InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Remember Me in the Stars ❯ Father ( Chapter 13 )

Father

He stared down at his father. He was sleeping peacefully, one of the few times Sesshoumaru

had seen. He wouldn't last long, he knew it. With the disease eating him up inside, he wouldn't

last for more than a month. But he tried to keep that small flicker of hope alive in him. It was

the only thing he had hoped for in life, his father to stay alive. But despite his flame of hope,

deep down, he knew that his father wouldn't last. He had been growing weaker every day

since Inuyasha's mother had died. He grinded his teeth. He was powerless, his strength or his

intelligence could not figure out this problem. There was no cure for his father's illness. And

for the few moments in his life, he let down his guard. And underneath that mask he kept on

all day, was not the face of a powerful and arrogant man. But a son who was worried for his

beloved father. Hospitals sickened him, a reminder that his own father was dying in one of

them. He stopped by every day to see if there were any improvements, and every day he was

disappointed. He got up from the chair he was sitting and quietly walked to his father's bed.

Touching his hand gently, he whispered unheard words to his father.

"Please, get better. Just try, for me. Please."

He knew his words were not heard. But, still, the flicker of hope tried to prevail over his

doubt. Slipping into his mask again, he walked out of the hospital.

Kagome looked up from scrubbing the dishes to see Kikyo gloating at her from the kitchen

entry.

"Yes?"

"Yes what?"

Kagome's jaw gave a jerk.

"Yes mistress?"

"I'm going out for a while. I want you to clean my room, top to bottom. Get it done before I'm

back."

"When will you be coming back?"

"After dinner, that should be plenty of time. But I expect my room to be perfect. Now, what

do you say?"

"Yes...mistress."

Giving a small smile of triumph, Kikyo walked away. Kagome's jaw gave another jerk before

she went back to washing the dishes. When she finished, she tied her long black hair with a bit

of cloth. She walked upstairs and went into Kikyo's room for the first time. It was ten times

bigger than Kagome's pitiful excuse for a room. It was expensively furnished, velvet drapes,

European couches, ornate glass chandeliers. It was a room full of taste. But there were more

rooms. In fact there was a sitting room, a large bedroom, an exquisitely done bathroom, and

a large walk-in closet. Kagome's mouth dropped. Her aunt had been going on about Kagome

having to work her keep. And here was Kikyo, doing absolutely nothing, with a mini

apartment of her own. Tears of anger came to her eyes, but she blinked them away. *This

will not affect me, it won't. No matter what my aunt or Kikyo do, I will not stoop to their level.

I'm better than them, I refuse to be bitter*

It took her several hours to finish cleaning Kikyo's room. It seemed like she had purposely

messed up her room so that Kagome could clean it. She plopped down in her chair in the

kitchen. Kaede had already had dinner set out and had been waiting for Kagome.

"I'm sorry I was late, you shouldn't have waited for me."

"Now now, we have only been waiting for a minute or two. Eat. I can see Kikyo has been a

little more demanding than usual lately."

Kagome hungrily ate.

"Yes, she made me clean up her room. It is so big! And my aunt keeps complaining how costly

I am. And I am powerless to say anything."

"You'll have to be patient, till you're 18."

Kagome looked up from her food. Kaede had figured it out too? She was a wise one, maybe

she could help Kagome put her plan into action. She had just recently gotten a job at a

bookstore. She had talked to the owner and told her that she would work for only a week, but

would work for long hours. After a little changes here and there, her new boss agreed to the

arrangements. She had started to chant a sort of mantra whenever Kikyo decided to ridicule

her. *I'm going to get out of here soon. I'm going to get out of here soon* and Kikyo's voice

would drone out. When she finished she went up to her room to study. With her servant

clothes still on she tackled her homework. But it grew late and soon her head was on her

books, asleep. A star in the sky twinkled a little brighter than the others and the clouds were

pushed away, like a hand had sweeped them across. Revealing one of the most clear and

starry nights of the winter.