Title: Love Me
Author: Nymie
Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha; never have, never will, and I really don't care. I'd just mess it up if I did .
Chapter One: What Did I Tell You?!?!
Pain. Fear. Dark. This was all six-year-old Kagome Higurashi could think about as she sat, huddled and whimpering, in the darkest corner of the Higurashi shrine's coat closet. She could hear her the sharp tap of her mother's pumps on the hardwood floors as she searched for her daughter. Kagome tried to stifle her harsh breathing, hoping that her mother wouldn't find her. Kagome knew she shouldn't hide. It only made the punishment worse.
Flashback
Oh no. "I'm so sorry mommy, I didn't mean to!" Kagome said as she backed away, slowly, from the broken lemonade pitcher. Azarni Higurashi just sat, rigid, and stared at her daughter. Mommy had been having a garden party with a few of her friends and had told Kagome not to talk to anyone or touch anything.
"If you do, I'll beat you senseless!" Azarni hissed in her daughter's frightened face as she shook the toddler's arm so hard it brought tears to the poor child's large eyes. Kagome had stayed in the living room, sitting on the couch, clutching her china doll, and not making a sound until her mother's guests arrived.
"Such a well behaved little girl," they all said as they admired her straight posture, downcast eyes, and pristine pink kimono. She wasn't well mannered; she was scared shitless. She was beaten if she got even the slightest speck of dust on her dresses, whipped if she tangled her hair or embarrassed her mother, and the beatings increased in damage and pain each time. However, Azarni knew just where to hit and how hard. The bruises on her face never lasted more than a day, but the ones on her arms, stomach, and legs were always the worst. She had scars on her back from glass-filled whips and had suffered numerous dislocated arms from being yanked around and twisted in ways her small, frail body wasn't meant to move. Mother finally stopped glaring at her and the guests finally stopped cooing over her. They had flocked to the kitchen to eat hors d'oeuvres and then out to the garden with tea and cakes to chat. After tea, they ate a more substantial summer meal and needed a refill on the lemonade.
Azarni called the then 5-year-old Kagome out of the living area and into the garden. Kagome clutched her doll, eyes downcast, and slowly walked down the freshly swept concrete to the patio tables, careful not to scuff her shoes or ruin her dress and not do anything wrong. She reached her mother and looked up, careful to keep her posture straight.
"Kagome," she said in a false, sugarcoated voice that scared her very much, "We need more lemonade, we're absolutely parched. Go get the extra pitcher from the fridge."
"Yes okaa-san," Kagome said in a quiet voice. She bowed to each of the women, turned, and walked back to the house. Opening the fridge, she put her doll down and lifted the rather heavy pitcher and carried it back to the patio. On her way, she tripped over a loose stone and fell, ripping her dress and dropping the ornate glass pitcher, shattering it into thousands of pieces. Later that night, she would have those exact same pieces ground into her body and slashed across her back.
"I'm so sorry mommy, I didn't mean to!" Kagome said as she backed away, slowly, from the broken lemonade pitcher.
"Oh, it's alright, dearest," Azarni said through clenched teeth, fire flashing through her eyes, a twisted expression on her face. Kagome had known what that look meant since she was three, when her mother dislocated her arm and her father had put it back into place with a sharp twist and snap. Where was her father right now? Getting drunk at some bar and flirting with the hookers, as usual. Did he know about Kagome's abuse? Yes. Did he do anything about it? No...he was as afraid of Azarni as Kagome was.
Blue eyes wide with fear, Kagome ran back to the house and hurriedly changed her kimono, brushed her hair, shined her shoes, and cleaned what little was in her room in hopes to placate her horrible mother. Then, she hid in the closet under the stairs, clutching her doll to her chest. Little did she know that her hiding would only anger her mother further.
End Flashback
The tapping of Azarni's pumps stopped. It was then Kagome knew her mother had already checked under her bed, in the closet under the stairs, the closet in the front hall, the kitchen cabinets, and behind the couch. The tapping resumed, and a shadow blocked the light filtering under the coat- closet door. Kagome's breathing came out in gasps, the threat of hyperventilation large.
