Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Literally.
Unknown
Chapter 8
Though love began to grow in the maiden's heart
She could not abandon her bitter spell
Since it is easier to love what you know
Than face the demons of the past with forgiveness...
She had been in a car accident once as a child, sitting in the passenger seat as a large truck hit the small car in the rear driver's side panel. She had been flung forward and around, spinning without knowing where she would stop. That feeling of utter terror and panic, of moving in complete slow motion, was similar to what she felt as she stood in the doorway staring at her father.
It felt as if time had become thick and she was walking through water.
Suddenly, she was four years old again, laying on her stomach across the stained rug in his studio. The sun was warm on her back as she finger-painted a misshapen kitten in green. If she got a green hand print on the rug, it was fine. It was an artist rug, already filled with spills and splatters from his early years.
Looking up from her kitten, she watched her father. He sat on a small wooden stool a few feet away, working on a landscape. There was a small table beside him filled with jars of mutli-colored water holding brushes. Horse hair and straw. Small tubes of paint lined a mixing tray where he blended colors with brush tips and tooth picks.
She loved to watch his hands when he worked. One held a brush, working fluidly. He was like a conductor of a symphony with his movements. The other held a second brush, tipped with a different color that he would switch out when needed. Or he would absently grab a sponge to dab a mistake, tucking the spare brush behind his ear.
He kept his long hair tied back at the nape of his neck and free of his face while he worked. There was always an expression of serenity on his face. Sometimes he would hum, especially when she was with him. He'd say it would relax them both so that they could work. His voice, warm as honey, would surround her. Comforting her.
Every now and then he's pause between trees and flowers to look over at her. He would always smile and compliment her work.
She was the next Monet or Dega. Her father loved the Impressionists.
She had thought her father loved her too.
"Kagome?"
Her four-year-old self looked up at him, but this wasn't the father of her memory. He was older and his hair was down. He was dressed in a button-down shirt and jacket instead of his smock. He had flowers in his hands instead of paint brushes.
"Kagome, are you all right?"
Seventeen-year-old Kagome blinked and stared at her father, feeling time begin to stabilize.
It took her a few minutes to find her voice, but all she could squeak out was, "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you."
It was so simple, something any good father would say. Something a man would say after having been gone a few days. It wasn't something a man said to his daughter after walking out five years ago without a word since. Not a man who stole a family's savings, leaving a woman to work two jobs in order to support her four children alone.
Kagome clenched her hands against the emotions building inside her like a vortex. Anger. Resentment. Hurt. And there, beneath all of it, was the pure happiness of seeing him again. The four-year-old inside of her was weeping for joy. Her father hadn't forgotten her. He was here.
"Kagome." He reached out to touch her and she took a step back, instinctively flinching from his touch. He quickly took his hand back, hurt flashing over his face. "Sorry."
"You...can't be here," she said softly. She suddenly craned her neck to look over his shoulder. No sign of her mother or the boys. Yet.
"I just want to talk to you, Kagome." He took a breath, as if he was fortifying himself. "Can I come in?"
"No!" It ripped from her, much more hostile than she wanted.
He flinched again, sighing. "Please, I want to talk to you."
"You have to leave." Her palms started to sweat and fear started to set in.
What would happen when her brothers came home? What would they do when they saw him? Shippou was still so little, would he recognize their father on sight? Souta would, but he wouldn't know what to do. And Kohaku... A chill of fear lanced through her. Oh, God. Kohaku would hate her. She was the one always telling him that their father wasn't coming back. He would never forgive her.
"Now."
"Please!" When she moved to close the door, he put his hand against the wood and halted her motions. "I'm begging you."
Kagome trembled, torn. She was terrified and didn't know what to do. Why wasn't her mother here? Why did she have to deal with this alone?
"Why did you have to come here?" she whispered, afraid that if she raised her voice, everyone would see him. No one was around, but she had reached the point of irrationality. "Why couldn't you stay gone?"
"Kagome, please, just give me a few minutes. I want to explain things to you. I didn't want to leave--"
"Don't you dare!" The anger came to her rescue, pushing the fear to the back of her mind, to the bottom of her heart. "You're not allowed to say things like that. You left. There's no explanation to make that forgivable."
"Baby, I'm sorry."
"I don't care."
