Two days. It took two days of being pestered before she finally found time to meet with Sango. They just couldn't seem to line their schedules up. Between running the shrine and showing Inuyasha the ropes, it was almost impossible for Kagome to get away during the day. The weekends were their busiest times and by the end of the day, Kagome was exhausted. She just didn't have it in her to drag herself over there for a simple apology. It wasn't her fault Sango wouldn't come over with Inuyasha around.
Now that he could, they didn't see any reason he shouldn't spend more time topside. He'd met Sota on Saturday and that had gone exceedingly well. Her younger brother dragged Inuyasha to his room that night to introduce him to modern gaming. The two could be heard shouting, laughing, and, one or two times, tossing a controller across the room. How they managed to not break anything was still a mystery.
Her mother insisted that he join them for all their meals, claiming that he could use a break from cooking for a weekend. He still ended up helping with dinner both nights, learning a few new cooking tricks in the process. Kagome caught her mother on a few occasions reaching up to gently tweak one of his ears. Inuyasha would blush but he could never hide the soft look and smile every time it happened. "He has to have quite an affection deficit after living alone for so long," her mother claimed when Kagome asked her about it.
He'd even agreed to set a move-in date three weekends away. Not without stipulations, of course. He insisted on contributing around the shrine in any way he could: chores, heavy lifting, preparing meals, and whatever else they could throw his way. He wanted to contribute to the family that had sheltered him and helped provide for him since his life went to shit. The fact that none of them knew they were helping him all those years didn't seem to matter.
Today was his first day officially helping around the shrine so Kagome could finally meet Sango and hopefully put her mind at ease about the hanyo in question. Inuyasha agreed to let Sango in on his secret, albeit reluctantly at first. Kagome argued that if he were to ever have a shot at a normal life he would need allies to help him get there. He finally gave in, giving her an odd, hopeful look at the mention of normalcy that made Kagome's stomach flutter in an entirely pleasant way.
So here she was, sitting in Sango's kitchen, with Miroku present for some reason. Kagome nervously chewed her thumb nail, eyeing the couple sitting across from her. Inuyasha was going to notice the ragged nub and scold her but she just couldn't seem to stop the nervous habit.
"This was supposed to be between me and you, Sango," Kagome started. "Why does this feel like an intervention?"
Sango leaned forward and tapped her finger on the screen of the tablet lying between them. "I found out some things and shared them with Miroku. We're just worried about you. "
"Worried? About what? What did you 'find out?'"
"First, are Inuyasha and Dog Boy the same person?" Sango asked.
Kagome started at the sudden question and glared at Miroku. "You told her about that text?"
"Of course. I don't keep things from my girlfriend. After she told me what happened and what she found out later, I had to let her know. It was too much to be a coincidence."
Traitor. And after burdening her with his proposal secret, too. "Are one of you going to tell me what's going on? Obviously, it has something to do with Inuyasha…"
"Listen, Kagome, I don't know how to say this without totally freaking you out so I'm just gonna show you." Sango unlocked the tablet and slid it over to Kagome. "Read that article and please try not to panic."
Kagome picked up the tablet and almost dropped it when she saw the screen. The first thing she noticed was the faded picture attached to the article: Inuyasha, worried gold eyes staring out at her, in what was clearly a mugshot. "What the hell?" Kagome muttered and started reading.
Every sentence, every word, was like a little punch to the gut. She fumbled the tablet, almost dropping it again while trying to scroll through the article. It obviously wasn't true; Inuyasha would never…
"Kagome, I know this is upsetting, " Sango started.
Kagome whipped her head up, locking eyes with her friend. "You have no idea." She caught Sango's confused look before she turned her eyes back to the screen. Then she got to the part about his mother and her chest constricted painfully. Again and again, she read those few lines, each time somehow worse than the last. "Shit. He doesn't...he doesn't know that's how she died. It's going to crush him." Setting the tablet down, she squeezed her eyes shut and focused on not letting her tears fall. There was a crystal clear picture in her head of Inuyasha's eyes filled with pain and guilt as she told him what she knew.
She opened her eyes and looked at her friends who were exchanging worried looks.
"Don't tell me you feel bad for him," Sango said. "After what you just read-"
"The article is wrong. "
"Kagome, I know this is hard," Sango tried, "but the man murdered his father then let his mother take the fall for him. You have to get him away from your family and turn him in."
