InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Birth Marks ❯ Welcome Home Kagome ( Chapter 52 )

Chapter 52: Welcome Home Kagome

 

Last time: Hearing the door close, Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief and picked Kagome up bridal style. “About damn time they all left.” He growled out. Conveniently Sango and Kazuma had disappeared, supposedly to choose his bedroom. “Your room or mine?” he shook his head, stupid question. “Never mind.”

 

This time: At the top of the main stairs, he carried her to a door at the very end of the hall, revealing another set of stairs that led to a smaller third floor. At the top, Kagome looked around in awe. The rooms downstairs were big, yes, but had nothing on the third story. The ceiling was at least fifteen feet tall near the walls, arching to a good twenty in the center. The right side had a series of four bedrooms, but that wasn't what caught Kagome's attention, it was the glass doors that had green beyond them. “Is this is all…. Yours?”

 

Chuckling, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her waist and set his chin on her shoulder. “The whole house and land are mine, but this is my personal living space, yes.” Trying to pull her to a bedroom was unsuccessful since she was more interested in the house. The main floor space was separated into roughly four smaller sections with a `small' kitchen, dining area, sitting area and an area that was dominated with a simply huge flat screen TV, pool table and … an arcade machine.

 

“Mrs. Pac-man?” Kagome shook her head, not wanting to know. The machine looked like it was an original anyway.

 

“What? When you find something good, you keep it around. I don't really use this area that much anyway.” Steering her to the glass double doors, he opened one for her with a blast of warm, humid air. “Not when I end up here most nights.” Stepping into dirt, Kagome gasped. If `indoors' was huge, then the aviary was enormous. Trees stood tall, hiding the glass walls and ceiling. Carefully tended bushes and vines cast the illusion of being deep in the forest; white pebbles outlined several paths to different locations. A bird called, making Kagome jump and spin toward the sound.

 

“What was that?”

 

“That,” Inuyasha whistled and held out his arm, “Was either Sora or Aoi.” A blue parrot landed on his outstretched arm and gave an affectionate nip. “This one is about thirty years old, and there are around twenty birds in here, last time I counted.” Aoi shimmied up his arm to perch on his shoulder as Kagome continued down the biggest path.

 

“Oh, wow.” Moving past the trees, a natural-styled pool with a rocky waterfall revealed itself. “Can I?” She asked, like an excited child, testing the warm water with her bare foot.

 

“Why are you asking me, I did most of this for you.” Launching Aoi off to join her mate, he watched her strip and quickly slid into the warm pool. Her pregnancy was already changing her body, making her even more beautiful in his eyes. Quietly stripping, he slid in behind her, kissing her bare shoulder. “You know, we can easily change the temperature, especially since this is a Jacuzzi.”

 

Kagome smiled, turning in his arms to give him a proper kiss. “Mmm… Maybe later. Right now, it's perfect.” Arms looped around his neck, she pulled him down to sit under the waterfall. Smiling, Kagome dipped down for another kiss, straddling his lap. “So… Show and Tell time, or was that already your turn?”

 

Pulling her closer, Inuyasha kissed over her heart. “I think I could take another turn.” Claws drawing circles on her hips, one hand slid up her side to her breast, circling it with a delicate touch. His teeth and lips trailed from her pulse to her other breast, his breath cooling the heated flesh.

 

Covering a moan with giggles, Kagome threaded her claws through his silver hair, snagging on a black tie. A quick twist sent the elastic flying, setting his hair free. Travelling up, claws found ears and traced the outer edge, sending shivers down his spine. “Okay,” Kagome smiled, her head over his, blocking the water. Nipping an ear, her finger tapped his temple. “So, does anything else happen beside you losing your inu-mimi?”

 

Grinning, Inuyasha held her waist, standing up. “And what,” he leaned down for a kiss, “will you do if I don't tell you?” a firm tug on his ancient collar was all the answer he needed.

 

“I wonder how well this has held up after so long…”

 

“A one-track mind, I almost forgot about that, wench.” Twisting her delicate looking rosary around his finger, Inuyasha grinned, “Now, what was that word again…? Stay?” the beads glowed briefly, highlighting her sly smile.

