InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Breaking Point ❯ Meant to Live ( Chapter 14 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Striking Falcon 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Action | Type: Songfic | Uploaded On: 12.19.2006 | Pages: 10 | Words: 9.2K | Visits: 839 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Action | Type: Songfic | Uploaded On: 12.19.2006 | Pages: 10 | Words: 9.2K | Visits: 839 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: Nope, don’t own it. Whew. (Lawyers drop their lawsuit spitting arsenal) That was close.
“You wouldn’t happen to know of a hotel around here would you?” she began. “I would stay at the Lotus downtown, but my mother work-“
“You will not be staying at a hotel,” Sesshoumaru told her as he sat her box down on the couch and glanced at the rest of the apartment. “Where is your bedroo-“
“What do you mean by ‘I’m not staying in a hotel room’?!” Kagome demanded, her discontent from earlier evaporating as she glared at him. “I can’t exactly go home and I can’t sleep in the street either!!”
“Do not be ridiculous,” Sesshoumaru replied with an annoyed push at his ponytail. “Of course you can’t sleep in the street.”
“I thought so,” Kagome huffed triumphantly. “So where-“
“You will be staying with me.”
Kagome sat patiently, the warm air from the vent above her tickling her still damp back and hair. She rubbed a towel along midnight strands and huffed angrily at the inconvenience of it all. Sure, she appreciated Sesshoumaru’s help, but after a week of staying with the stoic man she came to realize that all she wanted was to
Get out of this room!!!!
Plus the feeling of guilt was suffocating her. More than anything she wanted to take care of herself, to be able to protect herself and not need the man who once hated her as her bodyguard.
‘Poor Sesshoumaru,’ she said to herself as she glanced around the room. ‘I can just imagine how he feels about having to take care of me. He probably gives himself a pep talk just to come in here.’ She turned back to the room itself, lost in the calming creams and tans of its furniture and bedcloths, and sighed. She looked up at a knock on her door and stood up, her back toward the door and her towel fisted tightly in her hands.
She listened to the doorknob turn, then the gentle squeak of the painted wood moving on its hinges. A soft -click- signaled it’s closure and footsteps that began at the door stopped behind her. A gentle hand, much larger than her own, wound itself into her hair and raised it, lifting the still damp strands off of her back and used the large clip she passed him to hold it close to her head.
“Lift your arms, Kagome,” Sesshoumaru muttered softly. “Surely you’ve learned our routine by now.”
Kagome opened her mouth to answer, but instead gave a weak laugh at the
“Sesshoumaru, don’t be a jerk!”
that came from downstairs.
Her ‘nursemaid’ continued his work despite this, the only hint that he heard his mother’s command was the slight grumbling he did under his breath. Kagome continued to laugh, ignoring the pain of moving until a sharp jab from her side stole her breath away.
“And that is why you shouldn’t laugh,” was her admonishment from Sesshoumaru’s point of view. “It is ill advised that you continue to move in such a manner.”
“Oh spare me Florence Nightingale,” Kagome huffed out in puffs of tired breath. He gave a noncommital “Hn”, unwound the fresh roll of gauze in his hands and began his work. Every night for a week it was the same, it beginning after her bedtime shower. He would enter her room soon afterward and wrap her sides, a diligence that seemed to pay off at her last doctor’s visit.
According to Dr. Lee, (Sesshoumaru’s family physician) Kagome’s ribs were coming along nicely, a lot faster than Dr. Michaels originally thought. The swelling was receding and the colored bruises along her right side were fading from the dark blues and purples to sickly (but much improved) yellows and browns. He gave her another two weeks before she could perform any physical activity, and even then it wouldn’t be until he approved it.
“Kagome.”
Kagome blinked, her previous thoughts fading toward the backburner, and lowered her arms. “Yes, what is it?”
“How did he do this to you?”
Kagome huffed and turned away, moving away from Sesshoumaru as she tossed her towel towards a nearby clothes hamper. “Why?”
“Remaining silent will not help you,” he commented and sat down at the small desk on the opposite side of the room. “It will plague you, worry you until you cannot rest at night.”
“Yeah well, sleeping pills take care of that, don’t they?” she growled while she struggled into her nightgown. She stopped, still trapped within the voluminous confines of her oversized Raiders t-shirt, when hands grasped the edges of the shirt. One quick tug was all it took for the shirt to fall into place. Kagome’s petite figure was quickly lost in the dark folds of the garment, the helmline of the shirt fell at her knees and the sleeves stopped well past her elbows.
“Don’t be so cross,” Sesshoumaru replied as he stepped back and away from her. “I am only trying to help.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Kagome growled back. “I don’t even like thinking about it so what makes you think I want to talk?!”
He moved to say something, what Kagome wasn’t sure, but he quickly changed his mind. His eyes closed momentarily, thoughtful golden orbs secreted away before he opened them and walked toward the door. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to relive it,” he told her once his hand sealed around the doorknob. “I don’t even blame you for being angry with me.”
“Sesshoumaru, I’m not-“
“That will change nothing, however,” he continued. “You are here, and as such you are under my protection. If you harbor any fear, then know this: I will not let anyone harm you. Not now that....” His eyes lowered, a single thought arching across his mental horizon, before he opened the door.
“Get some sleep Kagome. You have school in the morning.”
Kagome stood, her mouth agape as he stepped into the hallway and disappeared, the door silently closed behind him.
(II)
The next morning found Kagome and Mrs. Kapsai standing in the middle of the kitchen, Kagome’s gentle wheezing and the whirling of the microwave the only sounds in the room as Mrs. K fiddled with a small button on the back of Kagome’s sweater.
“Why on earth would you want to wear something like this dear?” Mrs. K asked as her fingers slipped over the tiny white button. “I’m sure you knew you couldn’t button this yourself.”
“I know, but it’s my favorite sweater,” Kagome replied weakly. “I feel so weird going back and all, especially looking the way I do. I wanted to wear something that made me feel better.”
“Dear you look-Ahah! Got it!-fine,” Mrs. K said, then gently pushed Kagome’s shoulders so she could turn around. The small scratch on Kagome’s lip was slowly fading, leaving behind a single thin whelp where the gash once was. “Don’t worry about things like that.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Kagome gave a deep sigh and moved toward one of the taller barstools. She sat down onto the cushion and winced at a wrong turn. “I’m fine,” Kagome replied to Mrs. K’s worried expression. “Its not the first time I’ve done that.”
“Oh. Ok then.” Mrs. Kapsai turned back to her tea, then glanced over her shoulder and asked, “What about your mother? What have you told her?”
“Not a thing,” Kagome replied. “I haven’t even talked to her.”
“Don’t you think your sister’s said something by now?” Mrs. K asked and turned to lean against the counter. “If not, then I’m sure your lack of contact has her worried. You should call her Kagome.”
“Yeah,” Kagome agreed with a meek nod. “I’ll do it as soon as I can.” She watched as the older woman returned to her tea and sighed, her hand propping up her elbow while she glanced out the window at the cold October morning. The frost had covered the ground overnight, turning the grass into a faded version of it’s former emerald green. She sighed again and turned away, glancing down in disinterest at her granola bar before nudging it toward the other side of the bar counter and the waiting trash can on the other side.
It teetered on the ledge and was nearly over when a pale hand reached out, caught it, and plunked it back in front of her. “Eat,” Sesshoumaru’s deep voice growled from behind her, the deep resonances vibrating from his chest to tingle down her back. Kagome glared at him and madly fought the blush that threatened to bloom on her cheeks.
“Do you have to do that?” she demanded while he rifled through a nearby cabinet. His suit jacket was left to drape over a nearby chair while he rummaged. Kagome’s turquoise orbs burned a hole into his back as she watched him and waited for an answer to her question. She huffed in annoyance when he pulled a prescription bottle from it’s dark confines and sat it in front of her.
“You are not taking these,” he said instead of asked, then shook the nearly full bottle. He glared down at her, golden eyes narrowed suspiciously when she gave him her tried and true puppy-dog look. They stood this way for a few moments, the innocence and helplessness of Kagome’s expression at war with the obvious annoyance reflected back at her.
“Oh alright, fine!” Kagome tossed up her hands, a slight hiss passing through her lips at the action. Sesshoumaru smirked smugly and pushed the pills toward her.
“Take them.”
“I don’t wanna.”
Sesshoumaru shook his head, unscrewed the cap and, before Kagome could attempt to move, grasped the back of her lower jaw and pressed. Her mouth opened instantly and he flipped a little blue pill onto her tongue and closed her mouth with an audible ‘click!’
“Ugh-(gulp!) OW!” Kagome howled in protest. “You jerk! Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“You will take your pain meds,” Sesshoumaru replied simply, then glared at Mrs. K. “Your mirth is not helping Mother.”
“I’m sorry,” she apologized with one last giggle. She waved for him to continue with one hand and fanned her reddened face with the other. She secretly smiled at the little images in her mind, the vision of tiny children (twin boys to be exact, with an older sister) with her son’s hair and Kagome’s eyes danced in her mind. ‘They’ll be so sweet,’ she said to herself. She sighed happily, then glanced up in surprise when Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. “What?” she asked at his annoyed expression.
“Stop. That.”
“Stop what?” she asked and shrugged when he turned away from her. Kagome glanced from one to the other in confusion.
“Um, what the-“
“She is imagining grandchildren,” Sesshoumaru answered with a peeved sigh. “Again.”
“Your mother does that too?” she sympathized with a shake of her head. “Man, mine is really bad about that.”
“Hey!” Mrs. K called out in her own defense. “I won’t stand by and listen to you two badmouth each other’s mothers.”
“There is no time for that,” Sesshoumaru replied. “And you, Kagome, still have to-“ he watched as she grabbed a nearby glass of orange juice and drained it, her eyes closed as swallow after swallow left the glass completely empty. She opened her empty mouth soon afterward, her tongue moving from the roof of her mouth. “See?” she said finally. “I swallowed it and from now on I will take those accursed pills like a good girl.”
