InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Birth Marks ❯ Honeymoon in Paradise ( Chapter 44 )

Marks 44: Honeymoon in Paradise

 

Disclaimer: I own… Umm… Souta's father… Kagome's father… and some of the random people/demons I've submitted into this story that you don't recognize as belonging in the Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha universes.

 

I got a review the other day… And I just want to say that I absolutely love the person that wants Souta's father hit by a truck… would you mind if he's mauled my powerful demons instead?

 

(O)

 

Last time: “Yeah, sure.” Leaping, Inuyasha landed a meter from Kaede's hut and put Kagome down, ducking in quietly. Shrugging with a small smile, Kagome followed quickly after, kneeling down on her sleeping bag next to a lump that she assumed was Shippou. Coming from the darkened corner next to the door, Inuyasha sat next to Kagome and pulled her into his lap, leaning against the hut wall. Closing their eyes, they would get at least a few hours rest before the rest of the village woke up and the rumor mill would swing into full-force. Hopefully they would be gone by then, on their way to Mushin's temple.

 

This time: Kagome woke up to rustling and the clink of various objects hitting wood softly. “Hmm, wha?” looking up from where she lay in her sleeping bag, she saw Inuyasha pulling out things from her backpack and setting them on the floor. “Inuyasha? What are you looking for?” he didn't respond, but continued to pull things out of her bag, look at them briefly, and put it on the floor next to her other stuff. “If you're looking for ramen, it's in the plastic sack in the side… but it's too early for ramen.”

 

Not looking up from his task, Inuyasha shook his head. “Not lookin' for ramen.” Shifting to her stomach and propping up to her elbows, Kagome stroked Shippou's silver head absently. Funny, she didn't remember getting in her sleeping bag. The kit clung to her shirt, mumbling in his sleep as he was prone to do sometimes.

 

“Then what are you doing?” scrutinizing a T-shirt, Inuyasha tossed it to the side, with most of the contents of her bag.

 

“Taking out stuff we don't need.” Giving him a questioning look, Kagome looked at the pile, seeing her textbooks, magazines, her small MP3 player, most of her pots and pans, most of her beauty supply and snacks, and, surprisingly, the grocery bag full of ramen. The bag was placed almost reverently in the back, away from the rest of her stuff. As if sensing her unasked question, Inuyasha shrugged, “your stuff'll slow you down.”

 

“No ramen?” Kagome couldn't help but smile, hidden by a yawn, as Inuyasha looked at the ramen bag and bit off a small whimper. “I don't mind, we can take a few.” Grabbing a few packets, Inuyasha put them and the smallest pot in a second pile of `necessary' items. Grabbing her `bathroom' supply bag, Inuyasha held it out behind him in her general direction.

 

“You're up; you might as well get ready.” Crawling out of the bag after detangling Shippou's paw from her shirt, Kagome did some morning stretches before taking her bag from Inuyasha's hand, scraping her claws against his palm gently. Ignoring his shudder, Kagome turned toward the mat-covered door and yawned.

 

“What time is it anyway?” She asked, seeing the indigo hue of pre-dawn light seeping around the mat.

 

“Half an hour before dawn, we leave then.” nodding, Kagome brushed a hand through her hair and pulled out a twig, grimacing.

 

“I'll be right back then.” Pushing the mat aside, Kagome walked to the stream that ran not far from the village. Kneeling at the edge of the stream, Kagome waved her hand absently, putting up a weak `first alert' barrier as she yawned again. Shaking her head to clear the last of the sleep, she took out a small hand towel and slipped out of her top, tossing it off to the side and away from the stream to keep it dry. After checking that her binding hadn't slipped since last night, she dipped her towel and scrubbed her face, neck, chest and arms. Next she proceeded to brush her teeth then hair, dipping her brush into the water after every few strokes to keep her hair from frizzing. Grimacing as she hit a knot, she worked it loose with her fingers, picking out another small twig. How Inuyasha had perfect hair without brushing it was a miracle she intended to find out. And soon.

