InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ Inuyasha’s fears… ( Chapter 6 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: SplendentGoddess 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.13.2006 | Updated On: 06.27.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 26.7K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.13.2006 | Updated On: 06.27.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 26.7K | Status: Completed
Blanket Disclaimer:
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
========================
Chap ter 6 – Inuyasha’s fears…
Now that it was summer break, Kagome was spending much more time in the feudal era. She had only needed to return once, when it was time for her prescription. At first Inuyasha hadn’t wanted her to go without him, but she insisted that he would not feel comfortable in the Dr’s office, and that he could wait for her at the shrine. Pups had been a fear that had gripped him shortly after they’d first coupled. He hadn’t have time to worry about it at first, when they were all surprised by that bear youkai, but after the evening had come to a close, the thought occurred to him, and terrified him.
Kagome had thought that something was bothering him, but also felt that if it were really important, then he’d tell her, since they now had that agreement to communicate openly with one another. He probably just didn’t want to discuss anything in front of the others, had been her assumption, so she’d waited to bring it up after they’d separated themselves from the others for the night. It was only night #2, and she could already tell something was seriously bothering him. At first, she had been afraid that she’d have to drag it out of him, but thankfully, as soon as they were alone, he’d confessed.
~Flashback~
Everyone sat around the campfire, in a fairly good mood since they had found another shard that morning. Well, it was more like the shard had found them, but that worked too. One more shard that Kagome had, meant one less shard that Naraku could get his tentacles on. In another couple of days they’d reach the village from which the latest rumors they’d heard about Naraku were supposed to have originated. There wasn’t really anything they had to do these next couple days, except hike in that general direction, so they soon found themselves easily able to relax for the night. That is, except for Inuyasha.
I wonder what’s bothering him… Kagome thought to herself, looking over at her new mate, who was staring rather blankly into the fire where the water for their ramen was being heated.
“A watched pot never boils.” Kagome said in a low, teasing voice, earning a “Huh?” from Inuyasha, and a raised eyebrow from everyone else.
“Just an expression from my time.” she brushed off. Then, leaning over in an attempt to see his eyes from behind his bangs, she asked “Something on your mind?”
“Keh, just wanting to get to that village is all.”
Kagome could tell he wasn’t being completely honest, though she was sure what he’d said was technically true. But he seemed to have a worried expression on his face that shouldn’t be there, if his only thoughts were of defeating Naraku. That’d never worried him before, and she highly doubted it would worry him now. But before she had a chance to touch on that, she heard Miroku chime up with…
“As do we, but us mortals aren’t as resilient as a hanyou or youkai.”
“Keh, we stopped, didn’t we?” Inuyasha barked back, a little more harshly than he’d intended to.
“Indeed…” Miroku’s smirk from that morning was suddenly back in place. “If you and Kagome need to-” He was stopped, but not soon enough, since everyone knew what he was about to imply.
As Sango set her Hiraikotsu down beside her, she managed to stifle her blush long enough to look her friends in the eyes, as she attempted to find a more tactful way of continuing the hentai’s thoughts.
“Umm…we’ll be fine here if you guys needed to talk or something.” she rushed out, failing miserably in her plans of not blushing.
Kagome blushed as well, but not as terribly, since she already knew, after having asked him, that Inuyasha was still tormented by the time of year. She’d thought that the two of them would likely just slip away again, after the others were already asleep, but thinking about it now, she figured there wasn’t really any logic in that, since everyone already knew, anyway.
Chancing a glance in Inuyasha’s direction, she saw that he seemed embarrassed as well, though something else was still bothering him enough, that it drew most of his attention. He did look up from his concentration on the pot of water though, once it started to boil. He momentarily flashed her a look of ‘Ha!’, as if he’d taken her comment to heart. After their eyes locked, his gaze morphed to a look of love, mixed with sorrow, before he shifted his gaze to look around camp at the others. He had also figured that they’d sneak off, and wished that the bouzu hadn’t blurted it out like that. But at least he was currently unconscious, and that had made him feel a little better.
Nothing more was said on the subject when Miroku’s untimely moan indicated he was awakening promptly shut Kagome’s mouth when she was about to respond to Sango’s statement. Inuyasha, meanwhile, grumbled over the fact that the monk had awoken; he was looking forward to eating his share of the ramen.
