Temporary Home

Summary: Kagome would be the first to tell you that life wasn't easy. She would also tell you that she didn't want it to be. If not for the hard life she had, she wouldn't have the life she did...all thanks to them...

Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Prince of Tennis

Genre: Romance/Drama

Pairing: Kagome (None)

Rated: T

-x-x-x-

"Get off!"

Kagome glanced up …

sleepily as she tried to hide a yawn behind her hand. Etsuko was gripping Eiji around the neck with a vice like grip, her arm strangling him in her annoyance.

"Baka, Eiji! You aren't going! You need to do your chores!"

Eyes looking over as breakfast was placed down in front of her. "Where is Eiji-nii trying to go?"

"Ah, my friends are going bowling, and I wanna go too!" He finally got out of the strangle hold and ran away from his older sister, standing on the opposite side of the table from her. "Are you ready for your Field Trip?"

Kagome smiled, "Yeah! It's not till Friday this week, but I'm really excited. Hazue-San said he and his family have been to Nagasaki before, so he'll take me around and keep me from getting lost."

"...nai, nai, Kagome-Chan, don't forget, you can't date Kaidou-Chibi! Onii-San won't allow it!"

Feeling a bit exasperated, she sighed and shook her head, "it's a good thing I like someone else then."

"WHAT!?"

"Wait," Etsuko slid across the table from Kagome, "who?"

"Nani, Kagome-Chan, you can't fall in love!" Eiji cried.

"What's wrong with her falling in love, Baka!" Etsuko, smacked her younge brother upside the head.

Frowning, Daichi set the spatula he was just using to the side as he put the pan off the fire and flipped the fire off. "Kagome-Chan, ignore your stupid nii-san, tell us about this guy you like."

Kagome was furiously blushing as she shoveled her food into her mouth and swallowed. Tears forming in her eyes as she thumped her fist against her chest and coughed. A glass of water dangled in front of her face and she took it thankfully as she turned her watery red eyes to Daichi he was grinning at her near-death experience. "I should head out, see you all later!"

"Wait! The guy!"

Kagome smiled as she slipped her shoes on and ran past their dad who was at the mailbox. "Bye, bye, Otou-san!"

"Bye, bye~" he smiled and waved after her before returning inside with the newspaper he'd walked out to get.

-x-x-x-

"Ah, Kikumaru-San,"

Kagome's face lit up and she took a deep breath before turning to face the class president, "hai, Shichi-San?"

Jakotsu smiled, "I didn't mean to surprise you, but I'm not used to seeing you here so early."

She shrugged a bit, "my family was pestering me about dating and so I ran away to school."

"Ran away to school?" He laughed, "well, I guess our school is a pretty good place to run away to. Bullying at this school is subpar at best, so it's relatively safe as far as schools go." He pointed at the chair across from hers, "may I sit here until Kaidou-San arrives?"

Waving her hand forward, she nodded, "of course. Nai, Shichi-San, do you arrive early every day?"

"Well," he looked outside and pointed to a man who was walking around the school grounds, "Otou-San shows up early to evaluate the grounds and check the greenery, so I get her really early every day. I usually hangout in the gardening club until about twenty minutes before class starts or take care of student council work while I'm waiting." He fussed with his clip that was holding his hair up. Pulling at it, his long black hair fell down his back before he did a quick twist and flip of his and through his hair and clipped it back up. "I should get it cut,"

"Oh, that would be a shame,"

He blushed and looked away from the window that he'd been using as a reflective piece, his eyes catching Kagome's as she in turn ducked her head.

"Sorry, I thought out loud. It's just, your hair is really pretty, and it looks like you take such good care of it. I think if you cut it off, you'd be pretty bothered by it." Looking up as she gathered her wits and calmed her quickly beating heart. "It looks good on you, the way it is."

"Ah! Th-thank you!" He brought a hand up to hide his reddening cheeks, but it failed to cover the darkening hue completely. "To be honest, my brothers always tease me about its length."

"Your brothers?"

"Yeah, I have too many to mention, but there are seven."

"Wah!?"

He scratched at the side of his head in embarrassment, "yeah, a couple more than you. However, you probably get what it's like being the youngest, right?"

She nodded, "I-I've only been their youngest sibling for...two weeks now."

That surprised him, and more than that, it surprised her. She had finally mentioned it to Hazue, but he was the only one she'd mentioned it to. Being adopted. It wasn't something she wanted the world to know. However, her mouth was moving without her permission at this point.

"Wait, I don't mean to sound rude if this comes across as such. However, Kikumaru-San, does that mean you were adopted?"

"...hai. This is the...fourth family..." she looked away and stared out the window, it was starting to rain, she could see the drizzle on the windowpane. His dad obviously took notice of it too as he was starting to walk towards the school now. From where she was sitting, she could see kids arriving to school. A few had already been there for morning club activities, but those who didn't have such activities were just now arriving.

"The fourth...why..."

"They didn't like my honesty. I don't mind though. Such people, they didn't need an added hindrance to their lives. I think it was better that they took me back, because the Kikumaru's found me, and now...I feel like I can put my faith in this family. It's true it's only been two weeks, but this family truly doesn't seem to have any reservations about my being here. I've been reading books on emotions and understanding them recently, so that I can better communicate my feelings with my family, but it's still really hard for me."

"Kikumaru-San," Jakotsu had a soft smile on his lips, his eyes had softened just as much. "I hope this family understands how special you are. You are trying your best to be someone that makes them proud, but I think if you just be yourself, that will make them the happiest."

'Be myself...'

"Mama! Iie! You promised we would go to the park!"

"Hai, hai! Kagome-Chan! Mama is coming, and so is papa!"

Kagome laughed as her mother violently dragged her father off the couch. She had her hand over her belly in a protective way that only an expecting mother could do. Smiling up at her father when he dropped before her on his knees, "Papa, why are you crying?"

"Mama is being mean to Papa, Kagome-Chan!"

"BAKA! Stop lying to our daughter!"

Kagome laughed harder as her mother drilled her knuckles into her father's skull. "It's okay Papa. I think it's just mama's way of saying she loves you!"

"...wah...Kagome-Chan, Papa loves Kagome-Chan most!"

"BAAAAKAAAAA!"

Kagome laughed under her breath at the old memory, her heart clenching painfully at the thought of her parents and the unborn baby brother she'd never met, but the memory was too wonderful to be bad. "I don't know if I can be myself...not the way I used to be. It's been so many years, since I've smiled the way I did back then..."

"Baka,"

Kagome jumped and turned to her side to see Hazue staring down at her with a raised brow, "H-Hazue-San!"

He sighed, "if it's something like that, then it's really a simple fix. We just need to feel you with a bunch of happy memories, and I'm sure you'll remember how to smile like you did back then. Your mom and dad...your brother too...I'm sure that they would want you to be happy."

She blushed, her eyes watering as she tried to fight back tears. A handkerchief settled in her line of view and she turned her eyes back to Jakotsu.

"I would like to help give Kikumaru-San happy memories too. So that your parents and brother can move on confidently with the knowledge that their daughter is okay. Let's make many wonderful memories together, Kikumaru-San."

"Tch, good luck with that. Calling her Kikumaru-San, and you say you want to make happy memories with her?" Hazue rolled his eyes, "then start by calling her by her given name. Ka-Go-Me!"

Kagome's ears burned as Jakotsu glanced back and forth between her and Hazue before he opened his mouth.

"K-Kagome-San,"

She smiled and laughed, "h-hai! Please, let's make many happy memories!"

-x-x-x-

Me: Here is chapter seventeen! I hope you all are having a Merry Merry Christmas and take the time to review one hundred PoT chapters!