InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Trust ❯ Reunions and Small Decisions ( Chapter 15 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Anubis_Himura 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Psychological / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.04.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 415 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Psychological / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.04.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 415 | Status: Completed
Trust
Chapter 15: Reunions and small decisions
Anubis_Himura
~!* Kag's Point of View *!~
"You cheat, so bad!" Inuyasha laughed as he threw his cards on the seat. "Cheater!" he stuck his tongue out and crossed his arms.
"Aww, is Yashie a poor loser?" I ruffled his hair and he looked back with a mischievous scowl.
"Come on then," He sat up, looking at his wristwatch. "We should go, we got some miles to turn before dark."
I picked up the cards, putting them back in the 'activity' bag. "All right then." I turned the car on and we left the rest stop.
We were in North Carolina, bordering on South Carolina, and decided to take a little break. We didn't want to waste the money staying in hotels so we camped out at rest stops. We only had a little ways left to go, just head through South Carolina and then we would be into Georgia. Of course, once we were in Georgia it was a whole other matter of finding my dad, asking if we could stay, and then tracking down Sesshomaru. All in all, it wasn't going to be an easy trip. Plus, I would have to worry about Tai and my mom looking for us. They hadn't called my cell phone yet, but the range probably wasn't all that good.
Inuyasha turned up the radio and we sang along to it. We had in a CD we had dubbed the 'Road Trip Mix'. It was full of great songs that could be played while "road tripping", therefore the appropriate title.
"Here I go again on my own! Going down the only road I've ever known, like a drifter I was born to walk alone. And I've made up my mind, I ain't wasting no more time. Here I go again!" I tapped with the beat on the steering wheel while Inuyasha took over on air guitar. He did his best with only one hand. The song faded and then changed and we laughed at our behaivour. It was a little silly to play air guitars, and lip-sync in such a dramatic way, but we were having fun.
"Oh Shit, Kags, that's our exit." I slowed down just in time to make a hard right and get off. I shifted down to forth and we drove through the town. We were in Georgia.
"Okay, so where does your dad live?"
"Franklin Springs." I said, looking at the map of Georgia we had picked up. "Where does Sesshomaru live?"
"Feh. I don't know. I think Vanna, but I'm not sure."
"Cool. That's not far from Franklin, that will be handy, if that's where he is."
We drove for another good three hours, getting lost slightly and having to stop for directions.
"Excuse me," I smiled as I walked into the gas station.
"Did you get the gas?" the man asked.
"Yes," I replied, still smiling, "Also, could you tell me how to get to Franklin Springs?"
"That'll be twenty dollars." he said, "Franklin Springs? Yep. You wanna go left outta here, then right at the lights, then past the park, and take a left at the fork. Well, it's not really a fork, it's kind of like a bend. So go left at the bend, and, I'd say about ten minutes after that oughta put you right into Franklin. But if you come across that there Mobile, you've gone to far, gotta turn back."
"Great. Thanks. Here." I handed him twenty dollars and waved. "Have a good day."
"Yep. You too."
~*~
"Okay, we used to live on Trueman Lane, so lets look for that first. Of course, I can call him if we have trouble." I said as we drove through the suburban town.
"Lincoln," Inuyasha read off as we passed the street.
"Morrison." I said, reading the sign on the opposite side of the road.
"River's End."
"I think it was near Masons General Store. It's hard to remember, it's been so long."
We drove a little further and finally came upon Masons. "Wow, it's still here. That's pretty cool. Okay. Now we can look for Trueman."
"Found it." Inuyasha said simultaneously as I spoke.
"Awesome." I slowed down as we turned down the street.
I stopped in front of a faded blue country house. Four bedrooms, three and a half baths, gorgeous kitchen, and nook, and a luxurious family room. The house I 'grew up' in, or at least lived in longest.
"There it is." I said, looking at the house with nostalgia.
"It's huge." Inuyasha said as he unbuckled.
"Yeah. It's wicked nice too. At least, it used to be." I took the keys out of the car and unbuckled. "Come on then. It's now or never."
I smiled as we stepped out of the car. It felt nice to stand after so long. We closed the doors and walked hand in hand up the walkway. The tire swing I used when I was young was still there, swinging lazily in the breeze. I took in a deep breath, unintentionally squeezing Inuyasha's hand. He looked down at me, smiling, and I relaxed a bit. I had no real reason to be nervous, it was just my dad and my brother.
We reached the front door and I took another deep breath, knocking hesitantly. "Okay, no one's home, lets go." I said, before I even gave anyone half a chance to get to the door.
"I did not drive all this way, just to turn around." Inuyasha said, his voice stern.
I nodded, "You're right."
Inuyasha knocked on the door, much louder this time. Then the door opened. A tall blonde lady answered with a smile. "May I help you?" she asked.
She was cute. She had deep blue eyes, she was wearing denim jeans, and a black v-neck shirt, decorated with a pearl necklace. She had a petite frame, and held herself well.
"I'm sorry." I said quickly. "We were looking for the Haru residence. We didn't mean to disturb you."
"Oh, you found it." she continued smiling brightly, "Please come in." she stepped aside allowing us to enter. I let Inuyasha hobble in first, and I followed quickly.
"Thank you." I said as I walked passed the lady.
"I'm Kaydee. What can we do for you?" she asked, leading us into the kitchen. It was exactly how I remembered it. The smells, the look, the presence. It was perfect.
"Is Jai home?" I asked, trying not to give too much away. "Or Souta?"
"Souta is at McKenzie's, and Jai ran off to the supermarket. Are you selling cookies for school or something?"