After their light dinner, everyone went about settling in for the night. As Kagome prepared her bedroll, she passed Inuyasha another look, which he caught and returned. Finally, Shippo had had enough, and piped up with…
“Don’t worry Inuyasha, I’ll protect them while you’re gone.”
Though the statement made everyone cough and feel awkward, again - everyone except Shippo, who wished the grown-ups would act like it - when Sango and Miroku eventually stopped averting their gaze and looked up, they found that Inuyasha and Kagome were gone.
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He’d caught her off guard when he had suddenly swooped her up in his arms. Worried that she might have still been a bit sore, he held her against his chest bridal style, as he effortlessly leapt from tree to tree, until he spotted a small clearing that he felt was far enough away.
“Warn me next time before you do that.” Kagome mumbled in a half-laugh once Inuyasha set her feet back upon the earth.
“Sorry…” she heard him mumble low.
Quickly turning to face him with a bright smile upon her face, she said sincerely… “Don’t worry about it, I was just surprised is all.” as she plopped herself down upon the soft grass. The evening was cool, but not uncomfortably cold, so she was once again dressed in her pajama bottoms and tank top.
Inuyasha abruptly sat himself down beside her, but he couldn’t hide the scowl on his face even if he’d tried, which he hadn’t.
“What’s wrong?” she asked timidly, hoping he would finally open up to her now that they were alone.
When he didn’t answer, but only looked down, slight depression apparent in his eyes, she scooted herself closer to him and wrapped her arm around his back in a half hug.
“Are you embarrassed because of what Miroku said?” she asked, knowing full well that something had been bothering him before that, but wanting to get him to open up all the same.
His response was “Keh, stupid letch bothered Sango more than me, it’s fine.”
Hesitantly, she whispered low “Are you…you’re not…you don’t….regret…anything, do-”
He cut off her with an abrupt snap of his head, as he met her gaze with his own, locking their eyes.
Before he could tame his tongue, the first words to slip from his mouth were “Are you stupid?” in a rather harsh, hostile fashion, before her flinch made him flinch as well, and quickly backtrack.
“I’m…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that…and no, I don’t regret it.” he said calmly, regret not for his choice, but for his outburst, apparent in the tone of his voice.
Kagome was trying to recall any other time he’d ever apologized for snapping at her, and couldn’t think of one at the moment, so with a large smile now plastered across her face, she leaned herself over even closer, and proceeded to kiss him.
Inuyasha returned the kiss, but quickly pulled away when he felt Kagome’s tongue edge his lips. If he allowed things to get too hot and heavy, he wouldn’t be able to resist, and he had to resist her, at least for the next few days or so, since she’d be coming into heat soon. He’d detected the first signs of it this morning, and had kicked himself for not keeping track of her monthly cycle. He was already a little nervous about last night’s activities, but a repeat occurrence was out of the question.
“Inuyasha, what’s wrong?” she asked, her eyes pleading with his to look at her, as he kept shifting them around, attempting to avoid her gaze. “We promised we’d be more open with each other, remember?”
“Feh!” Damn that agreement. “You’re coming into heat, okay?” he snapped, but he sounded more defeated then anything else.
“Huh?” she questioned at first, but then his canine terminology dawned on her. “You’re worried about babies.”
“Pups.” he corrected.
Kagome tried not to giggle at the word, deciding she could get used to that.
“I understand…” she continued, consenting with what she presumed to be his reasoning, as she added “And I agree, now’s not the time for pups.” Rolling the word around on her tongue, she decided she could definitely get used to that. “Not while we still hunt Naraku and the jewel.”
Inuyasha turned to her then, seeking out her eyes instead of avoiding them. His expression was something to behold, a mixture of relief and utter bewilderment, as if he was dumbstruck by the fact that Kagome had actually understood him. That look then morphed into one of confusion, when she uttered her next sentence.
“But you don’t have to worry, I can’t get pregnant.”
His look of confusion soon changed to sympathy and regret as her words sank in, and placing his hand upon her belly, he almost looked like he wanted to cry. It was in that moment, that Kagome realized that Inuyasha did want pups, just not right now. She hadn’t known before what his position on the subject would be, and had planned on bringing it up when the timing was more appropriate, but how could he have known that she’d taken precautions against any accidents? She should have known better…
“There’s nothing wrong with me.” she quickly explained in a sweet tone of voice, while plucking his hand from her belly and bringing it up to her lips, kissing his palm. “In my time, there is a medicine women can take that prevent them from becoming pregnant, so that they can make sure that they’re ready before having a baby.” she finished.