Suddenly, her father looked smaller. Older. Like the breath of life inside of him was breathed out and he was only a shell. He had appeared in front of her like a vision of the past, but now she saw how truly changed he was. It wasn't simply the lines on his face of the way he was dressed. He was thin. Sickly thin. And very pale.
"Oh, God...you're dying," she blurted.
Then he smiled again. The Higurashi smile, all flash and charm.
"No. Sorry to disappoint you."
She only frowned at him. "Don't joke about that. It's not funny."
He smiled a little and nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry."
Kagome suddenly felt awkward, shifting from foot to foot. "Please, Dad...you have to go. Mom and the boys..."
"Are they here?" He brightened again, but she wasn't fooled this time. He still looked tired and sick.
"No. And I don't want you to be here when they get home. You're going to scare them, like you scared me."
Her father sighed, holding out the bouquet of flowers he had been holding. They were white lilies. Her mother's favorite flower. "Would you give these to your mother for me?"
Kagome snatched the flowers from him. "Okay. Will do. Please go."
He hesitated, then shook his head. "I can't. Kagome, I have to talk to you. Please, I just want a few minutes with you. I...I've missed you so much."
It was those words that tugged on her heart, making her hesitate. "Dad..."
"Just a few minutes."
He looked so sad that her heart ached. Before she realized what she was doing, she heard herself say, "I'll get my coat. Hold on." And then she was inside the living room, grabbing her scarf and coat again. She was on the front step, locking the door, before she looked up.
He was smiling again, so bright she almost couldn't look at him.
"Let's go to the park," she said, walking ahead of him to the new rent-a-car sitting in her driveway.
He didn't say anything as they slid into the leather seats and he drove off. Kagome didn't look at him as he drove. She put her bare hands against the heater which was pumping warm air into the cabin. She tried to curl herself inward, to ignore everything churning hot and heavy inside of her.
For years she had lain awake in her bed, dreaming of what she would say to her father if she ever saw him again. And now that she sat no more than two feet from him, none of those rehearsed speeches and fancy turns of phrase came to mind. There was nothing but an intense urge to cry and scream and beat her fists against him until she bled. And then she would hug him as tightly as she could.
"Thank you," he said, breaking her away from that vision of herself.
"What?" She finally looked over at him.
"For coming with me. Thank you."
Kagome swallowed. "Don't thank me. I don't want to be here. I don't know what came over me."
"You came because you wanted to hear me out," he said confidently. "And I thank you for that."
Kagome sighed and looked out her window. They had reached the park and he pulled into the small lot. Everything was full of muddy slush and ice. No one was around. She was glad.
They climbed out of the car and Kagome walked over to a nearby picnic table. She sat on the table top, pressing her cold hands between her thighs. Her father sat next to her, quiet.
"I don't trust you," Kagome said after a minute, looking at the sad, vacant playground. "But I want you to promise me something."
Her father leapt on that chance. "Of course. Whatever you want."
She looked at her, deadly serious. "Promise me you won't go back to the house."
He looked surprised. "What?"
"I don't want you to see mom or the boys, not until I have the chance to tell them myself that you're here."
"Kagome, I think that's a little--"
"Promise me right now, or I'm leaving."
She was totally impassive. He knew she meant it.
He looked away, down at his hands, over at the playground. Sighing. "I promise."
"Thank you."
He looked at her and she smiled. It was a tiny, almost imperceptible smile, but it was there. His face lit up again. "You're welcome."
Kagome shivered as a chilly breeze assaulted them. Her father reached over and tugged a little on her scarf, tucking a piece of it around her ears so they would stay warm. "Your ears get red. Like your mother's."
That simple gesture made her want to cry.
"Look, Dad, if you're going to take a walk down memory lane--"
"No, that's not why I'm here."
"Then why are you here?"
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It hung in the air around his face for a moment before melting away. "I didn't think it would be this hard."
That made her frown. "I'm sorry if I'm not all weepy when my deadbeat dad shows up after five years."
He frowned right back at her. "I'm not a deadbeat."
"Forgive me, my rich artist father who abandoned his family to poverty."
The look he gave her was one of complete shock. "Is that what your mother told you?"
"She didn't have to say anything. I knew that when you gone, all our money went with you."
"I've sent your mother money. I wrote her a check every month, but she never cashed them. She wouldn't take a penny from me. If she wasn't so stubborn--"
"Don't you dare say a word against my mother!" Kagome was on her feet, ready to breath fire like an angry dragon as she faced him down. "She was here. Working two jobs to take care of us while you ran off to New York with your whore!"
