AUTHOR'S NOTE: I started and finished this in one day. So, if you see typos just ignore them, it's fine. They live here ok. Anyway, people seemed to really like when I introduced Moroha to the Hit the Like Button universe so I decided to write another one that focused more on the relationship between Kagome and Moroha.
I hope you all enjoy this cute (but also very angsty) one-shot!
If you all want to see more headcanons and teasers for any of my fics, you can hit me up on tumbler omgitscharlie!
TW: NON-CON/ SEXUAL ASSAULT
Typically, she knew better; knew to keep her emotions under control at least enough to not pick fights as often as she used to. In middle school, it had been a problem, with all three girls managing to get into fights with their classmates, regardless of whether or not they were human. However, now in sophomore year of highschool, Moroha, Towa and Setsuna had all leveled out fairly well, managing to keep their emotions under control and try to use diplomacy as often as possible.
Not tonight, though.
Noticing that the bathrooms were full, she made her way towards the en suite in the house's master bedroom. Seeing as she was close with Mai, the host of the party, and had been in this house more times than she could count, she felt comfortable making herself at home and using the bathroom that was otherwise off limits.
However, what Moroha had walked into was a rather unexpected, and rather disgusting, scene of a man on top of what seemed like a rather unconsenting girl. The way she thrashed against the mattress of the bed and hit her fists against his chest as his hand covered her mouth told the shihanyou more than she needed to know.
"Hey!" The word was more of a malicious bark than anything else, brows furrowed and fists clenched at her sides at the putrid display in front of her, "What the fuck are you doing?!"
The man stopped, Moroha now recognizing the man as a senior year student that the girl beneath him had brought as a date. The way he glared at her, as if she were intruding on something imperative, only made the teenager's gut turn, "Mind your fuckin' business," the man growled, hearing the muffled screams against his hand from the girl beneath him. His speech was slurred, which told her was this guy wasn't about to listen to reason.
"Get the fuck off her!" Moroha snapped, taking a few steps towards the offender with the intent to grip his collar and drag him off her. The instant her fist wrapped around the back of his collar, he took his hand off the girl's mouth, clenched it and swung it backward. The force of the flailed punch landed right against Moroha's jaw, not having expected him to release the girl's mouth, as a shrill scream left her the instant she was free to do so.
Stumbling a few steps back, Moroha lifted a hand to her jaw, rubbing it before rotating it to see if any real damage had been done.
"Told you t'mind your own bui'ness," the jock growled, climbing to his feet while the girl beneath him tried to make a break for it, "Ah ah ah!" He taunted, reaching to grab the girl's wrist and pull her back. Frantic sobs left her, wriggling against him as he wrapped both arms around her waist and began kissing her neck, "You promised me, bー"
Before he could finish that statement, the girl bit down on his arm, giving her the chance to escape completely. With no chance of causing damage to the third party, Moroha lifted her leg and roundhouse kicked the sorry sod in the side of the head, causing him to release a yelp of pain and hit the side of the bed.
Before he could catch his bearings, Moroha gripped the man by the hair and dragged him down to the ground completely. Straddling his chest, she began to give him blow after blow to the face, "Youーfuckin'ーpiece ofーshitーrapist. Fuckーyou!" Each word was emphasized by a punch, a growl mixed with a snarl in her tone as she continued. The boy had tried to lift his arms to block his face, being successful in about half of the punches she aimed at him.
Moroha was willing to keep going, but was suddenly dragged off of him by two familiar figures. Towa and Setsuna had each grabbed an arm, causing Moroha herself to start thrashing and attempting to get away from them.
"Moroha, stop!" Towa shouted, seeing her cousin manage to deliver one good kick to the guy's ribs, causing him to curl into himself into the fetal position, all while spitting at him and getting him in the cheek. Moroha could see blood pouring from the guy's nose, obviously broken as it veered off to the side quite jarringly.
"You got him! That's enough!" Setsuna added, trying to aid in the attempt of calming her cousin down. Panting heavily, Moroha began to lessen her attempts at escape, seeing that she had, indeed, done quite a number on the piece of trash that she hoped would be charged with something.
