InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ More Than You Think ❯ Morning Rituals ( Chapter 16 )

Chapter 16

Morning rituals

“I hate Sundays…” Kagome whined as she rolled to the other side of her bed. She buried her face deep into her pillow, wishing her mother would stop making so much noise in the kitchen. She rolled on her side, listening intently: her mother was cooking. Souta was in his room, playing video games; she could hear him cursing. Who else would it be?

Slowly, she got up, put her hair up in a pony tail and slipped on a pair of gray shorts. She carefully got out of her room, and walked down the stairs quietly. She spotted her mother at the kitchen counter, chopping what looked like lettuce from where Kagome was standing. The girl smiled, her eyes softening as she watched her mom perform an action so simple, yet so significant. Yoko was…sober.

Kagome walked into the kitchen, sitting at the table in the middle of the room quietly. Yoko heard her, but didn't turn to her. “Good morning,” Kagome tried. Yoko nodded in response.

Kagome stared at her mother. She was apparently making a salad. She prepared the dressing and put it in a Tupperware, which she then placed in the fridge, along with the salad. Kagome glanced inside when her mother opened it. There were a bunch of meals that looked like they had been prepared only now. Kagome smiled. She only saw this happen once or twice a month… and sometimes she didn't even know it was happening.

She didn't utter a word, didn't make a sound. Yoko poured her a bowl of cereal, but didn't add any milk to it. She poured her daughter a glass of milk instead, because she knew Kagome liked pouring her milk herself, from a glass, while taking a few sips now and then.

Kagome's eyes watered. `She remembers…' It was such a small action, but for Kagome, it meant the world. “Thank you,” she said softly.

Yoko turned to her daughter and stared in her eyes. For a moment, Kagome wanted to hurl herself into her mother's arms and cry until she had no more tears left in her body. She wanted to be able to tell her about Inuyasha, and all of the things that had happened to her.

“You're welcome,” her mother finally answered, her voice a little cold. Kagome was snapped out of her reverie, and she nodded, smiling.

While Yoko did the dishes, she was thinking of what she could say to her daughter. Every time she looked at her, it was her deceased husband that she saw. Their eyes were both of the same electric blue, that beautiful blue she'd fallen in love with…

And Kagome had the same hair color as him. The same cheeks, the same nose, the same look… When her husband was still alive, Yoko had always cherished the fact that Kagome looked so much like her father. She found it adorable. But when he'd passed away, it was a lot harder to look at her, without wanting to scream, cry, and just rip out her hair in frustration.

The dreams that haunted her at night were horrible, the memories… All she'd ever said and done to her own daughter, it came back to hurt her in her sleep. She hated herself for it, felt disgusted with herself, but what could she do? Whenever she saw Kagome, she was drunk, high, or both.

She wanted to stop, she really did. But somehow, she just couldn't. She was so enraged when she saw Kagome happy, smiling… the same smile that used to light up her husband's face… she just wanted to hurt her. She knew it wasn't a normal reaction. She wasn't crazy; she knew that it wasn't normal for her to be so angry at Kagome for looking like her father.

But deep down, she was mostly angry with him. She had never gotten over the fact that he'd left her. She was still angry at him for cheating on her, and still making her love him. She'd loved him more than life, accepted the fact that he went out with other women, probably slept with them, too, and he'd died… He'd committed suicide, when he wasn't even supposed to be the one hurting. She had never understood. In the letters, he said he “couldn't take it anymore”. Take what, exactly?

Yoko hated the fact that after all, she still loved him, with all of her heart. She loved him, and yet had a grudge against him, and was taking it out on her own daughter. `Fuck, I'm so sick…' she thought, scrubbing the plates furiously.

“Mama…” Kagome said slowly, hesitantly. When her mother nodded, she continued. “Do you want any help with the dishes?”

Her mother's eyes watered. “No, I'm alright, thanks…” she answered, not even looking in Kagome's direction. She didn't know what her reaction would be if she saw those blue eyes again.

Kagome nodded, and finished her bowl of cereal. She placed the bowl and the cup on the counter next to her mother, and just stared at her.

“Wh-what are you going to do today?” Yoko asked awkwardly.

“I don't know. Maybe go to Sango's.” Kagome bit her lip. Was it okay to mention Inuyasha? She didn't want to ruin her mother's mood, but she wanted to see her reaction. “And m-maybe see Inuyasha…” she stuttered.

Yoko stopped scrubbing. She didn't move for a few moments. “Is that the boy you've been seeing?” she asked coldly.

“Y-yes…” Kagome whispered, almost trembling. She desperately wanted her mother to stay this way, so she could talk to her a little.

Yoko slowly started scrubbing again. She didn't say a thing. `Relax, relax, relax…' she repeated in her head. `Kagome has the right to be happy. She can go out with this boy if she wants to.'

She couldn't help it, though. “Be careful,” she said. “Men are disgusting when it comes to women.”

Kagome didn't want to anger her mother. She just sat back down, and listened to her talk.

“They make you fall in love with them,” Yoko went on, scrubbing with a vengeance. “And then they cheat on you with their secretary, their colleague, their neighbor, their old friend…” she trailed off, almost shaking with rage now.

Kagome looked down. She hadn't thought her mother might start talking about her dead husband - indirectly, of course.

After a long, awkward silence, Yoko finally asked, “Do you miss him, Kagome?”

Kagome froze. What could she answer? Yes, mama, I missed him? Yoko would pull a fit. She'd tell her how much of a horrible person her father was, and then both of their days would be ruined. No, mama, I don't miss him at all? Her mother would also pull a fit, saying that she should love and miss her father because he was a great person. Then she would go on about how unappreciative Kagome was towards her father, and so on.