"No, um, it's actually a surprise. I'm Kagome, and this is my boyfriend -"
"Inuyasha?! Kagome?! Oh my word! It is so nice to meet you!" with that Kaydee pulled us into an awkward and very confused hug.
"Umm, I don't mean to be rude, Kaydee, but, just who are you?"
"Oh, Kagome, your father has told me so much about you. Please sit down. Would you like a drink or something? How about some lemonade? It’s fresh squeezed." she began busying herself with the beverages. "Your dad told me all about you from the second I met him. It's terrible that you can't visit more often. Sugar? Of course you want sugar. Anyway, so what is Maine like? I lived in England most of my childhood, and then moved here to Georgia. Been here ever since. I lived in Savannah for a while though. Anyway. What brings you here? Finally take that road trip your dad's been bugging you about. Oh, won't Jai flip! I should call Souta and get him to come home. How long are you staying?"
I wondered how she could talk so fast, but ignored it, since she ignored my question. The only thing that ran through my head was that she was my dad's girlfriend. But surely he would have told me. Wouldn't he?
"We're staying for a couple days. Then we have to drive back cause we have school and all. Plus, we didn't exactly tell Tai and Leslie that we left." Inuyasha spoke and snapped me out of my thoughts.
"You didn't tell your mother?" Kaydee said, her eyes wide. "And Tai must be your father. Oh, that's not good." she put the glasses down in front of us. "Here ya go kiddos." she sat down on the other side of the table. "We should call your parents. Wouldn't want them to worry." she took a drink from her own lemonade. "So, you two aren't very talkative."
"No, it's been a long drive." I smiled sweetly.
"True. Oh, want to meet Hayleigh?"
"Who is Hayleigh?"
"My daughter." Kaydee said. She barely looked old enough to be out of collage, and she had a daughter? It wasn't my place to say.
"Sure."
"Hayleigh, come on down stairs sweetie." she called. "She's been dying to meet you Kagome."
I didn't know what to say to that. I had never heard of these people and they had been waiting to meet me? I would have to talk to my dad about that.
"Kagome?" she asked, she had the cutest little voice. She was young, no older than four or five.
"Hello Hayleigh." I smiled, looking down at her.
"This is your step-sister Kagome. Aren't you excited to meet her?" Kaydee said, holding Hayleigh.
"Yes." she said back, looking up at her mother. I looked in disbelief for a second. Step-sister. That would mean . . .
"You and my dad are married?" I asked.
"Jai didn't tell you?" I shook my head. "Oh. Oh my word. I feel horrible. I am so sorry Kagome. Jeez, no wonder you are sitting there confused out of your mind. I am so sorry, I shouldn't have told you like this. I thought, surely Jai had said something. Please forgive me Kagome."
"It's not your fault."
"Inuyasha, I'm sorry you are stuck in the middle of this." she said.
"Hey, no problem."
"Honey, whos car is that outside?" I heard the front door open followed by those words. Then Hayleigh jumped off her mothers lap and ran into the other room, screaming 'daddy!'.
Suddenly I felt nervous, I hadn't seen my dad in years. Nine years to be exact. Now it seemed he had his own family, his own life. I had been distanced from him for so long; and here he was, waiting on the other side of the wall. I stood up, letting go of Inuyasha's hand for the first time since we arrived. He stayed there, knowing I needed to do this on my own. I held my breath, walking into the living room.
"Dad?" I said in a weak voice, that resembled that of the child I was when I left him. I had regressed to five. I wanted to run into my parents room screaming of bad dreams and bogeymen in my closet. My breathing became shallow as he looked at me, as though for the first time; taking in my features and deciding just what to make of me.
"Kagome?" he asked, putting down Hayleigh and the groceries he had in his hands. I saw his mouth move, as though he were going to say more, but he didn't. He just, stared at me. I stared back, taking in the sight of the man I called father.
He had thinned. He used to be a tall, fattening man, with a small bald spot on the back of his head. The man before me was thinning, wearing his usual black, round spectacles, and still had his bald spot. He was slightly taller than I, no longer the giant I remembered. I would have bet Inuyasha was taller. His smile still framed through his rich eyes, and reached every inch of his face. Inuyasha walked up next to me, putting his arm protectively around my waist. I let out the breath I had been holding. Kaydee now stood next to my father, her daughter in front of her, Inuyasha next to me. I finally realized . . . I was home.
"You look so good Kagome." he took the six short steps to me and pulled me into a crushing embrace.
I felt the warm tears fall down my face as I hugged him back with all I had. Inuyasha let me go. I felt hot liquid on my shoulder, and realized my dad was crying too. I sniffled, again regressing to a time when night terrors ruled my world. "I love you daddy." I whispered calmly, despite how choked up I felt.
"I love you Princess." he said, still not releasing me of his ever tightening hug. "I see you met Kaydee, and Hayleigh." he said pulling away and becoming much more the strong and composed person I knew him to be.
"Yes. They are very nice, and very hospitable." I smiled to Kaydee, wiping at my eyes carelessly. "You didn't tell me you had a Missus. Congrats." I said, still trying to compose myself. "This is my wonderful, charming, handsome, funny, boyfriend, Inuyasha." I said, having fully embarrassed him.
"Thanks for the intro Kags." he said in his dry sense of humor. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Haru." he said, sticking out his left hand, since his right wasn't capable of shaking.
"You as well Inuyasha. I've heard only the best." he said, shaking very formally as though it were a business meeting.
"Well I would hope she left out the bad." Inuyasha said as he smiled. Everyone else kind of chuckled.
"You have a very firm grip. Good manners." my father deduced.
