InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Matter of Trust ❯ Tale of Two Kitsunes ( Chapter 6 )

A Matter of Trust

By: TuxedoUranus89/InitialA

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the corporate name brands that may appear in this chapter!!! Honest!!

LiveJournal Community: http://community.livejournal.com/tu89_ia_fanfics/

Author's Note: Wow, such an array of responses from last chapter!! *giggles* So much happiness, thank you!! Umm… I can't think of anything clever or witty to put here, so I guess I'll just start writing. XD

 

They were sitting in the living room. “Kagome, when did you… how did you… I don't even know what to say!” Shippou exclaimed, a wide smile on his face.

She smiled back. “It's wonderful to see you, Shippou. And it's nice to meet you…”

She faltered, not knowing his mate's name. She smiled serenely at her. “My name is Itazura. And you must be the foster mother that my mate has spoken so fondly of.”

He nodded happily. Kagome wasn't sure how to respond, blushing and nodding. “It's nice to meet you, Itazura.”

Shippou was bouncing a foot impatiently. She smiled. “You're still a bundle of energy.”

Itazura laughed, her eyes filled with the mischief for which she was named. “He is. Four hundred years of painting and child-rearing hasn't calmed him down in the least.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Like you're one to complain. `Oh, koibito, let's go for a run! It's such a lovely time of day at 3:46am!'” He teased her in a falsetto.

She smacked his arm. Kagome hid a smile; she was glad Shippou had ended up happy with his mate. He turned his attention back to her. “So, why didn't InuYasha tell us you two had gotten back together?”

She pursed her lips, not quite sure how to explain. “Well… I'm not sure you can call us `together'. I know we're bonded for life, so maybe its just fate that brought us back together. We're working on it, but I'm not sure how to explain.”

Itazura smiled encouragingly. “Perhaps it's best to start from the beginning.”

So, Kagome did. She told them how the well had sealed itself seven months ago, and how she'd been preparing herself for single-motherhood when three weeks ago, InuYasha had saved her when she'd collapsed. She told them about their awkward re-acquaintance, and how he'd insisted on her living with him; she even told them how frustrating it was when he wasn't straight about his feelings for her, when he, seemingly out of the blue, tells her she's beautiful and kisses her in a way that's straight out of a romance novel just that morning. Shippou chuckled when she was done. “Well, you have to remember, he was pretty broken-hearted when the well closed. We had no idea what was wrong, just that Miroku found him screaming himself hoarse at the bottom of the well, trying to dig himself through to the other side. Miroku and Sango suggested that perhaps it had just closed on its own. InuYasha… well, I don't know if he ever believed that. He might've found it easier to deal with if he thought you had closed him out of your life, that he'd done something wrong. You know how he is, can't grasp the idea that fate does things on its own and he's powerless to stop it or fix it. Now, he's probably just being an idiot and refusing to see what's right under his nose. He is trying though, I can tell; asking you to live with him and you two trying to work it out again, I bet he's thinking he'll make it up to you, whatever he thought he did.”

Kagome nodded, feeling it was true. “He hasn't said so much to me about it, but then again, we haven't really talked about it. He's always working, and I never think about it at breakfast…”

He nodded. “Well, next time just corner him and demand to know what his deal is.”

She giggled. “And look at you, all grown up and giving me advice on how to deal with him.”

He grinned. “I always gave you advice, you guys just never took me seriously, `cuz I was a kid.”

She felt another ice-cream craving coming on, and thought it was time to act the hostess. “Are you thirsty, or hungry? I was thinking about getting some ice cream.”

Itazura smiled coyly, holding up the bowl and spoon. “Another batch?”

Kagome blushed. The red-haired woman laughed. “It's alright, I know all about cravings; bearing nineteen litters does that to a woman. I'll help.” She said brightly, and went into the kitchen with her.

The raven-haired woman couldn't help but gape. “Nineteen? Not all at once, I hope.”

Itazura laughed. “Of course not, we spaced them out a bit. Kits grow fast though, I'm sure you noticed even with the short time you spent with Shippou. Our last litter, five girls and a handful, are all staying with friends back home in Canada, they're all just ready to finish secondary school. Their older siblings are all grown and with children of their own; the eldest even have their own grandchildren, it's so wonderful to have such a large family!”

Kagome smiled. “It sounds amazing.” She sounded a bit wistful, thinking of having her own large family, if a certain hanyou would get his head in the right place again.

The other woman didn't miss the wistful tone. “InuYasha will come around. He's dense, but he'll realize what he's doing to himself soon. He really did miss you; even I could tell that, and I came along years after you had vanished.”

Laden with bowls of ice cream, (“He'll feel left out, even if it will give him a sugar high.” Itazura said with a mischievous wink), the women went back to the living room. Kagome smiled as Shippou dug happily into his snack. “So, you live in Canada now? When did you leave Japan?”

