InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A New Sibling ❯ New Arrivals... ( Chapter 30 )

Yeah, you know how I said I would update before a month was up? Well, I guess that I lied. I got distracted with school stuff and `Fallen Angel'. I'm so sorry! Anyways, here's the next chapter! Hurray! Oh, and I'll be skipping quite a bit of time, because typing everything that happened over a week's time would take WAY too long…

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

Kagome spent the next few weeks explaining her modern-world to her feudal era guests and hanging out at Takahashi Museum with those same guests only from her time. As she walked down the street toward the museum her mind drifted elsewhere. Ayumu's surgery was going to be held the next day and she would have to be there. Not that she didn't want to be, but hospitals kind of creeped her out.

She absent-mindedly walked through the front doors of the museum, not caring where her feet were taking her. She passed by several glass cases occupied by swords and armor from the days of the samurai; she passed by ancient scrolls written long ago, predicting onslaughts of merciless demons; she passed by everything in the museum until she finally reached the very back where she scarcely avoided running right into Sesshoumaru, or rather he scarcely avoided her running into him. In the last moment, he side-stepped out of her way, grabbing her elbow to stop her before she could trip over the swords on the ground.

Kagome looked up curiously at him.

He chuckled lightly at her before releasing her arm and leaning over to pick up the swords at her feet. "You might want to watch where you're going next time," he teased, straightening up, his eyes lighted with playful amusement.

This brought a small smile to her face as she followed Sesshoumaru as he walked through the door to the back and towards the rear of the storage room, finally stopping before a table and spreading the swords out on it. Kagome walked around the table to stare at him inquisitively. After a few silent moments he looked up at her, quirking one elegant, white brow.

"Is there something you wanted to ask me," he asked slowly, watching her carefully, "or do you just enjoy staring at people?"

"Wha-what's that supposed to mean," she asked, huffing indignantly.

Sesshoumaru straightened from his position over the swords, holding his open palms in front of him. "It doesn't mean much; I was just wondering why you were staring at me," he explained with a friendly smile. (A/N: *cringe* So… friendly… So… out-of-character… *falls over on side*)

"Well," Kagome started, looking nervously from his face to the swords before finally fixing her gaze on her twiddling fingers, "I just stand here talking to you and it baffles me. How could one man change so much? The `you' I know from the Feudal Era is a cold, unfeeling taiyoukai, but you… you're a great friend, so friendly and open. You've changed a lot."

Sesshoumaru nodded, turning back to the swords and wiping their blades with a small, white cloth. Kagome stood there, watching him, for several long, drawn-out moments before he stood up straight again and looked at her with one of those looks that says, `I know something you don't'. (A/N: I despise that look with the undying passion of a thousand tiny suns!)

"To correct you, I am one demon, and I was young and stupid," he replied simply, turning away from her to place the swords in their sheathes.

She just watched him, clearly baffled, before she finally broke out of her stupor and stomped around to his front. "I can hardly call 381, young, Sesshoumaru," she huffed. "You've changed more than one would from just aging."

"You're right; I have," he said, walking past her and back out of the museum, Kagome right on his heels.

"So, what changed you so much," she asked, her impatience for the newly playful taiyoukai evident in her tone of voice.

"Many things, Lady Miko," he replied, stooping over to pick up part of a suit of armor; "One of those things would be you."

He disappeared back into the storage room again, leaving Kagome to stand stupefied in the middle of the room. Sesshoumaru returned shortly to find her in the same position, and he walked right up to her, stopping just short of her.

"What do you mean I'm one of the things that changed you," she asked, looking up into his face.
"Could you move, please," he asked. "I've a lot of work to do and you happen to be standing in front of some crates I need."

"Oh," she exclaimed, quickly jumping out of his way, "but won't you answer me?"

"No," he said, disappearing into the storage room once more.

Kagome decided not to pursue the matter and called her good-bye to him before leaving to walk back to the shrine where her feudal era guests would be waiting.

~*~

Sesshoumaru (the one from the feudal era… duh…) sat in the living room, trying to resist the urge to behead Souta for watching the "TV" with the volume turned up so loudly. His tail thumped irritably on the floor behind him and his claws drummed edgily on his knee as he watched the child from the corner. He was becoming very impatient with each passing day, irked to no end by Kagome's world of "modern conveniences".

Suzuka came down the stairs just as Sesshoumaru stood up to punch a whole through the television screen to stop the noise. She quickly and quietly slunk in front of him, making sure the child couldn't hear the interruption, and placed a hand on his shoulder and giving him a cold look that told him, `Don't even try it'. He glared at her for a moment before sighing in defeat and retreating to the kitchen. Suzuka followed after checking to see that Souta was not aware of the short squabble.

When she entered the kitchen, Suzuka found Sesshoumaru already seated at the table next to Kuzume. She seemed quite amused at something, further agitating Sesshoumaru's already sour mood. Suzuka sat across from them, watching in mild amusement as Sesshoumaru simmered over something and Kuzume fought to hold back her giggles. `She's the only one that can safely get away with laughing at him,' she thought mirthlessly.