 

Bells went off in her mind, startling her to the presence of someone near. “Mommy…?” Shippou stood at the top of the bank, rubbing his eye. He'd woken up and followed Kagome's scent to the river. Gesturing at Shippou, the kit made his way down beside Kagome, where she gently scrubbed his face before handing him his bubblegum toothpaste and dinosaur toothbrush. Sitting back, she watched her boy go through his morning routine while she finished her hair, braiding it and tying it with a ribbon, letting it fall over her shoulder. Shrugging back into her top, Kagome clipped a small hidden pin together, holding her top shut `just in case.' Finishing up, Shippou handed his toothbrush back to Kagome for her to put away in the travel case. “… You smell different.”

 

Startled, Kagome took a steadying breath and tried to give the boy a smile, “D-different? What do you mean, Shippou?” shrugging, Shippou hugged Kagome and put his nose in the junction of her shoulder and neck and sniffed.

 

“Just, different. Inu-papa too.” Shippou looked up and gave an innocent smile, “but he always smells weird, huh?”

 

“Shippou!” laughing, Shippou rested his head back onto Kagome's shoulder and closed his eyes, sighing in content. Putting away the last of her morning supplies, Kagome hooked her hand under Shippou's legs and stood up, picking up the small bag as well.

 

Entering the hut, Kagome saw that Kaede had woken up and was stirring breakfast while Inuyasha had just closed Kagome's backpack, putting it by the door to wait for Kagome and Shippou to come back. Taking the bathroom bag from Kagome, Inuyasha put it in the bag, closing it again before Kagome could look inside. “Ready to go?” he asked, hitching the bag onto his shoulder.

 

“What about breakfast?” Kagome asked, her brow knitting in confusion, seeing her sleeping bag rolled up and put by the `stay' pile of supplies, along with about 90 percent of the contents of her bag, including emergency clothes and `ninja' food piled neatly in the back corner. Inuyasha studied Kagome's face intently, before putting down the bag and nodding.

 

“Hurry up. We don't want that pervert to have to wait that long.” Choking on a mouthful of rice gruel, Kagome swallowed hard, brushing off Shippou's pats on her back.

 

“Kagome-chan, how was your conversation with Inuyasha last night?” Kaede spoke up innocently enough, spooning up her own bowl, “I trust it was successful.” Kagome turned red and put down her bowl, giving up on trying to eat.

 

“We-we reached an… agreement.” Kagome answered quietly, looking at her hands knotted in her lap, hiding the blush with her hair. Kaede looked up just as Inuyasha turned to inspect a bauble on Kagome's bag, hiding his own blush. Smiling serenely, Kaede ate her own gruel.

 

“Aye, to be young again… Ye be having no more arguments like that until ye two are married. Ye may be demon, but ye are human also, Inuyasha, Kagome.” She looked at either hanyou in turn, waiting until she got a nod of consent. “Kagome-chan, ye better not waste my food, ye hear.” She gave the gentle reprimand and watched Kagome pick up her bowl again before giving Shippou a second helping in his smaller bowl with a Totoro painted on the side. (“My Neighbor Totoro” belongs to Ghibli… it's like the Japanese version of `Mickey Mouse', he's that popular) Finishing up their breakfast, Kagome rinsed out the bowls and followed Inuyasha outside, carrying Shippou.

 

Once they reached the edge of the village, Inuyasha leapt into the trees, dashing ahead of Kagome. Biting off a surprised squawk, Kagome jumped after Inuyasha, less sure about taking to the trees than Inuyasha was, but following his trail closely. Flicking an ear back, Inuyasha kept track of Kagome, slowing down enough for her to catch up. “What was that for?!” Kagome yelled, coming up to jump behind Inuyasha. He didn't respond, but just kept moving on a path only he could see.

