InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Haunted House, Haunting Past ❯ Broken Memories ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: I just wanted to say thanks to all my reviewers!! Sadly, I know that there are a lot of fics like this. I just thought this would be something I'd feel comfortable writing and it would be good practice. I kinda go off other stories like this to help me out a little, but so far I haven't read anything that's the same as how I plan to write this.

Anyway, here's chapter 3!!

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Haunted House, Haunting Past ch. 3

Kagome looked at the key that she held in her hand and examined it carefully. It was a skeleton key from what she could tell in the dim light of her candle and it was also the same key that had been in her dream.

Kagome looked back up at the door and remembered what had happened last time she had tried to go up there. Swallowing, her gaze turned weary. 'Maybe I should wait to check it out when it's not so dark and scary...' Kagome thought, trying hard not to bolt back to her room like she so desperately wanted to do.

 

Kagome about to turn and head back to her room, but she stopped herself, rolling her eyes at her stupidity. Why was she so afraid of a door? That was just silly.

Gathering her courage, Kagome slid the key into the lock and turned it. At first, it seemed to be stuck, but after a little more effort, the door came open rather easily.

Kagome hesitantly made her way up the stone spiral steps. The air was old and musty and the stone floor was cold against her bare feet.

~ * ~

Inuyasha sighed from his place in the window sill. The rain continued to pour furiously from the sky outside. It was dark and the moon shone brightly through the window creating the only source of light in the large, open area.

His expression was thoughtful. It had been awhile since anyone had lived there. Of course, thanks to him, people were saying the house was haunted...

Inuyasha sighed again, gazing up at the dark starry sky, the rain coming down in sheets. He had never really realized how lonely he was... All he ever did was sit and think. His memories were broken and scattered through his head. Like a puzzle where none of the pieces fit.

He frowned slightly as his thoughts trailed off and he stared into the night sky.

A creak was heard from behind him. Bringing him out of his deep thoughts, he looked up. He cursed when he saw the girl come through the door.

 

Kagome scanned her surroundings, her expression seemed slightly disappointed.

 

Inuyasha watched, or rather glared at her as she made her way further into the room. `I knew she was gonna be trouble...' he grumbled, his eyes following her every movement.

Kagome glanced around the room. The ceiling slanted down to the floor and she figured it was pretty much an attic. The wooden floor was dusty and rough. There were a few boxes piled against the wall along with a few old trunks and a few pieces of random furniture cover with white sheets.

She didn't really know what she expected to be up there, but this... wasn't it. She had hoped that there'd be something interesting up there. Instead, it only confirmed her theory that their new house was as boring and dull as she had suspected it to be...

Maybe all this stuff belonged to the previous owners... She knew she probably shouldn't mess with it... Then again, they weren't really there to claim it. Besides, her curiosity was slowly getting the better of her... as usual.

Taking a few careful steps forward, not quite sure she trusted the satiability of the creaky floor; she made her way to the nearest trunk.

`What could be inside?' she wondered, setting down her candle and carefully prying open the lid. As its rusty hinges creaked open, she peered anxiously to see what was inside.

Looking through the contents, most of it consisted of books and a few other things of that sort, but Kagome paused when she found a picture of a girl. 'No, it couldn't be... could it?' Kagome looked the picture over carefully.

The girl's expression was serious as she stared back at Kagome with empty blue-grey eyes and her hair, long and dark as if pooled over her shoulders, framing her deathly pale face. There was no mistake. It was the same girl from the dreams she had been having.

Kagome stared at the picture with disbelief.

How could she have dreams of a girl she'd never met? And how could she have known where a key was hidden in a house she'd lived in for not even a day?

These thoughts put Kagome's mind at unease. There was definitely something wrong with her. `Either that, or there was something really creepy about this house.' Kagome thought as she continued to stare at the photo.

 

Looking closer, she could make out a figure in the refection of the glass that roughly resembled the shape of a person. Was there someone behind her? Kagome gasped and stood up.

 

Turning, Kagome accidentally dropped the picture come face to face with a tall empty coat rack in all its creepy glory.

Kagome rolled her eyes. 'I'm definitely losing it.' She sighed, bending down to the shattered glass of the framed picture and collecting the pieces in the palm of her hand.

