InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ I Need A Vacation ❯ When Words Aren't Enough... ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Wow, it's chapter five, and I'm sure all my loyal fans are DYING to know what happens next. You are aren't you and now you're glaring at the computer saying, "Oh screw the stupid introduction, get back to the story!" And we will get to this story I just wanted to say thanks for your visits and support guys! ^-^ You thoroughly rock (forgive me yet?) this story has the most views out of all of mine. Wonder why...*sly smirk* In any event, I wanted to inform you that I appologize for typos but my stupid word processor lacks a spell check, that goes for all my stories, so if you see any spelling errors that really strike a nerve, just inform me either by email or review. Thanks.



"F-f--f--fath...f...f..." Inuyasha sputtered his eyes widening at the sight the middle aged man before him and he slowly began to take on the appearence of someone who has realized the severity of the situation they're in. Of course, being one of those people, it was only natural to take on such emotions...he only wished they weren't so apparent... his eyes traveled from the man's 5 o'clock shadowed face to Kagome, to his somewhat open robe. He felt a large and very unpleasent lump forming at his throat and his face becoming scalding hot.

Kagome's father was a man in his late thirties, but besides having a very tired face he looked rather young for his age. His skin was very pale and was the color and texture of that of a person who has spent the majority of their days in a dark room in front of a bright computer screen. There were deep circles under his eyes that contained the colors of hazel green and gold and his hair was like a messy black mop that was rather short, that was the very same shade and likeness of Kagome's, but the bangs were somewhat long and they fell into his eyes a bit. The expression on his face was not unlike Kagome's, and Inuyasha could only hope he was too stunned to remember that Inuyasha was in a bath robe, was in the same room with his daughter. In a hotel suite. A honey moon suite. Doing things loudly enough to cause him annoyance. Sexual things. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to throw up.

There was an unbearably tense silence and Inuyasha had the strong urge to go on another blabbing rampage just to kill it. The lack of sound was like a heated interrogation to him, the still air was a heavy metal slamming into him so hard, he could hardly breathe and it was trying to force the answers out of him. Slowly, Kagome's father began to regain the gift of blinking and movement, and Inuyasha almost sighed with relief when he opened his mouth. But the horrible suggestion in his mind that her father wouldn't have the nicest thing to say, caused all calm to flee from him. "K...kagome? Could it be?" he inquired in surprise studying his daughter in amazement. "I can't...I...this is...incredible!! Its been...six years...every day has gone by like an eternity---and...here you are..in this very room! I should have seen it before--you look exactly like your mother when she was younger...you have your mother's eyes... And I came here for...here for..."

"Uh-oh..." Inuyasha murmured quietly in Kagome's ear.

"...who exactly ARE you?" he growled at Inuyasha who jumped when Kagome's father's menacing gaze fell onto him.

"I'm...uh--who I said I was--" Inuyasha sputtered, looking around the room as if searching for an escape.

"Kagome, who is he?" her father inquired of her, a deep scowl on his face, his eyes shifting back and forth from the hanyou and to his daughter. Inuyasha pulled hard on the belt of his robe, tightening it, the dryness of his throat not subsiding.

"He's Inuyasha, like he said he was..." Kagome murmured, still seeming very stunned, staring vacantly at the wall. "Where have you been all this time?" she inquired quite suddenly, a slight frown no appearing on her face that looked identicle to her father's as she looked up at him.

"More about that later," her father returned gruffly, looking very foul tempered at the fact there was a mystery man who was most likely sleeping with his daughter, "I want to know what exactly has been going on here! Who are you and WHAT pray tell have you been doing with my daughter?!" he thundered at Inuyasha, leaning quite close to him and prodding his chest painfully with his index finger. Inuyasha was at a loss for words. He was more afraid of this one man than any hoard of demons, than anything he remembered ever being afraid of. He felt his mouth opening and closing but no sound was coming, and Kagome didn't seem like she was about to help him. She seemed quite angry that her father was their whatsoever, but very shocked at the same time...which gave Inuyasha more confidence.

"I don't think you have the right to ask that!" Inuyasha bellowed, trying to keep the quaver out of his voice. "You think you can come...barging in here--into Kagome life, demanding information!!? You don't even KNOW her! You haven't seen her in years and now you think you have the right to come in here and order her around? Actually get all fatherly and pretective for once in Kagome's god damn life to judge ME? Well, I don't THINK so! Maybe Kagome doesn't feel like she needs to ANSWER your questions!" The look on Kagome's face was now one of pure rage.

"He's not even ASKING me questions, he's asking YOU! You're just making EXCUSES!"

"Yeah but--well--YOU'RE NOT EXACTLY HELPING ME HERE!"

"What am I suppsoed to say!!? I haven't seen him since I was ten years old--I don't even remember him that well--and now the first time he comes and finds me in six years I'm dressed in an inside-out blouse and I'm wearing two different colored socks AND my skirt isn't even on all the way--plus my hair is WAY messed up--not to mention HE HAPPENS TO BE THE GUY WHOSE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT US DOING IT!!!!" Inuyasha just stared. "Oh...I don't know what to do..." she sniveled, looking to the ground. "This is...terrible..."

"He's still right there you know," Inuyasha reminded her quietly, patting her back, "It's ok, I can get him to leave, you know..." he said after she cried a little.

