A/N:

1) The ages for everyone are Kagome = 12, Sango & Ayame = 13, Inuyasha, Miroku, & Kikyou = 14, Kagura = 15, Sesshoumaru = 17.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Chapter twenty-eight: Helter Skelter

The sounds of Miyavi's deep and sensual voice stirred young Kagome as she slept peacefully in her bed. All around her were posters of the model/actor/singer, along with images paying homage to ballet and girlish motifs. It was 2006, and in the years of her growing up, so had the theme of Kagome's room; yellow walls had turned a navy blue and dolls had been replaced with makeup and things important to any young teenager. There was a ballet barre against one wall, and around it were the things she needed for practicing properly. Her numerous stuffed animals were stacked haphazardly in one corner and the bookshelf was no longer stocked with childish literature, but with novels and school texts instead. This was not the room of a six-year-old any longer, but that of a pre-teen on the cusp of becoming a young adult. It was Saturday, November 19th, a week since she turned 12 and this birthday party had been the best so far; a special get-away with Izayoi and her four closest girlfriends to an all day spa before going to a fancy restaurant with the entire family. Inu-Taisho had danced with her and the band even played the 'Birthday Song' while the chef brought out an adorable miniature cake decorated with blue flowers and ribbons made of fondant. Kagome received gifts and well wishes from everyone, even Inuyasha and Kikyou (who he had been allowed to bring).

Kagome's blue eyes slowly opened and looked up at the texture of her white ceiling as her mind slowly began to wake up as well. The songs of her idol continued to play in the background. Taking a moment to stretch her weary body, Kagome's mind traveled aimlessly until it finally found its way onto the subject of Inuyasha. The two were finally considering each other friends, though fights did erupt every now and then between them. He was still just as immature and gross as she'd always known him to be, but there were things about the boy that she noticed had changed for the better. He was taller, not as tall as Sesshoumaru, but had become manlier with each passing year. His voice was changing, deepening until it would eventually find its final pitch in adulthood and his skin was darker than everyone else due to all the time he spent outside, and his hair was longer than it had ever been; Inuyasha still kept the family's traditional hairstyle to please their father. Everyone was changing so much, but it was a comforting notion to know that she no longer had an enemy in the house and, for once in her life, things were running smoothly and peacefully. Any disruption of that would be terrible in Kagome's opinion. Thankfully, school and ballet kept the girl busy enough to never grow bored with how things went.

It was then Kagome realized what time it was and she sprang into action. Hopping out of bed, Kagome ran over to her closet and quickly changed into her dance attire, which was a black leotard and white stockings. Her shoulder length hair, now very thick and wavy, was brushed and pulled back into a tight bun atop her head; standard uniform for the girls at the dance academy. A quick rummage through her closet and Kagome had all of the needed items in her dance bag for the day's lessons. Dressed and ready, Kagome threw on a white jacket and a pair of flats before rushing into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. This was her routine for every Saturday and Sunday during the school year and the twelve-year-old no longer required any help from her mother to be done in time. Running down the hallway, Kagome passed by Inuyasha's room, where he still slept, and flew down the stairs. She shouted a 'goodbye' to Izayoi and Inu-Taisho in the kitchen before rushing into the foyer. A new driver, Carlton, awaited Kagome at the front door. He had been taking her to dance class for two months now and the two had a system; dance class at eight, lunch at noon, home by one.

"Race you to the car!" Kagome said excitedly as she ran past him and out the manor. Jumping over the last step that led to the front door, her feet scraped against the gravel driveway that curved into a half circle in front of the manor and she smacked her hand onto the black exterior of the car. The driver, who was in his late 50's and had a very cool beard (in Kagome's opinion) followed at a calm pace and opened the door for her. Before Kagome slid inside, she looked up at the taller man with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "You always let me win." Her tone was of slight annoyance, but laced with good-natured humor. The driver cracked a kind smile and gave Kagome's dimpled cheek a gentle poke.