Kagome shook her head. "No, he didn't. He told me who killed his father. Hell, I've met the man who did it." She shivered remembering her encounter with Koga. "Someone must have set him up, framed him."
"Kagome, you know that sounds more than a little far-fetched, right?" Miroku asked.
"Wait," Sango interrupted, slamming her hands on the table, "what do you mean you met the man who did it? What the hell kind of lies has that asshole been feeding you?"
Kagome flinched, caught off guard by the outburst. "It was Koga, the one from the article. He found me, was hitting on me while I was shopping. Inuyasha warned me about him and told me to stay away from him."
Sango reached across and grabbed one of Kagome's hands. "And you didn't find that suspicious? Maybe he wants you to stay away so you don't learn the truth. I've read about Matsuno Koga; he's a private investigator, worked security for the Takahashi family back in the 70s. He was the one who found your new friend holding the gun. Or did you skip that part of the article?"
"I don't believe a word of that article." Her voice was shaking now and her hands were balled into fists so tight she could feel her nails digging into her palms. "You don't know Inuyasha like I do."
"You can't really know someone in only a month. He's obviously lying to you." Sango reached over with her other hand and tried to uncurl her fingers but Kagome jerked away.
"Don't," she ground out. "Why would my grandfather help him hide if he...if Inuyasha…" She couldn't even say it.
Her friends exchanged another look and Kagome wanted to shake both of them until they wiped those pitying looks off their faces.
"Innocent men don't hide," Miroku reasoned. "He was arrested and charged then he ran. I know this is upsetting but-"
"Stop, just stop," Kagome cut him off. "I'm going home to talk to him. I have to tell him about his mother anyway." She stood up to leave but Sango rounded the table and grabbed her arm.
"Please Kagome. What if he hurts you?"
She narrowed her eyes at her friend and yanked her arm away. "He's not going to hurt me. Have you told anyone about him? Anyone at all?"
Sango took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, I did."
Kagome's legs gave out and she dropped back into her chair. "Who?" Was that her voice? It sounded tiny, far away.
"The private investigator. I didn't...I only told him I might have information about an old case. I didn't go into specifics, yet."
"Yet? You can't…" An image of Inuyasha handcuffed and being dragged away from her, his eyes angry and accusing, flashed in her mind.
"I can and-" Sango was stopped by Kagome's phone ringing.
She pulled it out and saw Shippo's name so she answered. "Hey, Shippo. What's up?" She struggled with the words, trying to sound casual and failing.
"Kagome, are you alright? Where are you right now?"
"Um, Sango's house with her and Miroku. Why?"
"Listen, I have something to tell you about your new friend. Can I meet you somewhere?"
"Dammit, not you too!" Why were all her friends so damn nosey?
"What do you mean? Does someone else know about him now?"
"Yeah, that's why I'm here. Just meet me at the shrine. I have to talk to him anyway."
"Kagome-"
"No. Meet me at the shrine. Bye Shippo."
She hung up, cutting off his reply. "I'm meeting Shippo at the shrine so that should make you feel better." She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before continuing. "Don't fucking call Koga again. At the very least, give Inuyasha a chance to explain things."
"Why? So he can lie to us too?"
"Sango, stop! I swear, if anything happens to him because of that call, I'll never…" Never what? Never forgive her best friend for trying to look out for her? Damn, this was bad. "Please, just...you don't have to trust him but can you at least trust me?"
Without warning, Sango's arms were wrapped around Kagome. "I swear if he hurts you I will personally make sure he regrets every being fucking born." She pulled back, leaving her hands on Kagome's shoulders. "He gets one shot to explain himself. Until then, I won't call the investigator. But I don't fucking like this."
Kagome almost laughed at how similar Inuyasha and Sango sounded when it came to her safety. Hadn't he said almost the same exact thing not too long ago?
"Thank you. Give me some time to talk to him then come to the shrine, both of you."
