Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Forget the Storm	By : ChelseaTygers Category: InuYasha AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 8953 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own the characters from the series. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
- 22
21: One for My Baby, One for the Road
“I can’t believe this,” Kagome whispered, bouncing an almost fussy Hajime in her lap. “It’s so sad.”
Inuyasha nodded, his hand squeezing her knee gently in acknowledgement.
The day was appropriately overcast for a funeral, though no rain fell. What had made Kagome break the small silence as they waited for the service to be over was the fact that nobody had showed up. Well, hardly anyone. She was there, even though she didn’t want to be. Inuyasha had explained that they had to due to the whole media circus that had taken place in the days and weeks leading up to Kikyo’s death, a death which was being reported as “suicide”. Apparently, Toga was powerful enough to control the media, but only as long as he got to them with money before they got the real story. He’d remarked that he’d never had a need to establish a relationship with any news agency before his youngest son had hit puberty, and he was still navigating the tumultuous relationship all these years later. Her husband sat at her side, a grim look on his face. It bothered her that he grieved. She felt like a terrible person to feel such a way and she tried to fight it, but facts were facts.
Toga and Izayoi had made an appearance, arriving with Kōga and his family in the same limousine. When Kagome had found out about the arrangement, she had elected to drive there separately with just her own little family. She still wasn’t sure if she should reveal what she knew about the wolf demon’s betrayal. That Kōga had been the one paying for Kikyo’s lawyers had shaken her to her very core. During the most strenuous times in her marriage, she had come to count upon him as a friend. Sometimes, she had felt he was more than a friend, though those times were fleeting and the emotions were shallow, motivated more out of bitterness and a desire for revenge than any actual passion. Even though she had rejected his offer of an affair and then even marriage, she had still been exceedingly fond of him and thought he’d felt the same way. But people didn’t ruin the lives of those they loved. Mind going back and forth, she again resolved to tell Toga everything after the funeral.
But what about Hajime?
Glancing worriedly down at the baby, she flip-flopped once again. Sure, there were other demons who could create a bond with her son. And who’s to say he’d even want such a thing? But she was a mother, and she was selfish in the way mothers are selfish, wanting the best for her child in spite of everything, even the boy’s own future decisions. Losing her firstborn would kill her. Kagome didn’t think she’d ever love another quite like she loved Hajime, even if she had other children someday. They’d just been through so much together, and he was all she had that was good and pure in the world. She just couldn’t lose him.
Shaking her head slightly, she went back to observing those gathered around the grave. It was almost offensively apparent that no one was listening to the old somber priest as he recited some lines. Inuyasha’s friends Miroku and Sango were there, though to her knowledge neither of them knew Kikyo. It made sense, though, that they’d want to pay their respects to the mother of their adopted child. She supposed that was the one good thing to come of all this.
When Kikyo had died, she had been far enough along in her pregnancy that the child had just barely been viable, and even then it was a stretch. The little girl was still in the ICU at the hospital, barely as big as Kagome’s hand, hooked up to so many wires and machines that it made her heart hurt. It still wasn’t certain whether or not the baby Sango had been too afraid to name would survive, but Kagome had a feeling she would, and in another year they’d be a happy family. Without realizing it, she smiled at the couple, clearly recognizing the maternal distress on Sango’s face. The woman spent every day and night at the hospital. This was probably the first break she’d gotten and she was worried sick. Miroku looked nervous himself, his skin a pale, sweaty green color. Unlike his wife, his gaze was not at his watch but instead on the coffin quickly being lowered into the ground. Curious and a little confused, Kagome kept her eyes on him. The man got progressively worse-looking and only seemed to recover in the slightest when the first handful of dirt was thrown on the coffin, his complexion magically brightening in seconds, like he’d been afraid some condemning zombie would rise and take him to hell.
Turning her attention to the slight girl who’d just buried her only family, Kagome again felt more sad than distressed. The girl, Kaede, she’d heard her mumble, bore only the slightest resemblance to Kikyo. It was obvious who’d gotten the looks in the family, Kagome thought, feeling incredibly guilty immediately after thinking such a thing. Kaede was in her late teens, on the cusp of adulthood, yet looked no more than twelve. Her eyebrows were thick and prominent, almost overgrown enough to distract from her lack of a right eye. Almost, but not quite.
“Time to go,” Inuyasha whispered against the shell of her ear, startling her.
