InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Helping the Helpless ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter One:

She looked down at the water, the steady drip of blood landing in the tub with a small plink. Kagome watched as her naked form was cloaked in a blanket of pink, her hair billowing about her partially submerged form, clinging to her narrow shoulders and feminine curves. In her right hand, the raven-haired beauty held a small razor, the kind you get at the hardware store; Her weapon of choice. Her left hand was void of an object, but displayed a series of cuts, the only physical proof she wasn't the happy, content, teenage girl the entire world took her for.

For the first time that night, Kagome took a close look at her wrist. She counted six, six perpendicular wounds, not deep enough to kill, but more than deep enough to hurt. Kagome stared at the self-inflicted gashes lined up neatly on her arm, transfixed.

The blood would bead up to the surface of her nearly flawless skin, slowly slide down her forearm, and then fall into the water. It was a cycle that seemed almost never ending. Skin, slide, water. Skin. Slide. Water. Skin. Sli-

Kagome was brought out of her trance by a rap at the bathroom door. "Kagome honey, you've been in there almost an hour. Why, you must be as wrinkled as a prune!" Kagome sighed; she had hoped to get a little time to herself tonight. "Alright Mom, be right out!" Grabbing a pink fluffy towel with the initials `K' and 'H' embroidered on the ends, she wrapped herself up in it.

She paused to pull down a few sheets of toilet paper. Pressing them to her damp and bloodied wrist, Kagome stamped out the flow of blood after a few moments pressure. Lifting the toilet lid and flushing the scarlet stained paper, the young girl walked across the hall from the bathroom to her bedroom, oblivious to the drops of blood she left scattered on the edge of the bathtub and the white rug in front of it.

Opening her door slowly, checking to see if Sota was on her bed playing with the family's obese cat, Buyo, Kagome first stuck her head in. Seeing her room empty, she relaxed. After drying off, she opened a little drawer in her jewelry cabinet, pulling out some Johnson & Johnson sterile pads and some no-hurt ace bandage to wrap her arm in. Padding softy on her lush carpet, she walked over to her dresser, picking out an over-sized and long sleeved tee shirt and comfortable gym shorts to sleep in. Setting her alarm clock, she heard a shriek.

Rushing out of her room, little gold alarm clock in hand, Kagome stopped short to see her mother standing in the bathroom.

"Kagome, honey, are you hurt?" A little shocked by this question, she stammered, searching for a reason for the out of the blue inquiry. "Umm, yeah, Mom…Why do you ask?"

Kagome's mother scanned her for any visible injury. "Because there's blood on the ground. Are you alright?"

Shocked, it took Kagome a minute to think of something to say. "Yeah, mom, I'm fine. I- I cut myself shaving, I'm sorry to worry you. Everything's fine."

A relieved smile spread over Kyoto's face. "Oh, I'm so glad that's all it was. I just saw the blood, and assumed maybe you had stepped on something sharp, or something like that. Well, I'm off to bed now, good night honey!"

Kagome forced a smile. "Night mom. See you in the morning." Going back to her room, she noticed her heart was racing. Setting her alarm back down on her white wicker side table next to her teen magazine, she went to her closet.

After a few minutes, Kagome picked out a purple and white long sleeved Rugby shirt and her white canvas Keds. Yawning, she opened her third drawer down and pulled out a pair of purple corduroy hip huggers.

Pulling down her covers, she slipped into bed and fell into a restless sleep.