Author's Note: This is basically almost done, but I really, desperately need to go to bed so I'm making it a two-part piece. Forgive me.

Prompt: Requested by Needlecream on Tumblr, thank you! This is...more modern times, and not exactly what you were looking for. But I tried :)

Day 9 of the 12 Days of Witchyness

Forget-Me-Not

Part I

It was like being under water. Everything was muffled, nothing more than an echo long forgotten. She couldn't see for the waves were too much. She was just there, under the surface, trapped.

"Kagome!" he yelled. He sounded desperate. "Kagome! Kagome!"

But there was no one there, no one on the other side. Still, something whispered from the back of her mind, from the darkest of spaces that never truly let go. Something long buried in her heart that refused to give.

Inuyasha, it whispered. Inuyasha, save me.

And then everything went black.

Her phone alarm went off at 8 o'clock in the morning. Kagome blinked heavy eyelids, groaning at the repetitive noise. "No," she mumbled, mostly buried in her pillow. "Not already." How come she was so tired? It felt like she hadn't slept at all.

Grabbing her phone, she thumbed off the alarm and dropped it unceremoniously back onto the nightstand. She groaned and fell back into her bed, exhausted. She tried to think back to yesterday, to what time she ended up going to sleep at, but everything was far too fuzzy. Mornings were the absolute worst.

"Kagome!" her mother shouted from downstairs. "Are you awake?"

"No," she grumbled, but then yelled back a second later, "Yeah, I'm up!"

"Don't be late!"

Kagome wasn't ever late, but her mother seemed to love reminding her, just in case. She crawled out of bed and started her daily morning routine, putting on her school uniform, washing her face and brushing her hair. She rushed down to breakfast for a quick bite to eat before rushing back up the stairs to brush her teeth and collect her backpack. It was all very much a go-go-go morning, which didn't really make sense to her.

She went to school every single morning. Why was she so slow today? Why did it seem like all she was doing was chasing the clock?

Maybe, she thought to herself on her walk over, it was because she was so exhausted. Whatever happened yesterday obviously got the best of her.

It was late in the school year, but still a couple of months before all the major tests. The weather was fully into spring, the streets and cars wet. Mud lined the sidewalks. For a moment, Kagome paused and stared at the scenery before her.

Something was…not right.

Off, just a little.

But there was nothing wrong, seemingly. Just the usual neighbourhood with its usual sounds. There was no odd smell in the air or person nearby. Everything was normal.

"Weird," Kagome mumbled, rubbing at her eyes. She was so tired.

The feeling of wrongness never went away.

In History class, her mind wandered.

For some reason, Kagome found herself constantly looking to the large windows at the side of the classroom. Twice she was called upon by her teacher for the distraction, but she couldn't shake it. She couldn't stop.

It was like Kagome was in a constant state of daydreaming, like the world she was living in was nothing but a lie.

Her stomach twisted, bitter and confused.

"You okay?" Ayumi asked carefully, joining her just outside of the school doors. "You look really pale."

Ayumi was one of her best friends, but Kagome had no way of describing what she was feeling. It was too foreign, too strange. It sounded bizarre.

So Kagome forced a smile to her lips and nodded. "Yeah, just didn't sleep well last night. I think I'm going to head to bed early."

"Let me know if you're still feeling sick tomorrow," Ayumi said, giving her a little hug. "I can bring those vitamins for you. I swear they help. Or, you know, I'm sure Hojo would be happy to bring you something!"

"Thanks," she replied, incredibly grateful.

Her other friends – Yuka and Eri – joined moments after. The four of them laughed on their way to McDonald's, grabbing a quick drink and chatting about boys and homework until they had to go their separate ways. The whole time they were together, it was just like in History class; it felt like she was experiencing life through some kind of veil.

Weird. Horrible, and weird.

Kagome vowed to go to bed the moment she got home. She never wanted to feel this way ever again.

She briefly spoke to her mom and made sure to ruffle her younger brother Sota's hair. Waving a hello to her grandfather, Kagome headed upstairs and changed into her pajamas. She wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and sleep. The day hadn't been hard, but it had been long.

Kagome closed her eyes and wished desperately for sleep.

"Kaede, you have to know something! Why isn't she waking up?"

That voice. The one from before. Kagome couldn't see, couldn't examine her surroundings. This time, everything was dark. It was just words bouncing around in her head, a conversation she had never heard and never been a part of. There was a familiarity to the voices but Kagome couldn't remember who they were. What they looked like. Where they were from.

"Ye need to calm down, Inuyasha! We will save Kagome."

