I know, another fic, but inspiration calls and I just can't resist! Humor
me!!! PLEASEE!
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It was a prison. Not one of those dark, dank places you read about in books, but rather a room of pure white, like an asylum. Kagome Higurashi leaned out of her window as far as she dared, surveying the world from ten stories up. It was almost a game to her, trying to imagine exactly what was going on down there. She closed her eyes and pretended that Mrs. Blue House would leave that day before four o'clock as normal, instead maybe at three thirty. Than, by chance, she would run into Mr. Flower Garden. Neither of them had a family and Kagome imagined that they might strike up a conversation, maybe even go to dinner together. According to her books, all friendly conversations were followed by dinner.
Kagome never placed herself in her fantasies. When she was little, she would sometimes pretend that Mr. Flower Garden would bring her some of his pretty flowers to place in her room, or that Mrs. Blue House would invite her over to that beautiful blue house for some tea and cakes. But everyday she would sit by her window and watch them, memorizing their every move, until she realized that they would never come. No one was going to bring her flowers, and she wasn't allowed to leave even if someone would have cared to invite her. It was a harsh lesson for an eight-year-old. She cried for hours after watching them follow their daily routines on her birthday, never even glancing at her window.
Now she was all grown up, and she knew better than to believe in such daydreams. What might be normal for another girl would never happen to her. Kagome Higurashi was sixteen years old. When other girls were having birthday parties, she was filling out annual mental and physical evaluations. When other girls went to school dances, and had crushes, she would dive into her precious books so deeply she could almost pretend it was her life. Instead of going to school, and dealing with her family, Kagome spent hours thinking up ways to sneak out of her hospital room for a few stolen moments on the roof, where she could, if she tried really hard, see the roof of her house.
When she was about eleven or twelve, her dad had helped her sneak onto the roof for the first time. There, he had pulled her onto his lap and pointed his wrinkled and tan finger towards the numerous houses and said, "There, that house with the chimney? With the blue balloon tied to it? That's your house. When you get better, we're going to take you there and have chocolate cake and ice cream. And there will be hundreds of blue balloons, so many you won't even be able to count them all."
He surprised her by hugging her then. He had never been good with emotions, but that day he wrapped her in his arms as tight as he dared and hugged her for all he was worth. She held him back, smiling so big she thought she would burst. Her dad always gave her hope. She would get better, and he would throw her a huge party. And so many people would come! But she wouldn't care about them, wouldn't even talk to them. She would ignore everyone except her father. She'd run right into his arms and hug him as hard as she could, forgetting about the chocolate cake and even the ice cream. He was the one who made her laugh, who gave her hope that she would get better. Sometimes she thought she loved him so much she would burst.
A week later he died.
It had been an accident. That's what they told her. Strangers, they were the one's that told her. Her mom was too heartbroken, they said. Her brother locked himself in his room, the told her. Her father was hit by a car right next to the hospital. As far as they could tell, he just hadn't been looking when he crossed the street. It confused them, no one understood why her dad would cross the street without looking.
But Kagome did. It was the street across from her window. He had been waving at her. She knew that with a frightening horrific clarity. They told her everything was going to be okay. They said time would heal all wounds. They said a lot of things, but their voices came from far away, and Kagome didn't have the strength to try and hear them.
They talked for a long time. Weeks, they told her later. She never spoke back, she wouldn't say a word to anyone. Even when her mom came, eyes red from crying, Kagome just sat very still on her bed, staring at the wall dry- eyed.
It wasn't until the mother of one of the patients passed by with a bundle of colored balloons that Kagome finally woke up to the real world. Her vision clarified with such intensity it frightened her, and all she could do was watch the single blue balloon until it was out of sight. As soon as it disappeared, she threw herself onto the floor and started sobbing. The nurses heard and called the doctors, who called her family. When she finally pulled herself together, they were all in the doorway, watching her. As calmly as she could, she picked herself off the floor and ran to her mom, arms open wide.
It had taken a long time for Kagome to work up the courage to go to the roof again. The doctors and nurses saw it as a sign of rebellion, her mom thought she was going slightly crazy from being locked up, but they were wrong. It was her and her father's special place.
