InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Welcome to The Age of Un-Innocence ❯ Caving In ( Chapter 5 )

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back and so soon! I'm expectin some nice reviews for this very quick and longer update hehe -hint hint- and I've got the next chapter ready to for whenever I feel like its a good time to post it. But for now here's the new one! I think you're going to like it. Thank you's time! Cheerios: Thanks again for your repeat review! I hope you like the new chapter hehe! The fun part will be when they meet again, but that's not for a little while more. Thanks! Jkhdfkd (did I do that right?) Thanks so much for your very excited review hehe! I'm glad you're liking the story and hope you like this next chapter just as much! Thanks! And Foamyfun! I haven't seen you around in quite awhile ya hehe. Thanks for the sweet review and email me about the request and we'll talk privately.

Other than that I hope you guys really like this new chapter! It's heating up now! And sorry I'm not updating some of my other stories right now, you gotta go with what your muse is giving you and right now I really love writing this. But don't worry I'll find time to work on my other stories too! Soon hopefully. Anyway, Ja!

Laurell~

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Kagome, gasped, her sides burning as she stared at the mountain of steps leading up to the shrine. The shrine her parents could be already waiting for her in... She started a slow climb with a new found dread up the steps. She had pushed her body too hard, it rebelled fiercely when she kept straining the sore muscles. She hadn't been ready to take off at the speed she did from her rest in the park but she didn't care to stay anywhere near that rude guy that had disturbed her. She couldn't help but smirk a bit because the blow he had dealt to her, she had been thinking the same of him. `He could have been hot minus that attitude problem.' Coming back to the present she hesitated on the top of the steps looking towards the house. She knew what was waiting inside those doors and fear was feasting on her. She struggled against the emotions tearing at her. They became a solid mass, a hardened lump growing in her throat and chest. The heaviness tore down at her along with her muscle exhaustion, all she wanted to do was sink beneath the Goshinboku and fall asleep, to wake up and have this all having been a bad dream. But the feel of her throat tightening and weakness creping up her spine reminded her, this was reality. Shaking off her fears but with dread still lingering she stepped inside the shrine taking her shoes off.

 

“Souta?” She called out nervously down the hall. No answer followed. Finding her way to her bedroom she looked in to see her suitcases missing. Rolling her eyes she realized what had happened. They were probably out to lunch somewhere in the area having already packed her stuff up.

 

She ran herself a bath while waiting for the impending doom of their arrival back wincing with every movement due to the burning in her muscles. The heated water soothed them a little but even after laying in it for almost an hour she still felt tense, it was for a couple of reasons though, to be fair to her legs.

 

All of her clothes having been abducted by her loving father she managed to dig up some old pajama's from the dresser and headed downstairs to flip on the TV. Some distraction could do her good against the endless circling of her thoughts. As if to add just to the atmosphere she heard the light sounds of thunder in the distance glancing out a window to see the sky had darkened considerable.

 

“Fitting,” she muttered before picking up the remote to scan through the Japanese channels trying to remember her favorites. She paused on a news network at seeing her father's name scrolling across the screen. It was showing the latest predictions on the polls and browsing through some recent footage of each of the candidates before talking about the ball her father had mentioned at the four seasons. Why a bunch of bigwigs had to get together and make a lavish spectacle out of a dinner she would never understand. `I bet the money he's putting into that is ten times the price of my tuition he's holding me hostage with,' Kagome thought bitterly.

 

Her head snapped up as she heard voices coming closer to the house, quickly changing the channel again she tried to look unfazed as her family walked in.

 

“Kagome!” her mother rushed in eagerly throwing herself down on her daughter. Kagome shifted uncomfortable from her seat trying to edge away from her.

“We were so worried about you!” Her mother pulled back to look her over.

 

“Yea, I bet.” She said coolly. She could feel her father's gaze staring down at her, his statue alone demanded recognition but his eyes were what commanded respect and she knew her complete apathy towards him even being present was killing him. Her silence screamed profanities at him. Souta's tense form was framed still in the doorway behind him.

 

“You're coming home with us.” Her mother stopped whatever she was whining about to look up at the voice.

 

“Ok.” Kagome continued the stare straight ahead, he wasn't even going to ruffle her, they thought they could hurt her that easily? They had massively underestimated a Higurashi daughter and she was going to prove it.

 

Outraged by her quiet defiance, making him unable to fight the only way he knew how, her father stormed back out of the house to the car with her mother rushing after him.

 

She glanced over to Souta who still hadn't moved other than the let their father pass.

 

“You're really going to come back that easily?” He questioned.

 

“Yea...I'm just too tired to fight anymore, and I don't want them to end up taking it out on you. I couldn't hide out at the shrine all summer, but I'm still glad I was able to keep my sanity a little longer.” Kagome gave him a quick wink and a smile. He nodded a bit but kept his head down.

