This is chapter two! Basically it's the aftermath of chapter 1.
Paramedics, breaking the news to Souta and Grandpa and the after-funeral
party.
For those of you who didn't already guess, there are to be no demons, wells, mikos, or Shikon jewels involved in this story in any way. Sorry.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and I'm still heartbroken.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next few hours seemed to meld into an eternity.
Kagome watched as the paramedics gently lifted the bodies of her father and grandmother into the ambulance. Her eyes had changed from their normal, happy, blue to a blank and empty gray. She wanted to cry, to show her emotions to the others around her, but found herself in a robotic-like trance.
As the ambulance doors swung shut, Kagome turned to look at her grieving mother. Sitting on the ground, wrapped in a blanket, Mrs. Higurashi was creating a puddle of tears around her. When Kagome saw this, she was completely overwhelmed by pity.
As the tears began to stream down her cheeks, Kagome stooped down to the ground, eye-level with her mother.
"Mom?" Kagome whispered shakily.
Mrs. Higurashi looked up, signifying that she had heard her daughter.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop him", Kagome blurted, nearly choking as tears started to enter her mouth.
Mrs. H stared hard at her daughter. "You're apologizing for something you couldn't have stopped", She nearly shouted. "You found the courage to take on an armed intruder, you saved my life, and you're sorry you couldn't do more?! You're so stupid sometimes!" By now, she had gone into full-fledged sobs so the insult she had hurled had no effect.
" Don't you dare blame yourself for what happened tonight", Mrs. H yelled, suddenly angry. "You're the best daughter a mother could have and I won't have you think otherwise.
This outburst took Kagome by surprise. She looked at the ground, hard. "What do we do now?" she asked in a barely audible whisper.
After hearing this, Mrs. Higurashi pulled Kagome into a tight embrace. In a voice as quiet as her daughter's, she murmured, "I don't know. I really don't know."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Souta and Grandpa didn't take the deaths as well as Kagome had hoped.
As they returned home early from their camping trip, they knew something serious had happened while they were away.
As Kagome and her mother came out into the front yard to greet them, Souta ran up and gave them both a quick hug.
Then, as if by some telekinetic force.
"Hey mom, what happened? Where's Dad?"
Mrs. Higurashi placed a hand on her son's shoulder and swiftly guided him into the house with Grandpa following silently behind them.
Kagome however, stayed outside. She wouldn't be able to bare the look on Souta's face when her mom told him what happened. Not to mention Grandpa's reaction to all of this.
While Kagome dropped down onto the soft grass, she was struck by a surge of guilt.
She had hardly thought about her Grandmother or Grandfather at all. All her attention had been focused on her father and mother.
'Even when I saw Grandma's body on the ground, I was too concerned about Dad', Kagome thought guiltily. ' What kind of granddaughter am I?'
Deep in thought, Kagome was suddenly whipped out of her trance by loud yell from inside her house.
Kagome grimaced. 'Souta.'
Her mom had broken the news to her son. His anguish and grief was let out as he stormed up the stairs to his room, yelling out as he went.
Kagome re-entered her house just as her brother slammed his bedroom door, causing the house to shudder slightly.
She looked to her left to see Grandpa sitting on the couch, head bowed down, hands holding his face.
"Grandpa?" Kagome whispered tentatively.
He didn't look up as she walked in front of him.
She stared nervously at the ground until-
"Your mother told me what you did".
She looked up.
"You were very foolish Kagome"; she looked back at the ground as he said this.
"But your were also very brave. Your grandmother would have been proud of you. I know I am."
Tears blurred her vision as she continued to look at the carpeting.
"Grandpa, I'm so sorry!" she shouted, afraid her voice would break.
As she said this, Grandpa quickly stood up and hugged her as tightly as he could.
"Don't cry Kagome. She wouldn't want you to."
Forgetting momentarily about her own feelings, Kagome quickly asked, "How's Souta taking it?"
"You have ears don't you?" Grandpa replied, smiling slightly.
Kagome turned her attention to Souta's closed door, listening intently. Loud crashes and sobs could be heard through the thick walls.
A worried look crossed Kagome's face as she asked herself, 'What is he doing in there?'
As if he read her mind, Grandpa answered, "He's just venting his frustration. He should stop in an hour or so."
Frowning slightly, Kagome thought to herself, ' I thought he was too old to have tantrums. Eh, at least he's not moping around all quiet.' ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was the day of the funeral.
Everyone had just gotten back from the service and were now crammed into the lower level of the Higurashi home, expressing their 'deepest sympathies' to the widow and Grandpa.
Souta stood in a corner and was being comforted by all his school friends while Kagome was upstairs, in her room, sitting quietly on her bed.
