Through Blood and Tears
Chapter 14: The Truth Behind the Nightmare
After Kagome uttered that single word, all eyes turned to her in astonishment. Inuyasha was the first to speak. "Kagome ... ?" She took a few steps back, her gaze unwavering from the monster before her. "What did you just say?" the half-demon questioned as he and everyone else waited for an answer.
She didn't have a chance to reply as a menacing chuckle rose from the dark figure's lips. It grew in volume as the group tore their eyes away from Kagome to look at the source. The man, who Kagome said to be her father, laughed at the sight in front of him. "Are you still calling me dad?" His voice thickened with hatred as it floated over the dim hallway.
"Wha ... what do you mean?" she stuttered, still in shock.
Her father only laughed again. "You mean she didn't tell you?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with vengeance.
Inuyasha growled. He was confused and feared their lives were in danger. "What the hell are you talking about, old man?" His words did not exaggerate Kagome's father's appearance. His dark hair had hints of grey in them and his face was desperately in need of a shave. His clothes were torn in places and a red substance was splattered across his shirt and pants. Dried blood drenched the man's hands. He was an unkempt demon, if Inuyasha ever saw one. It was a disgrace really. His menacing red eyes immediately shifted from Kagome to the half-demon as he spoke.
"That bitch really didn't tell you, did she Kagome?" His gaze swiveled back to the terrified girl, waiting for a reply.
"Who? Who didn't tell me? What are you talking about?" Questions poured out of Kagome's mouth as feeling slowly returned to her body. Her eyes held both fear and bewilderment as she gazed upon the man she hadn't seen in years.
"What did your mother tell you?" His expression turned sour as the smile fell from his lips. Everyone kept their eyes trained on the dark figure in front of them as Inuyasha glanced between the vile demon and Kagome.
"My mother? I don't understand ... " Her voice rose as it shook. Kagome's eyes darted around her father's face, searching for an answer she knew she wouldn't find.
"Didn't you ever wonder why I was taken away?" he asked, clearly irritated by her questions. He shifted his weight on his feet, causing the object jabbed into Ayame's shoulder to slightly shift, forcing a whimper from the wolf demon's lips.
Kagome glanced at her tortured friend breifly, worried for the young red head. "You left us. You left us and never came back," she replied, turning her attention back to her father.
The dark haired beauty was startled when she heard her father's cruel laughter. What's so funny? she thought. Sango grabbed Miroku's hand as she continued to watch the pained expression on Ayame's face. It wouldn't be long before the girl passed out from the pain or loss of blood. We have to get Ayame away from him. Sango thought, trying to come up with some sort of plan.
Kikyo, Naraku, and Kagura stood behind the group. Even their usual cruel or emotionless expressions showed slight awe at the sudden change of events and they stood motionless. Naraku's eyes turned to slits as he smirked. He glanced to his right and left and took a small step back.
Kagome's father's laughter died down as his expression once again turned cold. "Is that what she told you? That I just simply left?" When his daughter's silence followed, he knew she was telling the truth. "That bitch you call a mother sent me to jail. That's why I haven't been around for my son. All humans are the same, disgraceful creatures." A scowl adorned his lips as he said this last sentence.
"Jail? Why would mom send you to jail?" Kagome asked. Her confusion had yet to clear and a small headache formed.
"She told the cops that I beat her and they believed her. That's what's wrong with the world now a days; they always believe the woman in the house, especially when a demon is involved." His cool expression filled with distaste and hatred.
Kagome shook her head, not wanting to believe a word coming out of his mouth. Her mother was beaten? Her father was a full-demon? Without her consent, memories began to fill her mind. They were scattered so only a few images would appear. A vase of white roses, her mother's eyes red and puffy from crying, Kagome's mother's arm littered with bruises, the screaming as her and Souta sat in her room crying. The young woman's eyes grew wide in terror as she allowed the full memory of that fateful night to fill her senses.
It was dark out with the gentle pounding of rain on the roof. The house was dimly lit by a few lamps scattered around the main level and a vase of white roses sat upon the counter. They were a gift to Kagome's mom from her father for their wedding anniversary a few days prior. Kagome, Souta, and her mother sat at the table eating their supper. There was a comfortable silence as they patiently waited for the return of their father. A fourteen year old Kagome looked at her mother in concern. She hadn't been speaking much lately and was always wearing a pained expression. An eight year old Souta, on the other hand, was oblivious to the changes around him.
The three of them jumped as the front door opened and slammed into the wall behind it. There stood a dark figure. He was drenched from head to toe, but his blood red eyes gave away who the person was. Fear immediately covered her mother's face as Kagome's father took a few steps into the house.
"Kagome, why don't you and Souta go up to your room?" Kagome turned her attention to her mother as she spoke. Her mother's expression frightened Kagome and she was only able to give a small nod.
"Come on Souta," Kagome said as she took her younger brother's hand and led him upstairs. Souta willingly followed as he continued to glance over at his parents. Kagome led Souta into her room as she closed the door behind them, shutting off her bedroom lights in the process.
Her parents had been fighting more often these days, although she couldn't grasp the concept of what they were fighting about. Every time a battle was about to start, Kagome's mother asked her daughter to take Souta upstairs away from the terrors of their yelling.
Kagome sat down upon her bed as Souta crawled into her lap. She held him close as the yelling began. "Won't you play the music so the cradle will rock, to a lullaby in ragtime," Kagome softly sang as she tried to drown out the sound of the yelling. It was the song Kagome's mother had sung to them when they were children. "Sleepy hands are creeping to the end of the clock, play a lullaby in ragtime," she continued, her grip tightening on her brother.
