A/N: THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS!!! Wow this makes me so happy now! I never thought that this idea would go over so well! Well I'm glad that you like the story ^-^, so for all the reviews this chapter is going to be good! Thanks again and keep the reviews coming! Enjoy ~ ;D
Disclaimer: Must you even ask?
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Don't Say A word
Chapter 3: Escape From Reality
The pain seemed to rush at her all at once, jolting her from the unearthly sleep that had possessed her only minutes ago. Kagome's eyes fluttered open, flinching at the bright sunlight that fell across her eyes. Kagome frowned bitterly at the bright rays dancing across her pillow. They almost seemed to convince her that the day ahead would be different, that something was going to change. But Kagome did not let them pull the shade over her eyes, for the realities that she had come to accept had hardened her heart.
Kagome slowly sat up, immediately wishing she hadn't done so. The room swam before her eyes, and her head was throbbing like no other. As the room came into focus, she began to remember the happenings of yesterday, and inwardly kicked herself for calling the police.
'Mama…. how could you think I lied?' Kagome thought devastatingly, trying to fight back the tears at the sheer fact that the trust she had put in Kagome had now vanished, leaving an empty void between their relationship.
'It's all his fault…It's all his damn fault!' Kagome ejaculated, nearly screaming the words aloud instead of keeping them hidden in her head. Luckily, she caught herself before she did and ended up thrashing her pillow around to keep the anger and frustration in.
Unfortunately, this took a toll on Kagome and with her painful status, left her to collapse back onto her pillows as the room once again began to swim around her.
Kagome reached back slowly, touching the part of her hairline that had been damaged from when Mr. Toda yanked her hair. She felt the mats of hair, stuck to the dried blood against her neck and gasped slightly at the pain her own hands caused.
'I need to take a shower…' She thought to herself, groaning at the thought of the sensation the water would cause against her broken skin.
But knowing that she would have to get up sometime, she once again painstakingly lifted her head from the pillows and slowly sat up, dragging her legs to the side of the bed.
As she glanced at the clock, she realized that it was only Wednesday and that she still had to go to school. At this realization, she almost cried, wondering how in the world she would get through a day of school with the almost unbearable pain from the back of her head.
As she stood, shakily making her way out of her room and towards the bathroom down the hall, she began to realize that her stay in her present time was coming to an end. She had already spent 4 day's back at home, and Inuyasha would only allow her a week. She had 3 more days, and for the first time in her life she was about to jump for joy at the fact she would be leaving soon.
'Only 3 more days…..!' She reminded herself, giving herself a little pep talk as she closed the bathroom door behind her. For some reason, Kagome thought that as soon as she left the problem would be solved. Mr. Toda would be gone, and everything would be normal.
Happy.
Yet at the farthest corner of her mind, Kagome knew deep down that it would not be so. Even if Mr. Toda were never seen again, the gnashes that had been made in her and her mother's relationship would not be so easy to mend.
But this realization was too small to let it wreck Kagome's happy, unpractical thoughts.
Kagome turned on the water, and turned around to face the mirror, almost jumping at the reflection she saw. There were large, tired bag's underneath her eyes and there were chunks of hair missing at the bottom of her scalp. Lucky for her, they were not very noticeable if she had her hair down, even thought the steady pain rippling through her head said otherwise.
She slowly undressed, careful not to bow her head too much and slowly climbed into the steaming tub.
As she sat down enjoying the almost burning heat, she nearly shrieked in agony as her neck dipped into the water. Before her fearfulness got the best of her, she clenched her jaw and submerged her head.
She squeezed her eyes shut as the water cleansed her wound of the blood that had dried overnight. Even though it was a small, the pain that coursed though her head was almost unbearable.
Emerging from under the water with a gasp, Kagome began to notice the change of color in the water and decided it would be best if she got out. Besides, she did not want to be late to school for the 3rd time this week.
Not even bothering to dry her hair, she slowly put on her school uniform and opened the mirror cabinet searching for some type of ointment to apply to her neck.
