Toga paced his office while glancing at the wall clock every five minutes. Where the hell was he? It was now six in the evening and still no Sesshoumaru or Kagome or even Naraku were present. He snatched up his phone and dialed his son. Izayoi was restless, driving him mad, and waiting impatiently for Kagome to arrive.
"Hai" A deep voiced growled deadly on the other end.
"Son; what goes on here? Izayoi is awaiting your arrival." He bit out in annoyance.
"The girl refuses to remove herself from her bed and Naraku is agreeing with her."
"Make him leave me alone!" Toga heard a female voice yell in the background. "If I don't want to go then I shouldn't have to!"
"See" Sesshoumaru growled.
"You heard her. Remove yourself from here and return when she is in a more pleasant mood." Naraku bit out as his head continued to throb madly from all the yelling, bickering, and fighting between the three of them.
"Silence" Sesshoumaru responded in a low deadly tone. "She will obey."
"Son" Toga sighed and got no response as a loud shrill voice was suddenly heard.
"Naraku make him go away!" Kagome yelled from the top of the stairs. She didn't want to go spend time with Inuyasha's mother, see his father, or be around Sesshoumaru; tainted as she was. It was shameful and she's be damned if she would show her face to anyone for any reason. "I'm not going and that's final! For that matter I am never leaving my room again!" She bellowed as a fresh set of tears rolled down her cheeks.
Naraku pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. "Leave" He ordered as he made his way towards the stairs.
"She will ready herself to leave in five minutes or I will ready her myself." Sesshoumaru growled.
"Son" Toga hissed into the phone and of course got no response.
"You do not control her." Naraku bit back when he turned to face his friend. "I will not allow you to put her on display to ease the pain another is suffering."
Gold eyes narrowed to deadly little slits. "She will go. It will help ease her burden."
"Son" Toga again repeated into the phone and once again was completely ignored. His deep ambers moved to the door when his wife entered causing him to give an annoyed shake of his head.
"Well? Where are they?" Izayoi questioned as she moved to stand directly in front of her husband.
Toga pressed his lips together firmly and handed her the phone.
Izayoi furrowed her brows as she took the cell from him and held it to her ear only to yank it away when she heard a loud shrill voice screaming on the other end. "What in heavens name is going on?" She questioned as she stared up at her husband.
Toga sighed deeply as his shoulders dropped like he was exhausted which he was. "Sesshoumaru" He said like that explained everything and for Izayoi it did.
She once again held the phone to her ear to listen to the going ons and this time heard Naraku's voice.
"I have told you one too many times already. Leave you are causing more turmoil within her and I will not allow this to continue." He glared at his friend.
"She needs support and neither you nor I can give it to her. Now; go ready her so that we may leave." Sesshoumaru growled back.
Deep browns narrowed in annoyance. "It is not your decision to make. When she is ready then it will be she who decides it."
"Please!" Kagome cried from the top of the stairs. "Please Sesshoumaru just leave me alone!" She swiped the tears from her eyes angrily. "Why can't you understand?" She sobbed, turned, and pressed her forehead against the wall.
"See!" Naraku bit out. "You are making things worse with your domineering and demanding ways. Things do not work as quickly as you seem to think they do." Then with one last glare towards his friend he quickly made his way up the stairs towards the sobbing girl.
Sesshoumaru curled his lip in anger. She needed to be supported as quickly as possible so that she didn't sit and dwell on what had happened to her and lose herself in the darkness of pain and hatred. Why was he the only one who understood this?
"Sesshoumaru?" Izayoi questioned into the phone.
Said male barely heard the sound of his step-mother's voice coming from the phone in his hand which he completely forgot about. Holding the small phone to his ear and giving a glare towards the stairs he responded. "Hai"
"Sesshoumaru sweetie…" Izayoi started as gently as possible. "Please don't force her to do something she isn't ready to do. She has only just acknowledged what has happened to her she needs time to grieve for her pain."
"Iie" He said in a low cold tone. "She must face this head on and destroy it now before it destroys her."
Izayoi sighed knowing how hard headed Sesshoumaru was. When that boy made up his mind it was no easy task in changing it. "That will only lead to more hurt. If she does not grieve then all the help in the world will not make it go away and it will destroy her later. Please; if you really want to help her give her time and be supportive of her choices."
