InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Ever After ❯ Chapter 299

[ 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 299


While Yoshio-no-Kami sighed over Michio’s hard-headedness, and InuYasha and the others  were moving across the paddy fields towards the river, Koume and Fumio walked up the hill towards Miroku’s house. Genjo and Mariko, Daitaro’s youngest son and daughter-in-law waved as they walked past, but were hard at work in the bean field, and didn’t stop to come over.

For the most part, the older couple walked in a silence that was only partly comfortable.

Koume looked up at her husband, the set of his jaw.  He still wore the better clothes he had put on to go to the meeting with the elders, but before they left, he had grabbed his hammer.  That determination was what made him the man he was, a good smith and a good father, and, she admitted to herself, a good husband. Responsible, patient and determined. All these were why she loved him.

They neared the place on the road where the path split to lead to the monk’s house.  Koume grabbed her husband’s sleeve, and he stopped and turned to face her, patient but letting her make the first move.

“I think, husband, you did the right thing,” Koume said.  She gave him a smile and a nod to reinforce her words.

Fumio raised an eyebrow. “Am I?  You didn’t seem all that happy about it back at the house,” the smith replied.“You seemed rather unhappy about the extra work it might mean.”

“I...I was just caught off-guard, that’s all.” Koume sucked on her bottom lip. “You know how I am when someone hits me with a new thing.”  She sighed, and straightened the basket she was carrying in her arm. “I always, well, get a little sharp.  Even though I knew you were thinking about have him work at the forge with you, this caught me off-guard.” She took his hand. “It still will be a lot of work, but now that I’ve had time to let it sink in, it feels good. I think we owe it, maybe, to Maeme’s family.  You know how I felt about her mother. And I will always feel guilty at letting Maeme slip away like that just because her husband...was like he was.”

Fumio gave his wife’s hand a squeeze. “Don’t feel guilty. I don’t think any of us could have gotten through to that poor woman these last five years, maybe even the last ten, without doing violence to him. Thought about it a time or two, even, after seeing what he was doing to Nakao. But it’s like when something goes wrong in the forge. Well, you can’t always make the same thing  you were trying for when the metal’s mishandled. But you can usually make something else.”

“That’s what we’ll do, husband.  Make something of this poor family.  Maeme and her boys deserve it.”

 

While Fumio and Koume headed to Miroku’s house, Miroku and the others headed to Seiji’s place by the river.

“So, Susumu, do you think Yoshimi will be at his house?” Miroku asked the captain of the village guard.  

It had been a quiet walk from the village main street by Kaede’s house, through the paddy fields, with little banter.  Susumu led the little procession, followed by InuYasha and Kagome side by side where the path was wide enough, InuYasha ahead where it wasn’t, with the monk, his staff providing a steady rhythm of jingling rings, bringing up the read. Miroku, for most of the walk had seemed particularly withdrawn, lost in his own thoughts. InuYasha was busy being on alert while they walked, keeping and eye, ear and nose focused for any trace of Yoshimi, and Susumu and Kagome both looking tired, focused on just getting where the needed to go. When Miroku finally broke the silence, it was almost jarring, and the line of walkers halted for the moment.

The first one to respond was Susumu, who shrugged. They were on a paddy dike, the fields on either side still green with growing barley which made for a narrow walk. He turned to face Miroku. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Kagome had moved ahead of InuYasha when the path narrowed.  Suddenly she jumped as a hare bounded across the path in front of her, startling her. “Eek! Where did that come from?”

“It was just a hare,” InuYasha said, a bit amused. “You know, like we eat for dinner sometimes.”

“From one field to another, looks like,” Susumu offered, watching the ripples in the field as the hare made its way. “They do that sometimes.”

“It surprised me!” she said, just slightly embarrassed. “I must have been too lost in my thoughts.”

“Surprised me too,”InuYasha said, chuckling a little at his wife’s reaction. “I suspect I could do some hunting in this part of the village, too,”

“If you could cut down the number of hares and rabbits and deer, most of the villagers would be happy to let you,” Susumu said. “I doubt anybody would complain.”

Miroku gave his staff an extra tap. “So what will you do if Yoshimi’s not there?” he asked, going back to his original subject.

“Check down by the river.  I think Maeme would do her laundry there,” Susumu said. “Don’t expect to see him there, though. I’ll probably go see if Tadaki’s seen him next after that. Tadaki’s one of the last people who will put up with him and they talk a lot. I think Tadaki tries to put some sense in him, but I don’t know how much good it does. Then I’ll go tell my otousan. He’ll decide what to do next.  Until it’s clear what his plans or actions are, we’ll keep extra watch over Maeme and your household, Houshi-sama.”

“Eiji might know where he hangs out in the forest,” InuYasha said, scratching the back of his head. “I seem to remember him telling me something about knowing what goes on there.  But we don’t have to do all that. Pretty sure I can track him right down, no problem.”

