InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Changing Lives ❯ Cute Cuddly Sad Hopeful ( Chapter 24 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

She didn’t know the elder one very well, really, with how opposite they appeared to be, yet she felt as though she would be greatly hurt if she learned he’d died.

And so she said, “What do you need me to do?”

~*~ Mansion ~*~

A few moments later, his lip began trembling and his eyes filled again.

Her scent was everywhere in his room now.

. . .Would it last three years?

Fifty Five

(To start with, sorry. I was unfair last chapter, how snappy I got. When I said anything was acceptable in the contest, I really meant it. Whatever you’re good at, you could have done it and entered it. Maybe that part wasn’t specific enough. The rant itself was a rare occurrence in my life; I don’t normally let things bother me that much. But still. Four entrees. Versus the huge fanbase I supposedly have for this universe. I guess the question is how dedicated the majority of you are. Now to the chapter.)

Kagome didn’t get much sleep that night, with the workload on her mind as heavy as it was. For one, she caught up on her schoolwork only about halfway in a day’s time. For two, she kept thinking about the promise Inuyasha had made her – well, the elder one’s promise to stay alive. And then the younger Inuyasha’s, that he was getting some sort of present for her. That was three.

Then there was Hisaka. Kagome empathized with her, perhaps more than she should be, but she couldn’t help it. She felt that if Hisaka asked for help, Kagome would give it, unquestioningly. Kyou too; such a cute little demon pup. She looks like she knows the world better than most yet keeps an innocent, upbeat outlook. On top of that, Kyou really seems to love Shippou.

And then Souta – ye gods, Souta. Since Kagome got back and started working on her homework, Souta showed up and hung out in her room, chatting from time to time. Mostly he sat on her bed much like Inuyasha tended to, except that Souta kept fidgeting and playing with a baseball, eventually getting a Gameboy and playing that – sound on and all.

By the time Kagome had had enough and berated him about why he was in there, he was nearly asleep. But he got up fast enough and stated that while Inuyasha was gone, he was under orders to keep an eye on her at all times. Undoubtedly, it was Inuyasha himself who charged Souta with that mission. Knowing Inuyasha like she did, refusing to allow Souta to hang out would only return negatively to Souta, so she let him stay.

She also wondered when Inuyasha had given her brother that order. In the end she put it out of her mind and let it die there.

She ended up telling Souta about Kyou and he mentioned how cute she sounded, but that she wasn’t as cute as his girlfriend. Currently Kagome couldn’t remember her name, but she remembered clearly how she cheered on Souta when he was gutting up the nerves to talk to her. Souta didn’t stay much longer after that, it being Kagome’s bedtime.

That sounded funny for her to say, but she had a routine now and it’s hard to give those up. While Souta left to go to sleep too, looking far more tired than Kagome felt, Kagome was packing up her notes and shutting down her computer. It was easy on her when it came to notes, to just retype them all on her computer for later. The action itself put more information in her mind than just reading it would have.

And tomorrow, she was going to have a surprise from Inuyasha. It made her giddy, but eventually sleep won out and she dreamt happy dreams until the following morning – a rare occurrence in itself when Inuyasha wasn’t present to stave off the nightmares. When she awoke, the dream was far away and she couldn’t recall it in the least, just the feeling of waking up warm and a little tingly.

~*~ Inuyasha ~*~

He had a light air about him as he hopped into the well and transferred through time. On his back was a bundle he’d wrapped up carefully, all for Kagome. He hoped she would like his present, but knowing Kagome, there was little chance that she wouldn’t like it. No, knowing her, she would become all grins and happiness, and probably kiss him.

His body stirred at the thought, and he mentally kicked it back down. Now wasn’t the time. He strutted into the Higurashi home as he always did, getting greetings from Mama and Grandpa, and he waved at them both on his way up the stairs.

It felt really nice, knowing that those two saw his pack, knowing they trusted him enough to not question it – even when going directly to Kagome’s room, which again was information they knew. They didn’t say a downward word towards him, not at this moment, in fact almost never did they even look at him with a sour glance. He was accepted into this family, though he’d given them little reason to trust him from the beginning.

Maybe that’s why the humans of the future inherited the earth: they could see a person’s true self even when they themselves couldn’t see it. Somehow they knew his goodhearted nature, and by seeing it, they made it obvious to himself.