Sesshoumaru watched her silently, his surprise at her sudden acquiescence leaving him slightly slack jawed. He blinked once, then growled in aggravation when the sound of rolling thunder rattled the kitchen windows.
“What on earth is that?” Kagome asked and clamped her hands over her ears. Mrs. K did the same but Sesshoumaru quickly crossed the room, flung open the kitchen door and stormed outside. Shouting could be heard moments later, but exact words couldn’t be recognized because of the loud noise. The noise finally subsided after a few minutes and they could hear Inuyasha shouting apologizes before screaming Kagome’s name.
“Your ride is here,” Sesshoumaru said once he returned to the kitchen. He shrugged into his suit jacket, the light material slipping over his broad shoulders like water, and handed Kagome a slip of paper.
“What’s this?” she asked and swivelled the chair toward him.
“That is my work number,” he answered as he picked up his briefcase. “And my cell, should you need to contact me.”
“Why would I need to do that?” Kagome asked. His answer was a single wave before he walked out, then the sound of the front door closing.
“Oh well,” Kagome sighed to herself. She slid down and put on her own jacket, then turned and gasped. “Oh! I’m sorry,” she said as she stepped around Mrs. K. “I didn’t see you there.”
“Dear,” Mrs. K began as she rested an understanding hand on Kagome’s shoulder. “Please don’t give Sesshoumaru a hard time.”
“Wha?” Kagome asked in stunned surprise. “What do you mean by-“
“I know you must think that he’s a grouch, but he’s really a sweet boy,” Mrs. Kapsai assured her. “He’s honestly concerned about you, Kagome, and I think that if you don’t talk to him then at least try to do what he says so he doesn’t worry.”
“He worries?” Kagome said to herself and looked up at Mrs. K’s nod. “But why? He...well he doesn’t hate me but-“
“He wants to protect you,” Mrs. K interrupted with an understanding smile. “And what’s so bad about that?” She kissed Kagome’s forehead and left, her words and sweet smile lingering in the air around Kagome as she grabbed the handle of her rolling book bag.
‘Yeah,’ she finally said to herself as she pulled her load toward the kitchen door. ‘What is so bad about that? Why can’t I just accept it and let it go?’
(III)
The ride home (or Sesshoumaru’s house, depending on who’s point of view you were looking from) with Miroku was considerably quieter than her ride to school with Inuyasha. For one, her ears rang less and her butt didn’t nearly slide out of the seat because of the radio.
Miroku glanced over at her when she sighed, his indigo orbs slightly worried as he returned to the road. His lunchtime phone call from Sesshoumaru left him slightly worried and more than a little angry at the little woman that he now deemed to be his little sister. He would never say so, but he could tell from his friend’s tight, frustrated tone that Kagome was giving him more than a hard time. “So,” he began in a careful, clipped tone. “Why are you giving Sesshoumaru a hard time?”
“Um, huh?” Kagome said as she came out of her trance. “A hard-did he say that?”
“No he didn’t. Now why are you?”
“I’m not...oh who am I kidding,” Kagome sighed heavily. “I am, but I’m not meaning to. It’s just that...I just feel so...so damned helpless and I don’t know what to do about it. I guess I’m taking it out on him.” Miroku sighed, the anger he felt earlier leaving him as he reached over to pat her shoulder. “I hate this Miroku,” Kagome sniffed and tried to hold back tears. “I don’t want to be a burden, but that’s exactly what I am. I’m sure Sesshoumaru already regrets letting me crash at his place.”
“Eh, I doubt it,” Miroku replied and stopped at a red light. “Sesshou’s not that kind of dude. You know as well as I that if it’s bothering him he’ll speak up and say so.”
“Yeah but, he’s always asking me about Marcus and what happened that night,” Kagome answered back. “Why would he want to know? It’s not like he’d understand.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Miroku said after a second’s thought. “But you never know unless you ask. Sesshoumaru hasn’t had the easiest life in the world.”
“How so?” Kagome sniffed unhappily. “He didn’t get the toy he wanted when he was little?”
“Well no, but that probably happened too. Sesshoumaru’s mother was put in jail when he was ten.”
“Really?” was Kagome’s gasped reply. “What for?”
“Now that I can’t tell you,” Miroku replied with a shake of his head. “That’s something you’ll have to ask Sesshoumaru. As a matter of fact, there isn’t a lot I know about Sesshoumaru. I didn’t meet him until I turned twelve and he was about a year older...
“I didn’t him again, not for another two years anyway. During that time Inuyasha and I were best friends. Our mothers’ would sit and watch us during our football tryouts.”
“You were on the football team?” Kagome asked in surprise, then laughed when Miroku shook his head.
“I said tryouts. I never said I made the team.”
“Aww, that sucks.” Kagome sympathized with him.
“No it didn’t,” Miroku disagreed. “I didn’t want to play football. I wanted to play piano. The only reason I tried out was to please my father. All that changed during the summer before my seventh grade year. Inuyasha, Kouga (who just moved into the neighborhood by the way) and I were goofing off and I fell. My mom took me to the doctor to see if I had a concussion and instead they found a small tumor.”
“Oh no,” Kagome gasped in horror. “What happened? What did the doctors say?”
“They operated first to see if what kind it was, then they took it out. I was out of school for the entire semester, shoot, almost the entire school year while they did test after test to see what was affected. I stayed in the hospital hooked up to machines like some kind of battery. It sucked.”
“No doubt,” Kagome replied in agreement. Hospitals weren’t her favorite places to be either.
“I passed seventh grade through the home study program and started school again in the eighth grade. By then I was by myself, since Inuyasha and Kouga were on the football team.”
“So how did you and Sesshoumaru end up so close?” Kagome asked and was surprise when Miroku gave a soft laugh.
“Yeah, that,” he said more to himself than to her. “Well, it all started in sixth grade. I pissed off a couple of guys and apparently they remembered, cause one day after school they all decided to teach the sick kid a lesson...
“Aww, how cute,” Kagome cooed dreamily. She thought back to the Philadelphia gig and remembered the purple candy apple.
"The purple ones are his favorites so…"
‘Maybe he’s not so bad,’ Kagome said to herself. “Why is he so bossy though? Its about to drive me nuts.”
“It’s only because you’re hurt,” Miroku assured her and stopped for a herd of sheep and their shepard. “He’s annoying as all hell when he wants to be, but it’s only because he doesn’t want you to hurt yourself further. He’s only looking out for you and he’s looking out for you because he wants to, not because he feels sorry for you. Sesshoumaru feels sorry for no one.”
He laughed then, his thoughts years away, and shook his head. “He can actually be funny when he wants to be. I know it’s hard Kagome, but can’t you at least try to be a little easier on him? If you really want to know why he’s so curious about that night then why don’t you ask him. That’s the only way to find out that I know of.”
“Yeah, that’s what Mrs. K was trying to say this morning,” Kagome replied. She sighed and sat back, her eyes closed while she focused on her body and what Miroku told her. According to Miroku’s point of view, it was almost like Sesshoumaru was some sort of angel, some knight in shining armor. She smiled at the thought and relaxed, her weary and battered body calm for the first time in a week. She slipped into sleep easily, missing the contented sigh that came from Miroku’s lips.
“Yup, you, me and his mom have it good,” he said aloud as he continued to drive. “I knew he’d include you though.” He nodded happily and sighed.
“It was just a matter of time.”
(VI)
‘She is unusually quiet tonight,’ Sesshoumaru said to himself as he passed the dressing across the front of Kagome’s mid section. ‘Not that I wish to complain, but it is odd to find her so at ease.’ Perhaps at ease wasn’t the best of terms, but Kagome hadn’t spoken a word to him since his arrival, leaving him to do as he wished while she stood and waited. Sesshoumaru took this chance to study her, unknowingly drinking her in as each breath brought the fragrance of strawberries and steam from her earlier shower. Her hair, damp yet rapidly drying in the warmth of the room, was wrapped around her wrist and held against the back of her head. Her pyjamas tonight was a white cotton sports bra, a tank top that lay waiting on the bed’s chocolate brown covers, and a pair of soft...um...
‘What had she called them?’ he asked himself as he glanced down at the odd piece of apparel. It tied at the waist with a simple cotton tie and from there flowed to the soft carpet at their feet. She would shift every now and again, the skirt-like clothing swaying from side to side and-
‘I remember now,’ he said to himself and placed the small metal holders along her back. ‘Un-hakamas, or something like that.’ He placed his hands on her waist and turned her around, forgetting until that moment how much she hated it when he manhandled her. He waited until she faced him and stopped, surprised when all she did was blink and stare up at him.
“Finished already?” was her vague question. Sesshoumaru nodded and gathered up the rest of his materials. He placed them back in the small plastic container he kept them in and made to leave when she placed her hand on his arm.
“Um...could I ask you something? I mean, if you have time.”
Sesshoumaru considered her request and gave honest thought to refusing her as she did him. ‘But what would that prove?’ he asked himself as he returned the container back to her desk. ‘Perhaps if I allow her to satisfy herself, then maybe she will feel the need to speak on her experiences as well.’
“I suppose,” was his less than enthusiastic answer. He pulled out the desk’s chair and straddled it, his legs bent on either side, folded his arms along the back of it and rested his chin on his crossed arms. Kagome sat down on the bed across from him, her legs tucked underneath the folds and swirls of her un-hakamas. “What is it you wish to know?”
Kagome sat there quietly, her fingers gently tapping each other while she thought over how she would word her question. “Um...I talked to Miroku today.”
“I would imagine so, since he brought you home.”
She closed her eyes, her breath coming out in an irritated exhale as she held herself back from saying something ugly in return. “He told me about how you two came to be friends.”
He laughed, which wasn’t the reaction Kagome expected. She looked at him in surprise, her head tilted to the side and her hands folded patiently in her lap when he began to speak. “I’m sure Miroku painted me out to be some sort of super hero. He has a tendency to exaggerate things.”
“No way,” Kagome shook her head earnestly. “Miroku’s...um...he said that you could be funny sometimes.”
