Back Home – Part One: Home

His smile was so sweet, his voice was like that of the angels. Perhaps he was an angel. Where was she, anyway? She didn’t recognize anything. All she saw was him. But then, as quick as he had come, he vanished. Everything became black as she felt herself falling, consumed by the darkness. She felt as though she would fall forever, until—

Beep. Beep. Beeeeep. Her alarm clock woke her up.

"Ugh." Sango groaned and pulled herself out of bed. I had that damn dream again...His face was so clear, but every time I wake up the memory goes fuzzy, like a picture blurred...  The girl sighed, but continued to drag herself out towards the kitchen for breakfast. It was a Saturday, with summer vacation having started more than a week ago. Normally, she’d still be sleeping if it weren’t for the fact that the flight back home was leaving shortly.

"Morning, Kirara," Sango said as she poured herself a bowl of cereal. She’d been away from home for about a year now, staying with a friend who was recently killed in an accident. The event had led Sango to believe she’d be better off finishing school with her old friends... if they still remembered her.

She quickly finished up her breakfast and dressed in something comfortable for the plane. A good novel would keep her mind off that nervous feeling she got about returning home. She had always enjoyed reading, because she loved the stories books could tell you. Her father often said that, when she was little, she used to pretend she was the princess or brave knight in fairytales. Of course, she was much too old for that now. In fact, she’d be turning eighteen in two months.

Sango arrived at the airport only minutes before boarding.  She managed to check in and get on the plane, but with mere moments to spare. It was a weird, but she had almost expected a call from Kagome. Kagome had been one of the few people she’d stayed in touch with after the move. They had been best friends since Kagome’s first day of middle school, and swore they’d be best friends forever, even if Kagome was two years younger than her. Last time they’d talked, she’d found out that Kagome and Inuyasha were finally going out to dinner that same night. It hurt, not being there for her friend whenever she fought with Inuyasha. Oh yes - Sango knew they must have fought, for Inuyasha was as stubborn as an ox. 

She looked at the man sitting next to her. He was tall with dark brown hair, and made a few attempts at conversation, only to find that Sango just wasn’t in the mood for talking. Eventually, the man gave up, allowing her to open her novel and begin to read....

It didn’t take long before she was sleeping soundly, her head against the window. The novel had fallen onto the floor. She slowly entered the world of dreams, unaware of the nightmares that lay ahead.

She was driving down the road towards Ayuki’s house, the one in which she had been staying in for the past year. It was raining hard, making it difficult to see out of the windshield. The night sky was pitch black. The van’s headlights shone dimly in the near-flooded streets. It was midnight and the only reason she was late was because her boss had kept her later than he should have. Something felt strange, like she shouldn’t be here, or at least not now. But even so, she felt compelled to drive on, to see what would occur. It grew darker, and it seemed that she’d never reach the house. The buildings she passed seemed to repeat themselves, over and over again. She felt numb, but not afraid. Her thoughts were only that she had to keep driving. Suddenly, a car came into view. Before she knew what was happening, the car swerved right in front of her. She didn’t even have time to hit the brakes before they collided. The impact hit her body full force. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe. Pain was all she could feel. And the last thing she heard was, "Okay, the job’s done..." before allowing death to claim her. The feeling of emptiness returned and, once again, she felt like she was falling. She knew, or thought, that this time it was real and that she would never wake up again.

Pain shot through Sango as her whole body twitched and she became aware of where she was. Sweating and in fright, she found her hand shaking as she checked the time. “Eleven A.M... I was asleep for two whole hours. I should be there soon..." she thought. Sango reached for her novel only to find someone had already picked it up and put it in the seat pocket for her.

"Arigatou." She said to the man next to her. He only nodded in response.

The flight attendant announced that they would be landing shortly. Sango put her things into her bag as she waited for the plane to land. She was still shaken up and was in no hurry to have Kagome bombarding her with questions.

The plane came to a soft landing. People crowded into the aisles, gathering their carry-on bags. Sango was one of the last to get off, walking awkwardly into the building, where she found her younger brother was waiting for her.

"Ane-ue!" he called to his sister. He was taller and had let his hair grow longer since the last time they’d seen each other.

"Kohaku! I missed you so much," she said, hugging him tightly. Look at how much he’s changed...

"I brought Kagome with me, but she’s on the phone arguing with Inuyasha," he replied, laughing.

"It’s okay, let’s grab my bags before we go get her."

It was several minutes before they found Kagome. She was wearing a light green T-shirt with a black mini skirt. Her long black hair a pulled back into a bun, which was unusual for her.

"Sango-chan!" Kagome called to her friend, and then smiled as she gave her a hug.

"Kagome-chan, hey! How have you and the others been?" Sango asked. She stretched and yawned.

The two chatted away excitedly while Kohaku carried his sister’s bags. Normally, Sango would have insisted that she carry her own bags, but she was just too tired from the flight. It was a little weird to see her brother driving, as he had gotten his license only a few months ago. Sango watched the trees go by, and felt herself drifting away from the conversation. It wasn’t a long drive to Kagome’s house, but by the time they got there, Sango was sleeping. Kohaku helped Kagome carry her in. The two girls would be staying in Kagome’s apartment until Sango found her own place.

Sango felt the soft bed. She was asleep, but, feeling the mattress underneath her, she remembered her father and their old house. Slowly, for tonight anyway, she was free from nightmares. As she dreamed, one thing was certain. She was home.