"He's a piece of shit!" Moroha snarled, climbing to her feet with nostrils flared and eyes wild with rage, "He tried to rape Akemi! I should kill you, you fuck!"
Towa and Setsuna froze, eyes wide as they stared down at the man on the ground, noticing his belt and zipper undone. The two of them soon had their own disapproval and fury rise within them, but when Moroha suddenly tried to lunge forward, both twins managed to grab her and pull her back, "Moroha! Quit it! Let someone else handle it!" Towa encouraged, now able to shove the shihanyou out of the room as the small crowd that had built up in the doorway parted.
Finally conceding, Moroha tore her arms away from her cousins after they'd reached the bottom of the stairs, "What the hell happened?" Mai asked with wide eyes filled with confusion and a twinge of fear.
"I caught Akemi's boyfriend assaulting her in your parent's bedroom," Moroha stated almost casually, rotating her jaw again before pressing her fingers right against the junction of where her jaw met the rest of her skull by her ear, "I took care of 'im."
"Took care of him?" Mai asked, blue eyes wide as she ran a hand through her long, ash blond hair, "Whaddya mean took care of him?"
"I beat the shit outta him," Moroha maintained her rather casual tone as her eyes glanced towards the hostess, "Don' worry, he's alive."
Mai released a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose as the shuddering sobs of Akemi could be heard as she was swarmed by friends on the couch. Seeing a phone up to her ear, Moroha could tell she was calling the police, which meant that, even though she wanted to head home, she couldn't. They'd be questioning her, for sure.
The flashing lights of blue and red came from two cop cars parked outside of the house, Akemi giving a statement on what happened while vouching for Moroha for helping her get away. Moroha explained her side of the story while the dickwad of a jock sat on the curb with cuffs on his wrists.
As the interviews and questionings began to die down, Moroha could see a familiar black BMW pulling up behind the cops. Behind the wheel, Moroha knew she was about to get ripped a new one, the look of her mother's disapproving face peering towards her with a sense of threat.
"You called my mom?!" Moroha snapped towards Setsuna and Towa, eyes wide with betrayal as Towa sheepishly flinched.
"We didn't know what else t'do!" The silver-haired twin defended, "We need a ride home, anyways!"
"Then call your dad! You know my mom's gonna kill me when I get home!"
"It'll be fine. I'm sure she'll understand," Setsuna said rather calmly and cooly, leaving Moroha with even more frustration etched into her features.
Kagome had a thing when it came to Moroha and fighting. She hated it; didn't understand it. There had been several times when Inuyasha would be the one picking her up and promising to keep it between the two of them for the time being. Though, there were times when it was unavoidable, especially when her dad didn't pick up so they tried her mom instead. The amount of times she was scolded for fighting, for acting 'childish', Moroha had lost count.
It wasn't as though Kagome was like that when it came to everything; in fact, she was rather understanding in many other areas, things she really didn't feel she could talk to her dad about, like relationships or school drama that didn't involve physical fights. Moroha felt she could go to Kagome for a lot of things, but when it came to her reactive demon blood (as little as she had within her), Inuyasha and her connected on a different level.
When the cops told them they could leave, Akemi gave Moroha a hug and a grateful, teary thanks before heading off to her own parent's car.
Dragging her feet slightly, Moroha made her way towards her mom's car with Towa and Setsuna following suit. Reaching the passanger's seat, Moroha pulled the door open and slid in rather silently, avoiding eye contact even as Kagome stared her down with extreme disappointment.
"Hi aunt 'Gome," Towa greeted rather meekly while herself and Sestuna slid into the backseat.
Kagome shifted her gaze to the rearview mirror, looking at her nieces' faces through it as she spoke, "Seems you had a rather eventful time," she stated somewhat edged as her attention moved to Moroha at a side glance. There wasn't necessarily shame on Moroha's face, more so a sense of smallness as she leaned against the back of the seat with her arms folded across her chest. Her gaze wasn't looking forward, but to her feet, making a point of not meeting her mother's gaze.
"You couldーuh," Setsuna began, clearing her throat, "You could say that."
Aside from the radio, the rest of the car ride was silent after that, Kagome driving the twins to their house. As she parked out front, she looked towards them through the rearview mirror, "You have a key?" She asked, seeing Towa and Setsuna both nod before they began to scramble out of the car quite frantically.
