"Kagome, come down here!" Yelled an angry mother with short black hair and hard brown eyes. She hit the end of her broomstick on the kitchen ceiling five more times, loudly. "KAGOME! Get off the PC and come get your breakfast! It's been sitting here for half an hour now," She hit the ceiling three times more. "And it's nice and cool. Just the way you always eat it!" She yelled.
Finally, she was answered with footsteps drumming down the stairs. "Morning, Mama." Greeted a pale-looking girl. Like always, she wasn't greeted back. She moved a lock of her inky black hair behind her ear and took a seat at the dark oak table. She bowed her head quickly, mumbled some words of prayer, and shoveled cold scrambled eggs into her mouth. She crunched several bits of egg shell, decided the eggs needed much more salt, mentally screamed at her glaring mother, and finished her cold meal.
"Thank you, Mama, it was delicious!" She piped. Her mother's lips stretched slightly in a fake smile. Then she raised an eyebrow. "Oh, before I forget, that stupid friend of yours called. The 'mature' girl...Sango? She wanted to know if you could go over for a sleepover. Isn't that nice?" Kagome grinned hopefully. "Oh, Mama! ...May I call her back?" She asked, a waver of doubt in her voice. She watched her mother's face contort with a true feeling of amusement. She tilted her head backwards, and with her eyes closed, she laughed. "Of course not! I already told her you wouldn't be going." She said, shaking her head and giving Kagome a look that said 'How stupid can you be?'
The thin girl stood and bowed to her mother in a shaky, uneven sort of way, as if she were being forced to bow by some unseen power. "Thank you for the meal, Mama." She then turned and climbed back up the stairs. Once she got to the second floor, she climbed yet another flight of stairs. At the very top of the second flight of stairs was a door. She opened it and entered the room.
It was rather small with a cold feel to it. A chunk of glass was missing from one of the three foggy, molded windows, causing a draft about the room. The walls and floor were made of wood. In some untouched areas of the floor, the wood appeared to be a light brown color. However, the rest of the floor was dark with dirt, wear, and mold. The walls and ceiling were very dark brown, leaving the room feeling colder than it already was. Straight ahead was her bed. The sheets were a nasty grey, and her bed springs were broken. Her pillow was the size of a large basketball; her blanket two feet shorter than herself. To the left of her bed was a dingy little dresser with severl knobs missing.
The only truly wonderful thing about the room was what was to the right of her bed. A shiny black desk with a white computer that she dusted almost hourly. Her mouspad was a red heart. The chair was one of the kitchen chairs that she somehow convinced her mother to give her. It was white and new-looking, unlike most everything else in her room. If you could even call it a room...
Kagome's escape from everything irritating and saddening in her life was her computer.
There, she could speak with her friends, mostly uninterrupted. She had full internet access 24/7 unless she was grounded. Kagome was grounded often for many things. For not thanking her mother properly for the meals she was given, sassing, not cleaning the house at the exact time she was supposed to, for not washing her dishes... Speaking of which... "Oh, no...I forgot my dishes!" A look of panic and horror slapped Kagome's face and she raced down the stairs.
Her socks made her slip over the white and blue kitchen tiles. To her releif, her mother was not there. Kagome rushed to the table to collect her dishes and washed them as fast as she ever did in her life. She dried them and put them away. Before she even had time to take a breath, she was racing up the stairs again. "Thank goodness..." Kagome sighed out as she closed her creaky door. The floorboards squeaked in some places as she walked to her computer.
She smiled happily and signed on to her AIM account.
Three hours later...
Truble1999: Hey kagome whats up
adoptmepleassse: Sango, I was wondering when you'd get on! Hey!
Truble1999: haha hey
Truble1999: so what are u doin right now
adoptmepleassse: I'm looking into this contest thing. I entered it a few months ago. It's a random drawing thing...All I had to do was give out my E-mail adress. Cool, huh?
Truble1999: ur a fast typer, kag.
Truble1999: I gess thats cool. So what could u win?
adoptmepleassse: A whole month at a mansion in Naha, Okinawa - Everything payed for! lol don't I wish I won...
Truble1999: oooh wait isnt that the contest thathas ben on the news for a while
adoptmepleassse: Yeah. It is. Cool, huh?
Truble1999: ... I never new u would like to enter that thing
adoptmepleassse: Of course I would. What are you thinking?