I rolled my eyes, "Could you stop being an analyst for five seconds?" I said, playfully hitting him in the arm.
"Well, where did miss attitude come from? Excuse me, when you find Kagome, could you tell her that her family misses her?"
"Ha ha." we laughed together and I noticed Inuyasha was getting tired of standing.
"Let me help you with those." I said to my dad as he went to pick up the groceries.
"Thank you." he said, allowing me to help.
We all adjourned to the kitchen where Inuyasha sat back down at the table, on Kaydee's request, and Hayleigh began coloring, while the three of us put away the groceries.
"It's much faster with three Kaydee, perhaps we should teach Souta to help."
"Perhaps." Kaydee agreed, putting the plastic bags in a plastic bag holder on the back of the pantry door.
"So, Inuyasha, what happened there?" he asked, pointing to his leg and arm.
Inuyasha had been lying to people for a long time about it. He told our friends he got into a fight, he told his work he got into a car accident. I wondered what he would tell my father.
"Skateboarding accident." he said quickly, looking at me as though apologizing.
"See Kaydee, those things will kill a child. We should take Souta's away."
"Oh Jai, let the kids have some fun. See Inuyasha's fine." she rolled her eyes, sitting down at the table.
"Kagome, your car?" my father asked changing the subject.
"Nope, Inuyasha's. Mom still drives the same piece of crap station wagon, and I don't have one yet." I answered.
"I take it you drove down?" he asked.
"Yeah, Yash can't do much driving. What's even better, is I got to drive a stick. So now I can." I said, quite proud of myself.
"That must have been fun Inuyasha. Riding down here with someone who doesn't know how to drive your car."
"It's okay, I only threw up five times." Inuyasha joked, caressing the top of my hand. I stuck my tongue out at him, laughing mockingly.
"You two are cute together." Kaydee said.
"Thanks." we answered in unison.
"So, Kaydee, what do you do?" I asked, taking a sip of my lemonade. I was beginning to feel much more comfortable around them. Inuyasha didn't seem too bad either.
"I'm a secretary at your fathers firm." she answered.
It donned on me then what she was. She was the vixen. The temptress. The tramp. The reason for this trip down memory lane, the reason that my world had been ripped apart at the seams and strewn into a bin of careless faces and different places.
"Thank you." I smiled at her, feeling at peace with who I was and where I had come from.
She looked at me confused for a moment, and then decided to write it off I guess. I didn't really care what she did, it didn't matter to me. The point was, I had forgiven her, and I was truly happy. I looked at Inuyasha, who looked back at me as though saying 'you'll have to elaborate later'.
"So, how long will Leslie let me keep you?" my father asked, interrupting the awkward silence.
"Just about till New Year. We have to get back for school on the fifth." I said, thinking back to our schedule.
"These two," Kaydee pointed to us, "Didn't tell their parents they were leaving." she tattled.
"What?" My father asked, raising his voice only slightly. "You didn't tell Leslie? She's going to kill you."
"Yeah. I know. I just couldn't stand it there dad. There's a lot of shi- stuff." I caught myself, I didn't want to swear in front of a child so young. "Stuff that I can't deal with. Not right now." I said, thinking of everything bad about that place. "When there's school it's fine. But on vacations, in winter, it's torture. I couldn't hang around there. And I wanted to see you and Souta. I didn't know about Kaydee and Hayleigh, but I'm glad we met. I just had to do it dad. Please understand, mom never would have let me leave."
"We had too." Inuyasha confirmed, his voice pleading in his own way.
"We should at least call them." my father said.
"I want to see Souta first. In case she makes us go home."
"Then we'll call him at McKenzie's."
~*
"Dad?" Souta walked into the living room, and I heard a loud thud, like the sound of his duffle bag hitting the ground. "Mom, everything okay? What's going on?"
"Son," my father walked into the living room, disappearing out of sight. "We've got a surprise for you."
"What is it?" Souta asked, his voice sounding particularly puzzled.
I saw my father's hand motion for me to come in, so I did, Inuyasha close in tow. I walked through the open wall and smiled at my little brother. He wasn't very little anymore though. He was only eleven and nearly taller than I was. I choked back the tears that I felt. I had cried enough for one day, and didn't feel like a repeat of my first family encounter.
"Kags?" he asked, as though I weren't standing right there.
"Duh." I said, smiling at him.
"Really?" he still seemed to be in a state of shock and denial.
"Come over here ya big lug." I pulled him into a hug and he started sniffling.
"I didn't think you'd really come Kags. I thought I'd never see you again!"
"You're not getting rid of me that easily bro. I'm gonna be there for you for the rest of your life. 'Kay?"
"Yeah."
We pulled away from our hug and he looked behind me, I followed his gaze to Inuyasha, who seemed content watching the picture of brother meeting up with sister. "That's my boyfriend Yash." I said, gesturing toward him in case Souta was confused.
"Wow." my brother idolized skateboarders, and since my boyfriend was a typical one, I can only imagine what Souta must have thought. "What happened to you?" he asked, motioning toward the casts.
"Skateboarding accident." Inuyasha said easily, remembering his former lie.
“Cool.” Souta said.
"Didn't I warn you Souta?" my father spoke up from the entryway.
"Dad." Souta complained. "Do you like video games Yash?" he asked.
"Sure. Whadya got?"
"Come check it out! My room's upstairs. Can you manage?"
"Yeah, no probs." I didn't try to hide my smile as Souta practically dragged Inuyasha upstairs.
"I've got racing games, tons of racing games. I got some skater games, oh and I just got this new one -"
"Well, looks like Souta found himself a new best friend." I commented, turning to the rest of the family. My dad held the phone out to me.
