Higurashi Kagome…my name is Higurashi Kagome...I...
Vibrant blue eyes opened slowly, mechanically, and shut themselves tightly once more against the glare of the sun, directly overhead.
The heat of it washed over her as she struggled to get a feel for her surroundings without actually looking. From the sun overhead, she knew she wasn't in the well house, she wasn't home…so, she must have been in the Feudal Era, right?
Trying to sit up, and failing miserably, Kagome winced slightly as she realized why she couldn't. Pain. Pain radiated all over her body and only now did she feel it. Shuddering against the feeling of it, Kagome screamed.
Her scream, as screams generally are, was soundless, and full of deep emotion. She seemed unable to feel anything but the pain, and her shrieks were loud enough to even attract human ears.
The thought stopped her, and though she clenched her teeth together hard, she knew she had to stop. If an unfriendly Yokai were to chance upon her…Gods only knew what might happen to her then.
Inu...yasha…Inuyasha…INUYASHA!
Her mind screamed for her beloved hanyou, but she kept silent. No need to draw unnecessary attention, right? She didn't know for how much longer she could handle the pain, though.
Falling through time had never hurt before, it had been like free-falling, always with a safe landing, almost like gentle arms guiding her through time and space to catch hold of her just when she needed it most. It was safe, warm, and she was always greeted by her friends.
It was then that she realized something. She wasn't in the same forest. She wasn't in the Feudal Era at all. No, it felt different, smelled different, the air was different, the noise was different than before.
Struggling to understand what had happened, Kagome tried to work all of her limbs and appendages, rather unsuccessfully. Slowly going through, distracting herself from the pain, she came to realize that she had landed hard on her back at the bottom of the well.
One leg was broken, or felt like it was, and she had apparently lost one of her shoes. Frowning, she tried to sit up once more but was not only overtaken by pain, but dizziness as well.
"Damn it all…"
Her voice seemed harsh and raspy to her ears, and it hurt to speak.
A voice in the back of her head told her she was dying. There was too much pain. The thought scared her. Die? Would she really die? It hadn't even seemed like an option when she had been with Inuyasha. He had always protected her, would have always protected her, but now? Where was he? Why was she in this situation?
Tilting her head to one side to gaze around, she realized that, yes, she was in the Bone Eater's Well, but it wasn't the same. Vine's didn't grow along the inside of the well, it seemed well maintained, though clearly unused for water for some time.
The flash of red, however, stopped her cold in her tracks. Blood. Her blood. She felt it then, the entirety of what was going on. A broken leg, pain that went all through her body, and a head injury so bad she didn't know if she might make it, considering all the blood that oozed from the wound.
She couldn't stand…but she couldn't climb out of the well on her own, even if she could have.
Closing her eyes, she felt quite sleepy, rather…exhausted…and as she felt herself drifting. Was this dying? Kagome didn't know. It was painful, to say the least, however…if she were to die, she was glad of one thing, and that was that there was no one to watch her.
Inuyasha would have tried to save her, her mother would have cried…maybe it was better like this…after all…Inuyasha would always believe her to be with her mother, and her mother to believe she was with Inuyasha. They would be at peace. What more could she ask for?
As she slipped into unconsciousness, however, Kagome was unaware of just where she had ended up, and just what sort of a ruckus she'd made, and who's attention she'd attracted.
Just as she closed her eyes, members of the ANBU Black Ops arrived in the clearing. Leaning over the well, they saw through their painted masks a young girl dying. They didn't know if this was, perhaps, a trap, but they had to save this girl, especially if she was part of their village.
The leader, a cloaked figure in black, leaped down into the well. He experienced no traps, which surprised him. He had been sure there would be some. Looking over the girl, he could tell she was in bad shape, and quickly ordered, "Someone alert the medical nin. She might not have much time left."
His order was obeyed.
Scooping her up as carefully as he could, he looked her over and winced at the gash on the back of her head. She'd had a nasty fall, by the look of her. Being careful to hold her steady, the rest of the squad left the clearing in a hurry, knowing that the girl would both need medical attention, and that they would have to alert the Hokage right away.
After all, upon closer inspection, the girl was clearly not from around there. They'd never seen such clothing. However, at that moment, they needed to care for her. She wore no symbol to indicate where she was from, and from her wounds, they knew she would pose no threat, at least for the time being.
However, each one couldn't help but wonder…who was she? How had the come to be in the dry well? Who had hurt her so badly? These would be answered when she…if she…awoke again.