"But she's not waking up." The words were a snarl, fierce and vicious. It felt like a stab wound to the chest, bleeding out uncontrollably. The blackness around her shifted, like little bits of white noise buzzing through.

Wake up, Kagome.

Wake up, Kagome.

Wake up, Kagome.

"I'm going to kill that sorceress. I'm going to rip her apart for what she's done."

Save me, Inuya–

She never remembered her dreams.

The next morning was even worse. Kagome had to sprint to school to get to her first class on time. She was exhausted, her body burning from head to toe. Her lungs felt like they were shrivelling in on themselves. It was so strange. Kagome had always thought of herself as athletic, or at least a bit of a runner.

That made no sense though. She had never needed to run from anything in her life.

Sliding into her seat for first period, Kagome buried her head in her hands. This couldn't have been happening. She wanted to cry.

Wrong. Everything was wrong.

The bell went off and class began. But it was all wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong–

Wrong.

Lunch was like torture.

Noise. Noise everywhere. Around her at the table were her best friends, but it felt hollow, like some sort of fake copy. Nothing was right and Kagome didn't understand it.

She looked around. There was nothing wrong with the place. It was her school, the very same school she'd been going to for years. Her friends were the same since elementary. The teachers the usual. The food they served in the cafeteria normal.

Outside was fine. The cars, the streets, the houses, the fences. All of it was fine.

But it was wrong somehow. It wasn't the scenery she should have been seeing. But then, if that was true, what should she be seeing instead?

A wave of nausea hit her, fast and unyielding. Kagome stood up and murmured a quick 'be right back' to her friends. She slid through the student body, trying to avoid crowds. The lights were too bright. Swallowing felt like a chore, like she couldn't get the bile down fast enough.

Something was wrong, wrong, wro–

When she ran into someone, Kagome recoiled and whined. It was a pathetic sound, hurt. She was going to be sick. Oh god, she was going to–

Hands grabbed at her arms and pulled her, dragging her through the hallway. Kagome didn't know where they were going, her brain unable to connect the dots. It wasn't until she was being pushed into a stall that she realized she was in a bathroom, right in front of a toilet seat.

Kagome leaned down and puked.

"You should go home." The voice was so familiar, almost startlingly so. Kagome felt tears prick at her eyelids. This was something she had been missing, desperately. For the first time since yesterday, Kagome felt nothing but rightness.

It took a while to get her body to cooperate, to flush the toilet and shakily stand up. The girl behind her helped, assisted in propping her up against the wall. It was only then that Kagome could look at her, to find this strange alien source of comfort. It was another girl like her, maybe a year older. Her hair was long and straight, eyes a dark, almost violet shade.

Kagome had no idea who she was. "Have we met before?" she asked. It sounded like a plea, even to her own ears.

The girl looked rather alarmed. "Uh, no. I don't think so. Maybe around school in the halls?"

That wasn't right. No, it wasn't right.

Kagome took a deep breath and then another. "I think I should go call home." She thanked the girl and then left, heading towards her locker. She couldn't actually go home; her mother was working still and she didn't want to worry her. Whatever this was, Kagome would suck it up.

She would get through it.

Somehow.

"Hojo?"

The brown-haired teen twisted to look at her, the clicking of his bike wheels stopping abruptly. He smiled at her, always so kind. Hojo had been worried after her health, about the dark circles under her eyes. He offered to walk her home and Kagome, too tired to refuse, accepted. "Yes?"

"Does everything…look okay to you?" She waved her hands around her, trying to gesture to everything. The houses. The lawns. The statues. The freshly planted flowers.

Hojo took her question seriously, a little furrow appearing between his brow. He considered the landscape around them before he finally nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Yeah, it seems okay. Why, did something happen?"

Yes, Kagome wanted to scream. Yes, but I don't know what.

"No," she answered instead, defeated. "Just curious."

She was surrounded by warmth. It was the calmest and happiest she had felt in what felt like forever. Around her was darkness, her eyelids firmly shut, but she didn't need to open them. Nothing around her was a danger. Nothing around her was going to cause harm or distress. She was safe.

"Kagome, I, uh–" A male voice coughed a little, awkward. "This is so stupid," he muttered, under his breath. "She can't hear me anyways."

Silence enveloped her again but it was still soothing. There was a heat source, latching onto her hand and soothing away the bitter cold that she felt inside of her. It was so warm here, so lovely. She wanted to stay forever.

"Please wake up."

The whisper was barely audible.

"I need you to wake up."

Wake up, Kagome, now! Kagome! Kagome!

