Here's a new story! Wahoo! I like it a lot, it's got some things that have happened in my life, cept some of them are a little "dramatized", or played up to make them more interesting.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters and I never will. I also don't own the songs "Splinter" by The Exies or "Duck and Run" by 3 doors down.

The Raw heart

A Drunken Lullaby

Kagome clasped her hands together and bowed her head a bit as she pretended to pray. Nobody was in the church at the moment, just herself, her mother, and the pastor. She hated going to church, it made her angry and made her hate her mother even more.

It wasn't as if Kagome hated god. She just hated the thought that her mother was trying to make up for all the sins she had done her entire life at one time.

At this she looked up towards her mother's figure where she was talking to the pastor. A look of disgust came across the young girls face as she thought to herself 'Go ahead and pray, and visit church as much as you want mom. It's not going to save you now, it's too late.'

But even if it was too late, Kagome's mother, continued to attend church. A couple months ago her mother had finally had a break down and had been sent to a rehabilitation center for 30 days. When she returned she was suddenly all "god-loving, god-is-everything, goody-two-shoes" type of person.

And it made Kagome sick to her stomach. How could the few months her mother probably had left to pray, make up for the many years of alcoholism, beating her daughter, smoking, and suicide attempts? Nothing made since and made Kagome overly irritable with her mom, even if she was trying to stop.

That morning Kagome had discovered her mother to have been drinking, an empty bottle of gin and her visa card lying out at the top of the stairs. Lot of good that "rehab" did. Her mother still drank as much as she had before, and still tried to hide it from her.

Very suddenly she was pulled out of her "praying" by her mother's clawed hand. They weren't exactly claws, not like Inuyasha's, but her mother had the most god-awful long nails she had ever encountered. They dug into the skin of her arm as she was pulled along.

The pastor wouldn't be able to see this, as he was distracted by her mothers "cheery" smile and wave. Everybody fell for that smile and wave; everybody just fell for that fake stuff. She supposed it was because nobody wanted to know the truth.

Kagome didn't turn to look at the pastor, but kept her eyes straight ahead as she was yanked and pulled along. After being dragged into the truck her mother slammed on the gas while reversing, promptly ramming some other person's poor car. Kagome cringed and waited until her mother sped out of the parking lot and swerved along the road to glare at her.

"Aren't you supposed to go tell somebody what you did when you do something like that, mom?" Speaking wasn't a good idea, and it wasn't until then that she realized it. Those awful long-nailed hands dug into her skull, yanked her hair until her head popped back, and then further let her face slam onto the passenger's side clove department.

Clogging a bloody nose with two pinched fingers, she listened to her mother's ranting "What do you think your saying! Are you saying I'm a bad driver! Well, are you! Why don't you try driving, smart alec?" Kagome quickly shook her head and flinched against as her face was again slammed into the closed glove department.

"MOM! Stop the car! Stop the car!" They were pulling up to a walker and dog crossing an intersection too fast, and almost too late her mother screeched to a halt, the walker and dog having to leap out of the way anyways.

"I saw them! I was gonna stop! Don't you DARE tell me how to drive or what to do! Don't you DARE yell at me either!" This received another slam into the glove department, the skin breaking open on her forehead. She felt a pounding headache starting to throb through her head.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Let me out of the car mom! Please let me out!" She was about to leap out of the car when her mom was speeding off again down the highway. Beginning to get desperate she yelled out "Mom if you don't stop right now I'm going to jump out! Stop the car! I want to walk!"

"Fine! See if I care!" The car came to a screeching halt before Kagome opened the door and her mother shoved her out of the car. She landed on her hands and knees, barely out of the way of the cars tires before her mom slammed the door close and sped off.

Crawling to the side of the road, she stayed on her hands and knees for a couple of minutes, panting. After she wiped the blood off of her face onto the inside of her black shirt, she stood up and began walking towards her home. Guessing it was a good half hour walk to get there, she thought her mother might be able to cool off.

So she trudged along, night closing in on her quickly. It was taking her longer to get there than she had thought, and a couple people had tried to pick her up by then. Of course, she refused all the offers and soon enough she found a little path through the woods that she could take.

"This is just a GREAT idea! Yup, dark, unfamiliar path leading into the deep dark woods with lots of beasts to eat me. I'm just brilliant! O yes, thank you dad, for coming to look for me! No, no, don't worry; there wasn't any possible way I was going to get raped while walking on the side of the road at night by myself! No! No! No! Not a possibility!" she ranted.

With a sigh she stopped for a moment, wiping the sweat off of her forehead before looking around. She had walked almost through the whole trail, and to her relief, she saw her own house up ahead. Though she hated her house, because it was by itself and nobody could hear her screams, she was thankful she had found it.

Sure, she didn't mind walking alone in the woods in the feudal era. There she knew Inuyasha would be there any moment to save her if she got into trouble. Though in those woods, she did run a higher risk of being jumped by a number of demons, she trusted those woods more than the ones in her own time.

Cursing after a moment, realizing that this was her neighbor's house and not her own, she quickly ran through their yard and took a familiar path that led to her own house. She knew this walk would be a good 15 minutes so she began singing softly to herself.

I know what it feels like, it burns from the inside, I know what it hurts like 'cause I've been wrong a thousand times. My bones are all cracked, splinter deep in my back.

I'm still the same, but we have changed and now I have to live with my mistakes. Will I ever learn? I'm battered and bruised, scratched on the inside. I'm losing myself I'm so sick of the lies. Dead ring in my ears, the hole underneath. You're deep in my skin you're the splinter in me.

You'll never know how hard I try to keep my head right. I miss all the bright lights, shining down like the sun burns my skin. Ten silver sets me free, like the ones before me.