"Yup! Thanks for dropping us off, auntie!" Towa exclaimed.
Setsuna followed suit, "See you later, Moroha!" Under her breath, the hanyou murmured the words 'good luck' only loud enough for the shihanyou to hear.
When the back door shut behind them, Kagome turned her attention back to her daughter, seeing Moroha still in her rather defensive state, "You gonna tell me what happened?" Kagome asked, trying to keep her tone even and unaccusing.
"No."
Moroha's response was curt and sharp, leaving Kagome to release a short breath, "And why not?" she pressed, letting go of the wheel and turning her body towards her daughter.
"'Cause you'll just get mad," Moroha countered, finally letting her gaze flicker towards her mother's, the same coloured hues meeting one another.
"Iー" Kagome began, only to release a heavy sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose, "I won't get mad."
"Yeah you will."
"If you keep speaking to me like that, I will," the older woman snapped, already assuming the reason as to why there were police cars outside of the house. Towa and Setsuna hadn't said much, just that something had happened and they needed a ride home from the party.
The snap had Moroha turning her head towards her mom, Kagome seeing a spitting image of her husband in the scowl her daughter tossed her way. The expression was short-lived, though, changing into something more sheepish, "Promise?"
Kagome hesitated before releasing a calming breath, "I promise."
Moroha paused for a beat or two, trying to read the expression on her mother's face and seeing a hint of irritation but not much more than that. The silence fell between them to the edge of discomfort until Moroha finally confessed.
"I got into a fight."
Immediately, Kagome closed her eyes, bringing a hand to her forehead as she rolled to have her back against the seat, "Oh, Moroha. Come on. We've talked about this!" Kagome whined out of frustration and disappointment, though little surprise.
"See! I told you you'd get mad!" Moroha replied rather exasperatedly while her mom was still speaking, adjusting her folded arms and theatrically bringing them down to rest on her chest as she sunk down in her seat.
"I'm not mad, Moro. I'm justー" Kagome let her hand fall from her forehead and rest on the steering wheel, "I'm disappointed."
"That's even worse!" Moroha shouted, turning her head back towards Kagome with her arms then outstretched, palms facing upward as her shoulders shrugged up to her ears, "I'd rather you fuckin' yell at me, than tell me that!"
"Moroha Izayoi!" Kagome snapped, Moroha freezing at the sound of her first and middle name being used, "You do not use that language with me!" It took her a moment to realize that she'd leaned closer to her daughter, her hand still on the wheel with eyes wide and filled with extreme frustration, "How else do you expect me to react, when I pull up to the house and see, not only cop cars, but cops talking to you!"
Moroha backed down then, shrinking into her seat and turning her head back towards the front window. Jaw clenched, she folded her arms back against her chest as her face kept something akin to a pout etched within it.
Kagome reclined back against her seat, both hands on the wheel as she, too, looked out the front window. Closing her eyes, the older woman released a slow, heated breath. There was an intense discomfort in her gut, finding her mind wandering to what could have happened to Moroha, if she ended up in a fight with the wrong person. Yes, she was strong and had demon blood in her, but she was also rather small in stature. It wouldn't take much to break her, at least in Kagome's mind.
Opening her eyes Kagome turned the keys in the ignition and pulled out of her brother-in-law's driveway and turned down the street towards their own home.
Moroha's gaze turned to the car door window, watching the street lights pass by as that same uncomfortable silence fell between then. A sense of resentment began to bubble in the teen's gut, knowing this would have been a completely different conversation, had Inuyasha been the one to pick her up.
"Dad woulda understood…" Moroha murmured beneath her breath, able to sense her mother's tension as her fists gripped the wheel a little tighter and her back straightened.
A chill had run up her spine at that statement, eyes widening as she continued to drive down the highway. Kagome wasn't unaware that Moroha and her father had created a certain bond that sometimes left her in the dark. It had always gnawed at her, to know that Inuyasha kept things from her for the sake of his daughter; sometimes, it made it difficult to co-parent. Yet, it had never truly been pointed out to her in such a spiteful way.
