Looking into the mirror, Kagome let out a sigh. Her eyes looked dull, lacking the spark it once had no so long ago. Back when she thought, He loved her. Back when she had a plan for her future. A future with Him by her side.
Walking away from the image of herself, she pushed the feelings that arose aside. She had to keep on moving, for she had a daughter to take care of. A daughter who almost daily asked questions about her father. Everyday, she has to live with telling her that her father lives far away, and can’t come to see them. Never does she say why he can’t come, even though she was always asked why.
What could she say really, that her father lived five hundred years ago and couldn’t come to see her, because she sealed the well so very long ago.
Kagome made her way towards her daughter’s bedroom. She could hear her still asleep.
“Reiko, it’s time to get up, honey,” Kagome said warmly through the bedroom door.
She got no reply back from the young teen within; all she could hear was feet hitting the floor and clothes being moved around. Smiling, Kagome walked downstairs to the kitchen so she could prepare breakfast.
Looking through the cupboards she found nothing but cereal. Shrugging she laid out the cereal and figured that would do for today. She would head out to the store later that day. Or tomorrow, she knew Reiko wouldn’t mind having Ramen for dinner tonight.
Rolling her eyes she turned to see her daughter come down the stairs. Her long white hair was pulled back into a bun with a few strands framing her face. Her eyes were exactly like her fathers, amber gold and filled with life. She looked more like her father than she did Kagome. But she had Kagome’s spirit. Though she did seem to inherit her father’s stubbornness.
Kagome sighed at the thought of Inuyasha, and quickly wiped away the stray tear that made it’s way onto her cheek. She let a small smile grace her face as she looked at her daughter.
“Good morning, dear, are you already for school?” Kagome asked her as she sat down at the table across from where Reiko sat, still looking half way asleep.
“Yeah, Mom, I’m all ready for school,”
“Nervous?”
“Of what? I’m just entering the 8th grade,” Reiko said holding her chin up high, as she tried to look tough.
“True, but it is a whole new experience,”
“Feh, so what? School is just that… school,” Reiko said as she took a bite of her cereal.
Kagome rolled her eyes at the teen sitting before her. If it wasn’t for the fact the she had the top grades in her class, she would have said something to her at this. Looking up at the clock she saw that her daughter only had thirty more minutes before she had to leave for school.
“You need to hurry up, we leave in a half hour,” she said before getting up to go get dressed.
Reiko’s POV
Sighing, I sat back into my chair. I could still picture the look my mom sent me as I walked in. I could tell that she was thinking of my father, again. A deep pain entered my heart at this. I never once met my father. I knew that he didn’t know of me. Why, I wasn’t so sure.
Smirking I thought of the journals I found yesterday when we visited the shrine to see grandma Higurashi. I found them while I was in the well house, which was supposed to be off limits, but I just felt like it held something important for me to find. Something that I needed to find out, to truly understands something that I had yet to figure out existed.
Shoving back the chair, I got up. After cleaning up the mess I made, I went upstairs back to my room. On my bed I saw the small box. In it were about ten notebooks, filled with my mother’s thoughts. They ranged from when she was fifteen to twenty. Looking at my watch, I figured I would have some time to read a bit. Picking up the top journal, I opened it to read.
I don’t know how much longer I have here in Feudal Japan. I can feel the end coming close; I can feel it’s cold fingers binding around my throat. Inuyasha says we are getting close to where Naraku, supposedly resides. Though Sango, Miroku, and I are very doubtful. I can still remember last time he said this.
So we keep up the pace as we walk endlessly towards a seemingly close destination. When we’ll finally get there, Kami only knows. In a way I hope it’s soon. All of the fighting and always getting into life or death situations are seriously taking its toll on me.
Though in a way I’m afraid of the end. For no one knows how it will come about. This and I have no idea what I’ll do when it’s over. I know, I will need to think about this, but it saddens me that there may be a time where I can’t see my friends here.
