A/N: This is my first try at writing a story. Please read and review!
"Darkest Heart"
Chapter 1: Troubled
Kagome looked out at the dreary, rain-soaked streets and watched as people with umbrellas went about their daily business, though a bit more hurried than usual. Those that had forgotten to bring umbrellas rushed by, holding newspapers and jackets above their heads to try and keep dry. They all wanted to get out of the rain, of course, and since the work day was over they could look forward to going back to their own homes and families.
The young woman watched them from the window of an apartment complex in a less-than-appealing part of the city and, because of her kind heart, hoped that they all had happy reunions with those that they loved. She sighed, and wished that she could look forward to one herself.
I wonder if any of them realize they share this city with youkai and hanyou? Ever since her miko powers first manifested, Kagome often had that thought. She could feel the auras of several demons and half-breeds in the crowd below, and she never got over the wonder of knowing that the myths and legends she had loved as a child were based on fact. Of course, that's what got me into this mess to begin with, Kagome chided herself, mentally shaking her head to get her thoughts back on track.
Her family owned a Shinto shrine outside of the city, and she had grown up learning about its history and the importance of keeping it well-run. Her grandfather had told the tales that she loved, tales that told of demons battling humans and miko, and of romances between the two races. Kagome, being who she was, loved the romantic tales most of all and as a young girl often imagined herself as a princess who tamed a great demon prince. She outgrew her childish dreams of a royal romance, but never quite gave them up. A girl could dream, after all. So, after she came into her power as a teenager and realized that demons were real, imagine her delight at finding a handsome hanyou who also went to her high school!
Inuyasha's long white hair and amber-colored eyes set him apart from the other students, though only those with powers such as her own could see through the glamour that all those with demon blood used to hide their true appearance and see the adorable little dog ears on his head. Kagome had seen the hanyou on her first day of high school, and had thought that those ears were the cutest thing in the world. Inuyasha was a couple years older than her and hung out with a rough group of boys, the school delinquents, which kept her from getting to know him at first. After watching him for a few weeks, Kagome had come to the conclusion that he was brash and rude, but still had a good heart under the hard exterior. She had seen him help a little boy who had lost his mom at the park, even carrying him around on his shoulders until they found her. She started to fall for him then, but she thought that a freshman wouldn't have a chance with a sophomore, not to mention the fact that he was on the basketball team and had a ton of fan girls after his attention at each game and every practice.
Then, after practice one day, he had walked up to her as she stood in her habitual place to the right of the doors leading out of the gym. He had come up to her, and started talking to her. Actually talking to her! A freshman! Kagome hadn't been able to believe it, and she had blushed and stuttered, at least at first. But, he had been surprisingly easy to talk to, and she soon forgot her nervousness.
When Inuyasha had first shown an interest in her, Kagome had been surprised and flattered by the attention. As time went on, she developed a crush on the handsome hanyou because of all the little things that he began to do for her. He walked with her to and from school and spent time with her in their free time after school and on weekends. Spending a Saturday at the amusement park with him had led to some of her best memories of those better days. The first couple of years they knew each other, on Inuyasha's request, they avoided the terms boyfriend and girlfriend, his explanation being that they were both young and not ready for an actual relationship yet. Kagome had agreed, thinking that the hanyou was very mature despite his attitude and the friends that he kept. Her best friend Sango, a member of the school's Taekwondo club, hadn't been so sure.
"I don't trust him, Kagome. I don't know why, but what I do know is if he truly cared about you he wouldn't wait to ask you to be his girlfriend. After all, it's not like you're going to have sex with him after the first date." Sango crossed her arms and glared over at the hanyou, who was practicing jump shots on one of the school's outdoor courts. "And I highly doubt he's worried about preserving his innocence."
"Y-you just need to get to know him better!" Kagome said, blushing. "After all, you didn't like Miroku at first, either!" Miroku was perverted, but he had eventually won the heart of the tough young woman. They had been going out for over a year, now. Sango gave her an uncertain look, but let the topic go. The martial artist tried to talk to the young miko about her relationship at other times, but Kagome always became embarrassed dismissed her friend's worries.
Her mother felt the same as Sango. Mrs. Higurashi was not happy with the idea of her daughter dating a delinquent, no matter how well he acted when he was visiting, but didn't want to force Kagome to break off the relationship. The older woman knew that some lessons had to be learned through experience, and while she wouldn't interfere, she would always provide a safe place for her daughter to mend her heart. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, however.
When Kagome became a sophomore, Inuyasha had graduated and began working at a garage. He still wanted to be with her, though, and when he had time off from his job he would spend it with her whenever possible. A couple months later, they had been walking on a path around the park's lake and he had finally asked her to be his girlfriend. Her heart nearly burst with happiness at the question, and she had said yes without hesitation.
Kagome had thought that their relationship could only get better after they officially became a couple, but she couldn't have been more wrong.
Looking back now, she understood that she had been completely swept up by the idea of a romance with someone who wasn't human. Her childhood dream of taming a demon with her love caused her to be blind to the darker parts of the hanyou's personality. Kagome dismissed the intense jealousy that he showed whenever she spent time with or talked to another man, and forgave his harsh actions and rude words.
She had been looking at their relationship through rose colored glasses, and it wasn't until after she had graduated and moved into this apartment with him that they had been shattered.
The first time Inuyasha hit her he had been drunk and upset about his job. Since he hadn't gone to college, there was only so far he could go in the garage. After his boss told him that he couldn't move up from the position that he held now, Inuyasha became enraged and rushed from the garage to a nearby bar. By the time he got home, he was very drunk and backhanded her when she tried to help him. Kagome slammed into the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. She had nearly been knocked unconscious, but once the room came back into focus she was back up on her feet. She helped the snarling hanyou get into bed, and then sat on the couch trying to figure out what happened.
Kagome had forgiven Inuyasha that first time, thinking that it was because he was angry and drunk. She forgave the next few times as well. It kept getting worse, though, she thought. Those first times he was drunk. I had been around enough drunken people to understand that some got violent. Then, he started doing it when he was sober.
Inuyasha started to abuse her more and more often, and not just physically. He would become infuriated by the slightest things, the fact that dinner wasn't ready when he got home, and she had forgotten to do some errand or other, or even if she left the apartment to be with her friends. His jealousy became almost obsessive, and anytime he discovered that she had spent time with any man other than himself he would beat her. He had forced himself on her several times as well, her arms still bearing the bruises from the last occasion.
He began spending nights away from the apartment, and even though this meant Kagome had a break from his presence, she still worried that he would leave her for some other woman. Like many women in a bad relationship, she thought she could fix their problems with a bit of effort, and would bring back the man she had fallen for with her love and determination.
Now, she had discovered that Inuyasha was cheating on her, and was going to confront him about it. All she had to do was wait for him to come home. A tear trailed down her cheek, startling her back to the present. She wiped her face on her sleeve and sniffled. Her eyes refocused on the rain-soaked streets below their apartment, and she watched the few people that still passed by while trying to forget about the cramping of her stomach and the fear that coursed through her body.