A lump began to build in her throat, not sure if it was out of sadness and disappointment, or anger. Swallowing it back, she composed herself by adjusting her seat, "Well, your dad's not homeー"
"He'd've at least asked why," Moroha interrupted, turning her head to peer towards her mom with a sense of challenge, brows furrowed and lips pursed.
"Fine, Moroha. Humor me!" Kagome countered somewhat sarcastically, one hand lifting off the wheel flippantly before thudding back down onto it, "Why did you get in a fight, this time?"
Moroha had half a mind to just not tell her out of spite, riled up with resentment towards her mom in that moment. The fact that Kagome never bothered to ask or understand her reasoning infuriated her. However, when Kagome finally asked for it, Moroha was hesitant to say anything; what she'd seen had been somewhat traumatic.
Sure, she'd beaten up bullies for picking on the little guy or defended herself when those same people came after her specifically, but never had she stopped an assault of that nature. A sudden bout of uncertainty washed over her, losing force behind her desire to prove her mom wrong and gain some understanding.
When Moroha had gone silent, Kagome shook her head, matching her silence as she waited for her daughter's reasoning with anticipation. It wasn't until she pulled into their driveway and turned off the ignition that she turned her head towards her daughter with mock interest, "I'm waiting…"
Shooting her mother a glare, Moroha's hand reached for the buckle, unclipping it before she reached for the door handle to let herself out. All the while, she didn't let her gaze leave Kagome's until she moved to climb out of the passenger seat without a word.
"Moroha!" Kagome shouted louder than she'd intended, true anger now bleeding through her tone. With Moroha slamming the car door shut with more force than necessary, Kagome released a frustrated growl before pulling out the keys, unbuckling herself and following suit by climbing out of the car.
Having a key of her own, Moroha unlocked the front door and stormed off towards the stairway, prepared to simply go to her own room and lock the door behind her. She could hear her mom continuing to call after her as she began to run up the stairs two at a time.
"Moroha! Get back here, right now!"
"I'm goin' t'bed!" The teen countered, hitting the second floor before turning and making the same wide strides up the second flight of stairs to the third floor. Kagome had every intention to follow her, but when she reached the second floor and heard the slamming of a door above her, she stopped right as her first hit the first stair of the second flight.
Taking a moment to catch her bearings and reel in her emotions, Kagome realized it was best to simply leave it for the time being ー it would be easier to talk to her in the morning.
Still, there was an ache in her chest at the words that Moroha had unintentionally pierced her heart with. Kagome would have liked to have thought she was a reasonable parent, fair with her boundaries and open with her communication when it came to her expectations. Herself and Inuyasha had several discussions surrounding Moroha's more wild personality, with her husband trying to help her understand that most teens with yokai blood found themselves more rebellious than humans. But, Kagome couldn't help but worry; what if it went too far? What if Moroha got seriously injured?
Now there was an added insult to injury knowing that it was obvious Inuyasha had possibly been keeping things from her. She thought back to when he tried to hide Moroha under his desk when she'd snuck out of the house and come back at two in the morning. It was harmless that time, but Kagome couldn't help but wonder if that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Taking a shaky breath, she exhaled shortly before turning and making her way to the master bedroom that herself and her husband typically shared. However, with him away on business, she was left alone with her own thoughts.
Not having changed out of her pajamas to pick the girls up, she simply shrugged off her trench coat and hung it up before kicking off her shoes and crawling into bed. Before she found sleep, she pulled out her phone and sent off a quick text to her husband, knowing he would more than likely be asleep.
[SMS sending to: Hubby ❤️] - your daughter got into a fight tonight (seen ✔️)
With the text sent, she plugged her phone in and rested it on her nightstand before snuggling back under her blankets with the intent to get some sleep.
It came at a much greater difficulty than usual.
Waking up to that text had him release a heft groan, a hand running down the front of his face as he barely had time to register his surroundings, "Fuck."
[SMS sending to: Wife ❤️] - good morning to u too (seen ✔️)
[SMS received from: Wife ❤️] - i'm calling you (seen ✔️)
Another groan left him at that, immediately seeing her name pop up with the option to accept or decline the call. Sitting up in his hotel bed, he accepted the call and pressed the phone to the side of his face.
