Purple Haze ch15

Purple Haze

By: Aurora Collins

Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters associated with it. I'm only borrowing the characters to amuse myself and hopefully others. ^__^

       
Ch. 15 Custody


     It had been two days and Kagome had yet to explain to Souta or Shippo what exactly happened. All she requested was that Shippo didn’t tell anyone where she was. Shippo could only do that for so long, and she knew that, but she felt safe with Shippo and Souta. Not to mention, when Shippo was at work she could spend all day with her brother. She was able to catch up with him and help him with some memories that seemed like a blur. It wasn’t until that night that Shippo finally demanded some answers.


Souta just set the dinner plates on the table when Shippo spoke, “Look Kagome, we have to have a talk. I didn’t want to pry into your business, but we have to get something straight here.”

“And what would that be?” Kagome asked, playing the innocent.
“First of all you can’t keep hiding out here. I already had the authorities ask me about you and I lied to them. It’s a good thing I have such a good reputation or they wouldn’t have believed me,” Shippo mentioned.

Kagome bit her lip, “Yeah, I was thinking about that, but I don’t know what to do right now. I don’t want to go back to Inuyasha, and I don’t know about Sesshomaru. I’m just so confused.”

“We’ll figure this out Kagome. First of all how did you get those bruises on your face, and why do you look like you’re in pain whenever you sit down?” Shippo thought this would be a good start. Kagome looked away, embarrassed that she would have to explain this to them.

She gave out a sigh, “I got punished by Inuyasha for talking back. He… He spanked me…” She trailed off, not wanting to say any more about that. Her face got beet red from just talking about it.

Shippo sputtered, “He spanked you?” Souta began to look angry, “He hit you?” Kagome nodded, “Lack of better words, I suppose you could say that.” “Did he hit your face too?” Souta asked in an angry tone.

Kagome shook her head, “No. Mayumi did that.”

“Why in the hell would Inuyasha allow Mayumi to be there? I already know that Sesshomaru had a talk with Inuyasha about Mayumi before,” Shippo explained. Kagome did recall Sesshomaru saying that to her after her first meeting with the woman.

“So after you were abused you escaped through the ventilation system. Am I right?” Shippo questioned. Kagome nodded, “Yeah, that’s pretty much it.” Shippo sighed, rubbing his temples. “I need to call Sesshomaru, “He surmised.

Kagome shot up from her chair and nearly screamed, “No! I don’t want anyone to know that I’m here!” “Kagome everyone is looking for you, including him. I can’t keep lying for you. Eventually you’ll have to come out of hiding,” Shippo cautioned. “Then what will happen?” Kagome couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive. The meal was obviously ruined from this conversation, but this was the only time when they were all together.

“I guess a custody battle. I don’t think you will be punished further, but obviously there is a dispute over ownership of you,” Shippo explained.

Kagome fumed, “Ownership!? What do you mean!?”
“Calm down Kagome. I’ll explain. The new laws say that humans no longer have rights to themselves, due to their destructive nature. Believe or not, but this has been an issue for years. I’m just surprised it hasn’t risen sooner. It is because of Sesshomaru that the laws were delayed. It would seem he is losing favor in the council, who believe that he is trying to champion humans. I think Sesshomaru is merely trying to create and equality between humans and demons. The humans who are mated to demons are of course exempted from most of the current laws,” Shippo said.

Kagome thought for a moment, trying to wrap her mind around this. “Do you want me to turn myself into the authorities then?” Shippo had to agree with that, “You have to. Your case will be taken to court and hopefully Sesshomaru will win custody of you.” “What will happen after that?” Kagome questioned.

Shippo shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t really know, but I also heard that the humans aren’t too happy about the new laws. It is all up in the air right now with politics.” This wasn’t good. Things were slowly starting to escalate in all the wrong directions and she was caught in the middle. “Fine, I’ll turn myself in,” Kagome stood up and was heading towards the door.

Shippo jumped up and stopped her, “Wait!” Kagome put her hands on her hips, “What?” “You can’t say you were here or I could be fined, or worse, have Souta taken away from me and I don’t want that,” Shippo said. Kagome looked back at Souta, who not only looked worried but apprehensive. “Alright, I’ll be quiet about that, but that means I better get my pajamas back on,” Kagome told them as she quickly got dressed in the clothes she arrived in. They were dirty and would serve to protect them from harm.

