InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bound to Tomorrow ❯ Precious, Hidden Things ( Chapter 18 )

Author's Nerdy History Note: I couldn't find an exact date of when wigs first began use in Japan but since geisha used them I'm assuming they might have been around nearly as long as them. If I'm placing the usage of said wig in the wrong time period, let me know, but I don't think hair dye would have been an option at this point as “true black” dyes that could have been added in a non-acidic bath might have been hard to find in this time period.

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1629-1657

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Kagome and Sango forced the gang to stay put for a few extra days before hitting the road again for the Unzen Onsen. The women had chosen to wait a bit longer so that they could be sure Mina was fit enough to travel. Fortunately, her wound had been healing slowly but surely. Kagome fashioned for her a bandana to wear to hide the mark that would be too-easily noticeable to the villagers in the Nagasaki region. If they saw it they would know who she was and might attack her for it. Inu Yasha was the least surprised, but also the angriest, about the poor girl's predicament. He knew well what it was like to be persecuted for looking different but to him it mattered less than it had used to… ever since Kagome and her friends had accepted him for who he was. Still, it bothered him that a mere scar could potentially shorten a child's life so drastically.

He shot a sideways glace at the girl in mind while they walked down the main road towards Unzen. He nearly jumped when he realized she was staring back at him; except that she seemed more interested in the front of his shirt. He put on his best sour puss expression and grunted.

“What is it, kid?”

Mina blushed and turned her hazel gaze down towards her fingers. “Ah! Sorry… I was uhm… looking at your rosary. It's pretty.”

He made a face when Shippo snickered somewhere behind him and to his left. “I don't know what the hell a rosary is; kid, but these are subjugation beads.”

He lifted a section of the beads as further evidence. Mina looked confused but nodded anyway. “Did Miss Kagome make them for you?”

Before the hanyou had a chance to respond Shippo quickly interjected, “No, but Kagome sure loves to use them on him a lot.”

Shippo quickly ducked Inu Yasha's first attempt to rap him on the head but wasn't spry enough to avoid the second. He yelped in pain and Mina stuffed her fist partway into her mouth to stifle a giggle. She had already learned that it drew Kagome's ire to see the two boys scuffle but the girl couldn't help but find it hilarious. The boys, in turn, played up their antics slightly for her benefit. Shippo especially liked to get the child to smile once in a while. He often overheard her crying in her sleep at night. They both did, actually, but the kitsune took it especially hard.

“I heard that…” Kagome muttered nearby.

Mina wasn't finished yet, though, “Do you think the person who made your beads would make me a rosary? It looks a lot like that…”

Shippo grimaced. Kaede had made those beads and she was long-dead. Mina didn't miss the expression.

“Did something happen to the person who made the beads?” She asked quietly.

“Ah, yes, she was…” Shippo began and shot Inu Yasha a glance to see what he thought he ought to say. The hanyou shook his head slightly; he didn't think she could handle hearing about Noboru killing her.

Shippo hesitated a little too long, however, and Mina deduced enough on her own “…She was taken by the demons, too?”

“Yeah, kid, that's one of the reasons why we're looking for the little rat bas—…” Kagome's angry look was enough to make Inu Yasha's curse word die on his lips “…uh… jerk… that and we have to get Sango and Miroku's kids back, too.”

It was more of a half-truth than an all-out lie. Noboru had taken Kaede's life, after all; it was close enough to honesty. Thankfully, Mina was still young enough not to question him too much about it. Inu Yasha wondered if his own pups would be so gullible, no, knowing how smart Kagome was they'd likely be sharp as a tack. Shippo's voice interrupted his thoughts.

“I'm pretty good at whittling. Would you like me to try and make you a rosary… can a demon make you a rosary?”

Mina chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully for a moment then looked up at her sable-haired friend. “Well, daddy once said that everyone is fallen so maybe it doesn't matter who makes it? Well, except maybe bad demons… but you're not a bad demon. I can tell, just like Mister Inu Yasha. He's a good demon, too.” She bobbed her head emphatically to emphasize her point; her wavy brown-black hair bounced with the motion.

“Then that settles it!” Shippo rubbed his hands together excitedly. “I'll get started as soon as we make camp or find a town. You'll have to tell me more about them though, so I make it right; can you do that?”

Mina's head bobbed up and down again in confirmation.

“…Just as long as he doesn't put any damned spells on it like he normally does…” The hanyou grumbled under his breath.