"No you CANT!" her father cried, causing Inuyasha to shudder, "I have been searching for six years and I'm not goig to let some lunatic PUNK keep me away from my daughter!" There was a short quiet while the only sound was Kagome quiet sobbing. "We can forget this for now, I only want to know how you're doing, Kagome, I only care about your happiness..."

"Well...I'm fine, alright? I don't know what you want with me...you're the one who left, so what could you possibly want?"

"But I...well..."

"What?"

"I just...need to know if you're alright..."

"I said I was."

"Can you at least tell me a little about him?" he asked Kagome, motioning to Inuyasha. Kagome wiped her eyes and looked from her father, to Inuyasha to the floor, and sighed.

"He's...a half dog demon from Fuedal Japan."



"So, how has the trip been, you guys been to the beach yet?" Yuka inquired casually, lounging in the leather chair in the vast presidential suite. Inside were many pictures depicting former presidents and a somewhat red, white, and blue color scheme, what was toned down so that it didn't blare the national anthem at your eyes when you looked at it.

"Yep, and there was this AWESOME celebration, it was SO cool!" But Yuka wasn't listening, she was gazing at Kagome's mother who was once again counting candy at the small table near the vast window at the west of the room that was concealed by the red, white, and blue set of curtains. Her head was muddled with thoughts about Kagome. Could it be that the Kagome she had heard so clearly on the loud speakers of the hotel lobby moaning and panting--the one that was supposedly married--could it be that she was te very same Kagome that had been her friend since grade school? Did her mother know Kagome was wed but she still hadn't told her? Could it be Yuka was the very last to know and even her own PARENTS had kept it a secret from her?!! The curiousity was burning so strongly inside her, she subconciously jumped to her feet, an expression of determination on her face.

"Ms. Higarashi?"

"Yes?"

"Is there something...you haven't...told me about...Kagome?" she inquried carefully, hoping she didn't seem suspicious or rude.

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked in a dazed manner looking up at the ceiling, her lips moved in the shape that indicated she was lip mouthing numbers.

"Well...it's just, is...Kagome married?" There was a short silence, only for a moment, but what cut into it was the burst of laughter from Sota which was joined by Kagome's mother and finally, nervously by Yuka.

"No, that was a tiny white lie...told to the receptionist at the counter...so we could get the marred couple deal..."

"Oh!" Yuka breathed, feeling relief spread over her. She continued to laugh with Sota, but stopped abruptly when a thought came to mind...could she still be the same Kagome she heard on the speakers? The man at the counter said she was married...he would think that if Kagome's mother had lied to him... "Um...so...how can you pretend she's married...if she isn't with anybody?"

"Oh, but we took that boy along...the one you and Kagome's other friends met a while back...Inuyasha," Yuka's eyes widened, the name called out over the speakers...it was Inuyasha! Fortunately, another thought came to mind which caused her nerves to calm somewhat and a weak laugh escaped her.

"I missed heard you! I thought you said Inu--um--Inuyasha, what did you really say?"

"No, that's what I said, dear, Inuyasha!" Kagome's mother chimed.

"Really?" she laughed feeling a little faint. No, no, it can't be right. There's no way. Kagome did NOT have sex...no...fricking...way...it just...can't be...she couldn't have...NOT BEFORE ME!!!

"What's wrong?" Sota asked, looking truly perplexed as he serveyed Yuka. After a few moments of silence, he brightened with realization, "Oh I get it...you like Inuyasha! Don't you?"

"Huh? What? No! I only met him once...but..." But if that's really his name...then she had to be...unless...AM I BEING PRANKED?


"This isn't something to joke about," Kagome's father said sternly, studying Kagome and Inuyasha for a few moments. He finally sighed and brought his hand to his fore head in an aggravated manner. "But if you really can't tell me..."

"It's not a joke!" Kagome snapped, her hands gripping into fists at her sides. "I wish I was joking, but he really IS a half demon!"

"Oh, come on Kagome, I thought by the time you were sixteen you could stop telling stories..."

"If I'm telling stories..." she trailed off as she stomped after Inuyasha, who was slinking away and grabbed one of his dog ears. "...then explain THIS!" She grasped it so roughy, the cap he had put on his head just before Kagome had answered the door flew off and his two inhuman ears were revealed.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha exclaimed anxiously in protest. Her father's hazel-gold eyes were locked on the strange sight for several long moments, his eyes quite huge and a bizzare expression on his face that almost looked as if he had been electrically shocked. He seemed as if he was frozen in time for that short amount of time, until, it seemed, somehow he had found some sort of explaination in his mind.

"All I know is, you're lying to me, Kagome, and I realize I haven't been around, but believe me when I say that if I could have I would!" The look on his face was one of pleading, and in his eyes was a heart-wrenching sincerity that Kagome couldn't ignore. She subconciously let go of Inuyasha, her gaze fixed on her father, standing very still. At that instant a knock sounded from the door. Inuyasha began to loath the sound, though after he thought about it, he figured a distraction would serve well for he and Kagome to steal away and have a talk...

"I'll get it," Kagome murmured hoarsely , in almost a whisper, her head hung slightly. She took small steps toward the door and when she opened it, Inuyasha saw that it definitely would be a distraction...but not nessesarily the pleasent kind... "Mom!" Kagome gasped.

