InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Feudal Tale ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Kagome groaned at the cold, tucking her nose underneath the futon covers to keep it from becoming frozen by the icy wind that blew outside. As she burrowed further underneath the quilt she bumped into Inuyasha, who grumbled in his sleep. It was late at night, and Kagome was unable to sleep.

 

Maybe it is just the cold, and that's what is bothering me.

 

She rolled onto her back, still huddled in the warmth. The cold snap of a few days before still had many of the villagers waiting for better weather in the warmth and relative comfort of their huts.

 

Kagome also discovered that Inuyasha rarely stopped his work for foul weather. The workshop was more or less inside, but he would usually only work half of the day, returning to the fire in the main hut to recuperate from his efforts. She also discovered that he had a very inventive way to warm up, which included creative use of the household furniture.

 

She chuckled to herself. She had been so confused when he first pushed her to the ground in the main room, and so embarrassed throughout and afterwards that he spent the next few days sulking, which she determined was his form of apologizing. While it would have been nice to have a spoken apology, his tender care in making sure she was comfortable on the bed a week later before beginning inclined her to forgive him.

 

Their trip to Edo a few days before had been unpleasant, mainly because the fresh snowfall made the road slippery, and Inuyasha had a hard time getting the cart to move smoothly.

 

Their encounter with Sesshomaru had been nothing short of interesting. He had examined the carefully worked little boxes, decorative inlay designs, and other miscellaneous ideas Inuyasha had experimented with. But what had captured his attention the most was the sword.

 

She shook her head, a pleased smile gracing her face. She wouldn't have pegged Inuyasha for being superstitious, but when he explained what he expected her to do to contribute to the success of the sword making, she had almost laughed. That is, until she realized he was serious.

 

They had conducted an extensive cleaning of the whole workshop, making sure no lesser wood or contaminant could infect the precious wood, which was wrapped in oiled cloth on the table. Then when Inuyasha began work shaping the piece he refused to let her put the scraps in the compost pile. Every other day they were gathered and burned in front of an altar, with a commemorative dollop of incense.

 

Inuyasha had also insisted in purifying himself before and after working on it, which consisted of pouring water from the stream, in early winter, over his naked body. And he never cursed or growled over the discomfort.

 

Kagome sighed. He was as serious as a smith about his weapon. The only thing that had her miffed was his superstition that a woman's gaze would cause irreparable harm to the work of art. She had tried to bring him lunch on the first day, and not only had he not eaten it, he yelled at her and threw her out of the workshop, refusing to talk to her that night at dinner. She had been so annoyed that she didn't bring him lunch the next day, which she promptly realized was no revenge at all since another of his superstitions was that food would contaminate the process.

 

When the magnificent sword, she assumed, was finally done, it was placed in a box lined with silk and closed up. It spent the next few weeks on their altar, and Inuyasha would get cross if she looked at it too long. It was one of their first fights as a couple. She understood his point of view, but was still angry that he wouldn't take her into consideration. Especially considering that he had been so open and explicative for her before. A few days before they were set to make the trip, he had pushed her away with the stabbing remark that she was becoming a nag. They hadn't spoken for the rest of the day.

 

She had been shooed from the room when the sword was brought up, the final thing to be presented to Sesshomaru for inspection. She assumed that it must have awed him, because he was unusually grouchy when he dispatched them. She did notice that the purse that Inuyasha had dumped into his wallet had been significantly larger, and Sesshomaru once again decided to “indulge his imagination.”

 

Kagome rolled out of bed, deciding that she could use another blanket. She dug one out of her chest at the side of the room, and frowned in displeasure when she turned back around. Her husband had stretched out to take most of the futon. She figured it must have been his personal one, because it had clearly been used when she first slept in it and it was slightly small for a married futon. But not many people could afford new futons. Many people in the village simply slept on their wooden floors.

 

Inwardly she gave a deep sigh. It was very late, and she did not want to wake him and ask him to move. But shoving him over seemed beyond rude. She held the blanket around her more tightly.

 

It should be warm enough.

 

She settled herself on the floor in front of her chest, curling her feet under the blanket to keep from freezing her toes off.

 

I hope he's guilty when he wakes up. She thought bitterly, still angry over the sword and his cold behavior.

 

The cold kept waking her throughout the night, and when she saw light appearing in the sky through the window she rose and prepared herself for the day. She planned to reorganize the kitchen area today, and she wanted to start a dinner that would cook all day. Her mother had taught her the recipe and she had been itching to try it.

