Assassination

A/N: Tests are over! I am free!! Yay, me. So, anyways, I finally tweaked this to my liking. It doesn't suck as badly as it did at first. This is good, my grasshoppers, because it REALLY sucked at first. Anyways, read on!

Disclaimer: I refuse to utter such hurtful words. Do you really think I own these sexy dogs?
I wish.
Oh, how I wish.


CHAPTER 9: A New Kagome

“If you don’t get your scheming asses outside right now and get in the car, I’m going to cut your allowances for the rest of the year!”

At the carefully modulated threat, a flurry of activity sounded from behind the closed wooden doors.

Several crashes, thunks and curses that had her raising her eyebrows later, two boys hurriedly dressed in creased, crumpled clothes, shoes in hand and eyes wide with panic stood before her.

“Now that’s more like it.” She said, satisfied.

“Aww, mom.” Shippo whined, eyeing his mother’s face with all the skill of a teenaged boy about to ask for money, music or machinery.

“Don’t ‘aww, mom’ me, you devil. Souta, your shoes don’t match.” She pointed out, laughing.

Souta tromped back into his room, muttering uncomplimentary things about older sisters.

“Hey, mom. You know you’re my absolutely favourite mother in the whole world, right?” Shippo started, widening his green eyes to adorable-chibi size.

“No, you can’t have a raise in your allowance, or a car, or a new guitar.” She said absently, looking over his shoulder for her brother.

“Come on, mom! I’m getting my license just now, and I need a car! I’ll be the only one without a car! That’ll be really bad for my psychological development.” He added sagely.

“Nice try, pal o’ mine. We’ll have to risk it. Now, move your ass, Souta! We’ll all be late, and if you think I was kidding about the allowance thing-” she trailed off meaningfully.

Souta skidded out, and Kagome sauntered off, black heels clicking on the floors.

Shippo and Souta trailed after her, big grins on their faces.

“She’s ba-aaaack!” they sang, smacking fists.

**************

“DAAAAAD!” Sesshomaru looked up from the file in his hand at the scream.

Rin came sliding down the banisters, hair flying behind her.

“What is it, Rin? I’ve got to go to the office.” Sesshomaru said, expressionless.

“Dad! You forgot! I knew you would! I put it all over your stinking office, and even got Madge to put it in your office at work, and I reminded you every ten minutes for THREE WEEKS, and you FORGOT??????” she yelled, voice sounding frantic.

Sesshomaru stared down at his daughter, expression never changing, but mind racing wildly, trying to remember what she had been haranguing him about for the past month. Every time she started on it, his brain had automatically shut her out.

Shit.

“Of course I didn’t forget, Rin.”

“Yes, you did, Dad! Don’t even try the ‘I’m-expressionless-and-know-everything’ schtick with me! You forgot!” she bawled, eyes starting to fill up with tears.

“Oh, gods. Perhaps I may have let it slip my mind for a minute. What is it?” he swallowed his pride, eager to get her from crying.

“The parent-teacher conference! It’s this morning.” She said sadly.

Bloody, bloody, bloody hell.

“Oh, that. What time, again?”

“NOW!” she whined, scrubbing at her wet eyes with a gloved hand. He refused to even ask why she was wearing elbow-length ballroom gloves. She had a tendency of snapping at him when she was emotional.

“And this is a problem, why? I’m going, aren’t I? And why aren’t you ready? We’re going to be late.” He scolded, already shuffling his busy work schedule to accommodate his daughter’s apparently important meeting.

“Are you serious, Daddy?” she asked in a small voice.

“Are you insinuating that I, the great Sesshomaru, would forget something this important?” he growled.

“No, Daddy. Never. As in never, ever.” She beamed, dashing at him and wrapping her arms around his waist, successfully squeezing all the air out of his lungs.

“Alright, then. Come on.” He said, walking to the limousine, daughter still attached to his waist.


*****************

“Miss Higurashi, I must say that both boys’ progress this semester has been significant. Indeed, the professors are amazed, as am I, at the level of focus, concentration and excellence seen in both Souta and Shippo.”

Kagome stared, wide-eyed and loose-jawed, at the beaming Principal of the ridiculously expensive school she sent both boys to.

She slanted a look at the boys, who were both smirking proudly at her side.

She looked back at the smiling Principal, still in disbelief.

“My boys? Are you certain?”

Ignoring the indignant ‘heys’ that exploded from the teenagers, the Principal smiled gently at the young woman.

“They both aced all of their exams for the entire term. The end-of-term results are in, and they, along with two other students, are at the very top of their year groups. All in all, it has been an extraordinary term for them both, ma’am. You should be
exceedingly proud.”

Kagome smiled brightly.

“Thank you very much. I definitely am proud.”

The three Higurashis all got up, shook hands with the Principal, and exited the office together.

They all stood outside the door in complete silence, while Kagome gave both boys her patented gimlet eye.