She didn't cry when she sat there, all alone, though she felt tears prick her eyes. She sat back and stared at the top of the house with the chimney, remember every word her father said, pretending she could still feel his arms around her. She didn't leave until one of the nurses found her and furiously ordered her back to her room. Kagome complied, smiling, which shocked the woman even more. It was the first time she'd smiled since the death of her father.
She was all grown up now, at least, that's what her mom would tell her every time she visited. She didn't come as often as she used to. A long time ago, she would come every day. And than she would start missing one or two days a week because of work. Eventually, she would only come once a week, if even that. Now, after all these years, Kagome counted herself lucky if she saw her mother more than once a month. She didn't blame her. After all, who would want to spend more time in that small little white room than they had to?
Her brother used to come every time her mom did, but now he was busy with school and everything, and it was hard to make time for her. He still wrote her letters though, every now and than, keeping her posted on his life. Those letters made her day, and she would show all her nurses and all her doctors, smiling brightly at them, pretending not to see the sadness in their eyes. She used to think if she was happy enough, they would stop pitying her, but they only pitied her more. She learned to ignore the stares and the whispers.
No one knew what was wrong with her. When she was born, she seemed perfectly healthy. But than they told her parents that there was something wrong with her blood. That she would need constant supervision to keep it stable. Than they said that she would never get better, they didn't know what was wrong. They could keep the problem at bay, but they could never cure her.
Occasionally she got attacks. Her body would go haywire, her teeth would chatter and her arms would move around wildly. The first time it happened, she was only six, and had thought it was a game. That was when it was decided that she would have to remain at the hospital full time, and having a nurse at home wouldn't do any good.
The attacks weren't so bad at first, but as she got older they grew more and more violent. The last one was so bad, when she tried to scream she bit her tongue. Blood filled her mouth, choking her. They said she nearly died.
The thought wasn't a new one for her. According to the doctors, she could die any day now. She had grown used to it. They thought she didn't understand since she was constantly trying to get away from them. What they didn't understand, was that she just wanted to live what she did have of a life.
So every day, when she couldn't make it to the roof, she would stand by her windowsill with the window open as wide as it would go and lean out as far as she dared. Though she no longer pretended to be a part of that world, she loved to watch the people go about their daily business. Maybe it was morbid, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the type of life that would never be hers. ***
Inuyasha Taishou glared as hard as he could at the back of Mr. Ishida's head. "Let me get this straight." His voice was a growl, something that would have frightened the other teachers. "I have to play nurse to a couple of sick old men?" He made a face. "I'm sure they'd prefer a REAL nurse."
The teacher stiffened, signifying that he hadn't missed the innuendo. "That's right." He continued cleaning the chalkboard. "The principal has decided, and I must say I agree, that you don't take human life very seriously and some time well spent at the hospital might do you some good. These men were all picked with you in mind."
"That makes me feel so much better." He muttered, glaring darkly. "If this is because I set off fireworks from the school roof, I can assure you I didn't do it because I was suicidal. I have plenty of appreciation for life."
Mr. Ishida finally turned around, dusting his hands. "Not according to your file. In the past year alone you've done at least nine life-threatening stunts."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "So a guy can't have fun anymore?" He ignored the look the teacher gave him and sighed. "When do I start?"
"Tomorrow afternoon, right after school. First you'll be seeing a Mr. Myoga. After that is a Mr. Takashi. You can talk to them about their ailments and family, do what you can to brighten their day."
"You make me sound like a Boy Scout commercial." He muttered.
The teacher raised an eyebrow, though he hadn't heard exactly what had been said. "I trust you will be on your best behavior?"
Inuyasha flashed him a fake smile. "Scouts honor."
***
"So?" A tough looking teenager stood up from where he'd been leaning as Inuyasha exited the classroom. "What is it this time? More detention? You're trying to beat my record, aren't you?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I've already beaten your record Kouga, get that through your thick wimpy skull. But no, I didn't get a detention."
