I feel guilty now…
Day 13 – The "Ugly"
It was about 4 in the morning. Inuyasha sat out on the back porch on the railing with one leg dangling over the edge. The moon shone brightly for only being about ¼ visible. Or maybe that was just the hint of morning on the horizon. But anyway, it was relaxing.
As Inuyasha sat there, he pondered on the thought of why he really wanted Satsuki to stay. I never really knew why I wanted her to stay, but now that she's gone, she feels almost like… a family member. I'd just grown to… like her? The hanyou sighed and swung his leg a bit. And having Kagome here… it just kind of completes the picture. Inuyasha heard the door open and Kagome walking out. "Hey."
"Morning," Kagome said walked over to the rail and leaning on her elbows. "Whatcha doin?"
"Nothing. Just couldn't sleep." Inuyasha worked himself off the rail and to a standing position next to Kagome. "I should be asking you that."
"Oh same here. I'm kinda homesick. Miss my brother jumping on my bed every Saturday morning to wake me up; my stupid fat cat that could suffocate someone; even my annoying Grandpa that only showed up once in a blue moon for visits," Kagome spoke. Her face frowned a little. "But I'm alright."
Inuyasha glanced at the girl next to him. "Trust a stupid girl like you to get homesick," the hanyou teased lightly pushing Kagome with his shoulder.
"Hey, it's not my fault. I didn't ask to come here. I hardly knew about it till I showed up here. Everyone's like 'pack your bags Kagome, you're spending 3 weeks with some hot guy'."
Inuyasha laughed a little. "'Some hot guy', huh?"
Kagome blushed. "Well, that what they said. I wouldn't say that, of course." She looked to see Inuyasha's "hurt" expression on his face. "I'd say more… puppy dog cute!"
"…Puppy dog cute?! There's a pun there, right?"
"Well, I guess you could call it that if you wanted," Kagome said tugging lightly on an irresistible ear. "But I wouldn't say that."
"Keh, whatever." Inuyasha turned his attention back to the setting moon and rising sun. There was a… romantic-y feeling in the silence as the two stood next to each other watching the sun come up. The pinks and oranges that began the start of the day reflected the mood. Neither one was sad or depressed, but felt content. The atmosphere of the day felt right to the two – standing there next to each other.
-
Inside, Sango and Miroku sat on the couch watching the two outside "flirt" as Miroku called it. "How come you got up so early?" Miroku asked pulling a blanket over the two.
"Well, I came to tell those two that they're going to a canoeing trip a few hours away. It'd be best if they left early," Sango explained.
The two inside let the moment linger before anything happened. Then the biggest moment of them all happened. "Would you like to go out to eat tonight?" Miroku asked.
Sango looked taken-aback. "W-what?"
Miroku turned slightly and scooted closer to Sango. "Would you want to go to dinner with me tonight?"
Sango stuttered for the right thing to say. "I-I well… I s-suppose… I'll be right back," she said getting up and walking to the back door. Did Miroku just ask me on a… date? She shook her head and opened the door. "Inuyasha? Kagome?"
The two turned around quickly. "Hey Sango. What're you doing here this early?" Kagome asked.
"You two have been scheduled on a canoe trip. We'll have the ride leave at 6. I just wanted to let you know that," Sango said walking inside.
Kagome looked at Inuyasha. "What about Satsuki?"
Inuyasha's eyes saddened. "We're going now."
Kagome got confused. "What? We can't go now! It's 4:30 in the morning! What're you planning on doing! Stealing the neighbor's newspaper?!"
"It's darkest just before dawn! And that's the time to steal your neighbor's newspaper!" Inuyasha joked. "Now hurry up before I defenestrate you!"
…Defenestrate?! Since when did Inuyasha use big words?! Kagome decided to try some big words of her own. "Yea, well don't embrangle yourself using big words!!"
Inuyasha stopped opening the door. "What was that? Big words confuse me."
"But you just… when you… Never mind." Kagome sighed. She followed Inuyasha inside and put on some more formal looking clothes. She met the hanyou at the garage door. "Well, you think we can find her today?"