"Hello honey, Yuka wanted to see you..."
"Yuka?" Kagome looked over her mothers shoulder and saw her friend flayling her arms about rather idiotically, hopping up and down and making frantic hand motions toward her.

"Kagome! Kagome, kagome, Kagome, Kagome, Kagome, Kagome!!! YOU HAVE TO TELL ME!!" she exclaimed three words a second. "KAGOME!!'

"I don't know what's wrong with her," Sota murmured, looking traumatized as he stared catatonically at the ground. "She almost killed me back there...and then she was like this...and then evil...and then...this...and then..." Kagome gazed at all of them and considered slamming the door. Should she prevent her mother from seeing her father? The one that left all those years ago? The more Kagome spoke with him, while she had done very little talking, the more comfortable she felt, and she got the sense that she could forgive him, perhaps. In her younger years she had admired him so dearly and longed to see him so much...that was before her mother could tell her the true reason he was never around...

"Well, will you let us in?" Kagome's mother inquired, looking impatient as if she had some other pressing engagement to tend to and was only tolerating this for the sake of the children. At Kagome's awkward response to this question, Yuka seemed to perk up and took on the nature of one who had discovered a secret aspect unknown by most in the room.

"Oh! Um...perhaps you should give Kagome a few moments she um--probably wants the room to look clean..." she threw a furtive expression Kagome's way and she only returned with a bewildered one. Suddenly her eyes widened. Did Yuka know? And if so what was she planning? Did her friend honestly think she should hide her father from her mother and Sota while she stalled for time? It seemed so childish and immature...

"Yuka!" Kagome hissed, surprised at her friend's behavior but after she scanned over it a moment and remember her friend's usual nature, she began to realize it wasn't so shocking.

"What?" she inquried perplexedly, only trying to buy Kagome some time to recover from the suppsoed sex they were interupting. Kagome sighed and had true saddness, pity, and pain in her eyes as she gazed up at them and slowly opened the door. Her mother wasn't like her. It would hurt her mother deeply to see the face of her ex-husband... What on earth was going to happen? As the family's eyes fell onto the weary looking man Kagome could only watch helplessly, feeling her body becoming so severely dense and unmovable and the scene unfolding as slow as mollasses dribbling through the opening in a bottle. It squeezed at her heart quite agonizingly to wittness the once unaware eyes of her mother quiver and bulge out when they registered the weary looking man standing in the room with them.

Sota didn't notice his mother's reaction, or the strange air in which Kagome was carrying on, he only stared in a perplexed manner in the direction of the stranger that stood a few feet away from him. "Who's that Kagome?" he looked up at his sister questioningly. She didn't seem to have heard him, however, and was surveying her mother carefully, biting her lip, her eyes moist. The only thing she could sense for certain was her heart skittering over a few beats and it felt as if it came to a complete stop when her father turned all the way around and he and her mother saw one an other. There was several feet between them, there were standing directly across from each other, just staring. Not one word was spoken, Kagome eyes shifted from one parent's gaze to the other, her fist pressing tightly against her chest. Suddenly, the entire breathlessness of everyone was broken when her mother was hear exhaling quite loudly, her lids fluttering down making her look as if her eyes were closed, but they were locked with the floor.

"Mom..." Kagome began, taking a step towared her mother, but something stopped her. Her mother's eyes suddenly fell onto the small plate of mints on the near by table.

"Sweets," she said in a falsly cheerful, captivated manner. She quickly made her way over to the table, to everyone's astonishment and took a handful of the candies, placing them in her purse, she turned and eyed Yuka. "They seem rather good, have you seen this room, isn't it amazing?"

"Mom--" Kagome repeated, with more firmness, starting for her once again.

"It is isn't it?" her mother said to no one. Though she covered her pain well with the casual act, Kagome could see it clear in her mothers eyes, she seemed to look around te room as if to judge it, in every direction except in the direction of her ex-husband. Kagome's eyes flew back to him, and he only sighed in defeat, thought Kagome wanted to hate him, she felt her stomach clench with pain at the sight. She pitied him. Snapping her out of her agonizing daze, was a light nudge at the back of her left arm, it was so insignificant compared to the vastness of everything enclosing on her that she was surprised she even felt it. Even so, she slothfully spun around meeting two of the most prescious jewels in this world, sparkling down at her, the only thing that could give her comfort in this world at this moment...but she still doubted anything could set her aching heart at ease.

The silver threads that shown against those flaming opals that gleamed at her reaching her heart in an attempt to warm her soul, glinted in the light and flowed back and forth like calm reeds by a lake. Every aspect of Inuyasha that was so unreal, though dimming now, was simply breath taking. His lips uttered the words like a swift, flowy moving warrior, slaying the tips of her pain...but it ran so deep... "Let us leave..." they whistled through the air toward her, like a gentle breeze. The idea was a beautiful flower but its withered inside quickly revealed themselves to her once the relief began to spread over her, it quickly vanished.

"I can't leave her," Kagome returned in a hoarse whisper, motioning to her mother.

"She's in pain...but so are you...we have to talk, just for a moment..." The sound of his voice was so soothing she couldn't resist him, and followed him quietly out the sliding glass door to the balcony. The sky looked like a fe buckets of paint had been spilled onto it, splattering across its canvas and being smudged by the finger prints of a curious mind that loved the image, but needed to experiment, creating clouds. Kagome leaned onto the railing of the balcomy, gazing out at the beauty for a moment, then closing her eyes and feeling the kisses of the wind on her face. Doing these simple things was a futile attempt to forget her current circumstance. She felt perhaps she could do it, maybe if she tried hard enough...


