Little Bird

Chapter 2 : Lost Bird

Disclaimer : Inuyasha is copyright to Rumiko Takahashi and all affiliated distributors.

WARNING: Depictions of death, violence, gore, and blood.

Grandpa showed Kagome to her new room, then left to finish making dinner while she settled in. She stood in the open doorway as he walked away, his steps faded as she inspected the dark room with the extra gas lantern he'd left her.

She stretched her arm out, lifting it above her face to illuminate the space. It was a regular sized room, soft tatami mats swirled from the middle out. A futon had been laid out for her at the center. There was a desk for her against one wall for her studies and a long dresser directly across on the other wall. A dusty mirror leaned above it. In the far back, there were a pair of shoji screens. Shadows from the trees softly swayed across it, they stretched across the floor like gnarled talons towards her. It would have been perfect if the room didn't smell musty. She swore there were cobwebs in the corners. There was also the fact that there was no light besides the tiny one standing lonely on the desk.

She sighed, then quickly realized she was alone, alone in the dark building with a creepy voice that whispered to her ear only moments ago. Her shoulders stiffened, and she forced her eyes to the floor and turned. She slammed the door shut, the metal against metal from the floor rails screeching something awful in her ears. She grimaced, heart racing a mile a minute all the while refusing to look up, too afraid to see the face that burned in her memory… or was it a nightmare? Had that actually been real? She didn't even want to turn around in her own room. It was just too dark. What if it just popped up again?

Kagome closed her eyes tight and took a deep breath, then held it. Counting to three, she let it out slowly. She needed to get a grip! There was no way what happened at the front door was real! Maybe she had been caught in a momentary memory - nightmare, or whatever the hell you wanna call it.

After a couple more steadying breaths, and with the confidence that nothing had spoken to her yet, she turned to face her room slowly, lifting the lantern again, moving it around to inspect every corner, just in case.

Satisfied that nothing was lurking in the dark shadows, she dragged her suitcase next to her futon, placed the lantern carefully to the floor, and flopped down. Her shoulders hunched forward as she stretched across to unzip it open. The sides unfolded with a burst, falling to the floor with a thud while her clothes collapsed haphazardly over the edge. She sighed sadly, she had stuffed her bag as much as she could despite it being a carryon. The movers would be bringing the rest of her things in boxes the following day. There was no way she could have brought everything up those monstrous steps on her own.

Kagome eyed her new task. Despite the size, there was so much to put away.

A wave of exhaustion and depression crashed over her, and she scrunched over to press her eyes to the heel of her hands. Her heart shattered like glass all over again, her body shook as she relived the events from earlier that week.

It had happened so fast. One moment everyone was chirping away, excited for the three day trip they were journeying to. It was a thirteen hour drive. There was a little cottage by the sea shore awaiting them. They had made a few stops throughout the day. It was late, they had only two hours left. Everyone was so excited as they crossed the town line before their destination.

The roads were dark; fields and trees as far as the eyes could see. They kept each other awake with silly car games. Mom was turned around in her seat laughing as she and Souta blurted out nonsense. She heard her father curse under his breath which now in foresight, was so unlike him. None but him noticed, their laughter had drowned him out, lights flashed across the windshield into the car like a strobe, and then he jerked the steering wheel away from the road, tires screeched, his arm flew out across Mother's stomach to keep her in place while the car lifted from the ground.

A thunderous crash. Metal slammed against metal and crunched loudly from Kagome's left where Sota was sitting, glass sprayed like ice. It cut across their faces. Their arms elevated like there was no gravity. Kagome's hair covered her face, her vision going completely black. Her ears rang as her body slammed to the side of the car. The world spun. It was impossible to tell which was up or down. The metal frame bent and dug into her arm and side. Their screams were loud with fright until her head slammed against the car and her world went dark.

It was dark, so dark. She could feel herself lying down, her back on a surface as her body seemed to swirl in an abyss, almost dizzying. It felt like an out of body experience. She was there, but wasn't.

