Chapter 28: Broken Glass

"Mommy? What's this stuff?" Kaiya asked sheepishly as she poked at the clay on the metal table in the arts and crafts room of the house.

"Yeah…," Amaya said and she covered her nose and frowned. "It smells really bad."

Rolling her eyes at her daughter's obviously over sensitive nose, Kagome pulled out two stools from under the table and patted the tops of each with a smile on her face.

"It's called clay girls," she said warmly as she watched Amaya hop up with ease, and then help her sister who was struggling like always get into the seat. "Think of it as… another type of Play-Doh. Only this one will actually stay together when it dries-"

"What the fuck is that smell?!" Inuyasha yelled from the living room.

As both twins giggled, Kagome rolled her eyes once more and sighed. After cutting a few large pieces from the block her art teacher had given her at school last week, she showed the girls quickly how to work with this type of clay and she began to make her way to the living room to chew her fiancé out.

Since she had come home only two hours before hand, completely healed and feeling beyond amazing, Kagome had decided that since the school hadn't contacted either Naraku or Jako about the incident, that it was safe to go about the plans she had had before the whole fiasco started. She had been wanting to spend more time with the girls and teaching them about arts and crafts for a while now. And since they would be starting kindergarten in only a few more months, she wanted to make sure that her girls would be able to tolerate the smells and maybe even take an interest in it.

Even Inuyasha had told her to start getting them use to it now. He had told her that his mother hadn't prepared him for anything, and on his first, second, and third day, he'd been sent home for becoming sick. All of the new scents he had taken in had overloaded his brain. And he still cringed at remembering the smell of paste.

And that had been when Kagome had first met him, and she had been the only child there who was not afraid to take him to the nurses office. Even their teacher hadn't wanted to help him.

So she knew that this needed to start now. The last thing she wanted was for either of her girls to become extremely sick because of all the new, random, and strong scents that they were going to have to face and tolerate in school. But it did annoy her slightly that Inuyasha had forgotten to watch his mouth. So now, as she stormed into the kitchen to enter the living room and yell at him, she stopped.

Someone was coming up the driveway. And from what she could tell… it wasn't either of her parents or Kagura. It was someone else..

Looking out the kitchen window, Kagome's eyes widened as she saw Miroku's 1956 Ford Fairlane speeding up her driveway. As the car came to a screeching halt, she heard the front door open and slam. And as she saw the silvery white hair of her hanyou thrashing back and fourth wildly, she figured that it would be best to follow.

"Miroku? What are you doing here man? Is everything okay?" Inuyasha asked in a panic as he rushed up to the window.

But as he looked into the car, his heart nearly dropped out of his chest as he realized that Sango was laying in the back of the car dead asleep. Looking at his friend, whom now Inuyasha noticed seemed fairly pissed, he backed away from the car door just as Kagome rushed up behind him.

As Miroku emerged from car and pulled the driver's seat forward, Kagome looked at Inuyasha with a very even tone in her eyes, waiting for an answer.

Sadly, he had none. Inuyasha was just as confused and surprised by Miroku's surprise visit as she was.

"Miroku?" Kagome asked calmly as she watched him take Sango's lifeless body out of the back of his car and turned around to face them. "Talk to me. Why are you here right now? I thought you said Sango was suppose to be on bed rest for the next two weeks?"

As he looked down at his girlfriend of nearly three years, Miroku began to shake.

"Guess who's at my house right now and enrolling in our school in three days?" he said bitterly as he looked into Kagome's eyes, not caring in the least if he seemed violent right now. "I'll give you a hint; he's my cousin that I've hated since I was playing in the sandbox with you two."

Oh. Shit.

"No… are you joking?" she pleaded.

The slight, yet aggravated shaking of his head confirmed it.

"Hojo's Dad kicked him out again for having drugs in the house. And as you can well remember, my parents are complete Hippy stoners. So they told him as long as he only brought weed, and nothing else, then he could stay with us. But I had brought Sango to my house for the day because her father said that all the construction going on would probably stress her out…. And my cousin slipped something in her strawberry milkshake. I don't even know what the fuck he gave her. But I clocked him so hard that he went flying through our living room window," he vented in a very even tone. And Miroku was never the type of man to hit anyone. So… this wasn't good.

Looking carefully at his friend, Inuyasha slowly walked up to Miroku and gave him a look that was purely sympathetic.

"Dude… you're really shaking a lot. Let me take her and we'll go inside. I can smell Sango's dried blood and if your not completely careful, those stitches of hers will reopen quickly and easily," he said as he gently placed a clawed hand on his shoulder.

