I'm finally back from my SECOND camp! Yikes I've been gone a lot! Y'all have to forgive me! It's not my fault! And uh I MIGHT go to CA for a couple weeks this month (BUT I"LL WRITE!!!!!) *cowers* Anyways, let me know what u think of the chappie please? Enjoy!
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The silence that followed was deafening. No one seemed to want to break it. Sango had jerked her arm away, moving back a couple steps. Inuyasha had stridden forward until he could have touched her if he'd have wanted to. And Kagome . . . Kagome hadn't moved at all. Her mouth was still open, continuing her scream in dead silence.
"Kagome?" Sango's voice was a whisper. Inuyasha didn't know how she could bring herself to speak. "Kagome, are you okay?" The girl didn't respond, but her mouth closed into a thin line.
Inuyasha tried to speak but no sound came out. He licked his lips and tried again. "Kagome." His voice was hoarse. "What is your problem?" It was exactly the right thing to say. The normality of his tone seemed to jerk her back to reality. Her eyes lost their distant look.
She opened her mouth, attempting to answer him, but all that came out were short ragged gasps. She couldn't seem to suck in enough air. The room wouldn't stop spinning.
But than she caught sight of his amber gaze and the world righted itself. "I'm fine." She turned and strode away, refusing to look back as she disappeared down the hall.
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"How much does she remember?" Naraku's voice was harsh, but it took more than a fierce tone of voice to frighten Senator Higurashi.
"I told you already." She met his gaze squarely. "I don't know." She punctuated each word, almost as if insinuating he was stupid.
"How long has she had the nightmares?"
"Ever since that day. Some nights she sleeps soundly, but she wakes up at least four or five nights a week."
"Has she ever, EVER, mentioned anything about that night?"
The senator shook her head. "She never talked about it. I suppose she should have seen a psychiatrist, but I'd have preferred she not remember anything. She used to tell me about her nightmares. Mostly they contained my husband shooting himself and blood covering her. Such dreams are not unusual after suffering a traumatic experience." She spoke casually, coldly, as if forgetting it was her own daughter she spoke of.
"But ten years? That doesn't seem a little long to you? What if her subconscious is trying to make her remember?"
"What if it's not? If she doesn't remember anything and you go through with this idea of yours, you might actually MAKE her remember!"
"If I could be the one to make her remember than anything could. I'd rather know the second she remembers."
"Fine." The resigned look on her face was an unfamiliar one. "Do whatever you want. Just make sure you don't forget your duties outside of my household."
"I won't." His smile was menacing. "My associates and I are at your disposal. Make sure you watch your family though. I'm sure your competitors have hired . . . people like me."
"Let them. If I survive another 'tragedy', it'll only make me more popular. I want weekly reports on your progress." She smoothed her face into an expression of unconcern. This wasn't the first time she had signed a pact with the devil.
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She had waited all day for the whispers to start, for people to tell her what a freak she was, but they never came. She'd never lost control of herself like that. Of course, she'd never been in such close proximity with blood since her father's death.
Fourth period ended, and she struggled to maintain an unconcerned expression. She could feel both Sango and Inuyasha approaching her but didn't bother to lift her gaze until the older girl cleared her throat.
"Kagome?"
She swung her backpack onto her shoulder and headed towards the door. "I have to go." She called over her shoulder, grateful they hadn't told anyone, but still not willing to explain herself to them.
She met Souta by the limo. "Hey kiddo!" Her eyes were tired, but she smiled in spite of herself.
He grinned back. "Hey! I'm going over to Kohoku's house for dinner! He has an older sister and said you could come if you wanted!"
She shook her head as they slid into the car. "I don't think so. I'm really not in the mood today."
He nodded, expecting her response. "I promised him I'd ask though. Family's really important to him. I think it surprised him that I didn't want to have him over."
She was about to reply, when she caught sight of their driver in the rearview mirror. He was good looking, but in a cold, almost frightening, way.
"Hello? Who are you?" She hid her confusion easily, not hesitating to meet his dark gaze.
"I am Hiten. You're new limo driver." Even his voice was hard.
"What happened to the other guy?" She didn't like the way he looked at her and her brother. He smiled, making himself look even more like a predator.
"His services are no longer required. Naraku hired me for your protection."
Naraku. The very name sent chills down her spine as she recalled his terrifying laugh. "Our protection?" She had to force the words out of her mouth, unable to understand the feeling of dread that gripped her.
"Your mother's political campaign is going to be very close this year. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you, now would we?"
She shivered involuntarily. The rest of the ride continued on in silence.
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After dinner, Kagome had escaped to the library. She no longer considered it a place of refuge, but at least she could hide behind the shelves if Naraku or one of his henchmen came in. They were all over the place. Naraku had hired more than just a new limo driver, including a doorman who had developed a creepy fascination for Kagome's hair.
"Such nice hair." He had whispered, stroking it. She shuddered at the memory, still able to feel his large fingers stroking her head.