Kagome's father's eyes had been on the woman he loved but finally he had come to notice his daughter and the young man he had just met had simply vanished. He looked around a moment and soon saw them through the sheild of glass before him. To his surprise as the sky quickly darkened he saw a sudden change begin to come over the boy. His silver hair was beginning to blacken, the foriegn ears upon his head beginning to transform. The boy's profile was reflected in the purple, orange light which was slowly becoming more blue from the changing sky, also glimmered in his golden eyes that slowly began to fade into a far more normal sepia color. This bizarre phenomenon instead of causing him to become alarmed and disarrayed, made him feel more secure and well meaning toward the boy. The magical occurance that he had just wittnessed, the unearthly boy becoming an ordinary human under the starlight that now took over the sky made him realize quite suddenly...that this boy was by all means half demon.

He couldn't hear a single breath a single utterence, but when he saw Inuyasha's lips move he got the sense that he knew what he was saying. Somehow what was unfolding before him seemed so strikingly familiar...but in a reassuring way. He could tell the boy hadn't finished speaking when Kagome had forced her lips onto his and threw her body against his. Her hands slinked down on either of his sides and connected at the knott in the belt of the white bath robe he was wearing. His thoughts were trying to scan his memories for what this remind him of, as Inuyasha gently places his palms on Kagome's arms and pushed her away from him.


"I want to forget...I can't take it anymore...what...what are you doing?"

"This is isn't right, we can't..."

"Can't what?"

"There's so much pressure on you so I understand..."


Though the words may have been the same as the ones being said, he quickly realized he wasn't hearing them from the voices of Kagome or Inuyasha outside. Perhaps they had been part of a mere dream? Kagome could be seen on the otherside of the glass arguing in a bewildered manner with Inuyasha, who only took her into warm embrace and didn't reply. Slowly, he saw her lip movements fade and a somewhat confused expression on her face remain. There was a short moment when the both of them were so still her father considered for a split second he had been watching a muted movie and now it had been placed on pause. Suddenly, he saw his daughter's mouth open and close again, and Inuyasha seemed to whisper in return as he leaned in and kissed her forehead lovingly, and at that instant he knew why all of this was playing before him in such a deja vou manner.


"There is only one reason to do that...this one...it isn't it..."

"...I...I just..." His lips moved closer to her and gently caressed her forehead like a gentle but protecting eagle's wing over his mate's.

"It's alright, I said I understood...but...if I love you then...we're not going to do this...not now."

"It's just, I feel like...I can't handle everything anymore...so maybe I just wanted--"

"To escape? Run away...and forget? And I know what it's like, but you have to face everthing at some point. When I touch you I want you to know, that it is an expression of the love that I feel. If I ever can't say it in words...if I can't tell you something, perhaps through that you can understand. But at this moment, what you need is my embrace...and I need yours..."

His arms wrapped around her tighter and he could smell her curly hair which contained the scent of flowers. This moment defeated all the rest in his life, never had he been more certain that he was meant to be with her... When she pulled away a little, for an instant he felt such a terrible chilling cold and a saddness spread through him, but it was immediately repaired when she kissed him passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck.


Perhaps it may have been somewhat alarming how similar the scenes were, when he saw her kiss the now abony haired boy in front of her with all the love she could muster in a kiss; puzzingly enough, placing each arm on his shoulders and curving them about his neck and the very same manner he knew a similar soul to hers had once done. She moved even closer to him, allowing him to take her in entirely with his arms, and imprison her mouth further inside his. He slid his mouth to the right take in a breath and mouthed her gently, his hands sluggishly moving from around her to her jaw, his fingers running through her hair as he dragged them up along her face. He watched them for several moments, and he chuckled as they continued a while when he thought, Well, they're going a bit longer than I did... His eyes traveled from them to the only person who he knew he belonged with, but could never have...

The light rumble of the sliding glass door opening and closing brought him out of his thoughtful daze and he turned from Kagome's mother to the two behind him. "You need to talk to her, Dad," Kagome told him, the smile of content on her face vanishing and becoming a solemn expression.

"She won't...talk, Kagome..." he returned slowly, his eyes now on the floor. They traveled from the carpet up to the eyes of Kagome's mother who weren't anywhere near in his direction. She was laughing, a rather false laugh as she spoke conversationally with Yuka who noticed all three of their gazes were on her and eyed them with an appologetic expression. A breath of guilt escaped her and a helpless shrug was all she could manage as she lip mouthed something their way, in her eyes was begging, begging to be forgiven. All the girl was doing was helping Kagome's mother avoid reality, perhaps hurting her more, but she hadn't any idea what else she could do in the situation.

It was then, Kagome's view fell onto her younger brother who was staring at her, surveying her with a look of slight hurt on his face. He seemed so thoroughly bewildered as his eyes flowed from Kagome to her father. Inquiring her as they bore into her own eyes of the same shade with an expression she wasn't sure she wanted to read, his eyes were pained but confused as to why it they were. He was asking her why, so desperately with his piercing presence that was focused in her direction, Kagome felt her whole body freezing up as if it was becoming solid ice rapidly. The air around her was so throoughly heavy, she struggled to take on step toward her brother, her own face of concern and sadness unable to make his go away.