Even though all he did was look at him, Miroku complied. As he handed Sango over to his hanyou best friend, Kagome draped her arms over his shoulders as they walked into the house.

As they reached the stairs, Inuyasha bent down and sniffed Sango's lips, praying that he could pick out what Miroku's moronic cousin had given her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Miroku asked venomously.

"Trying to figure out what Hojo gave her before I can't pick up the scent anymore. Kagome opened something in the house that overloaded my senses and whatever the hell it was-"

"It was clay you dimwit."

"- I couldn't smell anything other than it even if I tried," he finished as she gave him a stern look.

"Mommy! Kaiya's making a mess!" they all heard Amaya whine. Then a crash. "Oww! That hurt!"

"Stop tattling on me!" they all heard Kaiya yell back at her sister.

"Don't throw that stuff at me! It stinks!"

"Oww! Don't push me!"

Another loud crash.

As all three teenagers cringed upon hearing something even louder crash and apparently something break nearly three rooms away, Kagome looked at Inuyasha with a dull look as she folded her arms over her chest. As they heard another loud crash she let it be very well known in her eyes that this time… it was his turn.

"Daddy!" Kaiya screamed.

"Mommy!" Amaya screamed at the same time.

As he looked down at Sango in his arms, Inuyasha sighed and kicked open the front door. As it nearly fell off the hinges, he gently placed her on the large couch next to the window and stomped his way through the living room, past the kitchen and down a small hallway leading to the room where his fighting daughter's were. Right now, he was seriously not in the mood for his twins to be fighting, especially since he'd recognized the scent coming off his friend's lips.

Liquid Valium.

And apparently, the asshole had given her a double dose of the stuff, because he could tell that she was no where near waking up. And when Sango finally did wake up, he had a very bad feeling that she might possibly be so sick that she wouldn't even be able to leave.

What a day this was turning out to be.


"Stop that!" Amaya whined as her sister pulled her hair once more. "That hurts!"

As she fought back, Amaya was careful as she swiped at her sister's hands to try and get her to leave her alone. She's realized now that if she got too angry, her claws extended to twice their normal size. And they were very, very sharp now.

The last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt her sister; so she'd take the cruelty over hurting her any day of the week.

"Not until you promise you won't tattle on me again! You always tattle!" she yelled with tears in her eyes.

"Girls! That's enough!" came a bellowing, harsh voice from the doorway.

As both twins cringed and shrank back in opposite directions at seeing their father, whom was definitely not in the best of moods right now, Kaiya's tears started to fall down her face in rivers, which made Amaya roll her eyes and sigh.

'Why does she always have to cry? It's not fair! She always gets what she wants for crying!' she thought bitterly as she looked down at her tiny hands and felt like shaking. Her claws were still extended to their full length, and that meant, at least in her mind, that she was still dangerous.

But as she quickly glanced up at her father, Amaya felt her own tears begin to flood her eyes… and she felt as weak as her sister was. Or at the very least… she felt angry. This wasn't her fault in the least. Kaiya had kept slopping that horrible smelling clay around on the table like it had been mud. And all she had asked her to do was stop making such a mess and spreading it out all over the table, and Kaiya had just stuck out her tongue and smashed her hands onto her red t-shirt, which had made her fall off her chair instantly and crash into the bookshelf.

She wanted to growl at how unfair this was turning out to be. But she thought that with her Daddy standing right there, that he would instantly think she had started the fight. And that was usually how it went. Amaya understood that her sister's demonic abilities really hadn't started developing yet, so, the smell wasn't bothering her. But it made her eyes sting and she felt stuffy even from just a slight whiff of the stuff.

Keeping her eyes trained into her hands, the only thing she could think to do was sit there and wait.

"What exactly is going on in here?!" he growled as he folded his arms over his chest and glared at them. Noticing the complete and utter destruction of the arts and crafts room. "Someone had better answer me right now!"

As he looked to his oldest, whom had been the first one to start yelling, Inuyasha felt his heart drop.

Her hair was covered in brown/red clay and it was a complete and utter disaster, even her face and clothes were covered and most likely destroyed. She even had a small scrape on her elbow that he could only guess was from falling off one of the bar stool type chairs. And then he noticed that…

Her claws were out.

As he looked to his younger daughter, fearing she maybe had a cut somewhere, he paused.