Her father stared at her like she'd grown a second head. He blinked his big blue eyes stupidly, trying to regain himself. "Wow."
Kagome relaxed a little, hugging herself. She was getting cold.
"I...don't even know how to respond to that."
Kagome shook her head in disgust. "I'm leaving."
"Kagome, wait." He got up and grabbed her arm when she started to walk off.
She yanked her arm away. "Go away. Why did you have to come here? You're going to ruin everything!"
He floundered. "I'm not trying to ruin anything. I just had to see you." He reached out and gently took hold of her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Kagome, did your mother tell you I ran off with someone?"
She frowned and shook her head. "No. But I heard her on the phone a few days after you left. You left with that woman from your gallery. You left us to be with her in New York."
Her father frowned and shook his head. "That's not what happened at all."
"Don't lie!" Kagome pushed his hands away, but he grabbed her again.
"I'm not lying! That's not what happened. Yes, I went to New York with Cheryl, but not like that. I didn't leave your mother for another woman. Cheryl was helping me. We were friends, that's all."
"I don't believe you."
He sighed, frustrated and ran his hand through his hair. He even started to pace. "Kagome, don't you remember how I was back then?"
She frowned right back. "I adored you," she said simply. "And then you turned your back on us like we were garbage."
"How could you think that about me? Do you really think the man that you adored could hurt you so easily, for no reason?"
"You spend five years without a father, you start believing a lot of things about him," she snapped. Hating herself, she started to cry. "How could you leave us like that? Why didn't you come see us?"
He made a noise in the back of his throat and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "I tried!" His voice was muffled against her hair. "I called, I wrote. Your mother wouldn't let me talk to you."
Kagome went ridged in his arms. "What?"
"I called every year on your birthdays, at Christmas. Hell, I even called on Halloween. Your mother blocked my number, or just hung up without answering. She told me not to call. And she said I wasn't allowed to see you."
"She wouldn't do that!"
"I sent money, Kagome. I begged her to take it. I tried everything I could to help you, but she wouldn't let me."
"Mom wouldn't, she just wouldn't!" Kagome pushed out of his arms and moved away from him. "She loves us. She works hard to take care of us. She wouldn't have us suffer like that to...to just..."
"She won't let me help," he said flatly, then shrugged. "She has her pride, Kagome. She would rather work hard than let me help."
Kagome felt her chest constrict. "But...why?"
He sighed. "She won't forgive me."
"For running off with that woman."
"No!" He was frustrated again, pacing. "It wasn't like that. Cheryl only came to New York to sign me into the clinic. After that, she went back to her gallery and that was it. She's my friend. She shows me work. There is nothing sexual between us."
"Wait, back up...what clinic?"
Kou Higurashi, famous American artist, frowned at his daughter. "I was an addict, Kagome. Don't you remember?"
Kagome blinked at him. "Wh-what?"
She thought back to when she was thirteen. Her life had been a world-wind of middle school and going out with friends and puberty. She had just discovered boys and bras. She remembered walking the boys to elementary school, and her mother talking about maybe getting a part-time job now that Shippou was out of the house at school.
But she also remembered her father hiding in his studio more often, and her parents fighting in hushed tones when they thought everyone was asleep. She remembered her mother crying and her father's anger.
His painting was suffering. No one would buy it. He started locking the door.
"Daddy, what did you do?"
He sighed, and it was bone-tired. "Pain-killers. Oxycontin, mostly. Remember how I feel off the latter taking down the Christmas lights the winter before? They gave me some pills for the pain in my back, and it just got worse from there."
Kagome stared at him, utterly horrified.
"I didn't think it was getting as bad as it was until it started affecting my work. Then I got depressed and took more. I started using more, using more of our savings. Your mother will never forgive me for that either."
Kagome shook her head. "I...I never thought..."
He smiled a little. "I was good at hiding it, and your mother helped me. She didn't want your kids to know what I was becoming. Finally, she told me to get out or stop. I got so angry, Kagome. I almost hit her. I wanted to, really wanted to, and I knew then that I had to leave."
He walked back to the picnic table and sat down, cradling his head in his hands. "I packed my bags and left. Cheryl helped me find a rehab center in New York, so I checked myself in. The money I took for you was to pay for my time in the center."
