InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ After-effects ❯ Epilogue: The picnic ( Chapter 20 )

Disclaimer: Well, for the last time, I don't own Inuyasha and the gang.

 

---------------------------------------------

 

Epilogue: The picnic

 

In her entire life, Kagome had never been more certain that something was being planned behind her back. Everything had started this morning after breakfast when Kaede had asked her and Inuyasha to fetch some firewood because their supply was running low. It had seemed a sensible suggestion... until she saw the remaining pile on her way out that is. There was at least a month's worth left, which caused her to frown a little in suspicion.

 

But then, as if that wasn't enough, Inuyasha, usually so expedient about this sort of things had started to use what could only be called ridiculously obvious delaying tactics. He paused to examine every tree, judging, gaging the quality of it before huffing in disapproval and moving to another. The little act was so transparent that it took everything she had just to keep from bursting out laughing. Obviously, Inuyasha was supposed to keep her away from Kaede's hut for as long as possible while something was being prepared. Shaking her head in order to keep her face straight, she decided to play along for now.

 

"How about this one?" she said, pointing to a random tree.

 

The hanyou turned to see where she was pointing before narrowing his eyes critically. "Too green," he concluded eventually. "It won't burn at all."

 

Nodding in understanding, she started to look around for another possible candidate when her eyes landed on a dead tree. The wood was all rotten and it looked like the slightest push would send it toppling to the ground. A spark of mischief rose inside of her and she couldn't help herself.

 

"And this one?" she asked in a dry tone.

 

Inuyasha shifted his gaze to see where she was pointing and couldn't help but snort himself when he saw the tree. "Yeah right, it's so rotten that it'll turn to dust before we even reached Kaede's hut," he replied in good humor.

 

This little game lasted for about an hour before Kagome started getting bored out of her mind. There was a limit to just how long she could endure a joke, so she started to add a little twist to it.

 

"You know Inuyasha, don't you find Kaede's request strange?" she asked innocently.

 

She noticed with satisfaction that the hanyou immediately tensed when she asked her question. "What do you mean?" he questioned back defensively.

 

"Well, she asked us to gather firewood while her supply can last for at least a month," she replied, keeping her tone as innocent as she could.

 

She watched with increasing amusement the distress growing on the hanyou's features. "Well... hum... I..." he stammered, frantically searching for something, anything to say.

 

Unable to contain her mirth any longer, the girl burst out laughing. "You know Inuyasha, I think it would be a lot simpler if you actually told me just how long I'm supposed to stay away instead of continuing on with this silly little act," she giggled while wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

 

There was a second of stunned silence on Inuyasha's part before he grumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'I knew it wouldn't work'. "Two hours," he muttered sourly, frustrated at having failed his mission.

 

"Well then that means we have another hour all to ourselves," chirped the female hanyou with a rather teasing smile.

 

Inuyasha's brows rose at the barely disguised suggestion before he made his way to her. "I think Miroku is having a bad influence on you," he whispered to her when he had her safely wrapped in his arms.

 

"Oh? And is that a bad thing?" she inquired innocently.

 

"It depends," answered the red-clad hanyou. And then, seeing his mate's questioning look, he continued. "If you start rubbing the butt of every man in sight, then that'd be bad..." he trailed off and his eyes widened in surprise as he felt Kagome's fingers give his backside a good squeeze.

 

"Otherwise, I think I can live with it," he concluded, a sly grin spreading on his lips.

 

******

 

"They're late," stated Shippo as he looked left and right, trying to spot the hanyou couple, but to no avail.

 

"What will we do? If they don't come back soon, then all of our preparations will have been in vain," added Yuna, also worried.

 

"I don't think there is anything to be too concerned about," cut in Miroku. "I believe that they merely got... sidetracked," he added with a strange gleam in his eyes.

 

"Oh get a grip on yourself Miroku! Not everyone has a twisted mind like you," exclaimed Sango angrily.

 

As it was though, they did not have a chance to argue further because Shippo suddenly cried out, effectively silencing them both. "They're back!" he exclaimed happily.

 

"Well it's about time," huffed Kagura, relief evident in her voice. "For a moment there, I actually thought we'd have to go and fetch them ourselves."

 

It didn't take long for the pair to reach the hut and immediately they were assaulted by Shippo who voiced the question that was burning everybody's tongue.

 

"What took you guys so long?" he asked urgently.

 

"Sorry Shippo, we got a little... distracted," confessed the female hanyou.

 

At this, Miroku couldn't help but snort in order to contain his growing laugher. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, but he didn't care in the least, this was just too good an occasion to pass out.

 

"All right Miroku, so just this once you were right, no sense in making such a big deal out of it," muttered the demon slayer.

 

In an effort to change the topic to a more comfortable one, Kagome promptly butted in before the conversation had any chance of getting too visual. "In any case, would anyone mind explaining what exactly is going on here?" she asked, glancing curiously at the bundle that rested near Yuna's sitting form and that smelled distinctly like food.

 

"Ah yes," Sango said with a mysterious smile. "Well, with your keen sense of smell, I think you already know what's in that basket over there don't you Kagome-chan?" inquired the demon slayer.