"We better find her! I won't give up till I do. That girl doesn't belong anywhere else."
Sango walked by. "Where are you going?"
"We'll be back later, Sango. We're just going out for a bit," Kagome lied quickly pulling Inuyasha out the door. "Bye!"
-
"Couldn't you have told her the truth? It's not like you to lie to Sango?" Inuyasha asked as he sped down the morning streets. Luckily there were few cars to worry about.
"I guess you're rubbing off on me!" Kagome said cheerfully, letting her hair fly behind her. "And besides, I hate canoeing…" her once happy face went bleak; almost like a bad memory…
"You've hated a lot of the things we did. Is there a reason to that?" Inuyasha asked talking a left.
Kagome kept silent. Her hands kept folded in her lap now. Why… not again… I won't… not like last time with Dad… A small tear formed, but only proceeded to fall to her hand.
Inuyasha side glanced Kagome. She's crying… "Hey, no tears, k? No ones forcing you to do anything."
"It's alright," Kagome said with a fake smile. "It's a silly memory, really." She waved her hand like it was nothing. Inuyasha stared at Kagome a bit. She turned her gaze back to the road. "INUYASHA!"
He turned to the road and saw an oncoming vehicle. Though he was crossed over the line slightly. "OH SHIT!" he swerved to the right and managed to dodge the car by just inches. Black tire screeches showed visibly on the road. "What the hell was that guy thinking?!" Inuyasha turned the car off and grabbed his keys. Angrily he stomped off to the guy stopped facing back the other way. When he reached the door, he pounded madly on the window. "I WANNA HAVE A WORD WITH YOU!"
The door opened and out stepped…Koga…(let chaos ensue!) "What are you thinking dog breath! Driving on my side of the road! You outta be arrested for reckless driving!" Koga slammed his door and towered just barely over Inuyasha.
"You coulda let me know you were there by honking or something! It didn't have to be just my fault!" Inuyasha shouted giving a little shove to the wolf demon.
"Break it up you two!" Kagome said stepping in between the two and standing beside Inuyasha. "Just give it a break!"
"Kagome, I would have never intentionally hurt you, you know that," Koga said taking Kagome away.
Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched menacingly. "Just leave it. Come on Kagome," he said taking her hand and starting back to the car.
"Hey, I could press charges! Then what would you do! You'd be without a car! But I wouldn't want to leave Kagome stranded out here with you. So I'm gunna let it go. Be lucky you mutt face."
Inuyasha spun around. "Shut up you bastard. I don't have time to hear your bitching."
Kagome was in between the two of them again. "Stop it please…" she said rubbing her temples. "Inuyasha, don't you want to get to Satsuki's rescue?"
Koga stepped back. "You mean someone's gunna go after that brat? I heard they've got her locked up in that kooky aunt's house. That's the last I heard since I came back."
"What? Tell me what you know. I need to get to her."
Koga cocked his brow. "Maybe I shouldn't…"
"Damn it, tell me now."
"STOP YOUR ARGUING!" Kagome shouted.
Both males stopped and looked strangely at the girl. "Only if he stops…" they said at the same time. "YOU FIRST!" they said in unison again. Both then crossed his arms and "hmphed".
"Boys will be boys…"
-
Inuyasha and Kagome sped off in the opposite direction of Koga. "Well? What do you say?" Kagome taunted. The hanyou grumbled. "What's that?"
"Yea… thanks…"
Kagome smiled. "I know. Getting information out of Koga wasn't exactly easy either. Oh, take a right here."
With a sharp screech, Inuyasha made the right and kept going. "So, what building are we exactly looking for?"
"A large apartment building. That's where Satsuki's aunt should live." Kagome said looking on both sides of the street for the building. More and more cars were on the road now that it was getting closer to later in the morning.
"Stupid Koga… still won't forgive him…" Inuyasha said stopping at a light.
"Oh come on, it was an accident! He didn't mean to step on your foot!"
"Yea right! Did you see how he looked for my foot so he could step on it?! That bastard's gunna die before the sun sets today…" Inuyasha said starting after the light turned green.
