InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 224

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


Chapter 223

InuYasha and Kagome were walking down one of the paths that ran along the dykes that separated the paddy fields. As they looked to their left, they could see the main cluster of houses that ran along the main street of the village, and the watchtower, rising over it all. On their right beyond the fields was a line of trees and a few fields. A couple of the village women were walking back to town balancing large baskets that no doubt held clean laundry. A few children hurried between other paddies, off on some errand of their own.

Nobody even waved their way. For the moment, the miko and the hanyou were just another pair of passers by, drawing no real attention from any of the other villagers going about their work.

This pleased InuYasha. His arms were crossed, but he often did that when he was walking. He moved with a relaxed gait, a soft, almost smiling, look on his lips.  

Kagome looked up at him, and smiled herself. “You look rather contented,” she said. “I didn’t know how you’d feel after such a crazy morning. All those people to see.”

“We’ve seen crazier,” he said, his almost smile spreading out into a small grin. “A lot less crazy than running after some stupid youkai or the other. Even stopping by to look at Nakao wasn’t that much.”

“That’s true,” she said, nodding, “Although I’m not sure some people would be able to tell the difference between Daiki and a kitsune at first glance. I don’t know who has more energy - that boy or Shippou-chan.”

“He’s a handful,” the hanyou said, nodding. “If they hadn’t known him from birth, people would be whispering stuff about fox spirits and him.”

That made Kagome grin, knowing how irritated InuYasha could get over people in the villages around where they lived blaming everything on kitsunes before any other cause. “But you handed him pretty well,” Kagome said. “That was probably just what he needed to hear.”

“He sure squawked about it, though.” The hanyou gave her his trademark smirk. “Although I have to say, his otousan seemed to get a kick out of it, too.”

“There’s definitely a difference between what he needed to hear and wanted to hear,” Kagome said. “One day, after Sayo-sama is back on her feet, we’re going to have to visit just to see how things are there when she’s in control.”

“It’s got to be better than it was today,” InuYasha said, nodding.

They heard footsteps closing in on them, and turning, they saw Iya’s brother Toshiki running up to them. He was panting a little as he stopped in front of the couple.

“InuYasha-sama, Miko-sama,” the boy said, bowing.

“You’re...” Kagome said, thinking a moment. “Toshiki? Iya-chan’s brother?”

The boy smiled, revealing missing baby teeth. It made him look rather innocent, although, from what she had learned from Kaede, that wasn’t exactly true. He nodded at her mention of his name. “Yes, yes, that’s me,” he said, grinning widely.

“What do you need, Toshiki?” InuYasha asked, mildly irritated that his privacy had been invaded.

“My okaasan, she sent me looking for Ane-ue. Have you seen her?” he asked, rubbing the top of his right foot with his left. “She’s been gone all morning.”

“I’m sorry, Toshiki-kun, we haven’t seen her.” Kagome said, shaking her head. “Have you looked at Kaede-obaasan’s house? You know how much time she spends with Rin-chan.”

“Nobody was there,” the boy said with a sigh.

“Did you look at Kaede-obaasan’s garden?” the young miko asked. “Rin goes there sometimes. Or you can try Houshi - ”

“Thank you,” he said before she could finish her statement, and dashed down the road.

Kagome laughed a little watching him run. “And people used to say that you were hasty. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were up at Miroku’s, and he’ll run all over the village before he finds her.”

“Hasty, eh?” InuYasha said, giving her a rather amused look. “You didn’t say that about me yesterday.”

She looked at him, momentarily confused. He waggled his eyebrows at her, and her own eyes grew big as she realized what he was referring to.

“Hentai,” she said, giving him a little shove.

“Only for you,” he said.

Laughing, they continued their walk home.



Away from all the maddening noise by the headman’s house, Emi and the children of the headman’s household were spending the morning on the grounds that separated Fujime’s house from Kimi and Eiji’s place. Today, while all the children were about, Fujime’s husband Akimori had headed to his soybean fields; Eiji at the moment, had joined him. Kimi sat on her own verandah for the moment, busy at her own spinning wheel while she helped keep a watch on the children, especially to make sure her boy Yoshi played well with the others.

Fujime handed Emi a cup of tea. They were sitting on Fujime’s verandah, watching the children playing - all of Emi and Susumu’s brood, the children of Tameo’s farm workers, and Fujime’s grandchildren. Isao and Yorime were watching over the troupe, and so far, most of the play was going smoothly. Even little Mitsuo was avoiding harassing his sisters for the moment.

Emi accepted the cup, smiling at the older woman. “It is so much nicer here. Thank you for rescuing us from...that... that...”

“I can think of many words to describe him, Emi-chan, and most of them are too rude to say around the children.” Fujime had her sewing basket out, and picked up the section she was currently working on.

“Throw me the ball, Isao!” Yorime said. The older children were playing some sort of ball game that seemed to require frequent chasing. Isao, still bruised, but barely, tossed the ball to the girl, who promptly dropped it.

“Especially Mitsuo,” Emi said, watching her young son pile rocks up to make a little fortress. “I know he’s going to learn them all sooner or later, but at his age...”