Her strides grew lazier as she decided to pick a softer song to sing next, so she wouldn't alert her mother that she was coming home.

It's down to this; I've got to make this life make sense. Can anyone tell what I've done? I miss the life; I miss the colors of the world. Can anyone tell where I am?

'Cause now again I've found myself, so far down, away from the sun. That shines into the darkest place. I'm so far down, away from the sun again. Away from the sun again.

I'm over this; I'm tired of living in the dark. Can anyone see me down here? The feeling's gone, there's nothing left to lift me up, back into the world I know.

And now again I've found myself, so far down, away from the sun. That shines into the darkest place. I'm so far down, away from the sun. That shines to light the way for me. To find my way back into the arms, that care about the ones like me. I'm so far down, away from the sun again.

It's down to this; I've got to make this life make sense. And now I can't tell what I've done.

And now again I've found myself, so far down, away from the sun. That shines to light the way for me.

'Cause now again I've found myself, so far down, away from the sun. That shines into the darkest place. I'm so far down, away from the sun. That shines to light the way for me. To find my way back into the arms, that care about the ones like me. I'm so far down, away from the sun again.

Oh no...Yeah...I'm gone...

Without realizing it, she had finally arrived at the last place she wanted to be. But where else would she go? Deciding that she'd try what Inuyasha often did, and avoid the wrath of her mother for a bit longer, Kagome hoisted herself up into the tree that led up to her room.

Propping herself up onto branch after branch, she was soon scrambling up the slanted roof to her room. She broke off a stick from the tree, and started to pry the window to her room open. When she finally crawled in through the window and into her room, she sighed and began to pack her yellow backpack quickly.

If anything happened, she was going to return to the feudal era and stay with them. Maybe she could convince dad to allow Souta to stay at one of his friends, even if her mom didn't beat on him. She still wasn't sure that she wouldn't, if Kagome wasn't around.

After a couple minutes she took her bag and threw it out the window, and watched it land at the base of the tree outside of her window. Good thing it was out of view, because if her mother caught wind of her even thinking of leaving, there would be hell to pay.

Kagome made her way through her door silently, and started tippy-toeing down the hall to Souta's room. She soon reached it and looked in, only to back out and hold back a scream.

She forced herself to go back into the room, lock the door, and go to her brother's side. His face had a small bruise on his cheek, and she felt a small lump on the back of his head. Fortunately he was still alive, and fairly unharmed, if not unconscious.

The phone was in her reach, but right as she picked it up she heard her mother storming up the stairs, and start pounding on Souta's door. Holding her little brother closer to her, she dialed one of Souta's best friend's houses.

"Hello?" answered a mother's voice from one side of the phone. Kagome let out a relieved breath. They were home.

"Hi, this is Kagome Higurashi, Souta Higurashi's older sister. We were wondering if Souta could stay at your house for a bit. My mother isn't well, and we have to take her to one of the hospitals in Europe for special treatment."

"O my, my! That's so far away from here! Will she be alright?"

"Yah, she'll be alright. Just very sick, that is." She paused and thought of how she would cover this up. Yes, her mother's rehab center was in Europe. Maybe she could go back there after this episode?

"Yes, we can take Souta in then. We'll be there in a bit, but can I speak to your father?"

"I'm sorry; my father isn't in right now. He's at work picking up their passports."

"Where will you be staying honey? We could take you in."

"Oh, don't worry about me; I have a friend's house I'm staying at."

"Well, alright then. We'll be there in 10 minutes!"

"Ok thanks!" Kagome hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief. She then picked up the phone again to call her dad.

"Hey dad. Where are you? We really need you here right now! Mom's been drinking a lot, and she's out of control. One of Souta's friends is picking him up, and I'm going to the feudal era. But I don't know what to do with mom!"

She hear her dad talking to his business partners for a bit before he came back "Well, I'm sorry but I'm busy right now honey. Why don't you have one of moms AA instructors come pick her up and take her to that one clinic thing?"

Kagome growled a little on the other end of the line and then bit out harshly "Fine. Go back to work. Whatever. Bye." And slammed the phone back up onto its hanger.

After she quickly called one of her mother's AA instructors she took Souta's hand, packed a bag for him and quickly opened the door. Luckily for her, her mother fell for the trick and fell in through the door. Kagome slammed it on her mom, and then locked the door.

"What's happening sis? Why did mom hit me?" Souta's eyes were welling with tears as she kneeled down in front of him.

"Well, mom's had a bit too much to drink today. Dad's busy right now, but one of your friends should be here soon to pick you up. You'll be staying there until I, or Dad come and get you, ok? And if they ask you what happened to your cheek, it'd be best if you didn't tell them the truth. Tell them you bumped your head on the side of your bed, ok?"

Her heart was beating quicker and quicker with every word, as she listened to her mothers screams of protest. She smiled when she saw Souta nod, and handed him a bag. They both ran down the stairs when they heard a car horn.

Souta gave his sister a kiss on the cheek and then ran off to get into the van with his friend. He waved one last time to her before the car was gone and she turned around to head back into the house.

She began to scribble out a note to her father, hoping her mother wouldn't get out of the locked room. The note gave him all the information he would need, since he probably hadn't picked up on anything over the phone. She pinned the note to the fridge, and waited for her mother's AA instructor to arrive.

"Kagome, dear. Why did you lock me in that room?" Shivers ran up her spine as she turned around to see her drunken mother there, an evil smirk on her lips.

I like cliff hangers, but I also have the second chapter ready. I don't know if I'll post it yet, maybe later tonight. I probably will!

Hmm, I know Kagome doesn't have a father in the anime or manga, and I know her mother is all sweet and stuff, but I thought I might switch it up a bit. I hope you like this story!

Review this chapter please! 5 reviews plz