Saturday flew by and before Kagome knew it, it was Sunday morning, and time to face her past. She had hardly slept at all that night. After experiencing so much happiness in Sesshomaru's home with Rin, and finally having friends again, Kagome was nervous to be in that bleak house again. She didn't know how her mother or brother would react to seeing her after 5 weeks of no communication from her. It was certainly long enough time for them to report her missing, but Kagome was almost sure they wouldn't have bothered...
Forcing her eyes open, she turned to face the demon next to her. Sleeping in the same bed together was the norm for them now, and Kagome found that she was strangely comfortable with the idea now. Golden eyes opened to meet hers, frowning ever so slightly.
"You look worried." Sesshomaru remarked.
Kagome sighed. "It's been 5 weeks since I saw either of them. I left a week before I made my attempt. Before you found me. I'd just assumed I would never see them again..."
"It's not too late to change your mind. We can wait longer if you want to." Having said this, Sesshomaru reached a hand out to her's under the covers, and gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze.
"No." Kagome shook her head, "No, I need to do this. I have to move forward one way or another. Either they're in my life or they aren't. And besides, I can't keep stealing your laptop."
"I could just buy you a new one."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you could, but I'm doing this. Sure, I'm nervous, but I'll just treat it like a band-aid. Pull it off fast and get it over with."
Sesshomaru assessed the young women in the sheets next to him. When he found her that first day, he had no idea what he was getting. All he'd known was that she had been hurting enough to try ending her life just to make it stop. Looking at her now, he could see the true Kagome coming up through the layers of pain and anguish that had defined her for so long. She was brave, strong, and completely beautiful. The fates had chosen well. At first, he hadn't been sure. Living as long as demons do, it doesn't always work out even for a demon, but Kagome was definitely strong enough.
Smiling slightly, Sesshomaru leaned in and claimed Kagome's lips in an appreciative kiss, and she responded, pulling herself closer to him, and running her hands through his obnoxiously perfect hair. Seriously, how was his hair so straight and tangle free after sleeping with it loose like that?
Pulling apart, Kagome gave him a curious look. "What was that for?"
"For being you."
Kagome laughed and crawled out of the bed. "Thank you. I needed that." Smiling at him she turned and padded into her own room to shower and get ready.
...
After taking Rin to Kaede's house for the day, Kagome and Sesshomaru made the trek to Kagome's house. Interestingly enough, after explaining to Sesshomaru that her family lived in the old shrine by the Goshinboku, he knew exactly where he was going. Apparently, his family had some history in that area, which Sesshomaru explained on the drive there.
Incidentally, the creepy old well that was sealed up used to be used by the village nearby to dispose of lesser demons that had been slain by the local priestess. The name "Bone Eater" suddenly made so much more sense to her, especially now that she knew the truth about demons.
When they arrived, Sesshomaru parked on the curb and they sat in the car for several minutes as Kagome assessed the shrine steps with some doubt. Then with a considerable sigh, she opened her door and marched up to the foot of the steps.
Following on her tail, Sesshomaru also assessed the steps and, finally coming to a decision, swept Kagome up in his arms and began climbing the steps with her in his arms.
Kagome gaped at him before throwing her arms around his shoulders so as to regain some of her balance. "Whats this for?"
"You are still recovering from that blood loss. It would be best for you not to overexert yourself at the moment. I decided these were too many steps to attempt at this current moment, and I would prefer you didn't pass out halfway up." He explained eloquently.
Rolling her eyes, Kagome leaned her head against his shoulder and settled in for the ride. She personally thought he was being a little overprotective, but she certainly wouldn't turn down the physical closeness at this current moment.
"Careful. Your doctor's showing again." Kagome mumbled into his chest.
Sesshomaru chuckled. "You shouldn't laugh. I was a very competent heart surgeon."
Lifting her head, Kagome fixed him with a skeptical stare. "For how long?"
"About 20 years. Any longer than that and the humans would have started to notice that I wasn't aging."
Realising once again that this man was more than 3,000 years her senior, Kagome just shrugged, accepting the fact that he had to do something with all that time, and went back to burying her face in his shoulder.
They did eventually reach the top of those ridiculous stairs, and Sesshomaru reluctantly set Kagome back on her own feet. Stealing her self for whatever she might encounter inside, and pulling as much strength from Sesshomaru's presence as she could, Kagome approached the two-story building that she had called home for so much of her life.
After opening the unlocked door and announcing herself to be home and waiting for a reply, was met mostly with silence. Buyo, her chubby calico cat came trotting up to her and rubbed himself against her ankles, but other than that, the only sounds coming from the interior of the house were the sounds of the TV running in the living room, and the clacking of a video game remote upstairs. Nothing had changed. They probably hadn't even noticed her absence.