"Hey, baby," the greeting was followed by a yawn, still trying to speak at the very tail end of it, "Everything alright?"
"I dunno," Kagome started, though Inuyasha could tell immediately that she was being facetious, "Moroha won't talk to me and refuses to leave her room unless it's for food. So," Kagome shrugged, though she knew he couldn't see it, "You tell me?"
Inuyasha pinched the bridge of his nose and he moved to sit on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees to make himself comfortable, "What happened?"
"I told you. She got in a fight last night."
"Yeah, but why?" Inuyasha emphasized, climbing to his feet and making his way to the floor to ceiling window of the hotel and drawing the curtains back to see the Osaka cityscape.
Kagome leaned back against the chair as she kept herself situated in the kitchen, her arm outstretched to rest her hand on the table. Her index and missile finger rested on the foot of the wine glass she'd poured herself as a replacement for coffee that morning, "Does it matter?"
"Well, yeah," it was spoken as if it was completely obvious and not to be questioned, "I doubt she did it for no reason."
Kagome fell silent then, letting those words sink in as she moved her hand to cup the swell of the glass and bringing it to her lips, stopping to speak before taking a sip, "She wouldn't tell me."
The hanyou fell silent for a moment, trying to pick his words carefully, as he had a feeling the way Kagome went about asking perhaps didn't instill as much welcoming as it should have. He knew more than most that Kagome was one of the most understanding people out there, but when it came to violence she had an extremely low tolerance for it.
"So...how did you ask her?"
"I didn't," Kagome's response was sharp, putting the glass down before asking a question of her own, "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, baby. Anything."
"How many times have you hidden things from me? Y'know...when it comes to stuff like this?" Kagome leaned forward then, elbow planted on the table as her finger traced the rim of her wine glass.
Her question didn't catch him as off-guard as it probably should have, tensing but for a moment before he began to move towards the Keurig and start himself a cup of coffee, "Just a couple."
They'd gotten better at communicating over the years; for her husband, it was a complete one eighty. Though, it seemed some old habits of keeping things from her died hard, "She told me you'd understand, that you'd ask her why. She trusts you more than she trusts me."
"Maybe when it comes to this sorta stuff, but that's only 'cause she knows you don't understand," he explained honestly, pouring in some milk and sugar before stirring it. Kagome could hear the soft clinks of the spoon hitting the ceramic on the other end of the phone.
"What's there to understand? She shouldn't be getting into fights, Yash," she deflected, climbing to her feet and heading to the fridge to pull out her bottle of white wine. Holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder, she poured herself another rather full glass, "There's no excuse for it."
Inuyasha heard the sound of a cork popping on the other end of the line and his gaze narrowed, "Kagome, are you drinking?"
"Yeah."
"It's nine in the morning."
If Kagome was drinking this early in the morning, it was obvious that the whole ordeal had hit her a little harder than she was letting on. The fact that she was drinking at all without company was alarming.
"Don't change the subject," Kagome rebutted, closing the fridge and grabbing her fresh glass while making her way to the living room, "Babe, when I pulled up, she was talking to the police."
Dark, thick brows lifted upward, amber eyes widening as he froze for a moment, "She was talkin' to the cops?"
"Yeah. That's why I'm upset. What if I get a call saying that she's being charged with something?" Kagome theorized, stopping at the front of the couch, shrugging with the hand holding the wine outstretched to the side, all fingers gripping it aside from her index one.
"Kagome," he tried to calm his rather distressed wife on the other end of the phone, "You need to ask her why she did it. I'm sure she'll tell you if you just ask."
"I did end up asking! She said you'd ask why, so I asked why! Then she justー"
"Baby. Hey," he cooed, shaking his head as he sat down in one of the armchairs, "She's had some time to cool down, just try again. She's probably hidin' in her room because she thinks you're still real mad."
"I am 'real' mad."
The exasperated sigh from her husband on the other side of the phone was heard as she took a seat on the couch, "I'm mad that she won't be honest with me. I'm mad you kept things from me, again." Sure it had been over a decade, but since Moroha started getting in fights, she realized he'd fallen into old patterns.
