Cupid's Bloody Arrows

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Chapter 2: Purposes of the Mind

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11 years later.

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Shikon Hospital

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"Is she ok doctor?" Mr. Otari hurriedly questioned the doctor as he came strolling down the hallway to the waiting room.

"Don't worry she's fine. Just a minor cut, no severe injuries."

"Oh thank heavens! May I see her?" rejoiced a Mrs. Otari, relieved.

"But of course. Please, right this way," the doctor held his arm in the direction of room AD550. When they reached it, they were quickly greeted by a smiling 15-year-old girl.

"Hi mom! Hi dad! Hi Mr. Doctor!" the girl proclaimed as familiar faces came through the door.

"Kagome!" the woman ran to her daughter and captured her in an embrace. "I was so worried! How's your finger? Is it all right? Did you bleed a lot? Don't ever play with that knife again! Oh, you had me so worried!"

The girl simply giggled and hugged her mom back.

"I'm ok mommy! See?" Kagome held out her finger to show the pretty band aid decked in pink bunnies. "Besides, I always have Inu here to make me feel better!" she assured her mom, holding her stuffed dog in her arms.

"Oh this old thing. Why do you keep carrying it around with you everywhere? It's filthy!" her mom criticize, examining the dog that was once white.

"No it's not. Inu is a good clean doggy."

"Yes, Inu is wonderful, Kagome. Now why don't you go with Nurse Kikyo over there and she'll take you out to the waiting room?" suggested the doctor, not wanting an argument to start.

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Kikyo, who had been walking by the room, had quickened her pace down the hall before the incessantly happy girl could come after her. Though, just as she figured, the patient jumped off her bed and gave chase, not knowing that the nurse was purposely running away from her.

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"So, really doctor, how is she?"

"Well she's doing fine. People who have gone through such a tragedy as she has would be in their long state of depression. I guess you could say she's lucky for not having to go through such a thing, but her mind has still been physically and psychologically damaged."

"Have there been any changes to her? Is she getting worse? What would such a thing lead a teenage girl to decapitate her hand?" Mrs. Otari asked exasperatingly.

"No, no, she's actually doing better. Her mind has 'evolved' a bit more than she has when she first got to the psychological institute. As for her idea with the knife, I'm not quite sure. I can guess that it would most likely be that damage to her brain has caused a tilt in her reasons and common sense. Sometimes the brain of such a person can send the wrong messages and her body may unconsciously react to it. You should try to keep her away from sharp and harmful objects from now on."

"Thank you doctor. We appreciate it."

Acknowledging their gratitude with a nod, he showed them the door.

"Kagome? Are you ready to go?"

"Yes!" the girl replied. She had been unsuccessful in tracking the nurse down, who had hidden behind the registration desk, and simply found her way out to the waiting room.

The doctor watched as the trio exited, and re-entered the building with a shake of his head.

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****

Kunimitsu Residence

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Sesshomaru sighed.

"This is the fifth time this month Inu-yasha!"

"Shut-up! You don't own my life!" his half-brother retorted.

"Alcohol poisoning can kill you Inu-yasha! You're only eighteen and you'll be lying in a ditch somewhere in Sapporo in a matter of months!"

"What do you care?!"

"I don't! I'm only doing this in honor of our father's will!"

Pissed off, Inu-yasha dash up the stairs to his room, making sure to flip his brother off on the way up. Entering his room filled with American and Japanese rock bands, he turned on his music at high volume. It always helped him think.

