InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Some people need a push ❯ Caretakers ( Chapter 15 )

Feudal Era, Japan, Day 51

Battle At Naraku's Castle

Late Afternoon

 

Caretakers

 

(Just a note: ignore that first divide in the middle of the story.)

 

Atop the hill, Kagome watched the battle raging below. She could catch glimpses of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's clothes, along with occasional flashes of the Tetsusaiga's Windscar and the Tojikin.

 

“How are they doing?” Maria asked from behind her.

 

“I can't see Jan from this…” Suddenly, a bright blue light cut into Naraku's ranks. Nothing happened for a few moments, then the light and all of the demons it had touched exploded. “Jan seems to be doing well.”

 

“So it would appear. When do you think the rest of the Golem will be deployed?” Amelia walked up behind them, munching on an apple and squinting at the battle.

 

“I'm hoping soon. Inuyasha is gonna get hurt in there without backup.” Kagome smiled wistfully as she gestured at another furrow left from the Windscar. “He's one of the types who try to defeat whole armies on his own. He's certainly trying to take them all out single-handedly. I can tell you right now, he's trying to show Koga up.”

 

“From what I've seen, that's gonna take some trying. The demons are avoiding Koga and Ayame like the plague. You can follow their progress by looking for a huge, empty circle in Naraku's ranks. There,” she pointed at a hole in the battle that was moving deeper into the enemy's forces. “They teamed up a while back, and now they have to run after the demons, instead of the demons trying to kill them. All the demons want to do is get away from them.”

 

A sudden influx of demons made the watchers hold their breath. At first, it seemed as if their lines would hold, but they slowly began to lose ground. Only a few individuals, and a large, compressed group of toad demons, were visible in the crush after a few moments. Kagome frantically searched the battle for Inuyasha, but saw only Sesshomaru's tall, lithe frame.

 

“Amelia! Get back to the cauldrons and tell them to double potion strength. Archers, prepare a volley! I'll have everyone not doing something important make arrows and deliver them. Keep up continuous volleys at the enemy. Aim and fire at the new demons if you can without hitting ours. Kagome, Jan will…”

 

“Maria! I'm deploying the next wave of Golem in one minute from the time this conversation is over. I want you to send the smoke bombs to the two edges they're coming from. Got it?”

 

Maria pulled up at the transporting circles. “Doing.”

 

She directed that there be one smoke bomb placed in each of the four separate areas. After one was sent, the people holding baskets of the concealers were to replace the bombs immediately. When they ran out of bombs, they were to tell her, so she could re-coordinate the destinations for rocks and potions. “What are you standing around for? More of our people die as you process! Get your asses moving!”

 

As she ran to collect the maids, apprentices, healers, and anyone else she could find doing nothing constructive for the moment, she told them all they were to use the conjure boxes to replicate as many arrows as they could carry, then take them to a priestess with a bow. If the priestess looked like she had over fifty arrows, move on to the next one. The first person to get to a priestess was to stay there and hand them the arrows. The rest, “Keep delivering.”

 

Kagome shot arrows quickly and efficiently, taking down a demon with every arrow. The priestesses who had thought her powers to be diminished by her relationship with Inuyasha stared in amazement as much as possible between arrows; three or four arrows were the average arrows per demon for them. Kagome noticed none of this, searching frantically for the slightest sign of Inuyasha.

 

 

 

 

Rin saw that Kagome was worried, and she knew that it was over Inuyasha. She had been looking for the hanyou as well as Jan and Lord Sesshomaru. Jan was harder to spot than Sesshomaru, whose tall form was in an almost immaculate white outfit. She had a theory as to why Inuyasha was unseen, but did not dare voice it yet. She quietly took another bundle of arrows from one of the servants charged with delivering them, and handed one to Kagome. “Send more, as quick as you can. Lady Kagome goes through them quickly.”

