Daughters
Chapter Fifteen: Fall Away

Kagome wiped her eyes and set down the last of her picture frames, staring down at the picture of little Rin waving up at her. She'd taken the picture a week ago, and she'd gotten the film developed. She loved Rin. She traced her finger along the curve of Rin's cheek and a new tear splashed along the surface of the coffee table.

She knelt down and grasped the frame to her chest.

"Why can't I be happy like you? Why can't I have an older brother like Inuyasha? Even if he's a jerk, at least he cares for you," Kagome said, suppressing a broken sob.

She sat in the middle of her tiny, one-room apartment, funded by her father, nearly three miles away from her old home. The room housed her kitchenette, living area, and her futon, folded and motionless in the corner. Down the hallway Kagome could locate a community bathroom and laundry room. She wheezed as she gasped for breath.

"I guess this is for the best," she whispered to the grinning Rin, staring up at her through a plate of glass. "No matter how much it hurts. He's still my dad, you know?"

A knock came at the door. Kagome perked up, blinking. Standing up and wiping her blue eyes, Kagome padded across the length of the old, carpeted floor and reached for the door, opening it to reveal Sango.

The tears came freely then as she flung herself into her best friend's arms. Sango gladly received her, hugging her tight and shutting the door behind her. She cradled Kagome kindly in the foyer, not caring that her best friend was dampening her shoulder or wrinkling her shirt. She patted Kagome's back and stood there with her, letting the girl take comfort from her shoulder.

"Lovely day," Inuyasha's grandfather mused. Inuyasha sighed and shrugged next to him, staring out over the Tokyo horizon. His grandfather rocked in his chair, the legs of the chair scraping across the balcony. "You can tell summer's in the air. The fireworks festival will be soon."

"Yeah," Inuyasha said lightly, watching the high noon sun. "I guess so."

"Rin's birthday is soon," the old man said suddenly. Inuyasha blinked in surprise. "July twenty-second."

"Cancer, eh?" Inuyasha whispered.

"I had no idea you were fond of the zodiac, Inuyasha," his grandfather said, chuckling.

Inuyasha frowned. "Oh, shut up," he muttered, "I do not care about that zodiac shit. It's for girls."

His grandfather laughed again and sipped his cup of tea peacefully, letting the warm sun soak into his tired skin and bones. He hummed as he shut his eyes and sighed dreamily, enjoying the rare peace of the city.

"How is Rin?" his grandfather asked suddenly. He was always concerned for Rin's wellbeing. "You've been treating her well, haven't you? Nurturing her?"

"She's fine," Inuyasha said curtly.

"You're feeding her okay?"

"Yes, she has three meals a day."

"She sleeps well?"

"She hogs the entire bed when she comes at night," Inuyasha muttered. His grandfather eyed him. "She likes to sleep next to me, okay? It's not perverted or anything."

"You smoke or drink in front of her?"

"I don't smoke or drink, gramps," Inuyasha muttered.

"She's doing well in school?"

"Haven't we had this conversation before?" Inuyasha snapped out, hating the third degree interrogation and hating his grandfather for all the attention. "Geez, you'd think I was a criminal or something."

The man chuckled after a long pause. "Yes, how silly of me."

He took a sip of his drink.

"And how is that friend of yours, Kagome-Chan, was it?"

"God, don't call her Kagome-Chan, that makes you sound like a dirty old man," Inuyasha said, rubbing his forehead. "And I have no idea how she is. I haven't talked to her in a week and a half. She fell off the face of the earth or something. I went to her house, but her father, the fucking bastard, kicked her out."

"Oh my," the older man whispered.

"I have no idea where she was is, and I pissed off the Higurashi bastard and his arm candy so much I wouldn't dare going back and demanding where Kagome is. They'd slam the door right in my face, or call the police. I supposedly 'threatened' the stupid bitch, Abi."

Inuyasha could see where Kagome's distaste for her family stemmed from. At first, he'd thought she was exaggerating, and just didn't like Abi. But truly he could sense the wickedness in Abi, and her father was near impossible to cooperate with. He was surprised that Kagome could be so kind and caring after living in such an atmosphere for four years.

'She has the patience of a saint, I suppose,' he mused silently to himself.

