InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 158

[ 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 157


While Michio snored softly where he slept on the verandah, Toshiro and Yasuo looked at the hanyou.

The older man was the first to react. “Is that so?” he said, looking at his son, with just a hint of a smile. “See? I told you it would be before dawn.”

Yasuo ignored his father and rose to his feet. “A baby crying? You can hear that from here?”

“Baby’s got a good set of lungs,” InuYasha said, nodding. “It’s not that far away. Even you might hear it if you hurry over here before they manage to get it to quiet.”

Yasuo started to move, his earlier sleepiness totally gone, but before he could, Daiki looked up at him and pulled on his sleeve. “Chi-chi? What baby?”

“I think InuYasha-sama means your little brother or sister has come to join us,” Toshiro said, standing as well. He ruffed his grandson’s hair, while looking at his son. “Of course, that doesn’t mean we can go barging in. Kaede-sama and your mother would be throwing everything within reach at us if we don’t wait until we’re called in.” Yasuo gave him a mildly offended look.

“Don’t you think I don’t know that, Otousan?” Yasuo shook his head. “Are you going to remind me that I was a stupid, panicked fool with Daiki’s birth every time we have a child?” Yasuo said.  

The younger man rested a hand on his son’s shoulder to make sure the boy didn’t dart away. The boy though made no effort to move. Instead he looked up at his father curiously. “You were bad, Otou?”

“You otousan wasn’t really bad, Daiki-chan,” Toshiro said. “Mostly nervous, and he made Kaede-obasan and your okaa a bit unhappy.” He chuckled a little at the memory. “Not the first man, I’m sure, to pester Miko-sama.” He looked up at Yasuo, who was looking at him with an irritated glare. “Although it seems that your panic and stupidness that time are giving way to just normal nervousness and resignation more and more with each child.”

InuYasha snorted as the father and son talked, an amused grin on his face.

“I wouldn’t laugh if I were you,” Yasuo said, looking at the hanyou. “Your turn is coming, InuYasha. You haven’t been married long yet. You won’t really appreciate what it’s like to watch your woman go through everything she’ll go through until you experience it. Wait until it’s you Kaede’s threatening with the wrath of heaven if you don’t stop bothering her. She can be quite...formidable if you annoy her enough.”

The hanyou’s ear twitched, and his grin faded. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ve seen her like that before.”

“I do believe you have,” Toshiro said, nodding knowingly. “I seem to remember a time when she had to keep you locked up because you were injured. You were not pleased by it at all.”

InuYasha stuck his hands in his sleeves, and looked down at his feet. “I was...kind of stupid back then. But you noticed?”

“I think the whole village noticed, son,” Toshiro said, slightly amused at the hanyou’s discomfort. “You were rather loud. A few of us wondered at Miko-sama’s wisdom about the whole thing. But we were glad enough that you were better when it was time to fight those youkai.”

InuYasha nodded, not saying anything.

For a moment, the conversation stalled. The sky was getting lighter by the moment. Yasuo walked over to the edge of the verandah, but the only thing he could hear was an early morning bird singing.

“Do you still hear the baby?” he asked the hanyou.

InuYasha shook his head.  

“Be patient, son,” Toshiro said, stepping carefully around the sleeping Michio to rest a hand on his son’s shoulder. “They’ll let us know soon enough.”

“I know,” Yasuo said, taking a deep breath. “I just hate waiting.”

Off in the distance, they could hear a man shout something, and a woman reply, rather aggravated. The village was starting to wake up.

“Keh,” the hanyou said. “I hear that.”

“Ojiisan?” Daiki said, pulling on his grandfather’s sleeve.

“What is it, grandson?” the older man asked, looking at his grandson, who was standing near Michio’s feet. “Be careful. You don’t want to wake up your cousin. He’s going to be in a bad mood when he gets up.”

The boy glanced at the sleeping man and shrugged.“I’m hungry,” he said. “Who’s going to make breakfast? Nanami and none of the other women are here to cook breakfast. Can I wake up Umi?”

“Breakfast, eh?” Toshiro asked.  

Daiki nodded. “Who’s going to make the soup if they aren’t here?”

“I guess we’ll have to fend for ourselves this morning. Don’t wake up your sister. Things are going to be crazy enough today without her having enough rest.” Toshiro scratched the back of his neck, thinking. “I bet Nanami left some onigiri, if I know her. Want to go see?”

The boy nodded.  

Toshiro rested his hand once again on his son’s shoulder. “It’ll be a little while still before they have everything the way they want it before telling us we can see the child, son. You know how they are. She won’t want to see you until she’s cleaned up and had a moment or two to catch her breath. You might want a bite yourself.”

“In a bit, Otousan,” Yasuo said, patting his father’s hands. “Go take care of Daiki.”

“Are you scared?” Daiki asked, looking up at his father with wide eyes, unsure if he liked how his father was acting.

“No, Daiki-chan. Not now.” He smiled at the boy, and ruffed his hair. “It’s more like I know there’s a surprise your okaasan has for me, and I can’t see it yet. I know how you get when you’re like that.”