 

The young woman nodded, and hurried back to the conjure boxes. Rin sighed, handing another arrow to the priestess. No matter how many times she told them, they never sent more in time. `With thirteen of those boxes all in working order, you would think they could get here before we run out of arrows.'

 

The servants averaged about thirty arrows per delivery, unless they were the one of the cook's helpers, some of whom had been pulled from the “kitchen” a few hours before. They were pretty strong, compared to most of the servants. They averaged about forty-five.

 

“I heard you asked for more arrows?”

 

Rin looked up at the boy standing next to her. She had five arrows left in her hand. “Yeah. Thanks. It usually takes them forever to send more.” She handed waited until Kagome needed the last arrow, handed that arrow to her, and grabbed the bundle of arrows the boy proffered. She handed one to Kagome as she put them on the ground next to her.

 

“I could ask the others if they want to move a couple of the boxes up here, if you want. That way, we'd be able to see when you need more.”

 

“That's a good idea. I mean, if you would not mind.” Rin glanced at him. “If you do not mind my asking, why did you come with more arrows?”

 

The boy grinned. “I was carrying a bundle of arrows and saw that last girl headed back from here, muttering about `that demon-raised brat messing with the delivery system, thinking you can go through thirty-eight arrows in five minutes', so I guessed you could use some more.”

 

“She actually called me that?” Rin gasped, flushing.

 

“Rin, I've been called a number of things during the time I've known Inuyasha, and if that's the worst they can think up, be happy. Do you think you could send someone with water next time?”

 

“Sure, milady. I think that the light load of a water cup will bring you about seven times as much water as you want. Do you want me to fill up your quiver while you take a break? It looks like you can carry about forty-eight arrows in there.”

 

“The exact number. How'd you know?”

 

“My father was a fletcher before he died. I developed an eye for those kinds of things.” The boy ducked his head, and then looked up. “Would it be alright if we set these arrows up in the ground and Rin came back to the conjure boxes with me? If she wants, I mean.”

 

“Sure, if she wants to. She deserves a break more than I do.” Kagome flexed her fingers. “We're both pretty tired.”

 

Rin got to putting the arrows into the ground, head first, so that they would stand up. With the boy's help, it was done quickly, and she walked off with him. Kagome smiled, then turned her eyes back to the battle. “Where are you, Inuyasha?”

 

Inuyasha ducked, and swung at the demon whose claws had almost ripped his throat out. He pressed his back to Sesshomaru's once again. “Hey, Sesshomaru, how're ya doin'?”

 

“About as well as you. Next time you see Koga or Ayame, I want you to see if you can call them over. I doubt it will work, but I would like to catch my breath.”

 

“What'd'ya mean, you `doubt it will work'?” Inuyasha cut the next two demons in half, pivoting on his heel to spear them.

 

“The demons avoid Koga and Ayame, but I think that Naraku has targeted us. It is a… fifty-fifty chance they will avoid us if Koga and Ayame come over to us.”

 

“Great. I have to ask that mangy… Koga! Ayame! Come over here for a sec, will ya?”

 

“What, over your head, dog breath?”

 

“Koga! Be nice. You can insult him later. Maybe he wants to talk to you.”

 

Inuyasha snorted. His rivalry with Koga was pretty much habit, now, but being in the presence of the wolf demon for too long still grated on his nerves. He watched as the demons parted around the couple as they jogged over to the two brothers. The demons hesitated, noticeably, when the two joined them, then began their efforts to exterminate the dog demons again. “Hey, bastard, you were right. We are being targeted.”

 

“I told you that. At least we managed to rest for a second. Who votes to make a square and move towards the castle?” Sesshomaru didn't wait for an answer, just moved to Inuyasha's side, imperiously expecting the two wolves to fill in the square.

 

“At least now we don't have to chase after our opponents, huh, Ayame?” Koga said while chopping up a demon.

 

“Just make sure you can keep up with the dogs, okay? They've gotten pretty far, considering the fact that they couldn't just jog up to wherever they wanted to be,” Ayame commented.