~ His life had been messed up from the start. His parents died when he was little, and had to stay with the most substandard adoptive family ever. Both adoptive 'parents' were drug-addicts who had lost their job and started a heroine business in their garage. His 'sister' worked at the local strip club to bring home the cash, and kept trying to get him to screw her. He did eventually, and had taken on the whole drug and alcohol ordeal, influenced by the rest of the family. When his 'parents' heard about it, they kicked him out, where he had to crash at a friend's house for several months. It wasn't until he was fourteen did his brother acknowledge him as a blood relative and adopt him. Keeping him under his wing and trying to dispel Inu-yasha's bad habits wasn't exactly vacation. Every night he would go out with his friends at provocative dance clubs, and end up in the hospital, drunk. And every night his brother had to retrieve him from the hospital and bring him home unconscious. His police record was quickly filled up in the amount of time he had stayed with his 'family', and was currently on his fourth page. ~

His brain hurting from thinking so much, Inu-yasha turned off the music. Grabbing his jacket, he jumped down the flight of stairs and headed out the door.

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****

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"Mommy, can I have this?"

"We'll see."

"How about this?"

"I don't know."

"But Inu wants this one!"

"Honey, Inu has enough."

Frowning, Kagome reluctantly put back the plastic potty bowl on its shelf.

"Why don't you go pick up a snack? I think we're almost out of mochi."

A toothy smile was back on Kagome's face as she gave her mom an 'Ok' and left.

Mrs. Otari sighed, watching her adopted daughter skip off to the snack aisle. Shopping with Kagome was never boring, yet oh so tiring.

Turning her cart around, she continued down the aisle, looking at every item marked 'SALE.'

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"Hmm...which to pick, which to pick? What do you want Inu?" Kagome turned to her stuffed dog for an answer, only receiving a blank stare. "You do? Good! I do, too!"

Satisfied with the answer, she browsed through the aisle looking for the desired item.

Passing by bags of chip and bars of candy, she came across a man holding a carton full of yellow liquid in a glass bottles.

'Strange,' she thought. 'Where have I seen him before?'

Suddenly, she glanced down at her stuffed dog, and a look of astonishment and glee presented itself on her face.

Wondering if her little pet had a brother, she walked up to the man and tapped on his shoulder.

"What do you want bitch?" the man replied as he turned around.

She only stared.

He blinked.

"Well? What the hell do you want? I ain't got all day!" he began to yell.

"Are you my little Inu's brother?"

"What the fuck?"

"Well then are you his daddy?" she asked.

With a vain forming on his head, he began throwing insults at the aggravating wench.

"Look, are you a lost puppy or something? Don't you have a mom to follow around?"

"You know my mommy?" Kagome smiled, flabbergasted at the man's connection to her mom. This guy was amazing.

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"Kagome!"

Mrs. Otari rushed down the aisle, and past the man, grabbing her daughter by the arm on the way.

"Kagome, that man was a youkai. He's a very bad man. We do not associate with youkai's ok?" Mrs. Otari scolded when they were out of sight.

"But Mommy..." she began to protest.

"No 'buts' Kagome. Do you understand me? You're a good girl, and good girls don't talk to bad strangers."

"Ok Mommy," Kagome gave in, sad that she couldn't start a lovely conversation with the brother of her little Inu.

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"Look Inu! It's alumimum...alu...alu...laluninum...lalu-"

"It's aluminum, honey."

"Oh yea! Aluninum!" Kagome exulted at the new word she learned. Grocery shopping was just so fun!

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****

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"...reeeeeeeeeeeeetard." Inu-yasha muttered as the girl and her mom left.

Man, that girl was so...so...happy. It gave him the creeps.

Paying for his pack of beer, he drove out of the parking and towards his friend's house.

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****

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Heading towards her room after a filling meal, she changed into her flower printed, cotton nightgown, getting ready for bed.

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She dropped little Inu.

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'Why didn't you do it?'

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"No."

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'Why didn't you do it?'

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"No! No! Stop!"

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'Why didn't you do as I say?!'

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Falling upon her knees, Kagome covered her ears with her hands, trying to block out the voice.

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'Why?! Why didn't you do it!'

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"Stop! Stop!" Kagome began to scream.

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'Why did you resist me?!'

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With a strained scream, Kagome fell to the ground, unconscious.

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'I'm watching you, Kagome.'