"Don't laugh at me,

Don't call me names,

Don't get your pleasure from my pain.

In God's eyes, we're all the same.

Someday we'll all have perfect wings.

Don't laugh at me."

- "Don't Laugh At Me" by Mark Wills

Chapter One: The Start

"Stop!" A small scream was heard throughout the house. It was a child's voice, a young girl. Her voice was shaky, breaking as if she had been losing her voice. The sounds coming out of her mouth weren't enough, however. It only angered what this child had been trying to calm down.

"Stop mommy! Stop!" the young girl wailed, her face bruised, and her arms were dripping blood. She was yelling at her mother, who continued to throw items around the house, hitting the child. This young girl, the one with the raven colored hair and bright blue eyes had been defending her sister, arms spread out as her eyes remained shut, tears rolling down her cheeks- or at least that's what she thought she was doing. Her twin sister crouched behind the blue eyed child, covering her head as she trembled in fear.

"Why?! Why?!" The older woman screamed over and over, her eyes beet red and swollen from her crying. She had just been informed her husband committed suicide, and she couldn't handle it. "Shut up!" she constantly yelled. She slapped the blue eyed child's face as much as she wanted, her hands trembling with anger. "It's your damn fault! If I never had you, he would've never..." her voice trailed off as she collapsed to the floor, exhausted from her tantrum. The sisters trembled together, their chins resting on their knees as they watched their mother fall.

/ / /

Kagome woke up with a gasp, sweat and tears streaming down her face. She had another nightmare, the same nightmare she had been having since the day he died. It was a memory, the day of her father's death. She was to be lucky if she had no dreams at all.

Stifling a yawn, she slowly lifted herself from her bed. She walked over to her closet and picked out her new school uniform, which happened to be for males. After picking out some underwear, she walked over to her bathroom in her room to take a shower, timing her minutes so that she wouldn't be late.

Entering the warm shower Kagome let the warm water trickle over her body like rain would on a warm spring day. She closed her eyes to brace herself as she hated the sight she saw when she opened her eyes. When she finally did open them, she examined her bruises and scars that were scarred nearly all over her body. All of these marks were her mother's fault. She knew she couldn't ever wear skirts or dresses, short sleeves and so on unless they cleared up, which was not likely since she was only bound to get more.

Kagome always liked to think in the shower. It was the only place she could really get away from her mother and sister. She began to think about what the new students would say about her. She was mute, as in she never spoke, to anyone. It'd be pointless if she did anyway, considering nobody listened to her anyway. Her mother continuously told her to shut up and keep quiet, so eventually, Kagome did. Forever.

Kagome was the second to be born in the family. She knew her parents hadn't expected her to be born, they were sure it was only one child, the doctor's confirmed it, but somehow she was born anyway. A twin to her sister Kikyo. Her mother had been worried about the money and support but knew she had to take responsibility. Besides, she had her husband.

"Another one, hmm?" Mr. Higurashi said with full delight the day she had been born. He was overjoyed in having his daughters, as he loved them from the second they were born. Mrs. Higurashi had been happy as well, at least for a little bit. Eventually, she had grown tired of Kagome and her high spirits. She was tiresome to deal with—or at least this was everything Kagome was told. Kikyo had been perfect to their mother, even if she was high spirited and cheerful. Kagome was thinking that her mother must've hated her because her parents had only prepared for one child. A second child had only brought them trouble.

"Hadn't expected her, huh?" Kagome remembered her father's words in the story he had told her and Kikyo. The story of how Kagome was born. "Must've been a miracle."

And now, Mrs. Higurashi blamed Kagome for her husband's death due to all the extra stress after Kagome was born. Kikyo was raised to believe it was Kagome's fault their father was dead, and grew to hate her.

Turning off the water, Kagome let her wet hair drip over her shoulders. A cool breeze passed by, making her body shiver. She stepped out and wrapped a dry towel around her, soaking up the wet water on her body.

She exited her bathroom and looked across the room to her drawers where a picture of her dad was.

'Hey dad. I start high school today.' Kagome thought sadly as she walked towards his photo. She gently stroked the picture frame with her thumb. She smiled at the memory of her father. She loved him with all her heart. She knew her mother repeatedly said it was her fault her father committed suicide, but she knew he loved her just as much as she did him. He would take her and play piano with her, his big hands running across the keys delicately as she watched him with eyes of interest. That was why she loved the piano. It had a soft tone, the melody could make her cry.

