InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Nightmare's Memories ❯ Let the Nightmare Begin ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: Suuuuuuure I own Inu-Yasha. Riiiiiiiiight. ::dry laugh::

Author's Note: I shall be completely honest with you. I didn't bother to go back and correct/add to this one. Why? Because I didn't think I could do it. This fic was hard enough to write the first time around- trying to do it again would be near to impossible for me. Not just as a writer- but as someone who'd lived through brutal teasing. ::sighs:: So. . .

I just left this one alone. Original author's/ending notes, original openings, original grammar errors, original text.

I will say this, though, on the grammar and stuff- I had some people irritated with the repetitiveness of some parts. Of the overused spaces and hyphens. To that I reply: Um. . . I'm sorry? ^_^; Honestly, I did that for a reason. One, to demonstrate the sort of irritation, anger, and fear that Kagome goes through when she has to suffer though the `repeats', but also because that was the way I saw it play out in my mind. I marked where there were spaces, pauses, dramatic `dot dot dot's. . . all that. I apologize if it annoys you, that's just the way this fic is written. ^_^;;;;

Please enjoy.

~*~

What makes a freak?

Is it liking something that's not cool?

Is it acting like a moron?

Or is it something more. . .?

Long ago people presented "freaks" to others in the form of festivals, carnivals, and fairs; putting on display those who didn't look like them.

Is that what made them a freak?

Or is there still something more, deep inside your heart. . .? Your mind. . .? Your soul. . .?

Everyone has a little freak within.

You just have to try and quell that horror.

But. . .

What if you can't. . . ?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Nightmare's Memories

~*~*~*~*~*~

~Chapter One: Let the Nightmare Begin~

Kagome Higarashi lay curled like a cat in the corner of her room, early morning sunshine weakly pouring through her large glass window. Her cat, Buyo, crawled onto her lap and began purring loudly as the ebony haired girl subconsciously started stroking him.

"This is so fascinating," she smiled as she turned a page in the black-leather covered volume, the words `Dark Magic of the Ages' embossed in gold on the front and an unnoticed leaf of paper sticking out of the back cover. "Did you know, Buyo, that Freak Shows were really quite popular way back when? They put giants and midgets and "witches" and all these other people in there and let others watch them- like a human zoo!"

She shook her head with a small laugh, shifting her legs and causing her cat to scamper away. "Sounds so stupid to me. Though I guess it would be sorta interesting."

Shrugging and tossing her book into her backpack, the girl shouldered the bag and bounded down the stairs. `I wonder if any of those shows still exist,' she thought as she called good-bye to her mother, grandfather, and brother.

Oh, did they. . .

*

Kagome sighed as she walked though the halls of her school, looking sadly after a group of chattering girls- who just happened to be sneering in her direction.

`What's with everyone today?' the girl thought, confused and depressed. `All these people shunning me when they were my pals yesterday. . .'

With another sigh she dragged her feet towards her next class. `Maybe they're all just fair weather friends. . .'

Finding the correct classroom and desk, Kagome flopped into her seat and took out `Dark Magic of the Ages,' waiting for the bell to ring.

As she began flipping through the book, trying to find the page she had left off, a small sheet of paper flitted out from between the back pages, landing in front of the girl.

Confused and curious, the ebony haired teen tentatively picked up the paper. It looked blan-

"Ow!" she gasped as the paper slit her finger.

Damn it.

Paper cut.

Hissing slightly in shock and pain, the girl didn't notice a drop of her blood fall off her finger.

As she stuck her finger in her mouth to try and stop the bleeding, the blood landed on top of the parchment with the soft sound of a raindrop falling into a lake.

When her finger finally stopped bleeding, Kagome looked down in shock to find curly, dark-maroon letters shining on the piece of paper, it's glory dim in the florescent light.

~Come and see the scariest show of all time! Visit the hideous dog-man, the girl that can speak to the dead, the boy with a tail, the monk with all hell in his hand, and the original `Spider Man'. Find us at the intersection of Cherry Lane and Waldword Path near the train station. Come- If you dare. . .~

Kagome held back the smallest of laughs.