Other than her curly hair being a little frazzled, she was completely fine, and not covered in clay anywhere except for her hands and upper arms.

Apparently, Kaiya had started the fight, and she had been hoping that 'Daddy' would keep her out of being taught a lesson.

Not. True. At. All.

"Kaiya…," he growled. "Why is your sister covered in that foul smelling clay your mother brought home?"

As she folded her arms and turned away from him and pouted, Inuyasha blanched.

Was she seriously about to throw a hissy fit? Seriously?

"I want an answer, Missy," he growled fiercely, trying his best to show he meant business. "Otherwise your grounded for the next two weeks."

As she spun around with complete and utter shock written all over her face, Inuyasha smiled to himself. Well, that worked. Or so he thought.

"I hate you!"

His ears instantly pressed to his head like a bomb had just exploded right in front of him. Did she really just say that? All because he had figured out just by looking at the two of them who was mainly at fault? As he looked down at his younger daughter, Inuyasha realized something.

She was acting like a complete spoiled brat because she wasn't getting her way. And because she had gotten caught for once. She had been hoping that her sister was going to be the one to get yelled at for the demolished room because she was the weakling normally. And that was not something he was going to tolerate. Not in the least.

Noticing a small plastic pink hair in the corner turned over, Inuyasha walked between both of his daughter's and picked it up in his left arm, then, turned around and grabbed Kaiya by the back of her blue t-shirt and carried her like a sack of potatoes in his other arm. As she screamed seeing 'The Chair', she kicked and tried to get away from her father. But it was a futile attempt at escape. And he growled at her as she went to actually bite him.

"Don't even test me today Missy," he growled, feeling his face contort into his full demonic form. "You're in a lot of trouble right now. And if I have to, I'll keep you in a time out for a lot longer than your mother does. I'll keep you in one for the rest of the night."

As she started to whimper, Inuyasha slowly made his way through the kitchen and into the living room without so much as a growl. Which surprised him, because he was fairly pissed off right now.

As Kagome looked at his face when he stomped into the room, she paled.

"What's going on?!" she asked as she looked into the blood red eyes of her fiancé with concern. Inuyasha had NEVER gotten angry… or at the very least this angry with their daughter's before. So she had to guess that something had gone terribly wrong in his attempt to resolve the issue.

"Kaiya started the fight. And she just tried to bite me and she's already kicked and scratched at me. She's going on a time out," he hissed as he dropped the chair in the corner unceremoniously and set Kaiya down gently. But as she crossed her arms and pouted, Inuyasha pointed to the poor pink chair and growled at her.

"Sit!"

"No! I didn't do any-"

"Kaiya Hikari Higurashi-Taishio! If you don't get in that chair right now… I will be making sure that you sit in your room for the rest of the night! So sit down now!" he growled as he bent down on one knee and looked her square in the face, making her two tone eyes widen in shock as she finally got a good look at her father's true demonic features. "You should know better than to treat your sister like that! She's having a very hard time learning how to control her demonic powers right now, and from what it looks like, she did everything in her power to not lash out and attack you! How selfish and foolish could you be to treat her like that?! I'm very disappointed in you right now!"

As the water works came flooding down her slightly chubby face, Inuyasha wasn't buying it this time around. As he picked up the chair and slammed it into place in the corner, Kagome wanted to yell and scream at him for treating Kaiya this way. She was ONLY four years old!

As he pointed to the chair once more with his extended claws, Inuyasha bared his fangs to show he was the alpha in this house at this very moment. And Mommy wasn't going to be coddling her. She needed a serious reality check and punishment for this. And he was fed up with her acting like a spoiled brat.

"I said sit!" he growled.

As Kagome was about to pull him away and try to coax her baby girl into listening, mainly because she hadn't seen Amaya yet, but she had had the feeling that Kaiya had been the one this time to start the fight anyways, Kaiya looked down at her feet and walked over to the chair.

And sat down, without another word.

As he sighed and returned to standing, Inuyasha looked at Kagome and took a deep breath.

"She's not to move from that chair until she's thought long and hard about what she's done. Now, I'm going to go and check on Amaya and see if she's okay. I figured she needed a few moments alone so that's why I left her in the arts and crafts room," he said in his raspy demonic voice. "Which by the way… she destroyed," he said as he hiked his three inched clawed thumb behind him. "And she will be cleaning that room once she's ready to say she's sorry."

As he walked past her, Kagome blinked for a few moments and wondered what the hell had just happened. Looking at her younger child, she almost felt pity. But comforting her right now would only make Kaiya think that she had done nothing wrong… and that wouldn't solve anything.