Almost immediately she found what would make the day a little more bearable. A bottle of aspirin, and a large tube of healing ointment. After painstakingly applying the ointment, which hurt about 10 times more than the water did, she took 3 aspirin and grabbed her book bag, finally ready to go to school.
As she slowly headed out the door, adjusting the ribbon she had tied around her head to conceal the large bandage on the nape of her neck, she didn't even bother making herself breakfast or even a lunch, too focused on how the heck she was going to get through the 7 hour school day.
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The next 2 day's were much better than Kagome had expected. Thanks to the ointment she had been applying daily, her scalp was beginning to heal and the pain had reduced a lot. To make matters even better, Kagome had not seen Kagewa for those two days, affirming the hope she had in the back of her mind that he was gone for good.
Kagome;s mother was a lot more relaxed and easy going, and their relationship was slowly improving, in spite of the ill-feelings Kagome still harbored in the back of her mind since the incident where she had been injured by him. But nonetheless, it was a sure sign that the same relationship that they shared before Mr. Toda was still alive, just waiting to be nurtured.
This particular afternoon, Kagome was just walking home from school humming happily at the fact that she had passed her geometry test, scoring a high C+ that was amazing for her since geometry was her worst subject.
Her head was hurting a little, which was no problem to her since she would just take a few more aspirin for it when she got home. Ignoring the pain, she skipped up the stairs two at a time, eager to rest after the long school day.
Kagome opened the door and stepped inside, glad to finally be home. It was quiet. Very quiet. Kagome slid open the shoji into the kitchen and was almost surprised at the sound it made, almost sounding unnatural against the silence of the house.
Seeing that no one was around, she quickly dropped her bag onto the low table and fished through it looking for the bottle of aspirin she now carried around constantly with her. Finding it, she shook out 3 pills and stood to get herself a glass of water.
As she gulped down the pills, wiping her chin of the water that had escaped her lips, she heard the sound of someone entering the house and closing the door softly behind.
Kagome froze.
'Please…don't let it be him…. don't let it be him!' she panicked, setting down the empty glass as quietly as she could, crouching low against the legs of the equally low table.
Anxiously awaiting the sound of the shoji opening, she became even more nervous when it never came. The silence had settled in once more, making Kagome even more afraid to move due to the fact that the quietness would make her more apt to being heard.
'Why am I being so stupid?!' she suddenly thought, standing up at her regained courage.
'It's not him…he' gone Kagome!' she tired to convince herself in futile efforts.
Kagome crept forward slowly, and as quietly as she could slid open the shoji with a quiet creak.
She squeezed herself through the doorway, staying close to the walls as she crept down the hall. Finally, seeming like forever, she arrived at the end of the hallway leading into the family room. Kagome swallowed hard, keeping her back against the wall as if she would blend in with it.
'It's not him…. IT ISNT.' She yelled at herself, kicking herself inwardly for her cowardess.
Without another thought, Kagome rounded the corner quickly and stood in the door way the color draining from her face immediately as she did so.
"Mama!" She exclaimed, breathing a heavy sigh in relief.
"For a moment I thought you were…." She started in, immediately seeing the folly in what she was about to say.
"….someone else." Kagome finished, shifting uncomfortably under her mother's strange stare.
Kagome's eyes rested on her mother's face, which was strangely distraught.
"Mama? What is it?" Kagome asked, moving closer to her mother who remained motionless.
When her mother did not answer, Kagome began to feel the fear in the put of her stomach growing.
"Mama!" Kagome suddenly exclaimed, grabbing her mother by the shoulders, her voice rising highly with anxiousness at what her mother was about to say.
But when her mother answered her, she wished greatly that she had not even spoken. Her voice was high and unnatural, giving a sort of foreboding tone to her features.
"It's Jii-chan….Kagome….he's in the hospital."
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Mama and Kagome sat on the hard benches in the hall of the hospital, the anxiousness of the well being of Jii-chan nearly driving them mad.