“He also said,” she continued before he could comment, “ That I should ask you why you want to know about...well...” Kagome looked down at the floor, the many fibers of the pale carpet suddenly more interesting. “Well,” she whispered finally. “You know.”
Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding. “I wish to know for-“
“For my own peace of mind, yeah, I remember you saying that,” Kagome interrupted, then blushed in embarrassment. “I mean, why do you want to know. You can’t possibly understand so-“
“I have not led a privileged life, as you so seem to believe,” Sesshoumaru interjected between clenched teeth.
“Really?” Kagome called back. “Then what hardship did you have to go through? You didn’t get the Hot Wheels car you wanted for your birthday?”
“As a matter of fact, I didn’t,” Sesshoumaru countered with a roll of his eyes. “You are being stupid, woman, and it is unbecoming.”
“Well why don’t you tell me about it then? Enlighten me Sesshoumaru.”
“Alright then,” Sesshoumaru relented, the anger in his voice calming like waves on the surface of a peaceful lake. “For one, I had a stuttering problem as a child. It was nothing serious, but it was an inconvenience, seeing as how the hair and the eyes helped me to-“
“Stand out?” Kagome offered and smiled in understanding when he nodded. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
“It was thought then that the problem resulted from the divorce of my parents, who separated when I was five. I was in therapy for a long while, for years even, trying to correct the problem. During this my parents were deciding the last of their divorce. My mother never spoke an ill word about my father, and neither did he about her, yet I hated him all the same.” He glanced from her to the door, golden orbs briefly tracing the carvings along the surface.
“I refused to see him when he visited and would not leave unless my mother came as well. I was a bit of a-“
“Mama’s boy,” Kagome offered and was surprised again when he began to laugh. “What? What did I say?”
“Nothing,” he replied with a shake of his pale head. “You are the only person to say that without risk of harm.”
“Really?” Kagome replied, her mirth momentarily sobered. “Um...thank you, I guess. Please go on.”
“Alright,” he said once his laughter ebbed away. “As I said, I refused to leave her. Soon my father decided to cease his visitation, figuring it to be detrimental to my mental health or some nonsense along those lines. I was ten then, and it wasn’t too long afterward that my mother met someone, a man by the name of Kagawai Kapsai. Kapsai worked with my father and it was my father that introduced him to my mother. They were married soon after, my mother and Kapsai, and for a while I thought she was happy. It was for her happiness that I endured his strict rules and his teasing about my choice of instruments. It was his idea for me to play a sport and baseball was the only one I was mildly interested in, or was acceptable at.”
‘Acceptable?!’ Kagome thought back in disbelief. She remembered his performance in Philadelphia and found ‘acceptable’ to be vastly understated. ‘Man, if he’s that good now, imagine how good he was in high school, or junior high. I bet he could have gone pro, if he wanted to.’
“I would have endured anything to continue playing,” Sesshoumaru continued, unaware of his audience’s brief inattention. “The cello I mean, not baseball. There was something I wanted then, more than anything in the world, and there was nothing that would stop me from achieving it.”
“What was it?” Kagome asked and watched as a sad, faraway light flickered in his eyes. “Sesshoumaru?”
“It doesn’t matter now,” he replied. “That opportunity is gone and one must move on. As I said, I thought Mother was happy. I was wrong.”
“It was a few months afterward that Mother picked me up from school early, insisting that I didn’t have to go to practice that day...”
“We didn’t think she’d be convicted though,” he continued, unaware as the first of many tears began to streak down Kagome’s cheeks. “It was self-defense. There were police officers, doctors and even our neighbors testified for her but they still locked her away. I have not stuttere-“ He stopped and looked up when she whimpered and found her struggling to stand, her head down and her long, wavy hair cascading over her shoulder to hide her face from view. He stood up and walked toward her, his intent to help her stand, but when he reached her she flung her arms around his middle and cried into his shirt. Her muffled apologies were the only sounds in the silent room. Sesshoumaru stood confused, unsure of what to do, and waited for the torrent of tears to cease.
“I’ve been such a perfect idiot,” she sniffed when she finally looked up at him. “I’ve given you nothing but grief since I’ve been here cause I thought you wanted-“
“To harm you, I know,” Sesshoumaru interjected softly. “And that is not my intention, nor is the telling of my past a way to guilt you into cooperation.”
“No, I know it’s not.” She blinked slowly, a sniff escaping her as he brushed away the few tears remaining, and sighed. “I’m sorry Sesshoumaru. I’m a baka and you didn’t deserve any of the treatment I’ve given you.”
“You apologize far too often woman,” Sesshoumaru replied, his confusion over her choice of words pushed back to another time. “If you would only cease such antics then-“
“Thank you Sesshoumaru. Thank you for helping me.”
Sesshoumaru huffed at being interrupted but couldn’t help the slight coloring that came to his cheeks when she nuzzled against him. “Do not do that. My shirt is damp an-“
“I don’t care,” she whispered into the soaked fabric. They remained this way for a while, the occasional passing of a car’s headlights the only disturbance in the room. Kagome clutched at the back of his shirt, her fingers intertwining with the long ponytail that drifted down the middle of his back, and smiled when he brought her face up to look at him.
“I do not require the same of you,” he explained after a moment’s look into her -finally- trusting orbs. “When you are ready I will be here. You will also cease these ridiculous assumptions that I find some joy in your pain.”
“I said I’m sorry about that.”
“Well I want them far from your mind, if not dismissed completely,” Sesshoumaru replied. He considered something for a moment, then reached forward with his other hand and gently tapped the tip of her nose. “None shall harm you,” he promised. “Do you understand?” She nodded and hugged him again, her gentle squeezing of his person almost...comforting.
“You know Sesshoumaru,” she said once she returned to playing with his hair. “You’re a really nice guy.” She laughed at his answer, the pain in her ribs well worth the mirth when he growled in insult,
“Do not spread that rumor around. Some idiot will believe it to be true.”
(End Chapter)
SF: I’ve been asked what that first part of the first chapter was about. Well there ya go for those that didn’t guess (which I appreciate by the way).
Silver: Forgive the bird. She’s feeling a bit off today.
SF: Huh. No one asked you, fox. Anyway, Here’s the latest update for this story. Look below for a summary of-(things crash and bang behind the stage curtain) What on EARTH was that?
(Curtain pulls back, revealing the male members of the Inu-cast in a piled heap in the middle of the stage, cookies of various sizes and flavors scattered all over the floor.
SF: What the. . . What the HELL just happened? Why are my cookies on the floor?!
Male Inu-cast: (pointing fingers at each other) He did it!
SF: Oh man, you all did it. (Lightening surges) I’m going to make inu cookies, monkey cookies and monk cookies. GrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! (Lightening flashes and thunder rolls)
Silver: (with the Little Muse, Shippou and Rin on the stage roof): Oh man, this is bad! She spent a good couple of weeks on those cookies. Hey people, the summary’s below. You guys go read that while I try to-SF! Don’t do that! Lightening rods don’t go there!
Chapter summary: It’s a month later and Kagome’s ribs have been given the A-Ok by Dr. Lee. However, that doesn’t mean that Sesshoumaru’s just as convinced as the doctor is. What’s a girl gotta do to get back onstage, seduce someone?
Next chapter: Chapter Fifteen-Wind it Up!
“You wouldn’t happen to know of a hotel around here would you?” she began. “I would stay at the Lotus downtown, but my mother work-“
“You will not be staying at a hotel,” Sesshoumaru told her as he sat her box down on the couch and glanced at the rest of the apartment. “Where is your bedroo-“
“What do you mean by ‘I’m not staying in a hotel room’?!” Kagome demanded, her discontent from earlier evaporating as she glared at him. “I can’t exactly go home and I can’t sleep in the street either!!”
“Do not be ridiculous,” Sesshoumaru replied with an annoyed push at his ponytail. “Of course you can’t sleep in the street.”
“I thought so,” Kagome huffed triumphantly. “So where-“
“You will be staying with me.”
Chapter Fourteen: Meant to Live
We want more than this world's got to offer ....We want more than this world's got to offer...We want more than the wars of our fathersAnd everything inside screams for second life...
~Meant to Live ‘Switchfoot’
(I)We want more than this world's got to offer ....We want more than this world's got to offer...We want more than the wars of our fathersAnd everything inside screams for second life...
~Meant to Live ‘Switchfoot’
Kagome sat patiently, the warm air from the vent above her tickling her still damp back and hair. She rubbed a towel along midnight strands and huffed angrily at the inconvenience of it all. Sure, she appreciated Sesshoumaru’s help, but after a week of staying with the stoic man she came to realize that all she wanted was to
Get out of this room!!!!
Plus the feeling of guilt was suffocating her. More than anything she wanted to take care of herself, to be able to protect herself and not need the man who once hated her as her bodyguard.
‘Poor Sesshoumaru,’ she said to herself as she glanced around the room. ‘I can just imagine how he feels about having to take care of me. He probably gives himself a pep talk just to come in here.’ She turned back to the room itself, lost in the calming creams and tans of its furniture and bedcloths, and sighed. She looked up at a knock on her door and stood up, her back toward the door and her towel fisted tightly in her hands.
She listened to the doorknob turn, then the gentle squeak of the painted wood moving on its hinges. A soft -click- signaled it’s closure and footsteps that began at the door stopped behind her. A gentle hand, much larger than her own, wound itself into her hair and raised it, lifting the still damp strands off of her back and used the large clip she passed him to hold it close to her head.
“Lift your arms, Kagome,” Sesshoumaru muttered softly. “Surely you’ve learned our routine by now.”
Kagome opened her mouth to answer, but instead gave a weak laugh at the
“Sesshoumaru, don’t be a jerk!”
that came from downstairs.
Her ‘nursemaid’ continued his work despite this, the only hint that he heard his mother’s command was the slight grumbling he did under his breath. Kagome continued to laugh, ignoring the pain of moving until a sharp jab from her side stole her breath away.
“And that is why you shouldn’t laugh,” was her admonishment from Sesshoumaru’s point of view. “It is ill advised that you continue to move in such a manner.”
