InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 216

[ 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 215


Kaede and her two companions neared Tsuneo’s house.

“Our last stop of the day,” the old miko said. “We’ll be done with more than enough time to get ready for Shinjiro’s wedding. Maybe even time for a nap.”

Hearing that, InuYasha looked at his wife and wiggled his eyebrows. Kagome in turn, giggled.

The old miko looked at her companions, knowing she had missed something, and raised an eyebrow at Kagome’s slightly blushing cheeks.

“Is all well, child?” she asked, and glanced at the hanyou who was looking rather smug. “I seem to have missed a joke or something.”

“It’s nothing, Kaede-obaasan,” Kagome said, looking down at her feet.

“Keh,” the hanyou said, still smirking.

Kaede shrugged. “Well, the world is filled with private jokes,” she said, softly.

They passed along the fence line that marked the edge of Amaya’s vegetable garden. The greens nodded lightly in the morning breeze, but Amaya was, for once, not working there. The only activity they spotted as they passed by the fertile plot was a wasp that hovered in the air, and a few birds, that seeing them, took off with a whirl of wings for the shelter of nearby trees. The birds scolded the three as they walked. One thing was missing, though. Nobody was out chasing a confused Morio.

“It looks different from the last time I was here,” Kagome said. “It’s so quiet. Is anybody outside?”

“Most of the work probably takes place on the far side of the main house,” Kaede said. “That’s where the outbuildings are.”

“That looks like Amaya over there,” InuYasha pointed towards the house, where cloth fluttered on a clothes line.  

The woman working spotted them about the same time they spotted her. She waved and ducked around the clothes line and the wash tub to come meet them. “Hello!” she called out. “It’s been such a nice morning. So quiet! I had forgotten what it was like. I hope your day is going as well.”

As she reached them, Kagome gave her a big smile. “It’s nice to hear that, Amaya-chan,” she said. “I hope it stays that way for you.”

Amaya stepped between the fence rails, ducking down with a grace that demonstrated much practice, and joined them on the road. Wiping her hands on her wrap skirt, she bowed a greeting. “Kaede-sama, Kagome-chan, InuYasha-sama. Are you here to see Haname-obasan?”

“We are,” Kaede said, glancing at the hanyou. InuYasha’s ear flicked at her gaze. “At least Kagome and I are. How is she doing this morning?”

Amaya’s face went from happy to guarded. “She’s not much different. If she has to lie down flat, she begins coughing. But she’s determined. And she finally got to rest after they moved that...that...man-child away. This morning she made me set up her spinning wheel and sent her granddaughter out to go gather some spring herbs with one of her cousins.”

“She always was a stubborn one,” Kaede said, nodding. “She doesn’t give up easily, and she hates to be fretted over. That, I think, will help her most of all to get well.”

“Stubborn,” InuYasha said. “That’s the word.”

Kagome looked up at her husband. “Reminds me of someone else I know.”

Amaya smiled at the look that crossed InuYasha’s face at the young miko’s implication.

“Not the only one,” he replied.

At that the old miko chuckled.

“Well, let’s get you inside,” Amaya said. “We’ve moved Haname to the add-on room at the far end of the house. You have to go outside to get to it. There was so much noise with Morio that she wasn’t getting any rest. And besides that, it gets good light. Tsuneo-ojisan thought it might make her feel more cheerful to see light. The room she was in was gloomy.”

“Sometimes,” Kaede said, nodding, “light makes a body feel better.”

As Amaya directed the miko to Haname’s quarters, InuYasha reluctantly let himself be separated and followed the woman back to the main door.

“I am sorry, InuYasha-sama,” Amaya said. “But I have strict orders about this. You remind Haname-obasan of someone...”

“Yeah, I’ve heard the story,” the hanyou said, nodding. “I don’t want to make her worse.”

“Thank you,” she said, sliding open the front door.


As Kaede and Kagome headed to Haname’s room, Nakao was laying down on his pallet more asleep than awake, thanks to the miko’s healing potion. As he lay there, the doormat rattled, shattering a dream he was having about a large white fish floating down the river. He opened his eyes at the noise, but didn’t sit up. “Haha-ue?  Kaede-sama came by while you were out.”

Feet stepped up on the wooden floor.

“I’m not Haha-ue,” a voice said.  

Nakao lifted his head enough to see the frowning face of his brother standing near the edge of the wooden floor. Sukeo’s tone was disapproving as he looked around the room.  
He walked over to the part of the neat, if somewhat bare, house where his brother rested on his pallet. “What are you doing, laying down? It’s a good thing Chichi-ue can’t see you now.”

“Kaede-sama told me to. She gave me some medicine and said it was going to make me sleepy.” The boy sat up on one elbow. “It did. I was almost asleep when you walked in.” He yawned, almost as if to prove his point. “Where is Chichi-ue? He’s not with you, is he?”

“Do you think it’d be all right for you to be on your bed this time of day if he was?” Sukeo said. “I’d be yanking you to your feet to save your hide if he was right behind me. The headman has him in the lockup house still. They were talking about keeping him there until tomorrow.”

Nakao blinked heavy eyes. “Still?” As drowsy as he was, he still seemed surprised. “Last time they let him out in the morning.” He laid his head back down. “But yeah, that’s what Kaede told me. I forgot.”

“Where’s Haha-ue? He wants her to make him some headache medicine,” Sukeo said, crossing his arms. “I looked for her in the bean field. I thought that’s where she said she was going to go today. Where is she?”

“Doing her laundry, I think,” Nakao said. His eyes were getting very heavy.