"Call." I sighed. I had forgotten how strict he could be.
"Fine."
I took the phone and dialed the number, waiting for a worried voice on the other line, or a calm voice, or no voice at all. Either way, the second I walked back through that door, I would be grounded for the rest of my life.
I heard my mothers voice on the other end, slightly upset, but not so out of the usual. "Hi." I said softly, not sure what my tone of voice should be. Should I pretend remorse? Should I prove I'm alive and well by being vivacious and outgoing? Or should I be submissive and show that I know what I did was wrong?
"Kagome?" Came her response. "Where are you? Is Inuyasha with you? Is everything all right? Should I come get you?"
"No, mom we're fine. Inuyasha's with me. We're safe. Everything's okay."
"It is not okay! Where are you? Do you know how scared I am?"
"I have no idea mother. I couldn't possibly know what it is like. But, I'm sorry we worried you. It was just something we had to do. It was something that I can't explain. I can only say I'm sorry." I released a dramatic breath as she spoke again.
"Where are you?" she asked, her patience running thin.
I gulped, worrying that her volume alone on my next answer could cause me to break an ear-drum. "Georgia."
"WHAT!? KAGOME ARE YOU CRAZY!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS? YOU DROVE TO GEORGIA!? IN INUYASHA'S CAR? YOU CAN'T EVEN DRIVE A STANDARD! GOD KAGOME, HOW COULD YOU BE SO CARELESS!?"
"I'm sorry Mom. I've explained, it was just something that had to be done." I closed my eyes, "Please, forgive us. And don't tell Tai. Please. Tell him it was all my fault, tell him I kidnapped Inuyasha, I don't care, just don't tell him Inuyasha had anything to do with this. Please."
"Why are you so fearful of Tai?" my mothers voice calmed and changed entirely. Which I was thankful for.
"Because, he's formidable." I whispered. "Just please."
"Fine. But you are to come home right away."
"We'll be home before school starts."
"You will come home this second."
"No. I haven't seen the other members of my family in nine years mother. We're staying."
I heard a sound on the other line. I didn't know if it was troubled, or if it was calming, but it seemed to pacify her. "Fine. Call me before you leave."
I sighed in defiance. "Thank you. I love you." I said.
"I love you Kagome. Tell Souta I love him too. Give the phone to your father."
"What?" I asked, not sure if I heard right.
"Give the phone to Jai. I want to clarify that you are there."
"Sure." I stood up and walked into the kitchen and handed the phone out to my father. "Mom wants to talk to you." I said.
He gave me a quizzical look but accepted the phone. "Leslie?"
~!* Yashie's Standpoint *!~
I was playing 'Grand Turismo' with Souta. He was quite the rambunctious child. He continued to talk, and talk about random things. I couldn't follow him half the time. He spoke of his friends, his school, and everything that I had no clue about. I listened with fake interest, after all, who was I to dash a boys dream of becoming a high school skateboarder?
"There you boys are." Kagome walked in smiling her famous smile.
"Look Kags, he's loosing." Souta smiled, turning his whole body to go around a corner.
"You know, leaning with the controls doesn't actually help." Kagome said, sitting next to us on the floor.
"Shut up sis." Souta came back.
"That's amazing." I commented.
"What is?" They asked in unison.
"You've been reunited five minutes, and you're already back at each others throats."
"It's a love/hate relationship." they again spoke in unison.
"Amazing." I repeated.
Kagome hit my good arm playfully. "Oh, by the way, I talked to mom." I looked at her worriedly. "She said we could stay as long as we were back for classes on Jan. fifth."
"And my dad?" I asked.
"I told her to tell him you were with me, that it was entirely my fault, and that you are not to be blamed. I am."
"That was stupid Kags." I mumbled. I took a corner and crashed into the wall.
"That's gonna leave a mark." Kagome said smugly.
"Ha ha."
"You know," Souta said, "Before I thought he was letting me win. Now I know he just sucks."
"Oh yeah? Bring out street fighting. I'll whip you."
"All right then." Souta began changing video games.
"I play winner. Best two out of three." Kagome said, leaning back against the bed.
"Right." I said, taking position to fight against Souta. It wasn't going to be easy with only one working hand, but I would try my best.
"Pick your guy." Souta said, as he quickly searched out his player.
We picked our location and handicap and began fighting. Souta won the first round, and I won the second.
"It is down to this then." Souta proclaimed as the announcer stated 'Fight', in Japanese.
We began fighting and I was quickly up by a good half of his life points. I used my special attack power and he was close to dead. His life rate blinking, and I wasn't even scratched. Souta began cursing under his breath and I smiled as I came close to winning. Souta countered my final blowing, sending me down with a small scratch. I stood up and used my sword to deliver the punishing blow.
"Dude, I so schooled you!" I proclaimed, trying to stand up, forgetting my condition. "Ow, ow, ow." I said, resting back down.
"Yeah, and your handicapped. I'm such a loser." Souta complained, turning the controller over to Kagome.
"You'll get him next time." Kagome reassured him. "Rest Yash. You can't be jumping around like that." she reprimanded.
"Yeah, yeah I know." I said, my tone somewhat like a child being told to do homework.
"Oh, just for that you are so going to get schooled by a girl."
"Bring it."
~*~
La de da! So how did you like chappie 15? Five or six more outta rap it up! Teehe! Next chapter . . . Three Words to Change the Heart . . . look for it soon! (I’ll try to update one or two more chapters before I start school. I know I’ll be super busy as first, so if I don’t get to update this week before the 9th then I won’t be updating for a while. Sorry. But Look for me anyway ya never know!