He lightly tapped on Kagome’s shut door with his claws. It was his own special kind of knock; she never had to ask who it was. He could hear her moving around, but no, she wasn’t awake. So he opened the door, crept inside, shut the door behind him, took off his pack and sat down. He unwrapped it and began setting it up, his smile continuing undaunted at the knowledge that this beautiful work was done by him.

It was what amounted to as a mini Shrine, a meter wide at its biggest part. It was unassembled at the moment, and he wanted it finished for Kagome to see before she woke; he had things to be placed within it, too.

A glance at each part of the Shrine told him exactly what to do with it, and it was finished in no time. Setting it upon her desk, he pulled the figurines out of his haori and began placing them inside, ticking them off in his mind.

Kaede, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kyou, Kirara, myself, Kagome, Kohaku, Souta, Mama, Gramps. . . Damn, where’d that asshole go?

He searched through his haori and found the last piece. There we go! . . Kouga. Heh. I’ll put him back here. . . he thought, placing Kouga in the far back. They had their own positions in which they stood.

Kaede was hunched over with a basket in her one arm and a kettle in the other. Miroku was holding his staff in the crook of his arm, hands together in prayer. Sango was in her battle costume, Hiraikotsu above her head in an almost-throw. Shippou was one foot in a mid-jump, a top in his hand. Kyou, which he had to partially rush with, had her mother’s fan opened behind her, her head tilted in question. It was adorable and Kagome was going to hug him extra tight for that one.

He chuckled and looked them over again.

Kirara was transformed but didn’t look threatening, placed behind Sango as a kind of bodyguard. Inuyasha himself had Tessaiga drawn and laid over his shoulders, a hand lifted in welcoming of Kagome. . . Kagome, who was placed across from him but close, standing almost on one foot. . . his best work ever, to be sure, she was so graceful in the carving, down to the flow of her skirt and hair. He was surprised it’d turned out so well.

Souta was added too, feet wide apart and hand raised in a wave. Mama had her arms out a little in welcoming, while Gramps was hunched over with an oddball ‘heirloom’ in his hands, but even he looked happy. Kouga was crouched with on hand on the ground, grinning and showing fangs in true wolf pissery style.

Inuyasha grinned as he rearranged the figurines time and again, until he finished playing with them and left them as they were. The dolls were wooden, as was most of the Shrine if not for a rock base. The underside was covered in a paste made from leaves that Kaede taught him how to do, which when dried, protected both the rock and whatever it sat upon from grinding and helped displace the weight.

Or something. He wasn’t paying much attention to the old crone.

He looked over his shoulder at Kagome, then picked up the wrap and draped it over the Shrine. When Kagome woke up, she would see it, take off the cloth, be amazed, and then come running downstairs to show her gratitude. He just knew it would be so. And if she wanted more dolls, she had but to ask.

He crept out of the room again, pausing long enough to smile at her sleeping form before shutting the door and heading back downstairs. Mama was in the middle of breakfast, perfect timing. Being in such good spirits, he helped her out voluntarily. Souta was down before Kagome, and said a hearty ‘hello’ to Inuyasha before sitting and being fed.

Then from upstairs, Kagome could be heard squealing. A second later she was laughing, and then her door slammed open and her footsteps thudded down the hall and stairs. Inuyasha turned to her just in time to catch her as she threw herself at him.

His mind retreated inwards and he hugged Kagome tightly, ignoring Souta’s comment about good morning hugs and Mama’s blush at them. Gramps slapped him on the back and warned him to make sure Kagome wouldn’t regret this later, but as soon as the old man left, Inuyasha’s back began tingling.

He grunted. “Kagome, I think your Gramps put another ofuda on my back.”

She laughed and stepped back. He turned around and felt her tear the charm off. She crumpled it up, threw it away, then sat down for breakfast. Inuyasha sat next to her.

“So?” he asked.

She looked up, her eyes bright and her smile wide. “You are the sweetest thing,” she cooed.

He blushed. “Not the reaction I was hoping for,” he grumbled, lowering his chin to hide his eyes.

A second later and Kagome was leaning on him. “Thank you. Did you make all those yourself?”

He nodded but kept his chin down. His cheeks still felt hot.

“Wow, who knew you were so good with your hands?” she teased.