That I won’t be able to see Inuyasha again. Especially after we finally had a break through in our relationship. Well, or so he says, but in my heart I knew that if Kikyo were to return, he would leave me in an instant, for I am just a copy of his original love. I know I shouldn’t go for this, but I love him too much to just turn away from him now.
Sango, I can tell, is also troubled about the end. She knows that Miroku’s end is nearing more quickly then the final battle between Naraku and us. The wind tunnel has been bothering him a lot lately. He never said it, but we saw it in his eyes, that his end is near.
I can still remember the day when they finally confessed their love for one another. It was such a sweet and comical site. The memory still brings a small smile to my face.
I looked up at my wall, more confused than I was to begin with. Inuyasha, Kikyo, Sango, Miroku, and Naraku, who were these people? And what is all this talk about “the end is coming”? What end? What “Final battle”? And how in the hell, did her mother get into the Feudal era? That had to be a little over five hundred years ago!
Going through the box she pulled out the notebook on the bottom, figuring it was the first one. Flipping through it she stopped on a very peculiar entry.
After falling down the well, I wondered why I didn’t just hit the hard bottom. Opening my eyes I found my self-falling through a haze. Before another coherent thought hit me, I hit bottom. I expected to see the roof above from the well house, but instead I found the open blue sky.
I climbed out quickly, running through a forest. That’s when I saw the Goshinboku.
And there he was, pinned to a tree, his long white hair floating on the breeze. He looked to be alive, even though the arrow went straight through his chest. But what got me the most were his ears. He had dog-ears! I would have watched the sight before me for hours if it weren’t for the large centipede thing coming towards me.
Before I knew it, I had grabbed the arrow and released the guy before me from the spell he was under. I couldn’t believe the sight held in front of me. He had the most stunning eyes I had ever seen. They were pure ember-gold.
From that moment on I knew, he would be the death of me some day.
Giggling, I still didn’t understand how any of this could be true. How could a well transport someone through time?
“Honey, we have to go now,” mom yelled from downstairs. Sighing I put the notebooks back, and slid the box under my bed.
I walked downstairs, thinking over everything I had just read. I had a strange feeling that even though everything I read sounded like a fictional novel that my mother might have written, was real, everything from the well to dog boy. Something about the description of the guy held me captive though. I knew in an instant that he held an important part in my mother’s life, what it was I knew I’d read in the future.
“Reiko, is something wrong?” Mom asked me as I walked towards the front door.
“No, I’m just thinking,”
“About what? You were awfully quiet while you were upstairs. Normally you have your music up loud and I have to ask you to turn it down.”
“Nothing, Mom.” I said quickly, to quickly.
I could see the look my mother sent me. It clearly stated that whatever it was she would find out eventually.
The drive to school was quiet. Before I knew it my mom said goodbye and I was walking up to my school. Looking around I tried to spot my three best friends; Keiko, Kaori, and Asami. Looking towards the front of the building on the steps, I saw them talking happily with one another. I ran quickly over to them.
“Have you seen the new guy, Rikyu?” Keiko said excitedly.
“Yes, he is so hot!” Kaori giggled.
That’s when they noticed me.
“Reiko!” All three of them said as they smiled at me.
I hadn’t seen any of my friends since the end of last year, seeing as how Mom took me on vacation to see my uncle Sota.
“We were just talking about the new guy, Rikyu Sasaki,” Asami said with a light in her brown eyes.
“There he is!” Keiko said pointing directly over my shoulder.
I turned to look at whom my friend was pointing and lost my footing. I closed my eyes, expecting to meet the ground when I felt someone’s arms capture me. I opened my eyes to see a guy smiling at me. His hair was a dark brown and went to his shoulder. He had bright violet eyes that were very much alive, and looking right at me. Blushing I stepped out of the guys arms.
“Thank you, um.” Looking at him I realized I did not know his name.
“Sasaki Rikyu,” He said still smiling, “and your welcome.”
So this was the guy my friends were talking about. Normally I didn’t agree with my friends’ outlook on guys, but this one I had to admit, did look good. As I smiled back at him I felt a sense of Deja’ Vu.