Love Anubis
Chapter 15: Reunions and small decisions
Anubis_Himura
~!* Kag's Point of View *!~
"You cheat, so bad!" Inuyasha laughed as he threw his cards on the seat. "Cheater!" he stuck his tongue out and crossed his arms.
"Aww, is Yashie a poor loser?" I ruffled his hair and he looked back with a mischievous scowl.
"Come on then," He sat up, looking at his wristwatch. "We should go, we got some miles to turn before dark."
I picked up the cards, putting them back in the 'activity' bag. "All right then." I turned the car on and we left the rest stop.
We were in North Carolina, bordering on South Carolina, and decided to take a little break. We didn't want to waste the money staying in hotels so we camped out at rest stops. We only had a little ways left to go, just head through South Carolina and then we would be into Georgia. Of course, once we were in Georgia it was a whole other matter of finding my dad, asking if we could stay, and then tracking down Sesshomaru. All in all, it wasn't going to be an easy trip. Plus, I would have to worry about Tai and my mom looking for us. They hadn't called my cell phone yet, but the range probably wasn't all that good.
Inuyasha turned up the radio and we sang along to it. We had in a CD we had dubbed the 'Road Trip Mix'. It was full of great songs that could be played while "road tripping", therefore the appropriate title.
"Here I go again on my own! Going down the only road I've ever known, like a drifter I was born to walk alone. And I've made up my mind, I ain't wasting no more time. Here I go again!" I tapped with the beat on the steering wheel while Inuyasha took over on air guitar. He did his best with only one hand. The song faded and then changed and we laughed at our behaivour. It was a little silly to play air guitars, and lip-sync in such a dramatic way, but we were having fun.
"Oh Shit, Kags, that's our exit." I slowed down just in time to make a hard right and get off. I shifted down to forth and we drove through the town. We were in Georgia.
"Okay, so where does your dad live?"
"Franklin Springs." I said, looking at the map of Georgia we had picked up. "Where does Sesshomaru live?"
"Feh. I don't know. I think Vanna, but I'm not sure."
"Cool. That's not far from Franklin, that will be handy, if that's where he is."
We drove for another good three hours, getting lost slightly and having to stop for directions.
"Excuse me," I smiled as I walked into the gas station.
"Did you get the gas?" the man asked.
"Yes," I replied, still smiling, "Also, could you tell me how to get to Franklin Springs?"
"That'll be twenty dollars." he said, "Franklin Springs? Yep. You wanna go left outta here, then right at the lights, then past the park, and take a left at the fork. Well, it's not really a fork, it's kind of like a bend. So go left at the bend, and, I'd say about ten minutes after that oughta put you right into Franklin. But if you come across that there Mobile, you've gone to far, gotta turn back."
"Great. Thanks. Here." I handed him twenty dollars and waved. "Have a good day."
"Yep. You too."
~*~
"Okay, we used to live on Trueman Lane, so lets look for that first. Of course, I can call him if we have trouble." I said as we drove through the suburban town.
"Lincoln," Inuyasha read off as we passed the street.
"Morrison." I said, reading the sign on the opposite side of the road.
"River's End."
"I think it was near Masons General Store. It's hard to remember, it's been so long."
We drove a little further and finally came upon Masons. "Wow, it's still here. That's pretty cool. Okay. Now we can look for Trueman."
"Found it." Inuyasha said simultaneously as I spoke.
"Awesome." I slowed down as we turned down the street.
I stopped in front of a faded blue country house. Four bedrooms, three and a half baths, gorgeous kitchen, and nook, and a luxurious family room. The house I 'grew up' in, or at least lived in longest.
"There it is." I said, looking at the house with nostalgia.
"It's huge." Inuyasha said as he unbuckled.
"Yeah. It's wicked nice too. At least, it used to be." I took the keys out of the car and unbuckled. "Come on then. It's now or never."
I smiled as we stepped out of the car. It felt nice to stand after so long. We closed the doors and walked hand in hand up the walkway. The tire swing I used when I was young was still there, swinging lazily in the breeze. I took in a deep breath, unintentionally squeezing Inuyasha's hand. He looked down at me, smiling, and I relaxed a bit. I had no real reason to be nervous, it was just my dad and my brother.
We reached the front door and I took another deep breath, knocking hesitantly. "Okay, no one's home, lets go." I said, before I even gave anyone half a chance to get to the door.
"I did not drive all this way, just to turn around." Inuyasha said, his voice stern.
I nodded, "You're right."
Inuyasha knocked on the door, much louder this time. Then the door opened. A tall blonde lady answered with a smile. "May I help you?" she asked.
She was cute. She had deep blue eyes, she was wearing denim jeans, and a black v-neck shirt, decorated with a pearl necklace. She had a petite frame, and held herself well.
"I'm sorry." I said quickly. "We were looking for the Haru residence. We didn't mean to disturb you."
"Oh, you found it." she continued smiling brightly, "Please come in." she stepped aside allowing us to enter. I let Inuyasha hobble in first, and I followed quickly.
"Thank you." I said as I walked passed the lady.
"I'm Kaydee. What can we do for you?" she asked, leading us into the kitchen. It was exactly how I remembered it. The smells, the look, the presence. It was perfect.
"Is Jai home?" I asked, trying not to give too much away. "Or Souta?"
"Souta is at McKenzie's, and Jai ran off to the supermarket. Are you selling cookies for school or something?"
"No, um, it's actually a surprise. I'm Kagome, and this is my boyfriend -"
"Inuyasha?! Kagome?! Oh my word! It is so nice to meet you!" with that Kaydee pulled us into an awkward and very confused hug.