 

“We should head out then, it looks like rain.” Kagome clicked the TV off and rose up to follow after him, not caring she was still in her pajamas.

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Inuyasha rushed in the door just as the rain outside was beginning to pound down upon the crowded Tokyo streets. Shaking his hair out a bit he heard people talking from the kitchen and hesitantly walked in.

 

“Oh Inu, did you get caught in the storm? It looks like its going to be a bad one; you should go change into something dry so you don't catch cold.” His mother's affectionate eyes comforted him in ways no other could. Rin turned around in her chair to give him a smile as well. He smiled at both of them and nodded.

 

Relief flowed over him as he trudged up stairs. She didn't know, and if his mother didn't know, the rest of his family truly didn't, and so his father really was ashamed of the favor he was asking his son. It made the reality of the situation hit home a little more for him oddly enough and Inuyasha couldn't help feeling sorry for the mess his dad had gotten himself into. He knew he was just trying to do what was right for the precinct, being a cop meant everything to him, right next to providing well for his family.

 

Inuyasha peeled the wet clothing off, running a towel over him and through his damn hair before changing into some khaki cargo shorts and a faded red shirt. It was an old favorite despite Miroku always complaining about how ratty it looked. Picking up the wet clothes he threw them in the tub passing the bathroom on his way back downstairs. Sitting down next to his mother at the kitchen table Inuyasha looked down amused at a cup Rin pushed in front of him before sitting as well.

 

“Where's my coffee?” He mocked with a smile.

 

“Tea, is much better for you, you should drink more of it. Sess and I never keep any coffee in the house I'll have you know.” She grinned back crinkling her nose up a little when she smiled that big.

 

“I'm not sure if you're aware of this.....but I'm from New York, Starbucks is my grocery store.” She laughed even though he was being pretty serious.

 

“Oh would you stop it, try something new! Be adventurous! I think you'll like it!”

 

Shrugging he raised the cup up sipping the hot liquid carefully; Rin leaned in eagerly for his reaction. Setting the cup back down he smiled and shrugged again. “It's ok,” he said nonchalantly and both women giggled.

 

“So how was lunch with your father dear?” His mother's small hands were wrapped around her own cup, a fuzzy looking pastel turtle neck making her look warm all over against the stormy window background.

 

“It was...ok I guess. We talked about some stuff...” His voice trailed off as his eyes looked past them out the window again thinking about earlier. The image of that girl and her brown eyes floated past and he blinked a couple of times erasing it.

 

“Yes, you're father mentioned there was something he needed to talk to you about. He's been more anxious than usual lately but promised me he had everything handled. Is everything all right dear, you boys would tell me if there was a problem wouldn't you?” She reached over giving his hand a light squeeze, her own eyes pleading with him filled with worry.

 

“Don't worry mom everything's fine, we just talked about some stuff down at the precinct, but really its nothing.” He squeezed her hand back trying to reassure her with a slight smile. She sat back in her chair nodding then taking another sip.

 

“So where has your hubby to be run off to now Rin? Loose him already?” Inuyasha teased trying to lighten the mood.

 

“No,” she shot him a mocking glare “He's on some sort of conference call for work.” She rolled her eyes obviously uninterested.

 

“He works?” Inuyasha asked surprised.

 

“Of course he works,” Rin laughed. “Its part of the reason we get to travel so much. Speak of the devil.” She grinned glancing over as Sesshomaru walked in the room, eyeing his younger brother he give her a short kiss on the cheek then sat down next to her. She pouted at the obviously chaste affection.

 

“So when's the wedding?” Inuyasha questioned with a smirk on his face, Rin was oblivious to his tone though and immediately began bubbling away at the different options. The soon to be Mrs. Taisho and current Mrs. Taisho began chatting about colors for the different seasons and Sesshomaru groaned softly.

 

“Now do you see what you started?” He hissed below his breath across the table at his younger brother. “They'll be going for hours!” Inuyasha laughed and the two women glanced over momentarily before continuing. No one noticed when Sesshomaru rested his forehead on the table with a sigh.

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It was raining quite hard by the time Mr. Higurashi pulled the Mercedes up into their garage with his family in tow. `One happy little family.' Kagome thought sadly. She had said a quick goodbye to her jii-chan promising she'd be back soon and thanking him again for letting them spend the night. She would have much rather stayed there but she knew nothing was going to get worked out if she wasn't home and if she had any hope of a compromise with her father it was going to take a painful amount of lost pride she had realized.

 

“Souta? Souta?” She waved her hand in front of her brother's face when he made no move to get out of the car, still seated with his belt on while everyone else was already stepping out having not even noticed. He shook his head quickly and gave Kagome a quick smile.