As much as Sesshoumaru despised his step-mother he did appreciate her wisdom. She was right and he knew it but he wanted to get Kagome over her pain and as quickly as possible. "Very well." He stated flatly then hung up on her.
Izayoi sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Why does he do that?" She questioned her husband as she flipped the phone closed.
Toga shook his head. "Your guess is about as good as mine. Many times I have wondered if the word goodbye is even in his vocabulary." He waved his hand in the air in dismissal. "So is she coming?"
Izayoi shook her head. "She is grieving now and once she has crossed that hurdle we will then invite her over." She smirked slightly. "You should have told me Sesshoumaru was in love."
Toga snorted. "He doesn't even know he is. Had I made it public knowledge and he found out he would put a quick end to it."
Izayoi stared at her husband in thought for a moment. "Is Naraku in love with her as well?"
He shrugged his shoulder. "Naraku is even harder to read than Sesshoumaru so who knows. As near as I can tell he is very protective of her and I am more than certain that he is that way due to his own past. Perhaps he sees her as more a little sister then anything else."
Izayoi chewed her lip in thought for a moment then looked up at her husband with a glint in her deep brown eyes. "Maybe they need a little push towards each other. The love of a strong man might be just what she needs to heal." She turned and began walking out of his office in thought. "Yes that is exactly what they both need."
Toga narrowed his eyes on her back as she left. "What are you up to?" He questioned as he followed her out of the room.
"Oh nothing." She stated.
'Nothing my butt.' He thought. Her voice was far to sweet and innocent sounding for his tastes and he did not like it one bit and was more than certain that Sesshoumaru wouldn't like it either.
xx
Naraku swept the sobbing girl up into his arms and carried her to her room setting her down on her bed. "Kagome" He started softly and gently placed a finger under her chin in order to force her to look up at him. When her sorrow, watery, and filled with pain blues locked with his deep browns his chest clenched tightly in pain. "You do not have to go nor do you have to talk about it today. However do not think that I will allow you to sit in here and wallow day after day in your pain. I will give you time to accept what has happened then we will discuss the best course of action in helping you deal with it. Agreed?"
Her bottom lip quivered but she nodded none the less. "It hurts." She whispered and placed a fist against her chest. "It hurts a lot right here."
Naraku sat down on the bed next to her and wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders. "Hai but with time you will turn that hurt into something else something that will help you and possibly others who have suffered the same pain you have."
Kagome leaned into his warmth and strength not believing a word he said but listening irregardless. "I just want it to go away." She sniffled.
"It will in due time it will." He soothed as best he could.
Sesshoumaru stood in the doorway watching the scene in front of him and not liking for one second how close Naraku was holding the girl he didn't like that feeling inside him either. Yes he liked the girl as she was entertaining and interesting but did he really like her so much that he would feel such jealousy within him? It was a ludicrous thought she was just a mere child compared to him and jealousy was a wasted emotion as it did no good to anyone who felt such a thing. Yet the thought didn't make the feeling go away or even lessen its grip upon his chest. He locked stares with his friend. "One week." He ordered then turned and left.
Naraku narrowed his eyes at the doorway. 'Cocky bastard.' He growled in his head.
"One week?" Kagome questioned as she too looked over at the now empty doorway. "What is he talking about?"
"Nothing." Naraku stated almost darkly. Who the hell did the bastard think he was issuing orders in his home like he lived there and controlled everyone who lived under its roof. "Do not worry about him." He said as he looked down at her. "Now do you wish to rest or would you like to venture downstairs and eat?" He questioned in order to change the subject.
Kagome looked up at him. "I'm starving." She said and sniffed back her tears. "I will go down there only if he is gone and there is no one else here."
"He has left leaving only the two of us here." He stated and rose to his feet. "Come let us fill our bellies and discuss the best course of action in dealing with your pain." He walked towards the door with the girl close behind.
xx
Inuyasha growled deeply as he did his two hundredth or was it three hundredth push up. Then growled even more when he heard the drill sergeant yell out his count. "FIFTY! I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH A PATHETIC GROUP OF GIRLS IN ALL MY LIFE. COME ON YOU MAGGOTS TO YOUR FEET! LUNGE!" He bellowed and again Inuyasha growled in his mind as he began his 15th? 16th? set of lunges since four a.m. that morning. 'When I get my hands on that bitch I'm gonna kill her!'