"Suzuka, Aniki," Ayumu's unsure voice came from the doorway, "what's that horrid noise coming from the other room?"

All three jumped to their feet, Suzuka and Sesshoumaru quickly crossing the kitchen to her, leading her toward the stairs.

"You shouldn't be out of Kagome's room," Suzuka told her as the ascended the stairway. "You could've fallen down the stairs or something."

Before Ayumu could protest, they set her on the bed, telling her not to chance another trip downstairs again, then left. Ayumu flopped onto her back with a huff, staring blankly at the ceiling, unseeing. There was a soft knock on the door and she bolted upright. Kuzume's scent wafted to her nose from the hallway.

"Come on in," she called.

Kuzume stepped in moments later, crossing the room and sitting next to Ayumu on the edge of the bed. "Are you alright," she asked carefully. "You seem agitated. Though, your agitation wouldn't come near to Lord Sesshoumaru's, you still seem annoyed about something. Do you care to share?"

"They won't let me leave the room," Ayumu whispered. "They think that since I've gone blind, I can't fend for myself, or at least climb a stupid set a stairs."

She glared at the door, past Kuzume.

"They're just worried about you," Kuzume reassured her. "I'll talk to them if you want, but I doubt it'll do much good."

Ayumu shook her head. "No, you're right. It won't do any good to talk to them about it. Stubbornness runs in our family," she joked.

"I noticed," Kuzume replied, amusement coloring her voice.

The two began laughing for a bit before calming down, bringing the room into silence.

"How did we become so close," Ayumu asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I used to hate you, despise you, even, for loving Sesshoumaru, but that's all changed, how?"

"We went through a near-death experience together. That could be one reason, but I don't know. Maybe you always liked me, deep down, ne?"

"Maybe," Ayumu agreed. "Listen, tomorrow's the `surgery'. I'd like to get some rest, so I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Of course," Kuzume nodded.

Kuzume leaned over and gave Ayumu a small hug before exiting the room, leaving Ayumu to herself.

<It might be a long few centuries with her hanging around the citadel…>

~*~

*Hospital*

The small group sat in tense, worried silence as they awaited the news of Ayumu's surgery. Sesshoumaru sat in a chair in the corner, his fingers intertwined in front of his face, Kuzume in the seat to his right, lightly tapping his arm with her slender fingers. InuYasha sat across the room, his baseball cap pulled down low over his face as he glared at the passing nurses and doctors. Kagome and Suzuka sat side by side next to Suzuka, watching anxiously for someone to walk up to them and report on Ayumu's status, while Aura sat on the other side of Sesshoumaru, leaning back in his chair and staring intently at the ceiling.

"How long does this take," InuYasha exclaimed suddenly, leaning to rest his elbows on his knees.

"Shut up, InuYasha," Sesshoumaru muttered coldly.

"It'll take an hour or two at the most," Kagome answered, completely ignoring Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru glanced up at her, astonished that any human would disregard his speaking. He quickly shrugged it off, telling himself that she had merely not heard him. InuYasha noticed this and, being as bored as he was, decided to continue irking the taiyoukai.

"And how long have we been here," he asked, glancing slyly at Sesshoumaru as he looked up.

"Shut up, half-breed," he said, a little louder.

Kagome, forgetting which Sesshoumaru this was, ignored him again and answered. "We've been sitting here for about an hour. It won't be much longer now."

Sesshoumaru refused to ignore that she overlooked his speaking that time. She was really ignoring what he was saying. His blood began to boil at the thought of this mere human thinking she could just pay no attention to what he said like that. His aura flared dangerously, but Kagome still didn't notice his vexation. But Kuzume noticed, and succeeded in calming him down a bit by patting his arm and getting his attention. (A/N: Just imagine he's a pompous, arrogant taiyoukai that thinks he's above her. He's not going to be too pleased that she overlooked him.)

InuYasha smirked and opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted when Kagome jumped up and raced across the room toward Doctor Guchi, the doctor that gave Ayumu her check up.

"Well," Suzuka asked anxiously, running up behind Kagome, "how is she?"

"She's fine," Guchi told them with a small smile. "She'll be awake soon, so you can wait in her room. She'll have to keep the bandages on for about a week, but then she'll be just fine."

Doctor Guchi led them through the hallways towards room 386, motioning for them to go inside, leaving soon afterwards. They all stood as close to the bed as they could get, trying to see Ayumu as soon as she woke up. After several moments of just standing there, they saw her move. She stretched as best she could without pulling the IV out. After a minute she noticed the scents of all her comrades gathered so closely around her and let out a small squeak. They immediately stepped back, satisfied that she was indeed alive.

After staying and chatting with Ayumu for a while, a nurse came in and told them that visiting hours were ending in a few minutes. They each said their good-byes and exited the hospital, bound for the shrine.

"How long will she have to wear those bandages again," Kuzume asked.

"That `doctor' said a week, but he was probably referring to the human time period," Sesshoumaru told her, jamming his clawed hands into his pockets, thoroughly annoyed at life, the universe, and everything. (A/N: Booyah! "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"!! You gotta read it!)