“I’ll probably take you up on that,” Susumu said. “Eiji can definitely use his rest.”

InuYasha nodded. “He smelled really tired.”

“You can tell that just by smell?” This surprised Susumu.

“And sight,” the hanyou replied. “But he seemed really exhausted.  Last night and the day before were hard.”

“They were indeed,” Miroku said. “Every one of us needs a rest.  Maybe we can get it soon.”

“You said it,” Susumu said.  The line began to move on.

As Susumu and the others neared Seiji’s house, Fumio and Koume started down the fork of the path to the monk’s house, and before long, they could hear Sango’s daughters playing.  

They turned a bend in the road. “My, my,” Koume said.  “We’re not the first here today.”

Asmall group of people were sitting outside: Sango, Nakao and Sukeo, Hisako, YaYa and Maeme. A line of freshly laundered clothing hung in the breeze, drying.  The girls were playing to one side with a pile of stones, sticks and their dolls, ignoring the adults for the moment while they were chattering something about dragon girls.

“Fumio-sama!” Haruo waved to them as they neared.

“What brings you up here today?” the smith asked.

“Susumu-kun.  He wanted me to keep an eye on things until we know what Yoshimi was up to,” he said. “And since Teruko’s not out trying to start a riot with the others in the village or trying to get Kimi-chan to join her, it was hard to tell him no. Have you heard anything?”

The smith shook his head. “They were just getting ready to go check on Maeme’s place when I went and got Koume.  I doubt if they’ve had a chance to get back to tell Tameo anything yet.”

“Ah, I wonder if you would stand watch for me for a few minutes. I need to ask Genjo something about keeping an eye out.  I came the back way and didn’t get to see him yet. Susumu wanted him to be ready, in case I needed help.”

“He was working in the beanfields when we came up,” Koume said.

“Go,” said the smith. “I wanted to talk with Sukeo, anyway. We’ll keep an eye. But no teasing Shinjiro if you see him. I’ve got work to do. And I know how you and your brother are. You’d be there half the day with bridegroom jokes if you had your way.” He crossed his arms, feigning a stern look, totally ruined by the smile he couldn’t quite hide.

“Thank you, thank you,” Haruo said, and began running down the hill.

The smith and his wife, chuckling at the brother of their son-in-law, continued moving towards the others.

“I thought Kaede-obasan would be here by now,” Koume said, looking over the gathering. “But it looks good to see Maeme get up and into the sun.”

“She’ll be here in a bit,” Fumio said. “I heard from InuYasha she overslept.  She hadn’t had her breakfast when he came to tell us the news.”

“Kaede-obasan before breakfast is not a happy Kaede. I hope everything goes well today.  It seems like half the village or more didn’t get enough sleep or slept late. Oh, look!” she said, pointing. “There’s Yaya. It’s nice to see her up here. There was a time when Yaya and Maeme were quite close.”

“Maybe now they can be that way again.” Fumio stepped forward to join the group.  “Good morning, everyone.”

Sukeo, who was sitting with his back to the house, a bit away from the others, stood up and bowed. “Good morning, Fumio-sama.” He looked tired, but pleased to see the older man.

Sango looked up from her sewing and and smiled at the couple. “Good morning.  I told the boys you would be back today.  I’m glad you showed up.”

“Indeed. In fact, I came especially to see Sukeo,” Fumio said. Sukeo looked up.  A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Me, Fumio-ojisan?”

The smith nodded and gestured for the boy to join him.

As Sukeo walked across the grounds, Koume went the other way and walked to the small circle of women. “Fumio may have come to check on Sukio, but I came to check on all of you,” she said. She nodded to Sango. “With all this company you have right now, Sango-chan, I thought you could use a hand, at least with those sweet girls of yours. I have a little practice with those.”

Sango, looking a bit tired, but holding up well after all the events of yesterday and the chaos of the evening, looked up from her sewing and smiled. “And your daughters turned out so nice. Thank you.”

“This is what friends are for,” Koume said. She turned to look at the older woman sitting there. “But I am surprised to see you here, Hisako-obasan. That’s quite a walk up the hill.”

“Nothing I haven’t done before, Koume-chan.” Hisako, sitting there with her own sewing, patted the ground next to her.  “So how are things down in the village this morning? I came the long way, and didn’t go near the headman’s house.”

That made Koume laugh. “I’m sure Tameo is pleased you didn’t need to go there. It’s quiet. Much more quiet than most of us were thinking it was going to be this morning. In fact, I saw fewer people than usual. I think the whole village is getting a bit of a late start.”   

“Things are different today, are they not?” the old woman said. “Even at home. Otousan was sleeping late. I heard him come in somewhere well after dark, so I let him sleep and I saved my energy, and came up here instead. No problem with him trying to sneak any sake before I get back. I have it well hidden.” She lifted up the fabric in her workbasket to reveal an old brown jug.

That made most of the adults laugh.  Even Maeme cracked a small smile.