Chapter 12: Parenting proven hard to handle
Kagome looked fondly on her memories of sitting and watching Shippo play calmly in the park. However, she knew those days were long gone with her new addition, Souten. A little girl she had been forced to take care of a week ago and was a very big problem.
The difference between Shippo and Souten was great. When going for a walk on the beach Shippo would stay close to her while Souten ran the other way just to make Kagome run after her. In the park Shippo would play with the other kids without any physical or emotional trouble. While on the other hand Souten would push them down, pull on other girl's hair, or call other kids names to the point of tears. Souten also was not potty trained ether, leaving Kagome to once again potty train a child when she thought that task had ended with Shippo.
Kagome was now given the pleasure of following the little Souten around the park in order to keep her out of trouble. Something which angered Shippo most of all causing him to act out himself due to the lack of attention from the only mother he had ever known. And to make matters worse Inuyasha was out of town, leaving the girls with their grandparents. Who often brought the girls to the same park that she went to. Causing a normal day at the park to be one where Souten would get Rin mad, who would start to fight, and had to be separated. Now it was official, things just were not working out as her mother had said they would.
When Souten was brought to her she decided to give the girl a chance. The first night she slept on the couch and had an accident on it as well. Something she was scared to tell Kagome about. However, everything was cleaned and movers arrived early to put in the bed and other things the girl had owned. Souten did not have the nicest of things. They all seemed to be for younger children or were handed down to her. The only thing that she seemed to have new was Barbie dolls which Souten played with often.
It wasn't until Souten was with her for a total of three days that she realized how bad she was with her toys and they might not actually be hand me downs as she thought they were before.
*Flash Back: Third day with Souten*
Kagome put Shippo to bed, closing the door to a crack behind her as she left. She looked in Souten's room, only to find she wasn't there. She walked through the house, looking for the girl as she heard the stove click on. Kagome walked in only to find Souten putting her Barbie's hair to the flame. Kagome grabbed the girl, who had doll in hand, and took her away from the flame as she turned it off. She swatted the girl's hand.
"No! You could have burned my house down. I want you to go to your room and think about what you did before you go to bed." Kagome said.
"But her hair was wet and she shouldn't sleep with wet hair."
"It will air dry. Now go up to your room. You are not to use this stove unless you have my permission. Understood?" She said firmly.
Souten nodded her head and trudged up the stairs. However, she did not feel like bed time was the time she needed at the moment. So she instead, sat on the floor of her room and played with her toys. Kagome had opened the door to see if Souten was asleep or at least ready for bed, yet she was not asleep or even ready, a fact which upset her greatly.
"SOUTEN! GET IN YOUR BED NOW!" Kagome yelled.
The playing girl then jumped up, flew to her bed, and under the covers. She had never tested Kagome's complete bounds after the yelling point, but she knew they had to be deadly.
"Good night." She muttered from under her covers.
"Good night, now stay asleep." Kagome said, closing the door to a crack.
As soon as the door was cracked and Kagome had left the side of the door a knock sounded from the front door. Souten jumped out of her bed, ran down the stairs, and opened the door. A very puzzled Inuyasha stood at the door.
"Souten, shouldn't you be in bed?" Inuyasha asked, knowing that his own children were sound sleep in their own beds as their grandparents watched over them.
"That is where she better get back to." Kagome said from behind the little girl.
Souten scowled and went back up the steps. As she trudged up the endless steps she thought of what could be done to stop the inevitable outcome. She then had a plan as she saw a red toy fire truck beside the stairs, but out of the way of the stairs in order to keep someone from tripping over it.
The truck lay on the top of the stairs. As she reached the top she kicked the toy down the stairs and landed herself on the first few steps. She then let out a loud wail and tears as she held onto her leg, an act which quickly forced Kagome and Inuyasha to come to her side.
"Souten, are you alright?" Kagome asked.
"My leg! It hurts!" She wailed.
Just then Shippo came out of his room as he rubbed sleepy eyes.
