InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A New Beginning ❯ Of Memories and Dreams ( Chapter 2 )

Shippo lay in the grassy meadow beside the girl from the future. It was a peaceful day, and he intended to enjoy it. Surrounded by a light floral aroma, his demon senses were content. He would never complain about the hardships the small group had experienced while on the road, but he hadn't had much experience with peace in his young life. While his demon blood flourished under such a tumultuous environment, the childish side which was nurtured by Kagome whined pitifully for some quiet play time.

Time passed slowly in the meadow until the silence was shattered by Kagome's soft voice. “An elephant” she said while pointing up towards the sky. Shippo couldn't help but voice his confusion. “Right there” she elaborated. “See the long trunk to the left and the big hump towards the middle.”

In the face of such steadfast conviction, Shippo could only agree to Kagome's declaration. He was slowly getting used to being introduced to foreign ideas and phrases from the future. It was then that he began to realize that if he couldn't understand what she was saying, perhaps Kagome couldn't understand some of the words and concepts he brought up. With this sudden epiphany, he worried about his relationship with the girl from the future. They were just so different. It wasn't even because he was a demon and she a human priestess. Although it was sometime difficult to understand why he sometimes reveled in the sight of blood in battle, she appeared to have understood when he had explained to her about his fox demon instincts. While he would never understand the sociological studies of human relationships of the future, he began to wonder if their distance in philosophical beliefs were simply part of the mother-son relationship they shared. For if he thought hard enough, he could remember his first mother found the scent of blood distasteful. It was more of a generation gap that spanned over 500 years. He was simply too young and well versed in the concept of ancient Japanese hierarchical ranking to conform to her modern beliefs of equality between the sexes, let alone between demon and humans. Being raised by the small group, the dynamics of the relationship between group members forced him to accept the equality of humans and demons. Sango and Miroku were every bit as powerful as Inuyasha and Kilala.

“Kagome” he said slowly as though he were testing each syllable to make sure he had the right pronunciation. “Will you love me forever?”

“Of course I will!” Kagome sat up suddenly and examined Shippo's facial expression to see relief stamped all over his forehead. She was slightly confused at what brought about the young demon's childish insecurities but decided not to question him. Instead, she attempted to assuage his childish fears.

“Shippo I will love you in this era. I will love you in mine. And I will love you for all the years in between my son.”

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It was too bad there was never a pattern to the memories that would suddenly burst forth, disturbing the monotonous pattern of her life. Maybe she was meant to live in the past and she made a mistake returning to modern-day Tokyo. She never really made the conscious decision to remain in the future. She simply stepped through the well to gather more supplies and spend some time with her family. Her nightmares of Naraku were far less traumatizing than the moment she hopped back into the well only to be prevented from slipping through into the past.

Although it felt good to remember the first time she had voiced her feelings and called Shippo her son, it broke her heart to realize that she would never see him again. It was just one more person she had left behind. And one more person for her heart to miss.

As she hurried through the park on her way to work, the floral scent overwhelmed her dull human senses. She remembered how Shippo's tail would sway furiously in the presence of such calming scents and she missed him fiercely. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of man he grew up to be. Did he ever fall in love and get married to have children of his own? She worried about what happened to him. Demons' lifespan were rumored to be long and could only be shorted by violence. She often wondered what happened to the demons of the past. For if they still existed, the future hid them well. She often hoped that maybe humans weren't the only creatures on Earth with the ability to adapt to all situations.

Suddenly shaking herself from her trip down memory lane, she remembered that there was somewhere important for her to be. She quickly began to pick up the pace and jog lightly to the local library. With all the school she had missed, she had barely managed to get her high school diploma and was unable to pursue any high level education. Finding a job without a college degree was next to impossible these days. She was extremely lucky that Ayumi's aunt had been “getting on in years” and offered her a job as the assistant librarian. Not exactly glamorous compared to shard hunting or demon slaying, but it paid her bills and fed Buyo.

“You're late again Higurashi” stated a dry, disembodied voice that seemed to originate deep within the towering shelves of books from the back of the facility.

“I'm so sorry Mrs. Kodama. There was this -“

“I don't want to hear it” cut off the elderly woman. “Simply finish up shelving those book in that pile …”

Whatever instructions the good Mrs. Kodama saw fit to give to Kagome were lost and Kagome's eyes fell across the Velveteen Rabbit at the top of the pile. It had been Shippo's favorite book and she loved reading it to him by the campfire. She began to remember how he refused to eat rabbit meat from that day forward just in the off chance that one of them had been the miraculous stuffed rabbit of the story come to life.

“Are you listening to me Higurashi? I want those books shelved by the time we open.”

While Mrs. Kodama wasn't cruel, she was strict. She expected her assistant to comply with her demands complete with a friendly smile. Which Kagome proceeded to give to the woman with a small bow as she hurried to complete her newly assigned task.

“I will love you forever Shippo” she whispered under her breath to no one in particular as she fell into the tedious task of shelving old library books.

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AN: I don't own Inuyasha … etc. etc.

Personally, I don't see how anyone can eat a rabbit. Well … maybe if I were starving. The will to live is simply amazing, that guy that amputated his own arm because he was trapped under a rock in the middle of the woods is just … wow. He pretty much managed to cut off his trapped arm with the equivalent of a dull spoon. In a gross, sick, and absolutely amazing sort of way I admire him.