His name was Maten, the brother of the "oh so charming" Hiten. There were other changes as well. The maids that had previously been at least cordial to Kagome were replaced with women who looked hardened by the world, almost giving off an essence of evil. Yura had also had a fascination with hair. She was the new cook. Kanna and Kagura were sisters, though Kagome wasn't yet sure what their jobs were around the house.
It was nearly impossible to find privacy. But, nonetheless, she tried. At the sound of approaching footsteps, she ducked behind one of the furthest shelves, in the back of the room. She was so preoccupied with hiding that she didn't notice the desk until the sound had completely faded away.
It was a rather ordinary desk, nothing at all original in its appearance, but a mere glance sent shivers up her spine. Slowly, like moving in a dream, she approached it, hand outstretched.
As her fingers brushed against the smooth surface, flashes of memories rushed into her mind with dizzying speed. Snapshots of scenes she had to struggle to remember. Her father's voice . . .
"Kagome."
The half full glass of water sitting on the desk, surrounding by small droplets as if it had been set down abruptly.
"I love you."
His leg had brushed the desk in his kneeled position.
"Please forgive me."
The smooth polish splattered with blood. Her screams unable to shatter the glass or destroy the desk or awaken her father.
She took a sharp intake of breath. She couldn't scream. She wouldn't give whoever had done this the satisfaction. With all the self-control she could muster, she exited the library and headed through the hall and down the stairs. She didn't even pause as she approached her front door. Instead of asking where she was going, Maten contented himself with pulling out a strand of hair as she passed.
She didn't even flinch.
She didn't know how long she had walked, nor for how long, but eventually she reached a city park that was quite a ways from her home. Hugging herself tightly, she headed over to the swings and began to rock herself gently back and forth.
"Kagome?" The voice was surprised, and more than a little hesitant. Kagome recognized it as Sango, the girl from her new school.
"Hi." Her voice was hollow. She'd never been so emotionally drained.
"Do you come here often? It's not a pick up line, I'm straight, I promise!" The girl laughed at her own joke. "I just wondered, because this park is only a few blocks away from my house and I've never seen you here."
She shook her head. "This is my first time."
"Well," Sango sat on the swing next to her. "Don't be surprised if it's not you're last. I thought I was 'too old' for parks until I came here. There are not a lot of younger kids that hang around here because the slide's broken. It's a great place to come and think and there are great views if you know where to look."
"Do you find that you have a lot to think about?" The words escaped her before she could fully think them through. She tried not to think about the risks involving her having a normal conversation.
"Me?" She shrugged. "Not so much as most people, I expect, but I guess I do my own share. My mother died a couple years back. I ran away from home after the funeral for a full two days." She smiled at the memory of her younger self. "This is where I stayed. Anytime I miss her, or I feel like I need motherly advice, this is where I come. I feel closer to her here than at her grave. Maybe because while I was here, I could refuse to admit she was dead."
Kagome let the silence drift for awhile, sorting through her own thoughts and memories. It shocked her that someone could open up like that, but at the same time she was touched that Sango had told her. "Did you love her very much?" Her voice sounded lost.
Sango smiled sadly. "I loved her more than anything in the world. She died of cancer, so I had awhile to get used to the idea, but it still didn't help. To this day I'm terrified of hospitals. You can't get me near one for nothing!"
"Why are you telling me this?" Her blunt question was softened by the genuine confusion in her voice.
She cocked her head. "I'm not entirely sure. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because you obviously didn't want anyone to know about what Inuyasha and I saw in the hallway. Your fear, or whatever it was, was something very personal to you. I guess in a way, I kind of owe you. I know something about you, so it's only fair you know something sensitive about me too. Does that make sense or am I sounding completely retarded?"
Kagome smiled the first real smile she had showed anyone other than her brother in ten years. "It makes perfect sense. Thank you. You didn't have to do that." She was genuinely touched.
"Don't mention it. And don't worry, Inuyasha and I aren't about to tell anyone. Were you born with it? A phobia, I mean? You don't have to answer me if you don't want to, I'm too nosy for my own good."
Kagome felt herself stiffen at the question, but for the first time in her life she felt like she could talk to someone. She wanted to make that feeling last. "I wasn't, born with it. A long time ago I saw something . . . really bad. I guess I never really got completely over it." She ducked her head. "Pathetic, huh?"
Sango shook her head vehemently. "Not pathetic at all. What's pathetic is being scared of hospitals. What am I gonna DO if I break a leg?" She shuddered, but smiled in self-mockery. Kagome smiled back. "So what do you say?" She stuck out her hand to her new fellow student. "Truce? I forget that you scared me out of my wits today at school, and you forget that I'm friends with a certain silver haired freak of nature who has less manners than the dog he was named for."
Kagome laughed, and almost without realizing what she was doing, she clasped the other girl's hand in hers. "Truce." She agreed.
They shook on it, neither realizing that shake would mark the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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ALL DONE!!!! With the chapter, not the story. Oh well! Let me know what u think! I still have more to update, and I'm applying for college so who knows when I'll have time, but until later, I LOVE U! And please review and let me know what u think!
Rogue Pryde ;o)