“Oh spare me Florence Nightingale,” Kagome huffed out in puffs of tired breath. He gave a noncommital “Hn”, unwound the fresh roll of gauze in his hands and began his work. Every night for a week it was the same, it beginning after her bedtime shower. He would enter her room soon afterward and wrap her sides, a diligence that seemed to pay off at her last doctor’s visit.
According to Dr. Lee, (Sesshoumaru’s family physician) Kagome’s ribs were coming along nicely, a lot faster than Dr. Michaels originally thought. The swelling was receding and the colored bruises along her right side were fading from the dark blues and purples to sickly (but much improved) yellows and browns. He gave her another two weeks before she could perform any physical activity, and even then it wouldn’t be until he approved it.
“Kagome.”
Kagome blinked, her previous thoughts fading toward the backburner, and lowered her arms. “Yes, what is it?”
“How did he do this to you?”
Kagome huffed and turned away, moving away from Sesshoumaru as she tossed her towel towards a nearby clothes hamper. “Why?”
“Remaining silent will not help you,” he commented and sat down at the small desk on the opposite side of the room. “It will plague you, worry you until you cannot rest at night.”
“Yeah well, sleeping pills take care of that, don’t they?” she growled while she struggled into her nightgown. She stopped, still trapped within the voluminous confines of her oversized Raiders t-shirt, when hands grasped the edges of the shirt. One quick tug was all it took for the shirt to fall into place. Kagome’s petite figure was quickly lost in the dark folds of the garment, the helmline of the shirt fell at her knees and the sleeves stopped well past her elbows.
“Don’t be so cross,” Sesshoumaru replied as he stepped back and away from her. “I am only trying to help.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Kagome growled back. “I don’t even like thinking about it so what makes you think I want to talk?!”
He moved to say something, what Kagome wasn’t sure, but he quickly changed his mind. His eyes closed momentarily, thoughtful golden orbs secreted away before he opened them and walked toward the door. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to relive it,” he told her once his hand sealed around the doorknob. “I don’t even blame you for being angry with me.”
“Sesshoumaru, I’m not-“
“That will change nothing, however,” he continued. “You are here, and as such you are under my protection. If you harbor any fear, then know this: I will not let anyone harm you. Not now that....” His eyes lowered, a single thought arching across his mental horizon, before he opened the door.
“Get some sleep Kagome. You have school in the morning.”
Kagome stood, her mouth agape as he stepped into the hallway and disappeared, the door silently closed behind him.
(II)
The next morning found Kagome and Mrs. Kapsai standing in the middle of the kitchen, Kagome’s gentle wheezing and the whirling of the microwave the only sounds in the room as Mrs. K fiddled with a small button on the back of Kagome’s sweater.
“Why on earth would you want to wear something like this dear?” Mrs. K asked as her fingers slipped over the tiny white button. “I’m sure you knew you couldn’t button this yourself.”
“I know, but it’s my favorite sweater,” Kagome replied weakly. “I feel so weird going back and all, especially looking the way I do. I wanted to wear something that made me feel better.”
“Dear you look-Ahah! Got it!-fine,” Mrs. K said, then gently pushed Kagome’s shoulders so she could turn around. The small scratch on Kagome’s lip was slowly fading, leaving behind a single thin whelp where the gash once was. “Don’t worry about things like that.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Kagome gave a deep sigh and moved toward one of the taller barstools. She sat down onto the cushion and winced at a wrong turn. “I’m fine,” Kagome replied to Mrs. K’s worried expression. “Its not the first time I’ve done that.”
“Oh. Ok then.” Mrs. Kapsai turned back to her tea, then glanced over her shoulder and asked, “What about your mother? What have you told her?”
“Not a thing,” Kagome replied. “I haven’t even talked to her.”
“Don’t you think your sister’s said something by now?” Mrs. K asked and turned to lean against the counter. “If not, then I’m sure your lack of contact has her worried. You should call her Kagome.”
“Yeah,” Kagome agreed with a meek nod. “I’ll do it as soon as I can.” She watched as the older woman returned to her tea and sighed, her hand propping up her elbow while she glanced out the window at the cold October morning. The frost had covered the ground overnight, turning the grass into a faded version of it’s former emerald green. She sighed again and turned away, glancing down in disinterest at her granola bar before nudging it toward the other side of the bar counter and the waiting trash can on the other side.
It teetered on the ledge and was nearly over when a pale hand reached out, caught it, and plunked it back in front of her. “Eat,” Sesshoumaru’s deep voice growled from behind her, the deep resonances vibrating from his chest to tingle down her back. Kagome glared at him and madly fought the blush that threatened to bloom on her cheeks.
“Do you have to do that?” she demanded while he rifled through a nearby cabinet. His suit jacket was left to drape over a nearby chair while he rummaged. Kagome’s turquoise orbs burned a hole into his back as she watched him and waited for an answer to her question. She huffed in annoyance when he pulled a prescription bottle from it’s dark confines and sat it in front of her.
“You are not taking these,” he said instead of asked, then shook the nearly full bottle. He glared down at her, golden eyes narrowed suspiciously when she gave him her tried and true puppy-dog look. They stood this way for a few moments, the innocence and helplessness of Kagome’s expression at war with the obvious annoyance reflected back at her.
“Oh alright, fine!” Kagome tossed up her hands, a slight hiss passing through her lips at the action. Sesshoumaru smirked smugly and pushed the pills toward her.
“Take them.”
“I don’t wanna.”
Sesshoumaru shook his head, unscrewed the cap and, before Kagome could attempt to move, grasped the back of her lower jaw and pressed. Her mouth opened instantly and he flipped a little blue pill onto her tongue and closed her mouth with an audible ‘click!’
“Ugh-(gulp!) OW!” Kagome howled in protest. “You jerk! Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“You will take your pain meds,” Sesshoumaru replied simply, then glared at Mrs. K. “Your mirth is not helping Mother.”
“I’m sorry,” she apologized with one last giggle. She waved for him to continue with one hand and fanned her reddened face with the other. She secretly smiled at the little images in her mind, the vision of tiny children (twin boys to be exact, with an older sister) with her son’s hair and Kagome’s eyes danced in her mind. ‘They’ll be so sweet,’ she said to herself. She sighed happily, then glanced up in surprise when Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. “What?” she asked at his annoyed expression.
“Stop. That.”
“Stop what?” she asked and shrugged when he turned away from her. Kagome glanced from one to the other in confusion.
“Um, what the-“
“She is imagining grandchildren,” Sesshoumaru answered with a peeved sigh. “Again.”
“Your mother does that too?” she sympathized with a shake of her head. “Man, mine is really bad about that.”
“Hey!” Mrs. K called out in her own defense. “I won’t stand by and listen to you two badmouth each other’s mothers.”
“There is no time for that,” Sesshoumaru replied. “And you, Kagome, still have to-“ he watched as she grabbed a nearby glass of orange juice and drained it, her eyes closed as swallow after swallow left the glass completely empty. She opened her empty mouth soon afterward, her tongue moving from the roof of her mouth. “See?” she said finally. “I swallowed it and from now on I will take those accursed pills like a good girl.”
Sesshoumaru watched her silently, his surprise at her sudden acquiescence leaving him slightly slack jawed. He blinked once, then growled in aggravation when the sound of rolling thunder rattled the kitchen windows.
“What on earth is that?” Kagome asked and clamped her hands over her ears. Mrs. K did the same but Sesshoumaru quickly crossed the room, flung open the kitchen door and stormed outside. Shouting could be heard moments later, but exact words couldn’t be recognized because of the loud noise. The noise finally subsided after a few minutes and they could hear Inuyasha shouting apologizes before screaming Kagome’s name.
“Your ride is here,” Sesshoumaru said once he returned to the kitchen. He shrugged into his suit jacket, the light material slipping over his broad shoulders like water, and handed Kagome a slip of paper.
“What’s this?” she asked and swivelled the chair toward him.
“That is my work number,” he answered as he picked up his briefcase. “And my cell, should you need to contact me.”
“Why would I need to do that?” Kagome asked. His answer was a single wave before he walked out, then the sound of the front door closing.
“Oh well,” Kagome sighed to herself. She slid down and put on her own jacket, then turned and gasped. “Oh! I’m sorry,” she said as she stepped around Mrs. K. “I didn’t see you there.”
“Dear,” Mrs. K began as she rested an understanding hand on Kagome’s shoulder. “Please don’t give Sesshoumaru a hard time.”
“Wha?” Kagome asked in stunned surprise. “What do you mean by-“
“I know you must think that he’s a grouch, but he’s really a sweet boy,” Mrs. Kapsai assured her. “He’s honestly concerned about you, Kagome, and I think that if you don’t talk to him then at least try to do what he says so he doesn’t worry.”
“He worries?” Kagome said to herself and looked up at Mrs. K’s nod. “But why? He...well he doesn’t hate me but-“
“He wants to protect you,” Mrs. K interrupted with an understanding smile. “And what’s so bad about that?” She kissed Kagome’s forehead and left, her words and sweet smile lingering in the air around Kagome as she grabbed the handle of her rolling book bag.
‘Yeah,’ she finally said to herself as she pulled her load toward the kitchen door. ‘What is so bad about that? Why can’t I just accept it and let it go?’
(III)
The ride home (or Sesshoumaru’s house, depending on who’s point of view you were looking from) with Miroku was considerably quieter than her ride to school with Inuyasha. For one, her ears rang less and her butt didn’t nearly slide out of the seat because of the radio.
Miroku glanced over at her when she sighed, his indigo orbs slightly worried as he returned to the road. His lunchtime phone call from Sesshoumaru left him slightly worried and more than a little angry at the little woman that he now deemed to be his little sister. He would never say so, but he could tell from his friend’s tight, frustrated tone that Kagome was giving him more than a hard time. “So,” he began in a careful, clipped tone. “Why are you giving Sesshoumaru a hard time?”
“Um, huh?” Kagome said as she came out of her trance. “A hard-did he say that?”
“No he didn’t. Now why are you?”
