InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bound to Tomorrow ❯ Tomorrow's Worries ( Chapter 3 )

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Author's thanks: Splendent Goddess made an excellent point about not worrying too much about which canon to follow. You're absolutely right. There will definitely be some trials for the gang from here on out. Some of them will be historically-oriented and some will be demon-related.

A big thank-you goes out to Raian who helpfully pointed out that there is indeed a shrine in the Sengoku period. I really do care to keep things as close to the way it was in the manga (since I am going to stick mostly to that from here on out) as possible but there's quite a bit of stuff there to try and remember. Your specific references make it a lot easier for me to go back and re-read or re-watch scenes so I can get the details right.

Author's Notes: Hooray! I finally made it to the end of the manga's epilogue! The meat and potatoes of Inu Yasha's and the gang's story should start coming into play from here on out.

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It had been a few weeks since the wedding and the village had begun to return to routine life. The excitement over Kagome's return and subsequent marriage had died out after a week. True to her word, Kaede began training the village's newest miko after a three day `honeymoon' with Inu Yasha. The honeymoon consisted of a visit to the village shrine to pray that the gods would bless their union, more catching up with Sango and Miroku about their life together, and demonstrations from Shippo of the new magic tricks he had learned from the mysterious kitsune in the woods.

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On that morning Kagome had been sent to gather some medicinal herbs around the outer fringes of the forest. Inu Yasha always followed close behind. He would not leave her alone again if he could help it. Later on in the afternoon the miko returned to the village and brought the basket of herbs to Kaede. The elderly woman, as she did every day, would pick through the basket and show her which ones were the correct herbs and which ones were not. Each week the basket had fewer and fewer duds than the last. As always, Kagome was a quick study. Once Kaede had finished she would send the girl back out to sort and separate the herbs, strip the leaves, stems, or roots, and then carefully bundled up in colored cloths which were used to identify each ingredient for later use.

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They often sat together in a nearby field and talked about anything and everything while Kagome worked. As they talked about Rin and her stay in the village a flitting shadow caught their attention. The two paused to look up only to see Sesshoumaru streaking across the sky. It occurred to her that the great lord would not know about their marriage so she called out cheerily to him.

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“Onii-saan!”

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Sesshoumaru's normally blank features darkened into a slight frown and a glare in her direction. Kagome could only conclude that he found the news to be an unpleasant surprise and she pouted.

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“Aw, he made a really mean face at me, and Inu Yasha, so are you.”

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The half demon scowled and replied, “That had a really nasty ring to it.”

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Her dark eyes turned to regard him, “Oh hush, you. You know I didn't mean it like that.”

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A thoughtful look crossed his face for a moment and stood up from the grass, “Hey, I'll be right back. I'm going to ask him about those youkai attacks.”

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“You think it's that serious?” She blinked, frowning slightly.

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“No, and I don't want to but, I've never seen youkai attack their kin like that before. He might have though; he is two hundred years older than me, after all.”

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Knowing more questions could not be long in coming; Inu Yasha sauntered down the grassy hill back towards the village.

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Jaken leaned against his two-headed staff, bored and half-asleep while he waited for his lord to conclude his visit with Rin. The harsh voice of his less-than-savory half brother startled the impish youkai from his reverie.

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“Oi, Jaken! Wake up for a second.”

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The demon burbled something about manners at him initially, but not for too long. He was a nervous sort of being and was not about to risk a pounding from an irritable dog demon.

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“When Sesshoumaru is done playing house tell him I gotta talk to him.”

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Inu Yasha knew better than to burst in unannounced on the Lord of the Western Lands. It had nothing to do with fear but more to do with cooperation. While Kagome had been gone it had become necessary to speak with his brother on several occasions. For the most part they were concerns related to Rin but occasionally Sesshoumaru would have important information about demonic activity that could possibly come near their village. The great Lord always made sure to emphasize that such information was to help Inu Yasha effectively guard Rin in his absence and that in no way meant that he cared for anyone else in the village. Over the last three years Inu Yasha had gradually learned that it was easier and faster to glean information from Sesshoumaru when he employed the polite societal method of inquiring through Jaken.

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“What do you wish to ask of my Lord?” The little green imp questioned.

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“I wanna know if he's seen or heard of any youkai going berserk.”

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Jaken gave a derisive snort, “Aren't all the feral ones berserk? Why would I bother asking this question?”

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“No, it's different.” Inu Yasha argued. “These demons are raiding villages alone, just running right in and tearing up anything they can lay their claws on. They're also attacking their own kind.”

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“That sounds like a frivolous turf war. I still see no reason to ask this.”

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A muffled pop emitted from beneath the sleeves of the hanyou's haori. Jaken knew he had to be cracking his knuckles; a clear indication that his insolent tone was getting under Inu Yasha's skin. The imp watched him take a quiet breath to check his building rage.

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Inu Yasha spoke through gritted teeth, a single fang poked out of the corner of his lips, “We thought so, too, but for the past couple of months we've been finding dens filled with youkai who have killed each other and their own kin.”