He looked up sharply. What kind of a tease was that? He’d always been good with his hands. Fighting, swordplay, clawing, groping – wait, he didn’t mean to think that. His blush, though faded a moment before, returned. “Wench,” he muttered, unable to think of a good response.

She giggled. “Each your breakfast already,” she purred.

The purr didn’t help him blush, but he nodded and started picking at his plate. It didn’t take long for the picking to turn into pigging, and he was grinning by the end. Damn, but Mama cooked excellently.

“Arigatou,” he said, looking up at her.

Mama nodded. “You’re very welcome. Only the best for family, you know?” she added, getting up and clearing the plates.

Inuyasha was so stunned he didn’t notice anything for several moments. Mama thought of him as family? He was sure someone patted him between the ears, but he didn’t know who. He returned to himself minutes later, staring at the table with wide eyes and an open mouth. He shut his mouth quickly and got up, turning to Mama and finding her washing the dishes.

“. . .Kagome no Kaasan?” he asked.

“Yes?” she replied, smiling at the dishes in the sink.

“Do you. . . think of me as family?”

“Well, of course,” she said, turning to look at him. “How else would I think of you?”

He gulped. “Most people tended to consider me a threat, unworthy, annoying, or all three.”

“Oh, pish posh,” she commented. “You’re a strapping young man and should be treated as such.”

He swore his heart grew more than his ego on that one. “You really think so?” he asked, incredulously.

“It’s obvious. You’re kind yet determined, sweet yet strong, smart yet clumsy with words, and most of all. . .” She stopped washing the dishes, dried her hands on her apron, and turned to face him. “Most of all, Kagome thinks the same and more of you. Kagome is never wrong about people.”

He could have cried, if not for his big, manly exterior. “Thank you, Kagome no Kaasan.”

“Would you call me just Mama?” she asked, returning to the dishes.

His face flamed. “Wh-why would I. . ?”

“Well, you and Kagome are going to be married, right?”

‘Flamed’ was no longer accurate. His face was on fire. “Well, I was hoping, but. . .”

“Then you’ll be my son soon enough. Why not start early?” She said it so simply, like it was the most obvious rule on the planet.

Despite his embarrassment, he still smiled. “Thank you, Mama,” he said at last, and quickly turned and left the room before he could be pinned like that again. He practically had to brush sweat off his forehead from that one.

“You are the sweetest thing.”

His face reheated. He turned to find Kagome in the doorway, smiling as brightly as ever, ready for school.

“Shall we?” she asked, holding out her hand.

He couldn’t help but take her hand. He also didn’t have to ask how much she’d heard. It was a rare thing, being unable to notice her, but in his defense that was a really embarrassing conversation. They started out the door, Inuyasha pausing to go back for her lunch, and then trekked to her school, hand in hand the whole way.

Kagome wasn’t blushing nearly as much as he was. Oddly, he felt glad for that. It gave him more control to know she was in control, too. About halfway to her school, she started swinging their joined hands, and when he looked at her, she had the simplest smile on her face. . .

And it made her look so beautiful and incredibly cute at the same time. He couldn’t stop his grin, nor did he try. He swung their hands with her, ignoring funny glances from passersby. Sure he was still wearing his red outfit, but it’s not like most of them hadn’t seen him before. He was certain most of them recognized Kagome as well, if they read the paper and saw the news. Which means they knew who he was anyway, whatever he wore.

Kagome stepped closer to him and hugged his arm with her free hand. It must be adorable to see from another person’s point of view, but right now all Inuyasha could feel was peace. It was a sad thing when Kagome’s friends joined up with her, because that meant they had to be a bit more formal and let go of each other’s hands.

Inuyasha fell back a step to keep an eye on the entire area as the girls chatted. He heard but didn’t understand most of it, mainly because he couldn’t quite distinguish their voices when they were that close together and talking at once. Truly, he wasn’t thinking about it much anyway. Girl talk was precisely girl talk because men didn’t listen.

At the school gates, Kagome threw formality to the wind and kissed him sweetly. She lingered a few moments as people watched with blushes and smiles, and Inuyasha didn’t try to hold back. He pulled her to him and returned the pressure until she was satisfied and drew back. Someone whistled and another whooped, but other than that, the moment remained untainted.

Then the bell rang and she had to go. Their hands parted reluctantly, holding on for the longest possible time before slipping apart. Something magical glued Inuyasha’s feet to the sidewalk until Kagome was out of sight, and then he turned, smiling widely, and began the trek back home.

