"R-right, thank you again." But she did not close her eyes, instead, Kagome watched the other girl with a sudden wariness she could not explain.
Forcing herself to lie down, Kagome felt stiff and rigid, she was sure her posture was giving her away. But the other girl didn't comment on it, simply watched patiently from the foot of the bed.
Kagome tried to tell herself that there was nothing unfriendly in the other girl's eyes, no reason to be high on alert, as she was.
Seconds passed like minutes, and minutes went on for longer, all the while nothing in the room changed. Still-
The hairs on her neck were standing up, with no reason behind this, no danger that she could see. It didn't seem to matter, her heart hammered on as if she were still running those laps.
'Get it together Higurashi.' Kagome told herself it was just Fujimoto.
Fujimoto who smiled kindly at her, Fujimoto who walked slowly around her bed towards her, Fujimoto whose hand disappeared behind her back.
Kagome forced herself to sit up, eyes locked on the appendage she couldn't see, "You shouldn't strain yourself Higurashi-san, try to lie down for a little longer."
'Get up...' Kagome's own voice warned, she felt her legs tense under her, ready to spring need be.
The tension was either all on her, or they were both aware of it. Fujimoto crept closer, and in turn, Kagome inched herself back on the edge of the bed.
'Get up...!'
Fujimoto's smile never wavered, and the chill down Kagome's back only grew the longer the seconds trickled by. The girl took a decisive step forward, one that had the alarms ring loud and clear inside Kagome's mind.
'GET UP!'