"Umm, I don't mean to be rude, Kaydee, but, just who are you?"
"Oh, Kagome, your father has told me so much about you. Please sit down. Would you like a drink or something? How about some lemonade? It’s fresh squeezed." she began busying herself with the beverages. "Your dad told me all about you from the second I met him. It's terrible that you can't visit more often. Sugar? Of course you want sugar. Anyway, so what is Maine like? I lived in England most of my childhood, and then moved here to Georgia. Been here ever since. I lived in Savannah for a while though. Anyway. What brings you here? Finally take that road trip your dad's been bugging you about. Oh, won't Jai flip! I should call Souta and get him to come home. How long are you staying?"
I wondered how she could talk so fast, but ignored it, since she ignored my question. The only thing that ran through my head was that she was my dad's girlfriend. But surely he would have told me. Wouldn't he?
"We're staying for a couple days. Then we have to drive back cause we have school and all. Plus, we didn't exactly tell Tai and Leslie that we left." Inuyasha spoke and snapped me out of my thoughts.
"You didn't tell your mother?" Kaydee said, her eyes wide. "And Tai must be your father. Oh, that's not good." she put the glasses down in front of us. "Here ya go kiddos." she sat down on the other side of the table. "We should call your parents. Wouldn't want them to worry." she took a drink from her own lemonade. "So, you two aren't very talkative."
"No, it's been a long drive." I smiled sweetly.
"True. Oh, want to meet Hayleigh?"
"Who is Hayleigh?"
"My daughter." Kaydee said. She barely looked old enough to be out of collage, and she had a daughter? It wasn't my place to say.
"Sure."
"Hayleigh, come on down stairs sweetie." she called. "She's been dying to meet you Kagome."
I didn't know what to say to that. I had never heard of these people and they had been waiting to meet me? I would have to talk to my dad about that.
"Kagome?" she asked, she had the cutest little voice. She was young, no older than four or five.
"Hello Hayleigh." I smiled, looking down at her.
"This is your step-sister Kagome. Aren't you excited to meet her?" Kaydee said, holding Hayleigh.
"Yes." she said back, looking up at her mother. I looked in disbelief for a second. Step-sister. That would mean . . .
"You and my dad are married?" I asked.
"Jai didn't tell you?" I shook my head. "Oh. Oh my word. I feel horrible. I am so sorry Kagome. Jeez, no wonder you are sitting there confused out of your mind. I am so sorry, I shouldn't have told you like this. I thought, surely Jai had said something. Please forgive me Kagome."
"It's not your fault."
"Inuyasha, I'm sorry you are stuck in the middle of this." she said.
"Hey, no problem."
"Honey, whos car is that outside?" I heard the front door open followed by those words. Then Hayleigh jumped off her mothers lap and ran into the other room, screaming 'daddy!'.
Suddenly I felt nervous, I hadn't seen my dad in years. Nine years to be exact. Now it seemed he had his own family, his own life. I had been distanced from him for so long; and here he was, waiting on the other side of the wall. I stood up, letting go of Inuyasha's hand for the first time since we arrived. He stayed there, knowing I needed to do this on my own. I held my breath, walking into the living room.
"Dad?" I said in a weak voice, that resembled that of the child I was when I left him. I had regressed to five. I wanted to run into my parents room screaming of bad dreams and bogeymen in my closet. My breathing became shallow as he looked at me, as though for the first time; taking in my features and deciding just what to make of me.
"Kagome?" he asked, putting down Hayleigh and the groceries he had in his hands. I saw his mouth move, as though he were going to say more, but he didn't. He just, stared at me. I stared back, taking in the sight of the man I called father.
He had thinned. He used to be a tall, fattening man, with a small bald spot on the back of his head. The man before me was thinning, wearing his usual black, round spectacles, and still had his bald spot. He was slightly taller than I, no longer the giant I remembered. I would have bet Inuyasha was taller. His smile still framed through his rich eyes, and reached every inch of his face. Inuyasha walked up next to me, putting his arm protectively around my waist. I let out the breath I had been holding. Kaydee now stood next to my father, her daughter in front of her, Inuyasha next to me. I finally realized . . . I was home.
"You look so good Kagome." he took the six short steps to me and pulled me into a crushing embrace.
I felt the warm tears fall down my face as I hugged him back with all I had. Inuyasha let me go. I felt hot liquid on my shoulder, and realized my dad was crying too. I sniffled, again regressing to a time when night terrors ruled my world. "I love you daddy." I whispered calmly, despite how choked up I felt.
"I love you Princess." he said, still not releasing me of his ever tightening hug. "I see you met Kaydee, and Hayleigh." he said pulling away and becoming much more the strong and composed person I knew him to be.
"Yes. They are very nice, and very hospitable." I smiled to Kaydee, wiping at my eyes carelessly. "You didn't tell me you had a Missus. Congrats." I said, still trying to compose myself. "This is my wonderful, charming, handsome, funny, boyfriend, Inuyasha." I said, having fully embarrassed him.
"Thanks for the intro Kags." he said in his dry sense of humor. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Haru." he said, sticking out his left hand, since his right wasn't capable of shaking.
"You as well Inuyasha. I've heard only the best." he said, shaking very formally as though it were a business meeting.
"Well I would hope she left out the bad." Inuyasha said as he smiled. Everyone else kind of chuckled.
"You have a very firm grip. Good manners." my father deduced.
I rolled my eyes, "Could you stop being an analyst for five seconds?" I said, playfully hitting him in the arm.
