Daughters
Chapter Fourteen: Fragile Heart

Dinner was eerily quiet. Kagome ate, feeling the discomfort hanging in the air. She chewed thoughtfully, training her eyes on her plate. Normally, she was never this passive… but things were so awkward and strange with Abi and her father.

Kagome never felt completely close to her father. He was, after all, a man who danced through her life like a cameo. He'd worked in America for the better part of her adolescence, and he'd always connected more with Souta. She'd grown closer to her father, and she loved him, having lived with him for nearly five years of her teenaged life. But, now things were so terrible… because she'd struck his future wife.

Kagome knew that her father was never the greatest father. She knew that he wasn't always the greatest person, either—he meant well, she knew that. But, in the end, everything that her father did centered on whether it was good for him and his priorities. Coincidently, Kagome wasn't one of his top priorities.

"Dad…" Kagome prompted, wishing to say something to him.

Her father didn't respond. Her father was a moody man, and despite his age, Kagome suspected that he still had the mindset of a spoiled, bratty teenager. The silent treatment stretched on until Kagome bowed her head in defeat, focusing again on her food and wishing she could melt into the floor.

She longed for her mother, and not for the first time, either.

Kagome glanced from her father to her future stepmother. Abi gave her a contemplative look before returning to her meal, gracing Kagome with the same silent treatment her father bestowed upon her. They were teaming up on her again and Kagome felt like she was being stabbed by every second of silence. She could feel the silence hanging in the air and she hated it.

Finally, after such a long, long time, her father looked up and frowned. She felt her entire body freeze and her heart nearly stop. He made eye contact with her and Kagome shook.

"Pass the sauce," her father ordered curtly, as if addressing an animal he was tired of. Kagome slowly picked up the saucepan and passed it to him. The hot surface nicked her father's hand and he pulled his hand away quickly, hissing in pain. "Damn it."

Kagome gasped and set down the pan. "I'm so sorry, Dad. Here let me—"

"I think you've done quite enough, Kagome," Abi said with a barely disguised sneer. Kagome sat down shamefully, ducking her head and glaring at her food, feeling like bursting into tears.

Her father cursed again and stood up away from the table, retreating to wash his hand under cold water. Kagome flushed in her shame and didn't pick her food back up until she heard her father sit back down again.

"Sorry," she said again.

Her father didn't respond.

Silence reigned.

After what seemed like an eternity, Abi finally spoke:

"Your father and I have been talking, Kagome."

Kagome lifted her head, giving her future stepmother a quizzical look. The pregnant woman gave her a quirked smile, the kind of smile that sent shivers down Kagome's spine—she knew that something was coming.

"About what?" Kagome prompted.

"Your continued disobedience," Abi said breezily. She gave her fiancée a pointed look and her father made a noncommittal grunt. "We're concerned."

"What have I done?" Kagome questioned miserably. She didn't have the strength to stand up against her father again. She wanted his approval and his respect. But she feared she'd lost it forever.

It'd been a mistake to strike out against Abi. Abi was pregnant. Abi was her father's fiancée. They were almost to their perfect little family—father, mother, and sweet little baby. Kagome and Souta just weren't designed for the pristine family life they'd sewed themselves into. Souta was already out of the way until he was eighteen. Kagome was the sore thumb. The black sheep. She'd never fit in.

"I haven't done anything," Kagome protested meekly.

"Do you enjoy doing this?" her father suddenly spoke. The guilt trip. Kagome knew it would come sooner or later. Kagome shook. "Do you enjoy putting us through so much difficulty?"

"I…"

"You're barely home anymore to look after Abi," her father cut his daughter off, "don't you understand that's why I made you quit your grocery job? I need you hear to watch Abi in her fragile state. But then you go and start babysitting some orphaned child for some unknown classmate. And you're gone nearly every day after school. Do you like making Abi suffer, Kagome?"

Kagome felt like she would burst into tears at any moment. She gripped her knees, wishing she could say the things she wanted to say but knowing that she could never say them to her father. She knew that she could never say these things to her father, because he didn't trust her. With her mother, Kagome could always say what she was feeling because there was no danger of her mother not loving her anymore, always. But her father. Her father was a different story entirely.

