InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 28

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


Chapter 28


In the past, when Miroku and InuYasha headed out on market day, the villagers often gave them space, not exactly sure how to behave around either the monk or the hanyou, which usually suited InuYasha fine, although Miroku would leave his side from time to time to go speak or joke with one person or another.

Today, though, things were different.  The first sign was when Shinjiro, Daitaro’s son, joined them as the road left the hill.

“I thought I’d find you two on the road today,” the young man said, laden under a heavy pack.  He suspiciously looked like he had been waiting.  “Thought it’d be nicer to travel together than alone.”

“You know how it goes,” Miroku replied. “Women have their wants.”

“Indeed,” Shinjiro said. “Haha-ue and my sister-in-law have been working making coverlets all winter, and told me this morning that today was the day they wanted it all to go to market. But neither of them wanted to carry the weight of it!” He smiled.  “But they decided I’m the ox today and gave me a list of things they think my back should bring back as well. I’ll be carrying as much back if not more.”

“Ox, heh,” InuYasha said, giving Miroku a look.  “I know that feeling.”

“We both have our instructions as well,” Miroku said, ignoring InuYasha’s look. “But it’s a good day to be walking.”

“True,” Shinjiro replied.  “And it beats shoveling out manure. Which, I think, is what Chichi-ue was wanting me to do today.”

InuYasha snorted.  “I don’t know which is worse, the market or the bullshit.”

“Oh, I can tell you,” Shinjiro said, laughing. “Market is always better than shoveling shit.  Take my word for it.  Chichi-ue’s cattle produce an amazing amount to take care of.”

They began heading down the path that led to the main road.  It was not long before the three men found themselves in a loose caravan of about a dozen people from their village and from points beyond heading toward the crossroads where the market was held.  A few of them led animals with packs filled with goods to sell or trade.

Susumu pulled a hand cart covered with a tarp while his father Tameo walked beside him.

Tameo waved the group to come walk beside them. “So, I hope my younger son is busy at his work,” the headman said.

“He was when I left,” InuYasha said.

“Not driving you crazy yet?” Susumu asked.  

The hanyou looked at Susumu, not sure of how to answer that.

“It’s all right, cousin,” the young man said, grinning.  “There’s no insult. Kinjiro drives everybody crazy at times.  Kind of bossy, you know?  He even tries to tell his older brother what to do.”

This made InuYasha smile.  

“Ah, so you’ve noticed that, have you?” Tameo said. “Of course, sometimes the older brother thinks he should tell his father what to do, too.  Must run in the family.”

“Me?” Susumu looked mock-shocked.  

The hanyou’s ear twitched.  He wasn’t used to this type of bantering.

Miroku, noticing his friend, spoke up.  “So, Tameo-sama, tell me your opinion of a cloth merchant named Katsume.”

Soon the two men were deep into a discussion of the virtues and vices of the various merchants  who were likely to be there.   InuYasha used the moment to walk ahead, getting several looks, some curious, one uncomfortable, as he passed them by, but no one else tried to talk to him.  The looks he gave everybody might have been part of the reason, or the nervous twitch in his ear, but they were used to him, and gave him room.

It was about an hour and a half’s walk to the market site.  Miroku, after he and Tameo had dissected all the merchants, caught back up to his friend. Not saying much, they continued until the market was in sight.  Miroku signaled InuYasha to stop for a moment, and the two of them paused, letting the other villagers move ahead.  

Miroku, watching the procession, took a long drink out of his water container. InuYasha stood there, his hands stuffed in his sleeve.

“Why are we waiting?” InuYasha asked. His face had grown stonier the closer they had gotten to the site.  “Let’s get this done.”

“Wait a moment and let the others get past us,” Miroku said. “There’s no real rush. You’re not nervous, are you?”  He capped his water container and looked at his friend.

“You know how I feel about market days. Damn merchants,” InuYasha said.  “You know how they look at me and act like I’m there to steal their stuff or I’m going to bring them bad luck.  Didn’t matter so much when it was just waiting for you to buy what you needed.  But today’s different.  Why should I be anxious or anything, just because I have a list as long as my arm of things to buy? ”

“We’ve done this before, you know, like when you bought the futon,” the monk said.

