More Than What She Seems

A/N: Sorta hard to believe that Mrs. Higurashi has a spark of good in her. Hm? :D

Anyways, this is the conclusion to all the abuse! Enjoy!

Chapter 24: Love of a Mother

Inu Yasha landed lightly on the shrine courts and bent down so Kagome and Souta could get off his back.

"I-can't-believe-it," Souta rasped. "I can't believe you actually talked me into letting Inu Yasha fly us home, Kagome!"

"Well, it's over now, so just get over it," she smiled innocently. "And besides, the news said that there was going to be a huge storm today in the late afternoon. It's already 1 PM. We should get in the house as soon as possible."

A large gust of cold wind blew past.

Kagome clutched onto her jacket tightly. It looked like it was going to rain earlier than predicted. The entire sky was already an ominous cloudy gray.

"Inu Yasha, you should go home," she said as she stared at the sky for a brief moment. "Don't want you getting wet and all."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I'll be off then. See you later."

After a quick kiss, Inu Yasha leapt off.

"Bye, Inu Yasha!" Souta yelled after him. "Hope to see-"

A hand slapped over his mouth.

"Sh!" Kagome said sharply. "Mom might hear you!"

"It doesn't look like she's home," he remarked, pointing to the empty parking space. Their mother's van was gone.

"Oh well," his step-sister shrugged. "She might be out shopping. It is a Saturday you know. C'mon. Let's get inside."

:o:O:o:O:o:

Mrs. Higurashi silently sat in her van, which was parked in front of a liquor store.

She uncapped a newly bought bottle and took a gigantic swig of the liquid inside. The familiar sting tingled in her throat. She wiped her mouth with her lips pinched tightly together.

"Couldn't...find them," she let out a nervous laugh. "Where...are they?"

She took another gulp before starting up the automobile.

"I'll, just go home," she told herself.

A pain seeped into her head, but it diminished when she drank some more alcohol.

"Yeah, I'll just go home."

:o:O:o:O:o:

"I'm ashamed of you two," Grandpa scolded. "Your mother went looking for the both of you in the park since an hour ago."

"She what?!" Kagome and Souta exclaimed.

"Are you joking, Grandpa?" Souta demanded. "She doesn't care about us!"

"Well, she does...and more than we all think apparently," he murmured. "I think she's still at the park."

For a moment, all three of them stood thoughtfully.

Finally, Kagome broke the silence.

"I'll...go to the park," she said slowly.

"You can't!" Souta protested. "You're going to be in huge trouble if you DO find her! We lied about going to the park!"

"Well," Kagome slipped into her shoes once again. "Too bad."

And before Souta or Grandpa could say anything, she ran out the door.

:o:O:o:O:o:

She slammed the door to the van shut, and clumsily locked it. She felt a drop of water splatter into her hair. The storm was coming...and quick.

"I couldn't find them," she whispered, holding a hand against her throbbing forehead. The alcohol was getting to her...not that it was a bad thing. If she hadn't drunk it, she'd be overcome with grief right now. "They were supposed to be at the park..."

Mrs. Higurashi stomped a foot onto the first step of the shrine stairs. Even thoughher bodyswayed threateningly, she started ascending them.

With each passing second, more and more raindrops started falling.

"Damn," she cursed when the raindrops began falling in a steady trickle.

She rushed to the door as fast as her drunken self could carry her and opened up the front door. Her ears caught onto the voice of Souta talking to her father.

"...and I got to play a ton of video games! It was great, jii-chan," he said. "Inu Yasha is so cool! He and Kagome should get married!"

Grandpa laughed, "Yes...they should."

"I hope I can visit him again soon," Souta continued. "I want to stay the whole day next time. We only got to stay for a few hours and had to go home early because of the stupid storm."

Mrs. Higurashi's fingers started shaking. From the sound of it, the two brats hadn't gone to the park at all! They'd gone to the house of that silver haired boy from earlier in the morning!

She'd gone to the park for nothing!

Her fingers clenched into a fist. She shut the door closed behind her loudly.

"Hey, I think Kagome's back," Souta's voice was nearing closer. "Let's go ask how the search went."

Mrs. Higurashi heard both her son and father looming closer.

"Hey, Kagome," Souta began, turning the corner that was right next to her. "How'd it go?"

He gasped when he stumbled into her.

Mrs. Higurashi took him by the collar of his shirt before he could run off.

"Terrible," she glared coldly into his eyes. "Just terrible."

:o:O:o:O:o:

Kagome pedaled hard toward her home, squinting in the rain.

She was thoroughly soaked and she couldn't find her step-mother at all in the park.

