InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Desecration in Chains ❯ Troubles ( Chapter 1 )

Desecration in Chains: Troubles…

Ebony hair flapping behind her within the wind like the graceful, sinister wings of a raven, the exhausted girl kept running. Her jeans were stained in dark splotches of blood from racing through a jungle of thorny vines and tumbling down to the ground several times, but she kept on running, her eyes glazed over with unshed tears of hope.

Her heart was racing and her chest burned with a pain that had her legs cramping and her bones aching. Still though, she kept running.

"Father!" she sobbed, "Grandfather!" Her voice only echoed throughout the dense growth of trees and the ominous blanket of darkness. Her feet kept thumping hard against the dank soil and thudding within her ears like the sturdy gallops of horses.

The moonlit mouth of the forest seemed to grow farther and farther with each desperate step she took. Throughout the shroud of darkness, she still continued to call their names until a large heap of bloodshed distorted her vision. It was right beyond the threshold, nothing but knives protruding out of a stack of two bodies.

Immediately, the little girl stopped, her head trembling loosely. Both her grandfather and father lay helpless in that bloody pile and she could do nothing but walk slowly until finally falling to the ground. She bawled furiously even as the forest vanished around her in a void of blinding, white light…

A bolt of lighting cracked within the murky heavens, unleashing a mighty rumble that jerked Kagome out of her hellish nightmare.

Her horrible past, now turned her most horrendous nightmare, was still haunting her dreams. Ever since she was twelve years old, she'd always wake up in the middle of the night with the same thing swirling around within her mind-the murder of her grandfather and father. As a child, her mother provided her with a professional therapist right after their deaths, however that was before she turned into a mess of splintered nerves and whatnot.

Years have passed since then. Kagome had grown up from a pale, timid bud and bloomed into a beautiful rose with almost everything she could ever desire-a mansion, countless cars, and money. Sadly, she knew the two most cherished people in her heart could never be bought and would never come back to her or her mother.

"They're gone," she whispered to herself as she lifted a hand and cradled her perspiring forehead, "And the worst thing about is…is that they're never coming back."

"Goddamn it, Miss Higurashi, what is the matter with you? This is the third time this week that you're late for a patient's session!"

Kagome blew out a nerve-wracking, lungful of air and bowed her head. Beyond her bangs and even lashes, she snuck a blurry glance of her boss, baldhead, chocolate colored skin, and all. A sliver of a smile snagged a small corner of her mouth when she caught his black, bushy moustache twitch in anger…contemplation…she truly didn't know.

Drawing in a ragged breath, Mr. Samford (as everyone liked to call him), slouched further against his leathered, desk chair. The sun shined brilliantly beyond the vast window behind him and glinted dully off of his greasy head. Kagome nonchalantly veered her eyes away from the sight and slumped deeper against her seat so that it creaked pitifully beneath her weight.

"Look, I dearly apologize, Mr. Samford…" Kagome placed an emphasizing over her chest, "but I also have problems of my very own that need tending to as well."

Her boss nodded gently and hummed thoughtfully low beneath the dark bristles of his moustache. He propped his elbows up onto the wooden desk and laced his fingers carefully together. "Miss Higurashi, never in my life have I seen a psychiatrist place their own problems above those who are in desperate need of their help. Today, Mrs. Johnson was left wandering outside in the hallways murmuring frantically about the apocalypse and how you were dead and gone from this earth and would never come back to aid her. She depends solely on your guidance and all you can do is greedily shove your own problems above her own and forget about her like she was some type of trash that you've just put outside on the curb."

Kagome bowed her head once again, remorse creeping its way through her veins and settling deep within the bowls of her upset stomach. She drew in a deep breath as he continued to preach on.

"All the psychiatrists that work here were busy during the time that Mrs. Johnson decided to ramble down the hallways, however one, may I repeat, one psychiatrist offered to help her after already going through a difficult session with a patient who'd just been paroled from the Institute. After that little act I've been wondering long and hard about if you're truly worth staying on this staff…"

With a startled gasp, Kagome hopped up from her seat. "Mr. Samford, please don't!" she interrupted.

