Seclusion. Again. Four walls, a ceiling, and a floor, each padded with the consistency of a well worn mattress. Almost comforting. The only break in the yellowing fabric was a triple layered reinforced bulletproof glass window for the attendants to check in on the patients with. Even in his flattened grayscale vision, he could see the worn out lights flicker half heartedly. On this part of the ward, maintenance rarely bothered. Who cares if there's tons of light? It's not like the psychotics in there care.
The youth attempted to stand.. Lost his balance and fell face first into the musty smelling padding, laying there for a minute. He guessed his last fit must have been a doozy. They'd used the good medication on him this time. On the rare occasion he got something this strong, he was always reminded of his introduction into the bootleg trade, of which he was now an avid trader when the need was about him.
Naraku, though often nude, was the biggest kleptomaniac on D ward. No, strike that. The biggest kleptomaniac for twelve counties in all directions, such was the reach of his prowess. Spoons, forks, underwear, shoelaces, urinal cakes, shower caps, and a wide variety of cigarettes was just the icebergs tip when it came to his hoard.
After that, if you were trusted enough, you were allowed to see his prize. This was the true reason he was the central hub of the trade route. A large shoebox full of pills, each organized in his own little way. Every brand, shape, color, and size you could imagine. A rainbow of pharmaceutical wizardry in a shoebox that supposedly held a journal and a daily allotted pencil. A clever ruse, since nobody cared enough to check thoroughly.
'Do you wish to fix your headache? Or do you want to not be able to feel your head..?' he had been asked. It had cost him dearly.. His underwear and five cigarettes, but he got his second option happily. Relief was a small black pill, a furtive glance sweeping the room before it was handed over.
'Flying for 32 hours guaranteed, or your underwear back. The smokes are mine.'
32 hours? Was that how long he was out this time? The windows weren't to the outside world, so he was closer to guessing the year people would realize Alexander the Great wasn't all that great indeed. As if. He could only guess it had been that long, if not longer. The injection site on his left buttock was still sore, so it couldn't have been over two days.
With a great amount of effort, Inu Yasha hefted himself to a sitting position with his legs out before him as though preparing to dive. His arms were bent in an ungodly position around his back, tied with belts in an infernal contraption known as a straightjacket. The inventor should be hung while wearing his own creation. That'll show him he's got some unsatisfied consumers.
The attendant, his favorite, slowly opened up the door with his large key ring, and came in with a food tray, ready to feed him. Even with his drug hazed senses, he knew something was.. Different. Better. The food and drink on that tray was far better from the normal steamed industrial slop the patients were normally fed.
Gray tones lifted for a blessed moment as the tray was settled down right beside his lap, revealing the present it held. A submarine sandwich! A full foot long, stuffed to the toasted brims with deep brown meatballs, swimming in a deep, rich red sauce. Onions and bubbling hot cheese rested on the top of this glorified mess, spilling haphazardly over the edges to the wrapper. The top had also been sprinkled with oregano as a treat. Treats were beyond compares now that he had seen this foodstuffs.
Next to that slice of heaven.. Could it be? Could it truly be? A tall, icy glass of Root Beer. You could see where the froth had spilled over and froze onto the glass, filling in the fingerprints left behind when the glass itself had been grabbed and put on the tray. The sound of the fizzing drew all his attention now to the point that he did a drastic double take when the man spoke to him.
"I thought that you'd be hungry when you came out of it.. What better for dinner than an early birthday treat?" He smiled in a good natured way, picking up a chunk of the sandwich and offering him a few bites before sitting it down again, choosing to keep him in the jacket for now to keep him calm.
"…Birthday?" He frowned, seizing both from the shocking word, and the rich food assaulting his taste buds.
"Well yeah, you'll be 18 in a week, kid. Did you forget already?"
"Who…Who told you that?" This being spoken after a large swallow of the amber beverage, chewing at a meatball shortly after.
"That guy Miroku. He's your friend, right? He's telling everyone on the ward. I hear there's going to be access to cake, if you two keep up the good work. You'll get to go to B ward with some others for it.." He'd smirk, nudging him slightly. "I even hear there'll be some girls there from the other wards! Maybe find yourself a little friend, ehh?"