 

Plus, he will have to smell it all day, but won't get any until sundown.

 

Her kimono on and hair carefully tied back into a coil behind her head, she folded her blanket and tidied it away. She left their bedroom, predawn light peeking through the window and her husband sleeping soundly in their futon.

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

Light in his eyes made Inuyasha grumble and shift over to shield his face. He sat up, noticing that his wife was gone and there was no morning tea or miso set up near their bed.

 

He sighed. Kagome had been quite angry with him for the past few weeks, and he wasn't really sure why. He didn't degrade her or beat her; he ate her meals and tried to be gentle in bed. Sure, she had been annoyed about not being able to see the sword, but she would get to see it in the shop when they returned in a month, and if not there would be others. She just didn't understand that he couldn't afford distractions while in the process of making such a complicated piece.

 

Shrugging into his clothes, he thought over his work plans for the day. He hoped to finish the box he had been working on, one that would hopefully hold a sword. All that were left were the little finishing touches and engravings around the sides. Then he would be free to spend the rest of the day with his wife, getting her to tell him what the problem was so he could fix it. He really didn't like being at odds with the only other occupant of the hut.

 

When he was dressed he emerged from their room, finding his wife hovering over a pot. She had numerous dried vegetables and other foodstuffs around her. He walked over to see into the pot, intent on seeing inside. Without even glancing at him Kagome shifted the lid of the pot over so that it covered the insides.

 

“It will burn if a man touches it.” She remarked, hardly hiding her sarcasm. “Your breakfast is there.” She pointed, and he saw three rice balls on a small plate.

 

“What is that for?” he asked, sitting in front of the plate and beginning on the rice.

 

She shrugged. “Dinner.”

 

He ate slowly, hoping she would reopen the pot and begin work again. However she did simple things like cleaning the knives and making sure the fire was burning at the right temperature. When she began repeating some of the same tasks she had already done it became apparent that she was waiting for him to leave.

 

He did not indulge her, resolving himself to out-stubborn her. He sat waiting, his plate long empty, knowing that eventually she would have to resume work.

 

She finally took his plate and washed it. She began reordering her pots and pans, various utensils, and eating dishes.

 

After several minutes he was bursting with impatience. She was obviously content to sit there moving pots until she rotted. Finally he snarled in impatience and rose, stomping off to his workshop.

 

Damn stubborn wench. He seethed inwardly.

 

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief when he left. She was still worried that she might have gone too far with the sarcastic insult, but he hadn't reacted. She turned back to her stew. It was mostly done anyway, since she had started so early. All that was left was to add the ingredients to the stew and make sure it was thickening around the noodles at the right consistency.

 

When everything was added she cleaned all the remaining dishes. With that done she set about the daily chores of housekeeping: cleaning and laundry.

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

Hungry, but in a better mood than before, Inuyasha returned to the house. In the main room he found Kagome in the middle of the floor, obviously doing the laundry.

 

“How long is that going to take you?” he asked, his stomach growling.

 

Her head shot up, and she bit her lip. “It takes several hours, husband.”

 

His brow furrowed in impatience. “What about lunch?”

 

He winced when fear crept into her eyes. “My husband, since you usually don't eat lunch, I did not consider to prepare something.”

 

“Don't you usually eat something?” he pressed.

 

She shook her head. “You are the one doing the hard work, my husband.” She said, her head bowed. Her raised his eyebrows, seeing as she was currently wringing out a padded hanten.

 

He sighed heavily and walked over to plop down on the floor next to her.

 

“Why are you angry?”

 

Kagome started. “I am not angry, husband,” she said dully.

 

Inuyasha looked puzzled. “Yes you are,” he pressed. “You wouldn't let me see what you were doing, and you're not talking to me.”

 

Kagome bit her lip, and he could see she was holding back a sharp retort. “I will strive to improve,” she stated.

 

He growled and pulled her hands out of the soapy water. Her hands were white and clammy. He looked up at her face. When he first came in he thought that the heat of the laundry water flushed her face red. But the combination of all her symptoms made him look her over.

 

“You're not feeling well, are you?” he said accusingly.

 

Kagome waved him off. “I'm fine, really. Just a little tired.” She looked at him shyly through her lashes. “Thank you for your concern.”