She didn't want nor feel obligated to go downstairs and be barraged by mourners she didn't even know. All they did was say the same thing anyway. 'I'm so sorry for your loss dear. If there's anything I can do, you let me know, okay?' Kagome didn't feel like hearing all of that right now.
But lucky for Kagome, the mourners came to her.
As Kagome waited for the 'post funeral' party to end, her door suddenly slammed open, revealing her three 'best' friends, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka.
In Kagome's opinion, they weren't really that good at being friends because of their lack of sincerity. But they were always there when she needed them and she supposed that that was what mattered.
"Kagome!"
"You poor baby!"
"What are you doing closed up in your room?!"
Unfortunately for Kagome, they had all started talking at once, so it was hard to tell who said what. This is what she hated most about school.
'They do this every day', she thought, getting more annoyed by the second. 'Have any of them ever lost their voice once?! God, they're like cackling hens!'
But no matter what she thought, Kagome was still appreciative of her friends' company.
All three rushed over to Kagome and joined her on her bed.
"Kagome, are you, okay?"
"I wish we could have been there for you."
"What are you gonna do now?"
That last question caught Kagome by surprise. What was her family going to do after all of this was over? She really didn't know.
Getting up Kagome said determinedly, "I don't know. But I'll find out." Leaving the three girls on her bed, Kagome headed downstairs to talk to her mom.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Trying to make herself go unnoticed by the guests, Kagome nearly crawled her way toward the kitchen where she could hear some of the louder mourners expressing their sympathies towards her mother.
She was nearly there too, if it weren't for-
"Kagome!"
'Damn! So close!' Kagome thought as she was briskly lifted off the ground by her aunt Tía.
"Hi Aunt Tía!" Kagome mumbled giving her a fake but nonetheless cheery smile.
"Kagome, where have you been?! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"I was just in my room"; Kagome plainly stated pointing back at the stairwell.
"Oh, well, I just wanted to know if you were okay.
"I'm fine", Kagome said, dropping the cheery attitude in favor of an annoyed one.
"Okay, well remember, if you ever need anything"-
But Kagome was already out of hearing range as she resumed her quest towards the kitchen.
As she made her way to the other end of the house, Kagome remained unnoticed as guests gossiped about what her family was going to do now.
Kagome was only half-listening when she heard-
"I hear that they're moving!"
She turned around to see her neighbor, Ms. Li, talking to another guest. Ms. Li, being one of Mom's best friends, usually wasn't wrong. This had Kagome thinking.
'Are we really going to move?' ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After what seemed like forever, Kagome made it to the kitchen, only to find her mom completely surrounded by people.
'I guess now isn't the best time to ask her about us moving', Kagome thought, slightly dejected. 'Oh well. I can wait. I mean, how long can it take? And with that, Kagome sat herself down onto the counter top and began to wait.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
2 hours later.
Kagome's patience had reached its end about an hour ago. She didn't know what was keeping her from screaming but she still waited.
Only one person remained. After about a 20-minute conversation, they also left. It was then that Kagome realized that that was the last guest. Except for Souta, Mom, Grandpa, and herself, the house was empty again.
Kagome happily hopped off the counter and approached her mom, who was still sitting at the kitchen table.
Not knowing exactly how to say this, Kagome decided to put it as simply as possible.
"Momarewemoving?" she blurted out. Kagome closed her eyes in embarrassment. 'Nice job Kagome', she thought angrily. 'Try putting spaces between your words.'
Looking at her daughter Mrs. Higurashi replied, "Why did you ask that?"
Opening her eyes, Kagome said, "I heard some of the guests talking."
Smiling, Mrs. Higurashi laughed softly. "I guess I know now how much I can trust my friends."
Taking a seat next to her mother, Kagome spoke slowly, "So, we are moving?"
"Are you surprised?"
"No."
"Are you upset?"
"No."
"Then why did you ask."
"Because I wanted to know for sure! Forgive me if that was the wrong thing to do", Kagome added sarcastically.
For a few moments, both just sat there silently, waiting for the other to speak.
Kagome broke the silence. "So when are we moving?" she asked quietly.
"A few weeks tops."
"Oh". Wait a minute. Where exactly are we moving anyway?"
"You'll see."
Kagome stood up and walked back to her room slightly peeved. She hated when her mom was all mysterious.
"Kagome", Mrs. Higurashi called out.
Kagome turned around to signify she had heard her.
"Start sorting your belongings for when we start packing.
Kagome resumed walking back to her room.
'How soon are we moving?' she asked herself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I know, I know. This chapter was sappier than a maple tree, you don't need to tell me. That's about it. In the next chapter the higurashi family moves. As if you didn't see it coming.
