InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 95

[ 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 Takahasi


Chapter 94


As the three men finished up their conversation outside, Hisa was busy at her fire, lifting the kettle off of the heat. She carefully poured it over the herbs in Isao’s medicine bowl

Susumu turned around and looked at her. “Okaa, that smells. You don’t have to have InuYasha’s nose to tell, either.”

“I know,” the older woman said, smiling at her oldest son. “You drank enough of it that time you hurt your back.”

“You’re giving him that?” Susumu shuddered. “That’s some nasty-tasting stuff. I still remember what it tasted like.”

“But it worked,” she said, covering the cup with a lid.

He nodded, with a sigh. “It did, but I hope I never need it again.”

Kinjiro turned around to them, not meeting his mother’s eyes, but frowning at his brother. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear the rest of Houshi-sama’s story.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Susumu said, holding his hands up. His mother looked down at the medicine cup to hide her grin, more amused than irritated.

The younger man, still frowning turned back towards the table and nodded to Miroku. “So let me get this straight,” Kinjiro asked. “People thought Kwannon was up in that tree, throwing showers of flowers in blessing?”

Miroku took a sip of his sake. “Yes, that’s it exactly. A whole crowd had gathered, hoping to see what they thought was a miracle. I watched them go up to the tree for three days, just waiting for the flowers to fall.”

“So what happened?” Tameo asked.

“Ah, this is interesting. Another case where youth goes where adults say no.  On the fourth day, a young boy ran up to the tree and began to climb it. His mother ran after him, but couldn’t catch him. Soon there was a loud noise, and yells from the boy. Leaves and flowers began to cascade down on the people there. Finally, a big bird, a hawk, fell down, flapping one wing. The other one was broken.”

“So where was Kwannon?” Susumu said. He grabbed one of the rice cakes his mother had set out and began to eat it.

“Kwannon was never there - just this poor bird trying to hide.” The monk sighed. “There were no more cascades of blossoms. I told them it wasn’t Kwannon, but...”

“Eh,” Kinjiro said.  “People are gullible.”

“What happened to the boy?”Susumu asked.

“Oh, his family was furious with him, mostly because the neighbors decided he had chased Kwannon away by his impious actions, but a local magistrate, who had come to see what the fuss was about, gave them a year’s exemption from taxes. The magistrate didn’t think Kwannon would show up in such a decadent age.” Miroku downed his glass. “After that approval, his family turned their shame into him having  a reputation for bravery. I’m not sure how brave he was, or if he was just curious.”  

“Worse things have happened to a young man,” Hisa said, carefully standing up with the cup of medicine in her hand. “Although that one was rather unusual.”

“True,” Tameo said.  He watched his wife walk across the room toward the battered boy.  The headman sighed.  “So, any ideas of how to handle our boys here?” He nodded his head in the direction of Aki. “There won’t be any magistrate who will come to solve our problem out of the blue like that.”

“I have an idea,” Susumu said, turning to watch his mother. “At least what to do for Isao.” He scratched under his chin. “What to do about Aki, now that’s a different kettle of fish.”

Hisa knelt next to the battered boy.  His lip was swelling a little even with Kagome applying compresses. Hisa handed him the cup. “Be careful, son,” she said. “It’s still hot. Don’t hurt your lip.”

Isao nodded, and Kagome moved the wet compress away from his mouth. “Let us know if you start to get sleepy,” she said.

“If you do, you can lay down at the main house,” Hisa said, nodding. “We have more than one room. I can put you in the back where the children won’t bother you.”

The boy  looked down at the medicine cup he was holding.  He put the cup down on the ground. Even though it was obvious that he was in pain, he straightened up and made no move to take the potion. "If it’s all right, I’m going to wait before I drink it,” he said.

“Are you sure?” Hisa asked, frowning. “You look like you’re really hurting.”

He nodded. “I...I want to be awake while they talk. I can handle it.”