A pull at her sleeve caused her to turn and she saw he father whose pale skin say out nearly flat in such a calmed, serene manner that she could only gawk at him for a moment. "Can I speak with you for a moment? Out here?" he inquired, motioning toward the sliding glass door. Kagome took one last look at her brother, who was standing so still as if waiting for her...he would have to avoid the truth a little longer...she slowly turned, her gaze in his direction tediously unraveling and reforming toward the direction she and her father slothfully traveled toward.

"Inuyasha..." came Sota's weak hoarse breath.

"Yeah?" he replied delicately, taking his eyes away from Kagome and her father as they exited out of the room to the balcony. His face was decorated with slight fear and such seriousness, Sota felt starled. Inuyasha waited for what he was going to ask, praying he wouldn't have to be the one who revealed to Sota that the "stranger" who had just left was his father...

"...what...are they going to talk about...do you think?"

"...I don't really know...I only hope...I'm not in trouble." His eyes widened as he said the last words, they careless fluttered out, the butterly out of the bigger gap in the net...

"...in trouble?" he inquired with slight interest and surprise, "...for what?"

"I don't know," he sighed warily, "...well...I guess what I should be hoping for...is that they can speak with one an other...without..." But he didn't finish, he could tell this information only posed more questions in Sota's mind. ...without causing more pain...I hope Kagome can forgive him...I'll never ever be able to talk like that--with my father...at least she has gotten to see hers again. Sota studied Inuaysha with his big brown perplexed eyes, forcing him to turn away, he couldn't take it, and he couldn't be the one to tell him...what would his reaction be?

Just when they walked out under the blanket of stars above them, her father noticed that Kagome's face was twisted in a frown as she gazed down at the wood balcony unde rher feet and walked out to the railing in front of her. "Kagome...I know that you hate m--"

"I don't understand it," she murmured, cutting her father off, "why can't I hate you, why can't I be angry with you? Why?!" She demanded loudly, her eyes becoming threateningly watery as she looked at her father. His face was very subdued as he glanced down at the floor and his glowing eyes then matched her own. Kagome expected him to be happy that she didn't hate him, perhaps a little concerned about her outburst...but his reaction was strange to her...

"Kagome..." he sighed, he seemed so very tired and weak as he looked up at her with his pale face, his dark hair hanging in his eyes, "...I don't want to say there are many things you don't understand about this...that would be treating you like a child, but there are things...you don't know..." Kagome felt a twinge of vexation bubbling up inside her, her eyes flashed slightly as they fixated on her father. Why was he saying things like this? As if some piece of information made all the difference? Kagome knew he had been out of her life for six years...wasn't that enough? But somehow she could not find the power to hate this broken man standing before her, so weary, so frail.

"I'm sorry, Dad, that I want to hate you..." she said quietly, gazing out at the city below, "you do know that, before I knew you left us...I always used to think about you a lot... I wanted...to be like you..." For some inexplicable reason she felt a lump forming in her throught and that burning sensation you get in your face and eyes when you desperately need to cry.

"I am sorry it had to be like this...that I had to come so late... I don't wish to change the subject and never speak of my absence from your life, but I need to know...more about, Inuyasha..." Kagome's eyes flickered back onto him in slight surprise and slight panic, but she managed a shuddering sigh in defeat, there was no point in getting worked up, she looked back out onto the city lights.

"I understand if you're angry with him...and maybe me..."

"I'm not," he returned softly, "I was...but I think I was too shocked to listen to reason at the time..."

"He is a half demon, he looks normal now because every new moon he turns into a human for one night..." She let out a deep breath and turned to her father, "I know you don't beleive me...mother and grandpa didn't beleive me at first..."

"Grandpa? You mean...my father in law...are you living at the shrine?"

"Yes."

"I should have known..." he breahted with an expression of regret on his face as his eyes fell onto the scenery.

"And that had everything to do with it, because I was dragged into the Bone-eater's Well by a demon and brought to the Fuedal Era--after that I met Inuyasha...I had the chikon jewel inside me and that's how I could go through..." she paused for a moment, "I thought I was normal up until that day but I was born with the jewel inside my body...and all my life I've been...desitined to protect it..." She stopped again for a few moments and rummaged around in her shirt, revealing a small bottle where the jewel shards were encased that was attatched to a necklace, "See? These are the shards of it..."

"Shards?"

"I...I shattered it... When I was trying to stop a demon from taking it...so it's all my fault--and Inuyasha and me had to collect all the pieces--and we HATED eachtoehr--but not really because Inuyahsa had to pretend he hated Kikyo because of his pride. Kikyo...she's the preiestess I'm reincarnated after...Inuyasha was in love with her, but a demon called Naraku set them apart and tricked Kikyo into sealing Inuyasha to the Sacred Tree...I found him and unsealed him 50 years later in that time... Everything was fine after that because...even though we started to make friends who joined us on our journey to retrieve all the jewel shards and defeat Naraku...we...began to fall in love--even if we didn't realize it at first. But then...Kikyo was resurrected...and he couldn't choose between us...we couldn't share our feelings either--because...he couldn't let go of her...and I didn't want to make him forget his obligations... He said that he owed Kikyo, he felt it was fault she had died...she followed him in death after he was sealed, thinking he had died forever...and was burned with the jewel... But now she lives on the hatred she has for Inuyasha and has no soul--before she thought Inuyasha had betrayed her, but she learned it was Naraku--only...she still wants to take him to Hell with her...and she still lives on that hatred... But I undertsand why he may have had trouble choosing because he felt it was his responsibilty--because it was his fault and because they were once in love and thought they were on opposing sides, priestess in demon, they still fell in love and...well...she's prettier than me..." She finally stopped in all her rush, and wodnered if her father had gathered any of it.

