InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Double Vision ❯ Chapter 29 ( Chapter 28 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Bright light streaming through the mouth of the cave woke Kagome up. She squinted, then got to her feet, dragging moko-moko along with her as she stretched and went to look outside. The snow that had fallen overnight was bright white, and the sun was shining on it, making the world a brilliant place that morning. It appeared that Kohaku had thrown some new logs on the fire and went out to work on his training. He was doing cartwheels, back flips, and various elaborate handstands and rolls. If Kohaku lived in the modern era, he could easily be an Olympic athlete, Kagome thought. When he spotted Kagome, he ran over to her, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his forearm. He was dressed in his black leather demon slayer outfit. Clearly he had grown a lot since she first met him. “Say, Kohaku, where do you get those demon slayer uniforms?”

Kohaku smiled boyishly. “Why, Kagome, want one?”

Kagome blushed a little. The uniforms were not too modest, looking to her modern eye like some kind of fetish gear. “They seem to be really good for working out, but they must get really hot.”

“Not really. I know it sounds kind of funny, but these suits are made by demons, from demon leather. In most places it’s very light but tough. They use thicker hides in some places, from different species of demons. Their design is well known to demon armorers, because even though most of the demon slayers are gone now, there used to be more tribes and most of the armorers have been in business for centuries.”

“Like Totousai,” Kagome supplied.

“Exactly. Now I was serious. Do you want me to get you a demon slayer’s uniform? I think it would come in handy. I could help you with training, too. You’re already in great shape, and I’ve noticed you’re really flexible.”

Kagome hoped he wasn’t being a letch. He seemed enthusiastic, and it wasn’t as if he were leering at her when he said she was flexible. “Maybe…”

“We can go into town this afternoon. You have to go along, because you’ll need to be measured. I know Lord Sesshomaru marked you, so since he won’t be with us, I think it might be best if you covered the mark up with a scarf or something. We’ll say that you are another demon slayer. I’ll act like you’re my fiancé. That way there is less likely to be trouble about you being a human mated to a demon lord and all.”

Kagome thought his plan was unnecessarily elaborate, but Kohaku had been around the block, and she trusted him to know about the dangers of a demon village. Whenever she had traveled in the feudal era, she had been in the company of Inuyasha, and they had more trouble with human prejudice than that of demons. Really, the last thing a full-blooded demon wanted was a half-breed competing for demon females. She really liked the idea of working out and becoming a skilled fighter, and she thought there was a chance she might actually be good at it. She had been really good at gymnastics and dancing when she was in school, and even though she had been kind of accident prone as a young teen, she was now unusually graceful. Her mother had always told her she would eventually grow into her long limbs, and she had turned out to be right. ‘Mom knew everything,’ she thought wistfully.

“Let’s have breakfast, then we’ll go to the demon village. On the way back, we can gather up some firewood.”

“Sounds good to me, Kohaku. I know you went to a lot of trouble to bring back food for me. I don’t want you to think I didn’t appreciate it, but there’s something going on with me that’s making me feel kind of sick lately. Today I feel better, though, so maybe I can try to eat a little.” Kagome mentally crossed her fingers. She really didn’t want to lose her cookies again. That was a miserable experience.

“You’re not pregnant, are you, Kagome? My sister always got sick in the mornings when she was expecting.” Kohaku didn’t look too happy at the thought.

“No way, Kohaku. You know Inuyasha wouldn’t touch me with a ten-foot pole.” Kohaku had no idea what a ten-foot pole was, but he agreed that Inuyasha hadn’t touched Kagome in a long time. “And morning sickness doesn’t set in as soon as a woman gets pregnant. It takes some time, though it varies from one woman to another.” Kagome loved to show off her knowledge of healing and midwifery. She had been made to feel inferior for so long, she sometimes felt like the American comedian Rodney Dangerfield. Though she had to study hard and put in a lot of hours as an apprentice to Kaede, it felt really good to know that she was accepted as being basically a doctor in this era.

Kagome managed to eat about a cup of rice and several small cups of tea. Kohaku decided to try to hunt for a game bird on their trip to the village. Many people considered a small roasted bird to be of medicinal value, and she could probably tolerate a small amount of the mild meat. They set off for the village shortly after breakfast. Kohaku knew that Sesshomaru had intended for them to stay close to the cave, but at the moment, he didn’t particularly care. He was enjoying the day thoroughly, and Kagome seemed to be very happy, too. She almost skipped now and then as they made their way through the forest, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. Life was always so serious for Kagome, and Kohaku found it remarkable that she seemed capable of finding happiness in the middle of such turmoil. He thought of a tale he had once been told by an old woman who had offered him shelter for a night, about a princess who was capable of spinning happiness out of cobwebs.