 

She shifted Shippou so that he was better settled on her back, centering his weight so that he wouldn't knock her off balance. “Inuyasha?!” Growling in frustration, she noticed that Inuyasha had sped up slightly, putting distance between them that she had to hurry to catch up again. His ears were perked, one flicking back to Kagome occasionally, judging her distance. Every time that she caught up to his speed, he moderated his to be slightly ahead, checking how fast Kagome could run. Wearing Kagome's lightened backpack, Inuyasha was carrying about the same weight as Shippou, making their little race slightly more even, not that the weight really mattered.

 

“Kagome!”

 

“Kagome-nee!” Inuyasha cringed and landed on a branch, looking down on the forest floor where a trio of wolves ran up to them.

 

“Hey guys! Kouga-kun!” Kagome landed beside them with a smile and waved. Caught unaware, she was wedged into a double hug by Ginta and Hakkaku, happy to see their honorary sister after so long.

 

“Oi! Get off her!” Kouga barked at his subordinates, hands on his hips and glaring. They pulled away quickly, nearly jumping in their hurry. Kagome slumped down from her surprise hug, only for Kouga to hug her also, long enough to get a good whiff of her scent.

 

“No, you get off her.” Inuyasha growled, Tetsusaiga drawn and pointed at the wolf. Kouga backed off with a grin and crossed his arms, jutting his hips to one side in an arrogant manner. Growling, Inuyasha put away Tetsusaiga and wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist possessively, trapping Shippou onto Kagome's back.

 

Moving onto her shoulder, Shippou gave a theatrical gasp and tried to push Inuyasha away with his small hand. Kouga saw Shippou's silver hair and dog-like ears and smirked. “You move quick, eh, Mu—Han—“ Kouga grimaced trying to come with an insult that wouldn't invite Kagome to kick him for insulting her as well (she was in range of hurting his delicate instrument easily) “… In—Boy!” he smirked internally at his clever taunt. “First you adopt the boy, and now mating with Kagome.” Shaking his head with a smirk, he leaned into Kagome's face, “Mothers are honored in our packs. If he ever does you wrong, you have sanctuary in my pack.” Gesturing vaguely towards Kagome, Kouga turned to Inuyasha, his smile turning into a serious look. “Don't let her get hurt, okay boy?” Turning to leave, Kouga waved and started to sprint off.

 

Chastising herself, Kagome stepped out of Inuyasha's arms for a moment. “Wait!” seeing the wolves stop and turn curiously, Kagome leapt closer. “I thought you might want to know, Miroku and Sango are getting married in a few days at Mushin's temple.”

 

Nodding, Kouga smirked. “About time. Those two were almost as bad as you two were. We'll see if we can make it. Ayame's delicate right now, but she'll probably want to come, though I don't want her to move,” he muttered to himself. “See ya later, Kagome!” sneaking in a small hug, Kouga ran off before Inuyasha even had the chance to pull Tetsusaiga out again. Ginta and Hakkaku hugged her also, chasing after their leader.

 

“Bye Kagome-nee!”

 

“If you ever need a babysitter, I'm really good with pups Kagome-nee!” Kagome nodded and waved after the three boys, walking back to Inuyasha.

 

Huffing in annoyance, Inuyasha pulled his hands out of his sleeves and gave Kagome a withering look. “Can we go now?” Nodding with a small smile, Kagome leapt off into the trees, going as fast as she was comfortable. Quickly catching up, Inuyasha took the lead and pointed off slightly to the left before jumping that direction. Nodding, Kagome followed, using the same branch most times to launch off from.

 

“Shippou, you're being awfully quiet.” The kit didn't respond, but kept his nose buried in Kagome's shoulder, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Shippou? Is everything okay?” chancing a look over her shoulder to the kit, she saw the look of concentration on his face.

