On to the first chapter, folks! This is going to be a drabble series, so it'll be a long one. And thanks, for everyone who has reviewed so far – I can't wait to read what you guys think!

I'm Still Here

Chapter 1: The Same Old Routine

One month later…

"Here's your breakfast, Kagome," the chipper, masculine voice belonging to Akitoki Hojo caught Kagome's attention. He gave next to no warning that he carried a hot tray, as he plopped it down in front of her, right on her desk. She just had enough time to push away the book she was reading to the side.

"Thanks," Kagome responded shortly, not making an effort to look her nurse in the eye, and instead, her chocolate brown eyes glazed over her meal; what did she get this time? The same old, same old; a small bowl containing porridge (it didn't taste bad, but it didn't hold any flavour either), along with a plate full of toast. She also had some peanut butter and jam packets she could use to her discretion. To top it off, she was given a cup of coffee, de-caffeinated. She left that untouched, as she hated coffee. When she first came here, she was given forms to fill out regarding diet; she eagerly checked off the box saying she did not drink coffee.

But every breakfast Kagome ever had, ever since she came here, she always saw a black cup full of coffee: and it was the biggest 'fuck you' Kagome got in her life. But she made it part of her routine to ignore it each and every time.

"You're welcome. I'll be back soon to check your vitals," Hojo eagerly replied, clearly used to Kagome's nonchalant behaviour. Then again, he was one of many nurses working in the Tokyo Mental Health Ward; understaffed and most likely underpaid. He had to put up with a lot of people with mental illness, and Kagome wasn't any different.

Kagome sighed heavily, taking a spoon from the tray and began eating some of her porridge.

She had already been here a month and it didn't seem like she was getting any better. Not that Kagome was expecting a cure, but she assumed that she would have been allowed to go home by now.

After multiple sessions with the in-hospital psychiatrist, it was apparently decided for her that it'd be best to get her on the 'right medication' before going home. To Kagome, that sounded completely ridiculous.

To her, this sounded like the perfect excuse to keep her caged – and she hated that.

Kagome tried to eat more of her porridge, but her appetite was not there. It wasn't anything new, but since she started her new set of medications, her loss of appetite seemed to grow exponentially. Instead, Kagome frustratingly put down her spoon, thinking it would be a more useful endeavour to eat half a slice of toast.

Every single morning she had to put up with this; waking up in a cold, colourless room, waking up in a small, single bed with just the bare minimum amount of blankets, waking up to nurses bringing her medications at 7:00 am, checking her vitals, Kagome was tired of it. All of it.

Kagome knew that she was stuck in a special kind of Hell.

She didn't know how long she was sitting at her desk, still wearing her hospital gown, but it felt like eternity to her. Because she could hear her door open once more.

"Hey, Kagome, I'm here to check your vitals. Could you come sit over here, please?" Kagome pursed her lips, trying hard to hold back a scathing remark. Hojo might look like a happy-go-lucky, kambucha-drinking, angelic nurse, but Kagome couldn't stand how condescending he was acting. At least, that was what she assumed.

She made her way to her uncomfortable bed, plopping down unenthusiastically on top of the sheets. Kagome hadn't bothered to make her bed – what was the point of readjusting the few blankets and sheets when she would just go to sleep again in a few hours?

"Roll up your sleeve, please. Thank you." Kagome rolled her eyes, before acquiescing to Hojo's request. She would rather have Ayame come back as her morning nurse at this point. At least Ayame wouldn't try to make small talk with her – she at least came in to do her job.

"So how was your sleep, Kagome?" She felt the cold pack being attached to arm, completely unfazed when it started squeezing her arm. She had been used to it for a while now.

"Fine," Kagome said simply, looking down at her lap. In all honesty, she was exhausted, even though she had been here for roughly a month and started a new routine.

"Today's gonna be a good day. I think the resident psychiatrist is coming in today."