"Why haven't you found her yet?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha questioned, giving his grandfather a skeptical look. "What are you jabbering about now? Are you senile?"

"She's your girlfriend, isn't she?" the old man questioned. He watched the way Inuyasha started in his chair and nearly fell off it.

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha felt his cheeks turn pink and stubbornly turned his face away, watching the pedestrians far below scurry around like ants. "I do not like Kagome. She's just Rin's babysitter. God, just because I hang out with her doesn't mean we're going to get together."

The man's eyebrows quirked. "You're defensive about it."

"That's because it's not true!" Inuyasha snapped. He crossed his arms and glared at the horizon beyond, feeling his anger stir within him. Boiling.

It was hot today.

"Do you need to talk to her?" he asked after a long moment.

Inuyasha sighed. "She's angry with me. I think. I don't know what I did. I think it has to do with her father, though. It wasn't my fault, whatever it was. I just didn't do something. Miroku mentioned something about how the problem was in how I didn't do anything."

He frowned.

"Miroku says that Kagome likes me." Inuyasha paused and let the idea swim in his confused mind. He'd been stirring the idea in his head for days now. The mere idea of Kagome liking him didn't seem too farfetched anymore. He realized that it was completely probable. Provided Kagome had bad taste in guys.

The way she looked at him, with her blue eyes shining and her lips pulled into a smile. The way she seemed to always be there. Behind him. Like she said she was. The way she wasn't afraid to stand up against him when he was an idiot proved she actually had a brain between her ears.

"I don't know why she'd like me…" he muttered.

"You don't have a lot of confidence in yourself, Inuyasha," his grandfather soothed. "You're always looking for the bad qualities in humans, especially yourself. You always fail to see the good things in people."

He turned over his shoulder and smiled at Rin, who sat on the couch watching television. The girl felt her grandfather's gaze and looked to him, grinning brightly before returning her attention to the cartoon she was watching.

"You're senile," Inuyasha decided.

"I know that my grandson is loyal," the old man wheezed out, fanning himself in the warm sunlight. He sighed softly. "I also know that he cares deeply for those close to him, even though his pride disallows him to admit it. Why else would he humor an old, lonely man during his holiday?"

Inuyasha blushed at the unexpected compliments.

"You're also modest," the man observed. "Which is a very amiable quality in men nowadays."

"What's with the sudden complimenting party, gramps?" Inuyasha muttered, feeling uncomfortable, though strangely pleased with the man's words. He cleared his throat and kicked his feet out, balancing them on the railing of the wooden balcony ledge.

"Go find her," the man said suddenly. He stared at his grandson until he met his gaze. "Go find Kagome and talk with her. Things will turn out for the better, I promise."

Inuyasha frowned and stared at the sun in the sky, wishing it were nighttime, where he could at least hide in the dark and watch the invisible stars.

It'd taken some work, but he'd managed to weasel the address out of Mr. Higurashi. It'd cost him pride and dignity, but he had it clenched in his hand. He knew where Kagome was. It wasn't too far from his house. A good five mile walk, but he had to talk with Kagome. He had to set things right.

'Why do I care so much?' he kept asking himself.

He couldn't think of a suitable answer to that question.

Inuyasha walked down the narrow hallway, searching for the apartment number that belonged to Kagome. He glanced down at the address every so often, even though he knew he'd memorized it on the way over. Residences from other apartments filtered out occasionally, trailing down to the community bathroom at the end of the hall, walking towards the elevator to leave the complex, or just peeking out to see who it was walking down the hallway.

He finally located Kagome's number and cleared his throat. He spent a good few minutes staring stubbornly at the wooden door, unsure whether or not to actually go through with his plan. He didn't want to know and then admit he was wrong, that was completely unlike him. But, he didn't want Kagome tramping around talking about how he'd done something to her when he had no idea what it was.

Yeah, that was the reason why he was here. Not to help Kagome but to figure out what the hell he'd done himself.

He knocked three times and took a step away from the door, in case it swung outwards. He waited patiently until he heard the steady onset of footsteps. Finally, the door cracked open and Sango poked her head out.

"I thought you were on vacation," Inuyasha said as a greeting. Kagome had mentioned Sango and her family had gone away.