 

Inuyasha sputtered slightly, a blush materializing on his face. Kagome was just congratulating herself on throwing him off when he raised a hand to her forehead.

 

“You are too warm.” He murmured softly to her. He wrapped an arm around her upper body and lifted her up, allowing his lower arm to lift her under the knees. Kagome blushed at being held in such an intimate and weak position, but Inuyasha ignored her and carried her gently to their bedroom. He set her down and tucked her into the futon.

 

“I'll finish the laundry.” He assured, smoothing the coverlet over her. “Then we can eat your dinner together later.”

 

“You know how to do laundry?” she blurted, surprised by his non-chalance.

 

He shrugged. “I lived alone for a long time. I couldn't just keep wearing the same dirty clothing. And when I was younger I would help my mother with her chores, which included the laundry.”

 

Kagome snuggled into the bed, accepting the warm comfort the futon offered. Without thinking about it, she found herself dozing.

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

“Oi, wake up.”

 

“Nnghhh.”

 

“You can sleep after you eat, okay?”

 

“Go `way.”

 

“Keh, you're grumpy when you're tired. Up!”

 

Kagome grumbled as Inuyasha pulled her into a sitting position. “Buckwheat noodles in stew,” he said. “Good for colds and fevers. So eat it already!”

 

A pair of chopsticks was thrust into her hand, and she finally opened her eyes. Inuyasha was scowling at her, holding a steaming bowl and holding her up with his other hand. Somewhat dizzy, she gazed blankly at Inuyasha.

 

He grumbled. “Eat.” With that he took the chopsticks back and stuffed a string of noodles into her half-open mouth. Predictably, she choked. A cup was thrust into her hand and she drank from it, the cool water soothing her throat. With a scowl she took back the chopsticks and began to eat for herself.

 

Inuyasha continued to watch over her, grumbling over her sickness and having to feed her. She knew better though. He wouldn't have had water for her immediately if he wasn't worried. He wouldn't even have bothered to feed her if he wasn't worried.

 

She finally finished, feeling slightly better with a stomach full of warm food.

 

“Arigato gozaimasu, Inuyasha.” She said shyly.

 

He grunted and took the bowl from her.

 

“Now you should go back to sleep.” He commanded, tucking her back into the futon.

 

Kagome stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep now that she had woken fully. She listened to the clanking in the main room as Inuyasha presumably ate dinner. She heard him set the dishes down and then make his way back to their room. She sighed internally. Even if he could do laundry, it was too much to ask that he would wash the dishes.

 

Inuyasha shed his clothes and pulled on his sleeping yukata, with his back to her. She would never admit that she enjoyed the view immensely, his intricately built form, his strength and lithe build. She blushed. She was sure she would be unable to look if he was facing forward. Not only would he see her stare, but she would be able to see all of him. She shivered.

 

Kagome was unhappily startled from her musing by Inuyasha pulling her into his warm body under the covers.

 

“I'm not going to risk you getting cold.” He murmured. Her frame fit perfectly into the mold of his body. His chin rested atop her head, his arm was thrown over her stomach, and one of his legs clamped her lower body into place. Her bottom was pushed into the crux of his body, and her back was firmly pressed against his chest.

 

She yawned and snuggled the futon. His warmth was making her wonderfully drowsy, and at the moment she could not make herself mad at her husband. He had been wonderfully tender when he learned that she was sick and tired and took up her slack without a fuss.

 

He really is an amazing man. Kagome smiled at that thought. He will drive me crazy with his attitude, but I know that he really is sweet through all those layers of protective anti-socialism. I just have to break through and nurture that niceness in him.

 

With that though Kagome fell asleep in the arms of her husband.

 

The next chapter should come up on Friday, though that is if I finish it by then. Today and tomorrow are going to be mellow days for me, so I should be able to do so.

 

In case anyone is wondering about the smith comment, swordsmiths in Japan were almost religious figures. They would purify themselves and their forge before even thinking about forging a sword. This purification often entailed sitting in a waterfall, like Buddhist monks often do, and ritual meditation. They are also quite superstitious. Fishermen and geisha were as well, as were many people I imagine. Especially in that time when things were explained by “the kami decided to do it,” people really believed that doing something unlucky would affect their standing in the universe. Inuyasha obviously takes this very seriously, look how serious he is about Tetsusaiga in the series, while Kagome blows it off as silly. (I'm kinda with Kagome on this…) - Akihana