Hello
Chapter Five
Kagome pulled the needle completely through the fabric before tying it off and finishing it off. "There," she said softly with a gentle smile as she soothed the ruffled hair of her daughter. Moriko blinked and tried moving her feet. "Does it fit okay, Moriko?"
"Yes," Moriko said after a few experimental jumps and bounces in her outfit.
"I think it's ridiculous that you have to make an outfit for a mandatory play. They should provide them," Inuyasha said from his position on the couch. He leaned against the arm of the chair and watched Kagome put the finishing touches on the girl's costume she'd need to wear to the Thanksgiving play on Saturday.
Kagome gave him a weary gaze. "Don't complain until you're the one making the outfit."
Inuyasha took a sip of water from a glass and shrugged his shoulders. "Nah. I'll just watch and make you miserable with my complaining."
"Joy," Kagome said and pulled away from her daughter. "Well, I guess that's it, Moriko."
Inuyasha observed the outfit the little girl had been decked out in and raised a dark eyebrow. "A tree?"
"Yes, Moriko's a tree," Kagome said lightly as her daughter waved her hands around, where fabric branches were sewed onto the brown sleeve.
"Why a tree?"
"Because I didn't wan to say any lines so I got to be the forest the pilgrims get to sleep in!" Moriko chirped proudly, pronouncing 'pilgrims' wrong.
"A one girl forest; how exciting," Inuyasha drawled out and Kagome sent him a warning glance. "So when is this play?"
"Tomorrow," Kagome said. "At Moriko's school."
"Ah." Inuyasha looked out the window, the unspoken question hanging thick in the air. They both knew that Kouga was still coming. And that was not cool.
"I'm a tree!" Moriko announced proudly, disregarding the tense silence that had filled the air. The two adults watch as the little girl skipped around the room, sending bits and flecks of green felt leaves falling off her costume.
Kagome silently cursed. "Moriko, dear, I need to re-glue those leaves!"
"I'm a tree!" Moriko repeated happily and Inuyasha let out a chuckle.
Kagome let out a sigh.
Kagome watched with a gentle smile as her daughter stood in the center of the stage, her arms held above her head, albeit wobbly, as children dressed up as pilgrims and native Americans interacted with one another. Moriko let out a tired yawn and her left arm sagged for a moment, causing one of the tiresome felt leaves to fall off her 'branches'.
Inuyasha shifted beside her and Kagome glanced at him wearily. His purples eyes flickered from the stage to look at her curiously. She smiled and gently mouthed 'nothing' before returning back to the play. Inuyasha let out a yawn and shifted again in his chair.
The children dressed up moved off the stage and lights dimmed for a brief moment. Kagome smiled as she saw Moriko's arms drop like sacks of potatoes at her sides. Her daughter was so adorable up there, and she made sure to take many pictures of the sweet little girl.
As the lights came back on, the girl's arms whipped back up and revealed her in the center again, as well as several children lying on the ground pretending to sleep.
It was very entertaining to watch little six and seven year olds trying to act. They did a horrible job at pretending to sleep. Loud snores echoed through the auditorium where the children were performing. It was too adorable.
Kagome felt her lips quirk into a bright smile and she glanced at Inuyasha to see he was doing the same.
About half of an hour later the play ended with all the parents giving a standing ovation. Despite how mediocre it was and that some children needed to hold the scripts, they were too adorable not to love. Plus, they were parents.
Kagome glanced around for her daughter to see the poor little girl trying to jump off the stage while wearing her tree costume. Kagome would have found this amusing if she hadn't been so concerned with her daughter's wellbeing. She looked like she was about to fall on her face.
She was about to yell out to her daughter when Inuyasha moved before her. He stood up from his chair and fluidly walked towards the girl. With a large scoop of his arms he had the little girl held captive and squealing lightly.
"You did great, Moriko," Inuyasha greeted as more felt leaves fell from the girl's costume.
"Thanks, Daddy!" Moriko said with a bright smile.
Kagome watched the small moment between Inuyasha and her daughter with warm eyes. She was about to go join them when a tap on her shoulder paused her movement. Blue eyes widened as she turned to see Kouga. She hadn't seen him all during the play and had assumed he'd forgotten.
But here he was.
'Damn, I don't want to talk with him right now… especially with Inuyasha right there!' Kagome thought, alarmed.
Kouga smiled. "Hey Kagome, there you are! I couldn't see you."
