Part 5: Wanting to Give In (Part 2)

Annoying Little Twit

Yusuke and Kagome visited each other often in the following week. Shippo slowly warmed up to his mother's cousin, though the first week was rather challenging on all of them.

Yusuke had to pretend he didn't know that her children were demonic in origin, and Kagome pretended that she didn't notice that he had demon blood, and always smelled of demon.

Yusuke decided to introduce her to his friends, since she refused to hang around her old friends. She said they wouldn't understand her having children.

Kagome pushed the stroller, Suki wearing a pale yellow baby bonnet, and matching dress, with her favorite blanket covering her lower body. Suki was growing fast, and had started to grow in her other teeth, besides the twin fangs she was born with. Youko, before he had passed on, informed her that she would probably shed those teeth around this time, growing in a sturdier pair of teeth, then shed those when she got her adult teeth.

Shippo held onto the stroller, trying to help his mother push the stroller. He had his hair loose today, reaching his elbows in ragged layers, almost like his tail - which was under an illusion that it wasn't there - but his mother tried to tame it slightly. He was slightly grumpy lately, since he was losing his baby teeth, and starting to grow in his adult teeth, and it hurt! He could feel the sharp teeth growing in, pushing through the gums painfully.

Yusuke was leading them to the local park, since he decided at the last moment that his apartment was too small for the gathering. He had informed Kuwabara about the change in plans, and to inform the others of the change. He then called Keiko and told her that Kags was coming to visit, and Keiko immediately asked where. When he told her, she hung up after saying quickly that she would be there.

"Mama, are we there yet?" Shippo whined, and Kagome smiled down at him.

"Almost there honey, it should only be a little longer," she said, and Suki let out a gurgle of agreement. Kagome sighed, trying to send out her miko power to sense the area, but failed to do so. In the past few days, since her depression had worsened, she was unable to access most of her power. She could purify on command, sometimes, but was unable to sense things around her, or shoot purifying arrows, or heal people most of the time.

They entered the park, and after seating themselves at a picnic table, Shippo ran off to play with the other kids on the playground.

"So when will your friends be here?" Kagome asked Yusuke, and he shook his head.

"They should be here soon; they're probably coming from my place, knowing them. They are usually on time for everything, and I did pick you up late." Yusuke replied, and Kagome said 'True,' before turning to pick up Suki. Keeping the blanket wrapped around her, she set her on her lap, so she could watch her older brother play with the human children.

A few minutes later, Kagome glanced away from Shippo to look at the entrance of the park. There stood a group of people, glancing curiously around the park.

The shortest of the group was a male, with spiked black hair with a burst of white around the bangs. She couldn't see his eyes from here, but she could see his outfit. It was a black long sleeved shirt, with a pair of black jeans, white headband, and it looked like he had bandages around his hands, though she couldn't see any blood on then, so they must have been for decoration.

The person standing behind him to his left she recognized slightly, he hadn't changed much. He was the tallest male of the group, with curly orange hair hanging towards the front of his head, and rather narrow eyes, compared to the other males. He was large, though not fat. It was mostly muscle, which could be seen through the white tank top he was wearing, and the jeans he was wearing didn't hide the muscles either. He was currently arguing with the short one, who was plainly ignoring him.

Standing next to the carrot-top, was a woman, clearly older then the entire group. Kagome knew her also, but she had changed. Her hair was brown, reaching past her shoulders and partway down her back. She was tall, much like the carrot-top, and was wearing a white blouse with blue jeans, and in her hand was a cigarette. She didn't look like she cared to be there, and was looking around the park.

Next to her, slightly hidden, was another girl. Her hair was also brown, though unlike the woman next to her, hers was more of a dark chocolate brown, mixed with milk chocolate highlights of a natural color. Her hair reached her shoulders, curled under. She was wearing a blue skirt with a yellow top, and strapped sandals. She was scanning the park also, occasionally talking to the person besides her.