"Well, where did miss attitude come from? Excuse me, when you find Kagome, could you tell her that her family misses her?"
"Ha ha." we laughed together and I noticed Inuyasha was getting tired of standing.
"Let me help you with those." I said to my dad as he went to pick up the groceries.
"Thank you." he said, allowing me to help.
We all adjourned to the kitchen where Inuyasha sat back down at the table, on Kaydee's request, and Hayleigh began coloring, while the three of us put away the groceries.
"It's much faster with three Kaydee, perhaps we should teach Souta to help."
"Perhaps." Kaydee agreed, putting the plastic bags in a plastic bag holder on the back of the pantry door.
"So, Inuyasha, what happened there?" he asked, pointing to his leg and arm.
Inuyasha had been lying to people for a long time about it. He told our friends he got into a fight, he told his work he got into a car accident. I wondered what he would tell my father.
"Skateboarding accident." he said quickly, looking at me as though apologizing.
"See Kaydee, those things will kill a child. We should take Souta's away."
"Oh Jai, let the kids have some fun. See Inuyasha's fine." she rolled her eyes, sitting down at the table.
"Kagome, your car?" my father asked changing the subject.
"Nope, Inuyasha's. Mom still drives the same piece of crap station wagon, and I don't have one yet." I answered.
"I take it you drove down?" he asked.
"Yeah, Yash can't do much driving. What's even better, is I got to drive a stick. So now I can." I said, quite proud of myself.
"That must have been fun Inuyasha. Riding down here with someone who doesn't know how to drive your car."
"It's okay, I only threw up five times." Inuyasha joked, caressing the top of my hand. I stuck my tongue out at him, laughing mockingly.
"You two are cute together." Kaydee said.
"Thanks." we answered in unison.
"So, Kaydee, what do you do?" I asked, taking a sip of my lemonade. I was beginning to feel much more comfortable around them. Inuyasha didn't seem too bad either.
"I'm a secretary at your fathers firm." she answered.
It donned on me then what she was. She was the vixen. The temptress. The tramp. The reason for this trip down memory lane, the reason that my world had been ripped apart at the seams and strewn into a bin of careless faces and different places.
"Thank you." I smiled at her, feeling at peace with who I was and where I had come from.
She looked at me confused for a moment, and then decided to write it off I guess. I didn't really care what she did, it didn't matter to me. The point was, I had forgiven her, and I was truly happy. I looked at Inuyasha, who looked back at me as though saying 'you'll have to elaborate later'.
"So, how long will Leslie let me keep you?" my father asked, interrupting the awkward silence.
"Just about till New Year. We have to get back for school on the fifth." I said, thinking back to our schedule.
"These two," Kaydee pointed to us, "Didn't tell their parents they were leaving." she tattled.
"What?" My father asked, raising his voice only slightly. "You didn't tell Leslie? She's going to kill you."
"Yeah. I know. I just couldn't stand it there dad. There's a lot of shi- stuff." I caught myself, I didn't want to swear in front of a child so young. "Stuff that I can't deal with. Not right now." I said, thinking of everything bad about that place. "When there's school it's fine. But on vacations, in winter, it's torture. I couldn't hang around there. And I wanted to see you and Souta. I didn't know about Kaydee and Hayleigh, but I'm glad we met. I just had to do it dad. Please understand, mom never would have let me leave."
"We had too." Inuyasha confirmed, his voice pleading in his own way.
"We should at least call them." my father said.
"I want to see Souta first. In case she makes us go home."
"Then we'll call him at McKenzie's."
~*
"Dad?" Souta walked into the living room, and I heard a loud thud, like the sound of his duffle bag hitting the ground. "Mom, everything okay? What's going on?"
"Son," my father walked into the living room, disappearing out of sight. "We've got a surprise for you."
"What is it?" Souta asked, his voice sounding particularly puzzled.
I saw my father's hand motion for me to come in, so I did, Inuyasha close in tow. I walked through the open wall and smiled at my little brother. He wasn't very little anymore though. He was only eleven and nearly taller than I was. I choked back the tears that I felt. I had cried enough for one day, and didn't feel like a repeat of my first family encounter.
"Kags?" he asked, as though I weren't standing right there.
"Duh." I said, smiling at him.
"Really?" he still seemed to be in a state of shock and denial.
"Come over here ya big lug." I pulled him into a hug and he started sniffling.
"I didn't think you'd really come Kags. I thought I'd never see you again!"
"You're not getting rid of me that easily bro. I'm gonna be there for you for the rest of your life. 'Kay?"
"Yeah."
We pulled away from our hug and he looked behind me, I followed his gaze to Inuyasha, who seemed content watching the picture of brother meeting up with sister. "That's my boyfriend Yash." I said, gesturing toward him in case Souta was confused.
"Wow." my brother idolized skateboarders, and since my boyfriend was a typical one, I can only imagine what Souta must have thought. "What happened to you?" he asked, motioning toward the casts.
"Skateboarding accident." Inuyasha said easily, remembering his former lie.
“Cool.” Souta said.
"Didn't I warn you Souta?" my father spoke up from the entryway.
"Dad." Souta complained. "Do you like video games Yash?" he asked.
"Sure. Whadya got?"
"Come check it out! My room's upstairs. Can you manage?"
"Yeah, no probs." I didn't try to hide my smile as Souta practically dragged Inuyasha upstairs.
"I've got racing games, tons of racing games. I got some skater games, oh and I just got this new one -"
"Well, looks like Souta found himself a new best friend." I commented, turning to the rest of the family. My dad held the phone out to me.