"Kouga, hi; I didn't think you made it," Kagome greeted lamely. Kouga grinned, his beautiful blue eyes shimmering as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah, I got here kind of late so I had to stay near the back," Kouga said apologetically.
"Oh," Kagome said and glanced behind her to see that Inuyasha had spotted them and his dark lavender eyes were sending death glares towards Kouga. Moriko chatted to him, oblivious to the cold looks the man was sending her mother.
Kagome bit her lip and turned back towards Kouga. "The important thing is that you made it," she said quietly, feeling the inevitable doom looming over her.
"Indeed," Kouga agreed. "Anyway, Kagome, I need to talk to you."
"You're doing that now," Kagome said sardonically and Kouga laughed.
"Yes, I suppose I am. But it's kind of serious." He waited for Kagome to nod before continuing. "Well… I guess it's just that ever since I came back, we really haven't spoken much. I think it's really important that we talk about all that's happened."
Kagome looked at her feet, knowing that what Kouga said was true, but still feeling apprehensive about the whole thing.
"Yes, you're right," Kagome finally said after a long moment.
"Good, then we're in agreement. When should we meet?" Kouga asked, his sky blue eyes staring down at her. Kagome looked behind her again to see that Inuyasha was pointedly ignoring her in favor of speaking to Moriko's teacher, Ms. Gourd.
"I'm… not busy next Tuesday," Kagome said finally, her blue eyes refusing to meet his.
"It's settled then," Kouga said. "I'll pick you up after Moriko goes to school and have you back before she gets back, all right?"
"Yes, that would be good," Kagome said and let out a sigh. What had she gotten herself into?
But she couldn't deny that she needed to speak to Kouga. About why he left. Why he came back. How he could find the nerve to come back. So many more questions, as well.
"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I really must be going," Kouga said regretfully. "I need to get up early tomorrow for the play rehearsal."
"Oh, right." Kagome nodded her head and watched as Kouga leaned in to kiss her. Her heart leapt in her throat and she tried to think of a way she wouldn't have to kiss him. She didn't want to in front of Inuyasha; he was already pissed off as it was…
But instead he simply kissed her cheek, turned on his heel and walked out of the auditorium.
The moment he was out of sight, Inuyasha was storming towards her and Kagome gulped worriedly. She deserved anything he threw at her, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to stand idle. If he fought with her, she'd slap him silly the moment they walked through the door to their home.
But instead of bitching her out, like she'd expected the man would, he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder back towards where Moriko's teacher stood. "She wants to talk to you," he said curtly and Kagome knew at that instant that he was angry, despite his attempts to contain it.
"Right." Kagome nodded her head and darted over to where Moriko's teacher stood. "Jessica," Kagome greeted the woman warmly.
"Kagome, hello." Ms. Gourd turned around from where she was speaking to two twin pilgrims and smiled brightly at Kagome. "How are you?"
"I'm great, and you? Good job on showing the little monsters how to put on a play," Kagome said warmly and shared a laugh with Moriko's teacher.
Kagome watched out of the corner of her eye as Moriko lightly hid behind Inuyasha's legs, her blue eyes filled with worry. With a confused glance in their direction, she watched Inuyasha shrug stiffly.
Oh yeah, he was so mad.
"Listen, Kagome," Ms. Gourd said soothingly, cutting their idle chit chat short. "I'm concerned about Moriko. And you haven't called about Moriko."
"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked with a blink of her blue eyes.
Ms. Gourd looked momentarily surprised before she looked over at Moriko, who was now completely cowering behind Inuyasha's long legs.
"I've been sending notes home to you through Moriko." Ms. Gourd seemed surprised. "Haven't you been receiving them?"
"No; is something wrong with Moriko?" Kagome asked earnestly.
"No, no; nothing completely horrible," Ms. Gourd said with a shake of her head
"What has been on these notes?" Kagome asked hesitantly, afraid of the answer she might receive.
"I've been requesting a parent teacher conference, and it's rather urgent." Ms. Gourd said, her warm brown eyes saddening.
"When's the earliest I can get in?" Kagome asked, her blue eyes worried. What was wrong with Moriko? Behavior at school? Or was she excelling? Was she getting bullied?
"Monday, if it's not too much trouble; it's very important," Jessica Gourd said with a frown.
"That's fine, yes." Kagome nodded and took a step back. "I'll be in after school?" At the teacher's nod she began to turn away. "Oh, wait, should I bring Moriko?"
