InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Enlightenment ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )

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

Chapter Eleven

The next morning everyone got up at the crack of dawn to help Inuyasha move back in his house. Kagome was still pretty much out of it since she couldn't get to sleep the other night. She had stayed up wondering why Inuyasha had gone through so much trouble for her birthday. Maybe it was his way of compensating for how much he'd hurt her? As much as she would like to believe that, she had other thoughts about his kind gestures. What if he was just doing that because he hadn't been out with another woman since their divorce? Well for all she knew… that could just be it. Well for all she knew… he could just be exercising his testosterone driven, male body, to overdrive.

Inuyasha had carried a sleeping Tai into the car with him while Kagome took her car separately. They had to do a lot of moving today, although he could probably get it done by lunchtime if he worked quickly. He heaved a heavy sigh as the rooftop of their old house came into view. He secretly wished to stay with Kagome and Tai. Even though he had only lived with them for two weeks, memories of how their home life used to be had wrapped around and captured his heart. And sometimes… these thoughts led him to the one question that he had no answer to… How had he let things lead to how they were now?

“Daddy?” mumbled Tai from the backseat.

“Yeah?”

“Are we leaving mommy again?” he asked groggily.

Inuyasha felt a quick stabbing at his heart at Tai's innocent question. He felt guilty that he was separating Tai and Kagome. But he didn't mind if she came to visit when Tai spends two weeks with him. His son wasn't the only one who wanted to bask in her presence. “You'll still see your mommy…”

“I remember last time I didn't see her for so long…”

Inuyasha knew that two weeks would seem awfully long to a child especially if it's separation from a parent. Tai and Kagome are terribly attached to each other since well… all they had was each other when he had left them… He guiltily kept his eyes on the road and waited for Tai to drift off to sleep before glancing at his rear view mirror.

By mid afternoon he and Kagome had managed to move all his things back into the house. Tai had just been following either of them around the house and asking why and where everything goes. Aside from that, the little boy placed most of Inuyasha's things where he remembered them to be before the flood. They had brunch so neither three of them were starving by noon. After their short meal, the three of them were soon found in the living room on the couch.

Kagome looked around her uncomfortably. Horrid memories filled her mind as she remembered the nights she had spent alone waiting up for Inuyasha to come home only to know deep down that he wouldn't… not for her or Tai at least. Feeling resentment towards the man sitting across from her, she casually got up and walked to the kitchen as a scowl marred her features. All morning she had been working to repress all the emotion and hurt she started to feel as she walked around her old home. Images of her sitting against the wall crying until there were no more tears left to shed… sipping a hot cup of tea at two in the morning just to greet Inuyasha home… There were just too many unpleasant memories in this house… She couldn't deny that there had no doubt been good times as well but this house had experienced more sadness than happiness. She came to the conclusion that she hated this house.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome's tired expression quickly changed to a scowl as her eyes darted around the room. She had seemed fine this morning. He wondered what could've gotten her in such a foul mood all of a sudden. His eyes followed her as she stood up and walked towards the kitchen only to stop before entering. She looked like she was submerged in thought and all he could see was surfacing anger. He heard the fridge open and listened as she moved around some objects inside. “I don't think I have any food in there!” he called out.

She emerged seconds later and had an unreadable expression. “Maybe we should go shopping.”

“I want to go!” said Tai excitedly.

“I'll stay here and start cleaning up the attic. I know I stashed some of my things up there,” said Inuyasha scratching his head.

Kagome merely nodded and took out her car keys from her pocket. Tai quickly gave him a hug before running after his mother out the door. With a pondering expression Inuyasha headed up to the attic.

The car ride to the grocery store was a short one considering that they lived in the city. There was always a supermarket at least five blocks away from each other. Kagome spent the car ride trying to compose herself by letting her son's infectious sense of humour seep into her. It wasn't long until she was holding Tai by the hand and guiding him through the automatic doors of the grocery store. Tai had cried `open sesame' thinking that the magic phrase was the force that opened the doors.

