InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ As Fate Would Have It ❯ Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 

Miroku and Sango alternatively glanced back every few minutes or so to sneak a peek at the purple stripes still decorating Inuyasha's cheeks. The grumpy hanyou had stuffed his hands inside his sleeves once more as he stalked behind the human couple. Kagome carried a peacefully sleeping Minako in her arms, the tiny black head resting on her shoulder.

 

Kagome watched Inuyasha become more and more agitated as the monk and the taijiya continued to watch him. His scowl became darker with each incident. “Oi! You got a problem?”

 

Red-faced, the humans turned around and focused on their trek back to the village. “N-no, Inuyasha,” Sango stammered.

 

“Um, Inuyasha?” Kagome asked hurriedly, trying to change the subject. “Why is Minako so… alert… for a baby?”

 

“Keh! Because she's hanyou, wench.”

 

“Huh? What does that have to do with anything?”

 

He sighed impatiently. “Youkai children develop much, much faster than ningen babies. Hanyous split the difference. She'll be walking by six months, talking by nine. Maybe sooner.”

 

Miroku whistled in amazement. Sango nodded in agreement. “I never knew that- we never had to deal with youkai offspring.”

 

Kagome raised an eyebrow. “You never killed young youkai?”

 

Sango shook her head. “Youkai tend to hide their offspring until they're capable of feeding themselves. At least, that's what my father told me.”

 

Inuyasha didn't add anything. He knew very little about full youkai family traits. He turned his attention back to the task of keeping an eye out for danger.

 

“Don't worry, Inuyasha,” Kagome said brightly, trying to lighten the mood. “We'll be home soon. Shippou will be so glad to see us again.”

 

“Keh!”

 

Everyone smiled privately- they all knew Inuyasha acted tough, but he really had a soft spot for the young kitsune.

 

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“They're here, Grandma Kaede! They finally got back!”

 

Kaede glanced up from the stew she was stirring. Darkness had just fallen on the small village and Shippou had taken to staring out of the door of her small hut, eager for any sign of his friends. She smiled in amusement as the young fox ran out the door. Ah, the impetuousness of youth…

 

“Grandma Kaede! Come see!”

 

Shippou's cry of excitement carried through the thin walls of the hut. The old miko smiled and laid her spoon to the side. I wonder what delight the young one has found now?

 

Standing slowly and making her way to the door of the hut, she blinked as she regarded the scene before her eyes. Kagome and Inuyasha were standing quite close to each other- closer than normal. Kagome held the little black-haired hanyou baby in her arms and Inuyasha watched them with a very protective stance. What events led to this?

 

Stepping closer, Kaede noticed that Inuyasha bore twin purple marks on his cheeks- one on each side. Hoping that she emanated nonchalance, Kaede smiled at the young couple. “Welcome back, Kagome, Inuyasha. Was ye not able to find the babe's kin?”

 

Kagome blushed. “Well… erm- that is…”

 

Inuyasha snorted. “We are the pup's family, old woman.”

 

Kaede blinked in surprise. Well. This was a new development. “Ye are? As in all four of ye?”

 

“Senile old hag! Kagome and I are her parents!”

 

“Inuyasha! Osuwari!”

 

Kaede looked calmly at Kagome as the dust settled on the prone form of Inuyasha. Kagome stepped over Inuyasha and walked serenely next to the old miko toward the hut. “Minako is ours now, Kaede. Inuyasha and I have… decided to raise her together.”

 

Kaede smiled knowingly. “Ah, so ye are like that now?”

 

Kagome blushed again. “I don't know. I just know that we're doing this as a team, if nothing else.”

 

I doubt that ye will be only “teammates” in this endeavor, young miko…

 

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Minako lay on her tummy in the grass, watching Shippou with wide blue eyes. The kitsune was entertaining the little girl with his toy top while Inuyasha and Kagome sat nearby. The silver-haired hanyou kept his golden gaze on his new daughter, but it was evident there was something he wanted to discuss with Kagome.

 

“Ok, Inuyasha. You've got my attention. What did you want to say?”

 

He scowled, flushing as he turned his head away from her briefly. A moment later his watchful eyes moved back to Minako as though he were gaining strength just from looking at her. “Kaede said something about the fact that we couldn't raise Minako.”

 

“Oh? What do you mean?”

 

He snorted. “She said that pups need parents that are committed to each other. Something about they need to know `stability' in their families.”

 

“And? She doesn't think we can give her what she needs?”

 

“Oi, wench! She's trying to say we need to be mated in order to raise our pup properly!”

 

Silence.

 

“She said that, did she?”

 

“Keh! No! But I know that's what she was trying to say!”

 

Kagome watched Shippou and Minako for a moment, smiling slightly when the little girl tried to grab his tail. “But what do you say? Do you agree with that?”

 

He grunted, blushing deeper. “Only if that's what you want.”

 

“I told you, baka… I just want to be with you.”