Then a vision in the darkness appeared above her. She stared dumbly as red liquid dripped from the air and landed beside her. It continued slowly, dripping around her body one by one. Yet it echoed loudly, almost like it was right next to her ear, like the sounds of water dripping off a stalactite deep in a cave.

Drip.

It echoed.

Drip.

So red. She felt it splatter on her face.

Drip.

She blinked to clear her haze.

Drip.

The smell of metal assaulted her senses. She didn't need to look around as the vision above her moved instead, almost like she was watching a movie. It turned to the side, and an enormous treacherous pressure and pain invaded her head, it pressed unforgivingly. Her ears rang so loud as the vision blurred, a hand reached out to move strands out of a face.

Then Souta. Oh, Souta Souta Souta, no no no no!

A hand reached out to his bloody face, the limb shaking as she watched from her place floating on the ground. "Souta," she heard herself cry out. His eyes were open, one black and swollen from the impact. "Souta!" He stared blankly ahead, half lidded as his body hung from his seat, the belt held him mid air, his arms extended morbidly before him, a bone tore through his flesh right before his wrist. Blood covered him everywhere. It dripped to the driver's seat and slid over the sides.

Kagome watched as the vision shook, she heard her voice going hysterical as she continued to lay numbly and watch. In the vision, she tried to reach him and failed. She struggled with all her might against the pain until finally, she undid her own belt and her body crashed forward to the seat her mother was in.

"Mom," she whispered, the vision of her pushed off the seat weakly as she dared look around. A choked sob left her. The windshield was destroyed, and her mother… her poor mother had been flung out, her body lay eerily still over the mangled hood of the car. The front smashed into the ground. The vision became blurry again. It turned to the side as choked sobs echoed around the dark abyss. Then her dad, he lay with his cracked skull on the steering wheel, the skin busted and flayed, his body still strapped in. Blood flowed thickly from his head into the open eyes that stared at her lifelessly.

"No.." Kagome whispered as she stared up from the ground, the vision haunting. It deepened the gaping painful hole in her heart. "No.." she said again, her voice quivered as tears fell and trailed down her ears. Finally, finally she managed to close her eyes, she lifted her arms up and pressed them against her eyes as she cried uncontrollably, willing the visions away. They were gone, gone, and nothing would ever bring them back.

She didn't know how long she had cried, her whole body ached from pain, sadness, bitterness, and heartbreak. She cried and cried until something brushed against her arms. Startled, she froze and held her breath as she willed the feeling to go away, but it continued. It brushed down her forearm, making her hairs stand on end, goosebumps prickling.

Before she could dare herself to look, a dark deep guttural voice echoed above her, "little bird."

No no no no no!

It chucked, the laugh echoing around her. "Are you lost, little bird?"

There was no way, she had to be dreaming. One, two, three, Kagome. One, two, three!

"Look at me," the voice demanded smoothly, "my little bird.." it whispered. What felt like spider hairs rubbed up her arms again. "My little jewel."

This was all a dream. It had to be! Kagome counted one more time, one, two; she pulled her arms down for three when a shadowed figure with glowing red eyes rushed at her from above, it's yellow teeth gnashing as it swept down with a guttural roar, "LOOK AT ME!"

With a shrill scream, Kagome bolted up from her futon and almost knocked the dying gas lantern across her floor. Hyperventilating, she looked around her room, dark wisps of smoke rolled off her legs and dissipated out the edges of the doors. Frantic, she rushed off her futon, turned to the shoji screens and unlocked them with shaking hands, bolting into the courtyard garden bathed in moonlight to escape her haunted new home.

(A/N)

Thank you for your patience! I finally finished college! Now I finally have time to get my creativity on! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and just in time for Halloween too! The car scene is supposed to be confusing because Kagome is mid dreaming/remembering and mid awake. Please review and tell me what you think!