Kagome startled awake. Her heart was racing, though the dream that caused it hovered right outside of her memory. It had been two weeks so far, she knew because once a day Sango would come bang on the door. Kagome didn't know how she was still alive. Her ribs had healed, leaving nothing more than a mere shadow of the pain she had felt earlier. Her arm was still broken but the pain had reduced and she could now touch it, gently, and be able to bear the pain. Though her body was healing, her mind was not. She sat in the same position for 10 days. Her knees pulled up to her chest. She had long stopped noticing she was naked. Her body was dehydrated. It had been seven days since Naraku had tossed a bottle of water to her. She drank it quickly, only remembering half way through that maybe she should dole it out.
Kagome swallowed the last of her water. Her body ached. she didn't know what effects sitting for two weeks straight would have but she knew they couldn't be good.
Kagome heard a car door slam faintly.
I wish Sango would stop coming.
She did. It was heartbreaking hearing her friend scream her name over and over, banging on the door and calling her cell phone. Kagome's phone was sitting in her bag by the door, but it was long dead, giving it's final dying song two days into her isolation. She could practically see Sango's face. For the first two days Kagome screamed back. Her voice broken and strained, but, just like her phone, she too let out a final cry before going silent. She buried her face in her knees, trying to block out the screams.
She heard the door unlock, open and slam shut. Kagome raised her head. Naraku was back. He hadn't been home in a week. She heard his heavy footsteps as he walked around the kitchen. She heard the microwave door slam shut. He walked in front of her door, hope bubbled inside her.
Maybe he has some water or food.
She could see his boots standing in front of the door. He unlocked it and jerked it open.
She blinked as her eyes adjusted. She could only see his silhouette but his hands looked empty.
"Get up."
Kagome's ears rang, his voice gruffer than she remembered. His voice was too loud to her ears that had become accustomed to straining.
Kagome tried. She used her left arm and attempted to straighten her legs. The muscles in her legs pulled painfully before giving out. She slammed back to the ground.
He made a noise before grabbing her by her arm and dragging her out.
Kagome screamed, his grip tight on her broken arm, his hand burning her skin. He dropped her a few feet outside the closet before turning and walking away. She watched him as he grabbed his coat and keys her eyes finally adjusting. She stared at the back of him. There was a black glow around him. He paused by the door and looked over his shoulder at her. His eyes gleamed red and Kagome's breath caught in her throat.
"You need to go to school." The door slammed behind him.
Kagome fell down. The idea of school terrified her.
Everyone is going to know.
My friends are going to leave me.
Kagome tried to pull herself out of her head but she felt like she was suffocating. Drowning in her own thoughts.
No one will want you.
You'll always be alone. Alone or abused.
Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, painful and slow tears leaking out of her eyes. her body shook with silent sobs. She dry heaved, her stomach thankfully empty. Kagome dug her nails into her thigh, dragging them slowly across her skin. She wished she was strong enough to draw blood. The thoughts kept coming.
You're disgusting.
Useless.
Worthless.
Her father's words echoed in her head.
"Shut up." Kagome whispered. Slowly lifting and dropping her head back on the ground.
Kagome wanted to die. She had no one she could talk to. The longer Kagome laid there the more she began to hate herself. She hated that she was weak. She hated that she was needy. She hated that she couldn't protect herself.
Kagome went limp as a warm pink light surrounded her. The intensity of the light grew causing Kagome to shut her eyes. The light turned from warm to searing. Kagome could feel every inch of her skin on fire. Kagome opened her mouth in a silent scream. Her throat too dry to produce sound.
It felt like hours before the light died down. She peeked her eyes open. But it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. The sun was still high in the sky, and the bird that lived by their house was still squawking good morning. Kagome slowly picked herself up, her arm still hanging, pushed herself up on her feet, rocking back on her heels, before stabilizing.
What the fuck happened to me?
Kagome couldn't believe she had hallucinated the light. But as she stood in her hallway, slightly hunched over, naked, and broken she started to doubt herself. But when Kagome closed her eyes she could still see the light burned into her eye lids.
I haven't eaten in days. I haven't slept properly. I'm probably delirious, or something.
She gathered up her clothes that still laid in heaps on the floor, making a mental note to look up hallucinations caused by starvation. She climbed the stairs one at a time, the clothes pressed to her chest as she felt the urge to cry again. She was too numb to cry, but her breathing was erratic as she reached the top of the stairs. She walked into her room, dropping her sweatshirt and shirt just inside the door. She rooted around in the pockets of her jeans. Stopping after she produced her cellphone. She plugged it into her wall charger before going into the bathroom. The light was on just as she had left it days ago, and she studied herself in the mirror.
Her reflection was hard to look at. She looked like a skeleton. She was disgustingly thin. Everything about Kagome looked dead. Her hair was dull, falling flat against her face and body. Her cheekbones were hollowed out, her hip bones jutted out grotesquely. But Kagome stared on. Not once flinching, or crying. She looked down at her legs, her inner thighs covered in blood. The urge to throw up, caused her to double over, though her stomach was empty and all she could expel was the tiny bit of water she had drank and stomach acid.
Kagome had seen enough. She quickly turned on the shower.
Kagome emerged an hour later, feeling just as dirty as when she got in. Though she no longer had an odor, and all the blood was long washed away. She still remained in the same broken body. Kagome dressed quickly, not caring what she wore. None of her clothes fit her anyway. She sank into her bed. And stared at the ceiling. She felt something vibrating beside her. Kagome rolled over onto her side and picked up her phone. Her phone had rebooted itself and was now notifying her of all the texts and calls she had missed.
Kagome began reading them.
'Kagome are you alright?' Sango.
'Kagome please answer me.' Sango.
'Should I call the police?' Sango.
'Kagome, I'm gonna stop by after school.' Sango.
'It's Inuyasha. Are you alright? Sango is really worried.'
'We called and could hear your phone. Please pick up.' Miroku.
Kagome stopped reading. After 10 minutes of consistent buzzing, her phone finally went still. Kagome had 50 text messages and 70 missed calls. She put her phone down, before picking it back up again. She opened a new message to Sango. Kagome stared at the screen, trying to find words that would make her friends feel better and answer all their questions. Her mind was blank. There were no magical words. So she told them the truth, the simple basic truth.
'I'm okay. See you tomorrow.'
Kagome turned her phone off and rolled over. According to her phone she had been missing for two weeks, she felt no better knowing she was right.
I probably need to get up and eat something.
But Kagome wasn't hungry. Not hungry enough to get up anyway. So she laid there.
Tonight she would sleep, almost comfortably.