"I didn't mean to…" Kagome muttered.

Abi snorted.

Her father continued, ignoring Abi's snort, just as Kagome knew he would. Her father was a push-over and a guilt tripper, and Abi had her exactly where he wanted him: under her thumb.

"You're becoming more and more of a burden."

Kagome didn't know how much more her heart could take. Each word her father spoke stabbed her in the heart.

"I took you in when you had no where else to go, I give you food and shelter, and all I ask is a little help in return. And how do you repay me? By assaulting my future wife and distancing yourself from the family. Are you really going to a job everyday?" Her father gave her a skeptical look. "Or are you going to end up giving this family a bad name?"

Kagome gripped her knees until she felt she'd bruise them. Tears leaked from her clenched eyelids. She sniffled.

"I'm sorry I'm such a terrible child in your eyes, then," she screamed out before she could stop herself and released a heart-wrenching sob. She ducked her head.

But this only seemed to anger her father. He stood up quickly. "Don't you dare play the victim."

Kagome shook her head repeatedly, tears falling and her entire body racking with sobs. She wanted to tell her father she wasn't playing the victim. She wanted to tell her father she was sorry she failed to live up to his expectations. She wanted to tell her father she was sorry for looking like her mother. She wanted to tell her father she was sorry for failing to be the daughter he wanted.

"Crying won't get you out of this, Kagome," Abi said tensely, not swayed by the broken girl before her.

Hand-me-down...

"You'd better shape up soon, Kagome," her father warned. "Or I don't know what I'll do."

"I… can't…" Kagome wept.

"You can't what?" her father snapped.

"I can't be the person you want me to be, Dad!" Kagome cried out. She leapt to her feet and raced away. She heard her father pounding after her. He was livid; she could hear it in his curses as she pursued her. For one brief, wild moment Kagome was afraid that he'd actually attack her. She made it to her room and locked the door, leaning against the wood and crying hysterically.

He slammed his fists against the door. "Open this right now!"

Kagome didn't answer. Her heart was breaking.

"I can't keep doing this, Kagome," her father hissed, "You need to grow up sometime."

She heard Abi come up behind him; she assumed she was trying to comfort him. They murmured on the other side of the door. Kagome's body tensed.

"Don't break my heart, Dad," Kagome whispered.

"Kagome," her father started on the other side of the door. "I want you out."

"I won't leave my room," Kagome returned, her voice shaky.

"No, I don't mean that." There was a long, deadly pause. Kagome's heart quivered in her chest. "I want you out of my home."

Kagome's heart shattered.

Inuyasha stared at the ceiling that night. He'd grown used to Rin crawling into his bed at night, but it'd been two days since she'd come into his room. She was still angry with him over the time he'd snapped at her.

Inuyasha knew it wasn't Rin's fault, but he was so frustrated with Miroku and Kagome. They were relying on him for something, and he had no idea what it could be, either. He was so angry and confused, he didn't know what to do.

Kagome was upset, he knew why. He didn't know why he cared, either. Miroku said that Kagome liked him. He frowned deeply. Who would like him? He was a jerk, and he knew it, too. He'd never really been nice to Kagome for a long interval of time.

He folded his arms behind his head, cushioning his black hair and frowning deeply.

Kagome was his friend and so was Miroku. Well, at least they were. Inuyasha wasn't sure why he felt empty when he thought about that. He'd been just fine without friends. What was it with the Higurashi family bloodline to want to inject themselves into his life? Miroku and Kagome were both similar in many ways; they refused to let him live his life in solitude.

"Keh," he muttered to himself. "This entire thing is stupid."

Miroku completely overreacted. He knew that, too. But he couldn't blame him. He was very protective of Kagome, and, from what he'd heard from the two cousins, Kagome's life wasn't a romp around the park, either. It was understandable that he'd be defensive.

'But still,' he thought miserably as he touched his sore stomach, 'He didn't have to kick me so hard.'

He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. Something was missing. He felt empty. And alone.