Calmly, Mr. Samford lifted up a caramel palm that immediately silenced Kagome's desperate pleads, but caused her horror-stricken face to settle even deeper into her features. Her arms quivered uncontrollably at her sides as she furled her lower lip beneath her rickety teeth.

Mr. Samford inhaled and exhaled softly through his nostrils. He braced his chin onto the backs of hands and eyed her observantly before allowing his lids to glide shut. Several, uneasy seconds of silence passed, menacingly playing with Kagome's last ounce of composure she had left until finally the final drop trickled over the brink, coinciding with the breathless whisper of her boss.

"Give me until Friday," he said, "By then I'll probably have a way that you may be able to redeem yourself."

Ever since her little meeting with Mr. Samford, Kagome just couldn't escape the buckets of resentment that fell upon her.

It drowned her, made her vomit constantly, had her chest burning severely, and most of all, left her heart throbbing with unbearable pain, pain of having even being late for her scheduled date and actually neglecting one of her patients.

'Goddamn'

Heels clapping against the bumpy gravel and black hair just glimmering beneath the blazing sun, Kagome half-walked and half-stormed down the road towards her BMW, keys jangling in hand. Her eyes were concealed underneath a pair of thin, wire-framed sunglasses that glinted brightly within the sunlight and left her rampant anger to go unnoticed to passerby, or those who were just now checking into the clinic.

Kagome nodded several times to the countless doctors that scooted right on by. She didn't quite feel up to saying anything at the moment and just allowing her anger to erupt through her mouth in words that would send mothers and fathers racing back to the car with their children. In later years, she'd never succumb to her rage; however, stress had finally caught up with her and taunted her long enough where she just couldn't tolerate it any longer.

She knew she had chosen this job, a profession where almost everyone in her college presumed it as Moneymaking Central. Here and there, she felt herself earning the degree because of the money it held behind it, but as her fingers inched further and further to that special degree she found herself wanting the job for another reason not just made up of money-lust. Soon, the job came to her as a portal, a way to step back into the past where she was sitting in one of those recliner chairs with her bottom lip curled beneath her teeth as her therapist continued play One Thousand Questions with her life. She despised that little game and knew just how her patients couldn't endure the pain it let loose, therefore she never tried to sit there and just ask questions. What she wanted to do was to have a true conversation with them, a conversation that would treat them like normal, human beings and lure them into a warm comfort that they could only feel when they were nothing but children.

Kagome stopped before the driver's door of her car. Peering up into the cloudless sky, she murmured, "If only I could've ended up with a normal life, a life where my family members weren't murdered, a life where my mother didn't turn insane…" She bowed her head miserably before unlocking the car door and sliding onto the hot, squeaky cushions.

Slamming the door beside her, she shoved the key into the ignition slot just as the engine roared to life. She sped off towards the parking-lot exit then vanished into the unfathomable hordes of traffic.

'Why couldn't I just end up with a life where none of this had happened and I was still left happy?'

Night came in an onslaught of pen-chewing and mindless scribbles. Kagome was left with a huge stack of paperwork based on most of her patients and some based on her past patients, the ones who wandered off into the care of another doctor or the ones who were declared sane and disappeared forever into the outside world.

Being twenty years old didn't have all the many luxuries Kagome thought it would have. Ever since she was a little girl, she was always frightened about being left alone within the dark. Right now, that same piece of horror still plagued her mind as she sat there, legs curled up in front of her, atop of her white couch in her living room. She had on her golden-framed, reading glasses, repeatedly glancing upwards towards the massive window behind her entertainment system.

The moon shown brilliantly beyond its glass, looking like a beautiful pearl pent up against a blanket of silky darkness. Kagome's lips tugged into a light smile as she made a careful grab for the yellow mug found atop of her coffee table. It was streaming with hot chocolate, her favorite hot drink ever since she was old enough to make it herself and reach the microwave.

