InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Lifetime Loving You Part 2; The Path to Osaka ❯ The Trouble Team ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.

A Lifetime Loving You

~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 2; The Trouble Team

(Kagome)

If it wasn't one thing, it was another. It might have been either a curse or a blessing that I got a daughter as clever as Kitsumi. I never quite understood why that little characteristic never seemed to weigh in at one side more that the other.

For five years now I have lived the life of a peasant woman in Feudal Japan with a few things from my own era to make it just a little more bearable. The only things I could wish for now a day was for a washer and dryer. I hate doing laundry, especially for two………and with no help around to aid me.

I stepped out side my hut and looked around the open space. "I knew it; she's run off again to get out of doing her chores." I groaned and rolled my eyes into the back of my head as I tried to tame my black locks in the large bun of hair on my head.

I sat down on the large stone at the side of my door and pressed out my brown skirt and fixed my faded blue kimono. I growled, "If there's one person she'd be running off to to get out of doing her chores it would have to be--"

I jumped at the sound of my daughter's voice came to my ears as I turned to the old tree and saw her floating out of the with none other than……… "Inu-yasha," I said with an annoyed smirk.

Kitsumi giggled as they both landed and I stood up and crossed my arms with an angry look on my face. They were both soaking wet which meant Inu-yasha had made a pit stop at the forest hot spring falls to run through them with her on his back.

Kitsumi was giggling as Inu-yasha smiled at her happiness. I felt my face start to soften at the cute picture that lay before me. Kitsumi never looked so………Snap out of it, Kagome, think motherly here! I shook my head and returned to my pout with a loud humph.

With that the two wet faces caught my eye with Kitsumi's gasp of fear. I looked at them both, arms crossed, foot tapping and fingers drumming. Kitsumi gulped as Inu looked over my face.

"Uh-oh," Kitsumi said, "She's giving me `the look'."

"You better believe it!" I said and pointed to the hut door. "Now, get into some dry clothing before you catch a cold, and help me with the clothing like you were supposed to."

Kitsumi made a pout and put both arms down at her sides. "But, Mom?"

"No `but's, now go and change. After that you can help me with the rest of the laundry."

Kitsumi whined as she walked by me and into the hut with my eye on her the entire way. I put my hands on my head and sighed out of pure stress and I turned to find a dripping wet sliver hanyo with his bangs covering his eyes like one of those sheep dogs. I arched and eyebrow with my hand still on my face as Inu-yasha smiled like a big kid. "Hey, Kagome," he said rather bluntly but sweetly at the same time.

I sighed and turned away. "Why do I always feel like I'm raising two children instead of one?" I turned back to the hut making my way to the door when Inu-yasha drew back a little in surprise before shaking his body briskly to shake the water off his body.

He blew his bangs out of his eyes which had now grown some what and began to part a little more in the middle. His eyes had grown slightly to the side and the more I looked at him the more I started to see the similarities between him and his brother starting to show. One thing remained different though, and that was Inu-yasha's masculine ruggedness that Polaris told me was the father trait Sesshoumaru didn't inherit. His arms had gotten larger too and his chest, more define. Inu-yasha, and I will admit this much, had grown up to be quite handsome for a guy who looked to be the age of, oh say 23?

Me? What had happened to me? Well, on the physical level my hips got ten times wider making me feel like a boat. My breast got bigger, and I had stretch marks that would shame the scars of Kouga's wolf tribe. My hair had gotten longer and harder to tame without a decent bottle of shampoo around or good detangling comb. I left it up most of the time now anyway with all the chores that had to be done.

On my mental level, there were a lot of tings that were different. Stress was a major factor which began with wondering where my daughter got off to when she had chores to do, to making sure Inu-yasha have a decent meal every day. Not to mention my hormonal level never really was quite the same since the birth and I got into mood swings easily the first few years.