Help me, Inuyasha. Save me–

On Friday, Kagome almost caved. She almost stayed in bed, curled up and terrified. The thought of opening her eyes and looking around her struck fear into her heart. She knew what she would feel if she took a glance, understood deep in her soul that a crucial part of her was missing. Gone.

She skipped breakfast. As she walked along the sidewalk to school, Kagome watched as a little boy with red hair and emerald green eyes giggled, playing with his blonde cat. He rolled in the grass and she tried not to wince; everything was still wet from the morning dew.

"Shippo!" an elderly lady called out from the front porch. "What are you doing outside, child? Get back in here before you catch a cold."

The kid whined and Kagome had to look away.

It was the first time she had smiled in days. The thought didn't register in her mind.

Third period was finally over. Kagome had spent most of it looking outside, her head pillowed by her hands. They were supposed to be reading, but she couldn't gather the strength or focus to do so. Everything was floating away anyways. Why bother?

As she traversed the hallway, trying to get to her next class, Kagome didn't move in time as another student came into her path. They collided and Kagome stumbled, spinning around with an apology already on her lips.

"Oh," the girl said, the one from before. The one who had helped her when she was sick. "It's you. How are you feeling?"

Terrible. Kagome bit her lip. "A little bit lost, to be honest." She didn't know what made her say it, what made those particular words come out of her mouth.

But the girl just nodded, like she completely understood. "Sometimes we give too much, you know? Every once and a while, we need to take for ourselves to feel better." She grinned. "I'm Sango, by the way."

Sango. Sango.

It felt right, didn't it? It felt right.

But Kagome didn't remember her, couldn't piece together why this Sango girl made Kagome feel that tiniest ounce better. It wasn't enough. It wasn't complete.

But it was there, nonetheless.

"Enjoy class, Kagome!" Sango said, disappearing into the crowd.

The back of her mind was screaming, waving red flags and sounding the alarm. Kagome could only watch her go, confused. She had never given her name, but–

The bell rang. Kagome was late and for some reason, staring down at the empty hall, she couldn't remember why.

"Hey! Miss! Miss!"

Kagome turned around, too exhausted to attempt a friendly smile. A man with blue eyes was running up to her, his black hair tied back. He bent over double when he got to her, grinning wildly at her. "I think you dropped something."

"I–" Kagome frowned. She didn't feel anything fall out of her bag.

The guy held up his hand, a tiny book in his grasp. It was pocket-sized, only two different colours gracing the front, along with the image of a flower. "You dropped this."

"I definitely didn't."

The guy smiled at her then, and– Kagome blinked. Was he…?

"I saw it, I swear." He stood up fully, putting his hand over his heart. His blue eyes seemed to bore into hers but it was all kindness there. "I know this is yours."

"Do I…" Kagome cleared her throat, dry all of a sudden. "Do I know you?"

He laughed at that, running a hand through his dark hair. He shook his head. "Oh no, I'm pretty sure we haven't. I would know if I ran into a beautiful girl like you before."

Blinking, Kagome frowned. "But I really think–"

"You have a nice day," the guy murmured softly. "I'll see you around." With that, the guy took her hand and placed the book on it, turning around only a moment later.

Kagome watched him go, unable to fathom what was happening. She swore she knew him. He had been–

He had been–

A wave of nausea slammed into her, making her nearly gag. It took a long few minutes until it passed, her throat working non-stop to swallow the bile that refused to stay down.

This wasn't her life. This wasn't–

Kagome spun around and threw up on the grass, book clutched tightly against her chest.

Warmth, all over. Water, all around her.

Still surrounded by complete and utter blackness.

"Yeah," that familiar voice said. The guy who was always there. The one who always spoke when she felt safe, felt loved. "She was just like this. That witch–"

"Hey, hey," a feminine voice chided, voice oddly soft. "Inuyasha, take a breath. We're getting closer."

Silence.

"I am no sorceress," an older woman muttered, close and then far. "I do not know the language of the Earth, not like her."

"It doesn't smell right." The guy again. Inuyasha.

"We do not want the same ingredients," the older woman stated. "Similar, though not the same. We will need to summon Kagome back to herself."

"She doesn't have time," he snapped. "She's going to die."

"Inuyasha!"

"Sango–"

"No, take a walk. Kaede is doing all she can."

"I will not–"

"I'll watch her."

There was another long silence but eventually, a tiny puff of frustrated air. Kagome floated, lulled by the warmth. Her hand suddenly grew colder.