"We came back yesterday," Sango explained gently, pushing a finger to her lips to signal the need for silence. "Kagome's sleeping right now. She's exhausted. Would you like to come in?"

Inuyasha sighed and shrugged his shoulders. What was the point if Kagome wasn't awake? Relenting, Inuyasha slipped inside with Sango and slipped off his shoes. He followed after the girl and looked around the large, one-roomed apartment. Kagome slept peacefully on a ratty, old couch.

"Tea?" Sango offered, holding up a tea pot. "Kagome and I made some a few minutes ago, it's still warm."

"Uh," Inuyasha paused. "No thanks."

There was an awkward silence between them, mostly because the only link they shared was sleeping on the couch with tear-stained cheeks. He sat at the small table with Sango, watching her idly as she sipped a small cup of tea.

"I hope she wakes up soon," Sango said at last. "I need to leave soon, and I'd hate to leave her while she's sleeping."

"So wake her up," Inuyasha grumbled, eyeing Kagome.

"I can't do that. She's finally calmed down a bit," Sango said with a tender sigh. "What her father did… it ripped her apart."

"I thought she didn't like her dad," Inuyasha said, looking at Sango and watching her take another small sip of her tea.

"She loves her dad," Sango whispered miserably, looking heartbroken. "A daughter almost always loves her father. She didn't know her father very well, but she's lived with him for four years, and the mere idea of having a father made Kagome happy. She loves her father, no matter what he does to her. But he's so blind, he rips his daughter's heart to shreds."

Inuyasha sighed and rubbed his forehead. "But he's such an asshole."

"You've met him, I take it," Sango said tenderly. "Yeah, he's not a nice man. But do you think that matters to Kagome? Kagome, for one thing, can find the good things in any living being and can love them for it. Besides, it is her father, and the only immediate family she has left."

Inuyasha thought of Rin, nestled at her grandfather's place while Inuyasha was here. Rin and Kagome were similar, he realized. They could both put up with him and the other jerks in the world.

Sango looked at her watch and chewed her lip. "Shoot, I've got to go."

"I'll tell Kagome you said goodbye," Inuyasha offered.

Sango stood and Inuyasha followed. Sango looked nervous, looking between the sleeping Kagome and Inuyasha, standing with his arms crossed and looking quite disgruntled.

"Well…"

"I'm not going to take advantage of her, if that's what you're thinking," Inuyasha said stubbornly, his eyebrows slanting downwards.

Sango didn't say anything.

"I don't find Kagome the least bit attractive," he lied.

Sango sighed and relented. "I need to pick up my brother. It can't be helped, I suppose." She fished around the messy room, weeding between Kagome's empty boxes and clothing, searching for her own sweater and purse. Locating the missing objects, Sango straightened and gave Inuyasha s smile. "Thank you for coming, it will really mean a lot to Kagome once she wakes up. Tell her that I'll call her."

With that, the long-haired girl left the apartment, leaving Inuyasha alone with Kagome.

Inuyasha sighed and waded through the maze of boxes over to the couch, where Kagome slept. He sat down on the floor, just in front of Kagome, wedged between a coffee table and the couch. He stared at the picture frames on the table. He saw Rin, first of all, smiling and off-center. He saw Kagome with Sango and Ayame, wearing middle school uniforms. He frowned at the picture of her father, staring up through the glass as if having a picture taken was a complete grievance. Finally, he located a picture of what Inuyasha could only assume was Kagome's mother.

He could see the similarities at once. Mrs. Higurashi looked like an older version of Kagome with some variations to her face. He stared at it for a long moment, felt unnerved, and placed the picture back where it belonged.

"It really sucks to be you," he told Kagome's sleeping figure. Kagome didn't respond, but he hadn't expected her to. "I guess that… I know how you feel."

He surprised himself with those words. He blinked and stared at the pictures before them, all staring up at him as if judging him silently. But he did know how she felt. He, too, had been forced from his home unwanted by everyone. Unlike Kagome, however, Inuyasha had his grandfather for a couple years. Who did Kagome have?

He, too, had been pushed from his grandfather's home and gotten his own apartment at a remarkably younger age than necessary. Though his home was far more attractive than the dump Kagome had landed herself in.