Shippo then grabbed her arm. “What are you doing?” “I suppose I will turn you in. Wouldn’t it be a more plausible story to say that you were hiding out for a couple of days and then you came here, hoping to gain sanctuary?” Shippo thought this would be a great idea. “You’re right. That does sound good,” Kagome didn’t like lying, but how could she put those she loved in danger.


Before she knew it she was in custody and Shippo’s story passed as legit. She was behind bars and locked up tight. Of course they didn’t want her escaping. Kagome paced back and forth, waiting to see what would happen. What she feared the most is being taken back by Inuyasha. She didn’t want him near her. Kagome knew that he meant well, but as the case proved, he didn’t know what he was doing. She was still wondering what happened with Sesshomaru’s paperwork. Something wasn’t adding up.

Thinking about it all the time wasn’t helping her as the anxiety soon turned to impatience. Hours passed and that is when she heard the guards talking.

“That Higurashi girl, I heard she was going to be put in the breeding program again.”
“No, there is going to be a custody battle with this one.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw the case files. It’s Inuyasha against the great Lord Sesshomaru.”
“What!? No way! Why would Sesshomaru want a human?”
“Haven’t you heard? He was the only one on the council who attested the new laws.”
“I heard a rumor, but I didn’t think it was true.”
“Yeah, well hear this… It seems that that council wants to make humans slaves.”
“It might be a good place for them. They don’t know how to handle themselves.”
“I would have to agree, but slaves?”
“They deserve it…”

The voices disappeared and this only reconfirmed what Mayumi said. Kagome was pressed against the bars from straining to listen. So there was going to be a custody battle over her. Would she have a say in what would happen? At this point she highly doubted it. She would have to trust Sesshomaru like he had wanted her to from the start. It was as good of a time as any to trust someone.

The next morning she was taken from the cell, in her dingy clothes. She was escorted by the guards that were talking yesterday. She recognized their voices. Kagome was taken to a room that looked like a court house.
She was forced to sit down in a chair as some people assembled inside. Then she saw both of them; Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. They took opposite sides of the room. She could feel the tension in the room. Was this it? Would this be the official hearing? They both refused to look at her or even each other. This wasn’t going to be good at all.

The judge came in and they rose to his honor. Once the oaths were taken everyone was seated. “We’re here today with the case number 53490, in regards to the custody of Kagome Higurashi,” the judge stated. “I would like to make this quick gentlemen, so if you could make your statements known, then I can proceed to a decision. Inuyasha Taisho, could you please start?”
Inuyasha was in a suit, finely pressed and ready for the court. He adjusted his tie as he stood up clearing his throat. He got his paper ready and started, “I have rightful ownership of Kagome Higurashi. I have the documents right here that says she agreed to come with me from the breeding institute. My signature and date are on these.” The guard grabbed the documents and handed it to the judge to look over.
Inuyasha continued, “I also feel that I should have custody of Kagome because I will be the better provider and care taker. My argument on this is that I would have my daughter Mayumi take care of her full time while I’m at work. If I would have known she would use the ventilation as an escape route then I would have thought ahead. In either case, I can assure your honor that it would never happen again.”
Kagome could see that Sesshomaru was getting mad, but he appeared very calm. They only way she could tell were the way his eyebrow twitched every now and again.
“Is there anything else you would like to add Inuyasha?” the judge asked.

Inuyasha nodded, “Yes your honor. I also feel that Sesshomaru wouldn’t be a proper caretaker for Kagome because for one, he didn’t get his paperwork in to even get her from the breeding program. Secondly, when she was in his care she was always running off or causing problems. There have been reports and complaints from the staff at the medical unit about her being disruptive. Lastly, Sesshomaru is the head council member and it seems he is always too busy to even find time to care for someone else. I feel it would be a very bad idea to put more pressure on my brother and add to his already growing schedule.” “I see,” the judge said, sound overly critical.
Inuyasha sat down and it seemed like Inuyasha had a valid argument. Who could honestly argue with that? Well, Sesshomaru would of course.
“Lord Sesshomaru, it is your turn to speak,” the judge mentioned.