He spoke around a mouthful of ice cream, not caring if he was being rude. “'e `aven't always lived `ere, just…” He swallowed. “In the last hundred years or so. Nice place, lots of open forest. We've tried getting InuYasha to come and live out there near us, but his feet are rooted here, he couldn't leave. Before that… France, I think?”

Itazura shook her head. “No, we were back and forth between Spain and Ireland for a while. France was before that.”

Kagome blinked. “You've been all over, haven't you?”

Shippou nodded. “We left here around the time they insisted on the isolationism policy. That's when the art world was really Europe. We were in Italy for years, so many great masters and their apprentices and students… I don't think any of our kits have actually been born in Japan.”

Itazura shook her head. “No, the first litter was, that was just before we left though.”

Shippou frowned, then nodded. “Sounds about right… Too many kids later and I don't remember a thing about where they were born!” He laughed.

Kagome nodded. “It sounds like it. So,” Her voice took on a teasing tone, “who were all the famous artists you've been hobnobbing with?”

He ignored her teasing. “Almost all that you can think of. Van Gogh was a real character, not all there in the head sometimes, I think… By far, I think my favorite was Frida Kahlo and that asshole husband of hers.” He said affectionately.

His mate rolled her eyes. “Diego was a different man, but that doesn't mean he was an asshole.”

“All the time. He wasn't an asshole all the time.” He corrected her. “He straightened up a bit at the end. Frida was a delight though, such a different sense of humor and way of looking at things. I still don't know how she was able to hold all that tequila though… She could out-drink any of us on nights out.”

Kagome blinked, curious. “Wasn't she a communist?”

Shippou nodded. “She was, and she was dedicated to her beliefs. The idea was intriguing at the time, so we got to know her when we were in Mexico for a while. Messy affair with Leon though, we backed out of being active in the party after that; Stalin screwed the ideas over so much… Then again, no government is perfect.” He said wisely, with the air of one experienced in various government systems.

Itazura noted the look on Kagome's face. “We don't associate ourselves with the communist view anymore. We don't quite know what political views we have, but it hardly matters.”

The other woman blushed. “I didn't mean to imply…”

The fiery-haired woman smiled. “When you've seen as much as we have, sometimes it's better to just stand on the sidelines. It will change soon enough.”

Kagome didn't even realize how long they had been sitting there and discussing everything until she heard the front door open. Turning, she smiled broadly when InuYasha wandered through the foyer, rubbing his neck tiredly. “Sometimes a half-day is more exhausting…” He muttered to himself.

“For you, this is like a quarter-day.” Kagome teased him, getting up.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, and opened his mouth to reply; he saw Shippou and Itazura sitting on his couch, waving at him. “Hey, squirt, you finally got here.” He said, smirking.

Shippou frowned. “I'm not a kid anymore, you old fleabag.”

Kagome hid a smile; he was still shorter than InuYasha was, around her own height. “And I ain't that old. You wanna call someone an old fleabag, I dare you to greet my idiot brother like that at the party this weekend.” He told him.

“Hell no, I still have kits to put through school!”

Itazura sighed loudly, as she stood and caused both men to look at her. “Good, now that you've both decided to act your ages, hello, InuYasha, it's a delight to see that you're still being dragged through the office kicking and screaming.” She smiled.

He returned it, and she kissed his cheek when she reached him. “A pleasure to be on the receiving end of that wicked tongue as always, Itazura.” He told her.

Kagome giggled. He looked at her. “Let me change quickly, and we can get going.”

Shippou looked at her, head cocked to one side. “Going where?”

She watched her mate leave, replying absently, “Apparently Rin demands my appearance at this party, and he's taking me to be properly attired for the event.”

Itazura's voice was wry. “She's like that; feisty little thing. I assume he's footing the bill, as well? Rin's social festivities tend to require top-notch apparel.”

Kagome bit her lip. “Well, I don't know. We hadn't discussed it. I guess if he's coming with me…”

The other woman patted her shoulder. “Feminine wiles have amazing powers over a man's wallet.” She told her, as Shippou rolled his eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She had balked at entering such a store, but through gritted teeth he'd explained the same thing that Itazura had: Rin expected her guests to be dressed to the nines. Still worried, he dragged her along as a friendly clerk had shown them towards the maternity gowns. Despite herself, she was still pleasantly surprised at the fine, elegant dresses that were before her. All looked to be made for A-list celebrities, it was amazing to think that such gowns were designed specifically for the expectant mother. Fingering her way though some of the racks, she selected several designs she liked, and went into the dressing room. Feeling bored, and surrounded by too many fluffy, flimsy, and pink things for his liking (Kagome seemed to like the varied shades of pink more than the other colors), he flopped into one of the low couches to wait. Several minutes later, his breath caught in his throat. She was elegant, standing with uncertainty in front of the three mirrors. The dress, though a pale pink, fit her shape perfectly: strapless, it hugged her breasts, outlining them with a snug band of gold that winked with sequins. The skirt of the dress draped and folded, lovingly showing off her pregnant stomach before falling to shuffle and whisper near her feet. She turned to ask his opinion, and was startled to see the look of awe on his face. Smiling wryly, she asked, “I take it you like it?”