"I SAID LUNGE!" The drill sergeant bellowed as he walked up and down the line until he came to a stop directly in front of Inuyasha. "YOU CALL THAT A LUNGE YOU CANDY ASS? LOOKS MORE LIKE A TWO STEP TO ME! ARE WE IN DANCE CLASS SOLDIER? I DON'T HEAR ANY MUSIC BUT YOU'RE DANCING! YOU LIKE TO DANCE SOLDIER?"
Inuyasha stepped out into another lunge. "SIR NO SIR!" He bellowed.
"I'M NOT CONVICED TAISHOU! YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO CONVICE ME OTHERWISE OR ELSE YOU AND YOUR WHOLE PLATOON WILL BE SPENDING YOUR BREAKFAST AND LUNCH TWO STEPPING YOUR WAY AROUND THE COMMISARY!"
Inuyasha continued to lunge not exactly sure what it was he was supposed to do in five seconds to convince the sergeant that he was actually lunging and prevent his platoon from turning on him due to his inability to lunge which he assumed was what he was doing. How his father got him put into the American Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa was beyond him.
After speaking with his platoon mates he quickly determined that 1) he was too young to be in the Marine Corps according to American law and 2) that his platoon mates already completed something called basic training so what they were doing was a cake walk; for them anyway. They were basically going through the motions of daily training which for him was torture since it was all new. If it wasn't bad enough that he was being exercised to death they shaved his long beautiful silver hair right off his head like it meant nothing. Which to them it most likely meant nothing but for him it was one of his traits that he was most proud of. He almost cried that day as not only was his head being shaved but he was being insulted worse than he ever was by his ass hole of an elder brother and his bastard of a best friend.
What he wanted to know was how in the hell did his father manage to swing this? He must have an in with someone from the American military or something. He would have to ask him when he comes to visit next week providing he isn't too exhausted to get out of bed.
"TAISHOU!" The drill sergeant bellowed snapping Inuyasha out of his wandering thoughts. "YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN! I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!" Inuyasha locked stares with the sergeant. He didn't ask him a question… did he? What was he supposed to do? He completely forgot what he was told or asked to do in the first place. "SIR…" He just dug his own grave and he knew it. Damn his wandering thoughts. "CAN YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION SIR?" Yep he was dead based on the narrowed eyes of the drill sergeant and grinding teeth of the loud male in front of him. "DID I ASK YOU A QUESTION TAISHOU?"
"No?" He cringed when spittle hit his face from the angered yelling of the man in front of him. "TAISHOU YOU WASTE OF FLESH ARE YOU ASKING ME OR TELLING ME NO?" Inuyasha opened his mouth to answer but quickly shut it based on the next words out of his sergeant's mouth. "THAT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION TAISHOU! YOU HAVE JUST COST YOU PLATOON THEIR MEALS FOR THE DAY!" He bellowed as he looked around at the rest of the group. "YOU ALL CAN THANK PRIVATE TAISHOU FOR THE WORST DAY OF YOUR MISERABLE LIVES!" He looked at Inuyasha with contempt in his eyes. "YOU WILL LEAD THE WAY TAISHOU! TWO STEP YOUR CANDY ASS AROUND COMMISSARY!" Inuyasha groaned in misery and began his march while trying to ignore the burning in his upper thighs and determined that if he managed to survive the day once the rest of his platoon got through kicking his ass he would never be able to walk again.
Kagome sat at the table pushing her food around with her chopsticks and sighing sadly into her plate.
"Stop that." Naraku ordered. "Dwelling on it is not going to make it any better. If anything it will make it worse."
Kagome looked across the table at him. "Then what am I supposed to do? You don't know what it's like or what I feel." She snapped angrily as hot fresh tears filled her eyes.
"Hai but I do understand betrayal." He sighed. "Betrayal comes in many different forms but in the end it is still betrayal."
"No its not!" Kagome snapped back she was hurt and angry beyond belief. How dare he generalize what happened to her like it was nothing more than someone stabbing you in the back. She stood up, leaned over the table, and slammed her fists against it causing the dishes to rattle. "Do you understand what happened to me? No you don't! So don't act like what happened to me is nothing more than someone passing off your deepest secret or your parent casting you away. Which has also happened to me and they ARE NOT THE SAME!"