Under its harsh pressure, both boys bowed their heads and scuffed the toes of their sneakers onto the polished floors.

“I think…a black convertible would be fine.” She said softly. Both boys’ heads whipped up, to see tears crowding her eyes.

“Come again, mom?” Shippo asked cautiously.

“I said, I think a black convertible would be fine. Unless you have any objections? And there’s definitely a raise in allowance coming up.” She said.

Whooping joyously, both boys tackled her, all laughing in unison. She jumped in place like an excited schoolgirl, both boys wiggling in an ancient, time-honoured victory dance, prancing from wall to wall in the corridor. She grabbed them, and pulled them together for a fierce hug, which both boys unreservedly returned, shocked but ecstatic that she was once again hugging them, something she had not done in months.

“You boys…are the best son and brother a girl could ever ask for.” She said, her voice muffled by their shoulders.

“And you are the best mom a boy could ever want.”

“And sister. And friend.” Souta stuck in helpfully.

They released each other eventually, Kagome scrubbing away at some tears that had escaped.
Souta proffered a crinkled, but clean handkerchief.

“So, mom, you were serious about that car, right?”

***********************

Sesshomaru smiled slightly as Rin continued a running commentary that she had started when they had entered the limousine. They were now a few minutes from the Principal’s office. He was ever amazed at her ability to speak without pausing for drawing breath.

He looked down, realizing that she had suddenly stopped yammering. Her head was tilted to the side, apparently straining to
hear something. Sesshomaru applied his not-inconsiderable hearing to the task, and drew back, hissing, at the rambunctious screaming coming from two corridors away. Rin sprinted towards the noise, Sesshomaru gliding along beside her, ears still ringing from the shrillness of the screams.

They both pulled up short at the scene before them.

Kagome was hopping up and down, laughing, eyes bright with laughter and joy. Souta and Shippo were waggling their behinds in the direction of the Principal’s office, thrusting fingers into the air and screaming ‘Spirit fingers! Spirit fingers! Aaah!’ They ceased their waggling to strut like demented peacocks from end to end of the hallway, chests thrust out and arms flapping, crowing at the top of their lungs.

Kagome collapsed into laughter, before grabbing both strutting boys and pulling them into a tight hug, which they both returned. Sesshomaru blocked his ears when he saw her whispering, but his nose picked up the salty trail of tears. Souta proffered a handkerchief of questionable cleanliness, and Shippo asked something that caused both Kagome and Souta to dissolve into cackles.

“She looks happy, Daddy.” Rin whispered at his side. He had to agree. And after seeing nothing but a sad, faded Kagome, this vibrant, laughing girl affectionately mussing her son’s hair was a beautiful sight.

“Sesshomaru! Rin! What are you doing here? Ooh, are you in trouble, Rin? Or is it you, Sesshomaru? Ooh, I rhymed. And I’m babbling, so I’ll shut up and let you answer.”

Sesshomaru smiled slightly at Kagome’s characteristic rambling sentence; something he hadn’t heard for months.
He looked into her sparkling blue eyes, and some of his customary coolness drifted away without his permission. Later, he would bawl at himself for that inexcusable breach in self-control, but now he just smiled at her silliness.
Arms hooked with her brother and son, both of whom now towered over her, she tilted her head and steadily regarded him. Her mourning and self-imposed suffering period were apparently over.

And thank the gods for that.

“I have a parent-teacher meeting.” Sesshomaru offered, a rare half-smile still curving his lips.

“Ah, the dreaded conference. I just had one with these two. They came tops in exams, and are going to be spoiled rotten for the next week or so, until I grow weary of their ugly faces and banish them to Siberia.”

Both boys groaned, immediately pelting outlandish requests at her, to which she laughed.

Sesshomaru stared at them, wondering just what had changed Kagome from the defeated wraith to this vibrant…something.

“Okay, boys. Let’s say we go off to get violently sick on pizza?” she asked. Her suggestion was met by uproarious cheers that had the principal sticking his head out of the office in alarm.

“Oy, want to wait for me and Daddy to finish in there? Then we can all go together?” Rin asked hopefully.

“Sure, Rin. We’ll start negotiations on their rewards in the mean while.”

“Oh, glorious. Come on, Daddy! Pizza awaits!” she crowed, tugged Sesshomaru into the office.
At the door, he tossed one look over his shoulder at Kagome, who was sprawled onto the floor with the two boys, already deep into fierce debate.

Sesshomaru and confusion were not a happy pair. This obviously had to be examined and solved.

**************

“Aah, Mr. Kingreaves, a pleasure. Oh, hello Rin. Lovely gloves.” The principal greeted them genially, raising Rin’s hopes that she wasn’t in any kind of trouble.

“Thank you, Sir. I’m trying to get into character for Cinderella. They itch horribly, though.” Rin babbled, completely relieved.