Inuyasha was enjoying his new-found freedom. Sure, he couldn't leave the shrine, at least not yet, and he had to have this stupid concealment charm on all the time. But at least he wasn't cooped up in a bunker all day every day. The chores around the shrine were a welcome distraction from old, unpleasant thoughts and new, not-so-unpleasant but not exactly welcome thoughts. His mind kept trying to take him back to Friday, sitting on the bench, leaning closer and closer to the woman sitting next to him…
Fuck, he'd almost kissed her. If she hadn't stood up when she did he probably would have. He couldn't stop thinking about how her lips would feel against his, how she would taste. It was only going to get more difficult once he moved into the guest room. He would be surrounded by her scent constantly, see her every day, be able to hear her when he was lying in bed at night; he was screwed.
As if he could summon her with just a thought, her scent washed over him like a breath of fresh air. He stopped what he was doing so he could wander outside to greet her. The sight of her storming across the shrine, fire in her eyes, fists clenched at her sides, almost sent him running back into the shed he was organizing.
Then he smelled her tears and blood and made a b-line to her instead. "Kagome, what happened?" he asked, looking her over to locate where she was bleeding.
She looked at him, bewildered for a moment, then seemed to realize where she was. "We need to talk," she said and grabbed his hand to drag him away.
He caught her wince when her hand curled around his and noticed how tight her other fist was clenched. Her rigid posture, stiff gait, and pounding heart put his senses on high alert. Her scent, usually so clean, was muddied by confusion, upset, and...fear? Inuyasha growled, his thoughts immediately going to Koga.
She pulled him into the well house and slid the door closed behind them. "We'll talk in here. Shippo might be coming but I don't really care right now." She dropped down onto the top step and motioned for him to join her.
He settled next to her and took her hand to examine it. "Stupid woman," he said gently. "How'd you manage this?" Her palm was marred by several deep red crescents, some still slowly oozing blood. She'd been chewing her nails again and managed to draw some blood there too. He took note of how her hands shook and realized her whole body was trembling. "Kagome, what happened? Your palm...and what have I told you about chewing your nails?" he asked, his concern growing. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and gently cleaned her palm, holding it to the still-bleeding cuts.
She stared at their hands, his palm gently cradling her much-smaller hand. "I'm not sure where to start."
"Is it- was it Koga?" he asked, biting back a growl.
"No, it's Sango. She...she looked you up, on the internet. She found an article and...your mugshot."
Fuck. That kind of shit was on the internet? Why hadn't he thought to look himself up? "Kagome, it's not what you think," he said quickly. "I didn't- I would never! Please, you know how much I-" he couldn't finish any of his thoughts. She was going to hate him. For lying to her, for hiding things, for not explaining.
Her fingers lightly brushing over his cheek brought him back from his developing spiral. "Hey, I know, it's alright." She cupped his cheek and he let out a shaky breath. She flipped into comforting him so easily.
"You know I didn't kill my old man. I may have been a little shit to my parents sometimes but I...I loved them, Kagome. They were my whole fucking world."
"I know. I didn't believe anything I read about you. But Sango and Miroku did and they ganged up on me in her kitchen. They want me to turn you over to the authorities."
"They'll execute me," he said, meeting her eyes. "They won't even let me see the inside of a court. I'll be dead in my cell within days." They would only let him live that long so they could beat him a few dozen times, but she didn't need to know that.
She paled and swayed forward, her free hand braced against her knee. "There's more," she said. "The article mentions Koga. Sango...she called him."
Inuyasha jerked to his feet, ready to run away, or take the platform to safety and never come back. It was getting hard to breathe, thoughts of what could happen to Kagome if they thought she was helping him punching the air right out of him.
"Wait!" Kagome reached up and put a hand on his arm. "She didn't really tell him anything. Just that she may have information on one of his cases. I made her promise not to call him until after she talks to you."
He relaxed a little and let her guide him back down to the step by his arm. How was everything going to shit so quickly? "Maybe this was all a mistake," he said, putting his worries out there. "Maybe I should have just stayed in the well until I fucking died down there."
"Don't do that to yourself." Kagome placed a hand on his cheek and turned his face towards hers. "You deserve a chance to live and try to be happy."
"I'm putting you and your family in danger. It's not worth it...I'm not worth it."
"Yes, you are," she said, her hand caressing his cheek before dropping back into her lap. "Nobody is going to turn you in any way. Not if I have anything to say about it."
"They may not do it today but what about tomorrow? Or a week from now? If they're going to turn me in, I have to run." It would kill him to leave her but he would do it to keep her safe.