"Call." I sighed. I had forgotten how strict he could be.
"Fine."
I took the phone and dialed the number, waiting for a worried voice on the other line, or a calm voice, or no voice at all. Either way, the second I walked back through that door, I would be grounded for the rest of my life.
I heard my mothers voice on the other end, slightly upset, but not so out of the usual. "Hi." I said softly, not sure what my tone of voice should be. Should I pretend remorse? Should I prove I'm alive and well by being vivacious and outgoing? Or should I be submissive and show that I know what I did was wrong?
"Kagome?" Came her response. "Where are you? Is Inuyasha with you? Is everything all right? Should I come get you?"
"No, mom we're fine. Inuyasha's with me. We're safe. Everything's okay."
"It is not okay! Where are you? Do you know how scared I am?"
"I have no idea mother. I couldn't possibly know what it is like. But, I'm sorry we worried you. It was just something we had to do. It was something that I can't explain. I can only say I'm sorry." I released a dramatic breath as she spoke again.
"Where are you?" she asked, her patience running thin.
I gulped, worrying that her volume alone on my next answer could cause me to break an ear-drum. "Georgia."
"WHAT!? KAGOME ARE YOU CRAZY!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS? YOU DROVE TO GEORGIA!? IN INUYASHA'S CAR? YOU CAN'T EVEN DRIVE A STANDARD! GOD KAGOME, HOW COULD YOU BE SO CARELESS!?"
"I'm sorry Mom. I've explained, it was just something that had to be done." I closed my eyes, "Please, forgive us. And don't tell Tai. Please. Tell him it was all my fault, tell him I kidnapped Inuyasha, I don't care, just don't tell him Inuyasha had anything to do with this. Please."
"Why are you so fearful of Tai?" my mothers voice calmed and changed entirely. Which I was thankful for.
"Because, he's formidable." I whispered. "Just please."
"Fine. But you are to come home right away."
"We'll be home before school starts."
"You will come home this second."
"No. I haven't seen the other members of my family in nine years mother. We're staying."
I heard a sound on the other line. I didn't know if it was troubled, or if it was calming, but it seemed to pacify her. "Fine. Call me before you leave."
I sighed in defiance. "Thank you. I love you." I said.
"I love you Kagome. Tell Souta I love him too. Give the phone to your father."
"What?" I asked, not sure if I heard right.
"Give the phone to Jai. I want to clarify that you are there."
"Sure." I stood up and walked into the kitchen and handed the phone out to my father. "Mom wants to talk to you." I said.
He gave me a quizzical look but accepted the phone. "Leslie?"
~!* Yashie's Standpoint *!~
I was playing 'Grand Turismo' with Souta. He was quite the rambunctious child. He continued to talk, and talk about random things. I couldn't follow him half the time. He spoke of his friends, his school, and everything that I had no clue about. I listened with fake interest, after all, who was I to dash a boys dream of becoming a high school skateboarder?
"There you boys are." Kagome walked in smiling her famous smile.
"Look Kags, he's loosing." Souta smiled, turning his whole body to go around a corner.
"You know, leaning with the controls doesn't actually help." Kagome said, sitting next to us on the floor.
"Shut up sis." Souta came back.
"That's amazing." I commented.
"What is?" They asked in unison.
"You've been reunited five minutes, and you're already back at each others throats."
"It's a love/hate relationship." they again spoke in unison.
"Amazing." I repeated.
Kagome hit my good arm playfully. "Oh, by the way, I talked to mom." I looked at her worriedly. "She said we could stay as long as we were back for classes on Jan. fifth."
"And my dad?" I asked.
"I told her to tell him you were with me, that it was entirely my fault, and that you are not to be blamed. I am."
"That was stupid Kags." I mumbled. I took a corner and crashed into the wall.
"That's gonna leave a mark." Kagome said smugly.
"Ha ha."
"You know," Souta said, "Before I thought he was letting me win. Now I know he just sucks."
"Oh yeah? Bring out street fighting. I'll whip you."
"All right then." Souta began changing video games.
"I play winner. Best two out of three." Kagome said, leaning back against the bed.
"Right." I said, taking position to fight against Souta. It wasn't going to be easy with only one working hand, but I would try my best.
"Pick your guy." Souta said, as he quickly searched out his player.
We picked our location and handicap and began fighting. Souta won the first round, and I won the second.
"It is down to this then." Souta proclaimed as the announcer stated 'Fight', in Japanese.
We began fighting and I was quickly up by a good half of his life points. I used my special attack power and he was close to dead. His life rate blinking, and I wasn't even scratched. Souta began cursing under his breath and I smiled as I came close to winning. Souta countered my final blowing, sending me down with a small scratch. I stood up and used my sword to deliver the punishing blow.
"Dude, I so schooled you!" I proclaimed, trying to stand up, forgetting my condition. "Ow, ow, ow." I said, resting back down.
"Yeah, and your handicapped. I'm such a loser." Souta complained, turning the controller over to Kagome.
"You'll get him next time." Kagome reassured him. "Rest Yash. You can't be jumping around like that." she reprimanded.
"Yeah, yeah I know." I said, my tone somewhat like a child being told to do homework.
"Oh, just for that you are so going to get schooled by a girl."
"Bring it."
~*~
La de da! So how did you like chappie 15? Five or six more outta rap it up! Teehe! Next chapter . . . Three Words to Change the Heart . . . look for it soon! (I’ll try to update one or two more chapters before I start school. I know I’ll be super busy as first, so if I don’t get to update this week before the 9th then I won’t be updating for a while. Sorry. But Look for me anyway ya never know!
Love Anubis