"Almost home...Kami! Is fate against me or something?!" she sighed in exasperation. She stepped down hard on the pedals and the bicycle halted to a stop. She would take a short break.

But that's when she saw it.

A faint flash of light and then a rumble in the near distance.

"Lightning," she whispered, her breath caught in her throat. "No...No."

:o:O:o:O:o:

"You two lied to me!" Mrs. Higurashi hissed. "I should've known!"

Souta was crying.

"I-I'm sorry!" he cried out. "We-"

He clamped his mouth shut when he heard glass shattering. Souta peeked at the ground and saw a liquor bottle on the floor, smashed into little bits.

Neither of them said anything for a long moment.

"What on earth is going on?" Grandpa walked into the room. His eyes widened at the scene. "Oh my heavens! Daughter, let go of Souta right this instant!"

His daughter glared at him, "I'm not listening to you this time, Father. The two idiots need to be taught a lesson."

And with that said, Mrs. Higurashi held out the hand that wasn't holding onto Souta's collar and slapped it hard across her child's face.

:o:O:o:O:o:

She hated it. She hated the rain. She hated every single drop of water that fell from the sky. She hated the thunder.

She hated the lightning.

Kagome panted heavily as she parked her bike in the garage. She was finally home.

In the far distance, thunder clapped. She flinched and rushed to the front door. And that was when she stumbled into one of the most terrifying scenes in her life.

Her step-mother stood a few yards away from the door, slapping Souta continuously. Her step-grandfather was trying to pry Souta out of her grasp.

"Now you'll think twice before lying to me again!" Mrs. Higurashi snarled to her son, ignoring her father's protests.

She slapped Souta across the face once more.

Kagome felt herself trembling, "SOUTA!"

Mrs. Higurashi loosened her hold on the young boy suddenly and turned her head slowly toward the teenager.

"Let go of Souta!" Kagome said, her voice quivering.

"Fine," her step-mother sneered. She grabbed on tightly to her son's shoulders and pushed him harshly toward Grandpa's direction. He and Souta collided and landed on the floor.

Kagome made a move toward the two, but her step-mother stepped in the way.

"Ugh, you've been drinking, haven't you?" Kagome asked in disgust, smelling the foul breath of her step-mother and noticing a broken bottle of alcohol on the floor.

"Does it make a difference?" Mrs. Higurashi hissed. Kagome looked away, glancing at her jii-chan and step-brother in concern.

Her grandfather was out cold.

She saw Souta sit up weakly.

"Souta!" she shouted immediately. "Go to my room, lock the door, and stay in there!"

He didn't need to be told twice. He bolted up the stairs before his mother could stop him. Once she heard the satisfying 'click!' of the door locking, Kagome sighed in relief. But her relief was only temporary.

"You BITCH!" Mrs. Higurashi screamed in fury.

Kagome let out a cry as her step-mother shoved her hard against the wall.

:o:O:o:O:o:

Souta's hands shook as he leaned against the door of his step-sister's room. He flinched every time he heard a shout or a 'thud'. He felt useless. Kagome was out there taking the hits from their mother and he couldn't do anything about it.

Or could he?

He breathed in shakily and stood deep in thought. He couldn't save Kagome all by himself. Not this time. He needed someone's help. And he knew exactly where to go for it.

"How do I get out of here?" he murmured. "Can't go to the back door. It'll mean that I have to go past the monster...and Kagome did everything she could just to let me escape."

Souta's eyes scanned the room and landed on the closed windows. His face brightened. Of course! He could get out through the windows! He ran to them and pushed them open hastily.

Souta stared down at the ground and gulped.

"It's a long way down..." he squeaked as he sat on the window sill. Souta flinched when he heard a scream from downstairs. "No, I have to do this. For Kagome."

And with that said, he jumped with a small shout and landed roughly onto the wet ground outside the house. Not wasting any time, Souta ran to the garage, climbed onto his bike and rode off.

:o:O:o:O:o:

Kagome breathed in with a rasp.

Somehow, her step-mother had gotten her hands on a belt and she was now whipping her with every ounce of energy she had.

"You'll pay-" Mrs. Higurashi wheezed, lashing the belt onto her. "For lying to me-"

Another whip with the belt.

"For RUINING MY LIFE!"

Another hit with the belt, but this time, Kagome didn't feel pain at all. Nor did she see the belt that whipped her. All she saw was darkness as she slowly blacked out.

:o:O:o:O:o:

DING DONG

Rin blinked.

"Who the hell would come here during weather like this?" she wondered, walking to the door.