"How long were you in there?"
Kagome moved back to his side, sitting down as well.
"Two months." He sighed again, shaking his head. "After that, I got an apartment and started painting again. Cheryl helped me sell my work and I made some money. I was determined that I wasn't going to come back until I had enough to replace everything I'd taken. But when I tried to give your mother the money, she wouldn't take it."
"You were only there a few months. Why didn't you just come back after that? Even if she wouldn't take your money, you could have come to see us!"
Kou shook his head. "I was ashamed." Then he laughed a little. "No, I was scared. I thought for sure she had told you kids what a junkie I was and I believed it when she said that you had nothing to say to me when I called."
"Dad..."
"I was...I would relapse. Pills or drinking. I was depressed and I missed you. All of you." He shook his head. "I just got out of another stint in rehab and I knew I had to come see you. No matter what."
Kagome only shook her head sadly, hair falling into her eyes. "Oh, Dad..."
He flashed his famous smile. "God, you got even prettier. You look just like your mom."
She felt herself smile a little and shook her head. "No, I look like you."
Kou reached out and touched her hair gently. "Are you still painting?"
Her throat threatened to close. "I'm into fashion design now. I make my own clothes."
"Do you?" His eyes danced with interest. "You'll have to show me."
Kagome hesitated. "You're...going to stay here a while?"
Kou looked surprised. "Yes. I wanted to try and...get to know my family again."
"You promised not to see them yet, remember."
Then he just looked hurt. "I hoped that you might reconsider."
"You can't drop a sob-story and expect everything to be all right, Dad." Kagome got up and hugged herself, shaking her head. "You have to give me some time."
"But you will tell them, won't you?"
She looked at him and her heart ached at his look of misery. She loved him, and she hated him. He was her father, then, now, and forever. "I will, Daddy."
He smiled. "Come on, I'll drive you home."
"Where will you go after that?"
She was starting to like the Higurashi smile again. "Howard Johnson off Main Street. I'll book a room...indefinitely."
----------------------
Sango sat in the auto shop, humming to herself. School had just let out and Kagura had abandoned her to go work at the paper. Kagome was off somewhere with Inuyasha so she saw no point in rushing home. Instead, she'd take her time.
Plus, she knew that she'd be able to corner Miroku before he left if she waited long enough.
It didn't take long for him to swagger into the room, but he stopped when he saw her.
"Sango."
"Hey."
He looked around, then saw no one. He smiled at her. "Oh, you planned a stolen romantic moment with me. How scandalous."
Sango rolled her eyes and smiled. "No, I just wanted to talk to you more about our two favorite people."
"They're together now, aren't they? I thought our cupid-ing was over."
She shook her head and frowned. "It's not that easy. I don't think Kagome's going to be comfortable being with Grimm in public for a while, what with all the flack she's catching for dumping Hojo. Plus, if that brainless jock ever got wind that she was dating someone else, he'd probably flip a lid."
"And you're worried Grimm might instigate that."
"Or get pissed if she's skiddish. You know patience isn't his strongest suit."
"And he would like nothing more than to ruffle Hojo's feathers now that he has Kagome."
"It'll be a mess."
"Good thing they have us to take care of them like this."
Sango grinned. "How right you are."
Miroku leaned on one of the tables. "What should we do to help them?"
Sango shrugged. "I'm not sure. What do you want to do?"
He laughed. "Well, we could give Grimm a stern talking to."
"Somehow I doubt that would work." She thought about it. "We could beat the crap out of Hojo so that by the time he wakes up, we'll have graduated and no longer have to worry about him."
"We could get arrested for that."
"True."
"Hey, San, would you want to get out of here and talk more?"
She blinked at him. "Where would we go?"
"I don't know." He was blushing down and Sango found that strangely cute. "Maybe to the diner or something. I'm starved."
"Is this a date?"
"No."
Sango felt a little disappointed. "So you don't want to go on a date with me?"
"No!"
"Oh." Now she felt hurt and looked away.
"Wait, no, I didn't mean no. I meant of course I'd want to go on a date with you, but I don't want to strong-arm you into it or something."
Sango smiled at him. "You? Strong-arm me into something? You're kidding, right?"
Miroku only balked a few times before running a hand through his hair, touching the red streak. "Well, I just...sometimes I'm not sure you want to date me."