“I’m not...oh who am I kidding,” Kagome sighed heavily. “I am, but I’m not meaning to. It’s just that...I just feel so...so damned helpless and I don’t know what to do about it. I guess I’m taking it out on him.” Miroku sighed, the anger he felt earlier leaving him as he reached over to pat her shoulder. “I hate this Miroku,” Kagome sniffed and tried to hold back tears. “I don’t want to be a burden, but that’s exactly what I am. I’m sure Sesshoumaru already regrets letting me crash at his place.”
“Eh, I doubt it,” Miroku replied and stopped at a red light. “Sesshou’s not that kind of dude. You know as well as I that if it’s bothering him he’ll speak up and say so.”
“Yeah but, he’s always asking me about Marcus and what happened that night,” Kagome answered back. “Why would he want to know? It’s not like he’d understand.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Miroku said after a second’s thought. “But you never know unless you ask. Sesshoumaru hasn’t had the easiest life in the world.”
“How so?” Kagome sniffed unhappily. “He didn’t get the toy he wanted when he was little?”
“Well no, but that probably happened too. Sesshoumaru’s mother was put in jail when he was ten.”
“Really?” was Kagome’s gasped reply. “What for?”
“Now that I can’t tell you,” Miroku replied with a shake of his head. “That’s something you’ll have to ask Sesshoumaru. As a matter of fact, there isn’t a lot I know about Sesshoumaru. I didn’t meet him until I turned twelve and he was about a year older...
(00)
A twelve year old Miroku followed his dark haired friend into the house, his blue eyes round with wonder as he gazed about the spacious living room. “Man,” he said to himself while he followed the little boy upstairs to his room. “Your house is huge Inuyasha.”
“Eh, it’s nothing,” Inuyasha replied, a huge smile on his ten year old face as he opened the door to his room. His room overflowed with toys of all kinds and soon the two boys were playing, the rest of the house forgotten until the call for dinner was made hours later.
They raced down the stairs, Inuyasha’s knowledge of the house giving him the edge in their little game of chase as they tore down the stairs and turned the corner in the hallway. Inuyasha ran into something hard, with Miroku soon crashing into a stop behind him. They fell to the ground hard, their hind ends instantly sore as they glared up at the offending wall.
Bright gold eyes glared back at them and Miroku sat amazed at the much taller boy that stood above them. Platinum-blonde hair stood up in a jagged buzz cut that was clipped closely to his head. He watched them over his thin wire framed glasses and frowned when they continued to stare at him. “Morons,” he said to himself. He stepped around them, re-immersed himself into his book and continued toward the stairs.
“Hey Sesshoumaru!” Inuyasha called out when he finally collected himself. “Ain’t you eatin’ dinner with us?”
“I refuse to eat with idiots and listen to their mindless dribble,” was the answer that fluttered down from the top of the stairs. Inuyasha shrugged at his answer, turned to Miroku and grinned.
“That’s Sesshoumaru, my older brother,” Inuyasha replied before grabbing Miroku’s wrist. “He’s always like that.”
(00)
“Not to say that our first meeting was a friendly one, but I do remember it,” Miroku said as they continued down the road. “I remember thinking about how scary he was, and how it would be cool if I could get to be that scary.” He glanced over when Kagome laughed, then smiled himself and continued.A twelve year old Miroku followed his dark haired friend into the house, his blue eyes round with wonder as he gazed about the spacious living room. “Man,” he said to himself while he followed the little boy upstairs to his room. “Your house is huge Inuyasha.”
“Eh, it’s nothing,” Inuyasha replied, a huge smile on his ten year old face as he opened the door to his room. His room overflowed with toys of all kinds and soon the two boys were playing, the rest of the house forgotten until the call for dinner was made hours later.
They raced down the stairs, Inuyasha’s knowledge of the house giving him the edge in their little game of chase as they tore down the stairs and turned the corner in the hallway. Inuyasha ran into something hard, with Miroku soon crashing into a stop behind him. They fell to the ground hard, their hind ends instantly sore as they glared up at the offending wall.
Bright gold eyes glared back at them and Miroku sat amazed at the much taller boy that stood above them. Platinum-blonde hair stood up in a jagged buzz cut that was clipped closely to his head. He watched them over his thin wire framed glasses and frowned when they continued to stare at him. “Morons,” he said to himself. He stepped around them, re-immersed himself into his book and continued toward the stairs.
“Hey Sesshoumaru!” Inuyasha called out when he finally collected himself. “Ain’t you eatin’ dinner with us?”
“I refuse to eat with idiots and listen to their mindless dribble,” was the answer that fluttered down from the top of the stairs. Inuyasha shrugged at his answer, turned to Miroku and grinned.
“That’s Sesshoumaru, my older brother,” Inuyasha replied before grabbing Miroku’s wrist. “He’s always like that.”
(00)
“I didn’t him again, not for another two years anyway. During that time Inuyasha and I were best friends. Our mothers’ would sit and watch us during our football tryouts.”
“You were on the football team?” Kagome asked in surprise, then laughed when Miroku shook his head.
“I said tryouts. I never said I made the team.”
“Aww, that sucks.” Kagome sympathized with him.
“No it didn’t,” Miroku disagreed. “I didn’t want to play football. I wanted to play piano. The only reason I tried out was to please my father. All that changed during the summer before my seventh grade year. Inuyasha, Kouga (who just moved into the neighborhood by the way) and I were goofing off and I fell. My mom took me to the doctor to see if I had a concussion and instead they found a small tumor.”
“Oh no,” Kagome gasped in horror. “What happened? What did the doctors say?”
“They operated first to see if what kind it was, then they took it out. I was out of school for the entire semester, shoot, almost the entire school year while they did test after test to see what was affected. I stayed in the hospital hooked up to machines like some kind of battery. It sucked.”
“No doubt,” Kagome replied in agreement. Hospitals weren’t her favorite places to be either.
“I passed seventh grade through the home study program and started school again in the eighth grade. By then I was by myself, since Inuyasha and Kouga were on the football team.”
“So how did you and Sesshoumaru end up so close?” Kagome asked and was surprise when Miroku gave a soft laugh.
“Yeah, that,” he said more to himself than to her. “Well, it all started in sixth grade. I pissed off a couple of guys and apparently they remembered, cause one day after school they all decided to teach the sick kid a lesson...
(00)
“Hey!”
Miroku stopped, his hand resting against his bald head, and turned toward the voice calling him.
“You’re that Mirokuk kid from a couple of years ago, right?” one of the five boys asked. “That’s him, right fellas?”
Miroku blanched at the chorus of “Right!” and “That’s true!” coming from the other boys. They wore the same school uniforms as him, though he already knew who they were from their voices. These boys were the school bullies and they did more than earn their names as the most ruthless guys in school. They didn’t care who you were, what you were or what you were doing when they wanted to torture you. There were rumors that said that the only reason the boys got away with so much was because one of them was the principal’s nephew.
None of that mattered to Miroku at this very moment. What mattered was that they wanted him, wanted to stomp him into the dirt like a cockroach and leave him curled up to cough up his own blood. He could ill afford the punishment they wanted to give him, having just been released from the hospital just days before. He was warned against any strenuous activity and he was pretty sure having your butt handed to you was number one on the list of things his doctors wanted him to avoid.
“Hey!” another of the boys sneered when they finally closed in on him. “Don’t you hear us talkin’ to ya? Or are ya deaf as well as bald?”
“Yeah, where’d all ya hair go?” a third boy asked and reached out to smack Miroku in the back of the head. Miroku winced, both at the pain and the harsh sound of skin against skin, and backed into the fence behind him.
“Eheh,” Miroku laughed nervously. “Hey, fellas. How are you?” He winced at their less than happy faces, their fists balled up and ready to rumble with his face. “Look, can’t we do this some other time.”
“I don’t see why we should,” the first boy replied with a sneer. “I mean, we’ve given you a year to get ready for this.”
“That’s right,” the third boy grinned maliciously. “I say there’s no time like the present.”
“Yeah!” the others cheered rambunctiously, their cries and excited cheers nearly as chilling as the hunting howls of a pack of wolves. Miroku curled against the fence, his arms shielding his head and the back of his neck, and prepared himself for another stay at the hospital.
“Hey!”
The boys turned, and Miroku opened his eyes, as someone else approached their little ‘meeting’. “Yeah,” the second boy shot back. “Wha’da’ya want? Can’t ya see we’re busy here?”
“Become busy somewhere else,” replied a voice that sounded strangely familiar. “I’ve come for the kid.”
“Yeah right,” the boys shouted back, then parted ways so Miroku could see the newcomer. “You and what army?”
The hair was different, and the boy was a lot taller, but he knew the nearly white locks from anywhere. Miroku gaped in shock as Sesshoumaru, now a year or two older than their first encounter, moved so that he stood between Miroku and the other boys. His hair was longer now, more in a shorter boy version of the shag, but his face was still pretty much the same as he remembered.
‘Oh crap,’ Miroku said to himself as Sesshoumaru and the five boys squared off. He looked down at the baseball bat in the older boy’s hand’s hopefully, but still shook his head and sighed. ‘He’s gonna get beat up, then they’re gonna beat me up, then he’s gonna beat me up because they beat him up.’
“You will back off,” he heard Sesshoumaru growl and shivered in spite of himself. “No one goes near him or else.”
“Or else what?” the first boy demanded. His voice wasn’t as strong as it once was and there was a slight tremble in his outstretched fist. “You’re gonna hit us with that bat?”
Sesshoumaru looked down, confusion briefing flashing across his face before he let the heavy metal stick slip from his fingers. “No,” he lowly rumbled. His voice cracked but he still managed to sound dangerous and unrelenting.
“I’m going to do much worse.”
Miroku groaned when the other boys shouted curses at them, their foul words echoing in the empty afternoon air. The first one charged and Miroku tightly shut his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see. There was grunting, lots of cries of pain and skin connecting hard against skin that lasted for what felt like forever. Finally Miroku heard the sounds of scuffling feet and cracked an eye open, then another and gaped. The five boys were nowhere in sight, leaving little more than a shoe behind and a narrow red streak on the ground.
