Chapter twelve
The sun streaked through the window and a small, dark haired boy opened his bright violet eyes. He yawned and sat up from his bed, staring at the sun that dared to interfere with his sleep. The humming from the room across from his made him fully aware of the time of day.
'Mom doesn't wake up until after nine…' the child searched around for the clock. He found it and proved his assumption. The round clock with a Mickey house head positioned in the middle showed that it was indeed ten in the morning.
The child climbed out of bed and padded his way across the tiny room that he had claimed as his own. He opened his heavy wooden door and trotted towards the kitchen. The archway that granted entrance to the kitchen was streamed with small, plastic beads of multiple colors. The smell of sweet smoke filled his nostrils and he cringed.
"Mom," he whined as he pushed his way into the kitchen and saw his mother sitting at the table. "Why didn't you wake me up…today's Friday, I have school!"
His mother looked at him with guilty green eyes, "Oh, Inu yasha sweetie, I'm sorry. You just wouldn't wake up when I called you…" She looked guilty and Inu yasha felt his annoyance drip away.
It was no secret that his mother wasn't ready to be a mother. He, being ten years old, was mature enough to detect that he had been a 'mistake,' as so many people liked to call it. He'd never known his father, but according to his mother he'd run out on her the moment she found out she was pregnant. Being a fifteen year old with a child in your belly really dimmed her opportunities…thus leaving her in a crap apartment with a son to feed and raise.
"You can have the day off, Baby," Mary said with a warm smile as she looked at her small son. Even though they were related, the boy looked exactly like his father, minus the fact that the boy was blessed with her cheekbones and small nose.
"But today was the field trip…" he whispered quietly and bowed his head.
Mary bit her lip and lightly touched his shoulder. "I'm really sorry sweetie…please…please don't cry…I hate it when you cry…"
"I'm not crying, Mom," the child called Inu yasha whispered.
Mary sighed in relief and ruffled her son's hair. "Well, ok, sweetie, do you want to go shopping with me, today?"
Inu yasha sighed and nodded.
"Mom! Don't go!" Inu yasha whimpered out as he grasped his mom's tight jeans, the blue denim sticking to her body like a second skin. "You promised! You promised you wouldn't go again!"
Mary sighed and turned towards her son, who near the verge of tears, though he would deny it. Her dark blue shirt was covered by a vest with various buttons slapped on them: Such slogans proclaiming environmental rights, or how ketchup wasn't a vegetable, such things she normally protested about.
Her friends stood in the doorway, tapping their feet in annoyance. Inu yasha gripped her jeans in his small fingers and stared up at her, his amethyst eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "You promised…" he whispered pathetically.
"Baby, I'll only be gone for the afternoon. Mrs. Smith will be by in a couple of hours to watch you…she'll help you with your homework and cook you dinner!" She tried to pry her son's grip from her denim.
"But…but you're going to go to one of those parties afterwards, aren't you?" Mary blinked in surprise. For a ten year old, the boy was very observant. He knew about the raves she went to…
"I won't stay long," there was no point in denying it. Inu yasha whimpered out a small rebuttal,
"Mom!" his large violet eyes stared at her, betrayal flashing in the orbs. "Don't you even know what today is?" Mary blinked and tried to think, but her mind was fuzzy from last night's party…
Mary cast an apologetic look at her friends, who sighed and trotted out to the Volkswagen. She knelt down beside her son and for a split second Inu yasha thought she might stay.
"Oh, my bags are packed; I'm ready to go," she sang softly and Inu yasha pouted. It was a lullaby that she had sung to him when he was a little boy, but now he was too old for it. His mother often sang it, however, since it was her favorite song. "I'm standing here; outside your door…I hate to wake you up to say goodbye." Inu yasha felt his anger slipping away and he embraced his mother tightly, he loved her…
"The dawn is breaking, its early morn," Inu yasha began singing along with his mother. "The taxi's waiting; he's blowing his horn…right now I'm so lonesome I could die…"
Her mother kissed his forehead. "So kiss me and smile for me," Inu yasha smiled faintly. "And tell me that you'll wait for me, hold me like you'll never let me go…"
Her son wrapped his arms tightly around her, telling himself that if he didn't hug her tight enough his mother wouldn't come home.