Kagome minimized her chat box and read through the contest page. "It says the drawing happened..." Her eyes widened and a small smile tugged at her lips. "Twelve minutes ago!" She muttered excitedly. Everything happened so fast. She laughed, she cried, she jumped up and down on her floor (until three bangs of a broomstick stifled her), and then typed to her good friend.
adoptmepleassse: Sango, Sango! I won! I won! I really won! OH MY GOSH!
Truble1999: oh coooool kagome! im so happy 4 u
Truble1999: wait wut about ur mom kagome wut does she say about this?
Kagome giggled quietly.
adoptmepleassse: My mother told me she'd be glad to get rid of me for so long. I can really go! This is just SO great, Sango..You don't know how happy I am right now. WOW! I get to go all the way down to Naha. NAHA! Can you believe it? For ONE MONETH! I'm gonna cry, I just know it... That is SO far away from Tokyo. So far away from this stupid house.
Truble1999: i am sooo happy 4 u kagome. tomorow come over 2 my house so we can talk!
adoptmepleassse: I will, Sango. I definitely will.
Kagome logged off.
One week later...
"You didn't forget your toothbrush, did you? Because you know if you did and you get some kind of mouth disease, I won't pay for it. Not one yen." Kagome's mother snapped. "I have everything, Mama. I'll be back in one month!" Kagome said with fake cheer. "Bye!" She called loudly, sounding to her mother almost too happy... Sango's boyfriend, Miroku, helped Kagome get her suit cases into the back of Sango's car.
She climbed into the passenger seat of Sango's SUV, shut the door, and waved. Sango pressed down on the gas pedal and they drove off down the street. Kagome blared the radio and sang loudly (and badly) to the song that was on. Sango and Miroku sang along as well. When the song was over, Sango turned off the radio. A long silence followed. Kagome was grinning so broadly, Miroku was silently thinking Kagome's lips would break. "One month, huh, Kagome? I'm gonna miss you, ya know..." Sango said, with an air of sadness in her voice. "I'll miss you too, Sango." Kagome smiled at her friend. Someone cleared their throat loudly. "Hahah. And you too, Miroku. You guys make sure to take LOADS of notes for me. I won't be here for the fist three days of school." They nodded and assured her that they would.
An hour passed and they were at the airport. Kagome jumped out of the car and gave a giant smile.
Sango and Miroku helped Kagome with her bagage check and her ticket information, and they saw her to the gate. "I'm still a little shocked, Kagome." Miroku said. A puzzled expression came across Kagome's face. "Why?" She asked. Miroku laughed a little. "Well, I just never knew you were into that kinda stuff. You never seemed to be the fearless type to me. If it get's dangerous, run for it or something." Miroku grinned at her. Kagome held her puzzled expression and then glared at him. "I have a tazer if that makes you feel better. Just because I'll be alone doesn't mean I have to be 'fearless.'" She smiled at him. Miroku laughed. "Woah, you really are fearless!" He shouted. "Kagome turned and gave them both giant hugs. "You be careful now," Sango said. "no puking on the plane." She laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. Kagome smiled at Sango. "It's not like I'm going to DIE or anything. What could possibly happen to me on an all-expenses-payed trip to a mansion in Okinawa, for goodness' sake?" Sango laughed through a sob. "You have your cell phone?" She asked weakly. Kagome nodded. "Yep! It's here in my pocket. I'll call you every night if you want." Kagome giggled loudly. Sango nodded violently at this.
With one last wave, Kagome yelled, "This is going to be the best time of my life!"
And with that, she boarded the plane.
Fifteen thousand miles later, the plane landed.
After much trouble with the bagage claim and meeting a strange old man who kept calling her his 'little sister', she was boarding the bus that would take her to Naha. Once she was there, she would meet the 'contest people', get the keys to the house, etc...
Kagome buckled her seat belt and fingered a red ribbon attached to one of her suitcases. She glanced around nervously at the other three people on the bus. In just five stops, the bus was completely full. The bus was large, but there weren't many seats. The seat cushions were dark green and there was practically no white carpet left to cover the floor. All of the windows were open, letting the hot air in. Kagome pulled out a light blue fan with a white anime rabbit on the middle of it. She began fanning herself. Suddenly the bus driver asked, "Everyone here goin' to Sunabe?" Every person on that bus raised their arm and said, "Yeah!" All except Kagome. In a shy voice she said, "I'm going to Naha...!" She furrowed her eyebrows and waited for a reply. "Naha, eh? Alright then."
