Ever since meeting her parents after entering the black pearl, Moroha doesn't know what to do with herself. Or more specifically, what to do with them. How is she supposed to act? What would she need to do in order to be a good daughter in their eyes?
Although she had always acted as if she was ok playing the role as a lone wolf it does get old… and it is such a depressing and discouraging way to live. Being a bounty hunter gave her some type of purpose. Yeah, she was pretty much paying off her master's debt and she complained about it but really that was something that she would wake up in the morning for. Because she had nothing else to wake up for. No family, no pets… nothing.
Meeting Setsuna and Towa was her first introduction to what possibly could be something close to a family. They were cousins afterall, however, that didn't fill the void of her missing parents.
But now, here they were. Back in her life and ready to love her… it's scary… because what if she gives them her love, builds that relationship with them as she always secretly dreamed of and all of a sudden–Poof. They're gone again. She doesn't think she could handle that of the loneliness she would feel at the loss of her parents.
"Something on your mind kiddo?" Her train of thought was disrupted by her father's question.
"Eh. It's nothing." She answered, trying to brush off her uneasiness.
She looked up to see her father staring at her intently. Moroha averted her eyes from his gaze, not wanting him to see through her lie.
"Well, if you ever want to talk about… ya know… anything. I'm here." Inuyasha told her, he scratched the back of his head, seeming a bit unsure even as he said this.
But Moroha didn't hear his uncertainty in his tone, she just heard the fact that she now had someone to confide her feelings to. Her mother had said something similar and she liked her mother, it was just that she had a hard time sharing anything about herself with anyone. She didn't know how to respond to her father so she simply nodded.
There was something about her father that made her feel like he had an understanding of the struggles she has gone through. What it's like to have no one and no place to call home. Perhaps talking to him will ease her mind and make her feel understood. But at that moment she wasn't ready to share her thoughts with him. She shook her head and focused on the task in front of her. She and her dad were catching fish for dinner.
There was a splash, breaking her train of thought.
"Gotcha!" Moroha smiled at the sight of her father proudly holding up two fish in each hand.
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"LOOK OUT!" Kagome screamed.
The demons they were sent to exterminate in a nearby village were tough and the largest one was barreling straight for her with its claws as long as swords extended toward her with killer intent.
Scenarios flashed through her mind on what she could do to avoid the attack or perhaps slice the demon's arm off and render it harmless. But she quickly realized she didn't have time for either of those options. Moroha grit her teeth into a vicious snarl and braced herself, sword ready to block the oncoming attack.
The sudden scent of fresh blood filled the air as Moroha was splattered all over her body with it. But it wasn't her blood.
"DAD!" Moroha tried to hold Inuyasha up as he fell to the ground. He dropped down to one knee and coughed up some blood.
Inuyasha had jumped in the way to protect her. He sliced the demon's head clean off its body but not before he had been impaled by its sharp claws.
"This is nothin…" Inuyasha muttered. Moroha was trying to staunch his wound with her cloak as Kagome ran up to them. This was definitely not anything to take lightly.
"Moroha. This is going to be difficult but I need you to fight off the rest of the demons as we take your dad to someplace safe." Kagome instructed.
"I'm fine!" Inuyasha snapped as he tried to stand on his own before falling back into a kneeling stance.
"O-ok." Moroha answered shakily.
Her worst fears were becoming a reality. She might lose her dad due to her carelessness… NO! She can't think like that. He's strong. He can make it through this.
"He's been poisoned." Kagome hissed as she examined Inuyasha's wounds. Moroha paled. His injury was already bad but poison on top of that?
She let out a fierce growl before turning to face the rest of their foes. Her father protected her from danger. And now it was time for her to protect him.
"Mom, take dad and go now!," Moroha glared at the demons before her. She stared them down and noted that there were ten of them in total and they didn't look too happy at the sight of their boss's head decapitated from its body. That's what the bastard deserved for murdering innocent humans.
"I got this." Moroha growled. She heard mother's footsteps along with her dad's more labored ones as they moved away from the fight.
"Alright assholes! Time to die!" She charged forward with a war cry.
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Moroha sat silently next to Inuyasha who was in a medicine induced sleep. Kagome had used her skills as a healer to create an antidote strong enough to rid the effects of the poison from Inuyasha's body. Along with his rapid healing he survived the severe wound that would have killed a normal human.
"Moroha, you should get some rest honey. You've been up all night. You must be tired from the fight." Her mother sat on the other side of her father, examining his wound.
"I'm fine." Moroha replied, mirroring Inuyasha's response during the battle.
Kagome sighed but nodded. Accepting that her daughter would be up watching over Inuyasha. She's truly her father's daughter. Kagome thought to herself knowing all too well of Inuyasha's stubbornness.
"I felt like I almost lost him." Kagome's head perked up at Moroha's quiet statement. She had barely heard what her daughter said.
"Your father is very strong. He's had much worse injuries and survived all of them. I'd say he's just too stubborn to die." Moroha grunted at Kagome's words.
"It's just… this," Moroha gestured at Inuyasha and Kagome, "feels like a dream to me. And that was almost completely shattered in that moment. I don't know what I'd do… or how'd I'd ever be able to go on if dad died because of me."
Moroha got choked up at mentioning Inuyasha dying. Kagome's eyes widened at her daughter's words. This was the first time she had opened up about her feelings to her.
"Moroha—"
"As if I'd die and leave my baby behind." Kagome and Moroha jumped, both looking to see that Inuyasha's eyes were open and filled with emotion as he stared at Moroha.
"You are a dream come true to us." Inuyasha reached out a clawed hand and placed it on Moroha's knee.
"Every moment you were separated from us we wanted to be beside you. We prayed to escape that damned black pearl and find you. But then there you were all grown up and strong. You found us yourself and made our dream come true." Inuyasha had pushed himself into a sitting position with the help of Moroha who was careful of his wound on his abdomen.
Moroha had tears in her eyes.
"I thought… I thought that I'd never find you or that you two were dead and I'd be on my own. And now that you're here I'm afraid I'll wake up one day and you'll be gone!" Her last words came out in sobs.
Inuyasha pulled Moroha to his chest and held her tight. Tears filling his own eyes and threatening to spill over. Kagome had a hand over her mouth to quiet her crying and tears poured down her face at her daughter's confession.
"That's not going to happen." Inuyasha said sternly, trying to control the emotion in his voice. "We are going to be here with you always from now on. Always my baby." A tear fell from his eye as his daughter and wife bawled their eyes out. He pulled Kagome to him with his other arm and held them close.
Moroha was the product of Inuyasha and Kagome's love for each other and she is what completes their family.
Family. Something he never thought he would have again after his mother passed away and his estranged brother ignored his existence.
And that's something his own daughter thought as well. He bit back a sob as he thought of the pain and loneliness she must have faced. He knew those feelings all too well.
But now they were here together as a family. This was HIS family. And he would never leave them. He will ensure his daughter will never feel like she will be alone in this world again. He hugged the two most precious people in his life even closer to him. And thanked whatever gods there were for bringing them into his life.
Moroha sobbed into her father's chest. Now more out of relief than sadness. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She has a family… and they aren't going anywhere.
For the first time since reuniting with her parents, the anxious feeling in her chest at the thought of losing them subsided. Moroha felt so much love in the tight embrace of her mother and father.
Her dreams of having a family came true too.