"Because I'm leaving on a jet plane…don't know when I'll be back again…oh babe I hate to go…" She pulled away from her son, ignoring his cry of protest.
She began walking towards the door. "Mommy!" Mary sighed and turned towards her son, preparing for the waterworks. Instead, she was met with a smiling little boy.
"Come home soon…"
"I'll see you later," Mary said and walked out the door. "Bye, Bye Baby!"
Inu yasha never saw his mother again…
.
Inu yasha stared at the gravestone with a disbelieving look in his eyes.
"Inu yasha?" came a voice and he turned to see a tall lady wearing black. Her blond hair, obviously died, was pulled back into a bun and her brown eyes stared down at him sympathetically. The small violet eyed boy glared at her coldly. His mother had lied to him…why should he bother trusting any one else?
"What do you want?" he said, trying to sound disinterested, but he couldn't fight the quiver in his voice. After having to endure Mrs. Smith and her smelly perfume for three days , he wasn't in the most cheerful of moods. Top that with knowing that his mother had died because of drugs…and you had a grumpy little preteen.
"My name is Wendy Forster, its nice to meet you," she knelt down and produced her hand, complete with perfectly manicured nails. Inu yasha hesitantly shook her hand.
"I'm Inu yasha Takahashi," he said on an impulse. Though young his mother was, she did teach him manners.
"Yes, I know who you are, pumpkin." Inu yasha cringed at the annoying nickname. "Anyways, I'm here to take you to your new home."
"New…home…?" Inu yasha felt a small amount of dread creep into his hollow stomach.
"Yes, I'm a social worker and I help orphaned children." Inu yasha didn't like being titled as an 'orphan' but kept it to himself. His father might be alive… "Find a home with a family. We aren't like the olden times when children simply lived in orphanages. We'll help kids just like you find a home."
Inu yasha lowered his eyes and stared at his mother's grave, staring at the description there:
Mary Jane Thompson
Born: November 16, 1957
Died: April 15, 1982
She was wild and free
"Inu yasha?" Inu yasha looked back at the lady when she called his name.
"What?"
"Mr. and Mrs. O'Conner will come by within the week to bring you home. Until then, a Mrs. Carolyn Smith has offered to watch you…" Inu yasha sighed and nodded.
A disgusting smell of a too much perfume filled his nose and he turned to see Mrs. Smith walking towards him, a white handkerchief dabbed at her eyes.
Inu yasha felt his heart sink as he looked back at the gravestone, staring at the death date. Out of all the days she could have died…she died on his…
"Come along, little one, let's get on away from this graveyard. Its not healthy for you to spend so much time here; you're too young to attend a funeral," the bubbly old woman said, the usual bounce in her step and voice missing and being replaced by a deep regret. "Oh if only I had insisted she spend more time with you, maybe this wouldn't have happened." She grabbed the boy's hand and began leaving the graveyard.
Inu yasha looked back at his mother's grave and allowed a single tear to roll down his cheeks. 'Happy birthday to me…happy birthday to me…happy birthday, happy birthday…happy birthday to me…'
.
Inu yasha awoke and rolled out of bed. He swore loudly as his head connected with the bedside table, where the small digital clock flashed that it was four in the morning. He rubbed his head and untangled himself from the blankets that had found their way around his legs.
His mind flooded with the flashback to the last time he'd seen his mother. It had been his birthday, and he had been sure that she was going to throw a surprise birthday party, since she had acted like she had completely forgotten. But she hadn't. And it wasn't until he was fourteen that he finally accepted the fact that his mother had forgotten.
He often would lie in his bed and wonder if he hated his mother. She had done many things…there were many things she hadn't done. But over all of that, he still loved her. Even for her faults, he still loved her unconditionally.
Inu yasha stared at his ceiling; his violet eyes dulled as he recalled all of the empty memories. She had tried, he knew she had. But she had been too young, not ready to take on the responsibility of being a parent.
But she had been so wonderful…he couldn't help feeling that. True, he was her son and thus would be biased…but he would always remember his mother. The sassy, bubbly red head who had always been so alive…
He numbly climbed from his spot on the ground and walked towards his door. He needed a distraction. What better way to distract himself then with food?