Mama stood and began to pace the walls again for the 3 time in the last half hour that they had been there. Kagome remained as still as a rock, too shocked and too tired to move.
It was just then when the door that the doctor had gone into a half hour ago opened, causing Kagome to jump up and rush at him.
"Is Jii-chan going to be alright?" She pried at him, trying not to let her fear's get the best of her.
Her mother on the other hand, was becoming quite emotional. Kagome knew it was mostly because of the stress with everything that was happening at home, but Kagome knew that her mother would blame herself for Jii-chan's sudden collapse.
"Please, have a seat," The doctor directed, removing his glasses from his pocket and setting them on his nose as he ruffled through a small folder of papers.
Mama sat down quickly, sitting on the edge of her seat anxious for the news the doctor was about to share with them. Kagome seated herself next to her mother, staring at the papers in the doctor's hand, waiting for him to speak next.
"Mrs. Higurashi did it ever come to your attention that it might not have been best to allow your father to visit patients with Influenza?" He started in, stopping to remove some papers out of his folder.
Kagome's eyes opened wide and she looked to her mother who sat stoic with a very fearful look on her face.
"Influenza?" She asked quietly, her eyes wide with fear.
Kagome bit her lip and looked down at the floor to hide the anger she felt towards her mother. She had warned her. She had warned her more than enough times and Kagome was becoming convinced that it was her mother's fault.
"Mrs. Higurashi, I hope you realize how serious influenza is for senior citizens. There bodies are not as resilient as they once were, therefore making influenza very serious." The doctor stood quickly as he said this, adjusting his glasses, which had slid down the end of his nose as he spoke.
"I am afraid that he is going to have to stay at the hospital. He cannot be released until we are sure the influenza has left him." The doctor bowed to them slightly as a nurse arrived to escort mama to where Jii-chan was.
"Mrs. Higurashi, if you wish to stay here with your father I have set up a room next to his during his stay. I am afraid that your daughter may not stay here though, a hospital is no place for children." He said as he opened the door to his office and stepped inside, closing it affirmatively.
"Ma'am?" The nurse asked softly, peering at mama's worry ridden face.
Mama stood slowly, gathering her purse and bag under her arm. As Kagome watched her mother stand shakily, she quickly grabbed her mother's purse and held out an arm to help her mother.
Yet surprisingly, her mother simply took her purse from Kagome and moved away from her arm, stepping towards the nurse.
"Kagome I am going to stay here for the night. Sota is spending the night at his friend's house, so please make sure you eat and do your homework before you go to bed." Mama said softly, her face turned away from Kagome's sight.
"I will mama. I will." Kagome replied, putting a hand on her mother's shoulder.
"Good bye Mama." Kagome called as she walked away.
"Good bye Kagome." Mama did not look up.
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Kagome walked home in the dark, barely noticing her surroundings as she walkes sullenly down the sidewalk. She couldn't believe all of the events that had occurred since she had arrived home, and she began to play the blame game in her mind at this revelation.
'It's all Mamas' fault…. She was so busy with Mr. Toda she didn't even see that Jii-chan was getting sick. It's all her fault…….No……It wasn't mama's fault….it was…'
Suddenly Kagome stopped. Ever since she had gotten home and gotten involved with her mother about Mr. Toda, everything had gone downhill. Could it have been her fault?
'It was…my fault.' She concluded, as she began to walk again, nearing the steps up to her house.
'Maybe if I has just never come home….'
Feeling the sudden chill in the air, Kagome quickened her step, dashing most of the way up the steps leading the house. Kagome shivered rapidly, and ran the rest of her way to the front door, wishing that she had on something warmer than her school uniform.
The door was unlocked.
Kagome, paying no attention to this, turned the knob quickly and stepped inside the warm house, not once seeing the intruder standing before her.
But as she looked up, it was hard not to notice the looming figure that stood over her.
"So…" The man said shortly, sending Kagome into an array of gasps.
"Thought you'd call the cops eh?"