"Don't blame me for that," Inuyasha countered, tone a bit more firm, "There are things she tells you that she doesn't tell me. What about that time you drove her to some guy's house and I only found out because she'd come home bawlin' her fuckin' eyes out?"
Kagome couldn't argue with that. Where Kagome was protective in instances of violence, Inuyasha was protective when it came to his daughter's emotions.
The silence on the other end told Inuyasha he'd made his point and she'd taken it. What he couldn't see was Kagome taking a swig of her wine, finishing off the glass before placing it on the coffee table.
"Just talk to her, baby. Orー" he stopped for a moment and shrugged, "I guess I could talk to her, when I get home tonight."
"No," Kagome finally whined, shaking her head as she leaned back agains the couch cushions, "I'll go ask her what happened and let you know when you get home," she conceded, running a hand through her ebony hair and pushing it to one shoulder.
Inuyasha felt a sense of relief in his chest when his wife agreed to talk to their daughter, nodding against the phone, "Alright, baby girl. I'll see you later tonight, okay?"
"I miss you," she stated honestly, always hating it when either of them went away and were separated from one another for weeks at a time. One arm folded over her chest as she leaned her head against her phone a little more.
"Yeah? You gunna show me how much, when I get home?" He couldn't help himself, a smirk pulling at his lips as he let himself tease her just a little. He could hear her eyes rolling on the other end of the line.
"I'll be too busy dealing with our child," she snarked, though managed to let the smallest of grins pass over her lips, "Unless you're willing to show me right back."
When she mentioned the words 'our child', it brought a warmth to him he never thought he'd have. Children had never been on his radar, having never had a nurturing nature to him and finding children to be nothing but extreme annoyances. Yet, when the reality of his life hit him, he couldn't imagine it any other way. Kagome had given him the richest life that, at one point, he could only have dreamed of. Moroha was his biggest pride and joy, the absolute apple of his eye and there was so much unconditional love towards her he didn't think he could hold in his body. The fact that she was a piece of himself and Kagome only made it just that much better.
A low, warm chuckle left Inuyasha then, "You know exactly how much I miss you, baby girl. I think I make it pretty clear."
"Mhm, you do," Kagome hummed lowly, biting her lower lip with a wider smile, "Have a safe flight, daddy," she purred, hearing a familiar low growl come from him in response.
"I'll see you tonight. Love you," he replied a little more gravelly than previously, holding that sudden primal aspect to him that came out when she teased him.
"Love you, too. Bye, babe."
"Bye, pretty girl."
Hanging up the phone, she released an audible sigh as she leaned back against the cushions, knowing full well that her husband was right. Perhaps she should trust her daughter a little more when it came to things like fighting. Obviously, Moroha had slowed down on getting into those types of fights the last two years, the one she pulled up on being the first one since middle school had finished. The conversations they'd had before that had told Kagome that her daughter understood that getting into reactionary fights wasn't the right thing to do, but she'd even scolded her for defending herself.
Perhaps that's where she'd been in the wrong.
Though Kagome knew she needed to talk to Moroha, she gave her daughter a little more space, preparing to talk to her in the afternoon. Every part of her was convinced that Moroha would hole herself up and make sure Kagome came to her.
That wasn't the case.
Sitting on the couch in the living room, Kagome was shocked to hear the small voice of her teenage daughter from behind her.
"Mom?"
Peering over her shoulder, she could see her daughter's slender, unassuming frame standing in a pair of sweatpants and a pull-over hoodie, hair up in a high ponytail. Her hands were shoved into her pockets, shoulders brought to her ears sheepishly as she rocked back onto her heels.
"Hey, sweetheart," Kagome greeted, offering an authentically warm smile, "What's up?"
Moroha felt somewhat taken aback by her calm demeanour, more than positive that she would have been met with a heated expression of expectancy instead. Cautiously, she took a step towards the couch, "Uhー" she cleared her throat and Kagome could tell that she'd been crying. The knowledge of that broke her heart; as angry as she ever would be, it always hurt her to know when Moroha cried, "I'm sorry I got in a fight last night butー" sniffling, her let her gaze fall to the ground as she swallowed, "It haappened because one of my friends was, uhー" another sniffle, lip quivering as she lifted her gaze to meet her mom's.