 

Shaking his head slightly, Shippou looked up into Kagome's face. “It's nothing Momma; I just thought I smelled something.” Seeing that she wouldn't get anything else from the kit, Kagome nodded and turned forward, leaping to catch up with Inuyasha. In truth, he didn't smell something, more like someone. He wasn't stupid, there were times when his Mother and Father had `conversations' and would leave him in the den. And then Mother and Father would come back smelling like each other… like when Inuyasha and Momma came back last night. They also smelled like water, so they must have bathed also. He remembered, when Mother and Father came back, they would all go to the hot spring and have bath time together. It was fun, but that was a long time ago, before… before…

 

Sniffing, Shippou turned away from the concerned look that Kagome shot toward him, turning into her hair to hide his face. The scent was stronger here, where the heat trapped by her hair made the scent more concentrated. Kagome smelled like Inuyasha, but more than that. Something, something was off with the scent, more than one scent rubbing onto another, but more like a third scent, or another layer to the scents… Or he could just be thinking too hard. They were both hanyou, so that must have affected their scents or something like that. It was still Kagome, still Momma, and nothing would change that, not even strange scents.

 

Most of the trek through the woods was in silence, only stopping for a few moments when Kagome refused to move any longer. They split a water bottle and continued on. He even refused the offer of ramen for lunch, saying that it would take too long to deal with the fire. Inuyasha wanted to get to a specific spot by nightfall, but he wouldn't say where they were going before heading to Mushin's temple.

 

No matter when Kagome tried to ask him where they were going, all he would say is that she would see when they got there. Glowering at his back, Kagome fell into silence, following the older hanyou. Shippou had fallen asleep soon after their break out of sheer boredom, so Kagome settled for studying the surrounding forest, noticing that almost all of the trees that they passed seemed like god-trees, they were that big. She was certain that they hadn't passed though these forests before. She would have remembered the feeling of being like an ant among these trees. Thinking about it, that was probably why. This was a forest of giants, a place where most humans in this time wouldn't dare to go. She had gone into Tokyo once or twice a long time ago, and even these trees would have been dwarfed by the size of the skyscrapers. Still, these were amazing trees, with their sprawling braches, sometimes as thick around as the tree trunks that she was more used to. When she landed on one, she didn't feel the impact of a bending branch whatsoever. It was like landing on concrete, it was that solid.

 

“Inu—“

 

“we're here.” Inuyasha commented, letting himself fall to the lower branches onto the ground.

 

Lighting down right next to him, Kagome looked around in confusion, seeing nothing particularly special about the area except for really big trees. “We're where, exactly, Inuyasha?”

 

Smirking, Inuyasha gestured around. “Can't you smell it, Kagome.”

 

“No… oh!” sniffing around, Kagome noticed that not even the faintest trace of human crossed the area, and not another demon of significant power had crossed in some time either. On the breeze, the faint scent of salt whiffed though, reminding Kagome of the ocean that surrounded her homeland, not the muggy mist that she had come to associate with the fog that surrounded her on Avalon for the past year or so.

 

Walking over to the cliff that hedged them on one side, Inuyasha pulled over a curtain of hanging vines, revealing a cave that could have been easily ten feet across and wide. Allowing Kagome to go in first, Inuyasha took her hand and led her to the back of the cave, which turned into a gently sloping tunnel that continued to darken as the salt in the air increased. They turned a bend and the tunnel lightened to the exit. Once her eyes adjusted to the brightness of daylight out of the trees, Kagome gasped.

 

They stood at the top of a pathway onto a beach, rimmed on three sides by sheer cliff face and the fourth by the ocean beyond. It seemed as if a giant had just scooped out an entire section of the smooth cliff and made the secret beach where no ship could navigate between the two cliff faces to get into the bay. The water between the cliffs was smooth, like no wind would dare disturb the peace felt in this area.

 

Tugging at Kagome's sleeve briefly, Inuyasha walked down the path, though he could have easily jumped the 50 or so feet down to the white sand. He was halfway down on the first switchback when he looked up at Kagome, who had yet to move. “Are you coming or not?”

 

“Ah, coming!” startled out of her trance, Kagome jogged down the path, jumping down to the lower half of the switchback ten feet before the turn. Catching up to Inuyasha, Kagome caught his hand and smiled, pressing her cheek into his arm.