“Mommy! I don't want to sit in the cart!” Tai pouted.

“What if you get lost?” asked Kagome trying to ignore his cute pout.

“I'll be able to find you. Daddy says that I got my nose from him so I'll be able to smell where you are,” he said proudly tapping his nose.

Kagome giggled at her son's cute antics. She could always count on him to bring her out of her foulest moods. With a quick kiss on the cheek, Kagome lifted him out of the cart to stand beside him. “You promise you won't wander off somewhere?”

Tai nodded enthusiastically, for the first time he was allowed to walk beside his mother in the grocery store without having to be carried by his father or pushed around in the cart.

Kagome quickly started loading their cart with drinks and what not that Inuyasha may need. She made sure not to forget the ramen of course. She kept talking to Tai so that she'd know he was right beside her where ever she went. She missed taking her son out to the grocery store. Inuyasha hated grocery shopping and Tai was often her only company when she shopped. She couldn't help but smile at Tai's eagerness to help her put things into the cart or help her find where things were with his nose.

Inuyasha hefted another box over his shoulder and moved it to his bedroom. He really hoped that Kagome and Tai would be home soon because he was working up quite an appetite. For the last hour he had been busy moving things back into his bedroom. With a loud groan, Inuyasha let himself fall back onto his soft bed. This was strange for him because during the past month he'd spent every waking moment attending to Tai or being in the company of both his son and Kagome. Now the only noise that could be heard was the ticking of the clock. He closed his eyes and relished in the myriad of memories that entered his mind.

“Inuyasha!” his new wife giggled as he flipped on the light switch. “Isn't it enough you carried me through the whole house and up the stairs?”

“And since when were you the one to question tradition?” he smirked.

“Inuyasha-!” squealed Kagome.

He had unceremoniously dropped her on their new king-sizedbed and continued to smirk down at her. She was utterly breathtaking. Her white dress was simply lovely and only made her more exquisite. It allowed him easy access to her neck especially on their way from their reception.

“Inuyasha…”

His eyes trailed from her feet and slowly up her body as he moved onto the bed to join her. His hands worked to slip her shoes from her feet and move up along the outside of her leg. He heard her sharp intake of breath as he leaned more towards her and continued to let his gaze fall on the swell of her hips to her firm breasts where her gown had shown off the top of her cleavage. He licked his lips as he tore his eyes away from her breasts to follow along the column of her neck and finally to her full, plump lips.

“Have I told you, you looked absolutely ravishing?” he whispered in her ear.

“Inuyasha…” she whispered as she wrapped her long slender arms around his neck to bring him closer.

Inuyasha brought the hand under her dress to slide higher up her leg as he placed open- mouthed kisses along the side of her neck. It was their wedding night and he was not going to hold back. Heand Kagome were finally married and he just couldn't bring himself to believe that all this was real. Since their engagement he had started to wonder about all the possibilities that could tear them apart. Especially about the one woman he had never spoken of to his wife. Even until now he still felt as if there was something out to get him. He was still expecting for something to fall apart even now that he was finally married to the one woman he's loved for so long…

“Inuyasha… this is the happiest day of my life…” she said softly.

He froze at hearing this. Even now… after knowing her for so long she still had the power to make his heart stop. He quickly captured her lips with his own in a passionate kiss that left them both breathless once they broke apart. He looked her in the eye lovingly and brought up his hand to caress her face. “This is only the beginningKagome… We'll have many more…”

No more words were said after that… The couple spent their first night together as man and wife in a passionate embrace and promising each other forever through their kisses and loving caresses…