No, Inu-yasha wasn't living with us, he was merely hanging around since he claimed he wouldn't stop protecting me or being at my side since the day we left Owari for Edo. Which meant a few things for the most part, he would earn his keep, watch over Kitsumi when I needed to handle something in the village (mostly because Kaede was getting too old for daily treatments for the sick and needed her rest), and he had to sleep outside, which to be honest never really bothered him for some reason. Inu-yasha put up a fight with me about it on the first day, and I never heard a word about it again. Never quite figured out why for a long time.

I turned away from Inu-yasha just in time to save myself from the spray of water and the stench he had collected over the week. Inu-yasha grunted and looked at me through his clumped wet bags. "She didn't tell me she had chores this morning."

I turned around and looked at him as I reached the door and lifted it. "Inu-yasha, it's been seven days, a week since I last did laundry, you know I do laundry on the seventh day!" I grumbled as I slipped into my house. Inu-yasha came to the door and looked at the reeds over the entrance.

"Just forgot, okay! Jeez, isn't a single person in your home allowed to be normal."

I poked my head out the door, "It's called organization!" and went back in.

Inu-yasha groaned, "Will, you cut that out and just talk to me face to face for once so I don't have to look at a mat of reeds hanging over a door?"

~~~~

(Inu-yasha)

"Will, you cut that out and just talk to me face to face for once so I don't have to look at a mat of reeds hanging over a door?" I complained, and in no time Kagome rolled out the wooden tub and right into me.

"If you're going to fight with me then be useful," she growled. I let out a good, "Feh!" and rolled the tub out into the open space. I marched right back to the door and Kagome walked out with a basket of clothing on her head and Kitsumi lugging the first bucket of water needed for the tub. I went in and got the rest, stopping at the entrance to inhale the sweet scent of herbs, and not to mention Kagome's sweet scent as well which flooded this tiny hut for two along with Kitsumi's.

I found the water and lifted it to take it outside as the steam rose off of it into the slightly cold air of late winter. I poured the water into the basin. Kitsumi rolled up the sleeves of her pink yukata and picked up one of her mother's green skirts.

I turned to Kagome once again. "Look, the kid's done the same thing day in and day out according to your organization. She'll fall asleep quicker at night if you just let her go hang out with her friends," I whispered to her as she handed me a cord of white rope.

Kagome's large brown eyes looked at me with disbelief. "She needs to learn responsibility!"

"Responsibility? Kagome, she's five years old!"

She plunged a kimono into the wash and began scrubbing. "Yeah, and what did you do at five?"

I pulled out a fruit from my sash and took a bite. "I played in the gardens around my mother's estate."

Kagome let go of the kimono and shoved a finger in my face. "Ah-ha, key word there is estate. Well, I'm sorry to bust your bubble, LORD Inu-yasha, but this IS the reality of peasant life in this century."

"Just because you're not high and mighty doesn't mean she should be hanging around here all day and night. You should try to socialize her with the villagers a little more."

"She only gets into trouble when she goes to the village. The boys always pick on her--"

"She can kick their asses for all I care!" I barked.

"Don't you dare use that tone around my daughter!"

"What, I've swore in front of her plenty of times she's probably used to it by now."

"I won't have her picking up on any of your bad habits. You're language is a………"

Suddenly we both stopped once we heard our voices being echoed. Kagome and I looked at each other for a moment before turning to look at the tiny girl impersonating us on the other side.

"………You're language is a bad influence on her.

"It's not my problem! You're the one who keeps picking the fights!

"Well, if I'm always picking the fights then why do you………keep………" Kitsumi finally realized both Kagome and I weren't fighting anymore and were looking at her. It was true; Kagome and I had the same argument every single day. The fact Kitsumi could remember it word for word was what scared us both.

The five year old girl looked at us and faked a big grin with a hint of blush before grabbing another dirty piece of laundry and began scrubbing it.

I turned to Kagome and narrowed my brow. "I'm a bad influence, huh?" and Kagome snapped a look back at me.

"Kitsumi, why don't you go to the village and play with Kara and Kohaku for awhile, and take Myoga with you."

The tiny demon flea popped out of my mane and landed on my shoulder. "Me, Lady Kagome?"

Kagome smirked evilly at me locked in a glare. With a nod Myoga hopped on to Kitsumi's shoulder and the both of them looked at us.

Kagome stood up straight and looked at her daughter and my flea. "Myoga is going to make sure you stay out of trouble, Kitsumi. I want you back here before lunch, understand?"

Kitsumi smiled like a little angel and nodded as she skipped down the path to the village. I turned to Kagome once Squirt was out of ear shot, and the next thing I knew I had a snowball hit me square in the face.

I shook my face and whipped the snow from my eyes as I growled at Kagome. "That's for being a bad influence."

I smirked and made a ball of snow in my hand. "And this is for organization crap!"

I tossed the snow ball gently letting it hit her in the shoulder, and the next thing we knew we were in a full blown snowball fight trying to settle out our differences without words. Yet even with the anger behind it, when I hit Kagome in the face with my fifth snowball and laughed at the look on her face. Not knowing that Kagome would get me in the face again, and mock me. The fight continued with laughing this time as we threw the balls of slightly compacted snow at each other. I finally caught her last snowball in my hand and knocked her down into the snow.

Kagome giggled like she had once done is what felt like centuries ago. She looked so beautiful when she laughed. She caught my gaze when her eyes opened and found me on top of her with her black hair in a mess. My heart was pounding and I was about to see if I could hear Kagome's heartbeat when she pushed me off of her.

"You should go! I've got a lot of laundry ahead of me." I watched as Kagome got to her feet and walked over to the basin trying to fix her hair.

I signed through my nose and got to my feet. "Do you need any help?"

Kagome picked up one of her skirts in the basin of hot water and began to wring it out. "No, I should be able to finish some of these so that we'll have clean clothing for the next four days. Just as long as Kitsumi stays out of trouble."

I sighed inside my secret heart and looked to the woods. "I'll stop by later then." With that I jumped into the air and made my way into the forest feeling the guilt of leaving Kagome alone start to sting.

