Author's Note: Oh my goodness, I finally wrote something new! WOOHOO! I was beginning to worry about myself…my lack of writing was a very scary thing! Things in my life have been rather…chaotic lately and out of order of the normal. Maybe that is why my writing has become a lot slower, plus I've been busy. Eh, either way, I'm glad to have finally got something done! I don't own the song "Two Beds and a Coffee Machine" by Savage Garden or Inuyasha.
Now, just to clear up the background of this one-shot songfic. Have you ever wondered about Kagome's father? Or the lack thereof? Well, I was listening to this song and I began to wonder…what if her father was like the guy in the song? What if that was what happened to her? The wheels began to spin and I figured maybe I could work something in there about her past and her dad, and then add a little Inuyasha/Kagome fluff and tada! This was the result. Enjoy and please review!
Two Beds and a Coffee Machine
By: Lauren
Kagome sat still, her raven locks swaying in the slight breeze that rustled the grass around her, it's faint sound being carried off through the aged, jade trees and up into the clear blue sky. A somber look passed over her normally cheerful face as years of buried away memories and emotions began to resurface. She coughed into her hands, trying to mask that she was fighting back tears. If Inuyasha somehow caught the scent of her salty teardrops, then she would be in for it. Resolving not to become broken up about the past, she crossed her arms firmly over her chest and let her eyes wander up to the sky. They searched the blue expansion that was dotted with snowy-white clouds.
This nostalgic feeling was becoming too much for her. In fact, if it weren't for Inuyasha, she might not even be feeling this way, but it was wrong to pin the blame on him. Sure, it was easy, but it was wrong. It had all begun two days ago when they had heard rumor of a demon that held a Shikon shard. They had traveled in search of the demon, but when they stumbled upon it, it ended up not possessing what they were looking for. In fact, the demon had been the one that had started the rumor. Apparently Inuyasha's father had sealed the demon away many years ago and he had recently broken the seal. Of course, the first thing on the demon's list of things to do was to seek revenge and slay Inuyasha's father. Since Inuyasha's father was already dead though, the demon went for the next best thing- his hanyou son. The demon had been weak and was easily defeated by Inuyasha. Now normally, something like this wouldn't have bothered Kagome. It had happened before in the past but it had never stirred the memories that she had kept locked up inside her from long ago to return so abruptly.
Thinking about it now, Kagome realized how foolish she had acted. Since when had she become so childish and so…so jealous? The others were probably all sitting there wondering what her problem was…and Inuyasha was most likely sitting in a tree nearby watching her. She couldn't be weak…she couldn't cry and fall apart. Everything was done and over with. She would apologize to the others and blame it on a lack of sleep…maybe that would cover for her rudeness. Her mind jogged backwards to what she had done only this morning…
"You're dad must have been so powerful and strong Inuyasha! He killed so many demons and sealed them away!" Shippo excitedly exclaimed, jumping up and down on his perch- an old wooden fence. He bit into a piece of bacon, telling Kagome how much he loved the food from her world. "Of course, YOU could NEVER be as strong as HIM!" He mocked Inuyasha with a mischievous smirk.
"Keh, shut up brat!" The hanyou growled, slapping the boy on the back of his head. "Yeah, he was a powerful demon." Inuyasha nodded, chewing on an egg. "He didn't run from fights like you do. I don't remember him too much though."
"My dad was powerful too! I'm going to be just like him!" Shippo retorted, fondly remembering his father. "What about your father Miroku, what was he like?"
Miroku turned to face the little fox demon, surprised at the random question. "Well…he was a very noble and brave man who bore his curse proudly. He helped people all over the land and even found a woman to bear me." A tender smile overtook his face, as his eyes sparkled with thoughts of his dad. "Of course, as fated, his curse was the end of him." Turning to Sango, he tried to resist the urge to rub her rear end, but before he could even reach her, she had moved. "What about your father Sango?"
Sango rested her chin in her hand, leaning forward in thought. "My father was a very kind and gentle man. He taught me everything I know about demon exterminating and did a good job running the village while raising Kohaku and I. I really miss him though…" Her eyes looked off into the distance, all of them reminiscing in memories.
Suddenly, Inuyasha turned to Kagome, who had been quiet all this time. "What was your dad like Kagome? What happened to him? I've never seen him around your house before and…now that I think about it…you've never mentioned him."
Kagome jerked up at the sound of her name. "M-My f-father?" She looked around, realizing that everybody was staring at her with rapid attention. Suddenly, she was angry with all of them. Angry that they had had something she hadn't.
"Yeah, duh Kagome, everybody has a dad." Inuyasha sneered at her. "Or did you never learn that at your school place?"
