Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter twenty-one: For the Benefit of Mr. Kite
Two months later, it was February and the Taisho home was at peace. In that time Izayoi had convinced her husband that fully adopting Kagome was the best course of action, and the process went as smoothly as possible for them. Kagome's place was permanent and she had become comfortable with the family as if she had actually been born into the household. Now having an established routine, her life was taking on a normalcy that she'd never known before. Wake up at 6:00 a.m. to say goodbye to Inu-Taisho, go back to sleep for another hour, breakfast with the family at 7:30 and say goodbye to the boys before they leave for school, bath-time and then homeschooling with her tutors until noon. She and Izayoi would go out some days for lunch, but most days the two would make a lunch together and watch some T.V. before it was back to the books for a few hours. Kagome loved reading and learning. Her brain yearned for knowledge that had been kept away from her for so long. At three o'clock though, books were put down and she was taken to dance class. It was her favorite part of the day, and Kagome flourished there. Her body was growing muscle quickly and she was starting to look much healthier all thanks to the support her instructors gave her.
At the day's end, when she was brought back home from the dance class, Kagome would sit by the door reading a book and waiting for Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha to come home from school. Every day, when that door opened and they took off their school jackets, the small girl would rush up to Sesshoumaru and bombard him with questions and beg him to play video games with her before dinner. And every day he would claim to be too busy with homework and that just left her and Inuyasha alone to play together. Of course they fought on all things, like what to play and who was stupider, but by the time they were actually engaged in a video game their animosity was evaporated. Yes, everything was happy and peaceful.
Both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were busy studying for tests, neither available for playtime. Izayoi was engaged in an important phone call and Inu-Taisho was stuck in traffic. Left to her own devices, Kagome decided today was a good day to explore the west wing of the house. No one had ever told her why there was a west wing or what it was used for, but since all of the maids, butlers, and household workers came in and out of there a lot, Kagome assumed that's where they lived. Strolling down the long hallway that connected the master's wing and the west wing, Kagome admired the art on the walls of ancestral paintings. Her bare feet padded against the hardwood floor lightly as she hummed the song played by her music box absentmindedly. But as the hallway got longer and longer, she began to notice that there were no doors that lead to the servant's bedrooms or anything like that.
But after pushing a few more yards, Kagome came to pairs of doors on either side of the hall, which ended after the second set. Going up to the first door, she knocked gently before peeking her head in. It was a bathroom! A boring one; but a bathroom nonetheless. Going from door to door, she found that the next two were changing rooms for men and women. That only left the final door on the right to be opened. Kagome skipped over to it, unassuming and unaware of what lay behind it. Pushing open the wooden door, Kagome stepped in and gazed around curiously. Furniture covered by white sheets littered the floor, stacks of books and outdated and seasonal things were pushed up against the walls. Venturing further in, Kagome made sure not to touch anything as she neared the far right corner of the room.
She saw a small, elevated bed with gated sides. It was wooden and painted white, and the inside was lined with cotton pillows and blankets. Around the bed were stuffed animals of pretty, pastel colors and books with the alphabet and animals on the covers. Kneeling down, Kagome picked up a stuffed giraffe and admired the cute, albeit dusty, thing. Her back was to the door and attention was focused on the toy, making it difficult to notice someone coming up behind her. Suddenly, there was a painful grip on her shoulder that forced Kagome away from the interesting toys and on her back on the floor. Sprawled out helplessly, Kagome stared up in fear and confusion at the enraged face of Izayoi. The woman looked so dangerous and frightening that it paralyzed Kagome in the spot, though tears did flood her eyes when the toy was ripped from her hand.
"Who told you that you could be up here!? Get out! Get out now!" Izayoi screamed, her voice breaking from the force and emotion behind it. Kagome scrambled to get away, a sob choking her throat as she tore through the doorway and down the hall. Her feet couldn't carry her fast enough, though she didn't know where she was going. They took her to Sesshoumaru's door and her small hands pounded and slapped at the door desperately as she cried out for him.