"I'll try harder next time," Was his response, as always, and he shut the door once Kagome sat down inside. As he drove her out of the nice suburbs they lived in and into the exciting city where her class was, Kagome listened the music her next dance would be set to. She knew that it took at least forty minutes to get to the building and that was plenty of time for her to get prepared for Madam Chachka's strict dance lesson. It was difficult, but Kagome loved how much she was learning. She was finally in pointe classes now that her feet had stopped growing, which was when most students began attempting the painful technique. When they arrived at the building and the car was parked, Carlton got out first to open Kagome's door for her. She ran into the building with the driver following slowly; he would wait in the lobby with all the other drivers and nannies until the lesson was over and the children were released.


Going past the lobby and the receptionist, Kagome entered the first studio of the dance academy. There were three separate dance rooms to the building; two designated for different class levels and one just for large group production. Each room's walls were covered entirely with mirror, allowing for the perfect practicing atmosphere for dance. The equipment provided was top-notch, but there was an air of refinement rather than pomp; all due to the strictly traditional dance instructor and choreographer, Madam Chachka. She was a classically trained Russian ballerina who had found her way into the states while on tour and never left. With her credentials, and the money of a rich husband who had wanted a Russian bride, she easily started her own dance academy and took in only the best of the best dancing youths in New York. There were many students of hers who went onto successful careers in ballet, and at the age of fifty-six, there was no sign of Chachka losing her eye for talent as she stood before the group of young girls and boys in studio A.

Kagome was amongst them, handpicked from the beginner class to join the young advanced class to be eventually catapulted into the older class. She stood at the barre with the others, their hands perched delicately on the wooden bar as they went through the warm-up exercises in perfect unison set to the beat of their instructor's words. Her back straight and chin parallel to the hardwood floor, Kagome's face was void of all emotion as she did her best to not show any signs of struggle through the strengthening routine. The flexibility aspect was not something she had difficulty with, but the strength of muscle certainly was. As the class turned to face the opposite direction, Kagome caught sight of a new boy in the very front of the line. He had strange, reddish-blond hair, but other than that she couldn't see. He was tall, and very lanky, but under his dance attire she could see much defined muscles that no other boy in the class had yet. Watching him with a subtle stare, Kagome was amazed at the level of control he had and how easily he went through the movements that were the most difficult for her. Was he really their age?


"Pay attention while I demonstrate how to do chaine turns en pointe," The familiar Russian accent in Madam Chachka's voice echoed in the dance studio, getting the complete focus of her ten-or-so female students who all stood and watched. The boys were off at the other side of the studio doing various stretching or exercises, as they didn't require lessons of dancing en pointe. Chachka easily went onto the boxes of her ballet-slippers and put her arms out in front before gracefully taking a step, performed a quick and elegant turn, and then took another step with the same foot. Her head spun in perfect time with her body and there wasn't a single flaw in the technique; proof of how skilled the woman was even in this advanced age. All the young students wanted to have that same skill, but they were nowhere near it yet. The instructor finished her chaine turns and lowered herself to the heels of her feet, a cold expression on her face as she regarded the students. "Gloria, you first; on your toes!" Her old, but nimble, hands clapped once and the first girl made her attempt. It had only been two weeks since they had begun pointe classes and their feet were still getting used to the feeling, but Madam Chachka didn't give her students much time to adjust to the pain before making more and more demands.

Little Gloria made it through one turn, a sloppy and awkward one, before she crumbled back onto the heels of her feet with a pained look on her freckled face. Chachka silently stood behind her and made the straightening adjustments to Gloria's back and shoulders before putting her back en pointe and asking her to try again. The pain on Gloria's face was evident, but everyone in the class had learned to push through it to get better. Kagome swallowed her nerves as the teacher went down the line of students, each one doing better than the last, until it was finally her time. On her cue, Kagome lifted up onto her toes, wincing as the small digits dug into the box of her new slippers, and took the first step out and she began to spin. In her mind, she was doing pretty well; but as she looked up at the teacher expectantly Kagome realized that she'd done something wrong. Madam Chachka's expression was not one of approval and Kagome instantly bowed her head in submission.