Who, despite appearance, she could tell immediately was male. Kagome had been around too many male demons that had slightly 'feminine' looks, to not recognize the male characteristics. He was tall with blood red hair, which swept down his back, resting at the small of his back. His front tails reached past his shoulders, resting much shorter then the rest of his hair, and his bangs were long, slightly covering his eyes. Even from here, she could see their startling green color. His eyes were rather large, though not unnaturally, and wearing a black dress shirt, with black slacks, he looked rather formal.

The tall brunette looked their direction, and catching the others attention, started to lead the way over to them. Kagome unconsciously gripped Suki tighter, as if to protect her, and Shippo, smelling the slight fear coming off of his mother, stopped his game of tag and ran over to her, sitting next to her.

"Mama, you okay?" Shippo asked quietly, as so that the others heading their way wouldn't hear them.

"You know I haven't shown Suki to many people... What if they want to hold her? What if..." Kagome started to panic, and Yusuke finally took notice of this.

"Kags, calm down. Suki will be fine, alright?" At this time, the others reached them, and taking seats around the combined picnic tables, looked curiously at Kagome, who was burying her face into Suki's blanket.

Yusuke, giving one last worried glance at his older cousin, stood up, deciding that he would do the introductions, since everyone was staying silent. Clearing his throat, catching the attention of his friends, decided to start.

"Uh... Alright, guys, this is my cousin Kagome, and her two children, Shippo and Suki. Shippo's the little redhead, and Suki's the one Kags is currently trying to hide in."

At this, Kagome unburied her face, and looked at Yusuke, deciding that they could see Suki. Didn't mean they could touch her though.

"Kags, these are my friends. The short dark one is Hiei, and next to him is Shuichi. Then Kazuma, you already know, and his older sister Shizuru. Keiko, you already know also, and... That's it."

Kagome gave a small smile, before Suki started to whine a little. She apparently could feel all the eyes on her, and unlike her mother, could sense that there were demons about. Not to mention a really familiar aura.

---

Kurama heard from Yusuke a few days ago that he wanted to introduce his cousin to everyone, since she had been avoiding interacting with people. Kurama agreed, as long as he was called Shuichi in front of her. He couldn't let her know... not yet. After a lengthy argument of when the hell that would be, Yusuke finally agreed, and they hung up.

He spent the next few days pacing around, trying to decide if he was doing the right thing.

'Damn, I could just pretend that I don't know her... But she's a Miko, she'll feel the demon inside of me... But then again, I can mask that. But can I from her? She always knew when I was sneaking up on her before...' He had these kinds of thoughts running through his head the whole time. Hiei had amused himself by watching the worried fox pace around his room. Of course, he hadn't really said anything, but the smirk on his face didn't help Kurama's mood much.

The day finally came, and Kurama had decided to forgo his usual outfits, and go for the darker colors. After searching through his closet, he finally came across his black silk button down, and a pair of black slacks in a silky material. After showering and dressing, he let his hair hang loose, and for the first time noticed that his hair had grown out. He, of course, didn't want to get it cut, but his mother might think differently. He would have to think of that at a later date, since he now only had a few minutes till he had to leave.

Walking out the door, he headed to Yusuke's apartment, and ignored all the looks and blatant stares as he walked into the shabby neighborhood. Upon reaching the apartment, he realized he was on time, and sat at the door to wait.

Fifteen minutes had passed before he received a brief call from Kuwabara, telling him they were meeting at the park instead. Putting away his cell phone, he started to walk on, knowing that Hiei was following, hidden.

He met up with Kuwabara and Shizuru on the corner, and was quickly joined by Keiko. Hiei finally came out of the shadows, and together, they walked into the park, stopping to look around for Yusuke and his cousin. Shizuru spotted Yusuke, and led them over to them, and Kurama saw a redheaded kid separate from a group of kids and run over there, grabbing the leg of what appeared to be his mother. He didn't recognize either of them at first, but then when he took a better look at the child, noticed it was Shippo. He almost faltered, but composed himself quickly, ignoring the glance that he got from Shizuru.