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Fortunately, their next stop turned out to be the village with the Unzen Onsen. It was still populated, a sign that Noboru hadn't struck yet, so they quickly chose the local inn attached to the onsen to stay for the night. Concerns about an attack during the night caused them to choose one large room to stay in. Despite the potential danger Kagome found that she was looking forward to a relaxing bath in the hot spring.

Kagome was unrolling the first of the futons when Inu Yasha appeared at the back entrance to their room. He had been doing a little reconnaissance of the room they had selected for safety purposes. It wasn't the most ideal of safe zones, but they would all be together at night at the very least. For now though, he beckoned Kagome to him. The miko finished making up the futon before joining him on the back porch. He wore a lopsided grin on his face as he looked around the empty room. Miroku had been instrumental in getting everybody else out for him.

As she approached him he grabbed her by the wrist and swept her into his arms. She burbled a surprised protest about Mina, which he ignored, and turned his head towards her neck to nuzzle it.

“You're coming with me.”

“Wh-what? Inu Yasha, what is it?”

“You may be able to hide it well from your friends but you can't hide it from me, city girl.” His voice rumbled against her ear as goose bumps broke out across her neck.

“I-I don't know what you're talking about…” She protested and wriggled a little.

“You've wanted a bath all day. I'm going to take you there.” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Besides… I reserved a private family bath for both of us…”

Inu Yasha was nibbling on her ear and it was making it quite hard to think. Somehow she managed to stumble out half a sentence asking about Mina before the hanyou cut her off.

“Miroku and Sango are keeping an eye on her and Shippo… The pups wanted an early dinner anyway.” He added.

Kagome wondered what exactly had made him so randy today but she wasn't going to protest. They hadn't really celebrated their wedding anniversary yet this year, after all. Her musings gave the hanyou plenty of time to pick her up bridal-style, jump down from the balcony railing he had been perched on, and head out through the front door. When they got to the private bath's changing area he released her and tugged off the wig he used when walking around in public. He threw the wig along with the outer layer of his fire rat robe and his waist ties into a basket. He then balanced on one foot in a way that only a demon with perfect balance could accomplish to remove one pant leg before switching to the other.

By the time he had finished getting undressed (making sure he brought Tetsusaiga along) Kagome was already halfway to the washing area. He had only vague recollections of his mother assisting him in a family bath like the one they were in now. He had intended on watching her go through the process of washing down to reacquaint himself with that knowledge but Kagome noticed his reluctance.

“Have you been to a hot spring like this before?”

He huffed and turned his back towards her, “Of course I have, wench! I went with my mother plenty of times!” His ears drooped slightly and he quietly added. “I just uh… don't remember much about what I'm supposed to do.”

Kagome smiled and made her way back towards him. Her arms drifted down his arm to clasp one of his claws in both of her hands. “Well come on then, and I'll show you what I had to do for Souta.” The sour look he cast her made her quickly add, “It's not like I'm helping you or anything I'm just showing you so that you know how to do this for children. In modern times the bath houses are usually split for men and women separately so if we had boys then…”

“…then I'd have to know how to do all this, right?” Inu Yasha completed for her.

“Exactly,” She nodded and pulled a much more relieved dog demon towards one of the cleaning stalls.

The miko led her husband to one of the stools and indicated for him to sit down. A sponge, soap, and a bucket of hot water were ready and waiting near by. She lathered up the sponge and began to wash his back first, then handed him the sponge so that he could clean his front. While he was sponging down his front she used a small hand towel to dampen his silver hair and then washed that as well. Running her fingers through his damp locks distracted her from her duties momentarily; secretly she had wanted to wash his hair for some time, just to see how it felt between her fingers. Inu Yasha found no reason to complain as her hands wound their way up his hair and to his scalp where her fingers massaged him.

“Hmm…” He murmured as he instinctively rolled his head towards her hands; tilting it so that one ear could encounter her touch.

She stayed like that for several minutes rubbing his ears until he gave a small, pleased growl and suddenly remembered he hadn't washed. Her hands unwound from his hair as gently as possible before moving to the bucket of water stashed near by. The miko handed it to her husband and instructed.

“Dump this over you and then use this washcloth to get rid of any remaining soap. Once you're clean you can get into the tub. I'll join you as soon as I wash up.”

Inu Yasha dumped the bucked over his head before shaking off the droplets like a—well—dog. Kagome gave a surprised squeak when she was suddenly peppered with water. Before she could protest such an injustice the hanyou was beside her his hands resting on her shoulders.

“It's my turn now.” He spoke quietly.