Sesshoumaru dusted off his hands, his navy blue school jacket swinging from the fence rings above them, and watched the boys flee with narrowed eyes. “Cowards,” he cursed through gritted teeth. He glanced back to Miroku and offered his hand. “You are Inuyasha’s friend.”
Miroku accepted his help gratefully and stood still, his mouth agape, when he realized that Sesshoumaru remembered him. “Um...yeah, I am I guess,” he answered back nervously.
“Where is the halfbreed?” was Sesshoumaru’s next question. “And why are you not with him?”
“Inuyasha and Kouga have football practice. I can’t go cause I’ve got to get home.”
“I see.” Sesshoumaru looked away thoughtfully, his gaze toward the ballpark beyond the fence before he reached down and picked up Miroku’s bookbag and his fallen bat. “Follow me.”
“Um, what?” Miroku stammered and quickly ran to catch up with the swiftly moving ballplayer. “Where are we going?”
“I will be late for practice if you don’t hurry.”
“Practice? Hey, but-“
“Sit here,” Sesshoumaru said and gestured toward the bench directly beside them. Miroku sat obediently but continued to try to argue his case against his staying.
“Hey man, I appreciate the help but I gotta-“
“I will walk you home after practice. I have little doubt that those boys from earlier are waiting to catch you by yourself.” Sesshoumaru dropped Miroku’s bookbag, then sat his own beside it and draped his jacket over them. “Watch my books for me. There’s a cell in one of the outer pockets.”
“Um...oh yeah! Mom,” Miroku remembered and fished around for the cell while Sesshoumaru dressed for practice. He dialed quickly and groaned when his mother’s frantic voice answered the phone.
“Mom, calm down,” Miroku began. “Everything’s alright. I’m fine. It’s just that I had a run in-“ He gawked when Sesshoumaru snatched the phone from him, then put the phone to his own ear.
“Hello? Mrs,-“ He looked to Miroku for a last name and repeated it when Miroku mouthed it to him. “Hairo, don’t worry about Miroku. He is fine. I have asked him to watch my books for me while I attend practice. My name is Sesshoumaru Taishou ma’am. Yes,” he growled irritably. “Inuyasha’s half brother. No ma’am. I assure you, I will walk Miroku home after my practice, if that is alright with you. No ma’am. I will make sure he does not overexert himself. Yes ma’am. Hold on a moment.” He the phone back to Miroku and walked toward the field, the bat from earlier left lying against the bench at Miroku’s side.
(00)
“I finished talking to Mom, watched him practice and true to his word he walked me home from school that day and everyday afterward,” Miroku finished and smiled at his attentive audience. “We sorta clicked after that. We’ve been friends ever since. I caught pneumonia a couple of months after that and even though Kouga and Inuyasha visited it was Sesshoumaru who brought all of my books from class, tutored me after school and took my finished homework back to my teachers so my mom wouldn’t have to.”“Hey!”
Miroku stopped, his hand resting against his bald head, and turned toward the voice calling him.
“You’re that Mirokuk kid from a couple of years ago, right?” one of the five boys asked. “That’s him, right fellas?”
Miroku blanched at the chorus of “Right!” and “That’s true!” coming from the other boys. They wore the same school uniforms as him, though he already knew who they were from their voices. These boys were the school bullies and they did more than earn their names as the most ruthless guys in school. They didn’t care who you were, what you were or what you were doing when they wanted to torture you. There were rumors that said that the only reason the boys got away with so much was because one of them was the principal’s nephew.
None of that mattered to Miroku at this very moment. What mattered was that they wanted him, wanted to stomp him into the dirt like a cockroach and leave him curled up to cough up his own blood. He could ill afford the punishment they wanted to give him, having just been released from the hospital just days before. He was warned against any strenuous activity and he was pretty sure having your butt handed to you was number one on the list of things his doctors wanted him to avoid.
“Hey!” another of the boys sneered when they finally closed in on him. “Don’t you hear us talkin’ to ya? Or are ya deaf as well as bald?”
“Yeah, where’d all ya hair go?” a third boy asked and reached out to smack Miroku in the back of the head. Miroku winced, both at the pain and the harsh sound of skin against skin, and backed into the fence behind him.
“Eheh,” Miroku laughed nervously. “Hey, fellas. How are you?” He winced at their less than happy faces, their fists balled up and ready to rumble with his face. “Look, can’t we do this some other time.”
“I don’t see why we should,” the first boy replied with a sneer. “I mean, we’ve given you a year to get ready for this.”
“That’s right,” the third boy grinned maliciously. “I say there’s no time like the present.”
“Yeah!” the others cheered rambunctiously, their cries and excited cheers nearly as chilling as the hunting howls of a pack of wolves. Miroku curled against the fence, his arms shielding his head and the back of his neck, and prepared himself for another stay at the hospital.
“Hey!”
The boys turned, and Miroku opened his eyes, as someone else approached their little ‘meeting’. “Yeah,” the second boy shot back. “Wha’da’ya want? Can’t ya see we’re busy here?”
“Become busy somewhere else,” replied a voice that sounded strangely familiar. “I’ve come for the kid.”
“Yeah right,” the boys shouted back, then parted ways so Miroku could see the newcomer. “You and what army?”
The hair was different, and the boy was a lot taller, but he knew the nearly white locks from anywhere. Miroku gaped in shock as Sesshoumaru, now a year or two older than their first encounter, moved so that he stood between Miroku and the other boys. His hair was longer now, more in a shorter boy version of the shag, but his face was still pretty much the same as he remembered.
‘Oh crap,’ Miroku said to himself as Sesshoumaru and the five boys squared off. He looked down at the baseball bat in the older boy’s hand’s hopefully, but still shook his head and sighed. ‘He’s gonna get beat up, then they’re gonna beat me up, then he’s gonna beat me up because they beat him up.’
“You will back off,” he heard Sesshoumaru growl and shivered in spite of himself. “No one goes near him or else.”
“Or else what?” the first boy demanded. His voice wasn’t as strong as it once was and there was a slight tremble in his outstretched fist. “You’re gonna hit us with that bat?”
Sesshoumaru looked down, confusion briefing flashing across his face before he let the heavy metal stick slip from his fingers. “No,” he lowly rumbled. His voice cracked but he still managed to sound dangerous and unrelenting.
“I’m going to do much worse.”
Miroku groaned when the other boys shouted curses at them, their foul words echoing in the empty afternoon air. The first one charged and Miroku tightly shut his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see. There was grunting, lots of cries of pain and skin connecting hard against skin that lasted for what felt like forever. Finally Miroku heard the sounds of scuffling feet and cracked an eye open, then another and gaped. The five boys were nowhere in sight, leaving little more than a shoe behind and a narrow red streak on the ground.
Sesshoumaru dusted off his hands, his navy blue school jacket swinging from the fence rings above them, and watched the boys flee with narrowed eyes. “Cowards,” he cursed through gritted teeth. He glanced back to Miroku and offered his hand. “You are Inuyasha’s friend.”
Miroku accepted his help gratefully and stood still, his mouth agape, when he realized that Sesshoumaru remembered him. “Um...yeah, I am I guess,” he answered back nervously.
“Where is the halfbreed?” was Sesshoumaru’s next question. “And why are you not with him?”
“Inuyasha and Kouga have football practice. I can’t go cause I’ve got to get home.”
“I see.” Sesshoumaru looked away thoughtfully, his gaze toward the ballpark beyond the fence before he reached down and picked up Miroku’s bookbag and his fallen bat. “Follow me.”
“Um, what?” Miroku stammered and quickly ran to catch up with the swiftly moving ballplayer. “Where are we going?”
“I will be late for practice if you don’t hurry.”
“Practice? Hey, but-“
“Sit here,” Sesshoumaru said and gestured toward the bench directly beside them. Miroku sat obediently but continued to try to argue his case against his staying.
“Hey man, I appreciate the help but I gotta-“
“I will walk you home after practice. I have little doubt that those boys from earlier are waiting to catch you by yourself.” Sesshoumaru dropped Miroku’s bookbag, then sat his own beside it and draped his jacket over them. “Watch my books for me. There’s a cell in one of the outer pockets.”
“Um...oh yeah! Mom,” Miroku remembered and fished around for the cell while Sesshoumaru dressed for practice. He dialed quickly and groaned when his mother’s frantic voice answered the phone.
“Mom, calm down,” Miroku began. “Everything’s alright. I’m fine. It’s just that I had a run in-“ He gawked when Sesshoumaru snatched the phone from him, then put the phone to his own ear.
“Hello? Mrs,-“ He looked to Miroku for a last name and repeated it when Miroku mouthed it to him. “Hairo, don’t worry about Miroku. He is fine. I have asked him to watch my books for me while I attend practice. My name is Sesshoumaru Taishou ma’am. Yes,” he growled irritably. “Inuyasha’s half brother. No ma’am. I assure you, I will walk Miroku home after my practice, if that is alright with you. No ma’am. I will make sure he does not overexert himself. Yes ma’am. Hold on a moment.” He the phone back to Miroku and walked toward the field, the bat from earlier left lying against the bench at Miroku’s side.
(00)
“Aww, how cute,” Kagome cooed dreamily. She thought back to the Philadelphia gig and remembered the purple candy apple.
"The purple ones are his favorites so…"
‘Maybe he’s not so bad,’ Kagome said to herself. “Why is he so bossy though? Its about to drive me nuts.”
“It’s only because you’re hurt,” Miroku assured her and stopped for a herd of sheep and their shepard. “He’s annoying as all hell when he wants to be, but it’s only because he doesn’t want you to hurt yourself further. He’s only looking out for you and he’s looking out for you because he wants to, not because he feels sorry for you. Sesshoumaru feels sorry for no one.”
He laughed then, his thoughts years away, and shook his head. “He can actually be funny when he wants to be. I know it’s hard Kagome, but can’t you at least try to be a little easier on him? If you really want to know why he’s so curious about that night then why don’t you ask him. That’s the only way to find out that I know of.”