 

“Look, we just need enough room to use our swords' attacks. Think you two can manage that?” Inuyasha kicked at his opponent, growling. “That way, we might be able to manage to get a breath in.”

 

“Good plan, Silver. Move your asses over, let me and the monk into this party.” Jan didn't wait for a return quip, just backed into a space between Sesshomaru and Ayame. Miroku slowly backed into a spot Koga made for him next to Inuyasha. Jan muttered a spell, and Inuyasha caught a few of its words. “…kedana pyro metara jhova….” A ring of fire appeared around them. “Devour.”

 

The ring of fire moved away from them, spreading and growing. It grew quickly into a raging inferno, and turned blue with the heat it generated. The demons that entered it never made it to the other side, and when the circle lost its form and was no longer a magical fire, there was a fifteen foot radius of demonless space surrounding them on all sides. “Ye who ask shall receive.” Jan grinned, and pulled a bag from her belt. “I haven't gotten a chance to use any of my battle mixes yet. I wanna see if they work out as well as they're supposed to.”

 

Inuyasha saw the demons closing in slowly. “Hey, Miroku, there aren't any of those bug things. Wanna lend a hand?”

 

“I would be glad to.”

 

“Fine, then. On three, make your moves. Everyone get ready to run into the holes left. Inu, Sesshy, Monk, then me for our attacks. Wait until one attack dies to start another. One, two, THREE!”

Kagome saw Inuyasha's Windscar rip a furrow into the enemy's ranks. She saw a group of warriors - their warriors - run into the furrow, Sesshomaru's Tojikin's attack and then Miroku's Windtunnel keeping the way clear. She saw them continue to run forward, and wondered what they were doing. Suddenly, the ground in front of them sucked in the demons ahead of them, but allowed them to continue. Inuyasha used the Tetsusaiga's attack again, through to Miroku, then an orange miasma swept out from the group into the demon ranks ahead of them. Each time they went through the order, a new thing happened to the demons on the fourth attack.

 

Kagome paid so much attention to the battle nearing Naraku's castle, she neglected to watch the battle closer to her. Sango surprised her when she landed beside the priestess. “Kagome, we can't hold them back any longer. The toads are trying to delay the demons, but it won't be for long.”

 

“What? I didn't even think that they would make it this far! Go tell the other priestesses, but try not to let anyone carrying arrows hear. The last thing we need is a bunch of those airhead maids panicking. Then go tell Maria.”

 

“Got it. You better start retreating.”

 

“Lady Sango! Is something wrong?” Rin walked up with the boy she had left with. He was carrying a large load of arrows, and she was holding the full quiver.

 

“Rin, I need you and your friend to stay with me. The demons are breaking through. I'm gonna fire a lot of arrows at them, and I need you to keep up with me until we run out. How many do we have?”

 

“One hundred, Ma'am.”

 

“Good. Sango, go tell the others.”

 

“Okay. Come on, Kirrara.”

 

Kagome looked at the oncoming demons and fired an arrow. She got up her rhythm again, and stared grimly at her targets. “Begin to move back slowly,” she told the two children next to her. They did as she said, keeping pace with her. When they ran out of arrows, Kagome said, “Follow me, and try to keep up.”

 

They ran through a camp being abandoned quickly, where servants were gathering anything of value they could find. “Leave all that behind! It's not worth your lives!”

 

Sometime during their flight, Shippo managed to join them. He was running hard, but didn't jump up on Kagome's shoulders like he usually did; he understood that she needed to go faster than she would if she carried him.

 

Kagome led them into the nearby forest, running towards the transporting circle she had set up the day before, with Jan's help. “Get into the middle, Guys. This is gonna hit your stomach hard; I'm not as good at it as Jan is.”

 

“Take us to where I desire

On the wings of fastest fire.”

 

The earth seemed to lurch beneath them, and Rin screamed as one of the enemy demons rushed at them. When it was almost upon them, they felt their stomachs lurch, and they were safe.

