Silent Reflection

Inuyasha is the most wanted male in all of his high school. The ladies crave him and the guys idolize him. They, however, do not know that he is dating the quietest of the students in Shikon High, Higurashi Kagome. In fact, nobody knows they're dating.

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha, I hold no rights; they belong to the masterful mind that is Takahashi-san.

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Lies!

"Higurashi Kagome."

Umiko's eyes widened as she was blatantly shocked. Inuyasha heard the woman's heartbeat increase and could hear her suck in a sharp intake of air. Yeah, she was shocked and Inuyasha knew it. Kagome stared skeptically at the woman as Umiko, hesitantly, moved out of the way of the door.

"Come…in…" She said tightly as Inuyasha smirked, guiding his girlfriend into the run down old place. Instantly, the stench of cat crap and rust assaulted Inuyasha and Kagome's senses, Inuyasha more so since he was half demon. Kagome dug her face into Inuyasha's arm as he tightly held onto her, guiding her to a, what seemed to be, a clean area on the sofa.

A cat hissed as Inuyasha glared at it. His dog senses were at its best and the cat could even sense it. Kagome sat incredibly close to Inuyasha as Umiko sat down on the rocking chair in front of them.

"Mountain witch," Inuyasha whispered into his girlfriend's ear who in turn, shoved him hard.

Umiko cleared her throat as she stared at the young couple, her eyes dancing in a dangerous anger which Kagome and Inuyasha hadn't seen earlier. Quickly, Inuyasha made a mental plan: should said mountain witch do anything to said young couple, then said boyfriend would grab said girlfriend and swipe said witch's head before running away to not said hotel room.

Complicated but Inuyasha would make it work.

"What do you want?" Umiko said tightly as Kagome and Inuyasha's gazes locked with hers.

"Do you know Miyuki Sato?" Inuyasha inquired as Kagome sat quietly beside him. Inuyasha had extreme experience in intimidating people. Something about joining his elder brother, Sesshomaru, to some board meetings for their family company.

"I never heard that name in my life!" Umiko snorted as Inuyasha's aura flared.

"I can smell the scent of lie. Tell me the truth."

Kagome laid a comforting hand on Inuyasha's knee and he relaxed just slightly but he kept on glaring at the old woman before him. She looked vile enough to lie about something and Inuyasha had a bad feeling about her.

Something about her scent reminded him of… Higurashi Akira…

"I am telling the truth! I have no idea who this Miyuki person is or who either of you are!" Umiko was a bad liar and even Kagome could tell.

"If you had no idea who we were, how come you let us in?" This time, Kagome spoke. Umiko's eyes widened as her eyes shot towards Kagome before a distinct anger flared through her.

"Because…" Umiko said nothing as Inuyasha snorted, glaring at a cat who hissed at him before bounding off to god knew where. Looking back at Umiko, Inuyasha saw the old woman fidgeting, her thumbs circling each other.

"Because?" Inuyasha started as Umiko growled.

"Because I wanted to okay?"

"Oh yeah right! I can smell you lying remember?!"

"How the hell can you do that?" Umiko had a bad tongue for a grandmother. Inuyasha merely snorted as he released his ears from underneath his hair. Umiko's eyes instantly widened.

"I'm a half-demon."

Umiko's glare shot towards Kagome. "A priestess dating a half demon? Aren't you ashamed?"

"And how do you know she's a priestess?" Inuyasha raised a brow. Umiko was caught. "We hadn't said anything about our spiritual powers. I only just said I'm hanyou… Kagome remained silent the whole time."

Umiko rolled her eyes. "Like I wouldn't know! Akira and Korari's first daughter, Higurashi Sato Kagome… you know you were a disgrace to the Higurashi name?"

Kagome's eyes widened considerably as Inuyasha knew he got Umiko on a roll. "After Akira and Korari got married, Korari only ever paid attention to Kagome and her modeling job. Akira got nothing… then when Akira's son was born," Inuyasha and Kagome knew that Akira's son was Souta, "Korari started giving him more love and admiration but never had Korari ever showed as much love to Akira as she did to Hitoshi!"

That name again. The name that started this entire hunt. Inuyasha stared at Umiko.

"Who's Hitoshi?"

Umiko gasped horrorstricken. Her gaze settled on Inuyasha and Kagome as she breathed softly. "I…. don't know…"

"Lies!" Inuyasha boomed. "You just said his name and now you said you don't know him? I can smell betrayal all over you…" Inuyasha's gaze darkened. "Unless you were the one that killed Korari Higurashi."