Kagome stretched behind him and blinked her eyes open. She rubbed them and the blue orbs shifted over to the startled boy staring up at her. She jerked awake and sat straight up, quickly rubbing her eyes in case there were still tears.

"Where's Sango-Chan?" Kagome croaked.

"She had to go and pick up her brother," Inuyasha explained, eyeing the girl discreetly. "She said goodbye and that she'd call you."

"Oh," Kagome said awkwardly. She paused. "What are you doing here?"

"Do I need a reason?" Inuyasha said instead of what he wanted to say. He was worried about her. He stared at Mrs. Higurashi, smiling warmly up at him, trapped forever in the moment the picture was taken.

"No, I guess you don't," Kagome said shyly. "How'd you find me?"

"I asked your dad," Inuyasha groused. Kagome froze and he felt her nervousness roll off her in waves. "You weren't lying when you told me about them."

He turned in his spot and looked up at her, frowning thoughtfully.

Kagome offered him a tiny smile and got off the couch, walking away. Inuyasha followed after her.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Inuyasha demanded suddenly.

Kagome paused in her descent for the forgotten tea pot on the kitchen table. She straightened and clutched the hem of her shirt, staring at her feet as her bare toes poked at the carpet.

"I don't have a good reason for that," she admitted sheepishly. "At first… I was angry with you… but then I realized it was being stupid. I just haven't had the courage to call you or talk to you."

"That doesn't answer my question," he said firmly.

Kagome sighed. "Sometimes people put their hopes into someone, even when the problem is far bigger than one person can do. I didn't tell you anything. It was unfair for me to assume you'd help me without knowing what it was you had to do."

Inuyasha frowned at Kagome's honesty. She was always more forward with her feelings than he was. He would have danced around the mere idea of having relied on Kagome. Kagome shrugged and offered him a hesitant smile, looking uneasy.

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "It's been a hassle finding a place to leave Rin."

"I'm sorry," Kagome said miserably.

Inuyasha sighed. "It's nothing. You've been too busy with your own issues to have to worry about Rin and me."

Kagome smiled sadly. "Still, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Inuyasha said stubbornly and wishing he hadn't mentioned it, waving her aside and picking up the tea kettle she'd tried to grab before. He held it in his hand, staring at it. "It's cold," he said. "I'll make you some more."

"You don't have to," Kagome began.

"Shut up, I'm going to whether you want me to or not," he said and marched away, not listening to anymore of Kagome's protests. Kagome sighed and followed after him into the tiny kitchenette, hovering over him as he prepared tea. "I know how to make tea; you don't have to be worried."

"I know that," Kagome huffed, and a glimmer of her familiar attitude danced across her eyes. "I'm just making sure you don't burn down my home."

Home. Was this truly her home now? Kagome's face slacked and she turned her attention to the ground, frowning.

Silence fell between them as Inuyasha made the tea. They stood idly in the kitchen, waiting for the water to boil. Once it did, Inuyasha shooed Kagome away when she rushed to help and poured the hot water into a mug and teabag. Silence tapped between them as they waited for the tea to steep. Finally, he picked up the mug and thrust it out to her, nearly spilling tea all over his hand. Kagome took it gratefully and sipped.

He swallowed a lump in his throat and Kagome swallowed a sip of tea.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded once the tea was finished. Kagome blinked and stared at him.

"Tell you what?" Kagome whispered innocently.

"That this was happening," he said with a frown. Kagome observed him skeptically. "That your father was doing this to you."

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say because Kagome quickly ducked her head and he saw her back shake as she tried to suppress her tears. She gripped her skirt's hem and refused to meet his gaze. Obviously he'd attacked an open wound and Kagome wasn't really ready to talk about it yet. Standing in the apartment her father had banished her to probably wasn't helping, either.

"Why are you staying here, anyway?" Inuyasha felt himself getting angry at her supposed friends. "Why hasn't Sango or Ayame taken you in?"

"Sango has no room for me and Ayame's family doesn't have enough money to support another mouth," Kagome hiccupped, forcing down her tears. "My father won't give me money if I go and live with someone else. And I need his financial support, if only that."