InuYasha nodded. “Yeah.  I got asked to move away from his stand while you did the trade.”

“Actually, knowing you were nearby helped me cut you a better deal,” Miroku said.  “I kind of used you as a bargaining chip.”

InuYasha snorted, a bitter short laugh.  “Somehow, I’m not surprised.”

“He deserved to think about his sins,” Miroku said.  “I suggest that we do things the way we always do.  Let me do the haggling, and you do the hauling.”  He smiled at the hanyou.  “You have your list?”

InuYasha pulled the piece of paper, covered with Kagome’s neat writing. “I never knew setting up a household was so complicated,” he said, looking at it. “It never was when it was just me.”

Miroku took the list, glanced at it and stuffed it in his robes. “Nor for me, but things change. I have a list as well,” he said. “Not quite as long, but long enough.  When you have many mouths to feed, there’s always something you need.”

“Hn,” said the hanyou. “Let's get this over with.”

Miroku, his staff jingling, nodded his assent, and they started down the road.

The market site wasn’t much of a place when the shop keepers weren’t there. It was just a crossroads with a teashop that offered refreshments to travelers heading north to Kawagoe or west to Odawara.  There was a house for the local administrator and a tiny garrison and a few others nearby.  But on market days, the area swelled with merchant booths, people selling food and garments, tools and crafts, and whatever else they thought people would buy. It was noisy, smelly, colorful with banners hanging from the booths and very alive.

Heads turned as they reached the booths. A hawker, wearing a short, patched kosode walked up to the monk.

“Amulets from the yamabushi at Fujiyama,” he said.  “Sure to protect one from any attack, human or youkai,” the man claimed holding up a small wooden plaque painted with obscure glyphs.

“Not today, friend,” Miroku said.  “I can handle either.”

The man, noticing InuYasha, stepped back.  “Sorry, dono. I see you have no need for the yamabushi’s help, not if you can handle the like of him.”  He backed up slowly, bowing and apologizing and when he thought he was far enough, quickly went the other way.

InuYasha sighed, but another vendor, a cloth merchant hailed them.  They had done business before.  Shinjiro stood in front of his booth, the contents of the pack he had carried spread out in front of the vendor’s stand, blue and white coverlets decorated with fine white stitching.He did not seem pleased with what the merchant was telling him.

Miroku, a wicked little grin on his face,  pulled out his lists as he watched what was going on.  “All right,” he said.  “We’ll start here.   Let’s see - cloth for towels, white linen for undergarments . . . ”

InuYasha, hearing a certain tone in Miroku’s voice, raised an eyebrow.  “Don’t get too greedy, Bouzu.  I’d like to be able to come back again.”

Miroku chuckled.  “Let’s just say that this man owes me.  Stay near, but let me do the talking.”

The hanyou nodded, and watched for a moment, then bored, looked around.   Nearby, a small group of musicians were singing while a third of their group danced.  Two children ran down the center, begging a woman carrying a heavy basket on her back for something. A farmer bumped him, bowing apologetically, then taking a good look at him, backed away wide-eyed and praying to Kwannon.  Somewhere, out of sight, he could hear two men arguing.  The sounds bothered his ears and the smells his nose.  

“It’s going to be a long day,” InuYasha said, to no one in particular.  

“Deal!” the cloth merchant said.

“Thanks,” Shinjiro said.

He turned back to the booth, in time to see the merchant counting out money to his neighbor and Miroku turning to meet his eyes, gloating.

“A very long day.”

Hours later, as the sun grew low, InuYasha walked back through the door to his own house, carrying a large bundle. The air in the house smelled delicious and welcoming: odors of rabbit and rice and vegetables that said dinner was ready, and beyond that was the undertone that warmed his heart the most, the scent of Kagome. Taking another breath, deeper this time, he visibly relaxed and smiled.