The door snapped open. Coats were pushed aside and boxes kicked over. Without warning, Azarni's twisted face entered the six-year-old's line of vision.
"Come here you little fuck!" Azarni screeched, grabbing a fistful of Kagome's raven tresses by the roots and yanking her out of the closet by it. "I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Kagome was thrown against the wall, crying now, holding her hands to her eyes in an attempt to block out her mother. Azarni kicked the child viciously in the ribs, sending her sprawling. She wasn't done yet.
"This is what you get for stepping on mommy's shoes! This is what you get for getting your dress DIRTY today!!" Azarni hauled the child to her feet by her hair and brutally backhanded her multiple times. "Do you remember what I told you?!?! I told you to NEVER tell anyone if I was hurting you or not!"
"YES MOMMY, I KNOW!" Kagome howled, crying in earnest now.
Earlier this evening
Kagome and her mother were at a cocktail party and Kagome spilled juice down her mother's best dress. Azarni snatched the child's hand and squeezed it until it snapped as her friends watched on, not realizing the pain Kagome was in. Kagome began to whimper, biting her lip to keep from sobbing. The pain became too unbearable.
"Um, Azarni, I think you're hurting her," Ayumi, a friend, said.
"Oh, nonsense," Azarni said in a falsely cheery voice. "Am I hurting you sweetie?"
"YES, MOMMY, YES!! You're hurting me! Kagome screeched. Immediately, Azarni gathered her up in a crushing hug, saying over and over, "Oh baby, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I never meant to hurt you!"
Now
Of course she hadn't meant that, and Kagome knew it. Her mother was very angry with her, and the beating steadily became worse. However, it was finally over and her mother left her there, world spinning, colors flying, hungry, on the hardwood floor. It was all she could do to drag her small, battered body up the stairs and to her room, where she passed out on the pink carpet. Her last coherent thought was of how mad her okaa-san would be when she found Kagome not in her bed and still dirty from the day.
Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha; never have, never will, and I really don't care. I'd just mess it up if I did .
Chapter One: What Did I Tell You?!?!
Pain. Fear. Dark. This was all six-year-old Kagome Higurashi could think about as she sat, huddled and whimpering, in the darkest corner of the Higurashi shrine's coat closet. She could hear her the sharp tap of her mother's pumps on the hardwood floors as she searched for her daughter. Kagome tried to stifle her harsh breathing, hoping that her mother wouldn't find her. Kagome knew she shouldn't hide. It only made the punishment worse.
Flashback
Oh no. "I'm so sorry mommy, I didn't mean to!" Kagome said as she backed away, slowly, from the broken lemonade pitcher. Azarni Higurashi just sat, rigid, and stared at her daughter. Mommy had been having a garden party with a few of her friends and had told Kagome not to talk to anyone or touch anything.
"If you do, I'll beat you senseless!" Azarni hissed in her daughter's frightened face as she shook the toddler's arm so hard it brought tears to the poor child's large eyes. Kagome had stayed in the living room, sitting on the couch, clutching her china doll, and not making a sound until her mother's guests arrived.
"Such a well behaved little girl," they all said as they admired her straight posture, downcast eyes, and pristine pink kimono. She wasn't well mannered; she was scared shitless. She was beaten if she got even the slightest speck of dust on her dresses, whipped if she tangled her hair or embarrassed her mother, and the beatings increased in damage and pain each time. However, Azarni knew just where to hit and how hard. The bruises on her face never lasted more than a day, but the ones on her arms, stomach, and legs were always the worst. She had scars on her back from glass-filled whips and had suffered numerous dislocated arms from being yanked around and twisted in ways her small, frail body wasn't meant to move. Mother finally stopped glaring at her and the guests finally stopped cooing over her. They had flocked to the kitchen to eat hors d'oeuvres and then out to the garden with tea and cakes to chat. After tea, they ate a more substantial summer meal and needed a refill on the lemonade.
