InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Enlightenment ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

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

Chapter Eight

Inuyasha has been living with Kagome and Tai for nearly a week and a half. Those plumbers sure were taking their sweet time… But it's not like he minded staying in Kagome's home. He liked getting to actually sleep in because he wouldn't need to get up and be on his way to look after Tai since he was just in the next room. And he got to enjoy Kagome's cooking whenever she got home from work. It was nice to have a home cooked meal after all those take-out foods he had been consuming. It was just felt awkward at times when he thought about it. They got a divorce because he had an affair, only to be living together again due to some silly mishap. Even though there was often a sense of nostalgia that loomed over them, it was to the best interest of the household to simply ignore it.

“So when do you think they'll have your house fixed?” asked Kagome walking out of the kitchen.

He knew it. She was hesitant about letting him stay here. It was pretty obvious starting from the moment Tai had pleaded with her to let him stay. He assumed that she only agreed because it would be convenient for Tai to have his father around more when she was away. Not to mention she could come home later and not have to worry about finding a babysitter. She had been out with Kouga at least three times since they had the pleasure of being introduced. Every time she mentioned that flea-bitten wolf he couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes. Though of course who was he to say anything about it? It was completely none of his nor was it his place to voice his opinions and obvious dislike of the wolf.

“They said it should be any day now… ” he shrugged.

She nodded her head and sat down on the couch. Tai was already asleep watching one of his favourite movies on dvd. Times like this, they both wished he was awake because he was the only one who made the atmosphere a lot more bearable. She had to admit that having Inuyasha around wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Kagome hadn't mind coming home to both him and Tai and having dinner together. What she was uncomfortable with was the fact that everything was odd. They'd actually spent more time as a family than they ever did the past year and now they were all living together again. Getting divorced only to end up under the same roof, how odd is that? But she grew accustomed to the idea that she wouldn't go back on her word and kick him out until the pipes were fixed. He was, after all, a great help the few times that she had plans after work.

“Well… I think I'm going to turn in for the night. I finished packing up for tomorrow so everything's ready,” yawned Kagome.

“Yeah I'll bring Tai to his room,” Inuyasha slowly lifting Tai up into his arms, careful not to wake him.

He watched as Kagome made her way up the stairs before hoisting Tai carefully on his shoulders after he realized he was just faking being asleep. After switching off the living room lights, he made his way up the stairs and into Tai's bedroom. He gently laid Tai under the covers and tucked him in after flicking his nose and whispering a brief good night. It was then that he noticed something brown moving at the corner of his eyes.

“Don't do that!” hissed Kagome who was clutching her chest at Inuaysha's sudden reaction.

“What are you doing sneaking up on me?” whispered Inuyasha.

“Tai left Teddy in my room,” she said holding up the bear.

“Oh.”

Kagome slipped the bear between Tai's arms under the covers and giving him a light pat. The two stood there in the dark with the only light coming from Kagome's room seeping through the doorway. Tai had immediately fallen asleep after he had been tucked in, unaware of his parents' presence.

“I can't believe he's going to be three years old tomorrow,” said Kagome breaking the silence.

“Me either… He sure grew up fast, didn't he?” said Inuyasha.

“Remember when we first took him home from the hospital?” asked Kagome.

Inuyasha couldn't help but grin at the memory. Tai hadn't stopped crying since they brought him home from the hospital and he was left to deal with his newborn son because Kagome had been too exhausted. It went on like that for weeks until Sesshomaru had visited to see Tai. Tai had seen Sesshomaru's fluffy `thing' hanging over his shoulder and had gotten attached to it, literally. They couldn't pry Tai off of it and finally, Sesshomaru had to surrender the massive ball of fur because once they had managed to pry Tai lose, he started crying again.

“Where did that thing go anyway?” asked Kagome who had read his mind or maybe his goofy grin.

“I think Sesshomaru took it the last time he came over…” he chuckled.

“We tried everything to make him stop crying… It turned out that Sesshomaru's… eerr… `fluffy thing' was the only thing he wanted,” giggled Kagome.

“See that was why I wanted a girl. Girls tend to be quieter than boys,” laughed Inuyasha.