He simply glared at him, anger pouring from every pore.. How DARE he say something like that? Didn't he know by now that his very essence was poison? The very air he pushed back into the Earth's atmosphere was deadly! How he and the doctor had remained safe was far from his knowledge.
Sensing this anger, the attendant quieted and finished feeding him the food and drink.. Then standing… Picking the boy up like he was a doll and putting him unsteadily on his feet. He then removed the jacket and put it on the ground, replacing it with the tray.. And heading for the door, leaving it open.
"You can come out when you're ready to, kid. Your doctor signed the okay and everything. Miroku is waiting for you as well." This said, he headed outside and disappeared from sight. In his wake, the fluorescent lighting in the hallway flickered hopefully.
Slowly, he crept out.. Peeking around the edges cautiously, gripping onto the walls as he went lest he fall over. After nearly an hour of this Mission Impossible innuendo, he finally made it to Miroku. Immediately managing to scare the living hell out of him by grabbing him from behind and shaking him roughly, dropping him like a used toy.
"Inu Yasha! You got out!"
"Yeah, with no thanks to YOU, 'Birthday Boy'."
"…Oh yeah, I was kinda of hoping you wouldn't find out till the last minute.." He'd smile nervously, backing away from the oncoming threat.
"You were hoping I wouldn't…. What's the matter with you! You of all people should know that you're the only one I can trust completely! I'm poison! You're immune, but other people might not be! You just single handedly opened a quarantine lock and started shoving newborns in with me to die!" He'd sit on one of the many chairs, head sagging onto his fists, elbows on knees.
"Nobody's going to die.. Even if you're poisonous, it's not that bad." Miroku would smirk, settling behind him and leaning over the back of the chair, hands on his shoulders in a comforting way. "Trust me. If I know anything as well as I believe I know you then I.. Is that marinara sauce on your mouth?"
A quick rub of his mouth with his sleeve and he darted up, stalking to the window to avoid the question. To silence him, he yelled his normal reply. "Feh!"
"Oh come on, don't be like that, Inu Yasha! I was just wondering if, you know.." He chased him to the window, cornering him when his attention was caught on the tree again, speaking quietly. "I'm just glad you can trust someone else to feed you new things. It's a big sign that maybe you'll go back to B ward, maybe even go home.."
Home. That word hit a numbed mind. He often thought about that. His mother was dead, and his father was in prison. No, his father didn't kill his mother. He'd killed the man who murdered his beloved, as any sane person would. Somehow, that didn't help Inu Yasha, who even at a young age had reverted more and more often to his secret kingdom, Geri.
Dr. Rin said it wasn't real, that it was his attempt to make up for all the rumors and lack of friends, the upsetting scenery. His family had been far from rich, but they were happy. That is, until the kids at school caught wind of a little family secret..
He shuddered visibly for a moment, before focusing once more on the outside. The same green grass, the carnations joining the roses in full bloom, even some tulips freshly planted. The tree still stood, like a rock of reality. Something, however, was different about this scene.. Someone, or something, was out by it!
"Hey, Miroku. Check this out." He gestured out the glass, head tilted in the doglike manner once again.
Fighting his way through the group of people that tend to get in your way no matter what you do, Miroku too pressed his nose against the glass, squinting. "Hmn.."
"What do you see? Is it a staff member or a visitor or what?"
"I think it's.." Another squint to confirm before smirking, nodding definitely. "It's a female, late teens.. And she's in a standard issue ward clothes. She's got bats in her belfry too!"
"Miroku, stop it."
"Stop what? If she's here, it means she's nuts just like the rest of us. Not half bad looking.. But insane. Why not enjoy the view? If she's out there, then who knows.. Maybe she'll be one of the people that comes to share cake this week.. Eh? Eh?"
"…All you ever think about is women, Miroku. Even I've got more dignity than to sit there drooling over something I'll never have." Though try as he might, he couldn't tear his sight away from the form. Someone was actually out there, touching the tree, picking blossoms..
"Hey, I can't help it. I may be stuck in here, but I've got needs too! Once I get out of here, I'll not have to sound so pathetic, since I'll have an outlet. So just let me have my fun." He stood stiff, indignant for a moment. Before straightening and getting closer to the glass. It had slits in it, to let fresh air in. It was spring, so why not be nice? That just meant that a few more attendants had to check in more often, to make sure nothing happened.