“Yeah, that’s what Mrs. K was trying to say this morning,” Kagome replied. She sighed and sat back, her eyes closed while she focused on her body and what Miroku told her. According to Miroku’s point of view, it was almost like Sesshoumaru was some sort of angel, some knight in shining armor. She smiled at the thought and relaxed, her weary and battered body calm for the first time in a week. She slipped into sleep easily, missing the contented sigh that came from Miroku’s lips.
“Yup, you, me and his mom have it good,” he said aloud as he continued to drive. “I knew he’d include you though.” He nodded happily and sighed.
“It was just a matter of time.”
(VI)
‘She is unusually quiet tonight,’ Sesshoumaru said to himself as he passed the dressing across the front of Kagome’s mid section. ‘Not that I wish to complain, but it is odd to find her so at ease.’ Perhaps at ease wasn’t the best of terms, but Kagome hadn’t spoken a word to him since his arrival, leaving him to do as he wished while she stood and waited. Sesshoumaru took this chance to study her, unknowingly drinking her in as each breath brought the fragrance of strawberries and steam from her earlier shower. Her hair, damp yet rapidly drying in the warmth of the room, was wrapped around her wrist and held against the back of her head. Her pyjamas tonight was a white cotton sports bra, a tank top that lay waiting on the bed’s chocolate brown covers, and a pair of soft...um...
‘What had she called them?’ he asked himself as he glanced down at the odd piece of apparel. It tied at the waist with a simple cotton tie and from there flowed to the soft carpet at their feet. She would shift every now and again, the skirt-like clothing swaying from side to side and-
‘I remember now,’ he said to himself and placed the small metal holders along her back. ‘Un-hakamas, or something like that.’ He placed his hands on her waist and turned her around, forgetting until that moment how much she hated it when he manhandled her. He waited until she faced him and stopped, surprised when all she did was blink and stare up at him.
“Finished already?” was her vague question. Sesshoumaru nodded and gathered up the rest of his materials. He placed them back in the small plastic container he kept them in and made to leave when she placed her hand on his arm.
“Um...could I ask you something? I mean, if you have time.”
Sesshoumaru considered her request and gave honest thought to refusing her as she did him. ‘But what would that prove?’ he asked himself as he returned the container back to her desk. ‘Perhaps if I allow her to satisfy herself, then maybe she will feel the need to speak on her experiences as well.’
“I suppose,” was his less than enthusiastic answer. He pulled out the desk’s chair and straddled it, his legs bent on either side, folded his arms along the back of it and rested his chin on his crossed arms. Kagome sat down on the bed across from him, her legs tucked underneath the folds and swirls of her un-hakamas. “What is it you wish to know?”
Kagome sat there quietly, her fingers gently tapping each other while she thought over how she would word her question. “Um...I talked to Miroku today.”
“I would imagine so, since he brought you home.”
She closed her eyes, her breath coming out in an irritated exhale as she held herself back from saying something ugly in return. “He told me about how you two came to be friends.”
He laughed, which wasn’t the reaction Kagome expected. She looked at him in surprise, her head tilted to the side and her hands folded patiently in her lap when he began to speak. “I’m sure Miroku painted me out to be some sort of super hero. He has a tendency to exaggerate things.”
“No way,” Kagome shook her head earnestly. “Miroku’s...um...he said that you could be funny sometimes.”
“He also said,” she continued before he could comment, “ That I should ask you why you want to know about...well...” Kagome looked down at the floor, the many fibers of the pale carpet suddenly more interesting. “Well,” she whispered finally. “You know.”
Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding. “I wish to know for-“
“For my own peace of mind, yeah, I remember you saying that,” Kagome interrupted, then blushed in embarrassment. “I mean, why do you want to know. You can’t possibly understand so-“
“I have not led a privileged life, as you so seem to believe,” Sesshoumaru interjected between clenched teeth.
“Really?” Kagome called back. “Then what hardship did you have to go through? You didn’t get the Hot Wheels car you wanted for your birthday?”
“As a matter of fact, I didn’t,” Sesshoumaru countered with a roll of his eyes. “You are being stupid, woman, and it is unbecoming.”
“Well why don’t you tell me about it then? Enlighten me Sesshoumaru.”
“Alright then,” Sesshoumaru relented, the anger in his voice calming like waves on the surface of a peaceful lake. “For one, I had a stuttering problem as a child. It was nothing serious, but it was an inconvenience, seeing as how the hair and the eyes helped me to-“
“Stand out?” Kagome offered and smiled in understanding when he nodded. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
“It was thought then that the problem resulted from the divorce of my parents, who separated when I was five. I was in therapy for a long while, for years even, trying to correct the problem. During this my parents were deciding the last of their divorce. My mother never spoke an ill word about my father, and neither did he about her, yet I hated him all the same.” He glanced from her to the door, golden orbs briefly tracing the carvings along the surface.
“I refused to see him when he visited and would not leave unless my mother came as well. I was a bit of a-“
“Mama’s boy,” Kagome offered and was surprised again when he began to laugh. “What? What did I say?”
“Nothing,” he replied with a shake of his pale head. “You are the only person to say that without risk of harm.”
“Really?” Kagome replied, her mirth momentarily sobered. “Um...thank you, I guess. Please go on.”
“Alright,” he said once his laughter ebbed away. “As I said, I refused to leave her. Soon my father decided to cease his visitation, figuring it to be detrimental to my mental health or some nonsense along those lines. I was ten then, and it wasn’t too long afterward that my mother met someone, a man by the name of Kagawai Kapsai. Kapsai worked with my father and it was my father that introduced him to my mother. They were married soon after, my mother and Kapsai, and for a while I thought she was happy. It was for her happiness that I endured his strict rules and his teasing about my choice of instruments. It was his idea for me to play a sport and baseball was the only one I was mildly interested in, or was acceptable at.”
‘Acceptable?!’ Kagome thought back in disbelief. She remembered his performance in Philadelphia and found ‘acceptable’ to be vastly understated. ‘Man, if he’s that good now, imagine how good he was in high school, or junior high. I bet he could have gone pro, if he wanted to.’
“I would have endured anything to continue playing,” Sesshoumaru continued, unaware of his audience’s brief inattention. “The cello I mean, not baseball. There was something I wanted then, more than anything in the world, and there was nothing that would stop me from achieving it.”
“What was it?” Kagome asked and watched as a sad, faraway light flickered in his eyes. “Sesshoumaru?”
“It doesn’t matter now,” he replied. “That opportunity is gone and one must move on. As I said, I thought Mother was happy. I was wrong.”
(00)
“M-mother!” a ten year old Sesshoumaru called out and quietly shut the front door. He brushed his hand over his hair, frowning to himself at the new hairstyle his ‘stepfather’ required of him. His long silver hair, once draping down between his shoulder blades, now was clipped in a closely shaved buzz cut. The wind against his ears was uncomfortable and he intended to tell his mother so the moment he saw her. Sesshoumaru called for her again, stopping only to rest his bookbag at the base of the stairs before venturing into the kitchen.
He stopped, his hand clutching the kitchen door frame tightly, and watched the silent figure sitting at the low, white table. Long, nearly white hair draped over her shoulder and shielded most of her face from his eyes, but nothing could conceal the blackened skin underneath her left eye. She sat with a little bottle of make up in one hand, the applicator to said bottle in the other and her eyes glued to the mirror’s reflective surface.
“M-mother...”
She gasped and looked up, shame flooding her dark brown eyes as Sesshoumaru slowly walked toward her. “Mother, what h-ha-happened?”
“It’s nothing darling,” she replied with a weak smile and tearing eyes. “It’s just a little scrape.”
“It’s n-not a sc-sc-sc...” He paused, his little face wrinkled with frustration as he struggled around the word. “It’s a b-bruise.”
“I know,” Sesshoumaru’s mother sighed heavily. She patted his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be fine though.”
“Did K-k-kkkk-“
“Yes,” she answered, anticipating Sesshoumaru’s question. “He did this but he apologized,” she told him quickly. “And promised never to do it again.”
“I wanna call the p-police.”
“No!” She grasped his hand and tugged him back to her side, a brief panic flooding her features as she held him away from the phone. “Don’t Maru. No police.”
“Th-then w-w-what?”
“Just stay with me Maru,” she wearily whispered.
“Just stay with me...”
(00)
“But it wasn’t the last time,” Sesshoumaru said after a minute’s pause. “It wasn’t the last time I found her in that kitchen attempting to doctor herself up. At one point I had to make her go to the hospital. He managed to fracture her shoulder and was arrested. She dropped the charges though and a few days later he was back at home and mad...at me. Their arguments grew louder and the police were constantly at our house, either because I called or the neighbors did.“M-mother!” a ten year old Sesshoumaru called out and quietly shut the front door. He brushed his hand over his hair, frowning to himself at the new hairstyle his ‘stepfather’ required of him. His long silver hair, once draping down between his shoulder blades, now was clipped in a closely shaved buzz cut. The wind against his ears was uncomfortable and he intended to tell his mother so the moment he saw her. Sesshoumaru called for her again, stopping only to rest his bookbag at the base of the stairs before venturing into the kitchen.
He stopped, his hand clutching the kitchen door frame tightly, and watched the silent figure sitting at the low, white table. Long, nearly white hair draped over her shoulder and shielded most of her face from his eyes, but nothing could conceal the blackened skin underneath her left eye. She sat with a little bottle of make up in one hand, the applicator to said bottle in the other and her eyes glued to the mirror’s reflective surface.
“M-mother...”
She gasped and looked up, shame flooding her dark brown eyes as Sesshoumaru slowly walked toward her. “Mother, what h-ha-happened?”
“It’s nothing darling,” she replied with a weak smile and tearing eyes. “It’s just a little scrape.”
“It’s n-not a sc-sc-sc...” He paused, his little face wrinkled with frustration as he struggled around the word. “It’s a b-bruise.”
“I know,” Sesshoumaru’s mother sighed heavily. She patted his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be fine though.”