 

“Hmm… Didn't you know that the simpler the spell, the easier it is to break?” Her sharp claw slid between two beads, severing the remarkably well-preserved string. “Now, don't make me regret it.” One, then two beads fell into the pool, quickly followed by the whole string, sliding off his broad shoulders. Grabbing her up, Inuyasha jumped from the pool. “Wha-what are you doing?”

 

Grabbing a warm towel from a heated cabinet disguised as a rock, he dropped it on her stomach to use. “Were you thinking that we'd stay out here, wench?” Not waiting for her response, he took the shortest route back to the main room and to the four bedrooms. “Storage, storage, mine and those two's when they visit. That pervert better use one of the other ones tonight.” Inuyasha chuckled darkly, shouldering open his bedroom door. Turning red, Kagome pulled the towel over her head.

 

“I didn't want to think of that.”

 

“Dropping Kagome on the extra-squishy bed, he gently dragged the towel away from her face with an air of reverence, like an archeologist discovering a lost treasure. “What? I'm sure that they know that it's probably not even a good idea to be in this wing, let alone across the hall. It could get a bit noisy.” Capturing her lips, his claws teased up one side, eliciting a loud, high pitched squeal from the girl's mouth. Managing to wriggle out from under her mate, Kagome sprinted for the door, Inuyasha hot on her heels. Slamming the door, her back met the door knob and a `click' of the lock was the only sound between the two. A feral grin being his only warning, Kagome chased her mate back to the bed, a not-too-gentle shove temporarily forcing him to the bottom.

 

“What was that for?” he asked between kisses, hands freely roaming her back and sides before flipping her to the bottom.

 

Claws twisted in his hair, Kagome growled, “I don't trust those `do not disturb' signs.”

 

“This isn't a hotel, it's a—“

 

“Safe house for hanyou and half-breeds, I know. The only thing you don't do is charge rent. Now shut up and kiss me.” Snorting, Inuyasha did just the opposite, sitting up and grinning at his mate.

 

“Now, now,” Kagome reached up to pull him back down, but he easily pinned both her hands above her head with one of his. “Aren't I supposed to be the impatient one, especially after 500 years?” Growling, her only response was to struggle to free her hands. Her body felt hot, despite the goose bumps from the water drying on her bare skin. It didn't help that his free hand was tracing shapes onto her belly in an almost reverent fashion, making her squirm, wanting to touch back, to move, to do anything. He only made it worse, when his lips started chasing those shapes, ending with a lingering kiss over her belly button.

 

“Mmm… you had a question earlier,” Drawing back, Inuyasha caught her look with a half-lidded stare. Releasing the hold on her wrists, his eyes flashed red, signaling his transformation. “Does this answer it?”

 

Growling, Kagome replied with a fanged grin, sitting up, her hands slid around to his spine, trailing down to a certain new furry appendage. The morning would come all too soon.

 

(O)

 

Over the next week, things went as planned, or at least as planned as these things could go, moving houses, preparing for a spirit-type battle, and the frustrating annual dance between Kagome and her brother's guilty conscious.

 

“Souta,” Kagome sighed, cornering her brother in the kitchen and repressing the urge to give the younger boy a hug. “Can we talk, please?” Hands on her hips, she mentally checked on her human illusion, hiding her ears, fangs and claws. The younger boy froze, muscles tense, ready to attempt to flee once again. His hand tightened over the butter knife he was using to make a sandwich as his eyes flicked to the knife stand barely within lunging range. He knew that she could reach him before he could reach the knives with her speed.

 

“Okay sis,” he forced a smile onto his voice and finished cutting his sandwich in half before putting the useless weapon in the sink and turning around. “Do you want half, it's ham.” Kagome waved away the offered plate, barely holding her composure. Lately meats just hadn't smelled appealing, especially with her enhanced sense of smell sharper than usual.

 

“No, thank you, Souta, I'm not really that hungry.” She was famished, actually, but her nausea begged to differ.