Kagome could feel her stomach clench at the sight of Moroha in such distress, moving to sit up a little higher, she turned her body to look over the back of the couch completely.
"She was in a bedroom with some guy and he wasー" Moroha lifted one of her hands and spun it, as if trying to prompt her brain to keep going, as well as gesture to her mom to put the pieces together on her own, "Y'knowー"
There wasn't much else she needed to say, Kagome caught on immediately, "Was he...assaulting her?" Her words were spoken slowly and carefully, trying to keep it as objective but delicate as possible. The moment her daughter nodded, Kagome's heart broke, remorse and guilt riddling her completely in that moment, "Oh, Moro. Come here," she cooed, watching her daughter swiftly make her way towards the couch.
As Moroha rounded the couch, Kagome moved to a more seated position, opening her arms for Moroha to fall into as she sat down beside her. Wrapping her arms tightly around the smaller woman, Kagome rested her cheek on her daughter's head, cradling the back of it as Moroha began to sob into her chest.
Hearing those sobs were always almost a shock, Moroha almost always bubbly and carefree when it came to most things in life. Not a lot phased her or threw her off, easily brushing off most things unless they threatened her directly. So, to see her so shaken by what she'd experienced, Kagome realized that how she'd gone about everything the night before hadn't helped, "I'm sorry, sweetie," one of her hands ran up and down her daughter's back in a soothing motion, "That must've been hard to see."
"I couldn'tーcouldn't let hーhim getーget away withーwith it," Moroha managed to explain through ragged breaths and hiccupped sobs, "If I hadーhadn't been there, he wouldaーhe wouldaー"
"I know. Shhh," Kagome cooed, feeling Moroha's shoulders shake as sob after sob escaped her.
They stayed there for a few minutes, Kagome gently rubbing her daughter's back and letting her cry as hard and as long as she needed. Closing her eyes, she gave Moroha a squeeze before breaking the silence, "You did what you thought was right," she assured, feeling the teen pull her head away to look up at her mom with wide, wet eyes. Taking her hand from the back of her hand, Kagome cupped a tear-stained cheek and brushed away the new ones that fell.
She could see the surprise in her daughter's expression, never expecting to hear her mom say something like that in regards her to fighting, "You stopped that guy from doing more, right?" Moroha nodded honestly, swallowing back more tears while sniffling, "And what were you talking to the police about? Were you telling them what happened?" Another nod from the teen who held onto her so dearly, "What'd they say?"
"That I was free to go but might be called to testify if Akemi wants to press charges."
Before Kagome could ask, Moroha continued, "I'm pretty sure she does andー" she sniffled again, "I wanna do it. I wanna help, if they ask."
How could Kagome possibly go against that? A large part of her wanted to hide her away from going through something like that. It was such a huge thing to do, but she wasn't surprised that Moroha wanted to do whatever she needed to, to make things right. Pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead, Kagome let her lips linger as she spoke, "I'm proud of you for doing that."
"R-really?" Moroha asked genuinely, seeing Kagome nod with an authentic affection in her gaze. A smile passed over the teen's face, moving to rest her cheek against her mom's shoulder.
"I don't want you to be afraid of telling me when things like this happen," Kagome urged, resting her chin on Moroha's head, "I'm sorry I haven't been someone you felt you could come to with something like this."
"I just didn't want you to be mad at me," Moroha stated sheepishly, closing her eyes as she swallowed back the threat of tears that was slowly subsiding.
"I might still get angry at you for things, Moro. It's bound to happen, but know that it's only because I worry about you, okay? I want what's best for you." Receiving a nod of understanding from her daughter, Kagome continued, "But, I'll try to be better about not just assuming the worst."
"Okay," Moroha replied simply, "I might still call dad first, though," she explained, honest in her words, "At least, when it comes to things like this." Kagome didn't blame her, knowing full well that she had every right to find more security with her father when it came to things her demon side tended to control.
"Mkay…" Kagome cooed, also holding genuineness in her tone. Trying to shift the mood to something more lighthearted, she pulled from Moroha slightly, peering down at her with a bright, warm smile, "You wanna do a Friends marathon?"