Funny how easy he saw Kagome’s house as his home now. He wondered if they would always live there, or if Kagome would want a home of her own, to share with just him. . ?

Funny how easy that made his heart sing.

~*~ Sesshomaru ~*~

He felt so relieved, he could hardly express it. Currently, this relief took over physically and he relaxed completely in his chair, residing in his study for the time being. Inuyasha had come to him last night and said that he agreed to keep living. . . for three years. He had agreed when Kagome asked him to just see her baby.

Sesshomaru hadn’t counted on that. When he’d asked her to convince Inuyasha to keep living, he hadn’t thought of her future baby, because it was with a different time in Inuyasha’s life. But Kagome, she was so clever, opting to allow Inuyasha to see her baby before he would let himself die. Living long enough to see the child born would be a pleasure to his brother, one so great not even death itself could mar the feeling.

And so Sesshomaru smiled. This time, for sure, Inuyasha had a death plan that would involve no pain. He’d done his self-appointed duty, succeeded, and now, he had the chance to be happy just once more. There was nothing Sesshomaru wanted more for his younger brother than for him to be happy again, even if it was a brief happiness. It would be enough.

Sesshomaru had never seen Inuyasha cry tears of happiness, which saddened Sesshomaru to a point. When his first child was born, his son, Hajime, he could swear he’d felt the touch of his father’s hand on his shoulder, a proud motion that made Sesshomaru smile a true smile. It was something so rare that his beautiful wife had sobbed happily, holding their son, and in turn Sesshomaru himself managed a nervous chuckle and felt wetness in his own eyes.

He’d held his family for such a long moment that he might have thought years had gone by, if he hadn’t seen Rin enter the room to ask if it was okay to see her little brother.

That had been it for Sesshomaru, what had made him cry. Sure he’d taken Rin in out of some misplaced obligation, but over time, she became his human daughter, and he couldn’t have loved her more. It hurt to this day that she had died so long ago, but he still had a few gifts of hers, and every year on her birthday, he made a wreath a flowers like she used to do and places it on her tombstone.

For a while, he’d had a real family, his brother had a niece and nephew, and his home felt truly like a home. It had taken almost a century for him to stop hurting over the demise of his wife, but he’d had a son to help him through it. It had been worse, that Rin had passed on not long after his wife, but he still had a son, and Rin’s children and grandchildren. . .

And Inuyasha.

It was a strange thing, really, being comforted by your younger brother who had been through the same thing, only was far more torn about it. It had surprised Sesshomaru so greatly, when Inuyasha came to him as he cried over his wife’s grave and then had hugged him, crying with him. For a moment there was no difference between them; they were brothers sobbing over their dead mates, and nothing more.

And it had helped.

There was so much in common between them after that, both lost a wife and both broke down from it. The main difference between them now, is that Sesshomaru had found his wife’s reincarnation and started a new family, and to this day they spoke at least once every day. She ruled half of his empire with him, and his old wounds had all but healed even of their scars.

And Inuyasha still had no one. It must be worse, Sesshomaru mused, that he could have Kagome again if he truly wanted; his younger self was no threat to him. Yet he held back and let them have their happiness together, not even watching from a distance.

But he would live for three more years. That was what mattered, wasn’t it?

~*~ Motsumoto ~*~

His new job wasn’t exactly easy. Mainly because he had to train for it. His job was to remain as a ‘police officer’, with emphasis on that it would be mostly show. He would be ‘reassigned’ when his training was completed, to a demon’s team of humans, who hunted together for otherworldly offenders of laws and nature.

That’s right, nature. These demons had a whole different set of laws accompanied with humans, making a demon’s life harder. They had to obey by the laws of nature as well, which essentially meant they couldn’t be themselves or they would have to do so where it was allowed. There were demons who ate living flesh as sustenance, and they had to make sure this living flesh was entirely cloned from living, breathing, thinking volunteers.

Others drew on the powers of nature around them, and had to do so in moderation or the balance would shift irrevocably. Still others had traditions that Motsumoto disliked thinking about, and so, he thought perhaps this was a bad idea. But it was too late.

As with Neo, he had chosen the red pill; he chose this life for himself. Now he had to live with it. No regrets.

