InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Deep Wounds ❯ A Friend To Care ( Chapter 5 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

�I can�t not worry about you.� he told her, giving her a gentle hug. �I care about you. You�re my friend.�

This made Kagome smile and she wrapped one of her arms around him and gave him a hug back. It felt so wonderful to have someone care even an inkling about her. �I�m glad that you are.�

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.13.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 880 | Status: Completed

It was early the next day, a Sunday, when Kagome felt the warm sheets ripped from her body. Instinctively, she curled up into a ball and reached out for her covers. She shivered a few moments before finally pulling herself from sleep to see what had stolen her envelopment of warmth from her. Standing at the foot of her bed with arms crossed was none other than her mother, who seemed rather displeased, though Kagome could only guess why.

“Hurry up and get dressed.” the woman commanded in a bitter tone as she crossed her arms. “I want breakfast on the table in a half an hour.”

Kagome sat up, and once recognizing the request, she gave a nod and replied in a submissive manner, “Yes, Mother.”

After that the woman left her to do as she was told. Kagome rose from the bed and went to her dresser to get some clothes for the day. She wouldn't be going anywhere in the condition she was, so she chose a simple pair of black pajama bottoms and a large purple work shirt with long sleeves that had once belonged to her father. She changed quickly, not wanting to agitate her mother any more that weekend than she already had.

She headed down the stairs and into the kitchen, starting with breakfast right away and not hesitating a moment. She cooked up scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, and a few other breakfast items so that Souta would have no place to complain at what she had made. She separated the food into three portions, putting two onto her mother and Souta's plates and the rest on a third plate that she hid up in one of the cupboards.

Kagome knew that she was still a sight and doubted that her mother would let her eat in the same kitchen. Pouring a tall glass of milk for Souta and a cup of black coffee for her mother, she wondered what tasks she would be forced into that day. She simply sighed and walked into the living room. She found it absent of people and instead went up the stairs to see if they were there.

Sure enough, her mother was in her room. The woman was busy folding a pile of clothes pulled from her closet and placing them inside a large suitcase that sat on the bed next to her. Kagome cleared her throat and gently rapped on the door, getting the attention of the woman. She turned and without having to ask walked past the girl and down the stairs.

Kagome then went to her brother's room and found that he was packing as well. This struck her as a bit odd. At first she thought her mother was going away on a sudden business trip as she often did, but now she thought different. However, she knew that her mother would be telling her where they were going eventually.

“Souta, breakfast is ready.” she called from the doorway. The young boy turned and gave her a cruel glare before sprinting past her down the stairs. Kagome shut her eyes and rubbed them before heading down the steps, stopping near the bottom and seating herself on one of the steps.

She waited there for a while until she heard the clattering of dishes and the sounds of footsteps coming towards her. She saw as her family turned the corner, Souta racing up the stairs without giving her a second thought while her mother waited at the bottom, silently staring at the girl with a hint of malice in her faded brown eyes.

“Kagome, we are going away to visit my mother for a week.” the woman said, breaking the silence before brushing past the girl on her way up the stairs to finish her packing. Kagome waited a moment and got up to follow the woman. She stood just outside the woman's bedroom door while she zipped up her suitcase and carried it toward the door, noticing her daughter only a moment later.

“Should I go pack?” Kagome asked in a quiet voice.

“No, you stupid girl.” laughed Mrs. Higurashi. “You are staying here to take care of the house. Besides, you have no relation to my mother. You are, after all, only my step-daughter.”

“All…alright then.” Kagome said to the woman, stepping aside as she carried the bag out of the room, only stopping to rush Souta before the two scurried down the stairs. Kagome stood where she was, listening as the front door opened and then closed. She could hear the car engine start before it pulled from the driveway. She scurried across the hall to her bedroom where she watched the blue minivan drive down to the end of the street and turn the corner where it went out of sight.

Kagome could feel an odd sense of relief and a tinge of happiness at knowing that she was all alone for an entire week. A faint smile adorned her face as she made her way down the stairs to her hidden meal. She cleared away the dishes from her family and sat down with the plate. The food was still warm and smelled wonderful, as she hadn't had anything to eat the day before. As she ate, she thought of all the things that she would do without the worry of a punishment.