Kagome nodded, staring off beyond the horizon as the moon rose above the mountains in the distance, the sun already gone behind them. Aura and Suzuka walked just behind her, while Sesshoumaru and Kuzume were in front of her, and InuYasha took up the rear. They walked on in silence, no one having anything to add to the brief exchange of words between Sesshoumaru and Kuzume.

They each walked through the front door of the Higurashi residence, scattering out through the house. Kuzume and Sesshoumaru flopped onto the couch in the living room, watching silently as Kagome ascended the stairs to her room, followed closely by Aura, and Suzuka and InuYasha went to the kitchen to raid the fridge.

"I guess we'll be able to go back home after this is finally over," Kuzume whispered, yawning and leaning her head on Sesshoumaru's shoulder.

He nodded silently, not looking down at her, but draping his arm around her waist.

She looked up at him inquisitively. "Is something wrong," she asked.

He chose to look down at her this time. "No," he muttered, "I'm fine."

"I'll take your word for it this time, but my mind is still not at ease," she said, settling back onto his broad shoulders and drifting slowly into a quiet slumber.

"I would expect not," he whispered, only just audibly to her sleeping form.

~*~

(A/N: I'm skipping forward a few days… Ayumu's completely healed and, well, I'll let you read…)

After a quick, nerve-grinding trip back to the hospital to get Ayumu's bandages removed, the small, mismatched group retreated back to Higurashi Shrine. Doctor Guchi had annoyed Sesshoumaru and Suzuka to no end, wondering over how quickly she had healed; now they were all watching in mild delight as Ayumu explored this time in a new light. After spending another day at the shrine, they finally made their way back to their own time, back to the Feudal Era.

They quickly made their way back toward Ooyami Village, waiting patiently every now and again as Ayumu admired how beautiful everything was. When they finally arrived, Shippo practically launched himself into Kagome, almost knocking her to the ground.

"ImissedyousomuchbecauseyouweregonesolongandIthoughtsomethingbad might'vehappenedtoyouorAyumuorAuraorSesshoumaruorInuYashaorSisterandnowI'mj ustgladyou'rebackbecauseImissedyousomuch," he gasped after he was done, trying to breathe after getting all of that out in one breath. (A/N: Don't you just hate it when little kids talk so fast you can't understand them? *snicker*)

Kagome sat there staring at him wide-eyed. "Could you repeat that a little slower, please, Shippo," she asked slowly.

He nodded. "I missed you so much," he said, glomping onto her.

"I think you said more than that, but that's good, Shippo; I missed you too."

Sango and Miroku greeted them all as well, inquiring about Ayumu's sight.

"My sight's back," she exclaimed proudly.

"That's great," Sango said, stepping away from Miroku as he got a little too close for comfort.

They celebrated until dark, each retiring to their own sleeping spot. When the moon was directly above, Ayumu sat up, her ears twitching at the sound of children's laughter in the distance. She stood and walked out of the hut, careful not to wake anyone since her hearing was still sharp from going blind and no one else had woken from the noise.

She wandered deep into the forest, the thick canopy of leafy branches shielding the light of the moon from reaching the forest floor. But that didn't bother her; being a demon, she had better eyesight in the dark than humans, but not as good as it used to be because of the surgery just ending. Ayumu finally emerged into a clearing with a small pond where the laughter of the two children was loudest. She looked around, seeing two small blobs dashing across the other side of the pond, wrestling in the soft, damp grass. She crossed the pond in one leap, landing just before the two wrestling children. She looked down at them and golden eyes locked onto a set of golden eyes and a set of emerald green eyes.

Ayumu crouched down to look more closely at them. Both immediately climbed to their feet to stand straight. She noticed that one was a small cat demon with chocolate colored hair and a long slender tail, with little cat ears twitching atop her head and glowing golden eyes. Ayumu moved her gaze to study the other child. He was a small kitsune with orange hair, green eyes, fluffy, red ears and a long red tail tipped with white.

"What are you two doing out here," she asked, looking from the little girl to the boy and back again. "And who are you?"

"We were just playing," they answered in unison.

The little girl stepped forward first. "My name is Aryn, and this is my friend Sumiku," she said in a quiet voice.

"I see," Ayumu said, nodding and getting to her feet. "Why aren't you at home, though? It's very late and I'm sure your families miss you very much."

"We don't have any families," they replied in unison again, glaring at each other for speaking at the same time.

"We're orphans," Aryn said.

"Could we stay with you," Sumiku asked as they both looked up at her with huge, teary eyes.

Ayumu shrugged. "Sure, why not," she said, ruffling their ears. "Oh, and by the way, my name's Ayumu," she told them as she picked them up.

They each settled onto her shoulders, thanking her for letting them stay with her. She waved off her thanks, claiming they were now her friends and that's just what friends do. <…but won't InuYasha get a kick out of this…> She thought, laughing silently at the thought of InuYasha's face when he saw them.

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

Wow, now that is one long chapter! Oh, and hurray for me! I finally got more fan-characters in there! Oh, and one more thing: if I manage to fit anymore fan-characters in there, they will die before the story is over, because I can't keep up with that many people in the dialogue…

Happy Haunting,

Chisai Oni