He marched happily into the kitchen and searched for some non-manufactured foods. He spotted a banana and grabbed it. Propping himself up onto the counter he stared at the refrigerator. He glanced at the calendar…his birthday and the anniversary of his mother's death day had been a little over a month ago…he smirked. "Damn, I'm old…"
"Excellent, everyone, excellent," a man wearing only black said as he clapped loudly. "I'll have a hard time deciding who will be the new mouthwash spokesperson. Remember, don't call us, we'll call you," he poked his thumb and pinky out and jingled it in front of his ear, pretending it was a phone. "Thank you, good bye!"
The potential commercial actors all filtered from the stage, Inu yasha among them. After being the villain in the insurance commercial, he'd gotten a few job offers for different commercials. One was for a local bakery, toothpaste commercial, Godiva chocolate commercial, and multiple others. The directors always had a thing for his eyes, finding the deep amethyst eye color a rare gem among the 'common' people. Thus, many of the commercials he appeared in focused on his eyes or his face.
Inu yasha shrugged into his jacket and exited the theater he'd tried out in. He licked his lips and opened his umbrella, thankful that Moriko had insisted on him bringing it. It was raining cats and dogs outside in the busy New York streets and he shuffled along with the other passer-byers.
Puddles collected along his feet and he splashed into them, soaking his pant legs half way up his shin. He didn't seem to notice, and if he did, he didn't care.
The wind blew a slight pressure into the underside of his purple umbrella. The gentle thud of the heavy raindrops on his umbrella provided a simple comfort and Inu yasha stared straight ahead, his violet eyes twinkling with hidden excitement. For the audition he always tried to seem cool and collected, despite what kind of attitude he had in real life. Now that he was free of the judging, he felt like he'd just been revived from a heavy sleep. He waited until he got to a semi empty street before skipping down it merrily. He ignored the odd looks he got from people who passed him by. It wasn't anything new- there were crazies every where in New York!
'I feel like such a fruitcake,' he thought with a snicker. But he didn't mind…
Besides, he loved dancing in the rain.
…Mom loved dancing in the rain, too…
A ding rang through the cash register before it opened. "And your total today will be $15.55; do you have your advantage card?"
Kagome handed it over and the cashier swiped it through the card slot.
"Your total is now $13.75," the man corrected and beamed at Kagome, his blue eyes sparkling.
Kagome dug around her purse and pulled out a twenty dollar bill.
"Out of twenty," the man took the money and slipped it into the cash register. He pulled out a five and a one dollar bill. "Six dollars," he placed them in her hand and pulled out a quarter, "And twenty five cents is your change…"
Kagome smiled and thanked the cashier and bag boy as she grabbed her receipt and grabbed the two grocery bags in her arms. "Moriko!" the said girl turned from where she sat staring at the numerous balloons. "We're going, baby!"
"Ok, mommy!" Moriko chirped and trotted to her mother, grabbing a hold of her long jacket. They exited the QFC and Kagome groaned when she saw the rain pouring down.
Moriko looked up at her and smiled, "Inu yasha listened to me!"
"Moriko, it was sunny this morning," Kagome scolded her daughter. "Inu yasha just took your umbrella to be nice!" Kagome sighed and knelt down, pulling the hood of Moriko's jacket over her head. She, however, would have to live with getting herself and the groceries wet.
That is, until she saw a familiar person skipping down the street. For a split second Kagome was certain that another insane person had escaped a mental health therapy session until she caught sight of the long black hair and the purple umbrella. Kagome groaned, "Oh gods, not him, please."
Moriko's reaction was completely different, "INU YASHA!" She waved happily. The dancing nut case stopped and glanced at where her daughter had yelled. He spotted the two girls and grinned, trotting over, hopping over puddles until he reached the covered area of QFC.
"Hello, ladies, what brings you out on such a day?" Inu yasha said, his amethyst eyes twinkling happily.
Kagome glared at him and he laughed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. Moriko grinned and tugged on his baggy pants. "Hi, Inu yasha!" she said happily.
"Hey Moriko, thanks again for the umbrella," he said and handed her the light purple umbrella. Moriko happily took it and blushed quietly before looking up at her mommy.