“And what is you name?” He asked cocking his head to the right, looking at me, his gaze intense.
“Higurashi Reiko,” I said.
Before I could realize what was happening, Rikyu had taken a hold of my right hand.
“A beautiful name, for a beautiful girl,” Rikyu said as he kissed my knuckles.
I blushed at his comment and could hear my friends giggling at the scene before them. I had no idea what to say, never in my life had I ever been given a compliment like that, not outside my family at least.
Kneeling down, Rikyo picked up my books and handed them to me.
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
“Reiko, we have to head to class now, you can talk to him later,” Asami said rolling her eyes.
I looked at him and smiled my goodbye. I could tell that this would be a very long day.
.
.
Leaning my head down on the table, I let out an exaushted sigh. After having only been the first day, I already had homework in everyone of my classes.
“I just had to take all advanced classes,” I mumbled to myself as I lifted my head up to look around.
“I hear ya, there,”
I could not help the smile that appeared when I heard Rikyo's smooth voice.
Lifting my head up I watched him take a seat next to me. With a slight shrug he dropped that bag he carried off of his shoulders and let it fall to the ground with a slight thump sound.
"Long day?" I asked as my smile turned into a slight smirk.
"Arn't all first days?" Rikyo said with a slight roll of his eyes.
Chucklin I couldn't help but agree. Though I knew we had different reasons why the day was going long. His had to do with work... mine had to do with the journals back at home that were just begging me to read more of.
"Do you have any plans tonight?"
I couldn't help but look up at him at that. I could almost bet my eyes gone as wide as saucers. I probably looked a sight.
"No, not that I'm aware of at least. Why?"
"I was hopeing that you and I could get together...maybe help each other out with all of the homework we recieved today?" Rikyo replied with a smile that made my heart skip a beat.
"Sure. That sounds like a great idea."
Whoa...rewind that... did I just say that? I meant to say that I couldn't since I wanted to get down to read all those journals. The bright smile and now sparkling violet eyes told me that I did in deed tell him yes.
"Well then, where and when do you think we should get together?" Rikyo asked me as he leaned his head on his propped up right hand, staring intently at me. Damn that smile...and those eyes...
"We could always meet up at my house right after school. My mom could probably just give you a ride since she normally drops me off and takes me to school." I replied knowing that my mom would give him a ride...and then when he left would question me like there was no tomorrow.
"Sounds good then."
There he goes again with his smile. Why am I even reacting like this with just a simple smile...and eyes? For some reason I feel like I've known him for forever and a day...
I quickly shook the thoughts aside knowing that they sounded foolish. I've never met Rikyo before...I know this as a fact, because there's no way in hell I could ever forget such startling violet eyes and that smile. I've known him for a few hours and already I can't help but love his smile.
"Like what you see?" A grin replaced his smile as he knocked me from my thoughts.
Feeling the heat rise in my cheeks I could almost bet that I was blushing at being caught staring. Thank the Gods that he couldn't read my thoughts!
Ignoring his question I asked one of my own, "So, Rikyo, where did you move here from?"
"Kyoto," he replied then added unfazed, "and you, beautiful, are ignoring my last question."
Caught off guard by the pet name I merely nodded in answer.
"Is that a 'yes I like what I see' or a 'yes I was ignoring the question' or..was it an answer to both?" He asked, his grin widening into a smirk that could have easily riveled my own.
Getting my mind back I replied easily, "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Shrugging he said, "I believe by the blush that you still have, that you do."
Giggling, half in embarrassment and half at the fact that I was actually haveing this conversating, I shook my head slightly.
"You are way too arrogant, you know that, Sasaki, Rikyo."
"Sometimes the truth, beautiful, is just that," Grinning widely he winked at me.
Glancing at my watch I saw that it was time for afternoon classes to pick up.
"Meet me out in front of the school okay? And we'll see about the studying at my place," I said smiling.
"It's a date," Rikyo said with another wink as he stood up.
I nodded as I gathered my stuff and headed off to class. I didn't get far when the words he had said hit me. Date?
What did I get myself into now?