"There it is!" Kagome shouted pointing to a large brick building. Many windows and ledges were incorporated in the structure.
Inuyasha quickly found a parking spot and was out of the car before he hardly had the vehicle off. "Come on!"
"Coming!" Kagome shouted running behind Inuyasha. "38 B!" she shouted, seeing as she'd be left behind little bit.
Inuyasha kept going till he got to 38 B. Without warning, he burst in to see Satsuki crying. "Satsuki!"
"'yasha!" the little girl shouted running to the hanyou. "Oh, 'yasha! I missed you! Take me away! I don't wanna be here!" she yelled crying into the shoulder of her hero.
"What's all the racket… for heaven's sake! Quick, call the police!" Rina shouted running back to the kitchen she'd just come out of.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted as she rounded the corner. "Inu-…oh…"
Satsuki gripped Inuyasha to a point of a blue face. "I… need… air…" he said quietly. The little girl loosened and stood back. "Hey," he said.
"'yasha, can I come live with you instead? I don't like it here. It's stinky and Auntie's not nice like you and Kagome are," the little girl said putting her arms around Inuyasha's neck.
"Kagome, go talk to her aunt. We've gotta talk this over," Inuyasha said standing up with the girl at his hip. "Satsuki, I need you to stay here. And don't think about moving, alright?" Inuyasha asked nicely.
"Yea. I can stay here."
Inuyasha set the little girl down and followed Kagome into the kitchen area where Mrs. Tenou sat crying in a chair with a phone off hook. "I … don't understand…" the woman sobbed into Kagome's shoulder.
"It's alright… really… Inuyasha just wants to talk some things over with you calmly and rationally, don't you Inuyasha?" Kagome asked threateningly glaring in the hanyou's direction.
"Uh, yea."
Mrs. Tenou sat up and dabbed at her eyes. "Well, while you have my attention, speak now before the police get here and I change my mind."
"Um, well… Mrs. Tenou… you see…" Inuyasha stuttered to explain his situation quickly. "On that cruise, your sister's daughter became an orphan, seeing as her mother was killed. And during that time… I became…" Inuyasha looked to Kagome for moral support (which she didn't give). "I became quite attached to your niece."
The woman sniffed. "What's your point?" she asked blowing her nose.
"Well… my point is… I would…"
"I would like to adopt her," Kagome interrupted.
What? Kagome… what're you?? "What?" Mrs. Tenou and Inuyasha asked at the same time.
"I would like to adopt your niece from you. I also became quite fond of her and feel I can be responsible. My eighteenth birthday is in a week and I feel that she will be well taken care of," Kagome explained looking to Inuyasha. "My mother and hired help will make sure she is well and in good health."
Mrs. Tenou was shocked. "What're you saying?" she asked shakily. Her handkerchief quivered as she blew her nose again.
"She wants to adopt your damn niece already! Get that through your stubborn skull!" Inuyasha shouted.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome glared daggers. That made Inuyasha sit down and shut up.
"But, I just took her in… I'm her respected foster parent!" Rina said still a little confused by the whole thing. "No! No, I won't let you!"
Downstairs, there could be heard a lot of racket. "Damn it… police are coming Kagome," Inuyasha said quietly. "Hurry up."
"Listen, Mrs. Tenou, I know you are probably thinking this is crazy, but there will be respected and highly trained helpers with the girl. Inuyasha, I'm sure, wouldn't mind giving a hand either…" Kagome smiled giving a quick glance at the peeved hanyou.
The police came in and rushed into the kitchen. "Keep your hands where we can see them!" one man shouted pulling Inuyasha up off a chair.
"Hey… what the hell do you think you're doing! Lemme go!" Inuyasha shouted resisting them.
Kagome didn't fight when they hand-cuffed her. "Give it up, Inuyasha…" she said as they walked them out of the kitchen and out the door.
"Wait," Rina said from her seat. "Let them go. They haven't done anything…" she said quietly. The officers looked confusedly from one to the other. "LET THEM GO DAMN IT!"
The men quickly released the two and backed off. "Thank you," Kagome said sitting back down in a chair.