DING DONG

DING DONG DING DONG

She swung the door open and glared at the visitor.

"Oh, my.." she breathed, staring down in front of her at a boy she recalled fromearlier that day. "Souta?"

Lightning flashed in the sky behind him.

"Inu Yasha," he whispered. "I need him. My sister – Kagome's in trouble."

After those words left his mouth, he fell forward with exhaustion.

"Sesshoumaru!" Rin cried out, barely catching him. "Inu Yasha! Come down here! It's an emergency!"

In less than five seconds, the two brothers appeared beside her.

"What's wrong?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Rin grimly pointed to Souta.

Inu Yasha gasped. The young boy's face was swollen and his hands were bleeding...not to mention that his clothes were soaked.

"Souta..." he pulled the boy into his arms. "Did your mom do this to you?"

Souta started crying.

"Forget about me!" he sobbed. "It's Kagome you should be worrying about! My mom is beating her up right now!"

Inu Yasha mouth went dry and he put Souta back into Rin's arms.

"Sesshoumaru," he said quietly, his eyes hidden by his bangs. "Call 911."

"You told me about this before, brother," the elder sibling protested. "If we call the police-"

"Just call 911, damn it!" Inu Yasha's fist flew into the wall beside him. "I don't care anymore! Call the police and tell them everything about the abuse! We have to end this NOW! Look at Souta, for Kami's sake! Look!"

Sesshoumaru and Rin stared back at him, dumbfounded.

"Oh forget it. I'm going to save Kagome. You two take care of Souta."

And without another word, Inu Yasharan out through the open door and jumped into the rain.

:o:O:o:O:o:

A loud roar of thunder jolted Kagome awake. She felt something tighten around her arms, and saw that it was a rope.

"Finally conscious again?" her step-mother murmured into her ear. "That just makes it better for me."

Kagome looked at the surroundings around her.

"Oh. My. God," she whispered.

She was tied to a lightning rod up on the roof.

"What are you planning, you insane woman?!" she seethed.

Mrs. Higurashi shook her head, "Tsk. Tsk. Language. You need to work on that...but it doesn't really matter, now that you're going to die."

Kagome stared at her with frightened eyes, "W-what?"

Her step-mother just laughed, "You're going to die...and in the same way as your father did!"

:o:O:o:O:o:

Inu Yasha scowled.

Damn, the stupid rain. It was making him slow.

"I'm not even HALFWAY to Higurashi Shrine yet," he cursed. "Kagome...Kagome, HANG ON UNTIL I GET THERE!"

:o:O:o:O:o:

"The same way...that my father died?" Kagome repeated.

"Struck by lightning, you twerp," Mrs. Higurashi said stiffly. "The rod should attract lightning, and when it does, you should get struck by it and die."

Kagome's face twisted into a tight smile, "Pretty clever. But do you know the CHANCE of that happening?"

"It WILL happen," her step-mother said sharply. "Every year, lightning strikes in this neighborhood. Always. One of the buildings in this very shrine was struck and destroyed once because of it...but that was only because it didn't have a rod on to roof like the rest of the buildings here. This roof - " She waved an arm over the roof they stood on. "– has been struck by lightning every year. It's the tallest of roofs here. Closer to the sky. Closer to the lightning."

Kagome didn't answer, but flinched when she saw lightning strike a few houses away.

"I'm so happy this is happening," Mrs. Higurashi said, barely audible. "You're going to die. I won't have to deal with you anymore. You have no idea how long I've waited for this day."

"You're so full of evil," Kagome replied, her eyes hidden by her bangs. She looked up and Mrs. Higurashi spotted tears brimming in the teenager's eyes. "I've done nothing to you! My father told me to love you always! But how can I if you don't love ME?! I'm not scared of your threats! And I'm not afraid to die!"

Kagome shook harder, "I know you have a heart somewhere in you. I know it. You've shown me the love of a mother a few times before, but the coldness, hatred, and evil in you keeps overpowering your goodness. You don't even try to fight it, do you?!"

Mrs. Higurashi's mouth quivered.

"You try to pin all the guilt on me!" her step-daughter continued. "It's not my fault for anything! You started this whole mess ever since I came into your life! It's YOUR FAULT!"

It's your fault.

Mrs. Higurashi screamed and slapped Kagome hard in the face.

"It is NOT my fault!" she yelled over the rain. "It's YOURS!"

"You just keep trying to push the truth away," Kagome muttered. "Why? That's how the evilness in you stays alive."

"You wench! Shut up! Shut up and prepare to die!"

A clap of thunder boomed in the sky above both of them.

Mrs. Higurashi laughed, "It's time!"

