All's Fair in Love and War

Chapter Thirty

Back to Reality (A/N It's about time!)

Inu Yasha stood by the gates to Kagome's dwelling with Shippou in his arms. The cat purred, just happy that the rain had stopped. Inu yasha could tell that there was still more rain to come, but the intermission between rainfall was enough where he could get himself home safely.

"Are you sure you'll be fine walking?" Kagome asked again, for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past ten minutes she had spent saying goodbye

He shrugged it off. "I'll be fine." he said and offered her a small smile to reassure her. "I promise."

She grunted, obviously not satisfied with his refusal.

"What are you so worried about anyways?" he asked. "You shouldnít worry about me, I'll be fine." 'Besides,' he thought,' it's not the walk home that you should be worred about.' He almost laughed at the irony of the situation.

She sighed and played her fingers along the seem of her pajama pants she hadn't changed out of. "It's just ... I donít know! I shouldn't make you walk home! That's just so unthoughtful! Youíre our guest, Inu Yasha." she said smoothly. "And we should treat you like one."

"We?"

"My mom and I."

"Oh."

"Anyways, I guess if you really insist on going home by foot there's nothing I can do to stop you, but ..." she sighed and rolled her eyes. "If something happens to you I"m never gonna get over it.î

"And just what would happen?" he asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, pht, I don't know! Lot's of things. There's kidnappers and child molesters and crazy people weilding scissors. You never know what's out there." she stated matter-of-factly.

"If any scissor weilding crazy people come my way Iíll protect Shippou. And tell them it's not safe to run with scissors." He added the last part after some thought.

Kagome giggled a bubbly giggle and said, "And then what are you going to do? Put them in time out?"

"Yup." he quipped.

Kagome laughed again, softly. "Well, I still feel uneasy about you walking home but-"

"Inu Yasha!" Kagome's mother waved across to her daughters friend from her car door. The backlights of the automobile flashed red twice and the woman put one foot into the car. "You got all your stuff? I'm ready to go when you are. Kagome, you coming too honey?"

Inu Yasha, feeling as though some animal in his throat had replied for him, straightened his spine in a quick shuddering movement before relaxing it again and said back. "Okay." He didnt realize that Mrs Higurashi had accomplished in less than ten words what Kagome could not accomplish in ten minutes worth of arguing until what he said sunk in. But why did he agree so quickly? He wondered this as walked towards the sleek black car that Mrs Higurashi had already climbed into. Apperently no one told her that Inu Yasha had made a decision he wanted to walk home.

Kagome and Inu Yasha sat in the bucket seats in the back while Shippou sat in the front, giddy, as he looked out at the traffic. At the slight mention that he could get to sit in the front, the seat usually reserved for grown ups, he siezed the oppurtunity and begged to be allowed to situate himself there.

Kagome and Inu Yasha sat silently in the back seats, seemingly perfectly content to feel the bumps on the road and look at the passing cars. Inu Yasha had given Ms Higurashi general directions to his house and until they got a bit closer, he sat quietly. Kagome looked over at him and her gaze settled firmly on his face. He felt her eyes on him and it made him uneasy. He turned to her and they exchanged small smiles, and then they both turned their heads and looked out the window.

"So ..." Kagome started. "What's your house like?" she asked and Inu Yasha froze. He hummed nervously and turned towards her, then rubbed his face with his fist.

"Ah ... it's, um okay ... I guess." An arrow of guilt struck him as he lied to the person he cared for most.

"Hm. So, I'm guessing you just live with your dad ... since your mom ... is..." she dropped off there and waited for him to interrupt her.

"Yeah." he said, quickly and softly. He knew she wouldn't have finished, but he didn"t want to hear her say it.

Kagome persisted. "So, do you ... like your dad?"

Inu Yasha might have been able to lie the first time but now he felt sick to his stomach as he muttered an "Uh." It didn't mean yes, but it didn't mean no either.

"Hm." she hummed at the new wealth of information; and what wealth it was.

They sat quietly for a small amount of time before Inu Yasha began nervously, "So ... why ... why do you ask?"