The following morning Inuyasha had been the first to wake. He stretched and rolled over to watch as his beautiful young bride continued to slumber. His heart immediately continued to flutter and soar as he used his knuckles to gently caress her exposed shoulder. Inuyasha had never felt this strongly about anyone he'd ever known. His feelings were threatening to engulf him as they were a mixture of love, hope, happiness, and insatiable lust for his love. So many times he'd dreamed of this moment but never quite realized that it was within his grasp. He loved Kagome so much that he could never put into words…

That was when he began to worry. His Kagome deserved the world. She deserved a good life and he wasn't sure if he could give that to her. The panic coursed through his veins. What if he failed her as a husband? He didn't exactly have the best role model of a father to teach him how to be a good husband. He only had few memories of his childhood when his mother was still alive and how his father had treated her. His father had always said that he worked hard to give them a good life and to support their family… Would he be able to do that for his own family one day?

And what about his and Kagome's children? Would they want him as a father? He knew next to nothing about being a father. As far as he was concerned he grew up without one. Inuyasha became frustrated at this. How could he be expected to be good at all these things when no one had bothered to teach him?

He wasn't regretting his marriage to Kagome. No, that was something he could never regret. He just didn't know what to expect. He questioned his abilities to be a good man, a good provider, a loving husband, an affectionate father… He just didn't want to put his family through any of his failures. He didn't want his own children to resent him or worse, hate him, the way he felt about his father for never being there for him. He didn't want to mess anything up…

“Come on Tai. We have one more thing to get before we go home,” called Kagome.

Tai trotted along behind his mother as they continued to pass several eyes. Although one in particular seemed to catch his eye and he just had to stop. The candy isle… For as far as he can see there millions of candy on the shelves… Now this was enough for him to forget about his mother…

Tai walked down the isle in awe as he stared greedily at all the candy… He wanted them all, although one in particular seemed to stand out from the rest. There at the very end of the isle stood jars of gummy bears. His eyes sparkled as he ran to one and found that it was half his size. Maybe if he asked his mommy would get it for him? Without a second though, he spread his little chubby arms to accommodate the size of the jar as if he was hugging someone. He couldn't wait to get this home. He quickly turned around to ask if he could have it only to find that he was alone in the candy isle. Now… if he could only find his mother…

“Hhrmm… Beef or chicken ramen… Tai! Which do you think daddy would-” Kagome paused after realizing that her son was no longer beside her. “Great… I turn around for one second and he's gone…” mumbled Kagome as she walked along the front of the isles looking for her son. “Tai!”

“Mommy?” he whispered. He felt scared. What if she forgot about him and was already driving home? He didn't know how to get home… Tai carelessly dropped his jar of gummy bears as he burst into tears. “Mommy!”

He ran to the next isle in search of his mother who was still nowhere to be found. He had to focus and find her scent. Yes, that was what his daddy had told him to do if he was ever lost. So he did just that.

“I'm a big boy… I'm a big boy…” he repeated to calm himself. He wiped is face with his arm and focused on his mother's scent.

His heart soared as he picked up her scent, which wasn't too far away form where he was. He was quickly running from isle to isle knowing that his mother was still in the store. Her scent was getting stronger and stronger and he finally caught sight of her. Relief washed over him as he ran to his mother who was holding an apple.

“Mommy!” he cried as he barreled himself to latch tightly around her legs. “I was so scared when I couldn't find you and…” Something seemed off. The pair of eyes looking down at him weren't the warm brown eyes his mother had… He also knew for certain that his mother's hair wasn't as long and straight as this woman's. He reluctantly let go of her legs and stepped back.

“You've lost your mommy little boy?” asked the woman gently.

He nodded in response and refused to look her in the eye. This woman looked exactly like his mother except for her eyes and hair. Not to mention this woman looked as white as a ghost… “I'm sorry… I thought you were my mommy…” he mumbled.

The woman had leaned down so that they were eye to eye as she stared intently at him. It was really making him uncomfortable. He was always told never to talk to strangers… Oh his mommy would really be mad at him. But he wasn't worried about her scolding him. He was just worried about finding her and going home. He started to suck on his thumb as he began to worry again. He started to feel uncomfortable. The woman was staring at him as if studying everything about his face…

“You… you're Inuyasha's son aren't you?” asked the woman.