Sango moved over to him and touching the back of his hand, blushing a little. "I'd like to...if you could learn to control yourself a little more."
"Come on, San. You're too hot. I can't help myself."
She held up a finger, looking at him seriously. "Demon, if you want to go on a date with you, you have to behave. Otherwise, I'll leave."
He gave her his saddest puppy-dog look and nodded. "Okay."
"Deal?"
"Deal."
Sango grinned happily. Then she grabbed both sides of his face and pulled him down for a kiss.
Miroku closed his eyes and kissed her back, naturally. But he also resisted the urge to grope her ass, which was a huge deal to him.
"I'm proud of you," Sango said when she pulled back. Her breathing was just a little fast. "You didn't do anything stupid."
Miroku reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind Sango's ear, smiling at her as he touched her cheek gently. "No. I don't want to make you think I'm not serious about you."
Her heart flopped. "I'm serious about you too."
"Then we should date."
"And not just to talk about Grimm and Kagome."
Miroku put his arms around her again, smiling as he lowered his head. "Who are they again?"
------------------
Cooking is never an exact science. Naturally you have all the measurements and proportions of the food you need to make different dishes, but there are always exceptions. Ingredients can be substituted for others. Amounts can be changed to taste.
The thing that Inuyasha loved about cooking was that it gave him complete control over his environment. It was also why he loved writing. It gave him a taste of absolute control after times of complete loss of control over everything else in his life. There were some things that he could always depend on.
"What are you cooking?"
Looking up from chopping some shallots, Inuyasha looked at Rin from where she had seated herself at the island counter. She smiled expectantly at him.
"Garlic chicken, seasoned rice and bruschetta."
"Oh, that sounds good!"
"It's not for you, squirt."
Rin giggled. "Ooo, is your girlfriend coming over?"
Inuyasha was angry when he felt himself start to blush. "Who said I had a girlfriend?"
She only giggled again. "I saw you kissing Kagome on the porch last week."
He turned back to the cutting board to hide his embarrassment. "You like her, don't you?"
"She's super cool."
"Yeah, we're...going out."
"That's fun. When you marry her, she'll be my sister. Then Kohaku and Souta and Shippou will be my in-laws."
Inuyasha narrowly missed slicing his finger off. "Marry her? I'm not going to marry her!"
"You don't know," Rin argued. "You might." She only smiled again. "Give me something to eat? I'm hungry."
"Pig. I made you a snack before."
"Yeah, but I won't be able to come in here and get one later. You'll be too busy kissing Kagome again." She made a face. "You and Kagome in here, Sesshomaru and Kagura in the living room...I can't go anywhere in this house without running into people kissing."
Inuyasha laughed. "Well, you have two handsome brothers." Then he added, "Though I'm more handsome."
She laughed. "I don't know. Sesshomaru wouldn't like that."
"Hey, who is making your snack?"
"Inuyasha is the most handsome!" Rin declared, giggling.
"I know you were just sucking up, but I will accept that anyway because you're cute." He sliced her an apple and slathered it in peanut butter. "Good now?"
"Yup!" She stuffed a piece into her mouth. "Inuyasha? You're going to be nice to Kagome, aren't you?"
He looked at her over his shoulder. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?"
She only shrugged. "Kohaku says Kagome gets sad a lot. He'd get really mad if you made it worse."
He frowned at her. "I wouldn't make it worse."
She giggled. "You will if you make her mad all the time."
"I'm not that annoying," he huffed. "Now get out of my kitchen."
"Have fun kissing Kagome," Rin said before scurrying off.
Inuyasha frowned as he continued cooking. He wondered about what Rin said, and worried that she might be talking about some of his episodes that he'd had as a child. Did she think that he would add to Kagome's work load because he had a disorder?
"Don't think so hard or you'll hurt yourself," Sesshomaru commented as he walked into the kitchen. "That little vein in your forehead was about to pop."
"Oh, shut up."
"That's no way to talk to your brother," he said calmly, pulling a bottle of water out of the fridge.
"Everyone needs to stop coming in here while I'm cooking."
"Relax, I'm not staying long. I have an article to finish."
"The sooner you're out of here the better."
"What has you so angry?"
"I'm always angry when I have to look at your face."
Sesshomaru only smirked a little. "You're being deliberately hostile. What's wrong?"