If I forgot anything, tell me. Don't forget to review!
rUFUS
For those of you who didn't already guess, there are to be no demons, wells, mikos, or Shikon jewels involved in this story in any way. Sorry.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and I'm still heartbroken.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next few hours seemed to meld into an eternity.
Kagome watched as the paramedics gently lifted the bodies of her father and grandmother into the ambulance. Her eyes had changed from their normal, happy, blue to a blank and empty gray. She wanted to cry, to show her emotions to the others around her, but found herself in a robotic-like trance.
As the ambulance doors swung shut, Kagome turned to look at her grieving mother. Sitting on the ground, wrapped in a blanket, Mrs. Higurashi was creating a puddle of tears around her. When Kagome saw this, she was completely overwhelmed by pity.
As the tears began to stream down her cheeks, Kagome stooped down to the ground, eye-level with her mother.
"Mom?" Kagome whispered shakily.
Mrs. Higurashi looked up, signifying that she had heard her daughter.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop him", Kagome blurted, nearly choking as tears started to enter her mouth.
Mrs. H stared hard at her daughter. "You're apologizing for something you couldn't have stopped", She nearly shouted. "You found the courage to take on an armed intruder, you saved my life, and you're sorry you couldn't do more?! You're so stupid sometimes!" By now, she had gone into full-fledged sobs so the insult she had hurled had no effect.
" Don't you dare blame yourself for what happened tonight", Mrs. H yelled, suddenly angry. "You're the best daughter a mother could have and I won't have you think otherwise.
This outburst took Kagome by surprise. She looked at the ground, hard. "What do we do now?" she asked in a barely audible whisper.
After hearing this, Mrs. Higurashi pulled Kagome into a tight embrace. In a voice as quiet as her daughter's, she murmured, "I don't know. I really don't know."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Souta and Grandpa didn't take the deaths as well as Kagome had hoped.
As they returned home early from their camping trip, they knew something serious had happened while they were away.
As Kagome and her mother came out into the front yard to greet them, Souta ran up and gave them both a quick hug.
Then, as if by some telekinetic force.
"Hey mom, what happened? Where's Dad?"
Mrs. Higurashi placed a hand on her son's shoulder and swiftly guided him into the house with Grandpa following silently behind them.
Kagome however, stayed outside. She wouldn't be able to bare the look on Souta's face when her mom told him what happened. Not to mention Grandpa's reaction to all of this.
While Kagome dropped down onto the soft grass, she was struck by a surge of guilt.
She had hardly thought about her Grandmother or Grandfather at all. All her attention had been focused on her father and mother.
'Even when I saw Grandma's body on the ground, I was too concerned about Dad', Kagome thought guiltily. ' What kind of granddaughter am I?'
Deep in thought, Kagome was suddenly whipped out of her trance by loud yell from inside her house.
Kagome grimaced. 'Souta.'
Her mom had broken the news to her son. His anguish and grief was let out as he stormed up the stairs to his room, yelling out as he went.
Kagome re-entered her house just as her brother slammed his bedroom door, causing the house to shudder slightly.
She looked to her left to see Grandpa sitting on the couch, head bowed down, hands holding his face.
"Grandpa?" Kagome whispered tentatively.
He didn't look up as she walked in front of him.
She stared nervously at the ground until-
"Your mother told me what you did".
She looked up.
"You were very foolish Kagome"; she looked back at the ground as he said this.
"But your were also very brave. Your grandmother would have been proud of you. I know I am."
Tears blurred her vision as she continued to look at the carpeting.
"Grandpa, I'm so sorry!" she shouted, afraid her voice would break.
As she said this, Grandpa quickly stood up and hugged her as tightly as he could.
"Don't cry Kagome. She wouldn't want you to."
Forgetting momentarily about her own feelings, Kagome quickly asked, "How's Souta taking it?"
"You have ears don't you?" Grandpa replied, smiling slightly.
Kagome turned her attention to Souta's closed door, listening intently. Loud crashes and sobs could be heard through the thick walls.
A worried look crossed Kagome's face as she asked herself, 'What is he doing in there?'
As if he read her mind, Grandpa answered, "He's just venting his frustration. He should stop in an hour or so."
Frowning slightly, Kagome thought to herself, ' I thought he was too old to have tantrums. Eh, at least he's not moping around all quiet.' ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was the day of the funeral.
Everyone had just gotten back from the service and were now crammed into the lower level of the Higurashi home, expressing their 'deepest sympathies' to the widow and Grandpa.
Souta stood in a corner and was being comforted by all his school friends while Kagome was upstairs, in her room, sitting quietly on her bed.