He saw Yusuke saying something to Kagome, who had her face buried in a baby blanket, and he and the rest of his friends took a seat around the table, glancing at Yusuke while watching Kagome, though the girls didn't know who she was.

"Uh... Alright, guys, this is my cousin Kagome, and her two children, Shippo and Suki. Shippo's the little redhead, and Suki's the one Kags is currently trying to hide in," Yusuke introduced, and the girls looked a little surprised, and even more so when Kagome lifted her head and they saw how young she was. She ran an eye over all of them, not taking more time on one person then any other. It was then he noticed something about her energy. It was extremely low, barely noticeable.

"Kags, these are my friends. The short dark one is Hiei, and next to him is Shuichi. Then Kazuma, you already know, and his older sister Shizuru. Keiko, you already know also, and... That's it," Yusuke said, introducing her to them. He was glad that Yusuke kept his end of the deal, and would have to explain to the girls why she couldn't know his 'nickname'. Damn, that was going to be a hard discussion...

"H-hello," Kagome whispered, her hands were shaking as she said this. She was apparently nervous, and the girls could see this.

"Hey, Kags, was it? You don't look old enough to have children," Shizuru said, making Yusuke glare at her. Kagome paled, but responded.

"I did have them young," she said, and he noticed that she didn't mention that Shippo was adopted. She probably didn't want to explain how she was able to adopt at the age of 15.

"So, who's the father?" Keiko asked, and apparently it was the wrong thing to say, for Kagome had tears in her eyes.

"He... He was a great man... but he has passed on to the afterlife." Kagome was solemn as she said this, making Keiko form a little 'o' with her mouth, before closing it, embarrassed for bringing up such a subject.

"Can I hold her?" Shizuru asked, and the reaction they got wasn't one they were expecting. Kurama felt what little energy she had spring to life, and she jumped back from the table.

"No! Don't touch her!"

---

"No! Don't touch her!" Kagome shouted after she leapt back from the table. She didn't know what came over her, but she couldn't let them hold her. They would find out, they were just human, she hoped, anyways. If they were demons, they would kill her. She couldn't let them touch her. Her breathing increased, and she could feel the panic overwhelming her. Suki could too, apparently, for she started to cry.

Yusuke quickly went to Kagome's side, and seeing that she was having a panic attack, and taking her shoulders, lowered her to the ground on her knees. He knew it would be stupid of him to try to take Suki away at this point, since that is what triggered the attack, but he could try everything in his power to calm her down.

Kagome felt herself be lowered to the ground, and now on her knees, she bent over, her own tears joining that of her daughter's. She saw everyone's feet move away from the table, and heard Yusuke's soothing voice in her ear.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? Aunty just told me to take you out, since you weren't leaving home. Just take deep breaths, and calm down. You're scaring Shippo, and you don't want to do that, right?"

Kagome gave a small shake of her head, and tried to slow her breathing, but found that it was getting harder and harder to breath.

"In the... Diaper bag... Bag... Bring..." She managed to get out in between gasps, and Shuichi managed to catch onto what she was saying. He went quickly over to the stroller, and grabbed the diaper bag. In there was exactly what he needed, a paper bag. He emptied it of its contents and brought it over, and remembering his first aid class in school, put the bag over her nose and mouth, and told her to breathe.

Kagome started to try to control her breathing again, and soon it was slowing down, Suki's cries were also lessening, since she sensed her mother calming down. Shippo, trying desperately to hide his own tears, watched as the redheaded man helped his mama, and crept closer to her.

'She hasn't been like this since Papa died...' Shippo thought, and soon he was standing next to his mother.

"Mama, you okay?" Shippo asked, startling the two women who forgot that he was there.

"Oh Shippo, I'm so sorry..." She said, pulling him close to her in a hug. He buried his head into her shoulder. "I shouldn't have had to scare you like this again..."

"It wasn't your fault Mama, neither was last time," Shippo said softly, and the people around them looked confused.