So Kagome decided to just tell the truth. “Yes,” she said. “I miss him a lot.”

Yoko didn't answer for a while, just went on scrubbing. “So do I…” she whispered, her voice so low that Kagome hardly heard her.

XX

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!” Inuyasha roared when Miroku told him the news. They were both in Inuyasha's (huge) basement, playing video games. “I SPECIFICALLY TOLD YOU NOT TO TELL SANGO ANYTHING!”

“Shit, man, calm down!” Miroku tried to reason him. He was panicking. Inuyasha was going to slit his throat!

“WHAT THE FLYING FUCK TO YOU MEAN, `CALM DOWN'?! I AM CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO CALM DOWN! YOU'RE LUCKY I'M NOT KILLING YOUR ASS RIGHT NOW!”

“Uhh… that's a good thing then? It means you're not that mad…” Miroku stuttered. Inuyasha was already up and hovering over him, while he tried to disappear under the cushions of the beige couch they were sitting on.

“I AM FUCKING FURIOUS!” Inuyasha went on. “AND THE ONLY REASON I'M NOT KILLING YOU RIGHT NOW IS BECAUSE I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE FUCK SANGO SAID!”

“O-oh…” Miroku whispered, trying his best not to piss his pants. Inuyasha was really scary when he wanted to be. “Well, when I told her you told Kagome you loved her - ”

“EXCUSE THE FUCK OUT OF ME?!” Inuyasha screamed. “YOU TOLD HER THAT I LOVED KAGOME?! ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!”

“RELAX!” Miroku yelled. “Let me finish!”

Inuyasha breathed out deeply. “You better hurry, you mother fucking - ” He cut his sentence short to breathe out again.

“Right,” Miroku said, still terrified. “She said that Kagome slept through it because she didn't mention anything, and she would have, if she'd heard you.”

Inuyasha felt his whole body relax. “Oh…” he said, relieved. “Thank the fucking Gods…”

“Yeah…” Miroku squeaked. “I - er - I'm going to leave now… I'll talk to you later.”

And with that he sprinted up the stairs. `Amazing…' Inuyasha thought. He sat back down, and, ignoring the game completely, thought about what Miroku had just told him. Kagome had never heard him. She hadn't heard him say he loved her. She didn't know he loved her.

She might love him, then.

But he wasn't about to ask. Oh, no way. He was going to wait until she said it. Or maybe until he thought he had a chance.

He couldn't deny that he felt a lot better now that he was sure she hadn't heard him. He breathed out again, feeling his heartbeat go back to its normal speed. “Awesome…” he mumbled as he took his cell phone out of his pocket.

He dialed Kagome's number.

“Hello?” she said when she answered. Oh, he loved that voice.

“Hey gorgeous,” he said with a smile, even though she couldn't see him.

“Who is this?” she joked. When he growled, she went on. “I'm kidding! So how are you?”

“I'm really great. Come over here,” he added.

Kagome agreed, she would be there a half hour later. She had spent her morning with her mother, not really talking, but it had felt great to be around her.

Then her mother had left, saying she had things to do. Kagome didn't ask; she knew Yoko wouldn't tell her anything anyway. She fixed her hair and didn't even bother to put makeup on, and just walked to the bus stop a couple of blocks from her house and rode it silently, thinking about her mother the whole time. Only when she got to her stop, and started walking towards Inuyasha's place, did she remember the whole `I love you' incident.

She stopped walking and dialed Sango's number. “Sango!” she yelled when her friend answered. “What happened?!”

Sango took a minute to understand. Then she explained everything that Miroku had said, the fact that Inuyasha was worried - which proved that he really did love her - and how she'd told Miroku to tell Inuyasha that Kagome hadn't heard him.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Kagome squealed over the phone. “You're saving me!”

“I know, sweets,” Sango joked. “Have fun, and use a condom!”

Kagome blushed a bright shade of red. “Honestly!” she sputtered. “You're so crude!”

XX

The day was spent watching movies and eating popcorn, making out, and taking a walk in the park. Kagome told Inuyasha about the morning she'd spent with her mother, and how happy she'd been to talk to her.

“I don't know,” she said with a smile. “But I think it's getting better…”

“I hope so,” Inuyasha answered, holding her hand and giving it a squeeze.

Kagome raised herself on tip toe and gave him a soft kiss.

It was weird actually, she'd had the strangest impulse to tell him she loved him.

XX

Oi, chicas ^_^

I am SO TERRIBLY SORRY for the lack of updates lately, I've just had so much to do, plus I had a gynormous WB, and it was just a terrible, terrible time for me… I think the block is subsiding, though, and I will be writing my best all through the rest of the week, and the weekend. My birthday is on Sunday, too ^_^ So I want a present from you guys: Don't yell at me in your reviews because the update took so long! Lol.

Thanks for sticking with me, guys ^_^ God knows I love you all!!

I'll try updating The NG next… or maybe bodyguard… or even ISH? No idea. Actually, I'd like to try and add a chapter to Behind Cameras… If I'm lucky, and that my mind is nice and full of ideas, I'll be able to finish one.

You guys are lucky I'm actually going to write this weekend, since my birthday is on Sunday, and I'm going to be out a lot… Lol. But I really have had you guys waiting for a loooong time, and well, my block is subsiding, so I should take advantage of it…

Anyway, hope you liked the chapter. Review and tell me ^_^

Love, IK Obsession