AN: Ok, I got an anonymous, not to mention rude, review saying that Kagome was OOC. I realize this, and the issue behind that will be uncovered in this chapter. As well as the fact that she was emotionally scarred by her time in Necromancer Inc. Hence the title She's Gonna Break (which is also an excellent song by a favorite band of mine: 'Less Than Jake'). This was hinted at a little toward the end of the last chapter: 'Get the Party Started.'
What you heard from Kagome was what she was saying...not what she was thinking, in this chapter you will see mostly from Kagome's POV– hear her thoughts. So, this chapter will be quite a bit darker. So, if you don't like darkfics, then you probably won't like this.
Sorry for any OOC at the beginning, but these things are planned, and it is my FIRST fic ever! Btw, if you're looking for a good read, try White Dogs: Perversity by SilverQuick. It's excellent!
On a lighter note, I dedicate this chapter to my most faithful reviewer, Juupren!
(P.S. I forgot to mention that the lyrics (blah) in this chapter are from the song Understatement by New Found Glory). Now...on with the show!
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't the fine line between sanity and madness gotten finer?" George Price
Walking With TITANS
By Rockrgrl9049
"Hello, Little One," echoed across the sparring rings.
'Just what I need..,' Kagome thought to herself, 'Him!...to be honest, this whole thing is getting old...'
I'm so sick of smiling...and so is my jaw!
'Be happy, smile! Why, what have you got to lose?,' No! Those two conflicting voices-- they were back again. They seemed to dance along at the edge of her conscience, waiting to swoop in and bring back the swirling mists. The mists that left her disoriented and unsure...so uncertain. But they hadn't shown themselves since she had been captive in Necromancer Inc!
For a briefmomentKagome's visage flickered a bit, before she visibly shook herself, then pasted on a sweet smile and replied, "Hey, Kouga-kun!"
Can't you see my front is crumbling down?...I'm sick of being someone I'm not...
He grinned in response, taking the added suffix as a sign of affection rather than the courtesy that it had been intended as.
Sesshoumaru watched the whole transaction with thickly veiled interest, and at the suffix; minor annoyance. Quietly, he observed Kagome's emotions as they flitted openly across her countenance. He even caught the brief glance she shot at him before her aquamarine eyes flashed back to the wolf-hybrid standing before her.
Please get me out of this slump...
'Ugh! This is all getting so old! Why not run then, what have you to lose?...The ones you loved are dead...Why even attempt to run, this place can be no worse than the last, ne? If we get away from here we are just that much closer to finding the one who made us this way...to his revenge! Stop it! I can't take this any more,' Kagome's eyes blurred with emotion as the voices roared their civil war within her mind...So confused...
I'm sick of clapping...when I know I can do it better for myself...
"Come on Kagome, lets start that training the General was sure to have ordered," Kouga laughed good-naturedly. She had to hand it to him, he was trying his best to get in her...good graces. But, she just wasn't interested, not that she was blind...She registered that he was handsome, kind...albeit a bit immature, but what guy wasn't? It was just that when counterbalancing and disembodied voices are screaming at each other in your head, that whole situation was one of the last things on your list of things to think about.
'Just a bit longer; it will be safe once that Taiyouki is gone, that will be the perfect opportunity! There are two Taiyouki! What do think the odds are that both will be away at the same time! Fool! Can you not tell which one would pursue us to the ends of the earth, if only they were his orders? The silver-haired one, he cares too much for his honor! Us disappearing...he will take it as a personal insult! He is the one we must look out for! True...' God, now they were agreeing...on a plan of escape! The true Kagome wanted nothing more then to stay here. It seemed like she could belong here. If she left, then how would they treat her when she was recaptured? Would they still treat her as a guest, or as a prisoner? Sickening doubts whirled about her mind in a dizzying array.
I'm sick of waiting...Sick of all these words that will never matter...
A sudden shrill beeping split the momentary silence that had settled upon the Dojo. The noise had erupted from Sesshoumaru's watch. Its face was blinking a neon, glow-in-the-dark green, and the message 'Report to Con. Room 119 ASAP' scrolled across the tiny screen. Having quickly scanned the content of the dispatch, Sesshoumaru looked to Kouga and said, "Watch the girl, I will be back presently."
Nodding his accordance, Kouga then turned to Kagome and signaled for her to follow his lead to a group standing at the far edge of one of the nearer mats. Once they arrived, the Agents snapped to attention; standing in a crisp formation on a moment's notice.
"At ease, Agents," and just like that, the group was back at rest, already murmuring amongst themselves once more.
I wire all these nerves together...Hoping for a chance to think on time.
"...Kagome? Are you listening," the wolf youki asked, turning to fully face her once more. She must have spaced out again; she was having a horrible time trying to concentrate today...