 

Inuyasha felt it the moment Kagome left the area. His heart felt as if somebody squeezed it in red-hot tongs.

 

“The camp's been attacked,” Inuyasha and Sesshomaru both said calmly.

 

“How would you know?” Inuyasha demanded.

 

“I asked your mate to keep Rin safe. I felt her leave the area; that is how it is with Pack.”

 

“Don't feed me that…” Inuyasha paused a moment to use his Windscar. “That shit. That doesn't happen with every pack member, only close Pack, like a mate. You didn't…”

 

“Rin is my daughter, Inuyasha. I have completed the necessary rites to ensure that she is considered as such.”

 

“Oh. Sorry. Don't tell anyone I apologized to you, though.”

 

“I understand your reasoning. I will not tell.”

 

“Ooh, look, a house. Let's drop in, shall we?” Jan threw her last pouch at the enemy lines. “I'll tell!” She ran ahead of the group - though not for long - to get to the house before the demons closed in again.

 

“You wouldn't… You would, wouldn't you?” Inuyasha glared at Jan, and she grinned.

 

“It's called black mail. Get used to it.”

 

They entered the house, all except Inuyasha trying not to laugh.

 

Jan closed the doors, and stepped up in front of the group. “Honey, we're home!”

 

Naraku strode into the room. “I've been expecting y… Who are you? And where's the priestess?”

 

Jan twirled her sai lazily. “I'm sorry, but Miss Higurashi couldn't make it in today. I'm her replacement.” She grinned, and her knives halted abruptly. “Katorez pyro.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Katorez pyro… Kentoesh.” A bright flame appeared on the hem of Naraku's pants.

 

“You expect that to stop me?” He stepped on the flame to put it out, but instead, it only caused the flame to grow. At another word from Jan, the fire spread up both legs. The battle against Naraku had begun, and it didn't look too bright for him.

 

Those who had been in the camp had fled. Only a tight circle around the transporting circles remained, the priestesses who were still alive firing arrows for all they were worth, the monks using sacred sutras and other methods, trying to keep the demons at bay. The ones without spiritual powers helped load rocks and potions into the circles to dump into the writhing mass of bloodthirsty demons.

 

“Dance of Blades!” came an imperious voice from above them. Kagura had aimed her attack at Naraku's demons.

 

“Why did you just do that?” Amelia asked, pausing.

 

“Naraku's busy, kid. He's not gonna notice if I switch sides.”

 

“Kid?!”

 

“Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, girl. Keep moving,” an elderly lady told her as she was lugging debris to one of the circles.

 

“Dance of the Dead!” A whirlwind swept up, ripping into the demons attacking the humans.

 

“Kid! Humph,” Amelia muttered angrily as she got back to work.

 

Kagome grabbed the hands of Rin and her friend, Kyoto. Shippo hung grimly to her neck as she pulled the two children up onto the rim of the well. “Brace yourselves, I don't know if this is going to work.”

 

“What? Jumping into a well for no known reason seems like it's gonna work to me,” the boy said sarcastically. It was proof of how worried they all were that no one rebuked his comment.

 

Kagome jumped, pulling the two behind her. Shippo squeezed his eyes shut. Rin screamed. The boy began to chant a prayer…

 

And they were on the bottom of the well, hearing rain pounding on the roof of the well house. “It worked. I'll expect an apology from you, Yukio.” Kagome grabbed the rungs of the ladder and started up it. “Follow me! We're safe now, so don't worry.”

 

Yukio gaped at her until he was prodded in the ribs by Rin. “C'mon.”

 

“Grandpa? What are you doing in… No! This isn't an evil demon, he's the fox kit I told you about! Shippo? There are two kids about Souta's age too… you weren't trying that rice vinegar thing again, were you? It took me weeks to get the smell out of my hair!” The two came out of the well to see Kagome staring down an old man in a white robe. “But since you're here, could you help me with something? I need to close the well.”

 

“What? You're giving up your life on the other side? Why? This means I won't be able to ask Hojo for any more of those remedies!”