Since neither of her children had gone through the terrible two's or three's, she'd wondered if they were ever going to have the bad behavior moments like many other normal human children.

Well, after the past few days, she was guessing that at least Kaiya had started the Terrible Four's. Amaya had just seemed to be having difficulties dealing with her growing demonic powers. But Kaiya…

"I don't wanna sit here," she heard her daughter grumble. "Daddy's so mean."

As she sighed, Kagome bent down and placed her hand on her tiny shoulder.

"Sweetie, you know your Daddy loves you. He's just very upset right now, and the two of you fighting is not making matters any easier on him," she said gently. "But you know that what you did was wrong. So you will be sitting here until you've really thought about what you've done."

As she jerked her shoulder away from her mother, Kagome gave up and started her way over to the other half of the living room where Miroku was gently brushing his knuckles against Sango's cheek. He hadn't even heard a thing.

Or he had, and just hadn't cared enough to get involved.

Well, as if this day could get any worse, now she had to deal with an unconscious Sango, a pissed off royally Miroku, Kaiya acting out, and a very stressed out Inuyasha whom was on his very last nerve for the day.

Boy, did she need a vacation.


As he walked into the room and knelt down before her, Inuyasha sighed as he gently placed his clawed hands on her his other child's shoulders. She still seemed fairly shaken up…

And upset, but he couldn't blame her there.

"Amaya?" came the raspy voice of her father as gently as possible. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

As she looked up, Inuyasha nearly recoiled in shock.

The purple markings… they were on her face. And her eyes were a slight pink tone now, almost as if they had been trying to change, but she wasn't old enough for that to happen. But as he also noticed the slight puff under both of her eyes, he relaxed a little.

"No…," she whimpered as she held her tiny hands up to his face. "They won't go back to normal, Daddy."

Even though he was calmer now than he had been a few moments ago, Inuyasha told his demonic side mentally to hold on before disappearing.

'Are you certain?' the voice of his other half asked. 'She's still just a baby…'

As he gave a mental nod, his demonic soul stayed in place, not budging from it's front row seat. Even though he could feel the other half of his soul's unease, Inuyasha assured it that everything would be fine.

As Amaya looked at her Daddy, she tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Daddy? What's wrong with your face?" she asked sweetly.

As he looked behind her, Inuyasha kept his eyes cast down as he grabbed a huge piece of a broken mirror and handed it to her. When she didn't take it, he sighed.

"It won't cut you Sweetheart. I promise," he whispered gently. "I need you to look at your face right now."

As she hesitantly reached out, Inuyasha watched her very carefully. He had a very odd feeling that Amaya wasn't going to take the change in her own appearance lightly.

And boy had he been right.

As she gasped and threw the mirror down roughly, Inuyasha deflected as much of the shattering glass as he could. Even though his skin was far too resilient to be cut, he watched his child's face as she paled as he wasn't cut, in any way at all.

Looking down at her legs, she started choking back tears.

There were several large chunks laying next to her legs, and not a single one had cut her. Looking at her elbow, which had had a fairly nasty rug burn on it from her sister pushing her, she started to shake.

It was completely healed over, and practically gone.

"D-Daddy?" she asked shakily. "What's going on?"

As he sighed, Inuyasha pushed the broken glass away from both of them and scooped her into his arms. As he allowed her to sob, he ran his extended claws gently through her hair. She wasn't even remotely sure about what was happening to her right now. And he knew that she needed him desperately.

After some time, he tilted her chin up so she was looking directly at him. And he had a feeling that she was terrified of his blood red eyes, enlarged canines and claws, and even the purple markings. But she needed to see what he was. She needed to know that her fate depended on not becoming like him.

Even though he knew that he and Kagome had clearly decided that they would never medicate their children, they still needed to handle every situation like this with care. His mother had not been able to handle this side of his blood. She had started drugging him as soon as he had learned how to talk. His abilities had started when he was a little younger than his daughter, but it still hurt to know she had finally awaken to her own dark side.

"Honey… do you remember me telling you a while ago that you're almost exactly like me?" he asked gently.

When she nodded, Inuyasha pressed his hand to hers, spreading out his fingers to show her exactly how long his claws had become compared to hers.

