InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Camp Nightmare ❯ 1 Days Notice ( Chapter 1 )

Camp Nightmare

Written by: Tai-Chee

In Japan the weather was simply breathtaking. The forecast had called for murky skies, but it turned out to be a beautiful day beckoning every child to come out and play. The birds sang a melody that was so beautiful that everyone had to stop and listen. Only a single girl sat almost on the edge of her chair staring at the phone before her. Her slender fingers tapped absentmindedly on the oak table awaiting the single call that she had greatly anticipated. Her eyes kept flickering to the clock ticking quietly on the white walls.

"Kagome dear, why don't you just come outside and enjoy yourself. It won't do any good just staring at the phone, you can't make it ring." Mrs. Higurashi said from the open kitchen window. She tried to find a way to break the news to her awaiting daughter. "You know as well as I do that he's not going to call."

"He'll call, I just know it." Kagome was as she kept her eyes flickering from one inanimate object to the other

"All right dear, just keep in mind that people don't just change over night." Her mom said leaving her post and going back to her gardening that she was focussing on.

It was 2:30-he was supposed to have called at noon so that they could've gotten together for the day to celebrate. But the special thing about the celebration was her seventeen birthday. Today wasn't exactly her birthday, but it had been a few weeks ago. He had been away on a business trip in the Caribbean for two weeks and had promised her that when he got back they would do something together. But it was clearly a blatant lie, and she was a fool for actually believing him. Her train of thought was broken when her younger brother, Souta, came running inside, clad in wet swim trunks with a few items that the postman had left behind. He dropped them all in front of her and ran back to the front door and out to finish his fun.

Kagome picked up the pile and started to sort through the different envelopes.

"Bill, bill, bill, check, bill…" Kagome stopped at a plain envelope simply addressed to her with no return address. She frowned at it before turning it over and opening the letter. A large piece of paper was tucked away inside folded a little messy to Kagome's distaste. She shrugged it off and pulled it out.

It read: Dear Kagome Higurashi, we at Camp Shikon are happily informing you that you've been chosen out of thousands of worthy young adults to become a counselor at our camp. There have been four other lucky candidates as well as yourself who you'll have the pleasure of spending some time with. A small bus will pick you up on June 29th at half past three at your home, reserved for counselors only. You may pack whatever you wish but we do wish that you bring a smile and a lot of mosquito repellant. We look forward to seeing you soon!

-Kikyou Shikon, Head Counselor

Kagome inwardly frowned at the letter in her hands. She wasn't sure that people could just order her to be a counselor and expect her to listen-it wasn't right. She got up from her chair and headed out to where her mother was on her hands and knees planting some soft red flowers. Carefully she wove her way around a few bags of dirt and wood chips and a few trays of empty plastic flower trays. She squatted down next to her mother, being as careful as she could not to speckle her clothing with dirt.

"Mama, I got a letter from some camp telling me that was chosen to be a counselor." She stated simply extending the paper out to her mother. The elderly Higurashi turned her head towards her daughter and slid one of the dirty gardening gloves off of her hands. She took the letter and read it over to herself.

"I suggest you get ready if you intend to go honey." She said handing the letter back. Kagome looked down at the beautiful arrangement of flowers that her mother had recently planted, allowing the afternoon sunrays to reflect off the luminous petals. Her mother had gone back to her current task at hand and Kagome took her leave.

She made her way to her room, pausing only to ruffle his brother's already-wet hair. She looked around her room, wondering what she should bring for the trip to this `camp' that she was to be attending. It was a little sudden and she didn't really realize until now that she had never really gone to a camp and had the experience to be a good counselor. The sharp ringing of her phone, almost vibrating off of the dresser interrupted her train of thought abruptly.

"Hello, Higurashi residence. Kagome speaking." She answered politely, waiting patiently for the people on the other end to introduce themselves.

"Hi honey, I'm terribly sorry that I hadn't called when I was supposed to. I was up to my neck in work that had to be shipped out to France immediately." Kagome tried to play it off coolly.

"It's okay Daddy, at least we can still get together today." She said with a smile hinted in her voice. Her father hesitated before replying.

"About that-I have to fly out to New York in an hour for a proposal that I need to approve of. I tried to reschedule it but I couldn't. I'm so sorry, but maybe we can do it when I get back in two days?" Kagome's face fell and suddenly her voice was filled with bitterness.