It seemed like an eternity as the two waited for the strike.

"It's been nice knowing you, Kagome," Mrs. Higurashi touched her step-daughter's cheek with a hand, smirking. With that said, she walked away and made her way back toward the ground below them.

Kagome closed her eyes. That woman was definitely sober by now...especially because of the cold rain. So ever since they had gone outside in this storm, it hadn't been the alcohol talking...it had truly been the thoughts of what was going on inside her step-mother all these years.

As Kagome waited, a few faces flickered in her mind.

Souta. Grandpa. Shippou. Grandma Kaede. Sango. Miroku.

Inu Yasha.

"I love you all," she hung her head, sobbing. "And I'll watch over you in heaven."

And then, the lightning struck.

She closed her eyes.

"KAGOME!" a voice shouted.

She felt a weight fall onto her.

The lightning hit them both.

She felt a tingling shock spread throughout her thoroughly wet body. A light blinded her eyes and she was so sure she was dead, but when she opened her eyes slowly, she found herself staring into a familiar face.

"Inu Yasha!" she cried out. Judging by how he looked, it appeared that he had taken most of the damage. "INU YASHA!"

"Unh..." he groaned. "Kagome............"

He fell limp beside her.

"Inu Yasha! Wake up! Wake up!" she wailed in agony, shaking him gently...but with no avail.

Kagome's eyes flooded with hot tears. She struggled against the rod and surprisingly broke free of the rope.

'It must've split and loosened when it met with the lightning,' she realized. She shook her head and stood up.

Kagome spun around in fury and stared at her step-mother from the roof.

"You'll pay for this!" she sobbed. "You'll pay for hurting everyone!"

Mrs. Higurashi took a step back, "Wh-what are you doing-"

Kagome leapt off the roof.

"This ends now," she said in a cold voice. Before her step-mother could run away, Kagome landed smack on top of her.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Mrs. Higurashi hissed as Kagome pinned her arms down to the ground and sat on her stomach.

"I'm going to end this! I've had enough!" was her answer.

Light pink sparks shot from Kagome's fingers.

"I'm going to purify your mind by using my miko powers," her hands moved from Mrs. Higurashi's wrists to the sides of her step-mother's head.

By now, the sparks shot out from her fingers dangerously.

"And now..." Kagome commenced as the wind around her tossed her hair around in the air wildly. She gripped her step-mother's face. "Evil...BEGONE!"

After that, her step-mother screeched. Kagome swore she'd never heard a scream as loud and as long as this one in her life...but of course, it was muffled partially by her own scream as her energy quickly drained through her hands.

When Mrs. Higurashi stopped her yelling, her eyes opened slowly.

Kagome shook violently. She'd done it. She'd purified the mind of her step-mother. In the far distance she heard the sirens of police cars.

"What have I done?" Mrs. Higurashi whispered and stared blankly into the eyes of the teenager on top of her, tears streaming down her cheeks. However, the tears were barely visible because of the rain that was still pouring down on them. "Oh, what have I done...?"

The wails of the sirens grew louder and Kagome squinted against the flashes of red. The cars screeched to a halt at the shrine steps. They both heard policemen stomping up the stairs.

"Mrs. Higurashi, you are under arrest for reported child abuse," the policeman that reached them first announced. "Please stand up and put your hands up behind your head."

Kagome crawled off her step-mother silently. Mrs. Higurashi stood up slowly and did what the officer had commanded her to do.

"You have the right to remain silent," the policeman continued, cuffing her hands and shoving her forward. Mrs. Higurashi did so and kept her mouth shut. After her step-mother and the policeman disappeared from view down the shrine stairs,Kagome lay on her back in the very same spot where she had purified her step-mother. The long nightmare had finally ended.

"We're safe now, Souta," she whispered to the sky above her. Even though the sky was still cloudy and gray, it had finally stopped raining.

"We have one injured person over here!" she heard a familiar voice call out nearby. Was that Sesshoumaru she just heard?

Her vision started blurring. Two hands pulled her up into a sitting position. She turned her head to see who it was and only met with the face of unconsciousness.

A/N: Two chapters left! :D

Anyways, I finally saw the first movie of Inu Yasha! It was so good! I highly recommend those who haven't seen it yet to watch it!

"Shrine of Love" will be updated after this fanfic is completed...just to let all of you out there who are wondering about it know. I'm so sorry for keeping you all waiting!

Oh, and guess what?! It's been a year since I started this fic! And I still haven't finished it. Bad me. :D I'll try to update sooner. (I'm so sorry for taking so long last time.)

Please review!