"Yes," Ms. Gourd said with a nod. She pursed her lips and tilted her head towards where Inuyasha and Moriko were waiting. "And your husband should come, too."
Kagome blushed lightly at Inuyasha's reference but didn't make a move to correct her. She needed to get going. "I'll see you on Monday, then." She turned and walked towards her companions.
Inuyasha didn't say anything, just turned and began walking, leaving Moriko and Kagome to hold hands and follow after them.
"Moriko," Kagome said as they reached the car that would bring them back to their apartment. "Ms. Gourd tells me that you've been hiding notes for me from me." Kagome turned around in the passenger's seat, glancing at Moriko who cowered in the backseat. It would have been adorable if Kagome wasn't so aggravated and distressed.
"Yes…" Moriko squeaked out, her blue eyes wide with fear of what her mother would say.
Inuyasha glanced at Moriko in the rear view mirror but said nothing.
"Want to tell me what they're about?" Kagome asked with a deep frown and the unspoken promise that Moriko would be punished if she didn't tell the truth.
"I dunno," Moriko said softly. "I threw them away so that you and Daddy couldn't read them."
"Honey, why would you do a thing like that?" Kagome protested as her daughter looked away, tears filling her bright blue eyes.
"Because I didn't want you to get mad at me!"
"I'm not mad at you, Moriko," Kagome said gently. "I'm just disappointed that you would lie to Inuyasha and me."
"I'm sorry," Moriko let out a loud whimper and began sobbing. "Don't hate me!"
Exchanging a glance with Inuyasha, Kagome unbuckled her seat belt and crawled into the back of Inuyasha's Honda. She scooped up her daughter and cradled her in her arms. Moriko continued to sob and grabbed Kagome's shirt, digging her face into the fabric.
"Shh; it's okay sweetie," Moriko said gently and tenderly rocked her daughter in her arms. Moriko hiccupped but continued to cry. Kagome cooed her gently and encased her in a hug. "Mommy still loves you; it's going to be okay, Moriko."
"I'm sorry," she repeated. Kagome said nothing more, and just simply held her daughter tighter.
She looked up and locked eyes with Inuyasha, the lavender orbs staring at her from the rear view mirror. Offering a tentative smile, Kagome pulled her fingers through her daughter's hair before running soothing circles along the little girl's back.
Inuyasha silently pulled off to the side of the road and parked the car. Cutting the engine, he crawled into the back as well and gently touched Moriko's head. "It's okay, sweetie." His voice was soft and comforting as he wrapped his arms around the girl as well, his cheek brushing softly against Kagome's as he soothed the little girl.
"Daddy," Moriko sobbed and squirmed from her mother's arms to wrap them around Inuyasha's neck. Kagome watched the exchange as the man tenderly held Moriko in his arms, her small head tucked underneath his chin.
"Don't cry anymore, Moriko," Inuyasha said warmly. "Mommy and I just care about your well-being. We want to make sure you're okay, so next time your teacher gives you a note, be sure to give it to Mommy or me, okay?"
Moriko nodded and Inuyasha placed a small kiss on her forehead. "Good; are you okay now, baby?"
"Yes," Moriko hiccupped.
"Then let's get you home so you can go to sleep. You've got to be tired by now," Inuyasha said tenderly and Moriko nodded again. Depositing the girl into her mother's arms, Inuyasha crawled back up to the front of the car and started it again.
Kagome opted to stay in the back and hold her daughter carefully. All the tears made Moriko sleepy and the little girl snuggled into her mother's warmth and dozed.
When they reached their home, Inuyasha silently cut the engine again and opened the door for Kagome. She smiled softly and he nodded his head, placing a hand on the small of her back and ushering her into the apartment complex.
"Still, I can't help but wonder if perhaps Moriko does know what those notes say," Kagome said softly as Inuyasha opened the door for her and ushered her inside.
Inuyasha paused as he slipped off his jacket and shoes, his violet eyes staring at her silently.
Kagome busied herself by removing Moriko and her shoes and jackets before walking towards Moriko's room.
"Perhaps; Moriko does like to please," Inuyasha said gently and brushed Moriko's bangs away from her face when they reached her bedroom. Kagome nodded her head. "She's a sweet little girl, Kagome. She doesn't want you to be disappointed in her."
"I know."
"You should be proud that she's so caring," Inuyasha said softly, his lips quirking into a smile as he tenderly touched the crown of Moriko's head.