Nodding, she rose to her feet, grabbing her purse which also served as a diaper bag these days. Or was it the other way around? Walking towards the car they’d come in, she stopped and turned around, feeling a sharp pain between her shoulders. No sooner than she’d felt it did it disappear, but she turned around anyway, goosebumps creeping along her flesh. Not two feet behind her stood Kaede, her one eye looking at her not with the anger she’d expected, but instead a calm blankness.
“H-hello,” Kagome tried, her voice sounding choked.
“What did she do?” she asked, her voice far stronger than she would have anticipated.
After a few seconds of silence during which Kagome just stared at the strange girl, she responded, chastising herself internally for being rude. “Um, I’m sorry?”
“My sister,” she clarified, gesturing behind her towards the grave. “What did she do to you?”
“I never met her,” Kagome said quickly, her cheeks stinging red with the lie her new family had told her to say.
Kaede just shook her head with a maddening kind of patience that made Kagome want to scream. “What did Kikyo do to deserve this?”
The other girl’s mask of serenity made her itch to leave, but her feet wouldn’t move. Hajime squirmed in her grasp and she realized she had been squeezing him. She suddenly wanted to tell the girl everything, to confirm all that she suspected. Kaede deserved to know! The entire world deserved to know. It wasn’t fair that a few people could pull so many strings that didn’t belong to them. The guilt of being associated with those people, of being there when the death (murder) had happened, made her feel sick, the kind of hot and sweaty that only happened right when she was about to lose the contents of her stomach.
“That’s enough,” a harsh voice broke in.
“Kōga,” Kaede acknowledged, her voice going cold. “I see you’ve generously allowed Ayame out today.”
He grinned at the other girl in a way that Kagome correctly interpreted as a threat, putting an arm around her to steady her in her sudden bout of near-swooning. “I’ve been very generous, girl, you’re right about that,” he said, his words cutting sharp as a knife while still sounding smooth as butter. “But I’m starting to regret it.”
Kaede stood her ground and Kagome admired her for it. “You’ve already taken all you can from me,” she said, her composure cracking just the slightest with an angry twitch of her thin lower lip.
The demon only laughed, his volume offensively high for such a sensitive time and place. “I wouldn’t say that. You’ve got that nice house, you inherited her rather inflated bank account, you’re gonna go to that fancy college. No, I wouldn’t say that at all.”
The small shift in Kaede’s posture told them that the battle was over. For now, anyway. Turning away from Kōga, the strong girl nodded once to Kagome and sent her a fleeting smile before walking away, never once turning back to look at the grave still waiting to be filled.
“Kōga,” Kagome whispered reproachfully, heart heavy and head filled with indecision, “that was cruel.”
He merely shrugged, removing his arm from around her. “I don’t think I’m the one that really upset her today.”
Kagome had nothing to say to him. Standing on her tiptoes, she peered over his shoulder, her eyes soon finding Inuyasha’s form where he stood with his back to her talking to Miroku and Sango. Why did he suddenly find a desire to be social now, of all times?!
“I’ve been wanting to see you,” Kōga murmured, pressing down on her shoulders and looking deep into her eyes. His hands traveled down her arms until they were just above her elbows, where he stopped to caress the bare skin. “I’ve been wanting to touch you…”
“Not now,” she hissed, eyes flashing with disgust. “Not ever again!” she corrected quickly.
Her words didn’t seem to deter him, merely making him chuckle. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then? We’ll have to keep Hajime and Noriko in separate playpens for a while. She’s grown her fangs and claws and doesn’t know how to control herself, so no playtime for a couple years.”
“I—” Kagome began, intending to really make it brutally clear to him what she felt about their “relationship”. In that moment, Hajime squirmed again, startling her into almost letting go, and she was so afraid for a second that she’d drop him she didn’t realize he was still in her arms. Heart pounding in motherly fear, she hiked him up a little higher and hugged him close, not caring when he began to chew and tug on her hair. “…I need to get a baby carrier,” was all she said, feeling defeated.
He beamed at her, not looking like he could ever do any wrong. “I’ll getcha one!” he chirped.
Seeing Toga and Izayoi approaching, Kagome took her chance and hurried off towards Inuyasha.