Kagome stood stoic, paralyzed mostly by fear and shock, thinking that he was gone for good. Unfortunately, Kagome had been rudely mistaken.
Before Kagome had time to react, he leaned forward and grabbed her by the collar forcing her back against the door.
"Do you know the shit I had to force your mother to say to the cops?" He snarled through clenched teeth, grinding them together as he tightened his hold on her shirt.
"GET OUT!"
"Just get out of my room and don't ever come in here again!"
The thoughts rang clear in Kagome's mind, who's eyes were now wide open with shock that he had forced her mother into saying such things.
"Y-you…you forced her?!" Kagome sputtered, staring at him with enraged eyes.
"Thanks to your mouth" he replied, relaxing his hold slightly, a small smirk dancing on his mouth.
"Maybe this will teach you to keep your mouth shut then." He said suddenly, drawing his fist back.
Kagome let out a muffled cry and tried to duck away from his large fist that was nearing her face. But his large hand that held her face in place allowed little movement, only allowing her to cock her head slightly and squeeze her eyes shut as she struggled.
Kagome felt the blow under her right eye, right on her cheekbone. Kagome felt her head bang against the door at the impact and the hand that had held her fast a minute ago, disappear. Kagome's hand immediately flew up to her face, and she slid to the ground sitting in a very strange position on the floor.
Kagome, ready for what would come next quickly moved, his foot connecting to the door instead of her with a large rattle.
"So you're catching on?" He sneered at her, looming over her like a monster.
Kagome stood shakily, her face twisted in rage and her lips sputtering incoherent phrases at him.
"H-how dare you!" She screamed at him, feeling like at this very moment she could kill him.
He just stood quietly, a smug grin on his face, slightly impressed at this girl's resilience.
"Y-you told mama to lie to the police!" She went on, her courage gathering up allowing her to take a step forward.
Kagewa, seeing this, lunged forward quickly and grabbed her arm with such force Kagome thought it would fall off.
"Don't get too brave now or else you'll get away with this from more than a black eye." He reminded her in a low dangerous voice.
"Besides…. you wouldn't want your mama to get hurt too." He added, standing back with a triumphant glare in his eyes.
Kagome stood still, soaking the words that had spewed from his mouth, in.
Seeing that she finally had her attention, he leaned forwards so that his face was inches away from hers.
"Besides…. when your grandpa dies you wouldn't want us not to get along huh?" He added in a slow way, knowing that this statement would hit home.
Kagome shuddered and felt the tear's begin to build behind her eyes.
"J-Jii-chan won't die." Kagome replied quietly, trying to say it enough to make him hear, but not make him mad.
He stepped back and gave a hearty, cruel laugh at her statement. Kagome rushed past him until she felt his hand grasp her arm painfully.
"Call the cops and see what happens." He threatened, giving her arm a final yank before letting it go.
Kagome didn't even answer. She quickly gathered her wits and ran up the stairs as fast a she could, entering her room and closing the door with force, making sure that Kagewa was not welcome.
Kagome ran to her closet and threw the door open, rummaging through her dirty clothes for her yellow pack.
'I have to get out of here…' she repeated to herself as she threw out the clothes she had brought back from the last trip, not even bothering to pack new ones.
Making sure that the Shikon shards were securely around her neck, she ran over to the window in her room and lifted the latch allowing the night breeze to rush in. It was then she heard the handle of her door being tried, and Kagewa opened it with bang to see her with a yellow bag over her shoulder and herself next to the open window.
"Well aren't we getting smart." He jeered at her as he stepped quickly toward's the window.
Kagome quickly chucked her bag out of the window, panic filling ever corner of her mind and body.
Kagome knew she had no choice but to get out of the house. She had to get back to Sengoku Jidai. Kagome quickly threw her legs out the window, but Kagewa was already next to her grabbing her by both of her arms and trying to haul her back.
Kagome screamed thrashed about for her life. She knew that if Kagewa succeeded in getting her back into the house she would be in serious trouble.