She was, after all, a teenager, and any principal’s office struck heart-freezing fear into her at all times.

“No need to be nervous, Rin. You’ve placed tops in your year, along with the Messrs Higurashi and Miss Kaede Innesly. We called you in to congratulate you is all.” He said kindly, smiling widely when Rin let out a whoop and dove onto her surprised
father, screaming.

“Spirit fingers!” she yelled, dashing out to pounce onto Souta, who rolled away, laughing maniacally.

“Mr. Kingreaves, uh, I have a bit of a problem.” The principal said apologetically when Sesshomaru rose to leave.
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow in query, waiting patiently.

“Um, I don’t exactly know who to call in to inform Ms. Kaede about her grades. I would usually call in Miss Kikyo, but…” the principal trailed off awkwardly.

“I see your predicament. You may,” Sesshomaru said, struck with sudden inspiration, “call in my brother, Mr. Inuyasha Kingreaves. He would be delighted.”

At that moment, Sesshomaru desperately wished that he were the type to cackle whilst rubbing his hands together in dastardly ways. He could just imagine Inuyasha’s face. Oh, but that he were not so civilized!

*********************

“Oh Gods, did they just inhale that slice?” Kagome asked, laughing. She, her son and brother, Rin and Sesshomaru were ensconced in a booth in their favourite pizza parlour. She and Rin were sharing a single pizza, Souta and Shippo were well on their way to downing their third, and Sesshomaru had taken one look at the outrageously neon décor and linoleum floors and had turned his nose up so fast Kagome was truly surprised that it had not wrenched itself off and flew into the sunset.

“I believe so.” Sesshomaru’s incredulous tone had her dissolving into a puddle of laughter, snorting over her slice. Rin, Souta and Shippo ignored them both completely, Rin officiating a fastest-pizza-eating-competition and Souta and Shippo the sole contestants.

Sesshomaru leant forward, startling Kagome, who was considering her slice and the best way to eat it.

“If I may ask a question?” he started politely. Like he needed permission. He would just ask whatever he wanted, and to hell with whoever didn’t want to respond.

“Sure, shoot, Sesshomaru.” She said, pulling the tip of the slice off and popping it into her mouth.

“Why are you no longer dejected and depressed?” Kagome coughed at the question, grasping for her Sprite to wash down the stuck pizza.

Leave it to Sesshomaru to forget completely about tact. Or at least circumspection.

She considered telling him it wasn’t important, but…perhaps he would understand. That, and she felt that he deserved an answer. He seemed to genuinely listen whenever she spoke.

“I woke up last week, about two o’ clock in the morning, Saturday morning. I was sneaking out of the bedroom wing, ‘cause I had a chocolate craving. I was tiptoeing past the boys’ rooms, when I noticed Shippo’s lights were still on. I went it to turn them off, and both boys were sprawled on Shippo’s bed, this book covered with writing between them, and both had pencils still in their fingers. I covered them up and picked up the book, and just glanced down while closing it. It was a list filled with ideas on how to ‘get Mom back to normal’, in Souta’s writing, with countless notations by Shippo and him. I realized that, even though I had lost a friend in Inuyasha, I still had two boys to raise, who depended on me, and who loved me anyway. So much so that they were willing to actually work in school to make me proud, or by cleaning their rooms and cooking me breakfast and planning outings. I just…I got tired of waiting for someone who isn’t looking for me and doesn’t want me. So I figure…to hell with it. Whenever Inuyasha gets over Kikyo and wants to be my friend again, then we’ll talk. Until then, I no longer…I give up, I guess.”

She sipped at her Sprite, carefully avoiding Sesshomaru’s eyes and expression, instead focusing on a crowing Souta and a protesting Shippo.

“You cheated! You just chose him ‘cuz he’s your boyfriend.” He whined, to which Rin stuck out her tongue at him and pelted him with pepperoni.

“To die is easy. As Kikyo amply displayed. You are here one moment, and gone the next. In a moment, all you are and know can be changed. And, as you are displaying, living is hard. To know the risks, and feel the pain, and still solder on just shows how strong you are. You have not given up, Kagome. You are fighting hard. And I am proud of you for it.”

Kagome’s head whipped around at Sesshomaru’s softly-spoken words, her sapphire eyes colliding with his icy-golden ones, and her eyes widened at the sincerity of his statements shining in his. As they sat there, eyes locked and expressionless,

Kagome felt, for the first time in months, that there was someone on the Earth who she could talk to. Someone who would not judge or pity her. She was not alone.

She was not alone.


A/N: Trust me, if you think this is bad, you should have seen the first draft. Anyways, Inuyasha needs a good kick in the ass to see what he's throwing away by hating on Kagome, I figure Sess is the perfect person to do so.
My next chapter is a real doozy.

By the way, is anyone reading a good beta willing to assist? Please?
Please?