"Well, since we're hanyou's… if we get very angry, upset, or even afraid… we lose track of our emotions, and our demonic blood can take us over. It's our bodies natural self defense mechanism. I'm only nineteen years old, which to you might be old, but I'm still very young for a hanyou, and I'm finally learning how to control my demonic abilities on my own. The markings on your face are just like mine and your grandfather's. My dad was a full blooded demon. Just like your uncle is. But my mother… she's human. And because of my parents blood being so completely different, this is what you, me, and eventually your sister, are going to have to deal with for the rest of our lives," he said as quietly an gently as he could. Knowing full well that she was trying her hardest to understand him. "I know this is very hard for you to understand, Sweetheart. But this is not a bad thing. We're just different. It's not a horrible thing to be a hanyou."

But when she tilted her head to the side once more, as if something had struck her as odd, Inuyasha looked at her with a warm smile.

That is, until she spoke.

"But… if Grandpa was a demon… and Grandma is a human… and you're a hanyou… but Mommy's a human… how come me and Kaiya are half demons? That doesn't make any sense, Daddy," she said as she looked at their hands still pressed together.

Inuyasha's blood instantly turned to ice as it pumped through his heart. At his own child's words, that he couldn't even begin to answer.

He had never thought she would figure out something that vital so young in her life. Inuyasha had been praying every single night that Amaya, along with Kaiya, would never see that connection. It had been bothering him for the past few months, wondering if they would ever see the underlying darkness in his and Kagome's relationship; if one of them would make the awkward connection. And now, with her sitting right in his lap, surrounded by the broken glass of the mirror, Inuyasha wanted to scream.

Almost instantly, every ounce of pain and agony over the painful event flashed in his mind. Every haunting nightmare was replaying in his mind over and over again. Inuyasha could see his daughter's beautiful face slowly fading, and being replaced my the images of Kagome screaming, beneath him. As he took one deep breath, praying it would fade away before it completely consumed him, Inuyasha's demonic soul screamed in agony. He was trapped as well. And he knew he was now crying, because Amaya screamed.

"Daddy! Your eyes are bleeding!" she choked as she grabbed a tissue from under the table. "Mommy! Daddy's hurt!"

Before he could even muster the ability to call back that everything was fine, Kagome was rushing into the room, and she gasped upon seeing the damage of the room. Kaiya really had totaled the arts and crafts room. But… when she looked at her child, and her fiancé, Kagome began to shake uncontrollably.

Inuyasha was crying. In his demonic form, he was crying. His eyes were covered by his silver white bangs. But, it was his tears that scared her to death.

They were the color of blood.

Looking to her daughter, Kagome covered her mouth with her hands and stifled a gasp of horror. Amaya had her demonic markings clearly on her cheeks. And, her claws were much longer than they normally were.

It had finally happened. She had begun the change, just like Inuyasha had when he had been so young. Her powers had gotten much stronger since her father had been around, but Kagome had been hoping that her baby girl would not have to suffer this fate for a little while longer.

She had been wrong. So, completely and utterly wrong.

As she crumbled to the ground, Kagome winced at feeling a large, thin sliver of glass split open her hand on contact. But she could care less about the pain, right now, Inuyasha needed her to bring him back to reality.

"Inuyasha?! What's wrong?!" she asked weakly. Hoping that he wouldn't freak out over her small cut.

He didn't answer her, didn't look at her, and his tears kept streaming down his face onto his white tank top. Making him look as though he had been in a horrible fight with someone and he was beaten badly.

"Baby?! Answer me!" she shouted. As she felt her panic take over she reached up and pulled his face to meet her eyes, and her own tears began to run down her face in rivers. "Look at me!"

There was no recognition in his eyes, they were completely blank; devoid of all emotion and life. Even though they were the violent red eyes of the monster that had nearly destroyed her, she couldn't stop herself from crying.

Those violent red eyes were practically dead. With not even one tiny sliver of life in them.

"Baby, it's me. It's Kagome. Listen to my voice!" she pleaded. "Inuyasha… please come back to me!"

As she pleaded with him, Amaya watched her parents carefully. Was this her fate? To be like her father, struggling with his demonic nature as if he was trying to win a war within himself daily?

And her mother, her amazingly kind, sweet, endearing, beautiful mother, crying and begging him to come back to life essentially.

Was,… was she going to put a boy through this type of hell one day? When she was older and fell in love?

Amaya just looked at her parents and felt her own tears start up in the instant her mother began pleading with him again, and as her tears fell onto her dress, she instantly became aware of another difference.

Her tears were a slight pinkish red. Almost the color of strawberry juice.

Instantly wiping her eyes with her t-shirt, Amaya looked carefully down at her claws…

And then to her mother's scars.