 

“Ok, suit yourself.” Shrugging, Souta easily hopped up onto the counter and bit into one of his wedges. “Whatcha wanna talk about then, Nee-chan?” He prayed that his voice didn't waver and that the hand casually placed by his plate was now also only a foot away from the knife block wasn't noticed.

 

Kagome, seeing that her brother wouldn't run, sighed internally and casually leaned against the sink, arms and leg crossed. “Souta, what your father…” Sighing, Kagome looked at her crossed feet, trying to figure out the best way to try again. “Look, you know that not all youkai are bad, right? It all comes down to trusting your instinct and those of the people you trust.” Wow, this was different from her usual `there are no such things as youkai, just like Santa and the Tooth fairy, and Grandpa and your dad are crazy' speech.

 

“Like, you know that Inuyasha and I would never hurt you, right?” There was a pleading in her eyes, a silent prayer that his brainwashing hadn't taken such deep root this year; that Souta was old enough to not trust everything an adult told him at face value.

 

Concentrating on his sandwich, Souta didn't see the hurt expression on his sister's face when he didn't respond immediately. “You told me a few times that Inuyasha lost control over himself when he lost Tetsusaiga during battle,” Kagome stretched her arm out to hold her brother, but drew back when he flinched. “And then there's you. I haven't seen you completely wig out, but I wouldn't be surprised if something like that did happen eventually.” It hurt, but there was no denying her brother's logic. Though, it was that type of fatalistic thinking that nearly got Yusuke killed… a third time, by Enma's guardians.

 

Sighing, Kagome rubbed her birthmark absently. “I know that this might be hard to believe, but humans can sometimes be the more violent creature. It mostly comes down to our self restraint and training, with both human and youkai. Hanyou… we get the best of both worlds, and the worst. It's true that we have to train harder and learn our restraints younger, but that doesn't mean that we're mindless beasts.” Biting her lip, Kagome sensed that their privacy was almost gone. “Just think about it. Inuyasha would miss you hanging around.” Giving her brother a small smile, she stood straight and left, seeing what Kuwabara needed her for.

 

“Hey, how'd it go with your brother?” Kuwabara asked in a low voice, turning to lead Kagome out the back door as she bit her lip.

 

“It could have gone better,” She admitted, stepping out to the back porch where Kuwabara had set up a sort of work station that held all their various trinkets needed for their `trip'. “Though, he held his ground instead of attempting to run away this year.” Sitting down on one of the lounge chairs, she studied one of the scratched out prayer diagrams that Kuwabara had drawn up. “I don't know if I should be worried about how he was eyeing the kitchen knives or not. Another year of Souta going to that place for summer, and I don't know if I would be able to deal with the brainwashing.”

 

“Your brother has a passport, doesn't he?” Kuwabara asked, picking up the mess he had made of the table, “Why not send him with Mother to finish up his training? I'm sure that they would be more than willing to host him for the summer. And besides, it would probably get Mom off my back for at least a little while.” Rubbing under his nose, Kuwabara grinned. “I want to see how far I can go on the Demon Tournament next summer. And I have to train for it.”

 

Kagome returned the grin, shaking her head. “Just don't get killed. You're a rabbit walking among wolves going to that.”

 

“It's nothing different from what I've been doing, really. Just a different world.” He shrugged, putting aside his papers.

 

“Now, what did you come get me for?” Kagome asked after a silence.

 

“Oh!” Leaning forward, Kuwabara tapped the lone piece of paper still on the tabletop. “I wanted you to see the circle that I came up with for us to use. What do you think?” The circle was divided into four sections, the lines curving and flowing into each other. In each section, runes and symbols from several different languages interconnected, forming four similar, but inexact wedges.

 

Kagome traced a line with her finger, humming. “The power lines are interesting.” Squinting to make sure she was reading his scribbles correctly, Kagome looked at Kuwabara for confirmation. “You're going to pull power from me and Yusuke, likely our youki, correct? And use that to maintain our sprit forms, dividing our reiki evenly for the fight, though it'll be mostly you and Yusuke doing the actual fighting because our spirit forms would be virtually useless in offense.”