"I am," Kagome said, her voice proving that she was indeed proud of her daughter.
Inuyasha gently touched Kagome's hand. "I'm proud of you, too."
"How's that?" Kagome asked curiously.
"You're a good mother; don't ever think otherwise." Inuyasha released her hand and gave a mock wave. "Well, I'm off to shower and retreat to the lumpy cottage cheese mattress. Goodnight, L'amour."
"One of these days you're going to have to tell me what that means," Kagome said crossly.
Inuyasha stuck out his tongue. "Buy a French dictionary. I'm too lazy to tell you."
"Wow, how do you manage to breathe? Doesn't that take work?" Kagome drawled out with a frown as they exited Moriko's room.
Inuyasha chuckled. "Je t'aime, mais tu est très stupide."
"Okay, I only understood the last word in that sentence," Kagome growled and began advancing on Inuyasha. "And it had better not have been 'I'm stupid'."
"It wasn't," Inuyasha assured and Kagome dropped her readied fist. "It was 'you are very stupid!'"
With a yelp and a laugh, Inuyasha ran away as Kagome began chasing him. "Kagome, you're so kinky!"
"How is this kinky, you ass?" Kagome asked dangerously, though a laugh rippled from her lips. Kagome found herself grinning… it felt like old times.
"Inuyasha," Kagome called after a moment of stupidity, her tone serious. "I need to talk to you."
"Okay." He paused in his retreat away from her before motioning towards the kitchen. "In there."
Kagome nodded and they moved into the kitchen, sitting down at the table silently. After a long moment of no one speaking, just simply watching each other, Kagome spoke,
"Moriko's teacher has set up a parent-teacher's conference for Monday." At Inuyasha's nod, she continued, "She wants me to bring Moriko and you."
"Okay." He nodded his head nonchalantly.
"Right…secondly…" Kagome gulped before taking the plunge. "I saw Kouga tonight."
"I know." His voice came out softly with his barely contained distaste for the man in question.
"I'm going to see him on Tuesday. I felt that you should know," Kagome said gently as she clasped her hands.
"Why the hell would you do that?" he snapped out before he could stop himself. He knew better to get mad again. Briefly his purple eyes drifted to the bandages still wrapped around Kagome's wrists.
Kagome bit her lip. "Kouga deserves an explanation. I haven't spoken to him about why he left at all. I figure he has a right to explain himself, don't you?"
"Yes," he mumbled.
Kagome gently reached out a hand and placed it over his on the table. "I know this is hard for you. I know I have no excuse for what I'm doing. But please, try to trust me?"
"I do, Kagome," he said feebly, his fingers intertwining with hers. "I trust you."
"It's hard, though," she said quietly and Inuyasha traced his thumb over her knuckles lightly, his lavender eyes staring at her silently. "I thought I was over him. And then he just suddenly appears in my life again without any preamble or explanation. Just came back as suddenly as he left.
"I don't know what he's thinking," Kagome continued on as Inuyasha silently listened. "But I know that I'm confused as hell and not sure how to look into all this. I'm not sure if I can trust him, but I'm not sure about a lot of things. That's why I need to speak to him. I need to know what the hell he was thinking."
Inuyasha nodded his head and lifted her hand, lightly placing his lips on her knuckles. "I trust you," he repeated. "And I can tell you that I'm sure as hell not happy about all this. That much is evident. But… you're right. Kouga does have a right to an explanation; to have a second chance, I suppose. But just know that I care for you and I don't want you to be hurt."
Kagome smiled gently, her cheeks a light pink. "Inuyasha…"
"I understand that you're overwhelmed and confused, Kagome," he said softly and met her gaze, his blazing lavender gaze staring at her deep blue orbs. "But understand the toll this is taking on me. I hate this so damn much."
"I know…" she said feebly and squeezed his hand, a stray tear running down her cheek. "I'm sorry…"
"I'd like to thank you both for coming," Jessica Gourd said politely as she opened her classroom door to Kagome and Inuyasha.
Kagome strolled in, chatting lightly with Ms. Gourd while Inuyasha and Moriko entered looking lost and helpless.
"So this is your classroom, Moriko?" Inuyasha asked softly and Moriko beamed and nodded her head.
"I wanna show you stuff," Moriko said happily and dragged the man around the room towards a large bulletin board, where multiple pieces of mediocre artwork hung on the wall. Some consisted of stick figures, others of barely recognizable shapes of people and then he identified Moriko's at once. For a second grader, Moriko's skill was surprising. He could make out the 'self-portrait' of Moriko perfectly. Moriko was an excellent drawer for her age.