“There you are!” Sango said, eyes brightening momentarily. Ever since the news story of Inuyasha’s infidelity had broken, she’d acted like they were best girlfriends, sisters in solidarity. Kagome resented it before she appreciated it. “I wanted to say hi before we got going. We don’t have much time, what with the baby and all,” she said, blushing with a tentative kind of pride Kagome recognized. Sango had probably never thought she’d ever get to be a mother, and now she was one. Feeling slightly overcome with the emotion of the day, Kagome just smiled and spontaneously decided to hug the older woman, pulling herself back a little at the last moment so as to not squish Hajime.
Miroku’s face was gentler than she’d ever seen it, all his attention on his wife. “We better get back to the hospital, guys,” he said, his hand grasping Sango’s. “It was nice seeing you, even in such, uh, circumstances. We should get together soon.”
Inuyasha nodded, his posture unusually stiff. “Maybe,” he said, voice cold. Kagome stared at him in confusion, moving to his side with a questioning look on her face.
The human man shuffled his feet nervously, glancing at the grave. “I’ll call you.”
“Bye, Kagome!” Sango practically sang, obviously having given in to the urge to hope for a good outcome for her family. “And bye, Hajime!”
The couple left, their hands never coming unlinked. Kagome sighed, wishing she could recapture such closeness with her own husband.
Inuyasha snorted. “Fuckin’ asshole,” he muttered, glaring at their backs.
“Not in front of the baby,” she hissed at him, feeling a headache begin to collect behind her eyes.
He sighed, his shoulders lowering as he forced himself to relax. Facing her, he put his hands on her shoulders, just the way Kōga had done not even five minutes ago.
“How about after this we go on a family date to the park, and then we’ll have another date just you and me?” His eyes were shining and sincere, that mellow, molten gold she loved that drew her in and made her wonder why she ever resisted.
“Sure,” she agreed after a brief hesitation that had more to do with studying his features than with any reluctance. Beaming at him, she was about to lean in for a kiss when her cell phone began to ring.
“I’ll take the boy,” Inuyasha said gently, picking up Hajime who immediately began to cry.
Finding her phone amidst the depths of her survival bag, she answered it just before it went to voicemail. “Hello?” she said impatiently, giving in to the urge to tap her foot.
“Kagome Higurashi?”
“This is she.” She winced, belatedly remembering she had a new last name. Inuyasha’s ears twitched and she knew they’d have a conversation about this later.
“This is officer Harada from the station on Third Street. We have your brother waiting for you here and it would be best if you came as soon as possible.”
Kagome stilled all movement, her heart beating faster as she wondered what was wrong. Was he hurt? Had he gotten involved in criminal activity of some sort? But he was still so young, just a child! New maternal feelings popped up for Sota that she had never experienced before, only serving to heighten her distress. She remembered way back when, before her marriage and pregnancy, how close she used to be to the boy. They only became closer once Inuyasha showed up, since Kagome if her friends were busy she rather sneakily used Sota as an excuse to be outside and watch the built half-demon glisten in the summer sunlight. Breaking into his room, not afraid of what she’d walk in on since he was still very young, she would force Sota to stop playing video games and play catch with her, or maybe even a game of tag, although she preferred the former since it was easier to watch her future husband if she was staying in one place. Sota appreciated the extra attention, she knew, so she’d never felt bad about it. Jii-chan used to play with him before his knees got too bad, and he had been too young for their father to ever be alive and roughhouse with him. Their mother was an old-fashioned kind of woman who preferred to stay at home to the point of seeming almost agoraphobic, so his big sister was the only playmate he had unless one of his friends’ parents drove them up to the shrine. Before Inuyasha, Kagome had been too concentrated on her studies or her friends or her hair or whatever and hadn’t spent much time with her brother. Though she felt kind of bad she had only started playing with Sota for her own secret purposes, she could never regret giving him such happy smiles. And, of course, spying on Inuyasha the way she did gave her many happy smiles as well.
“I’ll be right over,” she mumbled, barely ending the call before she grabbed Inuyasha and ran to their parked car, telling herself not to cry before she knew just what was going on and how bad it was.