“If you’re sure. But go ahead and drink if you get  feeling too bad, son,” Hisa said, brushing a stray bit of hair out of his face. “Nobody with think less of you.”

“Bah! Just keep sucking up to them,” Aki said, from where he was tied. He tugged on his rope. “You just think you hurt now.”

Kinjiro shifted to look at the boy,  put down his sake cup and stood up. “Excuse me,” he said, with a small bow to the men there. Walking over to Aki, he gave the boy a small thump on the head. Aki yelped and glared at the man.

“Why’d you do that for?” Aki said.

“Just trying to knock some sense into that hollow head of yours,” Kinjiro said. “You really shouldn’t talk like that. You’re in enough trouble as it is. Do I need to gag you too?  I don’t need to be listening to you digging your own grave.”

Aki’s eyes widened a bit, and  gave a shake of his head. “No...”

“Good,” Kinjiro said, and headed back to his seat.

Toshiro watched the exchange thoughtfully. “You’re probably right about Aki-kun,” he said. The elder lifted the tiny cup of sake that sat before him, and took a sip, then looked at Susumu. “So what is it that you think we should do?”

Susumu rocked a little from side to side, toying with his own cup, but not lifting it.  “I think I’d rather wait until Tsuneo-sama gets back inside before I run it by anybody. He’d need to agree to it anyway.”

The door slid open. “Agree to what?” Daitaro said. He stepped over the threshold and took off his sandals.

“Ah cousin,” Tameo said, waving to the couple. “Come and join us.”

Kagome wrung out the compress cloth over the bowl of water she was using, then looked up. “Did you see InuYasha?  Is he with you?” she asked, looking with concerned eyes behind the old man.

“He was,” Tsuneo said, following quickly behind the old farmer.  He slid the door closed.

“Please, Ojiisan, tell them to untie me,” Aki said from his corner.  His voice was soft and pleading.

Tsuneo ignored him and also slipped off his shoes. “InuYasha  went to the shrine garden for a little bit.”

“Ojii?” Aki repeated.  When he saw his grandfather wasn’t going to look in his direction, he hung his head down.  He gave a loud sniffle.

Daitaro stepped up on the wooden floor. “Your husband needed to clear his head a moment.  But I suspect he’ll be back here before much longer.”

“Clear his head?” Miroku asked, looking at the two men. “InuYasha?”

“Eh, he’s a lightweight.” Daitaro grinned. “He needed a few minutes to let the sake get out of his system.”

Hisa gave him a look, then turned to Kagome. “If he’s not here soon, you go and get him. Sometimes, Daitaro isn’t all that wise when it comes to drinking.”

Daitaro, trying hard not to meet her eyes, hurried off to join the men at the table.

As Daitaro and Tsuneo made their entrance to the office, InuYasha walked down the little path toward the family shrine, the first time he had been there since the day Tameo had adopted Kagome into the family and registered their marriage.

“A lot sure can happen fast,” he muttered to himself, thinking about it. “A whole world can turn upside down.  Kagome’s only been here thirteen days, and look how much has changed.”

Entering the garden, he looked around. The small building that was the family shrine stood  there in the bright sunlight, looking perfectly tranquil. Water bubbled in a small spring overflowing the little collection pool to wander off in a little rivulet. A few early spring flowers bobbed yellowy in the breeze. Leaves barely leafed out on the trees around the places danced in the same breeze.

It was a calm place this day.  Even the sounds from the children playing around the compound were muffled.  

“Wasn’t this calm yesterday, that’s for sure,” he said, looking around. “Kind of wish I had seen the show, except I’d probably torn out Morio’s throat for what he did.”

The hanyou walked further into the garden, letting his nose guide him without thinking as he moved into it. Stopping, he realized from the scent that he must be in about  the same place where Kagome had been the day before. The grass here was still filled with the smell of her. He took a deep breath.