 

“Grandpa, there was a battle on the other side of the well, and Naraku may find a way to get here to get me. I need to close the well so that he can't get here and hurt people. Where's a big slab of wood?”

 

“Over there.” The old man gestured to a slab of wood leaning against the side of the well house. “I was planning on making a top for that so any tourists wouldn't fall in or see you returning, but I forgot to ask Inuyasha to help me do it.”

 

Kagome ignored his continued laments as she had the kids help her place the wooden board on top of the well. “Grandpa, go get nails and your sutra making kit.”

 

“That kit's no good, though… I couldn't get any of the spells I put on them to work!”

 

“Grandpa, my spiritual powers are stronger than yours. I could make a seal out of bark. Please, just help me?”

 

Grandpa grumbled as he went to do as she directed. “Here. I doubt it'll work, though.”

 

“Watch and see, Grandpa.” Kagome began to paint sealing spells onto the paper, peeling the sutras off of the pad they were on and slapping them onto the well lid as fast as she could. As soon as they hit the plywood, they glowed a faint pink.

 

“How did you do that?” her grandfather asked, incredulous.

 

“My training was from someone who followed the old ways… and I'm the reincarnation of one of the most powerful mikos in the history of the world.” Kagome didn't look up from her spell-writing.

 

“Lady Kagome? Will Lord Sesshomaru be able to come and get Rin if you do that?” Rin's voice caused Kagome to stop. The child looked alarmed, and Kagome felt that she knew haw the girl felt.

 

“I hope he will, Rin. If he can, then Inuyasha can come get me. Sesshomaru asked Jan to make sure you would be safe, and she had explained what my plan for escape was if Naraku's forces managed to get to the camp to him. He agreed to let you come with me to my home, so I assume he knew how to come get you.” This did not seem to encourage Rin, so Kagome tried a different strategy. “Sesshomaru just wanted you to be safe, Rin. He cares about you more than anyone or anything else in the world.”

 

“Kagome? What are you doing in here? Who's this?” Kagome's mother walked into the well house, a quizzical look on her face.

 

“Mom, this is Rin, Shippo, and Kyoto. We were in the feudal era fighting Naraku, and his demons overran most of our army, so we came back here.” Kagome didn't even look up from what she was doing. The top of the well was almost completely covered in the sutras.

 

“Okay, but what are you doing?”

 

“I'm sealing the well so that there's no chance of Naraku or his minions can get here.”

 

“And you expect me to just take care of everyone?”

 

“Not everyone, just these kids. Inuyasha's gonna be sealed out, too. Sesshomaru-sama gave me a bag of gold, and she has it. There are some jewels, too. I didn't stop to take stock; I don't know what's worth what. It's supposed to help us take care of them indefinitely.”

 

“I truly hope that it's enou…” Her mother trailed off as she looked into the bag Rin had handed her. “There's enough here to take care of all of us past retirement! We're practically rich now, Kagome.” Her mother thought a minute, and then said, “I'll put most of it into a bank account… after I have it turned into money. I'll have to use some of our political connections to make them legal, and give them a background… family… birth records… how old are you, Rin?”

 

“Rin is three years old, Miss Higurashi.”

 

“You're a bit big for three years old…”

“She counts her age from the time she met Sesshomaru. She had died, but he brought her back with the Tensaiga, so she counts since then. I figure she's about nine or ten, because she knew enough about taking care of wounds to care for Sesshomaru when she met him.”

 

“And you, Kyoto?”

 

“I am eleven years old, ma'am.”

 

“You can call me either Aunt or Mama. I guess I'm a caretaker thrice times over.”

 

“Why, Mama?”

 

“Well, you brought back three kids, Kagome… that makes me a caretaker three more times than I was before.”

 

“I only brought you back two. I'm Shippo's mom, not his sister.”

 

“What do you mean, you're his mother?” Kagome's mother glared at her with an expression at once horrified and angry.