"No one, is prettier than you Kagome," he father whispered to her and Kagome's face flushed pink.

"You only say that...cause you're my dad..."

"Well...maybe I'm a little biased, but I still beleive it with all my heart." Kagome smiled.

"I know he doesn't love Kikyo...he may have never before...he only felt guilty and felt like he owed her so much..."

"And how old is he then?"

"Well..." Kagome trailed off, looking very unsure, "...he's a half demon, so age is way different, he could be over fifty years old or even a hundred in human years, it's sort of hard to tell in demon ones...how old does he look?" Her father's gaze turned to the long haired boy inside the room and he surveyed him a moment, a chuckle finally escaped him.

"Too old for you," he told her with a smile and Kagome knew he was simply kidding.

"...you don't trust him though...I mean, I guess I understand that..." her father exhaled deeply.

"I didn't before...but...I think I do now."

"Cause of what I said?" Kagome asked, wrinkling her nose in a confused manner.

"No...because he reminds me of someone..."

"Really?" Kagome beamed, leaning in closer in interest, "Who?"

"...well...me, when I was his age actually." Kagome thought about how much Inuyasha cussed and his horrible temper and laughed. "What's so funny? You think I was never young and handsome like he is? I'll have you know that I used to be quite the ladies man growing up... Would your mother settle for less?" Kagome finally stopped laughing and her expression became a little less cheerful.

"Mom..." she studied her father carefully, but then decided he would tell her when the time was right, "so you're okay with him then...even though we..."

"Well, maybe, you are only sixteen, isn't this a bit early?"

"...I don't know..." Kagome returned blushing furiously, wishing she had never brought it up.

"...how much have you...?"

"I-I-well..it's just--I--" Kagome stammered, feeling her face burning uncomfortably, "--I--well..." she sighed, "--if you want an explaination...it's that...like I said all this time we haven't been able to really express how we felt, sometimes we said our feelings, but I guess we just were a little unsure how to put them... I think now, we were just trying to--I don't know--tell each other something that we couldn't put into words..." To her surprise, though she found what she was saying to make so little sense, her father seemed to understand.

"I...know what you mean." She stared at him a moment, at a loss as to how he could when her mind scanned over it a moment and she shuddered.

"D-dad--um--I may be--more mature now, but knowing that you um...yeah...that's still gross..." He chucked again. There was a pause as the night breeze brushed passed them hushing the bustle down below a bit.

"And are you sure you were ready?" There were several moment that the bustle of the city filled all the sound entirely and Kagome stood very still thinking of a way to reply.

"I had to be...because, I thought about it in the past--long before--what it would take for me to be able to do something so life changing.. I realize a lot of people don't udnerstand anymore how much of big deal it is...I had to think about it a lot, even though it sort of came up so spontaneously... A lot of things came to mind...that I had to love him of course, and know he loved me, even though I found when he said it to be reassuring, I think I knew all along but...there are a lot of things to think about... I realize that I'm risking a lot...and normally I would have waited longer...but...when I realized that I was thoroughly ready to take on whatever came with it, that I was not afraid and there wasn't an instict telling me not to, then I realized that everything would be ok..."

"And what if you get a child from all of this?"

"I thought of that," Kagome returned, still looking thoughtful, "but I trust Inuyasha with everything, I know he'd never leave me--" she stopped and looked to her father, remember he had once left someone...she continued quietly, "...I know you can't do something like that without trusting the person with everything... The scary thing is I almost want a kid...but with everything in the Fuedal Era it might be a little hard..."

"Don't make me a grandpa," her father joked, setting some of Kagome's nervousness at ease.

"Yeah...then Grandpa will be a Great Grandpa...I wonder how he'd feel about that..."

"Old," her father answered, "he'd feel old, I would too." Kagome giggled a little a bright smile on her face as she looked to her father.

"I just don't get it," Kagome sighed, her laughter ending, "I just can't...stay mad...at all..at you...I'm actually...glad you're hear dad--though I feel a bit guilty for mom that I do...I just--can't help it. It must be your charm or something...I guess its a little frustrating, but even if it sickens me a little--I'm happy that I still love you as a father..." Her father didn't know what to say to this at first, he didn't know how he should feel about it. He knew he had to tell her, but if he did, what would she think? He wasn't thinking of himself at all, she would find no reason to hate him for it, but--how could he explain what even he didn't understand? "Well...Dad, what...is it that makes Inuyasha like you?" His eyes studied her a moment and Kagome wodnered if he was looking for the answer that would please her or the honest one.

"...he handled you out here...the same way that..." But he trailed off Kagome could see there was pain in his expression, she felt helpless and confused, unable to think of anyway to help.

"It's okay...you don't have to tell me," she assured him consolingly.

"You remind me...so much of her, Kagome...its almost like traveling back and time and speaking with your mother when she was younger..." There was another period of time when neither spoke and Kagome could only study her father who looked like he had recieved a stab wound, as if there was something that caused him to cringe in the pain...