'Daddy did those…,' she thought numbly as she finally made the connection. Looking at her father's own claws, she tried to figure out when and how, but she had no idea. Her mother had always had those horrible scars for as long as she could remember, and as she recalled when she had asked her about them, the only thing her mother had done was cry.

"It was a horrible accident that happened a long time ago…"

But, what exactly had he really done to her mother? She was completely in the dark.

Which, for the young couple, was a good thing. Because they didn't want either of their children to know the ugly truth behind their birth.

After a few moments, the light returned to his eyes slightly as his demonic features slowly began to fade away. As his eyes returned to the beautiful fiery sunset colors she had never gotten out of her mind for all those years of being away from him, she cried even harder.

He wasn't okay. He had been only telling her he was doing better as not to worry her. She could see it now as she looked in his eyes… that something had definitely triggered that pain and anguish once more. And had brought everything they had worked so hard to get past back into full swing.

"K-Kagome?…," he faltered. "W-What just happened?"

As if she hadn't been crying a lot already, Kagome tears fell without her even blinking.

As she instantly pressed her lips to his, Inuyasha's eyes widened as he felt her hot tears burn his cheeks. Looking at her closed eyes, Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder what had just happened to him. He'd felt as though he had been placed in a dark, cold cage of agony and despair until he had heard her calling to him. Bringing him back to the world of the living.

Now, as he looked at her, Inuyasha knew it.

She knew. She knew he wasn't over what happened in the least.

Great.

As she finally pulled back from what seemed like an eternity, Kagome gently cupped his face in her hands as she pressed her forehead to his.

Looking on, really unbeknownst to her parents, Amaya looked down at her claws once more, and felt a stab of relief as they were finally shrinking back down to nothing. At feeling her fangs retract, she sighed.

Well, at least she wasn't a monster anymore. At least she hoped the markings were gone and she looked like her normal, average self.

But… her daddy didn't look so good. Neither did her mother.

They were crying and clinging to each other for what seemed like a lifetime, so, taking her queue, Amaya quickly got up and made her way to the bathroom upstairs so she could take a shower. The smell of the clay was still making her sick to her stomach, and she had a feeling that the only way she would feel one hundred percent better, was if she removed the odor completely.

As she left the room, Inuyasha closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist tightly. He needed her to stay here with him right now. His daughter's words still haunted him. His memories still haunted him.

Everything still haunted him. Deeply. Even though he and Kagome had been trying so hard for so long it seemed now, that everything was all in vain.

"Why?… Why didn't you tell me, Inuyasha?" she croaked lightly. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on and what your feeling."

As he sagged, Inuyasha buried his face in the crook of her neck; his favorite place. He could not find the words to tell her anymore how scared he really was, how angry at himself he'd been for months now, how lonely he'd felt all of those years she had been gone from his life.

It was like he was living in that cage again; all alone, and afraid of everything.

"I…"

The words just would not come out. All of the pain and suffering stayed where it was, in his heart and locked so far away from her, that even Inuyasha, could barely help it.

As he looked up into her eyes of ice, Inuyasha felt as if her gaze was fighting to get past his, and deep into his soul. Her tears just kept falling, and even though seeing her so sad hurt him more than anything… he just couldn't tell her.

And she knew he couldn't. As Kagome sighed and pressed her forehead to his once more, she took a deep breath.

It was really, truly her last alternative.

"Give me your cell phone," she whispered.

As he stilled, Inuyasha was now looking to her for answers and explanations. But her determined demeanor told him she was not going to say another word until his phone was in her hands. So, reaching into his back pocket, Inuyasha handed her the small object with shaky hands and looked down into his lap.

As she flipped open the RAZR, Kagome went into his contacts and found the person she needed to call. As she hit send and waited, Kagome gently placed her free hand on the side of his face, making him look up into her eyes. She wished she alone was enough to stop the nightmares from invading his mind. But now, she was so certain that her, the girls, and even their new life was weighing heavily on him. And she needed help if she was going to save him from himself now.

"Mr. Taishio… what a nice surprise," said a very friendly female voice. "I take it you needed someone to talk to?"

As Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock, Kagome directed her attention towards the phone call, and Inuyasha's jaw nearly hit the floor as he listened.

"Actually, this is Kagome Higurashi. Inuyasha's girlfriend and mother of his children," she said coolly. "I needed to know if the offer to see me still stands and if Inuyasha can have some appointments scheduled as well this week? We've just hit a huge bump in the road and I think it would be best if you saw us both."