"You're not running anywhere. We're all going to sit down and straighten this out. Tonight." She sighed and slipped her hand into his. "Which means you're going to have to tell me about your past. We need to be able to convince them you're innocent."
Inuyasha ran a hand over his face and contemplated his current predicament. If he was going to tell anyone the truth, it would be Kagome. There was nobody else living that he trusted more than her, relied on more than her. He had others he could turn to, old friends he could find and seek refuge with. That wasn't what he wanted; he wanted to stay here, at the shrine, with Kagome and her family.
"I'll tell you everything," he said. "But it's gonna take a while. I'll tell your friends too so get them the fuck over here so I can get this over with."
"You don't have to tell them anything. I can-"
"It's alright," he stopped her. "I trust you so I'll trust your friends. Besides, I need to know they're not going to rat me out."
She nodded, her bottom lip trembling, the smell of her tears drifting across his senses. "Thank you," she said and leaned her head on his shoulder. "They'll come around, it'll be ok."
He wasn't sure who she was trying to convince.
"Go ahead and call them. We'll have a little time to talk before they get here, right?"
"Yeah, unless Shippo gets here soon." She pulled her phone out with the hand Inuyasha wasn't holding and sent a text to Sango. She got a response a few seconds later. "Well, we've got about 15 minutes before those two show up."
Inuyasha checked the time on his phone. "We should let your mother know we're going to have company, it's getting close to dinner."
"I don't wanna go inside yet," Kagome mumbled. She called her mother to let her know they were going to have a crowd but left out why.
"It's going to be a long night," Inuyasha said and squeezed her hand. He should have let go a while ago but holding her hand was all that was keeping his head on his shoulders at the moment.
"There's...there's something else that was in the article that I have to tell you about," Kagome said, almost too low to hear. "I wasn't going to tell you until later but I'm worried it may come up. You should hear it from someone who...someone you trust." She laced their fingers together, returning his gentle squeeze.
He felt a sliver of ice run down his spine, his stomach clenching. He wanted to tell her to stop, to keep whatever it was to herself. Because if it had to do with his past...
"It's about your mother."
Fuck, it wasn't going to be good.
"And how she died."
He didn't want to know. He had to know. She had to tell him.
"You weren't told the whole story."
Maybe it was better that way. Maybe he was better off not knowing.
"After you...escaped-"
She died. Quick and painless at the hands of a yokai looking for him.
"They arrested her and took her to a yokai prison."
"Kagome…"Yokai prison?No fucking way. They wouldn't play nice just because she was a human.
"They…"
"Don't, Kagome...Please." He sounded pathetic; a mess. Was he crying? Yes, openly.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Inuyasha."
"I can't...It's not...you're not the one who…" He couldn't get the words out. His whole body was shaking, he was trying so hard to hold it in.
He knew she was dead. He knew she died in an attack. He knew she was killed by yokai. He thought it was unexpected and quick, possibly even painless. A part of him always knew he was lying to himself but...
He didn't know she had been arrested. He didn't know she was thrown in a fucking yokai prison. He didn't know she'd suffered; they wouldn't have made it quick or painless.
His fault. Everything was his fault. He never should have left her. He should have let them take him away, let them end his life. At least then she would be alive. Then he wouldn't be left alone, hiding from people who thought him capable of murdering his own father.
He looked at Kagome and suddenly he could see the same thing happening to her. If he was found out and ran, what would they do to her? His vision blurred as more tears fell. He couldn't, wouldn't let that happen to her. Ever.
Kagome let go of his hand and got up to kneel behind him. She pressed herself against his back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her touch thawing the ice that was running through his veins. Her head lay on his shoulder and he could feel her breath, soft and warm, caressing his neck.
He couldn't let another woman he cared about get hurt because of him.
"It wasn't your fault. None of it was your fault. She did it so you would be safe because she loved you. She wanted you to live. You're not alone anymore, Inuyasha. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
It was like she could see directly into his heart.
He brought his hands up and grasped her arms, her skin soft under his calloused palms. Learning of his mother's suffering should have made everything worse, more painful, harder to face. And it had, at first, but Kagome's words reached a part of him that he'd thought was untouchable, shining a light in the dark recesses of his troubled heart.