"No, I'm sorry, I was having a brief headache, but I'm fine now. Would you please repeat the question?"
Kagura Kaze gave a very unladylike snort at this comment. She was really starting to dislike this girl. Who did she think she was? This little slip of a girl was elbowing her way into this Kaze's business! Kagura hadn't missed those subtle signs of Sesshoumaru's! He was interested, maybe not romantically, but he still gave the girl the time of day, and the girl had only been around for what? Two weeks, maybe three? She was unconscious for most of that time!This was ridiculous! If it were anyone else, they would have been completely ignored! So, what was so great about this little female?
I'm tracing over your letter, to see if your intentions are as good as mine...
Kagome once again only half listened as Kouga explained the fact that the group was to pair off and spar, and that whoever she was with was to take it easy on her and help to teach her a skill. Once he had finished and asked if she understood, Kagome smiled thinly and replied, 'Yes.'
'Now is the perfect time! I still say that the other Taiyouki is a threat as well...Yes, but how often do you truly think the silver-haired one will leave us be! I suppose so...' God! They just wouldn't stop! These voices kept returning, and every time growing louder and louder; more oppressive and uncontrollable! The pounding feeling in her temples was well beyond what could be called a 'headache,' in fact it was border-line indescribable.
But, you're getting worse, I swear it...
"Now, Kagome, you will be with Agent Kaze first," came Kouga's voice; scattering her thoughts, and with them, the two pestering vocalizations. The blue-eyed girl glanced wearily at the unforgiving features of the wind-user, noting her look of intense loathing. 'This will be fun...'
Kagura smirked, revealing a petite fang, as she inwardly imagined how to torment the tiny female before her. No one crossed this Kaze, no one! Her mind whirred with various malicious deeds, before she settled upon one, causing her grin to widen. 'Yes, that will do...'
"Come along then, I suppose I will teach you to properly use a firearm," Kaze intoned, hardly attempting to disguise her dislike. Not waiting for her partner, the wind-user turned and sauntered to the armory and range.
Recovering from her original shock, Kagome hesitantly fallowed her 'sensei.' She had the sinking feeling that she would most definitely not coming out of this situation completely unscathed. Sighing, she simply made up her mind to just let fate take its course, and thanked whatever deity she had happened to please enough to bless her via silencing the voices for the moment. Drawing level with the doorway to the arsenal, Kagome saw that the main room consisted mostly of training armour, and that her 'partner' had apparently quit the room. After glancing about for a moment, she noticed a door she had previously overlooked and detected that it was ajar, and putting two and two together, she made a beeline for the passage. 'Nice of her to-,' Kagome never finished her self-pitying grouse, for as soon as she stepped into the new room, she was grabbed up.
It's hard to prove you're an understatement...
Kagura grinned malevolently, the little twit had pranced right into her trap. Hoisting the significantly smaller woman up by her throat, the wind demon slammed her against the nearest wall, just hard enough to hurt, yet not bruise overly much. No, having the Taiyouki on her case would not bode well for her life span. She would only rough the girl up enough to get her to back off, yet still be able to pass any injuries off as training...souvenirs. Leaning into the girl's face, the demoness allowed her 'blood rage' to seep slowly into her eyes and elongate her fangs and claws. Yes, the old shock and awe should do nicely...
"You will stay clear of my potential mate, wench, if you care at all for your pathetic existence," she snarled in a slightly feral-sounding voice.
Kagome really wasn't moved, truly she wasn't, that was until her surroundings sunk in on her. She was in a small, dark space. That wasn't working for Kagome. At all. Period. She happened to have developed a serious phobia of them, in fact. She began to breathe heavily as memories washed over her.
Flashback
"Momma, I'm home," a cheerful Kagome called. There was a certain light in her eyes that definitely wasn't around any longer.
The cheerful teen dropped her book-bag and removed her shoes in the foyer and scuttled to the living room. She disregarded the fact that no one answered her, after all they were probably busy... The girl flounced up the stairs, intent on completing a particularly nasty English essay, but stopped abruptly when she saw a pool of crimson liquid upon the hallway floor. Turning back away from the hall to her room, she peeked again over the banister for a closer look. But there it lay, defiantly adorning the otherwise immaculate hardwood surface with its stain. Frowning her confusion, the azure eyed teenager back-tracked and fallowed the marring trail that she discovered upon her arrival.
What she saw, she would never forget.
The bodies of her family, brutally slain in the kitchen of the shrine home. Her mother had died protecting her baby brother, she blurrily noted, and her beloved Grandfather before either of them, gallantly attempting to protect both.
