InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 34

[ 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 34


Kagome was kneeling in front of a small table, her forehead creased as she concentrated.  Dishes and pieces of paper held various herbs in front of her.  The air was filled with the slightly bitter and spicy fragrance of their scent.

“Balloon flower root,” she said, pointing to the dried root laying on a bit of brown paper right in front of her.  Picking up a blue dish to her right, she looked inside to study  a different root. “Poria,” she said.  She named several in quick succession, pointing to each.  “Pinella tuber, ginger, mondo grass tuber, orange peel, forsythia.” She studied the last one, in a flat little bowl, thought for a moment as she chewed her bottom lip, and said, “Licorice.”

“Very good, Kagome-chan,” Kaede said. “These mixed together make a very good medicine for the cough.  First,” she said, picking up a sharp knife, “we’ll cut the roots up into smaller pieces so we can grind it up more easily.  Some people just chop it a little, and make their tea that way, but I like to at least bruise them in the mortar once I do, if the person’s going to use it right away.  I think it gets the good of the herbs into the tea faster.  But if they are stockpiling it for later, it’s better to not even cut it too much.  The virtue can go out of the roots.”

Kagome nodded.

The door opened up, and Rin entered.  The two women looked up.  

“Hand me the balloon flower root, Kagome-chan,” Kaede said, but smiled at her ward. “Finished in the garden?”

Rin nodded and looked at what the two miko were doing.  “Is Rin back too soon?” the girl asked, putting down her basket. “Rin picked some greens while she was in the garden.  Nakao-kun stopped to talk for a little bit.”

“Maybe a little,” Kaede said. “We’re just finishing up Daisuke-sama’s cough medicine.”  The old miko began to cut the balloon flower root into small chunks. “So you talked to Nakao-kun?  Seiji-sama’s son?”

The girl nodded, and came and sat down next to Kaede.  “He seems nice.”

Kaede nodded. “He is.  Much different from his father.  I’ve always thought he must have taken more after his mother. That’s why I let him do little errands for me.”

Rin rested her chin in her hand.  “But while we were talking, his brother came by and made him go home.” She sighed. “I don’t think he was supposed to be talking to me.”

Kaede rested her hand on the girl’s shoulder.  “I’m sorry Rin-chan. I know Seiji-sama doesn’t think much of you being here.” She put the herb cuts into her mortar, then picked it up. “I must say that even with that father of his, he has a good heart, to stop and talk anyway.”

Kagome, free for the moment, took Rin’s hand and gave it a little squeeze, which got a small smile out of the girl.  Turning back to Kaede, the young miko asked, “Why doesn’t Seiji-sama want Rin here?”

Kaede handed Kagome the mortar.  “Here, you try using this, child.  Your arms are younger than mine.”

Kagome took the stone bowl from Kaede and began to work the pestle.

“Hold the bowl more upright.  It’ll work better that way,” the older miko said.  She picked up another paper of herbs from the group in front of Kagome, and started slivering a  root.  “Seiji is somewhat like Joben, hateful to things out of the ordinary, and I am sad to say, he does not like your husband, Kagome-chan.  Last year, when the bandits came, he actually tried to stop InuYasha from chasing after them, even though they had kidnapped two of the children here.”  

“But why?” Kagome asked.  She frowned down at the mortar while she ground the herbs. “InuYasha is faster than any of the other villagers.”

“I’m not sure, exactly,” Kaede said.  “When you’ve gotten that well bruised, pour it in the big bowl, and we can start on the next.”

Kagome nodded, and gave the mix another two grinds, then showed the mortar to Kaede.  “Is this about right?”

“That’ll do, child, that will do.” Kaede reached for the licorice root.  “I think Seiji feels that having InuYasha help with the village hurts the village’s honor some way.  Anyway, Susumu was quite unhappy with him.  I don’t think Seiji’s really forgiven my young cousin yet.”

Kagome poured the crushed herb into the bowl, and pulled the next batch toward her. “That’s just stupid,” she said as she refilled the mortar.  “This root smells.”  She wrinkled her nose.

“I know,” Kaede said.  “That was one of the reasons I sent InuYasha away.”   She looked up from her work. “I’m not sure why things have worked out that way between Seiji and Susumu.  Those two always were competing with each other.  Perhaps it’s not even Seiji disliking Rin and InuYasha for their connection to youkai things as much as it’s Seiji being contrary because Susumu is tolerant of both them and  Shippou-chan.”

“He doesn’t like Shippou-kun very much either,” Rin said, getting up gracefully and going to the water bucket to get a drink.  “Shippou said that Seiji-sama threatened to call an exorcist over if Shippou came near his house again.”

As Rin drank, Kagome started grinding again. “He sounds like an unhappy man.”