She blinked to wipe away small droplets of tears in her eyes and turned away from her father's picture. 'I believe the high school is called Shikon High.' She continued thinking as she got dressed. She knew he couldn't hear her because she had been thinking these thoughts, these words towards him, but she couldn't speak. She didn't want to speak.

A fifteen year old with no freedom, no friends and no love. Why didn't she commit suicide? And although she questioned it to herself, she kept reminding herself that she wanted to be strong; stronger than her father, stronger for the both of them. She wanted to prove her mother wrong and someday walk away with a taunting smile her mother would gape at. But after years of terrible abuse, her strength seemed to be weakening.

Kagome looked in her mirror to see how she looked for the day; casual as usual. Her blue eyes that had once been so lively were now a grayish tone, looking completely lost and empty. Her mother refused to buy her makeup. In fact, her mother rarely bought her clothes. Kagome worked part time as a waitress to make money for herself and buy her own things. Other than that, Kagome never left her boring, plain room. Her walls were painted vanilla, probably by the previous owners since her mother didn't let Kagome decorate her room. Her floors were wooden, a dark burgundy color. She had one small closet, a small bed, a dusty wooden bookshelf for her books, a white dresser with the paint chipped, a small mirror above it, and the grand piano her father owned. She managed to convince her mother to keep it. Compared to Kikyo's room, Kagome's room was just empty space and air.

She grabbed her black book bag she used as her school bag. She had another yellow bag which was much bigger, but only used it on special occasions, like when she were to visit her grandmother Kaede, who she loved very much. She wished she could live with Kaede, who seemed to her more like a real mother than anything, but Mrs. Higurashi wouldn't let her. It seemed she enjoyed beating the shit out of Kagome, enjoyed watching her suffer. Kagome wouldn't even talk to Kaede, she'd visit with any smile she could muster up and sit quietly while she read books and drank tea. Kaede would tell her a whole bunch of stories, about her father, about her teenage years. Kagome listened with interest, she loved listening to her grandmother's stories. Unfortunately, she couldn't visit as often. She had a job, and it was frustratingly hard to convince her mother to let her go.

She brushed her hair in to a high ponytail that bounced cutely with her movements. Her hair was naturally straight, with a few waves in here or there. It was long as it ended on her waist, a few inches below her breasts. Kikyou's however had much longer hair, and unlike Kagome's dark black color, hers was more dark brown.

Exiting her bedroom, Kikyo's voice pierced Kagome's ears.

"What the heck took you so long?" She asked when she noticed Kagome come out from her little cave of a room. "Listen, I'm feeling generous. It's the first day and all. So I'm going to drive you to school." Kikyo sometimes felt pity and sympathy for her sister, but otherwise, treated her not too kindly. Kagome didn't despise Kikyo, but she didn't particularly like her too much either. Kikyo was, after all, raised to hate her.

Kagome looked soundlessly over at Kikyo, and shrugged emotionlessly. There was really no point in denying Kikyo's offer. She'd only complain to Kagome about how "nice" she was trying to be. It was too early in the morning for all that.

"Tch. Y'know it's really annoying when I don't get a response." Kikyo scoffed angrily and walked down the steps like the 'princess' she was.

Kagome didn't speak, Kikyo knew that, yet she still expected her to at any moment, as if she were just bluffing this whole mute thing.

Kagome could speak if she wanted to, but she stopped talking when she started middle school, because all her screams and cries were distant. She was so used to not talking; her voice was probably hoarse and rough. No matter what, due to her broken heart, she never spoke.

Kagome followed Kikyo silently downstairs, quietly observing her sister. She wore the girl's uniform to the school, her green skirt looking ridiculously short. She let her hair down loose as usual, her strands of hair ending at her hips.

"Good morning, Kikyo! Toast is on the table for you!" Mrs. Higurashi greeted her daughter with a smile. Kagome passed by, she muttered uncomfortably, "Yeah, I left a small piece for you too." Kikyo stared at Kagome sympathetically, and Kagome just looked away. She didn't need her pity.

Once Kikyo finished, and Kagome ate the small piece her mother left which was pretty much burnt, they both headed towards the bright white car Kikyo had gotten for her fourteenth birthday. Kikyo had a permit to drive with an adult who knew how to drive in the car, not her license, but still drove anyway. Kagome didn't really care.

