Chapter 13-A Flashback of the Morning that should be forgotten

Kiseki brushed a single strand of tangled matted hair out of her face, unaware that a pair of amber eyes was watching her.

She winced as she delicately attempted to brush her hair with her fingers.

Her Senzo had given her a rough beating days before because of her little grocery accident. Though it was a while ago that her beatings were delivered, they were still just a painful, if not more, as they were right after being delivered.

This morning, Senzo had roughly yanked her out of her too-small cot in the attic and gruffly explained she was to fetch more beer. The scene replayed in her head, and though hard she tried, it wouldn't stop. She winced in pain as she remembered the scene.

"Lazy girl!" Senzo roared angrily. "Get up and out of bed this instant!" He had thundered up the attic stairs and had stormed in, kicking her repeatedly.

She had thought that if she didn't move, he would go away, but how wrong she was! He continued kicking until she sat up, receiving a slap in the face.

"Lazy piece of-" Senzo growled, using a piece of Kiseki's tangled hair to pull her off the cot. Kiseki yelled in agonizing pain as he did so, which caused him to become more angered. He threw her across the room, and she roughly banged against the wooden wall.

"I was in a good mood before I cam up here!" He screamed. "But now you've gone and made me get into a bad mood! Now I'm all grumpy!" When he spotted a small puddle of small near Kiseki and realized she was bleeding, his emotion changed from anger to misery.

"No looks what you've done!" He practically sobbed. "You have gotten blood on my clean wooden floor! Blood stains you know! Clean it up this instant!"

Kiseki raised her head to looks at him, and struggled onto her feet. For some strange reason, she wanted to yell 'sit' at Senzo. But instead she firmly replied, "No."

"What did you say?" Senzo asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I said, no." Kiseki repeated; defiance glinted angrily in her tear glazed eyes.

"Do you dare defy me!" He screeched. Kiseki instantly wanted to take back her words.

Though Senzo's jet black hair was speckled with gray, he was surprisingly strong. His eyes always glowed with kindness and wisdom, but in truth he was cruel and stupid. He was also arrogant and vain, and always got what he wanted. He lived to make others suffer. His thin lips curled into a smile every time he succeeded in doing so. It seemed to Kiseki that he thrived on other peoples' tears and hurt.

Senzo advanced on her, taking huge, angry steps towards her, his hands raised, ready to strike, hurt, pull, tear, slap and do anything else to cause her pain.

"Please no!" Kiseki pleaded. "I didn't mean it! Oh no! No, master, please! I beg of you!"

"If you are to beg," Senzo stopped advancing, but he was so close, she could reach out and touch him. "Then do it properly." Kiseki stared at him blankly.

"Get down on your knees." He commanded. Kiseki obeyed after looking at him cautiously. "Now, my slippers need cleaning."

Kiseki's heart sank.

"Go on." Senzo grinned evilly, a glint of satisfactions lit up his eyes. "Have a taste."

Kiseki swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. What was she to do? Suffer innumerable beatings, or give this beast the pleasure of defeat?

Kiseki reluctantly choose defeat. Lowering her mouth to the leather slipper that kept Senzo's feet nice and snug, she stuck out her tongue, and hesitated.

"Go on." Senzo demanded. "Have a taste." Kiseki could tell he was having a wonderful time out of this, she, on the other hand, would rather had him lying on his back, dead.

Kiseki lowered her head more, her tongue barely touching her slipper. Finally, closing her eyes tight, she ran her tongue over the rough material and almost gagged.

She tasted sweat, leather, grim, dirt, and most of all, defeat. Choking for air, she took another lick after being roughly nudged by Senzo.

Again, she tasted the bitter taste of despair. She couldn't take it anymore. Having second thoughts, instead of licking Senzo's slipper a third time, she bit down on it, hard.

The taste was over whelming, and she all of the contents of her stomach came out of her mouth and splattered over the wooden floor. She felt sick to her stomach, but hearing the loud piercing yell of Senzo had pleased her.

But unfortunately, it didn't please Senzo. Once he had recovered from this, he had kicked her with his good foot, knocking her to the ground and then had yelled at her to clean up her mess.

Despite Kiseki's now, bloody nose and the after-taste of slipper, Kiseki was extremely satisfied as she noticed that Senzo was now limping out of the room.

