By RisuBento

Chapter One:

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except for the plot.

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"…I hate you! You're always gone!"

"Will cease this mindless babble, woman! The neighbors will hear!"

"That's all you care about! Your damn reputation! You don't even care what I think!"

"You're talking nonsense woman."

Footsteps were heard coming towards the grand entrance hall and the figure sitting on the steps quickly jumped up and bounded up the stairs. Quietly, he entered his bedroom and hopped into bed, throwing the covers up to his chin.

It was a while before he heard the door slowly creak open. He knew it was his mother. Her stiletto's clunked dully against the floor as she made her way to his bed.

He closed his eyes and feigned sleep.

It was always like this. Father would come home from a 12-hour work day at the office, then him and mother would argue and then fight over something silly. Then his mother would come upstairs to his room and kiss him good night with a soft, "I love you, baby."

They'd begun argue relentlessly back when he was 10. Now, 3 years later, Tao Kagiyama was forced to endure nights of full blown yelling and fighting.

He was so tired of it.

Didn't they care what he thought? He had feelings too…

Feeling the familiar soft lips of his mother against his cheek and the quiet "I love you, baby," he sighed and turned, wrapping his arms around her neck.

"I love you too, mama." He whispered.

He heard his mother choke and felt her tears fall onto his neck. Then she sat back and brushed his bangs from his eyes.

"Everything will be all right, baby." She said, kissing his forehead and leaving the room.

Tao was forced to fall asleep with the usual "It's not going to be okay, mother…" plaguing his thoughts.

It was "Parent's Day" at school the next day and as usual his parents came but were refusing to interact with one another.

The tension was nearly killing him!

His father was now standing on Tao's right, arms crossed, back straight, and face emotionless. Tao sometimes had to wonder if his father hadn't somehow frozen in place, he was so stiff and serious looking at times.

His mother, to his left, was currently talking with some other kids mother. She was conversing with a fake cheerfulness. He could tell, by how the corners of her mouth were straining when she smiled.

Looking around him, he watched as happy, smiling parents complimenting their children's projects.

Tao moved his gaze back to his project and frowned. He put his heart and soul into this project. He'd draw complex pictures of his mother and father. Some with him, as well as them, on a nice vacation.

He'd been at a young age, when it was discovered that he was a prodigy child when it came to art. He'd been able to draw exact copies of Superman (and just about everything else) just by glancing at it, by the age of 5.

He didn't understand what "prodigy" had meant when he was that young but his mother explained to him, with a sincere smile on her face, that it meant he had 'special' talents that were rarely seen at his age.

His mother was immensely proud. His father…just sniffed and turned back to his computer.

Now looking at his "Parent's Day" project, he wanted nothing else than to have it burst in flames and crumble to ashes---and therefore cease to exist.

A hand on his shoulder yanked him from hit thoughts and back to the intruder. Before he could turn to investigate, his father's voice was right next to his ear.

"Tell your mother we are leaving."

Tao's shoulder's sagged slightly before he nodded. Turning from his father and his "masterpiece" project, he reached forward and tugged his mother's business suit's jacket.

"Hey sweetheart…What's up?" She asked, finishing her conversation with the woman.

"Father says we are leaving." He answered quietly.

His mother stiffened and looked up to see his father speaking heatedly on his cell phone.

"All right. Let's take this beautiful piece of yours home and go get some ice cream, hm?" She bargained with a playful grin on her lips.

Tao couldn't keep the frown on his face…he slowly, but surely, found himself beaming brightly at his mother.

"Okay." He said, turning and began folding his art board up. He failed to see the glower replace his mother's face as she and her husband glared at one another, over his back.

A few days later…

Tao was at his uncle's house---his uncle was 'supposed' to be watching him while his mother and father were at work.

"Hey uncle?" Tao called, sitting on the couch, doing his homework.

"Yeah?" Came his uncle's muffled answer from underneath the kitchen sink.

"Why…do parents fight?" He shyly asked, doodling on his notebook paper.