 

“Keh! Fine then!”

 

“So, what now? Are you declaring us inu and bitch and we're officially mated?”

 

“Oi! You're completely clueless, wench, ya know that?”

 

“Well, excuse me! I don't know how it happens!”

 

He suddenly stood up, his face bright red. “I'm not talking about this anymore.” He turned and walked away, heading for the river nearby. Kagome watched him go, bemused.

 

What isn't he telling me?

 

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Inuyasha sat in his favorite tree, staring at the sunset without really seeing it. His mind was filled with thoughts about a certain miko from the future and none of it was anything he'd ever admit to thinking.

 

Kaede hinted- more than hinted- that he needed to make Kagome his mate. For Minako's sake, for Kagome's sake, for his sake. But the question remained: how did he claim her as his?

 

He scowled. He had no idea of what he was supposed to do. He had hoped that Kagome would know- but being from an entirely different time period, not to mention being human- she was as clueless as he. Kaede was no better. He needed advice and he needed it soon.

 

He growled deep in his throat as his claws dug into the branch, cracking the poor tree with his strength. It seemed that he had only one feasible solution.

 

Sesshoumaru.

 

Damn it. He jumped down from the tree before he did any more damage to the innocent tree. I'll just have to find that bastard brother of mine, get the stupid answer, and get back here before Kagome heads back to her time without me.

 

He started running for his brother's lands. The sooner I get there, the sooner I get back to my pup and Kagome.

 

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“Lord Sesshoumaru! Rin picked you some pretty flowers!”

 

The Inu no Taishou, Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands, turned slightly toward the perky voice. His golden gaze regarded the little girl holding a bouquet of various colored flowers up for his approval. He held back an uncharacteristic smile as Rin beamed up at him.

 

“Again, Rin? Can't you leave Lord Sesshoumaru alone? He's much too busy to be bothered with an annoying human like you!” Jaken, Sesshoumaru's toad-youkai underling, scolded the little girl about everything she did, but that never got the bubbly child down.

 

“Jaken.” Sesshoumaru's cultured voice cut through the toad-youkai's complaining like a knife. Jaken's large bug-like eyes blinked in fear as he looked up at his master.

 

“Y-yes… L-lord Sessh-shoumaru?” he stammered out, clutching the Staff of Two Heads tightly in his warty little hands.

 

“Leave her be.”

 

“H-hai, my lord.”

 

Sesshoumaru turned and began walking away once more. Jaken caught the reins of the two-headed dragon, Ah-Un, as Rin skipped merrily along behind the Inu no Taishou.

 

The Dog demon stopped, catching a somewhat familiar scent on the wind. It was Inuyasha's scent, yet had a very odd… tinge to it. Not full-youkai smell, like when the hanyou had transformed uncontrollably before. No, this was more of a blend of his normal annoying hanyou scent and that youkai one. Inuyasha, he thought in disgust. What does that miserable half-breed want now?

 

Surely enough, a familiar red and silver figure dropped out of the trees to land on all fours in front of Sesshoumaru. His face was hidden in shadow but his eyes glowed bright gold within the darkness. Rin and Jaken stopped cold, with the little toad-youkai began spouting threats as usual. “Insolent half-breed! Get out of Lord Sesshoumaru's way!”

 

Sesshoumaru silenced his minion with a glance. “What do you want, hanyou?”

 

“Keh! I just want an answer, Sesshoumaru.”

 

Sesshoumaru almost raised a perfect eyebrow in surprise. “An answer? You mean there is something that you, in all your infinite wisdom, do not know?”

 

“Don't fuck with me, bastard! I wouldn't have come if I didn't have a choice.”

 

“I see. Very well.” He turned to his followers. “Jaken. Watch Rin.”

 

Jaken bowed so low to the ground that his beak-like mouth touched the ground. “Y-yes, my lord.”

 

Sesshoumaru turned back to Inuyasha. He began walking away from his entourage, leaving the hanyou to follow behind.

 

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“What is it you want, little brother?”

 

Much to the youkai's surprise- again- his brother looked to the side, his face still hidden in shadow.

 

“Iwanttoknowhowtotakeamate.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Inuyasha took a deep breath and tried again, slower. “I… want to know… how… to take a mate.”

 

Sesshoumaru blinked. If he didn't have perfect hearing, he would've thought he was hearing things. “You what?”

 

“Dammit! I want to take Kagome as my mate and I don't fucking know how!”

 

If Sesshoumaru weren't, well, Sesshoumaru, he would've fallen over laughing. Instead, all that came out was a somewhat strangled “You're serious?”

 

“Knew I should've gone elsewhere,” Inuyasha muttered, his face flaming.

 

“Why come to me?”

 

“Because no one else knows either!”

 

Sesshoumaru shook his head in amazement. He never thought he'd see the day. “Well, little brother, allow me to fill you in on all the gruesome details…”