"Uh... Kagome? Couldn't you have... uh prettied up?" Kikyo mumbled through the silence that hung around. Seriously? How could she? She had no makeup, no special jewelry like Kikyo did. There was no such thing as 'prettied up' in Kagome's world.

'The minute we get to school, she'll act like a total stranger to me. Why do I care? Oh wait, I don't.' Kagome flicked at her fingernails and avoided any eye contact between her and Kikyo.

"Geez Kagome. I was just trying to be nice." Kikyo grumbled once they pulled in to the school's parking lot. Kagome got out of the car quickly and sped to the school before Kikyo could run her mouth any longer.

'What class do I have? Oh, English...' Kagome thought to herself, staring down at the schedule she had received in the mail. She stared around the hallways full of crowded teenagers and tried to shuffle past the groups, looking for room 312, praying nobody spoke to her.

"Oh, where the heck is room 312?!" A girl grumbled out loudly, which caused Kagome to draw her attention towards her, considering they were looking for the same room. A girl with long brown hair tied into a ponytail. She was shuffling through the crowds as well, her head moving from side to side to see if she could spot her destination. Kagome observed the girl and her movements and decided it was best to follow her seeing as how they were both lost and Kagome didn't talk to anyone. Hopefully this girl would ask for directions and she'd quietly trail behind.

Kagome was just a few feet behind the girl, following her down the hall with the quietest steps. When the girl came to a sudden stop, Kagome froze, her schedule crumpling up in her hand a little as she did so. She was turning around, and once she was fully faced towards Kagome, the first thing the female noticed was the blue paper in Kagome's hands.

"Ah! You have the same schedule as me!" The girl beamed, stepping closer in front of Kagome. She stuck out her hand to shake and introduced herself. "I'm Sango, are you looking for room 312 as well? It's the first room on our schedule." She asked in a polite tone, holding up her paper with her free hand. Kagome shook her hand gently and nodded as she tried to be just as polite; so much for going unnoticed.

"Sango!" A voice from down the hall yelled. The halls were beginning to become empty due to all the kids running off towards their classes.

"Miroku!" The girl greeted back in a 'thank goodness!' tone of voice. Kagome watched as the girl ran up to a teen boy with dark hair tied in to a small pony tail. Kagome wouldn't even call it a pony tail; it was too short for that. More like a strand of hair tied around the back.

"We're looking for room 312. Where is it?!" she yelled in a rush and Miroku glanced over at Kagome. She quietly averted her gaze to the floor, avoiding any possibility of eye contact.

"Well, well. Who's your friend?" Miroku chuckled and gave a charming smile. Sango punched his arm angrily.

"Miroku! You idiot. Leave her alone and just tell us where we need to go before the bell rings!" Sango asked in an irritated tone.

"Ok, ok. Down the hall, to your right." he pointed down the hall with his finger. "Do I get a reward?" he grinned and in one swift movement, groped her butt. Her face seemed to glow red but Kagome couldn't tell if it was out of embarrassment or anger; probably both. She slapped him across the face, yelling something about him being a pervert.

"C'mon." Sango said, her eyebrows knitted together in anger. She grabbed Kagome by her wrist and pulled her to run. The whole scene had been pretty interesting for a first day.

"Glad you two could come. With seconds to spare." the teacher, a cheery fellow with a round stomach figure smiled at the young two ladies who seemed to be catching their breath. He invited them in and they both chose seats in the back of the classroom. Kagome was by the window, the perfect view for day dreaming when she wanted. Sango sat right in front of her. Hopefully talking to Kagome was only a onetime thing because they both had been lost. That didn't automatically make her Sango's friend.

"Now class, since this is History..." the teacher began. He had written his name on the board. 'Myoga' it said.

"That was a pretty stupid scene out there. Sorry you had to witness it." Sango whispered as she turned around to face Kagome. Looks like this girl would keep on talking to Kagome, which was surprising. She wasn't one to catch attention from others. Kagome stared up at the teacher to make sure he wasn't looking, and then gave Sango a small polite smile. In all truth, Kagome hadn't really minded.

"Don't talk much do you?" Sango asked in a quiet tone, giving her a soft smile. She intertwined her fingers and glanced around to make sure she wasn't drawing attention to them.