She succumbed to another attempt of suppressing her emotions and ducked her head.

"What about Miroku?" Kagome shook her head; she had to stay here to receive financial aid.

Inuyasha felt his hatred for Kagome's father growing.

"What if I paid you more?" Inuyasha demanded. Kagome lifted her head and stared at him in shock. "I mean, I could give you a raise, and you could start saving up…"

Kagome shook her head. "I couldn't ask that of you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha growled, frustrated with the situation. "How can your father do this to you? Doesn't he care about you at all?"

Kagome cried out at his words and started shaking. She cried and wept, gripping herself for support. "But he's a good man…"

Inuyasha didn't have the heart to protest that, knowing that it would only crush Kagome under another bought of sadness.

"Kagome," he whispered, stepping forward. He felt awkward and uncomfortable and wished tenfold that he'd never come to Kagome's apartment and just left her with Sango. But then, she'd be alone now, he silently reasoned, and that would mean she'd be crying all by herself. He hated tears, but he figured that, if he was here, he could try and make her stop.

"He's a good man! I know that he's not being the greatest man right now, but I know that he cares for me and I know that I can never hate him for what he's done, no matter how much I hate what he's done. My dad didn't always used to be like this. Sure, he was a bit selfish… but the small instances I remember of him before his affair, he was such a kind and gentle man, and Mama always told me how much I reminded her of him! I love my dad, I can't hate him for it!"

Kagome cried out.

"But why did he have to do this to me? Why did he have to kick me out of my home? Maybe I could have learned to accept Abi! Maybe I could have been a better child! Now he's just kicked me out, as if he's erasing me from his family, as if he's afraid that I'll ruin his perfect life! Am I that unimportant to him? Do I matter that little?"

"Kagome…"

Inuyasha didn't get to finish for, like the time in the closet; Kagome launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his back, pressing her face into the comfort of his chest, drawing comfort from his scent and the steady thump of his heart (which spiked at her actions.) Tentatively, Inuyasha patted her back and let her cry, feeling his entire body tense.

"They're going to use my room as the nursery," Kagome whispered. "I heard Abi talking about it the night before I moved out. And my father agreed. Why did he have to do this to me?"

At that moment, Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to make Kagome's father pay. But, he also knew that Kagome would never wish any harm to come to her father, no matter how much he felt that he deserved it. Kagome would never want anyone to hurt him or anything bad to happen to him.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said again, patting her back. He felt her falling to the ground and he went with her, kneeling down and cushioning her fall. "I know how you feel."

She went with him, clutching to him like a lost child. She raised her eyes, gazing at him slowly, as if truly trying to comprehend what he was saying. Her bottom lip quivered and she sniffled softly.

"I was kicked out of every home I ever went to. And it ripped me apart." He was shocked by the raw emotion in his voice, and shocked that he'd actually said the one thing he'd never truly been able to admit. Did Kagome have this effect on him, or was he finally opening up with time? He swallowed, feeling exposed under Kagome's intense gaze.

"But you weren't kicked out by your parents." Her voice cracked.

"I know, but do you think I cared? I was eight," he shot back, wishing that she would just accept his empathy. Kagome nodded her head meekly and offered him an unconvinced, watery smile.

"I'm sorry."

"It killed me, Kagome," he whispered and his eyes weren't lying. Kagome felt her entire body tense up, knowing that he was telling her something he'd never told a soul. Her blue eyes stared into his lavender depths and she clutched his shirt sleeves like a lifeline. Outside, the sun was setting. "I was always kicked out. They only wanted my parents' fortunes."

"Inuyasha…" she murmured.

"They didn't love me, and I knew it," he hissed out, anger creeping into his voice. Kagome clutched to him harder, burrowing her head into his chest and restraining her emotions, knowing that Inuyasha had to let whatever he had to say out, and anything she had to say would break the moment he'd submerged himself in. "No one could ever love me."

She tightened her grip, her knuckles turning white.

"I just wanted to leave," he said at last.

"Leave?" she whispered. "Leave Tokyo?"

"No. Leave." The way he said it had a ringing finality in it. Kagome stilled and lifted her head, staring up at him, understanding dawning on her face.

Suddenly, the world seemed very delicate.