"I'm sorry dad but I'm busy then, I'm terribly sorry."

"What are you doing that's so important?" He asked a little phased by her sudden change in attitude.

"I have duties to attend to at a camp." She said looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her face had turned cold and her hand was bunched in a fist at her side. She heard him chuckle.

"Aren't you a little too old for that dear?" He asked as if mocking her.

"I'm a counselor, not being watched. I'm not a little kid anymore."

"I wasn't aware of that, I apologize."

"Don't, I don't want to hear it." She said softly.

"What?"

"I said don't apologize, I don't want to hear it."

"Why?"

"Because you always say it when you don't mean it. You always break our lunches and say sorry, but a simple word can't fix a broken heart." She explained through a wave of emotion.

"I never knew you felt that way…you should know that I mean it." He said slowly, as if thinking over an appropriate answer.

"No you don't…don't call here again, no one wants to talk to you."

"But Kag-"

"Not until you've decided to step up to the plate and be a real father." She said before hanging up the phone and dropping it on the floor at her feet. An unknown anger had filled her body as she came to fully realize her mother's meaning to all of her wise words. Her eyes looked into her own in her reflection, almost trying to burn right through them. Her hands, both clenched at her side were shaking with rage, unable to contain the emotion that ran through her veins like her very blood.

Without any rationality she flung her right fist at such a speed that she didn't recognize it as her own towards the mirror. It all happened so fast that the last thing she remembered was the pain before she had fallen to the ground, cradling her bloody fist. Tears were freely falling down her face from the emotion welled up inside and from anything that she just had to get out. Her head hung and the bangs covered her red face. The blood was staining not only her clothing but her face as well. She was shaking and she could hardly contain herself to get cleaned up.

She wasn't acting like herself, and she was having a hard time grasping onto anything real. Her eyelids kept fluttering open and closed, giving her the look that she was a crack-addict and hadn't had any for a while. Her body was almost shivering at the fairly warm temperature and she felt like she was being kept inside a freezer. Images flashes before her eyes before she shut her eyes and pressed her bloody hands over her lids, trying to make them go away.

IV

Her stomach growled as she rolled over on her bed, having had fallen asleep while packing her bags for the trip. She opened her eyes and looked around. Her room was dark and she could barely make out the images of her furniture. She sat up and went to rub her eyes, when heavy bandaging met her right lid. She opened her eyes and saw the faint white of the gauze from when she had broken her mirror. She put her hand back down and stood up, reaching around blindly in the dark for her doorknob. She carefully and skillfully opened the door up gently and crept out to the direction where her kitchen was located.

She illuminated the kitchen when she flicked on the bright fluorescent light. She made a beeline for the fridge, hoping that there was something more appealing than leftovers inside. Her hope was squashed when it revealed near-empty shelves and what she was not hoping for-leftovers. She closed it silently and shuffled over to the cupboards, praying for better luck. Her hand reached around the back of the highest shelf, searching for anything that would satisfy her hunger. Her hand suddenly came in contact with a plastic wrapper and she grabbed it quickly. She pulled it down and a large smile drifted across her face as she walked over to the stove to prepare her food.

"Shrimp flavored ramen, you saved my life." She said to the package as she kissed it, humor intended. She pulled out the necessities for the preparation of the meal and took no time to get her food made. The three minutes went by fairly slow, teasing and taunting her stomach as it growled in displeasure. The timer went off, giving off a soft buzzing to alert her to her senses. In no time she was shoveling in the noodles, trying not to slurp too loudly. After she had finished it off she put away her mess and decided to head back upstairs to get her beauty rest.

She stripped off her bloodstained clothing, not having changed earlier on when she cleaned up her mess. She slid underneath her covers and pulled them up to her chin, in hopes of regaining the warmth that she had felt the last time her head had hit the pillow. Her eyes drifted closed in thoughts of the upcoming day filled her head.

IV

Kagome was off in dreamland dreaming about the cocoa-cola bear, talking to her about cars when she heard the faint chanting of her name. She looked at the polar bear curiously, only hearing the lecture on the classics-but she could still hear it. Then suddenly she shot up, eyes opening as if she had been awoken from the dead. Her brother had almost been startled into a heart attack at the sudden awakening of her.

"Jesus! You almost killed me!" He complained as he held a hand over his heart. Kagome looked at his wide eyes and pale face and took in the sudden fright he must've gone through.