"Dad, I hope you understand that I'm okay, and that Inuyasha will take care of me...that I mean the world to him... Also...I really do still love you."

"I love you too, Kagome."


Kagome entered the room again and was not surprised to see her mother still emmersed in conversation with Yuka and now was distracting her brother as well. She supposed, perhaps it was for the better, maybe her brother didn't have to know right away that it was their father... Inuyasha speculated over her appearence trying to figure out how things had wen as she walked up to him. "Ka...Kagome?" he said, carefully, looking unsure. "How did it--"

"Inuyasha," Kagome's father's voice boomed loudly, as he beckoned for him to come from the doorway. Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome as he gulped and pointed at her father.

"Should I--"

"Go!" Kagome hissed, pushing him. She nearly laughed at his mortified expression as he approached her rather and the two walked out of the room.


"I understand you have had sexual relations with my daughter," Kagome's father said to him in a very stern voice. Inuyasha missed the obvious laughter in his eyes and was beginning to find it hard to think, breath, swallow or do much at all. The only thing he found he was good at was fidgeting anxiously and sputtering like a moron.

"I--well--it--uh--she--I can--um--well tell--uh--you see--I--" he sighed heavily, trying to get his scrambled thoughs together as he twisted the belt of his robe, squeezing it with all the nervousness he had in his system. He slowly began to take his grip off of it as he attempted to calm his nerves, "I...I love her..."

"I know."

"Y-you do?" Inuyasha stammered finding the unimpressed sounding stoneness of her father's voice very unencouraging. "W-w-well I--"

"But what is love, anyway? I mean, what does that PROVE?" Kagome's father was sure he had over done it on his somewhat drill sargent sounding tone, and that Inuyasha would pick up on the joke now, but to his amazement, the boy seemed comically unaware.

"I-i-i-it--" Inuyasha found that even speaking to this man about the weather would be difficult let alone having sex with his daughter, "I-it's important I-I mean, isn't it?" Kagome's father didn't reply, he only studied him, Inuyasha somehow gained more courage and self assurence. "Y-yeah, I m-mean, yeah. So,YEAH, if you don't think that--um--sir, then I'm sorry, but I'll have to disagree with you--um--is that okay?" Inuyasha didn't recall ever calling anyone sir at any other time in his life. "...and um...I could see that she was ready b-b-because I...u-u--understand her...and...and..." he was making hand motions as if counting off things and was gazing right before him where he was pointing at invisible representations of his points, but now looked thoroughly lost. "...I...don't usually act like this...sir..." He grabbed his throat trying to force himself to stop talking.

"Do you plan on marrying her?" Kagome's father inquired, trying to keep down a smile and expecting Inuyasha's reaction to be extremely panicked at this question. Inuyasha's brown eyes met his own directly for the first time in the conversation as if it was the first question he had understoof.

"Well, of course," he returned, somehow far more composed, "when...she's older and..." his eyes widened with an after thought, "...i-i-if it's okay with you, sir?" he winced at saying the over polite word once again. He felt a strong fleeting sensation of relief spreading over him quickly as Kagome's father broke into laughter and that stone-cold stern expression evaporated from his face entirely.

"You would marry her even if I forbid you, I know that much, Inuyasha." Inuyasha gulped looking very uncomfortable.

"H-how do you know?"

"Well, because if you're anything like me you would, and I know you're like me, which is why I trust you," he returned with a grin patting a stunned Inuyasha on the shoulder.

"S-s-so y-your okay with me then?" Inuyasha inquried, looking somewat bewildered as he made more frantic hand motions as he spoke.

"Of course, I'm glad my daughter chose someone like you, couldn't have picked better." Inuyasha almost jumped in pure shock when he felt Kagome's father hug him close. The expression on his face that was extremely dumbfounded slowly became more and more collected and he sighed, probably the biggest sigh he had ever exhaled as he felt an extrodinary contentment wash over him. Her father accepted him. Suddenly, his happiness and comfort in the fact Kagome's father accepted him became even more deep, as he began to feel as if this was the first time in his life that he had ever been held by someone that served as a father toward him. He let Inuyasha go, soon after he had put his own arms around him in return, and smiled peacefully at him, "Sorry to give you such a scare before. Do you feel better now, son?"

"Thank you...so much...you have no...idea."


"So how did it go?" Kagome whispered excitedly, a smile on her face. Inuyasha coudld tell she knew it was going to go well since the beginning a found a slight scowl forming on his face when he remembered her lack of assurence when she shoved him toward her father.

"Thanks for scaring the crap out of me Kagome!" he hissed.

"I did most of the scaring of crap," her father beamed, walking to them. Sota dashed over to them suddenly in the middle of a conversation he was having with his mother about what was on television.

"So, can't you just tell me who he is already?" Sota inquried, looking slightly hesistant, but trying his best not to. Kagome and Inuyasha looked over at the middle aged man beside them from Sota looking quite unsure.

"I'm...your father, Sota."

"What?"

"Sota, it's sort of...hard to explain," Kagome began.

"No it's not," her father said, kneeling down to Sota, "I've been searching for you." Kagome had a perplexed expresision on her face. What did he mean by that?