"We had to draw ourselves," Moriko pointed out the obvious and jabbed a finger towards the picture of her. "That one's me! I drew that!"
"It's very good, Moriko sweetie," Inuyasha said with a smile as he examined the picture. One eye was bigger than the other, and lopsided, but despite that it was rather closet to what Moriko looked like.
"Inuyasha," Kagome called from across the room and the man turned to see her beckoning towards him. "We're ready to start; can you come over here, please?"
He nodded his head and lightly touched Moriko's head. "Everything's going to be fine, Moriko."
Moriko nodded her head and watched Inuyasha walk towards them.
"Moriko," her teacher said warmly, "You can draw or use the computer if you'd like."
"Okay!" Moriko chirped happily and scurried over to one of the computers in the classroom.
"Anyways, Kagome, Inuyasha." Ms. Gourd smiled and motioned to two chairs in front of her desk. Kagome sat down lightly with a hesitant Inuyasha following her. Folding her hands on her desk, Ms. Gourd smiled warmly. "I'm glad you could take the time to come visit me today."
"It's no problem if it concerns Moriko," Kagome said, trying to hint that she didn't want to waste time on idle chit chat and to get to the main problem as to why they were here. She didn't want to stay longer than necessary, and if something was wrong with Moriko, she sure as hell wanted to find the solution sooner than later.
"Right… the reason I called you here concerns Moriko and her future," Ms. Gourd said, sounding a little overly dramatic. It had the affect wanted on Kagome. The mother got tense and her blue eyes stared at Ms. Gourd darkly.
"What is wrong with my daughter?" Kagome demanded, feeling helpless in her lack of knowledge.
"Moriko is a smart and delightful girl to have in my class, Kagome," Ms. Gourd reassured the woman. "However, since the beginning of the year, I've noticed that her test scores continue to drop lower and lower. She seems to have excessively hard times with spelling and grammar as well as math skills. She seems to be unable to grasp the concept of subtraction and triple digit addition.
"Furthermore," Ms. Gourd continued gravely, "Moriko has had a rather difficult time grasping cursive, which they begin to learn a little this year and really get into it in the third grade."
Kagome was silent for a long time, her eyes stricken with shock and grief. Her daughter… was behind?
"What do you suggest?" she asked meekly.
Ms. Gourd let out a sigh and feebly ran her fingers through her hair. "Well… the only solution I can think of is… to put Moriko in a special needs classroom."
"You think Moriko is retarded?" Inuyasha snapped. Kagome looked at him in shock. Dark eyes stared at Ms. Gourd calmly, his lips pursed as he awaited her answer.
Ms. Gourd became slightly flustered and quickly shook her head. "No, that's not what I'm saying at all!"
"Then what is it that you're saying, because I'm dying to know," Inuyasha growled out, putting a fist on the table and leaning over it, staring at her darkly. Ms. Gourd fidgeted even more and took a gulp of air.
"Please, sir," Ms. Gourd said shyly. "I do not think that your daughter is stupid. I just think she needs extra help in the classroom. Extra help that she can only get if she goes to a specialized classroom with teachers trained for cases like her."
"Cases?" Inuyasha hissed coldly. "My daughter is not to be referred to as a 'case.' She is a human being who just happens to be having issues at school. Are you sure that it's not your teaching skills that are making her fall so far behind?"
Ms. Gourd stared in shock at the man's outburst and Kagome's mouth fell open. Had she been hearing things, or had Inuyasha just referred to Moriko as 'my daughter'? Her heart leapt at the thought and she continued to stare at Inuyasha as he ranted to Ms. Gourd before she realized what he was doing.
Standing up calmly she placed a comforting hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Inuyasha, it's okay. She's just trying to help."
"She called Moriko stupid," Inuyasha said, flabbergasted.
"No, she said that Moriko may have a learning disability. It's important that we help her now instead of later, so that way we can fix the problem," she said and lightly moved her hand over his shoulder, working the taut muscles. Inuyasha relaxed under her touch and allowed her to lead him back to the seat.
After Inuyasha's outburst, the meeting went smoothly, with only some half-hearted glares coming from the disgruntled man. At the end of the meeting, about forty five minutes later, Ms. Gourd shook Kagome's hand and gave a hesitant nod in Inuyasha's direction.