 

“I'm glad you like.” Getting to the bottom of the path, Inuyasha led Kagome, still carrying a sleeping Shippou, to a niche at the back of the beach and dropped her backpack into the sand. Grabbing out a blanket, Inuyasha spread it out on a smooth patch of sand and sat down. “It'll be a few hours, so you might as well get comfortable.” Propping his arms on his bent knees, he stared off past the bay entrance to the sky beyond.

 

“A few hours until what?” Kagome asked prying Shippou's tiny claws from her shirt and setting him down on the blanket between where Inuyasha sat and where Kagome was kneeling.

 

“You'll see.” Inuyasha smirked, not taking his eyes off of the afternoon sky. “…You can go swimming if you want…” Blushing, he didn't look away from where he had been staring and thinking. Looking up from gathering driftwood, Kagome gave him a curious look, blushing when she saw his blush.

 

Dropping the pile of driftwood by the blanket, Kagome reached for her backpack, only for Inuyasha to pull it out of her reach. “You did pack my swimsuit, didn't you?” Nodding, his blushed deepened when he pulled out the forest green stringy number and held it out to her. Looking around, Kagome realized that the only semblance of privacy on the beach was on the other side of a small outcropping of rocks. Trotting over, Kagome gave Inuyasha a warning look. “And no peeking!”

 

“Keh!” crossing his arms in defiance, he stared at where Kagome was standing by the rocks before turning to stare at something on the other side of the beach. “It's not like I haven't seen your body before.”

 

“Yeah, but…” Kagome started strong, but couldn't find a reasonable argument as she quickly shed her hakama and panties for her bikini bottom and her binding for a top that she felt more comfortable in when she was modeling it for her girlfriends in the store. Holding her shirt shut tightly, Kagome blushed and placed her folded clothing gently at the back of the towel.

 

“You don't plan to swim in your shirt, do you?” Inuyasha called, turning to see Kagome standing unsure with her white undershirt held tightly shut by her fist.

 

“N-no, I don't!” Shedding her shirt and tossing it haphazardly onto her other clothes, Kagome sprinted for the water, not even really testing the temperature before launching into the clear water. After a few feet, she found that the beach sloped down at a steeper angle until it was decently deep enough to relax without having to worry about scraping a hand or foot on a rock unexpectedly. Diving down, Kagome relaxed and let her body bob back to the surface and start floating. The small ripples coming in from the mouth of the bay relaxed her, rocking her from side to side gently. The water relaxed her enough so that she nearly forgot her embarrassment at the skimpy thing that modern girls called a swimsuit.

 

“Yeah!” SPLASH! She was so relaxed that she nearly didn't notice when Shippou was thrown out into the bay by Inuyasha. The kit landed a few feet away, the wave from his landing washing over Kagome. She was startled enough that she lost her concentration and sunk a few feet before coming sputtering to the surface again. Drawing away the water from her eyes, Kagome leveled the offending party with a glare while he grinned and laughed.

 

“That wasn't funny you guys!” she yelled over to Inuyasha, splashing Shippou.

 

“We thought it was,” Inuyasha stood, grinning at the shoreline, “You've been out there long enough anyway. Hurry up or you'll miss it!” Giving Shippou a curious look, the kit just shrugged and continued to play in the water, not really caring about what Inuyasha was talking about.

 

“Coming,” rolling her eyes, Kagome dove under the water and swam most of the way to shore before popping up for air. Reaching shore, Kagome grinned and shook, spraying Inuyasha with the water from her hair. Standing up, she saw her successful payback, as Inuyasha held up his robe sleeves, now spotted with water and a look of mild shock on his face. “What?” she asked innocently, swinging her hips while walking back to the blanket, only to be tackled by Inuyasha, pinning her to the sand with a playful growl.

 

“What was that for, wench?” she only looked at him innocently, her eyes flicking to his mouth to his eyes and back.

 

“What was what for?” grinning, Kagome nipped Inuyasha on the nose, surprising the hanyou enough to allow her escape.

 

“That” Inuyasha growled, gesturing toward the water with his hand over his nose, muzzling his voice.

 

“What?” Kagome grinned, staring at Inuyasha at eye level, hands and knees dug into the sand.