She nodded dumbly and settled down onto the stool in the wash station next to his. He set to work demonstrating how good of a learner he really was. His fingers glided over the gentle curves of her sides and down along her back, then up again until he reached the nape of her neck. She shivered and chewed on her lower lip to keep back a moan. His claws moved up slowly to weave through her hair just like she had done and it wasn't long before her hair was damp and sudsy. Kagome closed her eyes to his ministrations to her scalp until a similar bucket laden with hot water was pressed into her lap. She opened her eyes to see her husband grinning at her.

“You seem relaxed…” After she giggled he added, “Come on, hurry up. I want to get in the bath.”

Kagome obeyed and was washed off in no time. Finally the two made their way to the tub and waded in. The miko gave a contented sigh as she settled down on the stone seat beneath the surface of the water. Inu Yasha took up the spot next to her and leaned in to nuzzle her neck affectionately.

Kagome laughed and tilted her head back to expose more of her neck to him. “It's been a while since we've had some alone time, hasn't it?”

Her husband mumbled into her skin, “…Far too long.”

The miko tried to keep her mind straight as his claws slid across her belly, then dragged downwards to her thighs. Something had been on her mind since their last conversation and knowing what was to come next she had to say it; and say it fast.

“Ah… Inu Yasha?”

“Hmm…?” He answered in a most distracted manner.

“Tonight… if we… if we do this…” She paused when his hands slipped inwards and caused her body to shudder pleasantly. The miko knew she was about to lose her mind at any moment so she had to press on quickly, “…will we have them? …Pups?”

Inu Yasha ceased his activities and looked up at his wife, a serious look gradually replacing the naughty smirk he had been sporting. “No, we won't. Why?”

With his hands stilled she was able to think clearly again and she sat up a little straighter in her seat before turning to look at her husband. “Good, because I've been thinking… I don't think we should try just yet to have any.”

Her husband nodded, secretly relieved to hear it, but he had to ask, “Is it because of Mina?”

She nodded, “Yes, partly… Seeing what people are capable of because of a silly statue… I just… I don't want to raise my child in fear and in hiding. I'm sorry, I know you wanted to.”

One hand curled around hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, “No, Kagome, I don't want to—ah, not yet anyway—have pups. I was meaning to tell you sooner but you said you needed some time so… I waited… and then I forgot.” He gave her a sheepish smile.

The concept of having children still scared the daylights out of him, and it was a great relief to the hanyou to hear that his wife was also not yet ready. Still, if she had wanted them, he would have given it. He was old enough to know by that point that her happiness was well worth overcoming his own insecurities.

Kagome sighed with relief and threw her arms about his neck, “Oh thank goodness! I was so worried you'd be upset!”

“Feh, you don't know me that well, wench.” And with that he tugged her up onto his lap. His lips were at her ear in a heartbeat, “Now, let's quit with the worrying and get back to relaxing, dammit!”

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A very relaxed hanyou and miko returned to their guestroom some time later. They found Shippo and Mina in one corner of the room engaged in deep discussion about her new rosary. Miroku sat nearby, apparently there for spiritual input as needed for Shippo, but he was rather busy waggling his eyebrows suggestively at his wife sitting on the other side of the room tending to the hidden blades she normally kept in the sleeves of her yukata. Sango would occasionally brandish one of the blades at him and flash him a glare; which he ignored in the usual fashion.

Inu Yasha caught wind of the exchange and turned to Shippo. “All right, pup, we're back to relieve you of Miroku. Go on, houshi and take your mate, you're obviously not helping them any.”

Miroku ignored the jab and bowed with a flourish, “Well I thank you, dear sir. Come, love let us go…”

Sango made a face before packing up her blades. Meanwhile, the hanyou grabbed the monk by the collar and dragged him close, whispering just loud enough for Kagome to hear him say. “You told me to tell you when she's coming into heat so you won't have any kids… well… she's getting there so don't go nuts.”

Miroku's face fell slightly and he sighed dramatically, “The eight-fold path is such a hard one to tread…”

As soon as he and his wife were gone Kagome looked up at the half-demon. “That didn't sound very sincere, Inu Yasha…”

The hanyou made a face at her, “Yeah, well she might not be due that soon but the houshi deserved it for the hell he gave me trying to get you alone. Did you know how much perverted shit I had to listen to from that guy while you were in the bathroom? Gods, I almost gave up! The idiot had it coming…”

“You're bad!” Kagome gasped and gave his shoulder a light slap. “…But I suppose I see your point. I wont bust you this time but don't do it again.” She waggled a finger at him in a chastising fashion.