He was practicing gunfire, but with guns he’d never known existed until this moment. Made specifically for taking down or taking out demons, they were heavy, with kicks stronger than those of shotguns and snipers. It made it much more difficult to aim, and Motsumoto’s shoulder was covered in bruises already.

First day, gunfighting. Second day, weight training. Third day, spiritual training. Fourth day, sensory training. Fifth day, intelligence training, which included demon knowledge. Sixth day, rest. Seventh day, preparation.

On the sixth day of every week, he would see a demon doctor, or so he was a told. An empath demon with the ability to heal most wounds, even mental ones, she would make sure he was tuned up and ready to go for the following first day.

Sesshomaru told him this training would go on until he was up to the level of Demon Hunter, in which case his training would change to that of combat. But ultimately, he would have no breaks for at least a year. Once that was finished, he would have a much more stable schedule of training simply meant to keep himself sharp, and the real work would begin.

He wasn’t looking forward to it much, but if the humans he’d seen do these things were true humans, then he himself was also qualified for the job.

He was also forewarned that during sensory training, any failing on his part – such as his need for glasses – would be corrected on the sixth day. Soon, glasses would be an option, and he would learn to rely on all his senses, including those that he’d yet to discover.

Or so they said.

He saw other humans training, and found quickly that once you finish all your training and begin your real job, you would be tested a final time based on your past progress to see which weapon fits you best and which fits you worst. You were to carry one of each with you at all times, and be working on these traits at every spare moment, even if it was just in thought.

Motsumoto had always had the best aim in his class, with any kind of gun. He imagined that even for these beasts he was using now, it would take little time to master them. Some day he would be like his superior Akira-san, who had shown him how to use these guns.

She was amazing, holding the heavy firearm easily with two hands. She’d fired six times, and when the target was brought up to them, there was a single hole in the center of its heart, with nicks around the edges showing that the bullets had all passed through this same hole. And then she’d demonstrated in-combat shooting, knocking down eight targets as they popped up around the room. In the end, each had a bullet hole in the head or heart, almost dead center on each.

Then she had reloaded, handed him the gun, and told him to show what he could do. At first he’d taken it lightly, but after the first shot almost knocked him off his feet, he grew much more serious and respectful of Akira-san.

“Higaru-san,” she had said, “you have skill, and knowledge, but you need muscle. I’ll inform the weight training class. This job isn’t for the feint of heart – you won’t kill any demon with a regular bullet to the head, remember that. Never hold back. Demons regenerate far too quickly.”

He had taken her words seriously and was only getting better now. He remembered shooting Inuyasha in the back several times, and how the man how shrugged it off. Now that he thought of it, he didn’t remember seeing a drop of blood, either. But he could have scraped the hanyou, couldn’t he?

Well, the next time he’d seen Inuyasha, they had an interesting conversation and he didn’t seem any put out by the fact that he’d been shot. But Motsumoto couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing.

In any case, at least his shots were getting better. Akira-san had been right; shooting at a still target was one thing, but it was another to hit one in motion. Until he mastered this, he wouldn’t shoot anything that was moving. He remembered her holding the gun in two hands, away from her shoulder, despite the fact that it was to be held against your shoulder to hold the kick and aim better.

It proclaimed her skill and strength, and he felt more than a little determined from it. No way was he, a man naturally skilled with firearms, going to be beaten by a female. He could be as strong as her, as quick, as smart, and as skilled. He was going to surpass her and be the top gunfighter with all weapons. He was sure of it.

And then. . . would Akira-san smile at him and say how well she knew he could do it, how much she’d hoped for his success?

He smiled. Akira-san was something. Now he had to prove to her that he was something, too. Something damn well worth noticing.

He fired again and saw the target’s head fall back as he finally blasted it off. He grinned.

:End Chapter:

Whoo, Motsumoto’s in looooove! Or at least in lust. In any case, I wonder if Akira would accept him. Eh, oh well.

I don’t suppose if I started another contest that it would get better results. Besides which, I’m in college now. That’s right, the big ol’ school meant for furthering your education where it counts to give you the best job ever.

Correction, best career ever.

I hope everyone ‘aww’ed and ‘oooh’ed and got all fuzzy in the chest. And I mean fuzzy fuzzy, not fuzzy moldy. If you’re molding in the chest. . . congrats, you’re dead. X.x

Zombie-fied!!

Moving on.

See ya!