"Sorry." She said with a nervous smile, feeling very sorry that she had to awaken like that.

"T-the bus is here Kag, I think you might want to get up and ready." He said motioning to the window before leaving her room so she could change. She jumped out of bed and went to the window to peer outside. A small greyhound-like bus was waiting out on the street, being there a little early for her liking. She turned away from the window and grabber her clothing to go get changed.

After she had slipped into a white layered skirt and a pink wife beater with her light pink bathing suit on underneath she looked down at her hand. Carefully she pulled away the gauze and bandages, wanting to get a look at her skin. She pulled away the last later and got a look at the slightly pink skin. She had pulled out most of the pieces of glass, but she was more than certain that at least one piece of glass remained. She put on a Band-Aid to cover the more swollen bumps and brushed her hair before deciding that she looked good enough to be seen in public by complete strangers.

IV

She stepped onto the bus after bidding her family farewell. She held her purse tightly with her left hand as her head slowly peeked above the front seat. She smiled warmly at the bus driver before turning to walk down the aisle. She took in four heads, only two opposite each other. Three guys were posted on the left side, and only one girl was alone on the right across from one. She stepped forward, walking down the aisle. There was no turning back.

She passed a fairly attractive male, with long black hair tied into a ponytail at the top of his head. His eyes were an astonishing azure and shimmered with mischief. He eyed her up and down, giving her an almost satisfied smirk. He was slouching in the seat with a magazine folded on his stomach. She gave him an awkward smile before heading down further.

She was about halfway down the aisle when she came across two people. To her right was a girl with long dark hair tied into a ponytail at the top of her head, much like the boy's before. She had sharp hazel eyes that were adverted out the window, which she seemed to be fairly involved with as she was sitting very close to it. Across from her was a handsome guy, with almost boyish face. He gave her a smile that seemed a little creepy, yet alluring. He had short brown hair tied into a little ponytail at the nape of his neck, and twinkling violet eyes. She looked away and walked a little faster, deciding on sitting at the back, adjacent from the last boy.

She had hardly noticed the odd hair colour as she sat down and made herself comfortable. She glanced over briefly to see his head turned, looking out the window. The faint trace of wire coming from his ears to his shirt was visible and she knew that he was listening to some music contraption. She took his lead and opened her purse and pulled out her mini-disc player.

She gazed out the window, watching the vision of houses and trees flash by as quickly as they came. Her music was almost blaring, draining her battery even more than planned. She was in her sanctuary.

IV

BEEEEEEEEEEEP!

Kagome looked down at her mini disc player to see that her battery had died. They probably weren't even close to this camp and she was already low. Her eyes drifted from the small musical box in her hand to the boy next to her. She wondered about the fact that he may have batteries tucked away inside his pockets or something, just waiting for her to claim.

"Hey!" She called to him, waving her arm to try and catch his attention. He didn't react to her attempts to get his attention. From the looks of it his music was up just as loud as hers was-or maybe even louder. She stood up and quickly made her way to the seat next to him, without the driver looking back at her. She looked at the boy, but he didn't seem to notice her. She thought about yanking his earphones out, but then she decided against it. She poked his arm, but he still didn't react to it. She waved her hand in front of his face, and shifted so that she could partially look at him.

She almost had to slap herself to not stare. He was the most gorgeous human being that she had ever laid eyes on, and she'd seen a lot. He had sun-kissed-almost golden-eyes that shone in the faint glow of the sun. She was shocked when his eyes turned towards her and focused on hers. He held her breath as they looked into hers, as if trying to figure out who she really was. But the next thing she heard she didn't really expect to hear.

"What do you want wench?" He asked as he pulled out his earphones, the music still blaring. She disregarded the fact that he had called her a `wench' and focused on her mission.

"Um…I was wondering if you had a spare battery that I could use. Since mine are gone." She said quietly, in a shy voice.

"I don't know, do I?" He asked smugly, a tiny smirk battling with his pride to make its way across his lips.

"I think you do, so might you lend it to me?" She asked, not liking his negative attitude so much.

"Why should I give you one of my batteries?" Kagome closed her eyes and then reopened them.

"Because I was being nice and polite and you-" She started, but as it happened the bus hit a fairly large pothole and bucked her forward into the boy. She heard a faint shriek, a little too high to be a man's. She pulled herself off of the boy, a crimson blush creeping its way to her cheeks as she straightened herself out.