As Helen stuttered in complete shock, Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Listen Lady, my boyfriend is a complete and utter mess, and I know I'm not too far behind him. We haven't truly confronted the entire issue and now, I'm reaching out because I do not want him ending back up in Shikon Hills before our daughter's turn five in three weeks. Can you help us? Yes or no?"

As she waited for an answer, Inuyasha began rubbing his eyes roughly.

Of course, she wanted to try therapy now.

"Yes," Helen said quietly; still processing the fact of whom she was actually speaking to. "Has he stopped taking his medication? That could be the cause of-"

"Yes, and he stopped taking it at my request and he will not be going back on any of it. Inuyasha's medication has been doing him far more harm than good for a very long, long time. He's not been taking anything for the past few days and he's really been fine. It's just I have a feeling a flashback of some sorts happened today and now he's not telling me what's wrong."

"But his medication is suppose to relax his demonic abilities," Helen said sharply. "And it is suppose to also keep him calm and collected. Just jumping off his medication like that is dangerous young lady."

Even though Kagome was betting that this woman she had never met was most likely right, she refused to back down.

"Well, Mrs. Kasshoku, in my opinion, Inuyasha was far more dangerous while on all of those medications. Those medications are the reason behind our past and I blame them fully for what happened to us," she said defiantly as Inuyasha's ears pressed to the side of his head. "Did you know that if a hanyou is heavily medicated from an early age to suppress his or her demonic abilities, that if they are harmed in anyway, their soul will split and the demonic blood can turn into a savage beast? Did you know that everything the human world has done to hanyou's over the centuries to 'try and help' has only made thing's far, far worse for them? One of my daughter's is already showing the signs of that change beginning to happen, and I'll be damned if I ever put her through what Inuyasha has had to suffer with for the majority of his life. Now, we just need to work things out and put matters to rest so we can move on with our lives. Normally. No drugs, just simple clarity of mind bullshit and getting over this hurdle. Can you help us, or not?"

As Inuyasha fell backwards into the broken glass and covered his face in his hands, he didn't even wince as he felt shards jam and slice deeply into his skin. Kagome was probably pissing off his shrink more than anything right now. And Helen truly despised being called 'Mrs. Kasshoku'. She had always complained that it had always made her feel old. And now seeing as Kagome was also giving her a Kagura version of a history lesson, he had a feeling that this might possibly become an ugly conversation very very soon. As he separated two of his fingers, Inuyasha looked up to his beautiful wife to be someday and waited. Helen from what he could tell was in shock at being spoken to like that by a seventeen year old girl. And since he had heard the entire conversation, he was betting that she wasn't all too happy with him for going off all of his medications so suddenly either.

As moments passed, Kagome awaited her answer and looked down at her fiancé. He seemed a little upset by her bluntness, but right now, she couldn't care less. This woman had no idea how much struggle, anger, pain, and flat out misery they had gone through for so long now. And she needed to be put in her place before she would even think about going to see her.

She didn't like doctors. Well, minus her Uncle Suikotsu, but right now, as far as she knew, he didn't even know about Inuyasha being back. None of her uncles did.

Naraku and Jakotsu had both tried to get her to go to therapy, and the few times she had tried it, it hadn't done anything except make her angry and very upset. She had even gotten removed from one appointment when she had been roughly five months pregnant for screaming at her therapist and hitting him. The old man had asked her who the father was and she'd refused to tell him. He'd asked her the same set of questions over and over again, as if he thought he'd be able to pull the information out of her with time. But, she'd kept her mouth shut. So, after her nineteenth session, he had threatened to put her under hypnosis if she didn't try and tell him something. And since she was still a minor, if she refused, he could have her children taken away from her the moment they were born.

He'd ended up with a very nasty bruise to his balls right before security had grabbed her. And after that, Naraku never brought up the idea ever again.

And that shrink had lost all of his credibility. So she had nothing to worry about when it came to him.

But… this woman knew Inuyasha. And from what she'd gathered from his last few appointments with her, she knew him a lot better than most people.

As a long sigh was heard on the other end of the line, Inuyasha's ears twitched as Helen finally spoke once more.

"I've looked into the very few files you in fact have, Ms. Higurashi. You've been violent towards both DSS and even one therapist you had when you were fourteen years old. You've even been given your own antidepressants which you have refused to take for quite a few years now. What makes me think for one moment you won't go completely and utterly insane on me as well? Because as I'm sure you are aware, you are still technically a minor until March of next year. And if saying one wrong thing requires me to call security… you will lose your children instantly because of your last three outbursts with the system. Is that clear?"