Sobbing violently, the youth did the first thing that came to her tormented mind, 'Run!' She ran as hard as she physically could--her feet hardly made contact with the unforgiving ground beneath her. She flew as though wings adorned her feet, only stopping when she had reached her subconsciously chosen destination; the well house. This was where she always went to think. Tonight was evidently no different. Ignoring the torrents of tears that streamed in a never-ending rush down her face, Kagome shakily approached the well. Drawing flush with it, she peeled back the lid, and dropped herself into the relentless, black maw.
Kagome remembered sitting in the earthen hollow for what seemed like hours, crying the entire time. Her body seemed as though it was trying to cleanse the horrid images from her sight. It was in vain. For as long as she lived, she realized, these still frames would haunt her.
Another hour or so passed, and the darkness and dampness of her solace-place began to seep in on her; it was getting harder and harder to breathe! Just as she began to hyperventilate, however, she heard heavy footfalls approaching her hiding spot. The frightened teen made innumerable fruitless attempts to calm her breathing, but the pursuers found her none the less. They drug her roughly from the long-dry well and knocked her unconscious.
When she awoke again, she was in what was to be her home for many months...a small, dark cell. Needless to say, this experience did nothing to help her fear of the darkness and enclosed spaces.
End Flashback
Kagome panicked: her breathing becoming erratic and her eyes flitting helplessly around the room. Frantically, she began to claw the hand Kagura held at her throat; she had to get out!
The wind demoness was puzzled for a moment before she realized that it was not her scare-tactics that were terrorizing the girl.'No, not at all,' she determined, watching the trapped females eyes flutter across her surroundings, 'This foolish onna is afraid of the dark...This will do nicely.' Grinning maliciously, the crimson-eyed female lowered the terrified girl from the wall, still keeping her grip around her airway. And, taking a step back, she forced the girl along in front of her, until she came to her destination...a small artillery closet, usually utilized to store holsters and other such equipments. With one final push, Kagura had bullied the tiny woman into the small space, and after tightly closing the door, she flicked her wrist, creating an invisible wind shield. 'That should hold the wench!'
Satisfied with her work, Kagura strolled exultantly toward her own barracks, she would avoid questioning for as long as she could. If someone were to ask, she would say she lost the twit, and that she must have locked herself in...Of course, that wouldn't explain the shield...Oh well, she would let it wane in an hour or two, and no one would be the wiser. After all, everyone would be occupied with training and then dinner, so she had time to kill.
Sesshoumaru was annoyed. He had been called out of his allotted training time, just to listen to the high-ranking officials like Lord Kane babble on and on about government business.
He had just sighed in his mind and was about to resign himself to another hour's worth of blathering, when a red alert sounded in his mind. It was one of his celestial demon abilities, he sensed, and it was trying its hardest to get his attention. After a moment in fact, it had relayed its cryptic message to his inu youki, sending it into what he recognized as a protective rage. The Taiyouki attempted to tamp down his inner inu, but it was not backing down at all this time, and if he didn't appease it soon, it would take control. This in mind, the Leader stood hastily from his position at the conference table, bowing slightly to Lord Kane saying, "If you would excuse me...," as quickly took his leave of the room.
I know that you'll be calling, calling, calling me again...
Once in the hall, the Taiyouki allowed a slight frown to cross his features, and used his demon speed to reach the training Dojo within seconds. He quickly scanned the room and found no trace his ward. A small growl blossomed in his chest. That wolf could do nothing correctly! That was what his celestial demon instincts were trying to tell him he realized, that his ward was in danger. It had been able to sense it long before his inu. What was odd though, was his inner canine youki's overreaction to her situation. Inu were infamous for their protectiveness...but it was only when there were mates involved...'Worry later! Find girl!' The Taiyouki sighed and decided to think upon his demons' actions later, all he needed was to loose control over his inu...Shaking his head, the golden eyed man took a deep breath, and caught a whiff of Kagome's telltale jasmine scent. The only down side was, that it was tainted heavily with fear, and that sent his inu into a frenzy. Which its master was by no means expecting, giving the demon in his blood a serious upper hand...resulting in a demon Lord Sesshoumaru.
You're getting worse, I swear it...
The now blood-red irises of the angered male narrowed to slits as he sniffed again, forming a trail in his fogged mind. Finding what he needed to track his ward, the full blooded inu threw back his head and gave a bone-chilling, foundation-shaking howl that was designed to send a clear death threat to whoever was foolish enough to touch that which this Sesshoumaru considered his own. Bringing his head to level again, the demon sped past his terrified Agents and straight for the armory and range.
It's hard to prove you're an understatement!
END CHAPTER
AN: The next chapter will be out once I finish the second chapter of Rain On Me that I have been promising the readers for awhile now...Till then, Kat out!
P.S. There was a MAJOR hint in this chapter to something...He/she who guesses it gets the next chappie dedicated to them!
P.P.S. I am not a Kagura-hater,in fact I really like her character, and she WILL get nicer, so no griping!