"Sesshoumaru! Please let me in!" It didn't take long for the door to open, and the little girl wasted no time in pushing past him to get inside. She slammed the door shut and turned around to cling to her precious older brother, her face buried in his chest and hands digging into his clothes with a tight grip. Surprised and unaware of the situation, Sesshoumaru just stared down at the girl with bewildered eyes, hesitating to put a hand on her shuddering back as she cried into his shirt.
"What happened?" He asked slowly. Kagome shuddered to breath out a response, and it was so muffled that he couldn't even understand. "Calm down, I can't understand you." He chided softly, running a hand through her slightly-longer-than-before hair. The little girl lifted her face to look up at him with the most heartbreaking expression he'd ever seen on her.
"I-Izayoi…got really mad at me. I don't wanna be thrown out." She got out before breaking down into another hard sob that had her coughing and shuddering for breath. Her small fists came up to try and wipe away the hot tears from her flushed face, but it made no difference as more just kept falling. Sesshoumaru was at a loss of words and could do little more than just get her a tissue to dry her tears and blow her nose with. Suddenly, his door to the shared bathroom with Inuyasha burst open and there stood a curious and annoyed ten-year-old.
"I'm trying to beat my high score! What's with all the crying?" He asked shortly and blinked when he saw the state Kagome was in. She just looked up at him, sniveling and sobbing uncontrollably. Sesshoumaru sighed and put an arm around her.
"Go away Inuyasha. Your mom scared her and I'm sure you're the last person she wants to see." Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha made a mocking sound of Sesshoumaru's words before closing the door again. But after doing so, his annoyed expression turned to one of concern for his mother. Why was she so mad at Kagome that it would scare her? Biting his bottom lip nervously, the small boy had an idea of what it might be, but he wasn't going to stir up trouble asking Kagome or his mother. He had a feeling that he'd know by dinner.
"Drink this," He said before handing Kagome a glass of ice water. The girl sat on one of the tall stools in the kitchen, her legs dangling lightly around the bars that held up the seat. Her face was still red and tear stained, but the sobs had subsided and eyes dried up. She thanked Sesshoumaru and took a sip of the cold water, enjoying the soothing feeling on her painful throat. "Why did Izayoi get mad at you?" He asked calmly, taking the glass from her gently. Kagome looked down shamefully and played with the inside hem of her shorts, unwilling to answer right away. It was then she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, making the girl look up instantly with fear. Izayoi stood in the entrance of the kitchen, her face red from crying and a disgraced expression written all over it. She opened her mouth to speak, but the familiar sounds of the front door opening made Kagome hop off of the stool and run to the man she knew to be standing there.
Inu-Taisho had just taken off his coat when Kagome came barreling towards him. Initially he thought it was out of excitement and joy, but as she clung to his leg and hid behind him, the business man realized something was up.
"Kagome? What's wrong?" He asked and pulled her around to stand in front of him. The girl was reluctant to do so and kept her eye fixed on the hallway that connected to the kitchen. Inu-Taisho began to walk towards it with her and she quickly began to tug on his hand, begging with her eyes that he not take her in there. "Kagome, I can't help you if you won't talk to me." He said with a slightly chastising tone and took her back into the kitchen where Sesshoumaru and Izayoi remained. When his wife wouldn't look him in the eye, Inu-Taisho knew something must have happened between the two girls and sighed. "What happened? Someone tell me." He demanded. Kagome jumped out of surprise and looked up with her big, blue eyes.
"Mommy grabbed my shoulder, right here-," She patted her sore and tender shoulder at the place where Izayoi had yanked at. "-and pushed me down and yelled at me. I'm really, really sorry please don't throw me out daddy. I won't ever go in that room again and I'll do all my homework and I'll eat everything you put on my plate. Just please don't take me back!" Unable to handle any more, Kagome ran out of the kitchen and up to her bedroom; leaving the three behind her. Izayoi wiped away a few fresh tears as Inu-Taisho excused Sesshoumaru. She was leaning against the frame of the kitchen entrance when her husband came up to her, placing a gentle hand on her arm.
