Shine On Me

Summary: Kagome has just arrived at Nishiura academy after apparently their Baseball Teams first victory, and it's all she's heard about since walking through the doors of her new school. Not only that, but their female coach has apparently scouted her after being caught on the baseball pitch after the teams already gone. What will ensue when the team discovers she's got a favorable Knuckleball?

Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Big Windup!

Pairing: Kagome/Tajima

Genre: Humor/Slice of Life/School Life/Sports/Romance

Rated: For Mature Content

-x-x-x-

Izumi sighed as he listened to Hanai talk with Abe. He had just taken Kagome to their first class before excusing himself to find Hanai and Abe. Abe was complaining about having another Pitcher, when they didn't need anyone but Mihashi. Hell, Mihashi wasn't making as big a deal of this as Abe was.

"What the hell man! She's back up, she's great! Why are you trying so hard to turn her into something bad?! All she wants to do is play baseball, and she did every throw you pushed her way, even one Mihashi didn't know how to do! I'm not saying we should replace Mihashi, but if he were to...hm, I don't know, twist his wrist or get sick we'd have a fall back plan!"

"Hanai's right, Abe. This isn't like you. What's really going on? This can't be because of Kagome, what's wrong?" Izumi asked as he pushed away from the wall and walked up to Abe. Hanai looked back to the Catcher and waited for his reply.

"...We just got Mihashi comfortable on the team, we told him we would never replace him...if we were to bring her on the team and replace him with her, or give his mound to her...what kind of teammates would that make us?"

Izumi smiled, "I see where you are coming from, but Mihashi likes her. She even told him herself, she has no intention of replacing him. She just wants to play...don't think of her as his replacement, because Mihashi isn't. Think of her as his backup, as our backup. She is suited for all positions, Abe...hell, she may play your position, or mine...you will have to suck it up, along with the rest of us."

"You say the rest of us, but you actually want her on the team."

"SHE'S AMAZING!" Izumi yelled, waving his arms around in exaggeration, "Who wouldn't want a great pitcher on their team?! Yes we have one already, Mihashi, but we could have TWO really great pitchers! Think about that! Most teams try for one really good pitcher, and we would have two...TWO!"

"..." Hanai watched carefully as Abe sighed.

"Fine, you're right. I'm being stupid."

"Yeah,"

Abe hit Izumi on the back of the head with his hand, "Don't agree so openly!"

"Excuse me..."

The three turned and saw a teacher standing behind them.

"Sensei!"

"If you boys are done chatting it up in the hallways, please make your way to your classes."

That was all they needed to hear as they immediately bowed and ran off to their classes.

-x-x-x-

Kagome laughed at something the teacher said concerning the human brain as Hanai and Izumi made their way inside.

"Abe, Hanai, take your seats...Higurashi, explain to me what you found so funny."

"Sir, you said that we only use ten percent of our brain."

"I still fail to see your humor in the statement."

"Well, wouldn't it be wonderful if there really was ninety percent of our brain somewhere not being used? It would be like discovering that your house was really a hotel with an extra ninety rooms that you'd never noticed before. It's an entertaining fantasy that is encouraged by advertisers to sell us everything from self-help material to cereal, but it is not true. You use all of your brain...most of the time."

"What premise do you have to base these thoughts on?"

Kagome smiled, "During the early eighteen hundreds, scientists became fascinated with understanding how localized parts of the brain deal with specific functions. The science of phrenology flourished. Since this is a science class, I will assume you know what the term is, but for those who don't. Phrenology is the art of deducing human behavior and personality from examining bumps on the skull."

"Your point, Higurashi?"

Kagome continued, "As our knowledge of brain topography increased, modern scientists discovered that the frontal lobe is associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem-solving; that the optical lobe is associated with visual processing; and that the temporal lobe is associated with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech. However, this simplified picture of the brain is not the whole story. Brain imaging with PET scans-"

"What is that?"

Kagome looked to Izumi who sat beside her. "PET scans?"

"Yeah, I've never heard of it."

"Position Emission Tomography Scan. The PET scans has shown that even relatively simple mental tasks or thought processes use many parts of the brain at once. A neurological disorder such as Parkinson's disease affects only specific areas of the brain, but it has devastating global consequences. We only understand a little of how our brains work, but this doesn't mean that we only use a fraction of them. While it may be true that we can all develop intuitive powers, or teach ourselves to perform an array of new and exciting tasks, that doesn't mean that we suddenly switch a light on in parts of our brain that have previously languished in darkness."

"..."

Kagome noted the silence and decided to add a little more since they were listening to her anyways. "One of the main reasons why the ten percent myth had proliferated is that the alleged 'untapped potential' in our brains has become increasingly associated with paranormal abilities, which are supposed to lie dormant or to have been forgotten by modern humans."

"What do you mean 'modern humans'?"

"Well, I grew up on a shrine where my twin and I were constantly being trained as 'shrine maidens'. Shrine Maidens of earlier eras were said to have great powers in healing and purification. Though...there was also talk of demons, so...I wouldn't bank too much on the thought of young ladies being able to heal with a touch." She laughed. The class joined her. "Also, people who make a living out of selling self-help material often suggest that we only use a fraction of our brain, and then claim that their methods can somehow magically retrain us to reclaim the so-called unused portion. It is a powerful metaphor that, taken literally, can be as reductive as the phrenology of old."

The teacher starred at Kagome for what seemed like a lifetime before she nodded her head, "Very well, that was very detailed Higurashi, and while I normally wouldn't be pleased with a student question or challenging a long told fact of science, I can't argue your point, very well done, indeed."

Kagome smiled and sat back down as class continued.

-x-x-x-

Me: Here is chapter Seven! I hope you all enjoy it!