Dragon Dancer by Scar-bby

Cracks in the mirror

Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Inuyasha, I do however own the plot idea and any character that is not part of the brand.

I have decided just to rewrite some of these chapters, because let’s be honest they are SUPER rough. Anyways, I’ll only be fleshing things out, most of the major points will not change… unless lighting strikes. I will inform you if that does happen. Promise J The italicized bits are a memory, just so no one gets confused.

A big thank you to Ashley (InumeT_FlyGirl) and Kat (Szira) for editing, reading through my mess, and being all around fabulous.

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Smack. Hit. Bit. Punch. Slap. Rape. It all seemed to be normal, except it wasn’t normal. This was not how relationships were supposed to be. She knew that. She had watched her father open doors, whisper sweet nothings, and sneak kisses when he thought no one was looking. But Kagome always saw. Always. She had even dreamed her knight in shining armor would one day sweep her off her feet and they would live happily ever after. The problem was fairy tales don’t exist.  Kagome Higurashi was a freshman when she met her supposed knight in shining armor.  Well, maybe not armor, but he did have gorgeous hair. He was rough around the edges, but he was sweet and kind. He loved her, or so he said.  The knight and Kagome had been together six months before the first slap. He swore up and down it was an accident and it would never happen again. Oh the memory of him begging for her forgiveness would make her laugh bitterly.  Never do it again? What bullshit. Not only would her knight in shining armor slap her again, but he would break bones, he would isolate her, he would rape her, and ultimately he would kill her.

Kagome’s head leaned back on the cool wall as she closed her eyes. Those blue eyes had drawn her knight’s attention in the first place. He had always told her what pretty eyes she had, how odd they were for a Japanese woman. Over time, however, he grew obsessed with them, obsessed with seeing the fear seep into those pretty blue eyes. She snorted softly at the memory of his voice. Harsh and rough, like the Hollywood bad boys. Kagome centered her thoughts on her breathing and slowly she began to slip from reality.

Her keys had jingled against the lock as she opened her apartment. Sighing, Kagome set her bags down, closed the door and exhaled a breath. The apartment was dark and silent, it bothered her. Her nerves shot to life as she forced herself to walk blindly to the light switch on the wall. Her delicate fingers flicked the light on and her nerves eased slightly.  She let out another breath as a blinking red light caught her attention. Her answering machine’s light blinked angrily at her, signaling she had a message. She knew better, there were multiple messages. She had been gone a week and a half. A family vacation, a normal activity, but what wasn’t normal was the phone calls and text messages. The knight refused to leave her alone. He wanted consistent contact with her, he said it was because of how much he missed her; but they both knew the real reason. He had control issues. It began to be a problem six months after they started dating.

Kagome moved into the kitchen, not even bothering to listen to the voicemails she knew that were waiting for her. She rummaged around to find a bottle opener and a bottle of wine.  Filling a glass half way, Kagome took a sip, the crisp, dry, red liquid settled into her stomach her nerves unwound one more notch. The evening continued like that for a few hours. The soft music of a classic ballet flowed through the room and Kagome poured her fifth glass of wine. Kagome was starting to feel the tingle of the wine so much that she didn’t hear the soft click of the door shutting. She leaned her head back on the couch and that simple action would cost her life. Suddenly a hand found its way around her neck, effectively cutting off her air supply. Kagome struggled against her attacker, her nails dug into their skin as she clawed at the hand.

“You slut.” he hissed out as he ripped her off the couch and threw her against a wall. Kagome’s eyes sight doubled for a moment before slowly clearing up. She struggled to get up before her knight and shining armor slammed her against the wall once more. Her head cracked back and his fingers pressed into her delicate flesh.

“You didn’t fucking call.” he snapped, his breath laced with the smell of hard liquor. Her nose scrunched up at the stench before his fist connected with her cheek.

“You dumb fucking bitch!” he yelled as she scrambled away from him. His clawed hand grasped her ankle and pulled her back towards his body. Her nails scratched at the wood floor and she screamed out.

“Inuyasha no! Please! I’m sorry!” she yelled, her fingers still clawing at the floor.

“Stupid bitch.” Inuyasha hissed out as he ripped her shirt off of her body. She struggled against him and tried to fight back against his half yōkai strength. She didn’t win, she never did. She felt him forcibly enter her body and she sobbed out. Her soul breaking once more, tears flowed and sobs stuck in her throat. His clawed hand forced her to look at him so he could see her face. Her tear stained, puffy, and flushed face only turned him on more. He slammed in and out of her body, her nails scratching at his back and arms trying to fight him. Her body was dry and physically rejecting him, but the sudden wetness between her legs spurred him on.

