Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Tarnished Past ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: Celin

A.N.; I own nothing okay? So if I did I wouldn't put them on here. Please read and review!

Tarnished Past

Prologue/Death

A young women in her late teens stood by a bridges railing and looked over, unsure if what she was about to do was the right thing, she felt the tears come out of her eyes and moved to wipe them on her arm, lest he should see, but then remembered that he was at home passed out drunk on the couch with her mother sleeping next to him. She allowed the tears to fall and looked down at her hands and saw how she no longer had any nails because she bit them down to the skin and how dark bruises made their way up her arms. /no one would care anyway. No one ever has. Who cares if another suicidal teen jumps from a bridge and dies? They will say it was her fault, she was selfish, she no longer cared for the people that cared so much for her, for they cared enough to work two jobs just to keep food on the table. / She thought, but then smirked, and it seemed to light up her face, even though it looked as though the smirk was forced. /Since when did they ever care about me? Takumi does drugs and drinks till he can barely stand but still has the strength to beat me for some trivial little thing that I have done wrong, like not making the honor roll or talking back to my mother. And my mother…my dear `sweet, and innocent' mother! You stand and watch with your pursed lips and grin when I beg you for help, you say that I deserve it. That I've always deserved it, that I don't deserve to live in your home, and eat your food with your children, as if they are better then me. But of course they are…for they are his children and I'm not fit to lick the ground that they walk on. And I have no friends…I had one many years ago but that changed so fast in just one day. / She thought bitterly and clenched her fists and subconsciously touched the spot where he burned her with his lit cigarette, it never left a scar but that was the first time that he had openly hurt her in front of her mother, and that was the day that Mayako learned that instead of her mother chasing the monster from underneath her bed like she always promised she would, her mother married it and in so doing made her nightmares into a reality. /since when did I become so weak? Why did I let that boy come and play that day? I still remember everything that happened. / Mayako closed her eyes and let her first real nightmare take a hold of her.

eleven years ago

“Hey Mayako? Why do you always wear long sleeve shirts? Aren't you hot?” A little red haired boy, with emerald green eyes asked and looked at Mayako curiously.

Mayako pulled down her sleeves to cover her arms, unwilling to show her playmate the bruises that her stepfather left on her arms. “Because Shuicchi I have too, why do you always ask so many questions about me?” Mayako asked suddenly defensive. Her raven colored hair was dull and her midnight blue eyes always seemed to be full of hurt.

Shuicchi grinned at Mayako and let the matter drop, he was happy just having a playmate that was almost as smart as he was. “Why is your dad looking so angry?” He whispered and saw Mayako's face turn a pale white. “Mayako what's wrong? You suddenly look so sad.”

Shiori, Shuicchi's mother, came up the street and told him that it was time to go, and like she always did, leaned down and gave Mayako a hug and a kiss goodbye. Mayako watched as mother and son started to walk away but soon her stepfather came out of the house and grabbed her hair and dragged her inside, not caring that his stepdaughter was no longer on her feet and was no longer supporting herself. “DADDY STOP PLEASE!” Mayako begged and tried to get her stepfather to release her hair but he only grinned and threw her to the ground in front of her mother before going and grabbing the willow stick that was hanging on the wall. Mayako looked at her mother who stood in the doorway with her beer in her hand and Mayakos' younger sister clinging to her leg. “Mother,” Mayako whispered and reached one of her small hands out, silently begging her mother to help her, but the mother only nodded to Takumi, giving him permission to do as he wished. Mayako closed her eyes and waited, even at the tender age of seven Mayako had already learned not to talk, or scream when her stepfather held the willow branch in his hands. As the willow branch rose and fell numerous times Mayakos' promise that she wouldn't scream gave way as the pain became unbearable. “DADDY! PLEASE STOP!” Mayako screamed but her father only hit her harder, and Mayako heard his laugh as he watched his stepdaughter scream in pain and begged the beating to stop.

Takumi grinned and bent down and picked Mayako up and cradled her in his arms. “Stupid insolent child…one day you will no longer be here.” He murmured but her mother couldn't hear it. Takumi felt the blood as it seeped through her clothes and threw her down in disgust. “Go and bleed somewhere else you little bitch…and don't come crying to me, I don't want to hear it.”

Mayako looked up at her stepfather with hurt and confusion lighting her eyes, she crawled to him and hugged his leg and cried softly. “I'm sorry daddy, I didn't mean to make you mad at me…I'll be good, I promise…just please don't hit me anymore.” Mayako whispered and her stepfather looked down at her in disgust, and then kicked her away from him, then walked into the kitchen a grabbed a beer and begin to play with his child, Kawazoe. Mayako cried and rolled into a little ball, her frail hands covering her face, and thought towards the day when no one would ever hurt her, when someone would love her and care for her, and he would be her knight with long silver hair and beautiful golden eyes, just like in a fairy tale.

memory ends

Mayako shook herself from her thoughts and looked over the bridge and let her tears fall. / The beatings never stopped, and my prince never came for me, and now I don't want to live anymore God I just want to die and have to worry about him and his leering eyes or his hard callused hands that never loved me, today I'm going to end it once and for all…today is the day when I stop being afraid and jump. / Mayako thought and stood up at the railing and threw one leg over, but refused to look down, with her eyes clenched shut she let go and felt herself start to fall.

“Now why would you want to go and do that?” A soft yet masculine voice asked from above her as her grabbed her hand and pulled her back up and against him. “You're too pretty to want to die like this.”

Mayako was stunned as she held unto the man that saved her, she could tell that he was tall and that he had silver hair, but she was afraid and refused to look at him. “Why did you stop me? I needed to do this…I was so close to being free.” Mayako whispered and her tears came again as she sobbed against her nameless savior.

“My name is Yoko Kurama and your coming with me, you have a power that I need to help me and my friends, and in turn for helping me I can swear to you that I will protect you until the day I die and beyond, for it seems as though you are the one I need and I am the only one who can protect you from whoever you are running from.” Yoko whispered and looked down at Mayako, only to hear her voice being shouted out.

Mayako heard her stepfather calling and flinched, unsure of what to do she instinctively held unto the man that had saved her and prayed that he would save her one last time from the monster that would never go away.