Umiko looked shocked. "I would never! I loved her possibly more than her own mother."

"Again with the lies?" Inuyasha was pissed. "I can tell you held no feelings for Korari. What are you going to get out of lying to us?"

Umiko said nothing and Kagome spoke up now, giving her boyfriend a break.

"Do you know Miyuki Sato?"

Umiko glanced at Inuyasha who tweaked his ear before speaking, in a tight and raspy voice. "Yes…"

"How?" Kagome asked again and Umiko sighed.

"We were friends back in high school. Miyuki's son, Hitoshi," so that answered the question if Umiko knew Hitoshi or not, "was in love with Korari and so was my son…"

"Your son?" Inuyasha raised a brow. Umiko nodded.

"Yes… Akira."

Kagome gasped as her eyes widened. She would never have expected that Umiko was her step-grandmother… the more she knew about the situation the more complicated it seemed to get.

"Go on." Inuyasha insisted as his arm wrapped around Kagome's shoulder. Umiko's shoulders sagged as she continued to tell her story, wondering how these two kids broke her.

"After Miyuki and I graduated, we both had sons differentiating in merely about two years, Hitoshi being older. Korari was a year younger than Akira and she went to school with them for their entire life. Hitoshi and Korari loved each other but Akira also had feelings for Korari."

Inuyasha and Kagome nodded.

"Eventually Korari and Hitoshi got married and had Kagome as their first daughter. Korari was pregnant soon after but had a terrible miscarriage. I remember Miyuki crying to me about Korari." Kagome never knew her mother was pregnant again…

"After Kagome's birth, Korari had an internal problem which prevented her from having any more children, resulting in her first miscarriage. After Korari's miscarriage Hitoshi was diagnosed with cancer which added more to Korari's stress. She stopped modeling for a little while and stayed at home to take care of Kagome and Hitoshi." Umiko's voice had dropped to a whisper but Inuyasha and Kagome hadn't missed a single word she said. Umiko continued.

"Hitoshi died not long after and Korari was devastated. She knew that with one daughter, internal problems and a modeling career, no man would want to marry her and if they did they'd want to marry her for her model body and not for whom she was or who her daughter was. Enter Akira, he showered love and affection towards Korari and Kagome and Korari settled for him. But she always compared Hitoshi to Akira… never once realizing how much it'd hurt my son…"

"Wait," Inuyasha interrupted, "if Korari wasn't able to have babies…"

Umiko smiled. "Souta's a miracle baby. He wasn't supposed to happen but he did."

Kagome remained silent. Inuyasha continued speaking as his girlfriend was deep in thought.

"So Miyuki Sato is the mother of Hitoshi Sato who is Kagome's biological father?"

Umiko nodded.

"Then how come your last name is Itou? Shouldn't it be Higurashi?" Inuyasha inquired as Umiko frowned.

"Not that it's any of your business but Itou is my maiden-name!"

Inuyasha snorted.

"Then…" Kagome looked up at Umiko. "Then if you're my brother's grandmother, how come… you sent out private tapes of me my mother and my real father?"

Inuyasha's gaze snapped directly at Umiko. That was the purpose of their visit to Hiroshima and Kagome had asked it. Inuyasha sensed the increase in Umiko's heartbeat and he heard her breath quicken. She tensed up as her aura flared and Inuyasha knew, instantly, she was guilty.

"I would never!"

"Why do you keep lying?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You know I'll be able to tell if you did or not…"

"What if your senses are broken, boy?" Umiko snarled as Inuyasha snorted.

"Old hag, I'm a half demon, not a machine. Now tell us why you did it and we can be on our way. Kagome has shopping to do."

Umiko's temper flared. "I didn't give those tapes! It was Miyuki!"

"When Miyuki told us she didn't I could only sense the truth! With you, however, it's a completely different story!" Inuyasha wanted to shake the old woman till she gave the truth.

But then she might die of a heart attack. Not something Inuyasha wanted…

"Leave it." Kagome whispered as she stood up. "I'll just ask Father about it… I'm sure he'd have a good explanation as to why I was led on my entire life."

A spark of the old Kagome. The old Kagome knew how to use the effects of reverse psychology and apparently her old skills were returning to her. Inuyasha felt an electrical surge of pride for having this woman as his woman.