Bringing the cup to her lips, she took a quiet sip before setting it back down on the table. Licking the bit of light brown froth that lingered upon her upper lip, she then allowed the paper within her lap to consume all of her attention once again. Eyes surfing along the title, the written date, and the person's name that typed off the paper, she began to read softly to herself, "The patient's legal guardians had left him in the arms of the asylum for some time, hardly ever visiting him. They disowned him some time later and before doctors could get a firm handle upon the legal papers of this sudden act, it was already too late. The patient was left without a family or a home to go to so they could do nothing but keep him in the asylum and visit him from time to time for daily sessions…what in the world…" Wrapped up in the entire situation, Kagome began to read quietly, lips moving but not a word drifting pass her mouth.

"So his name is Inuyasha, eh?" she finally figured out. Still though, a thought nagged at her brain. She never could've ended up with this patient because of his age. He was only twelve years old (so it said in the pamphlet), six years younger than those who truly visited with her.

'Hmm…' Tapping the end of her pen against her chin, she thumbed curiously through some of the papers before flipping back to the front and setting the papers aside nearby the leg of the coffee table. "That's impossible," she muttered to herself, "How could I have ended up with a child patient? I was permitted only to handle young to middle-aged adults."

Sifting through the rest of her papers, Kagome tried to see if she had ended up with anymore accidentally placed cases. Thankfully, there were no more and she rested soundly against the arm of her couch and let loose a relieved sigh, "Thank goodness."

Resuming her endless scratches, the lamps around her began to slur together.

It had taken some hours before she finished all the work left in her hands. During those hours, her eyes continued to flick back towards the heap of papers she had tossed aside. Her mind had stayed glued to those papers for some time until she had finally set her finished papers on the table, pulled off her glasses, and scooted onto her feet to switch off the light and head upstairs for bed.

"C'mon, Kagome, work couldn't be that bad."

The fisted hand that was supporting Kagome's cheek, plopped back down onto the iron table as her eyes roamed upwards. Hazel immediately clashed with gray before she bleakly muttered, "Hmm, it's not bad, but it sure does have its stressful moments. What about you, how has the pediatrician profession been going along?"

"Fine," the woman replied, ebony hair billowing within the gentle breeze as she looked out over the balcony down at the bustling swarm of people and cars hurrying up and down the street.

Kagome sighed and bowed her head to look down at her long-forgotten cappuccino.

It was lunch break, a time where probably every employee was dashing out of the doors of their job and racing down the sidewalks in order to grab a quick meal. Kagome was the first to leave on her lunch break in an attempt to catch up with her old, college companion, Kasumi. Their visits lasted for what felt like seconds due to her strict working hours; however, they tried their best to make most of their time worthwhile.

"Hey, Kasumi?" Kagome brought her Styrofoam cup to her lips and took a quick swig. A grimace sank into her expression at the feel of it sloshing down her throat. It was just so…warm, plummeting to the bowls of her stomach like a huge block of ice.

"Yeah?" Kasumi finally swerved her attention back onto her friend.

Kagome mulled over her choice of words for a little bit. In what felt like seconds, she shook her head and said, "Never mind." Once more, she brought her cup to her lips and guzzled down the remainder of the cold substance. Opening her mouth, her tongue lolled out in what seemed like she was ready to vomit at any second. No sooner than her mouth had opened, she placed the cup back down onto the table.

Kasumi was left summing up Kagome's childish expression quietly, wonder plainly tugging at her brows and yanking them lightly together.

Dear Lord can you take it away…
This pain in my heart that follows me by day…

Everything seemed to pass before Kagome's eyes in a blur of chattering doctors and conscious stares. It almost felt as if someone's finger was glued to the fast-forward button that controlled her entire life and had the cranks within her mind working overdrive.

