InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Himitsu/Secrets ❯ Kekkan/Fault ( Chapter 5 )

Kekkan (Fault)

The night air was exceptionally chilly for November. Warmth was just a fleeting feeling during times like this, she dully noted while she rubbed her shivering arms vigorously to create some sort of pleasing friction.

There was a small cough and whining sound from within her sleeping bag, and then tiny hands wormed their way through the bag to paw at her as if seeking some sort of comfort from the windy, dark terrors of the night. "Kaa-san," a boyish mouth murmured as it nuzzled the soft material.

Her heart leapt into her throat, and she held very still, unsure of how to handle the situation. She was still just a girl, after all, and she hadn't any time at all to adjust to being fifteen yet. Everything was still an awkward movement and an awkward moment with her, as she was still gathering her bearings.

"Kaa-san," the voice murmured again, only with more urgency.

She hesitated still, bit her lip, closed her eyes--haphazard attempts to shake the lonely, pathetic voice from her head. What could she do? What should she do?

The little kitsune boy sniffled and clawed at her. "Kaa-san…Kaa-san."

Not so unlike her own frail voice after Papa had died unexpected. She had clung to her mother's weary frame for weeks on end, refusing to believe that he would never again come through the aging shouji after his long commute home and offer her some mochi. Nor would he and Jii-chan again fight the endless fight about why Papa had refused to become a kannushi. The tears felt as if they would never dry up, and maybe they still hadn't. How had Mama handled her?

Sometimes, she still found herself crying. What would Papa think to see his little girl now--Papa, who had wanted her to become a successful businesswoman like him, and she…she was now thrown into the life of a miko, closer to Jii-chan's profession.

Jii-chan was proud. Proud to have someone who shared his "spirituality," as he put it.

Why wasn't she so proud?

Another cry for Kaa-san broke her from her thoughts.

What to do? What to do??

She was too young to become this boy's guardian! Hell, her own incompetence was proof that even she still needed a protector. After all, she was the genius who had broken the Shikon no Tama and had unwittingly set into place all of the discordances that had happened since its shattering.

And with that thought, she knew what to do.

She pulled the boy into her arms and rocked him, causing him to open his eyes and in confusion, whisper, "Kagome?"

She shushed him and replied, "Everything's fine, osanai-chan. Kaa-san is here. Go back to sleep." He snuggled into her warmth and sighed, even though he stayed awake.

What could she do? She had never had a chance to live a normal childhood, as Papa's death had shown her and now these set of events. There was nothing to miss; she had to grow up. Technically, she was his new "Kaa-san," as her own bitter memories had reminded her.

What else do you do when the blood of the child's parents is on your hands?