InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 263

[ 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 262


At Takeshi’s house, Tama and Sakami stepped out of the house first, followed by Erime. The men, who had been egging Masayo on in his singing, fell quiet as the young bride stepped nervously over the threshold and into the sunlight.

“Ushimi-sama,” old Natsuo, a farmhand who had been with the family since Takeshi was a boy looked up as she walked through the door and slid it closed. “You didn’t tell me you had a tennyo in the house with you. Such a beautiful heavenly maiden she is, too.”

Erime, blushed prettily and covered her face with her sleeve at the compliment. “Natsuo-ojiisan,” she said, trying not to giggle.

Masayo tapped on his drum. “If not a tennyo, at least a hime. What did you do with my sister, Haha-ue?  Are you sending this lovely woman to Shinjiro instead?”

Takeshi waved the others quiet as he walked to the women. Tama and Sakami moved out of the way to let him stand next to Erime. He swallowed, trying to find the right words to say, and nervously began to scratch at his arm.

“Otousan,” she said. “Are you getting itchy?” Her eyes shone with nervousness, herself, but with concern as well.

He realized what he was doing and dropped his hand.

“I have some - ” Ushimi started, but he waved his wife off.

“Not today. No, I don’t think I’m going to break out in hives.” He smiled at Erime. “No, child. I was just remembering the first time I saw you. Your obaasan made me wait a whole day before she let me in the room you were in, to let your mother get some rest.”

“I did ask her to let you in right away,” Ushimi said.

“I know you did,” Takeshi said, looking at his wife. He smiled at her. “But your okaasan, well she had opinions.”

Ushimi laughed gently. “You could say that.”

“But she had given me a beautiful wife, who gave me a beautiful daughter.” He rested his hand on his daughter’s shoulders. “You were so tiny. I was almost afraid to touch you. But you were so perfect.” He swallowed. “You still are. I knew on that day that there would be this day, when I gave this beautiful gift of my wife to me to another man. And I made a promise to the heavens that day, that I would be sure that the man who was to be your husband would have the goodness and heart to be worthy of you.”

“Chi-chi,” Erime said.

“I...” His voice choked, just a little bit, and his eyes were shining, “I think that Shinjiro will be that man.”

“He will, Chichi-ue,” Erime said.

“Well then,” Takeshi said, “I will have fulfilled my promise to the heavens. Are you ready?” he asked.

She nodded her head.

“Then let us go.” He dropped his hands away, and turned towards his son. “You can sing, if you want to, Masayo. But no rude songs!  Don’t listen to those blackhearts.”

Laughter went through the group. With Erime in the front, surrounded by her sister and sister-in-law, Masayo in the middle, and Ushimi and Takeshi coming up behind, the little group began their walk through the village, on a round about trip to Daitaro’s house.


Nearer the river, Eiji and Haruo walked a surly Yoshimi into his own small house. It was even more bare than Seiji’s house. A bedroll in one corner, a chest, a shelf with a few dishes, a pot, a fire pit.  Nothing else. The house was dim in the late afternoon light, and somehow, even with the few furnishings, it gave the feeling of being dingy.

“You really need to stay here tonight,” Eiji said.

“Up yours,” the younger man said, collapsing to the floor.

“Do you want me to light a fire?” Haruo said. “Yours looks like it’s gone out. It’s going to be dark before you know it.”

“Suit yourself.” Yoshimi leaned forward, his hands still tied behind his back. He looked like he would have curled into a ball if he had the freedom of movement to do so.

Haruo got busy scrounging up what he needed to get the fire going. “You know we’re not your enemies, man.” He looked by the wood pile and found a little basket of kindling.

“He’s right, you know,” Eiji said, squatting next to Yoshimi. “We got you away from all those women.”

“Bah.” Yoshimi shook his head, and fell silent for a time, and the only real noise was Haruo blowing the little coal in found into ashes into a full flame. Yoshimi looked up and watched him, and for a moment, their eyes met. “I...I had no idea that...that Maeme had...had...tried to...”

“I’m sure you didn’t,” Eiji said.

“I wanted to find Ryota,” Yoshimi said.

“Really?” Haruo tossed a stick onto the fire, looking surprised. “I thought after he threatened you last time, he’d be the last person you’d want to see.”

“I...I think I’m going to be able to pay him off in a couple of days.” Yoshimi looked up at Haruo. “And you, too.” He dropped his eyes back into the fire.  

“Huh,” Haruo said. He stood up and dusted off his hands. “And how did you manage that feat? Not that I’d complain if you did, mind you...”

“Uh...” Yoshimi stared at the floor. “Well...”

“It’s that woman over the hill, isn’t it?” Eiji said. “Ki . . . Ki . . . ”

“Kiyoko,” the younger man said. He looked up at Eiji, wary, but curious. “How did you guess?”

“Not a lot that happens in the woods around here that word doesn’t get back to me,” Eiji said, rocking back on his heels. “Part of what the village guard does. You’ve been meeting her in the woods for a while now.”

