InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 31

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


Chapter 31

InuYasha and Kagome walked Kaede and Rin back to the village when the sewing lesson was over.  Rin ran a little ahead, singing softly to herself, but clutching her sewing box like it was a prized possession.

“Perhaps I should have started that girl on her sewing earlier,” the old miko said.  “She seems to be rather pleased with what she was doing today.  Ah well.  I always found sewing rather a chore.”

Rin slowed down and waited for them to catch up.

“I make my way
through the spring light,
through the spring light
and listen to the birds
in the meadow,
singing to each other,” she sang.

“That bird’s not singing in the meadow,” InuYasha said as he caught up with her.  He pointed up. A bird overhead in the tall branches of a pine stopped, then starting calling again.

The girl giggled.  “I was just singing, InuYasha-ojisan.  I wasn’t talking about that bird.  Kaede-sama, when we get back, may I go see Iya-chan?  I want to show her what I did today.”

The old miko nodded and Rin once again went on ahead, continuing her song.

“I make my way
beneath the pine trees,
beneath the pine trees,
and listen to the wind
sigh through its branches
talking to the sky.”

“I never did much sewing at home,” Kagome said. “Most cloth things we bought were already sewn.”

“Ah,” Kaede said, tilting her head a bit.  “Your world, it seems, did not really prepare you for this one very much. It sounds like you will be learning a lot in the near future.”

“True. And I thought I was finished with school,” Kagome said. She grinned at her husband  “At least I don’t have math tests.”

InuYasha snorted.   “And you don’t have to learn everything all at once,” he said, lightly touching her hand. “We’ll get by.”

Kagome took his hand in hers, and gave it small squeeze, then let it fall, turning back to Kaede. “So,” she  said.  “Should I bring my bow and arrows with me tomorrow?”

The older miko gave her a small smile.  “I don’t think we’ll be needing them, child.  I thought we’d start with medicines and healing.  Like your husband said, you don’t have to try to learn everything new all at once. One step at a time.  We’ll have plenty of time to work on things like your archery.”  She looked thoughtful for a moment.  “Although, if you wish, it might not be a bad idea to set up a practice target at your home, if it’s been a while since you did any serious shooting.”

The younger woman nodded.  She looked up at InuYasha.  “What do you think, InuYasha?  There’s that place on the other side of the garden that might be a good practice area.”

His ear flicked once, but he didn’t say anything, staring off towards the village.

“InuYasha?” Kagome said again, and tugged on his sleeve.

“Huh?” he asked.  His ears focused straight ahead.  “Sorry.  I thought I heard something.”

“But not me?” she asked, curious as to what caught his attention.  InuYasha shrugged, but didn’t volunteer anything, so she continued. “I was saying that over by the dead tree on the far side of the house might be a good place for me to do target practice.”

He nodded.  “Yeah. It’d be good if we could get a target, maybe a bag stuffed with straw or something.  Old tree’s pretty rotten, but might not be so good for your arrows.”

“I suspect,” Kaede said, “that could be arranged.  I think I have something in my house that might be just right.”

Rin stopped again.  “Someone’s coming up the road,” she said.

“Who is it, child?” Kaede asked.

“I’m not sure,” Rin said.

InuYasha tensed. “Joben, by the sound of it,” he said.  “And somebody else.  I’m not sure who. He’s not very happy. He’s griping about having to come look for you.”

“Ah,” Kaede said.  “His wife has been sick the last couple of days.  I wonder if Akina’s still doing poorly.  Maybe I should go on ahead.”

Kagome grabbed InuYasha’s hand, and holding him still, she stopped and nodded.  “Go ahead.”  She looked up at her husband.  “You’re growling.”  

“I’d like to do more than growl,” the hanyou said. “You didn’t hear what he said to the man he’s with.”  He stepped in front of her.  “Just stay behind me until we know what’s happening.”

The older miko walked down the path to where Rin was waiting, just as Joben and his companion, a man InuYasha did not recognize, came up the path.  

“Ah, Kaede-sama, I was looking for you. I was wondering if you had gone to the monk’s house,” Joben said, bowing.

“Yes I did,” the older woman said. “Can I help you, Joben?”

“Kaede-sama, I thought you might like to meet Morio-sama, my house guest.  He was studying with the yamabushi to the west.”

“Ah,” Kaede said, bowing politely.  “Welcome, Morio.  Joben here enjoys entertaining those who study that type of thing.”

He returned her greeting.

“But this could have waited until I returned, Joben,” Kaede said.  “Is there anything else?”

“Akina,” Joben said.

“She’s still not feeling well?” Kaede asked. She sounded a bit surprised.

“She’s doing better,” he said, bowing again.  “But she’s run out of the medicine you gave her.  I think she’s going to need some more.”

“Well, let’s go back to my house, and I’ll make up a fresh batch. But this time, make sure she doesn’t use it so quickly.  Too much of it can cause its own problems.” Kaede motioned to Rin. “I’ll carry your box, child.  Hurry home, Rin-chan.  You know what herbs go in the medicine.  You can help me fix it.”