She listened to the whispers of the women, wanting to learn more. In the end, she couldn't stay.

Saturday.

Kagome had never hated a Saturday before in her life.

But there she was, walking around outside with her friends. They had been to the park earlier and now were shopping along the main street. There were stores of all kinds: bakeries and boutiques, a bookstore and a flower shop. Tons of restaurants were in between, the patios still closed due to the weather.

"I can't wait until patio season is back," Yuka announced, eyes wide and excited. "It's my favourite thing to do with you guys in the summer."

"With lemonade," Ayumi sighed happily.

"And boy watching." Eri waggled her eyebrows until the girls all laughed.

Kagome didn't, though. Kagome didn't remember ever being on a patio, drinking lemonade and boy watching.

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong–

"Here."

A voice, gruff and familiar, sounded from behind her. Kagome could feel her entire body tensing, waiting. Waiting for–

Waiting for what?

"Hello? Wench? Can you hear me?"

Kagome whipped around, staring at a very handsome face. He had dark eyes like her and long, wild black hair. His t-shirt was red and tight across his chest, his dark denim jeans hugging in all of the right places. He was older than her, but not by that much. A couple years at most.

Without thinking, Kagome felt herself lean towards him, almost compelled. But– But–

He was a stranger. No.

She stopped herself but it was a close call. The guy was eyeing her, scowl firmly on his face. He waved his hand at her and in his fist contained some kind of…bouquet?

"Forget-me-nots?" Kagome asked, frowning.

"They're yours."

"I… I don't have any money to buy them with." She hadn't been expecting to buy anything, just to hang out with her friends. Her mother had been starting to look at her all concerned and Kagome knew she had to escape the house, if only to avoid suspicion for a little longer.

How did someone tell their mother that something was very wrong with the world? That you didn't belong in it? That it was fake?

"Yeah, I'm aware," the guy snarled. He pushed the bouquet of forget-me-nots into her hands, huffing. "Just take them."

He went to turn away but the thought of it had her insides screaming, her body yearning to pull him back in. She whimpered involuntarily and stumbled forwards, halting him by the shoulder. "No, wait! Please don't go."

The guy raised an eyebrow at her, impatient. "Why not?"

"I just–" Her head started to throb and Kagome knew better by now. She knew better. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"Yeah, whatever." He crossed his arms. "You good, now? Can I go?"

"Your… What's your name?" Kagome bit at her lower lip, praying he would answer. She wanted to pull him close, wanted to grab at his shirt and hold him to her. He was a complete stranger but he felt…right. He felt like what should be in front of her, or beside her always. He felt like the protection she desperately needed, like he had answers to questions she hadn't yet asked.

The guy scowled a little bit more but eventually he relented. "Inuyasha."

"I'm Kagome." She tried for a hesitant smile and then leaned down to smell the flowers. "They're beautiful."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes but she was watching his mouth, watching the way it curved up at the edges in a hint of a smile. "Yeah, whatever wench."

"Kagome!" A hand fell onto her shoulder and Kagome was turned around forcefully. Eri was staring at her like she had grown an additional head. "Where did you go? We thought we lost you!"

"I was right here talking to Inuyasha."

"To who?"

Kagome tried to look but the street was empty, save for a few random passersby. None of them had a red t-shirt and dark denim jeans. None of them were him. "He was right…" Here. He was right here.

Eri rolled her eyes. "Come on, Kagome! Ayumi wanted to go check out the music store. You know how she gets."

"Yeah," Kagome murmured, eyes still trying to roam the crowd. "Yeah, okay."

The old woman sighed heavily. "I'm trying, Inuyasha."

The silver-haired man beside her took in a deep breath, scowl so firmly in place it was practically etched into his skin.

For the first time, Kagome could see. It was blurry, unfocused at times, but the image was there. She was awake but not awake. Torn between whatever this was and…and…

"I was too late," Inuyasha whispered. "I can't have her die, Kaede."

"Child, ye need to realize that Urasue would have found her no matter what," the woman scolded, shaking her head. "Sooner or later, this would have happened."

"Not if I was protecting her."

Kagome wanted to reach out, wanted to tell him it was okay. She understood. This was… This was a dream, but not a dream.

Not a dream.

Not a dream.

Not a–

It didn't matter. She never remembered the dreams anyways.

To Be Continued

As you all know. canon isn't really my thing when I write. So this is still non-canon. 99%-Non-Canon-ish? Eh?

You know what I mean.

Feedback is greatly appreciated. As I am slowly dying and will definitely need a tiny hiatus after these 12 Days, christ on a cracker.