"What happened?" Inuyasha asked.
"Shippo left his fire truck on the stairs and I fell!" She said threw wails.
"Shippo!" Inuyasha said harshly. "Hasn't your mother ever told you to make sure to keep your toys off of the stairs!"
"Inu-" Kagome tried to get out.
Tired Shippo looked at where his toy was now. He was always careful with his toys. After all, he had seen Home Alone and knew what to do and not to do. "I DIDN'T!" Shippo screamed, highly offended at the accusation.
"Yes you did!" Inuyasha said with a slightly raised voice.
"But Inuya-" Kagome tried to get in.
"You are trying to lie and I don't like to have liars around me or my daughters. You are going to-"
"SOUTEN! GET TO BED! YOU WILL BE PUNISHED IN THE MORNING!" Kagome screamed to drown out the boys' argument.
"What? But Shippo-"
"Did nothing wrong. That isn't "his" fire truck."
"Do you have another child around here that I don't know of?" Inuyasha asked.
Kagome rolled her eyes. She walked up the stairs and retrieved the fire truck. Now that it was upon closer inspection he could see it was completely metal and was missing a wheel. Kagome flipped it over to see her own name written in it with black ink. She grabbed another one that was hidden not much farther away from it that was almost identical but was in more prestige shape that was marked Kikyo's.
"I was going to give them to the girls' for Christmas. They were our favorite toys. Can't tell you how many people we tried to run over with these things. However, the wheel was broken, so I set it a little ways away from the stairs so no one would get hurt. The wheel was closer to the stairs. See, if anyone should be yelled at it is me. But honestly I think a little girl just didn't want to go to bed and decided to cry fake crocodile tears." She said, glaring at the girl who was now frowning, sowing that she was the loser in this game. "Shippo, since you were wrongly accused you can watch a movie with us. Whatever you want, and have hot chocolate as well."
"With peppermint ice cream?" He said, excited at the idea.
"Yes."
Inuyasha frowned at her. "And I thought I would get one date alone with you. Even if it was alone in your living room watching a movie."
"Serves you right for calling 'my' son a liar."
***End Flash back***
Catching up with Kagome as she tore Souten from another child she decided to torture, was a woman of little words. A fact that would find Mr. Taisho answering for her several times in a single conversation, which made talking to Kagome now even harder than it would be for a normal person.
"Kagome," She grabbed her arm and Kagome looked at her while the other arm was occupied in holding a little misbehaving child. "Shouldn't you take a break?"
"Take a break? Every time that I take a break then this one decides to act up and pull someone's hair out."
Taking both of Kagome's hands in hers, forcing her to let go of her hold on Souten who ran off, Demanded Kagome's attention, which she knew had to be attended.
"Kagome, my son is coming back tomorrow, why don't we take Souten for a few days. You can get pretty and go out with Inuyasha. Pick him up from the airport, go skating or something." Kagome giggled at the thought of Inuyasha on skates. "What? My son can skate you know."
Just then Rin ran screaming toward the adults. Kagome instantly knew the difference in her attire. Her skirt had been cut with scissors as well as her tank top. Kagome looked around for the little girl's jacket only to find Rin had it the whole time. It was just a small piece of cloth that now looked like a ratty blanket. Her hair that used to almost touch her butt was now cropped in a slant, the shortest strand being half way down her back. Kagome picked up the little girl.
"Who did this to you darling?" asked Mrs. Taisho as the child sobbed on Kagome's shoulder.
"Souten." Kagome said bitterly.
"That girl gets too much blamed on her. Don't jump to conclusions!" scolded Mrs. Taisho.
"Then why does she have the murder weapon in her hand with a grin on her face?" Kagome asked.
Mrs. Taisho and Rin turned to see Souten. As they looked upon her they saw what she was truly capable of. She was there, standing before them with a pair of scissors she had somehow found and Rin's hair in her hands, a grin playing around the child's features.
***Chapter End ***