"Inuyasha… Did you… try to commit…?" she stammered out, unsure whether to really say it or to let the knowledge hang in the air. The question fell limply from her lips, lying on the floor like a dead dog.

There was a long, awkward silence. Inuyasha opened his mouth and shut it, struggling to say the words he longed to say and struggling with his own inner turmoil. He bit his lip and frowned thoughtfully, choosing his words carefully.

A pregnant pause hung, suspended in the air, hanging and rotating slowly around their heads, silently mocking them.

She could feel the silence creeping over them, crawling under her skin and clawing its way up her spine.

"Inuyasha…" she began.

"Yes." The single syllable punctuated the air, shattering the air around them like a bullet.

She bit her lip. She couldn't breathe.

"My grandfather stopped me." He looked like he wanted to say more, but looked very uncomfortable. "He just…" he sucked in air, "stopped me."

Kagome let it drop, staring at him in wonderment and compassion. Hesitantly, she reached out a hand and grazed his cheek. He clenched his eyes shut and gripped his knees, feeling shame roll off him in waves.

"I never knew," Kagome wept, not realizing she was crying until that very moment. She released her clutch on him and huddled her arms together, gripping her biceps. "I never knew. I never imagined. I never even thought…"

"How were you to know?" he questioned, watching her, awed.

"I could have helped. I could have tried to be friends with you sooner. I was just so scared. So nervous... I just…" she trailed off, thinking of Abi and her words. She cried out and ducked her head.

"You had your own problems," he murmured, his cheeks pink.

"But I should have…!" she trailed off, sniffling and crying. She made to stand up and run away, huddling away in her bathroom until she regained control of her emotions and could present herself to Inuyasha properly.

"Why didn't you tell me he was making you this miserable?" he questioned, grasping her wrists. He stood up, pulling her with him. He stared at her, silently demanding an answer for her decisions. He stared at her, refusing to relent his gaze. Kagome sacrificed her will and hiccupped painfully.

She said nothing.

"Why?" he demanded.

Kagome ducked her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hiccupped.

Inuyasha sighed. "Why didn't you tell me he was doing this to you?"

Kagome shook her head, tears sprinkling the ground like rain drops.

"You wanted me to help you," he whispered, "didn't you? That's why you were angry with me? That's why Miroku's been on my case. You've wanted me to stand behind you like you've stood behind me, haven't you?"

Kagome felt foolish. "I expected too much of you."

"Damn right you did," he agreed. "How can you expect me to help you if you won't even tell me what's going on?"

"Would you have helped?" Kagome shot back.

Inuyasha knew the answer. Where was all this concern for Kagome stemming from?

He saw the look in her eyes. He remembered Miroku's words.

Yes, he remembered now.

He released her wrists and touched her cheeks. She skirted away, hitting the wall instead. She kept crying. He followed her, touching her shoulders instead and gripping the bony structure. He saw her clenched eyes, boiling over with tears and spilling down her cheeks like small rivers.

"Don't look," she pleaded. She turned her face away.

"Why shouldn't I?" he questioned, touching her cheek again. He hated to be touched, but he'd banished his fear for the sake of Kagome. He didn't like to see her crying. He hated it when girls cried, especially when he knew that, partially, it was his fault.

He thought of Kagome's father again and felt his anger surge. How dare he do this to his own daughter?

"I'll be fine," Kagome said as her hands covered his own, silently pulling his hands away from her burning, wet cheeks. "It's going to be okay."

Why was she reassuring him? It should have been the other way around; he should be the one reassuring her and telling her that it would be okay. He didn't need reassurance and sympathy, Kagome was crying. Kagome was upset. Kagome, a girl who deserved all the love in the world, was banished away from her only family and left to fend for herself alone.

He grasped her shoulders and dragged her to him, holding her close and hugging her. Kagome gasped in surprise, never expecting Inuyasha to initiate a hug in the first place. He gripped her tightly.

"Inuyasha…" she murmured.

"From now on," he vowed quietly, almost so low that Kagome almost didn't hear him. "I'll be here for you."

Kagome clenched her eyes shut, thankful tears leaking from her eyes and a watery smile piercing her lips.

"It's going to be okay," he murmured. "I promise."

And everything fell away.