InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 17

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters created by Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter 17

After their bath, InuYasha and Kagome went outside to sit in the sun and let their hair dry.

InuYasha, a peaceful look on his face, stretched out and rested his head on one elbow.  He looked up at Kagome, watching her comb her hair. “Maybe I should go hunting. There’s a good place to get rabbits near here,” he said.  “Not the best day to get them, but not a bad day either.”

Kagome carefully pulled the comb through a damp lock.  “Oh?”

“I was just thinking,” he said, twirling a blade of grass. “We’ve been eating a lot of fish since you came back.  Rabbit sounds good to me.”

“Hmm.  We don’t have much in the way of fish or meat tonight, except for dry fish to make soup,” Kagome said.  She grimaced as her hair caught a snag.

“Because I haven’t gone hunting since you got here,” he said, sitting up.  “That’s how we get meat to eat, you know.  I hunt or fish.”

“You’ve barely let me out of your sight since I got here,” she said. She pulled up a strand of hair and frowned at it as she worked her comb through it. “Stupid knots.”  Finishing that lock, she worked her comb through another.

He grinned, and then moved next to her and ran his fingers through the back of her hair, separating the strands. “Been making up for lost time looking at you.” In the distance, two small birds chased a crow, squawking loudly.  His ear flicked at the sound.

“If you want to go hunting, it’s all right, you know.” With a final pull, Kagome finished her hair, and pulled a few strands of hair out of her comb, before moving to sit behind the hanyou.  Picking up a long silver lock of his hair, Kagome started working her comb through it.

“It’s not fair,” she said, as the comb moved easily through his hair, even though it was still damp.  “My hair was full of tangles.”

“Can’t help it. It just does that,” he said, turning his head towards her.  “It’s not like I try or anything. You don’t really need to comb it, you know.”

“I know,” she said, smiling, as she picked  up another lock to comb through. “I want to.”

“Feh.” He stuffed his hands in his sleeves, but made no move to leave. “If it makes you happy.”

“It does.  So are you going to go hunting?”  She got up on her knees to carefully comb around his right ear.

“Still don’t know if I should leave you alone yet,” he said.  He unfolded his hands and rested them on his knees.

Kagome paused her combing and frowned a little. “You think I can’t take care of myself? I even have a bow now, thanks to Kaede.”

“It’s not that. It’s just that I don’t know that those bastards down in the village might be up to. What if they came back up to cause trouble while I was gone?”  He turned to face her. His content look had grown somber.  “If anything happened to you . . . ”

“I could go with you,” she said. She brushed his ear gently with her hand, just to see it flick.

“I don’t think you really want to watch me hunt rabbits, or even birds.” He turned around to give her proper access to his other ear.

“Probably not.  I really don’t like to look at fresh kills, and I’d probably scare everything away, anyway.”  Finishing that side, she stood up and moved in front of him to get his bangs.  “I could go to Miroku and Sango’s.”

He caught her wrist in his hand, his eyes studying her face, his look intense, but concerned, not angry.  “You understand how I’m feeling, don’t you?”

Kagome smiled at him, and gently kissed the top of his head. “I do, InuYasha.  I don’t like that you feel that way.  I don’t even disagree with you.  I just hate that you feel trapped with watching me.” She lifted her comb. “Let me finish.” He dropped his hand and let her work her comb through his unruly bangs.

“I don’t feel trapped,” he said.  He lifted his hand and brushed her cheek, giving her a small, cocky smile.  “I want to be with you.”

“But you can’t do what you want to do.” She gave his hair a few more strokes and sat back down.

InuYasha wrapped his arm around her and tugged her close.  “I don’t think you’d want to do what I really want to do out here in front of the house,” he said, breathing into her ear.

A crow landed on the tree near them.  Neither noticed.

Kagome laughed, playfully pushing him away, but she was smiling. “But we just got clean!”

“We could always get clean again,” he said.  His voice was low and sultry. His hand caressed her thigh.

Suddenly, the same hand went up to slap his neck.  “What the hell?”

He opened his hand. Sitting there, a small flea youkai looked back at him. The flea bowed.

“Myouga, where’d you come from?”  InuYasha asked.

“InuYasha-sama!  So it is true!  Kagome-sama, you look lovely as always.  It’s been a long time.  You have been missed.”

“Yes it has been, Myouga-ojisan.  But I have returned to stay,” she said.  The flea hopped off the hanyou’s hand and on to the ground next to her.

The hanyou scowled at the little youkai. “I thought you were staying with Toutousai.”

“I am, but Toutousai-sama sent me here, because he sensed something through Tessaiga.  He was hoping it meant Kagome-sama had returned.  And,” the flea continued, “it looks perhaps like  congratulations would be in order.”

“Yes,” Kagome said, taking InuYasha’s hand.  “Toutousai-sama was right. On both accounts.”

“What business is it of his, anyway?” InuYasha said.

“It’s not, really,” said the flea.  “But your father left me with certain information for when you chose a bride.”

“If you’re here to tell me the facts of life, Myouga, you’re a little late,” the hanyou said, smirking. He wrapped his arm back around Kagome’s waist.  