"You're legs are about as strong as toothpicks," The first critique, soon followed by more as Chachka circled the young girl like a vulture. Kagome remained as still as possible, her back straight and shoulders pulled back as far as they would go in an attempt to give the woman less to critique. "Your rear is even less strong and that's why you look so awkward en pointe. From now on, I want you doing one-hundred squats, one-hundred crunches, and fifty push-ups every day as well as the required amount of exercises you already have. You'll never get better at pointe work until you're body is stronger." With a wave of her hand, Madam Chachka dismissed Kagome to the back of the line and continued to work on the rest of her students.

Utterly embarrassed and disappointed, Kagome sulked at the back of the line. No one seemed to notice as tears welled in her eyes and bottom lip jutted out in an unmistakable pout of embarrassment. She looked down at her thin chicken-legs and felt like crying even more, but a voice from behind her pulled her back.

"Don't be too sad about what Madam says. She's only trying to help," Standing there was the new boy in the class, a broad smile on his face. He was tan and exotic looking, but at the close distance Kagome could tell he was Asian. With an attempt at a smile, Kagome nodded and looked back at the girl their teacher was helping.

"Yeah," Feeling a little better about the situation, a real smile curled on the small girl's lips and she looked back at the kind boy. "My name's Kagome."

"I'm Houjo Akitoki. Nice to meet you," His friendly disposition warmed up to Kagome and she couldn't help but feel compelled to know more about him. There was a weird accent in his voice though that made her curious.

"Where are you from?" She asked softly. It was then the instructor told them to all go back to the barre for more pointe work practice. Houjo walked with Kagome to the wall and stood behind her as they began.

"I'll tell you later," He whispered as they all began the new exercise. For the rest of the class, Houjo and Kagome stayed near each other. He was quickly becoming her close friend and ally in the class.


Once the lesson was over and the girls and boys were released to go home, Kagome took a moment to get a refreshing drink at the water fountain provided to the students. There was sweat on her brow and small tendrils of hair had escaped the tight bun that now framed her face and tickled the back of her neck. Other students seemed to congregate in the open space outside of the studios as they waited for their class to begin. There was a wide range of girls and boys, all different levels and skill-sets, and they intimidated Kagome a bit when she saw how good they were. Doing her best to ignore them, Kagome bent at the waist to take some of the water into her mouth. When she came up for air, she noticed the pictures on the wall above; images of past students who went on to become successful dancers hung there proudly. As she looked up at them, slowly swallowing the water in her mouth, Kagome couldn't help but imagine how long it would take her to dance like they did. This was only her second week since starting to dance en pointe and her feet and toes hurt terribly. But as the women held their graceful and dainty poses on the tips of their toes, there wasn't even a hint of pain on their lovely faces. How much pain were they really in? There was a voice from behind that got Kagome to tear her wistful gaze away with an excited gasp.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome ran up to her older brother and threw her arms around his waist. The now sixteen-year-old boy smirked down at her and chuckled at the stray hairs that had escaped the tight, coiled bun atop her head. Even though she was growing up and changing so much, Kagome still managed to stay the same bright-eyed, enthusiastic little girl he'd somehow come to know as his sister. She no longer stood at his hip, but at his chest, and her body was beginning to catch up with her age as well. Pretty soon boys would start to grow bold and attempt asking her out…but Sesshoumaru would put a stop to that any way possible. He was getting looks from the other girl's in their dance attire, all sending him flirtatious smiles as they stretched and chatted quietly. Paying them no mind at all, He petted her head kindly and took Kagome's dance bag from her to sling it over his shoulder. As the pair made their way through the lobby, Sesshoumaru placed large sunglasses on his face and waited for Kagome to do the same before they stepped out onto the sidewalk of the busy city where anyone with a camera could easily recognize them. There wasn't a sense of urgency or anxiety as they walked to the car, but Sesshoumaru didn't dawdle either and shut the door behind himself and Kagome quickly.

"Take us home, Carlton." He said calmly to the driver in the front seat. Carlton nodded quietly and began the route back to the manor. In the backseat, Kagome chatted away.

"It's so cool that you came to pick me up! You never do that," Sesshoumaru took out his phone and looked at it with a bored expression as he replied.

"I didn't do it on purpose. I was shopping and saw Carlton outside the studio. Nonetheless, it is nice," Kagome only smiled at his blasé attitude and leaned against her dear, older brother. "How did your class go?" He asked.