O/o/O
Inuyasha drove like mad, worriedly glancing at Kagome every time traffic allowed and even when it didn’t. It was only luck the funeral had been in the city since otherwise it would have taken them over an hour to get to the station. The girl babbled something about him having become a delinquent and joining a gang or being a serial killer or a gigolo or a terrorist or a union agitator or whatever. When he calmly told her none of those things were very likely, she became convinced he was dead or dying no matter what the officer had said and began to bawl which set off the baby. Faced with a screaming wife and child, Inuyasha went even faster, wondering what use it would be if they only ended up dying a fiery death on the way there. Before the car even rolled to a stop outside the dinky little station building, Kagome was out, for the first time forgetting Hajime in the car seat. This did not sit well with the boy, who began to shriek the moment she was out of sight.
“Okay, buddy,” Inuyasha said with clenched teeth as he found a parking place. “Be good for Daddy and you, uh, get more mashed fruit or whatever the hell it is you eat.”
His words did nothing but seem to incite Hajime further, his screams having gone from ear-splitting to choked, out of breath madness. Sighing, Inuyasha got out, picked him up as gently as he could, and jogged to the door, every cell on alert and straining for any sign of Kagome. Father and son found her at the information desk, rapidly speaking to a woman behind bulletproof glass. Hajime quieted down to little whines once they were next to his mother, his expression still holding something of betrayal. Distractedly, Kagome grabbed for him, cradling him like he was her strength and support instead of the other way around. Inuyasha suddenly didn’t know what to do with his hands, his very arms seeming empty.
After a few minutes, a man came out the door directly next to the desk, his features grim.
“Miss Higurashi?”
“Y-yes? Where is Sota? Where is my brother?” Her words were frantic and he could see her hands shaking.
“Your brother is fine. He’s getting a tour of the station right now and is on the worst sugar high I’ve ever seen.”
Kagome’s shoulders instantly relaxed and even Inuyasha began to breathe easier.
“So why are we here?” he interjected, his temper beginning to flare. He didn’t have the time or the patience to run around like a bat outta hell. He had dinner reservations in an hour, for fuck’s sake!
The officer ignored him. “We’ve been trying to get a hold of you for about five hours now, but it seems like you’ve moved quite a bit recently so we had some trouble tracking you down.” His mustache seemed to disapprove quite a bit, as though taking her multiple change of address as some kind of personal insult. “Was your mother on any kind of medication? Antidepressants or whatnot?”
Confused, Kagome shook her head. “She and I haven’t really spoken this past year,” she said softly.
Nodding, he made a note on a thick pad of paper and continued, “So to your knowledge, she never engaged in any kind of drug use, whether prescribed or, er, recreational?”
Her mouth dropped open in consternation. “My mother is not a drug addict!” she said heatedly. “Now what is this all about?”
A forcibly detached look coming over his face, the officer responded after a short pause. “Your mother went grocery shopping this morning, picked your brother up from soccer practice, and then drove right into Mizu Lake.” Kagome’s face stayed the same, almost like she did not register what the man was saying. The only thing that alerted Inuyasha that she’d heard was the pounding of her pulse and sudden tighter hold on Hajime. Without words, he put his arm around her, drawing her head to his chest. “Witnesses report she made a sharp, sudden term, seemingly spontaneously.”
Kagome just nodded and kept nodding, the movement odd and jerky, her eyes filling with tears. “Does Sota know?” Her voice was tight and high and made Inuyasha’s heart ache.
The officer nodded. “He escaped, called for help, and identified the body. If you’d like to see her one last time—”
“Absolutely not!” Inuyasha cut in. He remembered the look on Kagome’s face when she saw Sesshomaru’s disembodied head the day Hajime was born. This was her mother, the person who had raised her. Even if their relationship had been strained to the point of breaking, she was important and Kagome loved her. Seeing her body might scar her in ways he could not heal.
It was all over Kagome’s face that she was intending to protest, but her words were prevented by the arrival of another policeman (sans mustache) and someone neither of them had seen in a long time.
“Sota!” Kagome sobbed, quickly shoving Hajime at Inuyasha before opening her arms and embracing her younger brother.
The younger boy went completely rigid at the contact before pushing his sister away, making her stumble a step before righting herself. Kagome stared at him with wounded eyes, her grief cutting deeper with Sota’s apparent rejection of her. Inuyasha didn’t know how to react. The boy mumbled something before crossing his arms and looking down, something Kagome didn’t hear but her husband did.
I hate you.
The car ride back was filled with silence. Even Hajime seemed to be aware of how awkward the situation was. Kagome had opted to sit in back with the baby, which left Sota up front with a silently fuming half-demon. He knew if he tried to say or do anything, Kagome would bite his head off, but he still felt compelled to correct the boy’s behavior somehow.