She didn't want nor feel obligated to go downstairs and be barraged by mourners she didn't even know. All they did was say the same thing anyway. 'I'm so sorry for your loss dear. If there's anything I can do, you let me know, okay?' Kagome didn't feel like hearing all of that right now.
But lucky for Kagome, the mourners came to her.
As Kagome waited for the 'post funeral' party to end, her door suddenly slammed open, revealing her three 'best' friends, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka.
In Kagome's opinion, they weren't really that good at being friends because of their lack of sincerity. But they were always there when she needed them and she supposed that that was what mattered.
"Kagome!"
"You poor baby!"
"What are you doing closed up in your room?!"
Unfortunately for Kagome, they had all started talking at once, so it was hard to tell who said what. This is what she hated most about school.
'They do this every day', she thought, getting more annoyed by the second. 'Have any of them ever lost their voice once?! God, they're like cackling hens!'
But no matter what she thought, Kagome was still appreciative of her friends' company.
All three rushed over to Kagome and joined her on her bed.
"Kagome, are you, okay?"
"I wish we could have been there for you."
"What are you gonna do now?"
That last question caught Kagome by surprise. What was her family going to do after all of this was over? She really didn't know.
Getting up Kagome said determinedly, "I don't know. But I'll find out." Leaving the three girls on her bed, Kagome headed downstairs to talk to her mom.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Trying to make herself go unnoticed by the guests, Kagome nearly crawled her way toward the kitchen where she could hear some of the louder mourners expressing their sympathies towards her mother.
She was nearly there too, if it weren't for-
"Kagome!"
'Damn! So close!' Kagome thought as she was briskly lifted off the ground by her aunt Tía.
"Hi Aunt Tía!" Kagome mumbled giving her a fake but nonetheless cheery smile.
"Kagome, where have you been?! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"I was just in my room"; Kagome plainly stated pointing back at the stairwell.
"Oh, well, I just wanted to know if you were okay.
"I'm fine", Kagome said, dropping the cheery attitude in favor of an annoyed one.
"Okay, well remember, if you ever need anything"-
But Kagome was already out of hearing range as she resumed her quest towards the kitchen.
As she made her way to the other end of the house, Kagome remained unnoticed as guests gossiped about what her family was going to do now.
Kagome was only half-listening when she heard-
"I hear that they're moving!"
She turned around to see her neighbor, Ms. Li, talking to another guest. Ms. Li, being one of Mom's best friends, usually wasn't wrong. This had Kagome thinking.
'Are we really going to move?' ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After what seemed like forever, Kagome made it to the kitchen, only to find her mom completely surrounded by people.
'I guess now isn't the best time to ask her about us moving', Kagome thought, slightly dejected. 'Oh well. I can wait. I mean, how long can it take? And with that, Kagome sat herself down onto the counter top and began to wait.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
2 hours later.
Kagome's patience had reached its end about an hour ago. She didn't know what was keeping her from screaming but she still waited.
Only one person remained. After about a 20-minute conversation, they also left. It was then that Kagome realized that that was the last guest. Except for Souta, Mom, Grandpa, and herself, the house was empty again.
Kagome happily hopped off the counter and approached her mom, who was still sitting at the kitchen table.
Not knowing exactly how to say this, Kagome decided to put it as simply as possible.
"Momarewemoving?" she blurted out. Kagome closed her eyes in embarrassment. 'Nice job Kagome', she thought angrily. 'Try putting spaces between your words.'
Looking at her daughter Mrs. Higurashi replied, "Why did you ask that?"
Opening her eyes, Kagome said, "I heard some of the guests talking."
Smiling, Mrs. Higurashi laughed softly. "I guess I know now how much I can trust my friends."
Taking a seat next to her mother, Kagome spoke slowly, "So, we are moving?"
"Are you surprised?"
"No."
"Are you upset?"
"No."
"Then why did you ask."
"Because I wanted to know for sure! Forgive me if that was the wrong thing to do", Kagome added sarcastically.
For a few moments, both just sat there silently, waiting for the other to speak.
Kagome broke the silence. "So when are we moving?" she asked quietly.
"A few weeks tops."
"Oh". Wait a minute. Where exactly are we moving anyway?"
"You'll see."
Kagome stood up and walked back to her room slightly peeved. She hated when her mom was all mysterious.
"Kagome", Mrs. Higurashi called out.
Kagome turned around to signify she had heard her.
"Start sorting your belongings for when we start packing.
Kagome resumed walking back to her room.
'How soon are we moving?' she asked herself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I know, I know. This chapter was sappier than a maple tree, you don't need to tell me. That's about it. In the next chapter the higurashi family moves. As if you didn't see it coming.
If I forgot anything, tell me. Don't forget to review!
rUFUS