Broken

Kagome sat eating her ice cream while Sota was buying himself another cone. She giggled as she remembered why he'd dropped it, having been too busy staring

at a girl to watch where he was going and running smack dab into a wall.

"What's so funny, Chikurin?" Kagome jumped at the deep voice, a familiar hand setting itself upon her shoulder. She turned around and was face to chest with a

man who looked very much like her. His startling blue eyes held every emotion he felt inside of them, the excitement, happiness, anxiety, and he was proud to

show them.

"Otou-san!" Kagome squealed with delight as she hugged the man behind her, careful not to drop her ice cream as Sota had done earlier.

"It's been too long, Chikurin. And Sota, it has been long since I have seen you as well." He extended his arms for a hug, but the invitation was turned down.

"Yeah, long time no see, Ken. Are you planning on running away this time?" Sota spat at his father, clenching his icecream cone tightly in his hands.

"No Sota. I have no intention of doing that." Ken sighed.

"It seems that you've had no trouble doing it in the past. Don't you remember?"

"I did not run away. I was not wanted there and I did not want to upset your mother any further. You were too young to understand."

"Whatever." Sota rolled his eyes at his father and continued to eat his ice cream while Ken and Kagome caught up.

"So, how's life been treating you dad?" Kagome asked. She made a mental note to murder Sota later. He just didn't understand when their father left. He was

only seven at the time and Kagome was thirteen. She understood perfectly what was going on.

~_~_~_Flashback~_~_~_

"Get out Ken!" Ayumi screamed. "I don't want you anywhere near me or my babies!"

"Their my children too!" Ken retaliated. "Please don't do this to me!"

"Don't do this to you?! Think about what you did to me!! How could you Ken?! You said that you would never cheat on me! But then again, you can never stay

true to your words." Ayumi stared at Ken, and at that point, if looks could kill, he would be so far beyond dead that he would have no afterlife.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh don't play dumb! You know you've been sleeping with that wench Sara, your assistant for the past six months!"

"No I haven't!" Ken said. He knew he was lying, but he wanted so desperately to stay in that house with his family.

"So now you're calling me a liar?! What next Ken?"

Ken walked over to his wife and whipped his hand through the air, and caught the side of her face. He didn't know where that had come from. "You will not

disrespect me in my home!"

Ayumi grabbed her cheek and sighed, warm tears leaking out of her eyes.. She couldn't take it anymore. Her heart had held on to too much of his cheating and

lying, and now hitting. It was time to kick him out. She glanced up the stairs and saw a young Kagome standing on the balcony, listening to every word they'd said.

And Ayumi was pretty sure that she had seen Ken slap her. "My baby," she whispered and ran up the stairs. But by the time she had gotten there, Kagome had

locked herself in Sota's room. Ayumi trudged back down the stairs with a small sad smile.

"Kagome saw, didn't she?" Ken asked.

"Hai. Ken, please leave my home. I can't deal with you anymore."

"I can't do that and you know it. Sota is expecting me to take him out tomorrow."

"Well I'm sorry. I will find some kind of way to tell him why you aren't here. Now, just leave." Ayumi was tired, and she wanted Ken gone for good. She was

through with all of the stress that he brought along with him, and it was time she sent him packing.

"Please don't make me do this Ayumi. I don't know where to go."

"And at this particular point in time, I don't care. Just leave." Her voice was strained and Ken could hear all of the pain he had caused her.

"Ayu-" Ken began.

"I don't want to hear it. Go." Ayumi put a little more bass in her voice and pointed at the door.

"Yeah, I'll leave I'll be back." Ken walked to the door.

"Kami, I hope not." She replied as she closed the door behind him. 'Now what am I to do about Kagome?'

_~_~_~_~_~End Flashback~_~_~_~_~_

Kagome remembered every detail of that night on point. She had been angry with her father for hitting her mother, but in time, she let it go and knew that. Now,

it was Sota who held a grudge because his father hadn't been there for him when he needed it. Sota's first soccer game was the next week and he felt betrayed

that his father wasn't on the side lines cheering him on like he had hoped.

"Everything's been fine, Chikurin. How about you?"

"Well, as you might know, I married Sesshomaru. He recently filed for divorce, though."

"Why?"

Kagome bit her lip. She wasn't so sure she wanted to tell her father so much about her just yet. "A number of reasons, I suppose. He has already moved on. He

even got his office mate pregnant." It took all that she had not to curse their names.

Ken smiled sympathetically, patting her hand. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"It's okay, but I'm fine. I don't care about him anymore." She lied through her clenched teeth, though her father took no notice. "I moved here, only to find that I

was pregnant with his pup, but I'm not telling him that."

"And why not, dear?"

"Because he doesn't deserve to know. If he hadn't cheated he would know about our…Correction, my beautiful daughter. But nooooo, The Great Sesshomaru

had to do things his way! So now I'm stuck here with Bankotsu and Jakotsu. Not that that's bad or anything. Ban and I are getting closer again."

"I seem to recall you and a Bankotsu talking when you were in elementary. Am I correct?"

"Yes, daddy, you are. He and I got together a little after you left, and remained together for quite some time until Sesshomaru came around. Before Maki, my

daughter, was born, Bankotsu told me that he had been planning on marrying me before Sesshomaru stepped into the picture." Kagome explained to her father.

"Yeah, I had always figured you two would be together. You were as close as peas in a pod. He always seemed to admire you a lot."

Kagome didn't respond, licking her icecream as she tried to muster the courage to ask her next question. "So, um, how are your wife and daughter?"

Ken coughed. "Well, I recently divorced my wife, and my daughter, your half sister, Hana, is doing well. She's 16 now, sprouting like a weed. She resembles you a

lot. We'll have to all get together sometime." He smiled, turning toward his only son. "What about you, Sota? How have you been doing?" Ken tried desperately

to make conversation.

"Just dandy. You know, growing up without a dad is hard at first. You're so confused, wondering why he left, and if he left because of you. But you come to terms

with it, and accept the fact that your dad is no good and you live with it forever." Sota glared at his father and looked at Kagome. "I'm ready to go, Kags."

"But I'm not done talking to Dad yet."

"You can talk to your father, but I'm going shopping, seeing as I don't have one." He purposely said he was going shopping so Kagome would follow him.

"But I leave town tomorrow, and I want to spend as much time with Dad as I can." Kagome whined.

"Well, you can spend as much time as you want with him, but don't be surprised when he leaves you in the dirt. I'm out, Kags." Sota kissed his sister's cheek and

sent another dagger-filled glare at his father, then walked off.

"Dad, I'd better go too. He knows nothing about this place, and I don't want him getting hurt anywhere on my conscience." Kagome stood up from her seat and

her father did as well. "See ya later, hopefully," she said as she extended her arms for a hug.

"Sure will, Chikurin. And tell Sota that I'm sorry. I really am." Ken hugged his daughter.

"I think he knows that. He just doesn't want to admit it." Kagome said and winked at her dad before following Sota. 'Kami, I hope Dad and Sota clear the air. It's

been waaay too long for So to still hold a grudge.'

Ken watched after his daughter. This meeting was for him to see her, but his son as well. He knew that Sota would probably still hold the grudge against him, but

deep down in his heart, he knew that it wasn't going to last forever. 'But how long is it going to last?'