"So Kagome likes me," he told the ceiling after opening his lavender eyes. The ceiling didn't respond. He wasn't expecting it to. "She really must be an idiot, huh?"

He didn't find the situation as funny as it could have been.

He bit his lip. "But I don't like her, so it doesn't matter."

He paused.

"God damn it."

The door creaked open and Inuyasha lay dead still. He watched as Rin padded across the length of his room, grasping her teddy bear and looking very unsure about herself.

"Inu-oniichan?" Rin prompted as she stared at her cousin, assuming he was sleeping. She bit her lip.

"What?" Rin jumped, surprised to see her cousin turn his head and look at her. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

Rin shook her head quickly and smiled at him, her brown eyes glowing from the streetlights streaming in through his curtains.

"Can I sleep with Inu-oniichan?" Rin whispered. Inuyasha sighed and didn't respond. He scooted away, lining up against the wall.

That was all the invitation she needed. She crawled into bed and snuggled under the covers, gripping her stuffed animal and cuddling into the warmth of her cousin's bed, his scent saturating the pillow comforting her.

"You're not mad at me anymore?" Inuyasha questioned quietly, watching his sleepy little cousin.

Rin shook her head and giggled. "No, I know that it wasn't Inu-oniichan's fault. I forgive Inu-oniichan."

Inuyasha stared at Rin for a long moment before a tiny shadow of a smile graced his lips. He sighed and laid his head back down on the pillow. Sometimes he wondered if Rin was the only person that really understood him.

He reached out a hand and brushed her brown-black bangs away from her face. She laughed quietly, a small, breathy giggle.

"Sleep well, Rin," Inuyasha murmured, patting down her hair.

"Goodnight, Inu-oniichan," Rin returned, yawning hugely and exposing the small gap in her mouth where a new tooth was growing in, taking away Rin's lisp.

Inuyasha stared at the ceiling long after Rin had fallen asleep, his mind heavy with thoughts that wouldn't dissipate for the night.

"This is Kagome's house," Inuyasha whispered as he stared at the hastily scribbled address on the small sheet of paper. He'd looked up the address in the student directory, and now here he was, wasting a perfectly nice day off (Rin was at her friends', too, which brought a whole new meaning to 'day off') and yet, he was trying to find Kagome.

Why did he want to talk to her, anyway? He'd let her run away that day at his work…

He grumbled to himself and scratched the back of his neck. He knew that he had to talk to her. If it really was his fault that she was sad, then he'd have to make it better, if only to appease his conscious. He also knew he didn't like seeing Kagome so sad and Miroku pissed off. He hadn't spoken to Miroku since the fight, partially because he was stubborn and also because he knew that Miroku must be pissed if he were willing to actually fight against him. Miroku always struck him as a happy guy who would save a spider rather than kill it.

He knocked on the door and stood there awkwardly, wondering what he would say to Kagome once he saw her. She hadn't returned his phone calls when he'd requested babysitting Rin, but he hadn't expected her to call back for that if she were upset with him.

"I'll make it better," he promised himself, staring at the sheet of paper again to make sure he'd gotten the correct address. It was correct. He knocked again.

He was about ready to leave, frustrated, when an elder man opened the door and stared at him skeptically. Dark eyes regarded the black-haired teenager and Inuyasha realized that he was about to walk into an awkward conversation. So be it.

"I, uh, hi," he said stupidly.

The man frowned. "How may I help you?"

"My name's Shinkanshi Inuyasha, I'm a classmate of Kagome's," Inuyasha started. The man's eyes darkened and his frown deepened. Inuyasha's own frown intensified. "May I speak with her?"

For one brief moment the man looked sad.

"Kagome isn't here anymore."

Inuyasha stared at him in shock. "Why the hell not?"

The man seemed alarmed by his brash nature. No doubt Inuyasha looked like a punk in the man's eyes. His hair was unkempt, he hadn't bothered to brush it, almost looking like he'd spiked it. He was wearing dirty, wrinkled street clothes and the earring in his ear always set people off in assuming he was a yankee. That, and his brash nature.

"She moved out," the man said tensely.

"Why?" Inuyasha asked, awed. "I mean… where can I find her?"