“Yes ma'am,” He grinned and kissed the side of his wife's head.

He then moved over to where Shippo and Mina were sitting and chose to settle down nearby. “So how's it coming?”

The kitsune didn't look up at him as he fished through his robes and sleeves and produced various objects on a nearby table: mostly small animal bones and blocks of wood. “I think I have enough here to make one but I'll need you to cut me some more wood later on if you want me to make some more tops.”

“That shouldn't be a problem.” The hanyou commented lightly, “Oi, shouldn't you let Mina get off to bed? It's awfully late.”

Shippo looked up at the little girl, his eyes widening. “Oh! I'm sorry, Mina! Let's get you to bed. I'll get started on this in the morning.”

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It took the kitsune several days to hand carve the beads for the rosary. The bones were used to make the smaller decade beads while the wood was used to create the larger beads to end each decade. From there he threaded the beads with silk thread and closed the ends off with another wooden bauble that formed the shape of a crane. Shippo had encouraged Mina to pick a symbol that might be common to Japanese religion without immediately setting off the fact that she was Kakure. When asked, Mina explained to the kitsune that the crane symbolized protection, provision for others, and perseverance in that if one crane died another would take its place. Shippo was touched by the significance of the imagery and was amazed that a young child could possess such maturity.

The demons in the group were given quite a scare the morning after Mina first began using her rosary. When Inu Yasha and Shippo awoke that day the little girl's scent had completely vanished from their communal room. Quickly, they began shaking their friends awake until they inadvertently stumbled upon the little girl, sleeping soundly tucked away against Kagome. Mina began to giggle in her sleep as the two demons sniffed at her hair and fingers several times, exchanging confused looks with each other when neither could pick up her scent. Kagome had already been roused and held the child protectively as she stared at them.

“What in Kami's name are you two doing?!” She growled, none too happy about being awoken so suddenly.

InuYasha began to sweat a little as he sensed a 'sit' approaching, “Er... she...she...doesn't smell.”

The miko's temper shortened a little further, her words terse, “What do you mean, she doesn't smell? Of course not. She just had a bath last night!”

For once, Shippo backed the hanyou up, knowing InuYasha was likely to take it out on him later if he did get sat. “Ah, uh... what he means is that she doesn't have a scent—at all.”

By this time Miroku, who had been roused by the distressed kitsune moments earlier, was wide awake and listening with his wife. “Don't humans always carry a scent?”

Shippo and InuYasha spoke in tandem just then, “Everything has a scent!”

Miroku scratched the side of his head thoughtfully, “But then, how can she not have a scent?”

The two shrugged their shoulders simultaneously, then glared at each other for performing the same actions twice in a row. Kagome looked down at the sleeping girl in her arms and was amazed at how she could sleep through the ruckus the demons had just made. As if sensing that she was being looked at, Mina mumbled some nonsense and buried her face in the miko's side, the rosary beads clasped tightly in tiny fingers clicked together quietly. The miko glanced at the object and then turned her gaze upon Shippo.

“Shippo, did you cast any spells on the beads while you were making them?”

The kitsune shook his head no, but an idea took root inside his mind. He raised a finger to his lips to indicate for everyone to be silent as he crept beside Mina. With practiced ease he gently removed the rosary from the girl's fingers and closed her hands around Miroku's prayer beads. The monk belatedly noticed at that moment that the kitsune had somehow managed to steal it right from under his nose at some point while he was still sitting next to him. He then scooted away from the group to get himself away from the scent he had been dragging with him all over the place while he sat there. The same puzzled look InuYasha had worn before appeared on his face just then.

“What the hell...? Now your scent is gone.” The hanyou gawped.

Shippo sniffed the air, “...Mina's scent is back.”

They all turned their eyes on the little girl.

“I'll be damned, so it is...” InuYasha confirmed.

The kitsune scrambled back over to Mina's side and swapped beads again, then gently shook her shoulder. “Hey, Mina, it's time to wake up. I wanna ask you something...”

The child made no complaint as she yawned and blinked up owlishly at the group of faces now surrounding her. “Mm...? Did I sleep in too late?”

InuYasha snorted, “Hardly, but you did scare the hell out of me and Shippo.”

Her hazel eyes widened as she processed the information, “I'm so sorry! What'd I do?”

Shippo made a face at the hanyou for potentially upsetting her before chiming in, “Ignore him. We just thought you'd hidden somewhere and we were worried about you for a minute.”