Memories of her father flooded back to her, and suddenly she began to feel everybody's stares focused on only her and she couldn't stand it. She felt like if they looked into her eyes, they would be able to know the truth instantly. "IT DOESN'T MATTER!" She screamed, jumping up from her seat hastily, knocking over her plate of eggs. Everybody stared at her in surprise and Kagome slapped her hands over her mouth. Her face reddened with frustration and anger at her own actions before she turned and fled from the village, her intended destination the well. Eventually, she grew tired and slowed to a walking pace. She needed to think over what she had just done and clear her mind. Maybe she could fix the damage she had caused, and besides, she really didn't want to see her family at the moment either. Seeing them would only make the old pain fresh and she had promised herself to be strong for her mother.
And she takes another step
Slowly
she opens the door
Check that he is sleeping
Pick up all the
broken glass and furniture on the floor
Been up half the night
screaming now it's time to get away
Pack up the kids in the car
Another bruise to try and hide
Another alibi to write
And so, instead, Kagome sat in the lush forest beside the well that had brought her to this strange world. As she stared off, she felt something land with a soft thud beside her. She didn't have to glance back to know Inuyasha had decided to show himself. Kagome strained her ears, listening as he walked over and sat down next to her. The two sat there in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts.
After taking a deep breath, Kagome finally felt ready. She didn't know why she wanted to tell Inuyasha the truth…why she wanted to spill about her past and her father when she had never done so before but…but she knew if she ever really wanted to get over the sorrow and pain, she would have to tell someone. And she knew, out of all the people in the world, she would not be able to tell anyone else but him. Both people opened their mouths to speak, but stopped when they heard the other begin.
"Sorry." Inuyasha mumbled under his breath. "You go ahead."
Kagome nodded, her mouth creased in a slight frown, her lower lip trembling. Biting down on it, she closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. Opening her eyes once again, they seemed glazed over and distant, filled with a melancholy, sorrowful look.
And that look frightened Inuyasha more than any demon or amount of danger ever could. He never wanted to see Kagome look as sad as she did right now. He wanted nothing more than to gather her up in his arms and make everything all right…but something held him back. He felt if he did that, then she would never tell him what she was about to and nothing would be solved. Fighting back these strange urges, he snapped his attention to her as she begun speaking.
"I don't remember how bad it was when I was really small…the memories of it really start when I was around six or seven years old…Souta doesn't remember a thing about it, and I'm so glad that he doesn't. It was…really horrible." Her voice cracked, but Kagome still fought back her tears. She couldn't cry now because if she started to, she would never be able to stop. "My father…he was a very…angry man. When my mother first met him, he was kind and gentle, or so she told me. They gave birth to me but because of the money it cost to raise a child, they began having financial problems. Father started working later and later hours and Mama would hardly ever see him. He started drinking after work and pretty soon she'd wake up to find him collapsed on the couch, flat out drunk. They began to argue about everything….money…work…me…each other…their lives…even down to things like spilling something on the carpet. Yelling and yelling…it was all I'd ever fall asleep to and wake up to. Mama knew the man she had once loved was changing. She would have done something about it sooner, but she was pregnant with Souta and knew if she left my father then, she would never be able to raise both of her children and provide a good future for them. At the time we were still left out of the fights, and maybe it was an ignorant belief of hers that the papers walls of my room could block out their voices." She grew silent a moment, gathering up her courage to go on with her story. She felt the prickle of tears gathering in her eyes.
Another ditch in the road
You
keep moving
Another stop sign
You keep moving on
And the
years go by so fast
Wonder how I ever made it through
Inuyasha could only listen attentively, his mind reeling with this new bit of information about Kagome and her family. He could hardly imagine the kind, sweet woman known as Ms. Higurashi being yelled at by a drunken slob.
"Papa began to grow violent as months went by. First he'd just break things when he was mad…he'd throw plates on the floor or kick over tables and chairs. I remember laying in bed with wide eyes, my covers pulled up over my head to try to muffle out their screams. I was hugging my stuffed animal dog and I heard this loud thud against my wall. I wanted to run out and yell at them to stop but I was so scared. I could hear Mama's broken and choked sobs but I kept telling myself it was only a chair he knocked into the wall. Things continued like this and I would hear a smacking noise or something fall to the floor on some nights and that was when Mama's voice would grow quiet. I started noticing the dark bruises that she was trying to hide under her sleeves and make-up and so one night, when they were arguing, I ran out of my room and looked around the corner. I saw Mama sobbing hysterically and my father w-was…shaking her like crazy…like she was just some rag doll…his grip on her arms was like iron…h-her hair was a mess and her make-up was running from her tears. He cursed at her and threw her to the floor, letting her slam sickly into the corner of our coffee table. Mama used to have long hair back then…it was very beautiful and curly…so he grabbed her by it and lifted her up into the air while she tried to scramble to her feet to stop the pain, but he didn't care. He slapped her across her face and let her drop to the glass-covered floor, which became stained with the blood she spat from her mouth. I think Mama keeps her hair short all the time because of that." A crystalline teardrop trailed down her cheek before it fell to disappear in the grass.
