InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 239

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


Chapter 238


“I think,” Susumu said as he looked at the men gathered in front of Miroku’s small temple, “we’re going to have to work on what we are going to do about Maeme still.”

Fumio nodded. “That was an awful lot to drop on a young one’s shoulders.” He stood up. “I hope we can figure out the right thing. But for now, I had better go so we can check on Nakao-kun before he hears all the talk. Between the people who came up here to find out for themselves, and Furume, the whole village must be buzzing by now.”

Susumu also stood. “I...I think I’ll go tell my otousan what you were thinking about, Houshi-sama. He’s a smart man. He might be able to figure out something. Or maybe we’ll just all gang up on Toshiro tomorrow. Or something.”

Miroku sighed and nodded.  

“Keh,” InuYasha said. “Or something.”

“At least he’s locked up for today, cousin,” Susumu said. “That way, we can go and pester Shinjiro in peace. I’m looking forward to seeing how many pickles you can actually eat. I hear Chime-obasan is getting pickles from all the women for you to try out.”

InuYasha looked up at him. His face wavered between solemn and surprised, his right ear twitching as he tried to figure out what to say.

Before the hanyou could react, Susumu grinned, and slapped Fumio on the shoulder in a friendly way. “Come on, Fumio. Let’s get that woman of yours and go see what other things this auspicious day is going to bring us.” Together, the two men headed back towards the monk’s house, leaving Miroku and InuYasha sitting down together.

InuYasha shook his head.

“I believe you’ve gotten a reputation,” the monk noted.

“Feh,” the hanyou said. “At least I can eat that one. Not as much as you’ve bitten off. A life debt?”

“First thing I could think of,” the monk said. He rubbed the back of his neck. “We need to do something.”

InuYasha nodded. “Damn, but I don’t want to let that piece of crap back anywhere near any of his family. Doesn’t deserve a family.”

“Exactly.” Miroku looked off in the distance, his eyebrows knitting together. “She looked like a bit of rag floating in that water when I first saw her. She wasn’t really splashing much, just moving to keep her head up enough to breathe. She tried to push me away when I jumped in and swam to her.” He took a deep breath. “Why now? Why today?”

InuYasha shrugged. “Maybe she heard about how he was talking about dumping her for Chiya?”

“She didn’t say anything about it,” Miroku said “I don’t know why she did it. She only talked about how badly it all hurt.”

InuYasha cracked his knuckles. “I’d like to hurt him.”

“Maybe tomorrow,” Miroku said.  

The hanyou flexed his fingers, emphasizing his claws.“Can’t happen soon enough.”




Unaware of the drama taking place in the rest of the village, Takeshi, Erime’s father, was singing softly to himself as he stacked some firewood in the woodshed they had built against the wall of the house.

“To meet the girl of my heart,
I went out in a field,
surely I would find her there
walking among the lilies.”

Takeshi, not exactly sure of what to do with himself until it was time to get ready to do the wedding procession, found himself splitting fire wood. Normally, he left this for his oldest son, who seemed to have an affinity for it. Masayo, though, was working on the field where they would be planting their hemp linen, at least until lunch time, so he took over the wood splitting duty. Leaving the wood shed, he walked over to his splitting stand, and put a piece of wood on it, and continued his song.

“But the field was empty,
and all the lilies dead,
the only person I saw there,
was a peddler with a tray.”

“No peddler here today, though,” he said, putting the next piece of wood up. “And its too early for lilies.”

He split that, and picked up the cut wood, and tossed it on the side.

“To meet the girl of my heart,
I went and stood along the bridge,
Surely I would see her there,
crossing the swift-flowing river.

“Many people came and went
across that busy bridge,
a beggar asked me for a coin,
and a soldier chased me away.”

“Bridges,” he said. “Isn’t that what life is like?” He put up another length and cut it, and again.

“To meet the girl of my heart,
I followed a sweet voice singing,
it led me to a little house
with only a single window.

“My true love’s voice
I thought looking in the window,
but the voice belonged to a grandmother
spinning at her wheel.”

“Sounds like you’re rather stupid at love, Takeshi,” Ushimi said, peeking out of the house.

“I was stupid, but you were smart,” the father of the bride said. He put down his axe, and picked up the pieces of wood he had split. “But the verse is true. My true love is now a grandmother who spins at her wheel. Still my true love, though.” He gave her a warm smile.

“That might be,” Ushimi said, “but I know you’re smart enough to eat lunch.”

“That’s a good idea,” Takeshi said. “I probably am, most of the time.”

“Your daughter worked hard to fix it just right. Her last meal with us as just our daughter.” Suddenly, her eyes glistened. “After today, we have to share her with Daitaro and Chime.”

“That’s what happens, isn’t it?” he said, dropping the axe down and wrapping his arms around his wife. “We share Masayo with his wife’s family, too.”

“But it’s different with a son!” Ushimi said.

“It is, but look how close your daughter will be. Our little Sakami, it’s a long day’s walk to her parents’ house.”

Ushimi nodded.