"Why do you need to find her so quickly?" the man questioned, looking miserable.

Inuyasha paused. He didn't want to come out and say that he was worried about her. That would be stupid, and make him look like a pansy, or something. He didn't want to say that she was his friend. He must have looked fearful of what to say next because the man stepped aside.

"Please, come inside, won't you?"

Inuyasha had no choice but to obey. He stepped inside awkwardly and followed after the man. Inuyasha swallowed a lump in his throat, unsure what to make of the situation. He'd never been inside Kagome's house. Well, old house. He followed the man he assumed was Kagome's father down across the interior of the apartment until they reached a room that Inuyasha supposed was his office.

"Have a seat," the man beckoned with a wave of his arm. Inuyasha sat awkwardly after the older man sat down. He fidgeted. "Now, then, what is it that you need with Kagome?"

"I, uh…"

"Please be honest," the man urged, his eyebrows slanting downwards.

Inuyasha swallowed.

The man folded his hands and rested his chin on his knuckles, observing the fidgeting nineteen-year-old. He smiled in what Inuyasha supposed was supposed to be acomforting manner but only served to make Inuyasha feel even more uncomfortable. What was he doing here? It was a mistake to enter the house in the first place.

"Are you a delinquent?" the man questioned suddenly. "Has Kagome been doing something illegal with you?"

"What?" Inuyasha exclaimed, looking alarmed. "No! I'm her employer. She baby-sits my cousin."

"Oh," the man said, looking surprised. "I apologize, I thought Shinkanshi sounded familiar."

"Why would Kagome be involved with delinquents?" Inuyasha muttered to himself but quickly shook his head. "Why isn't Kagome here?"

The man sighed. "I kicked her out."

"What?" Inuyasha marveled, his eyes widening.

Mr. Higurashi frowned and gave the boy a dark look. "Are you going to preach to me on the proper way to be a father, Shinkanshi?"

"N-no," Inuyasha said and silently cursed himself for stuttering. He couldn't help it. Kagome's father was intimidating, especially under the circumstances. He knew it'd been a mistake to come here.

"I know I'm a terrible father," the man said suddenly, surprising Inuyasha again. He sighed deeply and buried his head in his hands, shaking his head. "I'm a terrible man."

Inuyasha couldn't deny that. From what he'd heard from Kagome and Miroku, he was an unobservant, self-centered adulterer.

"I, more than anything, didn't want Kagome to turn out like her mother. Her mother… she was so carefree and crazy. She did so many things, made many enemies."

"Why are you telling me this?" Inuyasha whispered.

The man paused and sighed. "I think I just need someone to justify my actions to."

"I'm not even twenty," Inuyasha said.

"But you already have an opinion of me, yes?" the man countered.

Inuyasha shrugged.

Kagome's father continued.

"I met Kagome's mother when she was a prostitute… and I fell in love instantly. Perhaps I married too quickly, too soon. But before I knew it, we had a daughter. Kagome. She was beautiful. But I always wondered if she were truly my daughter. I looked nothing like her. Kagome looks exactly like her mother." The man sighed and rubbed his temples.

Inuyasha stared in shock, truly wondering why the man was telling him all this. He didn't interrupt. He was fascinated by the man's history.

"I began to hate her," her father said at last, and the weight of the words seemed to hit both of them full force. "I began making excuses to never see her and distance myself from her and our daughter. I began to loathe Kagome for the mere fact that she may not be mine and looks exactly like her mother."

"You're a fool," Inuyasha said instantly, ignoring the man's deadly glare at the boy's harsh words. "Have you ever looked in a mirror? Kagome may be different, but I can see her in you. You two have the same jaw lines and the same ears. Or are you completely blind?"

The man touched an ear idly.

Inuyasha stood up. "I should be going."

"Wait," the man said, standing as well and walking around the desk that separated them. "At least have some water before you leave. You look pale."

Inuyasha frowned but relented, following after the man that dared to call himself Kagome's father. How could a man be so cruel to Kagome?

Inuyasha froze in his tracks, his eyes widening. Who was he to say such words? Hadn't he treated Kagome just as badly as her own father? Wasn't he just as terrible? Wasn't he a shameful person in Kagome's life, too?