Kagome shook her head, her smile fading.

Sango frowned. "Could I at least know your name?" she asked. Her fingers drummed against the chair she sat in. Kagome silently stared at the floor, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She obviously couldn't say, and this girl would think odd of her.

"Higurashi, Kagome?!" Myoga called out, staring at his clipboard, then looked up at the class. Kagome raised her hand and from the corner of her eye she could see Sango grin. All eyes were on Kagome, and she felt very uncomfortable over their gazes. Soon enough they looked away to see the next student being called. Kagome let out a sigh of relief.

"Kagome, hmm? Nice name." Sango smiled sweetly and Kagome just nodded. This girl was strange. Normally, people would stop talking to her by now when they realized she was mute. "Well, it's nice to meet you Kagome. I'm a freshman here too, although I have two close friends that already go to this school. Miroku and Inuyasha. You've already met Miroku, he's an idiot right? But don't worry, I wouldn't ever let him touch you. You should meet Inuyasha! He's a little… rough at times, but he's pretty cool once you get to know him."

Kagome nodded slowly, catching every word this girl said. Why was she still talking to her? Kagome wasn't actually making a friend, was she?

/ / /

"This is Kagome. She doesn't talk much." Sango said, smiling apologetically at Kagome, saying she was sorry for telling her friends that she didn't talk. Kagome didn't mind. She rather others are told about her than finding out themselves.

She stood in front of Sango's two friends. Miroku and Inuyasha. Inuyasha was a handsome young man but looked a little bit odd. He had long white hair and cute dog ears at the top of his head. He had fangs and long nails. No not nails- claws.

"Hey," Inuyasha grumbled, shifting in his seat. He tried not to stare at the girl much, but it was obvious he was studying her.

"I'm Miroku." The boy from earlier spoke, grinning at Kagome with a small wave. She bowed shyly as her way of saying hello.

They all sat at a table near the far end of the cafeteria. Apparently, the cafeteria was so big it was big enough to hold everyone for the same lunch period, as in all grades could eat together. Sango dragged Kagome along with her in order to meet her friends, and for that she was a little thankful. If it hadn't been for Sango dragging her along, Kagome would probably be eating lunch in the bathroom.

Kagome sat in front of Inuyasha, and Sango sat beside her in front of Miroku. As they all engaged in a conversation, Kagome observed Inuyasha. 'Why does he look like that?' She thought to herself, curiosity sparking in her eyes.

Inuyasha seemed to notice the new girl watching him, so he turned to look at her, and once they locked eyes, Inuyasha blurted out, "Watcha starin' at wench?"

Kagome's face twisted in to a scowl Inuyasha smirked at. Sango turned to her new friend to see what the problem was, and glared at Inuyasha for running his bad mouth.

"What the hell, Inuyasha?! Be nice for once!" she grumbled in a scolding tone. Inuyasha glared right back at her, and then sighed, looking away from the whole group.

"She was the one gawking at me." He growled out and Kagome shivered at the sound of his growls, because they actually sounded like animal growling.

"She probably doesn't know you're a half demon. You are an odd sight to look at." Sango commented dryly and Inuyasha scowled at her.

Kagome shook her head roughly to catch all of their attention. She blushed at their stares and took out a paper and pen.

'Wait. Half demon?' she wrote confusedly, the pen shaking in her hands. Inuyasha raised a brow at her question and Sango turned to Kagome to explain.

"Yes. Half demon. Didn't you know demons, humans, and mixtures of half demons go to this school?" Sango asked, patting Kagome's hand. Kagome tilted her head like a confused pup, and then shook her head no. "Well, yes. Demons exist." Sango laughed and turned back to Inuyasha, pointing a finger in his direction. "There's your proof."

"Got a problem with me being a half demon?" Inuyasha spat out at Kagome who shook her head quickly, his stare only making her more nervous.

'Since when did me and Kikyo enroll in a school with demons?!' She thought to herself. Then again, Kagome didn't go out much. Perhaps the whole world knew about demons, yet she hadn't gotten a chance to see one. She read books about them, but figured they were all fiction. This was a lot for Kagome to take in.

Why was she sitting with these people? She was surprised, not just about the demon thing, but more about the fact that she was sitting with people, talking with people. And they didn't care she didn't actually talk.

This was all so new.