Mr. Samford hadn't talked to her at all that day. He had brushed pass her several times, though not a word escaped his lips, not even a meager 'excuse me' or 'pardon me'. He didn't even pry open his mouth to utter a polite 'hello'.

Kagome found her mind wandering off of the subjects of her patients, drifting back through the fogs of yesterday when he said that he would decide of a way for her to keep her job. Her jaw tensed. From time to time, she gnawed at her pencil…pen…whatever writing utensil she could get her hands on in order to ride out the building frustration…anxiety (she didn't quite know) weighing down her poor heart. Doctors (those she did happen to know) stopped by to ask just what was wrong with her and all she could do was shake her head and mumble, "Nothing."

And at night it stalks me like the shadows on my wall…
Oh my goodness…

Night only burdened the twinge inside her by tenfold. With a dark bandana wrapped safely over her head, she was left doing the same type of work that she'd done from yesterday. Shoving her reading glasses further up along the bridge of her nose and cracking her knuckles, she stared down gloomily at the stack of papers in her lap before slapping the back of her hand against her forehead and slouching heavily against the cushions of her couch. Closing her eyes, she blew out a stressful sigh.

Feel like the world is closing on me…
Feel like my dreams will never come to be…

The next day, everything seemed to tumble down on her in a mess of pardons and exasperated glares. She had bumped into practically all of the doctors in what felt like every two hours, dropping her heap of papers only to stoop down and scoop them all back up. She'd even crash into several patients who either hollered and pull at their hair, or gave her the same warning glare that every other doctor had given her in order to spread the bitter icing onto her cake-tower of misery.

Mrs. Johnson had arrived right on time that afternoon. She was right before the door when Kagome had came back from her lunch break, a tender smile splitting her crumpled face.

"Hello, Mrs. Johnson," Kagome murmured. She hardly paid any attention to her gentle reply as she ambled towards the door and unlocked it with her key. The door opened with an abnormal creak that left shivers running up and down her spine, though she successfully ignored their tingly strokes and scooted patiently into the office with Mrs. Johnson following closely at her heels.

During their entire session, Kagome's mind seemed to be soaring high into the sky and basking in the warm, afternoon sun. Her notepad was blank. When she'd first picked up the light conversation, she hadn't even begun to jot down any kind of notes. Instead, she'd only crossed her legs, rested further against her leathered recliner, and quietly pondered over the past.

Her nightmare. It seemed to rush back to her in a blur of screams and unbearable chaos. Her father was still piled atop of her grandfather, knives and all, blood still fresh in a murky puddle around them.

Kagome wanted them to be alive once more, that desire would forever stay lingering within her mind and heart. Unfortunately, she knew it wouldn't come true. No matter how much she prayed and wished, she knew they wouldn't come back to life and that her mother would never be able find even the scantiest bit of serenity in her life. None of those things would come true. They were nothing but childish fantasies that her dimwitted brain had concocted in order to add even more pain into her life.

I keep on slipping deeper into myself…
And I'm scared, so scared…

Sleep never did come easy for her that night. She tossed and turned, wriggling constantly and clinging tightly onto the hem of her blanket. The full moon witnessed it all, its ethereal glow slithering down the dark walls and wandering across the emerald carpeting before gliding up the side of the bed and covering Kagome in a blanket of ghostly silver.

Trees felt the devious need to play around with her mind by tapping against the window with their limbs and whispering within the gentle, evening gust. They began to sound like a mob of gossiping schoolgirls.

Kagome whimpered and brutally swung her head to the side. Her feet brawled roughly underneath the sheets. It seemed as if she was trying to runaway from someone or something, hardly taking the time out to catch her breath. She was just…running.

If you're troubled you just got to let it go…
If you're worried baby, you just got to let it go…

Early the next morning, Kagome instinctively knew that it was her time off. Her alarm clock didn't beep at all. It just remained silent while not a bit of freshly ironed clothing lay neatly folded atop of her window seat. Even her bed was a clutter of disheveled sheets and crinkly pillows that looked to have seen better days.