Kaede nodded.  “He wasn’t always.  When he was young and just married, he went off once when the Houjou were having some fight with another lord.  He came back with a large scar on one arm and a dark, bitter attitude. He never talks about it.  I don’t know what happened.”

They grew silent as they focused on their work. Kaede began slicing the ginger.  As if the pungent, spicy smell reminded her of something, she looked up at Rin, who was drinking a second ladle of water.  “Rin-chan, please go bring in some firewood.  It’s almost time to fix lunch.”

The girl nodded and headed out of the house, leaving the two older women working with their herbs.

“Let’s think of something more pleasant than bitter men,” Kaede said.  “I want you to practice using your spiritual powers, but not as tools for purification.”

Kagome looked up as Kaede.  “I don’t know much more than that.”  She poured the contents of her mortar into the bowl.

“There are ways to use your powers for healing,” Kaede said.  “This is what I want you to do.”

While the two women discussed Kagome’s practice, Rin stepped out of the house to find InuYasha perched on the fence post across the street  from Kaede’s house.  She waved and walked over next to him. Tilting her head, she studied how he was balanced in a squat on the fence post that looked much too small for that task.  He squatted there effortlessly, perfectly balanced.  He watched as she studied him, his face uncertain whether to smile or scowl.

Rin looked up at him, amused. “InuYasha-ojisan, how do you manage to stay up on that post?  If Rin tried to squat on it like that on something so small, she would fall.”

InuYasha shrugged. “Don’t know.  I just do it,” he said.  “I like it because it lets me keep a good eye on the house and who’s coming up the road.”  He hopped down.  “They done in there yet?”

The girl shook her head. “I don’t think so.  They were making a medicine when Kaede-sama asked Rin to get some firewood.  But they must nearly be done with that, because Kaede-sama was talking about making lunch.” She smiled at the hanyou.  “Rin didn’t get to eat all the food, so you’ll get to eat your share.”  

InuYasha chuckled.  “Yeah.  Let’s go get that wood.  I need to see if Kaede-babaa needs more wood chopped.”

They walked around to the back of the house, where InuYasha took an armful of wood and put it into the girl’s arms.  “You and Kaede-babaa go through a lot of wood,” he said.  “I’ll need to come by tomorrow maybe and chop some more.”

“It looks like a lot to Rin,” the girl said, staring at the pile.  It was neatly stacked into a rick, protected from the weather by a low overhang.  To the side, there were some large logs ready to be cut, but there was no near shortage of wood ready for the fire pit.

“Not as much as you think,” the hanyou replied.

“Hmm,” Rin said.  “Maybe InuYasha-ojisan wants something to do while he waits for Kagome-obasan to finish her training.”

“Feh,” InuYasha replied.  “Just taking care of things.”

Giggling, she started back to the front of the house.  “Did you find what you were looking for in the forest?”

He shook his head, then hesitated before speaking, then took a breath. “No.  Whatever I thought was there was gone already.”  His right ear twitched. “Tell Kagome I’m out here, all right?”

Rin nodded.  InuYasha lifted the doormat for her, and she walked back in.  She dropped the wood in its box and looked up to see Kaede pouring the medicine the two women had been preparing into some paper that she wrapped into a neat bundle.

“So there’s Daisuke-sama’s cough medicine,” Kaede said. “I’ll take it to him after lunch, so I can see how he’s doing.  His cough was stubborn this winter.” She placed the paper bundle to the side, while Kagome got up to  put the remaining herbs back in their containers.

Kaede turned toward the girl. “Well, Rin, shall we fix some of those greens you brought home with our lunch?”

Rin nodded.

“Should I go with you to see Daisuke-sama?” Kagome asked.

“Not this time, child.  You’ve learned enough for one morning,” Kaede said, patting her on the hand.  “Besides, Daisuke-sama is not good company when he’s had the cough.  I’ll take care of it.  You’ll have enough complaining patients soon enough.”  She got up, and moved to get the basket of greens. “But tomorrow, I’m going to see Sayo-chan.  It’s not long before her child is due, and you can come visit.”

Kagome got up and started putting the herbs back on their shelf. “Yes, please.”

“Have you seen InuYasha, Rin?” Kaede asked, as she began picking through the greens.

“InuYasha-ojisan  is waiting outside,” the girl said.  She moved to the area where the cooking things were stored. “He asked Rin to tell you he’s waiting.”  She opened a chest, and took out a set of bowls.  
 
“I suspect we’ve worn his patience thin today,” the older miko said. “And I suspect he’s ready for his lunch as well.”

Kagome turned from her work, looked at the older woman who sat there with a knowledgeable smile, and laughed. “I believe you - on both accounts.”

“Go home to him.  He’ll get used to things soon enough,” Kaede said.  “And don’t forget what I told you to practice.”

“I will,” she said, smiling.  “Oh, he’ll probably like that one a whole lot more than waiting.”

And with a polite bow, she went out to join her husband.