"Hey… Hey! Girl!" He yelled this, waving spastically. He continued this until the figure turned in a circle, looking for the source.. Then stared at the window, and waved back.
"What's your name!"
"…" Silence for a moment.. As she drew closer to limit the yelling, looking straight up as she went."Suzuki!"
"I'm Miroku! My stoic friend here is Inu Yasha! What ward are you on?"
"I'm in B ward. I got transferred from D a month ago." She finally paused, looking straight up with a kind smile. This, in turn, piqued Inu Yasha's interest.
Her height was unknown, at this height difference. The outfit was a pair of hand me down scrubs covered by a well worn dark red robe with wide sleeves. The long lank of nearly white hair was tied back with a band, the bottom reaching well past her rump. The eyes could be anywhere from gray to blue from this distance, but the pale skin showed that no matter the color of her eyes, they were likely to look tired. She had probably been through hell as well.
He then did something he swore to himself he'd never do. He smiled quietly, and waved. He trusted her.
In response, he got the equivalent of a kick to the ribs. Vision would drain as he fell backwards spastically, the worried face of Miroku shouting his name as he tried to wake him. It was too late. The collect had seen his trust, and was punishing him for it.
Another kick to the ribs, removing all his air.. Before he was dragged head first into a bloody lake., bereft of his life air. Dragging him by the wrists was the goddess of discord, Kikyou. Her dark hair a mixture of poison asps and midnight, her eyes holding distrust.
He still tried to gasp, attempting to wrench away from the goddess.. Only to be held fast by another, the goddess of strife, Kagome. She looked like a normal girl, but he knew better. If someone said white, she'd say black. No safe way was there to talk around her, as she'd take any opportunity to maim you, just to get her way. She was not to be trusted under any means.
Finally, the trio would burst free from the lake, the blood peeling from him as though he were coated in oil. The goddesses, however, continued dragging him.. Finally dropping him onto a jewel encrusted shore.
In the jungle atmosphere, the collect roared against him, burning his ears.
"Forever, lazy boy! Forever, Crazy boy! You are not of them! The girl child is a demon! She will rip your body limp from limb!"
He ducked his head, hugging his knees as the collect roared, growing angrier and angrier. The goddesses drew closer to him now, each glittering in their own deadly way. The blood had not fallen from them, leaving them looking like a pair of victors from a war long ago.
Kikyou approached first, reaching under his chin with an icy finger to draw his face up, forcing eye contact. Her red eyes glittered maliciously in her skull.
"Dog One.. How could you do this? Did Shippou not teach you anything? We give you these wonderful gifts, and you squander them." She made the hand gesture for pain and misery, the sign of Earth. This was shortly followed by an angry gesture to show pain. How could SHE feel pain?
"I ache in my heart every time you ignore us. You cannot survive without our help, Dog One. It is as though my own child were trying to kill himself."
This struck a nerve in him. He flinched.. Turning his head up to glare at them, Kagome slowly sauntering forward as well, ready to put in her own two cents word.
"You aren't my mother.."
"What was that? Oooh, Kikyou, did you hear him? He's challenging you!"
"Dog One, how dare you challenge my words. I am your mother. I am your father. I am the only true link you will ever have to this world. Discredit me, and you will put an end to all we have done for you."
"…You are NOT my MOTHER! My mother died! My mother left me behind when that man hurt her! Don't you dare call yourself my mother, you hideous hag!"
Kikyou paused for a moment.. Then smirked, continuing, nonplussed. Her lips curved upwards, giving her a demonic look as her asps lifted up, hissing at him angrily.
"You are so sure you can do without us, Dog One..? I see.."
Kagome stepped closer, angered. She pointed at his face, using the little device she alone had been given. The collect deemed her, as the most violent of gods, the possessor of a control device.
"…Inu Yasha. For your distrust, you leave us no choice. Osuwarri."
He felt the familiar tug of magic around his throat, stifling his breath.. Dragging him face down into the sharp shore of jewels. He grit his teeth, trying to rise.. Meeting resistance the whole time as he was held immobile by the spell.
"You're so sure of yourself in that world of nothingness.. Fine. Let us see how well you fend." Kikyou would lean forwards, lifting his head easily.. Drawing closer and pressing her icy lips to his in a deadly kiss.. The asps of her hair striking out, biting at his shoulders, his arms, his head. The kiss of death, the kiss of finality. It was the most feared motion in the world.