Kagome had hopped out of bed just as soon as her eyes filched the craftiest of movements against the blinding rays of sunlight shining against their lids. She pitter-pattered down the hallway barefooted; stomach growling, hair muddled and jutting out in many uncombed tangles, and face grim. When the sunlight struck her face, it unveiled all of the heavy bags under her eyes and the deep wrinkles alongside her nose that only proved that she hadn't had a calming wink of sleep.

The main kitchen was filled to the brim in dazzling sunbeams that flickered across its linoleum floors and reflected across the dark refrigerator wedged between two, black-capped counters. Kagome shuffled in quietly and took a seat at the kitchen table situated right in the center of the room. Slouching, she folded her arms atop of the table and laid her head down wearily. She nearly grimaced when the only comfort she could seek in her so-called pillow was warm, shallow skin atop of jagged bones that had her cheek twitching constantly in discomfort.

Still though, she sat there, gazing at the many counters and wooden cabinets. She sat there and counted each heartbeat that thrummed against her eardrums then vanished into the uncomfortable void of silence. Every one of them, she dully noted, was full of intolerable pain…

All your hustles ain't for nothing…
You just got to take it slow…

They say to take in all of your pestering tribulations one at a time, just to take it real calm and slow when unraveling them. Nobody ever actually knew that what 'they' said were nothing but lies. They were lies that any young, nerve-wrecked adult would take as their only sturdy hook of hope, a hook where they could grip onto it and be towed all the way beyond the ocean's surface where fresh air and the brilliant rays of the sun lurked, shedding all their warmth and cheer. Sadly, your eyes, nostrils, and chest are still left burning. Your lungs are still left contracting in and out nonstop, choking beneath the merciless hands of an unusual twinge and dragging you down with them to your early grave.

Kagome could already feel the walls of dirt closing in on her as the gleam in her eyes slowly began to die.

If you need me baby…
All you do is let me know…

The mechanical, glass doors glided open to the somewhat battered clinic. Kagome sauntered pass the doors, the mats crunching beneath her worn, gray sneakers. Her senses kept tingling, wrenching her head from left to right as stare after stare from passing doctors, patients, and quiet visitors fell upon her in wakefulness.

'Is it my jeans?' she asked herself, peering down at the tears found on either knee of her old, blue jeans. 'No! Could it be my shirt?' She glanced down at her green, tank top and the sleeves of her designer's jacket, which she strongly noted that the color was gradually withering away. Finally, her feet froze in their tracks. Her eyes wilted as her arms fell limp.

'Could it just be…me?' she thought lowly.

Why does it feel…
That my mind is constantly trying…
To pull me down

Mrs. Johnson waved a tender farewell to Kagome just as she opened the door and walked out of the office. The door clicked shut, leaving Kagome sinking further into her chair and blowing out a mournful sigh. The sky bled. Dusky flags of colors soon painted her oak desk and flickered across the wooden flooring.

Everything seemed to grow silent and dead. Once again, her notepad was blank, neglected of any notes and she knew it wouldn't be soon before Mr. Samford caught onto her little problem and began hovering above it like some blood-craving vulture. It wouldn't be long before he stormed right into that office, papers by the thousand spooned beneath his arms, a deep scowl crinkling his dark face.

'Damn' she thought, snatching her notebook off of the table and cramming it into one of the drawers beside her. Hauling herself up from out of her chair, she hurried off towards the door and stepped out into the fluorescent-lit hallway. It was still crawling with doctors and their mindless babble. Her mind just couldn't take it any longer!

Quickly, without locking her office door, she sped down the hallway, shoving her way through an endless horde of doctors just to reach the automatic doors of the clinic. When the doors sailed open and a gush of cold air pelted against her flesh, she could've sworn she was heaven, freed of her smothering prison.