"What happened? What room is she talking about?" He asked softly, pulling Izayoi's trembling chin up so that she was looking at him. It took a moment for her to gather her voice, but Izayoi eventually replied.
"She-She found the storage room in the west wing. I went looking for her when I didn't find her in the usual places…and she was playing with Rin's old toys. Touga I couldn't bare the sight of anyone else touching our daughter's things." Izayoi let out a tired cry and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close. Sighing heavily, Inu-Taisho closed his eyes in pain as he gave his wife a hug and rubbed her back gently.
"Izayoi…you can't blame her. It's our fault that she doesn't know who that stuff belonged to. So, we can't get mad at her for not knowing. I know it hurts, but you were the one who wanted to keep her in the first place. She is your daughter and you need to make this right." He pulled back enough to kiss her forehead, which only triggered more tears from the frail woman. Her small form shook in his arms and for the better part of thirty minutes, Inu-Taisho just held her. They both still grieved their loss; it just didn't show as readily on him as it did for her.
When the two parents found the strength to, they stood outside Kagome's door and knocked softly. After getting no reply, Izayoi quietly opened it and looked in to find nothing but a large bump under the sheets. Every so often there would be a slight jump or shudder accompanied with a sniffling noise, but that was it. Stepping in quietly, Inu-Taisho cleared his throat to get the girl's attention.
"Kagome, please take the covers down." He said in a strong, unaffected voice. It was stern and would always get her to do as he asked. Sitting up instantly, the covers fell into her small lap, which also contained the framed picture of herself and her birth mother. The small girl wiped at her hot tears and looked up at Izayoi and Inu-Taisho with a hurt expression. It made most of the older woman's resolve crumble, but Inu-Taisho kept his composure. "Kagome, there's something Izayoi and I need to tell you." He took Izayoi's hand and sat down with her on the edge of Kagome's bed, prompting the girl to come sit between the two of them. She was curled into herself, unwilling to touch either adult or even meet their gaze. Izayoi swallowed softly and stopped herself from putting a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"I'm sorry I scared you, Kagome. I was wrong and you are not in trouble at all. So, don't even think for a minute that we'd ever throw you out of this house. Okay?" When Kagome lifted her head to look up at Izayoi, the older woman sent her a tearful smile and nodded reassuringly. It worked a little to heal the small girl's hurt feelings, but she was still confused. Looking over at Inu-Taisho, she wiped away the last few tears from her wide, blue eyes and blinked to ease the dry discomfort in them.
"Whose stuff is in that room?" She asked bluntly, watching his reaction carefully. Inu-Taisho stared back at Kagome with a pained expression that he tried to cover with a side-ways smile. Patting her back softly, he let out a sigh and glanced at Izayoi.
"The toys, books, and crib all belonged to our daughter, Rin." He explained simply, but his tone did little to hide that there was more to the story. Kagome was surprised, to say the least, and looked between the two adults on either side of her.
"You have a daughter? How come I didn't meet her? Does she live somewhere else?" She wanted to know more about the girl that had remained a secret until now. Izayoi cleared her throat and blinked her eyes a few times to stop the tears and held Kagome's hand now that the girl wasn't scared anymore.
"Kagome, Rin died when she was two. That was about four years ago." Her pretty voice wavered with sadness and Kagome felt as Inu-Taisho reached behind her to put a hand on his wife's arm. She looked down at her lap, trying to digest all the information. There was a thick silence in the room as husband and wife tried to handle this situation best as they knew how. When Kagome looked back up, she had a disheartened expression on her face as she stared at Inu-Taisho's face.
"How did she die?" He cringed slightly at the question, but answered honestly.
"She got sick, very sick. We tried everything, but her kind of sickness was too strong for medicine to fix." His explanation was simple and Kagome grasped the meaning. But then, she began to worry. Biting her lip nervously, Kagome fidgeted in her spot while trying to figure out how to ask her next question.
