Chapter 12 - Explanations

About 2 hours earlier

Sango entered the Crystal Palace, and looked around. She spotted Inuyasha sitting at a table, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. She walked over, and sat in the chair next to him. He looked up, and said,

"Sango. Thanks for coming."

"No problem, Inuyasha. But what was so important that I had to literally run out of the house? What did Kagome do this time?" Inuyasha looked at her, and she was shocked by the sadness in his eyes. He sighed deeply, before he said,

"Sango, I don't understand her. I know she has feelings for me, but it's like she's afraid of them. All I want to know is why is she so afraid. Have men hurt her before? Did anyone do anything to her to make her so… so…" He trailed off, at a loss to describe Kagome. He sighed once more, and hung his head a little. He was starting to think that he was the problem, that she didn't like him, or that she just wanted to use him. Terrible things ran through his mind at that moment and Sango could see that it was very difficult for Inuyasha to accept whatever Kagome had done, and before she could tell him anything, she had to know what exactly it was that Kagome had done to him. He had babbled something to her over the phone about Kagome having problems with seeing him naked, and that he had to see her immediately, but she hadn't understood everything that he had said. She put a hand on top of his, and asked, in a quiet voice,

"Inuyasha, for me to help you, and possibly tell you why Kagome is acting the way she is, you have to tell me what exactly happened. I know it's not the most comfortable thing to tell me, but you have to." Inuyasha looked Sango in the eyes, and said,

"Ok, Sango. I'll tell you every detail." And he proceeded to tell the entire story, from the moment that he entered Kagome's apartment last night, to the moment that he got home and called Sango. He left certain details out that Sango really didn't need to know, such as what exactly he and Kagome had done, but he knew that she got the basic picture. Sango had ordered a cappuccino, and had been drinking it, but she put it back down, and shook her head when Inuyasha sat back, his story finished. She blinked back the tears that were coming to her eyes, because she knew what Kagome's problem was, and it hurt her deeply that her friend couldn't overcome it. She sighed, and looked at Inuyasha, deciding to explain everything to him.

"Inuyasha, you have to understand that Kagome didn't exactly grow up in a normal family. She's an only child, and even though her parents love her, her grandfather never did." Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, and he said,

"What do you mean, her grandfather never loved her?"

"Exactly what you heard, Inuyasha. Her father's father never loved her, and to this day he still doesn't. He tolerates her, but he has never loved her." Inuyasha sat back, and crossed his arms over his chest, before saying, in a haughty voice,

"And what exactly does that have to do with Kagome's behavior?" Sango sighed, before she looked at Inuyasha, and said,

"It has everything to do with Kagome's behavior, absolutely everything. You see, Inuyasha, she was raised in a patriarchal family in which her grandfather literally treated her like shit beneath his feet. He taught her in the old-fashioned way, the one that she never fully accepted but has never been able to fully get over. She does not allow anyone to see her naked, even me, nor does she like seeing other people naked. It's just something that she hasn't dealt with, because her grandfather ground into her that it was shameful to see anyone naked, or to be seen naked, before marriage. Of course, there are other factors to it, one of which is the whole marriage thing, because her grandfather has been harping on her for about 6 years to get married, to the extent that he even found her suitors, which she politely but forcefully rejected. The whole marriage thing, even though it irritates her, is one of the things that she also can't get over, and it's tied into the whole nakedness thing. So you have to understand, with Kagome, you have to be very careful, though it does not mean that you should in any way give up on her. She just needs some time, because of all of that, so if you truly feel anything for her, Inuyasha, you will give her some time." Inuyasha sat back, in complete shock. He had heard of some families still being very strict and old-fashioned, but had never imagined that it might be the Higurashi family. Then again, he had heard stories about the old man, Kagome's grandfather; supposedly, he was one hell of a businessman that took no bullshit from anyone. It would make sense that he would be like that with family as well. Inuyasha took a sip of his tea, still thinking about what Sango had just told him. It was quite the story, and it did explain a lot of Kagome's weird quirks. He sighed, and turned to Sango, his eyes betraying all that he felt, all the worry, guilt and anger.

"Sango, you must understand, I have never heard of anyone acting like that. It just, it's well… It's plain strange, I mean, what the hell does her grandfather care what she does with her life?"

"Inuyasha, you still don't understand, do you? It's not really Kagome that her grandfather is worried about; it's the family name he's worried about. I mean, Heavens forbid that Kagome should end up in newspapers or in jail or anything even remotely fantastic. Her grandfather would go ballistic, literally." She sighed, before smiling slightly at an episode she remembered. Back then, it hadn't been funny at all, but years later both Sango and Kagome laughed at it. Sango started to laugh, then started to laugh hysterically, forgetting that Inuyasha was still there.

"What's so funny?" Inuyasha asked, completely puzzled. He knew that Kagome was one weird woman, but he was coming to the conclusion that Sango wasn't any better. And Miroku, her husband, was a complete nut. What the hell have I gotten myself into? he asked himself.

"Nothing, I was just remembering the perfect example of Kagome's grandfather and his hysteric antics. I mean, at the time it was not funny at all, in fact Kagome got into a lot of trouble, but now when we look back, it's just hilarious." Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest, and glared at Sango, before she looked at him, and in a joking voice said,

"Oh, would you like me to tell the story?"