~~~~

(Kitsumi)

It was defiantly one of the more busy days in the village, and the ice on the dirt paths had melted making the dirt mud. I looked around the clopping horses and long legs to find the hut I was in search of. I made my way quickly to the hut and knocked on the jamb. I poked my head in. "Kara? Kohaku? It's me Kitsumi!"

No one answered and I looked around the village. I strayed away from the door until I heard a familiar voice. "Leave my sister's doll alone!"

I gasped as my face turned to find Kara in tears in the mud with Kohaku trying to pick a fight with the older boys in the village. They held him back at arm's length at the head while his arms swinging around only throwing punches in the air.

I scowled and began to roll the sleeves of my yukata up. "Why that brainless ogre!"

At that moment, Myoga jumped out on to my shoulder. "Now, now, Kitsumi, mind your tempter. You should go and tell an adult about the problem. That is the right thing to do!"

I groaned and looked at the flea on my shoulder out of the corner of my eye. "Great-Godfather Myoga?"

The completely baldheaded flea with his long whiskers looked at me as I lifted my hand with my middle finger placed on the top pad of my thumb. He winced and waved his arms in the air, "Kitsumi!"

With that my middle finger released, flicking the flea in some odd direction and splat-ing him flat against the outer walls of a hut. "Well, some things just never change with these kids."

I stomped up to the three older boys, each one probably a head taller than me. "Hey, give her back the doll, you big bullies!"

The three boys looked at me and Kohaku and Kara looked up. "Kitsumi!" Kara cried out and came up to me and hugged me. "It wasn't my fault! I was just giggling when they passed by the hut when they asked me what I was giggling about and they took my dolly."

I rolled my eyes and held her away from my chest. "You were looking at those boys."

Kara sniffled and smiled shamelessly as Kohaku came to my side in his green kimono. "Curse of father's side of the family."

Kara glared at her brother as her long braid of hair whipped around her head and landed on the back of her navy blue yukata. "Brother, do not insult your heritage."