He clenched his fists. No, he would not compare himself to that man. Never.

"Abi, you're here?" Inuyasha heard Mr. Higurashi say.

Inuyasha turned the corner and saw Abi, the dreaded stepmother, for the first time. The first thing he noticed was that Abi as incredibly beautiful, even when weighed down with a child. The next thing he noticed was that she wasn't nearly as pretty as Kagome. He felt his cheeks turn pink at that thought and silently scolded himself for such schoolboy-like thoughts.

"This is my fiancée, Higurashi Abi," Mr. Higurashi introduced. "She's already changed her name."

Abi smiled. "And you are?"

"This is Shinkanshi Inuyasha, the man Kagome baby-sits for," Mr. Higurashi spoke before Inuyasha could.

Abi sighed. "I'm sorry that you have to put up with Kagome, Shinkanshi-San."

Abi was young, Inuyasha realized. Too young. Far too young to be with a man like Mr. Higurashi. Inuyasha felt unnerved standing before the odd couple and wished for the umpteenth time that he'd never come into the apartment and had just asked for Kagome's new address.

"Kagome is a bit of a problem child, I must admit. If I were you, I wouldn't let her near your child," Abi was saying and Inuyasha snapped back to attention. "Who knows what Kagome would do to your children if you weren't paying attention? I wouldn't put it past her to kidnap them or sell them?"

Mr. Higurashi sighed and nodded his head. "I fear that Kagome has been a bit of a problem ever since her mother died." He touched Abi's hand and interlaced their fingers. "She's always been angry, I suppose."

"How would you know?" Inuyasha hissed. "When have you ever looked at her?"

The couple paused and stared at Inuyasha in shock, surprised to hear such words coming from the boy. Inuyasha was livid, glaring at the two of them like they'd done something terrible. Perhaps they had.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot sympathize for you," Inuyasha said harshly, fists clenching. "You should know that guilt trips only make me really angry. You're right. You're a terrible father. You've probably ripped Kagome to shreds for things that she's never done. You hated her for being born? Whose fault is that?"

Inuyasha snarled and glared at the man.

"You make me sick. You should be ashamed of yourself. Of both of you," he said, turning his attentions towards Abi, who stared at him in shock. "Do you find pleasure in ripping down a teenager? A teenaged girl who's never done harm to anyone?"

Why was he defending her?

Inuyasha wasn't sure.

"How dare you destroy the one girl who would sacrifice anything to make you happy? How dare you destroy the happiness of that girl?" Inuyasha felt himself growing angry. "You make me sick."

"You don't know Kagome like we do," Abi began.

"I know her a hell of a lot better than you do, apparently," Inuyasha snapped. "I know that I could trust my life to Kagome, and Rin's life, too. I know that Kagome wouldn't hurt a fly. I know that Kagome would do anything to make us happy. I know that Kagome cares and is loving. I know that Kagome loves you, even if you're a complete asshole to her."

He paused, knowing that the same rang true for him. Kagome liked him, supposedly, even though he was a complete ass to her. He bit his lip. Miroku was right. He had been blind.

"Kagome raised her hand to me, you know," Abi stated, looking smug. Inuyasha wondered why they both wanted him to agree with them on this entire ordeal.

"I'm sure you deserved it," Inuyasha snapped. Abi gasped. "She should have punched you, I think."

Abi looked completely scandalized. "Did you hear what he said to me?" she demanded, tugging on her future husband's shirt sleeve. "This boy really is a delinquent. Quickly, call the police!"

The man stared at Inuyasha. "I think it's best if you leave, Shinkanshi."

Inuyasha snorted. "I hope you're ashamed of yourself, bastard. You've probably made Kagome cry more times than I have."

The man's eyes narrowed. "Leave my house now."

Inuyasha turned on his heel and started for the door. He paused halfway there and turned to look at them over his shoulder.

"If you weren't Kagome's father," he said tensely, "I'd make you sorry."

With that, he slammed the door shut.

Inuyasha left from the meeting completely unnerved and with no clue as to Kagome's whereabouts.