Hers was not the only scent in the general area.  He could smell Hisa, and Shippou, although more faintly, and even a touch of Joben.  There was another scent, male, that he was pretty sure was Morio’s. But there was one more, one he couldn’t quite place, but seemed odd, not really human, and definitely not youkai. He knew he had smelled it before, off and on in various parts of the village, but he couldn’t place a name to its owner.  

Shrugging, he felt too light-headed to ponder it, so he sat down under the tree Kagome had sat down under the day before. He leaned forward, rested his elbow on his leg and his cheek in his hand and sighed.

“All this stuff is giving me a headache,” he said. “I’m not good at this type of stuff. Village politics? Whoever let me live in their village before? I don’t understand really works - what in the hells am I supposed to do or say?”

He gave up on sitting, and stretched out on his side, propping his head up with his hand. A small spring weed put up a little purple flower in front of him, and he plucked it. “Yeah, Kagome, I know this is important. I’m really trying, dammit, but you forget  how much living with humans is just...”

He let his voice trail off. Twirling the flower in his fingers, his scowl softened. “She’s worth it, though. I’ll figure it out, just for her, no matter how stupid it is.”

InuYasha looked at the blossom for a few moments longer, then sitting back up, he tucked the flower into his jacket. His scowl came back as a different thought hit him.

“What is it with the old men in this village?” he said. “I’ll never understand why they act the way they do. Asking me about what to do with that brat Aki as if I ever had a normal life.” He looked at his claws.  “What do I know about that type of crap? What I learned about kids like him when I was small was that if I didn’t hit first, they’d do their best to hurt me.”  He shook his head. “That never changed. The only thing I ever learned was to hit or avoid. They still do their best to try to hurt me. Only now it’s ofuda and words and petty shit and upsetting Kagome instead of throwing rocks and sticks.”

He let his breath out with a disgusted sound as he lay down, resting his head in his hands as his silver hair cascaded over them. “Sake. I don’t really think that’s the drink for me.  My head still doesn’t feel quite right.” He closed his eyes. “Don’t know what Daitaro sees in the stuff.”

In the tree that Shippou had hidden the day before, a small bird madly announced its existence to the world, then suddenly flew off. The only sound outside of faint noises from the village was the breeze in the branches.  He watched the branches move as the light from the sky peeked through, casting dappled light over his face and hair. Sometimes, he enjoyed watching, but at this moment, it just made him feel edgy.

The hanyou sat back up. “It’s just too quiet here. I should just do what the old man said and get back to the office so we can get it over with, and I can take Kagome and go home.”

Gracefully, but slowly, he got up and walked over to the spring where he did what his mother had taught him when he was a small child, rinsing his hands in the clear water. Then he walked over to the shrine doors, bowed and clapped three times.

Nothing in particular happened.  InuYasha realized he had been holding his breath, as if he had really been expecting something to happen. That made him bark a short laugh. “I guess,” he said to the shrine, his tone slightly amused, a bit uneasy, “since nothing happened, that must mean you’re not going to throw lightning or something at me for daring to come here.”

There was no response that he could sense, just the quiet breeze.

Wiping the smirk off his face, InuYasha took a deep breath. “You probably know I feel kind of stupid doing this,” he said. “My mother taught me how, but the way my life has gone - I’ve never really known what to think about kami anyway.  I always had the impression they didn’t think that highly about me. Humans didn’t, and they liked it better when I stayed away from things they thought were holy. Youkai didn’t, so why should the kami?” The flush came back on his cheeks as he spoke, and he stared down at his feet for a moment. “But you...These last few days, ever since you showed up to talk to Kagome...Well, yesterday - I just wanted to say thank you.”

Still feeling rather foolish, he clapped three times and bowed. Unexpectedly, he scented that odd scent again.

“So,” said a voice behind him. “Daitaro introduced you to his sake?  Be nice if he’d ever think to offer me some.  You ought to tell him that.”