InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 193

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


Chapter 192


As the small crowd stood outside of Kaede’s house, not quite ready to leave, Maeme stepped out of the little building, the doormat held open for by her eldest son. Seeing the gathered people, some ready to mock, some looking at her with sympathy, she took a deep breath, and her face smoothed into an unreadable mask, with a small, obviously false smile plastered on it, the type of smile an underling gives to a superior to show deference. But there was trepidation leaking from her eyes.

Nakao followed in his mother’s wake, and then Sukeo, who dropped the door mat and let it rattle behind him. Nakao’s dog bounded over to the boy, who knelt down and wrapped his arm around the animal, getting a doggie kiss for his trouble and happy greeting whines. He gave the animal a big hug in return.  

“I guess we know who in that family’s the dumb animal,” a young voice said. The boy yelped when one of his friends shoved him.  

“Dog’s got more sense than you, too, Chikayo,” Jun, Tameo’s farm worker, said, watching. There was a titter of laughter.

“Not funny,” Fumio said. The smith’s large arm muscles moved as he tapped the head of his hammer in one hand. The laughter stilled, and Chikayo decided it was time to leave. “He’s going to have one serious black eye,” the smith said.  

“The elders need to do something,” Koume whispered. “He’s getting worse.”

“Man’s got a right to discipline his own family,” Fumio said. “You know that’s what they’ll say. That’s what happened the last time he pulled this.”

Kagome turned to look at the smith, frowning. “Not a very good law if they let this type of thing happen.”

“A lot of laws are like that,” Jun, scratching under his chin. “People who get hurt by them aren’t usually the people who make’em.”

“Keh,” InuYasha said.

Maeme ignored what was going on with her son, and stepped past Kaede, the miko’s one eye filled with sympathy and the knowledge she had done all she could do for the moment. Maeme’s eyes dropped when seeing that glance. She bowed to the older woman.

“Thank you for caring for Nakao-chan,” she said, her voice soft. “He’s a good boy. I know he comes to you sometimes, but he needs to listen to his father, especially when...”

“I don’t think anything that boy does could keep that poor excuse of a man from taking out his bad mood on him,” Koume said. Her voice was soft, meant only to be heard by Kagome, but Maeme’s quick glance told her she wasn’t as quiet as she meant it to be. She spoke a little louder.  “He’s no different than...”

“Hush, woman,” Fumio said, nudging his wife.  “No use summoning angry ghosts.”

Koume gave a curt nod, but her frown didn’t go away.  

Maeme closed her eyes for a moment, then, ignoring Koume’s disapproval, headed towards InuYasha and Kagome. She stood in front of them a moment, looking at the ground in front of her.  

“I...” she started, but her voice drifted off.

“It’s over for now, Maeme-sama,” Kagome said gently. “You are safe to go home.”

Maeme looked up, her eyes widening as she gazed at the young miko’s face, empty of anything but concern. She looked like she was going to say something, and the crowd hushed a moment, waiting to see what she was going to say. The troubled woman swallowed once, and the moment dragged on. InuYasha shifted, and looked like he was about to say something, when Mariko’s son, strapped on his mother’s back, decided that was the time to make one loud giggle.

“Hush, baby,” Mariko said.

It was enough to break the tension.  

Maeme briefly looked up at the hanyou and miko, and then she inhaled, sucking on her bottom lip as she wetted her mouth, then bowed deeply to the young miko. “Forgive the foolishness of my husband...If I had only come home earlier...I...” Her voice trailed off, and then she turned to go.  

“Don’t blame yourself, woman,” Fumio said. “We all know what would have happened if you had gotten home earlier.”

“Hush, husband,” Koume said. “Come see me soon, Maeme-chan. I have some of that nice yellow dye you like. I’ll save you some.”

Maeme nodded, and turned to go. The gathered group of people parted to let her through.

Nakao, looking drowsy from some medicine Kaede had given him and the excitement, unwrapped himself from his dog, bowed at the old miko, then followed his mother without looking much at anybody. His dog walked close, and bumped against the boy’s leg. Nakao rested his hand on the dog’s head and together, they headed down the street.

Sukeo, though, was not as quick to follow his mother. He stopped in front of InuYasha and looked up at the hanyou, his brows knitted together, looking uncertain and puzzled. InuYasha returned the look, a questioning glance in his amber eyes, not sure of what to expect.

“You could have killed my otousan,” Sukeo said, finally. “But you didn’t.” He was obviously nervous. As he waited to see what the hanyou would say, he chewed on his bottom lip, and crossed his arms, but stood his ground, but with a tension that showed his readiness to leap out of the way if necessary.

InuYasha took all of that in, and idly wondered if the boy held himself that way because of talking to him, or from practice at home. He shrugged. “What good would that have done to kill him?” His ear flicked, obviously uncomfortable with the question.

“But he insulted you,” the boy said, surprised at the hanyou’s answer. He tilted his head, looking at InuYasha. Then, as if realizing his audacity, he dropped his eyes. “Chichi-ue, he’s not like that. I think he would have in your place.”