 

“Sorry, must have been daydreaming.” He was a shitty liar, but Kagome nodded a bit and followed his lead getting out and taking her suitcases out to drag them back inside for the second time. The entire ride over Souta had hardly even looked anywhere than straight ahead. `What have you said to him now Dad?' She worried to herself.

 

Tossing her suitcases in her room no longer caring about them she followed Souta into his sitting down next to him on the bed.

 

“Souta what's wrong? You've been so quiet. I'm sorry I dragged you out with me last night, I hope they didn't scold you for it.”

 

“No, it's not that Sis, really I'm fine.” Bless his heart he tried, but he couldn't lie to her, and they both knew it.

 

“But I can tell something's not right...” Staring up into his eyes she pleaded with him to share whatever thoughts were causing her baby brother so much pain. “Please...” He hesitated, sighed a little then finally spoke.

 

“Dad's decided to have me home schooled from now on, they're sending in special tutors so I'll be done with high school in two years.” He kept his gaze down already sensing her reaction.

 

“Souta! But you haven't even started your first year yet! And you wanted to try and play soccer at school; you're really great at it! And what about graduating with your class, and having fun with your friends?!” She cried rambling immediately; shocked by the thought of her younger brother having his youth stripped that much more away from him.

 

“Oh don't be like that Kagome, you know...it's a great opportunity, one that most people couldn't ever hope to have and I should take full advantage of it-”

 

“Don't spout off that bullshit dad pounds into your skull to me! You know as well as I do this is completely wrong! Its bad enough you don't have time for anything a normal kid your age should be doing, and that you don't even get to choose what to do with your life! But now he's not even letting you go to school?! You're not his lapdog Souta! You have your own life and you're own goals!” Souta winced looking down wringing his hands in his lap.

 

“That's it!” Flying off the bed Kagome stomped down the hall ignoring Souta's shouts after her. “FATHER!” She bellowed down the stairs. After tearing through the living room, dining room and kitchen she threw open the doors to his private study not bothering to knock.

 

“What the hell do you think you're doing?!” She snarled. He politely looked up from the glowing screen of his lab top; his eyes glanced up over the rims of his glasses going over her quickly, and then resuming what he was working on.

 

Walking over to the desk he sat at she slammed the screen down on the computer her palm still flattened on its top glaring down at him.

 

“What are you doing to Souta, what type of game do you think you're playing by annihilating his childhood?” With an angry sigh Mr. Higurashi removed his glasses placing them calmly against the desk to look up at his infuriated daughter.

 

“I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about as usual Kagome.”

 

“You know damn well what I'm talking about! You're taking him out of high school before he ever even got the chance to start! He's not a machine or one of your slimy partners, he's a teenage boy and you're sucking the life out of him!”

 

“You can be so dramatic dear,” He looked up at her with pity in his eyes, pity she was a woman and was controlled by such volatile emotions, Kagome could hear his every thought and it only fueled her rage.

 

“No, you are not going to chide me because I am right, and if you had any heart left inside that excuse for a father you would see what you're doing to your only son!”

 

“Maybe I'm only doing what I have to, to take care of my family! I'm sorry my ONLY and YOUNGEST son has to have such a lifestyle but he's the only person I can depend on now isn't he?”

 

“Oh god,” she moaned sickened, turning away from him. “This is about me and that engagement isn't it?! You couldn't bribe me with money so you blackmail me with the only person I love in this family?! What depth will you sink to next?” She demanded incredulously.

 

“That is enough!” Mr. Higurashi shouted slamming his palms onto the oak wood topping his desk, rising to his feet. “I will not sit here and listen to your accusations or tolerate your tone anymore! If you even hint at one more foul remark about this family I swear I will throw you out and never look back.” She kept her gaze firm against his smoldering one, making sure to not show fear in anyway. But inside a pressure was building, a fiery knot in her chest from forcing down the tears threatening to come.

 

“Keep him in high school for three more years, and let him play on the soccer team to his heart's content, and I'll announce the engagement.” Her voice was steady but inside she was screaming. Rising up from his hunched position over the desk her father looked somewhat surprised, but then a smirk formed and finally he nodded.

 

“Fine, Souta can keep his precious high school years like his sister got to have.” Waves of nausea swarmed over her and she curtly turned, unable to even be in his presence any longer and walked out the door. Gracefully climbing the stairs she kept reminding herself to keep breathing. By the time she reached the top; she couldn't feel her heart beating at all. When she finally walked into her room she closed the door, locked it, and then rested her back against the smooth wood. With a little sob Kagome sank down to the floor, her hands covering her face. There was nothing left to hold her together. She was caving in.

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A/N: Please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Starbucks, but I love them both.