"I'm not a good mother... I can't even take care of my own children..." She sobbed softly, and Yusuke bent down next to her again.

"Kags, you are a good mother. You raised Shippo and Suki to be good kids. Their father dying wasn't your fault. I won't tell you to get over it, because I know it's not that easy."

"I'm sorry... All I am is a burden... I just come back into your life, and all you've done is take care of me. I'm supposed to be taking care of you. I can't even take care of myself..."

Shuichi, much to the shock of the girls - though not the boys, since they already knew who he was - bent down next to the sobbing mother, and in his soft voice, talked to her.

"You are not a burden. If Yusuke thought you were, he would have told you that. That's the way he is. Now get up, and let's go have that lunch I saw in your diaper bag, alright?"

Kagome nodded, and with the help of the two boys, got back on her feet and back over to the picnic table. Yusuke grabbed her diaper bag, and looking in, saw more lunch bags in there, plus the contents of that paper bag strewn throughout it. He took out the bags, and placing them on the table, counted them.

"Well, two of us are going to not be able to eat."

"I won't..." Kagome said, and Yusuke shook his head.

"I have seen how much you've been eating, and you need to eat. Me and Kuwabara can go without lunch, right?" Yusuke said, looking over at Kuwabara.

"Of course!" Kuwabara agreed, and Kagome smiled softly. They split the bags, and Kagome ate, while helping Shippo eat. He wasn't good at eating the sandwiches, so she took out a knife, and cut them into small pieces for him to just pick up and bite into.

"I'm sorry for my display earlier," Kagome whispered as everyone was eating. She had only eaten half of her lunch, but she was full.

"It's alright, we shouldn't have asked so many questions," Shizuru said, waving her hand. Keiko nodded in agreement, since she had asked some rather rude questions also.

---

Kurama had spent most of the picnic watching Kagome, Suki, and Shippo, a feeling of nostalgia creeping over him. He couldn't believe he was there, sitting with them, after 500 years...

He was over at the Kuwabara's house, Hiei having taken the spot closest to the window, and was promptly ignoring everyone. He claimed he was only here to make sure Kurama didn't do anything stupid, but Kurama knew he was curious.

Shizuru had been watching him get lost in his own thoughts most of the evening they were over at her house, and soon she got fed up with it.

"Alright Kurama, what the hell is going on?"

Keiko jumped, for Shizuru sure sounded angry at the moment. She hadn't really noticed anything, but now that she thought about it, Kurama was really acting strange.

"It's nothing..." He started, but Shizuru didn't look too pleased with that answer.

"It is too something, you've been staring at Yusuke's cousin the whole time we were there, then you get down and comfort her during her panic attack, then you stare at her some more, and now you are daydreaming in my house! What is up with that?"

"Alright, you want to know?" Kurama said, and Shizuru sat down, facing him. Keiko also turned to face him, curious.

"Okay... she was my lover a long time ago, back when I was Youko Kurama. Suki is my daughter, and Shippo is my son."

"But Youko's been dead for 19 years, care to explain?"

"Kagome is a time traveling Miko, and she traveled over 500 years into the past to meet me. In truth, I died around that time period, but knowing she lived far into the future, look a lucky guess to be reborn. Apparently I did it right, since I am here and so is she. We became lovers the year she got sucked into the past, and she lived there with me fore three years, since she didn't want to travel while she was pregnant. I died only a few months after Suki was born."

"On my god... I'm so sorry Kurama," Keiko whispered, tears falling down her face. Shizuru looked a bit sad, but she wasn't openly crying.

"Why don't you tell her?" Shizuru asked, and Kurama shook his head.

"It would break her. I have had years to mourn, and she has only had months."

"Well, apparently she is already broken, by that display today. I just think you're afraid."

Owari

Wow, that came out of nowhere. Sorry it's been so long, school has been keeping me busy. Well, hopefully it won't take as long next time to update. Please leave a review, they always make my day!