"No, Sango, I want you to just sit there and yuk it up while I sit here like a moron," he said, in a voice literally dripping with sarcasm. Sango smiled at his attitude, before she said,

"Well, it was back when we were in high school. Oh, the trouble we used to make at that school, though Kagome was always the party pooper. But one time, even she got in trouble, and it's because of that her grandfather went ballistic." Sango sighed, thinking back on the situation, and how to describe it. She giggled a little, and then said,

"Well, what happened was that we were just hanging out with some of our friends, and some of the girls had decided to go do something completely nuts. I mean, this was really nuts, sneaking off in the middle of the night to a college dorm, halfway across town, where there was this party. It was our last year of high school, and I actually talked Kagome into going with us, though she felt really uncomfortable. Well, we ended up going to the party, and Kagome was completely freaked out. I mean, she had boyfriends, very discreet boyfriends, but she had never been to a party, not without the entire family being there, and her grandfather watching her every move. And here, there were all kinds of guys, most of them drunk. She didn't know how to react, at all, so she sat in a corner sipping a drink almost the whole night. And then, the worst thing is, she wanted to just leave the whole time. She kept saying how she had a bad feeling about it, and she wanted to go before anything bad happened. Of course, I talked her into staying, and so she did. And what do you think ends up happening? The party gets busted by the campus police, and Kagome was one of the few who got caught, along with myself and a few of our other friends. It was horrible when her grandfather found out, for he came down to the police station still in his pajamas, and just started screaming at her." Sango started to laugh then, until it was uncontrollable.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but you can't even imagine what this looked like! I mean, here is Kagome's grandfather, this little man in his pajamas, screaming at the top of his lungs! He looked like he was about to bust an artery or something, he was so red in the face! Kagome was so mortified that he actually found out what had happened, that she hid in the jail cell for as long as she could just to avoid him. Of course, there is no real avoiding Koichi Higurashi, and he eventually got in to see her. Oh, you could hear him screaming throughout the whole police station. It was bad enough that as soon as he had walked in the door he was screaming, but this was even worse. He was screaming at Kagome how she was such an embarrassment to the family, how she had disgraced the family name, and how was he, her grandfather, patriarch of the family, going to deflect the shame from their family? Kagome sat there, listening to him tirade on and on and on about the family name, until he finally ran out of words. She just sat there, head hung low, before she looked at him, and said,

"But, Grandfather, I didn't really do anything wrong. I mean, prancing around in your birthday suit in front of some of Japan's most eligible bachelors is nothing to shame the family with, is it?" At that point, he grew so mad, I really thought he was going to die on the spot. His face turned incredibly red, and there was this vein that was pulsing in his temple, looking like it was about to explode. Kagome and I were sitting right next to each other, and I had given her this knowing look when she finished, but she looked from her grandfather to me, shocked that she had even said something like that. She had meant it as a joke, but he didn't take it like that at all. He just exploded, and started yelling all sorts of things, in all kinds of languages. I only got bits and pieces, since he was mostly speaking in French and English, and Kagome was beyond mortified. Her face had turned this bright beet red, and she hung her head to try and hide the tears. Finally, this little old man stopped his tirade, and so suddenly that we both jerked our heads up in shock. He looked at Kagome, and said, in plain Japanese,

"Kagome Takechi-Higurashi, this is a shame to the family beyond all measure. The very fact that you dare to talk back to your elders is shame enough in itself, but you have dishonored me in front of many people. This fact cannot go unpunished, and as such, I hereby cut you off from this family. You are to have no more contact with anyone within the family, nor will you have any access to any of the family privileges, including your private bank accounts. Those assets will now be frozen, until such time that I deem you have earned them back. Now, go and call that horrible woman you call mother to bail you out of this situation, for I have finished with you." And with that, he turned on his heel, and left. Kagome had to call her mother, and beg for help to get herself out of jail. She never did anything even remotely embarrassing to the family after that, ever. That is why even to this day, Kagome cannot get over doing anything that would even remotely be considered scandalous, because at least that way she ends up protecting herself as well. She also does everything in her power to keep her grandfather happy, literally jumping through hoops if he tells her to do it. Now do you understand, Inuyasha, why you have to be so patient with her?" Inuyasha sat back, in complete shock. Not that it was anything that he had never heard of before, as most Japanese families were very traditional, but this was beyond most families. The dynamic within Kagome's family was one that wasn't typical in Japan at all anymore, and he was in a little shock. Kagome getting caught at a party at such a young age was deplorable, yes, but not to the point that her grandfather had put it. The man had acted as if Kagome had committed a capital crime! Inuyasha sighed; oh yes, now everything made much more sense. If Kagome's grandfather had reacted in such a way over her getting caught at an innocent party, what would he say if he saw her naked with a man before she got married? The old man would probably, as Sango put it, bust an artery and have a heart attack. He ran his fingers through his hair, and looked at Sango.

"Sango, I can't thank you enough for what you just told me. It actually helped to clarify many, many things about her, and now it's something that I understand will take a lot of time to help Kagome get over. But, I'm willing to try and work it out, if she is. I just hope that she is," he said, more to himself than to her. Sango smiled as she took a sip of her cappuccino, before saying,

"Inuyasha, I think that as far as she's concerned, that you don't have to worry about whether she's willing or not to work it out. I think that she is, really." Inuyasha nodded to Sango, then stood up.

"Well, it has been very insightful, Sango, but now I really have to go. I have a girl to go apologize to, and hopefully work a couple of things out with." He bowed to Sango, who bowed back, and he turned around. He picked his coat up from the chair, and put it on. He made sure he had everything he needed, before he turned and started to walk towards the door. He was envisioning how he was going to go back to Kagome, and apologize for all the things that he had said to her, how he was going to kiss away all her fears, how he was going to help her get over her insecurities. He smiled to himself as he thought of all this, and then he pictured Kagome's face, the way she had looked in the moonlight. His smile grew wider as he thought about how beautiful she was, and so did not see the person rushing towards the door from the other side. He was right about to open it, but the person beat him to it, and ran into him, almost knocking him over. He grabbed onto the person's shoulders, and was suddenly looking straight into the face he had been thinking about.

"Kagome?"

"Inuyasha?"