Shoulders sagging, half in relief, half in disappointment, Kagome made her way up to her bedroom, pulled out her 2 good duffel bags, and her laptop bag, and her trusty old yellow backpack, and she got to pack her things. She had hoped that they might at least be a little surprised to see her back. Maybe she might have even hoped that her mother would scold her for disappearing for so long. Frowning, she dove into the task at hand and attacked her room with a vicious concentration on getting the hell out of this house. She packed her laptop, she packed the only photo album she had with her dad in it, she packed a few sets of clothing that she liked, she packed the few sentimental items she had left and then she moved on to the bathroom.
In the bathroom, she packed her favorite shampoo and conditioner, she packed her old hairbrush, and the old towel she had had since she was a kid. She then did a walkthrough of the house, and then settled in the kitchen after dropping her bags by the front door. There she found Sesshomaru sitting at the counter, and her whole countenance deflated.
"Sorry. I almost forgot you were here. Can I get you anything?"
Sesshomaru shook his head.
"I'd offer to show you around, but there isn't much to see really."
It was then that her mother decided to enter the kitchen to refill her wine glass. She looked awfull. Her cheeks were sunken and pale, and her eyes rimmed in red from a lack of sleep and an excess of drunk crying. Her body had grown even thinner since Kagome had last seen her, and her skin held a sickly almost yellowish complexion from a lack of sunlight and proper nutrition.
Upon noticing Kagome's presence, she eyed her daughter up and down with an air of detached criticism. After also taking stock of her daughter's tall handsome companion, she set her glass down on the counter and crossed her frail bony arms, almost with a certain...superiority?
"So the little lady finally decides to grace us with her righteous presence, does she?" Her words stung. "Who's this? You got a sugar daddy now?"
Kagome was stunned by her mother's harsh words. She had been cranky and antisocial since her father left, but never outright mean.
"Bet he's the one who paid for those pretty brand name clothes, isn't he. Is that where you were these last few weeks? Did he buy you your own little apartment? Somewhere you can raise his precious little bastards? You're just like her! That whore who stole my husband! I bet you're a little slut for him! Worthless trash!"
Halfway through her rant, Kagome had to pull Sesshomaru back from nearly striking her mother. Shaking her head at him, she took the abuse and waited for her to finish. When she was done, Kagome answered her calmly, fighting the tears that burned at her throat.
"I think you've been reading too many of those novels, mom. We both know daddy didn't leave us for another woman. Nobody knows why he left. And no momma, Sesshomaru is not my sugar daddy. He's my fiance. I'm not stealing him from anyone, he's mine in the first place." With that, she reached out and grabbed his hand in hers, which in all honesty was the most forward she had been with him since she told him she agreed to become his Mate, but it seemed to fit the moment. "I'm just getting my things, and then you won't have to see me here again."
Her mother deflated. The anger in her eyes dulling back down to the lifeless holes that Kagome was used to seeing. Plastering on a fake smile she stiffly held her hand out to Sesshomaru. "In that case, it's nice to meet you."
Frowning slightly Sesshomaru briefly shook Mrs. Higurashi's hand.
"SOTA! Get your ass down here and say goodbye to your sister!" With that Mrs. Higurashi refilled her glass and was about to head back to her seat in the living room before she turned back to Sesshomaru. "Not that I really care, but do try not to go off and abandon Kagome after you two are married." And with that, she turned and disappeared back into the living room.
A few minutes later a surly looking teenage boy, with shaggy black hair and dark circles under his eyes from no sleep and too much screen time, came stomping down the stairs and shuffled into the kitchen. Looking his big sister up and down he raised one skeptical eyebrow at Sesshomaru then said unenthusiastically, "Bye Kagome. See you round whoever you are." Then trecked back up the stairs.
Heaving yet another sigh and letting her shoulders droop, she walked back to the door. "I have everything I need. Let's go."
Frowning after Kagome's brother, Sesshomaru nodded and followed Kagome, picking up the one bag she left for him and then relieving her of hers. When she glared disapprovingly at him he just shrugged and said, "No overexerting yourself. I believe I already said that once today."
Kagome rolled her eyes.
After taking one last walk around the grounds, and saying goodbye to her old hideouts, Kagome led the way down the steps back to his car. It felt good to finally close the door on that chapter of her life.
AN. Here is the next chapter, guys. We finally got a real glimpse of home life for Kagome before Sesshomaru. Also what was up with her mom? I wonder what she was thinking of?
As always, stay tuned for the next chapter. Please feel free to leave your comments, reviews, and Constructive criticism. I'm always looking for ways to improve. See you all later! :)