It sounded like a freak show!

A really corny freak show!

How utterly stupid. . .

And yet. . .

How utterly interesting. . .

"Is that a note you're reading, Miss Higarashi?!" the teacher barked, glaring icily down at the ebony haired girl.

Kagome jumped slightly, shook her head no, and stuffed the paper into her bag.

*

After what seemed an eternity, school was finally over. Kagome watched dully, sitting on one of the stone blocks outside of her school, as many chattering kids bustled towards the buses, talking happily of their weekend plans.

As the last student piled into the bus and the large yellow autos drove off- leaving the ebony haired girl in a cloud of exhaust- Kagome took off her bag and opened it, rifling around for the flyer.

She found it-

But it was blank.

Confused, the teen looked at the paper from all angles, trying to find the writing that had surly been there before.

But it definitely wasn't there. . .

`Then did that place really exist? That freak show. . .?' she thought, her brow furrowed in confusion.

`Well. . .

Only one way to find out.

The intersection of Cherry Lane and Waldword Path, wasn't it?'

*

It was very odd, indeed.

Though the sun was shining brightly above her and gleaming off the clean, old-fashioned roads of Cherry Lane; it's little shops all bursting with customers and the cherry blossoms that lined the streets all sparkling- the intersection between the two roads and the entrance of the train station seemed dark and foreboding.

There was just as much sunlight here as there was on Cherry Lane. . .

Why did this one little spot seem so forbidden?

`Weird. . .' Kagome shrugged, trying to find the right shop for the show.

Near the train station. . .

*

Hell, it wasn't NEAR the train station-

It was IN the train station.

Kagome's eyebrows arched in confusion as she found a small sign tacked onto a light-post right outside platform one.

~This way to the show, my lady. . .~

A rush of cold flew through the girl's veins as she saw this. How did the *sign* know she was a girl . . . ?

`They must just be judging that I'm a girl from the customer's they've had in the past. . .' she reasoned with herself before taking a few steps in the direction the poster indicated.

Her footsteps echoing eerily, Kagome slowly made her way to the front car of the first train.

"Hello. . .?" she called softly. "Am I at the right plac-"

"Why yes, you are," a smooth voice interrupted from behind her.

With a gasp, the girl spun around and found herself staring into the dark eyes of a stranger.

His hair was long and black as a panther's, and his eyes like twin black-holes. His skin was icy white, and his smile honey-coated.

"Right this way," he smiled- but it was more like a smirk- as he fell into a polite bow. "Follow if you dare to see the freaks of the age. . ."

Kagome nodded and took a step forward, but found herself walking into the outstretched arm of the strange man.

"But first," he murmured. "I'd like to see the book."

"Book?"

"`Dark Magic of the Ages', my dear. The book that led you here."

A feeling of fear clenched her heart.

How had he known- ?

Oh, who cared?

It was just a silly old book, anyway.

He had probably just seen it sticking out of her backpack.

All though her backpack WAS zipped shut. . .

Taking the book out of her bag, Kagome handed the dark volume to the man, who after giving it a once over, tucked it under his arm and `smiled' again.

"Follow me, my dear."

Stepping gingerly after the stranger- who she wished would stop calling her `dear'-, she climbed onto the platform and waited while the man unlocked the door of the old train.

Speaking of the train, it stuck out like a sore thumb. All the others were sleek, shiny, silver and new, while this one looked as if it should be lugging coal- not carrying passengers. Or hosting a freak show. It's cabins were made of rotting old wood, the only windows' were the knotholes in the walls. It creaked and groaned with age, making Kagome worry a bit about her and the "freaks" safety.

"In you go, my dear," the man said smoothly, holding open the door for the girl and smiling as she stepped inside. "I do hope you like it. . ."

He smirked as she disappeared into the darkness of the train, closing the door behind her and locking it. "Because you're going to be here for a very long time. . ."

~*~

There you go!

Chappie one.

Not really much horror yet, I suppose. Though I guess it's kinda questionable if any of the chapters will be, `cause I'm not that great at gore and horror. But I'm gonna try! ^_^

I hope you all liked it.

Please R&R!

Ja ne!