Breaking Faith by Aurora Antheia Raine
The Day After
For The Lovely Miko's Weekly Quotes and Prompts Challenge.
Prompt: Lies
Quote: Sick of crying, tired of trying, yeah I’m smiling, but inside I’m dying.
The sudden and excruciating pain of a throbbing head roused Kagome from her unconscious state. With a low groan, her eyes fluttered open hesitantly and she was momentarily blinded by the sunlight streaming in through the windows as it reflected off of pure white snow. Her mouth felt like cotton as she dry coughed from the uncomfortable sensation of a scratchy throat.
She moved, achingly slow, to rub at her eyes but winced as a jolt of pain startled her into a more alert frame of mind. Blinking rapidly to clear her vision, she held her hand up to her face and stared at it curiously for a moment before gasping in surprise. Her fingertips were caked with dried blood and her once manicured nails were now torn and ragged. Immediately, Kagome brought her other hand up and found it in a similar condition.
Biting her lower lip in concentration, she racked her mind for a reason behind her injuries. Her memories drew a blank of the night before and she closed her eyes with determination in finding an answer. Small snippets began to appear, fuzzy at first, then more clear and focused. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, the events of the previous night unexpectedly came crashing down upon her.
With a cry of horror, Kagome quickly moved to stand, but a wave of dizziness caused her to stop mid-movement. Opting, instead, to sit on the edge of the bed, she decided to take a moment to survey the room she was in.
It was a fairly small room and the walls were a plain shade of cream with a few pieces of framed art. There was a desk in one corner and the bed she was sitting on in another. Beside it was a nightstand with a small, white lamp. Other than the basic necessities, the room was not warmly furnished, giving Kagome the impression that it was, under usual circumstances, not occupied. Another quick glance revealed three closed doors and a window.
Standing on shaky feet, Kagome moved to the closest door and opened it, revealing an empty closet. The next one led to the bathroom and the final door was locked from the outside. Frowning, she jiggled the doorknob, pulling and twisting, hoping in vain that the door would suddenly unlock itself. When her efforts proved to be in vain, Kagome sank down to the floor in defeat, willing herself not to cry.
There had to be a good explanation for everything. Why did they killed Kouga? Why did they kidnap her? And perhaps most importantly of all, who the hell are “they” and what did they want? No matter how hard Kagome racked her brain for an explanation, she was still left in the dark as to why this tragedy had fallen upon her. It wasn’t that she would wish it on anyone else, but why did it have to happen at all? Why did she have to have her happiness taken away?
At the thought of all she had lost within a single night, she was no longer able to hold back her tears. Curling into a fetal position on the floor, Kagome cried for her loss and for the tragedy she had witnessed firsthand. Her body shook with each wretched sob and she cried until her tears ran dry. The mental and emotional stress of her situation took a serious toll upon her weakened state and she laid there limply, staring, with unfocused vision, at the wall. With a deep shuddering breath to still her trembling body, she closed her eyes in defeat and soon, reality faded, once more, into the background.
When she came to a few hours later, she heard the telltale sounds of a lock clicking back into place. Immediate realization dawned in her eyes and she quickly sat up and pulled at the door, but it was too late.
“Hey! Let me out!” she screamed, desperately turning the doorknob from side to side. “You can’t keep me in here!”
But the only sound she heard in response was the resonance of heavy footsteps walking further and further away.
“Please! Wait! Let me out!” she continued, but there was only silence.
Releasing an angry wail of despair, Kagome pounded on the door with her fists, wishing that she had a way of simply breaking it down. She kicked at the door and rammed her shoulder against it, but her attempts all proved to be futile.
Slumping against the wall in misery, her eyes caught something sitting on the nightstand that hadn’t been there before. Curiously, Kagome walked over to it and saw a tray of food and small first aid kit. With a slight frown marring her face, she flipped the top of the kit open and saw a nail clipper, some band-aids, and a tube of ointment. Her gaze then traveled to the bowl of kayu, a dish of soft cooked, watery rice that resembled oatmeal, and the cup of steaming hot green tea. Instantly, a flash of anger filled her being and with a single swipe of her arm, she sent the entire tray clattering to the floor.
Pausing for only a moment, she picked up the first aid kit before locking herself in the bathroom. Turning the bathtub’s hot water on full blast, Kagome stripped out of her clothes and stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. Her ebony hair was a tangled mess, her eyes were bloodshot, and there were dried mascara streaks running down both cheeks. Squeezing her eyes shut to ward off the vision of her appearance, Kagome sighed before washing her hands in the sink to remove the dried blood.
Moving to sit on the edge of the bathtub, Kagome clipped her fingernails to her usual rounded tips, her hands shaking as she struggled to hold back the tears threatening to emerge once again. Memories of Kouga kept rising to the surface and one in particular stood out. She remembered it so well because it was the last time she had ever cried. Kouga had vowed to make her happy and he had never broken that promise.
“I don’t like seeing you cry,” he stated, brushing away a stray tear lingering upon her cheek. “No matter what, just keep smiling for me, okay, baby? Your smile is the only strength I need and I swear I’ll give you happiness.”
“You are so cheesy,” Kagome replied, chuckling slightly through her tears, despite her grief.
“There we go,” Kouga murmured, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ears, “Smile just like that.”
Through her tears, Kagome flashed a watery smile at the reminder. Her recollection of that moment was so clear, she could almost feel the touch upon her cheek.
“Yeah, I’m smiling, Kouga,” Kagome whispered brokenly, “I’m smiling, but inside, I’m dying.”
Splaying a hand over her heart, she sobbed for all she was worth. The pain was nearly unbearable and the thought of living the rest of her life without Kouga by her side was enough to send her into another bout of tears.
“I’m sick of crying,” she continued, covering her face with her hands, “and tired of trying. When will you come save me, Kouga? My happiness… it was all a lie, wasn‘t it?”
As she wept, the bathroom door suddenly swung open with a loud crash as it hit the wall and a gust of cold air drifted inside. Startled, Kagome looked up at the intruder and straight into the eyes of the most intimidating man she has ever seen.
And if looks could kill, Kagome would have been dead before she could even blink.
-
A/N: I struggled so much with this chapter for the longest time. Could you tell?