"Just curious is all." she smiled innocently and turned her head to the seat in front of her. "I mean ... I guess I ... just wanted to talk?" Inu Yasha tugged the sides of his mouth and shifted uncomfortably. He didnít want her to know what he wanted to tell her so badly. Of course, he wouldnít tell her what really went on in his house here, in front of her mom, but the thought suddenly struck him; Would he ever tell her? And if he did, how?

He wondered to himself, how would she react if he told her? Would she be scared?- of him, or his father? And what if she tried to do something about it? He knew what his father would do if the found out others knew about him.

He looked over at Kagome, who was staring out the window, and felt a little pacified by seeing her face. She was happy and peaceful, as she almost always was. Inu Yasha wondered how she managed to stay so calm and carefree like that all the time. Then again, she hadn't been brought up like he had.

He began to dream a little while staring out the window until Kagome's mother interrupted him. "Inu Yasha, which street do I take from here?"

He looked out the front window. "Um, keep straight for two lights and then turn right. I can find my way from there."

Kagome looked over to him and their eyes locked for a while. Then, without a word, she slid over to the middle seat and wrapped an arm around his chest to rest her hand on his opposite shoulder, and her head on the one near her.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and she simply smiled, then closed her eyes.

After a few more directions, they were driving down his street. His heart beat nervously as they neared his house. They were only a block away. Kagome still had an arm wrapped around his chest and her head on his shoulder. Her hand was very warm.

They stopped at a stop sign and he knew they were very close to his house. He looked out the window and stopped breathing at what he saw.

Standing right on the curb, with a box of trash in his hand, was his father. Inu Yasha's heart beat faster and faster as the car sped towards his house (at an astounding 15 mph). He sat, fish-like, in his seat, and pushed Kagome off him as he leaned forward to grab Shippou. "Can you stop for a moment please." He said urgently. Kagome's mom stopped the car.

"Are we here?" she asked.

He opened the car door and put Shippou on the ground. "Meet me later. Near my window, kay?" Shippou understood why this was and, after changing into a cat again, bouded off towards a neighbor's house to hide for a while.

"Uh, my house is just ahead. See, that one." He said this and pointed to the rut.

"Oh."

Kagome's mother kept driving until she reached the man standing on the curb. "Oh!" she said excitedly "and that must be your father!" She opened a window and leaned over. "Excuse me! Sir!" The man turned to face the car and looked suspiciously at it. "Hi, I'm Kagome"s mom, you know, Inu Yasha's friend?" His father walked over to the car and squinted his eyes.

"Hi." he said and smiled socially. Inu Yasha wanted to melt away into the car seat when the man looked through the opened window at him. "You got my son?"

"Oh yes, he came over." she said and smiled. "He's a wonderful boy, so feel free to have him over any time."

"You behaving yourself well?" he asked in a gruff light hearted voice to the boy in the back seat. Inu Yasha merely grunted in reply and sunk downwards. "Good." He looked further into the car and saw Kagome. "And you must be Kagome."

Kagome smiled at him and nodded. "Uh-huh. Hullo." She extended an arm to him and he took her open palm and shook it abruptly, before she pulled her arm back.

"Nice to meet you Kagome." he said and smiled. Inu Yasha tugged at the corners of his mouth uncomfortably. "Well, get outta the car, Son." he said in fake affection. "We've got things we got to do."

Inu Yasha opened the door slowly and turned his body, putting his feet on the asphalt of the street. Kagome put her arm on his shoulder and the human contact made him flinch. "Good bye Inu Yasha." she said and smiled nervously. "See you Monday, kay?" she asked.

"Yeah, Monday." he said and tried his luck at a reassuring smile. He pulled his body, which felt as heavy and cold as lead, around the car and towards the man. He stood next to him and waved again at Kagome through the tinted windows.

"Bye Ms Higurashi." he said. "Thank you so much for having me over."