For the first time since his mother's death, he didn't feel alone.
For the first time since his mother helped him escape wrongful execution, he felt safe.
For the first time since this all began on that lonely stretch of road, since he held his dying father and watched the life leave his eyes, Inuyasha felt like things might start to get better. They just had to make it through tonight.
He closed his eyes and accepted her comfort. They stayed that way, neither of them speaking or moving until they heard voices outside. Nobody knew where they were and, given their opinion of Inuyasha, they may be assuming the worst.
"Hey," Inuyasha croaked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "We should go before your friends call the police." It was meant as a joke but it didn't feel like one.
Kagome gave his shoulders one more squeeze and pressed her forehead against his neck. "You sure you're up for this? I can make them wait."
"Nah, I'll be alright." As long as I have you. He didn't deserve her.
Kagome stood and he immediately missed the contact. He scrubbed hastily at his face knowing he would still look like a blubbering mess. They made their way outside and found all three of her friends standing together in the middle of the shrine, talking to each other in low voices.
"You ready for this, dog boy?" Kagome asked before they reached the group.
"As ready as I'll ever fucking be. Let's get this over with."
Sango noticed them approaching first and gave Inuyasha a look that would have sent a lesser man running. The other two took notice and sent him similar, though slightly less intense looks. This was starting out well.
"Too afraid to show your real face, dog?" Sango sneered.
The growl that welled up in his chest was completely involuntary. "You gonna let me explain myself before you start spouting more shit?" Why was Kagome friends with this bitch?
Sango scoffed. "Why should I let some piece of shi-"
"Sango, my dear, maybe we should-"
"Guys, we're still standing in the middle of the shrine."
"Would you all knock it off!" Kagome's voice cut everyone off. "We're going inside and you're going to give him a chance to explain everything. So quit insulting him and giving him dirty looks until you know the whole story."
Kagome grabbed his hand and started dragging him towards the house. He heard the other three following closely behind, probably waiting for him to lose his shit and start murdering everyone. Assholes.
They ended up in the kitchen gathered around the table. They gave Mrs. Higurashi a brief explanation and she joined them, sitting directly across from her daughter and Inuyasha. The prospect of revealing his past to so many strangers was daunting and adding Kagome's mother to the group wasn't helping. Kagome slid her chair close to him so at least he'd be able to easily reach out and touch her if he needed to ground himself.
"Well," Sango said, and would she ever stop fucking glaring at him? "You gonna explain yourself now?"
"Yeah, I'm getting there. Sorry if I'm not used to sharing my entire life story with a bunch of fucking strangers who all think I'm some kinda father-murdering monster." He gave Kagome's mother an apologetic look. She didn't know about the father-murdering part yet. "Sorry, that obviously doesn't include you, Mrs. H."
"It's quite alright, dear. Go ahead with what you need to tell us." Her voice didn't hold its normal warmth and Inuyasha tensed.
Kagome laid her hand on his arm, focusing his attention on her instead of the group of hostility gathered around them. They locked eyes for a few seconds and he could almost feel everyone watching him, waiting for him to snap. Kagome's soft voice, calm and reassuring, pushed those thoughts away. "Hey, you don't have to talk to them; just tell me. Alright?"
He focused on Kagome, letting the room and its occupants fade into the background. He could talk to her, could trust her and open up to her. Inhaling, he let her scent soothe him. It would be alright.
"It started on my mother's birthday…"
He told Kagome about the car accident, getting tossed around, his dad's injuries. He didn't miss the way Kagome tensed while he talked about it and made a mental note to ask her about that later.
He told her all about what happened in the woods, being chased, the first gunshot, then the second that hit its target. It was difficult to relive his father's last moments all over again, but Kagome's gaze never wavered and that gave him strength. He growled when he told her about Koga standing there pointing the gun at his chest, ready to strike him down just like he did his father.
"He told me someone paid him to do it. He was supposed to be my father's friend and all it took was a bigger paycheck to turn him into a murderer. I don't know why he didn't just shoot me...or I didn't at the time. Now I know, he left me alive so he could pin the whole thing on me. He distracted me, looked at something behind me. When I turned to look, something hit me hard enough to knock me out. I woke up in handcuffs...and then everything somehow just kept getting worse…"