"It was okay. Oh! Guess what! We're going to competition in a month and Madam is going to teach us this really hard routine starting tomorrow. She said I won't be a good dancer though unless I get stronger though. I've got to do a lot more exercises at home now…Do you think I can do it?" Tilting her head to look up at Sesshoumaru, Kagome pouted when he took a while to reply. Shaking his arm playfully until he finally caved in, Kagome smiled when she got her answer.

"Yes, you're a good dancer. Do you really need me to tell you that, though?" He asked with a subtle laugh in his deep voice. Kagome grinned toothily and nodded. She looked down at her aching feet and sighed.

"Dancing on pointe is really painful though…I hope it gets easier. Madam Chachka said I need to start now so it will be easier for me later when I really need it. I hope she's right." Sesshoumaru sensed the trepidation on Kagome's part and offered a bit of encouragement.

"It's the same for me, Kagome. Coach said that if I want to become an Olympic swimmer, I needed to cut my hair short instead of keeping it long. I didn't want to at first, because father says it's a tradition in our family to grow our hair long, and it didn't feel right to get it all cut off; but it has made me a better swimmer. You don't want to get hurt, but to get better at dancing you must deal with the pain. So if I can cut my hair, you can dance on your toes." Sesshoumaru gave Kagome a friendly pat to the top of her hand and continued texting on his phone. She looked up at the older boy and admired the way he had his hair now. It was cut short, almost a buzzed style on the sides with some extra length on top. Kagura's mother had done a very good job at turning Sesshoumaru's glorious mane into a chic and stylish cut.

In the beginning, it was weird to see him without so much hair; and Inu-Taisho had been very upset to see it go. It was a tradition in his family that the men grow their hair long, but tradition had to take a step back for success in this instance. Kagome liked Sesshoumaru's short hair though; she was one of the only few allowed to play with it. She loved running her hands over the sides of his head as the prickly, shorter hairs tickled her palms. She knew that Sesshoumaru enjoyed the sensation as well; he just never admitted to it.

"Okay, Sessoumaru. I'll do it since you could." Kagome smiled and held out her little pinky to Sesshoumaru, which he then hooked with his larger finger before they touched thumbs. It was enough to keep a smile on Kagome's face and appease her. A comfortable silence fell around them as ride home continued. Her mind began to idly wander from thought to thought along the lines of what her friends were doing, what would be served for dinner, and did she have all of her homework done. Kagome was content with her life and the sense of normalcy that came with it; even though it had taken years to find her niche in the family. Absolutely everything seemed to have fallen into place; so well, in fact, there was nothing that could have alluded to the sadness she would soon be suffering from once they arrived home.


When the black car drove up to the curving driveway of the Taisho manor, it could only pull up half of the way before having to stop. A lone cop car sat parked in front, making the stomachs of all three passengers flip with dreadful confusion. Carlton escorted both Sesshoumaru and Kagome into the home, his face stoic but wary as they ventured into the sitting room where everyone seemed to have congregated. There, on the couch, sat a pale-faced Izayoi with Touga standing beside her. Inuyasha was seated next to his mother, but when he saw Kagome standing there, he instantly stood up with a strange expression on his face. The two police officers, dressed in their ominous black uniforms, stood in front of the family and both turned to look at the new comers, namely Kagome.

"You're dismissed, Carlton." Inu-Taisho said softly, breaking the tension-filled silence between everyone. The driver took a respectful bow and removed himself without resistance. That was the cue for the older of the two police officers to slowly approach the small girl standing at the open entrance of the room. Kagome took Sesshoumaru's hand and stood as close to him as possible as the uniformed man took a knee in front of her, putting himself at eye level with the little girl. There wasn't much emotion on his face, even as he began speaking to her.

"Kagome, is your father's name Nobu?" He asked slowly, getting a confused reaction from her. Kagome's brow furrowed slightly and she nodded her answer. Why would he be asking about her father? Did he want to take her back to him? The grasp on Sesshoumaru's hand tightened as the officer let out a sigh and put a hand on her small shoulder. Kagome looked past the officer's head to see Izayoi, who was crying silently into one of her hands. "Nobu Higurashi is wanted for committing crimes against the state. I know you've been adopted and living with this family for a few years now, and during that time your dad did some very, very bad things. We haven't been able to find him though; all of his records seemed to have been erased." Kagome stared at the officer with wide, blue eyes. She wondered what her father could have done to get into so much trouble with the police.