“Ow!” Kagome cried out, accidentally cutting her finger on a shard of glass. She mentally groaned inspecting her bleeding finger and the shattered picture frame that laid at her feet. 'I'm such a klutz!'

Kagome braced herself as she pulled out the shard of glass about the size of a large splinter and sticky, dark liquid oozed from her finger.

Inuyasha's nose twitched uncomfortably. He could smell the sharp tang of her blood. For a moment, guilt pushed its way into his mind before he shoved it away. 'Keh, that's what she gets for meddling in other people's business.'

Picking up the last of the glass, Kagome stood went back over to the chest and carefully picked up the scattered contents and put them back in the trunk the way she found them. Glancing around one last time and grabbing the candle, she left the room and headed back down the cold, creepy staircase and back to her bed to get some sleep.

 

Kagome yawned, coming out of the bathroom after throwing away the glass and putting some ointment and a Spiderman band-aid on her finger and finally made it back to her room.

 

Pulling the blankets up to her chin, Kagome shivered. 'This house is so cold...' her last thoughts were sleepy and barely made it through her mind before she drifted of to sleep.

Inuyasha had just watched her as she had gone though Kikyou's stuff. Why didn't he stop her? She had no right to go through those things. They didn't belong to her. He had surprised himself more when he had followed her back to her room. He was even at this very moment, watching the sleeping girl bundled up under thick blankets.

'I must be losing it.' Inuyasha thought as she adjusted slightly in her sleep. His gaze lingered on the girl's face a moment longer before turning to her bandaged finger resting beside her head. Blood had already begun to seep through the band-aid.

He'd almost thought she could see him when she jumped like that... Who knew, maybe she could really see him... She did have a strange aura around her and it was similar to Kikyou's. Maybe she was a miko... Inuyasha brushed off that thought. If she was, then she would have been able to see him.

The ghost snorted. 'Stupid girl,' he thought bitterly as he watched her sleeping form. No one had ever been able to see him before... She was no different. But why did he have this strange feeling around her; like he couldn't help but to be fascinated by her. Inuyasha decided not to look too much into it. It was probably just because she reminded him so much like Kikyou…

Though, looking at her all snuggled up under her blankets and sleeping peacefully, she looked nothing like Kikyou and yet, he almost felt sorry for making her cut herself... Well, almost…

The girl sighed in her sleep and rolled over.

He looked at her pretty pale face framed by dark strands of glossy black hair, her covers pulled up to her chin. She seemed so innocent; Oblivious to the bad things in life... Like death…

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"Kagome! You gotta get up, dear! You gotta get ready for school!" Her mother called from the bottom of the steps.

Kagome groaned as she sleepily tried untangling her limbs from her blankets and glanced over at her alarm clock.

 

`7:02am' Kagome mentally read. Letting out something between a sighed and a yawn, she made her way to her closet to find clothes to change into. Today was her first day at a new school, but really, her mind really wasn't on her school. They were more centered on that picture of that girl…

Kagome took her clothes and made her way to the bathroom across the hall before stripping off her pajamas and slipping into the hot shower.

After she was dressed and checked her reflection one last time, she headed to the kitchen where her brother and gramps sat at the table. Her grandpa was reading the newspaper while Souta entertained himself with his game.

"Morning, mom," Kagome said as she took a seat next to her brother.

"Good morning, Kagome. Did you sleep well?" Her mother asked as she sat a plate full of pancakes in the center of the table.

"Uh... Sure. I slept like a baby." Kagome said nervously. Like she said before, she was a really bad liar, but she really didn't want to worry her mother by saying that she suspected their new house to be haunted, which she knew was crazy and insane. She was sure that they would probably think the same. If Kagome's mother could tell she was lying, she didn't show any signs of noticing.

"Good, I'm glad." Her mother replied as she smiled brightly. "So how do you like the house so far?" The woman asked as she joined them at the table, Souta and gramps already shoving their faces full of pancakes and syrup.

"Well, it's ok... I guess." Kagome stabbed at a piece of pancake thoughtfully.

Souta stayed quiet. Kagome knew that he wanted to say he hated the house, that he hated that they had to move, and that he missed their old house and friends. In truth, Kagome did too. But neither of them had the heart to tell their mother flat out.