Inuyasha eyed him, not trusting his concern. But Sesshomaru only looked back at him and drank his water, waiting.
"Just something Rin said bothered me. About Kagome."
Sesshomaru nodded. "Everyone is protective of her."
"I'm not going to do anything to her," he defended.
"It's not personal toward you. Everyone just knows that behind all her smiles and perfect-girl image, she's a very thin thread that could snap at any moment."
"What does that mean?"
"She's overworked, overstressed, and there is only so much a person can take before they just break." He shrugged. "I'd hate to see that happen to her."
"I'm not going to break her."
"No," Sesshomaru agreed. "But will you put her back together when she does?"
Inuyasha only blinked. "Your analogies are so damn weird."
Sesshomaru looked at the ceiling. "I don't understand where my genes went so right, and where yours went so wrong." Then he left the kitchen without a backward glance.
Inuyasha worked a little more, finishing up his meal. He showered and changed into a nicer outfit and got everything ready for a nice date with his girlfriend. Sesshomaru was locked in his study and wouldn't bother him. His parents were out at a benefit now that his mother was feeling better, which made things less awkward. And Rin had promised to be good. It would be perfect.
Like clockwork, Kagome arrived right on time. She looked nice in a yellow dress, though he wondered how she could possibly be warm with her legs bare. But it was a nice view, so he didn't complain.
"Hey."
She smiled at him when she came inside, taking off her jacket and scarf. "Hi. I'm ready for a good home-cooked meal."
"Then come his way." He smiled and took her into the kitchen. He'd thrown a table cloth over the island and lit a couple candles. All that gay romantic dating stuff.
She laughed when she walked in. "How cheesy! Did you do all this for me?"
"Hey, I haven't even put on the string quartet music I have ready."
Kagome smiled brightly and leaned over, kissing his cheek. "Thank you. I really needed a good night."
He looked down at her and frowned. "Are you okay?" He touched her cheek. "Your eyes look a little red."
Kagome turned her head away. "I'm fine. Just a few things popping up. You know how it is."
"Tell me about it," he said, piling two plates with his meal and serving her the first.
"This all looks so great," she said honestly, drooling a little.
"Don't change the subject."
Kagome pouted and took a bite of the food to stall. But then she looked down at the plate in surprise. "Tastes great too."
"Kagome."
The tone of his voice made her wilt. Even her hair seemed to get smaller. "If I tell you something, will you swear not to tell anyone else. Ever?"
Inuyasha sat down across from her, looking at her. "I swear. Just you and me."
She looked up at him and sighed. "I saw my father."
He blinked. That was not what he was expecting. "You father?"
"He came into town to see my family, but I made him promise not to come back to the house until I told them. But I don't think I should tell them. I don't know what to do." Her hands were shaking and he reached out to take them in his, to comfort her. She looked up at him, tired and sad. "I hate him...but he's my dad. I still love him."
Inuyasha nodded. "I know. It's okay."
"I don't know what to do."
"I wish I could help you."
She smiled at him a little. "You are."
He smiled back. "So you haven't told anyone else he's here?" She shook her head. "Not even Sango?"
"I couldn't tell her. It would destroy her to know."
Inuyasha frowned. "Why?"
Kagome shrugged and floundered for words. "It was something we shared, you know? Her dad died and mine was gone. It was what made us really close. If my dad suddenly came back...it would only remind her that hers won't."
"I don't think Sango would blame you for that."
"I can't hurt her feelings like that."
"And you won't tell your family?"
"How can I tell them that my father suddenly appeared and told me this story about being an addict? All this time I thought he'd just...run off with some woman when really he was in rehab and trying...to get better for us. And my mother...she let me think all those horrible things about him."
"Kagome..I'm sorry."
Her big, beautiful eyes were filling and he felt helpless. "I don't know what to do and I feel so much I want to burst."
He couldn't take her pain so he got up and went to her, holding her close. She pressed her face into his chest and cried. Inuyasha stroked her hair and sighed. "It'll be okay."
"How do you know?"
"I just do."
"Life doesn't work like that."
"Sometimes it does," he assured her, kissing the crown of her head.
He helped her to her feet and they went to the living room. Kagome curled up next to him on the couch, crying or laying silently in his arms, sad and thoughtful. He held her for hours, offering support and letting her talk out her conflicting emotions.
Dinner was forgotten.