"What did he do?" She asked softly. The officer seemed to hesitate and even had to look back at his partner for reassurance of what he should tell her. But by his vague, and grim, answer, Kagome understood that the crimes weren't small. She nodded softly and continued to listen, waiting for the worst of the news.

"Yesterday, we found a body and we believe it is your father. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but we need you to come and identify the body as your father. If we can definitively identify him, it would help a lot of people."

Time seemed to stop as Kagome slowly realized what had happened to her father. She remained frozen, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted, as it sank in. It was as if she was standing on the edge of a cliff, teetering between safety and death, and the smallest breeze would be her salvation or damnation. Blue eyes jumped to look at the officer's face, searching for any signs of deceit; but there were none.

"My daddy is dead?" She whispered softly, voice wavering. Behind the officer, Kagome could see Izayoi standing up and being held back by her husband from rushing over. Looking back at the man in front of her, Kagome finally saw some emotion and sympathy on his face as he nodded.

"If you can identify him, then yes; he is dead." At hearing those words, tears stung Kagome's eyes and she bowed her head to rub at them with the palms of her hands. Her small shoulders jumped with each quiet sob as wave after wave of emotion crashed over her. There was sadness, loneliness, shame, and guilt battling a turbulent war inside of her, making it hard to do anything besides cry. The officer stood up slowly and his partner came over to whisper in his ear. As they exchanged words, Izayoi took the moment to be at Kagome's side. She petted Kagome's shuddering back and whispered cooing and calming sounds in her ear, promising that everything would be alright. Inu-Taisho followed suit and lifted Kagome's small body into his arms, holding her against his chest and letting her head rest on his shoulder. Her tears and spittle soaked through his nice, white shirt; but the comforting man didn't care. He would do all he could to console his daughter.

"Does she have to do it today?" He asked calmly, hoping Kagome would have a few days to cope with the possibility.

"Yes, it has to be done today. She is the only known, reliable contact that could properly identify him. And as the next of kin she would inherit anything that is left behind. You can drive behind us or ride with us, but she has to come down to the morgue." No longer a sympathetic man, the officer returned to stoic and professional. It annoyed Inu-Taisho, but he could never go against a police officer.

"We'll drive ourselves; but I would appreciate it if you left now. This is a protected community but that doesn't always keep out someone with a camera. I don't want this showing up on any magazines or tabloids." Finding this suitable, the officer wrote down the address of the precinct and the two dismissed themselves with the warning that they would be back if Kagome wasn't there by the day's end. Izayoi walked them to the door while the boy's stayed with Kagome, who remained clinging to Inu-Taisho's strong neck as she wept. Sesshoumaru wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation, but he did know to stay near his little sister as she coped with the scary possibility of her dad being dead. He looked up at her and was unable to see her face buried in his father's hair. With slow, careful movement, Sesshoumaru reached up and took Kagome's hand, which she held on with a vice-like grip.

Standing by the couch still, Inuyasha looked over at his father and brother silently comforting Kagome. Though he was shocked by the news brought by the police officers, he was even more shocked to see the level of compassion being given to Kagome by the two people he so rarely got anything from. But, rather than being mad at her, his sympathy and pity for the distressed girl couldn't bring Inuyasha to think bad things of her. He slowly approached them with the intent of doing or saying something comforting, but the sounds of Kagome's shuddering breaths and the smell of her hot tears was too much for the teen to handle and he quickly left the room. Izayoi was walking back towards the den when she was brusquely passed by Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha-" He didn't even hesitate and raced upstairs and into his room without a single indication that he'd heard his mother. She looked up towards his bedroom on the second floor until a loud slam signified that he would not be coming back down for a while. Sighing softly, the weary woman returned to Kagome and stood in front of Inu-Taisho, who still had the sobbing girl in his arms. "We should just get it over with now." She whispered softly. Inu-Taisho gave a pained agreeing nod and tried to set Kagome back on her feet, but was met with frantic resistance from the distressed girl.