He remembered how he and Kagome had argued numerous times before her due date whether the baby would be a boy or a girl. They didn't want to be told the baby's sex and wanted it to be a surprise. He and Kagome had thrown around so many names… It was funny now that he thought about it since they ended up naming their baby boy after his father. During Kagome's pregnancy, at least once a day, it would hit him that he was going to be a father. He promised himself that he wasn't going to deprive his child of anything… especially his or her parents. He shifted his gaze to the side in shame. He had broken his promise.

“Well we should probably go to sleep. It's a big day tomorrow for our little boy. You know how Tai gets when he's excited,” Kagome said looking down once more at her son.

Inuyasha nodded and left the room after plugging in Tai's nightlight. He and Kagome both stepped out of Tai's room, and with a yawn, Kagome made her way to her bedroom. Inuyasha lingered in the hallway and waited until he heard Kagome's door shut. He just stood there for a moment in front of Tai and Kagome's rooms which were right across from each other. He really screwed up didn't he? He had distanced himself from his wife and son because of his job, not to mention betrayed them by having an affair with Kikyou. He hoped that one day when Tai was older, he wouldn't hate him. He was still far too young to understand their predicament…

~*~

“Tai! Inuyasha! Wake up! It's time for breakfast!” yelled Kagome from the kitchen.

Sure Inuyasha had super hearing and Tai's hearing was slightly better that average humans, but none of that mattered when they were sleeping. She had gotten up extra early to make Tai's favourite breakfast this morning. She placed a plate full of pancakes and french toast where Tai usually sat, and bacon and scrambled eggs for Inuyasha.

“Mommy!” cried Tai leaping for joy as he noticed his pancakes and french toast. It had taken him a while to get out of bed but he rushed right down after Inuyasha had come in a tickle im good morning. “You made breakfast!”

“Happy birthday Tai,” giggled Kagome as Tai threw himself at her. “oh my bog boy! You're growing up way too fast!”

Inuyasha stood outside the entrance to the kitchen running his hand through his unruly hair. His ears swivelled at the sound of Kagome and Tai's laughter from the kitchen. He very quietly peaked around the doorway to see Kagome lifting Tai up to the chair and Tai looking as if he was about to burst in bliss. Inuyasha couldn't help but smile at the happy picture. It was all too familiar… Every morning was like this one after Tai was born… It had been far too long since he had come down in the morning to witness this. First he had begun to skip breakfast once or twice a week, until it became frequent.

“Inuyasha come and eat,” said Kagome who was pouring Tai some milk.

“Daddy look! Mommy made me breakfast!” he cried happily.

Inuyasha was startled as their voices broke him out of his reverie but continued to smile. Tai's mouth was covered in maple syrup and now he had a bit of a milk moustache. Kagome was eating a muffin until she started to wipe Tai's face clean. Inuyasha waltzed into the kitchen towards his family. Today… he was going to indulge himself and forget about his guilty conscience and just have fun with his family…

“I made you bacon and scrambled eggs since we ran out of ramen,” said Kagome while reading the newspaper.

“Yeah… thanks.” He sat down on his seat. He couldn't see Kagome's face because it was hidden behind the newspaper she was preoccupied with and Tai… well… he was too busy stuffing half of a whole pancake in his mouth. Inuyasha looked down at his eggs and began to dig into his breakfast quietly. How he wished Tai would just finish his breakfast already to break the silence. Kagome was never this quiet at the breakfast table… the both of them would always be talking or laughing with Tai. Tai was too absorbed in his special breakfast because Kagome wasn't usually home to make it. She was taking the day off today because Tai had requested a picnic instead of a birthday party. He hadn't even made it to Tai's second birthday…

“I'm going to go take a shower. I want you two to be done by the time I'm finished,” she said folding the newspaper neatly and ruffling Tai's hair as she passed.

“Hey Tai?” asked Inuyasha when he was sure Kagome was out of earshot.

Tai looked up in acknowledgement with half a toast in his mouth.

“Do you remember your birthday last year?”

Tai swallowed before answering. Good thing or else he'd be splattering food all over the kitchen. “Mommy got a clown and a magician! And I had lots of presents too!”

Inuaysha nodded slightly. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah! Uncle Miro gave us all pony rides!” Tai paused as his sudden excitement faded away. “Daddy? Why didn't you come? I left you an invitation…”

Inuyasha remembered that Kagome had told him that Tai left him an invitation on their nightstand. Kagome had said that Tai wanted to be sure that he'd come.