Azarni called the then 5-year-old Kagome out of the living area and into the garden. Kagome clutched her doll, eyes downcast, and slowly walked down the freshly swept concrete to the patio tables, careful not to scuff her shoes or ruin her dress and not do anything wrong. She reached her mother and looked up, careful to keep her posture straight.
"Kagome," she said in a false, sugarcoated voice that scared her very much, "We need more lemonade, we're absolutely parched. Go get the extra pitcher from the fridge."
"Yes okaa-san," Kagome said in a quiet voice. She bowed to each of the women, turned, and walked back to the house. Opening the fridge, she put her doll down and lifted the rather heavy pitcher and carried it back to the patio. On her way, she tripped over a loose stone and fell, ripping her dress and dropping the ornate glass pitcher, shattering it into thousands of pieces. Later that night, she would have those exact same pieces ground into her body and slashed across her back.
"I'm so sorry mommy, I didn't mean to!" Kagome said as she backed away, slowly, from the broken lemonade pitcher.
"Oh, it's alright, dearest," Azarni said through clenched teeth, fire flashing through her eyes, a twisted expression on her face. Kagome had known what that look meant since she was three, when her mother dislocated her arm and her father had put it back into place with a sharp twist and snap. Where was her father right now? Getting drunk at some bar and flirting with the hookers, as usual. Did he know about Kagome's abuse? Yes. Did he do anything about it? No...he was as afraid of Azarni as Kagome was.
Blue eyes wide with fear, Kagome ran back to the house and hurriedly changed her kimono, brushed her hair, shined her shoes, and cleaned what little was in her room in hopes to placate her horrible mother. Then, she hid in the closet under the stairs, clutching her doll to her chest. Little did she know that her hiding would only anger her mother further.
End Flashback
The tapping of Azarni's pumps stopped. It was then Kagome knew her mother had already checked under her bed, in the closet under the stairs, the closet in the front hall, the kitchen cabinets, and behind the couch. The tapping resumed, and a shadow blocked the light filtering under the coat- closet door. Kagome's breathing came out in gasps, the threat of hyperventilation large.
The door snapped open. Coats were pushed aside and boxes kicked over. Without warning, Azarni's twisted face entered the six-year-old's line of vision.
"Come here you little fuck!" Azarni screeched, grabbing a fistful of Kagome's raven tresses by the roots and yanking her out of the closet by it. "I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Kagome was thrown against the wall, crying now, holding her hands to her eyes in an attempt to block out her mother. Azarni kicked the child viciously in the ribs, sending her sprawling. She wasn't done yet.
"This is what you get for stepping on mommy's shoes! This is what you get for getting your dress DIRTY today!!" Azarni hauled the child to her feet by her hair and brutally backhanded her multiple times. "Do you remember what I told you?!?! I told you to NEVER tell anyone if I was hurting you or not!"
"YES MOMMY, I KNOW!" Kagome howled, crying in earnest now.
Earlier this evening
Kagome and her mother were at a cocktail party and Kagome spilled juice down her mother's best dress. Azarni snatched the child's hand and squeezed it until it snapped as her friends watched on, not realizing the pain Kagome was in. Kagome began to whimper, biting her lip to keep from sobbing. The pain became too unbearable.
"Um, Azarni, I think you're hurting her," Ayumi, a friend, said.
"Oh, nonsense," Azarni said in a falsely cheery voice. "Am I hurting you sweetie?"
"YES, MOMMY, YES!! You're hurting me! Kagome screeched. Immediately, Azarni gathered her up in a crushing hug, saying over and over, "Oh baby, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I never meant to hurt you!"
Now
Of course she hadn't meant that, and Kagome knew it. Her mother was very angry with her, and the beating steadily became worse. However, it was finally over and her mother left her there, world spinning, colors flying, hungry, on the hardwood floor. It was all she could do to drag her small, battered body up the stairs and to her room, where she passed out on the pink carpet. Her last coherent thought was of how mad her okaa-san would be when she found Kagome not in her bed and still dirty from the day.