“Did K-k-kkkk-“
“Yes,” she answered, anticipating Sesshoumaru’s question. “He did this but he apologized,” she told him quickly. “And promised never to do it again.”
“I wanna call the p-police.”
“No!” She grasped his hand and tugged him back to her side, a brief panic flooding her features as she held him away from the phone. “Don’t Maru. No police.”
“Th-then w-w-what?”
“Just stay with me Maru,” she wearily whispered.
“Just stay with me...”
(00)
“It was a few months afterward that Mother picked me up from school early, insisting that I didn’t have to go to practice that day...”
(00)
“Go upstairs Sesshoumaru,” Sesshoumaru’s mother said as she nudged the door open. “Pack only what’s necessary. Hurry along dear.”
Sesshoumaru turned without asking and raced up the stairs, his bat forgotten by the doorway as he flung open his door and tossed a nearby bookbag onto his bed. He tossed whatever he could think of, not stopping for one moment to ask why they were packing or where they were going. His mother was finally leaving Kapsai and he would not slow down her haste to safety.
He stopped, bright hazel eyes wide in horror, as shouting and the sounds of a struggle filtered up the stairs. He raced downstairs, his bookbag forgotten, and gaped as Kapsai shoved his mother against the nearest wall.
“So,” he snarled in her face, the stench of alcohol and cigarettes clouding the air between them. “What’s all this?” He gestured toward the doorway where two suitcases sat waiting. “Are you going on a trip without me or something? Some sort of mini-vacation I wasn’t aware of.”
“I’m leaving you Kagawai,” Sesshoumaru’s mother wheezed around the choke hold he had on her throat. “I won’t sit by and let you do this to me anymore!”
“Let you-LET YOU!? Bitch, there is no ‘Let you’!” He slapped her hard, the force of his hand sending her spiraling to the floor where she crumpled and lay still. He dragged her into the kitchen and Sesshoumaru raced after him, his little heart racing at the thought of losing the only family he had left.
No!” he screamed as he burst into the room, reaching for the woman crumpled on the ground. Kapsai tossed him aside effortlessly, flinging him from the room and into the next. Sesshoumaru sailed through the air, a look of surprise marring his angelic features, before he finally crashed into and flipped over the back of the couch.
“Sesshoumaru!” he heard his mother scream from his dazed spot on the floor. It was a miracle that he missed the coffee table and the sharp corners of the heavy wood. “Are you alright? Maru, say something!”
“Stay out of it, you stuttering brat!” he snarled, then glanced around the room. He opened a drawer and withdrew a large butcher knife, weighing the instrument in his hands before stalking toward Sesshoumaru’s mother once again. “I’ve told you bitch. You can’t leave me. You belong to me. If I can’t have you…” he raised the knife over her, the blade glinting in the afternoon sunlight shining in the window. “Then no one ca-”
“Leave her alone!”
Crack!
Kapsai dropped the knife, and Sesshoumaru dropped the bat as his mother looked up at the noise. Kapsai slumped to the pristine linoleum below, his eyes lifeless as blood pooled beneath him. Sesshoumaru glanced from him to his mother, the bat rolling across the floor as he whispered
“I…I didn’t m-mean to M-mother. I c-couldn’t let him h-h-hurt you…”
(00)
“I could hear the police sirens and before I could do anything else my mother grabbed the bat and ordered me not to say a word,” Sesshoumaru said as he glanced out the window. “She said that she would talk and before it was over...she was arrested. They dragged us apart and charged her with involuntary manslaughter.“Go upstairs Sesshoumaru,” Sesshoumaru’s mother said as she nudged the door open. “Pack only what’s necessary. Hurry along dear.”
Sesshoumaru turned without asking and raced up the stairs, his bat forgotten by the doorway as he flung open his door and tossed a nearby bookbag onto his bed. He tossed whatever he could think of, not stopping for one moment to ask why they were packing or where they were going. His mother was finally leaving Kapsai and he would not slow down her haste to safety.
He stopped, bright hazel eyes wide in horror, as shouting and the sounds of a struggle filtered up the stairs. He raced downstairs, his bookbag forgotten, and gaped as Kapsai shoved his mother against the nearest wall.
“So,” he snarled in her face, the stench of alcohol and cigarettes clouding the air between them. “What’s all this?” He gestured toward the doorway where two suitcases sat waiting. “Are you going on a trip without me or something? Some sort of mini-vacation I wasn’t aware of.”
“I’m leaving you Kagawai,” Sesshoumaru’s mother wheezed around the choke hold he had on her throat. “I won’t sit by and let you do this to me anymore!”
“Let you-LET YOU!? Bitch, there is no ‘Let you’!” He slapped her hard, the force of his hand sending her spiraling to the floor where she crumpled and lay still. He dragged her into the kitchen and Sesshoumaru raced after him, his little heart racing at the thought of losing the only family he had left.
No!” he screamed as he burst into the room, reaching for the woman crumpled on the ground. Kapsai tossed him aside effortlessly, flinging him from the room and into the next. Sesshoumaru sailed through the air, a look of surprise marring his angelic features, before he finally crashed into and flipped over the back of the couch.
“Sesshoumaru!” he heard his mother scream from his dazed spot on the floor. It was a miracle that he missed the coffee table and the sharp corners of the heavy wood. “Are you alright? Maru, say something!”
“Stay out of it, you stuttering brat!” he snarled, then glanced around the room. He opened a drawer and withdrew a large butcher knife, weighing the instrument in his hands before stalking toward Sesshoumaru’s mother once again. “I’ve told you bitch. You can’t leave me. You belong to me. If I can’t have you…” he raised the knife over her, the blade glinting in the afternoon sunlight shining in the window. “Then no one ca-”
“Leave her alone!”
Crack!
Kapsai dropped the knife, and Sesshoumaru dropped the bat as his mother looked up at the noise. Kapsai slumped to the pristine linoleum below, his eyes lifeless as blood pooled beneath him. Sesshoumaru glanced from him to his mother, the bat rolling across the floor as he whispered
“I…I didn’t m-mean to M-mother. I c-couldn’t let him h-h-hurt you…”
(00)
“We didn’t think she’d be convicted though,” he continued, unaware as the first of many tears began to streak down Kagome’s cheeks. “It was self-defense. There were police officers, doctors and even our neighbors testified for her but they still locked her away. I have not stuttere-“ He stopped and looked up when she whimpered and found her struggling to stand, her head down and her long, wavy hair cascading over her shoulder to hide her face from view. He stood up and walked toward her, his intent to help her stand, but when he reached her she flung her arms around his middle and cried into his shirt. Her muffled apologies were the only sounds in the silent room. Sesshoumaru stood confused, unsure of what to do, and waited for the torrent of tears to cease.
“I’ve been such a perfect idiot,” she sniffed when she finally looked up at him. “I’ve given you nothing but grief since I’ve been here cause I thought you wanted-“
“To harm you, I know,” Sesshoumaru interjected softly. “And that is not my intention, nor is the telling of my past a way to guilt you into cooperation.”
“No, I know it’s not.” She blinked slowly, a sniff escaping her as he brushed away the few tears remaining, and sighed. “I’m sorry Sesshoumaru. I’m a baka and you didn’t deserve any of the treatment I’ve given you.”
“You apologize far too often woman,” Sesshoumaru replied, his confusion over her choice of words pushed back to another time. “If you would only cease such antics then-“
“Thank you Sesshoumaru. Thank you for helping me.”
Sesshoumaru huffed at being interrupted but couldn’t help the slight coloring that came to his cheeks when she nuzzled against him. “Do not do that. My shirt is damp an-“
“I don’t care,” she whispered into the soaked fabric. They remained this way for a while, the occasional passing of a car’s headlights the only disturbance in the room. Kagome clutched at the back of his shirt, her fingers intertwining with the long ponytail that drifted down the middle of his back, and smiled when he brought her face up to look at him.
“I do not require the same of you,” he explained after a moment’s look into her -finally- trusting orbs. “When you are ready I will be here. You will also cease these ridiculous assumptions that I find some joy in your pain.”
“I said I’m sorry about that.”
“Well I want them far from your mind, if not dismissed completely,” Sesshoumaru replied. He considered something for a moment, then reached forward with his other hand and gently tapped the tip of her nose. “None shall harm you,” he promised. “Do you understand?” She nodded and hugged him again, her gentle squeezing of his person almost...comforting.
“You know Sesshoumaru,” she said once she returned to playing with his hair. “You’re a really nice guy.” She laughed at his answer, the pain in her ribs well worth the mirth when he growled in insult,
“Do not spread that rumor around. Some idiot will believe it to be true.”
(End Chapter)
SF: I’ve been asked what that first part of the first chapter was about. Well there ya go for those that didn’t guess (which I appreciate by the way).
Silver: Forgive the bird. She’s feeling a bit off today.
SF: Huh. No one asked you, fox. Anyway, Here’s the latest update for this story. Look below for a summary of-(things crash and bang behind the stage curtain) What on EARTH was that?
(Curtain pulls back, revealing the male members of the Inu-cast in a piled heap in the middle of the stage, cookies of various sizes and flavors scattered all over the floor.
SF: What the. . . What the HELL just happened? Why are my cookies on the floor?!
Male Inu-cast: (pointing fingers at each other) He did it!
SF: Oh man, you all did it. (Lightening surges) I’m going to make inu cookies, monkey cookies and monk cookies. GrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! (Lightening flashes and thunder rolls)
Silver: (with the Little Muse, Shippou and Rin on the stage roof): Oh man, this is bad! She spent a good couple of weeks on those cookies. Hey people, the summary’s below. You guys go read that while I try to-SF! Don’t do that! Lightening rods don’t go there!
Chapter summary: It’s a month later and Kagome’s ribs have been given the A-Ok by Dr. Lee. However, that doesn’t mean that Sesshoumaru’s just as convinced as the doctor is. What’s a girl gotta do to get back onstage, seduce someone?
Next chapter: Chapter Fifteen-Wind it Up!