Sesshomaru stood up and he had more confidence than ever, “Your honor there are several transgressions against my good name that I would like to validate as untrue. I feel I would make a very good caretaker for Ms. Higurashi. I have the money, resources and power to do so. I am also her donator, which by law allows me to be her beneficiary first and foremost. As for the documents to gain custody of her from the breeding program has been tampered with. I made sure to make copies of my paperwork right when it was submitted. There is even a stamp on it to assure you that it was validated from the helper’s desk.” Sesshomaru’s paperwork was given over to the judge.
“I have been told by the people at the breeder’s program that my documents were in, but then why did they disappear? Something doesn’t seem right with that. I would also like to point out the mental and physical stability of Ms. Higurashi. Being a caretaker also means the well-being of the person being taken care of. Am I right to assume that your honor?” Sesshomaru questioned.
The judge agreed, “Of course. We need our humans to be healthy.”
“I would like to request and evaluation of this human to make sure that she is of sound body and mind,” Sesshomaru requested.

“I object to that. Your honor, I already have the paperwork in to have a marriage with this woman. This is only a tact to delay this,” Inuyasha interjected, clearly not happy with this request. “Do you have validation of this marriage request?” the judge asked.
Inuyasha immediately provided the paperwork. “It would seem that you do have things in order Mr. Taisho,” the judge commented.
Sesshomaru glared at Inuyasha, “I have a marriage license in as well brother…” This was getting interesting. “It would seem you both turned one in on the same day,” the judge said, sounding tired already.
Kagome was beginning to get upset. Did anyone think to ask her about anything? Kagome the stood up and bowed respectfully to the demon judge.
“Your honor, may I have permission to speak please?” Kagome tried to be polite as she could be. The judge actually looked surprised, “Yes, you may speak. Manners such as that warrant some leeway.” Apparently humans didn’t have rights, but this would be her only chance to speak up for herself. She needed to.

“I would like to say your honor is that I do not want to be with Inuyasha. The reason being is that his daughter abused me and hit me for no reason at all, but for the plain fact that she hates me. I decided to run away and hide in the ventilation system for that reason,” Kagome explained, telling a little white lie.
Inuyasha spoke up, “Then I won’t have my daughter look after her when I am gone. I can find someone else.”
“That’s funny Inuyasha because I found someone to look after Kagome when I am gone at work too,” Sesshomaru stated, sounding superior. “Shippo has gladly volunteered to watch over her for me.” There was no denying that Sesshomaru was winning this case already.
The judge shoved his glasses closer to his pudgy face, “The only way that I can see this working is if this woman just marries one of you. Then there would be no future disputes over custody. This is indeed a very hard decision.”
Kagome looked between the two brothers. They were radiating electricity between them. How would this work out now? Did she really have to marry in order for this to end? She couldn’t stop looking between the two.

Kagome did something that she couldn’t believe she would ever do. “I want to marry Lord Sesshomaru!” Kagome didn’t mean to yell it, but she wanted out of there and now. She put her hands over her mouth and looked up at the judge.
“Young lady, may I ask why Lord Sesshomaru and not Inuyasha?” the judge seemed curious. Kagome gulped down. What would she say?

She was in the spotlight now; all eyes on her. “I want to marry Lord Sesshomaru because I firmly believe that I would be happier with him. I would not have the possibility of being hurt. With Inuyasha,” She paused and looked at the hanyou, “there is the chance that I could get hurt not just mentally, but physically as well.”
“Then please explain to me why you chose to leave with Inuyasha at the breeder’s program and not wait for Lord Sesshomaru?” the judge questioned.
Kagome looked down, feeling embarrassed. “If I didn’t go with Inuyasha then I would have had a breeding partner. I couldn’t live with myself if that happened. You see your honor… I’m a…. a….” “Spit it out young lady,” the judge said impatiently.
“I’m a virgin!”
The judge pushed his glasses up once more, “I see how you would have wanted out of there with that situation.”
“I’m going to call a recess while I think this over. Be back here in ten minutes,” the judge then hit the mallet down. The judge left the room and the guards stayed on either side of Kagome. They all sat down as the minutes ticked by. Inuyasha took a drink of water, and Sesshomaru drummed his fingers on the table. Kagome looked from one to the other. It was clear who she wanted to be with, but who would the judge choose?