Even as she sang those words, her ears could pick up bits and pieces of what was being said through the closed door. "Did you really think that you could keep this a secret from me?" her father screamed. Kagome heard a soft mumble of a reply from her mother, her words were unclear. It was silent for a moment before her father's voice boomed out in rage again. "I always wondered why they never held any of my features. They don't even resemble me!"
Kagome heard another soft murmur of a reply as she continued to sing. "You can tell the sandman is on his way, by the way that they play, as still as the thrill of a thrush in twilight high." Her voice began to shake, tears welling behind her eyes. Souta only snuggled further into her chest, listening to her soothing voice.
"You whore!" her father yelled, causing a single tear to fall down Kagome's cheek. "They aren't even mine! When were you going to tell me this?" Kagome heard a soft reply, picturing her mother cowering in fear of her father's anger. A loud sound echoed through the house, piercing through her heart; her father had smacked her mom.
"So you can hear the rhythm of the ripples on the side of the boat, as you sail away to dreamland." Kagome's voice filled with agony and shook, tears freely falling down her face. She shut her eyes, trying to block out the sound of her mother's muffled screams. "High above the moon you hear a silvery note, as the sandman takes your hand." She felt her shirt absorb something wet and glanced down to see Souta crying. Her shirt was firmly gripped in his hand as he hid his tear stricken face. "So rock-a-by my baby, don't you cry my baby," Kagome continued.
She heard sirens in the distance and searched the night to see red and blue flashing lights as they came closer to her home. "Sleepy-time is nigh. Won't you rock me to a ragtime lullaby." Her heart pounded furiously in her chest. The front door was slammed open and she heard a hoard of footsteps trudging through the kitchen, followed by a string of shouts and threats. "So rock-a-by my baby, don't you cry my baby, sleepy-time is nigh." Kagome's words were just above a whisper now as she sat in the darkness, cradling her younger brother close to her heart.
Struggling was heard through the door and she realized what happened. Someone had heard the screams from her parents and had called the cops. They were there now, taking her father away in special handcuffs to restrain his demon strength. "Won't you rock me to a ragtime lullaby." Kagome sang as she heard her father's yells outside now, cursing his wife's name to the heavens. "So rock-a-by my baby, don't you cry my baby." Footsteps and gentle voices approached her bedroom door. "Sleepy-time is nigh, won't you rock me to a ragtime lullaby." As she finished the final verse, her door opened to reveal her mother and two police officers.
Tears fell freely from her mother's eyes as she softly took a few steps towards her children. She kneeled before them and ran a hand through Souta's hair. Kagome made eyes contact with her, tears clouding her own vision. "I'm sorry, Kagome," she whispered, her eyes piercing through Kagome's heart. "I'm so sorry."
Kagome fell to her knees as the memory played in her mind. Inuyasha immediately jumped to her side, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. Her hands braced herself on the ground in front of her as tears fell from her eyes. She had tried so hard to block out the painful memories; to forget the look of hatred in her own father's eyes.
"Why, dad, why did you do it?" Kagome asked, referring to his abuse of her mother and the killings of her classmates. Her gaze still focused on the floor beneath her while her shoulders shook as she sobbed, but her voice was strong and clear.
"You're still calling me dad? Don't you realize the truth?" She could hear the emotions in her father's voice. "I'm not your father, you insolent little wench." Kagome's head snapped up at the accusations. She was glad that she was on the ground already or else her knees would have buckled from beneath her.
"What ... what do you mean?" she blurted out.
"You're mother had an affair behind my back a week before our wedding." His voice was cold and his expression stony. "And I even found that she had an affair, with the same guy, only a few years after that. It took me fourteen years to figure it out, but when I did, your mother tried to apologize." He shook his head at the memories and then gave out a small chuckle. "She tried to fucking apologize."
Kagome couldn't move as her mind blanked. Her head dropped back down, tears pricking her eyes. Inuyasha looked on with concern as he saw the expressions change on Kagome's face. He growled dangerously in his throat, angered by the man who caused Kagome so much pain. The man didn't seem to notice as his gaze fixed solely on Kagome.
"Why?" came a small whisper beside the half-demon. Kagome's bangs hid her eyes as tears streamed down her face. "Why did you do this?" she asked again. Her heart felt as if it was being ripped apart.
A smile appeared on the man's face. "I wanted to cause you pain. You are an accident, never meant to be. You are the result of the whore I once loved and the man who stole her away. You are a piece of rotten filth, undeserving of life itself." Kagome's expression was unchanging as the man she used to see as a father spoke those words.
Inuyasha cracked his knuckle, with intent to rip the man to shreds, but knew that there was no way he could over power him. The man might look weak, but Inuyasha could see the muscles that had been built over the two years he had spent in the demon prison. "Don't listen to him, Kagome," he whispered so only she could hear.
Kagome slightly nodded her head in response as she brought her gaze to the man's blood red eyes. Her mother's screams filled her mind as anger slowly took control of her own emotions.
The man dropped his gaze from Kagome's and took in the look of terror on Ayame's face. "This will be one more thing that will hurt you, one more thing that will cause you pain." He smiled wickedly as he twisted the object into Ayame's shoulder, causing her to scream out in pain. The next scene went by so fast, Kagome could barely catch her breath.
A/N: Alright, sorry for the wait, but here is the next chapter. Now, I know the facts seem a bit sketchy, and there are many questions you might have, but they will all be answered before the end of the story. If you want, just ask the question in a review and I'll make sure its answered, but most of them won't be known until the last two chapters, which I'm guessing will be between 17-19. Not quite sure yet. Anyways, thanks for reading and please review to let me know what you think.
P.S. This is the first story I got over 100 reviews on! *Happy Dance!*
I have put up a new poll. The last one was just too sloppy because I kept changing everything. As of now, I won't be adding any new ideas until I can get some of the listed ones out. So please take it and let me know which ones you'd like to see next. Thanks!