“You know my daddy?” he asked slightly perking up. Maybe since this woman knew his dad, she'd be able to help him find his mommy? And maybe he would be in less trouble since she wasn't a stranger and because his daddy knew her?

“You look so much like him…” she said bringing up her hand to stroke his face.

Tai took a step back away from the woman's cold touch. He just wanted to find his mommy and go home!

Kagome ran out of an isle and surely there was his little boy at brink of bursting into tears. “Tai!”

He immediately recognized that voice as he quickly turned around to find his mother standing only a few feet away. “Mommy!” He ran straight into her arms and buried his face onto her neck after she had bent down to pick him up.

“Where have you been? Didn't I tell you to stay close?” she asked gently stroking his hair.

“I'm sorry mommy…” he sniffled. He had been holding his tears back but now he was just so happy to be in his mother's arms again. “I was so scared mommy… I thought you left me…” he cried harder.

“Sshh… it's okay now baby. Mommy's found you,” she sighed in great relief and soothing her son at the same time. Someone cleared their throat and Kagome finally became aware of the woman standing in front of her. “Kikyou…” Kagome slowly lowered Tai to the floor and focused her attention on the home wrecker standing before her. Tai clinging to her sensed the change in her mood.

“He looks just like his father,” she commented.

“Yes. He does. After all… he is Inuyasha's son,” Kagome answered.

“I was so surprised to feel something run into me and imagine my surprise when I looked down only to find an exact replica of all my troubles,” Kikyou said narrowing her eyes.

“What are you glaring at?” asked Kagome coldly as she hid Tai behind her.

“Nothing,” a small smirk appeared on her face. “I was just thinking that he's so much like your Inuyasha. He did not only get his looks from his father…”

“Just what are you trying to say?” gritted Kagome.

“He thought I was you when I found him. He came running to me just like your husband… But unlike your son… Inuyasha always knew the difference.”

Kagome had the strongest urge to beat this woman senseless with those eggplants or watermelons lying only inches behind her. Too bad they were in public, not to mention in front of Tai's impressionable eyes.

“What's wrong Kagome? Cat got your tongue?” Kikyou asked quirking an eyebrow.

This woman was just provoking her… and people were starting to look at the scene she was creating. Wasn't it enough that she tore apart her family? That she took the only man she's ever loved?

“You know I never pictured Inuyasha to be the sort to get tied down by a family,” she continued.

“How would you know? You've only known him since you became hired help,” Kagome shot back calmly.

This woman was scary. For some reason she was still smirking back. If anything she started to grinning. “You're nothing but a mere copy of me. That's why he married you.”

“What are you saying? You're the one who is a copy of me. Not the other way around,” growled Kagome.

“Hhmm… Inuyasha was still as he was back in high school. Just like I remember him. He hasn't changed one bit… even his skills in bed…” she said licking her lips.

“Tai cover your ears!” she looked down at her son who did as he was told before carrying on with the conversation. “How would you know? You've never met him in high school.”

“Now I see why it was so easy for him to fuck around behind your back… So naïve…” Kikyou sighed. “I was Inuyasha's first… I guess he never told you that we used to date in high school did he?”

“Shit…”groaned Inuyasha. He had dozed off for maybe over an hour and he still had so many boxes to unpack. He also told Tai he'd have all of his toys back in his room by the time they returned from buying groceries. Too late. He heard a car door slam and the front door slamming open as well. That didn't sound good… He quickly washed his hands and ran to see what was the matter.

“Kagome? Tai?” he yelled.

“Mommy! Come back! Don't leave me! I'm sorry! I promise I won't eat anymore gummy bears!” cried Tai who stood outside the front door surrounded by bags of groceries.