Kohaku wrinkled his nose. "As least I was blessed with Mother's common sense!"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms as I groaned as the two brunet siblings fought, but all was silent once Shippo arrived at our feet. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

Now, to be completely honest, a group such as this made everything perfect for coming up with the perfect pay back plan. The only problems being, Kara's blue eyes that never stayed concentrated on the target; Kohaku, who thought he was strong enough to take on an army; me, there fearless leader; and then there was Shippo, whom was the oldest of us all and king of pushing buttons.

Shippo's tail wagged in the air with a spot of white starting to grow at the end. He was taller than most of us if he rose up on his toes with his back paws. He was probably the brains of any operation.

I looked at the boys as they made their way toward us. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the little midget from the far side of the village. Looking to take your friend's `dolly' back?" he mocked.

He dangled the doll just above my head and I jumped to catch it, but he kept it just out of my reach. "Awe, poor baby! What don't you call your mommy, or better yet, try calling for that dog man, Inu-yasha to come and help you?"

I snarled and glared at the three boys as they laughed at me. "Don't make fun of Inu-yasha you bullies! He's my friend!"

The boys laughed even harder at the comment and the oldest leaned over. "You know what demons do, Tiny? They kill and eat humans! I bet when you don't even know it! You'll turn your back on him and he's swallow you whole."

I glared at him and held up my fists. "Inu-yasha's only a half demon and the rest of him is human. The only demon I see here is you."

The boy looked at me with a fire of hatred in his eyes and before I knew it, he had taken my head and smashed my face and body into the mud. "Eat dirt, half-man liker!"

The group gasped as the boys laughed and pushed their way through. Shippo growled, "You big bullies! Come back her and try saying that to a real demon's face?" and his paws lit up with a blue flame. Kohaku clamed him and shook his head.

Suddenly, a ball of mud was pitching into the air landing right in the back of the head of the boy who picked on me and had Kara's doll. He turned around just in time for the second. "What the hell?"

I laughed and picked up more mud. "Let's see you eat dirt you big jerk!"

My third hit one of the other boys, and before I knew it the whole gang joined in and the mud fight made the bully's finally run away throwing the doll back to us. Kara caught her doll in her arms and hugged it. "Sora!" she squealed in delight.

Not getting enough of myself I pitched one last mud ball. "And don't come back!"

However, the pitch wasn't good, and instead of hitting the bully's or even the ground, it hit Lord Yuko's horse and the beast reared. When it came down, it was heading right for us and the four of us screamed as we all ran for cover.

The horse unfortunately was gaining on us and we all began to scream as villagers dropped things and dodged out of the way. I fell behind of course and found the horse getting closer. `If only I could run faster!'

Just at that moment, the four of us where swept out of the way by a silver and red blur and pulled to the safe side of the rode while a man appeared in a purple kimono and eased the horse to a halt.

I found my face in the mud again along with my comrades, and it was then that I found the large clawed hands that were surrounding all four of us.

A ladies voice came to us and stopped at our side. "Kara, Kohaku, are you all right?"

The two twins groaned as they lifted their muddy faces. "Yeah, Mother, we're okay!" Kohaku groaned.

I looked up from the mud and found Lady Sango helping Kara out of the mud. Shippo wriggled himself out beside me and spit out the mud in his mouth. I then felt a pair of hands lift me off the ground and wipe my face free of the clumps of earth. When I opened my eyes again I found Inu-yasha with half of his face covered in brown earth not to mention a good portion of the rest of him.

"Hey," Lord Yuko called, "who threw that mud ball at my horse?"

Distant voices from not far mixed with the sound of sobbing boys called out next, "Who threw mud at my son? Who's responsible for this mess?"

The villagers grumbled and I slowly discovered a bunch of eye's landed on me as Lord Miroku came up to me. "Kitsumi?" his deep voice asked.

I looked at the crowd of eyes and then they fell on Inu-yasha's face. I wanted to shrink into a ball and disappear. I put on a big smile and laughed nervously, "Umm………oops?"