"Mind sharing with us why you had the urge to skip down the street?" Kagome asked, glancing at him with her blue eyes.
He rolled his own and laughed, "Why do you care, you can always pretend you don't know me!" He smiled and Kagome couldn't tell if he was being serious or if she really did hear a slight hint of sadness in that comment. She shrugged it up and instead gave him a mock glare.
"You know what, I really think Moriko is more mature than you," Kagome said breezily and reached down to pat her daughter's head. Moriko, who had been staring at the raindrops turned her head towards her mother and smiled brightly.
"Well, don't I feel special," Inu yasha pouted and Kagome resisted the urge to think it was cute. "Well, I'm sure Moriko likes me, right Moriko?"
Moriko opened her giant umbrella and smiled shyly up at him. She nodded her head furiously, he short hair flapping around her face, her hood falling down back to the position on her back. Kagome eyed her daughter wearily and picked up the groceries she'd set on the ground. "Well, in any case, we should head home, shouldn't we?"
Inu yasha and Moriko both nodded and Moriko handed the umbrella back to Inu yasha. "You're tall so you can cover mommy and me!" she chirped and Inu yasha graciously accepted the umbrella.
They began walking home, Kagome's hands full of groceries and Inu yasha holding the umbrella so it covered the three of them comfortably. Moriko skipped ahead, jumping over puddles and running ahead only to come running back when she felt she got too far away. Finally, once her almost seemingly endless endurance began to run low, she grabbed Inu yasha's free hand and refused to let go. Inu yasha felt touched, to say the least.
As they approached their home, Inu yasha opened the door for Kagome, holding it out for her since she had the groceries in her hand. Moriko still refused to release her hold on the man. She smiled weakly and began the long trek up the staircase. She heard Inu yasha shaking out the umbrella before closing it. How he managed to do that with only one hand was beyond her, but she continued up the steps. Soon she heard the shuffling of small foot steps trying to match loud and heavy ones.
She glanced over her shoulder to see Inu yasha walking up the stairs, Moriko still having a death grip on his hand and trying to take large steps like him. She watched as he would stop occasionally, scoop down and pick her up, a gentle smile on his face. Her hands gripped her grocery bags tightly. He wasn't supposed to be so nice to Moriko and Moriko wasn't supposed to love him as much as she obviously did. No, Kouga's friend was supposed to be a rude, arrogant jerk that she hated and despised greatly.
She stepped on the squeaky step of the staircase and stopped at the top level, digging around her pocket for a key. Shortly after, Inu yasha appeared with Moriko swinging lightly from his arm. Kagome sighed and opened the door, grabbed her bags and marched in, leaving the door open for her daughter and Inu yasha.
She began unloading all the groceries form the bags and throwing the paper bags into the recycling bin off to the side. She sighed and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She glanced at her jeans and realized they were slightly wet. With a sigh, she told herself to take a shower after unpacking the food.
Out of the corner of her eye she watched Inu yasha swing Moriko around like an air plane. She couldn't help but smile.
That night, Kagome felt herself being shaken awake. She groaned and turned over, nearly squashing Moriko, who yelped. Kagome cracked open her eyes and stared at her daughter. "Baby, what is it?"
"Mommy?" Moriko's bright eyes stared at her.
"What, did you have a nightmare, angel…?" Kagome sat up and cuddled next to her daughter. She mentally reminded herself that her daughter still needed a bed of her own…
"I had a dream you disappeared because you didn't get married," Kagome felt her dread rise within her. Of course, Moriko woke her up to talk to her about her lack of love life.
"Don't worry, sweetie, Mom's not going away any where, and I'm not getting married either," the last bit of the sentence held some malice.
"But what about Inu yasha?" Kagome nearly yelped in surprise and fell from her bed. "Don't you love him, Mommy? Can't Inu yasha be my Daddy?"
Kagome bit her lip and prevented herself from knocking her head in against the wall. "No, sweetie, Inu yasha and Mommy aren't like that…"
Moriko pouted but rolled over and snuggled under the covers. "I want him to…" she whispered before falling back asleep.
It took longer for Kagome to fall asleep…