Rin nodded, looking a bit sadly at her sewing box as she handed it over, but then moved quickly down the trail.

As the girl left, InuYasha stepped out of the shadows.  Joben looking uphill, saw InuYasha standing there, his hands stuffed in his sleeves, giving the newcomers a hard look.

“That’s the one - see, Morio,” Joben said, blanching a little, but pointing with his head towards InuYasha.  “That’s the one I was telling you about.  The hanyou.  I need you to make me an ofuda to keep his influence off my house and family.”

InuYasha flicked an ear as the newcomer looked at him.  Morio gave a small nervous bow in his direction.

Kagome, still standing behind her husband,  peeked out behind his back.  “What . . . ”

“Quiet,” InuYasha whispered.

Kaede looked up.  “I’ll see you tomorrow, InuYasha.”

He gave her a terse nod.

“Talking with that monster again?” Joben asked Kaede.  He dropped his voice into a theatrical whisper, quite audible in the hillside quiet.  “I know you’re fond of him for some reason, but no good can come of it, having creatures like him even on the outskirts of the village.”

“Joben,” Kaede said with great patience as they began to head down to the village proper. “We’ve been through this time and again. Remember who it was that saved your sister-in-law last year from the bandits.”

“I remember.  Even so  I still say he’s bad luck,” he said.  “I’m glad you keep him out here on the edge.”

The small group turned around and began walking down the hill.

“Tell me, is it true, what my mother told me - that the strange miko who looked like Kikyou-sama and used to visit us has returned, and is living with that beast?” Joben said, talking much louder.

InuYasha began to growl, but softly.  Kagome wrapped her arms around his waist, still hidden by the hanyou’s back and sleeves.

“If you are referring to Kagome-chan, yes she is returned,” Kaede said.  “And she has wed InuYasha-sama.”

Joben shuddered. “How could you let them? She’s a miko . . . and he’s . . . he’s a freak. An abomination.”

Kaede sighed and shook her head. “How could I not?” she said.  “They were meant to be together. It was the will of the kami.”

“So you say,” Joben said.

“And so does Tameo,” Kaede replied.  “If you have a complaint, you should take it to him.”

Joben had no answer to that and fell silent. Slowly they rounded a bend and moved out of sight.  

“Bastard,” InuYasha said. “He wanted us to hear that.”

Kagome moved out from behind InuYasha to stand next to him.  “Joben never was a very nice person, InuYasha.”

“You noticed that, huh?” he asked.

“I only talked to him a few times, but he always seemed . . . well, slimy.” Kagome leaned against the hanyou and wrapped her arms around his waist.  He pulled her close, covering her with his sleeves, and rested his cheek on the top of her head.  

“Let’s go home,” she said after a moment. “After all that slime, I think I need a bath.”

Dinner was a quiet affair, with neither of them saying much, although Kagome tried for a bit.  Finally she gave up, laid out their bedding and got InuYasha to fill up the tub so she could take her bath.

InuYasha, his mood dark, sat down next to the fire pit while she soaked,  and stared down at his hands, palms down, resting on his thighs. The hands were large, capable and showed the things he did with them. He was not sure how happy he was with what they revealed. The knuckles were callused from the use he had put them to, a fighter's hands. He wiggled his fingers and watched the rise and fall of the claw tips as they moved. Hands that could kill, and did so. A predator's hands.  “A monster’s hands,” he said.

Kagome got out of the tub and dried off, watching him.  She slipped into her under kosode and walked across the room, knelt down in front of him and took his hands in hers.

“Don’t bring Joben into our house,” she said, lifting his hands up.  She kissed the back of each hand lightly. “These aren’t a monster’s hands.  They’re my husband’s hands, who keeps me safe and happy with these hands.”

His eyes met hers, troubled in their amber glow, but willing to listen to her.

She let his hands fall back to his lap, where she ran soft fingers over the roughness of his knuckles, dancing over the claws, and then picking them back up by his wrists, brought his hands to her face, giving the palm of each a kiss.

“Kagome,” he said, freeing them from her hold so he could cup the sides of her face, brushing his thumbs gently across her cheeks and running his fingers into her hair.

She leaned into his touch, and let her own hands pull him close.  “Not a monster’s hands.  My lover’s hands,” she said, letting her lips brush against his own.

His arms slid down pulling her into a tight embrace, returning her kiss with an intensity that was almost overwhelming.

When the kiss ended, Kagome leaned her head against his chest as she played with a lock of his hair while he ran his hands along the length of his body.  “You chased that nasty man out of our house yet?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said, shifting and picking her up.  He began heading for the futon, giving her a short, but promising kiss on the way.  “Now I’d like to do something else.”

He lowered her down to the bedding.  She looked up at him and smiled.  “Like empty the tub?”

“It’ll wait,” he said, unfastening the ties on his jacket.  “Some things are more important.”

Kagome leaned her head back against the bolster, enjoying watching him undress.  Smiling at what he revealed, she was inclined to agree.