“I know, dear, I know,” the older woman said.  Fujime ran her needle through the fabric with patient skill. “I’ll still never understand why the elders didn’t do more when Seiji got himself kicked out of the village guard. I thought for a time there was going to be a real feud between his household and Susumu, with Toshiro and Yasuo caught in the middle. And last winter, when they had that run-in with him during the bandit raid. He almost cost Masu his daughters. If Masu had been a richer man, instead of Tsuneo’s farm worker...” Pulling the thread taut, she smoothed her work in her lap and examined the stiches, before nodding, and running her needle back in the cloth.

“I’ve listened to them talk during their council meetings. It’s always the same thing, isn’t it?” Emi said. She looked into the green liquid in the cup she was holding, and took a drink. “What they’re most worried about seems to be who’s going to handle the rice fields? The village’s tax burden won’t go down just because one of the villagers is a no-good piece of trash who they kick out. Better to keep him around until they get a replacement.”

Fujime’s grandson Yoshi walked shyly up to the two women.  

“Did you want to play, too?” she asked him.

“It’s all right?” he said. “Okaa said to help.”

“You want to help?” Emi asked.

He nodded his head.

“Why don’t you go play with Mitsuo?” Emi said. “He has so many sisters that he doesn’t get to play with boys as much as he wants to.”

“It’s all right?” he asked, looking at his grandmother first and then Emi.

“Yes, it’s all right. Just remember he’s a bit younger than you are. But I bet he’d like to play horsie game with you,” Fujime said.

The boy ran across the yard to go join the other boy.

“He’s not used to having so many children come over to play,” Fujime said. “I think he’s a bit intimidated.”

“With my crew here, I don’t blame him,” Emi said, laughing.

“Now what were we talking about?” Fujime said, taking a few more tiny stitches on the garment she was making. “Oh yes, Seiji.” She frowned, like she had bit down on something distasteful. “My husband’s been getting really irritated with that one. It’s not like we don’t have willing backs to pick up some of the slack. If you ask me, they ought to get rid of him, and let one of the other men act as caretaker until Sukeo is old enough to do it.  He's almost 15, and already does a lot of the work.”

“It’s Toshiro that has to be convinced,” Emi said. “Seiji belongs to his ko. I don’t know why he’s been protective, considering all the work he gets out of him.”

Fujime’s grandson threw the ball towards Suzume, who dropped the ball. She pumped her arms, running to get it. Jun’s little boy, though, grabbed it and started running towards Isao, much to Suzume’s dissatisfaction.

“Give me that!” she yelled.

Isao deftly took it out of the small boy’s hands and tossed it back to Suzume, who caught it this time.

“Isao-kun has some smarts,” Fujime said.  “It’ll do him good to have him over at your place. I’m not sure if Tsuneo-sama ever appreciated him enough.” She put down her sewing and picked up her teacup. “I’m not sure what’s going on with Toshiro. There’s some talk that he made a promise to Seiji’s father before he died.” She took a sip of the tea, and shook her head. “I don’t know if it’s true, though.”

“I’ve heard that myself,” Emi said.  Looking at her children, she sighed. Her son had walked away from Yoshi and  was closing in on her youngest daughter.  “Mitsuo, leave Aomi alone!”

The boy looked up at her and frowned.

“Come on, Mitsuo,” Yoshi said. “I’ll tell you about the Peach boy.”

“Peach Boy?” he said.

“Yeah. He beat up on the Oni King really bad,” the boy said, making galloping motions with his own toy horse.

Curious, Mitsuo went back to join him at the toy fortress.

“I don’t know why they think Seiji’s so valuable,” Fujime said, giving a short, bitter laugh. “Everybody knows it’s Maeme who does the most work on their lands, anyway. Seiji hasn’t been much good for anything in years. Once she got over the birth of their youngest boy, he just sort of dumped almost everything in her lap.” She turned her cup around in her hand, and took a sip. “Wood chopping, maybe. He’s been pretty good at that, but farming?  And there’s that brother of his. He ought to be picking up more of the slack, if his brother won’t, but he’s nearly as bad as Seiji. What does he do in the wood so much? He doesn’t bring home nearly that much firewood in.”

“Be sure, it hasn’t gone unnoticed,” Emi said...“But the title of the land is in his name. I wonder if the elders are afraid if they give it to another man, they’ll lose all the work Maeme manages to do...”  

“I hope not. I think better of most of our men than that,” Fujime said. “I suspect they’re more worried about keeping the property in the family for Sukeo.”

“Maybe...maybe they’ll get some sense this time.” Emi took a sip of her tea.

“Well, if they call the council, I’m sure my man will give them his piece. Fumio, too. He was right there when it happened.” Fujime sipped her own cup. “Koume tells me that he’s taken a liking to Seiji’s son. Maybe something good will happen for that family.”

Aomi, tripped as she chased after one of the girls. First, it looked like she might just get up and continue her game, then she sat down and started to cry. “Something always happens,” Emi said, and got up and went after her daughter.