She saw Inuyasha’s eyes widen in awe at this information. In his time, the only way for a woman to avoid risking having a baby would be abstinence, and once a man and a woman were married, children were expected to follow shortly thereafter. In the youkai world, the male can tell when the female is coming into heat, and as a result, they also know when they can rut safely, without risk of insemination. It was something he was looking forward to with being mated to Kagome, but he’d still thought that he’d have to avoid her when she was fertile. Finally, he managed to form words as he asked her…
“And you’re taking this medicine?” His voice sounded curious and hopeful above anything else, but the light behind his eyes still shown the brightest with confusion.
Kagome looked at him while nodding softly and smiling. She could see the unasked question behind his eyes. Why?
“I’ve been taking it for a little over a year, ever since I first realized…” She hesitated suddenly, blushing again.
“First realized what?” he asked, his voice calm and holding no hostility.
“That I loved you.” she confessed.
“You’ve loved me for over a year?” he asked her next, surprise the dominant emotion now. “How come you never told me how you felt?”
She flashed him a look, and he instantly understood…Kikyou
“It doesn’t matter now.” she suddenly piped up, with a genuine smile. “You know it now, and more importantly…” She paused, deliberately, watching as his ears twitched forward in anticipation of the rest of her sentence. “…I know that you love me.”
He nodded, the gleam in his eyes meaning to say I do…
She then leaned in and kissed him once more, but this time, he did not resist her, as the passion between them built.
~End Flashback~
“Kagome will be home soon.” Mrs. Higurashi said as she entered the kitchen, seeing the impatient hanyou waiting by the door. “She doesn’t have school right now.” she added in passing, as she put a pot of water on for some ramen.
“Keh, I know that.” he grumped, folding his arms into the sleeves of his suikan. “She just went to get that shot thing, but still-”
His grumping was cut off when Mrs. Higurashi suddenly dropped the cup of ramen. Fortunately, it was still sealed, so nothing got spilled.
“You…you know she’s taking the shot?” Kagome’s mother asked, embarrassment apparent in her voice, as she tried to hide her blush.
Kagome had told her two months ago that there was something that she needed to tell her, something important. But Kagome hadn’t seemed to have the right words at the time, as she’d stumbled through starting to say….something… so Mrs. Higurashi had proceeded to shush her daughter, telling her that when she was able to find the words, she would be there to listen. It was obvious to her that Kagome had seemed worried over what her reaction to her news was going to be. She was also pretty sure, because of the way Kagome was acting, that she knew what her news was. She’d decided to wait until Kagome felt that she was ready to talk about it, and had merely kissed her cheek, whispering the soothing words that she trusted her to make her own decisions, and that she would always be proud of her. Kagome had blushed and nodded her thanks.
Now, upon uttering her startled words, Mrs. Higurashi saw Inuyasha’s ears droop. He was obviously afraid he’d said the wrong thing, so she quickly decided that reassurance was in order, as she poured the hot water into a cup of noodles, setting the cup down in front of him with a set of chopsticks.
“So, then it’s true? You and Kagome?” She paused, gauging his reaction.
He looked up from his ramen, dropping what would have been his first bite back into the cup, while with a flushed face, he managed to stutter: “S-she…she didn’t tell you?”
A ton of nonsense started to flood into his head. Why hadn’t she told her mother? Was she ashamed of him? Was she afraid her mother wouldn’t understand? Wouldn’t approve? Somehow, Mrs. Higurashi sensed his distress, and immediately went to work settling his nerves.
“She tried to tell me something, a couple of months ago, that she said was important, involving both you and her. She seemed a little nervous, though, so I let her off the hook, so to speak. But though she never officially told me, I had easily figured it out on my own. She knows that I know.”
Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something, fear present in his eyes.
Mrs. Higurashi quickly shook her head while smiling, raising a hand up to shush him, as she continued. “I’m not upset, Inuyasha. I approve.”
She saw his fear melt away, then, and she reached across the table to cup his hands in her own. “Kagome has told me some of your life, before meeting her. I know that you were alone as a child, and that you weren’t accepted. I accept you, Inuyasha. I accept you and my daughter, and I will accept your children.”
He scooted his chair away from the table slowly, and almost as if in a trance, he stood up, setting down his untouched cup of ramen as he stepped away from the table. Mrs. Higurashi stood up as well, and standing right in front of him, asked “Inuyasha, are you-” but before she could get out the word okay, she found herself embraced in a fierce hug.