“I’ll have to go find her,” Sukeo said. “And where’s Yoshimi-ojisan?”

“Took his axe and went into the woods. You’d have known that if you had ever come home last night. Haha-ue was worried,” Nakao said. His head snuggled into his pillow. “So sleepy.”

“Chichi-ue’s not going to like this,” Sukeo said. “We know how much work Yoshimi-ojisan does when he heads off to the forest.” He looked down on the bruised face of his little brother, patted him lightly on the head, and dragged his covers up, tucking him in. “At least you’ll get some rest. You look like you need it.”

As he stepped out, he looked up at the sky. “I try to do the right thing. What do you want from me? How much of this are we supposed to do, or have you gods just cursed everybody in my family?”

Not seeing any answer from the heavens, Sukeo took a deep breath and bowed his head. Doing laundry,” he said, heading toward the river. “Chichi-ue isn’t going to like how it’s taking so long, but I don’t know what else to do. Let’s see if I remember how to get to Haha-ue’s spot.”


As Amaya and InuYasha stepped into the domo of Tsuneo’s house, they could both hear the elder’s aggravated voice. “Damn that Seiji. I’m getting tired of these meetings. First one thing, then another.”

The two men were sitting by the fire pit, hunched over as they talked. Neither turned to look at who might be standing in the entrance way.

“Michio’s here visiting,” Amaya said, very softly. “He comes here a lot when he is having...well... problems with Chiya-sama. It’ll be a wonder if he gets any work done until she goes home.”

The hanyou nodded. “Tired of meetings, Tsuneo?” he said loud enough to catch the men’s attention. “You’re not the only one.” He walked further inside, with Amaya close behind him.

The two men stopped their discussion, and turned around to look at the newcomers.

“More company?” Tsuneo said, putting down his teacup. “Is anything wrong, InuYasha-sama?”

Amaya bowed. “Kaede-sama and Kagome-sama came to visit with Haname-obasan.  InuYasha-sama was with them. I thought perhaps it was better if he came here? I didn’t want to upset her.”

Tsuneo rose to his feet, and nodded. “Good thinking” the elder said. To InuYasha’s eyes, the older man looked tired and the lines on his face seemed deeper than he remembered. After the week they had been having, the hanyou wasn’t surprised. Still, he seemed pleased to see InuYasha and gestured for him to join him by the fire pit.

“You are welcome here, InuYasha-sama. I think destiny is trying to drive you and me crazy, friend,” Tsuneo said. “And maybe, just maybe, about half the village. The fact that you are being included must mean that you’ve really become one of us. Come sit down and have a cup of tea.”

InuYasha, giving the elder a nod, and a touch of a smile, jumped up on the platform. He quickly walked to the fire pit to join the two men, sitting down at Tsuneo’s left side, across from Michio.

“Do you need me to stay?” Amaya said. “I’m still working on the laundry, but if you need me to serve...”

He looked up at his niece-in-law. “What? You think men don’t know how to handle hospitality? We’ll do fine. Go about your business, woman.”

She smiled, pleased at his waving her off. “If you need me, I’ll be outside,” Amaya said.

Tsuneo nodded, and Amaya went back to her work, humming.



At the other end of the building, Kaede and Kagome followed the path to another sliding door. This room had a window looking west, a pretty view that took in the road and some paddy fields beyond it. It too had a covered verandah, facing north.

Kaede knocked on the door.  

“Just a minute, Haha-ue, while I get the door,” someone from inside said, and then the door slid open, revealing a tired but placid Akina.

“Ah, Miko-sama,” Akina said. “It is good to see you this morning. We missed you yesterday with Sayo-chan’s baby coming. I hope everything’s going well at her house.”

“Yes, it is,” Kaede said.

The room they walked into was like a miniature version of the main room of the farmhouse. There was much less stored in it, and the fire pit was only really big enough for warmth and making tea. Haname’s bed, piled up with pillows and blankets, so the woman could sleep with her head elevated, was empty, although neatly made. Looking towards the window, Kaede saw the sick woman sitting up in a pool of light next to her spinning wheel. She still looked quite frail and drawn, but there was a light in her eyes that flashed with resistance against the condition she found herself in.

She had dressed in a bright colored kosode, red and blue and yellow, with full sleeves.  Still, she had a blanket tucked around her legs and other over her shoulders. The wraps didn’t seem to be impeding the flow of her spinning. As they looked, she pulled out a long thread. Glancing up, she turned the wheel the opposite direction to wrap up the length of thread she had just made.

“Coming to check up on my progress, Kaede-sama?” she asked, putting her fiber down.  “Akina-chan, please make us some fresh tea.”

She, nodding, hurried to move the kettle back onto the hottest part of the fire.

“So Sayo had a daughter?”

“Yes, she did. I could tell everybody in that family was relieved.” Kaede slipped off her shoes and walked to where the ailing woman was sitting. “I don’t think they were ready for another Daiki.”

Kagome, just watching at for the moment, not yet ready to speak, followed in Kaede’s footsteps.

“Hah. I’m surprised they had any more after that boy,” Haname said. “He seems to be more than anybody wants to handle. What do you think, Kagome-chan?”

“Uh...” Kagome said, being caught off guard. “You may have a point there.”

Haname nodded, smiling, and started to chuckle, but the laugh quickly turned into a cough.

Kaede nodded. “Yes, everybody was very pleased about being spared that particular situation. That’s enough about Sayo, though. I needed to see how you are doing and to bring you some more medicine for your cough.”

“Well, as you can see, I’m still breathing,” Haname said.