Yoshimi nodded. “We met collecting firewood.” He looked up. “We’re going to get married in a ten day.”

“Are you?” Haruo said. “That’s news.”

“We...we just decided today. Her mourning period’s up then.” Yoshimi sighed. “Everything was going so well, and then...”

Eiji scratched the back of his neck. “That’ll make old Jirou happy, I suspect. They were wondering who was going to work her lands come rice time.” He stood up. “Treat her better than your brother treats his woman. It’s her land. The elders there won’t take to having an outsider doing like Seiji.”

“Shut up!” Yoshimi said.

“Well, it’s a word to the wise,” Eiji said. He bent over and rested a hand on Yoshimi’s shoulder. “And if I were you, I’d lay low for a few days. Especially tomorrow.”

Yoshimi shrugged off Eiji’s hand like it burned. “Tomorrow?”

“You might not want to see what happens to Seiji,” Haruo said, crossing his arms. “There are a lot of people angry at him right now.”

Eiji nodded. “And Sukeo’s old enough to inherit.”

Yoshimi looked at one man and then another. “You aren’t taking that old woman seriously are you?”

“Hisako’s not the only one,” Eiji said. “My father-in-law’s pretty angry, too.”

“Remember what he did to the man who attacked his daughter,” Haruo said, nodding.  

“Bah,” Yoshimi replied, but he bowed his head, thinking.

“If you want to marry that woman,” Eiji said. “Lay low. Or you might go down with him.”

“You don’t think the elders would...” Yoshimi’s eyes grew wide as what they were insinuating hit home. “You don’t think they’re going to...” He swallowed. “Execute him?”

“I don’t know,” Eiji said. “The hanyou has the right, because your stupid brother pushed his wife to the ground. Tameo-sama has a right, because he attacked one of the village miko. And a lot of the villagers are going to want something real this time. I just don’t know.”

“I...I...” Yoshimi started, but he collapsed into a ball, not sure of what to say next.

“Stay home,” Eiji said once again. He grabbed Yoshimi’s bound hands. “If I untie you, will you stay here?”

Yoshimi, still not looking at the village guard, nodded. Eiji made quick work of the rope binding him. “Don’t make me regret doing this,” he said.

“I won’t,” the younger man said. He covered his face with his now free hands and began rocking himself gently back and forth.

Eiji and Haruo left.  For several minutes, Yoshimi stared into the fire. “Ani-ue,” he said at last. “I always knew you were a stupid ass. Damn it. What am I supposed to do?”

He got up, and went in search of the last of his brother’s sake.


In much better moods than Yoshimi’s Chime and Kagome walked into Daitaro’s house.
Inside the main room, everything was prepared. The mats were ready, the trays ready to be filled, and in the place of honor, a low table was ready in front of the area the young couple would be sitting.

“It’s finally here,” Chime said, sitting down by the fire pit. She had an assortment of dishes, cups, jugs, ready for her use.

“Yes it is,” Kagome said, sitting down next to her. “I’m so glad the day calmed down. I was afraid with everything that went on this morning that we’d spoil your evening.”

“I knew it’d all work out in the end,” Chime said. “And here we are, ready for everybody to show up.”

“Uh,” Kagome said, interlacing her fingers. “I don’t know if anybody told you, but Kaede is staying with Maeme tonight.”

Chime gave a quick nod, and sighed. “I was afraid of that. I know she would have liked to been here.”

“She asked me to do the blessing,” Kagome said. “But I’ve never done it before. Where...where I come from, we do weddings differently.”

“It’s just a little ritual,” Chime said. “It’s all right if you don’t want to do it.”

“I want to. I’m just afraid I’ll do it wrong,” Kagome admitted. “I’m not even sure when to do it.”

Chime picked up a bowl carved out of wood. It looked quite old. “This is the blessing bowl we use in my family.” She handed it to Kagome who turned it around in her hand. It had a very pleasant feel to it. Closing her eyes, the young miko could feel the positive spiritual forces that wrapped around it. She handed it back to Chime.

“So that’s what you want me to use?” Kagome asked.

“Oh yes. After Shinjiro and Erime-chan drink out of the same cup, that’s when you should go and sprinkle them with the water. Not too much; it’s just a symbol; a sign to the kami that they are going to start out their married days as pure before the gods. Kaede usually says some little blessing as she does it, to wish them well.”

“That doesn’t sound very hard,” Kagome admitted. “It’s just that it’s...”

“New? We’ve given you so much new to learn in such a little time,” Chime said, putting the cup down on the table. “A new home, a new family, a new husband, and all the things Kaede-chan is teaching you. And such a strange and wild ten-day to do it in.”

“I hope...” Kagome said. “I hope I’m doing it well enough.”

Chime laughed at that, not an unpleasant laugh. “My dear child. I can’t imagine anybody having so much thrown at them doing half as well. You have nothing whatsoever to worry about. Absolutely nothing.”