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chap ter 6 – Inuyasha’s fears…
Now that it was summer break, Kagome was spending much more time in the feudal era. She had only needed to return once, when it was time for her prescription. At first Inuyasha hadn’t wanted her to go without him, but she insisted that he would not feel comfortable in the Dr’s office, and that he could wait for her at the shrine. Pups had been a fear that had gripped him shortly after they’d first coupled. He hadn’t have time to worry about it at first, when they were all surprised by that bear youkai, but after the evening had come to a close, the thought occurred to him, and terrified him.
Kagome had thought that something was bothering him, but also felt that if it were really important, then he’d tell her, since they now had that agreement to communicate openly with one another. He probably just didn’t want to discuss anything in front of the others, had been her assumption, so she’d waited to bring it up after they’d separated themselves from the others for the night. It was only night #2, and she could already tell something was seriously bothering him. At first, she had been afraid that she’d have to drag it out of him, but thankfully, as soon as they were alone, he’d confessed.
~Flashback~
Everyone sat around the campfire, in a fairly good mood since they had found another shard that morning. Well, it was more like the shard had found them, but that worked too. One more shard that Kagome had, meant one less shard that Naraku could get his tentacles on. In another couple of days they’d reach the village from which the latest rumors they’d heard about Naraku were supposed to have originated. There wasn’t really anything they had to do these next couple days, except hike in that general direction, so they soon found themselves easily able to relax for the night. That is, except for Inuyasha.
I wonder what’s bothering him… Kagome thought to herself, looking over at her new mate, who was staring rather blankly into the fire where the water for their ramen was being heated.
“A watched pot never boils.” Kagome said in a low, teasing voice, earning a “Huh?” from Inuyasha, and a raised eyebrow from everyone else.
“Just an expression from my time.” she brushed off. Then, leaning over in an attempt to see his eyes from behind his bangs, she asked “Something on your mind?”
“Keh, just wanting to get to that village is all.”
Kagome could tell he wasn’t being completely honest, though she was sure what he’d said was technically true. But he seemed to have a worried expression on his face that shouldn’t be there, if his only thoughts were of defeating Naraku. That’d never worried him before, and she highly doubted it would worry him now. But before she had a chance to touch on that, she heard Miroku chime up with…
“As do we, but us mortals aren’t as resilient as a hanyou or youkai.”
“Keh, we stopped, didn’t we?” Inuyasha barked back, a little more harshly than he’d intended to.
“Indeed…” Miroku’s smirk from that morning was suddenly back in place. “If you and Kagome need to-” He was stopped, but not soon enough, since everyone knew what he was about to imply.
As Sango set her Hiraikotsu down beside her, she managed to stifle her blush long enough to look her friends in the eyes, as she attempted to find a more tactful way of continuing the hentai’s thoughts.
“Umm…we’ll be fine here if you guys needed to talk or something.” she rushed out, failing miserably in her plans of not blushing.
Kagome blushed as well, but not as terribly, since she already knew, after having asked him, that Inuyasha was still tormented by the time of year. She’d thought that the two of them would likely just slip away again, after the others were already asleep, but thinking about it now, she figured there wasn’t really any logic in that, since everyone already knew, anyway.
Chancing a glance in Inuyasha’s direction, she saw that he seemed embarrassed as well, though something else was still bothering him enough, that it drew most of his attention. He did look up from his concentration on the pot of water though, once it started to boil. He momentarily flashed her a look of ‘Ha!’, as if he’d taken her comment to heart. After their eyes locked, his gaze morphed to a look of love, mixed with sorrow, before he shifted his gaze to look around camp at the others. He had also figured that they’d sneak off, and wished that the bouzu hadn’t blurted it out like that. But at least he was currently unconscious, and that had made him feel a little better.
Nothing more was said on the subject when Miroku’s untimely moan indicated he was awakening promptly shut Kagome’s mouth when she was about to respond to Sango’s statement. Inuyasha, meanwhile, grumbled over the fact that the monk had awoken; he was looking forward to eating his share of the ramen.
After their light dinner, everyone went about settling in for the night. As Kagome prepared her bedroll, she passed Inuyasha another look, which he caught and returned. Finally, Shippo had had enough, and piped up with…
“Don’t worry Inuyasha, I’ll protect them while you’re gone.”