 

"Well unless I'm mistaken, it's food," answered the girl hanyou with a puzzled frown.

 

"Exactly and now, do you remember the night right before you left for Midoriko's cave?" she questioned again.

 

Kagome's brow furrowed even more as she tried to remember exactly what she had said that could be linked with the picnic basked Sango had so kindly pointed to her.

 

"Picnic basket?!" she suddenly thought and her eyes widened in revelation as a flash of memory replayed itself in her mind.

 

"Sango... when everything's over let's go on a picnic together, an all girl picnic!" exclaimed the girl suddenly

 

The change of topic and mood was so radical that all Sango could do was stare at Kagome in complete and utter confusion. "Are you sure you're feeling okay Kagome-chan?" questioned the woman.

 

"I can already picture it from here. You, me, Kagura and Yuna too. We're all sitting in a small meadow filled with flowers. No Miroku to grope, no Inuyasha to constantly complain... No youkai to attack us, no shikon jewel to worry about. Just four friends having a good time together. What do you say Sango, wouldn't it be great?" babbled the miko, completely ignoring the slayer's question.

 

Her gaze wandered back to Sango who wore a satisfied smile on her face, confident that Kagome had finally understood what this was all about.

 

"Sango you..." stuttered the girl hanyou, her eyes filling with tears of happiness at her friends attention.

 

"Hey, I may be wounded, but I'm not totally helpless," answered the woman with a playful wink.

 

"In any case," cut in Kagura. "I think we should go while the food is still warm. It would be a shame to see Yuna's efforts go to waste don't you think?"

 

"Oh! Yes, sorry," stammered the girl hanyou, snapping back to reality.

 

A few minutes later, Sango carefully hoisted on Kagome's back and the picnic basket safely in Kagura's hand, they were ready to go. As they started to move away from Kaede's hut, something peculiar struck Kagome.

 

"The boys aren't coming?" she asked in confusion.

 

"This is an all-girl picnic Kagome-chan, that's what you wanted isn't it?" answered the demon slayer, a hint of worry in her voice that she may have done the wrong thing.

 

"Of course!" came the immediate reply. "Of all the things I wanted to do once things began settling down, this was one of the top on my list. How on earth could I ever forget?" she asked out loud to no one in particular.

 

"Well, if I were to formulate a guess, I think it has to do with the mark on your neck," Kagura said teasingly.

 

Kagome jerked a little, a slight feeling of apprehension beginning to rise in her chest. Not that being mated with Inuyasha shamed her, quite the contrary, but sharing the intimate details of their bonding was not exactly something she was willing to discuss.

 

"That's right, we never really had the opportunity to actually ask you about it," added Sango mischievously when she sensed her friend's rising discomfort.

 

"Kagura-sama, what exactly does that mark mean," Yuna questioned innocently, prompting the wind sorceress to smile darkly at Kagome.

 

The girl hanyou let out a long sigh of defeat at her friend's behavior before literally bursting out in a fit of childish giggle. Everything that had happened in her life had made her forget the simple fun of ganging up on a friend and making her spill every juicy details of a particular experience.

 

"I'll tell you all about it when we reach our spot, I promise," she eventually said, a wide and happy smile gracing her lips.

 

******

 

Heaving out a huge sigh of content, Kagome set her bowl down and rubbed her belly. "Yuna, I just have to hand it to you. Never in my life have I met someone who cooked better than you," she praised.

 

Being her usual shy self, Yuna could not help a slight blush from coloring her cheeks at the praise. "Thank you very much Kagome-sama," she answered simply.

 

And then, as if nothing had happened, the girl's gaze suddenly shifted to the wind sorceress, excitement dancing in her eyes. "Kagura-sama, can I practice?" she asked eagerly.

 

The female youkai gave the ten years old a considering look before she broke into a smile. "Go on Yuna, just be careful not to hurt yourself okay?"

 

"I will I promise," answered the child before bounding toward the small stream twenty paces away.

 

On Kagura's suggestion, the four girls had elected to spread their blanket at the clearing the two sorceresses trained into. Even though it wasn't filled with flowers like in Kagome's fantasy, it was still a more than lovely place where one simply could not help but feel peaceful.

 

Wordlessly, the three people started to watch as Yuna summoned her powers and started to raise a small bubble of water from the stream into the air. It was really fascinating to see it rise and fall, then go left and right seemingly at random, depending on what side the girl decided to make it go to.

 

"She seems to handle her powers well," commented Sango after a few moments of silent contemplating.

 

"She's making good progress," agreed Kagura, her voice filled with motherly pride. "But she's not even beginning to show her true potential. This is merely a small exercise to help her concentration. One day, I believe she'll be able to lift entire lakes without even breaking a sweat," predicted the sorceress.

 

As it turned out, Yuna chose this very moment to let her focus waver. This caused the small bubble of water to pop and splash all over her kimono.

 

"One day indeed," replied the demon slayer dryly.

 

"One day," shot back the wind sorceress firmly before heading toward the dripping child with the obvious intention of drying her up and offering a few pointers.