“She’s the first we’ve had to let go,” Takeshi said. “Maybe that’s it?”

“Maybe.” Ushimi wiped at her eyes. “I remember, when I was carrying her, thinking about this day.”

“And I remember the first time I held her,” her husband said.  “So small, and so beautiful. She’s still rather beautiful, if not so small. Takes after her mother.”

Ushimi leaned into his hold and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You always knew how to sweet talk me, husband. Since that first day you convinced me to put that ribbon you gave me in my hair. My mother was rather furious.”

He laughed. “Let’s go have lunch. We can save the tears for later. At least we know she’s going where she wants. I am sure that they will try to make her as happy as possible.”

“And Shinjiro...they seem content around each other.”

“Like you and me, wife?” he asked, resting his forehead on hers.  

“I hope so, husband. I hope so. They’ll have to learn how to work those details out for themselves.” She took his hand, and together they walked inside of the house

 
Kagome walked the path from Sango’s house to the temple, where InuYasha and Miroku still sat on the grounds in front of it.

“So, there’s a sculptor I know at the temple in Odawara,” Miroku said.

“So?” the hanyou said. He was lying back on the grass, looking up at the clouds. “Sky’s changing. It looks like it’s going to rain soon. Been a few days since it rained last.”

“Today?” the monk asked, looking up.

“Probably not until tomorrow,” the hanyou said. “So what about this man?”

“You know I’ve been trying to raise enough money to have him make us a Jizo statue,” Miroku said. “He’s the artist I want to make it, but I don’t think I have enough yet. I wanted to do it when we go there for the sutras, but I don’t think we’ll have it yet.”

“Not the biggest village,” the hanyou said. “People here, they can only give so much.”

“We need another exorcism,” Miroku said, nodding, He looked up at the sky once again, and moved his hands in a prayer gesture. “A nice troubled merchant would be handy, Jizo Bosatsu. Maybe someone will show up on market day...”

“You better not go hustle someone who doesn’t have a real problem, not for this,” InuYasha said. “Doesn’t seem right to raise money for a temple on hustle.”

“You’d be surprised how often that gets done, and by temples with far greater reputation for holiness than my little one,” the monk said, leaning forward to rest his cheek in his hand. “But, alas my friend, I think you’re probably right. I want the statue here for Jizo’s blessing, not his displeasure. Even I have some ethics.”

“Some,” the hanyou admitted. “Nice to hear you admit it. I didn’t want to pull that life debt crap you were talking about with Maeme on you to keep you from trying.”

“You did save me today,” Miroku said. “I’m pretty sure I could have saved myself, but I don’t know if I would have made it with Maeme. Once that branch started to break, the one thought that ran through my head was how to explain why I let myself get killed to Sango...”

“That’s what friends are for,” the hanyou said. His ear flicked, and his nostrils flared, and he sat up, turned around and saw his wife walking up to them.

“So there’s where you are,” Kagome said as she neared the two of them.  

“You have found us, Kagome-sama,” Miroku said. “Staying close to the Buddha’s presence and letting that last cold of the river bake out in the sunlight.”

“Or something,” InuYasha said. He motioned, and Kagome came and sat down next to him.

“So how are things at the house?” Miroku asked.

“Kaede is keeping an eye on Maeme. She said in her experience, that sometimes when people do what Maeme try to do, the darkness in their minds drives them to do it again,” Kagome said, sighing.

“I, too, have heard of that,” the monk said, nodding.

“I can’t blame her for feeling hopeless, caught with that piece of shit she has for a husband,” InuYasha said. He stuffed his hands in his sleeves.

“True, true,” Miroku said nodding.

“Most of the other people have left. Koume and Fumio were going to get Nakao. They’ll probably bring him up here to see his mother.” Kagome looked thoughtfully at her hands for a moment. “I was sort of surprised by how involved those two have gotten.”

“Ah, I suspect this makes them both think of what happened to her daughter, Kimi’s sister. Nahoi,” Miroku said. “She had a man who almost killed her. He had hit her head, and did other things as well. She never has been the same.”

Kagome nodded. “I noticed she was...different. I met her at the sewing party. What happened to the man who did that to her?”

“He tried to run, but the village guard chased him down. Fumio killed him. With his heaviest hammer.”

“Served him right,” InuYasha said, scowling.   

The young miko shuddered. “No doubt he deserved it. This must be hard on them, then.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s bringing up memories,” Miroku said, nodding. “Maeme may not realize it, but she has them on her side. It’s going to be an interesting meeting at the council tomorrow, I suspect. Koume’s never been one to hold back if she feels like something needs to be said.”

“And,” Kagome said, standing up, “Sango told me to come tell you that your lunch is getting cold.”

“I don’t know how she managed to cook during all of this,” InuYasha said.

“Sango is a strong woman.” Miroku got up.
 
“She has to be, to put up with you, Bouzu,” InuYasha said, also rising to his feet.

“No doubt, my friend, you are right.” Miroku said.  

They all walked back to Miroku’s house. InuYasha and Kagome, taking their leave, headed home.