She retracted her hand that had landed on his thigh to steady herself, only to have it stopped by his own. His golden eyes caught the slight shimmer of a tiny glass shard that she had failed to get out. She looked at him and then back at her hand, trying to see what he found so interesting.

"You realize that you have a glass shard in your hand?" He asked looking up at her with his golden gaze. She looked down at her hand once more before seeing slightly what he was.

"I thought I'd gotten them all out." She said quietly to herself, feeling almost embarrassed that she hadn't gotten them all.

"Well clearly you hadn't." He said releasing her hand. "But you'll feel really stupid when it sinks into your bloodstream and then starts to destroy your blood cells and destroy your veins-"

"What?" She asked eyes wide with horror. He chuckled at her before turning to look forward. "Oh my god, get them out!" She said not believing what she was hearing.

"Do I look like a pair of tweezers to you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Well, u-use your claws or something!" She said, starting to panic. He looked down at his claws, and then at her.

"You realize it would hurt a lot more than tweezers would?" He said taking her hand.

"Yes," She quietly, but then regained her voice. "But I don't want ruined veins!" He smirked at her before looking down at the small shard that was barely visible to the human eye. She closed her eyes as she felt his claws graze her skin. She held her breath as she suddenly feel a slight pinch at her skin, and a slight pain. Then everything stopped and she waited there with her eyes closed for anything.

"You can take your hand back, I'm not going to give you a fucking hand massage or anything." He scoffed as he turned back to the window and watched the scenery fly by. She opened her eyes and narrowed them at the boy across from her.

"Baka…" She murmured under her breath as she got up and made her way back to her seat, still without a battery. She followed suit and looked out her own window, lazily tracing patterns on her leg with her finger. She had almost fallen asleep when she heard a loud thump. She looked over the seats and saw the girl standing up with a slightly red face. Her eyebrow was twitching and she was glaring at the ground. Kagome looked to the side and saw the body of the brown haired boy lying on the ground. She giggled lightly at the scene before she leaned back and closed her-she might as well get some shut eye before she had to put up with all of those kids.

IV

The bus jerking suddenly awaked Kagome, her eyes fluttering open to look around her. The bus had stopped and the driver stood up. She looked over at Inuyasha who was looking above the seats at the driver, wondering why they stopped in the middle of nowhere.

"Why did we stop?" The girl asked her voice exhausted from the trip.

"You're here-get your stuff and then you're off!" He said enthusiastically. The five of them looked out the window, looking around for some sign of the camp. Then that's when they all happened to see the small and old sign that read `Camp Shikon' in bright pink letters. But as they looked around, they didn't see any sign of civilization.

"Where exactly is the camp?" The boy with the long black hair asked.

"It's there-don't worry about it. I'll unload your stuff and then you can head off down that path and you'll soon find it." He said as he got out of the bus and went to the side compartment where all of the bags were kept. One by one they all got up and out, each carrying their items that they had brought along on the bus ride. It was fairly hot outside and with the hot sun bearing down on them didn't make it any better. They all examined their surroundings, taking in the endless distance of trees.

"Here's your bags." The driver said as he made his way back onto the bus. "Happy camping!" He closed the doors and started up the vehicle once again before leaving the teens stranded there. They watched him leave until he was only a dot along the dirt road.

"Well," The girl said grabbing her bags and slinging them over her shoulders. "Let's get a move on." The four followed suit and picked up their belongings, ready to head out into the wilderness. The boy whom had been sitting awfully close to the girl in the bus started forward, ready to walk beside her when she glared at him and voiced her warning in a deadly tone.

"Touch me, and you will die."

This was going to be a very long walk.

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A/N: I finally got back to rewriting this first chapter, since I thought that it was highly atrocious! I mean, I didn't actually think that I'd ever written anything so horrible in my life. So I apologize for anyone who actually had to read it, I mean like REALLY sorry. So here it is again, and just so you know no matter how long it takes me to update, I'm not abandoning this idea. I like it way too much with too many possibilities to choose what will happen next. But like I remind you countless times, I have other things…I have volleyball and I'm going into an out-of-school basketball league which takes up my Thursday night…and then of course there's school. So I'm sorry for lateness of anything, I'm just such a bad update person. Bye!

-Tai-Chee