“Ha-ha gets mad at me when I’m like that,” the boy said. “But I can’t help it.”

“Just like your father, boy,” Toshiro said. He started to pull Daiki away.

“I am?” the boy asked, obviously pleased by the comment.

“More than he’ll admit,” the old man said, giving Yasuo a knowing glance. “Come join us when you’re ready. And you, too, InuYasha. You’re welcome as well.” Turning, he led his grandson back into the house.

Yasuo ran his hands over the side of his head, and let out a deep breath as the two left. He watched the door close behind them and turned back to face the hanyou. “It’s always a little frightening for me, when it’s her time,” Yasuo said. “Please don’t think I’m always like this.”

The hanyou nodded. “The not knowing?” He looked at the man who radiated both fatigue and release, and smelled like he had just come out of a battle, tired and frightened.  

“The not knowing,” Yasuo said, nodding. “I’m too nervous about it, maybe.”

“You’re no worse that Miroku,” InuYasha said. “We went off on an extermination the last time, because he was too afraid to stay at home.”

“Is that why?” Yasuo said, grinning weakly. “My Sayo, she said she thought that’s why he left. There was some talk about how he behaved when the twins were born. Reminded me of me when Daiki came.”

“She was right,” InuYasha said, nodding.  

“Most of the other men don’t wind up as badly as I do, I know. Nice to hear that Houshi-sama’s the same way. Smart of him to leave last time, otherwise, they’ll start teasing him the way they tease me.” He sighed. “I’m not a coward. But my okaasan...”

The hanyou waited a moment, while the man next to him gathered his words. “My okaasan, she tried to have one last child when I was about seventeen. Something went wrong, and she and the baby didn’t make it.”

“I didn’t know that,” InuYasha said. “Losing your mother is hard. I know...” He let his voice drift off.

Yasuo nodded. “Every time Sayo carries, I worry, and watch to see if any of the things that happened to Haha-ue happen to her,” he admitted. “My poor okaasan, she swelled up so bad and had a lot of pain in her stomach before...” His voice drifted off, and for a moment he was lost in his memories. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head, putting on a small smile. “But Sayo-chan seems to thrive on carrying. She never has had any problems. She’s a strong woman. But knowing things can go wrong makes the waiting hard.”

“Keh,” the hanyou said.

Michio rolled over in his sleep, scratched his head, and mumbled something. The two men watched for a moment, to see if the man was going to wake up, but instead, he began snoring.

Yasuo turned around to look back at the birthing house. The lamps they had lit earlier had burned low, but the graying sky made the little building easy to see. The door flap opened, and Asami stepped out and began heading up the path, stopping to extinguish each lamp on her way to the main house.

“Haha-ue passed on before Sayo and I were married. It was a hard time for me, and even harder for Chichi-ue. He loved my okaasan a lot. For a while, the light went out of his eyes. Somehow, though,” he looked at the hanyou and smiled, “after the birth of Umi, he began to find some joy again. That’s why, even knowing how I wind up, I don’t begrudge Sayo having more children. Keeping Chichi-ue happy and with us...being an ojiisan has helped him a lot.”

The hanyou nodded.“Umi, that’s your oldest kid?”   

Yasuo nodded. “Just turned twelve. She looks a lot like Haha-ue, and as she grows into womanhood, it’s becoming clearer.”

As the two men watched, Asami made it up to the verandah, and bowed. She took a moment before saying anything, which irritated the waiting father.

“Well, do you have news?” Yasuo asked, crossing his arms, his fingers tapping on his biceps as he waiting for the girl to make her report.

For a moment, she acted intimidated by his stare, but then she caught herself and bowed once more. “You have a new daughter, Yasuo-sama. Sayo-sama said for you to stop worrying.”

“Did she?” InuYasha said, smiling at the news. “She must know you well.”

“Too well, maybe,” Yasuo said, nodding. He visibly began to relax, and lost his gruff impatience with the girl. “So, is that all they told you to tell me?”

Asami shook her head. “Kaede-sama sent me to tell you that all is well, and to thank you for waiting.” Asami looked up, and smiled at the man. “Your new daughter has good lungs. I think she cries louder than Ishi did. And Kaede says she’ll send word when they’re ready for you to come see, since she knows you won’t go to sleep first.”

Yasuo beamed at the girl. “Very good news indeed. You may want to go inside. Chichi-ue’s looking for breakfast. If he makes too much of a mess, you know how Nanami-obasan will react. After that, you might want to get some rest.”

Asami’s eyes widened, and she bowed again. “I’ll go see what I can do,” she said, and hurried inside.

Yasuo took a deep breath. Somewhere nearby, a rooster began crowing, and the sun began to peak over the horizon. “It’s beginning to look like a good day,” he said, looking at the hanyou. Michio rolled over, and moaned in his sleep. Yasuo turned and looked at his cousin. “At least for some of us.”

“Keh,” the hanyou said. “I’m ready for one.”