The enthusiastic nod Kagome got as a response had her giving Moroha another kiss to the crown of her head before pulling away completely, "Alright. I'll make us some popcorn and grab a couple blankets."
The clock read ten thirty two at night as Inuyasha opened the door to his home, rolling his luggage in front of him before closing it behind him. Assuming everyone was asleep, he locked the door and left his luggage where it was, too tired to be bothered to unpack it tonight, let alone carry it up the stairs.
Immediately, he could hear a laugh track, ears twitching at the sound before shoving his keys into his pocket, toeing off his shoes and making his way towards the living room. He saw a familiar head of raven hair, "Kagome?" he called out, seeing his wife's head turn towards him with a smile before putting her finger to her lips to hint at keeping quiet. Perplexed, he made his way to the back of the couch, resting his hands on either side of her shoulders and leaning over her. Craning her head back, he was able to lean down and press a welcoming kiss to her lips.
When he pulled away, he understood why she 'shushed' him. On her lap was Moroha's head, eyes closed and breathing even as she lay on her side with arms rested hear her face. A blanket was pulled over her, as one was the same over Kagome's legs. Empty mugs, bowls and chip bags littered the coffee table, but the smell of drink and food couldn't hide the scent of tears that lingered in the air.
"I take it you had a good talk?" Inuyasha whispered, Kagome nodding a moment later before her husband stole another kiss for her.
"I'll tell you in a bit," Kagome's voice matched that of her husband's, "How was your flight?"
Inuyasha released a sigh as he sank down to a crouch, wrapping his arms around his wife's shoulders, chin resting on the back of the couch beside her head, "Y'know, fine. As good as flying gets for me."
"You don't need to take one for a while, right?"
"At least a couple months; thank god."
Moroha shifted then, releasing a small whine that reminded Kagome of her husband when he was fighting the urge to wake up. Kagome placed her hand back on her daughter's head, gently running her hands through her hair in a soothing motion, "Moroha…" she cooed, seeing her daughter scrunch her face in defiance, "Moroha, it's time to head to bed."
Bleary eyes blinked open, groaning as she stretched and willed herself to sit up soon after. Rubbing her eye, she drew in a deep, wakeful breath, "Wh'time is it?" She asked groggily, before noticing her dad had joined their company, "Oh. Hey dad."
"Hey kiddo. Have a good sleep?"
"I guess," she replied with a yawn, reaching her arms over her head to stretch once again, "When did you get home?"
"Just now. It's past ten thirty, by the way," he stated, voice a little louder but still mindful of the calm atmosphere that'd been built when he got thome.
Another groan left the teen, rubbing her eye once again, "I'm gunna go to bed," she murmured before releasing a yawn.
"I think all of us are," Kagome stated as she broke from her husband's hold and climbed to her feet before giving a stretch of her own. Drawing in a deep breath, she released it with an audible yawn before turning off the TV. With Moroha on her feet, she wrapped her arms around her mom in a hug.
"Night, mom," she murmured sleepily, Kagome returning the hug.
"Night, sweetheart."
Breaking apart, the shihanyou walked around the couch to her dad, giving him a similar hug, "Night, dad. Happy you're home," she murmured, Inuyasha giving her a tight squeeze to make up for lost time.
"Night, kiddo. Get some sleep. I'll talk to you in the mornin'."
With a sleepy nod, Moroha pulled away and began shuffling towards the stairs, yawning as she did so.
Walking around the couch, Kagome couldn't help but wrap her arms around her husband's middle. Craning her neck back, she gave Inuyasha a sleepy smile as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Another kiss was shared between them, though this one lingered as Kagome tried to give him a proper welcome home.
When they broke away, Kagome couldn't help but let the last twenty four hours set in. What had happened in that time was a lot to process and a part of her was still heart broken for what Moroha had to endure; Inuyasha would probably be just as much so, if not more. Both of them did everything they could to make sure Moroha was raised right, that she was her own person and made good decisions. Some characteristics she'd discovered all on her own and it was overwhelming to her how lucky they were to have her.
"We have a pretty great kid, didya know that?" Kagome suddenly said, seeing her husband's expression brighten before softening.
"Of course she is. She's got you for a mom."