"Our pleasure." she said and smiled. "I hope you can come over again sometime soon." She gave him a sweet smile and then turned to the father. "You have a good weekend."She grinned and the turned the window up. As they drove away, Kagome crawled into the passenger seat. Her mother gave her a look and Kagome rubbed her forehead. "I felt it too." she said.

Inu Yasha watched painstakingly as the car drove off and disappeared from sight. He felt his stomach turn as his father softly hit the back of his hand on Inu Yasha"s shoulder. The boy was almost sure he was going to get a beating for disappearing like he did. Even though the man was not even home at all most weekends. And even when he was home, he usually wasn't even aware of that because of drugs, or alcohol. Inu Yasha knew that being punished for what he did wasn't rational, but his father was not a rational person.

"Come inside." he grunted.

Inu Yasha walked slowly towards the house, at least three steps behind the man. "Hurry the hell up. Pick your feet up." Inu Yasha hurried at comand and walked right behind the man as he stepped through the house.

The man walked straight to the kitchen and Inu Yasha followed. He reached into the fridge for a beer and opened it with his shirt. Then he sat down on the couch. After awhile of standing near the couch, Inu Yasha heard the man speak. "Goddamnit, Inu Yasha, either sit down or get away. Dont just stand there like a fucking ..." He took a sip of the beer." ... like a fucking ... I dunno. Just make up your mind." The boy looked at him strangely. He seemed more sedated than usual. When ever Inu Yasha did anything wrong, or even just differently, he was punished to the greatest extent available. He walked slowly towards the man and sat down on the couch as far away as possible from him.

"Ah-are you ... you're not going to-?" he didnt know exactly how to phrase his thought. "Usually when I leave the house, you..."

The man looked at him and raised a fat eyelid. "You want me to fucking hit you?"

Inu Yasha puched himself against the arm of the sofa. "N-no, I just I...I..."

"So, you, uh, went and got yourself some fucking .. some girlfriend? Huh? Kagome? Well good job you, fuck, thats one nice looking wench." he asked. "At least I know my son's not a ... not some- some fucking ... faggot. Err, queer or somethin'."

"N-no! Kagome's just my friend." he said, his voice growing quieter as the sentence got longer.

" 'Friend!' he says. Feh, there's only one thing bitches are good for, and it ain't being friends. So what, you haven't even like fucked her or anything?" he said and chugged a couple sips of beer. Inu Yasha presed himself against the sofa and felt highly uncomfortable.

"N-no." he stuttered. "She ... I wouldn't.. I mean-"

"What, did she turn you down?" he asked.

"No, I never asked her to be my girlfriend!" he fought back. "She's not that kind of girl!' He bit his lips together as he realized he was yelling.

"Liar, she turned you down didn't she? Because you... you got your- your weird little body and stupid silver-' He stopped briefly as he hiccupped. "stupid silver hair and your ... your goddamned ears and ... all that ... stuff." he said and took another swig of alcohol.

Inu Yasha turned his attention to the television. There was a football game on. "No. I told you. I never asked-"

"Will you just shut the fuck up and admit she doesnít fucking want you?" he said and threw a beer bottle at the boys toe. An insignificant ripple of pain shot through his foot and he pressed himself further into the sofa, afraid to get up, but also afraid to leave. "Yeah." the man said. "What would a .. a pretty young girl want ... want with the... with you. Fucking demon ... crap. Well, least your not no fucking queer or nothing. No son of mine's gon' be a ... a faggot ... son of a bitch." He took a sip of beer and nearly finished it.

"Shit, they lost. Goddamned football."

Author's Notes

Okay guys, I realized that 1)This story is moving too slowly 2)I REALLY need to update more often 3) I made a mistake making Inu Yasha's dad too unrealistically evil. Today, he musta taken some valium or something, because he's usually in a lot worse of a mood.

Well, I hope you leave me a review because I think my muse is deciding to take a winter break. Oh, and in regards to the contest, if I get your entry, I may not be able to put it on my bio because of the difficulty I have with putting links up in html format. Augh, I hate html!

Well, every one have a very happy nice christmas and new year!

I hope I have time to squeeze out a holiday themed one shot. (Where has all my time gone?)