“We’re home,” Kagome called out softly as they approached the house. “Your new room will be much bigger, Sota, and your friends can come over any time you want.”
Sending her a glare, Sota left the car, slamming the door on his way out.
“Your brother’s a little shit,” Inuyasha said in a low voice, bright narrowed eyes tracking the boy as he barged into the house without even announcing himself.
“He’s been through a lot,” she said softly, tenderly taking Hajime out of his car seat. “He really thought you and Mama were going to…well, end up like you and me.”
Remembering the little boy who had followed him around in worship, Inuyasha’s anger deflated. A part of him would have considered sticking around and being a father to the boy if he had never met Kagome.
“I’m sorry,” he said, putting an arm around her and walking her to the door. “I’ll be nice.”
She nodded and pecked his cheek. “Thank you. He never knew our father, you know. So he really latched on to you when you showed up. Now I’m like a homewrecker to him.”
“You’ll always be his sister, Kagome. Just give him some time to cool off.”
“Inuyasha!” Izayoi greeted, giving her son a bone-crushing hug. She was dressed up for the new arrival to their family, having temporarily abandoned her uniform of pajamas and slippers. “I made macaroni and cheese from scratch. Does Sota like macaroni, Kagome?”
Putting on a happy face, Kagome nodded. “I’m sure he’d love your recipe even if he didn’t.”
Thoroughly pleased at the compliment, Izayoi smiled and trotted off back to the kitchen to begin serving the meal.
Kagome busied herself by waking up Hajime and putting him in his high chair. He could more or less eat by himself now, though the food seldom ever ended up in his mouth. The atmosphere at dinner was also tense, though Toga and Izayoi were obliviously playing footsie under the table, which just made Inuyasha feel even more uneasy. Izayoi had obviously been trying to cater to their guest since the food was all basic kiddie meal stuff. Mac and cheese, French fries, chicken nuggets. Inuyasha sighed, craving steak.
“How’s school been, Sota?” Kagome asked, a tentative smile on her face.
“We’re on break,” he grunted, listlessly pushing his food around on his plate.
She nodded. “What’s your favorite class? Still PE?”
“Uh-huh.”
Her smile faltered. “…Any new friends this year?”
Sota shook his head in the negative.
“Do your teachers—”
Flinging his fork down onto his plate with a clatter, Sota turned to Inuyasha and loudly exclaimed, “How can you put up with her!?”
Finally coming back to conversation, Inuyasha glanced around at everyone to gauge their emotions. Part of him wanted to yell at the kid, but he remembered all that he’d been through and again his anger receded. “Because I love her,” he said simply.
Kagome smiled at him gratefully.
The boy snorted. “I don’t get how anyone can love a stupid, ugly murderer. Everything that happened to Mom was because of her.”
Everyone at the table stilled in shock. The childish voice held such anger, even bordering on hatred, that Inuyasha couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t the boy he had known before. Sota was a happy kid who loved his sister even if she did annoy him sometimes. The first person to react was Kagome, who could no longer contain herself and loudly burst into tears, covering her face with her hands.
Without even thinking, Inuyasha slapped Sota.
For just a moment, he was appalled at his own behavior, and stared at the child with regret, frozen. A look of deepest hurt crossed his face and then he was gone, running up the stairs and into his new room.
Inuyasha could feel everyone’s eyes on him and he began to sweat uncomfortably. “What?” he growled, glaring at his father, whose gaze weighed the heaviest.
Toga shook his head. “You cannot lash out at a child like that, Inuyasha. Especially when the child lost his only remaining parent just today.”
Inuyasha crossed his arms. “I’d slap him again in a heartbeat. The little fuck had it coming.”
Izayoi laid a hand on his arm. “Inuyasha, hurting Sota won’t un-hurt Kagome,” she whispered, her eyes traveling to the girl who continued to sob, oblivious to all that was going on. “She just lost her mother and now her brother is rejecting her. You need to be as loving as I know you can be, my puppy, and help them be a family again. Don’t take sides and divide them.”
Face burning in shame, he nodded. Though she could be an airhead, Izayoi was pretty perceptive. It would take a lot of work to undo the damage he’d done, but he’d do it. For Kagome.
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Forget the Storm