Though the statement made everyone cough and feel awkward, again - everyone except Shippo, who wished the grown-ups would act like it - when Sango and Miroku eventually stopped averting their gaze and looked up, they found that Inuyasha and Kagome were gone.
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He’d caught her off guard when he had suddenly swooped her up in his arms. Worried that she might have still been a bit sore, he held her against his chest bridal style, as he effortlessly leapt from tree to tree, until he spotted a small clearing that he felt was far enough away.
“Warn me next time before you do that.” Kagome mumbled in a half-laugh once Inuyasha set her feet back upon the earth.
“Sorry…” she heard him mumble low.
Quickly turning to face him with a bright smile upon her face, she said sincerely… “Don’t worry about it, I was just surprised is all.” as she plopped herself down upon the soft grass. The evening was cool, but not uncomfortably cold, so she was once again dressed in her pajama bottoms and tank top.
Inuyasha abruptly sat himself down beside her, but he couldn’t hide the scowl on his face even if he’d tried, which he hadn’t.
“What’s wrong?” she asked timidly, hoping he would finally open up to her now that they were alone.
When he didn’t answer, but only looked down, slight depression apparent in his eyes, she scooted herself closer to him and wrapped her arm around his back in a half hug.
“Are you embarrassed because of what Miroku said?” she asked, knowing full well that something had been bothering him before that, but wanting to get him to open up all the same.
His response was “Keh, stupid letch bothered Sango more than me, it’s fine.”
Hesitantly, she whispered low “Are you…you’re not…you don’t….regret…anything, do-”
He cut off her with an abrupt snap of his head, as he met her gaze with his own, locking their eyes.
Before he could tame his tongue, the first words to slip from his mouth were “Are you stupid?” in a rather harsh, hostile fashion, before her flinch made him flinch as well, and quickly backtrack.
“I’m…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that…and no, I don’t regret it.” he said calmly, regret not for his choice, but for his outburst, apparent in the tone of his voice.
Kagome was trying to recall any other time he’d ever apologized for snapping at her, and couldn’t think of one at the moment, so with a large smile now plastered across her face, she leaned herself over even closer, and proceeded to kiss him.
Inuyasha returned the kiss, but quickly pulled away when he felt Kagome’s tongue edge his lips. If he allowed things to get too hot and heavy, he wouldn’t be able to resist, and he had to resist her, at least for the next few days or so, since she’d be coming into heat soon. He’d detected the first signs of it this morning, and had kicked himself for not keeping track of her monthly cycle. He was already a little nervous about last night’s activities, but a repeat occurrence was out of the question.
“Inuyasha, what’s wrong?” she asked, her eyes pleading with his to look at her, as he kept shifting them around, attempting to avoid her gaze. “We promised we’d be more open with each other, remember?”
“Feh!” Damn that agreement. “You’re coming into heat, okay?” he snapped, but he sounded more defeated then anything else.
“Huh?” she questioned at first, but then his canine terminology dawned on her. “You’re worried about babies.”
“Pups.” he corrected.
Kagome tried not to giggle at the word, deciding she could get used to that.
“I understand…” she continued, consenting with what she presumed to be his reasoning, as she added “And I agree, now’s not the time for pups.” Rolling the word around on her tongue, she decided she could definitely get used to that. “Not while we still hunt Naraku and the jewel.”
Inuyasha turned to her then, seeking out her eyes instead of avoiding them. His expression was something to behold, a mixture of relief and utter bewilderment, as if he was dumbstruck by the fact that Kagome had actually understood him. That look then morphed into one of confusion, when she uttered her next sentence.
“But you don’t have to worry, I can’t get pregnant.”
His look of confusion soon changed to sympathy and regret as her words sank in, and placing his hand upon her belly, he almost looked like he wanted to cry. It was in that moment, that Kagome realized that Inuyasha did want pups, just not right now. She hadn’t known before what his position on the subject would be, and had planned on bringing it up when the timing was more appropriate, but how could he have known that she’d taken precautions against any accidents? She should have known better…
“There’s nothing wrong with me.” she quickly explained in a sweet tone of voice, while plucking his hand from her belly and bringing it up to her lips, kissing his palm. “In my time, there is a medicine women can take that prevent them from becoming pregnant, so that they can make sure that they’re ready before having a baby.” she finished.