 

“I've been taking care of him for three years, now. Inuyasha and I are his adoptive parents. It's really quite simple.”

 

“Well, I can't register him as your son, Kagome. You're still underage. You aren't allowed to have children, especially adopted children. It's against the law. I'd get hauled away to a mental institution if I tried to register the boy as yours. All of you would probably be put into children's homes. I don't even want to think about other repercussions.”

 

“Then don't think about them, Mama. Besides, you don't have to register Shippo at all. If anyone comes to the house, he can just turn into a lamp or something.”

 

“He can turn into a… Excuse me? What did you just say he can do?”

 

“Kitsunes are natural tricksters. They have the ability to change their form. He's changed his form into mine a couple of times, Mama. Once he did a bow… I think I remember something about a bush, but I'm not sure… anyway, Shippo can turn into pretty much anything you put in front of him. It's a fox demon thing.” Kagome said this in a very matter-of-fact voice, and her mother almost didn't do another double take.

 

“Okay, so he'll turn into a lamp… but why don't you want him registered at all? If he's registered, he'll…”

 

“Mama, Inuyasha could barely stand being in the city. Shippo won't be able to attend school there. His ears are way too delicate to take that kind of beating, not to mention the rest of his senses. Being in Tokyo gives me a headache, right after I've come through the well, and I'm not even hanyou like Inuyasha. Shippo's full demon, so it would probably be even worse. Besides, Shippo knows almost nothing about this world. It'll be hard enough to get Rin and Kyoto accustomed to this time so the other kids don't make fun of them. Besides, Shippo can't hold an illusion to make himself look human all day. He hasn't practiced shape shifting enough. And, I don't want to give up being his mom just because of some stupid law that says I'm too young. He's my kit, and that's all there is to it.” Kagome was barely paying attention as she said this. She was staring at the new lid to the dry well, checking to make sure that the seals would work.

 

“Alright, I get the idea… I'll hold off on registering Rin and Kyoto, too. Just for a few months, though.” She paused, and Kagome looked up, sensing that she wasn't finished. “It's a little strange to hear you calling someone your child, Kagome. I guess I haven't gotten over that silly mother thing about thinking of your grown up children as little girls or boys.”

 

“You still have Souta, Mama. You can treat him like a little kid and embarrass him until he grows up. It'll probably take way longer for him to grow up.”

 

“When did… never mind. Come on, kids. Lets get you into some more modern clothes.” Kagome watched as Rin and her new friend followed her mother. Shippo looked at her, and she nodded.

 

“Go on, Shippo. Your clothes are all dirty.”

 

The little kitsune nodded and scampered to the door, then paused and looked back at her. “Thank you.”

 

“For what?” Kagome asked.

 

“For calling me yours. I was afraid you'd let your mom register me as hers.”

 

“Of course I'd call you mine. You're my son, Shippo. I adopted you a long time ago, and that's all there is to it. Why would you be afraid of my mom registering you as hers?”

 

“No reason, really. I was just worried…” Shippo seemed to think over something for a minute. Suddenly, he blurted out, “My dad's parents died in a fire when he was just a kit, and he was traded around a lot, because no one wanted to keep him. I was afraid that it would happen to me, I guess.”

 

“I'll never let anyone else be called your mom, Shippo. Inuyasha and I are your parents, no matter what. Okay?”

 

“Okay.” Shippo smiled, then ran over to the house, his tail twitching with his happiness.

 

“Inuyasha and I will never let you go, Shippo…” Kagome murmured. Suddenly she sobbed. “Inuyasha!”

 

A single tear slipped down a dusty cheek slowly, and landed on the wood of the well.

 

`It seems that Kagome is more “grown up” than she wants her mother to know. It seems that her caretaker is no longer her mother, but Inuyasha… darn, that means I can't exorcise him…” Kagome's grandfather stood in the shadows, watching his grand daughter's heart break. `I am helpless to comfort her… for her sake, I hope that damn half-demon Inuyasha shows up soon.'