Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
A/N: Prompt – Liquid. Yay, someone prompted me…randomly, it's true…but random prompts are good, no?
It was easy to see where Kagome got her superhuman perceptive powers from – even if said powers were on a full scale rebellion presently. Not that they could be blamed, poor things. That man would tempt an angel to profanity and cynicism.
Clearly, the Higurashi matriarch was some level of God. Fifteen minutes of yelling and accusations and death glares, and the lady had them sat down civilly to a tea party, with a full understanding of her daughter's plight and without raising her voice once.
Not an easy thing to do when your daughter was wailing at you for having sold her off to the devil in exchange for shrine repair funds.
Making a mental note to confiscate her father-in-law's pineapple candies and her son's video games for botching this up so magnificently, she set about smoothing ruffled feathers and reducing smug grins to acceptable levels of offensiveness.
"So, we're not engaged?" Kagome sighed in relief.
Mama Higurashi sent a quelling look at that man when he would have interrupted. "Certainly not, honey! Did you think for a second I'd allow it?"
"So what's all this about the shrine needing a fortune and stuff, all of a sudden? And WHY didn't anyone tell me anything before?"
"The shrine's in trouble, it's true. They want to demolish it and put up some fancy mall on this land. BUT - ," and Kagome tamped down her outrage, "but, the government's not stupid and this community's standing behind us. We've got six months to find ourselves a permanent sponsor…or protector. Furusawa-san has pledged himself quite generously, but he wished to have a stronger tie to the shrine."
Kagome stared at her tea, unwilling to think of the implications.
Her mother seemed to understand her dilemma, but she issued a reminder all the same, "The shrine can't go, Kagome. You know that."
Kagome did, unfortunately. Too much was at stake here – the Goshinboku, the Noh Mask, the extinguished well – and horror of horrors – herself. The Shikon was tied to the shrine in unimaginable little ways. The shrine was its home, its last refuge.
And now, her last refuge.
Mama's right. The shrine can't go. But to hand herself over to that man…did he know she didn't have it any longer? Kagome thought fast; her mother wouldn't have considered this angle to that man's intentions, but then her mother didn't know who he was either. She knew, and she couldn't let this go. Something had gone wrong in the past, and it had to be fixed.
A slight cough reminded her that a reaction was expected. Kagome hid her fear and assumed Disguise 101: Outraged Prude.
"So he'll take his money back if he can't get me?" she snarled, refusing to look at the man in question.
Said man perked up at the chance to defend himself. "I'm a respectable man who doesn't believe in the flesh trade, my dear. Not even if you insist."
Kagome gritted her teeth. Yes, Naraku must die. Again.
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