Naraku narrowed his eyes at her not liking the outburst but at the same time understanding it. This was part of the healing he knew, but that didn't mean he liked it. "So what do you plan on doing about it? Spending your days and nights hiding in your room crying and playing victim?" Okay so that wasn't the nicest thing he could say right now but he figured her anger would be a hell of a lot easier to deal with than her tears.
Kagome gasped like she had just been hit in the chest. How could he say something so cruel especially knowing what had happened to her. "I HATE YOU!" She screamed as she ran through the apartment to the front door and out into the courtyard. Once outside she didn't stop running she just kept going even when she came to the main road she kept running trying to distance herself from the pain and his harsh words.
xx
Naraku cursed himself from hell to breakfast. Trying to bring out her anger only sent her flying out the door. He rose to his feet and went off after her with a pretty good idea of where she went. As much as he hated the thought he was going to have to spend the rest of the evening and most of the next day apologizing to her. It was not going to be very pleasant in his house not at all.
xx
Sesshoumaru jerked his door open rather annoyed that someone would bang on his door like a savage.
"Where is she?"
Sesshoumaru arched a brow at the dark being standing in the doorway. "Who?"
Naraku narrowed his deep browns upon his long time friend. "The girl." He growled.
"She is not here." His deep ambers flashed in annoyance.
"Son of a…" Naraku hissed as he turned and took off across the parking lot.
Sesshoumaru followed after his friend. "What is going on." He demanded.
"Nothing." Naraku bit back as he went into his apartment, grabbed his keys, and made for his car. He climbed into the drivers side and as soon as he was seated Sesshoumaru was in the passengers side.
"You will explain." He growled.
Naraku pulled the car out of its parking space and cast a glare at his friend. "She ran off." He left it at that as he sped down the street trying to spot the girl.
Sesshoumaru pressed his lips together firmly. If she would have obeyed him and went to his father's house this wouldn't be a problem. "You are incapable of caring for her properly."
Naraku cast a glare at him. "That is not your concern. Unless you would rather take control of her and become her caretaker."
As tempting as it sounded he would never take control of her. It was one thing to have occasional dealings in her life but another thing entirely to be completely responsible for everything she does.
"Damn it!" Naraku hissed as he drove slowly down the street. "Where is she?"
xx
Kagome stopped running when she came to a small park. She made her way over to a large tree and sat down beneath it drawing her knees up to her chest. A deep sob caught in her throat as he buried her face into her knees and sobbed quietly to herself.
What was wrong with her that everyone was so nice to her then suddenly they were so cruel? It had to be her fault all these things were happening to her just had to be. She had tried to figure out why her friends did what they did to her but couldn't come up with a single logical reason. That left her with only one thing… it was her. Naraku had proven that time and time again. 'You need to… You must… You're going to have to… You… You… You…' It was always her.
Her father didn't love her. Her mother abandoned her. Her friends betrayed her. Naraku was cruel to her. Sesshoumaru made demands upon her.
She lifted her head and stared blankly over the small pond in front of her. Why didn't anybody love her? Was it too much to ask for someone just one single person to love her?
She put her fist to her mouth as a soul shattering sob escaped her lips. Fat heartbroken tears streamed down her cheeks as her body jerked and shuddered with every sob that passed her lips.
xx
"There" Sesshoumaru growled with a pointed finger towards the park.
Naraku turned the car into the parking lot, pulled it into a parking space, and didn't even bother turning it off as he climbed out and quickly made his way to where the girl was sitting.
When he came to stand in front of her she didn't even bother looking up at him as she was much to blinded by her tears to acknowledge his presence. Naraku sighed deeply and picked her up. "Come let us go home." Again she didn't respond as he carried her to the car.
Naraku walked up to the being standing by the passenger door of his car. "Be silent." He told his long time friend as he handed the girl to him. "Let us just go home."
Sesshoumaru looked down at the sobbing girl in his arms and could feel a tightening in his chest for her pain. He hated how it felt but he hated more how she was feeling and the fact that there was really nothing he could do for her. He got in the car with her curled up in his lap and ground his teeth together when her body would jerk with a sob.