Doubling over on her knees, breathing rough and nearly ragged, Kagome panted. Her heart was practically clawing a hole through her ribcage and her burning chest, but she tried, God knows she did, to block out the pain. Hair tumbling in a mess of strands over her eyes, she just barely managed to catch a glimpse of some of the twinkling stars hanging high up within the sky. For that one second, she felt renewed and she couldn't hold back the sliver of a smile that lit her lips.

I can't seem to get away…
Continuous mistakes I know I've made before…
I feel so out of place…

Suddenly, the shrilly cries of police sirens caressed her ears. Her eyes flew wide open, ears and brain caught on full alert. She didn't dare move. Her entire body was struck paralyzed as she gazed off into the woody distance.

A gentle breeze swept across the cement walkway, whistling through her billowing strands. Freshly fallen leaves scratched against the gravel, trapped in the gust's path. Kagome continued to stand there, as the sirens grew louder by each passing minute. Of course it didn't take long. A white, police car pulled up into the driveway and cut to the side to stop right before her, its red and blue lights creating a play of shadows across her face.

Kagome squinted hard enough just to find out if she could truly see though the tinted windows of the vehicle. She couldn't, of course, but it was worth a try. At least her eyes managed to catch the two figures shadowed beyond the glass-the driver in front and some mysterious passenger in the back.

Wordlessly, she straightened when the driver's door opened and slammed shut. That was when the muffled sounds emitting from some walkie-talkie pinned to the officer's side stole her ears. Though she knew that they always carried those contraptions around, it somehow startled her and spooked her all at the same time.

Keys jangled. The male officer ambled towards her and she felt herself stiffen.

"Miss," he uttered, coming to a stop before her, "I was sent here to drop off an important patient according to A.J. Samford's wishes."

Kagome was struck speechless. Her mouth fell agape and she could feel the bewildered gaze of the officer settle on her shoulders like a brick of cement. Her eyes rambled across the ground, crept up the side of the inert vehicle, and landed on the rear, tinted window facing her way. It was evidently strange. Her eyes felt as if they were glued to that window for what felt like minutes and the officer couldn't help but to cough lightly and yank her attention back into reality.

Silently, she bowed her head. "Who's suppose to watch after this patient?" she asked.

"Hmm." The middle-aged man scratched at his head for a few moments before muttering, "Umm, it should be a young psychiatrist by the name of Higurashi, Kagome."

"HUH!" Immediately, Kagome shot a blown-away look at the policeman. What was he talking about? Mr. Samford would've informed her personally if she had another patient to tend to. What's with the sudden change?

The older man sighed. Slowly, he walked over towards the rear door and opened it.

Oh cause I will run to you…
You don't have to worry…

Long strands of silver obscured Kagome's view as a burly, young man was wrenched out of the backseat of the vehicle. Bitter ambers collided into timorous hazels. The policeman held on tight, heels scraping into the cement as a snarl rumbled through the throat of her soon-to-be patient. Still though, she was left frozen to the exact same spot where she'd nearly toppled over and fainted a few moments ago. It felt as if even her heart had grown dead and cold.

Her patient was dressed in a simple attire of dark, blue jeans and a rose-red shirt that left the flawless flesh of his arms vulnerable to the icy draft. His straining muscles were bulging through the shallow material of the shirt and she couldn't help but to turn her head away slightly as an all-too familiar feeling tickled her cheeks and caused them to glow beneath the diluted lighting.

That was when heels skidded, bodies fell, and alerted stares grew insanely contagious. All eyes fell upon the automatic doors when the policeman collapsed to the ground panting, hand cradling the deep, bloody wound at his side. "Look out!" he croaked.

Time slowed. Kagome snapped her head around just in time to catch the young man's body lunging into her own, shoving them both down against the cement where skin ripped, painful groans hummed, and murderous growls disturbed the nightly silence.

Gradually, everything became swallowed in a hollow of darkness…

To be continued…