"Than what did you get?" His best friend, Miroku, appeared by his side. "They're not gonna expel you are they? I mean, nothing in the school manual actually says anything about fireworks on the roof."
The silver-haired boy shook his head. "No, I have to," He paused, for effect. "Get this, I have to play nursemaid to some old men for two months! Every day after school!"
Kouga smirked. "I guess that means we won't be seeing you around as much. Don't worry, you'll still have a place with us when you're all done, if you're good."
Inuyasha shot him a glare. "I still have my weekends free and my nights, so don't start acting like I'm out of the picture yet Kouga."
"Besides," Miroku remained relaxed, but his eyes were hard. "Who would replace him. You?" Kouga puffed out his chest and Miroku let out a harsh laugh. "Not a chance. Inuyasha's right, you're a wimp. We'll wait for him, thank you very much." They were referring to Shikon, the unofficial name for their group of friends at school. None of the students messed with any of the members of Shikon, and the group could be counted on to stir up trouble. The main members were Inuyasha, for being the most reckless of them all, Miroku, for finding a way to provide the means for their plans, and Kouga, just because he'd make an annoyance out of himself if they didn't include him. He was actually a pretty good member, but his attitude bothered the other two to no end, so they rarely admitted it. Shikon's benefits extended an 'honorary' membership to people like Kagura, or Yura, who'd helped them out a time or two, but they weren't official.
Inuyasha headed for the door. "Let's go enjoy my last day of freedom." He ordered, stepping out into the sunshine. "I was thinking something along the lines of spray painting the principals office with teletubby pictures. I have it on good authority he watches the show with his kids, and besides," his eyes glittered. "I need revenge."
The two boys agreed, Miroku more vocally than Kouga, and followed him out the door. Both of them knew better than to think spray painting an office would be all Inuyasha would do to the principal, but they were willing to take it one step at a time. It was always worth it.
***
DONE! Not a long chapter, but I wanted to save their first meeting for chapter two. Let me know what you think! And NO HATING ME FOR STARTING ANOTHER FIC. I can't help it. I think I'm addicted. That would be bad. Oh well.
Rogue Pryde
*************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*****************~~~~~~~~~~~~~************~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
It was a prison. Not one of those dark, dank places you read about in books, but rather a room of pure white, like an asylum. Kagome Higurashi leaned out of her window as far as she dared, surveying the world from ten stories up. It was almost a game to her, trying to imagine exactly what was going on down there. She closed her eyes and pretended that Mrs. Blue House would leave that day before four o'clock as normal, instead maybe at three thirty. Than, by chance, she would run into Mr. Flower Garden. Neither of them had a family and Kagome imagined that they might strike up a conversation, maybe even go to dinner together. According to her books, all friendly conversations were followed by dinner.
Kagome never placed herself in her fantasies. When she was little, she would sometimes pretend that Mr. Flower Garden would bring her some of his pretty flowers to place in her room, or that Mrs. Blue House would invite her over to that beautiful blue house for some tea and cakes. But everyday she would sit by her window and watch them, memorizing their every move, until she realized that they would never come. No one was going to bring her flowers, and she wasn't allowed to leave even if someone would have cared to invite her. It was a harsh lesson for an eight-year-old. She cried for hours after watching them follow their daily routines on her birthday, never even glancing at her window.
Now she was all grown up, and she knew better than to believe in such daydreams. What might be normal for another girl would never happen to her. Kagome Higurashi was sixteen years old. When other girls were having birthday parties, she was filling out annual mental and physical evaluations. When other girls went to school dances, and had crushes, she would dive into her precious books so deeply she could almost pretend it was her life. Instead of going to school, and dealing with her family, Kagome spent hours thinking up ways to sneak out of her hospital room for a few stolen moments on the roof, where she could, if she tried really hard, see the roof of her house.
When she was about eleven or twelve, her dad had helped her sneak onto the roof for the first time. There, he had pulled her onto his lap and pointed his wrinkled and tan finger towards the numerous houses and said, "There, that house with the chimney? With the blue balloon tied to it? That's your house. When you get better, we're going to take you there and have chocolate cake and ice cream. And there will be hundreds of blue balloons, so many you won't even be able to count them all."