After the second hour of being on that hot bus, Kagome drifted into sleep. Her last thought being: 'Is this such a great idea?'
A big bump in the road caused Kagome to be startled from her sleep. It had been some time before they reached what could only be Sunabe, because everyone on the bus got off. She looked around quickly. "Naha, little lady?" The bus driver asked in that croaky voice. Kagome looked at his reflection through the rearview mirror of the bus. He was a sweaty man, rather obese..not much white hair, and a black eyepatch over his left eye. "Yes, please." She said firmly.
More and more time passed. Then, the bus finally came to a stop. "Well," He hawked and spit into a little brass bowl to the right of him. "Here yeh are, little lady. Naha. Have a safe time!" Kagome smiled and dragged her luggage out of the bus. "Thank you." She called quietly as she stepped down out of the bus. The doors closed and the bus was off. There was no going back at that point. Kagome smiled waveringly.
Kagome spotted a taxi and she waved it down. She sat inside and closed her door. She glanced sideways at the driver and handed him a small piece of paper. He smirked a little and took it. He read it out loud and began driving. It contained the address of the building she was supposed to meet the 'contest people' at. The taxi driver was a nice looking guy who was mouthing the lyrics to a pop song. He had a very unique style of clothing. It was very cool. No one dressed like that in Tokyo... His face was very royal looking, like a prince. 'Strange...' Kagome thought to herself. 'A cool guy listening to female pop music.' Glancing up at the rearview mirror every few minutes, Kagome began noticing that the boy kept looking back at her reflection. She flicked a bead of sweat off her eyebrow and stared out the window.When the taxi finally stopped in front of a huge business building, Kagome was very relieved. She opened her door and slammed it. She tugged her suitcases out of the car one by one with no help from the driver. She walked over to the passenger side window as it began opening. Kagome handed him some money and forced a smile.
As he took it, he started to roll up the window. Before it closed, Kagome saw a rather odd look come into his eye and a psychotic look crossed his features. He grinned. "What's so strange about it?" He asked in a light voice. It took only two more seconds for the window to be completely rolled up. The car drove away quickly, leaving skid marks on the street. Kagome's face was pale and she couldn't breathe. She could feel sweat forming on her upper lip. Her head was light and she was speachless. "Miss," Someone called. Kagome ignored them and continued to stare in the direction the car went. 'Am I asleep?' she wondered. "MISS," The person called again. 'That's it...Darn...I knew it was all too good to be true...Too happy. Too free...' Kagome shifted her weight onto her right leg and tried to blink away the shock.
"MISS!" Someone roared. Kagome jerked out of her thoughts and spun around to face the man who called her. "WHAT?" Kagome screeched. The man in front of the doors to the building fixed his black suit up a bit and took on a very regal pose. "I take it you are Miss Kagome Higurashi, winner of the contest. Am I not correct in assuming this?" Kagome nodded her head. "Oh,yes. I'm Kagome." The man allowed himself a very, very slight smile. "This way, if you please." He drawled smoothly. Kagome swallowed hard and walked after him.
He opened the doors for her and allowed her into the building. Kagome let the cool air wrap her body. She smiled carelessly and closed her eyes. "Ahh..Finally, some cold!" Kagome said. The man took her bags and told a passing woman strictly to guard the bags until their return. "This way, Miss." Kagome followed the tall old man. He walked stiffly, like something was constantly bothering him. Kagome wondered if that was just the way he walked, or if there really was something bothering him. Through and through hallways they went. Up stairs, down stairs. Getting darker all the way they went. Kagome was reminded of a vampire's castle. It was eery and now, too cold. There were moments when Kagome felt she had lost her breath, and she couldn't go on any longer. The floor was sometimes sticky, and something in her head told her she knew much better than to look down and see why.
The man then stopped so abruptly, that Kagome ran into him and fell flat on her back. She hit the cold marble floor with a noise that sounded like a crack. This noise caused the tall man to turn around. He eyed her suspiciously. Pointing a gloved finger to two large, silver double doors, he said, "In here, please, Miss. The director of the contest awaits you. He will tell you everything you need to know."