"Kagome, you have to let go-" Izayoi shook her head and stopped Inu-Taisho before he could continue.

"I'll drive," It wasn't a topic to be discussed; Kagome obviously would not let go of Inu-Taisho's neck and he could not drive with her in his lap. As Izayoi left to go get the car keys, Touga turned to his first born.

"Go get your brother," He said simply. Sesshoumaru silently complied and left to go get Inuyasha from his room. Not even bothering to knock, the oldest brother opened Inuyasha's door and stepped inside. He found Inuyasha on his bed, propped up against the wall with his electric guitar laid across his lap haphazardly as he plucked at it. His head was bowed, preventing Sesshoumaru from seeing Inuyasha's expression through his mess of bangs.

"We're leaving now," Was all he said, and was instantly met with a deadpan response.

"I'm not going," Inuyasha mumbled under his breath, sounding lifeless. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes and walked further into the room.

"You have to come," There was some warning in Sesshoumaru's voice now, but Inuyasha didn't seem to pick up on it or didn't care.

"Fuck you; I'm. Not. Going." The younger brother glared up at the older one, and the two stared hard at each other for only a few moments before Sesshoumaru crossed the floor and was looming over Inuyasha with a deadly look in his eye. Without a word, Sesshoumaru yanked the guitar from Inuyasha's hands, set it on the floor, and jerked the fourteen-year old's smaller body off of the bed. Inuyasha growled and cursed at him, but he didn't have the strength to fight his brother and instead got dragged halfway towards the stairs before he was finally released. Still in a sour mood, Inuyasha followed Sesshoumaru down the stairs where everyone was waiting in the foyer. One look at Kagome's tortured face and all of Inuyasha's anger and annoyance was gone; he could not bring himself to feel such things while she was suffering so much.


Inside the coroner's office, everyone was absolutely quiet as they waited in the small lobby for the coroner to come out of the examination room with the police. The lobby was cold, white, and everything seemed to be unnaturally sterilized. As the pale haze of fluorescent lights flickered and hummed softly, it seemed to form a rhythmic song in tune with the 'whooshing' sounds of the ceiling fan blades cutting through the cold air, slowly driving Inuyasha crazy as he sat beside his mother on the uncomfortable chairs provided. Inu-Taisho was on Inuyasha's other side, with Sesshoumaru sitting beside their father. They were both stoic and unmoving, unlike Izayoi and Kagome. The young girl was curled up in Izayoi's lap, still dressed in her dance attire, and looking very terrified as she hid her face in the crook of her mother's shoulder. Izayoi held Kagome close, looking distraught over what this was doing to her daughter, but did manage not to cry.

There was a receptionist, a creepy girl dressed in dark clothing, in the lobby as well. She was idly flipping through a magazine as a popular song played quietly in the background. She seemed so oblivious to the suffering going on inside the room, and it annoyed Inuyasha greatly. It must have been annoying Inu-Taisho as well, because not a minute later the man spoke up and curtly asked the girl to turn off the music. She gave a disrespectful suck of her teeth and switched off the radio before cutting her dark eyes across the room at Inu-Taisho. If only she knew how influential he was, she wouldn't be doing such insolent things towards him. Looking over at his mother, Inuyasha watched as she tried to distract Kagome from the looming room they would have to enter soon.

"Do you want to go shopping later? You need new shoes, don't you? Or maybe a dress? We can go see a movie and do anything you want to do. How does that sound?" Inuyasha could tell his mother was trying to reassure Kagome, but her method was all wrong; Kagome didn't care about material things. She was the kind of girl who was more pleased with a few kind words rather than a useless gift or trinket. She was also too nice to stop someone who was trying to do good things for her, but was only making the situation worse. Inuyasha knew that Kagome was not feeling comforted at all and that Izayoi should stop and just be quiet, but he didn't have the bravery to speak up against his mother.

"Izayoi, this isn't the place or time." Inu-Taisho whispered softly across Inuyasha, surprising the boy again as his father seemed to read his mind's desires. Looking up at his father with shock in his eyes, Inuyasha wondered if his father was really reading his mind, or they both just had the same idea. It would be the first time that they came to the same conclusion on anything, but Inuyasha found himself enjoying the notion that he and his father had something in common. Sitting back in his chair, Inuyasha continued to wait for what was to come, though he dreaded it like everyone else did.