Rina turned to one of the cops. "I'm going to need my lawyer about this one…"
"Yes, ma'am," he responded bowing and leaving; the other officers followed.
"So, what do you say?" Kagome asked. Her eyes pleaded yes with all her might.
The woman bit her finger. "She's just so meaningful to me… I don't know. She is my niece after all…"
Inuyasha got up quickly and left the small room. He walked to the living room where Satsuki sat on the edge of the couch with a small stuffed rabbit. "Hi 'yasha! You wanna play?"
The hanyou smiled. "No, I can't… I have something really big I have to ask you, you think you can help?" The little girl nodded and smiled real big. "K, I need you to come with me first." Inuyasha stuck his hand out for Satsuki to take it. She didn't hesitate and quickly took his hand. The hanyou squeezed her hand gently and smiled. I just…she's so… "Come on squirt." Inuyasha led her to the kitchen where her aunt sat conversing with Kagome. "Ask her," he said forcefully.
Mrs. Tenou looked bewildered. "Ask her what?" She looked at her trembling niece. "Satsuki? What's wrong?" she asked thrusting herself towards the girl to give her a comforting hug.
"Stay away." Satsuki said firmly, hiding herself behind Inuyasha.
"S-Satsuki? What's the matter? It's me, Auntie Rina?" the woman pleaded crawling on her knees. The little girl just tightened her grip on the hanyou's leg.
"See? She don't like it here; tell her squirt." Inuyasha said patting the girl on her back.
The little girl slowly came out. "Auntie? I … don't like it here," Satsuki said bluntly. The woman gasped. "And Uncle hurts me. When you go to work, he takes his belts an'…" the little girl started crying. "An' he hurts me…" she said rolling up her long sleeves to reveal long red welt marks. Everyone gasped.
"Satsuki? Why didn't you tell me?" Rina asked hugging her niece. She also let tears come freely now. "If I would have known…"
Satsuki pulled angrily away. "Don't be stupid Auntie! You do it too! You hated Mommy! You hated me!" she shouted running back to the safety of Inuyasha's leg. "You have always hated me!"
Mrs. Tenou looked a little upset. "Now, now Satsuki, I thought I told you not to talk about that when other people are here?" she said slyly. Her face twisted into a snarl. "Come to Auntie now and everything will be okay…" she held her hand out.
"…no…" Satsuki whispered.
"Come now and everything will be alright…" The woman coaxed, crawling closer. Inuyasha backed away. "What are you doing! She's MINE!" she said slashing a hand for the girl.
"You bitch! How dare you do something like this to a poor kid!" Inuyasha shouted picking the girl up and backing towards Kagome. "Kagome, take the girl and get out of here. Call the police back…" Inuyasha said hardly taking his eyes off the rising Aunt.
"K. But what about you?" Kagome asked taking the girl and walking slowly away.
"Don't worry about me…" Inuyasha said quietly. "Just go."
"K. Be safe…" Kagome whispered as she walked out of the battle ground. "Come on Satsuki. Let's go get… some ice cream!" She left Inuyasha with one last glance before disappearing from the apartment.
"So? Is this how you like to treat family? Like scum? You should be put away for abuse…" Inuyasha said smirking. He kept his distance from the crazed woman.
"That stupid bitchy sister of mine… she always had it better than me. Momma always liked her better. I just wanted to be the better for once…" the woman said glaring deadly at the hanyou. "I'm glad that my plan worked and she died. But that damn child of hers was supposed to die too…"
"What? You're saying YOU'RE the one who commissioned that attack?" Inuyasha asked. His smirk turned to horror.
"Of course it was me. I hired them to kill anyone who Naraku deemed worthy. Unfortunately for you… he failed…"
Inuyasha gasped. "What have you got against me?"
"Don't you know who I am you stupid boy? The woman that Naraku killed was your mother."
-
"This is good!" Satsuki exclaimed. She sat across from Kagome with a strawberry ice cream cone.
"You like it?" Kagome asked with a smile, taking a lick of her chocolate cone.