“I was…” he trailed off. He was too busy with work to care… it sounded harsh but it was how he felt back then. He was too busy and utterly absorbed with his own affairs, no pun intended, to spend time with his own family… “I was… I…” he didn't know how to tell him. The expression Tai wore wasn't helping. The disgruntled look on his son's face, eyes glazed with tears, and syrup- covered lips slightly trembling. Oh no… In a flash Inuyasha had the toddler in his arms before all hell broke loose. Tai held onto him so tightly that he could feel the sticky syrup seeping through his thin shirt.

“I'm here Tai… don't worry… Me, you, and mommy are going to spend the whole day together today.” He noticed that Tai was slightly calming down because his grip on his shirt had loosened. “We're going to have a picnic… go kite flying… heck I'll even give you pony rides… better than Uncle Miro,” he whispered into Tai's hair.

“You aren't going to leave me and mommy again?” asked Tai lifting up his face towards him.

“I promise I'll be a better dad son…” said Inuyasha smiling slightly down at his son. “No more crying okay? You shouldn't be crying on your birthday.”

“Inuyasha! Tai! Go take a bath!” cried Kagome from upstairs.

“We better go before mommy decides not to feed us any of that delicious stuff she cooked yesterday,” Inuyasha said wiping Tai's face with a napkin.

Fifteen minutes later Tai and Inuyasha came out of the washroom after their quick shower. Tai ran past Inuyasha screaming for his mother on his way to her bedroom.

“Mommy!” cried Tai as he jumped around Kagome like a munchkin.

Kagome couldn't help but smirk down at her son. It was like looking at a mini Inuyasha. It was just so adorable. He looked exactly like his father. Kagome wrinkled her nose. How come Tai never got at least one feature from her? Well except for the human ears of course. She laughed as she picked her son up. No, she liked the fact that he got Inuyasha's beautiful eyes.

“You're dripping wet!” cried Kagome when she noticed the wet trail Tai had left on her carpet. “Why didn't your father dry your hair…” she mumbled. “Inuyasha!”

“Yeeess…”he said suddenly appearing by the door.

“Care to tell me why you let your son out of the bathroom dripping…” she trailed off seeing that he was sporting a towel around his waist just like Tai. Did they even have to dress alike? Well… oh damn him and his gorgeous body! After all these years he had managed to maintain his physique. And his stupid smirk… that was one feature she knew he could never change about himself. “Your hair is dripping wet!”

Inuyasha smirked at Kagome and winked at Tai. He very slowly pushed himself off the doorway and began to stroll towards Kagome.

“Inuyasha get out! Come back in when you don't smell like a wet dog!” complained Kagome staring at her soaked carpet. With that amount of hair on both Inuyasha and Tai… she wasn't surprised why her carpet now felt like a sponge.

Now standing in front of Kagome and Tai on her bed, he lowered himself until he was on his haunches. Kagome's eyes widened. She looked down to see Inuaysha's fang-bearing smirk and turned slowly at Tai who had a more mischievous look on his face.

“Inuyasha…”she growled threateningly. She saw that he wasn't backing down and the same confident smirk still adorned his face. In distress she looked over at Tai pleadingly. “Tai… you wouldn't do that to mommy would you?”

And with that final word… water splattered everywhere. Tai was now also sitting on his haunches… on her bed nonetheless, shaking his thick silver mane. Kagome screamed as she felt every droplet Inuyasha and Tai shook from their hair. Damn it! Why did they have to have such thick, long hair! Kagome decided to run for cover behind her bed and just kept her whole body glued to the floor. Good thing she was still wearing her bath robe.

When the duo ceased their movements and water no longer hit her skin, she decided that it was finally safe. Hopefully they got their hair dried… She popped her head up to find Inuyasha and Tai looking down at her with their chins rested at the edge of her bed. Not to mention they were both smirking at her...

“INUYASHA!” she screamed as she threw herself onto his back and began yanking his forelocks.

“Ow! Damn it that hurts!” he yelped.

“Look at my room!”

“He helped me!” Inuyasha cried glaring at Tai.

“Everything is soaking wet! The carpet is going to stink!” she continued pulling his forelocks harder.

“OW!”