 

“Umm… Yeah, that's how I drew it up.” Kuwabara gulped, sweating under Kagome's dry gaze. “I know that you would want to fight, but you haven't recovered yet. And Keiko-chan doesn't like fighting in the first place. I was thinking,” the boy was shrinking back, praying hat he wouldn't get smacked for wanting to save his own hide from Yusuke and Uncle Yasha. “That the best way for you and Keiko to handle things is for you to be backup. You can attack, but it would compromise your defense. At best, I hope that if you two do get injured,” `like last time' was the silent phrase they both tacked onto his explanation, “that the damage would transfer to us instead.” Reaching out, Kuwabara touched his fingertips to her stomach briefly, “Please.”

 

Unhappy, Kagome still nodded the go-ahead. She spent too much time in the past being virtually useless, that when she had a chance to make a difference, she was sidelined once again. So far, this pregnancy had the worst timing. “So, when are you starting?”

 

“Now,” he shrugged, checking over his sketch, “the sooner the better, right?”

 

“Yeah… See you tomorrow sometime, right?”

 

Kuwabara scowled, “More like tonight. I don't make that many mistakes.”

 

“True, but I don't want any mistakes. It wouldn't be good to play the fixit game in the middle of fighting this guy.” Smiling, Kagome attempted to downplay her concern. “Besides, I think I ran out of cosmic duck tape last month.”

 

Standing up, Kuwabara attempted to return the ironic smile and picked up the supplies. “Well, I'm going to go set things up. Everyone staying on property tonight?”

 

“We should,” Kagome stood up as well, intent on going back inside to continue packing. “Keiko said that she needs to cover the restaurant first though. She should get off after the dinner rush.”

 

“Good,” He nodded, “should be done by then.” His mind was already preparing the ritual area as he waved a quick goodbye before walking to the steps.

 

Heading back inside, Kagome found Yusuke stacking a box by the door. “Oi, I thought we were done with boxing up my life already!” She called, startling her cousin. Informing him of the night's plan, Yusuke shook his head and popped his spine back into place.

 

“I thought we were too, but Auntie Gin is taking advantage of the free labor and cleaning out the attic while she can.” Yusuke pulled a face, looking up at the ceiling. “I didn't think that this much crap was kept in the actual house.”

 

“Ah, maybe I should go help too while we're waiting.” Yusuke's disapproving face turned toward his cousin. “What?” Kagome challenged, hands planted firmly on her hips. “I'm pregnant, not an invalid. I'll just help with the dusting and small stuff like that.”

 

“Whatever,” Yusuke rolled his eyes; it wasn't his responsibility to mother hen Kagome into just sitting around all day. Besides, Inuyasha was up there already and did a good enough time clucking for all of them. “Do what you want.”

 

“Thank you, I will.” Giving Yusuke a mocking bow, Kagome went up the stairs.

 

It was nearly dusk when Kuwabara staggered in, falling onto the couch, exhausted. His eyes had barely closed when the front door slammed open and closed once again. “In here!” He called, dragging himself up, gathering his energy to seem awake.

 

“What, are you too lazy to even start?” Keiko asked, smoothing out her rumpled work clothes. “Why did I even bother to come tonight then? I'm not spending the night.”

 

“And hello to you too. Could you get the others, they're up in the attic. I'm getting a snack before we start.” Weaving his way to the kitchen, Kuwabara made a quick sandwich and met everyone next to the torii about halfway down the shrine steps. “Hey.” Kuwabara held up a hand, finishing off his Peanut butter and Jelly, “Ready to start?”

 

“So you did finish setting everything up already?” Yusuke asked, skeptical, leaning against the far side of the post.

 

“Yeah, we just need to close the circle and write our names where I tell you and we should be able to start.”

 

“Twilight,” Kagome smirked, watching the finishing sunset, “how appropriate, don't you guys think so?”