The villagers groaned as the three adults continued to look at me with great disappointment, but none were more fearful than the look in Inu-yasha's eyes. He sighed heavily and shook his head. "I don't even want to know what you're mother's going to say about this."

~~~~

(Kagome)

"Grounded?" Kitsumi squealed as I dumped more water on her head while she sat in the tub with Kara and Kohaku who were being bathed by Sango and Miroku.

"For two weeks!" I added.

"Two weeks? That's too long! That will be forever!" she whined as I began scrubbing her hair free of dirt and mud.

Miroku sighed and shook his head. "Kara, Kohaku, you're both punished for a week. No playing, going outside, or friends!"

The twins sighed heavily and winced as their parents washed their hair.

Kitsumi whined, "How come they get one week and I get two?"

I dumped a bucket of warm water on her head again. "Because as I understand you were the first to start throwing that mud at those boys, so that means no play either, or spending time with Inu-yasha."

Kitsumi winced and gasped, "No, you can't tell me not to go play with Inu-yasha! Who will take me flying?"

I groaned, "Kitsumi, until you learn to take responsibility for your actions, you're grounded!"

Kitsumi began to sniffle and pulled away from me and out of the tub grabbing her white robe. I looked at her, "Kitsumi, get back in the tub you're still dirty."

"No," she began to cry, "I hate you!" she sniffled and ran to her room behind the flap of animal hide. I groaned and looked at the water distorting my reflection.

I sighed and but my head in my lap. "I hate having to do this alone. I didn't imagine it would be so hard."

Sango reached out to me once she realized I was starting to make my own tears. "You're doing your best. Just give it time, she's get over it."

~~~~

I looked at the tub of clean hot water and sighed as I touched it to test its temperature. Still too hot!

I pulled at the black tie in my air and let my long raven locks fall just passed my hips. I picked up the comb I made from a bone and began to run it through my hair to comb it out. Damn having so much thick black hair that's impossible to comb.

"Mom!" a little voice said, and I turned around and found the little face that was mad at me not too long ago. "I can't sleep!"

I looked at her and shook my head as I sat down on my sleeping mat and called her over to sit next to me. I slowly brushed her curls of tiny waved raven hair. She held her tiny white dog doll filled with rice and rubbed its ears.

"I don't understand it, Mom. All the boys in town make fun of me because Inu-yasha is my friend. I don't see what the big deal is. Aren't we all………the same?"

I hesitated at this question. "Well, those boys just don't know any better. They just don't see things the same way you and I do. They'll understand someday………maybe."

Kitsumi played with her dog doll and turned to look at me. "Tell me about Daddy?"

I swallowed and smiled nervously. "Where did this come from?"

"Well" Kitsumi started rocking on her rump playing with her dog doll, "Lord Miroku is the daddy of Kara and Kohaku, so that must mean I have a daddy too right?"

I hesitated and let out a sigh. I looked at her and ran my hand down her cheek with a smile. "Someday, when the time is right, I'll tell you everything about your father."

I found my fingertips touching her human ears, and I began to wonder.

Kitsumi yawned suddenly and I giggled. "I think it's time for you to go to bed young lady."

She got to her feet and looked at me as she leaned in to hug and give me a small hug. "I love you, Mommy!"

I smiled and gave her a little push to get her off to bed. I rose to my feet and removed my robe and let it fall to the floor. I messed with my hair a little and tied it back up again before wading into the tub of warm water and herbs. I let the herb scent relax my muscles and put my head back to enjoy the warmth of the water.

I wasn't quiet sure what made me feel that way at that moment, but I felt like somewhere there was a presence beside Kitsumi's that made me just feel a little bit more better about Kitsumi's sudden question that night.

~~~~

(Inu-yasha)

I sat up in my favored tree leaning over the small opening where the steam from the herbed bath rose and took in the sweet warm scent as I sat on that branch.

I smirked as I curled up with my back to the trunk and lounged stretching out my body as the scents of herbs and Kagome relaxed my body. "I'll always be here! No matter how far, Kagome! I'll never leave you behind………or Kitsumi."

~~~~

Okay, I need sleep cuz my vision is blurry today and that's usually the first sign. If there are any errors I will fix them in time. I just want to finish the story first.

Chapter 3 "Dinner's Been Canceled"

Don't miss the next chapter! This is the moment when the truth snaps into life!

See you soon!