A few people began to drift away as the hanyou and the boy talked, realizing the excitement was over. One of them was Jun.

“Shows you what kind of person he is,” the farmer said. “I need to get back to work. Straw won’t get into the ground if I just stand around and gossip.” He headed back to where he had left his cart.

“What do you know, old man?” Sukeo said. “You don’t even own your own land.”

Jun looked over his shoulder. “More than you, evidently, boy. Learn why you have a chance.” Grabbing his hand cart, he began to move down the road.

“Feh,” the hanyou said, glancing briefly at the retreating figure of the farmer before turning back to look at the boy. “I’m not your old man.” He stuffed his hands in his sleeves. “There’s more to honor than cutting down stupid drunk fools.”

Sukeo stiffened at how InuYasha described his father. “My otousan is not . . . ”

“Oh yes he is,” Kinjiro, Susumu’s brother said, tapping the boy lightly on the side of his head. “It’s a good thing people like InuYasha-sama know that, too. Otherwise, we’d all be in trouble, especially my brother.” He shifted the hoe he had on his shoulder and looked up at the couple. “I’m heading up to check on your garden, cousin. If you get there before I leave, I’ll point out the weed seedlings.”  

Kagome nodded, and Kinjiro turned to the boy standing next to him. Come on, Aki-kun, one last trip up the hill. You need to learn this better yourself.”



Aki nodded, but couldn’t resist a smug glance at Sukeo, relieved that for once, he wasn’t the youth at the center of attention, then followed the farmer. “I know some of it,” he said.

“But not enough,” Kinjiro said as he led the boy down the road.

Ignoring the taunt, Sukeo kept his focus on InuYasha, thinking hard. “But...” he said, still not satisfied. “But why? Nobody would have stopped you.”

The hanyou sighed. “Maybe because I know what it’s like growing up without a father. I didn’t even have a piece of shit old man like yours.” He shook his head and shrugged again, then looked at Kagome. “Let’s go, woman. I’m ready to get out of here.”

Two of the boys still hanging around decided this was their cue, and left, heading towards the paddy fields and the river beyond them.

“Not quite yet,” Kagome said. “I need to ask Kaede something. That’s why we’re here, remember?” InuYasha looked at her and she could see his discomfort. “It won’t take long.” She rested her hand on his arm lightly.  Turning to the boy, she said, “It’s not that big of a thing. I wasn’t hurt. It’s like I said. I was surprised and stumbled.”

“Wouldn’t have mattered to Chichi-ue,” Sukeo said, scuffing the dirt with his foot. He didn’t meet Kagome’s eyes. “Nothing Haha-ue cares about matters much to him.”

“That’s the truth,” one of the villagers said. “He’s a fool for it, too. No man does well not listening to his woman.”

“Remember that the next time your woman pours water on your head when you’ve had too much sake,” another man replied. There was a small wave of laughter.

InuYasha was not amused. “Feh,” he said, his face a cold mask, almost the twin of his brother at that moment. “Not paying attention to your okaasan is part of his problem. Shows you what he knows.”  

Kaede stepped up. “InuYasha-sama today showed much more wisdom than some people give him credit for,” she said. Someone in the remaining group coughed. “But what happened is more than an insult to his own honor. The village’s honor is at stake as well. I am not sure what the elders will say.” She looked at the boy as he struggled to put the pieces of what was going on in his head, then rested her hand on his shoulder. “Striking a miko, even if a man’s drunk...that’s insulting the honor the kami. They will have to make a decision about this.”

“How...What...” Sukeo said. This had not dawned on him, and he swallowed. “What will they do to him?”

“But I’m all right,” Kagome said, protesting. “Why should it matter?”

“It’s not about what happened to you,” Koume said. “It’s about whether they decide that they are insulted or not.”

“That’s stupid,” the younger miko said. She looked up at InuYasha.  

“Maybe they’ll decide I took care of it for them,” he said. “I don’t want to get dragged into it, either.”

“I’m not sure what they will decide,” Kaede said, pursing her lips, and giving her head a little shake.  “Today, now, we won’t worry about what might be. Go take care of your mother for me, boy.”

He gave her a nod, looking rather defeated.

“There’s been so much going on this week,” Koume said. I wonder if any of them will want to do anything. Be sure your mother comes and sees me after market day.”

Sukeo nodded.

“And come get me if your brother gets a bad headache,” Kaede said. “Koume-sama is right. It’s been a hard few days for us all. I’ll talk to Tameo-sama for you.”

The boy bowed. “Thank you, Miko-sama.” He turned and left.

“He’s going to have a rough time ahead,” Fumio said. “It’s hard having a father like his. Do you think anything we do will make a difference?”

“Only the gods know,” Kaede said. “And sometimes, I wonder if even they do.”

“Keh,” the hanyou replied.

Kagome, still unhappy, scowled. Kaede gave her a pat on the shoulder. “You, too. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?  Go home and don’t think about it.”

“But Kaede-obasan, what about - ” Kagome said, being interrupted by the older woman’s raised hand.

“Home,” Kaede said. “That’s where I’m going.” And turning around she went back into her house.