Ignoring the woman, the slightly frustrated man marched towards Moriko, who was playing a game of Tetris. Inuyasha placed a large hand on her small shoulder and knelt down next to her, to look at her play. Moriko smiled at him, taking her eyes off the game and thus allowed herself to lose."Ready to go, sweetie?" Inuyasha asked apologetically.
Moriko nodded slightly and glanced at her mother and her teacher. With all the ruckus Inuyasha had caused, it would be a miracle of Moriko hadn't heard what they were saying.
No doubt she'd also heard what Inuyasha had called her.
Kagome bit her lip worriedly. As much as she loved the way Inuyasha treated Moriko and how much the girl adored Inuyasha, she couldn't help feeling slightly unnerved by her name for him. She found it strange how easily the girl had cast aside Kouga and greeted Inuyasha. Like trading in used cars.
Despite that disturbing discovery, Kagome didn't want to think about how Moriko would react with the knowledge that Inuyasha thought of Moriko as his daughter in his mind's eye.
Then again, there was the possibility Inuyasha had just said that in the heat of the moment without realizing it. Or perhaps he'd said it to emphasize his anger at Moriko's teacher?
Kagome glanced at Inuyasha as he pulled the car into gear.
Probably not.
They were silent for a few minutes, Inuyasha silently seething. "Special needs my ass," he muttered darkly. Kagome glanced at him.
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, glancing behind her to watch Moriko, "Don't swear in front of Moriko."
"Right, sorry," he muttered. "But still, she had no right to say stuff like that."
"Inuyasha… she was only trying to help. She wanted to find a way to help Moriko and her learning disabilities."
"But she has no disabilities, Kagome," Inuyasha said defensively. "Moriko is a smart and wonderful little girl-"
"I know that, Inuyasha," Kagome protested. "But it's important that Moriko isn't left behind!"
The two continued to badger one another with concerns over Moriko, all the while the girl in question stared at them sadly.
"Mommy," Moriko said softly, clutching her knees to her chest as she stared at the back of her mom's head. When Kagome didn't turn around, Moriko repeated, "Mommy?"
Hearing her that time, Kagome turned around and glanced at her daughter. Her heart nearly broke at the sight. Her daughter looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Am I stupid?"
"No, baby, no," Kagome cooed from her seat. "You're the smartest girl I know," she said warmly.
Moriko sniffed. "Daddy, do you think I'm smart?"
"Of course, bien amie," Inuyasha said gently, his lavender eyes glancing at her from his rear view mirror. Moriko looked at him in confusion and he smiled lightly. "Don't worry about it, sweetie; you're a very smart girl and I'm very proud of you."
"Thank you, Daddy." Moriko smiled, feeling reassured that she was loved.
Moriko squirmed in her sleep, her blankets falling off her mattress as she tossed and turned. Small beads of sweat dripped down her cheeks before her bright blue eyes snapped open. With a small gasp she sat up, shaking visibly and clutching her stuffed animals feebly. She looked around her large, dark and scary room, the only light coming from her small nightlight.
Frightened blue eyes trailed to her closet and with a small yelp of fear she scurried out of bed.
Moriko padded across the apartment, hesitantly stopping at her mother's bedroom door. Bright blue eyes, brimmed with tears, stared at the wooden door. A small hand hesitantly reached for the door handle before extracting. Tightening her hold on her stuffed dog, Koinu, and her baby blanket, Moriko took a step back. She didn't want her mom to be angry if she woke her…
Taking another gulp of air, Moriko slipped open the door and peeked in. Seeing her mother, sound asleep and dreaming, Moriko padded to her mom. Reaching out a tentative hand, she tried shaking her mommy awake. No such luck.
Kagome simply turned over and continued to sleep.
Moriko, ready to burst into tears, fled from the room, a small sob escaping her.
A few moments later, the mother stirred and opened her eyes. Yawning, she glanced at the clock on her bedside table and groaned. 'What woke me up…?' she wondered and sat up, rubbing her eyes.
She looked at the door. 'That's odd; I thought I closed that…?'
Meanwhile, Moriko dashed into the living room and dove onto the fold-out couch Inuyasha was dozing on. With a snort, Inuyasha sat up and rubbed his eyes. He spotted Moriko and looked at her, confused.
"Moriko, what are you doing up at this hour?" Inuyasha asked as Kagome slipped into the room, going unnoticed by the two on the bed.