Kagome's mother nodded. She couldn't really expect them to love it…

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As Kagome entered the classroom, everyone stared at her as she stood nervously in the doorway. Kagome took a deep breath and continued on her way to an empty seat, silently hoping the teacher wouldn't notice.

"Class, we have a new student today," informed a cheerful voice from the front of the classroom.

`So much for not noticing,' Kagome mentally groaned as she shifted uncomfortably under everyone's gaze.

"So, Kagome, would you stand up and introduce yourself?" The teacher looked at her expectantly along with twenty-four other pair of eyes in the room.

"Umm... You just did." Kagome said hesitantly, trying her best to sound polite and give her most convincing smile.

"Well, wouldn't you like to tell the class a little about yourself, Kagome?" The teacher tried again.

Kagome sighed and stood up. "Hi, I'm Kagome Higurashi... I moved her from Tokyo with my kid brother Souta... Umm..." Kagome struggled to find something else to say.

The teacher noticed her distress and decided to come to the rescue. "So what brings you here?" The teacher asked.

Kagome paused. Tears almost made their way to her eyes as she struggled to hold them back. "I guess you could say it was an accident."

 

Memories came rushing back to her of her father. She had grown so bitter him... If only she had another chance to see him again and tell him how much she loved him... She'd give anything. But it didn't change the fact that he was gone. He wasn't coming back. She'd never be able to see his face again... Or hear his voice... He'd never give her anymore piggyback rides, never read her bedtime stories, never kiss her goodnight, never make up silly songs while long drives, and he'd never come home after another late night at work... The past year Kagome and her father had grown apart. He'd been so busy at work all the time; staying late, never coming to any of Souta's soccer games or any of the school plays, and never having any time to spend with his wife or kids. If only she had another chance… She would tell him how sorry she was. And that she didn't really hate him.

Kagome stared off into space and there was an awkward silence in the classroom.

"Okay..." The teacher started awkwardly, but effectively breaking the silence. "So... if you all will turn in your books to page 126…" The teacher turned to the board as she began class.

Kagome wiped her eyes just in case tears had found their way to her face as they had so many times resently. She sat down and got out her book, flipping through the pages and ignoring the suggestive looks some of the boys gave her and the intimidating or critical ones from the girls.

"So... Your name's Kagome, right?" a female voice came from behind her.

Kagome turned to see a girl with long dark, almost black hair, and curious brown eyes staring back at her. The girl looked friendly and she smiled slightly.

"Hi, I'm Sango." The girl introduced herself and held out her hand to Kagome.

"Uh, nice to meet you," Kagome accepted her outstretched hand and shook it smiling slightly back at the girl. 'Maybe going to a new school won't really be so bad…'

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Inuyasha could still smell that stupid girl's blood. He wandered about the attic, a little annoyed by the smell after that stupid girl had cut herself on the broken picture frame. It didn't take long before he left, escaping the disturbing odor and seeking refuge in the concealing branches of his large tree.

He didn't like anyone up in his attic. Most of Kikyou's things were still there. If he hadn't kept all the previous owners from going up there, all of her things would have probably been sold a long time ago.

He sighed as he stared out at his surroundings, the tree he was sitting in as he used to do so many years ago, was now black and almost dead. He could only vaguely remember when it had been green and full of life, but that was a long time ago… when he was alive. It's funny how things change so quickly.

The wind blew rustling the branches of his precious tree, though he remained unaffected. He couldn't feel anything anymore; not the soft gentle breeze, not the rough texture of the tree he was sitting in, sometimes, not even his emotions. Inuyasha turned his attention back at the tree.

Time was running out... And quick...

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A/N: This chapter was a little hard to write. I probably should have planned this out a little more... I have a general idea of where it's going, but... I might have to do a little editing as I go. I will probably redo this chapter later on, but for now, this will have to do. I really tried to make this chapter a long one. I seem to have a little trouble making long chapters...

This story is pretty much just practice for me so I understand if you guys don't like it or stop reading... I'm mostly doing it for myself and to get some experience. Still, I'd love any advice you guys could share with me, just as long as you're nice about it... Please Review!!