It seemed like hours passed before the coroner, dressed in medical garb, stepped out of the backroom and motioned for Kagome to join him there. She had just calmed down when he appeared, and instantly her small chest began to heave as she hyperventilated. Izayoi spent a moment to whisper something in Kagome's ear, and it seemed to have a soothing effect as the girl calmed and slid out of her mother's lap to stand on her own two feet. Inu-Taisho and Izayoi stood as well and walked Kagome towards the coroner slowly. Inuyasha leaned forward as if he was going to go with them, but his father quickly stopped him.

"You stay out here with Sesshoumaru," He said bluntly, sending a look to his eldest son that conveyed the message to keep an eye on the younger one. Sesshoumaru gave a simple nod of the head and, with a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder, had him sit back down in his seat. Inuyasha stared at the back of Kagome's head as she disappeared behind the white door with his parents and hopped that whatever happened to her, it wouldn't scar her for life.


The moment the coroner stepped out, Kagome felt her heart stop. She wanted to run away as fast as she could to escape whatever lied beyond that door. For a moment, as she began to become hysterical, Kagome thought she would do just that; But Izayoi's words stopped her almost instantly.

"That man in there is not your father," She whispered. "You're father is here, beside you, and we both love you." It was enough to calm Kagome down so that she could walk on her own, but it was obvious she was barely holding onto her sanity as they approached the door. Her hand was tucked into Inu-Taisho's larger one as they entered the room, and suddenly everything began to feel too intense. The smells of sterilized metal stung her nose, the terrible quietness that consumed them was almost deafening, and the bright lamps blinded her pale blue eyes as they approached the wall of large file-cabinets that housed individual bodies. The third one up from the floor was pulled out completely, and on it lay a body covered by a white sheet. From her short vantage point, Kagome could barely make out the silhouette of a human form underneath the sheet, but as they grew closer, she smelled the stomach churning scent of a decaying body that was surprisingly reminiscent of her time in the subway.

The police stood on the other side of the body while the coroner led the family towards it. He veered at the last moment and picked up a small stool, then placed it on the floor near the head of the deceased person. For small Kagome, each step towards the morbid scene felt like another stabbing knife in her stomach, twisting more and more as she got closer. Her heart was racing as they stood a few feet away and she wondered if anyone else could hear the frantic beating. The coroner picked up a medium sized cardboard box that had been resting on the floor nearby and approached Kagome with it. She was confused at first, but when he pulled out the first clear, plastic bag, her eyes shot open wide.

"That's my daddy's coat," Were her softly spoken words, voice humble due to shock and fear. It was then the police approached, but did not speak to her. The coroner pulled out a bagged pair of boots, crusted from years of wear and tear. Seeing them instantly took Kagome back to the days she spent sleeping in the dark, dirty subway and seeing those boots shuffling around her. Tears stung her eyes and she quickly nodded to the police. "Those are my daddy's shoes," She uttered softly, her voice now high-pitch and wavering. But the confirmation of the belongings wasn't enough.

"Kagome, we need you to take one look at this man's face. You only need to look for a few seconds and tell us if it is your father." The officer said softly, obviously very sorry she had to do this. Inu-Taisho sighed and gave the officer a seething look as Kagome turned away and held onto him out of fright. She changed her mind; she didn't want to do this anymore.

"Daddy I don't want to. Please don't make me do it," She begged softly, pushing her face into his stomach in an attempt to block out all sight of the room she was in. This felt like a horrible nightmare she would never wake up from. Inu-Taisho put a hand at the back of Kagome's head and another on her shoulder, drawing her closer protectively.