'What, not gonna help me up, you jerk?' Kagome asked him silently to herself. It took her a few tries to get back up on her feet.
She looked up at the tall old man as she opened one of the doors. In the glow of the warm firelight coming from the other side of the door, the man's eyes looked strangely red. She blinked to clear her vision. Kagome walked into the room and let go of the door. It swung closed by itself. Kagome jumped when it closed. "Ahhhh... Kagome Higurashi. Winner of our dear little contest." A cold voice said.
Kagome looked up. After she did, she wondered if it was smart idea to do so. The room was extremely dark. A few feet in front of her stood a long silver table. Being so long, it was strange that there was only one chair on both ends of the table. One for Kagome, and the other for the man who was sitting so far away from her. She stared at him. His hair was wavy and black and was held back in a low hairband. His hands were clasped together in front of him on the table. He was leaning foward slightly and had a very strange presence about himself. There was a wide fireplace behind him that was closed off by glass. The fire's shadow danced around the room and on the surface of the table. The light of the fire carressed the man all over and made him look, in a word, evil. Kagome felt her stomach being tied up in knots. His smile widened and he raised a sleek black eyebrow to her. "Oh, please, Kagome," He said in a low, cheery voice. "Sit down." Kagome did as she was told immediately. "So, you've decided to go through with this. I must say, I am quite impressed." His strange evil voice gripped Kagome's ear drums, and she felt she couldn't look away. She didn't really understand what he meant, but she nodded just the same.
"My, my...Why the stiff face?" Kagome's eyes widened and she moved her eyes down to stare at the table. "Oh, I know." His cold voice echoed through the blank room. "It's because I haven't introduced myself. You have been entirely thrown by my rudeness, is that right?" Kagome licked her dry lips and found her throat to be too tight to let out words. The darkness touched her. Gripped her. Suffocated her. "I am Naraku, owner of this building and sole director of this experiment."
'Experiment?' Kagome thought. That was a strange thing to call it. "Are you feeling nervous? Would a glass of water soothe you, perhaps?" Kagome found herself nodding, entranced. In feeling what she was doing, she shook her head. She didn't want water. She wiped sweat from her forehead and took in a scared gasp of air.
"No?" Naraku stretched the word with a narrowed eye and a smile. "In that case, here are the things that I shall supply you with during this month." Kagome stared with an interested face. Naraku raised a brown cardboard box out of what seemed like no where, and slid it across the table. Kagome put up her hands and stopped it. She picked it up and placed it on her lap. "That contains...Well, you'll find out when you open it. I nearly forgot. This will go to you as well. You will need to sign it." He pinned a slip of paper and a pen to a clipboard and slid that across to Kagome as well. Kagome scanned through the writing. 'I am aware of the fact that the director of this experiment, ( Naraku ),' His signature was there. 'is not to be held responsible if I should be injured or killed within the next thirty days.' Kagome licked her lips again. 'Signed,' She picked up the black pen and wrote her name down. She read through the rest of the papers.
'There. That's that, then...' She slid it back to Naraku. "I appreciate your quickness." He said, barely moving his lips."The sooner we get started, the better, don't you agree Kagome?" He said smirking. Kagome smiled slightly and nodded. "Good." He flipped the pen around in his pale fingers for a while before deciding to speak. "That is all, Kagome. I hope you enjoy your stay at that nefarious mansion."
Kagome had no idea what that word meant, but she assumed it meant luxurious or something of the sort.
She stood, bowed, and walked for the door. She turned around as she opened it to look at Naraku. During their whole conversation, Kagome was thinking of how red the fire made his eyes look. It wasn't until this precise moment of staring at him that she realized his eyes truly were red. Color ran from her face. "Goodbye." She said, sounding quite serious. Naraku's face lit up and he smiled. "I haven't heard your voice this entire time. I had started to think you were mute. You have a very lovely voice. Very lovely indeed..." A little more color than neccessary came back to Kagome's face and she bowed in thanks. She walked out of the room and allowed the door to close by itself.
Naraku shifted in his seat and wiped the amused grin from his face. "It's a complete shame that voice will be wasted on screaming."
Insane-san says: Five reviews or more, please. ...Please?... I...Hope you will enjoy the future chapters. o.o