"I had a nightmare, and I was too afraid to wake up Mommy. She was sleeping so nicely," Moriko whimpered and stared at Inuyasha pleadingly. "Daddy, will you sing me a lullaby? Mommy does that when I can't sleep."
"Well… I, uh, I'm not very good at singing lullabies, Moriko," Inuyasha admitted, but melted when he saw Moriko's bottom lip twitch. "But I'll try for you."
Moriko brightened and crawled into Inuyasha's lap when he held his arms out to her. Yawning, she snuggled into Inuyasha's warmth and allowed the man to gently rock her.
"Lets see," Inuyasha murmured as he thought of a lullaby. He couldn't think of many except for the one his mother sang to him when he was about Moriko's age.
Smiling warmly at the memory, Inuyasha continued to rock Moriko as he began to softly sing:
"Train whistles blowing,
Make a sleepy noise,
Underneath the blankets go,
All the girls and boys.
Rocking, rolling, riding
Out along the bay
All bound for morning time,
Many miles away…"
Kagome smiled as the man continued to rock Moriko, singing the song several times until the girl's eyes began to droop.
After a long moment, the rocking ceased and the man's head lolled as he fell against the couch's back and Moriko slept peacefully in his arms.
It was certainly one of the most adorable sights Kagome had ever seen.
Moving silently forward, she stared at the two before her. They looked so adorable.
Her eyes softened as she examined Inuyasha holding Moriko protectively. 'He really could be her father…' she thought to herself and her eyes softened.
Softly, she moved her hand over his cheek, brushing his bangs away from his eyes. Warm blue eyes moved from Inuyasha's masculine face to the soft contrast of her little daughter. Her hand still cupping Inuyasha's cheek, Kagome gently leaned over and kissed her daughter's brow.
"You know, molesting people in their sleep is frowned upon." Kagome nearly jumped off the bed in surprise, turning frightened eyes towards Inuyasha. Warm violet eyes gazed at her lovingly. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
"Yes you did," Kagome growled out.
"Yeah, you're right," he admitted with a smirk.
Kagome pouted and gave him a half-hearted glare before her gaze softened. "I saw what you did for her."
"Feh, did you now?" Inuyasha asked, trying to sound nonchalant and indifferent about it. Kagome smiled knowingly and Inuyasha caved in under he intense gaze. "Yeah, she was near tears. Like I could leave her to deal with her own problems."
He turned tender eyes towards Moriko, his lips quirking into a smile as he brushed hair away from her eyes.
"You really care about her, don't you?" Kagome asked warmly and Inuyasha nodded his head.
"It's almost like she's mine," he admitted. "I look at her, and I can imagine myself as her father."
Kagome lowered her gaze. As much as that touched her, she still couldn't help feel that she was cheating Kouga out of fatherhood.
'Don't think about him now,' Kagome berated herself.
"She's such a sweet and wonderful girl, Kagome," Inuyasha said as he slipped off his bed and moved to take her back to her room. Kagome followed after him as Inuyasha gazed at the girl tenderly. "She's the greatest little girl I've ever met."
She smiled. "Inuyasha…"
His lilac gaze turned towards her and he smiled.
"Mon chérie," he said lightly. For once, Kagome understood what he said and blushed softly at the compliment.
They entered Moriko's room silently and both set upon the task of tucking the girl in. After several long moments of helping the little girl into bed, the two exited the room.
"Well…" he said softly, his lavender eyes glowing in the small light shinning through the window in the hallway. "Goodnight, Kagome."
For a brief moment Kagome felt the small plea for him to come join her lodged in her throat. For a brief moment she had a huge temptation to invite him back to the bed he'd been sleeping in up until Kouga's return. With a gentle sigh, Kagome swallowed her temptation and smiled at him.
He wouldn't want to come in with her. He was disgusted by her. "Goodnight."
Inuyasha returned her smile and they parted ways for the night.
Later that night, unable to sleep on the lumpy cottage cheese bed, Inuyasha found himself entering Kagome's bedroom. Lilac eyes glimmered in the darkness of the chamber as the man tiptoed in, nearing Kagome's bed. His feet moved quickly and nimbly over the carpet, providing little sound with which to wake the sleeping woman.
And, with a bright grin on his face, Inuyasha finally ran and dove onto Kagome's bed, screaming, "I CAN FLY!"
Author's notes: Last two paragraphs were written by the beta, the Jewy-bear. She's such a dork, but I loved it too much to get rid of it.