 

Kagome watched the two interact for a few seconds before speaking up dreamily. "Those two look more and more like mother and daughter everyday," she commented.

 

"Yeah," agreed Sango quietly.

 

Another moment of complete silence fell on the pair before the demon slayer decided to break it this time. "Do you miss them Kagome-chan?" she asked carefully.

 

"Them?" answered the girl hanyou in confusion.

 

"Your family, your friend... your time?" clarified Sango.

 

Kagome did not answer right away. She merely closed her eyes and brought forth the images of her mother, her grandfather, her brother and everything else that she had left behind. A small stab of pain gripped her chest when she realized that now that the jewel was completely gone, the passage through time had most likely been closed forever, effectively sealing her here for good. Even though she had never really intended to go back, it still hurt to know that the door was forever locked.

 

"Yes Sango, I do. I miss having Souta play tricks on me. I miss mom's smile. I miss my grandfather's antics. There's not a thing that I don't miss about my family," she answered eventually, sadness evident in her voice.

 

The demon slayer couldn't help but wince at her ill placed question. Here she was, trying her hardest to make Kagome happy and with one single question, she had successfully ruined everything.

 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," apologized the woman.

 

"It's okay... with everything that's happened, I didn't even get a chance to acknowledge this loss so talking about it sort of makes me feel better," replied the girl hanyou.

 

"If you want to talk to me about it, you know I'm always ready to listen," said Sango truthfully.

 

"I know you are Sango-chan," answered the girl hanyou with a grateful smile. "But not today... not when I'm enjoying some quality time with my friends," she added softly.

 

As she said those words, the demon slayer's gaze shifted ever so slightly to a point right above her head and her eyes widened in horror and surprise. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Kagome made the mistake of actually looking up. She didn't even have time to blink before a bubble of water connected with her face, effectively drenching not only her, but Sango as well.

 

A few seconds of coughing and spluttering later, the girl hanyou had recovered enough to fix Kagura and Yuna with an angry glare. "All right, which one of you two actually came up with this ridiculous idea?" she demanded.

 

Of course, none of the two answered, they were too busy doubling over in laugher. She looked at the demon slayer, as if asking what she should do but Sango merely shrugged in answer while wiping the water from her face as best as she could with only one arm.

 

"Well then, if that's the way it's gonna be..." said a slightly miffed Kagome while standing up and making her way to the two laughing sorceresses.

 

She couldn't help but grin darkly when she saw the confused stares she was receiving. Obviously, none of the two had taken into account that she had inherited more than just the appearance of a dog when her demon blood had awakened. And so, before any of them had time to react, she dropped on all four and vigorously started shaking herself dry.

 

Silence hung heavy as she made her way back to a stupefied Sango, a satisfied smirk plastered on her lips. It hung even heavier when she flopped down and put her hands in the sleeves of her miko uniform, mimicking Inuyasha's trademark pose almost perfectly.

 

Time itself seemed to have stopped as the four women looked at each other's pathetic appearance. It was finally Yuna who broke the spell by snorting in order to try and hold back her laugher. Kagura was the next to succumb, followed closely by Sango. For her part, Kagome just sat there, looking at her laughing friends, unable to surrender to her rising mirth just yet, the image of her family reawakened by Sango's question was still too present in her mind.

 

"Why are you crying little girl?" asked Kikyo softly

 

"I miss my mommy!" sobbed the child.

 

"Oh? And what happened to her?" she questioned again, carefully.

 

"I... saw her this morning... her body was all white and cold... and she didn't even react when I sneaked in to say hello to her," came the answer, the tears falling down harder than before

 

"That's really sad," whispered the miko softly. "But you know, your mother is not gone," she added mysteriously.

 

At this, the child's head snapped up and her eyes suddenly lit up with hope. "She isn't?"

 

"Of course not, she's still right here, with you," explained the woman with an encouraging smile.

 

"W... where?" replied the child while looking left and right, trying desperately to see her missing parent.

 

"Right... here," answered the miko, while pointing at the little girl's heart.

 

"My... heart?" she asked a little confused.

 

"Exactly. And if you concentrate hard enough, you'll feel her as if she was right next to you," continued the woman.

 

"Really?" asked the girl dubiously.

 

"Absolutely. After all, no force in this universe is strong enough to keep a mother from her child," answered the miko with a reassuring smile.

 

Kagome blinked once as she came back to reality. The message carried within that small fragment of Kikyo's memory was so powerful that she was stunned for a second. And then, everything she had held in so far abruptly exploded, causing her to burst out laughing and start crying at the same time. And she laughed and cried and laughed and cried until her lungs burned and her stomach hurt. Dimly, she became aware that her friends had stopped laughing to look at her, but she didn't care. Right now, she was happy, simply and utterly happy and she knew that somewhere, 500 years into the future, so was her mother.

 

----------------------------------------------

 

Author's note: Well everyone that's pretty much it. I hope you were all able to enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it :). But if you think that's it then you are greatly mistaken because I do have very definite plans for a sequel. In fact it's already in the work, though I can't guarantee the when of its release. So in the end, just be patient and thank you all for your kind reviews :).