---InuYasha's Apartment---

Shippo yawned widely as he sat up in bed and stretched. He hopped out of the bed and stared at the bright green lights on his digital clock. It was nearly noon and he had already missed his cartoons, which made him feel a little bad. He sighed and changed into his jeans from the day before and a blue Transformers shirt that was laying near it. After that he walked down the hall, through the living room, and into the kitchen.

He shoved one of the worn out chairs near the left of the kitchen up against the dingy counter and climbed up on it and then onto the counter itself. He shuffled his way down to one cupboard and opened it to pull out a box of Fruit Loops. He set the box down on the counter next to him a shut the cupboard before moving down the counter again, carefully maneuvering around the sink and over the top of the stove to the far right side where the bowls were kept,

He got one of those down as well and set it on the counter as he returned to where he set the chair, reaching his foot out to touch the seat. Once he found it he climbed down and pushed the chair back into place, humming lightly to himself as he pulled a spoon out of one of the drawers. He stood on his toes to grab the cereal box and his bowl off the counter before setting the items down on the table.

From there he went to the fridge and tugged hard on the heavy door before it opened. He shoved aside various food items until the nearly empty gallon of milk was reachable. He grabbed it and pulled it out, shoving the door shut and going back to the table where he poured his cereal into a bowl. He grabbed the milk and poured the remaining contents in when he heard footsteps behind him. There stood his uncle, smiling slightly and shaking his head as he joined the little boy in the kitchen.

“Thanks for waiting, squirt.” he joked as Shippo began shoveling the cereal into his mouth. InuYasha got himself a bowl and sat down at the table, grabbing the milk carton and going to pour it on his cereal when he noticed it was empty. He gently poked the little boy in a playful manner, making him giggle. “Thanks for saving me some.”

“Thorry.” he giggled, going back to his own bowl.

InuYasha looked around and realized that he hadn't grabbed himself a spoon and turned to get up. “Now, all I need is a spoon.”

“I'll get it!” Shippo said happily, dropping his own spoon in his bowl and running over to the silverware drawer before the older boy had a chance to stand. He ran back and handed the spoon over, grinning widely and once again showing off the gap in his mouth.

“Thanks kiddo.” InuYasha said, taking the spoon and digging in. Shippo nodded and hopped back into his own chair, accidentally flipping his spoon and sending several soggy cereal pieces at InuYasha. They hit him square in the face that sent the little boy into a laughing fit.

InuYasha simply sat there, his eyebrow twitching slightly as the red loop that stuck there plopped into his own bowl. All the while Shippo guffawed wildly as InuYasha fought the urge to laugh himself. He wiped the food from his face and watched as the little boy laughed hard enough to fall out of his chair, gripping his aching sides.

At this point InuYasha couldn't help but burst into laughter himself. They hooted like hyenas for a good ten minutes after that before they could laugh no longer. The older boy helped his nephew up off the floor and they cleaned up their mess, no longer wanting to eat.

“Uncle Yasha?” spoke Shippo in a hopeful tone as he skitted into the living room and jumped onto the couch. “Can we go visit your friend again and see if she's there this time?”

“I suppose so. After all, there's no harm in trying.” InuYasha told the boy as he reached over and grabbed his shoes up off the floor. Shippo followed in suit and both slipped their shoes on before heading out the door as InuYasha locked it behind them.

“I jus' hope that mean lady ithint there.” Shippo said as he raced down the stairs with his uncle following closely behind.

---Higurashi Residence---

It was nearly one-thirty in the afternoon when the doorbell rang. Kagome had finished eating up breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen some hours ago and had been relaxing comfortably in front of her television set with a large bowl of pretzel-chip combo sitting in her lap. She sighed in a discontent manner and got up, setting the bowl down on the floor next to her.

