Ch. 6
me: uh oh... I forgot the disclaimer! ::brings out Fujisaki from Gravitation:: say it, please!
Fujisaki: O.o YunaFaerie does not own InuYasha....or the characters....or anything.
me: thank you, my love. You can go away now.
"Kagome-chan? Are you awake?"
"Mmmrfgh..." came the sleepy reply, as Kagome stuffed her head under a thick pillow, trying desperately to drown out her mother's crisp voice.
"Nayamo-san will be here in thirty minutes! You've got to be ready by the time he gets here!"
Kagome lifted her head. "I changed my mind! I'm not going!" With that, she dropped back down onto the bed, snuggling inside her covers.
"You are too going! If you aren't ready by eight, I'll have him take you there in your pajamas! Now come ON!"
"....fine...." Kagome resigned herself to defeat, pulling off the covers and standing up. She dressed in her summer clothes, and pulled her hair back into a braid. She checked her digital clock, only to find that Nayamo-san should be due at her house in around ten minutes. Carefully, she lugged her travel bag downstairs and had a quick breakfast. Just as she was finishing up, the doorbell rang.
"Mom..." Kagome's voice cracked a bit as she looked toward the door. Her mother hugged her tightly. The doorbell rang two more times; Nayamo was obviously anxious to get going.
"We're coming!" Mrs. Higurashi yelled, casting a dark look at the door. Kagome blinked back tears and let go of her mother, who was trying to look reassuring. Needless to say, she was failing miserably. Slowly, Mrs. Higurashi crossed the room and rested her hand on the doorknob. With a deep sigh, she opened the door, allowing Nayamo's large figure to be framed in her doorway.
"Ah! I was worried you weren't home," Nayamo said, smiling smugly. Kagome forced back a glare. With a slight grunt, she heaved her bag over her shoulder and said a quick goodbye to her mother. She didn't want to break down in front of Nayamo, of all people.
"I'll tell Sota-kun and your grandfather you said goodbye!" called Mrs. Higurashi, as Nayamo led the way to the car. The two men of the household were currently in a deep sleep, enjoying their first day of vacation. It would be unnecessary to wake them up; after all, she would be back in a week. Kagome nodded slowly, then followed the tall, dark man to his ebony-colored car. Two slim figures could be seen through the tinted windows, and Kagome wondered vaguely who they were.
"You will be joining Hikaru Kimihiro-kun in the backseat. I believe you are already acquainted with my daughter Alisa?" He opened the front door to reveal the small albino girl. "She resembles her mother..." he said quietly, and an almost wistful tone penetrated his voice. But the moment quickly passed, and he opened the back door, where a young man sat, his nose deep in a thick book. At the sound of the door, he looked up, his pale face decorated with thick, horn-rimmed glasses. Kagome had to bite her tongue from stating the obvious:
What a nerd...
The moment passed, and Kagome presented Kimihiro with a small smile. He returned the smile, and watched as Nayamo took Kagome's bag and rested it in the trunk. Slowly, Kagome hoisted herself into the car and took a seat next to Kimihiro, managing a small greeting.
"I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Higurashi Kagome."
"I believe Nayamo-san already introduced me, but there's no harm in repetition. My name is Hikaru Kimihiro, but you may call me Hikaru-kun."
Kagome suppressed a laugh. He spoke like a teacher. She was about to tell Hikaru-kun that he could call her Kagome, but Nayamo interrupted them by pulling a large screen out. The screen was tinted, much like the windows, and it separated the front seat from the back.
"What is the meaning of this?" Hikaru touched the screen gingerly, as though he was afraid it would bite.
"It's merely a precaution." Nayamo said, raising an eyebrow. "Do you have a problem with it, Kimihiro-kun?"
"N-no..." Hikaru said softly, and Kagome got the impression that he was intimidated by the large man. With a smirk, Nayamo lowered the screen again. Kagome felt like a criminal, like the ones sitting in the back of a police car. She knew the true reason for the sturdy screen: Nayamo felt that she and Hikaru were dangerous individuals, and he didn't want their so-called mental instability to interrupt him while driving. Rolling her eyes, she sat back in her seat and turned to Hikaru, intending to continue their conversation.
"Anyways, as I was saying, you can call me Kagome."
"Thank you." Hikaru returned to his book, pushing his glasses further up his nose. As the car started, an awkward silence filled the backseat. Trying to rebuild the conversation, Kagome examined the book he was reading.
"'Facts of the Feudal Ages'?" She read aloud, causing the young boy to look up.
"I find the feudal era of Japan to be quite a fascinating subject. Would you like to have a look?" He held the book out to Kagome, who took it, grateful that Hikaru was speaking again. She flicked through page after page. Quite truthfully, the book looked boring; after all, she had experienced most of the tales in here first hand! But of course she wasn't going to say that to him. Pretending to be interested in a painting of a Shogun, Kagome chanced a look at her traveling companion. He was staring out the tinted windows, his eyes full of sadness. She closed the book with a soft thump, and rested it on the seat between them.
"You didn't want to come, did you?" She asked quietly. As soon as the words left her lips, she wished she hadn't said them. Of course he didn't want to come- who wanted to be stuck in a dreary place like 'Aralia' for a week?
"Ordinarily, I wouldn't have minded coming; I would have seen it as an excellent educational experience...but given the circumstances..." he sighed and turned to Kagome. "My mother passed away a month ago. I've had a hard time adjusting to the fact that she's gone. My father began drinking again, and has been absolutely terrible about it. He didn't even attend her funeral. Three weeks after her death, I went for my daily check-up at the doctor's office...." here he paused, the sadness in his eyes becoming almost unbearable to look at. "There... well, there I was diagnosed with cancer... and after this session at Aralia, I need to go into surgery." He dropped his head into his hands, his shoulders quaking slightly. Kagome's eyes were wide, and she put an arm around the boy.