"Yup! I always liked ice cream! Mommy used to take me out to eat it all the time." The little girl took a lick around the cone edge.
Kagome smiled. She's such a sweet girl… no wonder Inuyasha likes her so much… I'm quite fond of her too…
"Kagome!"
"Hm?" Kagome sat up suddenly and turned her dreamy gaze to Satsuki. "Did you say something?"
"Yea! Where's 'yasha at? How come he didn't come with you?"
Kagome frowned at the girl's subject. I can't just tell her that her Aunt is a terrible person… "Well… He just… wanted to talk to your Aunt. He'll be here later, okay?"
"Okay!" Satsuki took a large bite off the top of her cone. "What kind of ice cream does 'yasha like?"
Kagome shrugged. "Dunno. You'll have to ask him when he gets here." She watched the girl eat… like a 7 year old… Well… she looks kinda like Inuyasha once you get to know her… Kagome furrowed her eyebrows. And… she kinda acts like him too… "Hey, you got some ice cream… right under your nose…" Kagome took a napkin and wiped the smudge from Satsuki's face.
"Thanks!" …Didn't do much good…
Can't say I didn't try…
-
"Does it all make sense now you little brat?"
Inuyasha stood flabbergasted. "She… she's my…"
"Only by adoption. Your mother adopted her after she left you." Mrs. Tenou sat on a chair now. She stared at Inuyasha with a gaze that could kill. "Inuyasha… she's your little sister…"
The police came charging in. "Rina Tenou, you are under arrest for child abuse." The handcuffs were slapped around her wrists.
"Think about it…" Those were the last words Inuyasha heard from HIS "aunt".
All this time… and I didn't even know it… M-Mother… "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises."
Inuyasha obeyed mechanically. I… I've got a… and I never knew… Mother… I thought she was… nothing makes sense… Without realizing it, he'd walked himself not too far away to the ice cream parlor where Kagome and Satsuki sat by the window. He watched as Kagome wiped a smudge of ice cream from her nose. The little girl smiled real big and kept eating… only to get more ice cream right back on her face. Inuyasha laughed. How… He opened the door and walked in.
Satsuki looked up and saw Inuyasha over the back of the booth. "'yasha!" she shouted jumping out of the booth with a runny cone in her hand. "'yasha." She asked stubbornly. "What's your favorite kind of ice cream?"
Inuyasha smiled. "Chocolate. Here, go get me one," he said handing her a 5.
"Okay! Um, can you hold this?" Satsuki asked handing him the soggy cone.
"Whatever," Inuyasha said ruffling her hair and taking the cone. The little girl ran to the front counter while Inuyasha walked to the booth where Kagome sat.
"What's wrong?" the girl asked when Inuyasha sat down. "You look like something happened?"
"Yea, the girl's aunt got arrested. And… she… she's my…" Inuyasha looked to the girl standing at the counter handing the man the 5 and getting some bills and coins in return. She carried the chocolate treat back with a big smile.
"Here, it's dripping," she said handing him the drippy cone.
"Thanks squirt. Here, go play some games," Inuyasha said handing her a bunch of suddenly-appearing quarters.
"Yes!"
"What were you saying?" Kagome asked after the girl ran off. "She's your what?"
Inuyasha watched the girl stick some quarters into a pinball game and look at the game – she being too short. "Well… I just found out she's my… heh, you aren't going to believe it, but she's my… little sister…"
Kagome slapped her hands on the table. "No way. You're kidding."
Inuyasha turned his gaze to look Kagome squarely in the eyes. "No joke," he said seriously.
Kagome sat back in her seat with a shocked look on her face. "I…I can't believe it… that little girl? Is your sister?"
"Ssh. She doesn't know yet. I don't know how to tell her that…" The hanyou frowned, and his ears showed signs of sadness; they drooped lower than their normal alert point.
"Hey, cheer up!" Kagome said punching Inuyasha on the arm lightly. "You just found a big change in your life! And you get to keep her!"
"But there's no proof that she is. My mom adopted her after she left me… I didn't even know about her…" Inuyasha said taking a large lick of his ice cream.