She felt her self being hauled back more and more, and was starting to feel that it was hopeless. Suddenly, she felt her foot connect with something stable and firm near the window. With all her moving about, her foot had connected to the rain gutter underneath her window. She latched onto it tightly and began to pull with all her might as Kagewa pulled in the other direction.
Her knees began to bend as she pushed herself further and further out the window, and she heard the storm pipe groan in protest as she put all of her weight onto it.
"Give up!" Kagewa cried with rage, digging his nails into the soft flesh of her arms.
"I promise the punishment will be lighter if you do." He added, smiling at his own remarks. This distraction gave him just enough time to let his guard down, on the exact same moment as Kagome heaved forwards with all her might.
Kagome felt the lower half of her body fall and her head follow suit as she fell away from the window. Her arm which was still on the other side, caught on the window sill and Kagome felt her flesh being torn against it's sharp angle.
Much to her advantage Kagome fell on a bush, landing right next to her yellow pack, which was dirtied and torn from the fall. It was then Kagome knew that she only had so much time to get out.
Kagome picked herself up quickly; ignoring the pain she was feeling under her eye and on her arm. She slung the yellow pack over her shoulder, and darted off towards the well keeping cover well underneath the night's blanket.
Kagome didn't know where Kagewa was and didn't even care one bit. The only thing she was thinking about was getting to the well as fast as she could, and then would she be truly safe.
As the well house came into view Kagome made a mad dash for it's entrance, looking around carefully incase Kagewa would see where she was going. He was not insight.
Kagome opened the door's quietly, and slipped inside descending down the steps quickly.
And there Kagome stood, leaning over it's dark depths that would lead her to a safer place, somewhere where she felt truly at home. But something was holding her back.
'What about Mama…. and Sota…Jii-chan.' She thought sadly, wondering how Jii-chan was getting along at the hospital, and Sota so oblivious to everything that was happening right now. He didn't know the true nature of Kagewa or about Jii-chan's sickness. Right now he would be sitting with his friend trying to stay up all night while the dozed off, not a care in the world. And then he would be brought back to the cruel reality of life.
Suddenly a new thought came to her. If Kagome were to leave and not come back for a while what would Kagewa do? Would he hurt mama? Would he hurt Sota? What if something happened to Jii-chan while she was away? But Kagome was ready for these thoughts to come, and had her excuses lined up.
Mama would not be home tonight, she would be at the hospital. Sota was away…spending the night at his friend's house. Besides, Kagewa wouldn't lay a finger on his head. Jii-chan…. he would be safe at the hospital if anything happened to him. Everyone would be okay….for now.
Kagome sat down at the edge of the well and descended down into it's dark depths, allowing the purple light to take her back to the place that she had not seen for so long.
Kagome felt her feet touch firm ground, and her eyes opened slowly, welcoming back the inside of the bone eater's well. Without another thought, she grabbed onto the strong vines and hauled herself up over the well.
Yet as she tossed her bag over the top of the well, and plopped down on the grass next to it, she felt as if something was not right.
She felt the emotions raging inside of her to come out, and with the darkness of the forest sheltering her, the only thing she could do was let the emotions run clear.
Her bruised and battered body slumped against the wall of the well, concealing her from any prying eyes. Her head was throbbing and her neck was very sore from all of the running she had been doing. Her arm had a large gash on it and blood dripped from it readily, and her cheekbone was starting to turn black and blue.
She felt the tear's she had been holding back for so long fall from her eyes, fall upon her cheek sending a slight burning sensation across her face. As soon as a few fell, she began to make muffled noises trying to hold back the rest from falling, to no avail. Kagome drew her scratched legs to her, and ducked her head into them trying to hide the scent of her tears.
Tired from everything that had happened, she felt her crying eyes slowly shut and felt her head drop even farther into her legs.
Yet there was one thought that found it's way into her tired mind before she fell asleep.
'If I am doing the right thing…why does it feel like I'm running away?'
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I hope you liked it! Please R/R!!!!!!