"That's enough," Kagome's mother cut in, looking far more serious than Kagome was sure she had ever seen her. "Toru...I suppose, you want to talk to me?" He didn't reply and only studied Kagome's mother with an expression equally grave as he stood up straight. Kaogme looked from her father to her mother then back again, why did she feel like she was misisng something? It almost seemed as if...but how could that be? She didn't want to believe it...

"Ms. Higarashi, should I go now?" Yuka inquired, walking up to all of them with uncertainty. Kagome had never seen the girl look so timid.

"I think you should all go...we will be out in the balcony...perhaps you should go in the lobby..." Toru informed them all in a tone Kagome could tell contained many emotions, so much she was finding it difficult to single out any.

"But--" Sota bgan looking very confused and looking at his father as if he was a lost videogame that he wanted to enjoy as soon as humanly possible.

"Please, Sota," Kagome mother said firmly, in an almost icy manner that made Kagome shudder.

"Come on..." Kagome told her younger brother in a faded tone. She and Inuyasha both directed the boy out the hotel room's door and Yuka followed after them, but just before she had reached the door she noticed Kagome had a strangely content look on her face.

"I knew it!" she cried, "You're not such a great actor!"

"Yuka!" all three cried, looking scandalized.

"This IS prank isn't it, tell the truth!" They all hastilly shoved her out the door, as fast as they could before Kagome's parents heard her. Just when they closed the door, the girl spoke again, glaring at Inuyasha and Kagome. "Explain yourselves!! Did you have se--" Kagome covered her mouth motioning toward Sota.

"What?" he inquired blankely, suddenly he became suspicous of them, "Wait...what are you keeping from me, THIS time?"

"Yes, and what about ME?! This is such a HORRIBLE prank!!! How could you DO this to me!!? So well done too, with the watery eyes and the way your mother seemed so plagued by something but seemed to be brushing it off with nonchalance!" Kagome was almost too stupified by Yuka's uncharacteristicly good use of words to reply.

"Look, that really IS my dad and he really HAS been gone for six years--you think I'm LYING?!" Kagome exclaimed looking at the brink of hysterics. Inuyasha lightly touched her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. Yuka soon forgot everything else and was only reminded of what Kagome and Inuyasha might have done.

"So...so...did you two really I mean...were you..." Yuka trailed off looking at them both questioningly but mainly at Kagome whom she knew she could extract the information from far more easily. Kagome looked at Inuyasha, unsure what to tell her.

"Um..." Kagome returned, pleading with Inuyasha using her eyes for him to intervene. "We...uh..."

"I mean, 'cause if you have, I SO have to tell Eri and Arimi--plus you'll have to tell me everyth--"

"No, of course we haven't!" "No, never, we wouldn't!"

"Oh, okay," Yuka sighed feeling a great calm come over her, there was a short awkward pause, "Then what was that all about on the loud speakers in the lobby?" she finally inquried, looking suspecting once again.

"The...speakers? What are you talking about?" "What the hell are speakers?"

"Can you guys stop talking at the same time?" Yuka complained, looking impatient. "THAT part was a prank though right?" Kagome and Inuyasha stared at her looking perfectly confused.

"What are you guys going on about?" Sota asked finally out of the perplexed silence.

"Anyway, who cares," Kagome finally said, cutting into the second silence that had begun after Sota had spoken, "we need to get back in the hotel room--I want to know what mom and dad are talking about--I feel as if they're hiding something from me...or at least haven't told me yet... I intend to find out!"

"Wha..." the remaining said in unison.

"I'm going to listen in on their conversation...I need to know why dad hasn't seen us in six years... I don't think he left us..."

"Then are you saying your MOM left?" Yuka inquired looking extremely doubtful.

"No...no...that couldn't be it..." Kagome returned quietly, looking disturbed, "...but I have to find out the truth, so Inuyasha, hand me the key."

"You know what, this is dumb," Yuka said, as Inuyasha reached inside the pocket of his robe, "why don't you guys leave and go do it somewhere, I'm a much better spy, I'LL get the info!" Kagome and Inuaysha scowled at her.

"Do what?" Sota asked.

"We HAVEN'T!" the couple shouted at once.

"Haven't what?" Sota inquired.

"Yeah, whatever, THAT'S why you're just wearing a bath robe and Kagome is wearing her clothes inside out."

"Your right, that is weird," Sota said looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, well, I need to find this out for myself!"

"Well, your probably better off not knowing. SO, maybe we shouldn't even do this at all, Kagome."

"Yuka, if you were in MY possition, you would want to know!"

"No, if I were in your position I'd forget it and go get busy with my hot boyfriend!"

"WE HAVEN'T DONE IT!!"

"Done WHAT?" Sota demanded. They once again ignored him.

"Then maybe it's about time? I don't know, let's just go occupy ourselves, then. Whatever they're talking about, we aren't meant to hear at this time so lets forget it!"

"Yuka!" Kagome shouted in protest taking the hotel room key from Inuyasha and attempting to get arund Yuka sho was standing in front of the door. She only moved as Kagome did, ensuring she would not pass.

"Maybe she's right, Kagome," Inuyasha said with a sigh, "they'll tell us when they're ready to..."

"Yeah," Sota agreed, though he hadn't the faintest clue as to what he was agreeing with.

"Only thing is...what are we going to do in the time being?" Inuyasha asked, feeling the boredom over coming him already.

"Well...YOU have something to do," Yuka reminded him, motioning toward Kagome.

"YUKA!!!"