"Oh my god...Hikaru-kun, I'm so sorry..."
"Apparently-" Here, Hikaru's voice shook so hard, he had to stop and recover before continuing. "Apparently the disease runs in my family. My grandfather died of lung cancer at the age of forty-four."
"I...I don't know what to say...." This was the truth. Kagome bit her lip and withdrew her hand from Hikaru's shoulders, feeling uncomfortable. The two spent the rest of the ride in silence, with Hikaru resting his head in his hands and Kagome staring out the window.
When they at last reached Aralia, Hikaru raised his head. He shined his foggy glasses and picked up the book. Kagome could see the red in his eyes, and he blinked hard, trying to rid himself of it. Nayamo parked the car in what was obviously a VIP spot, for it was right next to the door of the giant, white building. He electronically unlocked the four doors, and motioned for his passengers to get out. The three obeyed quickly, and soon enough, they were standing in front of the building, looking up at it in awe. It was huge, and immensely clean, although Kagome couldn't help thinking it looked more like an insane asylum than anything else. Smirking, Nayamo grabbed the bags from the backseat and walked through the automatic doors. Obediently, the three followed him into the depths of Aralia.
"Get off me! Get away!!" A shrill female voice caused Kagome and Hikaru to wince, although Alisa and Nayamo simply turned, as though this was a natural thing. An young woman was being roughly handled by two men in white suits. Her hair was stringy and dirty, and her pale blue eyes had dark rings around them. As she tried to get away, one of the men produced a syringe from their pocket and inserted it into her arm. Instantly, her eyes lowered, and she slumped in their grip, allowing the men to carry her into a dark hall.
"Some people don't understand the meaning of help..." Nayamo muttered darkly. Kagome couldn't believe her ears.
"She was scared! I thought you talked to people at this sort of thing, not man-handled them!" Kagome said, her eyes full of disgust. Hikaru nodded in agreement.
Nayamo sighed heavily, and turned to Kagome. His eyes had a hunger in them, and Kagome stepped back, repulsed.
"Well, I suppose there's no hiding this from you now. This isn't a simple day camp where we talk about our 'feelings' and how we can help each other. No, this is a place where if you don't get better, we force you to see things our way."
"So what, this is a mental instituion?!" Kagome shrieked, her eyes absolutely gigantic. This couldn't be happening....this man had to be playing a joke. Although it wasn't funny....
"That's quite a vulgar term...." Nayamo stopped next to a dark brown door and pulled out a ring of dusty keys. He fit one into the lock and opened the door. A dark haired young man sat on a white bed in the corner of the room. His hair was long and dark brown, dyed fire-engine red at the tips. He looked up when the door opened, and his face hardened.
"You're bringing more victims here, Nayamo?" The boy said, his eyes flaming with anger and disrespect. "Let me guess: they thought it was just a therapy session, too?" Angrily, the boy stood up and started toward Nayamo, a deadly look on his otherwise quite attractive face. "What's next? Straitjackets? Even if this place isn't technically qualified as a mad house, we all know that's pretty much what the hell it is!"
"You need to wash out your mouth, Yasuhiro." Nayamo said, his eyes filled with rage.
"Like hell I do!" The young man narrowed his eyes and stood there, challenging Nayamo, who smirked.
"Defy me again, and I'll give you a one way ticket to the electric therapy room."
The slightest flicker of fear painted Yasuhiro's eyes, and he stepped back, the sneer sliding off his face. Nayamo laughed.
"I thought so. These two are your new roommates: Hikaru Kimihiro, Higurashi Kagome? Meet Ryu Yasuhiro."
"R-roomates? You want me to stay in a room with a bunch of guys?!" Kagome could feel an emotional overload coming on.
"Relax, Miss Higurashi. Midori Fujishima-chan also resides in this room. See? Now, would a mental institution have patients wandering about freely?"
"...Nayamo-san.... Yasuhiro-san wasn't wandering about freely...he was locked up in here...." Hikaru helpfully pointed out. Alisa, who had been silent up until now, giggled quietly, but stopped when Nayamo gave her a murderous look. She shrank back, her eyes cold and hard again. Kagome felt the slightest twinge of hurt for the small girl.
"Don't try to prove me wrong, Hikaru Kimihiro-kun. You won't win." Coldly, Nayamo shoved the two, plus their bags, into the small room, and closed the door. Kagome swallowed nervously. Beside her, she could feel Hikaru doing the same.
"Oh chill out. I'm not some psychopath." muttered Yasuhiro, his voice softening slightly. "I just can't stand that condescending jackass. He doesn't tell the whole truth when he says this is a therapy session. If my parents knew about this....well, actually, they probably still would have made me come."
"That sucks." Hikaru observed. He picked up his bag and set it onto the bed next to Yasuhiro. "I'm Hikaru Kimihiro, but you can call me Hikaru."
"Ryu Yasuhiro. Call me Ryu." He turned to Kagome, an obvious interest in his eyes. "And I take it I can call you Kagome?" He said, turning on the charm. She could feel his eyes on her, and she scowled.
"No. It's Higurashi-san to you." She said coldly, plopping her bag onto the bed furthest away from Yasuhiro, her heart pounding wildly. This week was going to be terrible. She was in a room with an unknown girl, a nerd, and a pervert. To top it all off, the place was an institution, possibly with devices for torture. Kagome collapsed onto the hard bed, her face in her hands.
I need... I need to wake up from this nightmare....
Me: hope you enjoyed! Please read and review!!
Kikyo: y4y, finally a chapter thats INTERESTING! Applause for you!
Me: SHUT UP! Review pleeeeease?!