He surprised her by hugging her then. He had never been good with emotions, but that day he wrapped her in his arms as tight as he dared and hugged her for all he was worth. She held him back, smiling so big she thought she would burst. Her dad always gave her hope. She would get better, and he would throw her a huge party. And so many people would come! But she wouldn't care about them, wouldn't even talk to them. She would ignore everyone except her father. She'd run right into his arms and hug him as hard as she could, forgetting about the chocolate cake and even the ice cream. He was the one who made her laugh, who gave her hope that she would get better. Sometimes she thought she loved him so much she would burst.
A week later he died.
It had been an accident. That's what they told her. Strangers, they were the one's that told her. Her mom was too heartbroken, they said. Her brother locked himself in his room, the told her. Her father was hit by a car right next to the hospital. As far as they could tell, he just hadn't been looking when he crossed the street. It confused them, no one understood why her dad would cross the street without looking.
But Kagome did. It was the street across from her window. He had been waving at her. She knew that with a frightening horrific clarity. They told her everything was going to be okay. They said time would heal all wounds. They said a lot of things, but their voices came from far away, and Kagome didn't have the strength to try and hear them.
They talked for a long time. Weeks, they told her later. She never spoke back, she wouldn't say a word to anyone. Even when her mom came, eyes red from crying, Kagome just sat very still on her bed, staring at the wall dry- eyed.
It wasn't until the mother of one of the patients passed by with a bundle of colored balloons that Kagome finally woke up to the real world. Her vision clarified with such intensity it frightened her, and all she could do was watch the single blue balloon until it was out of sight. As soon as it disappeared, she threw herself onto the floor and started sobbing. The nurses heard and called the doctors, who called her family. When she finally pulled herself together, they were all in the doorway, watching her. As calmly as she could, she picked herself off the floor and ran to her mom, arms open wide.
It had taken a long time for Kagome to work up the courage to go to the roof again. The doctors and nurses saw it as a sign of rebellion, her mom thought she was going slightly crazy from being locked up, but they were wrong. It was her and her father's special place.
She didn't cry when she sat there, all alone, though she felt tears prick her eyes. She sat back and stared at the top of the house with the chimney, remember every word her father said, pretending she could still feel his arms around her. She didn't leave until one of the nurses found her and furiously ordered her back to her room. Kagome complied, smiling, which shocked the woman even more. It was the first time she'd smiled since the death of her father.
She was all grown up now, at least, that's what her mom would tell her every time she visited. She didn't come as often as she used to. A long time ago, she would come every day. And than she would start missing one or two days a week because of work. Eventually, she would only come once a week, if even that. Now, after all these years, Kagome counted herself lucky if she saw her mother more than once a month. She didn't blame her. After all, who would want to spend more time in that small little white room than they had to?
Her brother used to come every time her mom did, but now he was busy with school and everything, and it was hard to make time for her. He still wrote her letters though, every now and than, keeping her posted on his life. Those letters made her day, and she would show all her nurses and all her doctors, smiling brightly at them, pretending not to see the sadness in their eyes. She used to think if she was happy enough, they would stop pitying her, but they only pitied her more. She learned to ignore the stares and the whispers.
No one knew what was wrong with her. When she was born, she seemed perfectly healthy. But than they told her parents that there was something wrong with her blood. That she would need constant supervision to keep it stable. Than they said that she would never get better, they didn't know what was wrong. They could keep the problem at bay, but they could never cure her.
Occasionally she got attacks. Her body would go haywire, her teeth would chatter and her arms would move around wildly. The first time it happened, she was only six, and had thought it was a game. That was when it was decided that she would have to remain at the hospital full time, and having a nurse at home wouldn't do any good.
The attacks weren't so bad at first, but as she got older they grew more and more violent. The last one was so bad, when she tried to scream she bit her tongue. Blood filled her mouth, choking her. They said she nearly died.
The thought wasn't a new one for her. According to the doctors, she could die any day now. She had grown used to it. They thought she didn't understand since she was constantly trying to get away from them. What they didn't understand, was that she just wanted to live what she did have of a life.