Umiko stood up drastically and caught Kagome's arm. Inuyasha was about to tear the woman off his girlfriend but restrained himself, seeing Kagome look over her shoulder.

"Yes?"

"I'll tell you… just… don't tell Akira…"

They caught her. Kagome wiggled out of Umiko's wrinkly grasp and went back to her boyfriend who caressed her arm, right where Umiko had touched her. Umiko took a deep breath before speaking, her eyes trained to the ground.

"Akira made me do it…" Umiko closed her eyes. "He threatened me if I didn't do it…"

--

"Her own son threatened her?" Inuyasha raised a brow as they started walking back to their hotel. Kagome was deep in thought and she could only feel Inuyasha rubbing circles on her hand as their finger were laced into each others.

"Doesn't make sense…" Kagome murmured.

Right after Umiko had said that she told Inuyasha and Kagome that they had to leave immediately. She had said too much already. Without getting any more explanation, Inuyasha and Kagome were shoved out of Umiko's house and they were on their way back to their hotel.

"Nothing's making sense… we figure out one thing and we realize something else." Inuyasha looked over at Kagome. She hadn't said anything about Hitoshi being her real father yet…

"Everybody we've talked to so far point us in another direction and Umiko is a complete dead end. And I don't want to talk to your father…" Inuyasha shuddered but he felt Kagome tense.

"My father is dead." She whispered. "Akira isn't my dad… he released tapes of my private life that I didn't even know of! If he held any feelings for me, sure not as a daughter but as a stepdaughter he wouldn't have released those tapes."

"And he would've told you your mother's brakes were cut." Inuyasha tacked in as Kagome nodded. She looked up at Inuyasha.

"Do you remember the officer that was doing my mothers case."

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah I do… why?"

"Name?"

"Hiroshi Sato…" Inuyasha stopped walking as Kagome's eyes widened.

"That name… is almost exactly like my fathers name…" Kagome whispered as Inuyasha realized what he just said.

"When we get back to Tokyo we're looking up Hiroshi Sato." Inuyasha said as he turned to his girlfriend. "He was the officer that did your mother's case and maybe he'd know insider details…"

"Maybe… I don't want to talk to my- to…" Kagome lowered her eyes as Inuyasha drew her in to a hug.

"We aren't going to talk to Akira until the very end, okay?"

Kagome nodded as she brought her arms up around Inuyasha's torso. "I love you…" She murmured and Inuyasha smiled.

"I love you too…"

--

Inuyasha and Kagome sat in their seats in the bullet train at approximately midnight the very next night. They had done some shopping but Kagome managed only to buy a nice sweater and a new pair of shoes. Inuyasha bought a picture frame and framed a picture of him and Kagome in Hiroshima together. That would stay on his wardrobe back home.

Kagome's head was leaned against Inuyasha's shoulder as his arm was wrapped around hers, his claw lightly scratching Kagome's arm. They were in silence, a comfortable silence, as everything they learnt fogged their mind.

Hitoshi Sato was Kagome's father who died of cancer. His mother, Miyuki Sato.

Miyuki and Umiko Itou were best friends back in high school and Umiko is the mother of Akira Higurashi, Kagome's step father.

Hitoshi and Akira both loved Korari but Korari married Hitoshi instead and had Kagome.

Korari had internal problems after Kagome's birth and had a miscarriage. Hitoshi was diagnosed with cancer and died.

Korari married Akira and had Souta, a miracle baby.

Akira threatened his own mother to release private tapes of Kagome, Hitoshi and Korari. Umiko obliged, not stating what the threat was.

Korari's brakes were disconnected the night of the accident.

The officer that did Korari Sato Higurashi's case was Hiroshi Sato…

"Inuyasha?" Kagome looked up at her boyfriend who smiled down at her.

"Hmm?"

"Can I sleep over tonight?"

Inuyasha laughed. "Do you have to ask? Sure but I have to drop you off to your place early in the morning… you know? So nobody would find out…"

Kagome smiled eagerly up at her boyfriend. "No… I want to sleep over and go to school… with you."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Are you… serious?"

Kagome playfully winked at him and Inuyasha's heartbeat increased. "I'd say it's about time everybody finds out I'm dating you… five years is a long time."

Before Kagome could realize what was happening, Inuyasha had pressed his lips tightly against hers. "I love you…" He murmured in the kiss and Kagome smiled, kissing him back with much intensity.

"I love you too, koinu."

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