And there are children to think of
Baby's asleep in the backseat
Wonder how they'll ever make it
through this living nightmare
But the mind is an amazing thing
Full of candy dreams and new toys and another cheap hotel
Two
beds and a coffee machine
But there are groceries to buy
And
she knows she'll have to go home
"I ran up to Mama to ask if she was okay and she yelled at me to get into my room. She tried to push me away but it was too late…Papa had already seen me. He began to come towards us and I tried to stand tall and protect Mama…but he just hit me across my face, letting me fall too. He called me names then turned and went to his room. I crawled over to Mama and she cradled me in her arms, crying and rocking and holding me. We both cried for hours it seemed before she picked me up and carried me over to our laundry room. There she fixed me up along with herself. She cleaned the glass and picked up the furniture, then packed Souta and I in the car. Souta was still a little baby then, so he doesn't remember it. We drove to a hotel and stayed there for the night…but we had to return because Papa came looking for us and we had to still get things from the house. The three of us spent a lot of nights in different hotels before the courts finally gave Mama a divorce and a restraining order. When grandpa heard what happened, he opened his house to us and we all moved into the shrine to live with him and we've been there since. The last thing I remember hearing about my father is that he was killed driving drunk one night and I know it was wrong of me…but…at that moment…I had never felt so relieved in my life." And now her dams had been broken open and hot tears poured down Kagome's porcelain cheeks. Her body shook as she was overcome with sobs.
Another ditch in the road
You
keep moving
Another stop sign
You keep moving on
And the
years go by so fast
Wonder how I ever made it through
Throughout the entire story, Inuyasha had clenched his hands so tight that his nails had dug into his skin, letting blood pour out of the tiny crescent-moon shaped wounds in his palm. If Kagome's father hadn't already died…he would go straight to Kagome's time and kill him all over again. He held so much more respect for Ms. Higurashi and Kagome after learning what they had been put through. Watching Kagome break down like this wrenched his heart and tore it apart…and when he thought about all she had been through, he realized how strong she truly was and how shattered her own heart must be.
It felt so good to Kagome to finally tell someone the truth…the whole truth…not some little shadowed truth like 'he died in an accident'. Finally…Kagome felt…free. Free of her past and free of her father. Her brow wrinkled as more tears cascaded down her cheeks and suddenly she felt two strong, warm arms embrace her. She was pulled up against Inuyasha's chest, her face buried in his shoulder while he held onto her tightly, as if trying to tell her he'd never let anything like that ever happen to her again. He would never let her go and he would never let anyone hurt her. Inuyasha resolved then that he would put the pieces of her heart back in place, no matter what.
Another bruise to try and hide
Another alibi to write
Another lonely highway in the black of
night
But there's hope in the darkness
You know you're going
to make it
He stroked her hair, running his hands up and down her back while saying to her over and over again, "Shh….it's okay…it's all over now. He can't hurt you ever again…it's all right. I'm here…it'll be okay…" He rocked her gently until eventually her tears subsided and she calmed down. The two simply sat like that, Inuyasha holding Kagome in his arms tenderly, spreading his warmth into her chilled body.
At that moment, Kagome knew she loved Inuyasha with everything in her. He would never do anything to hurt her…and he had somehow helped her overcome the pain that had always lurked in her past. This hanyou had changed her life in a million ways and it had all been for the better and he was still yet changing it. Kagome knew that no matter what happened in the future, when she thought about her father and her past life, she would remember Inuyasha and how he held her in his arms like this and everything would be okay. Exhausted, Kagome began to drift off into a comfortable and peaceful sleep. She mumbled softly, "What should I say to the others…? I need to apologize..." She tried to move, but Inuyasha held her tight.
"Shh, you just go to sleep. I'll take care of it. You know those three will understand, after all, all they can do is love you more." Standing up, he held Kagome gently, feeling her nod before she fell asleep with her head nuzzled against his chest. Slowly, he began to walk back to the village, his mind filled with tender thoughts of the girl he held in his arms.
Another ditch in the road
Keep
moving
Another stop sign
You keep moving on
And the years
go by so fast
Silent fortress built to last
Wonder how I ever
made it