He swallowed, his mouth dry. “That's the one. Damn all the other dresses, we're getting that.”

She smiled in relief; he liked it as much as she did. “It's just a little too long at the hem. I can't wear heels, so…”

A woman came up to her, draped in a measuring cord and carrying a pin cushion. She looked as if she'd been waiting to hear the words `too long'. “Need it fixed up, dear?”

He growled to himself, not liking the familiarity of the woman. “Yes, please.” She sighed gratefully. “I'll probably be wearing flats, so this length isn't going to work.”

Kagome was instructed to stand on an elevated cylinder. InuYasha watched her carefully, making sure she wasn't getting too tired, as the woman carefully made her measurements and pinned the hem at an appropriate length. “That you're done, dear. If you can just change and give the dress to me when you're done.”

He spoke to the woman while Kagome went to change, explaining the need for speed when fixing the dress. She nodded, more agreeable when he held up a bribe. She cheerfully took the dress from the raven-haired woman when she returned, and he led her away towards the jewelry department. She protested. “I have jewelry!”

He looked at her. “Unless you want to borrow my 14-karat cufflinks, I doubt you have jewelry for a party like this. You'll thank me.”

She was silenced only until they went to the counter displaying diamonds. “R-real diamonds?! InuYasha, you're insane!! I can't own something like this!”

He looked at her again, exasperated amusement on his face. “You women are so damn contrary. Singing about diamonds being a girl's best friend, then going and saying you can't have any. I say you can, and that's the end of it.”

She paled as she looked at the prices. She gripped the counter until her knuckles were white. Sighing again, he said softly, “Ignore the prices. Find what you like, and I swear I'll get it for you.”

She nodded slightly, still floored at the costs. Another clerk asked if she could help, and Kagome asked to try on a simple circle of gold, half of it completely covered in diamonds. She shivered as the cool metal circled her neck, fitting it perfectly; InuYasha helped her with the clasp. She looked at herself in a small mirror, hardly believing this wide-eyed young woman wearing a two-hundred thousand yen diamond necklace was her. She heard a faint growl of approval from him, and smiled. She also tried on a simple tennis bracelet of yellowed-gold and square-cut diamonds, and chose gold hoops inlaid with diamonds for earrings. Feeling faint at the thought of owning such grand things, she barely heard her mate telling the woman to hold the items while they went for shoes. These prices Kagome could handle a little better, not as shocking as the jewelry. She picked a simple pair of gold flats, knowing she'd hurt herself if she was on her feet too long in heels, and feeling the need to finish the gold-pink match. However, at the counter, she nearly did faint, even as InuYasha barely batted an eye at paying almost nine-hundred thousand yen for the jewelry, shoes, dress, and minor alterations to the dress.

They were arguing about it as soon as they were out the door. “Nine-hundred thousand yen!?” Kagome was exclaiming in shock. “You let me choose things that cost nearly nine-hundred thousand yen?!”

He watched her with amusement. “Apparently you don't know that's about how much money I make in three hours.”

She was silent, staring ahead with wide eyes, mouth opening and closing in disbelief. He took advantage of her silence by gently pushing her into the car, and sliding in after her. “Now, let's go out to eat somewhere, I'm starving.”

That seemed to shake her out of her stunned silence. “You're always hungry.” She told him, smacking his arm.

“Oh, so the extra bowl of ice cream in the sink wasn't from you? Shippou still loves sweets?”

She fumed at him. “Shut up!!” He only laughed, as the limo pulled out into traffic.

 

((Ahh, another short one, but I really wanted to write this `Maid in Manhattan'-esque chapter. Also, for those who are curious, the US-equivalent is somewhere around $8500. The most expensive item was the necklace (I did all sorts of fun research on simple, elegant jewelry, and maternity gowns; I loved a lot of them, but the pink one I found was simply gorgeous; otherwise she would've gotten a kimono-like violet dress… not exactly an August color) So I had fun with this chapter, more of a filler than anything else, but I hope you still liked it. =3 More fun times ahead, I promise!! Also, my apologies, no reviewer responses this time, I'm a little exhausted; my roommate hosted some high school girls in our dorm room for an honors band thing, and they were up at 5am the last two days, and kept me awake for hours… Apologies, I'll make up for it next chapter!! Thanks for reading and please leave a review!!))