The short ride back to the apartment was silent except for her small sobs which was deafening to both males in the car. When they arrived Sesshoumaru carried her into the apartment and took her up to her room setting her on her bed. "Girl"
Kagome didn't even bother acknowledging him as she laid down and curled herself into a small tight ball crying those soul wrenching silent sobs.
"She is retreating." Sesshoumaru stated to the being that entered the room.
Naraku sighed and nodded. "We will take her to father's in the morning. Perhaps Izayoi can bring her back."
Sesshoumaru gave a curt nod. "I will let father know."
Naraku gave a small nod. "Alright"
He gave a curt nod as he exited the room. Once he was in the hall he grabbed his cell and called his father.
Toga answered the phone. "Sesshoumaru"
"Inform Izayoi that Kagome will be over in the morning." He stated as he walked down the stairs.
Toga stared at his wife sitting in the chair across from him. "What has happened?"
"She has retreated into her mind." He exited the apartment and closed the door behind him. "Naraku will inform you of what has occurred here upon our arrival." With that he flipped his phone closed and made for home.
Toga ground his teeth together. Damn that boy and his phone etiquette.
"What is it?" Izayoi asked knowing based on the face her husband was making that it was Sesshoumaru he was talking to.
"He will be bringing Kagome over in the morning. It seems as if there has been some occurrence with her."
Izayoi stared at her husband. "What happened?"
Toga shook his head. "You know as much as I do. Sesshoumaru isn't one for giving details until he deems it necessary to do so."
"Honey; call Naraku." She said with a nod.
Toga snorted. "I will get about as much information out of him." He sighed deeply. "We will wait until their arrival in the morning to find out what has happened."
"I suppose." Izayoi sighed. "That poor child. It must be really painful for her to carry such a burden."
Toga nodded in agreement before going back to reading the newspaper. "What I would have given for a couple of daughters instead." He stared at his wife when his paper was unceremoniously knocked out of his hands by a flying pillow.
"I will not have you talking bad about our boys." She said with a hidden smile. "They are perfect angels."
Toga arched a brow at her. "I believe you have them confused with someone else's children."
"Iie." She said with a wave of her hand through the air. "I speak of Sesshoumaru, Naraku, and Inuyasha. They are perfect angels of all things irritating."
"That it the truest thing you have ever said." Toga agreed with a smirk. "Hellions is what they are." He leaned in towards her. "Are you certain Inuyasha wasn't swapped at birth? I have my suspicions about Sesshoumaru but Inuyasha…" He trailed off when another pillow pelted him right in the face.
"Ha... ha..." She snorted sarcastically. "They are yours whether you like it or not."
He sat back on the couch and snorted. "I don't like it but apparently I'll have to live with it."
"Such the martyr." She scoffed under her breath with a roll of her eyes at her completely victimized (only in his own mind) husband.
xx
Naraku covered Kagome in her blankets then sat down on the edge of her bed. He stroked his fingers through her hair until she calmed and fell asleep. As he stared down at her tear stained face he vowed that he would fix this… somehow.
He tucked her in before leaving her room and making for his own bed. It had been a long long day and damn was he ever tired. Granted it was still rather early in the evening but the night before he was awoken far to early in the morning for his liking causing the day to be even longer than it needed to be.
He stripped out of his clothes, put his sleeping pants on, and fell gratefully into his bed. He closed his eyes and sleep was teetering on the edge of his senses waiting to take him into the abyss of dreams and nothingness when he heard his bedroom door quietly open. He cracked a lid and watched as the little female made her way into his room and crawled into his bed.
It was a good thing he didn't currently have a woman in his life. How would he explain having a young teenage girl crawling into his bed on an almost nightly basis? He didn't necessarily approve of her actions but considering the day she had he would allow it this one time.
He didn't have to wait long for the traditional mess she would make of herself and his hair and he could practically count down the seconds for the hand to find its way to his face. Truthfully he wouldn't mind this so much if she would stay on the other side of the bed and not invade his space. That and if she didn't feel the need to poke her finger into his eye in the middle of the night. Nothing worse than being woke from a deep sleep because your eye is being gouged out.
Oh well he would just have to make due as he was much to exhausted to deal with the sleeping arrangements and since she seemed much more content sleeping with him he would allow it for now but once this was all over he was going to chain her to her own bed to make sure she stayed there.