“Daddy!” cried Tai helplessly as he watched his mother beating on his poor father. Now he didn't really think his daddy could ever eat his mommy without getting hurt… Then it dawned on him. He had to drive them to the park!

“And what the hell were you thinking walking around in nothing but a towel!” she screamed as she switched from pulling his hair to pulling his ears… painfully.

“KEH! You liked it before! And it's nothing you haven't seen,” he said nonchalantly, turning his head around to face her.

That only made her angrier. That arrogant bastard! She momentarily saw a perverse smirk cross his face but it quickly vanished when she wrapped her hands tightly around his neck.

“Don't talk like that in front of our son!”

“Mommy stop! Daddy has to drive us to the park!” he cried trying to pry Kagome's fingers off his father's neck.

“Thanks… a… lot…Tai…”wheezed Inuyasha slightly turning red from the lack of oxygen.

“You're right…” said Kagome collapsing on her bed.

“Geee… thanks a lot,” mumbled Inuyasha holding his neck. It was surprising how tight Kagome gripped his neck. He was half demon after all…

“Mommy…” said Tai poking her stomach.

Kagome turned her head towards Tai who was sitting beside her.

“Can you comb my hair?” asked Tai holding up her brush.

“Okay,” said Kagome sitting up. This was her favourite part after Tai's bath time; combing his hair. It was just so long and silky that it was so relaxing to comb through it… Just like Inuyasha's…

Once she was done combing through the little tangles she gave him a very disappointed look.

“I'm showy mommy…” he said sticking out his bottom lip.

“I'll let you get away with it just because it's your birthday,” she said hugging him tightly. “Now go get dressed before I change my mind about letting your daddy live.” She gave Tai a pat on the butt and he scooted off the bed, and out of the room. Kagome sighed. Her hair was soaking wet… she had just finished drying it before they came in.

“Stupid Inuyasha…”she grumbled as she got off the bed to change.

“I'm still here you know,” said Inuyasha who hadn't moved a muscle out of his position.

“My room is probably going to stink… the carpet is never going to dry… everything's wet…” she continued to mumble while she combed her hair.

“Kagome?” asked Inuyasha who was now sitting up on the bed.

“What?” she snapped at him.

“Can you comb my hair too?” he asked shyly.

Kagome was a bit taken back by his question and the look on his face. He looked to the side so she couldn't see the blush he was trying to hide with his usual frown and crossed his arms across his bare chest. He looked very much like Tai… pouting like that. That was the last thing she had expected to come out of his mouth.

“Well if you didn't want to, all you had to say was no,” he said making a move to get up.

“No! It's just that… you… oh never mind… sit back down,” she said fighting down her own blush that was spreading across her face.

Inuyasha sat back down on the bed but still had his frown and arms over his chest. Kagome crawled over behind him and sat up on her knees. She reached up and began to brush from where his ears ended and brought the brush down gently. This was a lot of work considering how much hair he has. But still… it was like… like when they were still married. When they were still happy together… She had always found the act of brushing his hair to be very intimate. Looking back on it now she realized how naïve it was to think of combing his hair as anything more than it really was.

Inuyasha was so relaxed that he nearly fell asleep. He missed how she always combed his hair… He liked it as much as she did. He always did have trouble combing through his thick silver hair. It worried him that he lost so much hair whenever he did it himself not to mention it was always so painful. It's been so long since Kagome last combed his hair like this… She was always gentle with his hair. She was always careful not to scratch his ears and dealing with his tangles… He really missed it. All too soon it ended.

“Okay you're done. Go get dressed while I go find some dry clothes,” said Kagome clicking her tongue.

“Thanks…”

“You always did have problems combing your hair…” she said giving him a stubborn look.

Inuyasha stood up and noticed Kagome looking at him. Her eyes were somewhat huge and he wondered what she was staring at. Then she looked away blushing furiously.

“Geez… I'll get some clothes on if you really can't control yourself,” he grinned arrogantly. Inuyasha waltzed past her and noticed that when he did, she turned the other way to avoid looking at him. “What's your problem?”

“You're forgetting something…” she said pointing at her bed.

Inuyasha looked at her bed and noticed a towel hanging by the edge. Oh no… He looked down at himself and confirmed why Kagome was blushing and why he suddenly felt `breezy.'