Kagome stood up from where she was sitting by the fire pit as he walked through the door and gave him a brilliant smile. “I'm glad you're back! How did it go?”

InuYasha placed the bundle on the ground gently. “I thought it was going to be awful at first, but it went better than I expected,” he said, sitting down next to her. “I let Miroku do most of the talking. Nobody can talk people out of stuff the way he does.”

“He does have that talent,” Kagome said, putting on the water for tea, then moving closer to the hanyou.  She rested her head on his shoulder “I’d get him to bargain for me if I was shopping.”

“Keh.” His arm wrapped around her, pulling her a little closer. “So, you want to see what I got?” he asked, a small but eager smile touching his lips. His voice was a little nervous, a little excited.  “Some stuff is coming by cart tomorrow or the next day.  A big laundry tub and a chest with drawers, and some other things,  but I brought the rest with me.”

Kagome smiled at him. “Oh my, it sounds like you really did do well.  But you don't want to eat dinner first?” she asked, looking up at him, surprised. “You were gone so long.”

Shaking his head, he unwrapped his arm from around her and pulled the bundle closer, then unfastened it.  “No,” he said, his right ear twitching a little.  “It’ll wait for a bit.”

Kagome leaned up and kissed his chin. “I'm sure that whatever you chose is fine, really,” she said, but she turned around and moved the kettle off the flame and set the stew pot further off the heat. “But if you want to show me first, I’ll be happy to see.”

When she turned around, InuYasha stuck a bundle in her hand. Smiling, she opened it.

One by one, she undid the bundles he handed her, one after another, some wrapped in cloth, and others in paper and rice straw, impressed more and more by her husband's selection.  A rice tub and some storage jars, not too fancy, but with a pleasant feel about them. Bowls and trays. Sewing supplies in a lovely basket. Fabric, both for basic things and a pretty length for another kimono, in dark blue and white. Some treats for when the girls or Shippou came by. Spices. Finally, nearly everything she had asked for was spread around her.

“I did well?” InuYasha asked.  “Miroku helped, but I chose.”

“You did very well,” she replied and tried to lean in for a kiss, but he surprised her by gently pushing her back as he reached in his jacket and pulled out a final bundle.

He looked at her a little sheepishly. “I didn't want anything to happen to these. I was afraid they might have gotten messed up in the bundle.”

“But . . . ” Kagome said. “But it looks like you got everything on the list.”

“I know,” he replied, leaning close and cupping the side of her face with his hand. “I got these because I wanted to.”

Kagome looked at him for a moment, the warmth in his eyes stirring feelings in her she couldn't quite put into words.  Taking a breath, she quickly unfastened the carry cloth. The first thing she saw was a fine comb, and under it, another bundle. Kagome picked it and ran her fingers over the finely carved boxwood with an inlay of polished shell. “It's beautiful,” she said.

“You like it?” he asked. He took a lock of her hair in his hands, twisting it around his finger.

“Very much,” she replied. She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips.

He smiled, and for a moment, rested his forehead on hers. “Open the other.”

She undid the bundle. In it was a beautiful, soft, light blue-gray silk. It was worked with red and darker blue blossoms that cascaded in a windblown pattern. Kagome looked up at him, her mouth slightly open.

“It matches your eyes,” InuYasha said, his own eyes flashing.

“It must have cost too much, InuYasha,” Kagome said.

InuYasha pulled her close. “You think you're not worth it to me, Koibito?” he asked. “I ought to be able to give you more. You ought to be dressed like a hime.” He sighed, but wrapped an arm around her waist. “I can’t keep you like my mother lived, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want you to have nice things.”

Kagome reached up, ran her fingertips over his cheek, then brushed his lips with hers. “I ought to be dressed like InuYasha's wife, however he can keep me. It’s beautiful fabric and I love it.”  She kissed him again. “But I’m glad you let me have something besides silk to wear to do the laundry and work in the garden. Thank you.”

“Keh,” he said, and kissed her back.

Many kisses later, and after some energetic activity that involved moving things out of the way, including their clothes,  Kagome was glad she had taken dinner off the heat.