A loud thunk was heard from under the sink followed by a string of curses that made Tao's eyes grow wide in awe. His uncle, Inuyasha, came wandering out in the living room while rubbing his forehead. Tao assumed that's what the 'thunk' sound emitted from.

"Why're you asking? Your mom and dad at it again?" He asked, flopping down into a leather recliner.

Tao shrugged his shoulders, unable to look his uncle in the eye. Inuyasha sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Listen. I'm not really good at this type of thing, but maybe should go talk to someone about it." He suggested.

"I 'am' talking to someone." Tao said, quirking an eyebrow and gesturing towards his slumbering uncle.

"God…all right. Why do parents fight? Well…maybe because they're immature butt heads who don't want to agree on anything because they're too stubborn for their own good." Inuyasha shrugged, clasping his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

Tao frowned. 'A lot of help that did, uncle.' He shook his head and was startled when a shout was hear followed by the front door slamming.

"Tao? Inuyasha?" His mother called, her stiletto's thunking heavily as she walked down the main entrance towards the living room. "There you guys are. Did you have fun today?"

"Keh." Inuyasha sniffed, his eyes drooping shut.

"Sure mom." Tao said, busily shoving his homework into his backpack. A loud yelp followed by a giggle was heard behind him and he turned to see that his mother had jumped into his uncle's lap and was now hugging him and kissing his cheek. His uncle didn't look too happy, but he grinned and kissed her cheek back.

Why couldn't 'his' parents be like them? Why couldn't they get along…?

"Let's go mom." Tao said, stomping out from the living room and out the entrance hall.

His mother frowned. "What's up with him?"

A snore was her answer.

The car ride home was uneventful and quiet other than his mother's occasional humming.

When they parked the Mini Cooper in the roundabout, just in front of the mansion's marble stairs, Tao saw his father coming down the stairs.

Uh oh.

Climbing out from the passengers side, he was passing his father when he heard his voice. "Kagome." Was all he said. Tao sighed. He knew that stern sounding voice. His was upset about something.

Walking inside and up to his room, he paused in the doorway when he heard his mother and father's raised voices below his open window.

"…art classes at the academy. Why do you encourage him?" His father said angrily.

"Because, Sesshoumaru! He's a brilliant artist! Especially for someone his age---" His mother defended.

"---Boys his age should be learning to follow in their father's footsteps." Sesshoumaru scowled.

Kagome huffed. "What if he doesn't "want" to follow in your footsteps? I know "I" wouldn't if I knew I was to end up an arrogant pompous ass like you---"

That's when he slammed the window shut.

Throwing his backpack to the floor, he sighed pitifully before sinking into his bed.

Why couldn't they just get along? Was it so hard!

Picking up his abandoned sketchpad from his end table, he opened it to a clean page and began to sketch.

Kagome walked into the grand entrance hall and slammed the large oak doors shut in her husbands face. Kicking her stiletto's off, she stomped into the kitchen and yanked the freezer open.

"Kagome! You dare slam a door in my face when this Sesshoumaru was still speaking to you?" Sesshoumaru snarled walking into the kitchen.

Kagome ignored him and took out a tub of chocolate ice cream and a spoon.

"Woman! Don't you dare ignore me…You WILL listen to me." Sesshoumaru growled, slowly stalking towards her.

Kagome sighed, and spooned some chocolate ecstasy into her mouth. "Sesshoumaru…why do we fight?"

"Don't change the subject---"

"NO! I want to know! It's all we do now. I can't remember a time when we haven't been at each other's throats…and I think Tao's upset by it." She said, spooning some more ice cream into her mouth.

Sesshoumaru sighed and sat down on a stool next to his wife. "Kagome…"

Kagome swallowed her ice cream and leaned over so her head was resting against his shoulder. Sesshoumaru lifted a hand and rubbed her back in a soothing way.

"What's happening to us? Why do we fight over such silly things?" She whispered.

Sesshoumaru didn't speak. He didn't know what to say for there was nothing to say. He just pulled his wife closer and kissed her temple.

They didn't see the younger golden eyes watching them from the kitchen doorway.