Kagome laughed a bit. "Aren't dogs not supposed to eat chocolate?" she joked.
"Oh, shut up." He glared back.
Satsuki came stomping back. "Hey." She said slapping the remainder of her monies on the table.
"What's wrong with you?" Inuyasha asked scooting over.
The little girl came and sat on the booth next to the hanyou. "I'm too short – and those boys are teasing me," she said pointing to the laughing boys in the game area.
"Oh they are? Are they?" He said leaning over the booth to get a good look at them. "Well, whadda ya say we go teach them a lesson?" Inuyasha said winking.
Satsuki laughed. "Okay!"
Kagome snickered. "Just be careful? Okay?"
"Don't worry! Everything's gunna be fine!" Satsuki said following Inuyasha.
"Well, well, well… what do we have here?" Inuyasha said cracking his knuckles.
Several of the boys backed off. "W-We're just having some fun!" one of the brave boys said standing up. He gulped in fear.
"Fun? Teasing a girl younger than you? I don't call that fun… I call that bullying. If you don't behave I'll have to start sharpening my claws on you…" Inuyasha threatened catching the sun's gleam just right on the tip of his claw.
The boys scattered in no time flat. "Wow! You're good…" Satsuki said admiring the hanyou's work.
"Eh, no problem squirt," Inuyasha said walking back to the booth. "Hey," he called back to the girl who had just about started a game.
"What now?"
"…I… I need to talk to you… alone…" Satsuki saw the seriousness in his eyes and nodded. She grabbed the last of her coins and followed Inuyasha to the place of his choice. He just chose a small secluded booth in the back of the parlor. "Hey kid…"
Satsuki took a seat across from her hero. "What?"
"You… do know that your mother has been…"
"She's dead? Yea… I know."
"Doesn't that make you mad?" Inuyasha asked.
"Well, yea. But I got you now! You're almost like… my big brother or something!"
Inuyasha frowned at the girl's statement. If only you knew Satsuki… "Well… what would you say if… you would come… live with me?"
"Really? You mean it?" the girl's head shot up from it's resting place on the table.
"Yea. If I would talk to some people, I might be able to… so. Would you want to?"
"YEA!" she shouted.
Inuyasha smiled. Good…
.:later on in the day…:.
"…And you understand the responsibility? She will be constantly under your care and supervision. If anything is to happen to her, you will be held responsible."
"Yea, yea… blah blah. Whatever. Just lemme sign."
"Chill, Inuyasha! Sheesh!" Kagome sighed from the side of him.
"There, she's all yours. We'll send someone in a few days to see how things are going," a man said taking the papers away and putting the pen back in his pocket.
"See ya!"
"You're real kind!"
"Keh! So? Who cares?" Inuyasha suddenly felt himself being pulled by the ear down to the ground. "Ow! What!" he found himself face to face with a brown-haired seven year old. "I still don't get it…"
"Her! She's the one who cares! If you wanna keep her, you gotta set a good example!" Kagome said releasing the sore ear.
"You think I really give a damn? Those guys don't have anyone else to send her to! She'll have to stay!"
"So. What are we doing first?" Satsuki said suddenly.
"Huh? It's only the middle of the afternoon!" Kagome shouted.
"So?" the little girl said crossing her arms… much in the fashion of a certain someone…
"Yea? So?" Inuyasha said copying the little girl. She smiled and laughed a bit.
Kagome sighed. "Never mind…"
Inuyasha and Satsuki waited till Kagome was gone around the corner before they looked at each other and smiled. "That was good!"
Yep… she's definitely a keeper…
.:---:.
A/N: well… was it good? I had a lot of fun with it… heh heh… I surprised myself with the whole sibling thing too…. But… they're only bro and sis by adoption, no blood relation… and if the whole adoption process was a little to fast, sorry… never known anyone to get an adoption… o well… they'dve been together anyway… so! Now it's final! Satsuki's got her hero "'yasha". They're gunna be together a looong time! And before someone asks, Inuyasha still never told her about the whole relation thing, so she doesn't know yet, I plan to include that next chapter… maybe…so… review!! ::cheese::
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