He sagged, consciousness fluttering between worlds as the venom burned his veins, racing through his body, attacking his heart. His vision grayed, signaling the pass between worlds once more.. The familiar pressure in his numbing chest. He was dying in this world, dethroned.. Was he dying in the other?
The goddesses laughter was the last thing he heard before he opened his eyes entirely, staring forwards. Once more, he felt the texture of the bloody lake on his body.. But upon further inspection, he saw it was the shower. Pure, clear, crystalline water rushed over his body, ridding it of filth and grime, the sweet smelling bubbles rushing down the drain to their final demise.
Colors. When was the world this clear? Was he still dreaming? The silver spigots, dented and worn down, had a feel under his hands. His hair was black, a new set of dark green pajama's resting by the door with a large yellow towel. The shampoo was orange, smelling of citrus, the soap smelling of green apples. A regular fruit bowl was assaulting his senses.
He stepped out onto gunmetal tiles, bypassing a silver drain in the floor and dried off. He dressed in these soft green pajama's, wrapped this yellow towel around his head. He brushed his teeth with a soft toothbrush, with paste that tasted like spearmint. He gargled with mint flavored mouthwash.
He padded to the ward, warm, a cold chill running up his spine as his long hair air dried. Naraku ran by, naked as the day he was born, toting a deep blue blanket he'd snatched from an attendant. The angered attendant chased right after him, threatening losing coffee privileges, smoke breaks, and even sleeping on the main ward.
Miroku, in his dark purple robes, sat with a cup of hot coffee and a half smoked cigarette, watching as a man gave a speech to himself. He was, after all, the Pope in his mind. The youth smirked, taking another drag on the cigarette before letting the smoke loose, following it with a gulp of piping hot coffee.
Inu Yasha padded through the crowded ward, assaulted by colors. He never knew that Sesshoumaru wore a set of pink scrubs with kittens on them. He never knew Jaken was assaulted with Jaundice, giving him a yellow color. He finally sat by his friend, stunned.
"Oh, Inu Yasha. You feel better after your shower?" He'd turn chocolate eyes to his friend, grinning quietly, offering him access to the cigarette and the drink at once.
"….Yes, I feel.. Fine." How long had it been since he'd said those words and meant it? How long had it been since he truthfully spoke, without fearing altercations with his gods? For now, at least, he was free. Time to see what the world had to offer.
He accepted both, taking a drag on the cigarette before handing it back, coughing violently, taking a swig of the strong coffee to rid his mouth of the flavor. He'd been smoking for over a year, and had apparently never tasted it once. The coffee, he discovered, was too strong, and held the aftertaste of dish water. Now, more than ever, he appreciated that sandwich and root beer the attendant had brought him. He could only hope the birthday cake would taste as good.
After returning the items, he stretched and fell backwards, noticing the ceiling above was an army shade of green, matching the desert colors of the floor tiles. There were 32 rows of ceiling tile above him, by 45 rows. There were more on the ward, but these were all he could see. One thousand four hundred and forty individual tiles.
Miroku paused, ignoring the man claiming to be the Pope, turning to Inu Yasha quietly. "You were only out an hour or two, if you want to know. I made sure you didn't wander off, and the attendants frog marched you off to the showers for your turn. Was everything okay in there, too?"
"Yeah. It was fine.. You know what? I can see, for once.."
"You couldn't see before? Oh, yeah, the grayscale. So, that's gone?"
"Yeah.." He nodded slowly. "That reminds me.. What happened to that girl from outside?" Now that he was free for a while of his gods, he decided to add this to his list of attempts at a normal life.
"Oh, Suzuki? Yeah, she said she was going to be at your party with a few friends on good behavior. She sounded pretty interested in you, you old dog." He nudged him, the usual pervert shining through.
"…Shut up, Miroku."
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This was the second installment of "I Never Promised You A Cherry Blossom". I really hope you enjoyed it. I finally got around to writing it because I got a new review after so long. See? Inspiration comes easily from the confidence from others. The next installment will hopefully not take so frigging long.
In my absence, I've found out a lot about myself, and I'm a happier person now. Oh yes, don't sue me. I still haven't managed to buy out Hannah Green, OR Inu Yasha. Darn.