 

Yeah, just wonderful.” Yusuke rolled his eyes, getting in line between Kagome and Keiko behind Kuwabara. “Let's just go already, this is embarrassing.”

 

“Wait!” Inuyasha, followed by the other 'adults' hurried down the steps to the teens. “What are you doing?”

 

The quartet blinked, in various stages of touching the one torii pillar. Sighing, Kagome tapped Kuwabara's shoulder, breaking his concentration. “Follow the leader.” Yusuke shrugged, not really feeling the point in explaining what was happening to outsiders. Pulling his hand away from the pillar, he drew a small symbol in the air before turning to the others, but keeping his mouth shut.

 

Seeing everyone turn to her for answers, Kagome sighed and pointed to the post. “This, is a gateway, it leads to a pocket world that is an exact duplicate of this world. In there, we can manipulate things in this world, like, say, moving a rock from A to B, but things from this world cannot affect us. People in this world can't see, hear or touch us either. We're like the wind to anyone that doesn't know what to look for.”

 

“Wee turn into ghosts and our bodies stay hidden.” Yusuke shrugged impatiently, eyeing the fading light. “Can we get this over with before I end up tripping over a stupid rock in the dark?”

 

Kuwabara shrugged, placing his fingers on a certain point on the pole and started walking around it, following a nearly-invisible series of indents. “The dots were once a string of prayer beads that created the spell on this gate. I tried to count them once, but I've never gotten close to counting them all.” As he walked around, Kuwabara started fading out of sight until after the third trip around, he faded entirely.

 

About halfway though Kuwabara's trip, Kagome started trailing the indents as well, their fading forms briefly overlapping before Kuwabara disappeared completely. “If you can, you can come and watch, otherwise, you can walk down the footpath to the clearing. That's where we'll be.” Kagome pointed to the hidden trail and a twig bent and snapped, as if someone had walked past it. At that, Kagome disappeared into Yusuke's back and down the trail. Soon enough Keiko was the last one left and faded out with a wink and a reassuring smile.

 

“Well, that was interesting,” Miroku commented, slowly circling the pillar, his hand on this chin but not touching anything, “Do you think it will actually work?”

 

“Keh, do what you want Monk.” Crossing his arms, Inuyasha attempted to disguise the worry lacing his voice and started down the footpath without attempting to use the gate. If he concentrated, he could see their presences faintly, like ghosts marching down the corridor.

 

“Go ahead Miroku, I'll tell you if it works, but I'll stay out here with Gin and Souta.” Sango nodded, scratching Kirara on the chin where she was on her shoulder.

 

The former Monk nodded, putting his hand where he thought the others had put theirs and started walking around, sometimes feeling the indents, but mostly not. “Is it working?” He asked, brows furrowed in concentration, looking at his seemingly still solid hand. Sango shook her head, watching from where she sat.

 

“Just go with Inuyasha, Miroku. We can't do anything for them beside pray and hope we don't have to use the medical kit.” Gin spoke up from where she was sitting next to Sango. Looking to his wife for one last go-ahead, Miroku followed the path, gave a silent nod to Inuyasha, and sat down to wait. Not exactly seeing the children, it was more like sensing their spirits. He could almost close his eyes and it was almost like seeing them as they did their final preparations.

 

Inside the pocket world, the four went about lighting candles and incense, brushing away spare debris that the wind had tossed into the circle, and signing their unique symbols in their space. ”Everyone ready to go kick demon butt?” Kuwabara asked enthusiastically, stepping into his section and rubbing his hands together.

 

Stepping into their own wedges, the cousins gave Kuwabara a dry look. “Last chance for a bathroom break, unless you want to piss ya pants!”

 

“Let's just get this over with.” Keiko was last; her defiant body language was betrayed by the slight tremor in her voice. “Unlike most of us, I want to finish my homework before school on Monday.”

 

(O)

 

I'm so sorry for the long break, I really have no excuse… but at least a little good news: I finally have a job! I promise I'll update a lot sooner next time, but with the end so close I can taste it, I'm a little hesitant. I don't want to leave you all!

 

Dark Inu Fan