 

“Tha—“ Inuyasha turned to gesture and Kagome pounced, knocking Inuyasha off balance and into the sand. The wrestled until Kagome looked up, noticing that the san had turned red.

 

“What…?” Inuyasha pinned Kagome, pulling her up into his lap, facing the entrance of the small bay. The sun had hit the top of the cliffs on either side, casting the bay into deep shadow while the beach and water reflected the colors of the sunset. “It's beautiful.” Nuzzling her neck, Inuyasha hummed in agreement, watching her eyes as they sparkled in wonder.

 

“I was thinking,” Inuyasha turned to watch the sunset also, feeling one of Kagome's ears flick in her direction. “That girl we met, Marina I think her name was, suggested this beach and the surrounding forest. I think, if you like the idea, we could set up a sort of hanyou sanctuary here. Most demons don't bother coming in this area, and humans are afraid of the forest. You smelled the area, it's nearly abandoned. There's plenty of space and food is easy to find in this area year-round. I mean…” Kagome put her finger to his lips and smiled sweetly.

 

“I was about to suggest the same thing, Inuyasha. It's beautiful here; and safe.” Kagome watched the sun until it had dipped past the horizon, lighting the sky in its last display of color for the day. Turning to Inuyasha, she snuggled into his chest and looked at her fist clutching his haori. “Maybe that's what we should do next. I'm sure that there are hanyou out there that would all but jump at the idea… and we can still travel.” Nodding, Inuyasha stood up and went to the beach blanket and set Kagome down gently. Whistling for Shippou to come in, Inuyasha started a beach fire with the driftwood that they had collected earlier. Feeling the evening breeze, Kagome crawled closer to the fledgling flame and wrapped her undershirt tighter.

 

Apparently when Kagome had been relaxing in the bay, the boys had caught some fish swimming in a stream that came from a small waterfall that came out of the cliff from a small underground stream. Speaking of, Shippou came bounding up the beach, still soaking wet from the water, and sat down on the blanket. A sharp look from Inuyasha and the boy quickly scooted to the sand by the fire instead. “Momma, I caught that one!” Shippou pointed to a decently sized fish that Inuyasha was wrapping in the broad leaves of some seaweed before placing it on a flat rock that was propped up on some other rocks over the fire. The fish almost immediately started to steam as it was cooked in the wet leaves. Wrapping a few more fish, Inuyasha put them by the first one and sat back to wait.

 

“You don't look like you went fishing, Inuyasha,” Kagome commented mildly, watching the fish cook also.

 

“Feh, I used a spear.” Looking over by the stream, there was a long stick that looked like it had been recently sharpened at one end. “Shippou jumped in and scared all the fish away afterward.” The kit blushed, digging out a small towel to dry off on before shimmying out of his blue trunks and into his regular hakama, not bothering with his haori or fur vest until his hair and tail dried. Looking at the kit, Kagome smiled. He would need a new pair of trunks soon because of his growth spurt.

 

Leaning against Inuyasha, Kagome stared into the fire, enjoying the `now' and `here.' “Mmm… I thought we were going to Mushin's temple…” Kagome commented mildly, speaking what was on her mind.

 

“We are. Sango and the Monk won't be there for at least a week though. Think of this like a… vacation…”

 

“More like a Honeymoon... Honey.” Kagome rolled her eyes, not believing something that corny came from her mouth.

 

“Yeah, a Honeymoon,” Inuyasha wrapped his arm around Kagome's shoulders, cloaking her with his sleeve. “If you really want to go, we're only two days away from the temple.” Shaking her head, she laid it on his shoulder.

 

“No, that's fine. This is…nice.”

 

(O)

Wow, I managed to write this much and no real scene breaks… Sorry that this managed to be a chapter with nothing really happening, but next time there's going to be a wedding to look forward to!

 

Oh, and the beach is not mine, nor do I think it's really real. But I borrowed the scenery from `The Heart of a Fox' by T. Isilwath (better known in fanfiction circles as Sueric).

 

See ya guys later!

 

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