The Girl Who Fell Through Time

The Sacred Tree

"Looks like Kagome is sick again.."

I Looked up at the trio known to be Kagome's best friends and frowned. Its been about two weeks since I had heard of the girl who seemed to have fallen ill with some sort if influenza.

"Wish I could drop her these notes.. but I can't.. " said the wavy haired girl sitting in front if me.

"Me too.." said the short haired girl with the hair band.

The fact that Kagome's friends parked themselves in front of my desk already gave me the hint that they wanted me to take the notes to her. I was honestly worried about Kagome who seemed to bring shine to my rainy days in this school, and this was a good opportunity to do it. 

"I'll take it."

~*~

It was a down cast day, With the wind brisk and cool and spots of grey and white clouds dotted the sky. The address written for me to find shocked me. The shrine to which I offered all my prayers and wishes this past year ended up being owner by her family!? What were the odds!?!?!

It must have been fate- or destiny- but somehow I got excited and ran up the stairs.

Washing my hands I went up to the main shrine and rang the bell and said a small prayer wishing for kagome's safe and quick recovery.

I was happy to be here and feeling blessed for some reason. Passing by my favorite tree paused in front of it and docked under the paper charms that surrounded it. Placing my palm against the surface of the bark closed my eyes, and greeted it as an old friend.

This tree had sheltered me on my lonely days, and comforted me in ways I could not understand. Whenever I felt sad I would come here and speak to it, somehow feeling better after I did.

Releasing a sigh, I decided to sit under it for a while. Leaning back against its trunk, I sighed again and looked up at the canopy above. I didn't know why I felt extra lonley today..and a strange yearning in my heart stung making me want to cry. It was as if I was missing somebody in a longing kind of way.

I really could not understand.

After a few deep breaths I calmed my racing heart and leaned my head back against the Sacred Tree and sighed once more.

Up until last night I had completely forgotten about the weird promise that boy I met  years ago had made.

How did the Azai Clan lady know about it anyhow? I really could not understand..

"My dearest friend, Sacred Tree I have a secret I wish to share.." my heart felt heavy and I felt a lump form in my throat as if I wanted to cry- even though I had no reason to be sad.

Closing my eyes told the Sacred Tree my most precious secret..of a friend long long ago..who had lifted me up when my world grew dark..

Our parting was painful, rushed and forced..

"It is really precious to my heart so I will entrust it to you.." I whispered the way a child speaks to a flower that is believed to house a tiny fairy.

And with that I told my story..
~*~

"Hey come back here! We only want to play!"

A young child of about five years had been running away from a group of young boys a grade higher than she.

A bruised knee was scratched and bleeding from where she tripped and fell on her untied shoelaces. Her hands were covered with scratches as she clutched the bullied kitten she had rescued from the same boys who had trapped it in a cookie tin, shaking it enjoying the angry yeowls coming from inside.

By the time she had taken the tin away and opened the lid to set the kitten free, the poor animal was so stressed it jumped out biting and scratching her as if its life depended on it- which amusee the boys so much that it led to an array of events where they repetitively trapped small animals, agitated them, and let the poor girl rescue them only to be attacked on the spot by the creature she was saving.

That particular day was bright and sunny, a beautiful summer's morning. Blue skies and a soft breeze- it was the kind of day that one would enjoy with a slice of watermelon on the beach. But here she was.. the little girl with the scratched knee running away in terror from a group of schoolmates who wanted to lock her up in one of the giant tin garbage cans with a snake they caught in the grassy yard behind their school.

"I hate my life.." She cried out.

Looking over her shoulder did not pay attention to the direction she was running and tripped again, tumbling down the small hill, splashing into a small stream. And it was at that moment she had seen him for the first time.

Resting gracefully under a tree a few paces away. To her young mind, the white haired youth with the white robes and spikey shoulder ring-guard would seem nothing short of magical.

"A fairy!" The five year old beamed forgetting about her newly attained scratches. She was naware that her surroundings had mysteriously changed from a grassy hill by a street into a dark thicketed forest.

Walking closer, Kira carefully not to make a sound sat in front of the sleeping figure. His pointy ears confirmed her fairy suspicions and she felt giddy and excited. The books she read had always told her that fairies love flowers, so she had crept a few feet away to pick some dandelions- the kinds of flowers that look like small round cotton balls. She loved blowing the seeds on the wind and thought maybe the fairy would love it to.

She left a bunch next to his right hand and just crept slowoly, sitting a safe distance away not wanting to wake him up.  Kira had forgotten about the bullies and her pain and felt a peace in front of this sleeping fairy. His white hair seemed so delicately straight, and his white robes really blew her mind. It was decorated with Sakura against a red back drop over the shoulders and she thought it was very pretty.

Blowing on her own cluster of dandelions engulfed herself in her own world full of quiet giggles and dreams of dancing on the wind holding onto the little floating seedlings attached to wings of fluff.

Her peace was short lived though and as the voices of the boys' faces came closer and closer, fear struck in her heart.

"Don't worry, I won't let them find you!"

Kira whispered as she crept away in the opposite direction and ran up the hill and towards the street.

~*~

"Hehe.." I giggled at the memory and mental replay of that white haired fairy.

"I wonder where he is now..?"

Looking down at the hair pin in my hand sighed sadly. " Our story did not end there you know.." I added as I looked up at the Sacred Tree's branches. "We met years later before I moved here once more...it was the first and the last time...our parting hurt so much it was unexplainable. A fairy that I only met twice in my life..took up so much space in my heart.. And even if we barely talked, it was as if we didn't need to and the comfort and peace we felt was surreal. We sat under a big oak in silence and I was convinced that everything really was going to be okay.." I felt the lump in my throat catch my breath.

My heart hurt in saddness and I clasped the accessory gifted by that white haired fairy close to my chest. "He promised to come find me.." I began to cry. " He never came.."