“Not exactly, young master.  There are some things you need to know because of your father’s heritage.  The ways of youkai are not exactly the ways of mortal humans.” He fished in his travel bag, and pulled out a Myouga-sized cup.  “This is thirsty work.  Perhaps we could go inside and have a cup of tea?”

With a bit of grumbling on InuYasha’s part, they went inside, and Kagome put the tea kettle on.  “It won’t take too long,” she said, as she prepared her teapot.

InuYasha sat down next to her. “So talk, Myouga,”

“Perhaps I ought to refresh myself a bit first,” the old flea said hopefully.  “It was a long journey, and what I have to say is important.”

“You’ve already got all the blood from me you’re getting today, flea,” InuYasha said.  “And you will not bite Kagome.”  The tone of his voice and the look in his eye made it clear what the consequences would be.

Myouga sighed.  “A flea’s life is not an easy one.”

For a moment, there was an uncomfortable silence.

“So how is Toutousai-sama?” Kagome said to break the quiet as she got up for her tea cups.

“The same as always,” Myouga said.  “Busy making weapons.  Seems like with the warlords so busy across the land, even the youkai need new ones.  He even made one for young master Kohaku.  Still, he always has time for an old flea. It’s smelly and noisy there, but it’s a good place in the winter for one like myself, though, nice and warm.   And Mou-Mou’s blood is tasty.  Not as good as inu youkai, but tasty.”

Kagome poured hot water into the tea pot, and shortly after, poured a cup for her husband and gave the flea his tiny portion. InuYasha filled her cup, and they all took a sip.

“Well, Myouga-ojisan, what is it you came all this way to tell us?” Kagome said, resting her cup in the flat of her hand.

“Such good tea, my lady,” the flea said, gathering his wits.  First, he moved out of InuYasha’s easy reach, then he turned to look at both of them.

He cleared his voice and began.“Before he died, your august father instructed me to explain certain things.”

“You already told us that,” InuYasha said.  He put his teacup on the floor. “So what did my old man tell you that you had to come all the say here to tell me?”

“Patience, InuYasha-sama.  I am getting to that,” the old flea said, and decided to back up a bit more.

The flea took a sip of the tea, and cleared his throat.  “There will come a time,” Myouga intoned, watching the nervous and slightly embarrassed hanyou carefully, “when you will experience nights when the magic in you is different than usual. It will not happen often. It is thus with most bakemono males, like inu youkai, and their hanyou offspring are not excepted. When these nights happen, InuYasha-sama, your youki will be very strong, and perhaps your youkai side will hover very near the surface.”

Kagome looked at her husband. InuYasha's ear twitched, letting her guess he had already experienced nights like that. He held his head down, not letting her see his eyes. “Some full moon nights . . . ”

“I'm not surprised to hear it is tied to the full moon, young master. After all, that is when your youki is naturally strongest. Nonetheless, on these special nights, and only on these special nights, if you two come together, you will make a child.”

InuYasha’s cheeks colored.  Myouga, ignoring that, stared off into space and looked thoughtful for a moment, scratching his head. “The kami only know why some nights are like that, and not others. Your noble father did not explain that when he told me to pass this on to you.”

“How will we know it’s one of those times?” Kagome asked.

“InuYasha-sama will know,” the flea said. “From what I have been told, there's no mistaking it. Alas, flea youkai do not experience this, not being shape-shifters.”

InuYasha tensed up more, his hands closing into fists, and gave a terse nod. “What about the child?” he asked. “Will it look . . .”

“I do not know, InuYasha-sama.  Your august father never mentioned anything about that to me,”  Myouga said, then hesitated before continuing. “But your father's blood is very strong.”

“Keh.”  The hanyou took a deep breath.  “Anything more?”

The flea shook his head. “No, that was all he told me to tell you.”

“I see,” say the hanyou.  Not meeting anybody’s eyes, he stood up and walked towards the door.

“InuYasha?” Kagome said.

Not saying anything, he stepped outside.  As the door mat fluttered into place, Kagome sighed and turned back toward the small youkai.

“That was . . . unexpected.” Myouga looked up at Kagome.  “His father wanted him to know this. Did I do it wrong, Kagome-sama?  He had the right to know.” He sipped his tea. “In fact, you both needed to know.”

“You were doing what you were asked to do, Myouga-ojisan,” she said, staring at the door, then turning to refill his cup.  “But it’s been a hard day for us.  He’s had a lot thrown at him.”

“Ah,” said the flea.  “Perhaps I should leave you two alone to discuss it.” He hurriedly swallowed his tea down.

“That might be a good thing. I’m sorry.” She stood up and walked to the door.  Stepping outside, she looked for InuYasha, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The flea hopped out after her.  “I’ll head back to Toutousai’s.  If you have any questions, you  know how to find me. Farewell, lovely lady.”

“Goodbye, Myouga-ojisan,” she said, “But come visit us again.”

The flea nodded, then used his magic to fetch a nearby bird, and jumped up.  She waved goodbye, but soon the bird was out of sight.