"Did you guys get me because you miss Rin?" Almost instantly the two adults swarmed Kagome with 'no's and 'of course not's. Izayoi took the girl's hand again and gave it a squeeze.
"We decided to take you in because it is the right thing to do. You are not a replacement for Rin, because she is still our daughter and so are you now. And any time you want, we can talk more about it. Okay? I promise I won't hide anything like this from you again." She said softly. Kagome looked between Izayoi's and Inu-Taisho's faces, reading them to tell if they were being honest. Touga offered a small smile and it was enough to reassure the little girl who thought the world of him. Kagome nodded and leaned into Izayoi's side, happy to feel a warm, nurturing embrace in return. But then there was a sharp pain in her shoulder that made Kagome flinch and her voice hitch in her throat.
"My shoulder hurts still," She said sheepishly, rubbing the sore muscles there. Izayoi instantly got a guilty and shameful look on her face and gently pulled the girl into her lap to rock her comfortingly.
"I'm sorry Kagome. I won't ever, ever, ever hurt you again. Never; I promise. I love you very, very much." She whispered softly, kissing the soft black hair on Kagome's crown tenderly. Kagome just curled into a small ball and moved closer to Izayoi's warm body, closing her eyes peacefully. Inu-Taisho scooted closer and ran his hand through her hair, unable to speak due to the painful tightness in his throat that wouldn't let him say those words to the girl. Not yet.
After dinner, Kagome was once again left by her lonesome self while the rest of her family went their separate ways for the evening. It was dark out, and the soft lights of the house seemed more dramatic and sad than usual. Thoughts of Rin swirled in Kagome's mind as she aimlessly wandered the first floor, letting her fingertips trace over surfaces and walls absentmindedly. Was she really an addition to the family, and not a replacement? Izayoi and Inu-Taisho seemed to think so…but for some reason Kagome didn't feel like she could trust them 100% yet. They had reason to lie to her, sure it was to keep her happy, but Kagome needed the cold, hard truth if she would ever put her doubts to rest. Who would tell it to her straight without fear of hurting her feelings?
It was then she realized that her feet had carried her up the stairs and to Inuyasha's bedroom door. They still hated each other…and that led Kagome to believe he wouldn't have any problem telling her the hurtful truth. Knocking softly on the mahogany door, Kagome took a step back when it finally opened and revealed an annoyed, white-haired boy.
"What do you want?" He spat, but Kagome was too distracted and tired to care or act offended. Her face remained calm as she mustered the courage to ask him.
"Inuyasha, do you miss your sister?" She asked softly, waiting quietly for his answer. Inuyasha's face went from disgruntled to shocked in a second. He hadn't been expecting that question at all. Left with his mouth opening and closing, the eight-year-old dropped his hand from the edge of his door and stared at her with bewilderment.
"Why?" He finally croaked out. Kagome took a breath and looked away nervously, losing some of her confidence.
"They told me about Rin and said I'm not replacing her. But I don't know if they're lying. You hate me and so you don't care if you hurt my feelings. Do you think I'm a new sister? Or do you think I'm taking over for Rin?" She explained slowly, her confidence waning more and more with each word. Once Inuyasha grasped what she was trying to say, he glared at her.
"Of course you aren't a replacement. I love my sister. I hate you. You're Ka-Go-Away and I wish you'd leave!" His hurtful words didn't have the effect Inuyasha had been hoping for. He wanted Kagome to break into tears and run away and never come back, but instead she smiled. It was a sad smile though, and it confused him.
"Thanks Inuyasha," was all she said before turning around and disappearing into her room. Her door shut softly and after a minute or so of staring at where she had been standing, Inuyasha shut his door as well. He went back to his desk, littered with action figures and games, and stared blankly at the math workbook open in front of him. Why couldn't he get Kagome's face out of his head? Shaking it vigorously, the frustrated boy forced himself to finish his work, trying his hardest not to think about the infuriating, confusing, and annoying girl from across the hall.