She had silently laughed as she, herself, left the room as Senzo had done moments before, and into the kitchen to fetch some dish rags to clean up her mess…

"Oh, excuse me Miss!" Kiseki was relieved to be brought out of her earlier night-mare as a small figure walked straight into her.

"Oh…uh…that's alright," Kiseki replied uncertainly. She looked up into a face much like hers except more aged. Something about this woman was eerily familiar. "I'm sorry…but do I know you from somewhere?"

The woman gazed at Kiseki as if she was her long-lost sister. The woman looked as if she had just noticed who she had bumped into.

This woman did sound distracted, Thought Kiseki. She definitely is thinking about something…or someone…

"Kagome!" The woman sobbed, and flung her arms around Kiseki's neck.

That name again, Kiseki thought, remembering her encounter with a certain man in a grocery store.

"Um…look." Kiseki sighed, awkwardly pulling away from the lady's tight embrace. "I'm not Kagome. I don't even know who this 'Kagome' is!"

"Oh honey!" The lady screamed as if Kiseki hadn't said anything. "What has happened to your lovely delicate face?" She delicately pushed a strand of hair away from Kiseki's face to get a better looks at her.

"Please!" Kiseki gasped. "I'm not Kagome!"

But the lady wouldn't listen. She just kept fussing over her.

"Look at all these scratches and what are you wearing? What has happened to your hair? Where have you been all this time? We have been worrying about you day, after day! Sota says that Inuyasha came over many times to ask about you and-OH!" The lady exclaimed. "We must get you home so they won't worry!"

"Who won't worry?" Kiseki asked. Though the names sounded familiar, she had no idea who these people were.

"Inuyasha and Sota and Grandpa of course!" The lady rolled her eyes. "Come now, Kagome! It was fun running away and giving us a fright, I'm sure, but now I've found you and the game is over! You must accept defeat and stop fooling around! Please, we must go now! Inuyasha is over at our place again today, and we must arrive home before he leaves!"

Kiseki thought about this a moment.

She could pretend to be this 'Kagome' person, and then she would be out of the cruel hands of Senzo…but on the other hand, what if this home was worse?

No, it couldn't be! Kiseki decided. Nothing could be worse than living with Senzo!

If the real Kagome came by, she could just say that she was an imposter, but then again, that wouldn't be very nice…but then again…

After conflicting wither herself for a few moments, Kiseki decided to go with this strange woman to her 'home', or Kagome's home anyways.

So off they went, the woman lead the way to Kagome's house, where the people who Kiseki knew, but she yet she didn't, were to be waiting for her return.

After walking many by innumerable houses, down long winding roads, and through many tiring blocks, the woman turned to Kiseki and proudly announced,

"Welcome back Kagome!"

Kiseki looked at the small little house and shrine that stood behind the woman, and gasped.

Memories came flooding back.

From riding without training wheels, to dates with Hojo. But one memory stood out in front of the rest.

"Finally!" Kagome smiled, taking in a deep breath of the polluted air of her time. "I'm home!"

Kagome made her way out of the shrine, and noticed with great dismay that it was raining.

"Oh no!" Kagome sighed. "I'll get soaked! I must run if I don't want to get wet! I'll have to hurry and bring my bike and things in quickly!"

Kagome raced across puddles of rain, her bulging bag perching in the basket of her bicycle. Stepping in a puddle, she cursed silently, and then, to her dismay, she slipped in another puddle and in an attempt to stay on her feet, instead of falling into a puddle, she grabbed blindly to the side of the shrine, but her fingers slipped and…

She fell, whacking her head on the side of the shrine and tumbling into the puddles.

And then…and then…

Kiseki could take it anymore. There were too many memories coming in at once! She screamed in confusion and pain, for her head was hurting terribly.

She was blinded with the rushing waves of thoughts and memories, and finally, she fell…fell…just like before by the shrine…she fell…fell…into darkness…into unconsciousness…

IY4ever: Sorry I havem't update for a while!
There is WAY too much homework in Junior HIgh!
Anyways...this chappie was nice and long so I would appreciate a REVIEW!
Thanks I really have to go now...
I'm in a rush...hope you enjoyed it so far!
Please reviw and I'll update ASAP!
Thanks BYE!