"Does she have to do this? She confirmed that the clothes are his; that should be enough." Izayoi asked in a hushed, but angered tone. It was rare that she expressed her darker emotions, but the resentment she felt towards the two police officers was too strong to contain. Thankfully, she was not reprimanded. The first officer just gave a solemn nod, conveying all he needed to with one gesture. Reluctantly, Inu-Taisho released Kagome and took her to the stool beside the rolled-out metal bed. She was still crying softly as the stool brought her to a tall enough height to look down at the covered body. Seconds felt like hours as she watched the coroner slowly pulled back the white sheet as if he were doing it with the intent to torture her more. But, as soon as it was pulled away, Kagome wished it were covering the face once more as a breath caught in her throat and her bottom lip quivered as the face was revealed. Behind her, Izayoi gasped and clutched Inu-Taisho's arm, and he had to close his eyes for a few moments after seeing it. A single tear trailed down Kagome's pale cheek as she gazed down at the bruised and swollen face, so distorted by a painful experience that it was then forever embedded into her mind.

"This is your father, Nobu Higurashi?" The police officer asked her. Tears flooded Kagome's vision and she could barely make out the characteristics of the face, but stiffly nodded her head anyways.

"Yes…that's him." Kagome replied in a hushed whisper. Her face twitched as she tried to reign in the emotions inside and remain calm, but the tears streaming down her face belittled that effort. As the coroner covered the body once more, he patted Kagome's shoulder and told her she could leave now. But how could she when her legs felt as if they were weighted down with cinderblocks? Kagome numbly turned around on the stool and went to step down, but her toe caught the edge and she fell to her hands and knees. That jolted the last hold she still had on her emotions and her desperate cries could be heard outside of the room.

In the lobby both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru stood up when they heard the initial, heart-wrenching scream that could only come from Kagome. Forgetting their rivalry, the two brothers exchanged worried looks and took a few steps towards the door when it suddenly burst open, giving the both of them a sudden scare. Out stormed Inu-Taisho carrying a hysterical Kagome in his arms. Her screaming and bellowing was only muffled by his shoulder as he held her close, and by the way she fought and squirmed in his arms, it was obvious that Kagome was not happy. Izayoi appeared shortly behind Inu-Taisho, a frazzled expression on her face as she gently took both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's shoulders to guide them to follow their father.

"Mom? What happened?" Inuyasha asked in a hushed voice as they jogged to the car. She gave her son a hard look that told him not to ask and opened the door for the two boys before herding them into the backseat. Sesshoumaru sat at the center and leaned forward to help his father contain the hysterical little girl in his lap. She was pinned to him in a vice-like grip with her arms trapped between their bodies, offering little room to move and thrash like she wanted to. Her screaming did not cease as Izayoi pulled out of the parking space with a loud screech of the tire before speeding off into the hectic New York Traffic. It was chaotic scene inside the car as well, with everyone's emotions at a heightened state as they all allowed what had just happened to sink in.

Ten minutes into the drive back home Kagome finally began to calm down as her body became too tired to keep fighting. Her small whimpering and shuddering noises filled the quiet car as the sounds of outside traffic only permeated at muted levels. There was no radio or conversation; nothing that could set Kagome off again. Inuyasha watched from his seat behind Izayoi as Kagome's face, red and splotchy from crying, rested on his father's shoulder while her falling tears cascaded like they were in endless supply. Inu-Taisho's strong hands became relaxed as he tenderly handled his daughter, rubbing her hair softly and patting her back rhythmically. Her arms lifted to snake around his neck so that her hands could fist in the soft, snowy tresses of Inu-Taisho's hair; a habit of hers for years. Even though Kagome was almost a teenager, she was still such an innocent at heart.

"Kagome," Sesshoumaru's deep voice broke through the quietness of the car ride, getting Inuyasha and Izayoi to turn their attention to him (Izayoi's only for a moment as she went back to focusing on the road). Kagome's eyes slowly opened as she looked at her older brother over Inu-Taisho's shoulder, her black lashes long and spiked from the saturation of her tears. The pain in her gaze as she stared at Sesshoumaru made a catch rise up in Inuyasha's throat; and it only got more painful as he watched her reach out for Sesshoumaru's hand. Inu-Taisho's hair threaded around her nimble fingers like silken fibers, but Sesshoumaru didn't even mind that it was there as he locked hands with Kagome. The sixteen-year-old leaned in close towards Kagome, making soft 'shushing' sounds when she began to cry again. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you," He whispered. For once, Kagome had nothing to say as she shut her eyes again and wept softly into her father's long, white hair.