She opened the door and looked out, momentarily blinded by the bright daytime. Standing on her porch was InuYasha dressed in a pair of baggy skater jeans and a red and black pinstripe top covered by a black jean jacket. Next to him was a little boy with fiery red hair who stared up at her with large green eyes. She was very surprised to see him there and became very worried at the same time.

“Hey Kagome!” he said in a cheerful voice before smiling at her.

“Hi.” she said quietly. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to hang out with you.” he said, taken aback by her question. Her voice sounded frightened, though he wondered why he would be making her afraid.

“Oh.” she whispered lightly before opening the door more and stepping behind it as her friend and his little companion came inside.

“Kagome, is there something wrong.” InuYasha asked as he watched her close the door and then attempt to sink into the shadows.

“Um, no, why do you ask?” she replied nervously, not moving from her spot.

“Because you are acting oddly. Tell me what's up.” he told her, walking over to her and leading her out into the light. It was then that he saw the bruise that marred her face, the dark circles around her eyes, and the gash on her head. She saw his draw drop slightly and turned away, embarrassed by how she looked.

“I'm sorry, but I think it's time you left.” she said as she used a hand to cover her face.

“Awe, I don't wanna go.” spoke a small voice which made Kagome look up and see the little boy gripping InuYasha's pant leg as he stared up at her. His little face warmed her heart and made her feel much better as he smiled at her.

“Well, I guess you can stay for a little while longer.” she said, smiling back at the little boy.

“Yay!” he exclaimed, bouncing on his toes a little bit.

“C'mon, why don't you watch some TV while I talk to your uncle.” Kagome told him as she led him to the couch and switched it to some cartoons. The little boy soon transfixed himself to the screen as Kagome lead InuYasha into the kitchen. The two sat down at the table and Kagome looked away from his gaze again.

“So, will you tell me what happened?” he asked her, reaching over and holding her hand gently as she looked up at him, locking eyes with him and she became lost in the comfort that those golden eyes brought.

“My mother.” Kagome began, swallowing hard. “She got mad and she hit me. She hit me a lot.”

“You should call the police!” he said, feeling disgusted that someone would treat her that way.

“I can't.” Kagome said in a loud, frightened whisper. “Believe me, I've tried. It doesn't work.”

“What?!” he exclaimed, his voice cracking with how upset he was. “That's it, I can't let you stay here.”

“Where am I supposed to go?” she asked, her eyes glazing over with tears as she pulled her hand away and wrapped her arms around herself.

“You can come stay with me.” he told her.

“I can't. She'll find me.” Kagome told him, standing up and going over to lean on the counter. “It will be ok. As long as I don't do anything wrong, she won't touch me.”

“I can't leave you here in this kind of situation.” he said, getting up and going over to her. He wrapped and arm around her and she laid her head lightly on his shoulder.

“I swear, it won't happen again.” she said to him, but he gave her a look that said he didn't believe her. “If, and mind you I said IF, I'll leave. Don't worry.”

“I can't not worry about you.” he told her, giving her a gentle hug. “I care about you. You're my friend.”

This made Kagome smile and she wrapped one of her arms around him and gave him a hug back. It felt so wonderful to have someone care even an inkling about her. “I'm glad that you are.”

“Is she going to be back any time soon?” he finally asked, realizing that she probably would be very upset with Kagome for having him over, especially after how she treated him the day before.

“No.” Kagome replied, shaking her head lightly. “She and the brat took off for the week.

“Well then.” he said with a smile as the two returned to the living room. “I guess I'll have to go out for some dinner and we can have a party, eh?”

“I guess.” Kagome said with a laugh. The idea was hilarious when she thought about it. Before, the thought of having even Sango and Miroku over for an hour while her mother was away had been enough to make her blood run cold. Now, however, that fear seemed to just disappear. She had never been able to share her secrets with the two, even though they were pretty close.

From there, things continued on with the same cheerful fervor. InuYasha went out to get a large bucket of fried chicken for dinner, which they ate in the living room while watching one of the funniest movies that Kagome owned. Afterwards, the three gorged on chocolate moose track ice cream until they all fell asleep on the couch.