She saw Inuyasha’s eyes widen in awe at this information. In his time, the only way for a woman to avoid risking having a baby would be abstinence, and once a man and a woman were married, children were expected to follow shortly thereafter. In the youkai world, the male can tell when the female is coming into heat, and as a result, they also know when they can rut safely, without risk of insemination. It was something he was looking forward to with being mated to Kagome, but he’d still thought that he’d have to avoid her when she was fertile. Finally, he managed to form words as he asked her…
“And you’re taking this medicine?” His voice sounded curious and hopeful above anything else, but the light behind his eyes still shown the brightest with confusion.
Kagome looked at him while nodding softly and smiling. She could see the unasked question behind his eyes. Why?
“I’ve been taking it for a little over a year, ever since I first realized…” She hesitated suddenly, blushing again.
“First realized what?” he asked, his voice calm and holding no hostility.
“That I loved you.” she confessed.
“You’ve loved me for over a year?” he asked her next, surprise the dominant emotion now. “How come you never told me how you felt?”
She flashed him a look, and he instantly understood…Kikyou
“It doesn’t matter now.” she suddenly piped up, with a genuine smile. “You know it now, and more importantly…” She paused, deliberately, watching as his ears twitched forward in anticipation of the rest of her sentence. “…I know that you love me.”
He nodded, the gleam in his eyes meaning to say I do…
She then leaned in and kissed him once more, but this time, he did not resist her, as the passion between them built.
~End Flashback~
“Kagome will be home soon.” Mrs. Higurashi said as she entered the kitchen, seeing the impatient hanyou waiting by the door. “She doesn’t have school right now.” she added in passing, as she put a pot of water on for some ramen.
“Keh, I know that.” he grumped, folding his arms into the sleeves of his suikan. “She just went to get that shot thing, but still-”
His grumping was cut off when Mrs. Higurashi suddenly dropped the cup of ramen. Fortunately, it was still sealed, so nothing got spilled.
“You…you know she’s taking the shot?” Kagome’s mother asked, embarrassment apparent in her voice, as she tried to hide her blush.
Kagome had told her two months ago that there was something that she needed to tell her, something important. But Kagome hadn’t seemed to have the right words at the time, as she’d stumbled through starting to say….something… so Mrs. Higurashi had proceeded to shush her daughter, telling her that when she was able to find the words, she would be there to listen. It was obvious to her that Kagome had seemed worried over what her reaction to her news was going to be. She was also pretty sure, because of the way Kagome was acting, that she knew what her news was. She’d decided to wait until Kagome felt that she was ready to talk about it, and had merely kissed her cheek, whispering the soothing words that she trusted her to make her own decisions, and that she would always be proud of her. Kagome had blushed and nodded her thanks.
Now, upon uttering her startled words, Mrs. Higurashi saw Inuyasha’s ears droop. He was obviously afraid he’d said the wrong thing, so she quickly decided that reassurance was in order, as she poured the hot water into a cup of noodles, setting the cup down in front of him with a set of chopsticks.
“So, then it’s true? You and Kagome?” She paused, gauging his reaction.
He looked up from his ramen, dropping what would have been his first bite back into the cup, while with a flushed face, he managed to stutter: “S-she…she didn’t tell you?”
A ton of nonsense started to flood into his head. Why hadn’t she told her mother? Was she ashamed of him? Was she afraid her mother wouldn’t understand? Wouldn’t approve? Somehow, Mrs. Higurashi sensed his distress, and immediately went to work settling his nerves.
“She tried to tell me something, a couple of months ago, that she said was important, involving both you and her. She seemed a little nervous, though, so I let her off the hook, so to speak. But though she never officially told me, I had easily figured it out on my own. She knows that I know.”
Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something, fear present in his eyes.
Mrs. Higurashi quickly shook her head while smiling, raising a hand up to shush him, as she continued. “I’m not upset, Inuyasha. I approve.”
She saw his fear melt away, then, and she reached across the table to cup his hands in her own. “Kagome has told me some of your life, before meeting her. I know that you were alone as a child, and that you weren’t accepted. I accept you, Inuyasha. I accept you and my daughter, and I will accept your children.”
He scooted his chair away from the table slowly, and almost as if in a trance, he stood up, setting down his untouched cup of ramen as he stepped away from the table. Mrs. Higurashi stood up as well, and standing right in front of him, asked “Inuyasha, are you-” but before she could get out the word okay, she found herself embraced in a fierce hug.