“I didn't hide anywhere. I was just sleeping... I'm sorry if I scared you.” She looked down at the floor, away from them, as if she might be chastised.

Kagome decided it was probably a good enough time for her to speak. “It's okay, it was just an accident. Hey, Mina, could I ask you something about your rosary?”

The girl glanced at the beads wrapped around her fingers for a second before she turned her large, round eyes back up to Kagome and nodded silently.

The miko put on her most reassuring smile as she spoke, “What did you pray about last night before bed?”

Mina blushed and fiddled with one of the larger beads on her string and kept her eyes on her rosary. “I prayed that the demons wouldn't find me, that's all.”

“Interesting...” Miroku interjected before turning his attention upon the nearby kitsune. “Shippo, do you think you could make another rosary? I think this is cause for further investigation.”

“I'll need some more supplies but I can do that...” The fox demon responded.

“Well let's get something to eat first.” InuYasha twitched an ear in Mina's direction where he could hear her tummy faintly growling, “Some of us here are hungry.”

Everyone agreed and began getting ready for breakfast. InuYasha muttered to himself, “Great, just what I need... another Shippo and Miroku investigation...”

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InuYasha was happy to discover that he wouldn't be nearly as abused for this investigation as he had for prior ones. It turned out Mina had a special knack for 'hiding.' Any beaded object Mina prayed over had the ability to mask scents and even auras from youkai and humans alike. Seeing the obvious benefit of such a trinket, Miroku helped Shippo make several beaded bracelets for each person in their group and some extras to bring with for the family back in Edo. In the meantime, they continued to keep a close watch out for Noboru while they lodged in Unzen.

Months went by with no appearance by Noboru. Attacked on the surrounding towns stopped as well. The gang continued to wait, regardless, and it was at this time that they discovered a secondary benefit to the bracelets. One day in the summertime Mina went outside to play with some local children and forgot her headscarf. She did not realize she had gone without it until she came home later that day. A tense few days went by for the gang, anticipating trouble from the villagers over the girl with the telling forehead scar. When no one raised the alarm they cautiously asked around and discovered that no one had even seen a scar on Mina. To everyone else in town, she appeared to be completely whole, yet, at home amongst her close friends they could see the scar as plain as day. Mina later remembered that she had prayed recently that she might be hidden from a misunderstanding world and Shippo and Miroku then quickly suspected that it was this prayer that had hidden her scar from the townspeople.

It was at this point that InuYasha had to play guinea pig for more experiments from Shippo and Miroku. Not wanting to risk the girl's life by having her wander around in public without a headscarf again, they chose instead to have Mina pray over InuYasha's beads. The hanyou then set out for a distant village without his customary wig to test the theory out. After several days he returned and reported that no one in the village appeared to see him as anything other than a typical young, traveling, human man. Thus, Inu Yasha and Shippo were able to travel in public without the use of .

Months turned into years and still Noboru had yet to appear. The gang continued to stay in the area to take care of Mina. Letters from home from Akahanna, Haruto, and Kohaku described a prosperous and safe Edo leaving the gang to wonder what Noboru had planned for them there in Unzen. Meanwhile, time went by with no sign of Noboru's presence. No more villages were attacked in the Unzen area though the area was far from peaceful. When Mina was about fifteen a peasant rebellion broke out in the nearby city of Nagasaki in 1637. Many frustrated Kakure Kirishitans joined the rebellion and a young and impulsive Mina desperately wanted to join the cause. However, Kagome knew the rebellion would end in utter failure and she and InuYasha managed to talk her into staying home. The rebellion was swiftly and brutally put down by the local shogun. By the time Mina was nearly twenty Nagasaki was the only port allowed to maintain business with the outside world and thus her only access to Catholic practice was through frequent and dangerous trips to the port city.

Mina was thirty-five years old and well-versed in the art of hiding in plain sight by the time Kagome felt a strong desire to leave. Something tugged desperately at her senses, urging her to return to Edo. By winter the feeling had become intolerable and they readied their things to leave. Mina chose to stay in Unzen to help other Kakure in the area. Before they left she promised them that the crane on a rosary would always symbolize a safe haven amongst her people; for good youkai or humans. Finally, the gang began their long journey back to Edo.

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Kagome stared in slack-jawed disbelief at the sight before her. The night sky above Edo was bathed in undulating reds and golds. The blustery winter air could not keep the intense heat from searing her face, nor could it stop the burning in her eyes from the smoke. Everything before her was being consumed in innumerable flames. People were screaming. Edo was burning.