Well, she hadn't seen that one coming.

As Inuyasha instantly held his hand out, Kagome looked down at him and felt like shaking.

Those blood red eyes were back, and the growl coming from his throat was enough motivation for her to comply. As she quickly handed him the phone, Kagome looked down in her hands and felt like she'd possibly had a very bad idea calling this woman. Because now, she was hearing the same exact thing her last therapist had told her.

"Hel…," he growled. "I don't like it when anyone pulls threats on Kagome like that… or my children. So watch what you say to her. Because she's only trying to help."

"Inuyasha?! What's wrong with your voice?!" she shrieked.

"Take a guess."

As if he could hear her thoughts churning around in her brain, Inuyasha looked down at his claws and smiled weakly.

This was starting to become far too easy. Now, since his demonic blood was slowly becoming one with his soul once more, if Inuyasha felt like being a scary asshole, all he needed was a simple little idle threat to bring out his inner monster. And now that he was off his medication, he didn't feel completely and utterly sick after the incidents. He actually felt completely normal and relaxed once it faded away.

"Well?" he hissed.

"………….."

"Just as I thought," he said roughly. "Now, I know Kagome was a little crass, but you and I both know she's right. This whole… thing. The feelings and outbursts and even the memories are starting to really weigh on me," he said as his voice slowly became normal again. "I think I…" he said as he now looked at her and smiled weakly. "I mean we need to both start coming in to see you. It might help us more than either of us are willing to admit. So? How 'bout it Helen?"

As he awaited her answer, knowing that she was thinking over the whole situation, Inuyasha gently laced his fingers in Kagome's and pulled himself completely back up effortlessly.

"Okay, I want to see both of you in here on Thursday afternoon right after school. Kagome needs just her school I.D. and her social security card so I can at least put her in the system as a patient of mine," she said in her normal calm voice. "And since you've stopped coming here for at least a few weeks and you're off of your medication, I have no choice but to call your doctor, Inuyasha. If I don't, it might cost me my job. But you are a legal adult now so it really shouldn't be a huge issue that you're not taking any of those medications."

As he smiled, knowing full well that Helen would still take as best care of him as she always had when it came to legal matters, he told her his thanks and hung up the phone.

As they sat in utter silence, Kagome gently reached up and began rubbing one of his ears, causing him to nearly melt in her arms.

"Thank you," she whispered.

As he could clearly hear her fear in her voice at Helen's last words to her, Inuyasha cupped her chin in his hand and made her look into his eyes.

"She's not going to do any of those thing's, Kagome. I swear she won't. Hel's just kinda a bitch to people she doesn't really know whom are asking her for help. Once she meets you and gets to know you, I know she'll warm up more to you. I promise."

Even though she knew he was being honest, Kagome felt like screaming.

She hated the idea of therapy, it simply made her skin crawl. But what other option did either of them have now?

Inuyasha's dead red eyes had scared her more than anything. He seemed so trapped and lost within his mind that she'd almost thought he wasn't going to come back to her. But now, she could clearly see him shining. With all of the love and adoration he'd always held for her.

But, she had felt completely helpless when he'd held no light in his eyes. No love, no hope, nothing. She had felt completely and utterly alone. And now… she just didn't know how to feel.

As she stood up and nodded, she held out her hand and smiled weakly.

"We need to check on Sango and Miroku," she said in a false, happier tone. "And I think we need to talk to our children about their fighting issue once again."

Even though he could clearly see the pain in her eyes, Inuyasha let it go for right then and there. She wanted to drop the matter for right now and worry about everything else, just like she always had. And after what he'd just put her through, he could understand why she needed the distraction so badly.

Taking her hand, Inuyasha flexed his back roughly, pushing out two large chunks of glass from his shoulders and any small fragments that had gotten tangled in his hair. The pain was nothing overly serious to him, and since he knew that there was nothing left imbedded in his flesh, he started walking, feeling the wounds beginning to close quickly.

As she looked down once more before leaving the demolished arts and crafts room, Kagome felt a jab of sadness encase her heart.

One large chunk of glass was coated in rich, red, human looking blood. And another was completely covered in black, demonic blood.

The broken glass on the floor had said it all.

They truly were, back to square one.


Okay! That's chapter 28 everyone!

Lemme know what you think!

Toodles,

Me

: P