So every day, when she couldn't make it to the roof, she would stand by her windowsill with the window open as wide as it would go and lean out as far as she dared. Though she no longer pretended to be a part of that world, she loved to watch the people go about their daily business. Maybe it was morbid, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the type of life that would never be hers. ***
Inuyasha Taishou glared as hard as he could at the back of Mr. Ishida's head. "Let me get this straight." His voice was a growl, something that would have frightened the other teachers. "I have to play nurse to a couple of sick old men?" He made a face. "I'm sure they'd prefer a REAL nurse."
The teacher stiffened, signifying that he hadn't missed the innuendo. "That's right." He continued cleaning the chalkboard. "The principal has decided, and I must say I agree, that you don't take human life very seriously and some time well spent at the hospital might do you some good. These men were all picked with you in mind."
"That makes me feel so much better." He muttered, glaring darkly. "If this is because I set off fireworks from the school roof, I can assure you I didn't do it because I was suicidal. I have plenty of appreciation for life."
Mr. Ishida finally turned around, dusting his hands. "Not according to your file. In the past year alone you've done at least nine life-threatening stunts."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "So a guy can't have fun anymore?" He ignored the look the teacher gave him and sighed. "When do I start?"
"Tomorrow afternoon, right after school. First you'll be seeing a Mr. Myoga. After that is a Mr. Takashi. You can talk to them about their ailments and family, do what you can to brighten their day."
"You make me sound like a Boy Scout commercial." He muttered.
The teacher raised an eyebrow, though he hadn't heard exactly what had been said. "I trust you will be on your best behavior?"
Inuyasha flashed him a fake smile. "Scouts honor."
***
"So?" A tough looking teenager stood up from where he'd been leaning as Inuyasha exited the classroom. "What is it this time? More detention? You're trying to beat my record, aren't you?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I've already beaten your record Kouga, get that through your thick wimpy skull. But no, I didn't get a detention."
"Than what did you get?" His best friend, Miroku, appeared by his side. "They're not gonna expel you are they? I mean, nothing in the school manual actually says anything about fireworks on the roof."
The silver-haired boy shook his head. "No, I have to," He paused, for effect. "Get this, I have to play nursemaid to some old men for two months! Every day after school!"
Kouga smirked. "I guess that means we won't be seeing you around as much. Don't worry, you'll still have a place with us when you're all done, if you're good."
Inuyasha shot him a glare. "I still have my weekends free and my nights, so don't start acting like I'm out of the picture yet Kouga."
"Besides," Miroku remained relaxed, but his eyes were hard. "Who would replace him. You?" Kouga puffed out his chest and Miroku let out a harsh laugh. "Not a chance. Inuyasha's right, you're a wimp. We'll wait for him, thank you very much." They were referring to Shikon, the unofficial name for their group of friends at school. None of the students messed with any of the members of Shikon, and the group could be counted on to stir up trouble. The main members were Inuyasha, for being the most reckless of them all, Miroku, for finding a way to provide the means for their plans, and Kouga, just because he'd make an annoyance out of himself if they didn't include him. He was actually a pretty good member, but his attitude bothered the other two to no end, so they rarely admitted it. Shikon's benefits extended an 'honorary' membership to people like Kagura, or Yura, who'd helped them out a time or two, but they weren't official.
Inuyasha headed for the door. "Let's go enjoy my last day of freedom." He ordered, stepping out into the sunshine. "I was thinking something along the lines of spray painting the principals office with teletubby pictures. I have it on good authority he watches the show with his kids, and besides," his eyes glittered. "I need revenge."
The two boys agreed, Miroku more vocally than Kouga, and followed him out the door. Both of them knew better than to think spray painting an office would be all Inuyasha would do to the principal, but they were willing to take it one step at a time. It was always worth it.
***
DONE! Not a long chapter, but I wanted to save their first meeting for chapter two. Let me know what you think! And NO HATING ME FOR STARTING ANOTHER FIC. I can't help it. I think I'm addicted. That would be bad. Oh well.
Rogue Pryde