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That piqued the imp's interest though he was still a tad suspicious, “…And how do you know that these youkai are doing it and not someone else?”

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“Feh, do I really have to waste my time explaining all that? Fine, the dens we find don't have the scent of any other demon but their own. There're never any track marks coming in or out and the only blood I can scent is on each other. We've even found a few nests where it looks like a female ate her own young and then just sat there and starved to death.”

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Instead of the snarky comeback Inu Yasha had come to expect he was met with complete silence. He watched as the imp closed his bulging eyes and the large wrinkle over his forehead deepened. Jaken shifted his weight from one foot to the other in a way the hanyou had come to learn meant that he was thinking hard. Finally, the bug eyes opened again.

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“This subject may be worthy for my master. I shall inquire on your behalf later today.”

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True to his word, Jaken found Inu Yasha later on in the day. Kagome's miko lessons had concluded for the day and the two happened to be enjoying a late lunch on the porch of their house.

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“The master would like you to know that he does not appreciate you and lady Kagome filling Rin's head with visions of primitive weddings.”

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Incensed, the hanyou shot back crossly, “Oh yeah? Just how would Sesshoumaru plan Rin's wedding?”

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Jaken was taken aback and spent the next several minutes burbling about the half demon's rudeness and the absurdity of his baseless critiques against his great lord. Kagome held her hand to her mouth to cover an amused smile, pleasantly surprised when her husband fought back with clever words rather than threats of violence. The hanyou's gilded eyes caught the gesture and he gave her a cocky grin. She did not need to be polite to the little bastard, but he gave her credit for trying.

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The imp pretended to brush invisible dirt off his clothes in an effort to gain back some of his haughty attitude before deciding to simply move on with the rest of his message, “Ahem, my lord has only seen the kin-eating you described once and that happened in the domain of one of the northern lords. However, that occurred nearly seventy-five years ago and was caused by a terrible blizzard which created a famine in the region for several months.”

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Jaken drew in a breath, allowing the half-demon he considered a simpleton to digest his words for a few moments before he jumped back in. “There is no evidence of such food shortages in this land that would cause youkai to eat their young. I think you have misjudged a simple turf war but my lord seems to think otherwise. He will make some inquiries and if he finds some cause that may be troubling then he will send me, his faithful attendant, with whatever new information he has obtained. If you do not hear from me then your concern was unfounded. Also, my lord insists that you do not share your concerns with other youkai or humans, and that is all.”

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“Feh, as if I would.” Inu Yasha grumbled, while his eyes followed the retreating back of the little green youkai.

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His brows came together as he frowned. Sesshoumaru's message was not what he had hoped for and now he was beginning to worry. He had hoped that his half brother would pass along a disdainful message that complained he would not waste his time on such a trivial thing. Instead, Sesshoumaru was concerned enough to look into the matter personally. Inu Yasha's hand slid to the hilt of his Tetsusaiga and absently fingered the braided leather. She had been back only a few weeks and already a potential threat loomed on the horizon. It seemed that all of the exterminating he had done with Miroku in the hope of creating a safer world for her had been for naught.

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Kagome watched his eyes flick towards her and caught the faint flicker of emotion that darkened his handsome features. She knew the look well; it was guilt. With a soft smile she reached out and touched the hand that hovered over grip of his blade.

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“I can guess what you're thinking, Inu Yasha, and I'll tell you right now that it doesn't matter.”

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He watched her fingers curl around his hand. “What doesn't matter?”

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“Trouble or no trouble; it doesn't matter to me. This is where I want to be…right here, with you.” She watched his face, waiting for his response.

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The hanyou was quiet, then suddenly his gaze hardened and his jaw clenched. “There shouldn't be any trouble.”

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The miko simply smiled, the dog demon could not help relaxing a little when his eyes finally met hers.

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“So, what?” she retorted. “There was danger in my time, too. If I was there then how could you protect me from trouble? Would you have left me all alone?”

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His eyes widened in shock. He had always thought that she ought to stay in her time—a time that, as far as he could tell, was demon free—because it was safe. She had people who needed her; at the time it seemed like it had to be the right choice. And yet, he had not even considered that she might feel abandoned. To him, abandonment was a fate worse than death. His parents were the first to leave him through death, then his brother to the wild, and then Kikyo through death again. It was horrifying to think that he might have done the exact same thing to her. Instinctively he reached out and pulled her in to a tight, protective embrace.

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“No! Never! I wouldn't… I didn't mean to…” He sputtered and buried his face into her hair to capture her scent, struggling to explain himself and apologize.

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Kagome slid her arms around his middle. “Its okay, Inu Yasha, I just want to be with you, no matter what.”

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She felt his hold on her relax slightly as her words sunk in and calmed him. He remained silent while she continued to think. It really did not matter to her as long as she could wake up to another morning without the fear that she would wake up in her time and she would be alone. No, she would never have to worry about it again; they were bound together. Her tomorrow was his tomorrow.

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Kagome smiled into his chest as a thought crossed her mind, “Inu Yasha and I are bound to tomorrow.”

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