“You like that bitch?” he said, ignoring the fact that the sudden wetness was blood. His nose twitched at the metallic scent, his dog like ear flattened against his head due to her high pitched screams. She scratched at his face, catching his eye. Inuyasha snarled at her and slammed her head into the floor. It was then that the blackness took over for a moment. The same cycle would continue for hours. Beating, fighting, rape.  After a few hours, Kagome slowly crawled on her stomach towards the door from the back bedroom. Everything hurt. Her face, her head, her stomach, her legs, her sex. She hurt. Her heart hurt, her very soul hurt.

“Kaaaagoooommmmeee” Inuyasha singsong called after her. Kagome tried to stifle the sob that erupted, but failed. She forced her body to move a little faster towards her front door.

“Where are you going my love?” Inuyasha cooed out, before pouncing on her once more. His claws dug into her scalp before the sudden shock of her face connecting with the floor happened. The world swirled and went black.

It had been the last thing Kagome really could remember. But then suddenly a bright light shined behind her eye lids. There was a motorized beeping noise and hissing that were in tune with the rising and falling of her chest. The sharp sent of disinfectant made her want to gag. She tried to open her eyes but her body had refused her brain’s command. Then it suddenly tensed up, like a tightly wound coil. She could feel a large clawed hand slip into her own hand. Her heart beat accelerated dramatically, and the mechanically beeping increased as well.

 “He didn’t deserve you.” It was a male voice, she knew that voice and those hands. Then the world stopped, the beeping flat lined, her chest stopped moving. Her blood continued to rush in her ears and Kagome could hear the screams and yelling of voices over the rushing blood.

Kagome’s eyes snapped open at the sound of a beeping noise. She scanned the moving crowd around her. They walked around oblivious of those around them, it caused a spike of jealousy. They didn’t have to hide nasty scars like she did. For several months, after waking up in a bright white hospital, she would jumped when someone, anyone, touched her. Her own mother wasn’t allowed to touch her, her little brother became a complete stranger in those several months.  Now, sitting in a posh European airport, Kagome sighed. Years, it had been years since she had seen her mother or brother. The pictures, letters, emails, all artificial interactions. That was all they had for years, Kagome will be the first to admit she ran. She ran away from a problem that had no solution. She had tried to stay in touch with certain friends from high school, the ones who wouldn’t speak to Inuyasha.

She had entered a European boarding school, then moved on to a University. The soft melody from a classic Russian ballet came on over the sound system in the airport. It triggered another memory. A memory Kagome would probably cherish till her dying breath.  The same melody had been her graduating piece during her last performance for dance. She had loved ballet as a child, her father after striking it huge in the business world had enabled her passion. She would race home from grade school and practice for hours on end. Her mother would laugh as she dragged a young Kagome away from the studio. Inuyasha hated the fact ballet took so much time away from their relationship. After her performance for her dance class, she had gone out with Inuyasha for dinner. That was the same night she “slipped” down the stairs. In reality Inuyasha pushed her down the stairs, resulting in a broken ankle. Kagome never danced again, it was just one more thing for him to control.

It had taken years of some of Europe’s top therapists to help Kagome gain back some of her control. Just last month she had finally been weaned off the last bit of her medication. That was when she got the call from her brother. Souta, now almost sixteen, had called on his elder sister to fix a problem he couldn’t solve. The company their father, Nobu, had built from the ground was being threatened. The company had provided a better life for the small Higurashi family, it paid for Kagome’s education, her dance lessons, and her mountain of medical bills. She promise Souta she would come home to Japan and figure something out. It was the least Kagome could do, she felt guilty for leaving. That was the one thing she couldn’t gain control of. Kagome, in one session with a therapist, had expressed the pain of abandoning her family. The doctor had told her it wasn’t her fault that she was a victim, but Kagome knew better. She walked away from what was left of her family. She knew she couldn’t live in Japan, they never once blamed her and the small family always supported her. But she still felt guilty.

The music was interrupted with the call for a plane boarding. Kagome rolled her neck before getting out of her seat. Picking up her large tote bags and plane ticket, she made her way over to her assigned gate. The crew was pleasant as they checked her in and allowed her access to the plane. Kagome finally settled into her window seat and her eyes were trained out the window.

 ‘You, Kagome Higurashi, have fourteen hours and forty minutes to get your shit together.’ She thought with a deep breath. ‘Fourteen hours and forty minutes.’ That thought echoed in her head as the plane began to take off. Fourteen hours and forty minutes, that certainly wasn’t going to be enough time.